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IIHF Notes: Hall of Fame, Latvia, Bear

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Earlier this morning, the IIHF officially inducted their 2023 Hall of Fame class, including former NHL stars such as Brian Leetch, Henrik Zetterberg, and Cristobal Huet. Also included in the induction: Sandra Dombrowski (official), Jimmy Foster (player), Kalervo Kummola (builder), Caroline Ouellette (player), Viktor Szelig (player), and Kimmo Leinonen (builder).

Although much is well known about their individual and team successes in the NHL, Leetch, Zetterberg, and Huet performed extremely well internationally as well. From 1987-2004, Leetch played in two World Championships, two World Cup of Hockey events, and three Olympic Games, scoring 41 points in 55 total games. In 1996, as he was captain of Team USA, Leetch helped the Americans to a gold medal in that year’s World Cup of Hockey.

Zetterberg, coming from Sweden, also played in quite a few international events, including four Olympic Games. In his second attempt in 2006, Zetterberg was able to help lead Team Sweden to a gold medal in the Turin, Italy Winter Olympics. Throughout his international career, spanning from 2001-2014 at the professional level, Zetterberg played in 73 international games, scoring 17 goals and 38 assists.

Going down as likely one of, if not the best hockey player to ever come out of France, Huet spent many years between the pipes for the French national team. Unfortunately, throughout his rather lengthy international career, Team France was only able to qualify for two Olympic Games, in 1998 and 2002. In 87 career games on the international scene, Huet racked up a total of 4,589 minutes played, adding six total shutouts for Team France.

Other notes:

  • Earlier this morning, winning their first IIHF tournament medal in their country’s history, Team Latvia beat Team USA in overtime. Kristians Rubins, who is currently playing for the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL, scored both the game-tying goal and the game-winning goal, awarding Latvia the bronze medal. In the championship, Team Canada will face off against Team Germany.
  • Rick Dhaliwal of the Vancouver Athletic reports that defenseman Ethan Bear has missed the last two games for Team Canada due to an upper-body injury. Bear, who will be a restricted free agent for the Vancouver Canucks this offseason, will return to Vancouver to be re-evaluated by team staff.

Snapshots: World Championship, Grzelcyk, Ceci

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The medal games have been set at the IIHF World Hockey Championship.  After Latvia and Germany were able to pull off significant upsets to get to the semi-finals, one of them was able to do so again as the Germans scored late in the third to tie it at three send their game against Team USA to overtime, paving the way for former Pittsburgh prospect Frederik Tiffels to score the winner late in the extra session.  Meanwhile, in the first semi-final, the presumptive second-overall pick next month, Adam Fantilli, picked up the winner in the third period as Canada doubled up the Latvians 4-2.  Latvia and the US will face off for Bronze while Germany and Canada will battle for Gold with both games slated for Sunday.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic examines (subscription link) some potential trade options for the Bruins this summer, including defenseman Matt Grzelcyk. The 29-year-old has been a capable secondary producer offensively for the past several seasons, including notching a career-high 26 points in 75 games in 2022-23.  However, his $3.6875MM AAV is a bit on the high side relative to his ice time which is that of a player on the third pairing and with the team facing quite a cap crunch this summer, Grzelcyk is a luxury they might not be able to afford.  He, along with fellow left-shot defenders Derek Forbort and Mike Reilly, are all a year away from unrestricted free agency and there’s a good chance one of them, if not more, will be on the move in the coming months.
  • While the Oilers will need to free up some cap space to re-sign Evan Bouchard and round out their roster this summer, David Staples of the Edmonton Journal argues that one of those money-saving moves shouldn’t involve moving defenseman Cody Ceci. The 29-year-old still has two years left on a contract that carries a $3.25MM price tag and saw his output dip from 28 to 15 points this season while seeing his playing time go down slightly as well.  However, the fact that he can still handle second-pairing minutes remains valuable on a team that has some unproven defenders and others that are best served with limited ice time so if they can find a way to cut costs elsewhere, that might be a better way for them to go.

William Nylander, Timothy Liljegren Reportedly Joining Sweden At Worlds

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According to a report from Swedish outlet Sportbladet, a pair of Toronto Maple Leafs are heading to the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championship after their elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Winger William Nylander and defenseman Timothy Liljegren are joining the Swedish squad, while Sweden has reportedly sent defensemen Joel Persson and Christian Folin home from the tournament to create room on the roster.

After a disappointing loss to the Florida Panthers, Nylander and Liljegren are now set to bring their skills and experience to the international stage. The news bolsters a Swedish contingent that’s yet to lose through three games at the tournament, although they’ve struggled to produce offense outside of a 5-0 win against Austria.

Nylander should help with those scoring woes, coming off the first 40-goal season of his NHL career. He’s been money in the bank for Sweden at this tournament, recording 15 goals and 37 points in just 21 World Championship appearances across three tournaments (2017, 2019, 2022). It’s a significant boon to a Swedish team that has scored just three goals in two games against Germany and Finland, including a shootout marker.

Joining him is Liljegren, who’s made significant strides in his all-around ability since the last time he represented Sweden internationally at the 2018 IIHF Men’s World Junior Championship. One of the more intriguing young two-way defenders in the sport, Liljegren now gets a chance to add an additional spark to a Sweden defensive corps that’s excelled thus far at the tournament, one that includes former teammate and defense partner Rasmus Sandin.

Neither Persson nor Folin had suited up yet for Sweden in the tournament. While they’re both capable contributors to the Swedish lineup, and both have NHL experience, the swap for Nylander and Liljegren is a significant upgrade to a Swedish team with hopes of capturing the gold medal at this tournament.

Sweden can make it four games without a loss when they take on Hungary on Thursday.

Devils Notes: Nemec, Blackwood, Schmid, Hischier

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Devils defenseman Simon Nemec is expected to join Slovakia for the World Championship, reports Dennik Sports’ Tomas Prokop.  The 19-year-old was the second-overall pick last year and had a strong post-draft campaign, picking up 12 goals and 22 assists in 65 games with AHL Utica.  He also was Slovakia’s captain at the World Juniors while picking up five points in as many contests.  Nemec was among New Jersey’s ‘Black Ace’ recalls once Utica’s season came to an end which prevented him from joining the Slovak roster early but now that they have been eliminated, he’s now free to participate in the tournament.

More from New Jersey:

  • Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood revealed in his end-of-season interview (video link) that he dealt with a groin and an MCL injury during the season. It was a disappointing year for the 26-year-old who was limited to 22 appearances where he struggled, posting a 3.20 GAA with a save percentage of just .893.  The end result was him slipping to third on the depth chart down the stretch.  Blackwood is a pending restricted free agent with arbitration eligibility while being owed a $3.36MM qualifying offer.  With how his season ended, it’s hard to imagine New Jersey will make him that offer; if they don’t, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent this summer unless they can trade his rights to someone who will tender him at that price tag.
  • Meanwhile, in his scrum (video link), goaltender Akira Schmid indicated that he hasn’t decided if he’ll join Switzerland at the Worlds. The 23-year-old posted a 2.13 GAA and a .922 SV% in 18 NHL appearances this season, moving him into the starting role for the playoffs (while pushing Blackwood to third-string status).  He’s signed for one more year on his entry-level deal and as things stand, he should be a full-timer with New Jersey next season after splitting time between them and AHL Utica in 2022-23.
  • While Schmid is uncertain about playing for Switzerland, captain Nico Hischier is less hesitant as NHL.com’s Mike Morreale relays (Twitter link) that the center is expected to join the Swiss squad once interviewing is finished in New Jersey. Hischier had a career year this season, reaching the 30-goal and 80-point marks for the first time.  However, he was quieter in the playoffs, scoring just once in 12 games although he managed to collect six assists as well.

World Championships Notes: Niederreiter, Hunt, Carcone

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Winnipeg Jets winger Nino Niederreiter is heading to the World Championships to represent Switzerland according to a team release. The 30-year-old winger was traded to the Jets at the trade deadline for a second-round draft pick and scored six goals and 13 points in 22 games in Winnipeg. He also added a goal and four points in five playoff games, though the Jets were knocked out quickly by the Vegas Golden Knights.

This will be the seventh time Niederreiter represents his country at the World Championships, with his first appearance coming in 2010 when he was still a teenager. He has twice helped his underdog country win silver medals, with those coming in 2013 and 2018 respectively. Niederreiter played a big role on both of those teams, scoring nine points in ten games in 2018 and eight points in ten games in 2013.

  • Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports Brad Hunt is also heading to the World Championships. The Colorado Avalanche veteran defenseman will be representing Canada for the first time at the age of 34. After bouncing between the NHL and AHL for much of his early pro career, Hunt became a full-time NHL skater in 2017-18 with the Vegas Golden Knights. He spent the next five seasons at the NHL level but split the 2022-23 campaign between the Avalanche and their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. He is an offensive defenseman who scored ten points in 47 NHL games and had 21 points in 24 AHL games.
  • Michael Carcone of the Arizona Coyotes will also join Team Canada at the World Championships, per a team release. Like Hunt, Carcone has been a terrific AHL player, but the 26-year-old winger has yet to make a mark at the NHL level. He scored 31 goals and 85 points in 65 AHL games for the Tucson Roadrunners, but had just three points in nine NHL games with the Coyotes this season. At 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, he is a small, but skilled, forward who could provide some scoring if given the opportunity.

Moritz Seider Will Attend World Championships

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Star Detroit Red Wings defender Moritz Seider will be a late addition to the German roster for the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championships, the German Ice Hockey Federation announced today. Seider will join the German contingent on Wednesday, heading to the host city of Tampere, Finland, after initially planning not to go to the tournament due to injury concerns.

Seider overcame a slow start to the 2022-23 campaign to post similar numbers to his rookie season, playing in all 82 games yet again. The sixth overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft recorded five goals and 42 points, ending up with the team lead among defenders after Filip Hronek was shipped to the Vancouver Canucks late in the season. Averaging over 23 minutes a game, there wasn’t a sizeable sophomore slump on Seider’s journey to becoming a perennial All-Star defender.

He joins Germany’s team at the upcoming Worlds as the only defender with NHL experience. However, the team does boast John-Jason Peterka, Nico Sturm, and former NHLer Dominik Kahun on their list of forwards.

This is Seider’s third appearance for Germany at the Worlds. He posted seven points in eight games at least year’s tournament, which resulted in a quarterfinal loss for the Germans.

Snapshots: Edler, Norway, Malgin, Fiala

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Speaking with reporters including Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider at their end-of-season media scrums, Kings defenseman Alexander Edler indicated that he’s not yet sure if he’ll try to return for an 18th NHL season.  The 37-year-old played in 64 games this season (including his 1,000th career contest) but was limited to under 15 minutes per night for the first time since his rookie year back in 2006-07.  While Edler acknowledged that he feels healthy (he was often rested on back-to-backs this season), he admitted that it might take a while for him to decide if he’s going to continue playing or not.  Edler played on a league minimum contract this season with some performance bonuses but will likely need to accept closer to a straight minimum deal if he does want to play in 2023-24.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • With the World Championship fast approaching, Norway was the latest country to reveal its roster for the event. As expected, it doesn’t feature much in the way of NHL content with Blue Jackets prospect Ole Julian Bjorgvik Holm being the only player on an NHL deal.  Winger Andreas Martinsen, who played 152 games with Colorado, Montreal, and Chicago over a four-year NHL career, is also on the roster.  The tournament gets underway on Friday.
  • Avalanche winger Denis Malgin is expected to be a late addition to Switzerland’s roster for the Worlds, according to a report from Watson News. The 26-year-old did well after coming over in a midseason swap, picking up 11 goals in 42 games despite averaging just 10:32 per night.  Notably, Malgin does not have a contract for next season; it’s typically rare for a pending free agent to play in this event.
  • Also from that report, it will be another week before a decision is made on whether Kings winger Kevin Fiala will participate in the event. The 26-year-old missed the first three games of the playoffs with a lower-body injury and it appears that Los Angeles wants to see how Fiala’s recovery goes over the next few days before deciding on allowing him to participate.

Czechia Releases 2023 IIHF World Championship Roster

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Following Finland who released their group earlier today, Czechia has announced the roster that will represent them at the IIHF World Championships that begin next week. Unlike Finland, Czechia will compete in Group B, meaning their games will take place at Arena Riga, in Riga, Latvia. Their group includes Canada, Switzerland, and regional rival Slovakia, among others.

This Czech roster is a bit lighter on NHL talent compared to Finland, the United States, and Canada, as one might expect. They do have a few names NHL fans would recognize, though, such as New York Rangers rising star Filip Chytil, Arizona Coyotes netminder Karel Vejmelka, Detroit Red Wings scorer Dominik Kubalik, 548-game NHL veteran Vladimir Sobotka.

The section of the Czech roster that has the fewest recognizable names from an NHL perspective is their defense, which is headlined by 2018 Stanley Cup champion Michal Kempny and Boston Bruins 2015 first-round pick Jakub Zboril. Beyond that, they’re relying on Arizona Coyotes farmhand Ronald Knot and a few talented players from European leagues, such as former Carolina Hurricane Michal Jordan.

F Ondrej Beranek
F Jiri Cernoch
F Roman Cervenka
F Jakub Flek
F Filip Chlapik
F Filip Chytil
F Martin Kaut
F Dominik Kubalik
F Lukas Sedlak
F Jiri Smejkal
F Vladimir Sobotka
F Michael Spacek
F David Tomasek
F Daniel Vozenilek

D Tomas Dvorak
D Michal Jordan
D Michal Kempny
D Ronald Knot
D Jan Kostalek
D Tomas Kundratek
D David Nemecek
D Jakub Zboril

G Karel Vejmelka
G Marek Langhamer
G Simon Hrubec

Finland Releases 2023 IIHF World Championship Roster

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Finland has released the roster of players that will represent them at the 2023 IIHF World Championships next week. Finland will compete in Group A of the tournament, a group containing fellow hockey heavyweights such as Sweden, the United States, and Germany. They are hosts for half of the tournament and the medal games, with Group A contests, the semifinals, and finals set to be played at Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland.

This Finnish roster boasts some impressive talent, notably headlined by Colorado Avalanche superstar Mikko Rantanen. Other current NHLers on the roster include Kaapo Kakko, Olli Maatta, Kasperi Kapanen, and Joel Armia. Columbus Blue Jackets sniper Patrik Laine, one of the most naturally talented Finnish players in the world, won’t be playing in the tournament due to injury. Per a team announcement, Laine isn’t yet back to 100% after missing the final 12 games of the NHL season with an injury and prioritizing his recovery the choice was made to not represent Finland.

Perhaps the most interesting group of players to look at outside just the NHLers is in the crease. The Finns have 26-year-old Christian Heljanko as an option, fresh off of a season where he shined in the highest-pressure moments for his club Tappara Tampere. He backstopped Tappara to a Champions Hockey League title and Liiga title, but one wonders if that’ll be enough to unseat last year’s starter Jussi Olkinoura.

Olkinoura began the year with the Grand Rapids Griffins, but struggled through 15 games and eventually left to help save Brynas IF from relegation from the SHL, an attempt that ultimately failed. He shined in international play last year, though, earning Goalie of the Tournament honors at last year’s edition as well as the gold medal at both the IIHF Worlds and 2022 Winter Olympics. Also in the mix to start for Finland is Emil Larmi, who was among the best goalies in the SHL this season and recently led Vaxjo Lakers to a championship, winning playoff MVP honors along the way.

Will Finland trust their tournament in the hands of one of two players coming off of an excellent club season? Or will they keep faith in Olkinoura, who struggled in club play this season but led the country to Olympic and World Championship glory last year, and has a 14-1-1 record, 1.17 goals-against-average, and .947 save percentage in IIHF World Championship play?

Here’s the team as a whole:

F Marko Anttila
F Joel Armia
F Hannes Bjorninen
F Teemu Hartikainen
F Kaapo Kakko
F Kasperi Kapanen
F Juho Lammikko
F Sakari Manninen
F Waltteri Merela
F Ahti Oksanen
F Harri Pesonen
F Mikko Rantanen
F Jere Sallinen
F Antti Suomela

D Niklas Friman
D Miika Koivisto
D Mikko Lehtonen
D Olli Maatta
D Atte Ohtamaa
D Ville Pokka
D Mikael Seppala

G Christian Heljanko
G Emil Larmi
G Jussi Olkinuora

Snapshots: Hofer, Middleton, Senators, Korpisalo

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After revealing their initial roster yesterday for the upcoming World Championship, Hockey Canada announced (Twitter link) that Blues goaltender Joel Hofer and Wild defenseman Jacob Middleton have been added to the roster.  Hofer spent most of the season with AHL Springfield but didn’t look out of place in six games with St. Louis where he posted a .905 SV%.  He’s expected to be the backup for the Blues next season and will compete for playing time in this event with Buffalo’s Devon Levi and Montreal’s Samuel Montembeault.

As for Middleton, the 27-year-old played in 79 games for the Wild this season, picking up 15 points and 155 blocks while logging over 19 minutes a night, all career bests.  He also picked up a pair of assists and 24 blocked shots in Minnesota’s opening-round exit to Dallas.  It will be his first time representing Canada internationally.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Another celebrity has joined in on the bidding for the Senators as Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that The Weeknd has joined the Kimel bid, one of the seven groups believed to still be in the race for the team. This comes on the heels of Snoop Dogg partnering up with Neko Sparks’ bid in recent days while Ryan Reynolds and the Remington Group are known to be putting together a competitive bid.  The rough deadline for final offers is the middle of May.
  • When he met with the media earlier this week including Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider, Kings goaltender Joonas Korpisalo indicated that there hasn’t been much in the way of discussions on a possible contract extension. The 29-year-old was quite impressive for Los Angeles down the stretch, posting a 2.13 GAA with a .921 SV% in 11 games, helping him earn the starting role for the playoffs.  Korpisalo is finishing a one-year, $1.3MM deal that was signed on the heels of an injury-riddled season but now, he’ll enter the open market as one of the top netminders available which could more than triple that rate on his next contract.

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