Helpful safety tips for beginner hockey players help you enjoy the game Hockey is a fast and exciting sport. As much as we all try to avoid them, injuries can and do happen. Some of the more common ones in ice hockey are sprains, bruises, or cuts. However, that does not mean you should stop […]

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The Sharks were brutal defensively all night long. They consistently gave up high danger scoring chances to the Flames, six in the first period alone. The Flames scored first off a nice goal from Tyler Toffoli. He capitalized on a terrible Sharks turnover right into the slot of their own zone, too good an opportunity for Toffoli to miss. However, the Sharks evened things up on a quick power play tally from Timo Meier. It was a tie game after the first period.

It was all Flames from then on. Milan Lucic scored his first goal of the season in the second period. Then, the Flames scored three goals in the opening 2:10 of the third period, two from Elias Lindholm and one from Dillon Dube, to blow the game wide open.

Tomas Hertl made it a 5–2 game, but that’s how it would end. It was a perfect start to the road trip for the Flames who desperately needed a win. The trip continues with a rematch against these same Sharks on Tuesday night.

Charts from the game are below.

Game events

Goals

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All situations Corsi

5v5 Corsi

Do you have any feedback or suggestions? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter @wincolumnCGY.

The post Flames Visual Recap 32: Calgary snaps losing streak with dominant win over lowly Sharks appeared first on The Win Column.

Complied below is the top five most quotable moments of 2022–23 from Darryl Sutter so far this season.

All video courtesy of Flames TV.

1. The Toronto Referees

Sutter didn’t hold back last week when the Flames visited the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto and had major penalty trouble. Some of which Sutter didn’t agree with.

When asked about the officiating Sutter had an interesting interaction with reporter Eric Francis.

Sutter: “When you’re in Chicago all those years, you come into Toronto. You know what goes on. I won’t say nothing more.”

Reporter – “But this is two games in a row you guys have had a lot of penalties.”

Sutter – “So then write about. You think they were all penalties tonight, I don’t.”

Obviously Darryl wasn’t in the mood to build on what he said after telling the media: “I won’t say nothing more.” It was a frustrating game to say the least and evidently Darryl felt it was an unjust outcome.

2. Huberdeau’s mysterious absence from the bench mid-game

Halloween brought a great cut and dry Sutter response.

When asked why Huberdeau had to leave the bench mid game Darryl simply responded,

“I think he had to go take a sh*t.”

Simple, and to the point. The silence following is almost better than the actual response.

3. Don’t like (Calgary), leave.

After a wild free agent offseason and trade market centered around Calgary Darryl was asked about the city’s desirability to players. His response was simple, defending the city saying,

“If I lived in a city in Canada, this is where I’d live. Quite simple, very clear. I mean, what more do you want? Don’t like (Calgary) leave.”

An Alberta boy through and through. I don’t know what else the media expected out of this question. Frankly, I think all of the talk about Calgary being a less desirable location for players is just a rouse. Only centred around the ongoing arena deal and the fact that two guys left for reasons beyond just the city of Calgary.

4. Tkachuk and Toffoli Comparison

Before the regular season began Darryl was asked about the similarities in Toffoli and Tkachuk’s games. Not impressed with a training camp filled with questions about those who left the team, Darryl gave a very cut and dry in your face response saying,

“One guys won Stanley Cups. Been a part of long playoff runs”

The look on his face say’s it all. Not interested in comparing past to present, focus on the team now and move on. In Darryl’s eyes Toffoli’s intangibles are valuable enough to not even mention Tkachuk. Classic Darryl “I don’t have time for this” Sutter.

5. Subtle shot at Andrew Brunette

Sutter was asked what the differences were between the playstyle Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar had experienced in Florida versus in Calgary. Darryl took his answer to a broader frame of mind than anyone expected, saying:

“I think the best way to explain that would be, Florida couldn’t beat Tampa in the playoffs last year, because Tampa played a certain way and Florida didn’t. I think Florida’s trying to play that way now, so, I think that’d be the best way to explain it.”

Referencing how Andrew Brunette’s east west play style was the knife in Florida’s back last year when they came up against a team similar to Calgary’s play style, Tampa Bay. To make it even worse, Brunette was replaced by Paul Maurice this past offseason after the Panthers won the Presidents’ Trophy. To add a little more spice to this quote from October, some people are presenting Brunette as a good replacement for Sutter amide the teams inconsistent start to the year.

More to come

Happy Sutter and Upset Sutter have both shown face this year and with the way the season’s going I’d hope for more smiles. 50 games to go, that means 100+ more Sutter pressers. At less than the halfway point of the season, stay tuned for more of Sutter’s most quotable moments.

The post Darryl Sutter’s most quotable moments this season appeared first on The Win Column.

TWC Power Rankings explained

If you’re new to our power rankings, this is how it all works.

Here at TWC, we use a statistical model to effectively rank teams on a week to week basis. The model takes into effect winning percentages, CF%, SCF%, HDCF% as well as SV%. Each statistical category is weighed and scored differently, giving each team a unique TWC Score that determines their ranking after each week. The formula puts the highest emphasis on winning percentages over other statistics. All numbers are taken in all situations, to incorporate special teams into the fray.

We got some excellent feedback over the course of last season from our readers as to how we could improve this model moving forward. This year we have slightly altered the weightings of the statistical categories, but also re-worked the recency component to make sure that each week the teams that are riding hot streaks are more appropriately demonstrated in the rankings.

Don’t like where your team is ranked? Unfortunately, they will have to turn it around on the ice, as we take zero personal opinions into effect.

Have any suggestions for the TWC Power Rankings for next season? Leave us a comment and let us know. Without further ado, this week’s power rankings are below!

Week 10 NHL Power Rankings

Rank	Change	Team	Team Name	Last Week	Record	TWCScore
1	–		New Jersey Devils	0-3-1	21-8-2	859.8
2	+2		Carolina Hurricanes	4-0-0	19-6-6	849.0
3	–		Boston Bruins	2-0-1	24-4-2	837.9
4	-2		Winnipeg Jets	2-2-0	20-10-1	795.5
5	+3		Tampa Bay Lightning	3-0-0	20-9-1	770.5
6	-1		Toronto Maple Leafs	1-2-0	19-7-6	764.6
7	-1		Pittsburgh Penguins	2-1-0	18-9-4	761.4
8	-1		Colorado Avalanche	2-1-0	16-11-2	760.3
9	+1		Vegas Golden Knights	2-1-0	22-10-1	734.1
10	-1		Dallas Stars	2-1-1	18-8-6	732.8
11	+2		Minnesota Wild	4-0-0	18-11-2	731.8
12	+3		New York Rangers	4-0-0	18-10-5	725.9
13	-2		Calgary Flames	1-1-2	14-12-6	703.9
14	+4		Los Angeles Kings	2-1-0	17-12-5	686.3
15	+2		Florida Panthers	2-1-0	15-13-4	681.8
16	-2		Edmonton Oilers	1-2-1	17-14-1	678.0
17	-5		Seattle Kraken	1-2-0	17-10-3	672.2
18	+4		Ottawa Senators	3-1-0	14-15-2	663.2
19	+2		Buffalo Sabres	3-0-0	15-14-2	659.2
20	-4		New York Islanders	1-1-1	18-13-1	655.8
21	-1		Washington Capitals	2-1-0	16-13-4	650.6
22	+1		Vancouver Canucks	1-1-0	13-14-3	613.9
23	+3		St Louis Blues	3-0-0	15-15-1	611.3
24	-5		Detroit Red Wings	0-3-0	13-11-6	607.3
25	–		San Jose Sharks	1-1-1	10-17-6	600.9
26	-2		Montreal Canadiens	1-3-0	14-15-2	580.7
27	–		Philadelphia Flyers	1-2-0	10-15-7	558.1
28	–		Arizona Coyotes	1-2-0	10-15-4	519.7
29	–		Anaheim Ducks	2-2-0	9-20-3	507.0
30	–		Nashville Predators	0-2-2	12-13-4	470.3
31	–		Columbus Blue Jackets	0-3-0	10-18-2	426.6
32	–		Chicago Blackhawks	0-4-0	7-19-4	411.8

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Week 10 Highlights

Editors Note: During Week 9 of the TWC NHL Power Rankings there was a slight error in the model causing for some improperly ranked teams. This has been resolved and the proper rankings are reflected in this week.

Despite their brutal 0–3–1 week, the New Jersey Devils remained atop the power rankings this week. Even with the recent losses, –they have an elite winning percentage and their underlying numbers are dominant. They lead the league in high-danger Corsi, and are second in scoring chance and Corsi percentage. When you’re as dominant as they’ve been, you can afford to lose a few games without losing places in the rankings. The recency component of our model also extends three weeks and therefore this one down week won’t kill the Devils, but they are on thin ice.

Instead, the Boston Bruins slipped out of the top two for the first time since week three, the Carolina Hurricanes moved into second place. The Hurricanes were a perfect 4–0–0, with three of those wins coming against teams currently in playoff positions. They also lead the league in Corsi share by a large margin, with a four percent gap to the second ranked Devils.

In third, the Bruins are coming off a strong week, with their lone loss coming in a shootout against the Los Angeles Kings. Their drop in the rankings is more a reflection of the success of the Hurricanes than their own play dropping off. They lead the league in wining percentage, as well as save percentage, two important inputs into the power ranking model.

Following a 2–2–0 week, the Winnipeg Jets dropped down to fourth in the rankings. Four out of eight possible points on the week is nothing special, but the Jets losses came against strong teams, and their underlying numbers valued by the model are still strong, especially in the crease. They have the second best save percentage in the league, even with Connor Hellebuyck allowing six goals against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.

The Tampa Bay Lightning round out the top five after an undefeated 3–0–0 week. Interestingly, their shot attempt numbers aren’t great, but their high-danger shot attempt share is among the league’s best. The quality-over-quantity approach seems to be working for them, as they have quietly climbed to having the league’s fifth best point percentage.

Elsewhere down the list, there were some interesting developments. The Minnesota Wild had an impressive 4–0–0 week, but only managed to climb two positions to 11th. Despite the impressive streak, the model isn’t too high on the Wild due to middling possession and chance creation numbers.

Similarly, the Buffalo Sabres went a perfect 3–0–0 over the last seven days, but moved up only two spaces due to underwhelming underlying metrics. Winning is the most important factor in the TWCScore model, but the Sabres only crack the top ten in one of the other categories considered in the model: Corsi. In each of the other categories they’re in the bottom half of the league, limiting the impact their wins can have on their rank.

Among the biggest movers of the week were the Detroit Red Wings, who fell six spots. They went 0–3–0, dropping games to the Ottawa Senators, the Wild and the Hurricanes. Near the bottom of the league in every important metric, it’s a wonder they were as high as they had been last week. A return up the standings doesn’t seem likely in the short-term.

Finally, the Ottawa Senators had a strong week. They won three times and lost once, and moved four places up the rankings as a result. Their seventh ranked Corsi percentage is their best statistic, and their 15th ranked save percentage is their worst. If they can improve defensively and in goal, the rest of the season could go very well for the Senators and be a sign of good progress in the rebuilding process.

Past 2022–23 Power Rankings

Week 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

Check here for how teams have done over past weeks and stay tuned for upcoming power rankings.

The post TWC NHL Power Rankings 2022–23: Week 10 appeared first on The Win Column.

It was one of the busiest PIHA weekends in history, as events were held all over country.  In particular, the east coast held four events across the region, with a total of 23 total teams playing on the day.  Many of those teams were playing their first games of the season, and all 16 of the regions semi-pro teams were in action.

The day began in Harrisburg, as four Atlantic division semi-pro teams met for in division action at Yellow Breeches.  Each of the four teams in attendance registered at least one win and one loss.  The Typhoon finished the day with the best record, winning three games and their lone lose came in overtime.  The Iron Knights were impressive with three wins, including one in overtime against the Typhoon.  The Sting Rays and Shockwave both finished 1-3, with wins against each other, but proved to be a tough opponent in each of their games.

At Marple, the first of four cross division festivals this year took place, as four teams from the Atlantic Division took on four teams from the Northeast Division.  Six of the eight teams in attendance each won at least once and lost at least once.  The only undefeated team at the end of the day was the Wheel City Militia.  The surprising Wheel City team, had impressive victories against the Suffolk Sting, Rink Rat Blazers, and an overtime win against the Metro hitmen (shown in video). Other notable teams from the weekend were the previously mentioned Sting, who defeated the other three teams they played, including the reigning champion Marple Gladiators in overtime.  The Philadelphia Deuces, also went 3-1, while only losing to the Sting.  The Gladiators and Hitmen each went 2-1-1 on the day.  

A double event was held at Rapid Fire on Saturday, as three Pro teams and the Northeast minors met for a long day of PIHA action.  The Atlantic division Minors kicked off the season a week earlier and this week it was the Northeast teams turn.  More information to come on this event.

Further west on Long Island, four more semi-pro teams met for Northeast division action at Skate Safe America.  The Long Island Snipers, who got off to a tough start in their opening weekend rebounded with a 3-1 day on Saturday, as did the Empire State Legends.  Each team beat each other once.  The Champion Impact, also got off to a decent start going 2-1-1 on the day.

A busy weekend at Xfinity in the Rocky Mountain division.  On Friday evening, the Black Forest Thunder and Front Range Vikings split a pair of semi-pro games.  The Parker Prowlers took both games against the Colorado Springs Thunder in the Pro division.  On Sunday, the Sloan Lake Tugboats took a pair from the Black Forest Thunder and Front Range Vikings and Littleton Fire split a pair of games in semi-pro action.

The league is now off for a few weekends as everyone is set to enjoy the holiday season over the next few weekends.  Loads of PIHA action returns on the weekend of Jan 6-8.

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T.J. Oshie went to the locker room after this pic.twitter.com/RI3ioexpd7

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 18, 2022

Oshie was classified “day-to-day” by the team on Sunday, but as we have learned in recent seasons, “day-to-day” could mean just about anything.

The Capitals will no doubt miss Oshie’s presence in the lineup, for however many games it may be. But how much will they miss him? The following is a glance at a few key statistics with and without T.J. Oshie in the lineup.

[The statistics used in this post are courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and the NoVa Caps Advanced Analytics Model (NCAAM). If you’d like to learn more about the statistical terms used in this post, please check out our NHL Analytics Glossary]

WINS AND LOSSES

The Capitals were 2-6-3 when Oshie was out for the 11 games at the end of October and first half of November. The team has gone 9-3-1 since Oshie returned. Oshie has two goals and three assists since his return.

That seems like a clear indication of Oshie’s impact on the team, right? Well, let’s dig a little deeper.

EXPECTED GOALS FOR PERCENTAGE (xGF%) – WITH AND WITHOUT 

The following graph plots the expected goals for percentage for each of the Capitals games so far this season with averages for games with and without Oshie in the lineup. [Click to enlarge].

The Capitals averaged an expected goals for percentage (xGF%) of 50.12% in the 11 games  T.J. Oshie missed due to injury. The team has averaged 53.95% xGF% in the last 13 games with Oshie in the lineup. Another positive indicator for Oshie.

SHOTS PER GAME AVERAGE DIFFERENTIAL

Another statistic we can look at is shot generation by the Capitals with and without Oshie in the lineup. There are several different shot stats worth assessing, but for the purposes of this brief snap shot, we will look at the Capitals shots per game averages.

The following graph plots the Capitals shots per game average differential (shots for per game average minus shots against per game average, or SF/GM-avg – SA/GM-avg) [Click to enlarge]

Again we are presented with data that indicates the Capitals have been on the rise since Oshie’s return, going from a -1.00 shots per game differential to a +0.50 shots per game differential.

However, in fairness to the team, sans Oshie, the rebound in this statistic began while he was out of action, improving +2.70 shots per game average, albeit still in the negative. The team has improved another +1.50 since his return.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The other facet of the game that is tightly tied to Oshie is the Capitals power play. The following graph plots the team’s power play percentage season average after each game. [Click to enlarge].

Here we can see a little more of a direct correlation to the performance of the team with and without Oshie. When Oshie began his last absence due to injury, the team was 20.6% on the power play. When he returned, the team was down to 18.8%. Since his return the team has improved 3.0%.

However, we need to add important context to the previous stats.

STRENGTH OF OPPOSITION WITH AND WITHOUT OSHIE

Not all game stats are equal, as a wide range of variables must also be considered. One way to begin adding context to any game statistic is to consider the strength of opposition for which the game statistic was generated.

[Note: The first nine games of the season were deemed negligible, considering the early stage of the season and roster and lineup changes.]

The Capitals have faced a much easier schedule since T.J. Oshie returned, which needs to be considered when weighing the expected goals for percentages , shot generation, special teams and win-loss record for each game above.

What does this mean? Well, it should lessen the overall positive impact of the stats above, because the team faced a more difficult schedule while he was out with the injury. How much can be debated.

CONCLUSION

While the Capitals record indicates a clear difference with T.J. Oshie in and out of the lineup, several of the underlying statistics don’t necessarily back that up, and need to be considered when weighing the value of the won-loss record, shots per game, special teams and expected goals for percentage for each game with and without Oshie.

It should be noted that it’s difficult, if not impossible, to correlate any statistics directly to Oshie’s roster status – in or out. They are initially more or less coincidental to start, but do gain value as more statistics are tied to specific stretches of games.

However, and that’s a big “however”, what can’t be measured is Oshie’s impact in the locker room, motivation on and off the ice and leadership within the team. While immeasurable, teammates, fans and just about any hockey observer realizes that impact, and how significant it is. This time the intangibles outweigh the statistics.

By Jon Sorensen

Here’s the hit on Martin Fehervary by Flames winger Milan Lucic in the second period. Fehervary left the ice immediately after and didn’t return. pic.twitter.com/7sXtoojK7n

— Matt Weyrich (@ByMattWeyrich) December 4, 2022

“I’m getting myself together, but I can’t say exactly when I’ll be back yet. The problem is the left hand, but I don’t want to specify. It’s not a serious injury, I didn’t have to have an operation,” the defenseman told LiveSport.cz. “Anyway, it’s unpleasant and we’ll see how long I’ll recover and when I’ll start training with the team.”

It’s been a challenging start to the 2022-23 season for the 23 year-old blueliner, as Fehervary’s role on the team has shifted significantly since the start of training camp. Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette moved Fehervary from the first defensive pairing, where he played with John Carlson and provided more of an offensive role, to the second pairing with Nick Jensen, where he is looked to provide more of a shutdown defenseman role.

“The team didn’t start well, the coaches needed to make some changes and put us together with Jensen to guard the best forwards,” said Fehervary. “I played against the biggest stars, which was a big challenge for me. On the other hand, it’s nice that the coach believes in me. I don’t care where I play. Carlson is played differently, definitely more offensively. Jensen is a great defensive hard worker with whom I understand.”

Fehérváry mentioned before the season that one of his goals was to generate more scoring, but that has yet to fully materialize. He’s cored just twice in 26 games and has just four points. As he admits, one of the reasons is that he has to shoot more often.

“I didn’t shoot much. I told myself that I have to change it. I started shooting more and a few games later I scored a goal. I was fine in the others and then the injury came. It took me a bit off the pace, but I’m confident that when I come back I’ll build on my performances from the last few weeks.”

In Fairness to Fehervary, the switch from the top-pair scoring role to the second pairing defensive role was the result of several other important factors. Defenseman Erik Gustafsson showed an offensive upside in the early part of the season and there was a desperate need that developed to find a better shutdown defensive pairing. As a result, Gustafsson and Fehervary switched places on the blueline.

Fehervary made his first appearance with team on Monday morning, skating in a non-contact jersey.

By Jon Sorensen

MORNING SKATE

The forward lines and defensive pairs at morning skate on Monday, courtesy of Tom Gulitti/NHL.com:

Alex Ovechkin — Dylan Strome — Conor Sheary
Sonny Milano— Evgeny Kuznetsov — Anthony Mantha
Marcus Johansson — Lars Eller — Nicolas Aube-Kubel
Aliaksei Protas — Nic Dowd — Garnet Hathaway

Erik Gustafsson — John Carlson
Dmitry Orlov — Nick Jensen
Matt Irwin — Trevor Van Riemsdyk

Charlie Lindgren
Darcy Kuemper

Extras: Lucas Johansen, Joe Snively

Capitals PP1: Carlson, Ovechkin, Strome (in Oshie spot), Kuznetsov, Johansson

PP2: Gustafsson, Orlov, Sheary, Mantha, Milano.

T.J. Oshie (upper body) did not participate in the team’s morning skate. He was injured in the second period of Saturday night’s game against the Maple Leafs and did not return.

Nic Dowd (lower body) returned to the Capitals morning skate today after missing game Saturday. T.J. Oshie (upper body) did not participate this morning.

Ovi is in a mood this morning. Get your popcorn ready tonight. pic.twitter.com/iObrG6xq69

— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) December 19, 2022

Martin Fehervary (upper body) was on the ice for Caps’ morning skate in a non-contact jersey. It was the first time he has skated with the team since his injury.

Nicklas Backstrom continues to skate in regular (full-contact) jersey. Tom Wilson also continues to skate in non-contact jersey.

Alex Alexeyev returned to skate in non-contact jersey.

Capitals will wait to see how Kuemper makes it through the morning skate to see if he can back up and then could potentially send down Zach Fucale and Hunter Shepard (depending upon Shepard’s health).

Update: Darcy Kuemper has been cleared to return from IR and will back up Charlie Lindgren tonight, per head coach Peter Laviolette. Nic Dowd is a game-time decision.

ROCK CITY

The Washington Capitals host the Detroit Red Wings for the second of three meetings between the two teams during the regular season. Detroit defeated Washington in the first one by a score of 3-1 at Little Caesers Arena on November 3 but Washington is 16-3-3 against them since the 2011-12 season.

Action from Capital One Arena can be seen on NBC Sports Washington in-market or ESPN+ out-of-market. [Preview here.]

SONNY DAYS

Sonny Milano recorded three assists on Saturday vs. Toronto, marking his second career three-assist game (also Dec. 1, 2021 vs. Vegas as a member of the Anaheim Ducks). Since making his Capitals debut on Nov. 5 versus Arizona, Milano has recorded 14 points (3g, 11a) in 20 games played.

Milano’s 11 assists rank tied for second on the Capitals during that span (Evgeny Kuznetsov: 14; Dylan Strome: 11; Alex Ovechkin: 11), while his 14 points rank tied for fifth. In addition, Milano has recorded three multi-point games with Washington, all of which have come in Capitals’ wins. Milano’s 2.52 points per 60 minutes at five-on-five this season also leads the Capitals. Milano is five points shy of 100 career points (39g, 56a). [More here.]

STAT OF THE DAY – BETTER THAN EXPECTED

Today’s stat of the day revisits is the Capitals’ expected goals differential (xGF – xGA). As we noted back on December 10 (here), the Capitals differential has been steadily improving since a season low on November 13.

The Capitals differential continues to improve, from a monthly low of -3.14 to +1.00 for the season. That’s an impressive improvement that is a reflection of the Capitals won-loss record in the month of December.

DOWN ON THE FARM

Both Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre scored in the Hershey Bears 5-2 victory over the Lehigh Vally Phantoms last night. First, Lapierre ended a five-game points drought with a power play goal.

Hendrix Lapierre ends his dry spell, pots his 8th of the season on the power play. #ALLCAPS #HBH pic.twitter.com/HdStv36yf0

— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) December 18, 2022

Then in the third period, Connor McMichael made an eye-popping play to give the Bears a 4-3 lead.

Connor Mc Oh My! Connor McMichael gives the Bears a 4-3 lead late in the 3rd. #HBH #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/GnLzM5ytB7

— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) December 19, 2022

Ivan Miroshnichenko played in his 4th KHL game today. He recorded 3 shots and 3 hits in just 6:18 of ice time. He is definitely making the most of his ice time.

By Jon Sorensen

The Edmonton Oilers have signed goaltender Stuart Skinner to a three-year contract extension, as per an announcement by the organization on Monday. The news was first broken by Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, but the team confirmed just minutes later.

The backup to start the season, Skinner has come in and seemingly won the starting job in Edmonton over a struggling Jack Campbell. Campbell hasn’t been good, but even if he was, Skinner might still be the goalie the Oilers call upon as he’s been outstanding early in the 2022-23 season. He’s been steady, composed, and calm in the face of a barrage of shots against as the Oilers defense struggles to limit shots against or is prone to making costly mistakes.

Bob Stauffer of Oilers Now writes, “His relentless work ethic has seen him progress at every level from WHL/ECHL/AHL to the NHL. He is very calm and mature on and off the ice…and is tracking to becoming a full-time NHL starter.” Skinner has 9 wins in 18 games and started this season with 0.915 Sv%.

Skinner was a pending RFA at the end of the season and this three-year deal will take him to his first year as a UFA. It’s not ideal if Skinner continues to progress at the rate he has that he’ll be allowed to test the market at that time, but the Oilers’ window to win is now, and they can potentially move Campbell at that time, should they need to do so.

It shouldn’t be an issue that Skinner will make about half of what Campbell does over the next three seasons and could be the starter for all three years, but one never knows.

Next: Edmonton Oilers’ Quick Hits: Barrie, Draisaitl & McDavid

The post Oilers Sign Stuart Skinner to Three-Year Extension appeared first on NHL Trade Talk.

The Panthers have a solid young core in place with foundation pieces in Matthew Tkachuk, Alexander Barkov, Anton Lundell, Aaron Ekblad, and Spencer Knight, who are all 26 years old or younger and in the primes of their career.

The Panthers have not been shy to trade prospects away and have moved out Devon Levi and Owen Tippett, as well as their first and second-round picks from the 2022 draft. Despite the moves and prospect graduations, the Panthers prospect pool is still relatively strong and has some potential that should play their way onto the roster in the near future.

1. Mackie Samoskevich, RW – University of Michigan (NCAA)

Age: 20
Ht/Wt: 5-11/192
Drafted: 2021 round one 24th overall by Florida Panthers

As a sophomore with the Wolverines, Samoskevich is having a breakout season with top 2023 draft prospect Adam Fantilli. The duo has been paired going back to their time in the USHL on the Chicago Steel where they won the Clark Cup as USHL Champions.

Samoskevich has played on some All-Star teams on the Chicago Steel and now in Michigan. Playing with elite players is not always easy but Samoskevich has proven capable of more than keeping pace with the elite of his peers. He is a highly skilled offensive player and Florida will no doubt try to sign him after his current season.

2. Justin Sourdif, RW/C – Charlotte Checkers (AHL)

Age: 20
Ht/Wt: 5-11/172
Drafted: 2020 round three 87th overall by Florida Panthers

Sourdif finished off a brilliant WHL career with a Championship with the Edmonton Oil Kings and a run in the Memorial Cup. Sourdif is now in his rookie season in the AHL and is adjusting to the bigger players, higher skill, and faster pace. His point production has taken a dip, but he is a versatile player and can impact the game more than just by scoring.

Despite not being a physically imposing player, he is strong and plays a physical game. Sourdif has always projected to be an NHL middle- to bottom-six forward that brings energy and has some offensive upside. That is still the path he is tracking on. Look for Sourdif to play the full campaign in the AHL and start getting NHL looks in his sophomore season.

3. Michael Benning, RD – University of Denver (NCAA)

Age: 20
Ht/Wt: 5-9/181
Drafted: 2020 round four 95th overall by Florida Panthers

Benning enjoyed a breakout year as a sophomore with the Pioneers scoring 15 goals and 38 points in 41 games. His offensive game has been evident since his time in the AJHL where he scored 136 points in 114 career games.

The concern with Benning has been his size and his defensive game. While he can not do much about his height, he has added strength and improved his in-zone play with a plus -32 last year.

As a junior this should be his final run in the NCAA where he will try to become a two-time NCAA Champion before he joins the AHL. His upside is as top-six, offensive and puck-moving defender and power play quarterback.

4. Evan Nause, LD – Quebec Ramparts (QMJHL)

Age: 19
Ht/Wt: 6-2/185
Drafted: 2021 round two 56th overall by Florida Panthers

When Canadian born players play in the USHL, their plan is usually to play in the NCAA, but Nause elected to play in the CHL and in the QMJHL. Much of his game translates to the NHL.

He has the size at 6-2, is an above-average skater, has offensive upside and can move the puck in transition and can lock it down in his own end. He can keep up with the pace at the junior level. He has top-four NHL upside and is trending in the right direction.

5. Aleksi Heponiemi, C/W – Charlotte Checkers (AHL)

Age: 23
Ht/Wt: 5-10/154
Drafted: 2017 round two 40th overall by Florida Panthers

The dynamic offensive Finnish forward has been slowly developing since his draft in 2017. He has since won a WJC Gold with Finland, a WHL Championship with Swift Current and is now in his fourth season as a professional.

While his offensive production has been evident in the AHL, he has hit a wall in terms of his production. He has played in 24 NHL games and still has some potential of becoming an NHL regular but needs to find another level in his offensive production as he lacks another dynamic element to his game.

6. Grigori Denisenko, LW – Charlotte Checkers (AHL)

Age: 22
Ht/Wt: 5-11/185
Drafted: 2018 round one 15th overall by Florida Panthers

The Russian winger has elite skill and has been ranked among the Panthers top prospects since his draft back in 2018. Since then, he has come to North America and expectations have been high given his skill and skating abilities.

He has yet to emerge as a consistent offensive threat in the AHL with 37 points in three seasons and 68 games. After the first 20+ games of the 2022-23 season, his production is trending in the wrong direction.

The question with Denisenko is not a matter of skill, but whether he can think and play the game with the pace of the AHL level, let alone the NHL level. It is starting to look like the answer is no and as a result, he is falling down the rankings.

7. John Ludvig, LD – Charlotte Checkers (AHL)

Age: 22
Ht/Wt: 6-1/214
Drafted: 2019 round three 69th overall by Florida Panthers

Ludvig had a breakout D+1 season as the Captain of the Portland Winterhawks in his final junior year scoring 17 goals and 62 points in 60 games. As his stock as a prospect was rocketing up, he turned pro and three years later he has only played in 24 AHL games due to injury.

Hip surgery erased all but three games in 2021-22 and he started the current season on the IR. He has since returned and has three points through his first eight games, but at this point, it is difficult to project how he rebound from the time off and what long-term impact the injury will have.

8. Serron Noel, RW – Charlotte Checkers (AHL)

Age: 22
Ht/Wt: 6-5/216
Drafted: 2018 round two 34th overall by Florida Panthers

The massive winger has had a slow transition to the AHL. To make matters worse he has yet to play this season due to injury. Bigger players often take longer to develop as the physical advantage he enjoyed in junior is less relevant at the professional level. At still only 22 years old, Noel has time to evolve into a bottom-six NHL power winger with some offensive upside.

9. Mack Guzda, G – Charlotte Checkers (AHL)

Age: 21
Ht/Wt: 6-5/216
Drafted: Free agent signed by Florida Panthers in 2022

Guzda went undrafted in his OHL career playing in Owen Sound, but after a trade to Barrie in his over-age season as a 20-year-old, he was signed as a free agent by Florida. Guzda finished the year with a 20-9-2 record during the regular season and Barrie bowed out in the first round of the OHL playoffs. Guzda is in his rookie year as a professional and has started strong in the AHL with a 2.86 GAA and 5-3-2 record after 11 games. Florida has a logjam in goal with Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight, so Guzda can take all the time he needs as the starter in the AHL.

10. Logan Hutsko, RW – Charlotte Checkers (AHL)

Age: 23
Ht/Wt: 5-10/172
Drafted: 2018 round three 89th overall by Florida Panthers

A Boston College alumnus where he was a three-time Hockey East Champion, Hutsko now is in his second year in the AHL and has continued to develop toward the NHL.

As an undersized player, he needs to contribute on the score sheet to play in the NHL. H he plays with high tempo and is proving to be able to play at the pace the AHL has to offer. If his offensive production continues to improve in his second year in the AHL he will continue to trend up and toward the NHL.

Honorable Mentions:

Anton Levtchi: Overaged for a prospect, but the Liiga leading scorer from 2021-22 signed as a free agent and is showing well at the AHL level.

Nathan Staios: Another free agent signing after an OHL Championship, Staios is cutting his teeth in the ECHL. Undersized and not exceptional in any aspect of the game, yet he continues to make an impact in a variety of ways. He is a sleeper.

Max Gildon: Gildon is trending hard in the wrong direction and was loaned to Bakersfield to make room for other prospects passing him by.

Carter Berger: Used the NCAA transfer portal to escape U. Conn and is having a breakout senior year at Western Michigan. He could be a target in free agency if Florida fails to sign the offensive defenseman.

Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now: There was some speculation last week that the Boston Bruins could be interested in Chicago Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews, but a source said the Bruins would be more interested in Patrick Kane than Toews.

“Was his name brought up with the Bruins? Yes, of course it was. But the Bruins weren’t the ones bringing it up,” the source recently told Boston Hockey Now. “Toews comes up in basically any call to Kyle Davidson right now but it’s not always the team calling him that takes the talks in that direction. I know that right now, when it comes to the Blackhawks, its Patrick Kane that the Bruins would interested in.”

The source added that any talks between the two sides have been ‘strickly exploratory.’ Last month an NHL executive said that Kane to the Bruins would make sense.

The Dallas Stars could use a top-six forward

Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News: (mailbag) The Dallas Stars, given their salary cap situation, can’t do much at this time on the trade market. They should have a little more run by the trade deadline.

Trading forward Denis Gurianov or goaltender Anton Khudobin would clear some more cap space. Gurianov carries a $2.9 million cap hit, is down on their fourth line, and is owed a $2.9 million qualifying offer at the end of the season.

Finding a top-six winger to play on the second line is their biggest hole. They could use a “physical, aggressive puck-hounder with some skill.”

The Stars don’t want to trade one of their three top prospects in Wyatt Johnston, Logan Stankoven or Mavrik Bourque.

Center Bo Horvat would cost the most to acquire, and would give them three dangerous lines. Winger Brock Boeser having two years left at $6.65 million should scare the Stars. St. Louis Blues center Ryan O’Reilly could make sense but the Blues and Stars normally don’t trade with each other. Ivan Barbashev would be a cheaper option but he doesn’t provide as much offense. Chicago Blackhawks Max Domi is another option.

If the Stars add a bigger named forward, they may not have much room to improve their blue line. Options could include Dmitry Kulikov, Scott Mayfield, Luke Schenn and Justin Braun.

The NHL hasn’t spoken with the NHLPA about an 84-game schedule

Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman and Jeff on 32 Thoughts on an 84-game NHL schedule.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

“A lot of reporting about the scheduling this week and what could happen in the NHL. There’s a lot of teams that just don’t like that a lot of the rivalries like Calgary-Edmonton is over. Soon to be over, Rangers-Islanders.

Jeff, one of your old buddies Greg Wyshynski hit what is kind of being discussed yesterday. And that is a movement to an 84 game season potentially. Four versus the other seven in your division, three versus the other division in your conference and two versus the other conference. Also, fewer preseason games.

When the NFL went to 18 regular season games, they dropped the preseason to three. I think that is the kind of model this is based on. There is a will to discuss this but Jeff, there are hurdles including one, the players.

NHL Schedule Changes Being Discussed, Nothing Imminent – Jim Biringer

Marek: “Well, so far there has been no contact between the NHL and the players association on this one at all. But I can tell you informally over the last few years, this has been discussed between the NHL and the players association.

I think you hit it though, fewer preseason would be crucial to curry favor with the players association and I think and I think as well Ron, a shorter training camp. I think that might be the path to this new arrangement.

Don’t forget about the Vegas Golden Knights

Owen Krepps of Vegas Hockey Now: The New York Islanders, Colorado Avalanche and New York Rangers could be the front-runners for pending UFA Bo Horvat, but don’t count the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Golden Knights’ salary cap position and division rivals decrease their odds. They do have $3.4 million in current cap space, but that will shrink when some players come off the LTIR. They’d need to move out some salary in a deal.

Horvat trade proposal: Goaltend Laurent Brossoit for cap purposes, Brendan Brisson, Lukas Cormier, and a 2023 first-round pick for Horvat with $2.25 million retained.

The Colorado Avalanche and Toronto Maple Leafs completed a trade on Monday. The Avs have acquired Denis Malgin from Toronto in exchange for Dryden Hunt as per sources, including Peter Baugh of The Athletic. For Hunt, this is his third team this season.

Hunt, 27, has registered 42 points (14 goals, 28 assists) in 193 career regular-season games over the course of six years in the NHL. He’s spent time with the Florida Panthers, Arizona Coyotes, New York Rangers, and Colorado Avalanche. In 28 games between the Avalanche and Rangers this season, he has two goals and 15 penalty minutes.

As per the popular Twitter account @JFresh, “Malgin is a depth utility player who struggles to finish his chances.” He struggled to produce despite being placed in spots in the Maple Leafs’ lineup where he should have posted some level of production. Malgin was drafted by the Florida Panthers, was traded to Toronto, and went to Switzerland for two years before returning this year. He has four points in 24 games for the Leafs.

These two players are very similar in a lot of respects and this is a trade that can only be viewed as one where both teams likely felt the players need a change of scenery.

Next: Oilers Sign Stuart Skinner to Three-Year Extension

The post Avs Acquire Denis Malgin from Toronto in trade for Dryden Hunt appeared first on NHL Trade Talk.

In the battle of exes yesterday afternoon at PNC Arena, our Penguins came up short. Minutes after former Hurricane Brock McGinn struck in the third period to give the black and gold a 2-1 lead, former Pens Cup hero Jordan Staal set up a goal and scored the game winner to pace the ‘Canes to a 3-2 victory.

The game itself was typical hard farming. The ‘Canes are disciplined, diligent, exceedingly well-coached by Rod Brind’Amour and just plain difficult to play against. They literally force you to earn every inch of ice and they never let up.

Such was the case yesterday. Our guys fought back from an early deficit to grab that 2-1 lead. Coach Mike Sullivan wisely employed a 1-2-2 to clog the neutral zone and limit the ‘Canes chances. Yet they found a way.

The Pens had the better of the play in the opening period, thanks in no small part to the fact that our hosts had played less than 24 hours earlier against Dallas. (Yet another stroke of genius by the NHL schedule-makers.) But ‘Canes goalie and rookie sensation Pyotr Kochetkov stoned Ryan Poehling from the doorstep to set the tone.

Continue reading Penguins Staaled by Storm Surge, Lose to Carolina at Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog.

With files from Patrick Williams

Here is a look at Sunday’s action around the AHL:

COACHELLA VALLEY 4, TUCSON 3
The Firebirds opened Acrisure Arena with a win over the Roadrunners in front of 10,087 fans in the California desert. Coachella Valley (15-5-3-0) took a 3-0 lead and held on for its eighth win in its last 10 games. Cameron Hughes scored the first goal in the building 8:49 into the game, one of three power-play goals on the night for the Firebirds, and added two assists to earn first-star honors. Jesper Froden and Tye Kartye chipped in with a goal and an assist each. Jan Jenik scored twice for Tucson (12-9-4-0), which has dropped four of five meetings with the Firebirds.

HERSHEY 5, LEHIGH VALLEY 3
Down a goal with a little over six minutes to play, the league-leading Bears (19-6-2-1) rallied to score three times in a span of 1:50 to beat the Phantoms. Mike Sgarbossa (13:59), Connor McMichael (14:29) and Mike Vecchione (15:49) provided the tying, winning and insurance goals as Hershey won its AHL-best 12th home game and improved to 4-0-0-0 vs. Lehigh Valley this season. Aaron Ness and Hendrix Lapierre delivered the Bears’ other goals while Henrik Borgstrom and Ethen Frank contributed two assists apiece. Jordy Bellerive scored twice for the Phantoms (12-10-2-1).

LAVAL 4, CLEVELAND 1
Joël Teasdale scored twice as the Rocket (10-14-3-1) knocked off Cleveland to take a split of the teams’ two-game set at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Teasdale has three goals in his last three games after being held without a goal in his first 13 outings of the season. Nicolas Beaudin recorded a goal and two assists, Lucas Condotta added his eighth goal of the season, and Joseph Vrbetic made 26 saves for the win. Joona Luoto scored the lone goal for the Monsters (12-9-1-2).

MANITOBA 3, BELLEVILLE 2
Jeff Malott struck 2:06 into overtime to send the Moose (14-7-2-1) past Belleville for the second day in a row. Malott, who notched five goals and an assist in four games during the week, now has a team-high 13 goals on the season. Second-period goals by Egor Sokolov and Matthew Wedman had given the Senators (11-13-2-0) a 2-1 lead, but Simon Lundmark forced overtime with the equalizer in the third. Ashton Sautner had a goal and an assist for the Moose, who have earned at least a point in their past five home dates (4-0-0-1).

CHICAGO 5, MILWAUKEE 3
The Wolves got a goal and an assist from Jamieson Rees and two goals from Noel Gunler to knock off their Central Division rivals from Milwaukee. Chicago (8-13-2-0) built a 3-0 lead by the opening minute of the second period and held on to earn back-to-back wins for just the second time all season, as well as their second straight home victory after a 1-8-2-0 start at Allstate Arena. Vasily Ponomarev and Malte Stromwall had two assists apiece for the Wolves. Tim Schaller led the way with a goal and an assist for the Admirals (15-9-0-2), who have one win in their last seven outings (1-4-0-2)

United States wins gold, Sweden takes bronze

CORNWALL, Ont. – Canada East has finished with the silver medal at the 2022 World Junior A Challenge, falling 5-2 to the United States in the gold medal game on Sunday night at the Cornwall Civic Complex.

The United States took a 2-0 lead into the second frame when Matheson Mason (Newmarket, Ont./Wellington, OJHL) and Matthew Cato (Whitby, Ont./Trenton, OJHL) scored to bring Canada East even. The U.S. stormed back with two goals in 47 seconds late in the middle frame and added an empty-net goal to earn its ninth World Junior A Challenge gold medal.

Garrett Schifsky led the way for the United States with two goals – finishing tied for the tournament lead with five – while Sam Rinzel and Quinn Finley had two assists each. Alex Blais (St-Colomban, Que./Saint-Jérôme, LHJAAAQ) assisted on both Canada East goals.

“We were in over our head a little bit; we knew we had to muddy the water, keep pucks to the outside and defend well. When we climbed back into the game and then had a bad line change, they got the momentum back,” said Canada East head coach Billy McGuigan (Summerside, P.E.I./Summerside, MHL). “The experience overall, the friendships and the opportunity to represent your country are the things our guys should take away from this tournament.”

“I cannot express how happy everyone was to play in the gold medal game. We worked hard as a group over the last two weeks to get here. Losing really sucked,” said Canada East captain Trent Crane (Morden, Man./Summerside, MHL). “Wearing the Canadian jersey meant everything to me, I will never forget it and always cherish these two weeks. I will think about this the rest of my life.”

Canada West finishes fourth

In the bronze medal game earlier on Sunday, Canada West fell 3-2 in a shootout to Sweden.

Caelan Fitzpatrick (Moose Jaw, Sask./Brooks, AJHL) opened the scoring just 17 seconds into the game off a pass from Sam Huck (Calgary, Alta./Okotoks, AJHL). Lukas Sagranden and Felix Unger Sörum responded with power-play goals, giving Sweden a 2-1 lead heading into the third period.

Aiden Fink (Calgary, Alta./Brooks, AJHL) scored the game-tying goal on the power play with 15:28 left in regulation – tying the tournament scoring record with 12 points. Noah Erliden made 29 saves and was perfect on five West attempts in the shootout, while Unger Sörum scored the lone shootout goal, giving Sweden its first bronze medal at the tournament.

“You want to be playing for gold, but every one of our guys left it all out there today. It was great to see how our guys played and battled,” said Canada West assistant coach Clayton Jardine (Lacombe, Alta./Camrose, AJHL). “Cornwall did a great job of hosting the tournament. It is always an honor for a player or coach to represent the Maple Leaf.”

“[Head coach Justin] Falk and this coaching staff were unbelievable to us. It was an honour to put this jersey on just for warmups. My linemates [Watkins and Malinoski] were awesome, we moved the puck well and buried on our chances,” said Fink. “Coming into this tournament, we were all rivals in the AJHL, but these guys are like brothers to me now.”

Following the gold medal game, the tournament all-star team was announced:

• F: Aiden Fink (Canada West)
• F: Cole Knuble (United States)
• F: Liam Watkins (Canada West)
• D: Eric Pohlkamp (United States)
• D: Tom Willander (Sweden)
• G: Noah Erliden (Sweden)

Knuble was named the tournament’s most valuable player after recording three goals and nine points in six games.

Photo credit: Robert Lefebvre / Hockey Canada Images

18 décembre 2022

CANADA EST MET LA MAIN SUR LA MÉDAILLE D’ARGENT AU DÉFI MONDIAL JUNIOR A 2022

Les États-Unis décrochent l’or, médaille de bronze pour la Suède 

CORNWALL, Ont. – Canada Est a conclu son parcours au Défi mondial junior A 2022 avec la médaille d’argent, après un revers de 5-2 contre les États-Unis dans le match pour la médaille d’or dimanche soir au Complexe civique de Cornwall.

Les États-Unis ont entamé le deuxième tiers avec une avance de 2-0 face à Canada Est, avant de voir Matheson Mason (Newmarket, Ont./Wellington, OJHL) et Matthew Cato (Whitby, Ont./Trenton, OJHL) ramener les deux équipes à la case départ. Ils ont toutefois répliqué de manière convaincante, inscrivant deux buts en l’espace de 47 secondes en fin de période médiane, puis un autre dans un filet désert, pour remporter leur neuvième médaille d’or au Défi mondial junior A.

Garrett Schifsky a mené la charge pour les Américains avec deux buts, ce qui l’a placé à égalité au sommet du tournoi avec cinq, tandis que Sam Rinzel et Quinn Finley ont chacun récolté deux mentions d’aide. Alex Blais (St-Colomban, Qc/Saint-Jérôme, LHJAAAQ) a obtenu une aide sur chacun des deux buts de Canada Est.

« Nous étions un peu dépassés par la situation », a expliqué l’entraîneur-chef Billy McGuigan (Summerside, Î.-P.-É./Summerside, MHL). « Nous savions qu’il fallait leur compliquer la tâche, garder la rondelle vers l’extérieur et jouer de façon hermétique en défense. Après notre remontée, il a suffi d’une mauvaise substitution pour qu’ils reprennent le contrôle de la rencontre. L’expérience en général, les amitiés qui se sont formées et la chance d’avoir pu représenter notre pays, voilà ce que les gars devraient retenir de ce tournoi. »

« C’est dur d’exprimer à quel point on était heureux de disputer le match pour la médaille d’or », a mentionné le capitaine de Canada Est Trent Crane (Morden, Man./Summerside, MHL). « On a travaillé fort au cours des deux dernières semaines pour en arriver là. C’est une défaite qui fait mal. Porter les couleurs du Canada, ça signifie tout pour moi. Je me souviendrai de ces deux semaines pour le reste de ma vie. »

La quatrième place pour Canada Ouest

Lors du match pour la médaille de bronze présenté plus tôt dimanche, Canada Ouest s’est inclinée 3-2 en tirs de barrage face à la Suède.

Caelan Fitzpatrick (Moose Jaw, Sask./Brooks, AJHL) a été le premier à faire vibrer les cordages à la 17^e seconde de jeu seulement, sur une passe de Sam Huck (Calgary, Alb./Okotoks, AJHL). Lukas Sagranden et Felix Unger Sörum ont répliqué tous les deux sur le jeu de puissance, offrant à la Suède une avance de 2-1 avant le deuxième entracte.

Aiden Fink (Calgary, Alb./Brooks, AJHL) a inscrit le but égalisateur en avantage numérique avec 15 min 28 s à jouer en temps réglementaire, obtenant du même coup son 12^e point, ce qui le plaçait à égalité au sommet du tournoi. Noah Erliden a repoussé 29 tirs, et n’a accordé à Canada Ouest aucun but sur les cinq tentatives en tirs de barrage. Unger Sörum a été l’auteur du seul but en tirs de barrage, ce qui a valu à la Suède sa première médaille de bronze à ce tournoi.

« C’est certain que tout le monde veut jouer pour l’or, mais chacun des gars a tout donné aujourd’hui », a souligné l’entraîneur adjoint Clayton Jardine (Lacombe, Alb./Camrose, AJHL). « Nos joueurs ont fourni tout un effort, c’était beau à voir. L’accueil à Cornwall était parfait. Qu’on soit joueur ou entraîneur, c’est toujours un honneur de représenter le Canada. »

« Notre entraîneur-chef, Justin Falk, et tout le personnel d’entraîneurs ont été incroyables, a décrit Fink. C’était un honneur d’enfiler ce chandail, même lors des échauffements. Mes compagnons de trio, Watkins et Malinoski, ont été super. On a fait circuler la rondelle, et on a su profiter de nos chances. Avant le début du tournoi, on était tous des adversaires dans l’AJHL, mais maintenant, ces gars sont comme des frères. »

À l’issue de la partie pour la médaille d’or, l’équipe des étoiles du tournoi a été annoncée :

• A : Aiden Fink (Canada Ouest)
• A : Cole Knuble (États-Unis)
• A : Liam Watkins (Canada Ouest)
• D : Eric Pohlkamp (États-Unis)
• D : Tom Willander (Suède)
• G : Noah Erliden (Suède)

Avec une récolte de trois buts et neuf points en six parties, Knuble a été nommé Joueur par excellence du tournoi.

Pour de plus amples renseignements sur le Défi mondial de hockey des moins de 17 ans 2022, veuillez consulter le HockeyCanada.ca ou suivre les médias sociaux Facebook et Twitter.

Time: 7:00 PM CST

Channel: TSN3

Radio: CJOB

The Winnipeg Jets are playing the Seattle Kraken in a back to back game scenario. They will be starting David Rittich to give Connor Hellebuyck the night off. They have recalled Ville Heinola, but he is not expected to play tonight as he is still getting over whatever caused him to be sick for a week. The Jets are not expected to make any other lineup changes outside of Rittich which makes sense considering how the game went for them yesterday.

The Seattle Kraken are without Shane Wright who will be playing in the Men’s Under 20 World Championship. Wright had only played in eight games and put up two points including one goal. This is not a major loss for the Kraken at this point. They are having a better season than they did last season and should put up a better fight than the Vancouver Canucks did yesterday.

The Jets will be in tough once again due to all the injuries they are carrying. They have three more games until a short Christmas break and two more until they hit the new year after that. Hopefully by then they will be getting more of their players back and not holding on for dear life. That and possibly a trade to help them a bit?

No lineups because the plague continues to be a pain. Don’t get sick, kids.

The post Kraken rally past Jets for 3-2 win first appeared on Pro Hockey News.

The post Rangers win seventh straight in 7-1 throttling of Blackhawks first appeared on Pro Hockey News.

The post Bears Ride Third Period Outburst to 5-3 Win Over Phantoms first appeared on Pro Hockey News.

The Hershey Bears downed the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 5-3, Sunday night at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA. Hendrix Lapierre scored his 8th goal of the season and Connor McMichael scored his 5th goal with the Bears in the victory. With the win, the Bears record improves to 19-6-2-1 (41 points) on the season, the best record in the AHL.

HERSHEY BEARS LINEUP

Clay Stevenson (2-0-0-0, 1.45 GAA, .941 sv%) got the start in goal for the Bears. Sam Errson (9-7-1-0, 2.58 GAA, .917 sv%) got the start between the pipes for the Phantoms. The forward lines and defensive pairs for the Bears:

Mike Vecchione –Mike Sgarbossa – Ethen Frank
Henrik Borgstrom – Connor McMichael – Sam Anas
Mason Morelli – Hendrix Lapierre – Henrik Rybinski
Shane Gersich – Riley Sutter – Matt Strome

Aaron Ness – Logan Day
Gabriel Carlsson – Dylan McIlrath
Jake Massie – Vinny Iorio

Scratches: Garrett Pilon (lower body injury), Bobby Nardella (upper body injury), Kale Kessy, Julian Napravnik and Michael Kim.

Recalled/Re-assigned: The Capitals recalled Zach Fucale late on Saturday afternoon. As a result, “Paddie” Carey was signed by the Bears to a PTO on Saturday.

The Bears recalled Tyler Wall from ECHL South Carolina and released “Paddie” Carey from his PTO on Sunday.

The Bears also re-assigned defenseman Martin Has to South Carolina on Sunday.

FIRST PERIOD

The Phantoms were called for an early penalty, but the Bears were unable to convert, extending the Bears scoreless streak on the man advantage to 0 for 8 this weekend. They were 1 for 4 last weekend.

The Bears opened the scoring with a bomb by Aaron Ness (2) from the left point at 7:22 of the opening frame. Riley Sutter (3) had the lone helper. It was the 17th time the Bears scored first this season. They were 11-2-2-1 in the previous 16 games when they scored first.

Aaron Ness with a bomb, Bears lead 1-0 early in the first. #HBH pic.twitter.com/iitJs9NXzu

— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) December 18, 2022

Midway through the period forward Shane Gersich took a heavy hit into the boards and center Riley Sutter jumped right in to drop the gloves with Adam Ginning.

Shane Gersich gets pasted to the boards and Riley Sutter steps up. #HBH #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/yVy34JSOZZ

— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) December 18, 2022

The first period concluded with the Bears leading, 1-0. Hershey led in shots 9-7 in the first frame. Hershey was 0 for 1 on the power play while Lehigh Valley did not have a man advantage in the first frame.

SECOND PERIOD

The Phantoms tied the game early in the middle frame on a 4-on-3 power play goal from Artem Anisimov (8) at 1:50 of the second period. Egor Zamula (4) had the lone helper.

here’s a clip for those who may have missed it pic.twitter.com/90oacYJ9gb

— Lehigh Valley Phantoms (@LVPhantoms) December 18, 2022

The Phantoms took their first lead of the game on a shorthanded goal from Jordy Bellerive (2) at 10:01 of the second period. The goal was unassisted.

in case you missed it: pic.twitter.com/bUq35qcDnn

— Lehigh Valley Phantoms (@LVPhantoms) December 18, 2022

The Bears quickly tied the game 33 seconds later on a power play goal from Hendrix Lapierre (8) at 10:34 of the second period. Henrik Borgstrom (7) and Sam Anas (8) had the helpers. Lapierre had gone the last five games without a point.

Hendrix Lapierre ends his dry spell, pots his 8th of the season on the power play. #ALLCAPS #HBH pic.twitter.com/HdStv36yf0

— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) December 18, 2022

The second period concluded with the game tied, 2-2. Lehigh Valley led in shots 12-4 in the middle frame and 19-13 after two periods. Hershey was 1 for 4 and Lehigh Valley 1 for 1 on the power play after two periods.

THIRD PERIOD

Henrik Rybinski did not return to the bench for the start of the third period.

The Phantoms were awarded an early power play in the final frame, but the Bears were able to kill the penalty.

The Phantoms regained the lead midway through the period on a wrap-around goal by Jordy Bellerive (3) at 9:28 of the final frame. Jackson Cates (5) had the assist.

that was incredible! pic.twitter.com/0fzRmQu06u

— Lehigh Valley Phantoms (@LVPhantoms) December 19, 2022

The Bears tied the game on a goal from Mike Sgarbossa (10) at 13:59 of the frame. Ethen Frank (8) and Dylan McIlrath (6) had the assists.

The Score Boss! Mike Sgarbossa does it again, ties the game 3-3 late. #HBH pic.twitter.com/GaNnIfcLhq

— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) December 19, 2022

Moments later the Bears regained the lead with a goal from Connor McMichael (5) late in the third period. McMichael would gather the puck at center ice, make two moves and fire a laser for the Bears’ fourth goal of the game. Henrik Borgstrom (8) had the lone helper.

Connor Mc Oh My! Connor McMichael gives the Bears a 4-3 lead late in the 3rd. #HBH #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/GnLzM5ytB7

— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) December 19, 2022

Mike Vecchione would add a a late goal to make it 5-3. That would be the final.

The Bears are back in action on Wednesday when the same two teams do it again in Allentown. Puck drop is set for 7:15-ish PM.

SHAVINGS

• AHL box score
• Attendance: 8,279
• Hershey led in shots 29-28.
• Henrik Rybinski did not return for the third period.
• Hershey was 1 for 5 and Lehigh Valley 1 for 2 on the power play.
• Clay Stevenson stopped 25 of 28 for a .892 game save percentage.
• Stars of the game: 1) Mike Sgarbossa, 2) Connor McMichael and 3) Jordy Bellerive
• Mike Vecchione’s 300th professional game.
• The Bears scored the first goal of the game for the 17th time this season (12-2-2-1)

The Washington Capitals host the Detroit Red Wings for the second of three meetings between the two teams during the regular season. Detroit defeated Washington in the first one by a score of 3-1 at Little Caesers Arena on November 3 but Washington is 16-3-3 against them since the 2011-12 season.

Action from Capital One Arena can be seen on NBC Sports Washington in-market or ESPN+ out-of-market.

SCHEDULE

Detroit: alternating between home and road games in span of six (0-3-0 during stretch so far)

Washington: end three-game homestand (split first two games) and continue stretch where they play 10 of 16 in the nation’s capital

RECORDS

Detroit: 13-11-6/.533 points percentage – fifth in Atlantic Division, tied for 11th in Eastern Conference (10th in points percentage); 6-5-3 on road, 20th in NHL

Washington: 16-13-4/.545 points percentage – sixth in Metropolitan Division, ninth in Eastern Conference; 9-5-1 at home, 10th

HOW EACH TEAM IS DOING

Detroit: have lost five straight (0-4-1), are 2-6-2 in last 10

Washington: 6-1-0 in last seven, 9-3-1 in their last 13 since dropping nine of their previous 11 (2-6-3)

TEAM LEADERS

Detroit

• C Dylan Larkin (10 goals, 27 points)
• D Filip Hronek (18 assists)
• D Moritz Seider (22:45 TOI/game)

Notes: Larkin, 26, has just one goal in his last six games; Hronek’s goal in Detroit’s 6-3 loss to the Ottawa Senators snapped a four-game scoring drought; Seider, 21, has one assist in his last nine, including none in his last three; LW Dominik Kubalik snapped a four-game scoring drought with an assist vs. Ottawa;

LW Lucas Raymond ended a three-game scoring drought with an assist vs. Ottawa; C Pius Suter ended an 11-game scoring drought with an assist on Saturday; C Andrew Copp has gone scoreless in four straight games; D Olli Maatta has three assists in his last three after going scoreless in his previous nine

Washington

• LW Alex Ovechkin (20 goals, 35 points)
• C Evgeny Kuznetsov (21 assists)
• D John Carlson (23:29 TOI/game)

Notes: Ovechkin, 37, has 18 goals and 30 points in his last 27, including seven goals, 10 points, and three multi-point efforts in his last six; Ovechkin also enters Monday two goals away from passing Gordie Howe (801) for second-most goals in NHL history; Kuznetsov, 30, has eight assists and nine points over his last eight; Carlson, 32, has six assists in as many games;

LW Anthony Mantha has two goals, seven points over his last six; C Lars Eller has three goals in his last six; D Erik Gustafsson has a +9 rating over his last five and scored his first career hat trick in Saturday’s 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs; D Dmitry Orlov has two assists, three points, +3 rating in four games since returning from a 16-game injury absence; LW Sonny Milano has five assists in his last four; RW Garnet Hathaway has a goal and three points in his last three; D Trevor Van Riemsdyk has three goals in his last four

KEY TEAM STATS

Goals-per-game:                 DET – 2.9 (T-24th)        WSH – 3.03 (T-20th)

Goals-against per game:   DET – 3.17 (18th)           WSH – 2.85 (12th)

Power Play:                          DET – 19.8% (T-24th)   WSH – 21.8% (T-17th)

Penalty Kill:                         DET – 76.4% (22nd)      WSH – 80.7% (9th)

Shots-per-game:                 DET – 29.4 (26th)          WSH – 31.2 (T-18th)

Shots-against per game:   DET –31.3 (15th)             WSH – 30.7 (T-11th)

Faceoff-winning %:            DET – 47.4% (26th)       WSH – 47.4% (23rd)

5v5 Corsi-for %:                  DET – 46.15% (27th)     WSH – 50.56% (17th)

5v5 x Goals-For %:             DET – 45.55% (26th)     WSH – 50.37% (16th)

5v5 SCF %:                           DET – 43.47% (28th)     WSH – 50.93% (15th)

5v5 Shooting %:                  DET – 8.35% (17th)        WSH – 7.88% (23rd)

5v5 Save %:                          DET – .9212 (13th)         WSH – .9223 (10th)

5v5 PDO:                              DET – 1.005 (T-11th)      WSH – 1.001 (15th)

EXPECTED STARTING GOALTENDERS

Detroit: Ville Husso, 25 — 11-6-4, .913 save percentage, 2.61 goals-against average (15th), three shutouts (tied for first) in 21 games this season; has lost back-to-back starts; 3-0-0, .951 save percentage, 1.34 goals-against average in three career games vs. Washington, including 33-save performance (.971 save percentage) last month

Washington: Darcy Kuemper, 32 — 8-9-2, .916 save percentage, 2.56 goals-against average, two shutouts in 20 games; could return after missing eight games with a lower-body injury; 3-3-1, .911 save percentage, 2.56 goals-against average in seven career games vs. Detroit, including 23-save outing (.923 save percentage) in November

INJURIES/ILLNESSES

Detroit

• RW Robby Fabbri (ACL, will miss 31st straight game, out indefinitely)
• LW Jakub Vrana (player assistance program, 29th, indefinite)
• LW Filip Zadina (lower-body, 20th, indefinite)
• C Matt Luff (wrist, 18th, indefinite)
• RW Tyler Bertuzzi (hand, ninth, week-to-week)
• D Mark Pysyk (torn Achilles, 31st, indefinite)

Washington

• D Martin Fehervary (lower-body, eighth, day-to-day)
• RW Connor Brown (ACL, 30th, indefinite)
• LW Carl Hagelin (hip, 34th, indefinite)
• RW Tom Wilson (ACL, 34th, indefinite)
• C Nicklas Backstrom (hip, 34th, indefinite)
• LW Beck Malenstyn (finger, 23rd, week-to-week)
• D Alexander Alexeyev (upper-body, fifth, status unknown)
• C Nic Dowd (lower-body, second, day-to-day)
• RW T.J. Oshie (upper-body, first, day-to-day)

PROJECTED LINEUPS

Detroit

Copp — Larkin — Raymond
Jonatan Berggren — Michael Rasmussen — David Perron
Elmer Soderblom — Joe Veleno — Kubalik
Adam Erne — Suter — Oskar Sundqvist

Ben Chiarot — Seider
Jake Walman — Hronek
Maatta — Jordan Oesterle

Husso
Alex Nedeljkovic

Scratched: RW Austin Czarnik, D Gustav Lindstrom, G Magnus Hellberg

Washington

Ovechkin — Dylan Strome — Conor Sheary
Marcus Johansson — Aliaksei Protas — TBD (Connor McMichael?)
Milano — Kuznetsov — Mantha
Nicolas Aube-Kubel — Eller — Hathaway

Gustafsson — Carlson
Orlov — Nick Jensen
Matt Irwin — Van Riemsdyk

Kuemper
Charlie Lindgren

Scratched: D Lucas Johansen

By Harrison Brown

In this edition of Edmonton Oilers’ Quick Hits, I’ll take a look at some of the news emerging from the team. The team meets the Nashville Predators on Monday trying to get off a losing streak. The Oilers had a good run starting in late November and won six of the nine games they played from November 26 (when Jack Campbell got a 4-3 win over the New York Rangers) until December 9 (when Stuart Skinner beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2).

Since that time, however, the Oilers have been in a bit of a funk. The only team they’ve beaten in their last four games is the Predators (another Campbell win). They’re looking to continue that dominance in Music City on Monday night. At the same time, the team is looking to stop its losing streak at two games.

Related: Maple Leafs’ Record Against NHL Top-10 Teams? Outstanding

Quick Hit One: The Oilers Keep Dominating, But Losing

It’s tough when your team dominates but loses. The Oilers were ahead of the St. Louis Blues by two goals in the third period but lost in a shootout. Then they dominated the Anaheim Ducks by a shot total of 49-17 and lost 4-3 at home.

The team just needs to hold a lead, stop more pucks, and score a timely goal or two. They should be winning, but they’re not. Part of that is the goalie play.

Jack Campbell’s goals-against-average is 4.04 and he’s given up at least three goals in all of his last five starts on the road. In the meantime, Stuart Skinner isn’t doing much better lately. His goals-against-average is better at 2.83m but he let in four goals against the Ducks. It was his third loss in a row.

Related: Oilers Sign D Jason Demers to 1-Yr, 2-Way Contract

Quick Hit Two: Tyson Barrie Is on a Six-Game Assist Streak

Tyson Barrie is racking up power-play assists and now has registered an assist in six straight games. In fact, he’s had assists in seven of his last eight games played. The 31-year-old Barrie has a great skill set that fits the Oilers’ power play.

Barrie’s reputation is that he’s an offensive defenseman; and, in that respect, he gets sheltered minutes during five-on-five. However, he comes alive with the man advantage. He helps make the Oilers’ power play one of the NHL’s best. In 32 games this season, he’s scored four goals and added 21 assists (for 25 points). He also has a plus-6 rating on the season.

Quick Hit Three: McDavid and Draisaitl: What a Tandem

Leon Draisaitl added two assists to his season’s point total in the loss to the Ducks on Saturday. He’s now up to 21 goals and 33 assists (for 54 points) in 32 games played. That means that he has 50 games left on the season and he’s already halfway to 100 points. He’s the NHL’s second-highest point-getter on the season, next to teammate Connor McDavid.

Connor McDavid is absolutely on fire. He’s pushed his point-scoring streak to 12 games now; and, in those games, he’s averaging more than two points each game (with 27 points). No surprise, McDavid is having another statistically productive season. But there’s one difference.

It’s as if McDavid has decided he should simply start to score more goals – and he has. He’s now leading the NHL in goals with 28 goals and in points with 62 points. Given that he’s played only 32 games, it’s almost two points per game. He seems well on his way to 150 points on the season.

Related: Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Matthews, Nylander & Samsonov

The post Edmonton Oilers’ Quick Hits: Barrie, Draisaitl & McDavid appeared first on NHL Trade Talk.

In what appears to be an effort to get an experienced defenseman eventually on the roster, the Edmonton Oilers have signed Jason Demers to a one-year, two-way contract worth $750K for the purposes of loaning him to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL. From there, it’s possible he gets called up to Edmonton as he’s already been playing in Bakersfield, tallying nine points and 32 penalty minutes in 24 games.

Edmonton signed the 34-year-old to a professional tryout (PTO) agreement on Sept. 19 and released him on Oct. 10 following the completion of the Oilers’ pre-season schedule.

This is not to suggest either Darnell Nurse or Evan Bouchard are in danger of losing their spots on the roster, nor should this hint that a trade that would include Tyson Barrie is imminent. This is likely just an affordable solution to a huge problem facing the team, which is turning over pucks and egregious times in their own zone and losing games because of it. Demers might not be able to add a lot offensively, but he’s been around in the NHL long enough to give head coach Jay Woodcroft a more reliable d-man to play worry-free minutes.

Demers played fairly well in the few preseason games he played for the Oilers this year. There simply wasn’t room to sign him coming out of training camp. But, with injuries and LTIR giving the Oilers a bit of room and Demers having a two-way deal at league minimum, this is a move the Oilers can try, getting an experienced leader in that locker room and on the ice.

Fans will chime in that this isn’t enough and that the Oilers need a better upgrade, but this is something the team can try in an effort to reverse their fortunes a bit.

Next: Oilers Interested in Trading For Blackhawks’ Sam Lafferty [Report]

The post Oilers Sign D Jason Demers to 1-Yr, 2-Way Contract appeared first on NHL Trade Talk.

The two teams will be matched up with multiple streaks on the line. The Hurricanes have a 4-game winning and a 10-game point streak for Carolina, which has propelled them to second place in the division behind the New Jersey Devils. The Penguins are riding a 7-game winning and 8-game point streak, which has seen them climb up in the standings after struggling in October and early November.

Pittsburgh currently sits fourth in the division and the two teams will meet again on Thursday night in Pittsburgh,

Betting Odds

The Penguins are 12-5-3 in their last 20 games against the Hurricanes, dating back to January 2016, and Pittsburgh has points on the road against Carolina in four straight games (2-0-2), but the teams have played 5-5 hockey over their last ten games against each other.

Pittsburgh will be starting Casey DeSmith in net, while Carolina will play red-hot Pyotr Kochetkov, as Antti Raanta started on Saturday against the Dallas Stars. Kotchetkov stopped all 27 shots for his second straight shutout in a win over Detroit in his previous start. The 23-year-old has been incredibly replacing the injured Freddie Andersen with his 7-1-4 record, 2.01 GAA, two shutouts, and a .926 SV%.

The bookmakers at Outplayed have the Hurricanes as the -125 favorites on the moneyline and -1.5 (+200) on the puck line. Pittsburgh is +105 and +1.5 (-240). The over-under is six goals.

Game Notes

• In their last meeting, Kris Letang was out with an illness later revealed to be a minor stroke, his second in eight years. This will be Letang’s fourth game back after missing time recovering. Letang scored his fifth career shorthanded goal on Thursdaysurpassed Larry Murphy (4) and Randy Carlyle (4) for most in team history among a defenseman.
• In his career, centerman Evgeni Malkin is averaging almost a point per game against the Hurricanes. Malkin has 41 points in 43 games against Carolina.
• Hurricanes defenseman Brent Burns is just one point shy of 800 career points. Only 16 other NHL defensemen in history have scored more points.
• Jake Guentzel’s five empty net goals are tied with Washington Capital’s Alex Ovechkin for most in the NHL this season.
• Sebastian Aho will miss his fifth-straight game with a lower-body injury, and Freddie Andersen, who is working his way back from a lower-body injury of his own, will also not dress. Aho had two points in the first meeting between the two teams.
• Pittsburgh has points in nine-consecutive road games (8-0-1), the longest road point streak in franchise history. The previous record was eight road games from Mar. 14-Apr. 14, 1993.
• On Saturday against Dallas, Hurricane general manager Don Waddell won his 500th game as an NHL General Manager. Waddell has been with Carolina for five seasons after previously serving as General Manager for the Atlanta Thrashers from 1998-2010.

While the Mayor and I picked up Arrow from the groomer, the hubby started dinner. Tonight’s dinner was steakhouse pork chops with roasted potatoes and broccoli courtesy of HelloFresh. Truly, I enjoy trying new recipes and foods through HelloFresh and Blue Apron. It’s a great way to try new foods without much risk. Moreover, the cost of food through HelloFresh has been cheaper than the prices at the grocery store.

Friday night we had a late high school hockey game. Yesterday we went to Luke’s goddaughter’s birthday party. It was a bit of a last-minute deal, but it was a great time. They catered the party with Park BBQ, which was really good. My friend Hanh makes the most incredible cakes. To be honest, I’m not sure why she doesn’t make cakes full-time. Her cakes are better than any cake you’d find in a bakery. She’s so talented!

I had a blast playing with Ava and her mermaid. We ran around the house for a good hour or two, while everyone else watch the Panthers game or played cards. Fortunately, I was able to distract her long enough that mom could grab a shower. Three is such a fun age, but when you’re the parent of a three-year-old it can be exhausting. Being an aunt, however, is so much fun.

We ended up staying out much later than anticipated. I mean two late days in a row knocks me off my ass. To be fair, I define late at this stage of my life as 10:30. Nonetheless, I’m not great when I deviate from my routine. I think the late nights combined with the weather resulted in the massive sinus headache I’ve had since yesterday. I took some prednisone this afternoon, so hopefully, my sinuses will open up. Originally, I had planned to run two miles today, but the headache sidelined those plans. Consequently, I’m taking an extended break from my running.

Despite the sinus headache, I still managed to have a petty productive morning. I got the pantry and countertops cleaned off this afternoon. The kitchen, less the top of the island, is looking pretty good. My Christmas decorations have been put out. I love my Juleniss, or as we call them here Christmas gnomes. They’re super cute. I still have to decorate the tree and hang the God Jul sign, but I have plenty of time to finish those tasks. And now I’m going to finish winding down the weekend with a nice, steamy shower and a soothing restorative yoga practice. Happy Hanukkah to all our Jewish friends!

The post Winding Down the Weekend appeared first on The Hockey Mom Fit Life.

Yesterday Dan Kingerski posted an article on Pittsburgh Hockey Now questioning Mike Sullivan’s seeming reluctance to use recently recalled defenseman Mark Friedman. I was all set to chime in with a comment when I decided to write an article of my own. So Dan, this one’s for you.

It’s not as if there isn’t reason or opportunity to use Friedman, especially with Jeff Petry on the shelf for eight more games, including this afternoon’s Metro square-off with Carolina. Brian Dumoulin’s struggles this season are an open secret around the league. Whether it’s the accumulation of wear and tear, injuries past and the fact that Dumo devoted his summer to rehabbing a knee instead of hockey training, his difficulties have been noticeable both statistically and to the eye test.

Accordingly, he’s been dropped from his long-time spot on the top pairing next to Kris Letang to the third pairing. While managing his exposure to top-flight competition has helped to an extent (Brian’s a plus-4 over his past 18 games), he and present partner Jan Rutta have been the target of heavy forechecking by foes.

Continue reading Penguins Update: Concerned About Our ‘D’ at Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog.

by Patrick Williams

Literally and figuratively, the road to the Coachella Valley Firebirds’ debut at Acrisure Arena this afternoon has been a long one in the making.

The AHL first granted a franchise to the Palm Springs, Calif., market more than three years ago, on Sept. 30, 2019. Bringing the National Hockey League’s top developmental circuit to a record 32 clubs, the team was established to serve as the AHL affiliate of the expansion Seattle Kraken. The ownership group included both the Kraken and Oak View Group, a worldwide firm headed by two of the most powerful names in entertainment, sports veteran Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with more than 40 years in the music business managing acts like Fleetwood Mac, Journey, and the Eagles among many others.

While the Palm Springs region is most famous as a winter destination for people lured by its mild weather and stunning desert scenery, an AHL franchise also meant an opportunity to provide the area with a pro sports team to call its own. Located two hours inland from Los Angeles (traffic permitting), Palm Springs had limited experience with local pro sports. Pro tennis stages a major tournament each spring for two weeks in nearby Indian Wells. Major League Baseball’s California Angels held spring training in the area for 31 years, but that ended in 1992. The Angels also had a California League affiliate in Palm Springs for eight seasons before pulling out 29 years ago.

Original plans to build an arena in downtown Palm Springs did not materialize. In September 2020, the Kraken announced a new project more centrally located to the entire region, privately funded and erected on land alongside Interstate 10 in Palm Desert owned by the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation, a local charitable group.

Perfect.

The move to bring hockey to the Coachella Valley was back in full swing. By June 2021, ground had been broken for a new 11,000-seat venue that could stage hockey, other sports, and music’s biggest acts. The building has elements of the mid-century modern look — think 1950s- and 60s-style design — in keeping with the architecture for which the area has long been renowned.

Off the ice, it was full-speed ahead on the building. On the ice, the arena delay meant that the Kraken would have to station their prospects elsewhere last season. They quickly struck a deal with the Florida Panthers to share the Charlotte Checkers for 2021-22.

To manage it all on the hockey side, the Kraken hired Troy Bodie as their AHL director of hockey operations. A veteran of 381 AHL games, plus another 159 in the NHL, Bodie knew the business from a player’s perspective. Following his retirement at the end of the 2014-15 season, he moved directly into management with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization, including three seasons as the club’s director of pro scouting.

Last season meant plenty of flights across North America for Bodie to keep up with Seattle’s prospects in Charlotte. All the while back in Palm Desert, the team got a moniker, debuted its jerseys, and got down to marketing itself and selling tickets.

But the work was only starting when last season wrapped up. Now the Kraken and Bodie had an AHL affiliate to launch. They had to build out an AHL roster, a task complicated by the organization only having two draft classes so far. Yet the organization managed to land the likes of Andrew Poturalski, who was coming off captaining the Chicago Wolves to a Calder Cup and back-to-back seasons as the AHL scoring champion. Reliable two-way forwards Jesper Froden and Cameron Hughes came west from the Boston Bruins organization. Hard-nosed forward John Hayden had 240 games of experience in the NHL. They were joined by defensemen Brogan Rafferty, Jimmy Schuldt, and Matt Tennyson, who grew up in California and has family ties to the Coachella Valley. That is a deep core to pair with Seattle’s growing base of young prospects.

However, Acrisure Arena’s construction timeline still meant that the Firebirds would have to spend more than two months wandering across the AHL map this season. The team set up in Seattle for training camp and the first three weeks of the regular season, including four “home” dates in Seattle and Everett.

Then came the migration south to the Coachella Valley. But even then, they had to endure a stretch of 16 more games on the road, with stops in Abbotsford, Tucson, Colorado, Calgary, San Diego, Henderson, San Jose, Bakersfield, Tucson once more and finally San Diego again. Impressively, at 14-5-3-0, the Firebirds own the best points percentage in the Western Conference (.705) before ever making their Palm Desert debut.

Here is a Sunday chat with Bodie on the massive logistical work that the organization took on leading up to today’s game with the Tucson Roadrunners:

ON THE PAST SIX MONTHS
“You usually get July, August off. July, August was an absolute grind, but it was a fun grind, right?

“You’re figuring out the logistics. Where are these players going to stay? How do you get a hotel for 35 people for two months? Any hotel would line up and help you if they have availability, but you know how it always works. This weekend is sold out.

“Everything takes so much time. Organizing. Shipping everyone’s luggage so it wasn’t bag fee after bag fee. It was just a ton of planning, and the Kraken gave us so much support and anything and everything we could have needed.

“[In Seattle], the Kraken took care of us. It still felt like we were kind of on the road. It was very temporary. It was really strange, but there’s a lot to say from our group about how well they handled it from a game standpoint, attitude.

“You’re getting a franchise off the ground, and these [players] did it right and really built the culture. It really could have gone another way, but I give [them] a ton of credit.”

ON THE LOGISTICAL PLANNING
“The transition down here was difficult. I rented a semi truck to ship everything down here. We transferred 20-some cars down here. And just getting into our building, getting settled, for the first two weeks we didn’t really feel settled. But at least we were down in this warm market.

“But it was still weekends on the road.”

ON CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS WITH PLAYERS THIS PAST SUMMER
“We were up-front with everyone right off the start. We talked to agents. It was, ‘Listen, this is the situation. It’s not going to be the prettiest, but we’re going to do everything we can to make these players feel good.’

“We actually thought it was going to be quite a deterrent for players to sign with us, but the players bought in right away. There were no issues. We signed a lot of players that we went after right away. They’re not only willing to do it, but they backed it up once they got here, and they’ve been happy, and [I have] been real proud of them.”

ON STARTING TO SETTLE IN THE COACHELLA VALLEY
With the Coachella Valley being a winter community and resort, finding places to live was a challenge.

“I was terrified of these guys coming down November 6, looking for housing, and everyone being like, ‘Sorry.’

“So we actually helped [players] to find places. I was working all summer trying to get six-month leases, and then when the players get down, you transfer them to them. Some of the players took us up on that. But a lot of them just went ahead and found their own. It worked out a lot better than I thought. I was actually pretty scared of it.

“The players were really excited. Even when we were up in Seattle, they were finding homes. There are just such beautiful places to live down here. Once they end up getting down here, they were exploring the area. The palm trees. It’s sunny every day and 75 degrees. Obviously the weather was a big plus, not only for the players but their families as well.

“And then getting into our brand-new and NHL-quality first-class facility that’s been built here.”

ON DEALING WITH ONGOING CONSTRUCTION AT ACRISURE ARENA
While construction continued on Acrisure Arena leading up to its official opening this week, the Firebirds practiced at the Berger Foundation Iceplex adjacent to the arena’s main rink.

“I don’t know if people understood that we were a temporary occupancy situation with our practice facility, where we were allowed to practice and hang out and work out, but we had to be out in a certain amount of time. We couldn’t cross the lines into the non-occupied zone, which [was] the game rink, the general seating area, stuff like that.

“It was a strange situation, but the guys bought in. They worked hard. They trained hard and went on the road and did their business. The record speaks for itself for how well they’ve handled it.”

ON THE TAKEAWAY FROM THIS EXPERIENCE
“It was really a grind, but there was always this light at the end of the tunnel, which I knew the players saw. The coaches and us in the office here, we saw that light at the end of the tunnel, and it was bright, for sure.

“The players have been ecstatic with how things have gone. They just can’t wait for [today].”

Demers has played 23 games with the Oilers’ top affiliate, the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, this season. He ranks second on the club with nine assists.

Originally a seventh-round pick by San Jose in the 2008 NHL Draft, Demers has played 699 games in the NHL with San Jose, Dallas, Florida and Arizona, totaling 45 goals and 169 assists for 214 points. He has also recorded three goals and 13 assists in 61 Stanley Cup Playoff contests.

In the AHL, Demers has six goals and 54 assists in 128 games with Bakersfield, Tucson and Worcester.

The Oilers placed Demers on waivers Sunday for the purpose of being loaned to the Condors.

Those Who Need More

The Middle Of The Pack

The Top Guns

The Last Word

Our team would like to congratulate TAS defenseman Anthony Difranco on being selected to the Tewksbury High School varsity hockey squad. We wish Anthony and Tewksbury High School much success this season.

Congratulations!

December 11-18, 2022 – Cornwall, Ont.

Canada East 4, Canada West 1

• Matthew Cato (Whitby, Ont./Trenton, OJHL) led the way with two goals for Canada East.
• Ryan Johnstone (Pickering, Ont./Pickering, OJHL) and Massimo Gentile (Pointe-Claire, Que./Ottawa, CCHL) also scored.
• Liam Watkins (Okotoks, Alta./Spruce Grove, AJHL) scored for Canada West, his tournament-leading fifth goal.
• Ethan Morrow (Kingston, Ont./Wellington, OJHL) made 37 saves for the win.

United States 4, Sweden 3

• Erick Pohlkamp scored two power-play goals for the United States to tie Watkins with five goals in the tournament.
• Cole Knuble scored the game-winning goal with 11:10 remaining.
• Edvin Nilsson, Tom Willander and Anton Wahlberg scored for Sweden.
• Jacob Fowler made 16 saves for the win.

Next games – Sunday, December 18:

• Bronze medal game: Sweden vs. Canada West – 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT
• Gold medal game: Canada East vs. United States – 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT

Quotes:

“We played a very sound, structured game. We were tenacious on the forecheck and good in our defensive zone. It was an outstanding game played and we got some great goaltending; that is how you win hockey games. If we can continue to play the way that we did today, we have a shot [in the gold medal game]. You have got to get to the gold medal game, and when you get to it anything can happen. We are looking forward to tomorrow.”

• Canada East head coach Billy McGuigan (Summerside, P.E.I./Summerside, MHL) on playing for gold.

“It was a great game; 38 shots sounds like a hard night, but my team was moving bodies out front, blocking shots and we had a good all-around game. It was not the outcome we wanted the last three games, but good teams find a way to win when it matters, that is what counts. I have never had the opportunity [to play for a gold medal] so it is going to be a lot of fun.”

• Morrow on finding success with his teammates in big games.

“Not the result we wanted. We got behind the eight ball early and chased the game trying to get some offence going. We ran into a hot goalie [in Morrow] today who stood on his head. [Erick] Roest played well on our end to keep things tight early. The experience we have had being together for the last two weeks, the relationships that have been made and the pride that we have playing for each other means there is a lot to play for tomorrow.”

• Canada West head coach Justin Falk (Snowflake, Man./Winkler, MJHL) on getting behind early.

“We battled hard at the end. Unfortunate [result], but I thought our boys put a lot of heart and effort today. We need to regroup tomorrow, come back and have that winning mentality when fighting for a bronze medal.”

• Canada West captain Watkins on playing for a bronze medal.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada will broadcast the bronze medal and gold medal games from the Cornwall Civic Complex; please check local listings for details.

Photo credit: Robert Lefebvre / Hockey Canada Images

TOUR D’HORIZON POUR LES MÉDIAS DU DÉFI MONDIAL JUNIOR A 2022 – SAMEDI 17 DÉCEMBRE

11-18 décembre 2022 – Cornwall, Ont.

Canada Est 4, Canada Ouest 1

• Matthew Cato (Whitby, Ont./Trenton, OJHL) a mené la charge avec deux buts pour Canada Est.
• Ryan Johnstone (Pickering, Ont./Pickering, OJHL) et Massimo Gentile (Pointe-Claire, Qc/Ottawa, OJHL) ont aussi touché la cible.
• Liam Watkins (Okotoks, Alb./Spruce Grove, AJHL) a ajouté un but pour Canada Ouest à sa fiche, son cinquième, un sommet dans le tournoi.
• Ethan Morrow (Kingston, Ont./Wellington, OJHL) a réalisé 37 arrêts dans la victoire.

États-Unis 4, Suède 3

• Erick Pohlkamp a marqué deux fois en avantage numérique pour les États-Unis et, avec cinq buts, rejoint Watkins à la tête des buteurs du tournoi.
• Cole Knuble a marqué le but gagnant avec 11 min 10 s à jouer.
• Edvin Nilsson, Tom Willander et Anton Wahlberg ont fait vibrer les cordages pour la Suède.
• Jacob Fowler a réalisé 16 arrêts dans la victoire.

Prochains matchs – dimanche 18 décembre :

• Match pour la médaille de bronze : Suède c. Canada Ouest – 13 h HE/10 h HP
• Match pour la médaille d’or : Canada Est c. États-Unis – 17 h HE/14 h HP

Citations :

« Nous avons joué un excellent match, bien structuré. Nous avons été tenaces en échec avant et avons bien joué en zone défensive. C’était un excellent match, et le travail devant le filet a été excellent aussi. C’est ainsi qu’on gagne des matchs de hockey. Si nous continuons à jouer comme nous l’avons fait aujourd’hui, l’or est à notre portée. Une fois qualifiés pour le match pour la médaille d’or, tout est possible. Nous avons hâte à demain. »

• L’entraîneur-chef de Canada Est Billy McGuigan (Summerside, Î.-P.-É./Summerside, MHL) sur le fait de jouer pour l’or.

« C’était un très bon match. Trente-huit tirs bloqués, ça donne l’impression que le match a été difficile, mais mon équipe forçait les déplacements devant le filet et bloquait des tirs. On a joué un bon match dans l’ensemble. Ce n’était pas le résultat que nous souhaitions aux trois derniers matchs, mais les bonnes équipes trouvent un moyen de gagner au moment clé. C’est ce qui compte. Je n’ai jamais eu l’occasion de jouer pour l’or, ce sera très plaisant. »

• Morrow à propos du succès avec ses coéquipiers lors des matchs importants.

« Ce n’est pas le résultat escompté. On a accusé un retard tôt dans la rencontre, et on a pourchassé le jeu en tentant de générer de l’offensive. Morrow, le gardien adverse, était tout feu tout flamme. Erick Roest a bien joué de notre côté pour tenter de nous garder dans le match. L’expérience que nous avons vécue ensemble ces deux dernières semaines, les liens que nous avons tissés et la fierté mutuelle qui nous anime sont source de motivation pour la partie de demain. »

• L’entraîneur-chef de Canada Ouest Justin Falk (Snowflake, Man./Winkler, MJHL) sur le fait d’avoir tiré de l’arrière tôt dans le match.

« Nous avons joué avec beaucoup d’intensité à la fin du match. La conclusion est décevante, mais je trouve que nos joueurs ont joué avec cœur et intensité aujourd’hui. On doit se recentrer demain et revenir avec cette mentalité de gagnant au match pour la médaille de bronze. »

• Le capitaine de Canada Ouest Watkins sur la participation au match pour la médaille de bronze.

TSN et RDS, partenaires officiels de diffusion de Hockey Canada, présenteront les matchs pour la médaille de bronze et la médaille d’or disputés au Complexe civique de Cornwall; veuillez consulter votre programmation locale pour plus de détails.

Pour de plus amples renseignements sur le Défi mondial junior A 2022, veuillez consulter le site HockeyCanada.ca ou suivre les médias sociaux Facebook et Twitter.

Luca Pinelli and Cameron Tolnai added the others for Ottawa (24-6-0-1). Collin MacKenzie made 28 saves.

Josh Currie and Christopher Thibodeau responded for Kingston (16-13-1-1). Ivan Zhigalov stopped 17 shots.

The Frontenacs outshot the 67’s 30-20 and went 1-for-6 on the power play. Ottawa went 0-for-2 on the man advantage.

—

BATTALION 3 COLTS 2 (OT)

NORTH BAY, ONT. — Kyle Jackson netted the game-winning goal 1:21 into overtime as North Bay (22-9-0-1) halted Barrie’s (15-9-4-2) comeback effort. Up 2-0 entering the third, the Battalion surrendered two goals that led to overtime and were outshot 3-1 in overtime by the Colts.

—

RANGERS 5 STEELHEADS 1

MISSISSAUGA, ONT. — Reid Valade scored two goals, Francesco Pinelli added a goal and two assists and Kitchener (15-13-0) dominated Mississauga (14-14-3). Marco Costantini had his shutout bid halted 10:05 into the third period, but made 30 saves for the Rangers. 

—

WOLVES 7 GENERALS 1

OSHAWA, ONT. — Kocha Delic netted four goals as Sudbury (10-16-3) blew out Oshawa (11-14-1-3). David Goyette notched four assists, while Joe Ranger stopped 28 shots in the victory.

Tomis Marinkovic, Sean Tschigerl, Keagan Slaney, Riley Fiddler-Schultz, with a goal and an assist, and Oliver Tulk each scored for Calgary (17-9-3-1).

Kolby Hay stopped 44 shots for Edmonton (4-28-1), which lost its 11th straight.

The Oil Kings went 0-for-7 on the power play, while the Hitmen went 0-for-3.

• Matthew Cato (Whitby, Ont./Trenton, OJHL) led the way with two goals for Canada East.
• Ryan Johnstone (Pickering, Ont./Pickering, OJHL) and Massimo Gentile (Pointe-Claire, Que./Ottawa, CCHL) also scored.
• Liam Watkins (Okotoks, Alta./Spruce Grove, AJHL) scored for Canada West, his tournament-leading fifth goal.
• Ethan Morrow (Kingston, Ont./Wellington, OJHL) made 37 saves for the win.

United States 4, Sweden 3

• Erick Pohlkamp scored two power-play goals for the United States to tie Watkins with five goals in the tournament.
• Cole Knuble scored the game-winning goal with 11:10 remaining.
• Edvin Nilsson, Tom Willander and Anton Wahlberg scored for Sweden.
• Jacob Fowler made 16 saves for the win.

Next games – Sunday, December 18:

• Bronze medal game: Sweden vs. Canada West – 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT
• Gold medal game: Canada East vs. United States – 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT

Quotes:

“We played a very sound, structured game. We were tenacious on the forecheck and good in our defensive zone. It was an outstanding game played and we got some great goaltending; that is how you win hockey games. If we can continue to play the way that we did today, we have a shot [in the gold medal game]. You have got to get to the gold medal game, and when you get to it anything can happen. We are looking forward to tomorrow.”

• Canada East head coach Billy McGuigan (Summerside, P.E.I./Summerside, MHL) on playing for gold.

“It was a great game; 38 shots sounds like a hard night, but my team was moving bodies out front, blocking shots and we had a good all-around game. It was not the outcome we wanted the last three games, but good teams find a way to win when it matters, that is what counts. I have never had the opportunity [to play for a gold medal] so it is going to be a lot of fun.”

• Morrow on finding success with his teammates in big games.

“Not the result we wanted. We got behind the eight ball early and chased the game trying to get some offence going. We ran into a hot goalie [in Morrow] today who stood on his head. [Erick] Roest played well on our end to keep things tight early. The experience we have had being together for the last two weeks, the relationships that have been made and the pride that we have playing for each other means there is a lot to play for tomorrow.”

• Canada West head coach Justin Falk (Snowflake, Man./Winkler, MJHL) on getting behind early.

“We battled hard at the end. Unfortunate [result], but I thought our boys put a lot of heart and effort today. We need to regroup tomorrow, come back and have that winning mentality when fighting for a bronze medal.”

• Canada West captain Watkins on playing for a bronze medal.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada will broadcast the bronze medal and gold medal games from the Cornwall Civic Complex; please check local listings for details.

Flin Flon 3 La Ronge 2 SO

Weyburn 0 Humboldt 3

Battlefords 5 Yorkton 3

Nipawin 3 Melfort 8 

Teams will now enjoy a couple of weeks off before the regular season resumes on January 3rd. From everyone at the SJHL we would like to wish all of our teams, staff, players, and fans a Happy Holidays and all the best in 2023.

IHUK is the nationally and internationally-recognised national governing body, also responsible for developing elite ice hockey in the UK, and the body recognised by the International Ice Hockey Federation.

Ice Hockey UK has recently entered into a new partnership with UK Sport to put plans in place with an aim to qualify for and perform successfully at major championships, including the Olympic Games in the next eight to 12 years.

Person Specification
We are looking for a candidate with outstanding leadership capabilities supported by an energetic, persuasive and engaging personality, and the skill to balance driving for results with instilling an inclusive culture of collaboration, team working, innovation and support.

Given the nature of the role, looking to play a key part in developing a growing sport, they will also need to possess the ability to adapt to fast changing environments, be a problem solver for existing issues and be a creative thinker to anticipate new trends and potential challenges).

The CEO will report directly to the Chair of IHUK and sit on the board of IHUK. The CEO will also be the accountable IHUK officer to UK Sport.

REPORTS TO: Board of Ice Hockey UK, through the Chair

SALARY: Circa £70k (pro rata £42k)

BENEFITS: Pension Contributions, allowable expenses

HOLIDAYS: 25 days per year (pro rata) plus statutory days

HOURS OF WORK: A minimum of 23 hours per week which may include evenings, weekends, public holidays and time overseas

LOCATION: Home based but with travel around the UK in addition to around 20 days per year overseas travel anticipated

For more details, including how to apply, please click here.

Total annihilation.

Watching this year’s edition of the Vancouver Canucks stirs familiar memories. Those of us who haven’t voluntarily wiped our memories of the recent Maurice Winnipeg Jets escapades know the body language of defeatism all too way. It hangs above a team like a thunderous cloud, threatening to rain on all the unfortunate victims below. The Canucks looked like a defeated team Saturday night, absent-mindedly going through the motions of yet another loss. Winnipeg had no mercy, shredding Vancouver to the tune of 5-1. It was a thorough demolition amongst a growing pile for the Jets.

Winnipeg wasted no time getting things started, swarming Vancouver and skating circles around the opposition. Spencer Martin faced a number of challenging shots early, but couldn’t stop a lethal Kyle Connor power play release from besting him. It would be one goal of many on a miserable night for the Canucks keeper. The Jets continued to apply pressure for much of the first period, stifling Vancouver’s offensive zone possessions and utterly shutting the door on scoring opportunities.

Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images

Things did not get better for Vancouver in the second period. The Jets rifled 2 point shots through Martin, courtesy of Pionk and Capobianco. The Canucks were barely creating much of anything off the rush as it was, and the pair of conceded goals appeared to suck the remaining life out of the team. The Jets, for their part, were content to slow things down and let off the gas. Hellebuyck calmly dealt with the few chances Vancouver did create, silencing the Rogers Centre crowd.

The Canucks did manage to pot a single goal thanks to a Horvat deflection, but it wasn’t before Gagner and Jonsson-Fjallby added their own markers. The Jets thoroughly dismantled Vancouver, and the Canucks looked like a bunch of skating ghosts for much of the evening. I suspect it won’t be long before Bruce Boudreau gets the door. Vancouver needs some sort of change, and the Jets might just herald the beginning of it. Winnipeg is now a ridiculous 20-9-1 on the season. The best part is that it’s not all because of Hellebuyck. The Jets are winning more sustainably!

Five Takeaways

1. Karson Kuhlman made his Jets debut and looked serviceable alongside Scheifele and Perfetti. He didn’t set the world ablaze, but it was a calm and confident performance. Guys like Kuhlman will have to step up as the injuries continue to mount.
2. Pionk and Dillon are struggling to manage the puck. It’s especially noticeable any time either defender tries to make a pass. Both are fortunate the Canucks were tonight’s opponent, because higher-quality opposition might have capitalized on the turnovers.
3. The bottom-6 annihilated Vancouver’s offensive production, completely dominating zone possession and blocking every single shot attempt possible. It was a stifling performance.
4. Hellebuyck very nearly had the shutout. Curse all who jinxed it!
5. Winnipeg has a short flight to Seattle, setting the stage for a big clash with a pesky Kraken squad.

Huberdeau has completely transformed his defensive game under the Flames, and has turned his main weakness into a huge strength in his game. Huberdeau’s results this season in his own end look great not only when compared against his own team, but also the rest of the NHL. He’s legitimately been one of the better two-way wingers in the league. Who would’ve thought that his defensive game would be the standout aspect to his Flames tenure thus far?

Let’s take a look at just how solid Huberdeau has been defensively this season.

Huberdeau’s on-ice defence compared to his teammates

All numbers are 5v5, score- and venue-adjusted courtesy of NaturalStatTrick.com. Only forwards with minimum 300 minutes TOI at 5v5 were considered.

If you would’ve showed someone these numbers with no context of which Flames forward they were from, I don’t think anyone would’ve guessed Huberdeau. These look like Mikael Backlund-esque defensive numbers, not a forward in Huberdeau who has historically struggled in his own zone.

When Huberdeau is on the ice, the Flames are not giving up much of anything most nights. He ranks first in three of the six metrics. In particular his per 60 minute rates are very strong. His 1.42 GA/60 is the only rate on the entire team among forwards below 1.5. Backlund’s 1.85 GA/60 is the next closest total. Before the games against the Canucks and Blues Huberdeau’s GA/60 was just 0.95.

Huberdeau has only been on the ice for eight goals against at 5v5 this season, three of those coming in their most last two games. Even more impressive is the names under him. The next lowest total on the Flames belongs to Adam Ruzicka at nine goals against. Ruzicka has played under 230 minutes at 5v5 this season. A much smaller total compared to Huberdeau’s over 350 minutes at 5v5.

The next closest regular member of the Flames would be Backlund, who has been on the ice for 12 goals against at 5v5 in 393 minutes of ice time. Huberdeau is the only regular Flame forward with single digit goals against at even strength.

Huberdeau’s on-ce defence compared to the rest of the NHL

Similarly as above, only forwards with minimum 300 minutes TOI at 5v5 were considered.

As if his numbers weren’t impressive when compared to his own teammates, they look even just as good when compared to the rest of the NHL. He’s putting up some of the best defensive numbers across the board in the entire NHL among wingers, which is something I don’t think anyone would’ve expected. Once again his per 60 rates at 5v5 look great even when compared to every other forward in the NHL.

His GA at 5v5 rank 14th in the NHL among forwards with at least 300 minutes at 5v5. Considering there are 248 eligible forwards who have played at least 300 minutes at 5v5 this season, that number is mighty impressive. It’s worth noting once again that he had just five goasl against before the games against the Canuck and Blues earlier this week. He also ranks 14th for xGA, so it’s not like there’s a big discrepancy between expected and actual goals.

Even his CA/60 numbers which are lower still rank top 50 in the NHL. There are 248 forwards who have played at least 300 minutes as mentioned, so ranking where he does is still very impressive. Past that, he ranks top 10 in both HDCA/60 with his GA/60 and xGA/60 not far behind sitting in 13th and 15th respectively.

The next closest Flame for GA/60 is Backlund who ranks 48th in the NHL. For HDCA/60 the next closest Flame is Tyler Toffoli who ranks 33rd. Ranking top 10 is quite the achievement for Huberdeau.

The differences in Huberdeau’s lasts two seasons

Huberdeau’s numbers are night and day compared to his results from last season playing with the Florida Panthers. He’s gone from a liability in his own zone to the complete opposite. His GA/60 in 2021–22 was double what he’s posting right now. Likewise, his HDCA/60 was an absolutely dreadful 13.96/60 last year, which is much lower this season at 8.09. Lastly, his xGA/60 was also rough last year and is almost down a full goal in 2022–23.

There’s still plenty season left, but as it stands his CA/60 would be the second lowest of his career, while his GA/60, xGA/60, and HDCA/60 would all be the lowest totals of his 11-year career. It’s incredibly rare for a player age 29 to suddenly completely change one aspect of their game in which they struggled for a decade prior into a major strength.

Just take a look at his Regularized Adjust Plus-Minus (RAPM) courtesy of Evolving-Hockey.com from last season compared to this season. They’re essentially polar opposites in every way. What was once his major weakness, is now his main strength.

If we take a look at his defensive impacts courtesy of hockeyviz.com with Huberdeau on the ice last year with the Panthers compared to this season with the Flames, it once again tells a very clear story. Last season the Panthers xGA/60 went up with Huberdeau out there, this year the Flames xGA/60 is way down with him out there. The Panthers were worse defensively with Huberdeau on the ice last season, while the Flames are much better defensively with him on the ice this season. The difference between 2021–22 and 2022–23 isn’t even close either.

Redefining his game

Huberdeau’s first couple months as a Calgary Flames have gone much worse than most expected, however there are still some positives buried underneath the scoring struggles. Huberdeau has completely transformed his defensive game this season, going from a liability to a reliable two-way winger in his own zone.

He may not have the scoring numbers just yet, but the fact that the Flames system has been able to drastically alter his defensive game into a major strength is nice to see. We know he has the talent to be an offensive threat every night, and if he can find that touch again combined with his now top-end defensive play, he could become an elite two-way winger for the Flames. The Flames desperately need him to be, and soon.

Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire

The post Jonathan Huberdeau’s defence has become his biggest strength with the Calgary Flames appeared first on The Win Column.

In the midst of a frustrating week, this edition of Sunday Census we asked a simple question. Do the Flames make the playoffs? We asked, you answered.

The options? Simple yes or no, with less room for safer picks of wild card versus seeded positions. This poll was meant to be a gut check on the fanbase’s faith in the team, and well, it seems the Flames faithful are divided.

This past week summed up the Flames’ struggles

In the last week the Flames played much better in Montreal and Toronto to finish out their three-game Eastern road trip that started with an absolutely embarrassing performance in Columbus.

A visit to Toronto started off the week, giving Flames and the organization their first look at AHL leading scorer Matthew Philips. The battle in Toronto marked the first time since 2013 that Milan Lucic had been healthy scratched, the first of three scratches that saw Lucic getting back into the lineup on Friday versus the St. Louis Blues. Dan Vladar got the start and played alright, stopping 29 of 34 against one of the hottest teams in the NHL. The underlying theme was obviously the inability to protect a lead as the Flames gave up three different one goal leads, and then true to form as of late, took a penalty in overtime.

Against the Montreal Canadiens, the Flames saw a bounce back goaltending performance for Jacob Markstrom, who stopped 37 of 38 shots and narrowly missed saving the eventual shootout winner by Nick Suzuki. The team’s energy carried over from a competitive game in Toronto but goal scoring was the biggest issue. Missed opportunities galore and Phillips was a post away from taking the lead on the power play in the third period. Jacob Markstrom gave arguably the performance of the year and was honestly the only reason the team escaped with a point. Penalty trouble once again hurt the Flames, taking a double minor in overtime and killing off all 4 minutes for a total of seven penalty kills on the game.

Back home in the ‘Dome, the Vancouver Canucks came into town with one of the most explosive offences paired with an extremely underwhelming defences amid growing Bo Horvat trade talks. The Flames cut down the penalty trouble slightly and played a competitive game, but gave up two goals from poor defensive puck possession, frankly hanging Markstrom out to dry. The biggest take away from the game was frightening to say the least as Chris Tanev laid out and blocked a one timer with the back of his head. Chris was down on the ice for quite sometime and left the game where he was taken to hospital for testing. Tanev somehow is listed as day-to-day and did not dress for the game against the Blues.

Friday night brought a very streaky St. Louis Blues team into town. To say this game was frustrating to watch is an understatement. Markstrom looked somewhat shaky after a couple great bounce back performances and each period looked like a whole new team. The second period was the best for the Flames but they were unable to capitalize on any opportunities. The third period started well with the Flames controlling the puck well until a defensive lapse led to a wide open shot for St. Louis on their first attempt of the period. Afterwards Connor Mackey got his second of the night shortening the lead to one, but then not a minute later made a horrible pass from behind his own net leading to another goal. That put the game out of reach and really was all you needed to see to understand how poorly the game had gone.

Yes, the Flames will make the playoffs

Narrowly edging out the glass-half-empty crowd, 50.7% polled thought the Flames do have enough in the tank to finish in a playoff spot. I tend to agree. Through 31 games played the team sits fifth in the Pacific division at 13–12–6 for a total of 32 points. A very average point total this season that currently puts them only three pts behind both Edmonton and Seattle for third in the division and tied with Colorado for the last wild card.

They play in a bad division and conference as a whole. Let’s be honest, no one expected Colorado to be ravaged by injuries and plummet as much as they have, and the Pacific division holds three of the bottom 10 spots in the league standings. The math is simple, there’s only eight teams in the division. Essentially five teams competing for three spots and the wildcard is looking like at least one spot will go to the Pacific as the Blues and Avs have had difficult seasons with inconsistent play and injuries.

It’s still early yet, but the Flames do have a team of veteran players that have been there before. Coming into the season I don’t think many people expected this team to have a better first half of the year compared to the second half. This is the turning point here and now. With streaky play the last two weeks this team needs to start building more momentum. Confidence is a hell of a thing and sometimes that’s all athletes need.

No, the Flames won’t make the playoffs

The other side of the coin brings a lot to write about. Glaring offensive issues, defensive inconsistency, penalty trouble, inconsistent power plays and goaltending lapses. The most important being the offence. This team was top-heavy last year and that gap in production has yet to be filled. The Flames’ problems on offence are seriously worrying.

The opportunity to add offence into the lineup is there and we’ve began to see that initiative with Matthew Philips. Although he hasn’t added any production yet, he looked good in his two games. Hopefully we haven’t seen the end of him in the lineup but the team needs him in the top-six and that means moving lines around more so than they already have. The trade market is an option as well but the news of a cap bump of only $1M next season, the team’s in cap trouble.

Overall, there is a lot of gaps to fill right now and a number of things need to come together to make this team successful down the stretch. Some fans even speculating the team should fire Darryl Sutter as he’s lost his connection with the team. Whatever it is, I hope the holidays bring a major turn around or else 2023 might be the beginning of a fate known all to well in Calgary Flames history: Mediocrity.

51 games to go

There’s plenty of time left in the season and the Flames realistically have a very good chance of making the playoffs. There does need to be some things solved but this is still a team with three key players in their inaugural season with the franchise. Confidence will come and I feel very comfortable saying this exact team would perform much better a year from now. Relationships are a hard thing to develop in the midst of a pivotal life change, let alone chemistry. The deeper into the season, the more this group will start to flow. Inconsistency is part of the transition but the team is tracking in the right direction.

Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire

The post Flames Sunday Census: Will the Flames make the playoffs? appeared first on The Win Column.

Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans... Thank you, John Lennon, for reminding me of this important fact of life. 

About ten days before Christmas, Colin told me very casually that for the upcoming school volleyball tournament, that is taking place December 23, he and his classmates are supposed to be wearing Holiday themed socks. He suggested to try and dig out the Coca-Cola socks. We must have gotten them from one of our Coca-Cola truck visits years ago. His feet have definitely grown too much to be able to wear them anymore. 

With my working full-time, I didn't see a chance in h*** to go the mall and hunt for socks, so I sent him a couple of links and told him to pick some for him and his friends. If we wanted them to arrive in time, we needed to place the online order soon. I didn't have full confidence about his sense of urgency, and I texted his schoolmate's Mom to ask if she knew about the socks?

This is what she wrote back:

This is the 1st time I've heard about this, thank you for telling me. My son probably would have mentioned on the 23rd that he needed Christmas socks. Expecting them to magically appear just like that ????. Have you already bought some, if so, where?

I promised to include her son's needs in my buying activities. 

At some point I learned some additional info: The teacher was going t bring her Christmas sock collection to class on Monday (Dec 19), and some of the kids might borrow them. Haha, his teacher is a sweet little person, even shorter than I am. Maybe some girls are going to get lucky, but our boys wear size 42 in Europe, that's about a 9 or 9.5 in U.S. men's.

Next hurdle: The teenagers were under the impression they needed to pay for the socks on their own if we ordered them online. Geez, ask your Moms, but do it now, I have other priorities on my plate! Especially since we don't have time to go shopping on Saturday because Colin has a game in the Italian part of Switzerland. You may read here what that means in terms of time investment.

Plus: Colin committed to brining Christmas cookies to the tournament!! Just when are we supposed to be baking them? The ones we made last weekend, are almost gone.

So far so (not) good.

Friday, lunch time, we were sitting at the office when the following text arrived: 

Attention, tomorrow's game against Bellinzona has been canceled. The opponent has too many sick players. Already adjusted in the MyIceHockey App.

The MIH App contains the schedule for practice and games, and we need to consult it often, as changes are not always communicated.

I was sad and glad at the same time. I had been looking forward to one last hockey road trip before the Holidays, but it was also going to eat away our entire day. So we got the gift of time, and they were going to look for a new date to make up the game. 

Hubby was taking Colin to Friday night practice, giving me an opportunity to work late. Hey, these Christmas cards don't ship themselves! Before I cleaned up my desk, I refreshed the App, more out of routine than anything else. 

In the Saturday box where the 5pm away game in Bellinzona previously was, a new entry struck my eye. 8pm away game in Aarau! 

What? 

Another very short-term exhibition game, like we've had two in the past few weeks? Why didn't I know about this? I opened the link, and the names in the linep didn't look familiar. Who were these players? 

Wait a minute! Tyler? I knew for a fact, he plays for the U17 team. 

Ohmygoodness! Colin and a handful of his U15 teammates were supposed to play a U17 game!

I immediately texted the other Moms, and they were all super grateful for the heads-up because they would have enjoyed a weekend off without ever learning about their son's being requested to play! 

We fired messages back and forth to car-pool and have dinner before the game.

With some time on my hands on Saturday morning I made my way to Country Seasons, my beloved Canadian grocery store, which is a good 45 minutes' drive away.

As I arrived, the owner said "you just missed a hockey player". 

Oh, really, who was it?

"He is Canadian, drives a white SUV with the EHC Kloten logo, I don't know his name."

It can only be Jonathan And (however, he would have recognized his Asian descent) or Eric Faille. Or I was forgetting somebody. 

English or French speaking?

"English, but he bought a Québec Whisky."

That's helpful. Not.

Anyway. I got ourselves some delicious salmon from British Columbia, brown sugar and Reese's mini PB cups - things that may be easily available at your American or Canadian grocery store, but not usually in Switzerland. It's also my go-to place for Kraft Mac and Cheese.

When I got back, Colin had packed his hockey gear, and soon we left. Did I mention we have been living in Winter Wonderland for a couple of days?

Proud that my boy has been chosen to play in the "older" category. If you're not familiar with these abbreviations: 

U15 is for players who are younger than 15 years old, so currently those who were born in 2008 or 2009.

U17 is for players who are younger than 17 years old,  currently those who were born in 2006 or 2007. Among his new teammates (and opponents) there were going to be guys who are 6 feet tall and 180 pounds!

As we drove them to the rink, we noticed the beautifully decorated streets, and I said, let's go check out the town, we have over an hour to kill!

It was one of those nights when the outside temperatures were lower than in the  hockey stadium. (minus 7+ Celsius = 19°F), but it was oh so pretty!

It got even better! We found ourselves in the non-food area where vendors tried to sell their handmade soap, candles, lavender products, you name it. Some crafts looked a little questionable to us: who was going to purchase those? 

But hey, to each their own. My sore little eyes just spotted a sock stand!!!

Now, not just any Granny knitted socks! Holiday themed socks from one of the companies I sent the link to Colin to choose an item!

So the next morning, our lovely elves presented my boy with a combo pack of different Christmas socks for him and his friends!

We made it back to the arena just in time for the game. The opponent was the leader of the regional championship, and ours were fifth out of seven, so it was clear who the underdog was. The first period was tough, and I thought our guys were going to go under.

One of Colin's "underaged" teammates managed to equal to 4:4 in the second period, and in the third, they were on fire! They were even leading 5:7 a few minutes before the end. 

But you know what they say in Hockey... Within a few minutes a lot can happen.

Unfortunately two goals happened - the opponent tied the game to 7:7!

They went to shootout, and the Diaz brothers (one born in 2007, one in 2009) did a fantastic job keeping their save percentage at 100% 

As always Colin and I put together a video for the players and their friends and families who couldn't make it to the arena.

I almost forgot to mention, our guys made it! 

They won after SO, which put the opponent on second, and themselves on fourth place in the ranking. The coach came to thank us parents for taking the youngsters to the arena. He said they were humble, motivated and adapted well to the team and the game. That's so nice to hear!

So this is how life happened while we were busy making other plans - and I ended up finding Christmas socks for Colin's tournament. Win!

The post Saturday’s Ghost Pirates at Stingrays game postponed first appeared on Pro Hockey News.

The post Kings edge Sharks, 3-2, on skills first appeared on Pro Hockey News.

The post PHN’s Best Shots of the Game: Third period flurry lifts Icemen over Oilers first appeared on Pro Hockey News.

#Caps will hold an optional skate at noon. https://t.co/0OgKUxGcEi

— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) December 18, 2022

The team also announced Sunday morning that forward T.J. Oshie, who suffered a non-contact injury in last nights game against the Maple Leafs (more here), is “day-to-day” with an upper body injury.

Capitals say T.J. Oshie (upper body) and Nic Dowd (lower) are both day to day and will not participate in their optional practice today.

— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) December 18, 2022

Nic Dowd (lower body) did not play in Saturday’s game vs TOR and is also “day-to-day”. He also did not skate at the optional today.

STAT OF THE DAY – JUST WIN, BABY

Despite the convincing 5-2 victory, the Maple Leafs took control of possession 11 minutes into the game last night, and led in even-strength shot attempts 63-41 for the game.

The Maple Leafs also led in even-strength expected goals for (xGF) 3.06 to 2.30 for the game. That highlight’s another excellent game by Charlie Lindgren, who was +1.06 in goals differential (xGA – GA).

The next graph plots the expected goals for percentage (xGF%) for each of the Capitals skaters at even strength.

The graph highlights the excellent game played by the Capitals third line of Anthony Mantha, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Sonny Milano. The defensive pairing of Nick Jensen and Dmitry Orlov also had a good game.

[The statistics used in this post are courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and the NoVa Caps Advanced Analytics Model (NCAAM). If you’d like to learn more about the statistical terms used in this post, please check out our NHL Analytics Glossary]

DOWN ON THE FARM

After a significant dry spell and demotion to the third line, Jake Karabela is finally beginning to heat up. He scored his third goal in the last four games last night against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

HOME TOWN BOY KARABELA#StormCity |#TheStormisComing pic.twitter.com/bqmTKZ3TPI

— Guelph Storm (@Storm_City) December 17, 2022

He has eight goals and nine assists in 32 games played and is a -22 on a struggling Guelph team.

SHAVINGS

And finally, one more for the collection:

They’re glowing! I feel like I’m watching hockey in the Metaverse lol pic.twitter.com/dwBAXV17cK

— Vanessa (@bigsportsvan) December 18, 2022

The Capitals honored former arena organist Bruce Anderson at last night’s game. We wish Bruce well in his retirement.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bruce Anderson (@banderson128)

The Capitals next host the Detroit Red Wings at Capital One Arena on Monday night. Puck drop is set for 7PM.

By Jon Sorensen

Elliotte Friedman dropped a bit of a bomb on Saturday evening when he discussed the status of the Vancouver Canucks and their willingness to trade players heading into the NHL Trade Deadline. While he notes that the team isn’t interested in a rebuild or a teardown, one of the players he mentioned being available out of Vancouver would suggest otherwise.

Friedman noted that the Canucks want to make hockey trades and get players back in deals where they might move Brock Boeser or Bo Horvat. He also mentioned that all players were available with the exception of Elias Pettersson who is the team’s only untouchable. That led to curiosity about defenseman Quinn Hughes, who on any other team is likely a player a franchise builds around. Friedman said that Hughes is available, but that it would take a “mammoth offer” to see the team move him.

Friedman suggested this is a move the Canucks aren’t looking to make but would make it if a team showed up on their doorstep and absolutely wowed them with an offer they couldn’t ignore. What that offer would be isn’t clear, but one would have to imagine it includes a top-level defenseman coming back, plus be a contract that is a better deal than Hughes’, which would be hard to find.

Hughes Is Incredible Value for the Canucks

Hughes is at a $7.85 million salary cap hit for the next four seasons and in a world of $9 million-plus defensemen, his deal is an outstanding value. A first-rounder or two would also have to be in that offer as would players that could fill other holes the Canucks have identified. In other words, Patrick Allvin and Jim Rutherford are even putting this out there suggesting they would be trying to solve all of their issues in one deal.

That said, moving Hughes creates another problem in that the Canucks would no longer have Quinn Hughes.

Next: Oilers Interested in Trading For Blackhawks’ Sam Lafferty [Report]

The post Canucks Willing to Trade Quinn Hughes in “Mammoth” Deal appeared first on NHL Trade Talk.

Let us take a look at more forwards potentially raising their income bracket come 2023.

Troy Terry – Anaheim Ducks

Waiting is the hardest part. Unfortunately for Pat Verbeek, Trevor Zegras is not the only high-profile RFA the General Manager has to worry about. Troy Terry proving last season was no fluke is music to him and his agent’s ears. The Anaheim pocketbooks are about to get lighter still.

Terry has 12 goals and 28 points in 32 games for Anaheim. This is, in spite of, an offense that is putrid. Even that may be kind. Terry and Zegras carry this team on an almost nightly basis. The defense ranks as an expansion team bad. At least, these forwards make the team watchable.

Terry projected at around $5.5 million is looking less and less likely by the second. Pat Verbeek decided to not negotiate until the end of the season. Kurt Overhardt hopes that his phone rings soon enough. The agent knows his client holds the leverage. Verbeek now knows his stance is going to cost him with both of his forwards. Now, the question is how much?

Matt Boldy – Minnesota Wild

Again, NHL Restricted Free Agents such as Matt Boldy arguably fall into a different class. Unlike Anaheim where players can just pile up offensive numbers, Minnesota needs their forward to be a bit more defensively responsible. Combine that with some deployment issues and Boldy is not producing quite as prolifically as Zegras or Terry.

However, do not let that fool you. Boldy shows flashes of that potential from time to time and is up to 22 points on the season. He has four points in his last four games and is playing around 18 minutes per night. That means the forward sees time in almost every situation. He averages almost three shots a game and generates several scoring chances a contest.

Boldy is trending upward, needless to say and Bill Guerin knows it. Between the run last season and this season, the soon-to-be 22-year-old forward is only getting better.  Honestly, $3.5 million AAV on a bridge deal is appearing to be more and more of a bargain. Every day that goes by is more dollars that will go into Boldy’s bank account.

A more expensive bridge deal looks likely given the Wild’s tenuous cap situation. There is a holding pattern right now. Expect that to continue until after the season.

Dylan Cozens – Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres’ forward presents an interesting case here. Buffalo and its management showed a pattern of locking up its core pieces. Dylan Cozens playing in the last year of his entry-level deal appears content to just wait on a new deal. Preliminary discussions yielded little of substance.

Cozens is averaging more than a point per game. He plays on one of the hottest top-six units in the NHL. Buffalo plays the game far from dull. That $2.5 to $3 million projected AAV keeps getting bumped up with every point. The pivot plays the game like a man above his years.

He is not even 22 yet. Playing with the likes of Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson raises his game to new heights. Can Cozens keep this up? All signs seem to indicate that this is a possibility. Buffalo’s center of attention will only get better from here. How much does management pay? The price rises from this point forward.

Alexis Lafreniere – New York Rangers

Now, with the kids in New York, there is one adage. Let’s get dangerous! Alexis Lafreniere needed a chance to show he can succeed. Maybe now is that time. The Rangers’ forward has five goals and 14 points in 32 games. The 2020 overall top-draft pick shows flashes as the kid line gets more and more ice time.

The Quebec native has four points in his previous six games. Needless to say, Lafreniere showed a stronger second half last season. Expect more of the same in 2023.

Expect New York’s Chris Drury and Lafreniere’s agent to come to some sort of bridge agreement. The forward should bet on himself as the offense will come.

Stay tuned after the Christmas roster freeze for a look at some intriguing RFA defensemen. 

Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts on the Vancouver Canucks.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

“I think one of the questions we’re all trying to figure out is, what are the Vancouver Canucks up to? What is their goal here with some of the conversations they’re having around the league? Here’s the best I can give you.

Number 1, they’re not interested in a rebuild or a teardown, but they are interested in changing their mix and breathing some new life into their team.

They have indicated that they have one untouchable, and that is (Elias) Pettersson. Now, I know what everybody is going to start to say, what does that mean about Quinn Hughes? And what I was told, it that the Canucks have said, it would take an absolutely mammoth offer. This is not something they are looking to do. It would take a mammoth offer for them to part ways with the tremendous young defenseman.

And just the other thing, Bo Horvat, we’ve all been wondering this week about what his future is. The best I can sense Ron and Jeff, is that J.T. Miller‘s contract is worth $56 million, I just don’t think they want to go over that for Horvat, and his year has put him over that.

It’s just a matter of when Jesse Puljujarvi get a fresh start elsewhere

NHL Network: Elliotte Friedman on the NHL Network on Edmonton Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi and if he’ll get traded.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

“Yes, I do think there’s a chance that’s going to happen. I do think one way or another, this is going to be his final season in Edmonton.

Tony, I think the question is, is it going to be now or is it going to be later? One of the things is, the Oilers have had some injury trouble. Looks like Warren Foegele is going to be coming back and (Ryan) McLeod has been out. Just started skating, a couple weeks away. And there’s still the matter of Evander Kane.

So I don’t think they’ve wanted to trade him while they were short handed. But they’re starting to get healthy. Klim Kostin has taken a spot in the lineup. If you look at ice time the past few games, it’s 13 (minutes) right now, you see at the top of the board, it’s like 8 minutes the last four games.

So I do think he’ll be somewhere else. Whether it’s a trade. Whether it’s waivers. Whether he stays to the end of the season and they just don’t qualify him, making him an unrestricted free agent. I think everybody, including Puljujarvi sees it’s time for a fresh start. It’s just a matter of when he gets it.

James van Riemsdyk available for trade

Sportsnet: Jeff Marek on 32 Thoughts on Philadelphia Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

“Someone to keep our eyes on is James van Riemsdyk of the Philadelphia Flyers. Having a really nice season now, and scored night as well.

Keep your eyes on him. The Philadelphia Flyers have made him available. Now, the actual cash here, $5 million, $1 million has already been paid as a bonus going back to last summer. The cap hit $7 (million) but Philadelphia could eat some of that as well to make it more palatable for a team looking at James van Riemsdyk.

Probably really good for a team looking for some power play help, a team destined for the playoffs. He’s having another decent season.

Trade tiers

Greg Wyshynski of ESPN: Looking at some trade tiers leading up to the March 3rd deadline.

Kane and Toews tier: Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews (Blackhawks).

The Avs could look at Toews. The Islanders, Oilers and Capitals could be in on Kane.

Elite pending free agent tier: Matt Dumba (Wild), Bo Horvat (Canucks). John Klingberg (Ducks), and Timo Meier (Sharks).

The Devils could target Meier. The Wild could use Dumba in a ‘hockey trade.’

Elite players with term tier: Brock Boeser (Canucks), Jakob Chychrun (Coyotes) and Erik Karlsson (Sharks).

The Kings, Senators, and Oilers are teams to watch on Chychrun. Karlsson may be okay with playing in Florida.

Help up front tier: Nick Bonino (Sharks), Evgenii Dadonov (Canadiens), Max Domi (Blackhawks), Jonathan Drouin (Canadiens), Anthony Duclair (Panthers), Lars Eller (Capitals), Mike Hoffman (Canadiens), Kasperi Kapanen (Penguins), Sean Monahan (Canadiens), Gustav Nyquist (Blue Jackets), Jesse Puljujarvi (Oilers), and James van Riemsdyk (Flyers).

Help in the back-end tier: Justin Braun (Flyers), Joel Edmundson (Canadiens), Shayne Gostisbehere (Coyotes), Jack Johnson (Blackhawks), Dmitry Kulikov (Ducks), Matt Roy (Kings), Luke Schenn (Canucks), Kevin Shattenkirk (Ducks) and Sean Walker (Kings).

Help in the way-back-end tier: James Reimer (Sharks), Anthony Stolarz (Ducks) and Cam Talbot (Senators).

Bargain beauties tier: Jason Dickinson (Blackhawks), Vladislav Gavrikov (Blue Jackets), Nick Jensen (Capitals), Tyler Motte (Senators), Conor Sheary (Captials) and Carson Soucy (Kraken).

St. Louis Blues explosion tier: Ivan Barbashev, Ryan O’Reilly, Torey Krug, Marco Scandella and Vladimir Tarasenko.

There are whispers in Toronto surrounding forward William Nylander. While some fans are chalking up recent comments by Nick Kypreos — who has a tendency to talk about players on the roster leaving town in trades or other moves — it’s not just Kypreos who is now suggesting Nylander is going to be too expensive for the Toronto Maple Leafs to hang onto with the season he’s having.

Now, Jonas Siegel writes in a recent article for The Athletic that Nylander posting career numbers mean the Maple Leafs may not be able to afford to retain the forward and that he’ll potentially price himself out of Toronto with his next contract. All it will take, apparently, is for Nylander to keep playing well this season and have a strong playoff. If that happens, he expects Nylander will use the leverage he has to force the hand of his current team.

Siegel writes that Nylander’s next deal could fall in the range of J.T. Miller, Jonathan Huberdeau, Johnny Gaudreau, and Filip Forsberg. He adds:

Come next summer, the Leafs will be in the position of having to decide whether they want to commit to Nylander on a big-time extension, or, play out the 2023-24 season and make a decision when Nylander is set to enter the UFA market for the first time. Leafs’ brass might also determine by next summer that Nylander’s price tag is too exorbitant and at least contemplate moving him before he’s lost, potentially, for nothing. (Dubas has long been a believer in Nylander. A different GM might not be.)

Nylander Has Already Proven He’s Willing to Stand Up For His Contract Value

If Nylander were to force Toronto to make a decision, it wouldn’t be the first time. In past negotiations, Nylander has chosen to sit out in an effort to get what he wants. Siegel argues that Nylander would likely do so again, only this time, he wouldn’t have to. As a pending UFA, should he simply choose to play out his current contract, he could test the free-agent market.

As mentioned, Kypreos is all over the idea that Nylander might be on his way out of Toronto. He suggested the forward would be a challenge to sign as well in a recent article for the Toronto Star. Kypreos notes that Nylander is eligible for a contract extension on July 1 and he’s on pace for career-best numbers. He writes, “So the question needs to be asked: Why has there been little to no mention of a Nylander contract extension that, timing-wise at least, mirrors [Auston] Matthews?”

Next: Three Takeaways from Maple Leafs’ 5-3 Loss to Capitals

The post William Nylander Could Be Too Costly for Maple Leafs to Re-Sign appeared first on NHL Trade Talk.

Radiant centrepiece afterwards was Freeke Moes, who scored against Argentina and took a penalty. The smile splashed off the faces of the Orange Ladies in Santiago del Estero, the atmosphere was great. They enjoyed.

That is quite a contrast to the gloomy mood a year ago. At the time, the Orange had just become the Olympic champion in Tokyo, but the dissatisfaction with the performance climate within the team largely overshadowed that gold medal. The KNHB had ordered an independent investigation and the Orange players talked to each other more than they stood together on the hockey field.

Pop

2022 started with a bang due to the departure of national coach Alyson Annan, who did not wish to conform to the association’s approach to the crisis. Assistant Jamilon Mülders was willing to do the honors by the then technical director Jeroen Bijl (he was later also killed in the affair). First temporarily and eventually up to and including the World Cup that was played in Spain and the Netherlands in the summer of 2022.

Despite the turbulent preparation, Mülders managed to get the Orange in the right World Cup shape just in time. The gold medal was applauded, but internally it was still restless. The hockey association appointed the experienced Paul van Ass to bring the Orange further into calm waters. He has been doing this since September in his characteristic way: loosely and relaxed. Those who follow the ladies on the Orange Instagram account will see that the fun radiates from the coach and his players.

Mission

Under that smile, Van Ass is working on a clear mission: he doesn’t just want to win gold at the Games in Paris 2024. He wants to do that with beautiful and offensive hockey. The widely acclaimed goal of world player of the year Felice Albers in the World Cup final should become the rule rather than the exception, if it is up to Van Ass.

Anyone who saw the Dutch team in action last week during the Pro League mini-tournament against Argentina and Great Britain can only conclude that Van Ass’s hand is already starting to become visible. The Orange showed wonderful tiki-taka hockey at times, with Marente Barentsen’s goal in the second game against GB as the highlight.

With Barentsen, one of the most striking players of the Orange squad was also immediately named during the Argentina trip. The midfielder made her debut in Orange more than a year ago under Annan. The World Cup came too early for her last summer, but now she is emphatically knocking on the door for a permanent place in the selection. This also applies to Joosje Burg, who, unlike Barentsen, started against Argentina on Saturday evening.

Cool

Burg played another strong game in Santiago del Estero, where it was a lot cooler at 22 degrees compared to the rest of the week. The stands were again completely filled with enthusiastic Argentinian hockey fans, who saw that Las Leonas started a lot more defensively than in the first meeting between the two teams on Wednesday.

That meant that the number of chances in the first quarter was scarce. The biggest was in the first quarter for Marijn Veen, who appeared free in front of the Argentinian goal after a pass from Felice Albers. Unlike in the duel with Great Britain – when the striker scored twice – Veen now pushed the ball wide of the goal.

Argentina got its first chance at the start of the second quarter. Striker Albertarrio, however, found goalie Josine Koning in her way during her goal attempt. King played again because Anne Veenendaal suffers from minor knee problems. Koning saw another shot from Albertarrio disappear into the side net, but that told the story of the first half.

Head Start

Van Ass was therefore not satisfied at halftime, he told the cameras of the FIH. Barely back at his dug-out, his team led 0-1. Burg rushed over the back line, served Freeke Moes, who pushed the ball backwards against the board.

The goal was the starting signal for the Orange to take Argentina in a firm grip. The attacks waved over the home team, but with the necessary art and flying, the deficit was limited to a hit in the third quarter.

The Orange was also supreme in the last quarter. It was waiting for the 0-2. That came after a good run by Albers. She served Moes who seemed to score, but her bet ended up on an Argentinian leg. penalty ball. Yibbi Jansen did not let that opportunity be taken away: 0-2, her 51st and last goal of 2022.

With the four victories in his bag, Van Ass will happily board the plane to South Africa in January where he can further mold his team with the Orange ladies during the winter training. Judging by the progress the coach has already made in his first months, the new stars knocking on the door, the hockey enthusiast will look forward to the Orange in 2023.

India are the champions of the inaugural FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup Spain 2022, narrowly defeating hosts Spain in front of an electric crowd in the finals at Valencia, Spain!

Playing in a heavyweight clash against Spain, Gurjit Kaur who had rediscovered her scoring form in India’s last pool stage game against South Africa, stepped up early and gave India the lead from a penalty corner in the 6th minute and that would be the only goal to be scored in the match as the defenses for both teams took over.

The quality of the game was extremely high as both teams gave it their all through the 60 minutes and each had excellent attacking opportunities, but were met by even better defensive efforts on both sides. Indian defenders particularly played the game of their lives, repelling wave after wave of Spanish attacks towards the end of the game, showcasing excellent defensive discipline, keeping a clean sheet and conceding just 2 penalty corners in all of the second half, while facing immense pressure.

With the win India have now qualified for the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023-24 season!

Earlier in the day Chile relied on a late 4th quarter surge to blitz South Africa and end their campaign on a high, winning the game 4-1. With the win Chile finished in the 7th position, while South Africa, who had promising moments throughout the tournament, playing with a very young team, finished 8th. 

The 7th position match was followed by the 5th place match between Italy and Korea. The two teams had played out a 1-1 draw earlier in the tournament, and when the full time whistle was blown the teams found themselves tied at the same scoreline. The shoot-outs however went the way of the Italians, who had their keeper Lucia Caruso to thank, for stopping 4 out of the 5 Korean shoot-out attempts, giving Italy an impressive 5th-placed finish in the Nations Cup.

The bronze medal match produced great thrills in the second half with Ireland and Japan trading 4 goals in the fourth quarter, after a goalless first half. Japan pushed harder for a winner in the final quarter and found it through captain Yuri Nagai who put in the finishing touches to a brilliantly worked team move, with less than 4 minutes left on the clock. Irish attempts at finding an equalizer were blocked well by the Japanese defense, led by a fantastic all-round display by Yu Asai. 

7th Place Match: South Africa vs Chile 1-4 

South Africa and Chile both came into the FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2022 hoping for a better finish than 7th, but the competition has been stiff throughout the tournament and both teams had their good moments despite having to settle for the final two spots. 

Chile were the better team for the majority of the game and the score could have been higher in their favor but South African keeper Anelle van Deventer continued to excel in the goal, keeping South Africa in the game for a long time, before a late surge by Chile in the final 7 minutes. 

Chile opened the scoring in the 27th minute as a Maldonado deflection that looked like it was heading out, took an inside edge of the keeper’s stick and went in. South Africa were quick to answer back as captain Quanita Bobbs’ penalty corner brought them level a minute before half. 

Chile kept prodding in the second half, but had to wait till the 53rd minute to breach the South African defense, as a flat penalty corner hit by Denise Losada deflected off the South African rushers stick and lifted over the keeper and gave Chile the lead. The goal opened the floodgates for Chile as they added two more goals, first through a stunning reverse shot by Francisca Tala and second through a brilliant drag flick by Fernanda Arrieta to finish the Nations Cup in the 7th place. 

Francisca Tala was awarded the player of the match and said: “I think the whole team deserves this award today. We came up against a resolute team and kept at it till the goals finally started coming our way.”

5th Place Match: Italy vs Korea 1-1 (SO: 2-1)

Italy and Korea met in the opening game of the tournament on day 1 and could not be separated on that day, with the game ending in a 1-1 draw. As the two teams met in the 5th place match today, the scoreline remained the same, but there were to be shoot-outs at the end to separate the two sides at the end, and the tie broke Italy’s way thanks to Lucia Caruso, who was stellar in the game as well as the shoot-out. 

Italy were the team to score in the contest once again, as captain Federica Carta dispatched a brilliant drag flick from a penalty corner in the 33rd minute after a goalless first-half. Korea left it late to get on level terms, but as they kept the pressure up, they finally induced an error from the Italian defense and won a penalty stroke, which was placed perfectly into the left corner by Hyejin Cho. 

As neither team could find a goal to win in regular time, the match headed to a shoot-out. Korea switched their keeper as Jinmin Lee stepped in for Eunji Kim, while Italy stuck with Lucia Caruso. Both keepers performed remarkably in the shoot-out, but it was Lucia Caruso who stopped 4 out of the 5 attempts to give Italy the win and the 5th place. Caruosa was also named player of the match and said: “I am really proud of the team. We wanted to show everyone that we belong in competitions like this and we can hold our own against some of the best teams in the world and we have achieved that, so I am very very happy.”

Bronze Medal Match: Japan vs Ireland 3-2

Japan and Ireland both came very close to making the finals of the Nations Cup in the semi-finals last evening, but had to quickly set the disappointment behind them as they faced each other in the bronze medal match. And both teams bounced back remarkably early in the game. While there were no goals in the first half, the teams still put on a brave display of attacking hockey. Japan especially got close to scoring multiple times, but Elizabeth Murphy was once again huge in the Irish goal and kept the score level at half time. 

Ireland opened the scoring in the 3rd quarter as a powerful low hit into the Japanese circle was deflected in by Kathryn Mullan. Japan had an instant response as just a couple of minutes later they won a penalty corner and while Murphy stopped the first shot, the rebound fell to Mami Karino, who tapped the ball into an empty goal. Ireland and Japan traded penalty corner goals once again in the 3rd quarter, setting up an exciting final quarter finish. 

Japan went all out in search of a winning goal and found it with 4 minutes left on the clock as a fantastic ball into the circle was first deflected by Mai Toriyama, and then by captain Yuri Nagai, to give Japan the lead that they would hold on to till the final whistle to seal the win and the bronze medal. Yu Asai, who excelled all over the field for Japan, was awarded the player of the match and said: “A good team performance today. We can always rely on the defense to carry us forward and that worked out for us today.”

Gold Medal Match: Spain vs India 0-1

The two highest ranked teams, and the two form teams of the tournament, Spain and India set-up a mouthwatering clash in the finals to close out the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup Spain 2022, with the title and qualification to the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023-24 up for grabs. Spain started the game on the front foot, as India moved away from their high press, which they employed throughout the tournament, to a midfield press. Spain received a penalty corner in the 5th minute, but Savita used her boots brilliantly to stretch out and kick the attempt away. India counter-attacked right away and won a penalty corner themselves. Gurjit who found her form in the final pool stage game stepped up and placed a drag flick perfectly between the keeper and the post defender to hand India the lead. India came close to scoring once again just a minute later as another flick by Gurjit was touched narrowly wide by the Spanish keeper. Spain entered the Indian circle twice in the final minutes of the first half, but India kept their discipline and cleared their lines to take the slender lead to the second half. 

A cagey third quarter followed as Spain pressed higher and higher. They finally put the ball in the back of the goal after Savita had saved an initial shot by Ycart, but India reviewed and the goal was overturned as Ycart had not moved the ball 5 meters before entering the Indian circle. India survived all further attempts by Spain to breach their defense in the 3rd quarter, leaving Spain 15 minutes to find a goal.

The fourth quarter was much of the same, as Spain continued to surge forward and overload the Indian circle, but India continued to play brilliant disciplined defense, not letting Spain come close to scoring throughout. Gurjit Kaur and Deep Grace Ekka were brilliant in defense alongside Udita and Nikki Pradhan, as the clock ran out and India became the champions of the inaugural FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup Spain 2022 and qualified for the FIH Hockey Pro League. Player of the match was awarded to Neha, who was crucial for India in releasing the pressure allowing them to hold the lead for 54 minutes. As she received her award Neha spoke of her team’s brilliant victory and said: “We took an early lead and played really well as a complete unit to protect it and come out as winners.” 

FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup Spain 2022 

Individual Awards

Best Player: Lucia Jimenez (ESP)

Best Junior Player: Sarah Mcauley (IRL)

Best Goalkeeper: Savita (IND)

Hero Top Scorer: Kathryn Mullan (IRL)

17 December 2022 Results

Result: Match 1

South Africa 1-4 Chile

Player of the Match: Francisca Tala (CHI)

Umpires: Ana Faias (POR), Durga Devi (IND), Magali Sergeant (BEL-video)

Result: Match 2

Italy 1-1 Korea (SO: 2-1)

Player of the Match: Lucia Caruso (ITA)

Umpires: Natalia Lodeiro (URU), Ymkje van Slooten (NED), Vilma Bagdanskiene (LTU-video)

Result: Match 3

Japan 3-2 Ireland

Player of the Match: Yu Asai (JPN)

Umpires: Magali Sergeant (BEL), Kristy Robertson (AUS), Ana Faias (POR-video)

Result: Match 4

Spain 0-1 India 

Player of the Match: Neha (IND)

Umpires: Junko Wagatsuma (JPN), Mariana Reydo (ARG), Ymkje van Slooten (NED-video)

The Orange led 0-2, gave away that lead in a matter of minutes, but kept a cool head in a spectacular final phase, which finally won again. The relief and happiness could therefore be seen on their faces after the victory in Santiago del Estero.

That was understandable, because the mood in the Orange camp was quite low after disappointing innings against Argentina (2-2, loss shoot-outs) and Great Britain (3-0 loss and 1-1, loss shoot-outs) .

Delmée must also have had a weight lifted from his shoulders. Although the national coach knows that with only 27 days until the start of the Netherlands at the World Cup in India, he still has a challenge. Because although the Pro League is of course not a world championship and Argentina and Great Britain must be rated higher in advance than Malaysia, New Zealand and Chile, the opponents of the Orange in Group C, the self-confidence of the Orange team turned out to be fragile in Argentina.

Self confidence

That self-confidence, coupled with a huge chunk of energy, has been the strength of the Orangemen since Delmée took over from Max Caldas in September 2021 – after the failed Games in Tokyo. The Orange did not have a single setback until the duels in South America. Almost to their own surprise, the Oranje Heren even won the previous edition of the Pro League.

For Delmée – with 401 international matches poked and dazed in international hockey – that was no reason to walk next to his shoes. He tempered the enthusiasm, kept repeating that the game had to improve and said he still didn’t know how his team compares to the world top. After the Pro League duels, that may still not be entirely clear, but the native of Brabant has certainly become a lot wiser.

For example, he will be broadly satisfied with the defensive work of his team, although he must be annoyed by the sloppiness that still creeps in too often. The Orange also unnecessarily gave away opportunities against Argentina on Sunday night. Like with Toscani’s 2-1 in the fourth quarter, which came out of nowhere after a stumbling by Blok. And the 2-2 equalizer that was beaten by Lucas Martinez behind Maurits Visser shortly afterwards.

Challenges

Delmée also has challenges further forward. The coach would like to create danger from a closed defense with quick changes. He also has the right players in his selection for that. When guys like Terrance Pieters, Tjep Hoedemakers and Thijs van Dam (did not play due to an injury) put the turbo on with room in front of them, they are unstoppable.

However, if that space is not available, the Netherlands will have a more difficult time. Then many eyes are on captain Thierry Brinkman, who almost always delivers since Delmée’s entrance. However, the opponents of Orange also know that. It’s up to Delmée to come up with a ruse.

High ball

The Orange tried that against Argentina by frequently handling the high ball over a great distance. That style of play gave the guests a strong start. After Tijmen Reyenga first created a danger, the first serious attempt on goal came in the name of Floris Wortelboer. However, his effort went just wide of the Argentinian goal.

Orange opened the gas tap even further. A goal was in the air, but two corners from Jasper Brinkman and a flat from Justen Blok were made harmless by the Argentines in time. While Thierry Brinkman (high) and Dennis Warmerdam (low) were unlucky that their tip went wide of the target.

The Netherlands was in good shape in terms of play, but again did not seem to score. Until the strong playing Reyenga just before the break, handsome Pieters servant. Kampong’s attacker scored very hard with the backhand: 0-1.

Steal

Supported by that lead, the Dutch were able to lean back a bit more in the third quarter and the Argentinians had to come. A game that went well for Delmée’s team. The team was rock solid in the back and the strikers took advantage of the space in the front. After a nice steal from Koen Beijen, the Orange got a penalty corner just before the end of the third quarter. Where just before that Teun Beins saw his bet turned, Jip Janssen opted for a variant. Successfully. Via the stick of declarant Jonas de Geus the ball went on the shelf: 0-2.

The game seemed over, but just like in the previous game with Argentina, the Netherlands unnecessarily gave away the lead.
54th minute green De Geus,
54th minute Toscani 1-2,
55th minute Martinez 2-2.

With five minutes left on the clock, it was suddenly a game again. The fanatical Argentinian audience fully supported their team, but it was the Orange that took the lead again. A confused decision and video referral preceded that, but when the clouds of dust had cleared, Janssen was allowed to take a penalty shot. He didn’t do that great, but the ball went in: 2-3.

With the courage of desperation, the home team went on the hunt for another equalizer. However, the Dutch team struck in the counter: Thierry Brinkman set the final score at 2-4. A goal that was loudly applauded by the Orange, which boosted self-confidence, but also gave Delmée the necessary homework in the run-up to the World Cup.

Unfortunately, the opposing team’s players got frustrated as our team pulled away. When hockey players get frustrated, I included, we tend to react violently. All of the sudden, the other team took their hits up a notch, they started swinging their sticks, and no fucks were given when leveling a player from behind. Incredibly, the dangerous play culminated when the other’s team’s defender flipped the Mayor. It was a play straight out of WWE. To be clear, the flip was utterly unnecessary. This defender played the puck and Mayor well.

It was a glaring reminder of why I watch games from the penalty box. There’s nothing productive that comes from me sitting in the stands when something like that happens. Honestly, the only people that need to hear my opinions in this instance are the folks watching my Facebook live. That being said, I sit in the stands instead of working the box for the high school hockey games. Fortunately, the acrobatic hit did not hurt the Mayor. In the end, the referees suspended the opposing player anyways for taking too many penalties in the game.

Enough about the dredge that is high school hockey here. I’ve been quite productive today despite waking up with a sinus headache. While I finished watching Wednesday on Netflix, it’s amazing you should watch it, I made more cinnamon swirl bread. After I finished the bread, I cleaned out the pantry and reorganized it. The Mayor and I made a Sprouts run for a few items and sushi for lunch. Post lunch, I did a wonderful restorative yoga practice via the Practyce app. It was absolutely yummy. Post-yoga, the Mayor ran and got us both some Starbucks. The perfect treat for a rainy afternoon.

I heard today’s song last night while watching Wednesday. It’s a beautiful, haunting version of Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters performed by Apocalyptica. Enjoy!

The post High School Hockey appeared first on The Hockey Mom Fit Life.

With files from Patrick Williams

Here is a look at Saturday around the AHL:

TUCSON 9, SAN DIEGO 4
The Roadrunners (12-8-4-0) set franchise marks for goals in a period and in a game as they rolled to victory in San Diego. Laurent Dauphin, Michael Carcone and Adam Cracknell scored in a 45-second span to give Tucson a 3-0 lead less than four minutes into the game en route to a 6-1 advantage after the first period. The Roadrunners, who have scored 19 goals in their last three contests, got points from 13 different skaters in the game, led by Carcone with two goals and two assists; Dauphin and Nathan Smith added two goals each. Justin Kirkland and David Cotton recorded a goal and an assist apiece for the Gulls (6-21-0-0), who have lost 11 in a row.

HENDERSON 3, ABBOTSFORD 0
Laurent Brossoit picked up his second consecutive shutout as the Silver Knights (11-16-0-1) won for the fifth time in the past six games. Brossoit, whose scoreless streak sits at 142:26, has stopped 147 of 151 shots over his last five starts (0.81, .974). Sheldon Rempal, Lukas Cormier and Byron Froese scored for Henderson, which handed the Canucks (14-9-1-1) their first shutout loss of the season. Jake Kupsky made 23 saves in his AHL debut for Abbotsford.

ROCHESTER 4, CHARLOTTE 0
Malcolm Subban stopped 30 shots as the Amerks (14-9-1-1) shut out host Charlotte for their third win in a row. Subban, who had 45 saves on Friday, handled 75 of 77 Charlotte shots this weekend in Rochester’s sweep of the teams’ weekend set. Amerks leading scorer Brandon Biro had a goal and an assist for his fourth consecutive multi-point game, and Linus Weissbach also had two points (1g, 1a) for Rochester. Alex Lyon made 24 saves for the Checkers (12-11-2-1), who have lost five straight.

TEXAS 3, IOWA 1
The Central Division-leading Stars (16-7-2-2) won their seventh straight game, defeating the Wild (11-11-2-2) for the second night in a row. It is Texas’s longest winning streak since an 11-game run during their 2013-14 Calder Cup championship season. Riley Barber’s team-leading 15th goal early in the third period broke a 1-1 tie. Matthew Murray made 16 saves for the Stars, who have won nine consecutive visits to Wells Fargo Arena. Jesper Wallstedt stopped 25 shots for Iowa.

HERSHEY 2, WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON 1 (OT)
Mike Sgarbossa’s second goal of the game 3:59 into overtime gave the Bears (18-6-2-1) a win and a split of a two-game trip to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Clay Stevenson had 23 stops for Hershey, which held onto its one-point lead over Providence atop the overall AHL standings. Filip Lindberg made 30 saves for the Penguins (13-6-2-2), who had a three-game winning streak ended.

CLEVELAND 7, LAVAL 4
The Monsters (10-9-3-1) rallied from down 3-1 and 4-3 to skate past Laval in the opener of a two-game set at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Cleveland scored four times in the third period, with Brett Gallant netting his first career game-winning goal at the 8:41 mark. Emil Bemstrom (2g, 1a), Trey Fix-Wolansky (1g, 2a), and rookie David Jiricek (3a) all had three-point afternoons for the Monsters, whose league-leading power play went 3-for-4 and is operating at 34.1 percent this season (27-for-92). Defenseman Justin Barron had a goal and two assists for the Rocket (9-14-3-1).

TORONTO 6, MILWAUKEE 5
The Marlies (16-8-1-1) fended off Milwaukee in a wild inter-conference meeting at Panther Arena. Toronto chased Admirals starter Yaroslav Askarov with four goals on its first six shots, including shorthanded tallies from Logan Shaw and Joseph Blandisi, and held a 4-3 lead after the opening period. Blandisi finished the night with three points (1g, 2a), Semyon Der-Arguchintsev had a goal and an assist, and Graham Slaggert’s empty-net goal ended up standing as the game-winner after Jimmy Huntington tallied in the final minute for the Admirals (15-8-0-2).

ELSEWHERE
Cal Petersen (4-1-0, 1.61, .947) recorded a 19-save shutout to carry Ontario to a 2-0 win over Bakersfield… Jeff Malott scored twice and Declan Chisholm and Alex Limoges each delivered three assists to lead Manitoba past Belleville, 6-2… Nolan Stevens scored twice to help Utica hold off Springfield, 7-3… Vinni Lettieri scored 52 seconds into overtime to give Providence a 2-1 win at Lehigh Valley; the teams exchanged OT victories in their weekend home-and-home series… Gemel Smith extended his scoring streak to 12 games with a goal and an assist and Gabriel Dumont scored twice as Syracuse edged Bridgeport, 4-3… Dylan Wells made 38 saves and Michal Teply had a goal and an assist in Rockford’s 3-2 win over visiting Hartford… Ryan Suzuki scored his first two goals of the season and Cale Morris stopped 31 shots as Chicago skated past Grand Rapids, 5-1, to snap an eight-game home losing streak… Spencer Smallman, Ryan Wagner and Cal Burke all had a goal and an assist and Jonas Johansson made 25 saves to lead Colorado to a 5-2 win over San Jose.

With the 2023 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship getting underway, rosters are being finalized for the event that will take place Dec. …

The post College hockey standouts crack 2023 United States World Junior roster with event kicking off Dec. 26 in eastern Canada appeared first on College Hockey | USCHO.com.

Twice As Strong Hockey would like to congratulate TAS forward Domenic Mustone on being selected to the Medford High School varsity hockey team.

Please join us in wishing Domenic and Medford High a successful season.

Best wishes! Go Strong -

No other details were provided, but the 18-year-old played in Friday’s 5-2 home victory over the Owen Sound Attack. CTV News reported that the London Police Service (LPS) Major Crime Section is investigating.

“Today I join the entire OHL community in mourning the devastating loss of London Knights player Abakar Kazbekov,” OHL commissioner David Branch said in a statement. “Our deepest condolences are with his family and friends in Russia and his teammates, billets and friends here in Canada.”

The Moscow native had been a member of the Knights since the start of last season.

Kazbekov registered one assist in 12 appearances with London this season.

The Knights and OHL said Saturday’s game against the Flint Firebirds has been postponed.

The OHL also announced that Saturday’s game between the Erie Otters and host Saginaw Spirit was postponed, as well as the Peterborough-Kingston and Sudbury-Niagara games, “out of sensitivity to the several individuals involved in the scheduled game who were close to” Kazbekov.

Kazbekov was the first-overall pick from the 2021 OHL U18 priority selection.

Cole Brown also scored for Hamilton, while Brad Gardiner scored Ottawa’s lone marker.

Bulldogs goaltender Matteo Drobac kicked out 24 of 25 shots, while Ottawa netminder goaltender Max Donoso stopped 24 of 27 shots.

—

STORM 5 GREYHOUNDS 4 (OT)

GUELPH, Ont. — Braeden Bowman scored his second goal of the game in overtime to lift the Guelph Storm past the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 5-4.

Max Namestnikov also scored twice for the Storm, while Jake Karabela added a single.

Marco Mignosa tallied a goal and two assists for the Greyhounds. Jordan D’Intino, Landen Hookey and Mark Duarte also scored for the Soo.

Jacob Oster made 25 saves in the Guelph net to earn the win.

—

COLTS 6 BATTALION 3

BARRIE, Ont. — Jacob Frasca and Evan Vierling tallied two goals each as the Barrie Colts skated to a 6-3 win over the North Bay Battalion.

The Colts also received goals from Ethan Cardwell and Roenick Jodoin, while Owen Van Steensel, Josh Bloom and Kyle Jackson replied for North Bay.

Anson Thornton stopped 42 shots in the Barrie net.

—

SPITFIRES 5 ATTACK 4

OWEN SOUND, Ont. — Liam Greentree scored a goal and added two assists as the visiting Windsor Spitfires edged the Owen Sound Attack 5-4.

Alex Christopoulos, Colton Smith, James Jodoin and Matthew Maggio also scored for Windsor.

The Attack received goals from Sam Sedley, Cedrick Guindon, Ethan Burroughs and Colby Barlow.

Windsor goaltender Joey Costanzo made 33 saves to earn the victory. 

More from Sportsnet

QMJHL Roundup: Darveau makes 22 saves as Victoriaville blanks Sherbrooke

London Knights, OHL teams postpone games after death of forward Abakar Kazbekov

Maxime Pellerin scored twice for Victoriaville, while Egor Goriunov added a single.

Darveau made 22 saves to pick up the win.

Phoenix netminder Samuel St-Hilaire kicked out 26 of 28 shots.

REMPARTS 6, SAGUENÉENS 4

CHICOUTIMI — Pier-Olivier Roy scored three goals as the visiting Québec Remparts topped the Chicoutimi Saguenéens 6-4.

Théo Rochette had a goal and three assists for Quebec, while Elliot Lavoie and Zachary Bolduc each had a goal.

Fabrice Fortin, Marc-André Gaudet, Thomas Bégin and Andrei Loshko scored for Chicoutimi.

OCEANIC 6, ARMADA 2

BLAINVILLE-BOISBRIAND — Frédéric Brunet scored twice as the Rimouski Océanic dumped the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 6-2.

Mathis Gauthier, Simon Maltais, William Dumoulin and Xavier Filion added singles for Rimouski.

Océanic goaltender Patrik Hamrla stopped 28 of 30 shots.

Xavier Sarrasin and Léo St-Michel scored for Blainville-Boisbriand.

OLYMPIQUES 7, DRAKKAR 2

GATINEAU0 — Charles-Antoine Lavallée scored twice as the Gatineau Olympiques downed Baie-Comeau Drakkar 7-2.

Donovan Arsenault, Isaac Belliveau, Robert Orr, Will Chisholm and Olivier Boutin also scored for Gatineau.

Anthony Lavoie and Vincent Collard replied for Baie-Comeau.

Olympiques netminder Emerik Despatie made 25 saves.

CATARACTES 5, FOREURS 2

VAL-D’OR — Mathis Cloutier scored twice as the Shawinigan Cataractes defeated the Val-d’Or Foreurs 5-2.

Lou-Félix Denis, Félix Lacerte and Evan Courtois also scored for Shawinigan, while Cataractes goaltender Rémi Delafontaine stopped 32 of 34 shots.

Nathan Drapeau and Alexandre Guy scored for Val-d’Or.

Foreurs goaltender Mathys Fernandez made 27 saves.

TITAN 7, WILDCATS 4

ACADIE-BATHURST — Jacob Melanson scored three goals as the Acadie-Bathurst Titan beat the visiting Moncton Wildcats 7-4.

Harry Clements, Philippe Collette, Joseph Henneberry and Ben Allison added goals for Acadie-Bathurst.

Maxim Barbashev scored twice for Moncton.

SEA DOGS 6, EAGLES 3

SAINT JOHN — Cam MacDonald’s hat trick lifted the Saint John Sea Dogs to a 6-3 win over the Cape Breton Eagles.

Alexis Cournoyer, Eriks Mateiko and Cole Burbidge also scored for Saint John.

Sea Dogs goaltender Ventsislav Shingarov made 54 saves.

Thomas Desruisseaux, Charles Boutin and Cam Squires scored for Cape Breton.

Eagles netminder Nicolas Ruccia stopped 32 of 38 shots.

MOOSEHEADS 7, ISLANDERS 2

CHARLOTTETOWN — Markus Vidicek scored twice as the Halifax Mooseheads hammered the host Charlottetown Islanders 7-2.

Dylan MacKinnon, Mathieu Cataford, Jordan Dumais, Brody Fournier and Braeden MacPhee also scored for Halifax.

Keiran Gallant and Marcus Kearsey replied for Charlottetown.

HUSKIES 3, VOLTIGEURS 2

ROUYN-NORANDA — Emeric Gaudet knocked in the game-winning goal at 19:51 of the third period as the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies edged the Drummondville Voltigeurs 3-2.

Louis-Philippe Fontaine and Bill Zonnon also scored for Rouyn-Noranda.

Huskies goaltender Thomas Couture kicked out 24 of 26 shots.

Jérémy Lapointe and Loic Goyette tallied for Drummondville.

Voltigeurs netminder Kevyn Brassard made 31 saves. 

Humboldt 5 Kindersley 2 

Battlefords 3 Melville 2 OT

Notre Dame 3 Weyburn 6

Melfort 3 Nipawin 6

La Ronge 1 Flin Flon 5 

The final night of the 2022 portion of the regular season goes this evening with four games on tap.

Saturday, December 17th
Battlefords vs Yorkton 7pm
Weyburn vs Humboldt 7:30pm
Flin Flon vs La Ronge 7:30pm
Nipawin vs Melfort 7:30pm

GB still have a chance of gold and promotion if Croatia drop a point against Romania this evening.

Liam Steele forced a turnover in the neutral zone before firing past Roberto Mampel (1:18),

Adrian Torralba was quick to react to a loose puck to score Spain’s equaliser (8:12).

Carter Hamill pounced to a rebound on the doorstep (33:57), before Jack Hopkins iced the game by stealing the puck and shooting into the empty net after Mampel had been lifted for the extra skater (57:54).

GB Under-20s results 
Sunday 11th December: Lithuania 3-4 Great Britain – Hopkins 2, Hamill, Harewood
Tuesday 13th December: Great Britain 4-7 Croatia – Harewood, Lindgren, Hazeldine, Endicott
Wednesday 14th December: Great Britain 9-0 Romania – Stewart 3, Steele 2, McBean 2, Hopkins, Mitchell-King
Friday 16th December: Netherlands 0-7 Great Britain – McBean 2, Harewood, Lindgren, Stewart, Francis, Hopkins
Saturday 17th December: Great Britain 3-1 Spain – Steele, Hamill, Hopkins

GB and Croatia finished on 12 points in the group but Croatia win gold and promotion to Division I on the head-to-head record after beating GB 7-4 earlier in the tournament.

That was Britain’s only defeat and Martin Grubb’s side won their other four matches, beating Lithuania (4-3), Romania (9-0), Netherlands (7-0) and rounding off with a 3-1 victory over Spain today.

Anything less than a regulation-time victory for Croatia this evening would’ve seen GB promoted, but Croatia beat Romania 5-4 to ensure the gold medal.

Croatia led 4-0 at one stage but Romania fought back to tie the game at 4-4, before Vito Idzan scored the game-winner at 54:49 and the goal that put Croatia in Division I.

GB Under-20s results 
Sunday 11th December: Lithuania 3-4 Great Britain – Hopkins 2, Hamill, Harewood
Tuesday 13th December: Great Britain 4-7 Croatia – Harewood, Lindgren, Hazeldine, Endicott
Wednesday 14th December: Great Britain 9-0 Romania – Stewart 3, Steele 2, McBean 2, Hopkins, Mitchell-King
Friday 16th December: Netherlands 0-7 Great Britain – McBean 2, Harewood, Lindgren, Stewart, Francis, Hopkins
Saturday 17th December: Great Britain 3-1 Spain – Steele, Hamill, Hopkins

Time: 9:00 PM CST

Channel: CBC/Sportsnet

Radio: CJOB

The Winnipeg Jets are limping into British Columbia to play the Vancouver Canucks. After the surprise announcement this morning that Blake Wheeler had surgery after taking a puck to the groin against the Nashville Predators and would be out four weeks, the Jets will be without their top three right wings. The Jets will be facing a big challenge no matter what until Nikolaj Ehlers comes back (might be time to make a trade).

Nate Schmidt is also out for 4-6 weeks with an upper body injury following a questionable hit from the game against Nashville. Ville Heinola is just coming back from the plague (trust me, it is terrible) and is not in game condition so Kevin Stenlund will be playing on defence tonight. Hopefully Heinola is able to get up to game shape fast so the Jets can have a bit more help on defence.

On the other end of the ice is the greatest soap opera in hockey Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks have been all types of bad this year, but they have also been oddly entertaining. How else can you describe a team whose captain, Bo Horvat, had to put out a statement following rumours about his future after a contract offer was rejected? Or the million other little things happening there at all times. They are truly a mess and it is fun to watch from afar.

They are without starting goalie Thatcher Demko. It sounds like Spencer Martin is starting for them. They have had some success with Ethan Bear who is a player who seemingly keeps getting discarded by teams even though he has always passed the eye test (Carolina was a COVID issue I believe which is understandable).

Lineups: at this point the Winnipeg Jets are dressing whoever is healthiest and the Vancouver Canucks are throwing shit at a wall to see if it sticks. So there is that. Please enjoy the game.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: just four minutes into the game, the Blues opened the scoring off a goal from Ivan Barbashev. Calgary pushed to tie things up, and managed to even the score off a weird goal that went in off the glove of Connor Mackey. It was 1-1 after the first period.

That’s as close as the Flames would get. Jordan Kyrou scored three minutes into the second period to restore the Blues’ one goal lead. Then, three minutes into the third period, Pavel Buchnevich doubled their lead. Mackey scored his second of the game a few minutes later, but just one minute later, Mackey made a horrible play up the middle of his own zone that Brandon Saad deposited into the Flames net. Kyrou added another one to extend the lead to 5-2, and that’s where the game would end.

Despite strong play from the Flames, specific defensive mishaps opened up glorious opportunities for the Blues, and they seemed to capitalize on every single one. It’s a script we’ve seen so many times this season, and the Flames now find themselves on a five game losing streak.

Charts from the game are below.

Game events

Goals

Want to go to the next game? Take advantage of this exclusive SeatGeek code for $20 off! Use the promo code “WINCOLUMNCGY” when you checkout!

All situations Corsi

5v5 Corsi

Do you have any feedback or suggestions? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter @wincolumnCGY.

The post Flames Visual Recap 31: Calgary loses fifth straight in familiar fashion appeared first on The Win Column.

Pavel Buchnevich – LW, RW – St. Louis Blues

Pavel Buchnevich did not have a great start to the year. To be fair the whole Blues team didn’t start well at all, but Buchnevich owners were definitely feeling the pain. Midway through November, Buchnevich only had six points in ten games. However, though he may not be ranked too high in your league yet, Buchnevich has rebounded solidly. He is back to his standard at a point-per-game pace for the year, and over the past two weeks, he has been scoring over a point per game. Buchnevich is a player that should not be traded away—hold on to him instead, and benefit from him finding his groove.

Jonathan Huberdeau – LW – Calgary Flames

This one hurts. I picked Jonathan Huberdeau very early in my draft and am paying the price mightily so far. Let’s remember that despite the stats this year, Huberdeau is one of the best playmakers in the league, and should be a big point producer. The key word though is “should”. Calgary is in a very weird spot, and it seems like they are still trying to figure out how to play with each other.

Huberdeau has gone from a heavy offence team in Florida, to a pure defence-first team in Calgary. Unfortunately, because of the systems in Calgary, I think it is time for fantasy managers to sell Huberdeau in a trade. It would be worth trading him for some lesser names who are producing at a higher rate as I am not sure how realistic it is to expect Huberdeau to get back to his usual over-a-point-per-game pace. Capitalize on his name value while you still can.

Moritz Seider – D – Detroit Red Wings

Derek Lalonde… why do you have to pair Moritz Seider with Ben Chiarot? Don’t you see what you are doing to the poor guy? Seider looked like one of the best defencemen to draft in the pre-draft rankings, yet so far this season, Seider looks like the player just might have been selected too high. However, I don’t think it’s got to the point where he should be traded.

Sure he might not be putting up the monster number that owners were expecting, however, he is still contributing, and Seider has the ability to contribute with hits and blocks. I know he hasn’t produced based on his average draft position, however, the upside is just way too high with Seider. Hold onto him and hope for a bounce back.

MacKenzie Weegar – D – Calgary Flames

Another victim of the system in Calgary. MacKenzie Weegar is probably a player who should be traded from your fantasy team if you are able to find some value. Because of the Flames’ defence-first playing style, Weegar’s point totals have taken a huge hit. He has been outstanding on the defensive side of the game, however, unfortunately, this does not mean too much in the world of fantasy hockey. Weegar doesn’t have the same name value as the other names on this list, so it might be hard to find a trade worth pulling the trigger on, but if it is there, take it.

Nobody is perfect

This season, a lot of us have learned the hard way about pre-draft rankings and how they can come back to bite fantasy managers’ chances of winning their leagues. However, the main thing to keep in mind is that you should not panic into making a trade. Even for players that have been identified as those who should probably be traded, a trade should only be made if you believe it will benefit your fantasy team. It shouldn’t be made just to finally get rid of the underperforming player so you can stream someone from the waiver wire. Take a step back, breathe, and develop a plan as to what type of return you would be looking for.

Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire

The post NHL Fantasy: Players to hold on or to trade away appeared first on The Win Column.

No offence, Flames

This has been noticeable from an eye test perspective, where it seems like the Flames end up with the worst quality chances from areas not known as high quality. As everyone knows, it’s pretty hard to win hockey games when you aren’t generation quality chances. Via Sportlogiq, the Flames rank 25th in slot shots, and 28th in inner-slot shots. They also rank 26th in expected goals, and 19th in scoring chances. Last year, they ranked fourth, fifth, sixth, and fourth in those respective categories. A major downgrade.

We will dive into what the Flames are generating, where they are generating from, and why it hasn’t been successful. Let’s first look at average 5v5 shot quality, from Tony Wolak on Twitter:

Average 5v5 shot quality

As the graphic displays, Calgary is the third worst team when it comes to shot quality, ranking above only Colorado and Philadelphia. Teams just above Calgary include the Blue Jackets, Canucks, Coyotes, and Ducks. Colorado is really the only team that stands out amongst those listed, but one can infer their lack of shot quality is due to their entire forward core being injured at some point this season. Once everyone returns, they should skyrocket up this list. Beyond Colorado, you really don’t want to be associated with the other teams in the lower echelon of this graphic.

But this definitely tells a story of this Flames season so far. The quantity of shots has been there, as the Flames are generating the fifth highest shots per game played at 34.03, per statmuse.com. However, the quality of those shots is a problem, ranking third worst in the league. To summarize, the Flames are the fifth best team at generating shots, but the shots generating are the third worst quality. Not exactly a recipe for success.

The Flames are ranked as a “Boring” team in terms of expected goal generation

Moving onto the following graphic, courtesy of MoneyPuck.com, we can see that the Flames rank among the Rangers, Avalanche, and Wild as “Boring” teams when it comes to expected goals generation. Calgary has created 2.41 expected goals per 60 minutes, while their expected goals against sits at 2.33 per 60 minutes.

Being in the “Boring” column is better than being in the “Bad” column, but is still not where one wants to be. All of the top teams find themselves in the “Good” category, showing that the quality of shots is a key to success in the NHL. Looking at other teams in the Pacific division, Edmonton is found in the “Fun” category, while the Kraken, Kings, Golden Knights, and Sharks all appear close in the “Good” quadrant. The Canucks and Ducks find themselves in the “Bad” quadrant, which is not surprising given how both fanbases have thought about their team this season. I think Calgary being “Boring” resonates with a lot of fans, who haven’t been particularly jazzed about watching the team on a nightly basis.

5v5 Offence

Looking now to HockeyViz’s 5v5 Offence, we can compare the Flames successful offensive campaign last year, to their lacklustre showing this year. Starting off with last year, where we can see excess shots from the left point and middle of the ice. If you can get excess shots from the middle of the ice, you definitely have a stronger chance at scoring goals, and winning games. That definitely happened last year, and a +15% impact was fantastic in 2021–22.

Moving onto 2022–23, things have been… not ideal. We can see the left point has remained an area of excess shot generation. The right point has also become an area of excess shot generation. The problems stem when glancing towards the middle of the ice and the net front. As we all know, this is the most dangerous area for goal scoring. The Flames are more than struggling to generate shots from this area of the ice, which is a major problem.

This graphic definitely makes sense to my eye, where it seems like the Flames primary attack is dumping the puck in, retrieving it, and sending it back to the defender for a low quality point shot. The Flames sit at -1% in 2022–23, which is a major step down from the +15% we all enjoyed watching in 2021–22.

Worrying offensive trends plague the Flames

The Flames are currently generating the fifth highest amount of shots per game in the NHL this season. However, a major problem occurs, as Calgary ranks as the third worst team in terms of shot quality. This lack of quality shot generation has led to them playing as a “Boring” quality team. We can see why the Flames rank low in shot quality when glancing at HockeyViz’s 5v5 Offence graphics. Calgary is having a tough time generating offence from quality areas of the ice. Last season, they generated a ton of shots from high danger areas of the ice. This season, the middle of the ice has been a dark hole for offence. The Flames’ primary source of offensive generation has been from the point, which we all know to be a very low area of scoring.

In order to have success from here on out, the Flames need to find ways to generate shot attempts closer to the net. Instead of focusing on a north-south style of play, the team needs to incorporate more of an east-west approach. This was a major factor in Jonathan Huberdeau’s success with Florida last year. Leaning on an east-west system could help to make Huberdeau, and the entire team, much more successful. The team needs to get to more dangerous areas of the ice, instead of playing the puck back and taking excess shots from the point.

Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire

The post The Calgary Flames are having major issues with their offensive generation appeared first on The Win Column.

The post Colts cop weekend opener first appeared on Pro Hockey News.

The post Spitfires Hold on to 5-4 Win over Attack first appeared on Pro Hockey News.

The post OHL, London Knights mourn loss of Abakar Kazbekov first appeared on Pro Hockey News.

The Hershey Bears downed the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 2-1 (OT), Saturday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Mike Sgarbosa scored the overtime game-winner and goaltender Clay Stevenson stopped 23 of 24 shots faced in the victory. With the win, the Bears record improves to 18-6-2-1 (39 points) on the season.

HERSHEY BEARS LINEUP

Clay Stevenson (1-0-0-0, 2.00 GAA, .926 sv%) got the start in goal for the Bears. Filip Lindberg (5-3-0-0, 2.52 GAA, .912 sv%) got the start between the pipes for the Penguins. The forward lines and defensive pairs for the Bears:

Mike Vecchione –Mike Sgarbossa – Ethen Frank
Henrik Borgstrom – Connor McMichael – Sam Anas
Mason Morelli – Hendrix Lapierre – Henrik Rybinski
Shane Gersich – Riley Sutter – Matt Strome

Aaron Ness – Logan Day
Gabriel Carlsson – Dylan McIlrath
Jake Massie – Vinny Iorio

Scratches: Garrett Pilon (lower body injury), Bobby Nardella (upper body injury), Kale Kessy, Julian Napravnik, Michael Kim and Martin Has.

Recalled/Signed: The Capitals recalled Zach Fucale late on Saturday afternoon. Paddie Carey was signed by the Bears to a PTO on Saturday.

FIRST PERIOD

The Bears opened the scoring midway through the period on a shot by Mike Sgarbossa (8) at 8:11. Gabriel Carlsson (6) and Mike Vecchione (13) had the assists.

Mike Sgarbossa from the left point finds the back of the net. Bears lead 1-0. #HBH pic.twitter.com/HndAqcgCmz

— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) December 17, 2022

That would be it for the first frame. The Bears led in shots 15-3 for the period. Both teams were 0 for 1 on the power play in the first frame.

SECOND PERIOD

The Baby Pens tied the game with a tally from Alex Nylander (9) at 18:48 of the second period. It was the Penguins Teddy Bear goal. Drake Caggiula (9) had the lone assist.

A minute after brother William scored in the district, Alex Nylander scores the Teddy Bear goal for the Baby Pens, ties the game 1-1. #HBH pic.twitter.com/0Zoxnf6STT

— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) December 18, 2022

after a 25 minute break to de-plush the rink, The second period concluded with the game tied 1-1. Hershey led in shots, 11-9 for the second period and 26-12 after two frame. Both teams were 0 for 2 on the power play after two periods.

THIRD PERIOD

The Bears and Penguins skated to a scoreless draw in the final frame.

The Penguins led in shots 10-4 in the middle frame. Bears led 30-22 after regulation.

Both teams were 0 for 3 on the power play in regulation.

OVERTIME

The Bears would win it in overtime on Mike Sgarbossa’s second goal of the game.

Mike Sgarbossa is filthy! Wins it in overtime, 2-1. #HBH #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/MYXBhcN9Rq

— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) December 18, 2022

The Bears are back in action on Sunday when they return home to host the x at Giant Center. Puck drop is set for 5PM.

SHAVINGS

• AHL box score
• Attendance: 6,379

The Washington Capitals downed the the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-2 Saturday night at Capital One Arena. Capitals’ Defenseman Erik Gustafsson recorded his first career hat trick in the victory. The win improves the Capitals record to 16-13-4 (36 points) on the season.

Charlie Lindgren got the start in goal for the Capitals. Ilya Samsonov got the start between the pipes for the Maple Leafs. The Capitals forward lines and defensive pairs:

Alex Ovechkin — Dylan Strome — Conor Sheary
Marcus Johansson — Aliaksei Protas — T.J. Oshie
Sonny Milano — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Anthony Mantha
Nicolas Aube-Kubel — Lars Eller — Garnet Hathaway

Erik Gustafsson — John Carlson
Dmitry Orlov — Nick Jensen
Matt Irwin — Trevor Van Riemsdyk

Charlie Lindgren
Zach Fucale

Scratches: Lucas Johansen, Joe Snively.

Forward Nic Dowd was out with a lower body injury and goaltender Hunter Shepard was out with an upper body injury. Zach Fucale was recalled by the Capitals earlier in the day.

FIRST PERIOD

The Capitals opened the scoring with a goal from Erik Gustafsson (1) at 11:12 of the opening stanza. Sonny Milano (9) and John Carlson (12) had the helpers. Gustafsson’s goal was his first with the Capitals and halted Samsonov’s shutout streak at 163 minutes and 44 seconds.



But the Maple Leafs quickly answered. William Nylander (18) notched the tying tally at 13:12 of the frame. Austin Matthews (21) and Alexander Kerfoot (11) had the assists.



This time the Capitals would answer right back as well. Trevor van Riemsdyk (4) would answer with a tally at 14:48 of the first period. Anthony Mantha (11) and Sonny Milano (10) had the assists.

The period concluded with the Capitals leading, 2-1. The Capitals led in even-strength shot attempts, 23-20, and xGF 1.07 to .74 in the frame.

SECOND PERIOD

The Capitals extended their lead to 3-1 on Erik Gustafsson’s second goal for the game. Evgeny Kuznetsov (20) and Sonny Milano (11) had the helpers. It marks Gustafsson’s second career multi-goal game (also Feb. 2, 2019 at Minnesota as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks).



The Leafs quickly answered back, again. Auston Matthews potted his 16th tally of the season at 16:25 to make it 3-2. Connor Timmons (6) and TJ Bordie (4) had the assists.



TJ Oshie would leave the game with a non-contact injury late in the second period, and head directly to the room. The Capitals announced later in the period that it was an upper body injury and he would not return to the game.

T.J. Oshie went to the locker room after this pic.twitter.com/RI3ioexpd7

— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) December 18, 2022

The period concluded with the Capitals holding on to a 3-2 lead. The Maple Leafs dominated possession in the period, leading in even-strength shot attempts, 25-9.

THIRD PERIOD

The Capitals extended their lead to 4-2 with a goal from Garnet Hathaway just 10 seconds into the final period. Nick Jensen (12) had the lone assist.



The Capitals would make it 5-2 on Erik Gustafsson’s third goal of the game. He was assisted by Evgeny Kuznetsov (21) and Aliaksei Protas (4)



Gustafsson is the third defenseman in franchise history to score a hat trick, joining Kevin Hatcher (Jan. 13, 1993) and Sergei Gonchar (Jan. 4, 2000). Gustafsson is just the second defensemen in the NHL to record a hat trick this season (Erik Karlsson: Nov. 1 vs. Anaheim).

The Capitals held on for the 5-2 win.

The Capitals are back in action on Monday when they close-out their three-game home stand with a tilt against the Detroit Red Wings. Puck drop is set for 7PM.

SHAVINGS

• Erik Gustafsson scored his first goal of the season and his first goal as a Capital to give Washington a 1-0 lead. Gustafsson ranks third among Capitals defensemen
  in points (1g, 10a) this season.
• Hathaway’s goal came 10 seconds into the third period. That marks the second-fastest goal to start a period by a Cap this season (Lars Eller, 0:08 into the second period, Oct. 17 vs. VAN).
• Trevor van Riemsdyk scored his fourth goal of the season to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead. van Riemsdyk has scored three goals in his last four games.
• Sonny Milano recorded the secondary assist on van Riemsdyk’s goal, his second assist of the game. It marks Milano’s third multi-point game of the season. Milano has now recorded six assists in his last seven games.
• Gustafsson is just the second defensemen in the NHL to record a hat trick this season (Erik Karlsson: Nov. 1 vs. Anaheim).
• The Capitals have allowed two or fewer goals in six of their last seven games, dating back to Dec. 5. The Capitals have allowed 1.86 goals against per game in that span.

By Jon Sorensen

Washington Capitals defensemen Erik Gustafsson scored his first career hat trick Saturday night as the team hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs at Capital One Arena. Gustafsson became the third blueliner in franchise history to score a hat trick.

His first goal of the night marked his first of the season and first as a Capital, which came midway through the opening frame off assists from left-wing Sonny Milano (9) and fellow defensemen John Carlson (12) to make it a 1-0 game.

Washington grabs an early lead with a goal from Gustafsson scoring on ex-Cap Ilya Samsonov.

1-0 @Capitals #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/ldJAnmpuJT

— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) December 18, 2022

Gustafsson (2) would pot another just 2:51 into the second period, extending, 3-1, the Capitals’ lead. Center Evgeny Kuznetsov (20) and Milano (11) assisted.

Gustafsson AGAIN!?!! Caps defense is leading the charge here tonight vs. Toronto!@Capitals up 3-1#CapsLeafs pic.twitter.com/oeAVneMKDJ

— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) December 18, 2022

He would complete his first career hat trick at the 3:47 mark of the final frame as Washington held a 5-2 lead. Kuznetsov (21) and center Aliaksei Protas (4) had the helpers.

When Captain Ovi says throw the hats YOU THROW THE HATS

A hat-trick for Gustafsson!!!@Capitals up 5-2 pic.twitter.com/poCBwPD8mP

— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) December 18, 2022

Caps faithful threw hats celebrating Gustafsson’s first hat trick in his NHL career.

A bucket full of hats thanks to Erik Gustafsson’s hat trick !
#CapsLeafs #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/QxQbglZmVy

— Al Koken (@RealSmokinAl) December 18, 2022

Per Mike Vogel, Gustafsson is the first Capitals defenseman with a regular-season hat trick since Sergei Gonchar vs. Montreal at Capital One Arena on January 4, 2000. Additionally, tonight marked Gustafsson’s second career multi-goal game (also February 2, 2019, at Minnesota as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks).

It marks the 147th regular season hat trick in franchise history.

— CapitalsPR (@CapitalsPR) December 18, 2022

Gustafsson is just the second defensemen in the NHL to record a hat trick this season (Erik Karlsson: November 1 vs. Anaheim).

pic.twitter.com/qYVgDYpRQY

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) December 18, 2022

By Della Young

According to Pierre LeBrun, the Vancouver Canucks aren’t just looking to move Bo Horvat in a deadline trade that would see the team add prospects and picks. Instead of rebuilding, LeBrun claims that it sounds like the Canucks want to compete and bring in players that fill holes in their lineup.

In a recent article for The Athletic, LeBrun took a look at where things are at with the Horvat trade buzz and wrote:

I assumed the Canucks would be asking for a futures-only package, as selling, retooling teams most often do when they’re dealing with an in-season trade for a pending unrestricted free agent. But so far, it seems that Vancouver is looking instead for more of a hockey deal — to upgrade at center ice and/or right-shot defense if possible and bring in a player in the twentysomething age range this Canucks management group has focused on since coming on board.

He adds that there’s no timeline on a potential trade but says the Canucks could pull the trigger on a deal sooner than later if someone steps up and gives them what they want. If not, the team is prepared to wait until closer to the deadline to do this deal.

The NHL insider notes that this is quite interesting because it suggests the Canucks are still trying to compete for a playoff spot. They are a couple of points outside of the wild-card spot and a few wins could put them in the mix. It also suggests that whatever team is looking at Horvat is likely looking at him on a long-term deal, which means an extension would potentially be part of the trade package. Horvat might have been a good rental, but if the team trying to acquire him sees him as a player they build around, it makes sense the Canucks might try to move him for an equally valuable asset or a couple of assets that fill needs on their roster.

Next: 4 Possible Landing Spots for Canucks’ Bo Horvat in Deadline Trade

The post Canucks Want to Make Hockey Deal, Get Players in Horvat Trade appeared first on NHL Trade Talk.

According to a report by NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the Edmonton Oilers might be interested in trading for forward Sam Lafferty of the Chicago Blackhawks. Friedman said on OilersNow Friday: “I think [Sam Lafferty] is a guy that’s been on [the Oilers] radar.” Friedman also added that Noel Acciari (of the St. Louis Blues) is a guy that the Oilers have looked at, but he doesn’t know if it’s feasible or not.

As for Lafferty, he could be of use to the Oilers in a couple of ways. First, he’s got enough skill to play in a top-six role. He was recently elevated to the top line to play with Patrick Kane and he didn’t look out of place there. Ben Pope writes, “Sam Lafferty seems unleashed tonight. He’s been showing off his speed on the forecheck a lot more than usual. Richardson talked yesterday about wanting Lafferty to do that to create more space for Kane.” If the Oilers can add a player who knows his role in the bottom six but can create more room for someone like Connor McDavid, that’s a valuable player.

Lafferty is also an affordable option for the Oilers, especially when you consider their salary cap issues. He’s making $1.15 million on a two-year deal and that will be important as GM Ken Holland tries to add to his roster, but has limited room in which to maneuver.

The issue for the Oilers might be Lafferty’s injury status. He recently returned to the Blackhawks lineup after missing six games with a back injury. He says, “I’m feeling pretty good” and last week added, “I got a lot of work with the trainers and have been on the ice a few days now. I’m feeling ready to go, so hopefully I’ll be back soon.” He has since returned but has no points since returning on December 9th.

The Blackhawks are looking to move assets prior to the NHL Trade Deadline. It’s not clear what the ask for Lafferty would be, but a mid-round pick or later might get it done.

Next: McDavid Says NHL Must Clarify Rules After Debatable Offside Call

The post Oilers Interested in Trading For Blackhawks’ Sam Lafferty [Report] appeared first on NHL Trade Talk.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were hot as a firecracker for 16 games. Now they’re not. That’s life in the NHL.

In fact, that’s exactly what Maple Leafs’ head coach Sheldon Keefe said after the team’s 3-1 loss to the New York Rangers. Keefe noted: “Everything has gone our way for a real long time. That is not the reality of the NHL. We will move past this one today.”

Well, it’s now two games in a row where things have not gone the Maple Leafs’ way. The final score of last night’s game was 5-2 in favor of the Washington Capitals. Maple Leafs’ goalie Ilya Samsonov allowed a couple of softies to begin the game, but his team came back to bring the score within a goal at 3-2.

Then there was the third period. Not so good.

In this game, it was hard for the Maple Leafs to overcome their mistakes, the soft goals, and the lack of an effective power play. Now the Maple Leafs come home to play two more games at Scotiabank Arena to see if they can get back on the winning track.

Takeaway One: It’s a Long Season, So a Letdown Is (I Suppose) Expected

I hate it when I am so naive, but I just expect the Maple Leafs to win these days. It’s hard to see the Maple Leafs have a poor game and lose. They’ve been so good lately. But that’s what happened last night. Even worse, it’s been a couple of games in a row now.

The team actually played well in New York, but the Rangers scored on two of the few high-quality scoring chances they had. In addition, the Rangers’ goalie stopped one more puck than the Maple Leafs’ goalie. It was closer.

Last night’s game wasn’t as close. There were too many turnovers and defensive mistakes. In the end, those mistakes cost the Maple Leafs last night’s game. It looked a bit like the team in October instead of the team in November.

All that said, the NHL’s regular season is a long one. And good teams lose games to other teams. We’ll see how the Maple Leafs respond soon enough. A couple of wins at home will soothe the pain as the holidays come.

Related: MAPLE LEAFS MARK GIORDANO: NHL’S BEST BARGAIN CONTRACT?

Takeaway Two: Ilya Samsonov Is Human After All

If Ilya Samsonov wanted to show his former team that they’d made a mistake not to qualify him in the offseason, he didn’t. Not that his former team isn’t watching and had to know that Samsonov was leading the NHL in save percentage and goals-against-average. They just didn’t seem to care or show any respect for their former teammate.

Samsonov had not given up a goal in his past two starts. But he gave up five goals last night. He looked pretty human.

His shutout streak lasted 163:46 minutes. That’s like two whole games and more than two periods of the third game. That’s good goalie play, which needs to be recalled when Samsonov has a poor night. He’ll play some more great hockey and will have a few more clunkers along the way. As I say, that’s life in the NHL.

In fact, Samsonov showed that he was really human. I’m sure he’d like the first two goals back, but good goalies let in soft goals. Samsonov was out goalied by one of his replacements – Charlie Lindgren. Lindgren was particularly outstanding during the second period when the Maple Leafs mounted a comeback. But that fell short; and, when the statistics were compiled, Lindgren had made 34 stops in the game. His record in his past seven games rose to 6-1-0.

Related: Maple Leafs’ Holmberg: Shining Example of Organizational Depth

Takeaway Three: Auston Matthews Scores Again

William Nylander scored his 18th goal of the season and Auston Matthews scored his 16th. Matthews had lost his scoring streak at eight games against the Rangers but started a new one last night. He also registered an assist on Nylander’s first-period goal.

Related: Is There Anyone Left Who’d Trade Maple Leafs William Nylander?

The post Three Takeaways from Maple Leafs’ 5-3 Loss to Capitals appeared first on NHL Trade Talk.

Sekeres and Price: Darren Dreger on the Sekeres and Price show on the latest he’s hearing about Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

“I’m sure that there are calls coming in, no doubt about that. Bo Horvat has had a tremendous start to the season, and it’s not like he’s tailed off considerably right.

So, there are many teams that would look at Bo, and I’m talking about teams in the middle of the pack that feel that maybe they need an injection, a boost, to try and solidify their stance as a playoff contending team. And then you look at the top of the food chain. Some of the teams that are leading their division, maybe leading the conference.

The problem though, and there were a few general managers at the Board of Governors meetings, who wear the dual role of alternate governor or governor as well as being a general manager, who did indicate that of course, they’d have interest in Horvat.

There’s lots of teams with interest in Brock Boeser as well. The problem is, the same that it always is, and that’s the salary cap and trying to make it work. It’s less about the asking price. And I don’t know specifically what that is. And truthfully, the ask on both Horvat and Boeser is likely going to change, and it may have to change because Vancouver has made it fairly clear to this point that they’re not interested in retaining salary.

So again, we’re having this conversation towards the middle part of December. Things can shift in the New Year as you get closer to that March 3rd trade deadline.”

The Canucks don’t appear to be looking for futures for Bo Horvat

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic: Instead of looking for futures and teams who are retooling often do, the Vancouver Canucks seem to be looking to make more of a hockey deal. They are interested in adding a 20-something centerman or right-handed defenseman.

Darren Dreger reported something similar on TSN’s Insider Trading on Thursday night.

If the Canucks were to get an offer soon, they may decide to pull the trigger. It may also take closer to the trade deadline.

The Canucks are only a few points out of a playoff spot and may be hoping to stick in the race. Whoever acquires Bo Horvat could look at signing him to an immediate contract extension, which could increase the cost to acquire him.

Making a trade like this from both sides isn’t easy to do in-season. Wouldn’t completely rule out Horvat re-signing with the Canucks, but it’s looking more likely that he gets moved.

The Hurricanes may carry three goalies

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic: When Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen is ready to return, get the sense that they will carry three goaltender for a bit. Pyotr Kochetkov and Antti Raanta being the other two. Andersen and Raanta are injury prone.

The 23-year-old Kochetkov signed a four-year extension $2 million per last month. The move surprised some.

Players who could be moved and where they could end up

Adam Gretz of Bleacher Report: A look at 10 players who could be traded by the March 3rd trade deadline that could push a contender over the top and which team could land him.

Jonathan Toews – Colorado Avalanche: Would be a good fit on a team looking for help down the middle.

Bo Horvat – New Jersey Devils: A surprise team this season that could make even more noise.

Ryan O’Reilly – Dallas Stars: The Stars would be deep with Joe Pavelski, Tyler Seguin and O’Reilly down the middle.

Jakob Chychrun – Toronto Maple Leafs: He’s not a star that can play in every situation, but the Leafs don’t need that. A friendly contract.

Gustav Nyquist – Boston Bruins: Adding scoring depth to their middle-six.

Any goaltender – Los Angeles Kings: There are not many rental options. Cam Talbot could be the best option.

Shayne Gostisbehere – Vegas Golden Knights: Added depth and a boost to the power play.

Vladimir Tarasenko – New York Rangers: Could use an impact scorer on the wing.

Erik Karlsson – Seattle Kraken: Would he accept a trade to Seattle and can they make the contract work?

Patrick Kane – New York Islanders: May not fit their defensive play but would be a huge boost to their top line.

According to a report in Sportico, the NHL is looking to overhaul its scheduling by adding more rivalry games and easing travel demands to increase revenue across the league.

We have seen the NHL try this before with the idea of “rivalry games.” Rivalry games have to happen organically. These games can’t be forced. Remember there is a reason why the NHL switched back to a divisional playoff format, so they could create more rivalries because to quote Commissioner Bettman “rivalries are built in the playoffs.”

However, according to the report the idea of adding more divisional or “rivalry games” comes from the COVID season of 2020/21. In addition, if the NHL were to switch to this format this would ease travel demands on some teams and generate more money for teams across the league.

Again with a 32-team league that is spread out of Canada and the United States, it is hard to accommodate every team.

What the NHL should do is schedule smarter not harder. For example take the Dallas Stars for instance, who are mentioned in the article. If they went on a road trip on the East Coast, it could start in Boston and end in Pittsburgh with stops in New York (2), New Jersey, and Philadelphia.

Again it is tough for teams to be on the road that long, but it is better than going from New York to Pittsburgh to New Jersey to Washington to Columbus. That is how to schedule teams smarter.

Sportico reports this item has been discussed amongst owners and executives over the past few months. It was even discussed last month at the general managers’ meetings in Toronto and brought up at this past week’s Board of Governors meeting, But according to TSN Darren Dreger on TSN Radio on Friday, “while every team comes in with an item to discuss, this was just a 20-30 second conversation.”

However, this was not the end of the NHL schedule talk. Greg Wyshynski of ESPN published an article on Friday stating the NHL has discussed the idea of expanding its regular season from 82 to 84 games in an effort to create more regional rivalry matchups.

According to his sources, the league has been considering alternatives to its current schedule after some teams complained about an imbalanced number of divisional games against rivals.

Currently, each team plays either three or four games against divisional opponents, for a total of 26 games; they play three games against nondivisional teams within their own conference, for a total of 24 games; and they play two games, home and away, against opponents from the other conference for a total of 32 games.

Again going to an 84-game schedule which the NHL had from 1992-94, which the NHLPA agreed to because of two neutral site games, would have to again be agreed to by the NHLPA.

An 82-game season is long enough as it is for some of these players. Not to mention the start of training camp for some of these players is way too long. If the NHL were to add games, they would cut down on preseason games.

As the ESPN report states, the idea was discussed at the NHL GM’s meetings that Sportico reported on. These sources talk about Edmonton-Calgary, but that happened organically. I bet you networks like ESPN, TNT, Sportsnet, and TVA Sports are not going to want to see Arizona and Dallas six to eight times a year.

Let’s be real, Canadian rivalries are a little different than American rivalries. All of them were born in the playoffs or teams entering locations that already had NHL teams. Just see the NJ/NY/PA area with the Devils, Rangers, Flyers, and Islanders.

Executives can’t point to Edmonton and Calgary. The Battle of Alberta or the Forever Rivals in Toronto and Montreal are on a different level. Even the Original Six rivalries are on a different level.

Chris Johnston of TSN also reports that he is told it’s “not accurate” that NHL teams could meet as many as eight times next season. There’s certainly a desire among some clubs to face rivals more often, but there’s only so much than can be done if teams are going to play in all 32 buildings each season.

There is still so much to be worked on in the schedule. But what makes the most sense is a team should play inside their division four teams, which gives you 32 games. The other division in the same conference twice which gives you 16 games. Then play opponents of the other conference twice for a total of 32 games. This leaves two games left over which can rotate against a rival team for a total of 82 games.

This is something to keep an eye on. The league has yet to comment on either report. However, the NHLPA as previously mentioned will have to approve any schedule changes.

With files from Patrick Williams

Here is a look at Friday night around the AHL:

UTICA 5, BRIDGEPORT 2
The Comets broke out with four third-period goals and snapped a three-game home losing streak with a victory over the Islanders. Trailing 2-1, Utica (9-9-3-1) tied the game on Joe Gambardella’s goal 1:51 into the third before Ryan Schmelzer gave the Comets the lead at 9:04. Nolan Foote scored twice for Utica; Tyce Thompson, son of Bridgeport head coach Brent Thompson, had a goal and an assist; and Mackenzie Blackwood made 31 saves in his second conditioning start down from New Jersey. Ruslan Iskhakov and Jeff Kubiak scored for Bridgeport (14-7-5-0), which suffered its first regulation loss on the road since opening night, ending a 6-0-4-0 run.

TEXAS 4, IOWA 2
Texas (15-7-2-2) won its sixth consecutive game and moved into first place in the Central Division, doubling up the Wild. Oskar Back broke a 34-game drought with his first goal since Apr. 3, and Marian Studenic scored the Stars’ league-leading seventh shorthanded goal of the season. Rhett Gardner and Fredrik Karlstrom also scored for Texas, and Anton Khudobin made 27 saves. Kevin Conley and Mike O’Leary scored for Iowa (11-10-2-2)

COACHELLA VALLEY 8, SAN DIEGO 1
The Firebirds (14-5-3-0) completed their two-month stretch of games away from home with a resounding win over the Gulls. Jesper Froden recorded Coachella Valley’s third hat trick of the season, and defensemen Ryker Evans and former Gull Brogan Rafferty each had three assists. Justin Kirkland’s goal nine seconds into the game would prove to be the only San Diego shot to get past Joey Daccord (16 saves). The Gulls (6-20-0-0) have lost 10 straight. The Firebirds make their Palm Desert debut on Sunday against Tucson with points in 13 of their last 15 games (10-2-3-0).

COLORADO 4, SAN JOSE 3
The Eagles (16-7-2-0) moved back atop the Pacific Division with a win over the visiting Barracuda. Spencer Smallman had a shorthanded goal and an assist for Colorado, and Justus Annunen made 28 saves to improve to 7-0-2 in his last nine decisions. Danil Gushchin picked up a goal and an assist for San Jose (13-12-0-1), giving him 10 points in his last seven games.

ROCHESTER 4, CHARLOTTE 2
Malcolm Subban made 45 saves and the Amerks (13-9-1-1) used three early goals to power past the Checkers in Charlotte. Brett Murray scored his team-leading 10th goal of the season and assisted on goals by Jiri Kulich and Lukas Rousek as Rochester raced out to a 3-0 lead just 6:31 into the contest. Subban took a shutout bid into the third period before the Checkers (12-10-2-1) got goals from Riley Nash and Patrick Giles.

LEHIGH VALLEY 5, PROVIDENCE 4 (OT)
Artem Anisimov scored his second goal of the night on an overtime power play to give the Phantoms (12-9-1-1) their third win of the season at Providence’s Amica Mutual Pavilion. Kieffer Bellows and Elliot Desnoyers scored early for Lehigh Valley, and Anisimov and Adam Ginning (his first AHL goal) tallied in the third period to erase a 4-2 deficit. Fabian Lysell notched a goal and an assist for the Bruins (15-4-4-2), who visit the Phantoms tonight.

HARTFORD 6, GRAND RAPIDS 4
The Wolf Pack (9-10-1-4) scored a season-high six goals and secured their first three-game winning streak of the season with a victory in Grand Rapids. Former Griffins forward Turner Elson broke a 3-3 tie at 6:32 of the third period to put Hartford on top to stay, and Ryan Carpenter notched two goals and an assist for his first three points since being assigned to Hartford by the New York Rangers last week. Lauri Pajuniemi, Gustav Rydahl and Zac Jones also scored for the Wolf Pack. Taro Hirose and Kyle Criscuolo tallied a goal and an assist apiece for Grand Rapids (10-13-1-0).

ELSEWHERE
Joseph Blandisi and Mikhail Abramov scored 29 seconds apart midway through the third period to send Toronto to a 4-3 win in Rockford… Simon Ryfors scored the go-ahead goal with 9:01 remaining as Syracuse rallied for a 4-2 win over visiting Springfield… Dustin Tokarski made 29 saves to backstop Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to a 3-1 win over division-leading Hershey… Linus Karlsson recorded a goal and an assist and Abbotsford improved to 9-2-1-0 in its last 12 games with a 3-2 win in Henderson… The Ontario-Bakersfield game was postponed due to unsafe rink conditions in Bakersfield; no make-up information was announced.

AHL On The Beat

A year ago, Henderson Silver Knights head coach Manny Viveiros began treatment for his cancer. Now, he is reflecting on the many challenges he faced during the course of his treatment.

Sweden announced their World University Games men’s ice hockey roster and the team includes several players from the D-III ranks. …

The post Sweden announces WUG men’s ice hockey roster, includes several D-III players appeared first on College Hockey | USCHO.com.

Luke Coughlin, Simon Maltais, Jan Sprynar and Shawn Pearson all had goals in regulation for the Oceanic (17-15-1), who stretched their win streak to five games. 

The Armada (11-18-4) got a pair of goals from Jonathan Fauchon, and singles from Zachary Cardinal and Mikael Denis.

Gabriel Robert stopped 13-of-17 shots before being replaced by Patrik Hamrla to start the third period. Hamrla made five saves in relief. Charles-Edward Gravel had 31 saves for Blainville-Boisbriand. 

FOREURS 4, VOLTIGEURS 3 (OT)

VAL-D’OR, QUE. — Justin Robidas scored on a penalty shot 13 seconds into overtime as Val-d’Or (16-15-2) topped Drummondville (15-14-3). The shot was awarded after Oscar Plandowski was called for hooking. 

PHOENIX 7, TIGRES 5

SHERBROOKE, QUE. — Three unanswered goals in the third period lifted Sherbrooke (20-9-3) to victory over Victoriaville (21-7-4). Justin Gill scored twice and had an assist for the Phoenix, who snapped a three-game losing skid. 

HUSKIES 2, CATARACTES 1

ROUYN-NORANDA, QUE. — Bill Zonnon scored with just 29 seconds left on the game clock as Rouyn-Noranda edged Shawinigan. Zonnon also assisted on Tristan Allard’s game-opening goal 1:31 into the first period. 

OLYMPIQUES 5, DRAKKAR 1

GATINEAU, QUE. — Olympiques goalie Tye Austin stopped 21 shots and Gatineau (18-10-5) trounced Baie-Comeau (13-16-4). The Olympiques jumped out to a 5-0 lead by the end of the second period and Justin Poirier spoiled Austin’s shutout with the Drakkar’s lone goal 5:51 into the third. 

SEA DOGS 4, EAGLES 3

SAINT JOHN, N.B. — Brady Burns knocked in the game-winning goal 18:37 into the third period as Saint John (10-18-2) edged Cape Breton (11-17-3) and snapped a three-game skid. The goal was Burns’ second of the game, while Cam MacDonald and Connor Trenholm also scored for the Sea Dogs

WILDCATS 7, TITAN 3

MONCTON, N.B. — A pair of goals from Alexis Daniel powered Moncton (16-12-2) to a dominant win over Acadie-Bathurst (12-15-5). Francesco Iasenza, Thomas Darcy, Maxim Barbashev, Preston Lounsbury and Alex Mercier also found the back of the net for the Wildcats. 

MOOSEHEADS 7, ISLANDERS 3

HALIFAX — Jordan Dumais scored twice and notched an assist as Halifax (20-7-4) downed Charlottetown (12-16-2). Mooseheads netminder Brady James stopped 31-of-34 shots for the win. 

Sean McGurn and Oliver Bonk each had a goal and an assist for the Knights (20-8-1), while Landon Sim also scored. 

London held a 5-0 lead heading into the third period, but Owen Sound’s Matthew Papais and Ben Cormier spoiled the shutout with goals 13 seconds apart. 

Brett Brochu stopped 36-of-38 shots for the Knights and Nick Chenard made 10 saves for the Attack (16-11-3) before being replaced to start the second period. Corbin Votary had 15 saves in relief. 

RANGERS 9, GREYHOUNDS 0

KITCHENER, ONT. — Marco Costantini stopped all 22 shots he faced as Kitchener (14-13-0) blanked Sault Ste. Marie (10-12-8). Francesco Pinelli had a massive night for the Rangers, putting up a goal and four assists. The result stretched Kitchener’s win streak to five games. 

COLTS 3, STORM 2 (OT)

GUELPH, ONT. — Roenick Jodoin scored 3:34 into overtime as Barrie (14-9-5) topped Guelph (11-16-4). The Colts kept Storm goalie Brayden Gillespie busy, outshooting the home side 34-24. 

67’S 5, GENERALS 4 (SO)

OTTAWA — Brad Gardiner had a goal and an assist as Ottawa (23-5-1) completed a thrilling comeback victory over Oshawa (11-14-4) in a shootout. The 67’s trailed 4-1 midway through the third period but rallied with three unanswered goals over 71 seconds late in the game to force extra time. 

STING 4, FIREBIRDS 3

FLINT, MICH. — Marcus Limpar-Lantz knocked in the game-winning goal 12:57 into the third period as Sarnia (16-10-6) doused Flint (16-12-3). Nicholas Surzycia stopped 31-of-34 shots for the Sting.

STEELHEADS 4, WOLVES 3

SUDBURY, ONT. — James Hardie had a hat trick — including two goals 47 seconds apart in the third period — and Mississauga (14-13-3) downed Sudbury (9-16-3) to snap a three-game losing skid. Zander Veccia rounded out the scoring for the Steelheads. 

FRONTENACS 3, BULLDOGS 2 (OT)

KINGSTON, ONT. — Paul Ludwinski put away the game-winning goal 1:14 into overtime and Kingston (16-12-2) edged Hamilton (12-13-3). Ludwinski and Matthew Soto tallied the regulation goals for the Frontenacs, who stretched their win streak to four games. 

The Blazers (17-6-5) erupted with four goals in the first period, only to see the Cougars (14-15-2) claw back in the third to force extra time. 

Ashton Ferster put away a pair of goals for Kamloops, while Shea Van Olm, Daylan Kuefler and Dylan Sydor also scored in regulation. 

Prince George replied with goals from Tyson Buczkowski, Chase Wheatcroft, Riley Heidt, Ross Stanley and Blake Eastman.

Blazers goalie Dylan Ernst stopped 23-of-28 shots, and Ty Young made six saves for the Cougars before being replaced midway through the first period. Tyler Brennan recorded 23 saves in relief.

WINTERHAWKS 2, GIANTS 1

LANGLEY, B.C. — Jan Spunar stopped 40 shots, backstopping Portland (22-4-3) to a win over Vancouver (12-15-5). Robbie Fromm-Delorme put away the game-winning goal on a power play 3:29 into the third period.

ROYALS 7, AMERICANS 6 (SO) 

VICTORIA, B.C. — A big night from Teague Patton lifted Victoria (6-23-3) to a shootout victory over Tri-City (14-14-1). The Royals centreman had a pair of goals and an assist in regulation, then put the final shot past Americans netminder Jared Picklyk in the shootout to seal the win. 

THUNDERBIRDS 4, SILVERTIPS 1

SEATTLE — Luke Prokop scored and contributed an assist as Seattle (22-4-2) downed Everett (16-13-1). Thunderbirds netminder Scott Ratzlaff stopped 23-of-24 shots for the win. 

REBELS 6, TIGERS 4

MEDICINE HAT, ALTA. — Jace Isley scored twice as Red Deer (22-5-4) topped Medicine Hat (12-17-5). The Tigers held a 4-3 lead midway through the third period before the Rebels stormed back with three unanswered goals. 

ROCKETS 6, HURRICANES 0

LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. — Talyn Boyko stopped all 35 shots he faced as Kelowna (12-13-3) blanked Lethbridge (19-12-1). Andrew Cristall and Carson Golder registered four-point nights, with each scoring and contributing four assists. 

BRONCOS 8, OIL KINGS 4

EDMONTON — Josh Filmon scored six goals — all in the first and second period — and lifted Swift Current (13-15-1) to a win over Edmonton (4-27-1). The result snapped a five-game skid for the Broncos. The struggling Oil Kings have lost 10 straight. 

BLADES 8, CHIEFS 5

SASKATOON — A five-point night from Brandon Lisowsky powered Saskatoon (23-5-0) to a big win over Spokane (6-21-2). The left-winger had a hat trick and a pair of assists as the Blades won their eighth game in a row. 

WARRIORS 6, PATS 2

MOOSE JAW, SASK. — Harper Lolacher scored twice as Moose Jaw (20-12-0) topped Regina (17-14-2). The Warriors put their special teams to work, going 2-for-5 with the man advantage and killing off three penalties.  

The post Zuccarello hat trick leads Wild over Blackhawks first appeared on Pro Hockey News.

The post Wolf Pack down Griffins, 6-4 first appeared on Pro Hockey News.

The post Quick Strike Tallies Doom IceHogs first appeared on Pro Hockey News.

Ovechkin has solidified himself as the top era-adjusted goal scorer in NHL history already, and he’s looking to solidify his path into hockey greatness by netting at least 895 goals before his playing days end.

In this post, we’ll make three routes of projecting when Ovechkin could break the all-time Goals Scored record: his current Goals Per Game rate, his career average goals per game rate, and his career low goals per game rate. This will give us insight into just how fast Ovechkin can accomplish his goal from today. The statistics used in this post are courtesy of Hockey Reference.

Goals Per Game Rate Through Ovechkin’s Entire Career

Before we get into the projections, it’s important to explain the methodology for how we get to each route of projecting how many games it’ll take for Ovechkin to both tie and break Gretzky’s goal record of 894. Below is Ovechkin’s goal per game (GPG) rate over the entirety of his career so far:

Ovechkin is currently scoring at a 0.63 GPG rate so far this season, netting 20 goals through 32 games played. When averaging out his entire career’s GPG, he’s sitting at 0.61. It’s impressive enough that he’s 37-years old and scoring over his career GPG. As you can see in the 2016-17 season, Ovechkin posted his career-low in GPG. Since Father Time is undefeated, we’re going to be using Ovechkin’s career-low as a conservative control on the projections that’ll follow in this piece. Most impressively, Ovechkin has only had a GPG pace under 0.5 three times in his storied career.

How many games will it take to tie and break Gretzky’s record?

Not to play spoiler here, but all three projections will have Ovechkin passing Gretzky before his current contract expires after the 2025-26 season. Here’s how it all breaks down:

In the most aggressive route taken in this methodology, if Ovechkin continues to score at the GPG pace we’ve seen so far through 32 games played this season, he’ll tie Gretzky’s record about 17 games into the 2024-25 season, and will break it about 19 games into the same season.

For his career average pace of 0.61 GPG, Ovechkin will tie Gretzky’s record approximately 22 games into the 2024-25 season, and will break the record approximately 24 games into the same season.

For his career-low pace of 0.4 GPG, Ovechkin will tie Gretzky’s record approximately 21 games into the 2025-26 season, and will break Gretzky’s record approximately 24 games into the 2025-26 season.

Now for the fun part: just how many goals can Ovechkin score through the end of his current contract? Here’s how the same GPG paces pan out in terms of total Goals Scored over the next 50 games of this season and the three full seasons after that:

There’s a very real chance that Ovechkin will enter a league of one by the end of his contract after the 2025-26 season: the only player in NHL history to score over 900 goals in their career. It’s rather unlikely that Ovechkin continues to score at a GPG pace over 0.6 for the remainder of his career, but unless he falls off a cliff next season, 900 goals is almost a certainty.

By Justin Trudel

The Hershey Bears fell to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, 3-1, Friday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, PA. With the loss, the Bears record drops to 17-6-2-1 (37 points) on the season.

HERSHEY BEARS LINEUP

Zach Fucale (10-5-1-0, 2.58 GAA, .897 sv%) got the start in goal for the Bears. Dustin Tokarski (7-3-3-1, 2.04 GAA, .930 sv%) got the start between the pipes for the Penguins. The forward lines and defensive pairs for the Bears:

Mike Vecchione –Mike Sgarbossa – Ethen Frank
Mason Morelli – Connor McMichael – Sam Anas
Henrik Borgstrom – Hendrix Lapierre – Julian Napravnik
Kale Kessy – Riley Sutter – Shane Gersich

Aaron Ness – Logan Day
Gabriel Carlsson – Dylan McIlrath
Jake Massie – Vinny Iorio

Scratches: Garrett Pilon (lower body injury), Henrik Rybinski (precautionary reasons), Bobby Nardella (upper body injury), Michael Kim, Matthew Strome and Martin Has.

FIRST PERIOD

It was all Penguins in the first frame. Jonathan Gruden (6) opened the scoring just 4:57 into the contest. Xavier Ouellet (14) and Nathan Légaré (1) had the helpers.

Gruds + X = magic pic.twitter.com/qCvjl5ZipI

— WBS Penguins (@WBSPenguins) December 17, 2022

The Penguins made it 2-0 at 8:37 of the frame. Tyler Sikura (4) would get the redirect for the tally. Mitch Reinke (7) and Corey Andonovski (4) had the assists.

Sikky’s sneaky pic.twitter.com/VzSbccVU6L

— WBS Penguins (@WBSPenguins) December 17, 2022

The period concluded with the Penguins ahead 2-0. They led 13-10 in shots.

SECOND PERIOD

The Bears and Penguins skated to a scoreless draw in the middle frame.

The Bears had three power plays in the second period but were unable to convert on all three.

The Bears led in shots 11-3 for the middle frame and led 21-16 after two periods of play.

SECOND PERIOD

The Penguins extended their lead to 3-0 early in the final frame. Sam Houde (3) roofed a backhander over Fucale’s glove for the Penguins third goal of the night at 3:48 of the frame. Ty Glover (2) and Taylor Fedun (1) had the helpers.

Houdey with the ole razzle dazzle to give us 3 pic.twitter.com/LLA0fyfpF8

— WBS Penguins (@WBSPenguins) December 17, 2022

Midway through the period, Bears’ Kale Kessy decided to take out his frustrations on the Penguins bench by entering the Penguins bench to take care of business.

Kale Kessy is a treasure. #HBH pic.twitter.com/xxRr4of2rj

— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) December 17, 2022

The Bears would finally dent the twine with less than a minute remaining in regulation. Gabriel Carlsson (1) would let one rip from the left point for the Bears tally at 19:10 of the third period. Mike Vecchione (12) had the lone assist.

Gabriel Carlsson end the Pens shutout. 3-1 with under a minute to go. #HBH pic.twitter.com/8Wq4GPcpTV

— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) December 17, 2022

That would be it, as the Baby Pens held on for the 3-1 win.

The Bears are back in action on Saturday night for game two of their two-game set against the Penguins in Wilkes-Barre. Puck drop is set for 6:05PM.

SHAVINGS

• AHL box score
• Attendance: 2,854
• Zach Fucale stopped 23 of 26 for a .884 game save percentage.

Washington Capitals forward prospect Alexander Suzdalev continues to heat-up in the WHL. The 18-year-old forward now has 20 goals on the season, including two more tallies on Friday night, his 19th and 20th goals of the season.

Suzdalev recorded his 19th goal of the season late in the first period of Friday night’s tilt with the Moose Jaw Warriors.

We told you he was feeling it, didn’t we?

Suzdalev with a SNIPE for his 19th of the season and we’re back to within one!#ItsGoTime | #REGvsMJ pic.twitter.com/uBNJlVZyLc

— Regina Pats (@WHLPats) December 17, 2022

Suzdalev scored his 20th goal of the season late in the second period.

Kid just doesn’t miss one-timers

Suzdalev has his 2nd of the game & 20th of the season!#ItsGoTime | #REGvsMJ pic.twitter.com/mdEWAw4JYv

— Regina Pats (@WHLPats) December 17, 2022

Suzdalev was not invited to Team Sweden’s slelection camp for the upcoming World Junior Championships at the end of the month. He will get another opportunity next season the under-20 tournament and that seems to be just fine for Suzdalev.

Suzdalev scored his 18th goal of the season Wednesday night against Spokane Chiefs.

Alexander Suzdalev picks up a loose puck in the zone and shovels a backhander, 5-hole, for his 18th goal of the season. He has points in 8-straight games, points in 17 of last 18 games, 31 points over last 18 games. #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/eb8EpXZEr9

— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) December 15, 2022

Suzdalev also converted in the shootout on Wednesday night, his first shootout attempt of the season. (He was oddly left out of the Pats only other shootout earlier in the season).

Alexander Suzdalev converts on first shootout attempt of the season. #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/xiqA6KJsSP

— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) December 15, 2022

Suzdalev was also named the first star of the game for the Regina Pats on Wednesday night.

First star. pic.twitter.com/Zn03AMPW9E

— Capitals Prospects (@jon_m_sorensen) December 15, 2022

Suzdalev has been thriving in the absence of phenom Connor Bedard. He now has four goals and four assists in the last five games since Bedard left for Team Canada’s World Juniors training camp on December 4.

Suzdalev now has 20 goals (5th in WHL) and 23 assists  for 43 points (7th in the WHL) in 31 games played so far for the Pats. He has points in 18 of the last 19 games and 34 points in the last 19 games played.

Suzdalev has shot the puck 68 times this season for an impressive 29.41% shooting percentage, which is second-best in the WHL. He also has 11 power play goals which is third-best in the WHL.

By Jon Sorensen

After allowing the St. Louis Blues to tie up the hockey game late in the third period, the Oilers eventually lost in a shootout, but not before scoring in overtime, thinking they’d won the game and the officials called off the goal because they ruled Connor McDavid didn’t have possession of the puck when entering the zone on the winning goal, thus putting himself offside. It was a confusing call when you see some of the other goals that were allowed to stand in seasons past, and McDavid is certainly confused noting that since he was a kid, he believed the rule was you could enter the zone followed by the puck if you had possession of it, something he believes he had.

McDavid was asked about the loss and the controversial call after the game. He noted, “the league has got to clarify some of these rules. What’s a kick? What’s offside? What’s goalie interference? It kind of depends on the night I guess.”

You can see the play in the video below. It’s easy to understand why McDavid thinks he still had possession but he did acknowledge that it was a judgment call made by the officials. He didn’t come right out and say he didn’t agree, but instead chose to voice his opinion on the lack of clarity on the rules, then said the team never should have been in that position, to begin with. In that respect, McDavid was right. A costly turnover by Darnell Nurse in the dying seconds of the game where the Oilers were on the power play cost the team a win in regulation.

The hockey world is reacting to the McDavid call. It’s the hot topic coming out of all NHL action on Thursday night. Many believe the goal this is being compared to — Cale Makar scoring against the Oilers in last season’s playoffs — is similar. Some are saying it isn’t. Makar carried the puck across the line, but it was ruled he didn’t have possession so his own player tagged up and got back onside. It was only then Makar then touched the puck and got possession. In this case, the refs say McDavid didn’t have possession, put himself offside, and then got possession (or Leon Draisaitl did).

Clearly, it’s confusing enough to the point that Jeff Marek of Sportsnet chimed in a suggested that maybe the NHL should get rid of offsides altogether.

Next: Would You Trade Oilers’ Top Four for the Maple Leafs’ Top Four?

The post McDavid Says NHL Must Clarify Rules After Debatable Offside Call appeared first on NHL Trade Talk.

According to Pierre LeBrun, the Toronto Maple Leafs are having discussions behind the scenes about whether they can pull off a trade for Ryan O’Reilly. There have been rumors the team is interested in the center out of St. Louis and with O’Reilly’s game picking up a bit over the past few weeks, it makes sense the Leafs might want to pick him up if the Blues are willing to dump the player.

Originally, it was believed that the Blues and O’Reilly might work out an extension. While that’s still possible, his struggles this season have changed the narrative on that scenario and more insiders are under the impression the Blues might move on. It will take some salary retention to get a deal done with most teams, and it certainly will in the case of the Maple Leafs, even though the team has some room to play with their current LTIR situation.

Pierre LeBrun has O’Reilly listed on his newly-published Trade List for The Athletic: O’Reilly comes in at No. 5 on the list. LeBrun writes:

Not that I think anything is imminent — we’re only in December — but my sense this week after talking to a few NHL teams is that they expect the Blues to listen on their pending-UFA captain in the new year. The Blues continue to play inconsistent hockey, and it’s not giving anyone confidence that the season will get back on track.

He then goes on to say that the Maple Leafs are in on this. He notes, “I think the Maple Leafs have talked about O’Reilly internally. Whether that leads to showing interest with the Blues in the new year, we shall see.” O’Reilly is a former Stanley Cup champion and playoff MVP from the 2018-19 season. He’s won a Conn Smythe Trophy and if he’s on, could be a difference-maker for any team he joins.

As for what the Leafs would have to give up, the Maple Leafs will definitely need to sweeten the deal to get him if the Blues retain salary. With the 2023 draft being considered fairly deep, if it costs a first-round pick, the Leafs may have to seriously consider it.

Next: Three Maple Leafs Takeaways from the 3-1 Loss to the Rangers

The post Maple Leafs Have Internal Discussions About Ryan O’Reilly Trade appeared first on NHL Trade Talk.

Our first bet of the day is the Minnesota Wild Puck Line (-2.5). This line sits at +120.

Although a Puck Line of “-2.5” can seem somewhat intimidating, I don’t view that as the case in this matchup. The Minnesota Wild will be on home ice against the Chicago Blackhawks, who struggle on the road and within their division. Chicago brings a division record of 0-6-1 and a road record of 3-7-2 into tonight. 

Minnesota has been playing good hockey lately, holding a three-game winning streak. Their opponent is on the other end of the scale, as they are tied for the longest ongoing losing streak of five. During their current losing streak, Chicago has lost four of the five games by three goals or more. 

Our second bet of the day is Brock Nelson o2.5 Shots on Goal. This line sits at -150.

The Islanders’ leading goalscorer has hit over 2.5 shots in four of his last five games. During that five-game span, Nelson is averaging 3.6 shots on goal per game. Those numbers have also translated to his season average. In 30 games played this season, Nelson has put the puck on net 93 times, which has averaged to 3.1 shots on goal per game throughout the season.   

Nelson has a favourable matchup tonight against the Coyotes. Arizona has struggled in its own end this season, as they are allowing an average of 35.1 shots on goal per game (30th in the NHL). 

Record: 31-30-1 

TSN: Darren Dreger was asked what the Vancouver Canucks are looking for in a Bo Horvat trade. The Canucks are looking for salary cap space. They’d also like to add a young center and a young, right-handed defenseman.

“So those are the three specific Vancouver Canucks needs. Maybe you get one or two of those things in moving out Brock Boeser, or you get it all when you’re applying, Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat and throw Tyler Myers into the equation if they’re successful in unloading him.

What’s interesting about Bo Horvat is there’s no timeline on this. If the right deal surfaces, that trade could happen in the very near future – after the holiday roster freeze (midnight, local time, on Dec. 19 until midnight, local time, on Dec. 27). Or, James, (it) could drift right to March 3, which would put a smile on your face.”

The Canucks and Bo Horvat’s relationship be fixed?

Donnie & Dhali: John Shannon on if the Vancouver Canucks and Bo Horvat’s camp can repair their relationship after contract talks and the reports that came out this week.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

Rick Dhaliwal: “John, the big story in Vancouver this week, Bo Horvat, obviously rejected the Canucks offer. So, where do we go from now? How do you see this playing out John.”

Shannon: “Well, I think the relationship is. The question I asked a lot of people is, is the relationship reputable? Can it be fixed? I’m getting a lot more negative stories about it being fixed than positive ones.

I think there is an expectation now that he will be moved. Whether it’s now or at the deadline when it becomes much easier to acquire him because of cap space. You have to think now after all these discussions and everything that happened this week, that Bo is on his last journey as a Vancouver Canucks.

Which is sad for me. I thought he was a good hockey player in Vancouver and a good captain. But there’s obviously a disagreement of what his value is, and in essence, they’re saying that if we’re going to invent this team again, and I say they, Canuck management, they’re going to invent this team again, it will probably be without Bo Horvat.”

According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, teams are reaching out to the Vancouver Canucks about the possibility of trading for Brock Boeser. Unfortunately for the Canucks, the messaging all seems to be the same: no team is interested if the Canucks don’t retain salary in any potential deal. That’s problematic for Vancouver, whose top priority is moving Boeser and not retaining any salary in the trade.

LeBrun writes as part of a recent article in The Athletic, “Teams are showing interest because of the talent, but taking the cap hit full-on is a turnoff: two more seasons left after this one, with a $6.65 million average annual.”

He adds:

The fact the Canucks have allowed Boeser’s agent, Ben Hankinson, to seek potential trade partners directly underlines management’s recognition that it won’t be easy to move that kind of money. The obvious team to single out here is Boeser’s native Minnesota Wild, and yes, the Wild have talked about Boeser, for sure. But the cap hit, again, is a huge issue.

LeBrun goes on to say the Canucks have it a top priority to clear cap space this season, particularly in a trade that involves Boeser. He says, “it just doesn’t feel like salary retention is an option here.” He believes the Canucks would be willing to take on a contract in a trade, thus getting a player back they could use or flip, but not hold money for no return.

If this is something the Wild want to do, they might be able to wait out other deals falling through. For Boeser, Minnesota seems like the right fit considering that’s where he’s from.

Expect a Boeser Deal to Take Some Time

This is a trade that could take a while and fans should expect this to go down anytime soon based on how teams are approaching Jim Rutherford and Patrick Allvin. Darren Dreger of TSN noted today that the Canucks specific needs are a young center and a right-shot defenseman. Their hope is that they can get one or two of those things if they move out Boeser. That seems unlikely at this point, and it might take also moving out Bo Horvat and Tyler Myers to get everything that they want to get accomplished done.

Next: Maple Leafs Have Internal Discussions About Ryan O’Reilly Trade

The post Speculation The Wild Most Likely Landing Spot For Brock Boeser appeared first on NHL Trade Talk.

TSN: Chris Johnston said that the Toronto Maple Leafs will clear a contract slot when Alex Rindell clears unconditional waivers. They had been at the max 50 contracts. Some had been thinking that they will make an additional move quickly, but that may not be the case.

“And based on what I can tell, that isn’t likely to be the case. The roster freeze is kicking in on next Monday. They’re, obviously are on a good roll. And really, in this case, Rindell just felt that his opportunities were limited in the pipeline. The Leafs disagreed but didn’t want to hold him back. And so they will terminate that player’s deal, but does give them flexibility to come back in the new year because they do have a position to add now.”

The Blackhawks will meet with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews next month

David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period: Noted on Monday’s TSN 690 radio hit that agent Pat Brisson, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews will meet with the Chicago Blackhawks in January to discuss their future.

They may not make a final decision on which direction they want to go in until later on in the season, guessing maybe after the All-Star break. They’d likely want to see who is playing themselves into real Cup contention.

Dating back to last season, Kane has received interest from New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Boston Bruins and Colorado Avalanche have shown some interest in Toews.

Sources say the Blackhawks have talked to teams about both players dating back to last season and trade talks have never intensified.

A playoff series for the No. 1 pick?

TSN: Chris Johnston said that at the board of governor meetings, one idea tossed around was having the teams at the bottom of the standings at the end of the season, play a series to determine who gets to draft first.

“This, of course, would replace the NHL Draft Lottery. I don’t think it has a good chance of taking hold, but it certainly was something that a few people were discussing.”

Back in September, it was a logical prediction to say the Nashville Predators were poised to make a big jump in the Western Conference by just looking at their player personnel on paper.

The Predators had an aggressive approach to their offseason by adding two impactful veterans in Ryan McDonagh and Nino Niederreiter. Let’s begin with those two players.

McDonagh has been out for two weeks after taking a puck to the face against the New York Islanders and been designated as “week-to-week” with a timetable of “two to four weeks”.

Subsequently, the Predators haven’t won a game since losing McDonagh and they need him back desperately.

As for Niederreiter, he actually leads the Predators in goals with 10, which isn’t saying much considering the Predators are 29th in the NHL in scoring at 2.46 goals per game.

Niederreiter hasn’t been terrible, but I thought his two-way impact would have been felt more. The truth is this team gets shredded on the defensive end and commonly leans on Juuse Saros to bail them out. Tell me you haven’t heard that one before.

That exact scenario happened on Tuesday in the Predators’ latest loss, a 2-1 overtime defeat to the Winnipeg Jets who peppered Saros with 41 shots and had numerous high-danger scoring chances that could have easily made this a much more lopsided affair.

Jets amassed 20 high-danger chances in all situations to the Predators managing 13. A mini miracle that Saros held the Jets to only two goals, and the death blow coming in overtime, of course.

Have both McDonagh and Niederreiter moved the needle enough to make the Predators any better than they were last season? The results on the ice say they haven’t.

Players that were expected to play major roles aren’t even in the lineup

Both Eeli Tolvanen and Philip Tomasino were expected to take on a bigger role for this Predators team as young and talented players. Tolvanen has since been claimed by the Seattle Kraken on waivers, and Tomasino has spent the entire season in the AHL for the Milwaukee Admirals, registering 11 points in 16 games.

At some point you have to seriously consider calling Tomasino back up and giving him the opportunity to provide a spark to the offense. What are we protecting him from? The guy put up a 30-plus point season in his rookie campaign. He’s not a first-year player getting his feet wet in the NHL. He played in 76 games in 2021-22.

When the Predators managed to avoid losing Filip Forsberg in free agency, it looked like everything was coming together for a very successful offseason. Instead, we’re seeing a roster that is duct taped together like a cheap coffee table built in the 1970’s.

Cole Smith and Mark Jankowski have become two regulars to the forward core who wasn’t really on anyone’s radar before the season started.

Smith has yet to tally a goal on 29 shots and playing in all 28 games. Jankowski serves an important role as a savvy veteran who plays smart, but again doesn’t pack much of an offensive punch.

The D-Core is Inexperienced and Thrown Together

Then there’s the defensive core. The Predators are relying on three defensemen no one expected to play vital minutes to hold it together until McDonagh, Alexandre Carrier, Jeremey Lauzon and Mark Borowiecki can return.

Jordan Gross, Roland McKeown and Kevin Gravel have been forced into the starting lineup. No disrespect to any of these players, but this isn’t what we had in mind back in September. Now unfortunately, Head Coach John Hynes doesn’t have any choice as McDonagh, Borowiecki, Carrier and Lauzon aren’t available.

To those three players’ credit, they’ve been playing valiantly over the past few games. It’s just a matter of asking yourself the honest question; “Would these players be in the starting lineup under normal circumstances on a legit playoff contender?”. Probably not.

The Gravel/McKeown pairing actually did their job at 5v5 play by allowing only a 0.379 Expected Goals Against, while the Josi/Gross pairing were up against the ropes allowing 1.779 Expected Goals Against, per MoneyPuck.

Again, the Predators have to figure out a way to tread water until they can get their full complement of defensemen back. Seeing the forward core provide goal support and actually connect on the power play every now and then would be a great remedy to this problem.

The Nashville Predators, who were 6th on power play last season, are currently 0-for-18 on the power play during their five-game losing streak. Yes, the pit of despair in this department.

It’s not all doom and gloom. Both Juuso Parssinen and Cody Glass are showing strides in their respective games. Glass got robbed multiple times by Connor Hellebuyck against the Jets on Tuesday, and Parssinen has shown he belongs up here for the duration of the season.

The Predators are teetering between remaining around that playoff bubble and completely falling out of this and needing a miracle run to climb back. They’re not at that critical point yet, but it’s getting close.

Can this aforementioned makeshift lineup that features several players that weren’t expected to get significant minutes stay afloat? That remains up for debate, but this clearly isn’t the Nashville Predators team we thought we were getting back in September.

Four game losing streaks are bad. Going 2-4-1 in the last seven games is even worse. However, being in first place after 30 games is a very good thing. Keeping up the pace of earlier in the season, where the Devils went 18-1-1 over 20 games, was never sustainable and losing streaks will happen to every team over the course of an 82 game season. Thankfully, the Devils have built themselves enough of a cushion in the division and playoff race to be able to sustain a bad stretch and remain contenders.

As frustrating as it is to lose a fourth game in a row, at home, and to a very bad Flyers team, the Devils were easily the better team in that game. The Devils out shot the Flyers 49-24, won two fights (Maybe one draw and one win, but my eyes saw two wins), and controlled the play for the vast majority of the game. Flyers goalie Carter Hart stood on his head, Damon Severson had an atrocious turnover, and the Flyers escaped with a 2-1 victory. Vitek Vanecek played well enough to earn the win last night but wasn’t so lucky. The two goals he allowed were not bad goals to give up. The first Flyers goal was a screened one time shot from the point on a power play. Not too much Vanecek could have done differently to stop that shot. It was a great shot that Vanecek couldn’t really see as he moved across the crease. The second Flyers goal as a breakaway for the Flyers caused by an absolutely horrible turnover from Damon Severson at the Flyers blue line. Ruff called it unacceptable after the game and I doubt Severson could explain what exactly he was trying to do with that puck. The main takeaway from that game was that the Devils were the better team but got robbed by a great goaltending performance from Carter Hart and a horrible play from Damon Severson. Obviously, you need to find a way to score more than one goal but sometimes the other goalie is just too good. Overall, outside of the Severson blunder, I don’t have an issue with how the Devils played last night.

With another goal last night, Jack Hughes is now up to 16 goals and 19 assists in 40 games played. He has been a beast for the Devils all season , especially in the last 10 games where he has 14 points. Hughes is doing most of the heavy lifting for the offense right now, and some of his teammates need to step up and help him out. Jesper Bratt has only two goals and four assists over his last 11 games. Not even close tot the elite production he showed last year or earlier this season. Yegor Sharangovich has only 2 goals (1 empty net) in his last 11 games played. Sharangovich is supposed to be one of the best shooters on the team and this year he only has 8 goals in 30 games. Erik Haula has only 1 goal and 11 assists this season. He’s been good in the faceoff circle and good defensively but that is not nearly enough offensive production from a guy who has played a lot in the top six and a lot with Jack Hughes on his line. Hughes and Hischier can’t so it all themselves, the rest of the Devils forwards need to pick up their offensive production now for the team to get back to the winning ways of November.

The next six games should tell us a lot about where the Devils stack up in the Eastern Conference. Al six games are against playoff contenders and the Devils need to come out of it with a point percentage greater than 50% over those six games to show that they can at least compete with the best in the conference on a nightly basis. As the great Ric Flair says, “To be the man, you gotta beat the man.” This season, the Devils are trying to become “the man” and in these next six games, the Devils are playing against “the men” of the Eastern Conference. All of those teams were in the playoffs last year and are likely to return this year, except maybe the Panthers. I am confident the Devils can compete in these games and hold onto to their top spot in the division through the end of 2022, but these six games are where the Devils need to get back to the top of their game that they showed not that long ago. Where the Devils stand on January 1st compared to December 1st will give us a good idea of how they are trending heading into the second half of the season. You can follow me on Twitter at PatBoooooth.

As we move into the final weeks of 2022, I can’t help but be circumspect over the year that has been 2022. It began for me by bringing in the vicissitude that began in the fall of 2021. To be frank, the end of 2021 and all of 2022 has been hellacious for me. I have found myself in circumstances that one would think only exist in the movies. I mean, honestly, the shit that I have endured can’t be non-fiction. Yet here I am in the muck that is my life. Fortunately, I am one resilient bitch. And like a griffin rising from the ashes, I fully intend to make 2023 my year and reclaim my life.

To be fair, 2022 was not all negative. I have a lot of wonderful things going on in my life. My eldest made it home safely from deployment and continues to thrive in his role. Meanwhile, Goalielocks graduated high school and the Mayor continued to kill it at the rink. Throughout the year, I found myself in Savannah, Charleston, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and Utah. Each of these trips was completely and utterly delightful. All three were a complete indulgence of my love of all things travel. For the first time, I went on a nature-oriented excursion and actually saw nature. Whereas usually, I go on a tour that sees nothing and only hears about what the tour before us saw. I cannot tell you how much peace kayaking through waters shared with baby sea turtles and baby sharks can bring a person. It was an absolutely beautiful experience.

When I look back on 2022, I have no doubt that it will reflect a period of transition in my life. Undoubtedly, transitions are not always easy, but changes like death and taxes are a constant of life. For the first time in years, I feel healthy. It has been a long journey back from my diagnosis of Graves Disease. Significantly, it is something I will always contend with, but it feels good to feel normal again. More than that it feels amazing to have shed all of the weight I gained post-RAI (radioactive iodine treatment.). It only took four years, but sometimes losing weight the right way takes time. Lastly, I could not be more proud of my boys. They have grown into emotionally intelligent, mature, and caring men. I’m one proud mama.

The post Last Day appeared first on The Hockey Mom Fit Life.

I can sum up in four words how our Penguins defeated the Panthers at FLA Live Arena last night. Tristan Jarry. And special teams.

Okay…maybe six. I’ll throw in Jake Guentzel, too.

Jarry was outstanding, especially during the latter stages of a second period that saw our hosts launch 18 shots on goal. In particular, his 10-bell, spread-eagled pad save on Sam Bennett from point-blank range near the 16-minute mark defies description. How anyone can move like that in goalie pads is beyond my understanding.

The special teams were, indeed, special. We killed off three Panther power plays and notched a shorthanded goal to boot. And our power play, suddenly lethal, converted on two of three opportunities.

Following an opening burst by the Pens, the Panthers grabbed the early lead at 5:30 of the first period on a tally by mucker Ryan Lomberg. The lead stood up through the remainder of the first period and through the early stages of the second period thanks largely to the twine tending of oft-maligned Sergei Bobrovsky, who aggressively challenged the Pens’ shooters.

Continue reading Jarry, Special Teams Shine in Penguins 4-2 Win at Pittsburgh Penguins - PenguinPoop Blog.

Jason Siedem 2023 UNH Commit

News & Notes

by Patrick Williams

Lane Pederson just cannot stop scoring.

In his latest nightly show, the Abbotsford Canucks forward had recorded a hat trick by the 11:39 mark of the first period in Wednesday’s 5-4 win at San Diego. With 10 goals and 15 points in his last seven games, Pederson is charging up the league’s scoring page.

Since joining the Canucks organization in an Oct. 28 trade from Carolina, Pederson has 17 goals (and seven assists) in 18 games. He is just one behind Laval’s Anthony Richard for the AHL lead in goals. He ranks first with nine power-play tallies. His 17 goals have come on just 48 shots, a remarkable accuracy of 35.4 percent.

Slice those numbers any which way, but going into Abbotsford’s two-game trip to Henderson this weekend, Pederson has become one of the most dangerous scorers in the league.

“It’s just a combination of playing with good players and getting [a] good opportunity,” Pederson said. “It’s definitely been a fun start to the season. I’m super thankful to have gotten the opportunity to have come to Vancouver and Abbotsford.”

The last five months have been a wild ride for Pederson. After four years with the Arizona Coyotes organization, he spent last season with San Jose, then went to Carolina on July 13 as part of the deal that also sent Brent Burns to the Hurricanes. He started the 2022-23 season with the Chicago Wolves, where he was scoreless in four games, before being acquired by Vancouver along with Ethan Bear on Oct. 28.

Pederson said the deal to the Canucks — just two weeks into his sixth pro season — came as a bit of a surprise.

“My agent had talked to me in the days leading [to it] that it was something that may or may not happen. But definitely I was a little shocked just as the season was just getting going.

“I’m just trying to prove them right with the decision of bringing me in, so it’s been a lot of fun.”

After playing 29 NHL games for the Sharks last season, this latest run has been Pederson’s strongest push yet for a full-time National Hockey League job. He originally signed with Arizona as a free agent in 2016 and spent most of his first four pro seasons with the Tucson Roadrunners, getting in 15 games with the Coyotes in 2020-21. Pederson broke training camp with the Sharks last season and spent most of the first half with the NHL club; he would also collect 18 points in 22 AHL games with the Barracuda.

The offseason deal to the Hurricanes provided a chance to play for a Stanley Cup contender.

“It’s always exciting when you’re wanted by a team of such a high caliber in Carolina,” Pederson said. “I was hoping for an opportunity just to be part of a Stanley Cup-contending team. I was definitely excited to be headed to a quality team like Carolina.”

But cracking that Hurricanes lineup is a tall task. Stefan Noesen, who scored a league-leading 48 goals for the Wolves last season, captured a spot coming out of training camp. Jack Drury, another star on Chicago’s 2022 Calder Cup team, began the season back with the Wolves but was ready for another shot in Carolina.

So another trade meant another opportunity, and Pederson has made his stand with Abbotsford, finding a niche recently on a line between Phil Di Giuseppe and top prospect Vasily Podkolzin, the 10th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.

“They make life pretty easy on me,” Pederson said of his linemates, though it certainly has been a mutually beneficial arrangement for all parties. Podkolzin had 14 goals as a rookie last season with Vancouver before coming to Abbotsford last month following a slow start in 2022-23. Di Giuseppe is a ninth-year pro who has 201 NHL games on his card.

“I think we’re just three guys who have some good size that can hold on to the puck down low and win some battles,” Pederson said. “And then once we get the puck in the offensive zone, we’ve kind of developed a little bit of chemistry now, where we’re reading off one another and finding those soft areas.”

The goal-scoring is catching plenty of attention around the AHL, but it will be reliable two-way play that can keep Pederson on an NHL roster full-time. He has been working with new Abbotsford head coach Jeremy Colliton to round out his game further and play his way into a recall to Vancouver.

“[Colliton] has been huge for me,” Pederson said of their video and teaching work to fine-tune his play.

So what can get Pederson to the NHL to stay?

“Part of it is being the player I am in the American League,” Pederson outlined. “You’re not trying to change too much, but also continuing to emphasize that two-way game, being reliable defensively.

“[I need to] have the coaches trust me every time [they] send you over the boards that you can be relied upon, and they can trust you to play against anybody any given night.”

QUICK SHIFTS

The Texas Stars have their sights set on first place as they visit the Iowa Wild in the AHLTV Free Game of the Week tonight (8 ET/7 CT).

Backed by five consecutive wins, the AHL’s longest active winning streak, the Stars have caught Central Division leader Milwaukee at 32 points (the Admirals do have one game in hand).

Texas is coming off a 6-3 win in Chicago on Thursday afternoon. Rookie forward Mavrik Bourque, a 2020 first-round pick by the parent Dallas Stars, led the way with two goals and an assist in the victory.

The road team has won 10 of the last 11 meetings between these teams, including the Stars’ sweep of a two-game trip to Des Moines on Oct. 21-22.

Iowa’s Sammy Walker, the top-scoring rookie in the AHL this season, and Belleville forward Jake Lucchini both made their NHL debuts this week, pushing the season total to 31 AHL graduates.

Walker, 23, has 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 21 games for Iowa this season. The former Minnesota high school standout and University of Minnesota captain made his debut with his hometown Wild last Saturday in Vancouver before skating at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Monday and Wednesday.

Lucchini, 27, had a longer path to his NHL debut, which came Wednesday with the Ottawa Senators. The Trail, B.C., native played four seasons at Michigan Tech before appearing in 200 AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Laval and Belleville. He led the B-Sens with 20 goals and 51 points last season, earning an NHL contract with Ottawa this past summer. This year with Belleville, Lucchini has seven goals and 16 assists for 23 points through 24 games.

At long last, the Coachella Valley Firebirds are heading home.

The first-year club will play their first home game at Acrisure Arena on Sunday when they host the Tucson Roadrunners at the brand-new 11,000-seat, $300-million facility in Palm Desert, Calif.

Playing the first two months of the season on the road (including four “home” games in Seattle, home of their NHL affiliate), the Firebirds have a record of 13-5-3-0 heading into tonight’s visit to San Diego.

Cleveland Monsters rookie head coach Trent Vogelhuber is getting the full gamut of emotions that come with the job.

Last Sunday in Hershey, the Monsters had gone down to the Bears early in the second period, 5-1. With an 8-1 loss at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to start the weekend followed by a 3-2 defeat in Hershey the following night, the Monsters were looking at a rough finish before their long bus ride back home.

“Those kinds of inconsistencies happen with a young team,” acknowledged Vogelhuber, who was an assistant coach with Cleveland for four seasons following a playing career highlighted by a Calder Cup championship with the Monsters in 2016.

“We went out hoping to throw our sticks in the middle of the ice and play some pond hockey, and that’s what happens in the second-best league in the world against the best team in that league. It was a rude awakening for us.”

It certainly was, and Vogelhuber made that clear to his club following the first period. The Monsters heard him and went on to score four unanswered goals against the AHL’s second-best club defensively before scratching out a 6-5 win via the shootout.

Having the league’s best record was never going to be enough for head coach Todd Nelson to let his Hershey club off the hook after that loss to Cleveland.

Nelson was not happy, and he made that clear to everyone. Even the AHL’s top clubs can and will find themselves going through the ups, downs, and frustrations of a long season. Nelson knows that, but he is trying to head off any problems before they fester for too long.

“I thought we had a great first period,” Nelson said, “and we stopped playing. This is starting to sound like a broken record to me. It’s up to the guys in the room, especially our leadership group, to take control of that situation. That’s something that they have to handle in the room. As coaches, you can talk about it. [But] it’s up to them to work on it.”

Still, Nelson is also a pragmatist and has seen enough of the ups and downs of a long AHL season throughout a career that features three Calder Cup championships as a player, assistant coach and head coach. While the Bears are positioned well, standings-wise, going into a three-in-three weekend that begins tonight at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Nelson knows that December’s issues must be addressed to set up a long postseason run come April.

Just as he did with the Grand Rapids Griffins on their way to a Calder Cup in 2017, Nelson entrusts his veterans with considerable influence within the dressing room.

“Teams that are championship teams, they keep on playing, because they want more,” he said. “That’s our goal here, to win [a Calder Cup]. But it’s human nature. Sometimes you think, ‘Okay, it’s going to be easy for the rest of the game,’ but it’s not. We have to overcome that, and that comes from within the room. Our leadership group has to hold the guys accountable and move forward.”

Is Henderson turning a corner after spending most of the season’s first two months near the bottom of the Pacific Division?

Head coach Manny Viveiros believes so.

“I certainly do,” Viveiros said Thursday, a day after the Silver Knights blanked San Jose, 5-0, behind 31 saves from Laurent Brossoit. “I think it’s just an accumulation of what we’ve been working on from the beginning of the season.”

The Silver Knights will take a five-game point streak (4-0-0-1) into this weekend’s two-game series with visiting Abbotsford. They have won four in a row, including two wins at Colorado last weekend to knock the Eagles out of first place.

“It’s taken us a little bit of time for it to come together,” Viveiros said, “but I think we’ve played some pretty good hockey. Maybe haven’t gotten the results we wanted, but our message always to the players is that if we play the game the right way and within our structure and how we want to play the game, we’re going to get rewarded for it.

“I give the credit to the players. They’re the ones that really stepped up and understood as a group what we need to do to be successful.”

With Providence Bruins star rookie forward prospect Fabian Lysell soon to represent Sweden at the IIHF World Junior Championship later this month, head coach Ryan Mougenel has a few simple hopes for that experience.

“Just go enjoy it,” Mougenel said.

“He’s obviously a big part of our offense here. I think playing in those big-moment games is going to be huge. He’s going to have many of them in his pro career. So how he handles the anxiety of that is going to be something that I think he can bring back to us.”

Part of a promising rookie class in Providence that also features Georgii Merkulov, Luke Toporowski, John Beecher and Marc McLaughlin, the 19-year-old Lysell is tied for seventh in AHL rookie scoring at 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in 19 outings with the P-Bruins. He went to the Boston Bruins as the 21st pick overall in the 2021 NHL Draft.

The Rockford IceHogs will put their six-game point streak (4-0-1-1) to the test tonight when the North Division-leading Toronto Marlies visit.

David Gust started the IceHogs’ week off well, dropping his first career AHL hat trick on the visiting Iowa Wild in a 7-4 victory on Tuesday. Gust, whose AHL career-best in goals is 18 with Bakersfield in 2018-19, already has 13 goals in 23 games this season and has added 15 assists to tie him for seventh among AHL scoring leaders at 28 points.

San Diego appears to be heading into the weekend without goaltenders Lukas Dostal and Olle Eriksson Ek, both on recall to Anaheim following injuries to the Ducks’ John Gibson and Anthony Stolarz.

Dostal, who was leading the AHL in minutes played at the time of his recall last weekend, made 23 saves on Thursday night to help the Ducks to a 5-2 win at Montreal.

Garrett Metcalf, up from ECHL Utah, stopped 36 of 38 shots for the Gulls on Wednesday night in Abbotsford.

A 10-game scoring streak, the third-longest in the AHL this season, has propelled Syracuse Crunch forward Gemel Smith up the league scoring leaderbord with 24 points in 19 games overall. Smith has five goals and nine assists during the run.

The Crunch also have the AHL’s leading scorer in defenseman Darren Raddysh (32 points), while forward Alex Barré-Boulet is tied for fifth overall at 29 points.

QUOTEBOOK
“We’ll get it fixed by April.”
— Hershey head coach Todd Nelson on working through Sunday’s tough loss to Cleveland.

No makeup information has been determined.

Hockey East announced that BU's final game of 2022, a Dec. 30 match-up with Harvard at Walter Brown Arena will be broadcast on ESPN2. Announcers will be Clay Matvick and former Terrier All-American and Most Outstanding Player of the 2009 NCAA championship game Colby Cohen.

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First Half Jersey Records:

White "Candy Canes" 5-1
Red "Candy Canes" 4-1
"Terrier" Throwbacks 1-1
"Boston University" Reds 1-2

????@OnBrannd | @jennavansickle @mattwoolverton | @cfernandez516 pic.twitter.com/OE4VyUwSjE

— BU Hockey Stats (@BUHockeyStats) December 14, 2022

Looking ahead

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????????????

Bednarik picks his corner to put Team USA up a pair!#FourNations pic.twitter.com/3vpdZ3Qryl

— USA Hockey’s NTDP (@USAHockeyNTDP) December 15, 2022

2024 recruit Kamil Bednarik scored a pair of goal in Team USA’s 8-2 winagainst Sweden in opening game of the the Four Nations Tournament in Romanshorn, Switzerland. The Elmhurst, Ill. Native has 10 goals and five assists for the U17s. 2024 recruit Cole Hutson had an unassisted goal (below) and two assists.

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The silky moves from the d-man ????

Hutson goes coast-to-coast to get in on the action!#FourNations pic.twitter.com/gbh64ZMfVb

— USA Hockey’s NTDP (@USAHockeyNTDP) December 15, 2022

In its second game of the tournament, Team USA routed Slovakia, 9-1. Hutson, younger brother of BU’s Lane Hutson and Quinn Hutson, had another 3-point game (1G,2A). With 27 points in 26 games, the defenseman is third in scoring for the U17s.

2023 recruit Jack Harvey scored his league leading 20^thgoal and added an assist in Chicago’s 6-3 win against Madison. He remains the USHL points leader with a 20-17-37 scoring line in 24 games. 2023 or 2024 recruit Macklin Celebrini had a pair of assists for the Steel and how has 26 points in 18 games.

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Shane Lachance unleashes the stuffing with his 15th of the season! ???? ???? ???? pic.twitter.com/BBnDn2L6NR

— Youngstown Phantoms (@YtownPhantoms) December 17, 2022

2023 recruit Shane Lachance scored his 15 goal in Youngstown’s 2-1 overtime win against Muskegon. He second in USHL goal-scoring behind Harvey.

Looking back

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Otter went "WHACK!" ???? pic.twitter.com/9ary2QZbwN

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) December 16, 2022

Jake Oettinger put on a goaltending clinic, stopping 45 shots, including four by Alex Ovechkin, to earn first-star honors in the Stars’ 2-1win against Washington.

● NHL.com  Rising to challenge, Oettinger pauses history in epic win.

Oettinger is a key part of Dallas’ Core 4 Under 24 talent that TSN says it’s the NHL’s best.

Alex Vlasic will miss six weeks of action, after suffering a fibula fracture. The AHL Rockford defenseman was skating on his team’s top line and was +13.

● NBC Sports Chicago report

"On Friday, we found out that Liberec will not postpone the match. There were ten players at training and there were twelve of us on Saturday. We were in danger of losing it by default. I didn't want it to turn out that way."

It’s also kind of annoying that the New York Islanders brought back the old Captain Highliner logo for their reverse retros, which everyone absolutely despised back in the day, and now, somehow, like magic, it has come back from the dead, and people suddenly like it. Huh?

That said, a couple of teams really hit the ball out of the park with their reverse retros. The L.A. Kings’ return to purple and yellow is lovely.

So is the Minnesota Wild’s homage to the Minnesota North Stars. Very classy look indeed.

But what about these beauties? You just knew these were coming up…

Yowza! You can probably imagine how delighted I was to find out the San Jose Sharks were turning back the clock to 1974-75 and bringing back the last uniforms worn by the California Golden Seals. These really pop on an HD TV. The Sharks could bring these out every night from here on in, and I will wholeheartedly support that initiative.

Anyhoo, what do you guys think of the the Sharks’ new Seals-inspired jerseys? Drop me a message in the “Contact Steve” section, and let me know, and I’ll post some of your responses on the site.

Until next time, stay gold!

Dear Santa –

We all have been thoroughly thrilled by the action in D-III in the first half of the 2022-23 season and would collectively be even more excited if you could give us more of the same in the second half, right through the national tournament in March. …

The post A D-III East Hockey Letter to Santa appeared first on College Hockey | USCHO.com.

December 11-18, 2022 – Cornwall, Ont.

Sweden 5, Canada West 3

• Zeb Forsfjäll scored on the power play and added a shorthanded goal for Sweden.
• Aiden Fink (Calgary, Alta./Brooks, AJHL) had a goal and an assist for Canada West.
• Otto Stenberg had a goal and an assist for Sweden.
• Conyr Hellyr (Okotoks, Alta./Okotoks, AJHL) and Matteo Giampa (Virgil, Ont./Bonnyville, AJHL) also scored for Canada West.
• Noah Erliden made 37 saves for the win.

Next games – Thursday, December 16:

• United States vs. Latvia – 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT
• Sweden vs. Canada East – 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

Quotes:

“This was some more learning experience for us. We played a desperate, hungry team in Sweden tonight. We have to raise our desperation level going into the weekend. We were too complacent in some areas, not hard enough in a few battles. When you play good teams that are desperate and hungry, that trumps everything, as it should.”

• Canada West head coach Justin Falk (Snowflake, Man./Winkler, MJHL) on his takeaways from the loss.

“Coach [Falk] has said that our identity is playing hard; hard forechecking, moving our feet, getting on them early, finishing our checks when we can and making simple plays in the neutral zone. I have been trying to make sure I am doing that in my game. I feel like I have been having more consistent games and getting better throughout the tournament. I am so happy to be here, it is so cool to play for your country with all of the other guys here.”

• Sam Huck (Calgary, Alta./Okotoks, AJHL) on learning from the West coaching staff.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada will broadcast the bronze medal and gold medal games from the Cornwall Civic Complex; please check local listings for details. All preliminary-round games and semifinals are livestreamed for purchase at HockeyCanada.ca.

Photo credit: Robert Lefebvre / Hockey Canada Images

For more information on the 2022 World Junior A Challenge, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook and Twitter.

– 30 –

For further information or to be removed from the media contact list, please contact:

Jacob Wolfenden
Coordinator, Communications                 
Hockey Canada
289.880.2469
[email protected]

TOUR D’HORIZON POUR LES MÉDIAS DU DÉFI MONDIAL JUNIOR A 2022 – JEUDI 15 DÉCEMBRE

11-18 décembre 2022 – Cornwall, Ont.

Suède 5, Canada Ouest 3

• Zeb Forsfjäll a marqué en avantage numérique et en désavantage numérique pour la Suède.
• Aiden Fink (Calgary, Alb./Brooks, AJHL) a inscrit un but et une aide pour Canada Ouest.
• Otto Stenberg a compté un but et une aide pour la Suède.
• Conyr Hellyr (Okotoks, Alb./Okotoks, AJHL) et Matteo Giampa (Virgil, Ont./Bonnyville, AJHL) ont aussi touché la cible pour Canada Ouest.
• Noah Erliden a effectué 37 arrêts dans la victoire.

Prochains matchs – vendredi 16 décembre 2022

• États-Unis c. Lettonie – 14 h HE/11 h HP
• Suède c. Canada Est – 19 h HE/16 h HP

Citations :

« Ce fut une autre occasion d’apprentissage pour nous. Nous avons affronté une équipe désespérée et affamée en la Suède ce soir. Nous devrons jouer avec plus d’urgence pendant la fin de semaine. Nous avons été trop complaisants par moments et trop mous lors de certaines batailles. Lorsque vous jouez contre de bonnes équipes qui sont désespérées et affamées, les matchs tendent à aller en leur faveur, c’est normal. »

• L’entraîneur-chef de Canada Ouest Justin Falk (Snowflake, Man./Winkler, MJHL) sur les leçons à tirer de la défaite

« L’entraîneur a dit que notre identité, c’était de jouer avec intensité, d’appliquer un échec avant insistant, de rester en mouvement, de provoquer des choses, de terminer nos mises en échec autant que possible et de faire des jeux simples en zone neutre. C’est ce que je m’efforce de faire quand je suis sur la glace. Je sens que j’ai plus de constance pendant les matchs et que je m’améliore au fil du tournoi. Je suis tellement content d’être ici, c’est génial de jouer pour mon pays avec tous les autres gars ici. »

• Sam Huck (Calgary, Alb./Okotoks, AJHL) sur ce qu’il apprend du personnel d’entraîneurs de Canada Ouest

TSN et RDS, partenaires officiels de diffusion de Hockey Canada, présenteront les matchs pour la médaille de bronze et la médaille d’or disputés au Complexe civique de Cornwall; veuillez consulter votre programmation locale pour plus de détails. Tous les matchs de la ronde préliminaire et les demi-finales peuvent être achetés en webdiffusion au Hockeycanada.ca.

Pour de plus amples renseignements sur le Défi mondial junior A 2022, veuillez consulter le site HockeyCanada.ca ou suivre les médias sociaux Facebook et Twitter.

– 30 –

Pour en savoir plus ou pour vous désabonner de la liste des contacts médias, veuillez communiquer avec :

Jacob Wolfenden
Coordonnateur, communications
Hockey Canada
289-880-2469
[email protected]

Merrimack received a commitment from ‘04-born forward Vann Yuhas on Thursday.

Yuhas is currently playing for the Drumheller Dragons in the AJHL where he is teammates with fellow Merrimack recruit Ty Daneault.

Read more

Courteau will stay on as league commissioner for the first six months of the 2023-24 season. The search for the new commissioner will begin after the holidays and conclude with the nomination of the replacement in May. He will then hand over the keys to the QMJHL to his successor and be involved on a mentorship level until May 31, 2024.

By the same token, the QMJHL announced that the Presidents Cup will be renamed as the Gilles Courteau Trophy, starting in the 2023 playoffs.

Courteau started in the QMJHL in 1975 with the Trois-Rivieres Draveurs and moved to the league office in 1977 as a statistician. He took over as league president during the 1985-86 season after Dr. Guy Morissette resigned. His league president title was then renamed to league commissioner in 2000.

More from Sportsnet

QMJHL Roundup: Mercier’s OT winner leads Wildcats to win over Mooseheads

QMJHL players accused of sex assault: Sports minister says hockey culture must change

Jonathan McBean netted twice while netminder Ben Norton secured an 11-shot shutout.

Bayley Harewood put GB ahead when his initial shot rebounded off a Netherlands skate straight back to him to fire past Jowin Ansems (16:45).

Liam Steele’s pinpoint pass found Juha Lindgren who had time to control the puck and slot in GB’s second (21:51), before Mack Stewart swept home a loose puck from the right circle (32:58).

It was 4-0 only 52 seconds later as Christian Mohr’s cross-ice pass rebounded off the boards and Aren Francis used his speed to beat the Netherlands defence and round Ansems (33:50).

GB’s fifth came on the powerplay when Jack Hopkins fed McBean who went short-side moments after coming out the penalty box (39:45).

Hopkins then turned goalscorer, slotting in GB’s sixth (56:36) before McBean got his second goal of the afternoon by banking his shot in off Ansems (59:02).

GB Under-20s schedule and results 
Sunday 11th December: Lithuania 3-4 Great Britain – Hopkins 2, Hamill, Harewood
Tuesday 13th December: Great Britain 4-7 Croatia – Harewood, Lindgren, Hazeldine, Endicott
Wednesday 14th December: Great Britain 9-0 Romania – Stewart 3, Steele 2, McBean 2, Hopkins, Mitchell-King
Friday 16th December: Netherlands 0-7 Great Britain – McBean 2, Harewood, Lindgren, Stewart, Francis, Hopkins
Saturday 17th December: Great Britain v Spain 12:30 (10:30 UK time)

They’re so incredible, we’ve expanded our usual list of 10 to have our Top 15 Games of the Year:

15. Boiling Springs (Pa.) 1, Exeter Wyoming Area (Pa.) 0
Nov. 19, 2022
Final, PIAA Class A Tournament
The Bubblers had won their first major trophy just two weeks previous with the District 3-A championship, and just kept on with the momentum before winning the final in the final three minutes of play

14. San Diego University City (Calif.) 0, Rancho Bernardo (Calif.) 0; University City wins 2-0 in penalty shootout
Nov. 12, 2022
Final, CIF San Diego Section Division 1 Tournament
They’ve been playing field hockey at University City High School for 41 years, but this was the first postseason championship for the Centurions. Jenna Amos and Keiko Yamamuro had the goals in the penalty shootout, while goalie  Emma Giesting stopped four Rancho Bernardo attempts

13. Longmeadow (Mass.) 2, Bolton Nashoba Regional (Mass.) 1
Nov. 19, 2022
Final, IAAM Division 2 Tournament
Longmeadow was looking to bring head coach Ann Simons her first state championship after 42 years of trying. Riley Harrington pinged a penalty corner in the 44th minute to win the contest, Simons’ final at the helm

12. Northport (N.Y.) 1, Scarsdale (N.Y.) 0, OT
Nov. 12, 2022
Semifinal, NYSPHSAA Class A semifinal
The game-winner was from Olivia McKenna, who wove around two players to score the winner in the 69th minute of play

11, Pottstown Hill School (Pa.) 2, Newtown Square Episcopal Academy (Pa.) 1
Nov. 16, 2022
Final, PAISAA Tournament
Same two schools, same site, same round of the PAISAA Tournament as 2021. But Hill came out ahead this time around, thanks to a goal from freshman Opal Sparling with 39 seconds left in regulation

10. Mechanicsburg (Pa.) 3, Mountain Top Crestwood (Pa.) 2, OT
Nov. 12, 2022
Quarterfinal, PIAA Class AA Tournament
Mechanicsburg may have felt it was hard-done because of an umpire’s decision to keep playing after the Wildcats’ goalkeeper lost her helmet during a collision. That goal tied the game 1-1 at half, and the teams would exchange goals in the final five minutes of regulation. Mechanicsburg would take advantage of an overtime green card, allowing Grayson Catalano to push across the game-winner

9. Virginia Beach Frank W. Cox (Va.) 3, Ashburn Independence (Va.) 2, 2OT
Nov. 12, 2022
Semifinal, VHSL Class 5 Tournament
This game had to be moved from Massaponax (Va.) because of a power outage, but both teams had plenty of energy. The game finished in the 77th minute on a penalty corner tip

8. Mechanicsburg (Pa.) 1, Palmyra (Pa.) 0, OT
Nov. 19, 2022
Final, PIAA Class AAA Tournament
This was the fourth time that these two Mid-Penn Keystone Conference rivals played in 2022. With the season series tied with a win, a loss, and a draw, this was set up for a dramatic rubber game. And, once again, Catalano proved to be golden in overtime, scoring the championship winner for Mechanicsburg

7. Norfolk (Va.) Academy 2, Woolwich Kingsway (N.J.) 1, OT
Sept. 25, 2022
National High School Invitational
Lizzie Adams scored a breathtaking goal from Joji Purdy to best a Kingsway team which was testing its out-of-state mettle for the first time

6. San Diego Canyon Hills (Calif.) 2, San Diego Torrey Pines (Calif.) 1
Nov. 12, 2022
Final, CIF San Diego Section Open Division
Canyon Hills was looking to go through an unbeaten season with new head coach Kat Keivens, who had taken over for the legendary Laurie Berger. Canyon Hills had a 1-0 lead in the final minute of the third quarter when Torrey Pines was awarded a penalty stroke. But goalkeeper Ryan Robinson did the splits to cover the lower part of the cage, repelling the shot. The Falcons weren’t discouraged, and leveled the match four minutes from time. That led to a 60th-minute corner for Canyon Hills. On the play, Mia Clark pinged one off the goalie’s glove and it bounced over the line, giving the Rattlers the win

5. Clinton North Hunterdon (N.J.) 2, Clearview (N.J.) 1, OT
Nov. 12, 2022
Final, NJSIAA Group 3 Tournament
The game was scoreless for the first 50 minutes until Clearview took the lead. Then, it became The Lauren Masters Show. She had a backhand attempt tackled away by the Clearview goalie with five minutes left, then was the primary receiver on a last-minute corner. She scored on the untimed corner at the end of regulation, then added another on a smartly-finished breakaway in the 62nd minute, ending the game

4. Delmar (Del.) 3, Lewes Cape Henlopen (Del.) 2, OT
Nov. 5, 2022
Final, Henlopen Athletic Conference
It was expected to be the Game of the Year in the First State, seeing as these two proud programs were the current title-holders in their respective divisions. Plus, these two sides have played some ridiculously close games in the last three years. And this one would be no different. Delmar took a 2-0 lead, only to see the Vikings equalize in the fourth quarter. In the eighth minute of overtime, Delmar earned a penalty corner, then Cape was called for encroachment, sending one of their three outfielders to the 50-yard line. Maci Bradford, on the corner reception, drew the attention of the entire Viking corner defense team and slipped the ball to teammate Baylie Phillips, who made no mistake

3. West Lawn Wilson (Pa.) 2, Emmaus (Pa.) 1
Nov. 16, 2022
Semifinal, PIAA Class AAA Tournament
Emmaus was not only trying to make the PIAA Class AAA final for the third straight season, it was also trying to defend a 69-game winning streak. The streak had begun, interestingly, after a 2019 loss to Wilson in the state semifinal. Emmaus had the lead in this game, but Wilson tied the game in the 35th. Wilson would win the game at the death on an Erika Culp cross to Caroline Horace, who put the ball in the cage with 4.2 seconds left on the clock

2. Lower Dauphin (Pa.) 3, West Lawn Wilson (Pa.) 2, OT
Nov. 19, 2022
Final, PIAA Class AAA Tournament
In an interesting parallel with the Wilson-Emmaus contest, Lower Dauphin was taken to extra time by Wilson, like it had been in 2019. But the teams would not go to penalties this time. Instead, it was Avery Pollock solving the Bulldogs’ defense in the final minute of overtime

1. Smyrna (Del.) 2, Lewes Cape Henlopen (Del.) 1, OT
Nov. 19, 2022
Final, DIAA Division 1 Tournament
This result has to be from the “out of left field” department, seeing as how dominant Cape Henlopen has been over the last eleven years, winning 10 DIAA state champions. But Smyrna had a splendid 2022 regular season, losing only to Delmar and to Cape Henlopen. In the third minute of overtime, Smyrna’s defense almost gave away the game on a backpass that was intercepted and sent to the penalty spot, but the Eagles’ goalkeeper made an extraordinary save. Less than a minute later, Smyrna got possession in the final third on the right wing, and a deflected diagonal pass was knocked in by a prone Kristen Johnson

Yesterday, a report commissioned by the National Women’s Soccer League and the NWSL Players’ Association and authored by a joint investigative team comprising two law firms, found specific allegations not only within the league, but going all the way up the authority chain at U.S. Soccer, which was a primary funding source of the league at the start of the NWSL’s existence.

Specifically, the report fingers three-term U.S. Soccer Federation present Sunil Gulati, long-time general counsel Lisa Levine, chief legal officer Lydia Wahlke, and former general secretary Dan Flynn. They are faulted for their inaction in responding to numerous complaints about potential misconduct by several coaches within the NWSL during the time they were running away from allegations of misconduct at their former clubs, creating a merry-go-round of toxic coaches.

To me, these are devastating allegations against the USSF as an institution. They paint the very body who is supposed to run the game in the United States as an old boys’ club, out of touch with how to treat members of the opposite gender.

The recommendations made at the end of the report are simple. So simple, that the first reaction is, “That was allowed in the NWSL?”

Amongst the recommendations:

• Extending a non-fraternization policy to any club staff in supervisory positions over players, not just the head coaches;

• A zero-tolerance policy against any sexual or romantic relationship between staff and players, even if consensual;

• Require clubs to match their anti-harassment policies to be consistent with the NWSL’s anti-harassment policy;

• Provide written guidance to coaches and other club staff about inappropriate comments about players’ weights;

• Requiring separate housing accommodations for players and club staff during the season;

• Require a separation of powers when it came to key club roles; in other words, having separate people holding head coach, general manager, and principal owner roles;

• Provide annual anti-harassment and anti-bullying training, and incorporate anti-retaliation training into that;

• Conduct background and reference checks on all prospective owners, coaches, staff, and even some volunteers who may interact with players;

• Sharing findings of misconduct not only between clubs, but with U.S. Soccer and other stakeholders;

• End the use of non-disclosure agreements in connection with allegations of misconduct.

Yup, all of these recommendations were put in writing to address specific faults within the NWSL over the last decade, creating the imbroglio which has enveloped the league the last couple of seasons.

Given what the report says, it does bring up an interesting question: even if every single recommendation gets adopted leaguewide, will it prevent one microaggression? Will it help clean up ownership? Will the game improve in the U.S.?

To my thinking, the report has a chance to create outsized expectations for the cleanup of team culture, meaning that the next scandal involving players within the league could shake the NWSL to its very core, even more than the toxic merry-go-round ever did.

I hope it doesn’t.

But the one thing that caught my eye was the fact that, as part of the National Cup Championship weekend, an exhibition game was played featuring a number of good post-graduate players and former members of Athletes Unlimited. The promotion, under the name By The Pros, sees to do more fan engagement, especially at Corrigan Sports Group events and camps around the country.

The game, between the Everglades and the Nighthawks, was a 10-on-10 game which looked very much like an Athletes Unlimited game except the “grapefruit” arc appeared to be a a couple of yards narrower than what has been used before. In addition, the league’s two-point shot is from 12 meters out rather than eight.

A number of tremendous players such as Sydney Watson, Sam Swart, Aurora Cordingley, Kayla Wood, Allie Jimerson, Molly Garrett, Angie Benson, Emily Hawryschuk, and Division II lacrosse star Peyton Romig have committed to playing in By The Pros. The teams, like in the days of the WPLL and UWLX, have coaches.

Mind you, this is a small endeavor to start with; each team had a very limited number of subs on the night. Too, the league had to dip into Division II and the NAIA to find alumnae to play.

Still, it’s a good-faith start at another professional women’s lacrosse circuit. And, like the original pro lacrosse leagues, the fixtures are timed to occur during major regional lacrosse events, ensuring maximum exposure.

This could get interesting.

Drafting Strömgren

With the Calgary Flames holding the 45th overall pick inside the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft, general manager Brad Treliving selected the two-way winger. Strömgren, a product of Örnsköldsvik, Sweden weighed in at 6’3″ and 175 lbs at the time of his draft year and has come into this calendar season, with a bigger frame, clocking in at 181 lbs.

In his draft year, the main upsides to his skillset—as noted by scouts—were his skating ability and his puck-handling skill. He is known as more of a shooter rather than a playmaker as he possesses a pretty quick and accurate release. On top of that, his on-ice vision in his ability to set up his teammates was another positive attribute highlighted by scouts.

Post-draft development

After the draft, the road hasn’t been easy for Strömgren thus far as he has juggled through some teams over the past two seasons. Strömgren failed to make the cut and solidify a clear spot with Rögle BK in the SHL in the 2021–22 season and later decided to depart the organization early this fall. Strömgren has since cracked a spot with Brynäs IF in the SHL, where he’s turned into a regular bottom-six winger for the club as a 19-year-old, this season. He currently has two goals and three assists on the year, through 26 games played thus far.

It should be noted that Strömgren’s on-ice role is fundamentally centred around deployment in defensive situations. With his numbers not exactly being the most attractive, he will likely take the task of being responsible to execute what he knows within a similar bottom-six role for the national junior team.

Sweden’s WJC schedule

Sweden will be competing inside Group A at the tournament starting this boxing day, alongside Canada, Czechia, Germany and Austria. They are set to play two pre-tournament matchups; the first being on December 21 against the United States and then on December 23 versus Switzerland. The puck drop for both matchups at 12:30 pm MST.

Sweden’s group stage schedule:

December 26 vs Austria, 11:30 am MST

December 27 vs Germany, 11:30 am MST

December 29 vs Czechia, 11:30 am MST

December 31 vs Canada, 4:30 pm MST

Keeping an eye on Strömgren

For Flames fans, this will be an opportunity to see Strömgren in action to see if they can spot what the scouts saw when they drafted him too. Let’s see how he does at the tournament.

The post Taking a brief look at William Strömgren & Sweden’s WJC schedule appeared first on The Win Column.

This season, with a bigger role on the Flames, Toffoli has taken a huge step forward. He currently sits third for points on the Flames with 21. Along side better production, Toffoli has been way more consistent and has been one of the best Flames so far.

Let’s take deeper look at Toffoli’s play this season compared to last season.

Comparing Toffoli’s numbers over the past two seasons

Looking at some 5v5 score- and venue-adjusted numbers via NaturalStatTrick.com can show us just how much Toffoli has improved this season.

These numbers show us that his past two seasons have so far been polar opposites. Toffoli ranked last on the Flames in all but one metric where he ranked second last, but this season he’s in the top five for all metrics.

Looking at his PDO from both years, he was a little unlucky last season with PDO of 0.990 and he has had some luck go his way with a PDO of 1.005. Both are close to the average PDO of 1.000, but it’s interesting to see that the difference of his stats isn’t a product of luck.

Diving deeper into Toffoli’s improved play using analytic models

JFresh

Starting off with JFresh’s 2021–23 cards, we can see that Toffoli has improved in every realm of the game this season. The most noticeable improvements is his even strength play. His even strength offence jumped up from 42% to 65% which makes for a difference of 23%. His even strength defence is the biggest change going from 18% to 48%, a difference of 30%. Other stats have minor changes except for his finishing which had a small boost from 31% to 40%.

Evolving-Hockey

Moving over to Evolving-Hockey.com, we will be look at their regularized adjusted plus-minus (RAPM) charts. The RAPM chart one the left is from 2021–22 and the one on the right is from this current season.

We can see once again that Toffoli has improved at both ends of the ice. All the offensive per 60 metrics have improved with CF/60 improving the most, and both of the defensive metrics have greatly improved.

HockeyViz

Finishing off with HockeyViz.com, we will look at some 5v5 charts that show us the Flames offence and defence with and without Toffoli on the ice. For those unfamiliar with these charts, here is a quick summary. Red represents shots and offence creation, so the deeper the red, the more shot and offence creation, as for the blue, it represents where shots and offence are struggling to be created, so the deeper the blue, the less shots and offence. With that, it’s better to have red for offence and better to have blue for defence.

Toffoli in 2021–22:

Toffoli in 2022–23:

As we can see the Flames were better without Toffoli last season, yet this season it’s the complete opposite. Starting with offence: last year, Toffoli generated a ton of offence from the point, but around the net there was the ocean of death that killed most of his results. With Toffoli the Flames had a +2% and xGF/60 of 2.65 which is okay, but without him they had a +17% and a xGF/60 of 3.04 which I would consider really good.

Now looking at this year the Flames offensive results look a lot better with him. Toffoli still struggles around the same area he did last season but not to the same extent, and he generates shots in more dangerous areas such as the middle of the zone. With him on the ice the Flames have a +9% and xGF/60 of 2.96 compared to without where they have a -5% and a xGF/60 of 2.59. The Flames offence is definitely better with Toffoli.

Moving to the other end of the ice, Toffoli’s defensive results are completely different from last year. When out on the ice, the Flames were allowing a ton of shots to be generated in front of the net and in the middle of the zone. They had a +10%, and because it’s defence, a positive number is not good, and a xGA of 2.87. Comparing that to without Toffoli, they had a -13% and a xGA/60 of only 2.27.

This season, Toffoli’s defensive game did a full 180°. With him, the Flames have defended extremely well in front of the net, the low slot, and middle of the zone which are some of the areas that create the most dangerous chances. The Flames have an amazing -17% and xGA/60 of 2.26 with him on the ice. Without him, the Flames still defend solid in front of the net, but struggle in the slot and in the middle of the zone. They only have a -4% and xGA/60 of 2.61 when Toffoli is on the bench.

We can see that last year, Toffoli dragged the team down a little bit when he was out there, but this is a completely different story as he is a very valuable piece to this Flames team.

Toffoli is now the player the Flames thought they were getting

Tyler Toffoli has taken huge step forwards after being given a bigger role to play this year and that has been crucial for the Flames. Toffoli plays more consistent and produces more frequently. He was at the bottom of the team ranking in xG%, CF%, SCF%, and HDCF% last year, but this year he ranks near the top in each metric.

When we dive into some analytical models, we can see that his play at both ends of the ice have improved tremendously compared last year, especially his defence, going from horrid to possibly some of the best on the team.

Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire

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The NHL announced on Friday morning that former Washington Capitals and current Detroit Red Wings left-wing Jakub Vrana has been reinstated by the league and the players’ association player assistance program.

The 26-year-old practiced with Detroit for the first time since mid-October.

Jakub Vrana back at Red Wings practice for first time since being placed in players assistance program Oct. 19. pic.twitter.com/JGN0XK3qWE

— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) December 16, 2022

The NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program was created in 1996 to help NHL players and their families deal with substance abuse, mental health, and other personal challenges.

Vrana played two games before entering the program, tallying a goal and an assist against former Washington teammate and goaltender Vitek Vanecek against the New Jersey Devils on October 15.

He was scratched two nights later vs. the Los Angeles Kings due to “personal reasons.”

Vrana has only played 39 games since arriving at the trade deadline on April 12 2021, in the deal that sent left-wing Anthony Mantha to Washington. He missed the first 56 games of last season due to shoulder surgery after sustaining an injury within the first 10 minutes of training camp. However, in those 39 games in Detroit, Vrana has scored 22 goals with 32 points.

The Capitals host Detroit on Monday but Vrana, who has yet to face the team he won the Stanley Cup with in 2018, will likely not be ready after being away from the team for eight weeks. Detroit will also visit Capital One Arena on Tuesday, February 21.

Washington currently leads Detroit by two points for the third wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference but Detroit has three games in hand.

By Harrison Brown