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Snapshots: Stuetzle, Thornton, Duclair, Spurgeon

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The Ottawa Senators have already been in camp for several days already, but the team will get another big name player into camp soon as 2020 first-round pick Tim Stuetzle arrived in Ottawa Saturday night. The 18-year-old is coming off an impressive performance at the World Junior Championship after he led Team Germany to one of the countries best finishes ever. After a seven-day quarantine, he will join his team and is likely to start his NHL career, according to the Ottawa Citizen’s Bruce Garrioch.

“I hope I’m going to play in the NHL this season, that’s 100% my goal and I will work very hard for that,” Stuetzle told reporters in Edmonton following Germany’s elimination in the quarterfinals.

Stuetzle finished the World Juniors with five goals and 10 points in five games. The third-overall pick, who signed his entry-level deal last week, is likely going to play wing for the Senators this season.

Nathan MacKinnon Wins Lady Byng Trophy

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Though Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon certainly cares more about the results of the Hart Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award, for which he is also a finalist, he can add at least one major award to his mantle for this season. The NHL announced this evening that MacKinnon is the 2020 recipient of the Lady Byng Award, his first time receiving the honor.

The Lady Byng Trophy, as voted on by the Professional Hockey Writers Association, is awarded to the player who “best combines sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and ability.” MacKinnon undoubtedly has the ability; he has topped 90 points in each of the past three seasons including finishing fifth in scoring this season with 93 points. However, MacKinnon is also among the elite in staying out of the penalty box, especially given his considerable ice time.  Skating in 69 games this season at over 21 minutes per game, MacKinnon managed just 12 penalty minutes on the year.

While voting for the Lady Byng often casts a wide net, MacKinnon received 64 of a possible 170 first-place votes, more than double that of Jaccob Slavin of the Carolina Hurricanes, who received the second-most first-place votes. In total voting points, MacKinnon also finished more than 350 points ahead of Toronto’s Auston Matthews in second, with St. Louis’ Ryan O’Reilly and Slavin even further behind in third and fourth respectively.

 

2020 Lady Byng Trophy Finalists Announced

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The NHL continues to release the finalists for the major regular season awards, this time announcing the nominees for the Lady Byng Trophy. The award is given out to “the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly play and conduct” and is often given to those players who perform at a high level without taking many penalties. Last year’s winner was Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers, who took just eight penalty minutes all season.

This year’s finalists are Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Ryan O’Reilly of the St. Louis Blues.

MacKinnon, who is also one of the finalists for the Ted Lindsey, saw his penalty minutes plummet this season even as he took on an even larger role for the Avalanche. The 24-year old center was left without many of his talented running mates for long stretches but managed to still score 93 points and take only 12 PIM. That continued a downward trend since he set his career-high with 55 minutes in 2017-18. MacKinnon has received votes for the Lady Byng on just one occasion previously and has not won an individual award since the Calder Trophy in 2014.

Matthews meanwhile also set a career-low in penalty minutes, but his total of eight isn’t surprising given how few he’s taken in his career so far. Through four seasons and 282 games, the Toronto superstar has amassed just 46 PIM and has finished in the top-8 for Lady Byng voting in each. He too has only taken home a Calder Trophy among individual awards, though he trailed David Pastrnak and Alex Ovechkin by just a single tally for this year’s Rocket Richard.

O’Reilly represents the only past winner of the Lady Byng among the finalists. He took it home in 2014 when he took just a single minor penalty all season. That’s a feat he repeated in 2018, but he ended up losing the award to William Karlsson of the Vegas Golden Knights. Though such a strong defensive center, O’Reilly has been one of the best players in the entire league at staying out of the penalty box. He has just 106 PIM over an 11-year, 804-game career and hasn’t taken more than 12 in a season since he was a teenager. In addition to the Lady Byng he won in 2014, O’Reilly also won the Selke and Conn Smythe trophies last season with the St. Louis Blues.

Wasserman Acquires Acme World Sports

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Wasserman announced the acquisition of Acme World Sports this morning, giving Wasserman hockey one of the largest stables of pro hockey stars in the world, per The Athletic’s Scott Powers. Wasserman now reps close to 75 NHL players.

Wasserman already represents some of the NHL’s brightest young stars, including franchise cornerstones like Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid. But by teaming with Acme World Sports, they’ve broadened their reach and greatly expanded their foothold in Europe, writes Powers. Tuukka Rask, Teuvo Teravainen, Esa Lindell, and Mikko Koskinen are some of the more lucrative contracts secured by Markus Lehto, co-founder of Acme World Sports. His clients now join Wasserman, a global brand with a more comprehensive portfolio. Lehto and much of his team will continue to rep their clients but under the Wasserman umbrella.

Practically speaking, we can expect Wasserman to make continued inroads into NHL representation. With such a broad and diverse stable of NHL stars, the appeal of the agency only grows, and young players looking to make their first agency decision will have to consider Wasserman when given the opportunity.

A look at their client list shows Wasserman’s international aspirations – presumably one of the primary motivations behind this acquisition. Wasserman represents stars across the global sports landscape, from basketball stars like Russell Westbrook, Klay Thompson, Domantas Sabonis, and Derrick Rose, to baseball stars like Giancarlo Stanton, Yu Darvish, and Javier Baez, to soccer stars like Jordan Henderson, John Stones, and Jamie Vardy.

They’ve been active in recent years acquiring agencies like Acme World Sports. These mergers are huge for an agency like Wasserman because they not only remove a competitor from the landscape but in doing so, Wasserman quickly and broadly expands their client base and opens new markets. They also add to their collection of agents, garnering years of experience and industry connections by joining forces with – in this case – Markus Lehto and his team.

In the announcement released on Wasserman’s website, Lehto provides his thinking on the merger, saying, “I am extremely excited about this opportunity to be part of Wasserman’s hockey group. My goal has always been to offer the best possible representation for each individual client. Over the past decade, our clients have had tremendous success and we have had steady and continuous growth with them. During the lengthy and thorough transaction process, Jason, Jeff, Dave and Judd assured all of us that, together and united, the expanded Wasserman Hockey group will provide the best service any player or prospect can ask for.”

Auston Matthews Tests Positive For COVID-19

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Earlier today, reports surfaced that Tampa Bay wasn’t the only team that had a player test positive for COVID-19.  It appears that is indeed the case as Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun reports that Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews has tested positive for the virus and has gone into quarantine at his home in Arizona.  The team later released the following statement:

Per the National Hockey League protocol with respect to COVID-19, the Toronto Maple Leafs will not be commenting on reports surrounds testing for any of the club’s players or staff. A person’s medical information in this regard is private. The club will defer to the NHL’s policy on handling the disclosure of positive tests results, in that the league will provide updates on a regular basis with aggregate totals of the numbers of tests conducted and number of positive tests reported without disclosing either the identities of affected clubs or players.

Simmons notes that Matthews has been skating with several Coyotes players, some of which have tested positive as well although the names of those have not yet been released.  Maple Leafs goaltender Frederik Andersen had been living with Matthews for part of this extended break in the schedule but is no longer in Arizona; Simmons adds that he has not tested positive.

There has been a spike in positive COVID-19 tests in several states in recent days and while NHL teams are able to resume training, there are no quarantine restrictions in place at this time as there will be if play resumes as planned later this summer.

Eastern Notes: Georgiev, Kravtsov, Matthews, Green

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The New York Rangers have a lot going on as the trade deadline nears, but the team does know that with three goaltenders on the roster, they are going to be forced to move one by the deadline. In fact, unless something extraordinary happens, that goaltender will be Alexandar Georgiev.

However, Larry Brooks of the New York Post writes that the Rangers shouldn’t even wait until the trade deadline to move Georgiev. The team needs to move him now while teams are still looking for goaltending as well as the fact that there is no reason to play three goalies at once. Veteran Henrik Lundqvist has played just once since Jan. 2, while Igor Shesterkin has proved his worth and both need regular playing time with Lundqvist there to help Shesterkin out.

One other issue is that Georgiev hasn’t been that good. Since Dec. 12, Georgiev has just a 4-5 record with a 3.78 GAA and a .882 save percentage. Brooks feels the team needs to get what it can now just in case he becomes untradeable in the near future and are forced to trade him for just a second or third-rounder.

  • Sticking with the Rangers, The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello (subscription required) writes that prospect Vitaly Kravtsov, the team’s 2018 first-round pick, has been developing nicely since the team convinced him to return from the KHL. Kravtsov has had a rough road this year, failing to make the NHL squad out of training camp, being sent to their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, then opting to return to the KHL, where they demoted him to their junior league. “I think there was, one, disappointment from (being demoted by) the Rangers, and two, the uncertainty of what’s best,” said Hartford coach Kris Knoblauch. “I’m sure he was getting some direction about playing in Russia, and maybe Hartford wasn’t best. … But since he’s come back to us, his attitude has been outstanding. He’s worked really hard. He’s wanting to learn. He’s playing the right way. So we’re happy to have him.”
  • The Star’s Kevin McGran writes that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews, who skipped the All-Star Game due to a wrist injury, is expected to be back in the lineup on Monday for the team’s game against the Nashville Predators. Matthews didn’t miss any regular season games due to the injury and because he attended the all-star event in St. Louis, will not face the one-game suspension that many others opted for.
  • NBC Sports’ J.J. Regan suggests that Washington Capitals’ fans shouldn’t expect the Capitals to re-acquire former defenseman and current Detroit Red Wing Mike Green, who is on the trade block as the trade deadline approaches. The scribe writes that the Capitals are loaded in right-handed defensemen, so adding the right-handed Green wouldn’t make any sense for a team that needs a top-four left-hander.

PHWA Announce 2019-20 Midseason Awards

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Though they have no bearing on the eventual winners, each season the Professional Hockey Writers Association vote for the Midseason Awards to give fans an idea of who is leading the charge around the NHL at the halfway point. Today those ballots have been tallied and the midseason trophies were given out:

Hart Trophy – Most valuable player

1. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
2. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
3. David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins

Norris Trophy – Best defenseman

1. John Carlson, Washington Capitals
2. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
3. Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes

Selke Trophy – Best defensive forward

1. Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers
2. Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins
3. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues

Calder Trophy – Best rookie

1. Cale Makar, Colorado Avalanche
2. Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
3. Victor Olofsson, Buffalo Sabres

Lady Byng Trophy – Sportsmanship & gentlemanly conduct

1. Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
2. Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
3. Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues

Vezina Trophy – Best goaltender

1. Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
2. Ben Bishop, Dallas Stars
3. Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes

Jack Adams Award – Best coach

1. Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Penguins
2. John Tortorella, Columbus Blue Jackets
3. Craig Berube, St. Louis Blues

Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award

1. Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche
2. John Chayka, Arizona Coyotes
3. Doug Armstrong, St. Louis Blues

Rod Langway Award – Best defensive defenseman

1. Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
2. Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Roman Josi, Nashville Predators

Comeback Player of the Year Award

1. William Nylander, Toronto Maple Leafs
2. Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
3. Max Pacioretty, Vegas Golden Knights

Auston Matthews To Sit Out All-Star Game

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Toronto Maple Leafs star forward Auston Matthews will not participate in any on-ice events at the All-Star festivities, but will be still be there in St. Louis. Matthews is dealing with a wrist injury and has been listed as day-to-day by the Maple Leafs. In his place, Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators will join the Atlantic Division roster.

Matthews was the captain of the Atlantic squad last season when the game was held in San Jose, and took part in both of his first two years as well. While the fans won’t get to see him participate in any of the action, he will still join Maple Leafs teammates Frederik Andersen and Mitch Marner at the event.

For Tkachuk though, this is a significant honor. Not only will this be his first time at the event, he’ll get to make his All-Star debut in his hometown of St. Louis and alongside his brother Matthew Tkachuk who will participate for the Pacific Division squad. Linemate Anthony Duclair will also be there from the Ottawa Senators.

The younger Tkachuk is in his sophomore season and has 27 points through 45 games. Selected 4th overall in 2018, the big winger won’t turn 21 until September.

NHL All-Star Selections Announced

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Although it took some time, with each individual team rolling out their own selections, the final rosters for All-Star Weekend have come into focus. Below are each of the four divisional team, set to face off in the Skills Competition on Friday, January 24th and the All-Star Game on Saturday, January 25th:

Atlantic Division

G Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
G Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins
D Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
D Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
F Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
F Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
F Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
F Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
F Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
F David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins (C)

Metropolitan Division

G Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
G Joonas Korpisalo, Columbus Blue Jackets
D John Carlson, Washington Capitals
D Dougie Hamilton, Carolina Hurricanes
D Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
F Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
F Jake Guentzel, Pittsburgh Penguins
F Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
F Kyle Palmieri, New Jersey Devils
F Artemi Panarin, New York Rangers

Central Division

G Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
G Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
D Roman Josi, Nashville Predators
D Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
F Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
F Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche (C)
F Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
F Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets
F Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
F Eric Staal, Minnesota Wild

Pacific Division

G Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas Golden Knights
G Darcy Kuemper, Arizona Coyotes
D Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
F Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks
F Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
F Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings
F Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers (C)
F Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
F Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks
F Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames

Additionally, each divisional squad will have one more addition as decided by the Last Men In fan vote. Voting opens on January 1st and closes on the 10th. Here are the candidates:

Atlantic Division – Patrice Bergeron, Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Larkin Aleksander Barkov, Max Domi, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Steven Stamkos, Mitch Marner

Metropolitan Division – Teuvo Teravainen, Nick Foligno, Nico Hischier, Brock Nelson, Mika Zibanejad, Claude Giroux, Kris Letang, T.J. Oshie

Central Division – Jonathan Toews, Cale Makar, Jamie Benn, Ryan Suter, Matt Duchene, David Perron Patrik Laine

Pacific Division – Ryan Getzlaf, Clayton Keller, Johnny Gaudreau, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Drew Doughty, Tomas Hertl, Quinn Hughes, Max Pacioretty

Snapshots: Three Stars, Abdelkader, Lewis

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The NHL has released their Three Stars for last week and at the very top is a name not many expected when the season began. Ottawa Senators goaltender Anders Nilsson has been given the first star after stopping 96 of 101 shots for a 3-0 record. Nilsson has actually been excellent since joining the Senators last season, posting a .919 save percentage in 32 appearances.

Two youngsters took home the other two spots, as Auston Matthews and Cale Makar were named second and third respectively. The Toronto Maple Leafs forward has jumped all the way up to sixth in the NHL scoring race after recording nine points last week, while Makar now easily leads all rookies with 17 points through the first part of the season and looks to be running away with the Calder Trophy.

  • The Detroit Red Wings will be without Justin Abdelkader for at least three weeks according to head coach Jeff Blashill. The veteran forward is out with a mid-body injury after blocking a shot in Sunday’s game. Once an important part of the Red Wings’ attack, Abdelkader has zero goals through the first 16 games and is averaging just 13 minutes a night.
  • Trevor Lewis has been placed on injured reserve after missing Saturday’s game with a lower-body injury. It’s not clear how long Lewis will be out, but his absence just opens up more opportunity for the young forwards in Los Angeles to show the Kings’ front office what they can do.

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