On defense, Fletcher jettisoned the human pylon Martin Skoula, the only man more entertaining, in that painful kind of way, than the Three Stooges. Gone also is Marc-Andre Bergeron, who played minutes only when there was little or no chance of him screwing anything up. In their places are Greg Zannon and Shane Hnidy. Tow defensive minded d-men. They were needed to be able to unleash the talents of Brent Burns, Kim Johnnson, and hopefully, Marek Zidlicky. Bringing in two guys that have shown they have a nose for keeping the puck out of the net allows the guys who have a nose for putting the puck in the net to do so.
[HockeyWilderness.com]
Patrick White has gone from the Vancouver Canucks' No. 1 pick in the 2007 NHL entry draft to No. 1 whipping boy when it comes to scrutinizing the club's draft history this decade.
Canucks fans see red every time David Perron's name is mentioned, as the St. Louis winger who's scored 28 NHL goals already and made the Blues right out of junior two seasons ago was selected one spot after White (26th overall) in 2007. Comparisons won't get any easier, as the Canucks' top pick last month, Jordan Schroeder at 22nd overall, is one of White's teammates at University of Minnesota. Schroeder, a dynamic centre, was one of the top scorers in points per game (1.29) in U.S. college hockey last season as a first-year player, finishing with a dazzling 13-27-40 in 32 games.
White, also a centre, had 7-8-15 in his second season with the Gophers on the heels of a 6-4-10 rookie season.
But is it fair to rag on White, who's here this week as part of the Canucks' five-day summer prospects camp?
He was projected by NHL Central Scouting as a second-rounder and surprised some onlookers when the Canucks, under then-GM Dave Nonis, picked the former Minnesota high school star so high.
Is he another blown first-rounder? Or is there still a chance he could one day wear the Orca on his chest?
The Canucks certainly haven't given up on White, particularly because he's still just 20 years old.
"He's still a young player," said Canucks assistant GM Laurence Gilman. "Different players develop at different rates."
Don Lucia, White's coach at University of Minnesota, also thinks the jury is still out on the 6-foot-1, 195-pounder.
"The biggest issue is he's got to learn to compete harder one on one," said Lucia. "He's a really nice kid, great student, comes from a wonderful family, but ‘Mr. Nice Guy' has got to go away when he steps on the ice. When he learns to battle consistently he'll take a step as a player. That's been his struggle over two years. We've talked to him about it. He understands it."
As said previously in this space, QuickFacts believes Golden Gopher Jordan Schroeder will not return to the University of MN & will turn pro
10 minutes ago from Seesmic Desktop
But Schroeder wouldn't commit to returning to college, only acknowledging it's likely. "I'll have some decisions to make when I go back home," he said. "[But] a year back in college wouldn't hurt at all."
[Faceoff.com]
Corey Fienhage is built for the rugged NHL. He's very fluid and uses his excellent size in 1-1s to lean and rub players out. Elements of Derian Hatcher with better feet. Very no-nonsense. Even looks mean in drills. Aside from enjoying the physical contact (I compared him to a safety's patrolling mentality in the back field when he was drafted), he's good at getting in front of shots. For his efforts, he was stung inside a shin guard on both days. From the point, he's shown his hard rising right-handed shot on a couple of occasions. He's set to blossom in Grand Forks. [Sabres Prospects]
"That's what stood out the first time I watched him play," said Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, whom signed Bozak to an entry-level contract in April.
"The first time I saw him play was probably the worst game he played in college. His team got spanked at home and he probably only had two shots on net. But I still loved how the rest of his team sagged and he just kept on battling.
"He was average at best, but I still liked him."
For most of his two-year NCAA career, Bozak was anything but average. He led the Pioneers in scoring with 34 points in 41 games as a freshman. And last season, despite playing just 19 games, he finished with 23 points and a team-high plus-14 rating.
But aside from his points or his ability to kill penalties or win crucial face-offs, Bozak's biggest asset is his Chris Drury-like character and competitiveness.
Those qualities were on display when Bozak returned from injury against Miami of Ohio for the West Regional semi-final. He may have been rusty and barely healed. But he still scored a goal and an assist in the 4-2 loss.
"I definitely wasn't 100%," he said, "but it was a do-or-die game and I felt I could help spark the guys on our team and just do what I could do out there to help them."
The Leafs, who beat out about 25 other NHL teams to acquire the late-bloomer, believe Bozak can also provide a spark to its rebuilding dressing room.
Burke said the signing was the equivalent to acquiring a second-round draft choice. But unlike Toronto's actual draft picks this year such as seventh-overall selection Nazem Kadri, Bozak is the only one expected to immediately jump into the NHL. [Faceoff.com]
As far as the current Bruins roster goes, according to a source close to the Phil Kessel negotiations, there has been no communication between the Bruins and the Kessel camp since the NHL entry draft. The last time Kessel’s agent Wade Arnott and Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli spoke, they reportedly let it be known where they stand, with Arnott stressing that his client’s first preference was to remain a Bruin. Chiarelli, according to this source, said the Bruins would get back to him, but as of Monday, they had not done so yet... [NESN]
Hockey is not an inexpensive sport by any means. High-end equipment, registration fees, and travel expenses are all part of the commitment a hockey player and that player’s family are forced to endure to continue playing the sport they love. For the players at the Development Camp, they see the financial outlay as money well spent both in terms of their hockey education and the message their presence sends to the Predators.
“It sends the right message to the organization that you want to be here and you want to play in Nashville one day,” forward Nick Oliver said. “I think it is a great tool for college guys to come here to help them get prepared for their upcoming seasons. I’m going to try and learn a lot here.”
The 6’3” 184-pound Oliver is headed for St. Cloud State University in the fall. He was selected in the 4th round (110th overall) of last month’s Entry Draft.
Fellow recent draftee Zach Budish echoed Oliver’s comments.
“It’s a big week in our development, and gets us started off on the right note,” Budish said. “I just got drafted a couple of weeks ago, so I wanted to come down here, have a good experience, and learn a lot of things hopefully.”
The 18-year-old Budish already possesses NHL size at 6’3” and 229 pounds. He is recovering from a torn ACL sustained in a high school football game last fall. That injury prevented him from playing his senior hockey season at Edina High in Edina, Minnesota. Had Budish not sustained the knee injury, there was a good chance he would have been selected in the first round of the Entry Draft. Nashville selected him in the second round with the 41st overall pick.
Budish, who will play for the University of Minnesota in the fall, credited his parents for their financial contribution allowing him to come to Nashville [Examiner.com]
Although he's clearly got a top-end future, Schroeder's probable path is to return to Minnesota, where he can mature physically for another year while likely contending for the Hobey Baker Award for college hockey's best player.
But Schroeder wouldn't commit to returning to college, only acknowledging it's likely. "I'll have some decisions to make when I go back home," he said. "[But] a year back in college wouldn't hurt at all." [Faceoff.com]
The Anaheim Ducks have signed the free agent centre to a one-year, $3.25-million contract. Koivu, 34, had been the Canadiens' second-longest-serving captain in team history. [montrealgazette]
Jordan Schroeder, the Vancouver Canucks’ first-round pick in last month’s draft, had to borrow money from his father to attend the NHL team’s prospect camp at the University of British Columbia this week.
Schroeder, who attends the University of Minnesota, is subject to the strict rules of the U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association. To protect his amateur status, and to be eligible to play for the Golden Gophers later this year, Schroeder had to pay his own way and must take care of his own lodging while in Vancouver.
“I definitely wanted to come and show the organization that I’m interested,” said Schroeder, the 22nd pick in the draft who has yet to sign a professional contract. “I wanted to prove to them that I can come in and pay my dues, even if it costs a little bit.”
Schroeder, 18, isn’t the only one paying his own way to take part in team-organized events. While other U.S. collegians among the two dozen or so prospects at camp this week face the same financial requirements, the Canucks also have NHL veterans and hopefuls digging into their own pockets to travel to Vancouver this summer.
The Canucks are holding off-ice training sessions with strength and conditioning coach Roger Takahashi. Every player in the organization is invited to take part in the GM Place workouts, though they are more suited for younger players looking to improve their game or their chances of making the team at training camp this fall. [the Globe and Mail]
BEDFORD, Mass. — Denver head coach George Gwozdecky might not like to hear it, but Boston Bruins prospect Joe Colborne isn’t shy about the fact that he doesn’t plan to play four years for the Pioneers.
Fresh off his freshman campaign, Colborne explained that today after the first day of the Bruins’ Third Annual Development Camp at The Edge Sports Center, where the attendees were put through some land testing and then team-bonding exercises.
“I’m ready to be a Bruin whenever I can be,” Colborne, the Bruins’ first-round pick (16th overall) in ‘08, explained. “But again, I’m not going to kind of rush myself in so that I’m not ready. I have a great situation back at Denver, so whenever we sit with management we’ll figure that out.”
Colborne produced 10-21-31 totals in 40 games for the Pioneers this season. But those aren’t the numbers he and the Bruins are most interested in. For Colborne, playing college hockey in the U.S. is all about bulking up. He weighed in today at 206, which he said is 13 pounds more than he weighed at the start of Denver’s season. So eating eggs every day and hitting the weights as often as possible,paid off.
“It was a lot of hard work. That was the main reason I went to the college route because I could be working out three times a week all year,” he said. “We have a great trainer down there and ever since I’ve been home in the summer I’ve been working out in Calgary six times a week. It’s nice to finally see the rewards starting to come.
----------{snip}----------
“I think some of the guys that haven’t been here before, especially today, were a little bit shocked by what we were doing,” said Colborne, who played both center and wing for the Pioneers but thinks he’d still like to be a center in the pros. “But we were all in that situation, especially last year. For me being in that situation, I felt a little bit out of place sometimes, not knowing what to expect. They’ll learn quick just like we did last year.”
Colborne obviously caught on quick to college life. He said he kept his grades up and learned to cook a bit. And on the ice and in the weight room he made major strides. The next step is to turn pro — when it’s determined by all parties he is ready, but sooner rather than later.
The last time the WCHA added a team was in 1999 when Minnesota State joined the league.
That was a much different situation 10 years ago, as the local, purple Mavericks were making the transition from the dying Division II ranks to Division I.
Minnesota State’s short stint as a D-I independent involved a sort of initiation process, playing in the nine-team WCHA’s conference tournament as the 10th seed for two years before becoming a full-fledged member of the fraternity. Even then, Minnesota State had to pay an expansion fee and not share in the conference tournament and Final Five money.
Like MSU, Bemidji State jumped from Division II to Division I. In 1999 it left the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association behind and helped found the now nearly defunct College Hockey America conference. Omaha started its program from scratch and began playing in 1997. After its overtures to the WCHA were turned down, it joined the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in 1999.
Both schools’ stock jumped up recently, as the Beavers shocked the college-hockey world by advancing to the NCAA Frozen Four in April and, a month ago, the red Mavericks hired ex-North Dakota coach Dean Blais, who won two national championships with the Sioux, to run the program.
The WCHA certainly isn’t adding a pair of powder-puffs, and all 10 of its current members might be just a tad nervous right now.
While the addition of those two schools will give the WCHA a much different look in a couple of years, it might not be too strange for Minnesota State and its fans.
The purple Mavericks practically have considered the schools their D-I cousins and have maintained rivalries with both. A longtime D-II rival with Bemidji, Minnesota State has played the Beavers every year since 1998, going 14-5-2 against them in that span. MSU has played Omaha, an old North Central Conference rival in other sports, every year but two since 1997 and has a 14-6-4 all-time record against the red Mavs.
Minnesota State and Nebraska-Omaha have played for the “Spirit of the Maverick” trophy every year since 2001-02. Come 2010, the WCHA will undergo a spirit of change. [Mankato Free Press]
F Scott Campbell Umass-Lowell 14-16-30 in 38 games
F Joe Colborne 16th in 2008 University of Denver 10-21-31 in 40 games
D Tommy Cross 35th in 2007 Boston College 0-8-8 in 24 games
G Matt Dalton signed in 2009 Bemidji State University 2.19 GAA .921 Sv%
D Alain Goulet 159th in 2007 University of Nebraska-Omaha 2-3-5 in 17 games
D Brady Lamb University of Minnesota-Duluth 1-1-2 in 21 games
F Jason Lawrence Boston University 25-14-39 in 44 games
D Tyler Ludwig Western Michigan University 8-21-29 in 41 games
D Zach McKelvie Army (NCAA) 5-12-17 in 33 games
[WickedBruinsFan's Blog]
Boston Globe: How Joe Colborne is growing into his body and game. Big Joe currently checks in at 6-foot-6, 196 pounds. That's an inch taller than he was last summer. He is arguably the club's brightest prospect because of his size and skill. Colborne will return to the University of Denver for his sophomore season.[Bruins Blog]
The short-term and initial good news is that Travis Zajac will (almost) definitely return next season. I emphasize almost as teams have "walk-away" rights after the results of arbitration that they can invoke within a vast number of requirements. Based on past arbitration hearings with the Devils that I can recall, the player has returned next season. Moreover, I don't expect the Devils to walk away from Zajac, not with their current lack of depth at the position and with their current surplus of cap space. So expect Zajac to continue to be the center for Zach Parise. However, considering the process, this could turn out to be some serious bad news for the Devils. [In Lou We Trust]
Forney still has not made his final decision. I think everyone involved thought that the answer would be known by now, but it is not. When I know, I'll pass it along. [UND Hockey Blog]
