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Snapshots: Barkov, Puljujärvi, Poulin

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Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov has missed much of the past few weeks with an illness, and now we have clarity on why his absence was so long. Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards relays a Finnish report that Barkov was dealing with a bout of pneumonia, causing him to be away from the team.

Thankfully, Barkov is now healthy. He’s returned to skating with the team and is expected to return to the lineup tomorrow against Detroit, says Richards. In the seven games Barkov missed, the Panthers went 2-3-2. The return of their captain can’t come soon enough, as the team currently sits outside a playoff spot after winning the President’s Trophy last year. Richards also notes the team is optimistic that Anton Lundell can return from an injury tomorrow after missing the last two games.

  • After scoring just one goal in 26 games this season, offensive struggles are beginning to weigh on Edmonton Oilers winger Jesse Puljujarvi. Puljujärvi told a Finnish news agency today (translated) that “of course, I’d like to be a productive top-line player, but right now, it looks like I can’t do that in NHL. Maybe some other league.” The Finn had a career year last season with 36 points in 65 games and even received some Selke votes, but his play on both sides of the puck has dipped this year. Hopefully, the Oilers can help Puljujärvi figure out a way to regain his confidence.
  • Team Canada captain Marie-Philip Poulin has deservedly won the 2022 Northern Star award, given to Canada’s top athlete of the year. Poulin led Canada’s top women’s hockey contingent to both Olympic gold and World Championships gold, scoring a combined 27 points in 14 games. She’s the first hockey player to win the award in seven years.

Team Canada Wins Gold At 2022 IIHF Women’s World Championships

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Team Canada has completed their run at the 2022 IIHF Women’s World Championships, culminating today in a 2-1 win against the United States to take home the gold medal for the second straight season.

For the national Canadian women’s team, it’s a sweep of the three major international events — they won gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and at the U18 Women’s Worlds in June, also against the United States.

This year’s edition of the Women’s World Championships also saw Czechia take home the bronze, marking the first time that they’ve medalled at the tournament. It’s the first time there’s been a new medalist at the Women’s Worlds in over a decade, a hallmark of the constantly increasing parity in the game.

Canada was led in scoring by youngster Sarah Fillier, who tallied five goals and six assists for 11 points in seven games. Team captain and international legend Marie-Philip Poulin finished second in team scoring with ten points. Overall in the tournament, American Taylor Heise led the pack with seven goals, 11 assists, and 18 points in seven games.

The Women’s Worlds was the last major event of the 2022 IIHF season.

Latest On The IIHF

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Earlier today, IIHF executives, President Luc Tardif, and Regional Vice President and Chairman of the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship Directorate Henrik Bach Nielsen, had the chance to sit down with the media prior to the World Junior medal games in Edmonton, discussing the status of the organization and it’s plans going forward. Topics varied from the status of tournaments cancelled due to COVID-19, the current status of Hockey Canada, their financial position, and the future outlook of the organization and future tournaments. As mentioned in an earlier piece, Tardif also discussed the suspension of the Russian Belarusian teams for the 2022-23 season, adding that future suspensions would be determined on a year-by-year basis going forward.

Firstly, the pair discussed the choice to schedule the makeup men’s World Juniors to August, acknowledging that the timing might have been less than ideal, but that it was the only time it would have made sense to hold it. Bach Nielsen added that where it mattered most, it was a success, considering the tournament happened in full without any COVID cases. They also discussed looking forward to the upcoming 2023 men’s World Juniors in Halifax and Moncton, confident the tournament should return to what it has been, evidenced by the nearly 50,000 fans who entered the priority draw to purchase tickets for the games. In regards to other cancelled events, only three tournaments from the previous year’s IIHF calendar remain, including next week’s Women’s World Championships, with all expected to be completed by the end of September.

When asked about the financial burden the IIHF is experiencing in light of COVID-19 and all pof the changes that were made, Bach Nielsen stated that the organization is in good financial shape, citing their ability to spend less during these times as a reason for their healthy financial status. Bach Nielsen did add that the more concerning loss from the COVID years is a lack of development on the ice. When asked about the allegations against Hockey Canada, the pair indicated the IIHF had submitted an inquiry to Hockey Canada and was hopeful the investigation would continue, but made clear the IIHF has not yet initiated its own investigation.

Lastly, Tardif touched on the number of teams in different tournaments, including the men’s World Juniors. Tardif didn’t explicitly say whether or not an increase from the current ten-team slate is or isn’t in the plans, but attributed the tournament’s recent success to having only ten teams. On the other hand, he expressed interest in another increase to the number of teams in the Women’s World Championships, which had increased already from eight teams to ten back in 2019.

Today’s meeting with the media was far from ground breaking, however that may be the best thing possible for the organization. Given the financial hardship that the pandemic has put on just about every industry, and the forced cancellations the IIHF has endured, to see that the organization is doing well financially, understands just why the summer World Juniors weren’t perfect, but has a confident outlook on the future is perhaps the best news that could have come from today’s availability.

Snapshots: Colton, IIHF, 2026 WJC, Rutherford

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The Tampa Bay Lightning’s incredible 2021 Stanley Cup run gave Ross Colton his first Stanley Cup in just his first try, however it wasn’t the rookie’s first time at a Stanley Cup Final. The New Jersey native grew up a huge fan of the New Jersey Devils, and in speaking with NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky, discussed his fandom, which included attending every home game of the Devils’ 2012 run to the Stanley Cup Finals. When approached with the idea of playing for his hometown team one day, Colton said “[t]hat would obviously be so cool.”

As much as the prospect of a New Jersey native and Devils fan playing for the team would be, Colton did pump the brakes on the narrative a bit when speaking to NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman, saying he would like to spend his entire career with Tampa Bay, but acknowledged the business-end of the sport, with players needing to be paid and teams having to conform to the salary cap. Colton is entering the second year of a two-year, $1.125MM AAV contract that will leave him a RFA for one more year ahead of his 2024 UFA status. Considering Tampa’s cap issues over the past few seasons, the gritty Colton could be a luxury they can’t afford, however the organization has shown a willingness to get creative in order to keep as much of their core as they are financially able to.

  • Speaking on TSN, and relayed by The Athletic’s Corey Pronman, IIHF President Luc Tardif said Belarus and Russia will be suspended for the next year, and that decisions on whether to permit the countries to participate in IIHF events will be made year-by-year going forward. Pronman adds that this “next year” would likely refer more specifically to the 2022-23 hockey season. Being suspended for at least that length will cost the countries the ability to participate in IIHF-sanctioned events, including most notably the World Junior Championships and the World Championships. The two countries were suspended by the IIHF in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year.
  • Sticking with the topic of IIHF tournaments, TSN’s Gord Miller reports that the 2026 World Juniors will be held in the United States. Miller adds that a likely destination would be Las Vegas, Nevada, a location he notes was a dream of the late Director of USA Hockey, Jim Johansson. Putting the tournament in Las Vegas would be a feat not only for USA Hockey, but the NHL, whose expansion into the area, as well as other warm climates, was met with skepticism. A successful 2026 tournament in Las Vegas, should it happen, would no doubt be a testament to the growth and success of ice hockey throughout North America and could lead to continued growth and exploration in other non-traditional markets.
  • Since abruptly stepping away from his duties as General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins just a few games into the 2020-21 season, fans and media alike have been trying to figure out what exactly made Jim Rutherford leave the organization so suddenly. Many speculated that his departure had to do with disagreements over the direction of the team, but as the now-Canucks executive told Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that was not the case. Carefully wording his response, Rutherford explained that when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, being largely confined to his home took a toll on him, which left him without the necessary mental toughness to handle his duties. He added that he didn’t believe he necessarily had any mental health issues, but that things he could generally shake off as typical of the job, began to stick with him. It’s an interesting response, and not as dramatic as a feud with upper management like many had thought, but is surely relatable to the experience of many during the height of the pandemic. As much as owners, executives, coaches, and players may feel super-human or not-so-tangible to fans, Rutherford’s experience shows their experiences are just as human as that of their fans.

USA Hockey Announces 2022 Women’s World Championship Roster

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Right now, the 2022 Men’s World Junior Championships is sitting centerstage when it comes to international hockey, however soon after the tournament ends, that attention will turn to the 2022 IIHF Women’s World Championships, which are set to run from August 25th through September 4th. Hosting the tournament will be the cities of Herning and Frederikshavn, Denmark.

In advance of the tournament, USA Hockey announced its 23 woman roster earlier today, which includes a large contingent of familiar faces and several exciting stars, including 18 members of the 2022 USA Olympic team which took home Silver. Talking about his team, head coach John Wroblewski said in a release:

“I am excited to officially have our team as we continue to prepare for women’s worlds. As a staff, we are confident in the skill and grit of this team and are excited to begin our journey to achieve our goals in Denmark.”

Below is the full United States roster:

Goalie:

Aerin Frankel

Maddie Rooney

Nicole Hensley

 

Defense:

Caroline Harvey

Cayla Barnes

Jincy Dunne

Lee Stecklein

Megan Keller

Rory Guilday

Savannah Harmon

 

Forward:

Abby Roque

Alex Carpenter

Amanda Kessel

Grace Zumwinkle

Hannah Bilka

Hannah Brandt

Hayley Scamurra

Hilary Knight

Jesse Compher

Kelly Pannek

Kendall Coyne Schofield

Lacey Eden

Taylor Heise

Bilka, Guilday, and Heise will also participate on the United States Women’s National Team for the first time in their careers. On the other hand, this will be Coyne Schofield’s ninth appearance at the world championships and Knight’s twelfth – a USA Hockey record.

East Notes: Quinn, Devils Front Office, Sabres

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Eyebrows raised leaguewide when the Boston Bruins fired Bruce Cassidy, letting him walk to the Vegas Golden Knights in coaching free agency. Now, they seem to have zeroed in on a replacement. Although he’s been interviewed and/or linked to multiple teams so far, The Fourth Period’s Shawn Hutcheon reports that the Bruins have made former New York Rangers head coach David Quinn their leading candidate for the role. While other names like former Providence head coach Jay Leach had been rumored, they seem to have opted for another “hometown” coach.

While a Rhode Island native, Quinn has extensive experience in the Boston area, spending multiple years as an associate coach and head coach with Boston University. Quinn did not coach this past season after the Rangers replaced him with Gerard Gallant this past offseason, aside from serving as the head coach for the United States at the Olympics and World Championships.

  • The New Jersey Devils seem to have quietly cleaned out some front office names, removing the roles of Patrick Rissmiller (player development coach), Pierre Mondou (amateur scout), and Andrey Plekhanov (European scout) from their website. Rissmiller will leave the only front office job he’s ever known, holding the role with New Jersey since he retired as a player in 2015. Mondou, 66, was let go after nearly 20 years of scouting for New Jersey. Plekhanov had been with the team for four seasons.
  • As the Buffalo Sabres look to finally take that next step forward in 2022-23, the team has announced the dates for their development camp. The session for fringe prospects and rookies will be held July 13-15, with a three-on-three tournament to be held on the 16th.

Snapshots: Blidh, Santini, Rubins

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Boston Bruins forward Anton Blidh expressed frustration over his role and ice-time with the team through the last few weeks of the regular season and in the playoffs. In talking to Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic, Blidh mentioned that he did not appreciate being scratched in all seven of the Bruins’ playoff games, as well as 11 of the final 12 regular season games, and even said that at times, he would have preferred to be in the AHL, where he could have played regularly. Shinzawa suggested that while Blidh did have his positives and perhaps could have challenged forward Nick Foligno for ice-time, he did have his drawbacks and Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy ultimately preferred to go with Foligno’s experience in these situations.

A pending UFA, Blidh does not have to endure his frustrations with the Bruins any longer if he chooses not to. Originally a sixth-round draft pick of Boston in 2013, Blidh has played parts of six seasons with the team, tallying four goals and eight assists in 70 career games in that time. Some of Blidh’s frustration can be understood, as a look back at the last three seasons shows that Blidh has played in 49 NHL games in that period, but just 15 AHL games. This season, Blidh played in 32 contests for Boston, but played zero AHL games. Even with COVID-shortened seasons, playing in just 64 games over three seasons could foreseeably be frustrating for any player.

  • The St. Louis Blues announced that they have recalled defenseman Steven Santini from the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL. After spending the entire year with Springfield, putting up 18 points in 66 games, Santini has shuffled back and forth between Springfield and St. Louis in the month of May, even getting his first NHL action of the 2021-22 season against the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the playoffs. It’s unclear if there is a specific motive behind the Blues’ decision to recall Santini, however it does raise eyebrows given the team’s rash of injuries to their defensemen late this season and into the first round, which necessitated Santini’s playoff appearance in the first place.
  • It appears that Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Kristians Rubins will head to the World Championships to join Team Latvia (link). Listed at 6’5″ and 227 pounds, Rubins has made a name for himself as an imposing, physical defender who can shut down the opposition. In 58 games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies this season, Rubins had one goal an 10 assists, and was even able to make his NHL debut for the Maple Leafs, playing in three games in December. The 24-year-old may have joined Latvia sooner, however he was on the Maple Leafs roster in the playoffs as a reserve.

World Championship Notes: Stutzle, Swayman, Heiskanen

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Concerning news from the World Championships for the Ottawa Senators and Team Germany, as young forward Tim Stutzle was injured Monday in a game against France (link). The forward took a hit in the corner from France defenseman Thomas Thiry, coming up limp and leaving the ice, favoring his left leg. Stutzle, who had two assists in two games before the injury, would not return to the game.

It’s not immediately clear how severe Stutzle’s injury was, but seeing the young star immediately leave the ice and not come back is of concern. The injury is an unfortunate break for Stutzle, who had the opportunity to represent his country once again after a breakout sophomore season in the NHL, where he recorded 22 goals and 36 assists in 79 games. The silver lining to this situation is that if Stutzle did sustain any injury of significance, he does have over four months to recover before the start of the 2022-23 season. As for Germany, they next play on Thursday against Denmark and will hope to have one of their best players in Stutzle back in the lineup.

  • After the conclusion of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, several more key NHL names are off to the World Championships, including Dallas Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen, writes The Athletic’s Saad Yousuf (link). Though many players have finished up their NHL seasons and have gone to their international teams just as Heiskanen has, his trip could be considered even more encouraging after his bout with mononucleosis earlier this season, which cost him 11 games. After returning, Heiskanen would record seven points in 18 games while averaging a considerable 25:14 time-on-ice for Dallas down the stretch, helping the team secure a playoff spot. In the seven-game series with Calgary, he would record another three points, averaging 25:35 time-on-ice. Considering his workload after battling mono, one might reasonably expect Heiskanen to be worn out, but his venture to the World Championships continues to show how well he has rebounded from the illness, an encouraging sign for Dallas not only in the short-term, but also when looking at future playoff runs.
  • Also headed to the World Championships is Jeremy Swayman, who will join Team USA (link). Swayman’s Boston Bruins were recently eliminated in seven games by the Carolina Hurricanes. The goaltender will join former Carolina netminder Alex Nedeljkovic to form a formidable goaltending duo for the United States in the tournament. As the Bruins look to answer some questions about their future plans with their season ending, Swayman has been a question-answered in net, recording a .914 save-percentage and 2.41 goals-against average over 41 regular season games in a breakout 2021-22.

East Notes: Backstrom, Panthers, Johansson, Nedeljkovic

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Capitals center Nicklas Backstrom missed the first two months of the season with a hip injury and while he played the rest of the way, he wasn’t fully healthy.  Speaking to reporters at today’s end-of-season press conference, the veteran told reporters, including Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press, that his injured hip will never fully recover while GM Brian MacLellan indicated that Backstrom continuing to play through the injury in its current form will not be sustainable moving forward.  As a result, MacLellan indicated that the 34-year-old will be exploring his options.  The uncertainty surrounding Backstrom’s availability will make Washington’s offseason planning that much more difficult as a result.

Other news from the Eastern Conference:

  • Panthers winger Mason Marchment is unlikely to be available for the start of their series-opener against Tampa Bay, relays David Wilson of the Miami Herald. The 26-year-old had a career year as a secondary scorer, notching 18 goals and 29 assists in just 54 games while also averaging two hits per game which made him a key part of Florida’s bottom six.  He missed the last two games with an unspecified injury and there’s no word on how much longer he might be out.  Meanwhile, interim head coach Andrew Brunette indicated that defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Ben Chiarot will be ready to start the season after being banged up in the final game of the Washington series.
  • After playing on loan in the SHL this season, Red Wings prospect Albert Johansson confirmed to Expressen in Sweden that he will play in North America next season. The 21-year-old defenseman had 25 points in 52 games this season with Farjestad while chipping in with eight points in 19 playoff contests as he won the SHL title.  Johansson also indicated that he won’t ask to be loaned back home if he doesn’t crack Detroit’s roster after training camp in the fall.
  • Still with Detroit, goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic is out for the remainder of the World Championship due to an injury, reports ESPN’s Kevin Weekes (Twitter link). He was named to the team earlier this month but had yet to be registered by Team USA, a decision that certainly was the right one now.  As he wasn’t officially registered to the team, they will be able to find a replacement.  Devils goalie Jon Gillies and Sharks prospect Strauss Mann are the other netminders on the roster so far.

Three Minnesota Wild Join United States At World Championships

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The Minnesota Wild announced today that forwards Matt Boldy, Ryan Hartman, and defenseman Jonathon Merrill have been added to Team USA’s IIHF World Championship roster.

Boldy and Hartman will both help solidify a forward core that was seriously lacking in talent. The team still got away with a 4-1 win against Latvia to open the tournament, largely in part due to the stellar play of San Jose Sharks prospect Strauss Mann in the net.

After a disappointing end to the Wild’s season, losing in six games in the First Round to the St. Louis Blues, Boldy, Hartman, and Merrill will get the chance for success on the international stage. Boldy earned a mid-season callup to the Wild this season and never looked back, tallying 15 goals, 24 assists, and 39 points in his first 47 NHL contests. Undoubtedly a top-six fixture in Minnesota for years to come, the 2019 12th overall pick joins the United States as their most skilled winger.

Hartman enjoyed a career year between wingers Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, smashing his previous career-high of 19 goals and 31 points with a 34-goal, 65-point season. He also had a respectable five assists in six playoff games.

Merrill also set a career-high in points this season with 20. The 30-year-old defenseman found a much more solid role in the Wild lineup after failing to make much of an impact with either the Detroit Red Wings or Montreal Canadiens last season.

The US is looking to capture their first gold medal at the tournament since 1960.

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