Last Saturday's matchup with the NTDP Under-18 team might not have counted in the standings, but it was certainly more than just an exhibition game for UND.
Mario Lamoureux has signed a Professional Try-Out contract with the Oklahoma City Barons (AHL). Lamoureux began the season with the ECHL's Ontario Reign, where he produced three goals in four games.
Jonathan Toews notched his third career hat trick last night in helping lead Chicago to a come from behind victory against Ottawa. Here are the goals:
Rangers Unlimited checks in to see how top NYR prospect Danny Kristo is faring in Hartford, with video of all six of Kristo's goals this season. Kristo has nine points (6G, 3A) in nine games thus far, second most among AHL rookies.
Fox Sports West produced a really nice video featuring LA King winger Matt Frattin. Frattin discusses his move to southern California, his locker room banter with former Cornell goaltender Ben Scrivens, and his line dancing abilities. Check it out:
UND recruit Trevor Olson scored a pair of goals this past weekend as he's making the most of what's left of his USHL career. Olson, who will suit up for North Dakota next fall, is set to undergo season ending surgery in mid-November.
Defenseman recruit Tucker Poolman scored his first goal of the season Sunday afternoon in the second period of Omaha's 6-5 win over Muskegon. He added two more in the third period for his first career USHL hat trick.
A pair of exhibition games will get The World Junior A Challenge rolling this weekend, with pool play commencing next Monday. Team USA's entry will feature three North Dakota recruits in Ryan Mantha, Austin Poganski, and Nick Schmaltz while Rhett Gardner is currently battling for a roster spot at Canada West's selection camp.
A number of preseason polls and individual ballots have been released this week. Here's a rundown of those and a few other recent tidbits:
The North Dakota men are ranked fourth nationally in the first USA Today/USA Hockey poll of the season, while they came in second in the WCHA Preseason Media Poll. Rocco Grimaldi was also tabbed as the preseason Rookie of the Year by the WCHA media. Following is a list of media poll voters who were willing to divulge their selections: Jack Hittinger (Bemidji Pioneer), Brad Schlossman (Grand Forks Herald), Bruce Ciskie (Red Rock Radio - Duluth), Chris Dilks (Western College Hockey Blog), Shane Frederick (Mankato Free Press), Joe Paisley (Paisley Hockey), Kevin Pates (Duluth News-Tribune).
The North Dakota women have been picked to finish second in the league according to the WCHA Preseason Coach's Poll.
The men's and women's hockey teams both announced their team awards recently and the team MVP's are Brock Nelson and Jocelyne Lamoureux. Here are the full listings of the men's award winners and the women's award winners.
The National Collegiate Hockey Conference announced the hiring of Joe Novak as its Director of Hockey Operations earlier this week. Novak was previously the assistant athletic director for the Air Force Academy and he has an extensive background in ice hockey officiating.
The NCHC is also close to announcing the Target Center as the host for its postseason tournament. As the home of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves the Target Center is a non-ice hockey venue, but with the passage of the Minnesota Viking stadium bill, the downtown arena will be receiving a facelift in the near future.
Most of you certainly know by now that USNTDP defenseman-extraordinaire Seth Jones has opted to play in the CHL following his signing with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League. Jones had narrowed his choices down to the WHL and North Dakota, but under the guidance of his father, did not make a commitment until he was 100% sure of his intentions. The way Jones handled the recruiting process is very admirable and I hope he has a splendid career in Portland and beyond.
The Litter Box Cats, a Florida Panther blog, recently profiled Ryan Johnson in its chronicling of all of the franchise's former players.
Hockey's Future considers Sioux defenseman Derek Forbort to be a promising prospect for the Los Angeles Kings.
NHL Playoff Update:
After dispatching the St. Louis Blues with a four game sweep, Matt Greene and the Los Angeles Kings became the first team to advance out of the NHL's conference semifinals. Greene played a big role in the series, producing a point in each of his four games. His current four game point streak is the longest of his professional career, and through two playoff rounds he has an identical stat line to that of the Kings' big midseason pickup Jeff Carter (9 Games: 1G, 3A, +3 rating). Also, The Hockey Writers put together a nice feature to help you get to know the Kings a little bit better.
Los Angeles' opponent in the Western Conference Finals will be the Phoenix Coyotes, coached by former Sioux Dave Tippett. The Coyotes eliminated the Nashville Predators Monday night and will now take on the red-hot Kings, but facing obstacles is nothing new for Tippett and his Desert Dogs. The Coyotes and Kings begin their series Sunday in Phoenix.
Tuesday night the suddenly delightful New Jersey Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2003 with a 4-1 series victory. Zach Parise says the Devils kept their cool against Philly, and it ultimately paid off. Parise is savoring his first opportunity to play in the conference finals, but the Devils know they are only halfway home and that there is a lot of work yet to be done. New Jersey will open the Eastern Conference Finals Monday night against either Washington or the New York Rangers.
Heading into the week, Parise and teammate Travis Zajac (T-5th with 10 playoff points) were among those on Puck Daddy's Conn Smythe Watch List.
AHL Playoff Update:
Matt Frattin and the Toronto Marlies advanced to the Western Conference Finals after winning their series against Abbotsford 4-1. Frattin scored four goals in the series and now has seven points (5G, 2A) in eight playoff games.
Oklahoma City leads its series with San Antonio two games to one, with game four heading to overtime as I type this post. Chris VandeVelde has a goal in each of the last two games for OKC, including the overtime game-winner in game three, while Taylor Chorney is looking for his first playoff point. Should Oklahoma City prevail, they would take on Frattin and the Marlies in the Western Conference Finals.
St. John's (Jason Gregoire, Jake Marto) currently leads its series with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton three games to two. Game six will take place Friday night. Gregoire and Marto have yet to play in the postseason.
USHL Playoff Update:
The Lincoln Stars, featuring recruits Luke Johnson and Paul LaDue, were eliminated from the Clark Cup playoffs following a 6-2 loss to Waterloo Monday night.
Jordan Schmaltz is the last Sioux recruit standing this season, as he and the Green Bay Gamblers advanced to the Clark Cup Finals following their sweep of the Indiana Ice in the Eastern Conference Finals. Schmaltz had one point in each of the Gamblers' three wins over Indiana, and he is currently riding a four game point streak during which he has amassed four points (1G, 3A) and a +6 rating.
NHL training camp rosters are getting whittled down with the regular season just a week away, and several former Sioux are engaged in opening day roster spot battles. Among the camp rookies, Jason Gregoire, Matt Frattin, and Brad Malone have survived their teams' cuts thus far.
Brad Malone was impressive at the Colorado Avalanche training camp, and he's in the running for a job as Colorado's fourth line center. With his size and skill set, it's also within the realm of possibility that he could earn a spot on the wing if Av centerman Jay McClement is awarded the fourth line job.
Matt Frattin, who is averaging a point per game in five preseason contests (2 G, 3A), has virtually locked up the third line left wing spot for the Toronto Maple Leafs. As camp began, Frattin, Nazem Kadri, and Joe Colborne were all expected to compete for the position that was widely considered to be open for the taking. Colborne started slow and was inconsistent prior to being cut from camp, but both Kadri and Frattin were performing well and running neck and neck until Kadri suffered a knee injury that could keep him out of the lineup for up to a month. Frattin has impressed the Toronto staff, and he is looking forward to taking advantage of his opportunity by striking while the iron is hot.
Among those who have been reassigned to minor league training camps, defenseman Joe Finley looks to shake off the injury bug and find a home in the Buffalo Sabres organization. After the Phoenix Coyotes assigned Brett Hextall to the Portland Pirate training camp, GM Don Maloney had some good things to say about the former Sioux forward (Click the quote for the full article):
There's been more discussion on the likelihood of TJ Oshie having a breakout season for the St Louis Blues.
A Chicago Blackhawk blogger offers up some interesting statistical insight on the importance of playing alongside Jonathan Toews.
Toews had the opportunity to play alongside his brother David this preseason, and though David has been assigned to the Rockford Ice Hog training camp, there's been a lot of good stuff published on their relationship. More on that in this video and this article.
Jordan Schmaltz appears on this (very) preliminary 2012 NHL Draft ranking. Never mind the bit about him playing in Windsor-he'll be in Grand Forks next fall.
The Western College Hockey Blog published their ballot for the WCHA preseaon poll. It's hard to believe DU's Jason Zucker isn't a first teamer, but then again, whose place would he take?
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Mike Brophy writes in his column at sportsnet.ca that Matt Frattin is taking advantage of his chances:
Matt Frattin has taken advantage of every opportunity he has been given to make the Maple Leafs. A finalist for the Hobey Baker Award with the University of North Dakota last season when he scored 36 goals and 60 points in 44 games the 23-year-old right winger looked like a man playing with boys at the team's rookie camp in Oshawa last week. He stood out in the weekend scrimmages and was flying again in the first pre-season game against the Senators. Frattin's greatest attribute in Game 1 was his drive to the net.
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Ryan Johnson welcomes the challenge of attending Detroit Red Wing training camp as a tryout attendee. Red Wing head coach Mike Babcock had a couple snippets about Johnson's performance thus far:
"I thought Huds, (Fabian) Brunnstrom and (Ryan) Johnson were a good line (previously), so I stayed with that. It had nothing to do with Patty, I just wanted to look at something else.''
"(Jan) Mursak was all over the puck, hounded hard. (Brendan) Smith was a good player today. Nyquist is a real good hockey player. Ryan Johnson and Brunnstrom have done a real nice job for themselves.''
Travis Roche signed a contract extension with Bern of the National League A, Switzerland's top tier league. The extension will keep Roche in Bern through the 2013-14 season. He finished 15th in the league in scoring last season with 41 Pts (9G, 32 A) in 39 games.
Ryan Johnson is entering the Detroit Red Wing training camp with only one goal in mind.
If you want to catch Brett Hextall and the Phoenix Coyotes rookies take on their counterparts for the LA Kings, the two game set will be streamed live at LAKings.com. The rookie games are scheduled for Wednesday at 8:00 PM and Thursday at 4:00 PM.
Ryan Duncan has signed a contract with the Portland Pirates of the AHL, an affiliate of the Phoenix Coyotes. Duncan, who in 2006-07 became just the second ever Fighting Sioux to win the Hobey Baker Award, played for EC Red Bull Salzburg of the Austrian Elite League the past two seasons after appearing in two games for the AHL's Bridgewater Sound Tigers following his senior season at North Dakota.
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Today the New York Islanders traded the rights of David Toews to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for future considerations. Toews, the younger brother of former Sioux and current Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, spent two seasons at North Dakota before opting to join the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL last season. Toews was also added to Chicago's roster for the Toronto Maple Leaf rookie tournament, and on Saturday he'll be taking on former teammate and current Maple Leaf Matt Frattin.
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Speaking of Frattin, he was interviewed recently for Leafs TV, and had some great things to say about his time at North Dakota:
Heading into camp there's been alot of buzz concerning the open competition for the final forward spot among Toronto's top 12, a competition that will surely feature Frattin, Nazem Kadri, former DU Pioneer Joe Colborne and others. Hopefully a solid rookie tournament this weekend will propel Frattin towards a great training camp and a regular roster spot with the Leafs.
Derrick LaPoint, who recently signed with the Reading Royals of the ECHL, will be taking part in the Florida Panther rookie camp. LaPoint briefly discussed his upcoming professional plans with a local TV station.
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Jason Gregoire, who will be suiting up for Winnipeg's entry in the 2011 Young Stars Tournament, is featured as one of the five Jets to watch this weekend. The rookie tournament will be held in Penticton, BC and is hosted by the Vancouver Canucks.
Wanna catch some of the Young Stars in action? Here's the info.
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Below are a couple links concerning where Ryan Johnson might fit in with the Detroit Red Wings should he crack the roster:
Finally, in a busy day for the Ralph, single game tickets go on-sale tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM and Sioux Fan Fest will take place on ice level of the main arena from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
Former Sioux Ryan Johnson has accepted a try-out with the Detroit Red Wings. The faceoff and shot blocking specialist spent the latter portion of last season with the Chicago Blackhawks and would be a nice addition to Detroit's penalty killing unit if he can crack the roster.
Derrick LaPoint has signed with the Reading Royals of the ECHL. LaPoint, a former Florida Panther 4th Round draft pick, became a free agent August 15 after failing to come to terms on an entry level deal. The Royals are the ECHL affiliate of the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Meanwhile, as first reported by the Grand Forks Herald's Brad Schlossman, Andrew Kozek has signed on to play with the Nikko Ice Bucks of the Asia Hockey League. Also in Asia is Former Sioux Darcy Mitani, who plays for High 1 and is the league's all-time leader in Assists and Points.
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A few weeks ago Matt Frattin was confirmed to take part in Toronto's rookie tournament. Several additional former Sioux will also be taking part in NHL rookie camps and tournaments beginning next week as the NHL's preseason starts to rev up. Chay Genoway will suit up for the Minnesota Wild's entry (Full Roster) in the Traverse City NHL Prospects Tournament while Corey Fienhage will be playing for Buffalo. The MSG Network will be broadcasting the tournament's New York Ranger games (J.T. Miller will be playing), and depending on the standings after pool play, maybe we'll have the opportunity to catch the Wild or the Sabres take on the Rangers.
The Vancouver Canucks will be hosting the 2011 Young Stars Tournament. The Winnipeg Jets will be part of the tournament and while no Jet roster has been released, I'd expect Jason Gregoire to be part of the lineup.
NHL free agency fires up Friday, and several former Sioux find themselves in search of new contracts. Drew Stafford and Chris Porter have already signed new deals, and below is a list of the other former Sioux who played in the NHL last season and will be looking to sign new deals this summer:
Oshie recently received a qualifying offer from St. Louis, which prevents him from becoming an UFA, while the New Jersey Devils have filed for arbitration in their effort to get Parise signed long-term without risking losing him to an offer sheet it might not be able to match. It will also be interesting to
see where Jason Gregoire signs, and if any other former Sioux are able to make there way into the NHL.
McKeen's Hockey published an interview with incoming recruit Rocco Grimaldi about a week before
the NHL Draft, and when asked about next year's outlook at North Dakota Grimaldi replied:
"I expect to be a big part of it, to be a big contributor, and I expect to win. I really do expect to win. That's just the mental attitude that I have. We're going to be a pretty young team, but we're going to be a pretty dang good, solid, skilled team. I think we'll do really well. Obviously, I want to win in the end. That's our goal and hopefully I'll be a big part of that and be able to help along the way."
I love his positive outlook, the expectations he has of himself, and the expectations he has of the
team. Here's the full interview.
The USHL put together some short highlight reels of some it's NHL Draft prospects, including
Grimaldi and fellow incoming recruit Colten St. Clair:
