Hey. I was meaning to post a bit earlier in the day, but DAMN things got rolling quick.

Started out with our goalie eval at 8:30 am. Then went into our first RED vs WHITE game at 10:30. We had a great turn-out from the fans already which is really encouraging.

Red dominated the first half (the game is split into two 25 min periods) thanks to a pretty quick first line, but White came back in the second. It picked up physically, gloves hit the ice, it's hockey.

Coach Chris Firriolo is leading the youth clinic right now with some of the boys and we're looking forward to our next game at 6:00 pm.

Guys I really like are Jesse Felton and Chris Holmes. They had great chemistry working on the first line for Red throughout the game. I'd love to post more, but I've gotta get back to work.

Thanks to everybody who has come out.

Congressman Anthony Weiner suits up for the Aces....Kind of.

Representative Anthony D. Weiner (D – Brooklyn and Queens) and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz announced today. The “Brooklyn Aces”, a single ‘A’ level team in the Eastern Professional Hockey League (EPHL), will start their season in November.

Full Article here Congressman Weiner showed he wasn't all talk when he suited up in his Aces jersey at Chelsea Piers later on


Gotta admit, the jersey looks damn good.

Brooklyn Aces. New Team, New League, New Challenges.

Greetings from the Brooklyn Aces Try-Out Camp! The Aces are part of the new Eastern Professional Hockey League (EPHL).
I've signed on as the equipment manager for what should be an amazing inaugural season.

Our league is starting with five teams:
Brooklyn Aces
Copper City Chiefs (Rome, NY)
Danbury Mad Hatters.
New Hampshire Freeze (Exeter)
New Jersey Rockhoppers (West Orange)

In a 50 game schedule we're going to be seeing an awful lot of each other so I'm pretty sure the rivalries are going to be fierce. I'll be updating here throughout the season to give you a behind the scenes view of life with the Aces.

Today we've got our first Try-Out Camp. Players born and bred in Brooklyn are here as well as guys from Slovakia, Russia, and Australia. Right now we've got our off-ice testing followed by player meetings and on-ice workouts.

Tomorrow we are open to the public from 10:30am-1:45 pm. Fans will be able to watch one of our two games as well as be part of the Aces Youth Clinic.

Stay tuned for more!

Update: Glenn Anderson Interview

On July 25th I was able to interview 2008 Hockey Hall Of Fame Inductee Glenn Anderson in New York. A video segment of it should be up on HockeyBarn.com as it gets closer to the induction ceremony. I talked to Glenn about his time in Edmonton, his six Stanley Cup rings, and his famous 'stache among many other things.

Hopefully I will have some portions of the interview in text up soon.

Keep checking back!

Introducing the worst team name in hockey

The Iowa Chops of the AHL!!

The Chops will be the Ducks affiliate beginning this year. The only saving grace is they are no longer the Mighty Ducks. Imagine being on the Chops then getting called up to the Mighty Ducks. For once a guy might beg to be sent down. "Please coach, I suck. I was a minus-5 last night. Send me to Bakersfield. Let me be a Condor!"

Apparently an Iowa Chop is a specific pork chop which is 1.25 inches thick. Yes, it's rich history goes all the way back to 1976!
So, the best name the good folks in Des Moines could come up with is a 32 year old slice of pig that has nothing to do with hockey? I find it hard to believe that the good people of Iowa have produced nothing else in their 162-year statehood to puff out their chests over.. At least they're not the "Chopzzz".

I understand the agricultural significance and I believe it should be emphasized, this is just a pretty atrocious name. Maybe it will grow on us, but it's starting out on an odd foot.

While they held back and did not put skates on a pig, or put a hockey stick in a pig's mouth, the logo is pretty horrific.

It looks like the Arkansas Razorback logo











Mated with the Carolina Panthers logo













with a few chromosomes from Spider-Pig













And and out popped this:













Yes, that is the actual logo and not something I photoshopped as a joke. They plan to wear this logo on the ice in public...I'm ordering a set of jerseys as soon as possible.

New Torspo Surge 150 Gloves

Just came in yesterday.

We just got the Surge 150s in. Full nylon seems pretty heavy-duty. Not too broken in right out of the bag, I've been working them in over the past half hour and they seem to soften up, but I'm wondering how they feel after a while of real use. The base layer of the palm is pretty soft (similar to the Vapor XVI) and I'm not sure how well it will hold up. The reinforced grip zone makes an odd crease where the thumb meets the palm. It digs in a little, but it may work itself out.

The lining gives me the impression that it might absorb a lot of sweat and get heavier as a game progressed.

As for sizing, they come in 12.5, 13.5, 14.5. I wear a 13" Vapor XXX and was most comfortable in the 13.5" Surge 150.

Jagr Signs In Russia - 2 Years, $7 million per season

Jaromir Jagr has left the continent! Russian media is reporting that the future Hall Of Famer has signed a $35m contract with Avangard Omsk. The signing comes a day after the New York Rangers landed Canucks winger Markus Naslund using much of the cash they were saving for Jagr. Negotiations between the two clubs had been cagey and in the past few days it became evident that Jagr would not be back with the Blue Shirts.

Jagr had played with Omsk during the lockout and some say it was during his time with the Siberian club that he regained his passion for the game.

Omsk will be a part of the new Continental League (KHL) next year, which has been searching for marquee names to poach from the NHL. Jagr was a prime target as he is a superstar that still has the ability to play with the best. Signing the former Ranger helps lend the league credibility.

So should the NHL be worried yet? No, I don't think so. The KHL is still not a viable option for most NHL stars. The NHL may not be very happy with the New York Rangers for completely mishandling Jagr's situation however.

New NikeBauer 9500 Helmet Pics

Just got some shots of the new helmet and cage from Nike Bauer. Great looking bucket if you ask me!

Russians Threatening Suspension for Youngsters Who Come to NA

The New Cold War is getting a bit chillier.

It is being reported that the Russian Ice Hockey Federation is threatening a 4-year suspension from national squads for players who leave their homeland.

While I understand the frustration the Russians may be feeling as they see player after player leave for the NHL, but if true these threats carry a stench of old-school Communist protocol.

If the Russian Federation wants to keep their young stars at home they need to show patience. The formation of the new Continental Hockey League (KHL) could be the foundation for a true rival to the NHL, but so far they are just throwing money at players and hoping they will come. Other important facets like equipment and medical staffs
that are far behind their counterparts in North America, horrific travel, lack of international television distribution and smaller arenas only add to the main concern which is that the most competitive players in the world are still playing in the NHL.

It may take just one name, a star with gas in the tank, to take the bait to add more legitimacy
to the new league. Until the smaller details get taken care of, it will be hard to lure the better players there or keep the promising younger talent home.

FA Day 1: Winners and Losers and all else.

As Day 1 of Free Agent Season is comes to a close OpenHockeyDB takes a look at the winners and loser so far.

Big Winners:
Chicago:
Who they signed: D Brian Campbell (8 years worth $56.8 million), G Christobal Huet (undisclosed)
In Campbell, Chicago picks up one of the best puck movers from the back in the game. Are they overpaying for Campbell? By the time Campbell is in the fourth year of that deal the 'Hawks will be selling out their season tickets, hitting the post-season, and the salary cap will be somewhere around $245 million.
Huet, a rising young goalie will replace Nikolai Khabibulin between the pipes and looks to be in line with Chicago's rebuilding concept.

Lesser Winners:
New York Islanders:
Who they signed: D Mark Streit (5 years worth $20.5m)
The Islanders are getting one of the NHL's most underrated defenseman at a pretty reasonable price. They didn't sign huge, and it may not be enough to get them into the post-season, but it was still a smart pick-up.

Big Losers:
Toronto:
Who they signed: D Jeff Finger (4 years @ $3.5m per season), G Curtis Joseph (1 year @ $1.5m), LW Niklas Hagman (4 years @ $3m per season)
When the Toronto Maple Leafs announced they had signed Jeff Finger the Leaf faithful bellowed a large collective "WHO?!" When it was announced they would pay him $3.5 million a season for four years the number of gun sales in Canada went through the roof. JEFF FINGER IS MAKING $3.5 MILLION A YEAR!! If that doesn't give the average Joe hope then nothing does.
Thankfully, after using their new handguns, many Leafs fans were spared the news that Toronto had signed Curtis Joseph. That would be 41-year old Curtis Joseph. Toronto's front office capped the day off by overpaying Niklas Hagman by a million dollars. I dare say the Leafs will be begging for the return of Jason Blake in about five months.

Hit and Miss:
New Jersey:
Hit: LW Brian Rolston (4 years worth $20.25m) Jay Pandolfo (3 years worth $7.5m) David Clarkson (2 years $1.675m)
Miss: C Bobby Holik (1 year @ $2.5m) D Bryce Salvador (4 years worth $11.9m)
Hey guys! We're getting the band back together!! Devils GM Lou Lamoriello is bringing back the 1995 Devils! So dust off those Micron Air 90s and Cooper Technoflex gloves and Easton Aluminum sticks! Did he lose Neal Broten's number?
Seriously, the Rolston signing brings in an unbelievable special teams player who still has a ton of gas in the tank. Rolson is coming off three straight 30-goal seasons under defensive czar (and former Devils bench boss) Jacques Lemaire. He will fit well into Sutter's system and the Devils locker room.
Re-signing Pandolfo brings back one of the best shut-down players in the game. Injured most of the season, Pandolfo actually showed a bit of offense in the early part of the year. That he was slowed by injuries may have saved the Devils a ton of cash or a teary goodbye Pando.
The Devils declined their option on versatile winger Sergei Brylin who was a part of all three of New Jerseys Stanley Cup wins as well as their 2001 Cup run. The rationale was to give younger players a chance to prove their worth. So, the Devils signed The fact that Holik gives his all every night may be outweighed by the fact that he publicly admonishes teammates anytime one of them does not abide by his standards. A great defensive forward, Holik may be useful as a fourth liner which is really the only spot for him. Fortunately, he has agreed to play on the fourth line all year. If he does a 180 at any point this could be an ugly $2.5m cap-hit. I've also been told that Holik, a friend of Patrik Elias, may be able to help light a fire under the stalled forward.
As for Bryce Salvador, they have him for $2.9 a year and Colin White for $3m a year. One wonders why they don't just spend $6m on an actual proven #1 defenseman.
Salvador's agent said basically, "We didn't get a no trade clause but the team can't move him. Either he's a steal at $2.9 a year and they won't want to trade him or he will be God-Awful and no team in their right mind will take him!". Well, there's always Toronto.

Under the Radar Moves:
Pittsburgh:
Who they signed: W Pascal Dupuis (3 years @ $1.4m per season)
Dupuis was one of the Pens best players in the post-season this year a year after being one of the few Thrashers to show up against the Rangers in 2007. A tireless penalty killer, Dupuis uses his speed to create chances and is capable of being an effective checker or playing with more skilled players. With all of Pittsburgh's high-end talent Dupuis may prove to be one of the role players that helps the team reach the next level.


What remains:
Where will Sundin and Jagr wind up?
Mats Sundin
Rumored destinations: Vancouver, Detroit, NY Rangers, Montreal
Concrete: Vancouver offered Sundin 2 years at $10 per season. Ok, now pick your spleen off the floor and put it back. $10m a season is a hell of a lot, but it might be enough for a healthy and focused Canuck squad to be a serious Cup contender again. It may also entice UFA and team captain Markus Naslund to stay (if they can get a deal) and light a fire under him. The possibility of Sedin-Sundin-Sedin is alliteration heaven. Now that Detroit has locked up Hossa for 1-year $7.4m, they may not be able to afford Sundin.

Jaromir Jagr
Rumored: NY Rangers Pittsburgh, Russia
Concrete: Omsk offered, will Jagr accept? One rumor had Jagr making a return to Pittsburgh. Crosby and Jagr could be an interesting combination. Dynamite on the ice? Well, wasn't the Gomez-Jagr combo suppose to tear up the league as well? Jagr might also want to bring some cookies for Sid after his harsh words during the playoffs.

NY Post: Shanahan to the Devils?

The NYPost's Larry Brooks is reporting that NY Rangers winger Brendan Shanahan may sign across the Hudson with the NJ Devils.

Brooks writes:

Rather, The Post has been told to expect the 39-year-old winger to go home again - home to New Jersey to complete the circle of his first-ballot worthy Hall of Fame career that commenced with the Devils New Jersey Devils in 1987-88.

Usually I take anything Larry Brooks writes with a shaker of salt so I'm wasn't getting my hopes up too high. I think Brooks has a good eye for the game, but is not as reliable when it comes to the business side of hockey.

To verify, I just spoke to a friend close to Shanahan and he told me only that Brendan's intentions were to stay in NY and he had not ruled out NJ as an option.

While there's no indication Shanahan has been leaving unsolicited voice mails on Lou's cell, it is a promising sign that a once sour relationship can be rectified.

I'd love to see Shanny return to the Devils. He's coming off a year that was ruined by injury and the failure to treat them properly. Now healed, Shanahan can still be a contributor on the ice as well as a mentor. Hey, just look what he did with Sean Avery. Imagine how he can help younger guys on this side of the River Sanity.

The guys already done so much for the organization (see: Scott Stevens) it would be wonderful to see him come back and show once again that he still has some gas left in the tank.

UPDATE: Debunked

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/rangers/2008/07/sather-rangers-making-waves-du.html

Shanahan:

“The Devils weren’t one of the teams that contacted my agent today. I guess people just figured that I’d want to go there because I wouldn’t want to move my family. But I want to play for the Rangers.”

One wonders where Larry Brooks finds his sources.

Free Agent Season is Finally Here!!

July first marks the first day of Free Agent Season!

Some of the big names out there this year include Mats Sundin, Jaromir Jagr, Marian Hossa, Brian Campbell, Jose Theodore, Brad Stuart, Rob Blake, Pavol Demitra, Brian Rolston, Sean Avery, Brendan Shanahan, Brendan Morrisson, Markus Naslund, Darcy Tucker.

NY Post: Jagr Offered $35m To Play In Russia

The Larry Brooks of the NY Post is reporting that Jagr has been formally offered a 3-year deal for a whopping $35 million (after taxes). Jagr has stated all along that his intention is to play at least the coming season in MSG, but one wonders if $11.6m a year is enough for Jagr to change his mind. Negotiations between Jagr's camp and the Rangers from office have been slow at best.

The offer is nothing out of the blue as it has been rumored for a few months that Jagr could play in Russia once his contract expires. A name like Jagr's is exactly what Russia's new Continental Hockey League is praying for. One of the greatest talents in history with gas left in the tank. It would mark the first big defection from the NHL. Up till now players leaving for Russia had been veterans unable to find NHL contracts or younger Russians unable or unwilling to learn the North American game and/or culture.


Right now the Rangers need to make a big push to show Jagr he is a top priority if they haven't already. If he's not, they need to decide what direction the team is moving in.

Goal of the Day - Steven Stamkos

Steven Stamkos shows a little bit of the skill that made him the #1 pick this year

2008 NHL Draft Review: Tampa Bay Lightning

Ok, so we've gone through the NY metropolitan area teams. I'm going to do the remaining 27 teams in order of their first selection. So, first up is the Tampa Bay Lightning who were granted the right to select consensus #1 pick Steven Stamkos. If Stamkos was the only name they called this entire draft then they still would have been one of the big winners. Luckily for new owners Oren Koulis and Len Barrie, they had six other picks.

Steven Stamkos - 1st overall (1st round) Center. Sarnia Sting (OHL)
No shocker here. Amy Winehouse does a better job of hiding addiction than the Lightning did of hiding their intentions of selecting Stamkos. And with good reason. They would have been out of their minds (and GM Jay Feaster out of a job) had they not taken the center who has been compared favorably to Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman. Saying Stamkos can pass is like saying Jimmy Page can play guitar. He also showed a scoring touch, notching 11 goals in Sarnia's breif post-season. Having 1997 #1 draft pick Vincent Lecavalier in Tampa with him is probably one of the best scenario's Stamkos can step into. With Jeff Halpern being lost until at least November, count on Stamkos to be a fixture in Tampa from the get-go.

James Wright - 117th overall (4th round) Center. Vancouver Giants (WHL)
Stamkos is the guy who will get a lot of attention in the future, whereas Wright might be the kind of guy who does a lot of little things well with little accolades. He's a big kid who wins battles in the corner. He may prove to be a steal for the Bolts as his draft year suffered from a bout with mono.

Dustin Tokarski - 122nd overall (5th round) Goalie. Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
Was named MVP of the Memorial Cup for the Chiefs after sharing duties with Kevin Armstrong through the season. He may have a breakout campaign next year and make life seem unfair to the rest of the WHL in general as he should be between the pipes for the Chiefs full-time.

Kyle De Coste - 147th overall (5th round) Right Wing. Brampton Batallian (OHL)
De Coste could be a valuable checking or energy line winger for the Lighting if he makes it to the show. Heart and sould guy never stops moving or looking for an opportunity to help his team.

Luke Witkowski - 160th overall (6th round) Defenseman. Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets (USHL)
Witkowski suffers from Kasparaitis disease: He will take himself out of position to make the big hit more often than is advisable. He may be the guy teams have to answer to if they take liberties with Stamkos at some point.

Mattias Sointu - 182nd overall (7th round) Right Wing. Ilves (Finland Jr)
Can you say Eero Somervuori? Well, not at first, but who can unless you're Finnish? Sointu's small frame unleashes a cannon. Does not lack skill, but size and consistency are big issues.

David Carle - 203rd overall (7th round) Defenseman. Shattuck St. Mary's (Minnesota HS)
There were only eight players picked after Carle this year. Tampa is really hoping none of them turn out to be all-stars.

2008 NHL Draft Review: New York Islanders

The Islanders had at least two selections in each of rounds 2-6 of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, but they may be remembered more for whose name they didn't call than for whose name they did.

Josh Bailey - 9th overall (1st round) Center. Windsor Spitfires
With the #1 European and WJC stand-out Nikita Filatov still on the board, the Isles traded down four spots to take Bailey, who GM Garth Snow maintains the Isles had pegged all along. The most telling trait Bailey possesses is the ability to make his teammates better players (scary to think how good Kyle Okposo could be in this case) Bailey is a tireless worker, a play-maker and will be a great asset on the Isles man-advantage in the future. His on-ice intelligence allows him to read the play in all situations. This allowed him to be one of Windsor's most effective penalty killers as well.

Bailey may be a great player, but it seems the Isles fan-base had already ordered their Filatov jerseys. Drafting the flashy Russian may have made more sense for the franchise struggling to sell tickets. Hopefully in the future, Bailey can prove the critics wrong, but one wonders if he'll put any extra bodies in Uniondale.

Corey Trivino - 36th overall (2nd round) Center. Stouffville Spirit (OPJHL)
I'll be blunt: At first glance Corey Trivino looks like a 12 year-old. The Etobicoke, Ontario native looks more like the kid hawking popcorn at the Nassau Coliseum than somebody who will be on the ice. On the ice is a different story. Trivino has never been cut from an international camp. Trivino dominated the OPJHL playoffs, proving to be a clutch scorer for the Spirit. Like Bailey, he is a pass-first center. At 6'1", 170lbs Trivino will need to add muscle to his slight frame.

Aaron Ness - 40th overall (2nd round) Defenseman. Rouseau High (Minnesota HS)
Ness, who has drawn comparisons to Phil Housley and Brian Leetch was crowned "Mr. Hockey" as Minnesota's top high school player this year. A few years ago Ness may not have been drafted at all let alone in the 2nd round of a deep draft due to his size (5'10, 157lbs) . His accomplishments on the ice (1st in scoring among defenseman, 10th overall, member of the USA U-18 squad) may be not be as impressive as his dedication off the ice. Ness took eight classes on campus and three more on-line in order to graduate early and attend the University of Minnesota in the Fall of 2008.

Travis Hamonic - 53rd overall (2nd round) Defenseman. Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
Hamonic needs to figure out if he's a physical defenseman with an offensive flair or an offensive defenseman with a physical edge. He shows signs of being capable in either capacity, but gets caught trying to do too much.

David Toews - 66th overall (3rd round) Center. Shattuck St. Mary's (Minnesota HS)
Toews is not a younger carbon copy of his brother, Chicago center Jonathon Toews. David is a solid player in his own right, but was not blessed with the gratuitous amount of hockey manna that his older brother was (but who the hell is?!) Any expectation that he will be should be negated from the start. But Toews wasn't drafted purely riding on his last name either. He's a good skater with an quick shot and soft hands. His keen hockey sense makes him a smart penalty killer and defensive center.

Jyri Niemi - 72nd overall (3rd round) Defenseman. Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
This kid looks like a meaner version of Ivan Drago. As hard as Drago hit Rocky Balboa, Niemi's shot hits the back of the net. His 96 mph shot wowed the crowd at the Top Prospects Game. For a rookie defenseman learning the North American game, he also hit the net often, finding the back of the cage 14 times. A few more years with Saskatoon should round out his defensive game and give him more experience as a PP quarterback.

Kirill Petrov - 73rd overall (3rd round) Right Wing. Ak Bars Kazan (Russia-RSL)
The Isles passed up one skilled Russian in the first, but they made sure they didn't let another get away. This pick may prove to be the steal of the '08 draft. Petrov is a big, powerful winger who plays well in the corners as well as finding open ice for himself and his line-mates. Petrov has made his desire to come to the NHL very clear and the Isles will be waiting at JFK as soon as he books his flight.

Matt Donovan - 96th overall (4th round) Center. Cedar Rapids Rough Riders (USHL)
Swift skating defenseman from Edmond, Oklahoma displays excellent lateral mobility which he uses well in the defensive zone as well as leading the break-out. A smart simple defenseman.

David Ullstrom - 102nd overall (4th round) Center. HV71 (Sweden-Jr)
Ullstrom will be a big body up front in a few years once his 6'3" frame fills out. Mostly used at center, Ullstrom has seen time on the wing as well. He can play physical and has a good set of hands, but is not terribly defensively adept and does not utilize his line-mates as well as he will need to in order to make it to Long Island.

David Poulin - 126th overall (5th round) Goalie. Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)
There's only a decade and change left in the "Rick DiPietro Back-Up Plan". I kid, I kid. He's a butterfly goalie with good rebound control that has won games for Victoriaville this year on his own. Big and athletic like, he is very technical and plays the game by the book. Some have questioned his dedication to conditioning though.

Matthew Martin - 148th overall (5th round) Left Wing. Sarnia Sting (OHL)
Winger with good size will mix it up and drop the gloves.

Jared Spurgeon - 156th overall (6th round) Defenseman. Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
The 5'8" Spurgeon put up 43 points in 69 regular season games for the Memorial Cup champs, playing a good two-way game. Anyone lacking Spurgeon's size needs a ton of guts to play in the WHL and Spurgeon has it. He willingly takes the body and gets into the fracas when the opportunity arises.

Justin DiBenidetto - 175th overall (6th round) Center. Sarnia Sting (OHL)
The smallish center put up 93 points for Sarnia this year as a 20 year old improving 30 points from the previous season.

2008 NHL Draft Review: New York Rangers

Michael Del Zotto - 20th overall (1st round) - Defenseman. Oshawa Generals (OHL)
The Rangers got a slider again. A year after grabbing Russian wiz-kid Alexei Cherepanov another player that many thought would be gone well before the #20 slot fell into the Rangers' lap. Del Zotto was once touted as a can't miss top-10 pick. While he had a slow-start to the season, his fall may be more aptly contributed to the rise of the like of Doughty, Bogosian, Schenn, and others. Del Zotto is an offensive defenseman and there's no two-ways about it. As good as he is offensively, he may be worse defensively. At times, he gets caught watching the play rather than initiating it. In the future he looks to be a power play quarterback. While it doesn't plug an organizational need (Bobby Sanguinetti is a similar player) the Rangers brass most likely went for the best player available.

Derek Stepan - 52nd overall (2nd round) - Center. Shattuck St. Mary's (Minnesota HS)
The area where Stepan excels is his creativity with the puck. Stepan became more defensively responsible this past year, becoming a top penalty killer for Shattuck. The biggest knock on him right now is he needs to get bigger, but he'll be given ample time to do so as he will attend the University of Wisconsin next year and should remain there for at least two years before making the jump to the AHL or NHL.

Evgeny Grachev - 75th overall (3rd round) - Center. Yaroslav (Russia-3)
Big power forward needs to improve on his skating in order to be effective at higher levels. His stick skills and accurate shot would be better served if his lateral movement was better.

Tomas Kundratek - 90th overall (3rd round) - Defenseman. Trincec (Czech Republic)
He's a guy who doesn't do anything especially amazingly, but doesn't do anything terribly either. Plays his best when he plays simple.

Dale Weise - 111th overall (4th round) Right Wing. Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
Overager had 29 goals for the Broncos this year and followed it up with 13 points in 12 play-off games. Weise is a gritty winger with leadership capabilities.

Chris Doyle - 141st overall (5th round) Center. PEI Rocket (QMJHL)
Point-per-game player in the QMJHL, Doyle's skating may hurt him in the future. He displays a good arsenal of passing and shooting skills, but he is not a great mover.

Mitch Gaulton - 171st overall (6th round) Defenseman. Erie Otters (OHL)
Selected 6th overall in the 2006 OHL draft, Gaulton hasn't lived up to his belling since then. But, Gaulton can get the puck out of the zone effectively and has a howitzer. He has a physical side as well and would be better suited as a stay at home defenseman unless he can show better judgment when joining the rush.

Hearbreaking/heartwarming story from the Draft

David Carle, younger brother of San Jose defenseman Matt Carle, and 2008 NHL Draft prospect was diagnosed with a heart condition that leaves him at risk for sudden heart failure by the Mayo clinic. The discovery comes just a day before he was slated to be selected in the NHL Entry Draft.

While my heart crumbles for this kid, he seems to have a solid head on his shoulders.

"It's really not the end of the world,'' Carle said by phone Friday from Faribault, Minn., where he is visiting friends. "I'm really quite fortunate they were able to find it.

"I've still got a long life ahead of me. I have a lot to look forward to and a lot of opportunities ahead of me.''

In light of the news, Carle decided to end his hockey career at the age of 18 (I greatly respect both Carle and teh University of Denver for honoring his scholarship).

So, one would assume that's it for Carle. What team would take a kid who has publically declared he will no longer play hockey?

Enter new Lighting co-owner Oren Koulis.
The Lightning used their last pick of the draft to take Carle, who had been pegged anywhere between the late first and third rounds.

General manager Jay Feaster said prospective new owner Oren Koules knows the family and the diagnosis might not be as severe as first believed. Besides Koules said, "The kid worked his whole life to be drafted in the NHL, and I don't see a reason he shouldn't be."

Best of luck to David.

UPDATE - The original article has been edited. The first sentence quoted has been removed. It looks as though Tampa's selection was done purely out of kindness. Unbelievably generous move by the Lightning organization.

NHL Draft: NJD Round-up, Devils select Tedenby

I was hoping for the Devils to select Indiana (USHL) defenseman John Carlson, aka the Baby Dinosaur (so-called after he smashed the side of his fist down upon the melon of a fallen opponent in a fight a few years back). Alas, the Devils passed up on the puck hulking puck-mover, moving down three spots to the 24th pick to select diminutive Swedish winger Mattias Tedenby. I'm not upset, he was the second name that popped into my mind when asked who I wanted.

The kid from HV71 (yes, that's the team's name) has skills. He can flat out fly and provides some offensive flair to an organization that needs it. That said, he's small. Gionta small. He's listed at 5'10" 176 lbs, but I'm not so sure. He was about eye-to-eye with Devils GM Lou Lamoriello once he got up to the podium and about half as wide. Tedenby will definitely need to bulk up as it looked as though the geriatric Lamoriello may have been able to dismember the kid if he chose to do so. But in today's NHL, smaller players can flourish.

Bottom line is Tedenby is a kid with blinding speed, solid stick skills, but needs to bulk up to get to the NHL. He's at least a few years away from the big show.

Other selections
Brandon Burlon - 52nd pick (2nd round). Defenseman St. Michael's Buzzers (OPJHL)
Burlon is a beast. At only 6'0", 190lbs he finished among the top of the pack in most of the categories at the Draft Combine. While Burlon has power he uses it more for locomotion than for destruction. Not overly physical, Burlon is a very smooth skating defenseman. Is able to join the rush, but is not a pure offensive defenseman. One thing they lost when passing up on Carlson was a booming shot from the point, something Burlon possesses as well. He could turn into a solid 2nd pairing defenseman for the Devils, but will not in NJ for at least two or three years as he needs to fill out physically as well as test himself against better competition.

Patrice Cormier - 54th pick (2nd round). Center Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL)
Cormier is a gritty, hard working, drive-to-the net center. Is it really a surprise the Devils picked him? He's not a stranger to dropping the gloves either. Scouts had limited exposure to this once highly-touted kid from New Brunswick as he was side-lined with injuries keeping him out of some of the more pivotal showcases. He may turn into one of the more valuable selections of the draft and a real steal for the Devils.

Adam Henrique - 82nd pick (3rd round) Center. Windsor Spitfires (OHL)
A teammate of Burlon's for gold-medal winning Team Ontario at the 2007 Canada Games, Henrique is another hard-working pivot who projects as a spark plug at the NHL level. A great face-off man. Oddly enough, was invited to Canada's under-18 camp when fellow Devils draft pick Patrice Cormier was unable to attend.

Matt Delahy - 102nd pick (4th round) Defenseman. Regina Pats (WHL)
A reliable stay at home defender really didn't show up on the radar until this year. Was given increasing amounts of ice-time by Regina and responded well to the added pressure.

Kory Nagy - 142nd pick (5th round) Center - Oshawa Generals (OHL)
The Devils are trying to fill the void down the middle in years to come. Nagy comes a bit off the board, not ranked by most of the scouting services and he is very similar to Henrique and both players seem to be the a hopeful replacement for John Madden. Like Henrique, Nagy is a strong face-off man who is a capable shut-down center. He's not going to be an offensive juggernaut ever. Nagy only managed 17 points in 57 regular season games. But guess what? He had 9 points in 15 playoff games.

David Wohlberg - 172nd pick (6th round) Center. USDP U-18
A physical two-way center will attend the University of Michigan in the fall. Had 22 points in 45 games for the US program.

Harry Young - 202nd pick (7th round) Defenseman. Winsdor Spitfires (OHL)
Devils take their second Spitfire of the day. This time they selected the 6'4", 200 pounder to help solidify their defensive core. Windsor head coach has spoke glowingly about Youn citing him as possibly the most improved player in all of the OHL this past season. His defensive responsibility has made him an effective penalty killer for the Spitfires. He has also been writing an off-season journal for WindsorSpitfires.com.

Jean-Sebastian Berube - 205th pick (7th round) Left Wing. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL)
The big winger had 118 PM and 24 points in 64 games for the Huskies. He doesn't turn 18 until July 20th.



Look for a team-by-team report throughout the coming weeks starting with the Devils divisional rivals the Isles and Rangers.

Pens: Malkin played Final while legally dead.

Pittsburgh - Every year the playoffs dole out rash after rash of horrific injury and this years post-season was no different. Today the Pittsburgh Penguins revealed that star forward Evgeni Malkin had played five games of the playoffs while legally dead and possibly partially a zombie. The Penguins had previously listed Malkin as day-to-day with "general body failure".
"I knew something was wrong the morning of Game 1 against Detroit." Malkin said through teammate/translator Sergei Gonchar. "My back was stiff and I felt a strange craving for human flesh. Also, I had no pulse".
The Penguins training staff originally cautioned Malkin about playing that night. "They were worried about me tearing something. Not a muscle or tendon, but an actual extremity. I was decaying pretty badly." While there was no blood coursing through the young Russian's veins, he showed heart. "It's the finals. It's what I dreamed about the entire season. Well, until the night before when my nightmares were consumed with encounters with Lord Satan, Prince of the Netherworld and God Almighty bargaining for my eternal soul."
Upon hearing about his opponents condition Red Wings forward Kris Draper was candid, "I thought it had to be something serious. He's a tough kid. I hit him in Game 2 and I think one of his vertebrae snapped, but he barely flinched. He just moaned, 'braaaains'. I thought it was odd, but that's what McCarty is always like. Go fig."
Malkin was brought back to life thanks to a fortuitous accident involving faulty wiring near the Penguins locker room at Mellon Arena. "7,000 volts pretty much de-Zombified me." Malkin said. Malkin is expected to make a full recovery.