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Team Canada

Snapshots: Team Canada, Rieder, Vesalainen

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The World Junior Championship is just over a month away, and the selection camp for Team Canada will begin on December 10th in Victoria, British Columbia. That camp will decide who takes part in the top junior tournament in the world, and there are already projections being made on who will be attending. Sam Cosentino of Sportsnet breaks down who he believes will be there battling for roster spots, and the group includes plenty of already drafted NHL prospects. Evan Bouchard (Oilers), Noah Dobson (Islanders) and Ty Smith (Devils) highlight an impressive blue line, while Alex Formenton (Senators), Cody Glass (Golden Knights) and Morgan Frost (Flyers) appear in a forward group that is going to have to cut some extremely talented prospects.

Perhaps most notably is the appearance of Alexis Lafreniere, who isn’t eligible for selection until 2020 but is the early favorite to go first overall. Even though he only turned 17 last month, Lafreniere already has 54 goals and 116 points in 81 regular season QMJHL games. Players as young as him often get left out of tournaments like this given they’ll have other chances in the future, but the Canadian brain trust may just have to bring him along like they have other exceptional talents in the past.

Reaction to Los Angeles Kings’ Coaching Changes

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The Los Angeles Kings fired head coach John Stevens and assistant coach Don Nachbaur Sunday and brought in two national team coaches in Willie Desjardins (Canada) and Marco Sturm (Germany). The Kings hope that the pair will be able to try and fix the mess surrounding the 4-8-1 franchise that had high expectations going into the season. Here are some reactions from the Kings as well as the journalists around the situation:

  • TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that the Kings had already made their decision to fire Stevens after their 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, as many wondered why the team opted to relieve the coach of his duties after the team picked up a 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday.
  • McKenzie adds that the interim tag suggests that if Desjardins and Sturm fare well behind the bench this year, the interim tag could be removed. However, if the team cannot turn the team completely around, the Kings will conduct a formal and extensive search for a new head coach after this season.
  • TSN’s Darren Dreger writes that Sturm would be a prime candidate for the Kings’ coaching job next year after years of solid coaching on the international level.
  • Los Angeles Times’ Helene Elliott reports that Stevens was well aware that his job security was in jeopardy and was always both classy and accommodating. He admitted last week that being on the hot seat was part of his job.
  • Sportsnet’s John Shannon writes that one of the biggest problems for Kings management was a real belief that the team had lost its passion. The team believes that Desjardins, Sturm and Dave Lowry who remains from the old regime can bring that passion back to the team. “We’re going to create a desire for these players to play well here,” general manager Rob Blake said (via Los Angeles Times’ Curtis Zupke).
  • Fox Sports Patrick O’Neal writes that Blake said a “complete level” of Kings needs to improve, suggesting that the GM isn’t happy with any player or any member within the organization at the moment.
  • For those looking for more information on Desjardins, The Athletic’s Eric Duhatschek (subscription required) wrote a in-depth piece on the coach before the Olympics in February when he was head coach of Team Canada, including how he got the job there in the first place. “I saw Willie’s teams play a lot last year scouting for Montreal,” said Sean Burke the general manager of the men’s Olympic team. “I was always impressed with how much he got out of his players. I looked at the group we were putting together and thought, ‘well that’s what we’re going to need here.’ We’re going to have a group, where the coach needs to get the most out of the guys – and there’s even more of that element to that in an Olympic event than there would be in an 82-game NHL season. If he can get it out of the NHL guys for 82 games, he can sure get it out of the guys during the Olympics.”
  • The Athletic’s Sean Shapiro (subscription required) notes that Desjardins was a top candidate to take the Dallas Stars job in April which eventually went to Jim Montgomery. However, Shapiro also profiled the coach before Dallas had made its final decision. The profile includes his resume as well as a breakdown of his coaching style.
  • The Associated Press’ Steven Whyno reminds fans that Sturm coached the German National team to the silver medal at the Olympics, a team that surprised many and almost slipped past Team Russia for the gold.
  • FlamesNation reporter Ryan Pike reports that Nachbaur is considered to be a very respected coach with extensive WHL experience, but he hasn’t been able to translate those coaching talents to the NHL.
  • Fox Sports’ Jon Rosen writes that Desjardins had a tough assignment as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks which started in the 2014-15 season. The scribe writes that Vancouver didn’t have enough talent to be successful, but his coaching style at Medicine Hat in the WHL showed that he likes up-tempo teams that push play up the ice.
  • Sirius XM’s Nick Alberga writes that if Desjardins and Sturm don’t make a significant impact on the team, the next domino would likely be the team making trades to break up the team.

 

Los Angeles Kings Fire Coach John Stevens

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The Los Angeles Kings announced that general manager Rob Blake has relieved coach John Stevens of his duties. The Kings have made Willie Desjardins as the interim coach for the rest of the season.

“This is a critical time in our season and our results to date have fallen well below our expectations. With that in mind, this was a difficult decision but one we feel was necessary,” said Blake. “We have a great deal of respect and appreciation for John’s time with our organization. He was a key part of our past success, and we have tremendous gratitude for his many contributions.”

Despite picking up a 4-1 victory Saturday over the Columbus Blue Jackets, the victory didn’t do anything to allow Stevens to keep his job as the team remained 4-8-1 in the team’s first 13 games, giving them the worst record in league with the Florida Panthers the only other team that has nine points (although they have played two less games). Stevens, in just his second year as head coach of the team, took the team to the playoffs last year as the fourth-seed in the Pacific Division, but were swept in the first-round of the playoffs as the Vegas Golden Knights exposed their lack of speed.

Los Angeles responded by adding 35-year-old Ilya Kovalchuk through free agency this offseason and was expected to make a renewed run for a Stanley Cup title with the likes 30-somethings Jonathan Quick, Drew Doughty (he’s actually just 28), Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Dustin Brown, Trevor Lewis, Nate Thompson, Dion Phaneuf and Alec Martinez. The team was expecting some of their young players to step up, but players such as Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson have struggled under Stevens’ tenure and haven’t developed into the goal scorers that everyone had hoped for. The team also has been without Quick, their star goaltender, for much of the season and there is no word on how much time he might miss with his most recent injury. Throw in the lack of development of some of their prospects and the team was heading down the wrong path with many of their veterans under contract for three of four more years.

Desjardins, who has 20+ years of coaching experience, has been acting as Team Canada’s men’ head coach, including leading the team in the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, Korea. He served as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks for three seasons between 2014 and 2017, compiling a disappointing 109-110-27 record. He also led Team Canada to gold at the Spengler Cup in December of 2017. Desjardins also served eight years as head coach in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers where he won two championships in eight seasons there.

The team also released fired assistant coach Don Nachbaur from his duties, who served as the team’s assistant since last season. The team has brought in current German National Team coach and former Kings player Marco Sturm. The team did retain assistant coach Dave Lowry.

One has to wonder what Stevens chances will be to get another head coaching position. He served as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers between 2006 through 2009, reaching the Eastern Conference finals once and a second playoff appearance. He has a combined record of 171-148-43.

Helene Elliott was the first to report the coaching change.

 

Los Angeles Kings Send Jaret Anderson-Dolan Back To Junior

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The Los Angeles Kings have decided that burning a year of Jaret Anderson-Dolan’s entry-level contract isn’t worth it at the moment, and have instead sent him back to the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL for the remainder of the season. Anderson-Dolan had played five games so far with the Kings, recording his first NHL point and getting a taste of what life is like in professional hockey. He’ll now return to the junior ranks and likely compete for a spot on Team Canada at the upcoming World Junior Championship. Los Angeles has recalled Sean Walker from the AHL to fill the roster spot.

Even though it may feel that way to him, this isn’t a critique of Anderson-Dolan’s play. The 19-year old forward was actually quite impressive in his short stint, limited as it was. The Kings have decided that averaging just over 11 minutes per night isn’t the optimal development strategy, and if they weren’t about to give him a boost in ice time, sending him back to Spokane was the only other option. Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times tweets that Kings head coach John Stevens didn’t want Anderson-Dolan sticking around in a losing culture, and noted that he’ll be the leader for his WHL team. The Kings are 2-5-1 through their first eight games, and currently have the second worst goal differential in the entire league.

For Kings fans, it will be hard to see Anderson-Dolan leave in the midst of such a poor start to the season by the team, but there are brighter days on the horizon. The young forward is part of a prospect group that should be making a substantial impact before long, alongside names like Gabe Vilardi, Rasmus Kupari, Kale Clague and Akil Thomas. The World Juniors could be filled with Kings prospects this year, and give fans something to cheer for during what is looking like a down year.

Overseas Notes: Tolvanen, Wolski, Phelps

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A decision is looming for the Nashville Predators. As TSN’s Bob McKenzie again noted in yesterday’s “Insider Trading” segment, forward Eeli Tolvanen has a European Assignment Clause that would allow him to leave North America after ten games in the AHL. When Tolvanen failed to break camp and was assigned to the Milwaukee Admirals, the countdown began. After last night, Tolvanen has skated in all six of the Admirals games and would hit ten by the end of a busy four-game stretch next week. The 2017 first-round pick came over from Jokerit of the KHL late last season and played in three regular season games for the Predators, but did not see the ice in the postseason. He was then expected to be an impact player in Nashville this year, but did not make enough of an impression in the preseason. While the Predators may be equally as disappointed in the situation as Tolvanen, it is the Finnish forward who holds all the leverage. If he opts to leave and return to the KHL, where he would make a much higher salary and play a more important role, he can’t return to the NHL this season. Nashville would lose a valued depth asset for nothing for the remainder of the year. Can and will they offer Tolvanen a full-time spot on the NHL roster? Or will the young forward see the developmental value in remaining in the AHL? If the answer to both of these questions is “no”, a budding star will soon depart from North America this season.

  • Could Wojtek Wolski be eyeing a return to North America? It seems unlikely for the former Colorado Avalanche star, who has played in the KHL for parts of the last six seasons. However, Wolski and his most recent club, Mettalurg Magnitogorsk, have come to a mutual agreement on the termination of his contract, the team announced. Wolski has been a valued hired gun in the KHL for some time now, but as he enters the twilight of his career – now 32 years old with a lot of tread on the tires – Wolski could try to land a gig in the AHL or even NHL in an attempt to get back to the top level of pro hockey before his playing days are done. He certainly put on a good show for NHL eyes on the international stage last season, leading Team Canada in goals at the Olympic Games. Wolski last played in the NHL in 2012-13 with the Washington Capitals and was far from the 50-point form he showed early in his career with the Avs, but was nevertheless a serviceable player. Don’t rule out the possibility that he tries his hand at a return. Even if he doesn’t, he won’t remain unemployed for very long.
  • Former Boston University forward Chase Phelps has made an interesting career move. A four-year starter for the Terriers, the undrafted Phelps was seemingly unable to land a job in North America this off-season, not showing up on any training camp rosters either. The checking forward was a reliable defensive asset for BU for four years, even if his offensive production never matched up with his USHL No. 21 overall pick tag. Yet, Phelps has found a team willing to give him a chance. French club Anglet has signed the two-way forward, the team announced. Located in the south of France, Anglet plays in the French premiere league, the “Synerglace Ligue Magnus”. Phelps was once a standout for Shattuck St. Mary’s; now moving on from the uber-competitive Hockey East Conference to the French pro ranks, perhaps he can re-discover that scoring touch.

Chris Lee Retires From Professional Hockey

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For fans tuning into the 2017 World Championships, a player stuck out like a sore thumb on the blue line for Team Canada. Wearing number 42 among the other NHL stars was a face that few recognized, but would learn to appreciate by the end of the tournament. Chris Lee stepped into a roster spot and ice time vacated by an injured Tyson Barrie and recorded two points in seven games en route to a silver medal. Lee had never played in the World Championships—or any major international tournament—for Canada before, and had no prior NHL experience.

Lee at the age of 36, had parlayed a 65-point season in the KHL into an invitation to the tournament where he played exceptionally well. Success in the KHL wasn’t a new experience for Lee, who had been one of the best offensive defensemen in the league since coming over from the German DEL and Swedish SHL—two other leagues he dominated in his short time there. There was also successful stints in the AHL prior to that, but they never even earned him an NHL contract let alone a sniff of the highest level of professional hockey.

The undrafted defensemen signed a professional tryout with the Los Angeles Kings for their 2017 training camp, but didn’t make the team. He returned to the KHL and Metallurg Magnitogorsk while also suiting up for Canada at the Olympics. He wore an “A” as an alternate captain of that squad, which wasn’t allowed to include NHL players this time around. An Olympic bronze medal came about this time around, but the Gagarin Cup was out of reach in 2018 for his KHL squad.

Last night in a lengthy ceremony, Lee’s retirement and career was honored by Magnitogorsk as his number was raised to the rafters. The team released a “thank you” article, and Lee even received a star outside the arena. A two-time Gagarin Cup champion, Lee goes down as one of the extreme oddities in the history of Canadian international hockey competition, at least in the modern era. Never given a chance at the NHL level and overlooked for much of his career, he still found incredible success on the ice as a player.

Team Canada Announces Summer Showcase Roster

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The World Junior Summer Showcase is scheduled for July 28-Aug 4, and will see the very best U20 players match up in hopes of being selected to their country’s national team for the IIHF World Junior Championship in late December. USA Hockey already released their list of invitees to the tournament, and today Hockey Canada did the same. Maxime Comtois, Robert Thomas and Alex Formenton are back from the reigning gold medal-winning club while plenty of other top NHL prospects will be there. This list will get whittled down before the tournament begins, but even an invitation to training camp is an honor for these players.

The full roster is as follows:

G Michael DiPietro (VAN, 64th overall, 2017)
G Olivier Rodrigue (EDM, 62nd overall, 2018)
G Matthew Villalta (LAK, 72nd overall, 2017)
G Matthew Welsh (undrafted)

D Calen Addison (PIT, 53rd overall, 2018)
D Kevin Bahl (ARZ, 55th overall, 2018)
D Nicolas Beaudin (CHI, 27th overall, 2018)
D Jacob Bernard-Docker (OTT, 26th overall, 2018)
D Evan Bouchard (EDM, 10th overall, 2018)
D Josh Brook (MTL, 56th overall, 2017)
D Noah Dobson (NYI, 12th overall, 2018)
D Pierre-Olivier Joseph (ARI, 23rd overall, 2017)
D Jared McIsaac (DET, 36th overall, 2018)
D Ian Mitchell (CHI, 57th overall, 2017)
D Ty Smith (NJD, 17th overall, 2018)
D Jett Woo (VAN, 37th overall, 2018)

F Justin Almeida (PIT, 129th overall, 2018)
F Jaret Anderson-Dolan (LAK, 41st overall, 2017)
F Jordy Bellerive (PIT, free agent)
F Shane Bowers (OTT, 28th overall, 2017 – traded to COL)
F Maxime Comtois (ANA, 50th overall, 2017)
F Ty Dellandrea (DAL, 13th overall, 2018)
F Connor Dewar (MIN, 92nd overall, 2018)
F MacKenzie Entwistle (ARI, 69th overall, 2017)
F Alex Formenton (OTT, 47th overall, 2017)
F Morgan Frost (PHI 27th overall, 2017)
F Cody Glass (VGK, 6th overall, 2017)
F Barrett Hayton (ARI, 5th overall, 2018)
F Stelio Mattheos (CAR, 73rd overall, 2017)
F Ryan McLeod (EDM, 40th overall, 2018)
F Antoine Morand (ANA, 60th overall, 2017)
F Michael Rasmussen (DET, 9th overall, 2017)
F Isaac Ratcliffe (PHI, 35th overall, 2017)
F Jack Studnicka (BOS, 53rd overall, 2017)
F Nick Suzuki (VGK, 13th overall, 2017)
F Joel Teasdale (undrafted)
F Robert Thomas (STL, 20th overall, 2017)
F Owen Tippett (FLA, 10th overall, 2017)
F Joe Veleno (DET, 30th overall, 2018)
F Gabe Vilardi (LAK, 11th overall, 2017)

Hockey Canada Releases 2018 Ivan Hlinka Camp Roster

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One of the tournaments that has a huge impact on draft position is the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, held each year in August for the best U18 players in the world. Many of these players will be eligible for selection in the following draft, though some are even younger than that. It gives many fans a first chance to see some of the top stars that they’ll hear about for the coming season, and an inside look at the prizes their competing for in the first round.

Today, Hockey Canada released its 44-player selection camp roster for the tournament, which will be whittled down in time for the tournament in early August. Among the names are some spectacular talents, including Bowen Byram, arguably the top defenseman available at this point for 2019, and Alexis Lafreniere, an early candidate to go first-overall in 2020. Plenty of other talent like Peyton Krebs, Ryan Suzuki and Dylan Cozens are also competing for a roster spot, making the Canadian roster one to watch out for.

Below is the full roster, along with the year they are eligible to be drafted in:

G Luke Cavallin (2019)
G Taylor Gauthier (2019)
G Mack Guzda (2019)
G Nolan Maier (2019)

D Jacson Alexander (2019)
D Justin Barron (2020)
D Mitchell Brewer (2019)
D Bowen Byram (2019)
D Maxence Guenette (2019)
D Christopher Inniss (2019)
D Braeden Korczak (2019)
D Grayson Ladd (2019)
D Jake Lee (2019)
D Christopher Merisier-Ortiz (2019)
D Matthew Robertson (2019)
D Braden Schneider (2020)
D Nathan Staios (2019)
D Michael Vukojevic (2019)

F Alex Beaucage (2019)
F Brett Budgell (2019)
F Graeme Clarke (2019)
F Brandon Coe (2020)
F Dylan Cozens (2019)
F Kirby Dach (2019)
F Dylan Holloway (2020)
F Ethan Keppen (2019)
F Peyton Krebs (2019)
F Alexis Lafreniere (2020)
F Nathan Legare (2019)
F Dawson Mercer (2020)
F Blake Murray (2019)
F Sasha Mutala (2019)
F Alex Newhook (2019)
F Xavier Parent (2019)
F Jakob Pelletier (2019)
F Samuel Poulin (2019)
F Jamieson Rees (2019)
F Massimo Rizzo (2019)
F Xavier Simoneau (2019)
F Ryan Suzuki (2019)
F Philip Tomasino (2019)
F Josh Williams (2019)
F Nick Wong (2020)
F Connor Zary (2020)

Sweden To Take On Switzerland At IIHF World Championship Final

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The 2018 IIHF World Championship final will feature a stunning matchup, with defending champions Sweden taking on Switzerland. The Swedes annihilated the USA earlier today, winning 6-0 on the back of another great performance from Anders Nilsson. Late additions in Patric Hornqvist and Viktor Arvidsson made a big difference again, and the Swedes are looking about as unstoppable as a team can in an international tournament. They are undefeated so far, and have an All-Star level lineup from nearly top to bottom.

Switzerland on the other hand has had to battle to get to this point, knocking off Finland and Canada on the way to the finals. Today, the Swiss outlasted a Canadian onslaught in the third period to win 3-2, as Connor McDavid couldn’t carry his team to victory. The Swiss will have to try and puncture the outstanding Swedish defense, including Oliver Ekman-Larsson, John Klingberg, Mattias Ekholm, Hampus Lindholm and Adam Larsson. Roman Josi and company will have a tough test, but can’t be ruled out after knocking out two powerhouses already.

The game is scheduled for 1:15pm (CT) tomorrow afternoon.

Team USA and Canada aren’t done though, as they’ll play the bronze medal game in the morning. After such an unexpected crushing defeat this morning, Patrick Kane and the rest of the US will have to try to bounce back and stop taking retaliatory penalties. Canada, who lost in an even bigger upset, will need to keep their heads in the tournament if they want to medal once again. Their game is set for 8:45am.

For Switzerland, this will be just the second medal since 1953 and a chance at gold for the first time in history. The team won silver back in 2013 on a similar improbable run, but could even top that by taking down the undefeated Swedes tomorrow afternoon.

Western Notes: Former Stars, Turris, Kyrou, Heiskanen

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After a disappointing showing in the 2017-18 season that saw the Dallas Stars fall out of the playoffs early, SportsDay’s Mike Heika takes a look at former Dallas Stars players who got an opportunity to compete in the playoffs, asking the question of whether trading away players is the way to go or should teams keep all their players?

He points out several former Stars, including defensemen Patrik Nemeth, Jamie Oleksiak, as well as Matt Niskanen, as well as the Vegas Golden Knights’ trio of forwards James Neal, Reilly Smith and Cody Eakin.

The scribe writes that while Nemeth was lost to waivers to Colorado, it was unlikely that he was going to get an opportunity to play, while Oleksiak who the team traded away to Pittsburgh for a fourth-round pick, also would have found playing time remote with their group of young defenseman like Esa Lindell, Julius Honka, and Stephen Johns.

Neal and Niskanen were both traded back in 2011 for Alex Goligoski. Heika points out that while that trade looks bad now, Goligoski was a major contributor for years with the Stars as one of their top defensemen. Eakin was lost in the expansion draft, but freed up enough cap room to add Martin Hanzal via free agency, although so far that hasn’t worked out as well as they wanted. Smith went to Boston to get Tyler Seguin, which no one would complain about, although despite having already played for four teams, Smith might be the guy they could use the most.

  • Team Canada announced that they have added Nashville Predators center Kyle Turris for the IIHF World Championships in Denmark. He should add some veteran depth to a strong Canadian team. Turris, whose Predators were eliminated Thursday, had a solid year between Ottawa and Nashville, putting up 16 goals and 35 assists, but struggled in the playoffs. He failed to score and only had three assists in 13 games.
  • St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jeff Gordon answers questions in a mailbag column, but says that St. Louis fans shouldn’t hold their breath when it comes to the status of prospect Jordan Kyrou joining the St. Louis Blues out of training camp next season. The 20-year-old center is one of the team’s most heralded prospects after putting up 109 points in 56 games with the OHL’s Sarnia Sting this past season. However, Gordon writes it’s far more likely that Kyrou will start the season in the AHL and shuttle back and forth to gain experience.
  • Dallas Stars prospect Miro Heiskanen has been making his mark at the World Championships in Denmark for Team Finland. At 18 years old, the 2017 third-overall pick helped his team to a victory over Team Canada Saturday, which included a key save to a likely goal by Connor McDavid. His success on the ice likely means that he is ready to join the Stars next season. “It’s nice to face those guys and see where I am,” Heiskanen said. “It’s a good test to play them, maybe I will play them next year in the NHL. I want to play there as soon as possible, that’s my goal.”

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