Updates on a former WCHA players.

*Former SCSU player Tyler Arnason was a healthy scratch and his head coach Tony Granato isn't all that happy with his play so far. I have always thought that Arnason was a player that lacked a consistent work ethic to be a great player in the NHL. I am surprised that Arnason has made it this long in the NHL.

Avalanche report: Arnason called out
By Rick Sadowski, Rocky Mountain News
Granato said center Tyler Arnason, who was a healthy scratch Saturday, has to play better to return to the lineup.

"The bottom line is we have to dress the 12 forwards that give us the best chance to win, and I didn't think 'Arnie' was one of those 12 forwards for that game," Granato said. "It's pretty simple; there's other guys that deserve to be playing in front of him.

"He has to get into the game and do what he does best, and that is play hard. If he doesn't play hard and doesn't do the little things that we're asking him to do consistently and others guys will, then other guys will play."

Arnason has two goals on 17 shots and a minus-2 rating in 13 games. He had 10 goals and 21 assists in 70 games last season in the first year of a two-year, $3.35 million contract he signed after posting 16 goals and 33 assists in 82 games in 2006-07.

*From the same article former Gophers and Hobey Baker winner Jordan Leopold is enjoying success on the ice again after being hurt for a big part of the last two seasons.

Leopold shining

After missing 106 games during his first two seasons with the Avalanche because of injuries, Jordan Leopold finally is healthy and has been one of the team's top defensemen.

"I feel good. I haven't had any hiccups or anything," said Leopold, who has played in all 14 games and has three goals and three assists. "This is probably the healthiest I've felt probably in four years, since before the lockout. I kind of feel like a kid again.

"It's nice. I can come out and practice and not have aches and pains and stay on the ice the whole time. It's a little bit different, but that's what I used to do when I was younger and I felt better."

*Former Golden Gopher Nate Hagemo is back and playing in the ECHL. While it is not the NHL it is a first step in the right direction.

No points and a minus-2 rating usually isn’t something to write home about, but for Elmira Jackals defenseman Nate Hagemo, there’s another stat that’s much sweeter: four games played.

Hagemo, a second round pick (58th overall) of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2005, has been to hell and back – and he’s only been back for a short time. The highly touted blueliner skipped his final year of high school in order to suit up for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, but shoulder problems derailed his career before he was even old enough to buy a beer.

After sustaining a “stinger” in his freshman year, Hagemo was hit in the same place at the 2005 World Junior Championship while playing with Team USA and the injury became too much to bear. He played just three games as a sophomore and despite a comeback attempt in 2006, would never play college hockey again.

“It was the most difficult thing I’ve experienced,” said Hagemo, currently in the ECHL. “Especially then. My mind was set on me being a hockey player; that’s what I was.”

Without game action, or even practice to look forward to, Hagemo’s life began to unravel.

“You feel so isolated,” he said. “When you’re hurt, you’re not part of the team – you’re not in the locker room, so you’re not hanging out with the guys; you feel disconnected.”

*Former C.C. Tiger Curtis McElhinney is getting slivers sitting on the bench in Calgary and has yet to play this season.

The Calgary Flames season is now 13 games old and Keenan has yet to call upon backup Curtis McElhinney for a start or even mop-up duty. Doesn’t the coach realize the 82-game NHL season is a marathon and not a dash?

Doesn’t the coach realize wearing down Kiprusoff by the middle of November probably isn’t a good idea? Doesn’t the coach realize letting McElhinney freeze on the bench for more than a month doesn’t do a whole lot for his psyche and well-being?

*Former Warroad Warrior and Fighting Sioux star T.J. Oshie could be out till December.

The Blues really miss energetic rookie T.J. Oshie, whose high ankle sprain could disable him well into December. Veteran winger Paul Kariya departed Wednesday night’s game with a unspecified “lower body” injury.

The injuries continue to pile up in New Jersey as former Gophers Paul Martin was placed on the Injured reserve.

*Former Sioux Zach Parise and current New Jersey Devil is on fire scoring 13 points in 10 games. Zach Parise is also tied for second over all in the NHL with Alexander Semin for goals scored. Former Gopher Thomas Vanek is number one.

TSN.ca NHL Player Rankings

The TSN NHL fantasy players rankings are out and there are a few former WCHA players in the rankings.

Wings
1.) Thomas Vanek, Buffalo (UMN)
7.) Phil Kessel, Boston (UMN)
13.) Zach Parise, New Jersey (UND)
14.) Danny Heatley, Ottawa (Wisc)

Centers

4.) Paul Stastny, Colorado (DU)

Defense
10.) Keith Ballard, Florida (UMN)

Rookies
6.) Alex Goligoski, Pittsburgh (UMN)
15.) Kyle Okposo, New York (UMN)
20.) Brian Lee, Ottawa (UND)

Highlights from last night Bruins and Sabres game (WCHA)

Last night the Boston Bruins and the Buffalo Sabres played in a NHL game that saw three former WCHA stars score goals. The Bruins took a 2 goal lead in the game before the Sabres came roaring back to tie the game.

First of the former WCHA stars to score was former Gopher Phil Kessel that was goal number 6th on the season for Kessel.

Former Fighting Sioux star Drew Stafford tied the game with his first goal of the season.

In one of the most exciting plays in NHL hockey, the shootout; former Gopher star Thomas Vanek scored in the shootout to win the game.

Blues match Vancouver's offer on David Backes

The St Louis Blues have matched Vacouvers offer sheet so I guess T.J. Oshie will get a chance to play with former Minnesota State University Mankato Maverick David Backes after all. However, it is a sad shame that Keith Ballard was traded away from the Yotes and is now playing in the east with the Florida Panthers so we won't get to see as many dances between Backes and Ballard.

VANCOUVER - The St. Louis Blues retained forward David Backes on Tuesday by quickly matching the US$7.5-million, three-year offer sheet the young forward signed with the Vancouver Canucks.

The Canucks tried to pluck the 24-year-old winger away from the Blues just hours after he became a restricted free agent. The Blues had seven days to match the offer or let him go for a compensatory second-round pick, but wasted little time in deciding to keep Backes.

"(Chairman and Principle Owner) Dave Checketts was very supportive of this decision to sign David," Blues president John Davidson said in a statement. "David is a major part of our youth movement in St. Louis and we expect him to play a huge role as we move forward."

Backes spent parts of the past two seasons with the Blues, who selected him in the second round of the 2003 draft. He set career highs with 13 goals and 31 points in 72games last season, while also leading the team with 240 hits. His new contract includes a $1-million signing bonus along with $1.5 million in salary this coming season. He'll earn $2.5 million each of the following two years.

Offer sheets took centre stage last summer after Edmonton lured Dustin Penner away from Anaheim and touched off an exchange of heated words between Ducks general manager Brian Burke and Oilers counterpart Kevin Lowe.

Edmonton also signed Thomas Vanek to an offer sheet last year that Buffalo matched.

The Canucks agreed to terms Tuesday with forward Darcy Hordichuk on a two-year contract. The physical 27-year-old winger had one goal, three points and 60 penalty minutes in 45 games with the Nashville Predators last season

Durno and Harrington drop the mitts.

Nothing like seeing a couple of former WCHA players dance together on the ice. Former Golden Gopher Chris Harrington and Michigan Tech Husky Chris Durno get into a fight during a AHL playoff game on April 18th. Chris Durno plays for the San Antonio Rampage and Chris Harrington plays for the Toronto Marlies. True to form the Gopher looks for the ref to rescue him.

Here is an interesting discription of the fight.

After San Antonio’s Chris Durno thumped the Marlies’ Chris Harrington in a fight before the puck was even dropped to start the period, the Rampage tallied three goals in just 3:12.

Bruins take les Habs to game 7.

Wow! What a hockey game! In my opinion this was one of the best games that I had watched all season long. It wouldn't be an understatement to say that I have watched a lot of hockey this year.

In the last year and a half Habs have owned the Boston winning something like 12 games in a row until the Bruins beat the Habs in game 3. Actually, the Boston Bruins had not beaten the Canadians since Saturday March 3rd, 2007, tonight they evened the series with the Montreal Canadians. I would have loved to have been in the TD North Garden tonight.

*The Bruins, who lost all 20 previous best-of-seven series in which they trailed 3-1, will try to complete their bid to eliminate the top-seeded Canadiens in Montreal on Monday night.

*The Canadiens will play a Game 7 for the 19th time but first after leading 3-1.

Phil Kessel makes good after being benched for games 2-4. Kessel has been on fire since he re-joined the Bruins line up.

Phil Kessel is making Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien look like a genius. After being a healthy scratch for three games, Kessel has scored three goals in his last two games, including two on Saturday night as the Canadiens couldn't seem to handle anything the Bruins threw at them as Boston scored four goals in the third period. It marked the second straight game that the Habs have given up four goals in the third period against the Bruins.

Check out Phil Kessels game tying goal it is nothing short of amazing.