Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Kieffer Bellows

USA Hockey Reveals Preliminary 2018 World Junior Roster

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The World Junior Championship is one of the most anticipated hockey moments of the year, a chance to see the next generation of NHL talent play in a high level tournament against the best in the world. Each subsequent year brings more drama and more skill, and this year is no different.

The defending champions, Team USA has announced their preliminary roster today, which includes 28 players that could be taken to Buffalo, NY for the tournament at the end of the month. That number will be shaved by five before the tournament starts, giving them a 23-man roster for their first game on December 26th.

The roster is as follows:

G Jake Oettinger (DAL)
G Jeremy Swayman (BOS)
G Joseph Woll (TOR)

D Mikey Anderson (LAK)
D Adam Fox (CGY)
D Quinn Hughes (2018 draft eligible)
D Cole Hults (LAK)
D Phil Kemp (EDM)
D Ryan Lindgren (BOS)
D Andrew Peeke (CBJ)
D Scott Perunovich (2018 draft eligible)
D Dylan Samberg (WPG)
D Reilly Walsh (NJD)

F Joey Anderson (NJD)
F Jack Badini (ANA)
F Kieffer Bellows (NYI)
F Logan Brown (OTT)
F Trent Frederic (BOS)
F Patrick Harper (NSH)
F Max Jones (ANA)
F Will Lockwood (VAN)
F Hugh McGing (2018 draft eligible)
F Casey Mittelstadt (BUF)
F Josh Norris (SJS)
F Ryan Poehling (MTL)
F Brady Tkachuk (2018 draft eligible)
F Riley Tufte (DAL)
F Kailer Yamamoto (EDM)

This group is loaded with talent all over the roster, with seven players returning from the gold medal-winning 2017 squad, and two potential top-5 picks in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. A potential top line of Mittelstadt-Brown-Yamamoto might scare an NHL team, let alone the international junior squads.

One name to keep an eye on is Bellows, the son of former NHL great Brian Bellows and top pick of the New York Islanders. The 19-year old Bellows scored twice at last year’s tournament and is off to a great start with the Portland Winterhawks, registering 37 points in 26 games. While he doesn’t look imposing physically, Bellows is a wrecking ball on skates and can dominate competition with his power and speed combination. With the added experience from last year’s tournament, he should be one of Team USA’s top players this time around.

Amazingly, this team is actually missing some of their top options. Clayton Keller would still be eligible to play, but is instead starring for the Arizona Coyotes as a 19-year old.

Islanders Sign Kieffer Bellows To Entry-Level Deal

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Kieffer Bellows would have liked to have come out of camp with the New York Islanders with an NHL job, but as he heads to his junior team he’ll take the next best thing: his first NHL contract. The Islanders cut Bellows from camp earlier today, but have announced a few hours later that he signed his entry-level deal before leaving. The contract is the entry level maximum: three years, $925K per year.

The Islanders’ 2016 first-round pick, Bellows has already been an intriguing character for fans to follow. The son of former NHLer Brian Bellows, Kieffer was a standout on the 2015-16 U.S. National Development Team, registering 81 points in 62 games. After being drafted by the Isles, Bellows moved on to Boston University last fall, where he had long since been committed to play college hockey. Yet, in May it was revealed that Bellows would not return to the Terriers this season, instead changing development tracks and moving to Canadian juniors, where the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks held his rights. While many speculated that Bellows move may have to do with the loss of talent at BU – the powerhouse program watched Charlie McAvoy, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson, and Clayton Keller leave early – but the counter is that more talented NHL prospects remained than left and the team had reinforcements of several 2017 draft picks and 2018 hopefuls coming in. In the end, it seems that college hockey might have just been a poor fit for Bellows and he felt that he could develop better in the WHL.

All eyes will be on the 19-year-old power forward this season as he adjusts to the major junior game. With his contract signed, it is possible he could see some time with the Islanders in 2017-18, but seeing as they already have several young forwards still being worked into the lineup, it seems more likely that Bellows will use this WHL season as a tryout for next year’s squad.

USA, Canada Release World Junior Camp Rosters

at CDT | by 1 Comment

As national hockey programs start their development programs for this year’s World Junior Championships, rosters were revealed today for the reigning finalists. Team Canada released its development camp roster, while Team USA announced the roster for the Summer Showcase.

These are both U20 rosters, and include many players already selected by NHL teams. They also include top prospects for the upcoming entry draft, as well as some for 2018. They’ll be paired down considerably before the tournament, but even being part of the selection process is a help to a young player’s development. The teams will face off at the Showcase in a series of 12 games, also meeting squads from Finland and Sweden. The full rosters are below:

Read more

Kieffer Bellows Expected To Leave Boston University

at CDT | by 4 Comments

In a surprising turn for New York Islanders’ first-round pick Kieffer Bellows, Scott McLaughlin of WEEI reports that he will leave Boston University after just one season. The expectation is that he will head to the WHL where the Portland Winterhawks own his rights. It’s been a rough spring already for BU, watching Clayton Keller and Charlie McAvoy both turn pro early in their college careers.

The son of former 50-goal man Brian Bellows who scored 1022 points in 1188 NHL games, Bellows was selected 19th-overall last summer by the Islanders and is expected to develop into a strong power forward able to fit into many different roles at the next level. His time at BU was somewhat underwhelming, scoring just 14 points in 34 games but he was expected to take over some of the offensive load left by Keller when he signed with the Arizona Coyotes. With Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson also turning pro, there was an opportunity to find success in one of the best college hockey programs in the country.

Instead, he’ll likely head to a Winterhawks team that was carried all year by top 2017 draft prospect Cody Glass. Should they play together, Bellows could hardly ask for a better centerman to develop his offensive game with. The Winterhawks picked Bellows 142nd overall in the 2013 bantam draft, likely not expecting him to ever join the CHL ranks. Interestingly, Portland also owns the rights to Jake Oettinger, Bellows’ teammate at BU and expected top goalie prospect in this year’s draft.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top