Super Sunday Evening Post

• Dillon Simpson recently came in at #17 on Copper and Blue's list of the top 25 Edmonton Oiler prospects under the age of 25. Simpson was drafted by Edmonton in the fourth round (92nd overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. 
• The latest Sioux recruits, Adam Tambellini and Bryn Chyzyk, had big weekends on the ice. Chyzyk recorded one goal and three assists to help the Fargo Force (USHL) earn three out of four league points, while Tambellini produced two goals and three assists in two Vernon Viper (BCHL) wins. Tambellini was also the subject of a Dan Sallows profile, who had a number of nice things to say about the Viper forward, including, "Fighting Sioux fans are in for a treat come the 2013-2014 season, because the kid is going to be an absolute stud." Here is a nice highlight/interview video of Tambellini:

• Recruit Drake Caggiula returned from injury Thursday night and had two goals and an assist in three weekend games that saw his Stouffville Spirit (OJHL) take four out of a possible six points.
• The Grand Forks Herald's Brad Schlossman wrote a column for today's paper that examines the possible solutions to the NCAA losing committed recruits to the CHL.
• Matt Frattin scored two goals last night in the Toronto Marlies' 5-2 win over Abbotsford. Last season's NCAA goal scoring leader now has five goals in his last five games.
• Zach Parise had a goal and an assist today to extend his point streak to five games (5G, 2A) as New Jersey defeated Pittsburgh 5-2. The Devils have now won four straight and are well within striking distance of a top four finish in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, The Minneapolis Star Tribune offers up their take on the scenarios that could lead to Parise playing for the Wild. Another feature on New Jersey's captain cuts right to the chase: He just wants to win.
• Jonathan Toews is currently second in the NHL in Faceoff Percentage, trailing former Wisconsin Badger and current San Jose Shark Joe Pavelski by just 0.5%. He's also taken over the league lead in Takeaways, and it's how well he does the little things all over the ice that make him one of the best all-around players in the world. He's also advanced to the final round of Real GM's Be the GM contest, where he is matched up against Sidney Crosby. So go ahead and cast your vote.
• Brandon Bochenski continues to have a superb year for Barys Astana (KHL). The former Sioux All-American currently leads the league in goals with 23 and is tied for third in points with 52 (23G, 29A). While he is tempted to take another shot at sticking with an NHL team, he has found himself a comfortable life overseas.
• Kyle Radke continues to be sidelined by injury for the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees (CHL).
• The Dallas Stars inducted former Sioux goaltender Ed Belfour into their Walk of Fame last night, and the Dallas crowd welcomed him with the classic "Eddie! Eddie!" chant. Here's a video of the pregame ceremony:

• Belfour says he is enjoying the retired life, but doesn't rule out the possibility of returning to the game as a coach.
• For those of you who read Swedish, Lee Goren recently stated he'd like to stay in Sweden to finish up his career. For those of you as fluent in Swedish as I, here's the article text translated via Google Translate and then edited by yours truly:

Goren Would Like To End His Career in Sweden
Kana Dicken talks to Lee Goren about playing time, his thoughts on the sport, and what the rest of his career holds.

     He had to skip practice on Wednesday, but expect Lee Goren, who would happily play out the remainder of his career with Skellefteå, to be on the ice tonight. After all, the more playing time he gets, the better. He logged a significant amount of ice time against Färjestad, 22:56 to be exact, so it's no wonder that Goren was not on the ice Wednesday.

     "It was Anders (Forsberg) who told me that I was cycling today. And I couldn't argue," says a smiling Goren. "There has nevertheless been a lot of minutes on the ice recently." But does he enjoy it that way? "Absolutely. All players want to play as much as possible. They want to be involved and contribute, make a difference on the ice."

     And it's not just playing time that drives Goren. The Tunge forward radiates energy off the ice. He simply likes the hockey life. "It has reached a certain point, where you are getting a little bit older and you realize that you need to enjoy it. You have no idea how many years you have left as a hockey player. Plus, there's a good group of guys here and a good team of leaders that I enjoy."

     Goren has also enjoyed some of his better seasons with Skellefteå, including this season, as he is not far off from matching his career-best numbers. "I feel really good here. Last time I left Skellefteå was to win a championship, and I did. Now I have come back to win one here." And the Canadian definitely wants to stay in Skelleftea for additional seasons. "This is where I want to finish my career," he observes. "I feel I have a few more years to play."

     Have you started to talk with Skelleftea about your future plans? "I don't know what my agent has done. But the team knows that I want to come back for another season, so it's up to them."

     But let's not jump the gun just yet, as it is time to think about tonight's game against Stockholm.
"They are difficult to play against and they have a really good goalie. It becomes even more challenging for us now that we are the league leaders, we are always the team to beat. It is important that we are ready to play."