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Spengler Cup

2021 Spengler Cup Cancelled Due To COVID-19

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The 2021 Spengler Cup won’t be taking place due to COVID-19 cases affecting teams within the tournament, per The Hockey News’ Steven Ellis.

The tournament was set to begin tomorrow, December 26th. A severe number of cases today within the NL’s HC Davos organization, the hosts of the tournament, forced the cancellation after the Canadian national squad and HC Ambri-Piotta (NL) also backed out.

The Spengler Cup is the world’s oldest invitational hockey tournament, including six teams every year including Team Canada and HC Davos. This year, Frolunda HC (SHL), HC Slovan Bratislava (Slovak Extraliga), KalPa (Liiga), HC Sparta Praha (Czech Extraliga), and the Bern Selects were also scheduled to participate.

It’s the second straight year that the tournament has been cancelled due to COVID-19.

Bobby Ryan Headed To Spengler Cup

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When Canada pulled out of the upcoming Spengler Cup, the tournament added a sixth team which would be known as the Bern Selects. The team that was chosen is made up of players from across the Swiss league mostly, but also has a familiar face to many NHL fans.

Bobby Ryan will participate in the tournament, listed as a free agent on the new squad. There are others who will also spark memories of the NHL, including Phil Varone, Lauri Korpikoski, and Cory Conacher, but Ryan is the biggest name in the group.

The 34-year-old scored 569 points in an 866-game NHL career, including 14 in 33 games for the Detroit Red Wings in 2020-21. He signed a professional tryout with the Red Wings again this year, but failed to receive an NHL contract by the end of camp.

That doesn’t mean his playing career is over though, as participation in the Spengler could actually hint at some further plans for Ryan. A member of the 2010 U.S. Olympic team that took home a silver medal in Vancouver, perhaps Ryan will get another chance to represent his country 12 years later. With the NHL expected to officially pull out of Olympic participation in the coming days, there will be a scramble for players at the minor league, European, and college levels. A strong showing at the Spengler would certainly make a case for Ryan to be on the team.

Canada Officially Withdraws From Spengler Cup

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Because of the ongoing COVID-19 situation, Hockey Canada has decided to withdraw from the 2021 Spengler Cup, an international tournament that was to serve as a pre-Olympic tune-up for players and coaches outside of the NHL. Claude Julien was set to coach the club, but as Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated reported yesterday, he’s already back home in Canada.

In their explanation, Hockey Canada said this:

We have a long-standing tradition of participating in the Spengler Cup, and it is disappointing that we are unable to attend the prestigious event this year. However, we strongly believe this is the right decision to maintain the health and safety of our players, coaches and support staff that were set to represent Canada.

The tournament was set to kick off later this month and would have included many of the same players that would be selected for the Olympics, should the NHL officially pull out as expected. Now, those players could be looking for contracts with other European club teams to keep in shape for the next few months. Canada has won more titles at the Spengler than any other participant, taking home the title 16 times (compared to 15 for HC Davos). That includes the most recent event in 2019–the 2020 tournament was canceled.

Canada Preparing Spengler Cup Coaching Staff

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11/26: TSN’s Darren Dreger has confirmed much of Friedman’s initial report this morning, reporting that Julien will indeed be the bench boss of the Spengler Cup team with Boudreau as his assistant and notes that this staff will in fact coach in the Olympics if the NHL pulls out. However, Dreger didn’t stop there. He reports that Julien’s second assistant will be Scott Walker and the architect of the roster as GM will be a former Canadian Olympian in Shane Doan. 

11/25: The NHL’s participation in the 2022 Beijing Olympics is still not set in stone, with a January opt-out date still upcoming. Should the league feel as though there have been too many COVID-related postponements to afford a three-week break, they could pull the plug on the whole thing and reorganize their schedule without the international competition. If that were the case, suddenly the Canadian and U.S. teams would be without a coaching staff as well, because right now it is NHL bench bosses set to lead the groups.

In Canada’s case, it’s Jon Cooper, head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning that will be in control of the men’s team, alongside assistants Bruce Cassidy (Boston Bruins), Pete DeBoer (Vegas Golden Knights), and Barry Trotz (New York Islanders). If the NHL doesn’t go, neither do they, meaning a new staff would have to be brought in.

They’re already preparing for that instance, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet tweets. Claude Julien is expected to coach the Canadian contingent at the Spengler Cup in late December, and would take over the Olympic squad if the NHL doesn’t participate. He’s expected to be joined by Bruce Boudreau as an assistant coach, though Friedman does note that this is assuming neither is hired elsewhere in the meantime.

The Spengler Cup roster would likely have a large amount of crossover with the Olympic unit if the NHL chooses not to go, though some AHL, junior or college players would also likely be involved. With coaches like Julien and Boudreau, they would also have NHL-level coaching even if the league failed to participate.

Kris Versteeg Announces Retirement

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Though it was clear there wasn’t a lot left on the table for Kris Versteeg after he decided to part ways with the Rockford IceHogs earlier this season, today the veteran forward has officially announced his retirement from professional hockey.

What a run it was. A kid from North Lethbridge who played on the streets every day, dreaming of playing in the NHL. I took a lot for granted in my time in the NHL. But the one thing I never took for granted were the relationships I made with my teammates and staff of the hockey clubs I played for.

A bunch of people have made huge impacts on my life. There was one guy who took a kid with a different personality and a massive chip on his shoulder and helped give him hope, and that was Scott Gordon. Dale Tallon also took a chance on me and gave me multiple opportunities throughout my career. I know I wasn’t always the easiest to deal with. Without people like Scott and Dale, the road to today would not be what it was.

Versteeg did have a chance to win one last time after he left the IceHogs, winning the Spengler Cup with Team Canada. His NHL career finished in 2017-18 with the Calgary Flames, after 643 regular season games. Versteeg recorded 358 points during those contests and added another 48 in 93 playoff appearances. The feisty forward won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks twice, once as a high-scoring youngster in 2010, and again as a more subdued veteran role player in 2015.

Technically Versteeg’s professional hockey career ended in Slovakia, where he played a handful of games with HK Nitra alongside his brother Mitch Versteeg. Pulling on another sweater was surely nothing new for the journeyman forward, who played at least one game with seven different NHL franchises.

Team Canada Wins 2019 Spengler Cup

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In a 4-0 shutout of HC Ocelari Trinec, Team Canada has won the Spengler Cup for the 16th time. The Canadian contingent was filled with former NHL players including Dustin Jeffrey, who scored twice and added an assist in the title game.

Canada destroyed the competition this time around with one of the deepest teams they’ve entered, a good sign for the potential 2022 Olympics if the NHL decides not to go again. While some of these players may be too removed from action to participate at that point—Kris Versteeg for instance hinted that he was retiring when he left the Rockford IceHogs earlier this season—others will still be right in their prime and ready to compete.

Perhaps the most interesting player to watch from this Canadian group however is Ian Mitchell, who scored the second goal of today’s final on the powerplay. The 20-year old defenseman is a junior at the University of Denver whose rights are owned by the Chicago Blackhawks after they selected him 57th overall in 2017. Winning on the international stage is just another strong step in his development, one that should only help him down the line when he’s trying to crack an NHL roster filled with professional hockey players.

Canada Announces 2019 Spengler Cup Roster

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Dec 23: Canada has added Mathew Maione and Blair Riley to the club, two more players with plenty of international experience.

Dec 19: While most fans of international hockey are paying attention to the upcoming World Junior Championship, there is actually another high-level tournament that starts at the same time. The Spengler Cup, where several club teams from around the world gather to compete is held every year just after Christmas. Canada also submits a team in the tournament, and this year’s edition has quite a few names that should be familiar to NHL fans.

The full roster:

G Brendan Burke
G Zach Fucale
G Matt Tomkins

D Paul Postma
D Ian Mitchell
D Alex Grant
D Patrick Wiercioch
D Andrew MacDonald
D Maxim Noreau

F Adam Tambellini
F Kris Versteeg
F Dustin Jeffrey
F Eric Fehr
F Justin Danforth
F Scottie Upshall
F Cory Emmerton
F Daniel Winnik
F Kevin Clark
F Ben Maxwell
F David Desharnais
F Josh Jooris
F Chris DiDomenico

Mitchell immediately stands out in the group, given that unlike many of the other former NHLers, he hasn’t even had his chance at the highest level so far. The Chicago Blackhawks draft pick is still just 20 years old and in his junior year at the University of Denver.

Obviously the Spengler Cup doesn’t come with a whole lot of name recognition, but some of these players could be considered at the next Olympics should the NHL decide not to attend in 2022.

The tournament kicks off on December 26th in Davos, Switzerland.

Prospect Notes: Mitchell, Gallagher, Mercer

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University of Denver defenseman Ian Mitchell has outgrown the World Junior ranks, but he still plans to take part in an upcoming international competition. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that Hockey Canada is close to finalizing its roster for the Spengler Cup, an invitational tournament held in Davos, Switzerland every December, and he lists Mitchell as the team’s standout amatuer participant. The Chicago prospect has been considered pro-ready for a couple of years now and the Blackhawks have tried unsuccessfully to convince him to leave school. Now a junior at Denver, it seems likely that Mitchell will finally end his NCAA career after this season and a competition against mature adult talent will be telling as to how he may perform for Chicago next year. Mitchell is expected to join a Team Canada roster with considerable NHL experience, another developmental benefit for Mitchell. Dreger lists Kris Versteeg, Scottie Upshall, Daniel Winnik, Eric Fehr, and Paul Postma as other participants.

  • A young defenseman hoping to follow in the footsteps of a top collegiate prospect like Mitchell is just beginning the process. 16-year-old Ty Gallagher has made his own college commitment, announcing that he will play at the University of Notre Dame. Gallagher is currently playing for the U-17 team for the US. National Team Development Program, leading the program’s defensemen with nine goals,  and is already catching the eye of NHL scouts. The 2021 prospect is expected to be highly sought-after by the time his draft roles around, although he will have to compete against his own teammates like Luke Hughes (Michigan), Aidan Hreschuk (Boston College), and Sean Behrens (Denver) for the billing of top American defenseman in the class.
  • A 2020 prospect who has drawn interest from NHL teams is also drawing interest from his QMJHL competitors. Winger Dawson Mercer of the Drummondville Voltigeurs, expected to be a first-round pick (at the very least) in June, finds himself having an excellent season with 42 points in 26 games. However, Mercer is arguably the lone standout on a Drummondville team without much star power. The Voltigeurs are holding their own in the QMJHL standings, but are extremely lacking in top young assets.  As such, Mercer has been linked to not one but two different trade rumors in the past week. In one hypothetical move, which would see Mercer head to the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, Drummondville would be getting back another forward, two first-round picks, and two second-round picks, which would certainly help the Voltigeurs rebuild. It seems that a Mercer trade is a question of when and to whom rather than if, followed by the issue of whether the change in scenery affects his production ahead of the draft.

Snapshots: MacTavish, Brouwer, Forbort, Avalanche

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Craig MacTavish’s tenure with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL was certainly short-lived as he was let go after eight games with the team.  However, he’ll be back behind the bench next month as TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that he will be Canada’s head coach at next month’s Spengler Cup.  The position had initially been offered to Wayne Gretzky but was declined.  Among those that are expected to be named to MacTavish’s staff is Misha Donskov, the Director of Hockey Operations for the Golden Knights.

More from around the hockey world:

  • While Troy Brouwer has been with the Blues for more than a week and recently signed a one-year deal, he hasn’t been given clearance to play just yet. Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch notes that the winger is still awaiting his work visa and he can’t suit up until he gets that.  Brouwer was expected to play on Thursday and is hopeful that the issue will be resolved in time for their next game on Saturday.
  • Kings defenseman Derek Forbort recently took part in a full skate with AHL Ontario, mentions Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. He has missed the entire season as he continues to work his way back from a back injury.  It’s a contract year for the 27-year-old who will enter unrestricted free agency for the first time in July so getting back is of particular importance for him.  As for Los Angeles, if Forbort returns to form, he could be one of the more intriguing trade candidates closer to the trade deadline.
  • It appears the Avalanche are getting close to getting at least one of their top forwards back. Ryan S. Clark of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that winger Mikko Rantanen could rejoin the team soon as he continues to ramp up his skating while working his way back from a lower-body injury.  The news isn’t as good for Gabriel Landeskog though.  He has yet to start skating after suffering a foot injury last month and will be going to be re-evaluated later this week.

Snapshots: Crosby, Gretzky, Kovalchuk

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The Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby are weighing a decision of whether or not the superstar should get surgery to fix a sport hernia, according to Rob Rossi of The Athletic. Crosby has dealing with it since training camp and aggravated it on Saturday night.

Surgery would take the Penguins’ captain out for at least a month, but that’s a tough proposition given the injuries that the team has already fought through to even keep their head above water. Without Crosby, Pittsburgh certainly wouldn’t have a 10-6-2 through the first part of the season.

  • Wayne Gretzky was offered the head coaching position for Canada at the upcoming Spengler Cup, but has turned it down according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Team Canada, led by Sean Burke, will look at other options that include Craig MacTavish according to Darren Dreger of TSN.
  • Ilya Kovalchuk was at Los Angeles Kings practice today but things remain “fluid” as several reporters have termed the situation. The Kings have looked at trading him in the past, as Jon Rosen points out, but there are several complications including his bonus money due on December 15th.

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