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Potential 2018 Olympic Roster for Team Canada

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Hockey Canada released its roster for two upcoming international tournaments, and stated that the 2018 Men’s Canadian olympic hockey team roster will draw primarily from these two teams. The roster announcement comes on the heels of the announcement that Sean Burke and Willie Desjardins will serve as the team’s General Manager and Head Coach, respectively.

Those tournaments—the 2017 Sochi Hockey Open and the 2017 Tournament of Nikolai Puchkov—will be the stage for informal Team Canada olympic tryouts. Hockey Canada is using these tournaments as an opportunity to scout 46 different players it considers having a chance to join Team Canada in South Korea.

The full rosters are below, but notably standouts include former NHLers Derek Roy, Carlo Colaiacovo, Maxime Talbot, Mason Raymond, Kevin Klein, and Ben Scrivens. Most players listed currently play hockey in Europe.

Sochi Hockey Open Roster

Forwards
Justin Azevedo, Gilbert Brulé, Brandon Buck, Kevin Clark, Andrew Ebbett, Bud Holloway, Rob Klinkhammer, Brandon Kozun, Ben Maxwell, Brandon McMillan, Eric O’Dell, Daniel Paille, Mason Raymond, Maxime Talbot, Linden Vey

Defense
Chay Genoway, Geoff Kinrade, Patrick McNeill, Maxim Noreau, Mat Robinson, Jonathan Sigalet, Karl Stollery

Goaltenders
Justin Peters, Kevin Poulin

Tournament of Nikolai Puchkov Roster

Forwards
Taylor Beck, Sean Collins, Cory Emmerton, Ryan Garbutt, Andrew Gordon, David McIntyre, Jacob Micflikier, Trevor Parkes, Marc-Antoine Pouliot, Derek Roy, Greg Scott, Paul Szczechura, James Wright

Defense
Cam Barker, Carlo Colaiacovo, Stefan Elliott, Marc-Andre Gragnani, Kevin Klein, Shawn Lalonde, Craig Schira

Goaltenders
Kevin Poulin, Ben Scrivens

It is likely that the majority of Team Canada will draw from these two rosters, but Hockey Canada has indicated that it is looking at all options. That included potential non-signing UFAs like Shane Doan and Jarome Iginla, as well as standout junior players if the situation warrants. It also includes players on AHL-only contracts.

Snapshots: Fisher, Team Canada, Larkin

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Mike Fisher is still considering a return to Nashville next season, and GM David Poile told Adam Vignan of the Tennessean that they’ll know more next week. Fisher has been open about his pending decision between playing one more season for Nashville or retiring, and it seems the team would be happy to have him. After scoring 18 goals and 42 points he would likely be returning in a lesser role now that the club has brought in Nick Bonino to solidify their center depth.

With Ryan Johansen and Calle Jarnkrok returning, the position could quickly turn from a weakness into a considerable strength for the Stanley Cup finalists, with Fisher grading out as one of the best fourth line players in the league. He should come back at a reasonable price, but the Predators still have to get Johansen under contract and make sure they don’t put themselves in too tight a position heading into the season.

  • Team Canada has announced their management and coaching staff for the upcoming Olympic preparation, naming Sean Burke and Martin Brodeur as general manager and “management group member” respectively. The coaching staff will be led by former Vancouver Canucks’ head coach Willie Desjardins along with Dave King, Scott Walker and Craig Woodcroft. Interestingly, the team will play in at least seven tournaments prior to the Olympics, in a sort of season that national programs used to do before NHL participation in the Winter Games. Players on AHL contracts will be considered for the team, along with those playing overseas or in the college and junior ranks.
  • There was a new Larkin in town for the Detroit Red Wings’ development camp, and as Dana Wakiji of NHL.com writes he’ll try to make a return visit in the future. Adam Larkin, the cousin of Red Wings’ star Dylan Larkin, will be a senior at Yale this season and has steadily improved his game since going undrafted out of the USHL. He’ll work even harder this year to try and impress Red Wings scouts and those from other organizations that he’s deserved of a professional contract next spring when he becomes a free agent. Detroit would surely have the inside track, but Larkin will need a big senior season to show that he is ready for the next level.

Snapshots: Yakupov, Olympics, Meier

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When Nail Yakupov didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the St. Louis Blues this spring, many people around the league believed it may take a move overseas to find new life in his career. We even wrote on the subject here on PHR, saying that a move back to the KHL seemed like his best option. Yakupov was clear that wasn’t his goal, and instead he secured a one-year, $875K contract from the Colorado Avalanche who may prove to be an even better fit.

Andi Duroux of BSN Denver takes an incredibly thorough—and extremely insightful—look into the career of the 2012 first-overall pick, and how that career can get back on track with last year’s last place team. Yakupov should have every opportunity in Colorado to show he can still produce offensively, but will need to show he can play in both ends of the rink to take advantage of his immense potential. If he does, he could be in for a big raise next summer.

  • While rumors of the NHL having a backup plan to still possibly go to the 2018 Olympics seem far-fetched, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet does bring us some news on that front. It looks like players that are on AHL-only contracts will be allowed to represent their country in the games, but not those on two-way deals currently playing in the AHL. It will be interesting to see if a player who has signed his entry-level contract but is playing in the junior ranks would be included in this, but either way that leaves some interesting names for the potential squad. While Team USA may be made up of many collegiate players, other more veteran options with international experience like Peter Mueller, who was playing on an AHL deal with the Providence Bruins last year could be considered. For Team Canada, recent CHL free agents like Darren Raddysh and Stefan LeBlanc could join the veterans playing internationally.
  • A question that has come up several times in our Live Chats is that of a potential replacement for Patrick Marleau in San Jose. After the long-time Shark signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency, fans of the team were looking around hoping someone would be brought in to replace his spot in the top six. Kevin Kurz of CSN was asked a similar question about how the lines will shake out, and he projected Timo Meier to take the left wing spot beside Logan Couture on the second line. That would be a big responsibility for the 20-year old Meier, after making his NHL debut this season with just six points in 34 games. The ninth-overall selection in 2015, he has all the makings of a top-line power forward but has yet to put it all together and find any consistency in his game.

Coaching Notes: Woods, McFarland, Desjardins, Weight

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Yesterday, while 217 individuals took their first step toward fulfilling their dreams of being NHL players one day, two others took a major step toward becoming NHL head coaches:

The Minnesota Wild announced that they have hired Bob Woods as an assistant coach for the 2017-18 season. Woods was an assistant for the Buffalo Sabres under Dan Bylsma in 2016-17, but was not retained by the Sabres after Bylsma and GM Tim Murray were fired and replaced with Phil Housley and Jason Botterill respectively. Buffalo was not Woods’ first NHL experience; he previously worked for the Anaheim Ducks and Washington Capitals as an assistant, both under current Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau. Woods also worked for Boudreau in the AHL, replacing him as head coach of the Hersey Bears when Boudreau was promoted to the Capitals open position. Woods led the Bears to Calder Cup championships in 2006 and 2009, before being called up to Washington himself. In the brief time after working alongside Boudreau for nine years and being hired by Buffalo, Woods was also the head coach and general manager of the Saskatoon Blade of the WHL. Equipped with years of experience coaching at all levels, as well as a prolific playing resume in the minor leagues – Woods is an ECHL Hall of Famer and holds the record for most career goals by a defenseman – Woods is a great addition for the Wild and should fit in perfectly alongside his long-time friend and mentor.

Not long after Minnesota tabbed their new assistant, the Florida Panthers named Paul McFarland as a new member of their coaching staff. On the other end of the spectrum to a guy like Woods, McFarland is relatively new to the coaching game. The 31-year-old was once an OHL prospect with dreams of being an NHL player, but upon realizing that his playing aspirations were a long shot, instead attended Acadia University, continued to play and study the game, and got into coaching after graduating in 2010. McFarland returned to the OHL served as an assistant coach for the Oshawa Generals for three years and then spent the past three seasons as the head coach of the Kingston Frontenacs. McFarland led the junior club to a 111-71-22 record, qualified for the playoffs all three years, and helped to develop highly-regarded prospects Lawson Crouse, Roland McKeown and Warren Foegele, as well as two second-round selections yesterday, Jason Robertson and Eemeli Rasanen. Panthers’ coach Bob Boughner, a rookie NHL head coach himself, is reportedly very excited about bringing McFarland aboard and his ability to assist with the development of young players in Florida.

  • Willie Desjardins might not be a head coach in the NHL for a while after being fired by the Vancouver Canucks back in April, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have an important team to lead. Desjardins has been tabbed as the head coach for Team Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics, a great honor regardless of the fact that the NHL won’t be participating in the Games. Desjardins will be looked upon to lead a talented, young Canadian team against a similarly young and talented American team as well as several different European squads that will have veteran professionals on their rosters. However, Desjardins has had major success at the junior and AHL level and is a strong pick for the position. He likely left NHL assistant offers on the table to take the job, but his name will certainly be back up for NHL head coach consideration if he can get it done on the big stage come this winter.
  • New York Islanders’ coach Doug Weight made an exciting announcement today, as his son, 16-year-old Danny Weight, committed to powerhouse college hockey program Boston College. The Eagles will get Weight’s services beginning in 2019-20, after he plays for the U.S. National Development Program for the next two seasons. At 6’0″, 170-lbs. already, Weight projects to be a power forward just like his dad, but will have an edge in development at BC versus his father’s time at Lake Superior State University in the early 90’s.

USA, Canada Release World Junior Camp Rosters

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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:

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Golden Knights Notes: Expansion Draft Targets, Gallant, Yakupov

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The NHL purposefully designed the rules regarding the expansion draft to give the league’s newest member the best possible chance to compete right away. Teams have two options in terms of whom to protect from their current roster: they can either choose to protect seven forwards, three defensemen and a goalie or they can go the alternate route of eight skaters and one goalie. Any player with two seasons or less of experience playing professional hockey in North America are exempt. Undoubtedly, many teams will confront some tough choices when it comes to whom they potentially lose to the Golden Knights later next month.

Rob Vollman, writing for ESPN.com, examines who among the four Stanley Cup semi-finalists Vegas GM George McPhee is most likely going to garner significant interest from the veteran hockey executive. From the reigning champion Penguins, Vollman suggests that unless the club can convince Marc-Andre Fleury to waive his NMC and subsequently trade him to another club looking for a #1 between the pipes, one of Pittsburgh’s goaltenders would be the best choice for McPhee and the Golden Knights. However, should the Penguins proactively move one of their ’tenders – almost assuredly Fleury – prior to the expansion draft, Vollman suggests blue liner Brian Dumoulin as the best choice given his penalty killing prowess and ability to play solid defensively.

According to the scribe, Anaheim, barring some shifty maneuvering, may risk losing Josh Manson or Jakob Silfverberg to their new division rivals. Manson, as a right-hand defenseman who can move the puck and plays with bite, would be an excellent addition for Vegas.

Because of their defensive depth, Nashville will likely choose to protect eight skaters, with four being blue liners. This means the Golden Knights will probably have their pick from a group which includes forwards Calle Jarnkrok, Craig Smith and Colin Wilson. Ultimately, Vollman thinks Jarnkrok would be the sensible choice given his affordable cap hit ($2MM annually through 2021-22) and his strong two-way play.

Given the lack of proven goal scorers likely to be available to McPhee in the expansion draft, Vollman wonders whether Vegas could be convinced to take the onerous contract of Bobby Ryan off of Ottawa’s hands. Ryan, who has five years – at which point the winger will be 35 – and an annual cap charge of $7.25MM, has struggled since joining Ottawa four years ago and finished with just 13 goals in 62 contests this past season. However, he has played better in the playoffs recording five markers and 14 points in 16 games. Vollman doubts McPhee would take that hefty contract on without the Senators offering them further incentive to do so but also notes the $7.25MM price tag would make it much easier to reach their targeted floor of $43.8MM in salaries. And at 30, there is hope Ryan can provide at least a few seasons of solid offensive production for a club who will likely struggle to put the puck in the net.

In other Golden Knights news:

  • The Golden Knights have done well in hiring veteran coach Gerard Gallant to be the franchise’s first bench boss, at least if some of his former charges and current contemporaries are correct. NHL.com’s Brian Hedger penned an article on Gallant, who is currently an assistant with Canada’s entry in the 2017 IIHF World Championship, which included quotes from Michael Matheson and Nick Bjugstad, who each played for Gallant in Florida. Matheson, a young defenseman who rejoined Gallant on Team Canada for this tournament, said: “He’s a tremendous coach and I loved my time with him. He just gives his players a lot of confidence. He realizes that you’re going to make mistakes but that it’s not the end of the world. He’s just going to put you back onto the ice because he has confidence in you.” For his part, Bjugstad said: “He’s one of my favorite coaches ever,” and indicated he was well-liked in the room in Florida. “Everyone respected him. He had a young team with us, and it didn’t take him long to kind of push us to that next level, the next step. There’s no reason he can’t do it with the next team.” Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper also offered up strong praise for Gallant: “I think it’s a great get for Las Vegas. I got to meet Gerard at the [World Cup of Hockey 2016], and that’s a big reason he’s here with us today. He’s extremely knowledgeable about the game, the guys play hard for him and I think he’ll do a [great] job in Vegas.” Gallant’s ability to help develop young players and earn the respect from his charges should do him well in his new position. While the Golden Knights will have access to quality NHL talent via the expansion draft, the organization will still likely rely on building with youth through the draft and it may be a few seasons before they are ready to compete regularly for the postseason.
  • With the probable lack of proven goal scorers available to Vegas in the expansion draft, the club will likely look for other ways to add offensive talent to the organization. The Golden Knights have already inked free agent center Vadim Shipachyov, a skilled Russian who was expected to draw significant interest from several NHL clubs this summer. He may well slot in as the team’s #1 center to begin the season. But, as talented as Shipachyov might be, he is more of a playmaker than a goal scorer and Vegas will have to add more talent around their new #1 pivot. Luke Fox of Sportsnet suggests that former top overall draft pick Nail Yakupov is just the sort of player Vegas should take a chance on as they search for impact offensive talent. Yakupov, who suffered through the worst season of his career with St. Louis in 2016-17, scoring just nine points in 40 games, has said he has no desire to return home and play in the KHL. Fox believes the 23-year-old winger is worth a short-term, small money deal for Vegas, or for another team starved for cheap offense, perhaps L.A. Signing Yakupov would certainly make a lot of sense for Vegas. The presence of Shipachyov could help ease Yakupov’s adjustment to the desert and provide the talented winger with the type of setup man that could help him thrive.

Tampa Bay Lightning Sign Taylor Raddysh To ELC

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After winning the OHL Championship and getting ready to participate in the Memorial Cup, Taylor Raddysh has inked a three-year entry-level deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Raddysh and the Erie Otters were victorious on Friday night in game 5 of the championship series against Mississauga, with Raddysh scoring a hat-trick in the final game.

That victory marked another huge accomplishment for Raddysh this season, as he scored 42 goals and 109 points in just 58 games while also starring for Team Canada at the World Juniors. After being picked 58th-overall last summer, Raddysh is showing the league he should have been selected much higher. Part of the OHL’s most dominant line along with Chicago Blackhawks prospect Alex DeBrincat and Arizona Coyotes pick Dylan Strome, Raddysh recorded another 31 points in the playoffs and will be a big factor in any Memorial Cup dreams for the Otters.

Raddysh showed this season that he’s not just a solid two-way winger but a potential top-line power forward that can keep up with elite talents and score almost at will. While his line’s play inflated his numbers somewhat, his offensive game took a big step forward this season as he continued to fill out his 6’2″ 209-lbs frame. Always considered an average-or-worse skater, this season saw him drive the net with more power and determination leading to more scoring chances for himself and his linemmates. If that stride can continue to develop he will impress at the professional level before long. He’ll likely return to Erie next season where he’ll be relied upon to carry much of the offensive load with Strome graduating and DeBrincat perhaps jumping right to the NHL. If he does stay in the OHL, it will be interesting to see him work with Ivan Lodnia, likely the next top center for the Otters and a top prospect for the upcoming draft.

Interestingly, Taylor’s brother Darren Raddysh went undrafted and is a free agent with much interest from around the league. The 21-year old defenseman dominated the OHL as an overager with 81 points this season and was named Defenseman of the Year. While he doesn’t possess the ceiling of his younger brother, Darren should find a home with an NHL team this summer somewhere, perhaps even Tampa Bay should the Lightning want to reunite the duo. As a right-handed shot with enough size to compete in pro hockey, his offensive ability has definitely turned some heads around the league.

Morning Notes: Parayko, Dotchin, Kings

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Colton Parayko will be heading to Europe to join Team Canada for the remainder of the World Championships, marking the end of a breakout season for the 23-year old. Though he scored just two more points than last season, Parayko firmly entrenched himself as the future on the blueline in St. Louis and skated more than 21 minutes a night for the team. When the Blues were forced to move on from Kevin Shattenkirk, Parayko received more time on the powerplay and showed off his incredible skill down the stretch and into the playoffs.

This summer, Parayko will be at the top of the to-do list for the Blues as he will become a restricted free agent on July 1st. A long-term extension is obviously what the team would prefer, but with such little cap space it will be difficult to accomplish. The team already has more than $68MM dedicated to players next season, and will need to move out some money if they want to buy out any free agent years from Parayko. Otherwise they could do a shorter-term bridge deal with him and revisit the issue after veterans like Jay Bouwmeester and Paul Stastny are off the books or retained at a lower price.

Minor Moves: Sharks, Team USA, Team Canada

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The San Jose Sharks have sent Timo Meier and Marcus Sorensen back to the AHL for the playoff run according to Keven Kurz of NBC. The two forwards were dominant offensive players for the Barracuda this year when they weren’t playing for the Sharks, and will add a definite scoring punch to a team that has already scored eight goals through their first two games.

Meier and Sorensen combined for 31 goals and 57 points in 76 games for the Barracuda, and both will likely compete for full-time jobs with the Sharks next season. More news from the recently eliminated teams…

  • Kevin Allen of USA Today reports that both Charlie McAvoy and Trevor van Riemsdyk will be joining Team USA at the World Championships. The pair add to a defense group that is becoming quite impressive and already included Noah Hanifin and Jacob Trouba. McAvoy will be joining his fifth different team of the season after spending time with Boston University, the Providence and Boston Bruins, and Team USA at the World Juniors. He’s made an impact at every level so far, and shouldn’t be overlooked as a possible star at this latest tournament.
  • Team Canada will gain a young star of their own, as Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun reports that Mitch Marner will head to the tournament. After several Maple Leafs turned the tournament down—including Auston Matthews, Nikita Zaitsev and just today Morgan Rielly—Marner will head off to compete in his first international event that isn’t age-restricted. In the U20 World Juniors last year, Marner recorded six points in five games but was left off last year’s World Championships and last fall’s World Cup teams. It’s not likely that he’ll be overlooked very often in the future, after posting 61 points in 77 games as a rookie this year.

Coaching Notes: Baumgartner, Vegas, Quinn

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Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun is reporting that Nolan Baumgartner is expected to join the newly-hired Travis Green behind the Vancouver bench. Baumgartner was an assistant coach of Green’s in Utica, and is the epitome of a professional hockey journeyman. Playing for seven different NHL franchises, but only getting into 143 games, Baumgartner is considered a solid coaching prospect that has a good insight for the game. This will be his first opportunity behind an NHL bench.

The Canucks will announce their new staff tomorrow afternoon, and will begin to work on their roster for next season. As MacIntyre writes, Green and the new staff will be expected to just develop the younger players coming up for the immediate future, with no pressure to compete for the playoffs right away. If the Canucks do in fact stay the course with a rebuild, Green will try to slowly shepherd the team back towards a competitive culture during his four-year contract.

  • Gerard Gallant won’t start his assistant coach search until after he’s done his work at the World Championships, but he already has an initial list of names to potentially join him on the Vegas bench. Though he’s set to help Jon Cooper coach Team Canada at the Worlds, he hopes to have the search completed in about six weeks. “When it’s a good job, a lot of people want the job,” he told Dan Marrazza of NHL.com who also reports that GM George McPhee and AGM Kelly McCrimmon will have to sign off on his staff.
  • Among the many staffing notes in Elliotte Friedman’s latest “30 Thoughts” column for Sportsnet, is one about David Quinn and the potential job in Buffalo. Obviously, Quinn—who currently coaches at Boston University—would be a solid fit with a young team looking to take the next step but it is his connection to Jack Eichel that now makes it a bit awkward. The report that Eichel wouldn’t sign an extension with Dan Byslma as coach was thoroughly dismissed by both sides, but it did precede Bylsma’s firing by just a day. The optics of Eichel being a “coach-killer” would get pumped up even further if the replacement was his old college coach, even if the report was incorrect. Terry Pegula likely doesn’t want to pour any more gasoline on that Eichel fire, after working so hard to put it out immediately.

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