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Shane Doan

Snapshots: Memorial Cup, Spengler Cup, Hanus

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The CHL has officially announced the four clubs that have submitted applications to host the 2024 Memorial Cup. The Kingston Frontenacs, Niagara IceDogs, Saginaw Spirit, and Soo Greyhounds will send in bids before the deadline in January, with the winning club announced in March.

The tournament is moved through the leagues each year, meaning it was only open to OHL bids for 2024. The 2023 tournament will be held in Kamloops, British Columbia.

  • Team Canada has its leadership for the Spengler Cup decided, with Shane Doan managing the roster and Travis Green taking head coaching duties, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. Green is still under contract with the Vancouver Canucks, though he hasn’t coached since being fired in the middle of 2021-22.
  • The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have parted ways with Clay Hanus, as the undrafted defenseman has decided to leave pro hockey and accept the education package given by his former junior club. Hanus had only played two games – both at the ECHL level – since signing an AHL deal in the summer.

Offseason Notes: Hurricanes, Lundqvist, Doan

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Although player transactions rightfully take up most of the attention in the offseason, a team’s additions to their coaching staff and hockey operations department can also play a significant role in whether the organization finds success. Today, the Carolina Hurricanes made three additions to their hockey operations department. The team hired Earl Schwartz as a compliance assistant, and Ellen Etchingham and Sidney Morin were named professional scouts.

Schwartz’s title may not make his role on the Hurricanes immediately clear, but based on the team’s description, it seems his work will revolve around the salary cap. The two new professional scouts the team hired, Etchingham and Morin, both have extensive experience in hockey. Etchingham, who Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek called “one of the smartest people” he’s ever met, has written about hockey since 2007, while Morin is a player for the Minnesota Whitecaps of the PHF and an Olympic Gold Medalist.

Now, for some other news from across the NHL:

  • It wasn’t long ago that Henrik Lundqvist was the on-ice face of the New York Rangers, and now in retirement, he’s positioned himself to be the off-ice face of the franchise. Today the Rangers announced that Lundqvist has joined Madison Square Garden in a “unique new role that helps support business operations for each company.” Lundqvist will continue his work as a studio analyst for Rangers broadcasts on MSG Network, as well as work in various roles across Madison Square Garden ranging from alumni relations to the Garden of Dreams Foundation.
  • While the Rangers’ franchise icon is doubling down on his involvement with the organization, the Arizona Coyotes’ face of their franchise is heading in a different direction. Per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, Shane Doan is taking a “step back” from his role as Chief Hockey Development Officer for the Coyotes. Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports added some context to this move, stating that Doan still “wants to be in hockey ops somewhere” but it likely won’t be with the Coyotes. Of note is the fact that Doan’s son, Josh Doan, was drafted 37th overall by Arizona at the 2021 NHL draft and is currently the captain of the Arizona State Sun Devils hockey team.

Snapshots: Nash, Predators, Deslauriers

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The oft-overlooked IIHF Men’s World Championship is drawing near, and Hockey Canada has added another former player and budding management star to the fold. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the organization has added Rick Nash as an assistant general manager, supplementing Shane Doan. Nash has three seasons of managerial experience now, all in his former stomping grounds in Columbus. After serving two seasons (2019-20 and 2020-21) as a special assistant to the general manager, he was named director of player development this season in addition to having his number retired by the organization. The tournament begins on May 13th.

Elsewhere from the NHL tonight:

  • Injury trouble continues for the Nashville Predators as they try to solidify a Wild Card spot. Defenseman Mark Borowiecki is again marred by injury, with an upper-body ailment holding him out tonight, as well as Matt Luff, who sits with a non-COVID illness. Both have been used sparingly when in the lineup this season, but Borowiecki is still a valuable role player who’s still managed to get into 47 games this year despite injury. Luff, after tearing up the AHL with 31 points in 30 games, has six points in 21 games with the Predators.
  • Instant fan-favorite Nicolas Deslauriers returns to the Minnesota Wild tonight after missing the team’s last two games. Deslauriers is averaging a penalty minute per game during his 10-game tenure in Minnesota, and he’s contributed two goals as well. The 31-year-old has looked like a natural fit in the team’s bottom-six forward group, adding a physical edge to an already gritty group of forwards.

Hockey Canada Updates Olympic Coaching Staff

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Jan 30: Colliton will be taking over as head coach of the Canadian team, as Julien is not able to travel with the team due to an injury. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff tweets that Julien fell during a team-building activity during their training camp in Switzerland and suffered fractured ribs.

Jan 14: When the NHL pulled out of the Olympics, so too did the management and coaching staffs that were set to lead Team Canada. Doug Armstrong had been brought in to serve as general manager, while Jon Cooper was supposed to serve as head coach. Since they’ll be busy with NHL duties, Hockey Canada has picked a new pair of familiar faces to lead the program.

Shane Doan will serve as Team Canada GM for the upcoming Olympics, joined by assistant general manager Scott Salmond, a member of Hockey Canada’s executive staff. The coaching staff will officially be led by Claude Julien, along with assistants Jeremy Colliton, Nolan Baumgartner, and Tyler Dietrich. Tom Renney, Hockey Canada’s CEO, released this statement:

We are excited to announce our experienced management group and coaching staff that will lead Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team at the 2022 Olympics. With less than a month until the men’s tournament gets underway at the Olympics, we are excited to continue working with the entire staff as it prepares to represent Canada and build a roster that Canadians can support as it looks to bring home an Olympic gold medal.

Doan and Julien were easy choices after leading the Canadian contingent at the recent Channel One Cup, an event that was basically a backup plan for Olympic preparation should the NHL decide to pull out. Doan also has plenty of international experience and even participated in the 2006 Olympics with Canada. Julien was an assistant on the 2014 squad and has also been part of several other Canadian coaching staffs over the years.

In the release, Salmond says that he looks forward to “unveiling the roster in the coming weeks” but does not give a firm date for the announcement. The tournament starts for Canada on February 10, when they’re set to take on Germany.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Arizona Coyotes Hire Shane Doan

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The relationship has been mended. Shane Doan, perhaps the most recognizable Arizona Coyotes player of all-time, has rejoined the organization as Chief Hockey Development Officer. He will report directly to team president Xavier Gutierrez and serve as a strategic advisor to the owner Alex Meruelo and GM Bill Armstrong. Gutierrez released a short statement on the hire:

Shane Doan is a Coyotes legend and a Valley icon. For the past 25 years, Shane has been an incredible ambassador for our franchise and has represented the Coyotes with dignity and class. He is beloved by our fan base and we are thrilled to have him back with us where he belongs.

Doan, 44, actually started his career when the franchise was still known as the Winnipeg Jets, playing 74 games in the 1995-96 season before the move to the desert. He would spend his entire career with the organization, captaining the squad from 2003 to 2017, but his departure from the team was a little awkward and contentious. Regardless, he’s back with them now after spending the last three seasons with the league offices and should be a valuable asset for the organization.

West Notes: Niku, Podkolzin, Coyotes

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While Sami Niku’s name has come up in recent trade speculation, his agent Mike Curran clarified to Jason Bell of the Winnipeg Free Press that the defenseman has not requested a move.  The 24-year-old split the season between Winnipeg and AHL Manitoba and while he was quite productive with the Moose with three goals and 11 assists in 18 games, it didn’t materialize into much NHL production as Niku had just five helpers in 17 games with the Jets.  Given his offensive prowess with Manitoba over the past three seasons, he has progressed about as far as he can in the minors but a full-time NHL spot hasn’t been something that he has been able to lock down.  Accordingly, the restricted free agent could probably benefit from a change of scenery but he’s not the one that’s looking for it.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Canucks prospect Vasili Podkolzin’s sophomore KHL season hasn’t gone particularly well. He has just a goal and three assists in 18 games and had been a healthy scratch in the past two games which led to a demotion to the VHL today.  The GM of SKA St. Petersburg, Roman Rotenberg, told Rick Dhaliwal of TSN 1040 and The Athletic (Twitter link) that the move is to try to get him ready for the World Juniors and have him have some success against players in his age group.
  • The Coyotes are looking to bring back a familiar face as they are in talks with Shane Doan about a position in their organization, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Doan spent his entire 21-year career with that franchise dating back to their original days in Winnipeg before retiring in 2017.  He currently is working in the hockey operations department for the league.

Snapshots: Doan, Karlsson, Nemeth

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The Arizona Coyotes will retire the first number in the history of their franchise when they raise Shane Doan’s #19 sweater to the rafters this season. The ceremony will take place on February 24th, fittingly against the Winnipeg Jets where Doan started his career. Doan’s Jets turned into the Coyotes after just one season in Winnipeg, and he would spend the next two decades growing the game of hockey in an extremely non-traditional market.

His influence on the Coyotes was obvious, recording 972 points in 1,540 career games and serving as captain for more than a dozen seasons, but his legacy may best be remembered by the players that come after him. Auston Matthews is already a star in the NHL, and credits Doan as one of the biggest reasons he wanted to become a hockey player in the first place.

  • Craig Custance of The Athletic tweets that there is no contract imminent between the Vegas Golden Knights and restricted free agent William Karlsson, meaning his August 4th arbitration hearing is still scheduled. Karlsson is an incredibly difficult case to handicap, after exploding for 43 goals and 78 points this season despite scoring just 15 and 45 over his first two NHL seasons. The Golden Knights have already handed out several long-term contracts to players they deem core pieces, and could still work something out with Karlsson over the next few days.
  • Adrian Dater of BSN Denver reports (subscription required) that the Colorado Avalanche will announce a settlement with Patrik Nemeth today, avoiding his arbitration hearing on Saturday. Nemeth was one of just three players left with a hearing on the books after Cody Ceci and Gemel Smith met with the arbitrator today, though was still outside the period where a salary ask was required to be submitted. After finding himself in an increased role with the Avalanche this season, Nemeth recorded 15 points in 68 games and was a key part of their penalty kill.

Ekman-Larsson Injury Not Considered Serious

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2:40: The Arizona Coyotes tweeted that Ekman-Larsson’s was examined by team doctors today and it was determined there is no structural damage and he is currently listed as day-to-day.

9:17: NBC Sports Cam Tucker writes that Arizona’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson will be re-evaluated today after suffering a lower-body injury during overtime against the San Jose Sharks in Saturday’s preseason game. The defenseman had to be helped off the ice. The 26-year-old has been one of the few bright spots on the Coyotes roster the last few years and was expected to lead a renewed effort to get out of the basement of the Western Conference. It’s also rumored that Ekman-Larsson is next in line to be named captain to replace long-time leader Shane Doan.

Morning Notes: NBC Olympics, Ekman-Larsson, Desjardins

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The NHL will be going dark on national television during the two and a half weeks that the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea will be on the air, according to the New York Post’s Larry Brooks. The NHL, who will not be participating in this year’s Olympics, have been informed that no NHL games will be televised by any NBC affiliate during the dates of Feb. 7-26.

While the original TV schedule had no games listed, it was believed that NBC would add games into their TV lineup to air NHL hockey games. However, Brooks writes that he believes it’s NBC’s way of “giving a symbolic middle finger” to Gary Bettman and the Board of Governors for withholding its players from this Olympics, which NBC will also be televising. Last year, the NHL previously aired 20 NHL hockey games during those same dates.

The NHL has stated previously that it did not want to participate in the Olympics next year for many reasons, but chief among them was they didn’t want to take a 17-day break at a time when the NHL should get its highest ratings with the NFL season completed and MLB’s season not having gotten started. However, now without national TV exposure, it looks as if they may not get that exposure anyhow.

  • NBC Sports Cam Tucker writes that Arizona’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson will be re-evaluated today after suffering a lower-body injury during overtime against the San Jose Sharks. The defenseman had to be helped off the ice. The 26-year-old has been one of the few bright spots on the Coyotes roster the last few years and was expected to lead a renewed effort to get out of the basement of the Western Conference. It’s also rumored that Ekman-Larsson is next in line to be named captain to replace long-time leader Shane Doan.
  • In a separate story, NBC Sports Cam Tucker writes that New York Rangers’ Andrew Desjardins will face a disciplinary hearing on Monday with the NHL Department of Player Safety for his hit on New Jersey Devils forward Miles Wood during Saturday’s preseason game. Desjardins received a match penalty for an illegal hit to the head during the middle of the first period. Wood was slow to get to his feet and went through concussion protocol, but was cleared and allowed to return to the game. The 31-year-old center was on a PTO with the Rangers. He previously played three years with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Morning Notes: Duclair, Stafford, Doan

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While they ultimately agreed on a one-year deal, the Coyotes and winger Anthony Duclair did discuss multi-year agreements, reports Sarah McLellan of the Arizona Republic.  However, given Duclair’s struggles last season that saw him record just five goals in 58 games, this contract made a lot of sense and GM John Chayka likes the message that it sends.

“I think that’s a good lesson for all players coming off their entry-level deal.  If they want term and dollar, that’s available to them but they have to perform. And if they don’t perform, then they’re going to have to earn it. That’s how we’re going to operate moving forward.”

McLellan also reports the team has extended a couple of PTO offers although none have been accepted just yet.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see them add a blueliner for training camp with Jakob Chychrun still not being able to skate for a while yet.

Other news from around the hockey world:

  • While it had been speculated that the Bruins would show some interest in bringing back winger Drew Stafford, Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe notes that Boston never engaged in serious talks to re-sign him. Stafford settled for a one-year, $800K contract with the Devils late last month.
  • Although he announced his retirement last week, former Coyote Shane Doan is still on the radar for Team Canada for the upcoming Olympics, head coach Willie Desjardins told CBC’s Devin Heroux. Doan does have experience playing at that level as he was part of the Canadian entry back in 2006.  However, it stands to reason that he would have to be playing somewhere for him to really garner serious consideration for a roster spot and at age 40, it’s far from a given that he’d go overseas to play for a few months primarily to keep him in the mix for the Olympics.

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