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Michael Schuckers likes numbers. Schuckers is an associate professor of statistics at St. Lawrence University and director of the school’s Quantitative Resource Center. Schuckers is also cofounder of Statistical Sports Consulting, where he applies his experience in analytics toward providing numbers-based conclusions in hockey.

There are numbers, however, that Schuckers and some of his peers in analytics do not like. They are 34, 4, and 13.5 million: Rob Scuderi’s age, the number of contract years he received from the Penguins July 5, and his total salary for returning to Pittsburgh.

Of all the signings during unrestricted free agency, the former Boston College defenseman may have landed the biggest head-scratcher.

“That’s the one that sticks out to me this year,” Schuckers said. “Pittsburgh is supposed to be a team that’s fairly analytic. All the analytics I’ve seen suggest he’s well past his prime.” According to Schuckers, free agency provides arguably the most efficient window in the application of analytics. Studying statistics prior to the draft is not reliable in determining where a player is picked and how he projects as a professional. The standard of stats-gathering in junior, college, and high school hockey is not uniform.

But when an NHL player reaches UFA status, numbers lend brighter illumination toward future performance. In Scuderi’s case, the Penguins had eight full seasons, including four in their organization, from which to determine how much to pay the defenseman.

“At that point in someone’s career, you know a good bit about them and how they play in the NHL,” Schuckers said. “Projecting how someone is going to do when he’s 26 or 27 when he’s 18, there’s so much more variability in teams’ ability to predict that.”

Last season, Scuderi had one goal and 11 assists in 48 games with the Kings. The stay-at-home defenseman averaged 21:47 of ice time, third on the team after Drew Doughty and Slava Voynov.

The numbers that interest people in analytics, however, go deeper. The gold standard is Corsi. A player’s Corsi rating is determined by totaling a team’s shot attempts per game (shots on goal, missed shots, blocked shots) taken while that player is on the ice, minus the number of opposing shot attempts.

In theory, Corsi gauges a team’s puck possession when that player is on the ice. More shots attempted means the team is controlling the puck. More shots allowed indicates the team is on defense.

Last season, Scuderi’s Corsi (courtesy of behindthenet.ca) was 1.42. In comparison, Doughty’s Corsi was 14.84. Scuderi’s 2013 rating does not project high performance in relation to his generous $3.375 million annual payday. In the final season of his contract, Scuderi will be 38, which is not a kind age for defensemen.

Analytics, however, do not consider a player’s intangibles. Scuderi won the Stanley Cup with Los Angeles in 2011-12. In 2009, Scuderi was a valuable component — his nickname was “The Piece” — during Pittsburgh’s Cup run.

In 2013-14, Scuderi could be the left-shot partner for Kris Letang. The risk-taking Letang did not impress during the Eastern Conference finals against the Bruins, when his bold maneuvers became defensive liabilities. The Penguins believe Scuderi can help settle down Letang.

Letang is not Pittsburgh’s only young defenseman. Other blue-line prospects include Simon Despres, Robert Bortuzzo, Derrick Pouliot, Olli Maatta, and Brian Dumoulin.

Scuderi is a quiet but respected leader. Executives, scouts, teammates, and opponents acknowledge Scuderi’s approach and leadership abilities. It is an area where statistics do not help.

“There are all the things in the locker room that happen that we have no idea about,” Schuckers said. “Those sorts of interactions make a player quite invaluable to a team.”

Another signing that’s curious to Schuckers is the two-year, $8 million contract Daniel Briere scored from Montreal. Briere will turn 36 at the start of this season. He was bought out by Philadelphia. Briere had a minus-5.7 Corsi last season. Claude Giroux’s Corsi was 0.99.

On the flip side, analytics indicate some shrewd summer signings. Among Schuckers’s approvals are Clarke MacArthur (Ottawa, $6.5 million for two years, minus-3.93 Corsi) and Viktor Stalberg (Nashville, $12 million for four years, 10.7 Corsi).

Neither qualifies as a top-tier signing. Analytics may be most effective in identifying low- and mid-range players where teams can find value.

“I think the top 100 players have something that’s easier to see with the eye,” Schuckers said. “You watch a couple dozen NHL games, Sidney Crosby is going to stand out. Patrice Bergeron is going to stand out. It’s those players who are doing the little things — playing more of the grunt minutes and energy-line minutes — where it’s harder to tell and get a sense of what their value is. It’s not as dynamic to the eye. That’s where analytics can help. I think analytics can pay a great deal of benefits monetarily.”

The NHL hasn’t fully embraced analytics. But Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish cited his analytics personnel’s endorsement of David Perron when acquiring the forward from St. Louis for Magnus Paajarvi and a 2014 second-round pick.

In contrast, there is at least one club whose GM does not know how to calculate Corsi.

“If you look at some of the other sports, they’ve made some of this work,” Schuckers said, pointing to baseball’s acceptance of analytics to complement traditional scouting. “It really weighs to meld these two together. You’ve got to find the best information. The more sources you have, the better.”

ENERGY BOOST

Chiarelli likes hockey talk

In June, during an Olympic meeting in New York, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli gathered with the brass that will lead Team Canada in Sochi, Russia.

Chiarelli, who will serve as an assistant GM, was joined by executive director Steve Yzerman. Doug Armstrong and Ken Holland, the other assis
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Few jobs among athletes, if any, are more demanding than that of a hockey goalie, let alone an NHL starter.

To satisfy, let alone excel, you need the physical flexibility, awareness and persistence to recover on a loose rebound and salvage any available chance of keeping the opponent off the board.

You need the endurance to play the full 60 minutes in a majority of your team’s games. That is, the 60 minutes of actual game activity, not counting the additional standing during stoppages of play, interrupted by nothing but two intermissions.

In the postseason, those single-night minutes can expand to an indefinite amount of overtime that will only end when you or your counterpart in the other crease lets a puck get through.

With all of this being said, outstanding netminders can speak for themselves with the way they habitually log minutes and earn more minutes by transforming them into saves, wins and team or individual trophies.

Some of the best goaltenders in NHL history have compiled a transcript and/or highlight reel that effortlessly explains their heavy influence on a successful squad. Others have had a career that makes one wonder how many more rings they would have earned if only their teams were better as a whole.

From perennial goals-against kings to positional innovators to the winners of multiple MVP prizes, here are the 10 all-time greatest padded pucksters who constitute the mere heart of their rigorous position’s vast pantheon.


Pictures: Ranking the 10 Greatest Goalies in NHL History | Bleacher Report
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Depth wins Stanley Cups in the NHL, but few teams can go the distance without a little bit of star power. Where would the Pittsburgh Penguins be without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin? Or the Washington Capitals without Alexander Ovechkin?

Do the Chicago Blackhawks return to relevancy without the emergence of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane? Probably not.

Drafting and keeping your own top players is more important than ever in today's NHL. The days of being able to add a top-end player every other summer via free agency are gone, and building from within is clearly the best way to build a championship team.

Considering that, which young player in each system has the best chance to emerge as a star at the NHL level?

For the purposes of this slideshow, a star is a player who could eventually make the All-Star team, win personal NHL trophies and play important minutes for his team.

Pictures: Predicting the Next Star for Every NHL Team | Bleacher Report
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The Detroit Red Wings re-signed center Gustav Nyquist to a two-year contract, the team announced Tuesday. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Nyquist, who turns 24 on Sept. 1, appeared in 22 games for the Red Wings last season, with three goals and three assists. He had two goals and three assists in 14 games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Detroit's fourth-round selection (No. 121) at the 2008 NHL Draft, Nyquist spent the majority of last season with the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League. In 58 AHL games, he had 23 goals, 37 assists and a plus-10 rating. He had seven points in 10 playoff games for the Griffins, who won the Calder Cup.

In 40 NHL games, Nyquist has four goals and nine assists.


Detroit Red Wings, Gustav Nyquist agree to two-year contract - NHL Free Agency 2013
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With so many NHL stars hailing from Canada, the process of choosing an Olympic men's hockey team seems to draw nearly as much scrutiny as the games played on the ice.

The debate figures to heat up starting this weekend, as 47 players convene in Calgary for Team Canada's invitation-only orientation camp, which runs Aug. 25-28.

Only about half of those men will earn the right to help Canada defend its gold medal when the Sochi Games open in February, and uninvited players can still get in if they make a strong enough impression before the Dec. 31 deadline for countries to submit their rosters.

Fifteen of the 23 players from Canada’s 2010 Olympic title team are currently on the short list, so the Sochi squad figures to be a mix of familiar faces and new blood.

Here's a look at the players invited to the Canadian camp, courtesy of The Canadian Press.
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The Washington Capitals made it official Friday morning, announcing the signing of free agent center Mikhail Grabovski to a one-year, $3 million contract.

Grabovski, 29, has been a free agent since the Toronto Maple Leafs used a compliance buyout July 4. He had four seasons and $21.5 million remaining on a five-year contract.

"Mikhail adds speed and offense to our lineup, and we are very pleased to have him sign with the Capitals," general manager George McPhee said in a statement. "We believe he will be an excellent addition to our club."

After starting the 2012-13 season with CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League, Grabovski had 16 points (nine goals) in 48 games for Toronto. Grabovski fell out of favor with Toronto coach Randy Carlyle, but he is a favorite of the advanced-statistics community because of his ability to drive puck possession. Grabovski had the highest corsi percentage (CF%) on the Maple Leafs in each of the three seasons from 2009-10 to 2011-12, according to the site HockeyAnalysis-com. Last season his role changed, playing against tougher competition and starting more of his shifts in the defensive zone.

He also played less. Grabovski averaged 19:22 of ice time in 2010-11 and 17:36 in 2011-12, but his average TOI dipped to 15:34 last season. Grabovski did average more than 19 minutes per game (19:06) during Toronto's first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series loss to the Boston Bruins, which placed him third on the Maple Leafs among forwards.

Despite that, Grabovski had the second-highest corsi rating relative to the quality of competition among Toronto forwards behind Nikolai Kulemin, according to the site Behind the Net.

In 367 NHL games with the Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, Grabovski has 94 goals and 217 points. He had at least 20 goals and 48 points three times for the Maple Leafs, including 29 goals and 58 points in 2010-11.

Grabovski could help the Capitals replace center Mike Ribeiro, who signed with the Phoenix Coyotes this offseason. Grabovski likely will slot in as Washington's No. 2 center behind Nicklas Backstrom.

The Capitals have yet to sign restricted free agent Marcus Johansson. If he signs, the Capitals could keep their top line from the second-half of last season (Backstrom flanked by Johansson and captain Alex Ovechkin) together. Brooks Laich, who was slated to be the No. 2 center before Grabovski's arrival, has been a versatile player for the Capitals and could end up on the wing of the one of the top two lines or as the No. 3 center.



Washington Capitals sign Mikail Grabovski to one-year contract - NHL-com - News
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Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo told TSN he had discussions with the NHL Players' Association this offseason about voiding his contract with the team.

"I explored every possibility, and that was definitely one of them," Luongo told James Duthie in an interview that was shown on "SportsCentre" on Friday night. "And at that point there's different logistics into something like that and it's very complicated, but definitely it was something that I was looking at and ready to do if the opportunity came up."

Had Luongo voided the remainder of his contract that runs through the 2021-22 season, he would have forfeited about $35 million.

"I was ready to walk away from it and sign somewhere else for lesser term and less money," Luongo said.

Luongo was making his first public comments since teammate Cory Schneider was traded to the New Jersey Devils on June 30, making Luongo the Canucks' No. 1 goaltender again. It was the last move in a two-goalie saga that lasted more than a year, in which Luongo (and the nine years remaining on his contract) was reported to be on the block. In the end it was Schneider, who took over Luongo's starting role during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs before signing a three-year contract extension with Vancouver that summer, who was traded for the ninth pick in the 2013 draft, which the Canucks used to select forward Bo Horvat.

Luongo said he will report to Canucks training camp, which starts Sept. 11.

"Yeah, no doubt; I mean, I have a contract. I plan to honor it," the 34-year-old said. "I think there's a lot at stake for me this year … first and foremost I want to re-establish myself as one of the top goalies in the League."

He told Duthie that remaining in Vancouver was something he did not expect.

"Things have happened over the last little while that, I had come to the conclusion that, I had moved on, moved on from Vancouver and I was ready to start a fresh, new chapter of my career somewhere else," Luongo said.

He said he often compared the back-and-forth with the Canucks, with whom he signed a 12-year, $64 million contract in 2009, to a divorce.

"Well I use that analogy all the time," Luongo said. "That's what it felt like and I accepted it and I was fine with it and I had moved on personally. I mean, the only problem is she didn't, and she wanted me back (laughs)."

Luongo said he has never turned down a trade, nor did he have a completed deal brought to him for approval. He said that, when approached by Canucks general manager Mike Gillis prior to the 2012 NHL Draft, he asked that Gillis try to make a deal with the Florida Panthers or Tampa Bay Lightning.

"There was never a trade on the table that I turned down," Luongo said. "And that was the real story. Unfortunately, there's been a million other stories told since then, and sometimes you don't want to get involved in all that kind of stuff. But just to set the record straight, I think that's what really happened."

This April, at the NHL Trade Deadline, Luongo was pulled out of practice. He said he thought he had been traded, but Gillis ultimately told him a deal had fallen through.

"As I'm entering the office, they hand me the paper to sign the [no-trade] waiver," Luongo said. "So I was like, 'Oh.' So it became real at that point, that this was probably it, and as soon as I sat down in Mike's office, he walked in and just told me that the deal fell through and there was no trade.

"Thinking that you were traded one second and all of a sudden realizing that you're not, I think it just got to me for a second there and might have cried in front of another man."

At the end of that day, Luongo said, "My contract [stinks]" when asked why he had yet to be traded.

"I don't regret it. I meant what I said. I kind of still feel that way," he said Friday. "I'm very grateful for the life I have doing something that I love, and getting paid well to do it. There's no doubt about that."

Luongo was asked directly if he still wants to be traded and gave this response:

"I don't have a crystal ball, I don't know what's going to happen down the road, but wherever I am, I'm going to be 100 percent committed to that place, so right now I'm in Vancouver and I'm 100 percent committed to that."


Roberto Luongo explored voiding his contract with Vancouver Canucks - NHL-com - News
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The starting line for Canada's road to another gold medal is in Calgary, where 15 players from the country's 2010 Olympic gold-medal winning team and an additional 31 hopefuls are scheduled to convene Sunday for a three-day, off-ice orientation camp to show them what they can look forward to if they make it to Sochi, Russia for the 2014 Games.

Details ranging from systems of play to international rules to drug testing to travel and other logistics will be covered at Hockey Canada's headquarters. Unlike in 2009, when Canada's Olympic orientation camp featured a Red-White scrimmage that drew a capacity crowd at Scotiabank Saddledome, the players will not be on the ice because of the prohibitive costs of insuring their NHL contracts.

Pierre LeBrun of ESPN-com and TSN reported Friday that Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux will not attend so he can focus on the rehabilitation process from his recent finger injury he sustained while golfing, leaving the count at 46.

Canada won its second gold medal in eight years in Vancouver when Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) scored the golden goal in overtime to defeat the United States, 3-2. The Canadians won gold in 2002 in Salt Lake City, but they haven't medaled outside of North America since the NHL started sending its players to the Olympics in 1998.

Canada was fourth in Nagano, Japan in 1998 and seventh in Turin, Italy in 2006.

Crosby is among the players from the 2010 team expected to be involved in this orientation camp. He is expected to be joined by the following gold-medalists:

Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo;, Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews and defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook; Anaheim Ducks forwards Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry; Mike Richards and Drew Doughty of the Los Angeles Kings; Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber; New York Rangers right wing Rick Nash; Carolina Hurricanes captain Eric Staal; Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron; and the San Jose Sharks duo of Dan Boyle and Joe Thornton.

Canada executive director Steve Yzerman (Tampa Bay Lightning), who put together the 2010 team, brought back Mike Babcock (Detroit Red Wings) to coach the 2014 team. Ken Hitchcock (St. Louis Blues), Lindy Ruff (Dallas Stars) and Claude Julien (Boston Bruins) are Babcock's assistants. Hitchcock and Ruff were on his staff in 2010.

Canada should be a younger team in 2014 than it was in 2010. The average age of the players attending the camp is 27, but it's brought down significantly by many of the 32 who were not part of the 2010 team.

Edmonton Oilers left wing Taylor Hall, 21, will be the youngest player in camp. Colorado Avalanche center Matt Duchene, who like Hall was born in 1991, will be the second youngest at 22 years old. New York Islanders center John Tavares is 22.

Six players expected to be in camp are 23 years old: Doughty, Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos, Edmonton Oilers right wing Jordan Eberle, Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic, St. Louis Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and Washington Capitals goalie Braden Holtby.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban, who won the Norris Trophy last season, is 24. So are Sharks center Logan Couture and Hurricanes center Jordan Staal.

The oldest player expected in camp is 38-year-old Lightning right wing Martin St. Louis, who played for Canada in the 2006 Olympics but did not make the team in 2010. Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester is the other player invited to camp who played for Canada in 2006 but was left off the 2010 roster.

Luongo, Nash, Thornton and Eric Staal played for Canada in the 2006 Olympics.

Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford is the only player expected to be in camp who has never played for Canada at the international level.

Eight players who will be in Calgary (Crawford; Hamonic; Holtby; Washington Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner; Boston Bruins forwards Milan Lucic and Brad Marchand; Canadiens goalie Carey Price; and Penguins defenseman Kris Letang) are hopeful the 2014 Olympics will be their debut for Canada at the senior level of international competition.

In addition, invitees Mike Smith (Phoenix Coyotes), Dan Hamhuis (Canucks), Mike Green (Capitals), Marc Methot (Ottawa Senators), Dion Phaneuf (Toronto Maple Leafs), Marc Staal (Rangers), Marc-Edouard Vlasic (Sharks), Jeff Carter (Kings), Chris Kunitz (Penguins), Andrew Ladd (Winnipeg Jets), James Neal (Penguins) and Patrick Sharp (Blackhawks) are looking to make Olympic debuts in Sochi.

A League-high five players from the Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks are expected in camp. The Penguins and Sharks will be represented by four players each. The 47 players invited to camp have combined to appear in 21,728 NHL regular-season games, 2,369 Stanley Cup Playoff games and 57 NHL All-Star Games.

Twenty-one of the players have won the Stanley Cup, combining for 34 Stanley Cup championships.


Canada will open Olympic camp Sunday - NHL-com - News
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The 2014 draft class of NHL prospects features extensive depth and parity throughout the projected first round, with a large cast of talented centers leading the way.

Four players shine easily above the rest in the group, but a plethora of other solid two-way stars will also vie for top-15 selection spots.

As NHL franchises continue to realize the importance of solid three-man center core, players at the position should gradually creep higher and higher up each year's draft board. Next June should be no different, as the league's 30 general managers should have an especially large crop of enticing middlemen to choose from.

What skills and strong suits can each of 2014's top projected centers bring to the table? A complete breakdown of next year's five best prospects at the position falls on the coming slides.


Pictures: Breaking Down the Best Centers in the 2014 NHL Draft | Bleacher Report
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The Edmonton Oilers announced Tuesday that they have agreed to terms with forward Linus Omark on a one-year contract. No financial terms were disclosed.

"It's my dream to play in NHL and I'll do what it takes to play there someday," Omark told Bob Stauffer on Tuesday on 630 CHED radio, according to the Oilers website.

"I want to play in [the] NHL and that's been my dream for all my life. So I want to try and make the team this year."

Omark, 26, played last season with Zug of the Swiss League and had a league-high 69 points, including 17 goals, in 48 games. Much of that time was spent on a line with Henrik Zetterberg and Damien Brunner of the Detroit Red Wings, who played with Zug during the NHL lockout.

“I had a good year but I wanted to play a lot," Omark said. "The last year I was there in North America, I broke my foot. So I needed to play a lot and I did that. I played with two tremendous players, Henrik Zetterberg and Damien Brunner. I learned a lot from Henrik too. So hopefully I’m better."

Omark played 65 games with the Oilers over parts of the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, scoring eight goals and adding 22 assists for 30 points.

The Oilers elected Omark in the fourth round (No. 97) of the 2007 NHL Draft.


Edmonton Oilers, Linus Omark agree to one-year deal - NHL-com - News
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More than two dozen of the NHL's top prospects realized every kid's fantasy this week: They posed for their first hockey cards.

The NHL Players' Association's annual Rookie Showcase gave some of the League's top young players a chance to get to know one another. But the primary focus of the event Monday and Tuesday was letting the players don their NHL uniforms and pose for their first trading cards. "My dad always collected cards. We always had boxes full in the basement. I just think it's pretty cool having your own card made. It's exciting," Chicago Blackhawks prospect Mark McNeil told NHL-com.

In addition to signing memorabilia for the Upper Deck and Panini card companies, the players had to make one of the first major decisions of their young NHL careers: whether they preferred an action shot or a posed portrait for their first hockey card.

Almost to a man, they went for the action shot.

"I always had a lot of cards and I would collect them. My dad would always tell me not to open them. So I have a whole bunch of boxes under my bed. They're still sealed," Calgary Flames prospect Sean Monahan said. "It's a lot of fun. I'm happy to be a part of it."

But the most exciting portion of the two-day event may have been an EA NHL 14 video game tournament in which a number of the players competed for bragging rights.

"It was a lot of fun," said Washington Capitals prospect Tom Wilson, who came from behind to defeat Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche in the final. "He was up 4-2 and I came all the way back. I think he was a little bit rattled. He was upset, but it was a good game and definitely a fun tournament."

The two-day event wasn't only fun and games. The prospects met with NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr and longtime NHL defenseman Mathieu Schneider, a union official, at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

"[The meeting was] basically for us to know that they're there if there are any concerns. If we have any questions to feel free to ask them," said Ottawa Senators forward Cory Conacher, who had 29 points in 47 games as a rookie in 2012-13. "It was a good talk. If we ever need anything, they're the guys to go to."

With training camp just around the corner, the Showcase provided a unique opportunity to learn about some of the ins and outs of being an NHL player, with a little fun and relaxation thrown in for good measure.

"It's pretty cool seeing how this all comes together. It's a big production," defenseman Matthew Dumba of the Minnesota Wild told NHL-com. "There are a lot of people working hard to make this happen. It's exciting to be a part of."


Top NHL prospects come together at Rookie Showcase in Toronto - Prospects
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The Philadelphia Flyers have signed restricted free agent defenseman Brandon Manning to a one-year, two-way contract, the team announced Thursday.

CSN Philadelphia reports it is worth $675,000 at the NHL level.

Manning, 23, was an American Hockey League all-star last season for the Adirondack Phantoms. He had six goals and 15 assists in 65 games with Adirondack, where he was an alternate captain.

Manning played six games with the Flyers last season, with two assists. He played four NHL games in 2011-12.

He was signed as an undrafted free agent in the spring of 2011.
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Let's face it: Hockey can be a painful game to play. Players get crunched by opponents, whacked by sticks and nailed by flying pucks. But some are more willing than others to lay their bodies on the line, either to help their team put the puck in the net or keep it out of their own.

It takes a special kind of player to be willing to put his body on the line for his team on a regular basis. Here are some NHL players for whom yelling "ouch" is an everyday occurrence.

Dan Girardi, New York Rangers -- Girardi said he plans to wear a visor this season after seeing fellow Rangers defenseman Marc Staal take a deflected shot in the eye late last season. Given Girardi's willingness to use his body to stop pucks and opponents, it's amazing he's lasted this long without one. Girardi led the NHL in blocked shots this past season and has been in the top six in each of the past four seasons, a span in which he's missed a total of four games. Add that to an average of just under 191 hits per season (including a pro-rated 179 for 2012-13) for those four seasons and you get a player who collects a lot of bruises.

Luke Schenn, Philadelphia Flyers -- The older of the two Schenn brothers has been a busy hitter throughout his NHL career, ranking first among defensemen in hits in each of the past three seasons and tying for third in the League in 2012-13 with 187. He was also in the top 15 in blocked shots with 102; that's 20 more than the next-highest total on the Flyers, who acquired him from the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer.

Dennis Seidenberg, Boston Bruins -- Seidenberg's willingness to do a lot of the dirty work involved in winning often gets overshadowed on a team that's gone to the Stanley Cup Final twice in the past three years, but he's a big reason for the Bruins' run of success. Seidenberg was tops among Boston defensemen last season with 115 hits and was first on the team with 115 blocked shots. He's had at least 150 hits and 150 blocked shots in each of the past three full seasons, and he led the NHL in blocks in 2009-10.

Brent Seabrook, Chicago Blackhawks -- The defending Stanley Cup champs prefer to dominate opponents with puck possession, meaning they don't pile up big numbers of hits and blocked shots. That doesn't mean they lack a physical presence. Seabrook was one of only seven players to reach triple figures in both hits and blocked shots last season, and he's averaged more than 200 hits and 145 blocks in each of the past four full seasons.

Ladislav Smid, Edmonton Oilers -- Smid has spent his seven seasons in the NHL giving up his body for the Oilers, though his efforts have often been overlooked because of his team's struggles. He was the only player in the League last season to finish in the top 15 in hits (151) and blocked shots (109), and that came after a season in which he piled up 186 hits and was seventh in the NHL with 184 blocks.

Francois Beauchemin, Anaheim Ducks -- Beauchemin had a career year for the Ducks in 2012-13, earning a Second-Team All-Star berth -- and while his offensive contribution (0.50 points per game) was part of the reason, his willingness to sacrifice his body played a major role as well. Beauchemin blocked 111 shots in 48 games, a number that would nearly match his total of 194 from 2011-12 projected over a full season. He's been among the top-10 in blocked shots in each of the past three seasons while posting triple figures in hits in each of the past three full seasons.

Matt Martin, New York Islanders -- The Islanders don't have the reputation of being one of the NHL's more physical teams, but opponents know they have to keep their heads up when Martin is on the ice. The 24-year-old forward led the League in hits last season with 234 after setting an NHL record with 374 in 2011-12. Despite banging bodies at every opportunity, Martin did not miss a game in either of the past two seasons. Ironically, one of his linemates this season could be Cal Clutterbuck, who preceded Martin as the NHL leader in hits from 2008-09 through 2010-11 while playing for the Minnesota Wild; they traded him to the Islanders in June.



Seven NHL players willing to put their bodies on the line - NHL-com - NHL Insider
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With the release of EA Sports' annual NHL video game right around the corner, the sports gaming giant has released their top 50 players for this season's edition. Let's take a look at which Hawks made the cut, and which were left out.


Sharp is the picture of a consistent and well rounded hockey player. He ranks above 80 in every category, aside from "Fighting Skill" where he comes in at a very respectable 75.

Kane's overall rating is obviously hurt by the physical and defensive elements of his game. He made strides in those departments last season, but the guys over at EA apparently hadn't received the memo in time. Make no mistake, though. Kane will be accurately explosive when it comes to the offensive side of the game.

Coming of the least impressive season in his NHL career didn't hurt Seabrook in EA's ratings, and it probably shouldn't have. Aside from Duncan Keith, there is no defenseman on the roster I trust more during a critical moment of a game.

Much like Sharp, Hossa is as well-rounded a player as there is in the NHL. He's just a notch above Sharp in nearly every category.

Keith is one of two Blackhawks to crack the 90s in NHL14. I don't know if there's a more effective video game Blackhawk since Jeremy Roenick. His speed is unsurpassed, and his ability to both score and defend makes him an incredibly valuable part of your virtual hockey roster.

Captain Serious is the highest ranked Hawk, and rightfully so. Great at faceoffs, great defensively, and his offensive game obviously speaks for itself. If he had Keith's blast-off speed, he might be in the top three.

Sid the Kid topping the list should come as no surprise. While he isn't exactly loved by anyone outside of Pittsburgh, when he's healthy, he's unstoppable.


......................

Do you think any Blackhawks were snubbed? Should Corey Crawford have been ranked in the Top 50? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

NHL 14 is available beginning September 10th. Find me on XBOX Live : IrishRed77







6 Blackhawks among NHL 14′s Top 50 | Red Light District
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The Carolina Hurricanes stand on the verge of a significant youth invasion within their forward corps.

General manager Jim Rutherford's use of four first- and second-round draft picks on forwards over the past three three years has given the franchise an elite cast of high-scoring, high-value youngsters.

There's 2013 fifth overall choice Elias Lindholm. There's 2012 second-round duo Phil Di Giuseppe and Brock McGinn. There's 2011 42nd selection Victor Rask. There's development camp standout Sergey Tolchinsky.

Simply put, there's a flashy, talented and undeniably success-fated group of forward prospects lying just below the surface around Raleigh.

Moreover, several could find themselves with an NHL gig quite soon—for Lindholm, Rask and McGinn, at least, perhaps as soon as the start of the 2013-14 season next month.

What skills and abilities could each player bring to the 'Canes this coming campaign? A breakdown of their respective potential impacts falls below. The Hurricanes' top draft choice of 2013 has earned nothing but overflowing praise in the past two months. It's all but assured he'll play in the NHL from day one of 2013-14 on.

Lindholm's versatility is top class, and he's as well-rounded as an 18-year-old with no NHL experience ever could be. Scouts have raved about his two-way responsibility, stemming from his A-grade awareness, poise and ultimate dedication to the team as a whole.

"He is a highly-skilled puck handler with great instincts at both ends," writes Corey Pronman of Hockey Prospectus. "He makes many plays due to his coordination, vision, and game processing quickness. Lindholm skates well, plays a gritty game, and helps on defense."

Consider the still-image screenshots of his highlight reel in the Sweden vs. Switzerland match of the 2013 World Junior Championships. Here leading a counterattack along the left boards, Lindholm (red) has both the vision to pick out the ideal pass target across the rink (blue) and the puck-handling skills to find him with a beautiful saucer pass (evading the black-boxed Swiss defenseman): That impressive offensive play can't hold a candle to the aggressive puck-pursuit tutorial Lindholm puts on below, though. No. 19 blocks the shooting lane of Switzerland's No. 12, then converges on No. 8 along the boards, strips him of the puck and dumps it out for a line change: If Lindholm is able to translate those kinds of spectacular plays to the NHL, he's guaranteed to be one of Carolina's best two-way forwards this season. Rask's 2012-13 stat line doesn't show the full extent of his season at all.

In addition to scoring at over a point-per-game pace in the regular season (and another 16 points in 17 postseason games) with the Calgary Hitmen, the 2011 second-rounder also recorded 13 appearances for the Swedish U20 team (eight points) and 10 appearances with the AHL's Charlotte Checkers (five points).

"Rask is a great puck possession forward who has good, if not great, puck skills and offensive awareness," reports Pronman. "He is a top of the line playmaker and is very dangerous from the sideboards. Rask has average size but protects the puck effectively."

The center has all the tools to succeed professionally—his tall 6'1" frame stands up well to physicality, yet he also possesses an ample amount of creativity and shiftiness on attack.

In the clip below from a U18 game between Sweden and Slovakia, Rask (red) controls a bouncing rebound off the Slovakian goaltender and demonstrates his fantastic lateral lane-changing ability with a quick move around a Slovakian defenseman. The play was converted into a goal just moments later. Rask might be better off by starting the first few months of 2013-14 in the AHL, but he's just steps away from potential NHL stardom, nonetheless. McGinn, the No. 47 choice in the 2012 draft, broke out with a huge final junior-league season in 2012 and blew away the 'Canes coaches with his performance in July's development camp.

"He plays hard and feisty, and you need those kind of players in your organization," raved a clearly impressed Kirk Muller to the News & Observer. "He's a hockey player. He gets it." With one older brother (Jamie) already well-established in the NHL and another (Tye) ranked among the Flyers' top prospects, Brock certainly knows what it takes to succeed in the big leagues.

His aggression and toughness are miles ahead of his meager 5'11", 186-pound body, and McGinn's defensive commitment and consistency are elite for his age.

Meanwhile, his accurate shooting and puck-moving abilities drastically came to the forefront this past season. Consider this beautiful highlight reel deke and breakaway goal from a Windsor-Guelph game last year: Consider McGinn a dark horse to watch closely in this month's training camp battle for an NHL roster spot.


Breaking Down Carolina Hurricanes' Top NHL-Ready Forward Prospects | Bleacher Report
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A new generation of NHL prospects is prepared to take over the hockey world in the coming decade.

Players from the top tiers of the every recent draft class are waiting in the wings, poised to explode into superstardom as soon as the opportunity arises.

And for most, that opportunity could be just around the corner—many current franchise icons may soon be yielding to an heir.

After all, the league's defending top scorer, Martin St. Louis, is 38, and the league's second-ranked active career scorer, Teemu Selanne, is 43. Moreover, a number of other star players are also approaching retirement age, from Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall to San Jose's Joe Thornton and Dan Boyle to New Jersey's Patrik Elias and Martin Brodeur.

Which highly talented youngsters could replace some of those aging cornerstones in the coming years? We point out five top NHL prospects on track to do so on the coming slides.


Pictures: NHL Prospects on Track to Replace Current Superstars | Bleacher Report
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Admiral, one of two new teams in the Kontinental Hockey League, cobbled together a roster in a matter of weeks this summer, picking up youthful prospects in an expansion draft as well as journeymen from Russia, Germany, Sweden and Canada. The team began practicing at an arena outside Moscow only last month, its foreign players delayed by hitches in obtaining work visas. Its home arena in Vladivostok, a port city on the Pacific Ocean, 4,000 miles from Moscow (and only 70 from North Korea), remains unfinished, forcing the team to play its first seven games on the road. “We’re starting from scratch,” said Alexander Mogilny, a former N.H.L. star who was hired as the team’s first general manager. “It’s not easy.”

The K.H.L.’s ambitions never have been. Nor has its turbulent history, which has included the death of a player (the lack of medical equipment at the arena was blamed), two bankruptcies that forced teams out of the league, and a plane crash in 2011 that killed nearly all of the players and coaches of Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, one of the league’s most popular teams.

Now, as it prepares to open its sixth season on Wednesday, the league has regained its confidence and momentum, moving markedly closer to its goal of creating a competitive, international alternative to the National Hockey League. It may not yet be a true rival as the world’s premier place to play the game — in large part because the business of sports in Russia today means none of the teams are profitable. Even so, the league and its teams enjoy the lavish patronage of Russia’s industrial giants and the political support of President Vladimir V. Putin’s Kremlin, which views sports as an instrument of Russia’s domestic and foreign policy.

The league starts the new season with 28 teams, having added Admiral in Vladivostok and Medvescak in Croatia’s capital, Zagreb. The teams now play in eight nations across a staggering nine time zones, stretching from Central Europe to Asia. In June, a group of billionaires with personal ties to Putin bought a stake in one of Finland’s top teams, Jokerit, along with its arena in Helsinki, clearing the way for it to join the league next season and creating a furor at home.

“I’m not the most popular man in Finland,” Harry Harkimo, Jokerit’s chairman, said in a telephone interview, referring to his decision to jump to the K.H.L. The league’s level of play, he said, was already competitive with the N.H.L. and would raise Jokerit’s level. With teams also in Croatia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the league has grown beyond the borders of the former Soviet Union, challenging, at least in part, its reputation as simply a glorified rebranding of the defunct all-Russian Superliga.

“It’s a loss for the league,” Harkimo said, referring to his country’s professional league, SM-Liiga, “but this is part of globalization and a business plan. I can’t think about what others think.”

The league’s most spectacular coup of the summer was luring one of the N.H.L.’s top stars, Ilya Kovalchuk, who walked away from $77 million remaining on his contract with the Devils to join SKA Saint Petersburg after playing for them during last season’s N.H.L. lockout. SKA announced last week that Kovalchuk, 30, would be the team’s captain. Barring injury, he will almost certainly anchor Russia’s national team in February at the Olympics in Sochi, where winning the gold medal has become an obsession among the nation’s hockey fans.

Kovalchuk’s signing hardly signaled an exodus of N.H.L. players to the K.H.L., but it demonstrated the league’s increasing attractiveness — especially after dozens of players signed with teams during the last season’s lockout — and the deep pockets of at least some of the teams’ owners. More than a third of the league’s 700 players at any given time are non-Russians, including at last count 45 Canadians, 19 Americans and dozens of players from Europe, many of them veterans of the N.H.L., according to rosters still being completed.

“Our aim is not to make a barrier — or iron curtain — between the K.H.L. and the N.H.L.,” the league’s president, Aleksander I. Medvedev, said in an interview in his Moscow office, where he also serves as the head of Gazprom Export, a subsidiary of the state natural gas empire that is the league’s biggest patron. “We would like that players, depending on their circumstances and vision of the world, can play everywhere. It will make hockey better if more North Americans will come to play here, and vice versa.”

The bleeding of the best Russian players to the N.H.L. over the last two decades, beginning with Mogilny, who defected during the last years of the Soviet Union, dulled much of the enthusiasm from what many consider the national sport, but the league’s boosters are increasingly confident they have at least stanched the flow. The K.H.L., like the N.H.L. before it, is being accused of poaching the best players from smaller European national leagues with more lucrative contracts. It ultimately plans to expand to 32 teams, including Jokerit and at least one other European team. Since the league’s inception in 2008 with 24 teams, the quality of play has improved, as has its following among fans, who are particularly ardent in smaller cities with few other sporting or entertainment options. The league’s cable television network, KHL TV, now has 11 million subscribers, according to league officials. Even so, the league’s greatest challenge is a business model still shaped by a Soviet legacy and an uneven transition to a market economy. Tickets are comparatively inexpensive in Russia, as low as a few dollars, and many teams play in small or antiquated arenas they do not own or control, depriving them of added revenue from merchandise and concessions.

Instead, the teams rely on the financing from owners or sponsors, which include Russia’s biggest state-run or -controlled corporations, whose stakes and spending are far from transparent. They inclu
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Never missing an opportunity to talk sports, President Obama thanked the people of Sweden on Wednesday for exporting a few of their countrymen to his hometown Chicago Blackhawks.

Blackhawks center Marcus Kruger as well as defensemen Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya are originally from Sweden.

"I should mention on behalf of hockey fans back home in Chicago, I have to say how grateful our championship Blackhawks are for their several teammates who hail from Sweden," said Obama during a joint news conference with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt on Wednesday. "So that's been an excellent export that we gladly accept." Obama, who is making the first bilateral visit by a U.S. president to Stockholm, noted his city's large Swedish population. The Swedes of Chicago brought to the Midwest the log cabin, they built Wrigley Field, and they founded the Walgreens drugstore chain.

Obama was asked by a Swedish reporter if there was anything else he admired about the country that he wished to import to the USA.

The president noted that Sweden outpaces the USA in the development of its clean-energy sector, and he praised Sweden for maintaining a robust market while making investments in education, infrastructure and research.

Obama, who has spent much of his 4½-years in the White House butting heads with GOP lawmakers, said he appreciates the respectful tenor of the political debate in Stockholm.

"I'm sure Fredrik doesn't feel this as he's engaging in difficult debates here," Obama observed. "I do get a sense that the politics in Sweden right now involve both the ruling party and the opposition engaged in a respectful and rational debate that's based on facts and issues."


Obama thanks Sweden for NHL hockey exports
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An NHL defenceman is unapologetic after coming under fire from a British Columbia First Nation for killing a grizzly bear last May.

Minnesota Wild defenceman Clayton Stoner had a legal permit to shoot the bear, but photos taken of the B.C. native holding its severed head and paws have drawn criticism and re-opened the debate around the annual grizzly hunt.

“I grew up hunting and fishing in British Columbia and continue to enjoy spending time with my family outdoors," Stoner said in a statement. "I love to hunt and fish and will continue to do so with my family and friends in British Columbia.”

The images surfaced after a documentary film calling for a ban on trophy-hunting produced by coastal First Nations was released Wednesday.

The grizzly – known to locals as "Cheeky" -- was skinned and its paws and head were cut off, while the carcass was left to rot in an area known as Great Bear Rainforest.

William Housty of the Heiltsuk First Nations said that although the hunt is sanctioned by the provincial government it ought to be banned.

"It's up to Mr. Stoner how he wants to proceed from here but we'd encourage him and all other hunters to leave their guns at home," Housty told CTV British Columbia.

Coastal First Nations have banned trophy hunting on much of their traditional land, but the province does not recognize or enforce the ban.

"I don't think there's any place for this disgusting, barbaric, so-called sport of trophy-hunting in British Columbia." Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs said.

The provincial government hands out 300 licences each year. Hunting generates more than $300-million in annual revenue.

"We manage the populations and the hunting approach to grizzly bears in British Columbia based on sound science and conservation and ensuring we maintain sustainable populations of grizzly bears in British Columbia," Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Steve Thomson said.

Jason Moody of the Nuxalk First Nation says Stoner's trophy-hunt made him sick and angry and urged the hockey player to return with a camera instead of a gun.

"I want to talk to him," Moody said. "I want to try to change his mind -- I think it's a bad habit that he's got that's maybe been taught to him."

Stoner is not the first NHL player to come under fire for trophy-hunting. Vancouver Canucks forward David Booth drew fire last year after posing with a series of dead animals.

Read more: Canadian-born NHL player Clayton Stoner takes heat for killing grizzly bear | CTV News
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Todd Nelson has been to a few of these tournaments before, but this one feels different.

"There's a lot more opportunity," said Nelson, the coach of an Edmonton Oilers prospects squad competing in the five-team event. "It's up to [the players.]"

As summer begins to fade and fall looms, Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets and San Jose Sharks prospects have come to the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton, B.C., to pursue their pro dreams in advance of NHL training camps that start next week.

The annual pre-season tournament has resumed after last year's version was scrapped due to the NHL lockout.

Now, the salary cap negotiated in the new deal is slated to dip to $64.3 million US from $70.2 million US. According to a widely expressed theory, the lower salary cap will create, if not mandate, opportunities for younger, more affordable up-and-coming talent.

Nelson, head coach of the Oklahoma City Barons of the AHL, Edmonton's top farm club, feels a greater sense of urgency in his role of developing NHL-ready talent.

"It seems like there's a lot more importance to it," he said.

Such tournaments featuring other NHL prospects are being held elsewhere around this time. They have become increasingly common in different regions of North America over the past two decades, but the emphasis has often been on determining how a young player today will turn out a few years into the future. There has been a realization that not all players, who include draft picks and free agents, will reach the NHL.

And that is often the case.

But Oilers president of hockey operations Kevin Lowe said that clubs now have a greater onus to produce NHL-ready talent.

"Development in the salary-cap world is so critical," said Lowe. "You're trying to find pieces that fit within the organization.

"But every player that you have, whether through the draft or a free agent signing, they're all valuable assets, and you want to develop them as best you can. Even if they don't play for you, you want to create some value so that they can perhaps turn into something for you down the line or perhaps something for another organization [trade-wise] that would be of value to your organization [on the return.]"

Lowe, the first-ever NHL draft pick of the Oilers in 1979, has been a player, coach, general manager and top executive with the club. Despite modern advances in scouting that now see scouts use computers, video and other technology for evaluation purposes, it's more difficult to grade talent than in decades gone by.

"There's more competition," said Lowe. "It's a much tougher business than it used to be, I believe, in terms of the [preparedness] on the ice.

"Everybody's spending money on development. This tournament is good from an evaluation aspect.

"But there's a lot of day-to-day evaluating as well."

Yet Lowe, who has had the luxury of drafting three No. 1 overall picks in recent years in Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov and granting them NHL employment right away, does not express a future-is-now view in wake of the reduced salary cap this coming season.

"It's probably no different," said Lowe of the cap's effect on development time.

"There are specific players that can jump in right away. But in most cases, it takes player a couple [to] three years after they become a pro to move along the ranks."

The Canucks, who have limited cap space, in part because of a 12-year, $64-million US contract given to goaltender Roberto Luongo, have expressed a desire to identify players who might be able to step into their lineup quickly as a result of financial constraints and poor drafting in recent years.

As he watches Flames and Oilers prospects warm up before a game, Calgary head coach Bob Hartley is also taking a highly-critical approach with the present in mind — something a coach does not always do with young prospects. But Hartley, whose team missed the playoffs last season and unloaded captain Jarome Iginla as part of a youth movement, bases his comment largely on the team's strong need to improve following a difficult season.

But after talking to team management and scouts, it's evident that the theory of the lower salary cap generating more young talent will be seriously tested, even in wake of young stars like Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago's Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane emerging in recent years — and the fact this year's draft crop is considered above average.
'A good opportunity'

Toronto Maple Leafs pro scout Mike Penny said tournaments like this still give teams a chance to find diamonds in the rough. Teams can see how players respond after the puck is dropped and they can just play. Unknown players also get a chance to make a name for themselves with NHL dreams — and pro contracts — on the line.

"They have to start somewhere and this is a good opportunity for these young guys to get noticed," said Penny, adding some players will take the experience back to junior and others who don't have contracts secured will earn invitations to NHL or AHL training camps.

Salary cap or no salary cap, he said, young players will only get the opportunity to skate in the NHL if they can perform at that level.

"You're not going to meld anybody in before their time," said Penny. "They'll work their way in."
'Not going to work'

It would be nice if the reduced salary cap enables teams to find more NHL-ready talent. But Penny is skeptical that it will lead to an infusion of new talent at the appropriate time.

"You'd like that to be the case," he said. "But if a guy's not capable of playing at the NHL level, you're not going to put him into your lineup if he can't do it.

"That's not going to work."

Even with all of the technology available and reduced salary cap, it's still important for teams to see their prospects perform over a considerable period of time, said Canucks scout Dave Babych.

"Ther
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