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Tolvanen, Heiskanen Named To Olympic Roster

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Among those named to Team Finland’s Olympic roster today are two very interesting prospects drafted less than a year ago: Miro Heiskanen and Eeli Tolvanen. Both players suited up for their country at the World Junior Championship just weeks ago, but will now represent Finland on the international stage once again. Heiskanen, the third-overall pick, is property of the Dallas Stars and a huge part of their future on the blueline. The silky smooth two-way defender commands a game with his incredible positioning and easy decision making. With 14 points in 20 games for HIFK Helsinki, he’s already showing that he can compete with professionals of the highest caliber.

Tolvanen on the other hand fell all the way to 30th in the 2017 draft because of some issues regarding where he would play this season. Originally tabbed to join the NCAA ranks, he was denied admission at the last second and instead joined the KHL. It has paid off for the Nashville Predators’ prospect, breaking Evgeny Kuznetsov’s record for points by an 18-year old with 33 in 44 games. A shoot-first winger capable of scoring almost at will, Tolvanen could be used as a powerplay weapon in the Olympics.

Olli Juolevi, a Vancouver Canucks prospect and candidate for a spot on the team, was not selected to the final roster. The full roster can be found below:

G Mikko Koskinen
G Karri Ramo
G Juha Metsola

D Mikko Lehtonen
D Tommi Kivisto
D Lasse Kukkonen
D Sami Lepisto
D Juuso Heitanen
D Miro Heiskanen
D Miika Koivisto
D Atte Ohtamaa

F Marko Anttila
F Julius Junttila
F Eeli Tolvanen
F Joonas Kemppainen
F Jani Lajunen
F Jonas Enlund
F Petri Kontiola
F Mika Pyorala
F Jarno Koskirant
F Oskar Osala
F Sakari Manninen
F Teemu Hartikainen
F Jukka Peltola
F Veli-Matti Savinainen

Team USA’s Jim Johannson Passes Away At 53

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Jim Johannson, longtime Team USA executive and architect behind this year’s 2018 Team USA men’s Olympic team passed away this morning in his sleep at his home in Colorado Springs, USA Hockey announced. Johannson, the assistant executive director of USA Hockey and the general manager of the U.S. Olympic team, was 53 and was one of the most respected people in the sport of hockey.

“We are beyond shocked and profoundly saddened,” said Pat Kelleher, executive director of USA Hockey. “As accomplished as Jim was in hockey, he was the absolute best, most humble, kind and caring person you could ever hope to meet. His impact on our sport and more importantly the people and players in our sport have been immeasurable. Our condolences go out to his entire family, but especially to his loving wife Abby and their young daughter Ellie.”

Johannson came to USA Hockey in 2000 when he was hired as a manager of international activities and U.S. Olympic Committee relations. He was promoted three years later to senior director of hockey operations. In 2007, he assumed his current title of assistant executive director of hockey operations where he oversaw all in-sport related initiatives, which included choosing the personnel of teams on the field of play for international competitions.

During his tenure, Johannson helped Team USA capture 64 medals in major international competitions, including 34 gold, 19 silver and 11 bronze. He was also responsible for the launching of the highly acclaimed American Development Model and securing USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan as the home for all U.S. teams to use.

As a player, Johannson played for the University of Wisconsin from 1982 to 1986, winning a national title in his freshman year. He was drafted in the seventh round by the Hartford Whalers in 1982 and 374 games in the NHL. He played for Team USA in the Winter Olympics twice, in 1988 and 1992 and was also a member of the U.S. National Team that participated in the 1992 IIHF Men’s World Championships.

“Jim’s positive influence was enormous and will be felt for generations to come,” said Jim Smith, president of USA Hockey. “He was widely respected across the world and his genuine nature helped advance our sport in so many ways. Today, we are a medal contender every time we put a team on the ice for international competition, and he played a major role in helping us get to that point. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his entire family. It’s a sad day for all of us.”

Sports Illustrated’s Alex Prewitt tweeted that he just spoke to Johansson last week and the executive talked about how exciting it was putting this year’s 2018 Olympic team roster together and he radiated with pride about calling players and telling them they were chosen to be on this year’s Olympic team roster. Prewitt included this part of his interview with Johannson:

“You almost feel their heart, like, ’Omigosh, wow, this is real.’ I could sense the emotion in guys right away. Their voices changed, their breathing, you can hear it. It’s hard to describe. At some point, there’s also that little bit of self-accomplishment, I don’t know if that’s pride or what it is. It’s okay to feel good about yourself. If you’re going to do it, why not do it right not now. It’s neat to share with them. Every guy said thank you within the first four words. My comment back is, “No, thank you. You’ve earned it, so let’s go.”

PHR extends their condolences to Johannson’s family.

Snapshots: Sweden, Prospects, Coyotes

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Sweden has released their roster for the upcoming Pyeongchang Olympic Games, and even though it doesn’t have any current NHL players, it has plenty of league experience. Staffan Kronwall, Viktor Stalberg, Linus Omark and others highlight what should be one of the more powerful teams in the tournament, but one other name is the taking all the headlines.

Rasmus Dahlin, the expected first-overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft has made the cut and is one of eight defensemen named to the squad. The 17-year old already starred at the World Juniors and plays a regular role on Frolunda in the SHL, Sweden’s highest professional league. There is little controversy over Dahlin’s ranking as the best talent available in this year’s draft, and a good showing at the Olympics will only raise his stock even further.

  • Speaking of prospects, Corey Pronman of The Athletic (subscription required) released his midseason rankings of those already drafted, and lists Casey Mittelstadt at the very top. The Buffalo Sabres draft pick has had a year to remember, selected eighth overall, starring at the University of Minnesota, being named MVP of the World Juniors and just recently being among the nominees for the Hobey Baker award as the best collegiate player in the country. Though things don’t look good in Buffalo right now, Mittelstadt and others—including #24 on Pronman’s list—will look to turn things around in the near future.
  • Despite rumors swirling around the Arizona Coyotes, some closest to the situation aren’t as willing to point to a potential firesale of their top defensemen. At least not Craig Morgan of AZ Sports, who calls some of the recent rumors “baseless” and doesn’t think the Coyotes have done anything to “set the market” or trade Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Niklas Hjalmarsson or Jason Demers. Morgan isn’t saying that it won’t happen, just that he believes there is little fact in the rumors that have been spread recently. There’s a good reason to believe that Arizona will move some assets before the deadline, but it doesn’t appear like an Ekman-Larsson is imminent or that even a real asking price has been set.

USA Hockey Names Final Two Olympic Goaltenders

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When the US Olympic hockey team was announced at the Winter Classic, there was two conspicuously empty goaltending spots. Only Ryan Zaploski was named to the crease, and speculation ran wild on who the final two would be. USA Hockey has now released the names, selecting David Leggio and Brandon Maxwell to the team.

David LeggioLeggio, 33, has been a professional netminder for a decade now since finishing his fourth year at Clarkson University. After bouncing around the AHL for several years, he headed for the German DEL in 2015, and has found quite a bit of success the last three years. Perhaps known best for the “Leggio Rule” where he would dislodge his own net during a scoring chance, giving the other team a penalty shot, he nevertheless has shown strong goaltending at many different levels.

Maxwell, 26, was a draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2009 and now plays in the Czech professional league. One of the best goaltenders in the league, he has a .921 save percentage this season through 28 games. He’ll likely enter the tournament as the number 3 option behind Zaploski and Leggio, but could be called upon if there is injury or inconsistency.

Team Canada Announces Olympic Roster

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Though we’ve already heard that one young player has turned down an offer to play for Canada at the upcoming Olympics, many others wouldn’t dream of passing on this chance. Today, Hockey Canada announced their roster for the Games, including many familiar NHL faces. The full roster can be found below:

G Justin Peters
G Kevin Poulin
G Ben Scrivens

D Stefan Elliott
D Chay Genoway
D Cody Goloubef
D Marc-Andre Gragnani
D Chris Lee
D Maxim Noreau
D Mat Robinson
D Karl Stollery

F Rene Bourque
F Gilbert Brule
F Andrew Ebbett
F Quinton Howden
F Chris Kelly
F Rob Klinkhammer
F Brandon Kozun
F Maxim Lapierre
F Eric O’Dell
F Mason Raymond
F Derek Roy
F Christian Thomas
F Linden Vey
F Wojtek Wolski

Cale Makar Turns Down Olympic Offer

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Since his explosive performance at the World Junior Championships as a powerplay quarterback and dynamic offensive presence, Colorado Avalanche prospect Cale Makar’s name has been thrown around as a potential option for the Canadian Olympic team. According to Darren Dreger of TSN, Makar did in fact get an invitation to the team but has “respectfully declined.”

Cale MakarThis option has also been mentioned recently, as Makar already took time off from his freshman year at UMass-Amherst and wanted to get back to his development path for the NHL. The fourth-overall selection in last year’s draft, Makar had already said he was unlikely to stay in the NCAA for more than “one or two years” meaning the next few months could be his only time spent outside the professional ranks. With his performance so far this year the Avalanche must already be counting the days until he gets into their system, and he could even play a role for them down the stretch this season.

None of that is to say that the Olympics would prevent him from turning pro this season. But if Makar believes his long-term future would be adversely affected by another stint away from his college team (and studies, for that matter) this decision is understandable, if a little surprising. He’ll almost undoubtedly play more important minutes with his college team than what he would be asked to do for Team Canada.

The Canadian squad will have to go without his dynamic playmaking, and according to Dreger likely won’t have the speed of Jordan Kyrou either. Dreger reports that no CHL players are expected to be named as of right now. Victor Mete, another potential option, is still with Montreal following his World Junior stint and could be in the NHL the remainder of the season.

Snapshots: Olympics, Sergachev, Sanford

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Ken Campbell of The Hockey News is reporting that despite no official announcement, CHL players will be allowed to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics. That goes along with what Bob McKenzie of TSN tweeted earlier today, regarding Victor Mete and his potential selection to the Canadian squad after the conclusion of the World Juniors.

Nothing has been decided on Mete yet by the Montreal Canadiens, who would have to send him back to junior for the remainder of the year in order for him to be eligible to play in the Olympics. Other potential options for Team Canada would be Jordan Kyrou of the St. Louis Blues and even Colorado prospect Cale Makar after his powerplay performance at the junior tournament.

  • Mikhail Sergachev played in his 40th NHL game last night, which meant the additional draft picks involved in the trade that brought him to Tampa Bay in the offseason will now be staying put. It also means that Sergachev is one year closer to free agency, as this season now counts as a full NHL campaign. Players can become unrestricted free agents after seven accrued seasons in the league, meaning Sergachev could potentially hit the open market just a few days after his 26th birthday.
  • In the wake of a season-ending injury to Robby Fabbri and subsequent long-term maladies for Jaden Schwartz and Jay Bouwmeester during the season, some may have overlooked Zach Sanford’s absence from the St. Louis Blues roster. The organization sure didn’t, and Sanford was back on the ice skating with assistant Steve Ott yesterday and continues to try and work his way back from shoulder surgery. There’s no clear timetable on when he’ll return, other than the original estimate of five to six months (which puts him somewhere in February or March), but getting back on the ice is a good sign. The young forward, acquired as part of the Kevin Shattenkirk deal last season, comes with excellent potential as a power forward that could fit into the Blues’ top-nine at some point down the road.

Next Steps For Jaromir Jagr & The Calgary Flames

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Speculation over Jaromir Jagr’s future has been running rampant for the last few days, with thoughts that he may retire in the face of his latest injury and season-long struggles to fit into the Calgary Flames system. Bob McKenzie of TSN chimed in on Twitter, explaining that it has been long believed that the two sides have an “understanding” that if their marriage wasn’t working they’d mutually terminate the one-year deal Jagr signed at the beginning of October.

Jaromir JagrMcKenzie quickly points out that nothing is imminent for Jagr, but that it could become clear over the next few days one way or the other. An interesting consideration though, is the upcoming Olympic Games. If Jagr feels he can be healthy enough to contribute for the Czech squad, but isn’t fitting in well in Calgary, perhaps a termination to allow him to participate in his sixth Olympics would be a good solution for both sides.

Jagr has seven points this season for Calgary, and has received just over 13 minutes of ice time on average when he is in the lineup. That’s a huge drop-off for a player who has only once averaged fewer than 17 in a season, and still believes that he can contribute.

One thing to remember about any potential Olympic participation, is that the tournament ends just a day before the deadline to be on an NHL roster for the playoffs. That means Jagr could—and one must stress that this is all hypothetical—terminate his contract with the Flames, head to the Olympics, and then re-sign with an NHL team for another chance at a Stanley Cup. Either way, it’s a story to watch over the next few days and weeks as we get closer and closer to the Games.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Snapshots: Three Stars, Greenway, Parsons

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The NHL named it’s Three Stars of the Month for December today, honoring Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask as the First Star, Islanders surprise scorer Josh Bailey as the Second Star, and Tampa Bay dynamo Nikita Kucherov as the Third Star. All three were immensely successful this month and bear watching as the season continues.

The Bruins were on fire in December, posting a 10-2-2 record and are currently on an eight-game streak without a loss. After early season struggles, Rask was a major part of that success, recording an impeccable .955 save percentage and 1.22 goals against average. Rask allowed more than two goals only once in his eleven appearances and posted two shutouts one either end of December. After that performance, Rask has joined some of the league’s best goalies this season with a top-five GAA and top-ten SV%. The 2014 Vezina winner and the holder of the best career save percentage in NHL history (.923), Rask looked more like his elite self this past month than he has in two years.

Meanwhile, there’s no similar history that could have predicted this surge from Bailey. The long-time Islander had a career-high 56 points last season, but is already only six points away from matching it in 2017-18 and on pace for over 100 points. Bailey’s 50 points trails only Kucherov in the NHL and his 38 assists are tops in the league, feeding his talented linemates John Tavares and Anders Lee. In December alone, Bailey led the league with 22 points, including seven multi-point games and an 11-game point streak. Bailey’s breakout has been great for the Isles, but will be even better for the 28-year-old who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Kucherov’s nod is less of a surprise; the Lightning sniper is well-known as one of the league’s best players. Kucherov has an NHL-best 25 goals and 56 points already this season. After posting a career high 85 points in 2016-17, he’ll easily leave that mark in the dust and could flirt with 120 points this year. The early Hart favorite found the score sheet in all but one contest in December as the Bolts went 11-2-0 and continued to dominate the league. The ceiling is the roof for the uber-talented Russian forward and his Tampa Bay teammates this season.

  • Another player to keep an eye on in the coming months is Minnesota Wild prospect and recently-named member of the U.S. Olympic team Jordan Greenway. As ESPN’s Emily Kaplan writes today, when Greenway suits up in Pyeongchang, South Korea for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, he will do so as the first ever African-American on the U.S. men’s hockey team. In the 98-year history of the men’s hockey tournament, Greenway is the first to don the red, white, and blue – a major step for the inclusiveness of the game. Of course, Jarome Iginla played for Canada in multiple Olympic Games and P.K. Subban made an appearance as well, but no African-American has had the same opportunity for the U.S.A. The big Boston University forward has represented the U.S. on the international stage before at several junior tournaments, but the Olympics are a whole other level. This could just be the beginning for the talented winger as well. By all accounts, Dustin Byfuglien is the best American-born African American in NHL history, with former grinder Mike Grier likely next in line and a ways behind. By the end of his promising pro career, Greenway could be known as the best American-born African-American in NHL history. He gets his start on the big stage in a matter of weeks.
  • One last guy to keep an eye out for is young Calgary Flames keeper Tyler Parsons. The Flames’ recent acquisition of New Jersey Devils defenseman Dalton Prout was not-so-secretly more about ridding themselves of goalie Eddie Lack as it was bringing in an asset. Having solved their logjam in net, Calgary was finally able to promote their 2016 second-round pick from the AHL today, per the ECHL transactions page. The 20-year-old Parsons has been buried since turning pro late last season after leading the United States to a World Junior Championship title. Parsons’ path to the NHL is not without roadblocks remaining though; he still has to prove that he is the heir apparent to veteran Mike Smith by outperforming current big-league backup David Rittich and AHL competition Jon Gillies and Mason McDonald, all of whom are 25 or younger and very well regarded.

USA Hockey Announces Olympic Rosters

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During the second intermission of today’s Winter Classic matchup between the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres, USA Hockey took the opportunity to announce the Olympic roster for the upcoming Pyeongchang Games. The full roster for the men’s and women’s teams can be found below:

Men:

F Mark Arcobello
F Chris Bourque
F Bobby Butler
F Ryan Donato
F Brian Gionta (captain)
F Jordan Greenway
F Chad Kolarik
F Broc Little
F John McCarthy
F Brian O’Neill
F Garrett Roe
F Jim Slater
F Ryan Stoa
F Troy Terry

D Chad Billins
D Jonathon Blum
D Will Borgen
D Noah Welch
D James Wisniewski
D Bobby Sanguinetti
D Ryan Gunderson
D Matt Gilroy

G Ryan Zapolski

Women:

F Monique Lamoureux-Morando
F Meghan Duggan (captain)
F Haley Skarupa
F Kelly Pannek
F Brianna Decker
F Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson
F Gigi Marvin
F Hannah Brandt
F Hilary Knight
F Amanda Pelkey
F Dani Cameranesi
F Kendall Coyne
F Amanda Kessel

D Sidney Morin
D Lee Stecklein
D Cayla Barnes
D Megan Keller
D Kali Flanagan
D Kacey Bellamy
D Emily Pfalzer

G Nicole Hensley
G Alex Rigsby
G Maddie Rooney

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