Val Wins

Already too far behind to get too deep into the QMJHL champions.  Val-d'Or takes it this year behind the play of Anthony Mantha.

REGULAR SEASON

PLAYOFFS

When you look at this team all you really have to notice is Anthony Mantha.  Not saying somebody else on this team couldn't emerge as an NHL player, but Mantha is already a highly rated prospect.  Detroit once again makes a steal at the 20th overall pick.

He has the height at 6'5 to fit in nicely on a Detroit team built around speed and skill.  If he adds a little weight he could be a great presence up front to go along with the European type forward.  Of course Detroit is well known for letting players develop so he is certainly looking at a stay in the AHL.  His play will determine how quickly he moves up.  With the way Detroit does things he seems likely to be in the AHL for at least a full season.  I also highly doubt he can keep the same scoring pace.

57 regular season games - 57 goals
24 playoff games - 24 goals

52 penalty minutes in the playoffs isn't too bad either.  If he can keep up that physical presence he could be a fun player to watch in the future.

First of Many

Changes come quickly in the world of hockey.  The playoffs are still underway and the first NHL player movements are already taking place.  Teams are looking ahead to the draft and free agency.  Players are looking at their options for next season and in order to secure a roster spot in Europe many players make the move quickly in order to begin training and become accustom to new surroundings.

The San Jose Sharks first round elimination put them high on the list of teams needing a change.  It seems every season in recent memory finds the Sharks with one of the best regular season point totals only to be ousted in the playoffs before reaching the finals.  Today began the start of some spring cleaning.

Dan Boyle played his final game with San Jose.  Boyle was a key member of the Sharks defense and most notably known for his offense with three straight 50 points seasons to begin his San Jose career.  Before that he played a big part of the success of Tampa Bay and their cup winning season of 2003-04.  Boyle will become a free agent this summer and turn 38.  I can't see him retiring without at least playing one more season as long as the right team is interested.  This is where you could insert a Flyers joke.  Not now with Ronald Hextall at the helm.  I think he gets a deal around 4.5 for one season on a team with a serious chance of winning the cup.

Martin Havlat is the next to go.  The big difference is he still has a contract worth way more than he is worth.  It's hard to believe Havlat can return to his former self.  Since being acquired Havlat has had little success with San Jose.  Not only has he missed significant time but his scoring has practically disappeared.  Buying out his 5 million dollar deal is the only way out for San Jose.  There is no way a team will give him substantial money even at 33 years old.  It's going to come down to what Havlat wants to do.  He could probably fit in on certain teams at a deep discount like Los Angeles.  Otherwise I peg him to look into finding work in Europe.

That will segue us into the next move.  We now have our first NHL player moving to Europe.  There will be plenty more especially from the minor leagues.  Erik Gustafsson has left Philadelphia for the KHL.  Think this move comes down to playing time.  Gustafsson was a restricted free agent, one that I'd believe Philadelphia wanted to bring back.  The problem from the player standpoint is in three seasons he was more often a healthy scratch than in the lineup.  That's not a great spot to be in when you want to play.  If he does well in Europe there is always the chance an NHL team signs him as a regular in the future.

_______________________________________________________________________

Hadn't planned on it but since we are talking change, the Pittsburgh Penguins are set to announce in about an hour that head coach Dan Bylsma and GM Ray Shero will be fired.  When you have a guy like Crosby and Malkin on a team there are no excuses for not winning.  Maybe blame can be placed on both but the team as a whole needs to improve.  That's the job of a GM.  The coach can only work with what he had, and Bylsma got 51 wins out of a team with a lot of injuries and a shaky goalie. 


NOON UPDATES VIA TWITTER:

Bob McKenzie was the guy to report Bylsma being fired this morning.  He is very reputable.  He was also not correct this time.  Shero was fired.  Bylsma was not.  Yet

Always takes a little time for North America to catch up to European news.  I'm not surprised if he didn't tell the Flyers.  He didn't have to but contractually it would have made sense to potentially create a bidding scenario.  

Edmonton Wins

No waiting around on this one.  After Guelph won over the weekend I waited for video.  I'm not waiting this time.

The Edmonton Oil Kings won the WHL championship last night over Portland in a game 7.  This series is far more interesting than a boxscore would lead you to believe.  Let me explain.

Junior league hockey isn't exactly designed to see a franchise become a dynasty.  It's basically high school to junior college aged players who leave after 4-5 seasons for either professional hockey or college.  Like the NHL, junior league teams hold a draft each season giving the worst teams the highest picks.  Players can also be acquired through trades which is a common way for the better teams to consistently stay good.  Portland and Edmonton deserve a whole new level of respect.

This finals appearance was the 4th straight for Portland.  As a four year player for Portland you could have spent your entire junior league career playing every season in the finals.  That's unlikely to occur again.  Or this as well.  This was the third straight year that Portland played Edmonton in the finals.  Some things are hard to explain.  Two very good teams with a lot of promising future professionals.

As I did with the OHL winners I will post the final stats for Edmonton with some notes.  However there is no way I can go without mentioning at least a few things about Portland.  They had the top five leading scorers in the playoffs.  They had two of the better defensive prospects coming out of junior hockey who were both top ten NHL picks in Matthew Dumba (Minnesota) and Derrick Pouliot (Pittsburgh).  Both are sure fire NHL solid players.  Nic Petan (Winnipeg) finished second in the league in scoring.  And there are many others who could have an NHL career. 

Now the winners.

REGULAR SEASON

PLAYOFFS

We can start at the top.  I enjoy the Samuelsson clan a lot more than I did papa Ulf.  Henrik is a first round pick of Phoenix.  You always have my attention when you can put up over 90 points and 90 penalty minutes.  And 51 more in the playoffs.  Dang.  He has size at 6'3 and skill to become a very solid forward in the NHL.  I'm very interested to see how his career plays out.

We move down a spot to Curtis Lazar who put up 41 goals in 58 games.  Like Samuelsson he was a first round pick in the draft going to Ottawa and is currently ranked as their best prospect.  Lazar should have no issues finding his way to the NHL whether it is next season or in a few years should he come back next season to the WHL.

Drop down to the third leading scorer to find Mitchell Moroz.  Moroz is an interesting player and one I find within reason to put on the list.  That's because this 32nd overall pick was taken by the Edmonton Oilers.  Whether his offensive abilities can translate into the pro environment is yet to be seen.  He had more goals this season than all his other seasons combined.  But what he does have is a size and toughness the Oilers have been lacking with many of their forwards.  He easily lead the team in penalty minutes and is never afraid of body contact.  If he can continue to work on his offense he might look good alongside the other young stars.  He is currently rated the Oilers 4th best prospect.

Last but not least we jump down to the captain.  The Reinhart's just might become the next impressive hockey family.  Griffin is the second of the group.  His numbers won't jump out at you but his play will.  He was taken 4th overall by the Islanders and is considered one of the best prospects in hockey.  He also has the size at 6'4 to fit quickly into an NHL position should the Islanders decide to take that route.  Otherwise he looks to kick off his career next season in the AHL.

Guelph Wins

I mentioned before that the Guelph and North Bay championship was a bit of the classic underdog going against the team that was stacked.  Guelph took the series 4 game to 1 this weekend.  It doesn't explain it all.

I already told of the players and standings that on paper kept these teams far apart.  It wouldn't have been shocking had this been a sweep.  But North Bay hung in.  Of the four loses three were by one goal.  The other proved just how good Guelph could be when they won 10-1.  In the end the team with a lot of talent ended up victorious.




Instead of getting into all the little aspects, the championship team simply gets their final stats for the season displayed.  And maybe a few notes here and there but mainly here.

REGULAR SEASON

PLAYOFFS

Robbie Fabbri won the OHL playoff MVP award.  Oddly enough he is one of the better players on the team not to be drafted.  Hard to argue when you score 13 goals in 16 games.

I'm most intrigued by Kerby Rychel.  He also happens to be the highest drafted player on the team going 19th overall to Columbus.  I love a good playoff performer which he was with a team high 32 points.  He had a strong season with 90 points and can play a physical game too. 

Captain Matt Finn could be a player to watch down the road.  On a team with such talent a lot of numbers are inflated for him and a lot of other players.  You still have to go out there and perform.  Finn showed he can score and be a solid defenseman.  He was picked 35th overall by Toronto.

Lastly I'm throwing him in there not just because of his name.  When Tyler Bertuzzi first came into the OHL all he seemed to do was fight.  Now in his third season he averaged over a point a game while still managing 49 penalty minutes in just 29 games.  His playoff stats weren't too bad either.  This is what sold me.  Bertuzzi, who is Todd's nephew, was picked by the Detroit Red Wings.  There is no team I respect more when it comes to drafting players.  Plus, they took him in the second round.  They see something.  My guess is it is the passion and energy he brings on each shift.  Hit, score, fight the kid will do what it takes.  You can never have too many of those players.

World's

In the midst of the playoffs the World Championships have kicked off today.  It's not nearly as big for some countries as it is for others.  Nonetheless it is still a highly respected tournaments overseas.  That being said it is something that should be followed especially if you have an unhealthy appreciation for hockey.

How can we not start with Canada losing on opening day to France.  France?  Really?  I looked at their line-up.  They have one guy who plays regularly in the NHL.  That is Antoine Roussel the ultimate pest for Dallas.  Outside of that most of these guys play in Europe.  The entire Canadian roster plays in the NHL.  That's a stunner of a loss.  Stephane da Costa (Binghamton - AHL) put home two goals and former Montreal goalie Cristobal Huet stopped 34 shots as France took it 3-2 in a shootout.  Brayden Schenn and Erik Gudbranson scored for Canada.

FRANCE 3
CANADA 2
Shootout


Russia had no issue with Switzerland.  Helps to have Alexander Ovechkin who scored a goal and assisted on another with Sergei Bobrovsky in net stopping all 27 shots he faced.

RUSSIA 5
SWITZERLAND 0


Czech Republic against Slovakia is always a good rivalry since the two countries split.  The Czechs edged this one out on an overtime goal by Jakub Klepis a former Hershey Bear.

CZECH REPUBLIC 3
SLOVAKIA 2
OT 


The host nation Belarus had a difficult time with the U.S. which is to be expected.  Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and two assists to lead the U.S. team.  Maybe there is more to this guy than I thought.  I've seen past Hobey Baker winners of smaller stature find less success at higher levels.  This kid scored in his only NHL game and now has the chance to do some damage on the big stage.  Jacob Trouba, who I am quickly going to start crushing on and had a very underrated rookie season, scored two goals from defense.

UNITED STATES 6
BELARUS 1



Lots of games tomorrow.  Lots of recaps to come plus whatever else I throw into here concerning juniors, minors or the NHL. 

And to think I have this tournament for another two and a half weeks, followed by what should be the final rounds of the AHL and NHL playoffs or finals.  Then I have to deal with the World Cup for a month.  By the time I get myself organized free agency will have started, lots of players will move to Europe and once I am ready for a break the junior league season (which starts a month before pros) will be up and running.  It's easy to see why the other sports have faded from my radar overtime when the two I enjoy have an international appeal.