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Morning Notes: Smith-Pelly, Boychuk, Sweden

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The Washington Capitals have recalled Devante Smith-Pelly ahead of their next game against the Carolina Hurricanes. T.J. Oshie “won’t be playing any time soon” according to head coach Todd Reirden after the forward was run into the boards by Carolina’s Warren Foegele last night. Foegele will not receive any disciplinary action from the league for the hit, but the Capitals will still have to find a way forward without one of their leaders up front.

In comes Smith-Pelly, who spent a good chunk of the year in the minor leagues after being waived by the team earlier this year. The 2018 playoff hero had 14 points in 20 games for the Hershey Bears, but will now try to prove that he still belongs on the NHL team. In 48 career playoff games, Smith-Pelly has 13 goals—just one off the highest regular season total of his career.

USA Hockey Announces 2019 IIHF World Championship Preliminary Roster

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The IIHF World Championship gets underway in just a few weeks and USA Hockey has announced the first group of players that will be suiting up for them. GM Chris Drury released 17 names that will be taking part, including captain Patrick Kane. The group is an impressive list of NHL stars that could very well bring home the country’s first gold medal at the tournament in nearly 60 years. The roster so far is as follows:

G Thatcher Demko
G Cayden Primeau
G Cory Schneider

D Quinn Hughes
D Alec Martinez
D Brady Skjei
D Ryan Suter

F Alex DeBrincat
F Jack Eichel
F Luke Glendening
F Patrick Kane
F Clayton Keller
F Chris Kreider
F Dylan Larkin
F James van Riemsdyk
F Frank Vatrano
F Colin White

Snapshots: Kane, Bruins, Thornton

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USA Hockey has announced their captain for the upcoming IIHF World Championship and it will once again be Chicago Blackhawks superstar Patrick Kane. Kane served as captain of the team last year when they took home a bronze, and has competed several times internationally.

The club is expected to release their preliminary roster later this week, but it appears as though they will be one of the favorites again. The American squad will also feature Kane’s teammate Alex DeBrincat, along with others like James van Riemsdyk and Quinn Hughes. The group will be led by Jeff Blashill behind the bench, and play their first official game on May 10th against Slovakia.

  • When the dust settled on game two between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs, it appeared as though both teams would lose players for their next matchup. Nazem Kadri is expected to be given a long suspension for his cross-check to the face of Jake Debrusk, but the Bruins forward was back on the ice today at practice and is expected to play tonight. The same can be said about Torey Krug, who will take part in the game despite looking severely injured after taking a big hit from Jake Muzzin. Kadri meanwhile is having his in-person hearing in New York with the league.
  • After Kadri’s hearing the league will also be looking at Joe Thornton’s hit from the San Jose Sharks-Vegas Golden Knights game according to David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Thornton made considerable contact with Tomas Nosek’s head, and received a two minute minor penalty for it. It’s not clear if the hit will rise to the level of supplemental discipline, as the Department of Player Safety has not yet announced a hearing for Thornton. UPDATE 1:15pm: The league has announced a hearing for Thornton. It will happen today.

Snapshots: Worlds, McLellan, Hawkey

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Team Canada got turned down by Carey Price for the upcoming IIHF World Championship, but still could have some pretty excellent goaltending for the tournament. Not only will young phenom Carter Hart be part of the team, but Craig Morgan of The Athletic has heard that Darcy Kuemper is also on the team’s radar. There could be several other candidates considered, especially since teams exiting the first round of the playoffs would make their players available.

If it is Hart and Kuemper, it would certainly not be tandem that was expected at the beginning of the season. The Philadelphia Flyers goaltender won’t turn 21 until August, but put together quite an NHL debut this season. In 31 games Hart put up a .917 save percentage and kept Philadelphia in the playoff hunt longer than many expected early in the year. The same could be said about Kuemper, who went from unheralded backup to potential Vezina candidate after posting a .925 in 55 appearances. The tournament begins on May 10th.

  • Now that the draft lottery is over all eyes in Los Angeles will be waiting for the result of the Kings’ coaching search, which appears to still have some work to do. Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times tweets that as of earlier today nothing was imminent for the Kings, though they are still in the “sweepstakes” for Todd McLellan. McLellan has also been meeting with the Buffalo Sabres this week as he also takes in the NCAA Frozen Four, and reports have seemingly come from both sides that they were close to signing the coach. Wherever McLellan does end up, it seems as though the other team will quickly have to move on to their next candidate—unless another team moves on him first.
  • Speaking of the Frozen Four, Minnesota-Duluth won their semi-final game earlier today and eliminated the Providence Friars. That marks the end of several NCAA careers for Providence including goaltender Hayden Hawkey, who will now have to make a decision on whether to sign right away or wait for unrestricted free agency this summer. The Montreal Canadiens traded Hawkey’s rights last summer in exchange for a fifth-round pick, likely to avoid this situation since they already have a full depth chart of goaltenders. The 24-year old posted a .920 save percentage for Providence this season, his third as the team’s starter. He’ll become a free agent in August if the Oilers don’t get him under contract.

Russia Announces Several Players For IIHF World Championship

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The Russian National Team has announced several players who will begin preparation next week for the upcoming IIHF World Championship, and there are interesting notes to be gleaned from the list. The group is not exhaustive, meaning that several other players will join the team after being eliminated from their respective KHL or NHL playoffs, while not every player listed may end up suiting up at the tournament in May. The announced names:

Goaltender:

Alexandar Georgiev, New York Rangers

Defensemen:

Artem Zub, SKA St. Petersburg
Dinar Khafizullin, SKA St. Petersburg
Vladislav Gavrikov, SKA St. Petersburg
Artem Sergeev, Salavat Yulaev
Ilya Lyubushkin, Lokomotiv
Egor Yakovlev, New Jersey Devils
Ivan Provorov, Philadelphia Flyers

Forwards:

Ilya Kovalchuk, Los Angeles Kings
Vladislav Namestnikov, New York Rangers
Artem Anisimov, Chicago Blackhawks
Evgenii Dadonov, Florida Panthers
Alexander Burmistrov, Salavat Yulaev
Vladimir Tkachyov, Salavat Yulaev
Nikita Gusev, SKA St. Petersburg
Sergei Plotnikov, SKA St. Petersburg
Nail Yakupov, SKA St. Petersburg
Alexander Barabanov, SKA St. Petersburg

First and foremost, the eye will immediately be drawn to Gusev’s name after reports this morning indicated that he may be on his way to the Vegas Golden Knights instead. While Darren Dreger of TSN reports that Gusev’s representation is working to get him out of the last few weeks of his contract with SKA, the Golden Knights themselves have refused to comment on the situation. It’s not clear at this point if he will be allowed to join Vegas for an NHL playoff run, or if Gusev is instead going to join the national team and participate in the upcoming tournament.

Next is Provorov, who is set to become a restricted free agent this summer. Players often avoid going to the tournament if they don’t have a contract for next season due to the injury risk, but perhaps the Flyers have already done work to remedy that situation. In fact, the Russian press release indicates that Provorov will “join the team after he signs a new contract” indicating that they might not be waiting very long. The tournament starts on May 10th, well before Provorov would actually become an RFA.

Dadonov and Anisimov will also not be joining the Russian team right away. The former is dealing with a minor injury and will have to be cleared by the Panthers before reporting, while the latter is said to be joining the group on April 26th.

Hockey Canada Names World Championship Coaching Staff

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Hockey Canada has named their full coaching staff for the upcoming IIHF World Championship, a group that will be led by Alain Vigneault. The former New York Rangers bench boss will be joined by assistants Dave Hakstol, Lindy Ruff and Kirk Muller.

The entire staff has quite a bit of NHL experience under their belt, and were all employed recently if not this season. The group will be commanding a Canadian team that is expected to have quite a bit of talent, although some big names have already dropped out. Connor McDavid was injured in his last game of the season and won’t be able to attend, and Carey Price has already ruled himself out as well. Price’s teammate Shea Weber also is unlikely to go, instead looking forward to a full offseason of rest and training instead of rehab from injury.

Still, Canada always puts together a solid roster and should serve as a chance for Vigneault and others to show what they can do with a talented group. The former Rangers coach has been connected to various vacancies already, though one of those spots has already been filled with the hiring of Joel Quenneville in Florida.

The tournament runs May 10-26 in Slovakia and Canada’s contingent will be put together by a management group including Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill, and former GMs Ron Francis and Ron Hextall.

USA Hockey Announces World Championship Coaching Staff

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The upcoming IIHF World Championship will feature a USA Hockey squad led by GM Chris Drury and a very experienced coaching staff. The team announced today that Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill will serve in that role at the upcoming tournament, while John Hynes (New Jersey Devils), Dan Bylsma (Red Wings) and Kevin Reiter (USNTDP). Blashill will be leading the team for the third consecutive year.

Team USA will have quite a few outstanding options for the tournament, and have already started contacting players to see if they would be willing to suit up. Colin White and Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators, Alec Martinez of the Los Angeles Kings and Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks have already all been invited, though some are still taking time to make a decision. It seems likely that Blashill will try to convince Red Wings star forward Dylan Larkin, who has played in the last four tournaments and wore an “A” as alternate captain in the most recent.

The team was able to capture a bronze medal last year but will be looking for a different color this time around. The tournament kicks off on May 10th for the USA squad, with a matchup against Slovakia.

Mike Modano, Haley Wickenheiser Lead 2019 IIHF Hall Of Fame Inductees

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The IIHF Hall of Fame has announced their class of 2019, and several familiar names will inducted for their international pedigree. The full class includes Mike Modano, Haley Wickenheiser, Boris Alexandrov, Jorgen Jonsson, Ziggy Palffy, and Miroslav Satan. Konstantin Mihaylov and Jim Johannson will also receive the Richard “Bibi” Torriani Award and Paul Loicq Award respectively.

Modano, one of the greatest American players of all-time, competed in three different Olympic Games and took home a silver medal in 2002. He competed many other times internationally for the United States, including as part of their gold medal-winning World Cup team in 1996. He finished his NHL career with 1,374 points in 1,499 regular season games, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015.

Wickenheiser meanwhile is arguably the greatest female hockey player of all-time, and is unmatched on the international stage. She has five Olympic medals (four gold, one silver), 13 World Championship medals (seven gold, six silver) and was one of the first women to suit up in a professional men’s league. Wickenheiser was recently hired as assistant director of player development by the Toronto Maple Leafs, and will surely be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in her first year of eligibility.

The rest of the group is filled with familiar names including Palffy, who was a dominant NHL player in his day and left the league with 713 points in 684 games. Satan too made a name for himself in North America, playing in more than 1,000 games in the NHL and even recording a 40-goal season in 1998-99.

World Junior Notes: Eriksson Ek, Czech Republic, Hughes, Keyser

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With the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship underway in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, those teams that have yet to fill out their rosters continue to do so in the midst of the first round. Sweden made a notable addition to close out their roster, adding another goaltender in Olle Eriksson Ek, the IIHF announced. The 19-year-old keeper was a fifth-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2017 and was a backup for Sweden at the WJC last year. Eriksson Ek is having an underwhelming season with BIK Karlskoga of the Allsvenskan, the Swedish minor leagues, and has yet to appear in the SHL. However, the younger brother of Minnesota Wild forward Joel Eriksson Ek has undeniable athleticism and ability and was worthy of a roster spot again for the Swedes. However, so long as Samuel Ersson, a Philadelphia Flyers fifth-rounder this year, continues his hot start to the tournament, Eriksson Ek is unlikely to see any action.

  • The Czech Republic has also rounded out their roster with addition of a pair of NHL prospects. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman notes that the Czechs have added forward Jan Jenik and defenseman Radim Salda to their tournament team. Jenik was a third-round pick of the Arizona Coyotes back in June and has been a regular contributor for Bili Tygri Liberec of the top Czech league. Jenik is a smart, hard-working player who will bring a boost to the bottom-six for the Czechs. Salda is also a recent selection, a seventh-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Salda currently plays for Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL and brings the offensive touch that is typical of defenders out of that league. Salda is having a strong season for Rimouski and could prove to be a major addition on the Czech blue line. The Czechs have yet to win a game in regulation through two contests and face a tough challenge in the Canadians up next. The team hopes their newest additions can both be difference makers through the rest of their games.
  • When it was announced that American prodigy Jack Hughes would miss his team’s game against Kazakhstan yesterday, few were concerned, as the Americans won handily anyway, 8-2. However, head coach Mike Hastings has now announced that Hughes will also miss tonight’s game against another undefeated team in Sweden and that is concerning. Hastings added that Hughes is “progressing” toward getting back in the lineup, but how long the presumptive 2019 No. 1 overall pick remains out with this undisclosed injury could dictate how far the U.S. goes in the tournament.
  • Hastings also announced that Boston Bruins prospect Kyle Keyser will be back in net tonight for the Americans after getting a rest against the underdog Kazakhstan team. With top 2019-eligible goalie Spencer Knight and impressive collegiate keeper and Montreal Canadiens draft pick Cayden Primeau also on the roster, few expected the undrafted Keyser to be the go-to goalie for the Americans. However, Keyser is in the midst of a dominant season for the OHL’s Oshawa Generals and performed well in the Americans first game of the tournament, so Hastings seems content to ride Keyser’s hot hand for as long as he can.

Full World Junior Championship Schedule

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In what has become a holiday season tradition, tomorrow will mark the start of this year’s IIHF World Junior Championship. The best U20 players from all over the world will come together in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia to compete for the coveted gold medal, and a place in junior hockey history. Many have already been drafted by an NHL team, but still have to prove their worth to their future organization or show the many scouts just what they missed out on.

Things will kick off tomorrow afternoon and continue through to Saturday, January 5th when the final relegation, bronze and gold medal games will all be played at Rogers Arena, home of the Vancouver Canucks.

The full schedule is as follows (all times in CST):

Wednesday, December 26th

Czech Republic vs Switzerland – 3:00pm – Vancouver, BC

United States vs Slovakia – 5:30pm – Victoria, BC

Canada vs Denmark – 7:00pm – Vancouver, BC

Finland vs Sweden – 9:30pm – Victoria, BC

Thursday, December 27th

Russia vs Denmark – 3:00pm – Vancouver, BC

Slovakia vs Sweden – 5:30pm – Victoria, BC

Switzerland vs Canada – 7:00pm – Vancouver, BC

Finland vs Kazakhstan – 9:30pm – Victoria, BC

Friday, December 28th

Czech Republic vs Russia – 7:00pm – Vancouver, BC

Kazakhstan vs United States – 9:30pm – Victoria, BC

Saturday, December 29th

Denmark vs Switzerland – 3:00pm – Vancouver, BC

Slovakia vs Finland – 5:30pm – Victoria, BC

Canada vs Czech Republic – 7:00pm – Vancouver, BC

Sweden vs United States – 9:30pm – Victoria, BC

Sunday, December 30th

Switzerland vs Russia – 7:00pm – Vancouver, BC

Kazakhstan vs Slovakia – 9:30pm – Victoria, BC

Monday, December 31st

Denmark vs Czech Republic – 3:00pm – Vancouver, BC

Sweden vs Kazakhstan – 5:30pm – Victoria, BC

Russia vs Canada – 7:00pm – Vancouver, BC

United States vs Finland – 9:30pm – Victoria, BC

Tuesday, January 1st

No games scheduled

Wednesday, January 2nd

Relegation Match 1 of 3 – 1:00pm – Vancouver, BC

Quarter Final 1 of 4 – 3:00pm – Victoria, BC

Quarter Final 2 of 4 – 5:30pm – Vancouver, BC

Quarter Final 3 of 4 – 7:00pm – Victoria, BC

Quarter Final 4 of 4 – 9:30pm – Vancouver, BC

Thursday, January 3rd

No games scheduled

Friday, January 4th

Relegation Match 2 of 3 – 11:00am – Vancouver, BC

Semifinal 1 of 2 – 3:00pm – Vancouver, BC

Semifinal 2 of 2 – 7:00pm – Vancouver, BC

Saturday, January 5th

Relegation Match 3 of 3 – 11:00am – Vancouver, BC*

Bronze Medal Game – 3:00pm – Vancouver, BC

Gold Medal Game – 7:00pm – Vancouver, BC

*If necessary

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