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Flyers Notes: Morin, Ustimenko, York

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It’s not very often that you see players change position after they’ve made it to the NHL, though there have been some notable exceptions in recent years. Dustin Byfuglien and Brent Burns are two shining examples, lining up at forward and defense depending on the year, following in the footsteps of Red Kelly who famously came out of a semi-retirement to play center for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Now you can hopefully add another name to that list, as Philadelphia Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher announced that Samuel Morin will play left wing for the team this season.

If you’re thinking, “but Morin wasn’t a very offensive defenseman” you’re not wrong. The 25-year-old forward won’t be trying to lead the team in scoring anytime soon, telling reporters including Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic that the player he’s watching and trying to emulate is Matt Martin. The 6’6″ Morin certainly has the frame to play that bang-and-crash style and he has no pretense of entitlement; the 2013 first-round pick readily admits that he’s fighting for his career after several major surgeries.

  • Speaking of surgeries to Flyers prospects, the team also announced that Kirill Ustimenko has undergone a procedure to repair a torn hip labrum. He will be out for four to five months, effectively ending his season. The 21-year-old goaltender was the 80th overall pick in 2017 and made his North American debut last year, playing most of the season with the Reading Royals of the ECHL. He actually played two games back in Belarus this season before going down to injury, the only two he is expected to play given the long rehab.
  • If you want some good news, look no further than Cam York, the Flyers prospect who is dominating at the World Juniors as captain of Team USA. York is tied with Topi Niemela of Finland for the scoring lead among tournament defenders and trails only Trevor Zegras on the entire U.S. roster. A poised, two-way player, York has appeared to reach a different level in his development this season, excelling not only at the junior event but also for the University of Michigan. He and the rest of the U.S. squad will be back in action this evening taking on Sweden in an extremely important Group B matchup.

Cam York Named Captain Of Team USA

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The World Junior Championship is set to start tomorrow and Team USA Now has a captain to lead them into battle against Russia in their first game. Philadelphia Flyers prospect Cam York has been given the “C” and he will be joined by alternates Cole Caufield and Alex Turcotte. Head coach Nate Leaman explained what an honor it is to be named captain:

It says a lot about this leadership group being voted in by their teammates. It’s a tremendous honor to be named captains and represent your country. This isn’t our team, this is their team. I believe our locker room is filled with leaders, and to be successful each guy will need to step up and be a leader in their own way, whether wearing a letter or not.

York, 19, was the 14th overall pick of the 2019 draft, selected by Philadelphia out of the USNTDP. He’s currently at the University of Michigan, where he earned conference All-Rookie honors last season and has five points in eight games this year. The smooth-skating defenseman was part of the U.S. team that disappointed a year ago but is back for revenge this time around.

Caufield, one of the most-hyped prospects in college hockey, returns to the tournament after scoring just a single goal last year. The undersized forward is an incredible sniper that is able to put the puck in the net in a thousand different ways and will be extremely difficult to contain at the event. Selected 15th overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2019, he could be operating at the sidewall of an NHL powerplay before long.

Turcotte, the highest drafted of the three, went fifth overall to the Los Angeles Kings in 2019 and was a teammate of Caufield at Wisconsin last season. The 19-year-old signed his entry-level contract in March and will attempt to make the Kings out of training camp this year, but first has his eye on gold at the upcoming tournament.

Even though they were denied access to some top names, the U.S. squad looks extremely dangerous this time around. Caufield was named player of the match in the team’s exhibition game against Finland earlier this week when they won 3-2, with Trevor Zegras dazzling with his playmaking once again.

USA Hockey Announces Final World Junior Roster

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A number of final rosters for the upcoming 2020 World Junior Championship have been revealed this morning, as the best U-20 players in the world prepare to compete later this month. Team USA gets us started, as USA Hockey has announced their finalized group. The roster is entirely comprised of NHL draft picks and presumptive 2021 selections, including sixteen players drafted in the first or second round, as well as 22 NCAA players. Below is the final roster:

F Matthew Beniers, Univ. of Michigan (2021)
F Brett Berard, Providence College (NYR)
F Matthew Boldy, Boston College (MIN)
F Bobby Brink, Univ. of Denver (PHI)
F Brendan Brisson, Univ. of Michigan (VGK)
F Cole Caufield, Univ. of Wisconsin (MTL)
F Sam Colangelo, Northeastern Univ. (ANA)
F John Farinacci, Harvard Univ. (ARI)
F Arthur Kaliyev, Hamilton Bulldogs (LAK)
F Patrick Moynihan, Providence College (NJD)
F Landon Slaggert, Univ. of Notre Dame (CHI)
F Alex Turcotte, Los Angeles Kings
F Trevor Zegras, Boston Univ. (ANA)

D Brock Faber, Univ. of Minnesota (LAK)
D Drew Helleson, Boston College (COL)
D Ryan Johnson, Univ. of Minnesota (BUF)
D Tyler Kleven, Univ. of North Dakota (OTT)
D Jackson LaCombe, Univ. of Minnesota (ANA)
D Jake Sanderson, Univ. of North Dakota (OTT)
D Hunter Skinner, London Knights (NYR)
D Henry Thrun, Harvard Univ. (ANA)
D Cam York, Univ. of Michigan (PHI)

G  Spencer Knight, Boston College (FLA)
G Logan Stein, Ferris State Univ. (2021)
G Dustin Wolf, Everett Silvertips (CGY)

The roster, which includes eight holdovers from last year’s squad and Knight returning for a third go-round, includes few surprises. As expected, Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nick Robertson will not be a member of the team as he is instead expected to compete for a roster spot in NHL camp, anticipated to begin toward the conclusion of the WJC. The L.A. Kings’ Turcotte was not given the same treatment, as he will compete for Team USA and then head to camp.

The other glaring omission is Boston Bruins prospect Johnny Beecher, who played for the WJC entry last year and had been in camp this year. The Boston Globe’s Matt Porter reports that Beecher tested positive for COVID-19, ending his bid for a roster spot. The loss could hurt the U.S., as teammate Caufield told The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler recently that he expected Beecher to play a big role for the team this year.

While the University of Michigan boasts an impressive three WJC selections for Team USA, Beecher and Thomas Bordeleau (SJS) were among the final cuts. The other player left off the final roster was undrafted defenseman Cam McDonald, who would have been the third inclusion from Providence College to join head coach Nate Leaman’s WJC team. Wheeler reports that Team USA GM John Vanbiesbrouck would have preferred 14 forwards and eight defenseman to their 13 forwards and nine defensemen, but that COVID protocols led to this final roster, insinuating that Beecher’s positive test likely led to roomate Bordeleau’s cut as well.

Among the 15 NHL teams represented on Team USA are four prospects from the Anaheim Ducks, a trio from the L.A. Kings, and four other clubs with multiple selections.

 

Snapshots: Laine, Sabres, Henriksson, Team USA

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With trade rumors surrounding the Winnipeg Jets and Patrik Laine, there are many wondering if a deal is coming any time soon. However, Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe writes that no matter what happens between the Jets and Laine, nothing will be happening any time soon.

With most teams already at the flatlined salary cap, Wiebe writes that general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff will likely wait until next offseason when more teams might have the cap room to take on Laine and be able to send the assets that the Jets want back. That’s not to say that the Jets have given up on signing Laine to an extension. The scribe writes that while the two sides have had some issues, he doesn’t believe that it has reached a point of no return and believes an extension is just possible as a trade.

The problem with a contract is that Laine is a rare gem, who has 138 goals in 305 games and is tied for seventh in the league for goals scored since 2016. Throw in the fact that he’s still quite young at age 22 and is just starting to develop into a complete player and it isn’t easy coming up with the parameters of a deal.

  • The Buffalo Sabres could go in two different directions this season with a team having a solid chance to reach the playoffs. However, if the team goes its usual route lately and once again find themselves out of the playoffs near the trade deadline, NBC Sports James O’Brien writes that Buffalo would have a few assets that could net them a solid return. While newly signed forward Taylor Hall has a no movement clause, it still quite plausible that he would waive that if things go south in Buffalo to get a chance at the playoffs, while veteran Eric Staal might also proven to be a valuable asset if the team doesn’t make the playoffs. The 36-year-old has a affordable $3.25MM contract, which could make him attractive down the road. That doesn’t even include players like Rasmus Ristolainen, Carter Hutton and a few others who are already on the team. Needless to say, the hope is the team finally breaks its nine-year playoff drought, but it could turn into a different direction if things don’t go right in Buffalo.
  • Just yesterday, it was announced that Team Sweden would be without 2021 draft prospect William Eklund for the World Junior Championship this year after the 18-year-old tested positive for COVID-19. Now Sweden has taken another hit immediately after that news when Adam Johansson of Expressen.se reports (translation required) that the team’s No. 1 center Karl Henriksson will also have to miss the World Juniors after also testing positive for COVID-19. While the World Juniors don’t start in Edmonton until Dec. 26, the Swedish team is expected to leave for Canada on Dec. 13th, too late for the two young prospects to pass quarantine rules before having to enter the country. Henriksson, a second-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2019, has been centering top prospects Lucas Raymond and Alexander Holtz in international play and will be a big loss for Sweden.
  • Sticking with the World Juniors, Team USA has lost a few prospects as a Boston University trio will not be attending the World Juniors training camp due to COVID-19 protocols, according to New England Hockey Journal’s Jeff Cox. The U.S. team will have to do without forward Robert Mastrosimone, a second-round pick in 2019 by the Detroit Red Wings; defenseman Alex Vlasic, a second-round pick in 2019 by the Chicago Blackhawks; and goaltender Drew Commesso, a second-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks this year.

Jack Hughes, Alexis Lafreniere Will Not Be Released For WJC

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5:00pm: As if in response, Hockey Canada has announced that Alexis Lafreniere will also not be released to the tournament. Lafreniere will instead focus on training and preparing for the upcoming season with the New York Rangers, where he is expected to step right into a prominent role. After narrowly escaping major injury at the tournament last year, but still earning MVP honors and taking home the gold medal, it seems reasonable for the Rangers to want to keep Lafreniere at home,

3:37pm: Though it doesn’t come as much of a surprise, Jack Hughes will not be released to USA Hockey for the upcoming World Junior Championship. Though the program had interest, Darren Dreger of TSN reports that New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald has informed them the star forward will not go this year.

Hughes of course was the first-overall pick in 2019 by the Devils and missed the tournament last year as well thanks to his NHL commitments. Now 19, he is still eligible but doesn’t have a lot to gain from suiting up against the junior-aged players other than getting in some competitive action before the season begins. That’s what the Chicago Blackhawks are hoping for Kirby Dach for instance, who will go for Team Canada despite playing all last season in the NHL.

The Devils have high hopes for the upcoming season and a step forward from Hughes is imperative to any playoff run they may chase. It’s hard to call him anything but a disappointment in year one, with just seven goals and 21 points. That’s not what you hope for from a first-overall pick, but Hughes was always expected to take a little longer because of his slight frame. Off-ice training and practice with the Devils is likely more important to his development than dominating prospects at the World Juniors.

Team USA could potentially lose another talented youngster that has already made his NHL debut, as Dreger also notes that if the league starts up soon Nick Robertson would stay with the Toronto Maple Leafs instead of traveling to Edmonton. Robertson was listed on the preliminary roster and is currently training in Toronto with some Maple Leafs teammates.

USA Hockey Announces 2020 Summer Showcase Roster

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USA Hockey is moving forward with their annual World Junior Summer Showcase, announcing a 43-man roster for the upcoming event at their home in Plymouth, Michigan from July 24 to August 1. The camp will be used to select the roster for the 2021 World Junior Champions, which is also proceeding as scheduled in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta from December 26 to January 5.

Of course, the Coronavirus threat will have an impact on this year’s showcase and not only in increased focus on health and safety procedures. Team USA will be competing alone this year, as regular participants Canada, Finland, and Sweden have all declined the invitation due to health risks and logistical issues. The camp will have much more of an inter-squad scrimmage feel than most years, but USA Hockey hopes that it will still produce good competition and valuable data for selecting their WJC roster.

Of the 43 participants, most are new faces. Just nine players will take part in camp who played for the 2020 WJC team. This could work in USA Hockey’s favor, as their most recent entry snapped a four-year medal streak with a disappointing sixth-place finish. However, they are surely happy to have Florida Panthers prospect goaltender Spencer Knight back for a third year in a row to lead the squad. The 2019 No. 13 overall pick remains one of the top prospects in hockey after a stellar freshman season at Boston College and can win games single-handedly for the U.S. at the 2021 tournament.

Unsurprisingly, Knight is not the only college player who will be in attendance at the Summer Showcase, as the NCAA has a heavy presence with 38 of 43 participants are active or committed collegiate competitors. While 14 different schools will be represented, there is a strong Boston presence with Boston University sending a whopping eight players and prospects, while Boston College, Harvard, and Northeastern each send at least three. Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin also will have at least three in attendance.

At the NHL level, things are more balanced. A total of 16 clubs will have a draft pick in Plymouth, but only the Anaheim Ducks will have more than two. With a large number of 2020-eligible names and a top 2021 prospect in attendance, all 31 (32?) teams are sure to be interested in the event.

Here is the roster for the 2020 Summer Showcase, USA-only edition:

Goaltenders

Spencer Knight, Boston College (FLA)
Drew Commesso, USNTDP/Boston Univ. (2020)
Logan Stein, Waterloo Blackhawks/Ferris State Univ. (2020)
Dustin Wolf, Everett Silvertips (CGY)

Defensemen

Brock Faber, USNTDP/Univ. of Minnesota (2020)
Domenick Fensore, Boston Univ. (CAR)
Drew Helleson, Boston College (COL)
Ryan Johnson, Univ. of Minnesota (BUF)
Tyler Kleven, USNTDP/Univ. of North Dakota (2020)
Jackson Lacombe, Univ. of Minnesota (ANA)
Case McCarthy, Boston Univ. (NJD)
Jake Sanderson, USNTDP/Univ. of North Dakota (2020)
Hunter Skinner, London Knights (NYR)
Jayden Struble, Northeastern Univ. (MTL)
Henry Thrun, Harvard Univ. (ANA)
Alex Vlasic, Boston Univ. (CHI)
Marshall Warren, Boston College (MIN)
Cam York, Univ. of Michigan (PHI)

Forwards

John Beecher, Univ. of Michigan (BOS)
Matthew Beniers, USNTDP/Harvard Univ. (2021)
Brett Berard, USNTDP/Providence College (2020)
Matthew Boldy, Boston College (MIN)
Thomas Bordeleau, USNTDP/Univ. of Michigan (2020)
Bobby Brink, Univ. of Denver (PHI)
Brendan Brisson, Chicago Steel/Univ. of Michigan (2020)
Cole Caufield, Univ. of Wisconsin (MTL)
Sam Colangelo, Lawrence Academy/Northeastern Univ. (2020)
John Farinacci, Harvard Univ. (ARI)
Sean Farrell, Chicago Steel/Harvard Univ. (2020)
Michael Gildon, Ohio State Univ. (2020)
Cross Hanas, Portland Winterhawks (2020)
Arthur Kaliyev, Hamilton Bulldogs (LAK)
Owen Lindmark, Univ. of Wisconsin (FLA)
Robert Mastrosimone, Boston Univ. (DET)
Patrick Moynihan, Providence College (NJD)
Josh Nodler, Michigan State Univ. (CGY)
Dylan Peterson, USNTDP/Boston Univ. (2020)
Landon Slaggert, USNTDP/Univ. of Notre Dame (2020)
Sam Stange, Sioux Falls Stampede/Univ. of Wisconsin (2020)
Lukas Svejkovsky, Medicine Hat Tigers (2020)
Luke Tuch, USNTDP/Boston Univ. (2020)
Alex Turcotte, Univ. of Wisconsin (LAK)
Trevor Zegras, Boston Univ. (ANA)

U.S. National Junior Team Coaching Staff Announced

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You won’t be able to blame a lack of coaching experience if Team USA experiences another disappointment at the 2021 World Junior Championship. After failing to advance past the quarterfinal in this year’s tournament, the team is looking for some revenge in a few months. Today the team announced the rest of the coaching staff that will surround Providence College head coach Nate Leaman behind the bench. Ted Donato, head coach at Harvard, Kris Mayotte, assistant coach at Michigan and Steve Miller, associate coach at Ohio State will all be assistants for the tournament. The team will also bring in Theresa Feaster as a video coach, making her the first female to ever serve on the coaching staff of a U.S. National Junior team.

Almost the entire group has experience together at Providence and brings a huge amount of experience to the tournament. The question now becomes how exactly the team will be constructed, given the Summer Showcase will not be happening this year. The event is usually used to gather the top prospects for the WJC and test them against each other, seeing which mix will provide the most success.

Of course, all of this is assuming that a 2021 tournament actually happens, which is not at all certain at this point. Recently, Bob McKenzie of TSN explained that Hockey Canada is still discussing the feasibility of hosting the event in Edmonton or potentially even holding it without any fans.

Philadelphia Flyers Sign Tanner Laczynski

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The run on college players continues. The Philadelphia Flyers have signed Tanner Laczynski to a two-year entry-level contract, getting him into the organization and avoiding a potential free agent situation this summer. Laczynski recently finished his senior season at Ohio State and could have become an unrestricted free agent in August.

Instead, the 22-year old forward will join a Flyers organization that originally selected him 169th overall in 2016. Since then, when he was a late-round pick out of the USHL, Laczynski has become one of the most consistent offensive in all of college hockey, recording 143 points in 138 games for the Buckeyes while also representing Team USA at the 2017 World Junior Championship, winning gold.

Flyers’ assistant GM Brent Flahr released a short statement about his new forward:

Tanner has completed an excellent college career at Ohio State University and we are very excited to have him under contract. He plays a mature two-way game, he’s a proven leader, and we see him as a versatile forward for the Flyers organization going forward.

Even getting an NHL contract after being selected so late is an accomplishment, but Laczynski will obviously be hoping for more than just an entry-level deal. He’ll be in training camp (whenever that happens to be) competing for a role in the organziation.

Patrick Harper Signs With Nashville Predators

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The Nashville Predators have jumped into the fray of college signings, inking Patrick Harper to a two-year entry-level contract. The young forward recently completed his senior season at Boston University and could have become an unrestricted free agent this summer, had he waited until August. Predators director of player development Scott Nichol had this to say about his newest prospect:

Patrick is a dynamic player and with his size excels in the way today’s game is played. He’s a fun player to watch – he likes having the puck on his stick, he likes to make plays and wants to score goals every game. He fits in well on the power play and uses his biggest on-ice attribute – his hockey sense – to his advantage.

That size Nichol mentions is perhaps one of the reasons that Harper wasn’t selected higher than 138th in 2016, given he stands at just 5’7″ 150-lbs.  Size wasn’t the only obstacle that the 21-year old has faced to this point however. In 2018, just after helping Team USA to a bronze medal at the World Juniors (his second appearance at the tournament, after winning gold a year prior), Harper was sidelined due to illness and missed the second half of his sophomore season with BU.

Nothing seems able to hold him back however, as the diminutive forward climbed his way back into elite company in the NCAA and was even nominated for the 2020 Hobey Baker. His 37 points in 32 games put him 14th in the country in per-game production, something he’ll try to carry over to the Predators minor league system whenever hockey resumes.

2020 NHL All-Star Skills Participants Announced

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Before Saturday’s All-Star Game three-on-three tournament, the NHL’s best will take the ice on Friday night in the annual All-Star Skills event. There has been considerable hype around this year’s competition, given both the new “Shooting Stars” event, in which players will fire the puck at targets on the ice from platforms in the stands, and the participation of stars from the women’s game, including their own three-on-three scrimmage. Now, the league has announced who specifically will be taking part in each event, both new and classic. Below is the lineup for each event:

Fastest Skater

Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres
Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers
Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders
Chris Kreider, New York Rangers
Anthony Duclair, Ottawa Senators
Travis Konecny, Philadelphia Flyers
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks

Save Streak

David Rittich, Calgary Flames
Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins
Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues
Andrei Vasilevskiy, Tampa Bay Lightning
Frederik Andersen, Toronto Maple Leafs
Jacob Markstrom, Vancouver Canucks
Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals
Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets

Accuracy Shooting

Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
Tyler Bertuzzi, Detroit Red Wings
Leon Draisaitl, Edmonton Oilers
Jonathan Huberdeau, Florida Panthers
Nico Hischier, New Jersey Devils
Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks
Alex Pietrangelo, St. Louis Blues
Mark Scheifele, Winnipeg Jets

Hardest Shot

Mark Giordano, Calgary Flames
Seth Jones, Columbus Blue Jackets
Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens
Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning
Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks
John Carlson, Washington Capitals

Shooting Stars

David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins
Matthew Tkachuk, Calgary Flames
Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks
Tyler Seguin, Dallas Stars
Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
David Perron, St. Louis Blues
Ryan O’Reilly, St. Louis Blues
Mitch Marner, Toronto Maple Leafs
American Women’s Elite All-Star (TBD)
Canadian Women’s Elite All-Star (TBD)

Women’s Three-On-Three

Team Canada: Meghan Agosta, Mélodie Daoust, Ann-Renée Desbiens, Renata Fast, Laura Fortino, Rebecca Johnston, Sarah Nurse, Marie-Philip Poulin, Natalie Spooner, Blayre Turnbull

Team USA: Kacey Bellamy, Alex Carpenter, Kendall Coyne Schofield, Brianna Decker, Amanda Kessel, Hilary Knight, Jocelyn Lamoureux-Davidson, Annie Pankowski, Alex Rigsby Cavallini, Lee Stecklein

All the action kicks off at 7:00pm local time in St. Louis, with coverage from NBCSN in the U.S and CBC, SN, and TVAS in Canada.

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