The Prospect Park

Ban Everything

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 10:28:00 +0000

Sorry that the blog hasn't offered up much this past week as you can either believe that I wanted to concentrate on doing well in my classes right before final's week or that my imaginary job interview for the New York Ranger's coaching position has hit a snag in the negotiations. OK it has been way too long since I actually had to study for finals but I am seriously dying of laughter at some of the things that are really going on in the hockey world.

Glen Sather and the rest of the Ranger staff are in Palm Springs and are very busy ~~playing golf and doing a lot of drinking~~ trying to come up with a game plan for this off-season. It is amazing how rumors are coming from everywhere BUT Palm Springs regarding the Ranger's search for a new head coach. I understand that Glen Sather doesn't exactly have a stellar reputation among Ranger fans but how about giving the franchise some credit already for not being as insane as some of the rumors out there are making them look.

Sorry I don't see Brian Leetch on the bench next to Mark Messier as one of Messier's assistants, a rookie head coach with almost no head coaching experience hiring a rookie assistant with even less coaching experience than Messier. IF and this remains a big if then I have to ask people why is it OK for off the wall rumors to gain media credibility but if it was Glen Sather suggesting them then everyone would be looking to toss Sather off the roof of Madison Square Garden.

And as insane as the Ranger head coaching hunt is fast becoming comes an actual lame idea that is being put into play by the CHL with assistance from Hockey Canada. I am going to post the entire email so you know I am not trying to pull a prank on you.

CHL announces Import Draft change

For Immediate Release
Tuesday June 11, 2013

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League today announced that 2013 will be the final opportunity for member clubs to select European goaltenders in the annual CHL Import Draft.

European goaltenders born in 1994 or 1995 may be selected by CHL clubs in the first round of the 2013 CHL Import Draft. For all current CHL Import goaltenders and any that may be selected in the 2013 CHL Import Draft, such goaltenders may continue to play in the CHL until they have exhausted their major junior eligibility.

“The goaltender position is the most important in our game,” said CHL President David Branch. “In partnership with Hockey Canada, the CHL has identified the need to further develop Canadian goaltenders by providing increased opportunities for them to compete in our league and succeed at the next level. The CHL will continue to be the world’s largest development league and the number one supplier of talent to the National Hockey League and Canadian Interuniversity Sport.”

The decision was made by the CHL Board of Directors at their meeting in May.

The 2013 CHL Import Draft takes place on Wednesday July 3 with the Vancouver Giants currently holding the first overall pick. The two-round draft will take place online with the order of selection rotating through each of the CHL’s three leagues using an inverse order of final regular season standings from the 2012-13 season. Each team in the CHL is permitted to carry two European import players each season who are selected annually through the CHL Import Draft.

Now I had heard rumors of this happening but I seriously didn't think that the CHL would actually do such a stupid move. With 60 teams that make up the 3 leagues of the CHL that means 120 goalies and while American goalies are not considered as imports then what are we actually talking about here?

Just looking at those ranked as the top goalies in the 3 leagues then you have a whole 9 goalies from the 3 leagues combined. Now the Europeans are not going to cry about this because they would rather see their players stay home to begin with but 9 out of a possible 120 spots makes you wonder what were the CHL thinking?

What is next will the CHL and Hockey Canada ban all Europeans? Maybe the Americans will be next since the Portland Winterhawks had 2 American goalies while London of the OHL had 1 more so 3 American goalies helped the CHL teams win their league championships. If the CHL and Hockey Canada really wanted to improve the quality of Canadian born goalies then the real answer is helping parents offset the costs involved in playing the position not banning Europeans.

The costs of equipment, of lessons and of goalie schools and teams fees are fast making goalie a position only the rich can afford. Help improve those conditions first and save any kind of ban as a last resort.

Sorry to me the sport doesn't get better with this kind of thinking and if anything the only ones who gain are the Europeans and the NHL. The Europeans now have a new weapon to convince their homegrown talent to stay home by claiming Canadian hate Europeans because they are too good.

The NHL when this ban takes full affect will no longer have to worry about the import players and their CHL rights as it will be draft and then straight to the farm teams if the NHL desires. There is also a couple of groups who might like what Canada is doing and that could be the USHL and the NCAA hockey programs.

They too would be smart to consider opening their arms for European goalies as it would help improve the quality of play especially in the USHL. The NCAA schools might be able to convince more European goalies to take the NCAA route to the NHL.

In any case the CHL are making fools of themselves here with this foolish and unneeded ban on European goalies. I think I will go hide in my math text book as it is much safer there.

The Annual Why Grading Prospects Makes No Sense

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 10:31:00 +0000

In many ways this is the more frustrating time of the year when it comes to New York Ranger prospects as everyone and their mother comes out with some sort of grading system to try to rank the Ranger prospects. And every year at this time I wind up explaining how silly it is to try to grade prospects. It is silly because in all reality the only person who you can ever grade a prospect with is himself.

Yes I know that there are websites, bloggers and writers who will swear that they know better than even the Rangers do at are where their prospects are at in their development. Those are the folks that you need to take with a grain of salt, if they want to charge you for that information then I would suggest you remember this old saying "A fool and his money are soon parted."

If you don't believe me then let's take 3 names and allow me to show you what I mean. Dylan McIlrath (2010 1st), Samuel Noreau (2011 5th) and Brady Skjei (2013 1st) who are all defensemen in the Ranger system. Now go right ahead and try to rank these 3 and then ask yourself which guy had the best season of the 3? Which one would you say had the worst and why?

Wait not done yet because we need to toss some more into the equation and let's start by asking how one could compare these 3 with each other to rank them? McIlrath played in the AHL, Noreau in the QMJHL and Skjei was playing in the NCAAs so how exactly can any say one of these prospects deserves to be ranked higher based on pro potential?

Dylan McIlrath plays against adults in the AHL, he is being taught by Jeff Beukeboom and has the advantage of being a drive away from the Ranger's state of the art practice facility. Should he suffer another injury then he can be treated by the Ranger medical staff. By all rights Dylan McIlrath should be grading out way higher than either Noreau or Skjei.

Brady Skjei plays for Minnesota in the NCAAs, Minnesota is a hockey power among the college hockey programs. But Minnesota isn't training Brady Skjei to become a Ranger but rather to help the Golden Gophers try to win an NCAA championship. Because of NCAA rules the Rangers have limited contact with Skjei and the only way that Skjei can take advantage of the Ranger off-season workouts is to pay his own way.

Skjei plays against young men closer to his own age but he also lives the life of a college student and only plays in half the number of games that either McIlrath or Noreau could possibly get to play. So really how anyone try to rank Skjei against either defender?

I left Samuel Noreau for last because of all the New York Ranger prospects not just defenders, I thought he was the one prospect who was the most improved. That he did so without getting to attend the Ranger's training camp or play for Traverse City made his accomplishments that much more impressive. Noreau improved in every area of his game and why he has a Ranger contract can be chalked up to two words "forward progress."

Now if you want to talk about the Ranger prospects and how they have done over the year then look at where he was the year before and then measure him against that. If you did then really McIlrath is hard to grade considering his transition to the pro ranks was interrupted by a nasty dislocated patella (kneecap) which cost McIlrath his off-season workouts and then with the NHL lockout either the Ranger or CT Whale training camps.

To be honest I was surprised that McIlrath made it back to get in 45 games with the Whale but it gives him high marks for determination and the will to play. Overall though you still have to say it was an incomplete for the year and I believe you will see why when McIlrath reports for the Rookie/Prospect Camp in July.

Brady Skjei was playing on the USA Under-18 team and jumps up to Division 1 NCAA hockey so yes he had growing pains but he also had some good points that people never saw because they weren't goals or assists. Let us see how he does as a sophomore before labeling him anything.

Without mentioning names, there is a website that once ranked Ryan Callahan, Dan Girardi and Carl Hagelin as not having what it takes to play in the NHL. I mention it because the greatest failure of these prospect grades or ranking is that they never take the time to measure a prospect's heart, their will to win and their willingness to work that much harder to earn the spot on the Ranger roster.

I can tell you that the first time then Guelph Storm coach Dave Barr told me that Ryan Callahan was NHL material I too thought he was nuts. Ryan Callahan was so skinny a toothpick could be used as a body double but Callahan was a "take no prisoners" player, not afraid to do anything if it helped his team win. And don't think about running a teammate either.

Way too often these kinds of places give the wrong idea about what a prospect's potential is. Trust me there isn't a person alive who can accurately measure which prospects will make it and which won't. I speak from experience as there have been prospects whom I swore were going to make it and they didn't even close.

Why some prospects wind up failing while others go on to have NHL career's is just as much a mystery as whether or not there is life in outer space. If you really want to try to find keys to focus on then may I offer a few suggestions?

Start with where the prospect is going to play whether it is in the NCAAs or CHL. Check to see who his coach is and if you don't think that it isn't important then think again. A coach in his 1st season might not like the prospect since he isn't one of his players. Sometimes a new coach plays a system that isn't suited for the prospect and that hurts his development.

Then there is the coach who is trying to keep his job and won't play a younger player because of that. I have seen what the effects of a good coach can have but I have also seen what happens when you have a bad coach too. I won't lie as there have been times I have prayed that a coach got fired (no not Tortorella) because I have seen how his performance was hurting the chances of a prospect.

Same for franchises as when you are watching one meltdown with players demanding trades and the atmosphere is just a mess. Help can't get there fast enough and a Ranger prospect is helpless because the events that are happening all around him.

Don't blame the Rangers either because in many cases their hands are tied too and as much as they wish they could do something they can't. In other words after reading all this I just hope you realize one thing; covering prospects isn't easy but trying to grade them against other prospects is a joke.

Just make sure you keep your wallet in your pocket.

Some Good News

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 07:42:00 +0000

Brady Skjei (NHL.com)

No sorry Glen Sather has not informed me as to who he plans to hire to take over as the next coach of the New York York Rangers. But USA Hockey did send out the invites to their annual summer evaluation camp on Thursday and the Ranger's top picks from the 2012 NHL Entry Draft were both given invites.

Brady Skjei (2012 1st) and Cristoval "Boo" Nieves (2012 2nd) will be spending part of their summer up at Lake Placid as they attempt to get a leg up on making the 2014 USA Under-20 squad. For Skjei, the camp is doubly important as this years coach of Team USA will also be Skjei's coach at Minnesota, Don Lucia.

For the Rangers it does say something that both of their top prospects from the 2013 draft earned invites. Both prospects are coming off their freshmen seasons at their respective colleges, Skjei for the already mentioned Minnesota while Nieves attended Michigan.

Skjei had an up and down season for Minnesota but dressed for 36 games on a Golden Gopher team that was considered a favorite of the 2013 NCAA title but fell short. I consider Skjei's season to be better than others did in large part because of the expectations on Minnesota as a national contender.

Yes Skjei was a healthy scratch from the Minnesota lineup on a couple of occasions but one should view how a freshman like Skjei was getting into the lineup on a regular basis as well as when he did play, Skjei was paired up with Minnesota's best offensive defensemen. I also considered how Skjei when he was playing for USNTDP during the 2011-2012 season was partnered with Seth Jones who is going to be selected in the top 5 of this year's NHL Entry Draft.

The Rangers did not select Skjei to become the next Brian Leetch but most likely because his career has been in many ways like what Ryan McDonagh's was when he was playing for Wisconsin. It will be very interesting to watch how Skjei performs at the camp.

Cristoval Nieves (Michigan Wolverines)

The 2nd biggest surprise of the 2012-2013 Ranger prospect season had to be the play of Cristoval "Boo" Nieves as I don't think anyone even the Rangers expected Nieves to have the season he did for Michigan. Nieves led the Wolverines with 21 assists as he had an overall 8-21-29 season on a Michigan team which yes fell short of making the NCAA tournament for the first time in 23 years.

But Michigan put on a charge in the late season where they were unbeaten in 9 straight games before losing in the finals of the CCHA. Gordie Clark correctly called what kind of player Nieves was going to be when we talked during the season.

Clark on Nieves:

I kind of knew that they (the Michigan staff) liked him for the same reasons we did. A lot of people were going in to see him play and he gets a lot of breakaways at prep school with his speed and his size.

Right now he is not a finisher but we were not looking at him as a finisher as we thought his playmaking was very special to go along with his 6’3 size and his superior skating. Maybe a lot of teams had a problem with his “no scoring ability” but I don’t know.

Nieves is a 6'3 ball of lightning as his skating for a big man is above excellent but Nieves in my book doesn't get enough credit for his ability to read the ice in front of him. Nieves for a 19 year has a lot more maturity than anyone would have expected. For all his playmaking skills, Nieves is also strong on the defensive end as well.

With both Minnesota and Michigan in the new "Big Ten" hockey conference then Ranger fans will have a chance to see both prospects going up against each other next season. Who know maybe they will also get to see them as USA Hockey teammates as well.

X-Y+ Nothing

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 07:24:00 +0000

I can coach the Rangers

Sorry about the lack of activity here but I am waist deep in Math, English and Health thinking I was nuts to attend college at 54. Seriously there really isn't anything to talk about with the New York Rangers at the moment other than they are hunkering down in the Sather bunker in Palm Springs California.

I have often wondered if the Ranger staff just want an easy excuse to spend a week playing golf and drinking away from the glare of the Ranger media. Here is something to chew on and that is the "smart" members of the Ranger media are taking the time off while they can while others are just filling their space with lots of filler material.

There will be plenty of time to do a prospect season in review later in the month as well as break down who is attending the Ranger rookie/prospect camp not to mention who will be running said camp. If the Rangers don't have a head coach to run the camp then let Ken Germander and the Hartford coaches do it.

With the return of the Traverse City Tournament it will fall back on the Wolfpack staff to coach them anyway.

But should Glen Sather hire someone and have him in place by July 1st then I do very much hope Chris Kreider and J.T. Miller take part in the July camp. They missed out on an NHL training camp because of the lockout so attending the camp and getting to know the new coach would be a great way to get a head start on the 2013-24 season.

Now who wants to help me learn how to work with polynomials? Write an English paper? Okay walk a mile for me?

Hey where did everyone go?

Perceptions

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 10:35:00 +0000

(New York Post)

Forgive me if I don't jump on the "Mark Messier for New York Ranger head coach" bandwagon because it is an idea that is colored in large part by the image at the top of the page. Don't get me wrong as Mark Messier's "guarantee" is to me even bigger than Stéphane Matteau's goal in game 7 against the Devils. When Messier said that the Rangers will win he joined Joe Namath, Reggie Jackson and Willis Reed as New York City legends.

And I do remember that it was Messier who scored the game winner against the Vancouver Canucks to deliver that Stanley Cup that took 54 years to get there. How can I not since it is the only Ranger Stanley Cup that I have seen in my 54 years.

But that was in 1994 and this is 2013 and what is missing from the Messier resume isn't the Stanley Cups but rather experience as a NHL coach. Coaching 2 Canadian teams in minor tournaments does not make one qualified to coach in the NHL. Forget the legend part of Mark Messier and view him strictly on his qualifications to coach the New York Rangers and sadly he doesn't pass muster.

If Mark Messier had shown interest in becoming a NHL coach then he should have worked as an assistant. There is no way that John Tortorella would have been able to turn down Messier's request to become one of his assistants. Ranger fans would have run Tortorella out of town a whole lot sooner if he had refused adding Messier.

If Messier would have worked as a coach during training camp or at Traverse City then we are talking a different story. Where was Messier to mentor Derek Stepan, J.T. Miller or Chris Kreider? There isn't a single Ranger prospect who would have refused to learn from Messier. I watch how Ranger prospects respond when they talk about Adam Graves working with them and I ask why hasn't Messier played the same role as Graves?

Now if you want to talk about someone who would make a great coach or even NHL General Manager then that is Adam Graves. Graves has done the legwork to learn how to do either job and is viewed as one of the smartest people in hockey, Messier has done a solid job learning the ropes in becoming an NHL General Manager but the same can not be said for coaching.

Remember this?

New York Ranger fans are forgiving but many of those clamoring for Messier as the next head coach of the Rangers also wanted him gone back in 2002-04. People have forgotten that Messier wasn't the same player when he returned to the Rangers back in 2000. One has to wonder just how much of a love affair would Messier have as the coach of the Rangers?

Oh don't get me wrong I too prefer the Messier of 1994 than I do the Messier of 2004. I have this huge fear that Mark Messier would get hired for all the wrong reasons as the coach of the New York Rangers. When you see people talking about Messier as coach with Brian Leetch, Jeff Beukeboom and Mike Richter as his assistants then sorry it is trying to live in the past when the Rangers badly need to think about the future.

And that future does not have Mark Messier as the coach of the Rangers sorry.

Shane McColgan

I guess I did a poor job explaining why Shane McColgan wasn't offered a contract by the Rangers so I hope I can clear it up here. Gordie Clark and the Rangers have been consistent in what it takes to earn a contract from the Rangers and it starts with making progress from the moment a prospect is drafted. It isn't always about goals, assists and points but it is about improving on and off the ice that gets you the contract.

But here is the cold harsh reality of the NHL and that is not every draft pick gets signed to a contract and not every prospect who does get signed makes it to the NHL. Every year I watch the Rangers make the decision to not sign a prospect and yes I do feel bad for them but at the same time this is a business. I hate to see it because I get to know these young men over the 2-4 years that they work at getting that contract.

In the 9 seasons I have been doing this there has only been 4 prospects who I didn't want to see the Rangers sign to a contract (and no I will not reveal their names) because I didn't think they were the kind of players to represent the Rangers. That is a very small percentage when you consider how many prospects the Rangers have drafted. Shane McColgan is a good kid but sometimes you have to go the extra mile to earn a contract.

McColgan was hurt by his size and that his numbers just didn't jump out over the last 2 seasons. I was rooting for McColgan as I watched his performance against the Portland Winterhawks during the 2011 WHL playoffs and liked what I saw. But on that part alone you can see he just didn't repeat that effort.

If McColgan has put up an 8-11-19 playoff run this season then he would be signed, sealed and delivered.

I hope that McColgan can turn his overage season in the WHL into a NHL contract as he is a good playmaker and can run a power play very well.

Answers you might not like

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 12:18:00 +0000

Glen Sather (New York Rangers)

So while everyon, their aunts, uncles and cousins are boldly predicting who Glen Sather is going to hire as the next coach of the New York Rangers, the bigger question you should be asking is which direction will Glen Sather take the franchise with his off-season moves? Sure naming the next coach is important but the Rangers have some very tough decisions to make with their player moves.

For starters I am not talking about buying out Brad Richards as that one is a no-brainier but rather can the Rangers count on Marc Staal to remain healthy enough to stay in the lineup? While I am seeing people looking to trade Dan Girardi; they had best first be sure that Marc Staal can still do the job. It is one thing to miss 5 games like Staal did in the 2010-11 season but 46 games in 2011-12 and just 21 this past season raises a legit concern about Staal's ability to remain healthy.

Look I am a big fan of Staal's and in fact named one of my key prospect evaluation tools after him (The Staal Standard which measures playoff performance to see how NHL ready a prospect is) but let's be realistic here, a concussion and now an eye injury that Staal is telling people may never be 100% again. It may sound cold and cruel but if you are looking at the 2013-14 season do you dare move Girardi without being really sure about Staal?

Trading Girardi right now would be one of the bigger mistakes the Rangers could make especially when the Rangers were honestly down to just 4 defensemen by the time they were eliminated by Boston. If you have hopes of looking for a Top 4 defenseman among the UFAs then you might think twice when you look at how many over 30 defensemen are out there and realize that it is not a pretty sight.

If anything you have to root for Marc Staal to make a full recovery and have an even better training camp so you can trade him while he is healthy. Sorry but the odds of Marc Staal making it through a full season anymore without getting hurt are very low so move him while you can get as much as you can back. Like I said look at the list of free agent defensemen and then realize how much a healthy Staal at 26 can bring back in trade.

Realize also how many holes in the Ranger lineup they will have to open the 2013-14 season with and you have to pick your poison. Sure there will be those who will on July 1st just like Pavlov's dog start begging Glen Sather to sign one of these guys but if by now you haven't learned the lesson of Glen Sather and UFA players then you never will.

The other option then becomes to take one of your best offerings in a trade (IE Marc Staal) and hope Sather can do much better in a trade for some more offense. To me it was trading away Marian Gaborik that started Glen Sather on the road to fire John Tortorella not what Henrik Lundqvist said.

If you don't think so then look at Gaborik's numbers as a Ranger 42 goals in his 1st season, 22 in a 2nd season where he was injured by a dirty check and then 41 in his 3rd season before the lockout. Glen Sather has to sit there and wonder why John Tortorella was treating Gaborik the way he was.

Even more so is how angry Glen Sather must have gotten when he had no other option but to trade Gaborik? Actually he did have another option but on the heels of the Rangers announcing an increase in ticket prices for 2013-2014 there was no way Sather could do so.

That does beg the question "What might have happened if Glen Sather fired John Tortorella at the trade deadline instead?" Keep Gaborik and fire Tortorella most likely would not have changed the outcome of a Ranger/Bruin playoff series but at least whoever the next coach is would have more weapons to start nextfromon with.

With the announcement that both Ryan Callahan and Carl Hagelin needed surgery to repair torn labrum in their shoulders, it isn't just that they will miss training camp and the start of the 2013-14 season. No what people are not realizing is that neither player will be able to get in their full off-season workouts.
In today's NHL not being able to get in your off-season workouts is just as bad as missing training camp.

That might mean that neither player will be in 100% game shape until November or December. Oh while you are at it remember that Glen Sather was aware of both player's status when Tortorella was fired. That too had to factor in to why Sather decided he wanted a change and was not going to give Tortorella a half a season that so many were thinking he was going to get.

No Glen Sather knows that the Ranger roster is a mess and that he needs time to try to fix things. The guy he picks to be coach has to have a strong background as a teacher because Sather doesn't have many options with the roster. That too had to be a factor in why Tortorella was fired as Sather just had to be worried about Chris Kreider and J.T. Miller not being trusted by Tortorella.

The Rangers just might be forced into playing kids like Kreider, Miller, Christian Thomas and Michael St. Croix even if they are not 100% NHL ready. Sather will need a coach who is also a teacher and can get something out of the kids while Callahan and Hagelin are healing.

Sather is going to need Jeff Beukeboom working his butt off to help a Dylan McIlrath speed up his development or somehow Stu Bickel into someone who can buy Sather time on the blueline. I have to admit that how John Tortorella was able to get away with getting rid of guys Sather brought in as enforcers I don't know.

Most Ranger fans have never heard of Dave "Cement-head" Semenko but he was Wayne Gretzky's bodyguard when Sather was coaching the Edmonton Oilers and perhaps one of the best enforcers to ever play in the NHL. Nobody dared touch any of the star players that the Oilers had or else they had to deal with Semenko which made the way Tortorella would prefer guys who nobody feared to protect his best players.

Oh do you notice that now nobody is worried about the Ranger's restricted free agents now that Tortorella is gone? Subtract the Brad Richard's salary and you actually can sign Derek Stepan, Carl Hagelin, Mats Zuccarello, and Ryan McDonagh to contracts with health raises and still have close to 14 million in salary cap space (for use ONLY in trades).

The Ranger roster is a mess and anyone expecting a miracle from whoever is hired as the new coach to lead them to a Stanley Cup overnight is kidding themselves. Fixing the team will not require tanking for a few years like some teams did but getting back to contention is realistic with the right coach.

The question is how patient will Glen Sather, James Dolan AND the Ranger fans be? If they aren't they might do just as much damage as John Tortorella did last season.

Good Signing

Very happy to see that the Rangers worked out a deal to sign 2011 5th round pick Samuel Noreau of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. If you understand the mindset of Gordie Clark then Noreau provided a textbook example of how a prospect can play his way into a Ranger contract. It is all about forward progression meaning making progress on and off the ice from the moment a prospect is drafted.

As Clark told me back in March:

He carries himself real well; he didn’t want to be known as just a fighter and it was the same with McIlrath as you can’t be just a fighter. It is great that you will stand up for your teammates but you have to be able to play.

Sam will tell you that and he has worked so hard on his skating. His team was not very good when we drafted him but now they are looking at a run in the playoffs and Sam knew he had to get better to get ice time.

You can see him out there thinking and then he will make a play whether it is poking the puck or rubbing a guy out. He is a project and not going to kid you he has a long way to go.

Noreau is 6'5 225 is coming off a season where he served as an assistant captain for the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. Noreau posted career highs in goals and points (7-25-32) as the Drakkar made it all the way to the finals of the QMJHL where they lost to eventual Memorial Cup Champs the Halifax Mooseheads.

Noreau is expected to contend for a spot on the Hartford Wolfpack.

Placing Blame for $100 please

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Thu, 30 May 2013 09:48:00 +0000

So Long John Tortorella (New York Rangers)

OK now that we have had 24 hours to digest that John Tortorella was fired by Glen Sather on Wednesday as the coach of the New York Rangers that it is also time to separate fact from fiction. Or better yet can the hockey media stop acting like they are a bunch kids sharing playground gossip about who was under the bleachers with the supposed "easy" cheerleader. There are times when I am very happy to acknowledge that I am more scout than writer and this is one of those times.

First off let's address the Henrik Lundqvist remarks that several in the media swear are what led to the "shocking" termination:

“I’m gonna talk to my agent, and we’ll see,” Lundqvist said about potential contract talks. “You know, I had such a great time here in New York. From day one they treated me really well and have given me an opportunity to play a lot of hockey. It’s been a lot of fun. I have one more year on the contract. I’m just focused on — well, right now, I’m trying to get over this year — but we’ll see. I’ll talk to my agent and take it from there.”

Now I have highlighted the one sentence from the "drama" of a statement that Lundqvist made on Monday because so many have made so much over absolutely NOTHING. Wow talk about freaking out over nothing because that is exactly what this entire paragraph from Lundqvist is nothing to cause mass hysteria over. Yet so many were so sure that it was meant to mean that Lundqvist was unhappy with the Rangers.

And then when John Tortorella was fired on Wednesday then the stampede to say it was because Henrik didn't want to talk about signing a contract extension on exit day. Never have so many shown how little they really know and even worse is that they are painting Henrik Lundqvist as the reason why Glen Sather fired John Tortorella.

Glen Sather

"[What Lundqvist said] didn't have anything to do with it. We plan on signing Henrik to a long-term contract and I'm not gonna make any public comments about the negotiations, when and how they're gonna take place, but it had nothing to do with the decision. This was a decision that I made."

Folks Glen Sather is many things but a liar is not one of them and trust me in watching Glen Sather going back to his days with Edmonton. There are only two players in existence who could have gone to Glen Sather and demanded a coach's head and Henrik Lundqvist is not one of them. As talented as Lundqvist is he doesn't have the kind of pull to get a Glen Sather to fire a coach.

Whether he liked it or not Sather has traded franchise players before so he was not afraid of Henrik Lundqvist and any demands he may have. Glen Sather does what he wants when he wants and when he has an owner who like James Dolan who doesn't hold him accountable for anything then nobody will tell him what to do.

So scratch the "Henrik Lundqvist was why Torts got fired off the list" and you can cross off the part about Tortorella's relationship with the media as a reason too. You can bet James Dolan just loved every second of the way Tortorella treated the media given his own dislike of the media. Glen Sather despite his tough guy image has never really been comfortable talking to as many reporters that cover the Rangers so he didn't mind at all that Tortorella was the bad guy.

John Tortorella was fired because Glen Sather underestimated the effects that the lockout would have on the Rangers. John Tortorella was fired because Glen Sather (and many a Ranger fan) didn't think Brandon Prust was worth 2.5 million a year and badly miscalculated what the loss of Prust meant to the Ranger lineup. John Tortorella was fired because Glen Sather was bringing in players he thought were ideal to play an attacking brand of hockey not Tom Renney hockey.

John Tortorella was fired because he was too stubborn to add a second coach behind the bench as there were several who could have helped the Ranger players better than Jim Schoenfeld. And the most important reason why John Tortorella was fired was because he wasn't a Glen Sather guy so Sather had no loyalty to keeping him at all.

But let the folks in the hockey media make fools of themselves by claiming that Tortorella was fired because of Henrik Lundqvist, let them think that Tortorella was fired because he was a bully to the media too and let them think they even know who Glen Sather will hire too. They will be wrong on that count as well because really the only two reporters who come the closest to showing some common sense are Andrew Gross and Rick Carpiniello as Carpiniello doesn't realize it now but he actually may be the one who called one thing right when he said:

If Tortorella was fired simply because he didn’t win the Cup, then Sather is delusional. The Rangers aren’t terribly far off from contending, but if you stack their talent against the teams in the final four, the difference it pretty obvious. And if that’s the bottom line, how does Sather rate his own job performance?

Glen Sather will be 70 come the fall, an age where most in hockey have long left the NHL these days. But the one thing Sather wants so badly before he retires is that one last Stanley Cup ring. Tortorella ruined that for Sather by not winning this year and call Sather whatever you wish but he had to know that this team wasn't a real contender for the Stanley Cup not after giving away Marian Gaborik for guys the Columbus Bluejackets viewed as not in their plans.

Sather knew when Brad Richards was terrible that the Rangers were not going to win the Stanley Cup. Can you imagine what he felt when he pulled the trigger on the Nash trade that he had assembled 3 of the top NHL scorers before the lockout? Now imagine how he felt when he traded Gaborik or watched Richards every night?

In the end John Tortorella was fired because he ruined the retirement plans of Glen Sather.

And now the replacement is?

Let me get this right, the still (sarcasm coming) so brilliant hockey media now wants the Rangers to hire former Vancouver Canucks coach Alain Vigneault? Part of the reason has to do with the fact that Vigneault is wonderfully friendly with the media which is a really dumb reason why to hire him.

Does it matter that Vigneault despite his great regular season record with the Canucks only got them to ONE Stanley Cup Final where they choked away the Cup to the Boston Bruins? The guy was just fired for losing in the first round for two straight years and this is who you want to coach the Rangers? Please what part of what Glen Sather said about wanting to win the Stanley Cup did they miss?

Oh and there is also this tiny detail about Vigneault being French Canadian that hurts his chances with Sather. Remember Glen Sather took the 8 page resume of Bryan Trottier who had zero experience as a NHL head coach over the guy who had 3+ seasons as head coach of the Montreal Canadians.

I think the next Ranger's coach has to be someone who has a Sather connection to him whether it is working for an old friend of Sathers or someone with an Edmonton connection that Sather will trust. Mark Messier? Pretty sure that Messier has his heart set on replacing Sather not coaching the Rangers. Messier saw how his buddy Wayne Gretzky stumbled as a head coach so I think Messier wants the big chair and won't gamble on being the Ranger coach where he might not work out.

Just to toss names out there then I would say John Stevens who is an assistant with the Los Angeles Kings, Doug Jarvis an assistant with the Boston Bruins and a Sather peer, or Jim Playfair an assistant with Phoenix who played for Sather in Edmonton.

Sather says he wants to have a coach by the time the NHL draft is head on June 29th but that I doubt is written in stone because the Ranger coach has the least to do with the draft. Me I would ask Phoenix permission to talk to Dave Tippett who's contract has expired and was also in line for the Ranger job that went to Bryan Trottier.

I bet a day does not go by when Sather goes "what if" considering what Tippett has done with both Dallas and Phoenix. I know whenever I watch a Coyote game I sure ask that question.

And I know Dave Tippett would answer it nicely too.

The Moose rule

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Mon, 27 May 2013 08:32:00 +0000

Halifax Mooseheads 2013 Memorial Cup Champs (Steve Hiscock)

In the end it was the Halifax Mooseheads who wound up with the big trophy after they defeated the Portland Winterhawks 6-4 to win the 2013 Memorial Cup. Portland just could not stop the tandem of Nathan MacKinnon (3-2-5) and Jonathan Drouin (0-5-5) when they needed to.

Still that doesn't mean this was a game that the Portland Winterhawks need to be ashamed of as in the bigger picture hockey won as this was a great game to watch as a fan no matter what the outcome. This was a game that featured great individual efforts, plenty of scoring, comebacks, heavy (CLEAN) hitting, and yes even a couple of questionable calls that one can make a case affected the outcome so fans can argue over.

Portland came out hitting every thing that moved and had Halifax pinned in their own end but they could not take full advantage of it and Halifax was able to weather the storm until Portland's Brendan Leipsic took a hooking call to give Halifax a power play. Halifax went to work and the puck wound up on the stick of Halifax defender Konrad Abeltshauser who launched a rocket of a shot that beat Portland goalie Mac Carruth over the shoulder to give Halifax a 1-0 lead at the 6:31 mark of the first period.

89 seconds later Nathan MacKinnon would score the first of his hat trick goals when he blew a wrist shot past Carruth to give Halifax a 2-0 lead. Pretty sure that the Colorado Avalanche have enough to show their fans why they should take MacKinnon with the first pick when the NHL holds the 2013 NHL Entry Draft in June.

As special as Seth Jones of Portland is, MacKinnon who was 7-6-13 in just 4 games is going to be very hard not to select with the first pick. Halifax made it a 3-0 first period lead when Martin Frk fired a one-timer past Carruth at 15:59 off a great pass from Jonathan Drouin. Drouin picked up his 3rd assist of the period on the play and Halifax took that 3-0 lead into the intermission.

In the 2nd period Halifax kept up the play tilting the ice in their favor until they got a power play close to the middle of the period. With Oliver Bjorkstrand off for slashing, Portland defenseman Derrick Pouliot gave Portland new life when he went on the attack shorthanded while everyone else was heading to the bench for line changes. Pouliot got the puck deep and while he didn't get any credit, the puck wound up on Ty Rattie's stick and he found linemate Nicolas Petan at the left side of the goal and Petan shoved it past a surprised Halifax goalie Zach Fucale to make a 3-1 game at 10:36.

Portland had a pulse and the Winterhawks took the play to the Mooseheads for the rest of the period where 2 plays that could have changed the outcome of the game happened. First Oliver Bjorkstrand fired what appeared to be a shot that caught the inside of the right cross bar, a play that I thought should have been reviewed just to make sure it wasn't a goal. The second was a goal that was disallowed as Brendan Leipsic "popped" a pass to Ty Rattie who was on the left side of the goal; Rattie knocked the puck down with his hand in the crease but the puck was kicked into the net by Halifax goalie Zach Fucale before Rattie could get his stick on it.

The goal was disallowed and I question the ruling because it was clear that Fucale put the puck in the net himself and Rattie should not be penalized for not being able to get his stick on the puck. The play was huge especially when Seth Jones would pinch in behind the Halifax net where Rattie would get him the puck and from there Jones just overpowered it into the net to make it a 3-2 game with just 1:19 left in the 2nd period.

If the disallowed goal had counted then this game is tied up going into the 3rd with Portland having the momentum. It wasn't and in the 3rd it was MacKinnon who took over the game as his 2nd goal of the game made it 4-2 at 7:36 (Drouin got the primary assist for his 4th point). 3:35 later at 11:11, it would be MacKinnon setting up Konrad Abeltshauser for Abeltshauser's 2nd goal of the game to make it 5-2.

Portland would not quit as they mounted one last charge first with Brendan Leipsic scoring off a rebound to make it 5-3 at 14:32. Then Ty Rattie made it a 1 goal game when he scored at 18:44 to make it 5-4. The Winterhawks would pull Carruth for the extra attacker but MacKinnon's 3rd goal of the game would seal the win for the Mooseheads at 19:37.

Halifax wins their first Memorial Cup in franchise history with MacKinnon winning the tournament MVP thanks in part to his 5 point final game performance. Drouin would finish the Memorial Cup 1-8-9 and he very much should go 2nd or 3rd in the entry draft.

Portland hold those heads high

Yes the Winterhawks lost but in many ways they are still winners for their effort against Halifax as they didn't fold despite falling behind by 3 goals twice. A break in the 2nd period and this game was all tied up. Ty Rattie showed why he is so special with a 1-3-4 performance that left him 6-6-12 which was 2nd best behind MacKinnon in the Cup scoring race. The St. Louis Blues are getting a very special player who I believe will have a much better NHL career than Nino, Sven, and Ryan.

Rattie was the guy who made the biggest plays for Portland in the WHL finals and the Memorial Cup earning him a spot on the Cup All-Star team. Derrick Pouliot joins Rattie on the team and Pouliot's play in many ways was overlooked especially in the last 2 games. It was Pouliot who got Portland back into this game even if he only had one point. Ranger fans will not like seeing Pouliot as he is a Pittsburgh prospect.

The Winterhawks will lose some key players off this year's roster but they will still return a large share of the roster and Brendan Burke will be ready to replace Mac Carruth as the starting goalie. GM/Coach Mike Johnson's suspension ended with the end of the Memorial Cup and if it was me I would have Johnson concentrate on being the GM while letting Travis Green remove the "acting" label from the head coach position.

Toss in Super scout Matt Bardsley and the Winterhawks will still be a team that contends in the WHL. This not the end for the Winterhawks but rather the start of a new chapter. They will be in the thick of things despite the sanctions as players will see that playing for Portland helps you get drafted by the NHL.

One season ends and ....

It seems like the 2012-2013 season was a decade long because of the NHL lockout and I have to admit I am really burnt out. I really need a break after doing this for the last 9 seasons almost non-stop. So a year in review for both Ranger and Islander prospects then who knows what?

The Rangers won't have a pick until the 3rd round of the NHL Entry Draft because of the Nash and Clowe deals. The Rangers do need to address a couple of key areas but they neither have the draft picks or the contract space to do either.

In any event thank you for sticking with me this season as an average of 80,000 hits a month is very humbling but like the prospects I too need to work on doing things better. Thank you once again for your support.

And then there was none

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Sat, 25 May 2013 09:43:00 +0000

Tommy Hughes (#14) (Saskatoon Blades)

This is why we watch ice hockey because no matter what level we are watching, the last minute of any game can come down to a matter of inches as the Portland Winterhawks held off the London Knights 2-1 to advance to Sunday's final of the 2013 Memorial Cup. It wasn't the textbook classic game but it was a fight and forgive the corny cliche but London has nothing to be ashamed of as they fought with everything they had.

This was a good hockey game that deserved to be seen by more than the Canadian fans and those living in Oregon. London actually did well with their trap making it hard for Portland to establish any kind of offensive flow in a scoreless first period. The Knights got the first goal of the game in the second period when Max Domi cashed in a power play goal for what turned out to be the only goal he would score in the Memorial Cup.

The goal was an "excuse me" as Domi's first attempt he fanned on but it was enough to get Portland goalie Mac Carruth out of position as he was looking for the first shot. Don't knock Domi for having a 1-1-2 line during the Memorial Cup as he was solid at both ends of the ice. I would take him with a middle of the first round draft pick.

London's 1-0 lead didn't last as Portland got it right back a little over two minutes later when Portland's version of Ryan Callahan, Brendan Leipsic (congrats on the contract Brendan) pestering London goalie Jake Patterson and Ranger's prospect Tommy Hughes (2013 UFA) allowed Tyler Wotherspoon to get a shot that deflected in off the skate of Hughes to tie the game up.

The game then turned into more of a chess match with neither team able to get one past through the rest of the second period and the early part of the third period when Portland would finally take the the lead. And it was Ty Rattie who if Portland wins the Memorial Cup deserves the MVP for his play throughout the entire tournament. For the 4th straight game Rattie scored and this one was just as pretty as Rattie comes off the left boards and fires a shot that goes in over the shoulder of Patterson to give Portland a 2-1 lead.

London did not go away as they fought back registering several good scoring chances that Carruth kept out of the net and with help from his defensemen didn't allow for any major rebounds. Still the last 2 minutes was exactly the kind of hockey that fans want to see; London had several scoring chances and despite having an open net, Portland couldn't get enough breathing space to seal the win. It came down to the final horn and Portland wins 2-1.

This sets up a dream final of Halifax vs Portland on Sunday night. Call your friends, family and everyone else as this game is one the NHL Network USA starting at 7 PM EDT/ 4 PM PDT. A chance to see 3 of the top NHL prospects going head to head.

Halifax won the first matchup 7-4 and it will be interesting to see if Portland can come up with the better game plan.

And the last one is done

London's loss in the semifinals means that Tommy Hughes career in the OHL ends and his journey to become a Ranger begins. Hughes was no offensive threat when he was in the OHL playing in 169 games and recording all of 3-29-32 during that time. Yes the first thing Hughes is going to need to do is find himself enough offense to earn a ticket to the NHL.

Defensively won't be a problem as he does all the right things on defense. Hughes plays a physical brand of hockey punishing anyone who tries to set up in his area. He will put his body on the line just like Dan Girardi does and give credit to the London coaching staff for teaching their players how to play an NHL brand of defense.

Jeff Beukeboom will find that he has a very coachable student in Hughes but even with offense, Hughes projects to be a 3rd pair defender but he will be one who can eat up minutes.

Back to backs break Blades

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Fri, 24 May 2013 10:32:00 +0000

Tommy Hughes (OHL Images)

In the end the Saskatoon Blades that their critics said weren't deserving of hosting the 2013 Memorial Cup gave fuel to those same critics by bowing out of the Memorial Cup after a 6-1 loss to Tommy Hughes and the London Knights in the tiebreaker game. Pick a word or cliche and it will fit as the curse of back to back games kept it's streak intact with the Blades becoming the 3rd team to play a back to back and lose it.

The Blades bow out of the Memorial Cup with a 1-3 as London advances to Friday's semifinal against the Portland Winterhawks. This game was over in the first 3 minutes when Ranger prospect Josh Nicholls (2013 UFA) was forced to pull down London's Bo Hovrat who was on his way with a shorthanded breakaway. A penalty shot was called for and Horvat cashed it in for a 1-0 London lead.

It might have been the only goal of the period but Saskatoon really looked like they were not into the game and they just didn't challenge London's defense. If there was any indication that was true then look no further than a 4 minute power play the Blades had early in the 2nd period as they failed to generate any real scoring chances which might have turned the game around.

It also didn't help that the other Ranger's prospect on the Blades Shane McColgan (2011 5th) was sitting in the penalty box for most of the first 2 minutes of the power play. But that was how the game went for Saskatoon as every time a door of opportunity would open for the Blades, it was their own play that let them down.

London would score 2 more goals in the 2nd period to make it 3-0 after 40 minutes and the Blades waved the white flag by giving up 3 goals in a span of 1:06 to start the 3rd period. It was over and that was it for Saskatoon who ended their run at the Cup with a whimper.

Ranger prospect defenseman Tommy Hughes (2013 UFA) was scoreless but a +1 and no penalties.

Saskatoon just didn't play with any emotion or drive as to be fair they had held their own against all 3 CHL league champions during the round robin portion of the Cup. Their coach Lorne Molleken admitted as much in the post game and it showed. London yes they scored 6 goals against Saskatoon but now it is their turn for the 2nd time to play in a back to back against a Portland Winterhawk team that had a day off.

Portland will bring more speed and skill than Saskatoon did but Portland needs to take a lesson from the Blades and "turn the other cheek" against the Knights who baited Saskatoon into taking dumb penalties. The Winterhawks can make the London tactic backfire by playing with discipline. Let London be the ones who wind up in the penalty box by not falling for the London tactics of trying to "poke the bear."

That game will be Friday night starting at 7 PM EDT.

And the curtain drops

Josh Nicholls and Shane McColgan saw their WHL careers come to an end with the loss to London. Nicholls was a respectable 4-2-6 in the 4 games he played in. Nicholls will now move on to begin his Ranger career at the rookie/prospect camp in early July. For his WHL career the 6'2 200lb winger was 138-175-313 in 332 games with the Blades.

Barring injuries, Nicholls should start the season with the CT Whale but he is going to need to add some much need muscle to his upper body if he is going to last. Nicholls is the "late bloomer" who had a 47 goal season this year and wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty in the corners. Some improved foot speed would also be nice but the Rangers have done well helping their prospects improve their skating.

Shane McColgan technically can return to the WHL for an "overage" year but first the question everyone keeps asking me is will the Rangers sign McColgan before the June 1st deadline? I really at this point have to say that I don't see it happening because (a) they already have 4 guys who are 5'9 playing for the CT Whale/Hartford Wolfpack (man I am glad they brought this name back) and (b) at last count the Rangers don't have any contracts open to offer McColgan.

There is more as I like McColgan but in the things I have learned over the years from the Rangers is that the one area that you have to show the most in is improvement from draft day to where you are today. McColgan in 4 WHL seasons put up 66, 64, 66, and 69 points and I believe that is where he was hurting his hopes of a Ranger contract. The Rangers have 1 week to show otherwise as McColgan, Samuel Noreau (who deserves an AHL deal) and Peter Ceresnak (who returned back to Slovakia in April) at the only Ranger draft picks from the 2011 draft class not signed.

Winning and losing at the same time

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:55:00 +0000

Shane McColgan scores (CHL/WHL Images)

The talk about the final round robin game at the 2013 Memorial Cup isn't about the Portland Winterhawk's 4-2 win over the Saskatoon Blades but rather the really suspect hit that Saskatoon's Dalton Thrower hit Portland's Taylor Leier with. Before I go any further I want to make it clear that I do like hard hitting hockey and if you took the time to watch the video before reading then you saw what a really clean hard hit looks like when Saskatoon's Michael Ferland hit Keegan Iverson at the start of the clip.

(Sorry I had to remove the clip because it was causing all sorts of conflicts with the blog)

That said the biggest problem facing hockey as a whole is going to be hits to the head, yes they aren't supposed to happen but if Thrower and Saskatoon say that there wasn't intent to aim for the head and they will say Leier turned into the check. I say that because as much as I dislike the hit itself that I would be surprised if the NHL Operations department suspends Thrower. I know Portland fans aren't going to like reading this and I don't blame them but if you have a decent sized monitor (mine is a 22 inch) then take the youtube version of this hit, blow it up to full screen then run it using your mouse frame by frame, The hit starts at the :03 second mark and frame by frame slowly you do see Thrower's shoulder not his elbow hitting Leier smack dab in the chin.

Should it be a penalty? Yes by all means these are the kind of hits that hockey needs to remove from the game but the thing is that it is in the follow through that makes the hit look really dirty. The follow through has Thrower's leg leave the ice and his elbow swing out wildly which is where anyone watching in real time would believe that Thrower left his feet and use his elbow to hit Leier. The harsh truth is neither happened and that I suspect is part of why neither Jean-Philippe Sylvain from the QMJHL or Reagan Vetter from the WHL (and both linesmen were also WHL officials) didn't call a penalty on the play.

Much has been made about the hit and now it will be good to see how exactly the folks from the NHL Operations department rule on this play. But this is the kind of play that all 3 CHL leagues need to take out of the game so there is no misunderstanding in the future. The CHL won't be able to say that Leier didn't suffer a concussion during this play. I watched enough Blade games this year to know that Thrower isn't a dirty player but odds are he will get that label no matter how this incident winds up.

Oh yea the game

A scoreless first period gave way to Portland getting on the board first when defensemen Derrick Pouliot scored his 2nd of the Memorial Cup after a bad clearing attempt by the Blades wound up on his stick and Pouliot's shot appeared to be deflected by one of the Blades and went in. The even strength goal gave Portland a 1-0 lead at 6:44. Shane McColgan (NYR 2011 5th) would get the goal back when he faked a pass from the corner then using both a screen and a deflection beat Portland goalie Mac Carruth for a power play goal at 11:20 of the 2nd period.

It was McColgan's 1st goal of the Memorial Cup while fellow Ranger prospect Josh Nicholls (2013 UFA) would earn a secondary assist on the play. The game would go into the 2nd intermission tied at 2-2 and the Blades were able to stay with the current WHL champions.

The 3rd period was a different story as Portland would use their speed and skill to take control of the game starting with Chase De Leo's 2nd goal of the Cup at 4:08 giving Portland a 2-1 lead. Brendan Leipsic would follow with his 1st goal of the Cup at 6:27 to make it 3-1 and Ty Rattie would add his 4th at 10:16 to give Portland a 4-1 lead at 10:16.

Josh Nicholls would score his 4th of the Cup to make it 4-2 but it was too late as Portland earning a 4-2 win heads to Friday's semifinals. Saskatoon has to face the London Knights Thursday night in the tiebreaker game to earn a 2nd shot at Portland.

The Ranger prospects McColgan and Nicholls played a good game against a much more talented Portland team. They did their share to try to help their team win but it didn't happen so Thursday night and they have to turn around and face a team in back to back games. If you have been watching then the team playing the 2nd game of back to back games has lost each time (Halifax and London).

One thing is for sure and a Ranger prospect will be playing the last game of his junior career. The question is which one will it be? Tommy Hughes of London or McColgan and Nicholls of the Blades?

We will find out Thursday night.

London got run over by the Mooseheads

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:19:00 +0000

If there ever was a need for a mercy rule in hockey then boy did the London Knights need to be put out of their misery. The Halifax Mooseheads just beat on the London Knights 9-2 at the Memorial Cup on Tuesday night earning at the very least a spot in the semifinals.

This one was over very quickly as Halifax scored 5 first period goals on just 11 shots as the QMJHL champions could do no wrong against the OHL champs. The lead stretched to 7-0 before London scored 2 late second period goals to get on the board. Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin both had 3 assist nights and to be honest they could have had many more if they really wanted.

The Mooseheads had 9 power play chances and the harder London tried the worse the Mooseheads made it for them. As talented as Max Domi and Bo Horvat are and they deserve to be picked in the first round, they just weren't even level as Drouin and MacKinnon were.

Ranger prospect Tommy Hughes (2013 UFA) was only a -2 (others were worse) but also took 2 third period penalties including one that led to a power play goal for Halifax. Not sold on Hughes developing into a NHL Top 4 but at least his play is a physical, in your face kind of defensive play. He hurts when he hits and other than the one hit against Ty Rattie on Tuesday, Hughes has been a clean hitter.

If there was any question which team of the 3 CHL league champions was the best then there is no question about Halifax being the far superior team having scored 9 on London and 7 on the Portland Winterhawks in the head to head matchups. As much as people were critical about Saskatoon's being in the Memorial Cup at least they have been competitive and I am pretty sure that if Halifax faces the Blades in the finals that there would not be a repeat of the upset.

The Mooseheads will be huge Portland Winterhawk fans on Wednesday night as a Portland win over Saskatoon would push the Mooseheads right to the Championship final on Sunday.

Nathan MacKinnon has made a pretty strong statement regarding who should be the number one pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft with a 4-4-8 effort in the 3 round robin games. I am a huge fan of Seth Jones but right now I would be lying if I didn't think MacKinnon has been the player who has done the most to live up to his pre-draft hype. Hopefully Jones will rise to the challenge because Portland now knows they need 3 straight wins to earn the Memorial Cup starting Wednesday night against Saskatoon.

Hawks soar over the Knights

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Tue, 21 May 2013 08:41:00 +0000

Ty Rattie (Portland Winterhawks)

If you were lucky enough to be able to watch the London Knights/Portland Winterhawks matchup Monday evening then you got a chance to see not just one top prospect but as many as 30 prospects. Yes that is right 30 NHL prospects who either are signed, drafted or listed by Central Scouting took part in the game between the Knights and Winterhawks (Stick tap to Todd Vrooman and Andy Kemper of the Winterhawks for this).

The game didn't disappoint either as the Portland Winterhawks earned their first win of the Memorial Cup 6-3 and for the 2nd straight year, the Memorial Cup has all 4 teams with a 1-1 record. I for one totally disagree with those who think this is bad for the cup as to me what it means is that every game counts. There is none of the easy path's to the Cup finals as all 4 teams playing have a chance to earn their way to the finals.

It is good for junior hockey because the CHL is in their own way showing NHL fans what the future of the NHL is going to look like and it sure looks good. There was some great plays made by both teams including a goal from perhaps one of the more underrated prospects player in the Memorial Cup, Ty Rattie of the Portland Winterhawks. Rattie was the 32nd pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues and for the most part has been overshadowed by the better known names who have played for the Winterhawks in recent years. More on Rattie later as the game was almost a chess match in the beginning with Portland trying to solve London's trapping defense.

Portland got on the board off a nice deflection of a Tyler Wotherspoon shot by teammate Taylor Leier who tipped in the 5 hole past a handcuffed London goalie Anthony Stolarz. Portland with the goal at 16:53 of the first period grabbed a 1-0 lead that they took into the first intermission. In the second period Portland would extend their lead to 2-0 when Oliver Bjorkstrand carried the puck out of the corner and just snapped a shot past Stolarz at 2:17.

Portland would make it 3-0 when Ty Rattie would score his 2nd highlight reel goal of the Memorial Cup in as many games. With the teams playing 4 on 4, Rattie took the puck from his defensive zone carried into the offensive zone then cut across the slot moving the puck to his backhand and with a London defender all over him beats Stolarz at 10:23.

Have a look for yourselves as courtesy of Sportsnet are the highlights. Rattie's goal starts at the 37 second mark.

Portland was up 3-0 but that lead didn't hold as London got on the board 15 seconds after the Rattie goal when Scott Harrington fired a blast past Mac Carruth for London's first goal at 10:38. Less than 2 minutes later with London on a power play, Max Domi of London with a between the legs pass to Bo Horvat who roofed his shot to cut Portland's lead to 3-2.

In the 3rd, London would tie the game on a missed call as Ranger prospect Tommy Hughes with either a stick or fist bloodied Ty Rattie leaving him face first on the ice. Play continued while Rattie struggled to make it back to the Portland bench and London took advantage to tie the game up at 3 just 1:48 into the period.

The goal by London's Alex Broadhurst had Tommy Hughes (NYR 2013 UFA) credited with a secondary assist for his first point of the Memorial Cup (Portland fans might argue that the assist was for taking Rattie out). Portland would regain the lead for good when Portland's Derrick Pouliot cashed in a Ty Rattie rebound for what proved to be the game winning goal at 6:20. 23 seconds later at 6:43Portland's Chase De Leo would make it 5-3 of a nice pass from Bjorkstrand and then Rattie would get the final word when he scored an empty net goal at 19:05 for the final tally.

Rattie finished with a 2-1-3 evening yet only winds up as the game's 3rd star but in many ways that fits with how Rattie has been in the shadows whether it was Seth Jones this season, Nino Niederreiter 2 years ago and Sven Bartschi last season.

All Rattie has done as a Winterhawk is score as he broke the record for the most career goals in the WHL playoffs with 51 in 76 career playoff games this year. And if you think Rattie is just a goal scorer then you would be wrong as Rattie has 45 assists during the same span of time. His goals to assists ratio is as close to 1:1 as one can expect from a top player. Rattie was the WHL's Playoff MVP after the Winterhawks won the WHL Title as Rattie was 20-16-36 in 21 games.

Rattie has had back to back 100 point seasons the last 2 seasons and I would not be at all surprised that when the smoke is cleared that Rattie winds up with the more productive NHL career than any of the bigger named Winterhawks. It is just how he does things quietly but very efficiently.

With the Memorial Cup all knotted up with all 4 teams having 1-1 records for the second straight year, each team has a shot at heading to the finals just as much as they do winding up in the tiebreaker game with a loss. London plays Halifax on Tuesday with the winner assured of at the very least a spot in the semifinals. Portland and Saskatoon are in the same situation on Wednesday but the picture will be much clearer when they play.

That Saskatoon has a chance to wind up playing in the Cup finals despite being eliminated in the first round of the WHL playoffs just might drive many of the Memorial Cup critics insane which in some cases would be worth watching.

The Moose ran over the Hawks

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:49:00 +0000

Nathan MacKinnon (CHL/WHL/Steve Hiscock)

The Portland Winterhawks should have known that their day was going to wind up bad when the anthem singer royally messed up the Star Spangled Banner and had to be rescued by the fans. Too bad the fans couldn't rescue the Winterhawks from Nathan MacKinnon and his Halifax Mooseheads who did what no WHL team could do during the season and that was score 7 goals in a 7-4 win. It wasn't that Portland played badly but rather Nathan MacKinnon just played better in what could be said was a "statement" game over who was the best prospect heading into the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

MacKinnon hung a hat trick plus an assist for a 4 point game on the Winterhawks as the Mooseheads scored 5 goals in the 2nd period to turn a 3-1 Portland lead into a 6-3 Mooseheads lead. It was a very impressive game from the QMJHL champions and if anything made sure the Western Canadian hockey fans knew that they were a legit contender.

MacKinnon at least for Saturday showed why he too was worthy of being the first pick in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft making Portland goalie Mac Carruth look rather suspect in net. Portland outshot Halifax, outchanced them but could not outscore them especially when it counted. Others called Stephen MacAulay's 3rd period goal the one that put the nail in Portland's coffin but I have to disagree as I believe Portland's demise came late in the 2nd period when trailing 5-3 and on the power play.

Nathan MacKinnon scored his 3rd goal of the game, a shorthanded goal to push the lead to 6-3 and giving Halifax a lot of momentum going into the 3rd period. It allowed Halifax to weather Portland's charge early in the 3rd period when they scored a power play goal just a little over a minute in the period and then going right back on the power play. Big difference going into the 3rd period up 3 goals and it played out that way too with Portland unable to score just the one quick goal.

So now having beaten the team most (including yours truly) picked as the favorites in this year's cup, the Mooseheads take on Saskatoon on Sunday and sorry despite having 2 Ranger prospects on their roster, even before Halifax's win over Portland that Saskatoon is no match for Halifax. Only way Saskatoon beats Halifax is if Halifax beats themselves and that is hard to imagine.

Portland gets a day off to get ready to face OHL champs the London Knights in what most likely will be game 1 of the semi-finals.

And if you haven't seen it by now here is the Saskatoon fans coming to the rescue of Alexis Normand who just royally screwed up the American anthem. I am not going to jump on her case too much as over the years I have seen some really bad performances (worst in recent history was a cello player who's effort sounded more like he was high on something) but I am going to point the finger at the host committee for not making sure she had the words down pat.

I'm embarrassed and deeply sorry. I wish I'd had more time to learn the American anthem. Thanks so much for the crowd's help! #memorialcup
— Alexis Normand (@Alex6Normand) May 19, 2013

Didn't they bother to rehearse before the game like 80% of those I have seen "perform" the anthem? The crowd gets the stick tap for trying to rescue her but the goat horns belong on the host committee who have 48 hours to make sure the next person to attempt to sing the "Star Spangled Banner" knows the words and can sing them.

Should have seen this one coming

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:48:00 +0000

Shane McColgan (#9) (CHL/WHL/Steve Hiscock)

So much for all of us so-called "experts" as if you hear someone claiming they thought the Saskatoon Blades really had a chance to beat the Halifax Mooseheads on Sunday don't believe them. Odds are that only the team and their most diehard supporters thought the Blades would knock off the Mooseheads at the Memorial Cup.

But 5-2 says they sure did and this one win does a lot for the Blades and in many ways their deserving to host the event. The Blades and Saskatoon have taken much of a beating since they were awarded the right to host the Memorial Cup and the first couple of days haven't been all that smooth either. An anthem singer who badly botches the Star Spangled Banner and some weak attendance (this game was just 8934 for an arena that sits over 15000) didn't make things much better.

Saskatoon came into this game already 0-1 after losing to London on opening night and the critics were having a field day with the Blades having a 13 game postseason losing streak going back 3 years. The 5-2 win shuts that one down with authority and this win has to start with the Blades playing their game plan almost to perfection.

The Blades wanted to get that first goal of the game and they did as Matej Stransky pounced on a Shane McColgan (NYR 2011 5th) rebound at 12:11 of the first period to give the Blades a 1-0 lead. If this was a game of redemption then count McColgan in as Friday night the only thing anyone noticed about McColgan was getting crushed by London's MaX Domi on a hit.

McColgan played well, he won faceoffs, set up scoring chances for his teammates and let the game come to him rather than try to force things. McColgan needed to be more visible on Sunday especially after a shaky opening night. The other Ranger prospect Josh Nicholls (2013 UFA) also had a strong game with another 2 point outing (1-1-2) to give him a 3-1-4 record after 2 games.

Nicholls has been making the Rangers look good for signing him by elevating his game against a very strong level of competition. Nicholls had a secondary assist on Saskatoon's 4th goal of the game which came on the power play in the 3rd period. Toss in the game sealing empty net goal and Nicholls has been much better than expected.

There is a slight concern about Nicholl's knee as he appeared to have tweaked it but gets 2 day off to rest it as the Blades don't play again until Wednesday night.

Next up will be the Portland/London game on Monday night as the Winterhawks find themselves now in an almost must win situation because of the Blades win. The Winterhawks don't want to get that 2nd loss which would put them into double elimination games on Wednesday and Thursday.

London will be wanting to win this one as 2 wins assures them of a spot in the semi-finals and also gives them a chance to earn a direct spot in the finals if they could also defeat Halifax. The possibilities are now endless thanks to a 5-2 win by the Blades.

Don't let the score fool you

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Sat, 18 May 2013 09:12:00 +0000

Josh Nicholls scores (CHL/WHL/Derek Mortensen)

Appearances can be very deceiving as witnessed in the opening game of the 2013 Memorial Cup between the hosts the Saskatoon Blades and the OHL Champions the London Knights. Really the only reasons why London only won 3-2 have to do with a terrible power play of the London Knights and Saskatoon goalie Andrey Markov. London dominated the game when at full strength but turned into the New York Rangers when on the power play going 1 for 6 including a 52 second 5 on 3 where they missed a golden opportunity to blow the game wide open.

Markov along with New York Ranger prospect Josh Nicholls (2013 UFA) made the game look respectable as Markov rightfully earned the game's first star keeping his team in the game despite London outplaying them. Nicholls made the Rangers look very good for signing him as he scored both Saskatoon goals off some nice efforts.

The first goal scored by Nicholls came on a rebound where Nicholls was "right place, right time" as he was sitting at the London doorstep with a wide open net to cash in the rebound of a Michael Ferland shot. Nicholls scored the opening goal of the series at 7:55 of the 1st period. The goal gave Saskatoon a 1-0 lead that they held until London first tied the score at 12:55 mark and then took the lead at the 18:21 mark.

The Knights took the lead into the first intermission and held it until Nicholls tied the score off a breakaway when he got in beyond the London blueline, took the shot and then banged in his own rebound tying the game at 15:21. Tommy Hughes (2013 UFA) was one of the London defensemen who were beaten on this play. Hughes was the 2nd London defender back on the play but to be fair he wasn't the one who let Nicholls beat him back.

Hughes was 2nd pair for London but other than Nicholls goal wasn't bad but wasn't special and London will need a much better effort from their entire blueline when they face Portland and Halifax in back to back nights. London's Dale Hunter hardly uses his 3rd pair of defenders so London is going to face problems trying to match the speed that Portland and Halifax bring.

London scored the game winning goal in the 3rd period on their 5th power play of the game. Saskatoon just didn't have enough in the tank to score the tying goal.

The 3rd Ranger prospect playing was Shane McColgan (2011 5th) of Saskatoon but the only play where McColgan was noticed was not a play he will like seeing on TV. McColgan got just flat out wiped out by London's Max Domi (yes son of Tie) with a very clean hit. Here is the replay courtesy of Prospect Park friend Neate Sager.

It was a play in the 3rd period and Domi caught him clean so one can't complain about it. McColgan was helped off the ice by a trainer and did return to play,

Sager's Buzzing the Net blog awarded their 2nd star of the game to Josh Nicholls.

Saturday night night's game between Portland and Halifax is in danger of being over-hyped but I for one am very much looking forward to seeing 4 of the best prospects in junior hockey in action. London next plays Portland on Monday while Saskatoon faces Halifax on Sunday.

The "other" Cup

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:59:00 +0000

The Memorial Cup (CHL)

The 2013 Memorial Cup gets underway Friday evening in Saskatoon when the host Saskatoon Blades take on the OHL champion London Knights. It will be the battle of New York Ranger prospects as the Rangers will be represented by Shane McColgan (2011 5th) and Josh Nicholls (UFA) of the host Saskatoon Blades and Tommy Hughes (UFA) of the London Knights. Wish I could say you can catch it live in the USA but for some reason the "home of hockey", the NHL Network won't be showing the games live this year (but they will offer next day replays).

This year's 4 team round robin tournament this year will feature 7 prospects expected to go in the first round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Seth Jones (Portland Winterhawks), Nathan MacKinnon, Jonathan Druin and Zach Fucale (Halifax Mooseheads), Max Domi, Nikita Zadorov,and Bo-Horvat (London Knights) all represent a wealth talent that have turned this year's event into a wide open affair.

The matchup on Saturday night between the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL and the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL should be the best matchup of the opening round with the 4 expected first round draft picks facing each other. Don't be surprised if 17 year old goalie Zach Fucale of Halifax steals the show as he has gone an impressive 16-1 2.02 GAA and a 0.918 save percentage during the QMJHL playoffs.

I am going to send folks to the good folks of the Buzzing The Net blog for previews of each team with Portland, Halifax,London, and the hosts the Saskatoon Blades.

Ranger Thoughts

Yes the Rangers lost game one to the Bruins 1-0 in overtime but why are people acting like this was the end of the series? Really the Bruins won on a mistake by the Rangers not that they were able to score on Henrik Lundqvist during the previous 75:40 that was played. Take away that mistake and the Rangers are still in the game.

Sure it would have been nice to steal game one but the pressure is more on Boston who werethisclose to losing their opening round series with Toronto. The Rangers are playing with house money right now so I still think that this series is more than winnable thanks to Henrik's track record against the Bruins.

All it takes is winning one game in Boston to steal the home ice advantage away from the Bruins so let the team go for it on Sunday after getting some badly needed rest.

Staying Alive (barely) Day 4

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Tue, 14 May 2013 07:07:00 +0000

London Knights 2103 OHL Champions (OHL Images)

It almost seems just totally unfair that the London Knights defeated the Barrie Colts 3-2 in game 7 of the OHL Finals to win the OHL Championship for the 2nd straight year. The Knights scored the game winner at 19:59 of the 3rd period on a goal that needed video review before the video replay officials said it was a good goal. There is something almost dirty about winning a championship via video replay. London is one of the most disliked teams in the OHL and winning like this will not improve their reputations among the fans in the OHL.

The only story to Knight fans will be that they won not that they had to come back from down 3 games to 1 against a team that by game 7 was missing it's entire first line and was decimated by injuries. The people won't remember that London tried to give this series away not once but on a couple of occasions, the Barrie Colts just didn't have anything left in the tank to finish them off. But while Tommy Hughes (NYR 2013 UFA) and his teammates head to Saskatoon to play in the 2013 Memorial Cup, the Colts have nothing to be ashamed of as they despite the odds put up one hell of a fight.

Tommy Hughes saw his game get better as the series went on, he will get to play in his 2nd straight Memorial Cup as the London defenseman may not put up the points but he really does make one think of Dan Girardi with the way he plays defense. Hughes is already playing John Tortorella defense which is going to earn him brownie points from the coach the moment he sees him play.

The last remaining New York Islander anything prospect Mitchell Theoret (2011 7th) outlasted the Islanders, the Sound Tigers and every other higher ranked prospect that the franchise has. Theoret tried his best to keep the Barrie season alive with 3 points in game 6 and a 1-1-2 effort in game 7. It was Theoret's 14th goal of the playoffs and it somehow almost got the Colts into overtime when Theoret scored at 17:07 of the 3rd period.

Despite struggling with injuries this season, Theoret was more than productive this season with career bests in goals, assists and points as he split the season between Barrie and Niagara. 25-35-60 in the regular season but Theoret's 14-7-21 in the playoffs is going to get him a contract if not from the Islanders then by someone else. The Islanders should at the very least offer him an AHL deal which can be converted down the road to an NHL deal.

Theoret is the perfect utility player for a coach as he can be used anywhere and everywhere. You need him to play on the 1st line to cover for an injury, done. A checker, no problem Theoret can do that as well and whether it is the power play or the penalty kill, Theoret can do the job.

The London Knights will head to Saskatoon to take on the host team the Saskatoon Blades Friday night to open the 2013 Memorial Cup. The "experts" are for the most part calling this year's cup a 2 team race between the Portland Winterhawks and the Halifax Mooseheads.

It won't be dull that is for sure.

Staying Alive Day 3

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Mon, 13 May 2013 07:59:00 +0000

Portland Winterhawks 2013 WHL Champions (Andy Devlin)

In the end it was just too much everything for the Edmonton Oil Kings to overcome as they fell to the Portland Winterhawks 5-1 in game 6 of the WHL Finals and were eliminated 4 games to 2. Portland gets to move on to the 2013 Memorial Cup as the WHL Champions but this was a series that was entertaining as well as frustrating at times for fans of both teams.

Edmonton for the first time in the series actually got off to a good start jumping on the scoreboard just 64 seconds into the game when Travis Ewanyk fired a shot that Portland wound up putting in their own net for a 1-0 lead. Michael St. Croix (NYR 2011 4th) earned the primary assist on the play for his 13th assist and team leading 26th point.

That was the only highlight for the Oil Kings who held the lead for just 3:24 before the Winterhawks would score the 1st of 2 shorthanded goals on the same double minor to take the lead for good. Ty Rattie scored off a turnover at 4:28 to tie the game up and then it was Rattie again at 7:15 to give Portland the lead and this game was basically over. Portland took their 2-1 lead into the first intermission

Edmonton never recovered from the double shorthanded goals to really mount any real threat despite how early in the game the goals came. Portland just played their typical pressure defense and any hope the Oil Kings had was wiped out after a 2 goal 2nd period which extended Portland's lead to 4-1. All that was left was the final buzzer and the Oil Kings who got to celebrate winning the WHL title on their home ice last year had to watch the Winterhawks celebrate on their own ice.

Now Michael St. Croix will be turning his attention to earning a spot on the CT Whale's roster for the 2013-2014 season. St.Croix who turned 20 on April 10 has played 4 full seasons with the Oil Kings and owns just about every offensive record that the franchise has. St.Croix in 280 games with the Oil Kings scored 128 goals, recorded 192 assists for a total of 320 points.

The one area where St. Croix should be a difference maker from day 1 with the Whale will be on the power play where 52 of his goals came from. And the Rangers should thank Oil King coach Derek Laxdal as he did a great job helping St. Croix improve his game especially during the last 2 years.

As for the Winterhawks, they head to Saskatoon where they will face Halifax Mooseheads with Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin next Saturday starting at 7PM EDT/4PM PDT. A chance to see 3 of the top prospects in the 2013 NHL draft going up against each other should be very interesting.

The sad thing is viewers in the USA won't be able to see the game live as the NHL Network is not currently scheduled to show the Memorial Cup live. The games are currently scheduled to air the next day in the afternoon. If that changes I will be very happy to post the word.

One game left in the Staying Alive Weekend and that is Monday night as Tommy Hughes and the London Knights will host Mitchell Theoret in Game 7 of the WHL Finals.

Staying Alive Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Sun, 12 May 2013 08:21:00 +0000

Tommy Hughes (OHL Images)

Day two of the staying alive weekend made the stop in Barrie, Ontario for game 6 of the OHL Finals between the London Knights and the Barrie Colts and the fans were treated to a doubleheader by both teams. The London Knights scored at 1:30 of the first overtime to give the Knights a 5-4 win and send the game back to London Monday for a game 7. That was the easy part but getting to the overtime session was a story in it's own.

London came out like gangbusters taking the game to Barrie scoring the game's first goal just 2:25 into the game and silencing the Barrie fans very quickly. 5:29 later at 7:54, Tommy Hughes (NYR 2013 UFA) picked up his first goal of the playoffs using a slapper from the point to make it a 2-0 London lead. It was Hughes first goal since the 2nd game of the regular season all the way back to September 23rd.

Mitchell Theoret (OHL Images)

London would build a 4-0 lead that they took into the 3rd period looking like game 7 was a sure thing. Then Mitchell Theoret (NYI 2011 7th) put on what has to be the best 20 minutes he has played in the 2 seasons I have covered him. It started innocently enough with Barrie on the power play and with Theoret camped in the crease, the puck worked it's way to Theoret who tapped the puck over to the over side of the crease to a wide open Andreas Athanasiou who had a wide open net to score Barrie's first goal at 4:55 of the 3rd.

The Colts had some life but they didn't make their big push until there was less than 5 minutes remaining in regulation. Barrie scored at 15:07 to make it 4-2 and then Theoret found the puck right in the slot and banged in the rebound of his own shot into the net to make 4-3 at 15:32. The game made it to the final minute of regulation when with their goalie pulled for an extra attacker, Barrie got the puck again to the front of the net where Theoret was waiting and he scored his 2nd goal of the game to tie the score and force overtime.

Theoret's 2-1-3 effort earned him the game's 2nd star as Theoret improves to 13-6-19 (3rd goals, 11th total points).

Not sure which was the bigger story that Barrie has blown a 3-1 series lead or that London almost self-destructed in the 3rd period to end their season? In any event Monday now becomes winner take all for the OHL title and the right to represent the OHL in the Memorial Cup.

Upon Further Review

The WHL did change the scoring on Edmonton's first goal against Portland in game 5 giving the credit to T.J. Foster instead of Michael St. Croix. Without even bothering to ask, St. Croix is only focused on Sunday when Edmonton must win to force a game 7 Monday evening in Portland.

Game 6 starts at 3 PM PDT or right in the middle of the 2nd period of the New York Ranger's game 6.

Staying Alive

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Sat, 11 May 2013 11:15:00 +0000

Michael St. Croix (Canadian Press via Buzzing the Net)

Here's the part where doing what I do here is sometimes hard to explain to people because it is not about getting quotes or even talking to the prospects but watching the things they do in certain situations. Look if a prospect isn't a big game player here in the juniors then odds are he won't be as a Ranger. Having said that then it was Portland Oregon in a win or go home game for Michael St. Croix (NYR 2011 4th) and his Edmonton Oil Kings as they took on the Portland Winterhawks.

St. Croix has been held in check for the first 4 games of this series with just one goal and no assists to show for his efforts. Give the Winterhawks the lion's share of the credit because they had been doing an outstanding job defensively not only on St. Croix but his linemates as well. Portland has put the clamps on Edmonton's offense limiting them just to 6 goals in 4 games (with 4 goals coming in game 1).

Game 5 started off like it would be a celebration for Portland as they scored on their very first shot of the game just 15 seconds into the game. It was another slow start for Edmonton who have been shooting themselves in the foot with these starts all series long.

But on this night it was St. Croix and his linemates putting the team on their shoulders as Edmonton answered the Winterhawk's goal with one of their own. T.J. Foster fired a shot towards the Winterhawk net that depending on your perspective either went in off Portland's Nick Petan or off Michael St. Croix's stick. St. Croix was credited with the goal at 10:14 of the first for his 12th of the playoffs.

(Oil Kings folks say goal was Fosters but WHL will review before making any change)

In the 3rd period with the score still tied at 1-1, Portland goalie Mac Carruth left his net for a puck in the corner but was beaten to it by the Oil Kings Dylan Wruck who fed St. Croix who threw it into the empty net off a spin-a-rama for a 2-1 Oil King lead at 7:01. On this goal there won't be any question as to who scored it as St. Croix had his 2nd of the game and 13th of the playoffs.

Portland though tied up the game with just under 6 minutes remaining which led to overtime and overtime was as wild as the Rangers/Capitals was except this one had a happy ending for the Oil Kings. It was St. Croix scoring the series saving goal for the Oil Kings as he jumped into the rush and off a nice feed from Dylan Wruck beat Carruth with a wrist shot that was under the bar for the 3-2 game winner at 7:24 of the first overtime.

The win forces a game 6 in a wild series where both teams have won 2 games on the road and home ice so far has meant nothing. St. Croix who with each point re-writes the Oil King playoff scoring record book for now has 14 goals and 12 assists for 26 points which is good for 2nd in the WHL playoff scoring race.

St. Croix for his efforts earned the Buzzing The Net First Star of the night. Game 6 is Sunday afternoon in Edmonton with the Oil Kings needing a win to force game 7 in Portland on Monday.

This series I know I am biased but it has been way more entertaining that either of the other two leagues. Neither team has dropped the gloves in the 5 games played (which of course means a riot will happen on Sunday).

In Halifax, Samuel Noreau (NYR 2011 5th) and his Baie-Comeau Drakkar were needing a win on the road against the Halifax Mooseheads to force a 6 game of their own. Unfortunately that didn't happen as the Mooseheads jump on the Drakkar for a 3 goal first period and rode it to a 5-1 win and the QMJHL Championship eliminating the Drakkar in 5 games.

Noreau ends his season on a down note a -2 on 1 shot and 2 hits but there is no question that Noreau was the most improved Ranger prospect of the year. The one time 3rd pair enforcer worked his way up to a leadership position on the Drakkar, a top 4 defender who was used on both the power play and the penalty kill.

Noreau posted career bests in goals, points and plus/minus (7-25-32 +19) with all 7 goals coming on the power play with 2 game winners. Has he earned a Ranger contract is a good question but at the very least he is deserving of an AHL deal which the Rangers can convert into an NHL deal down the road IF Noreau earns it. The Rangers aren't exactly swimming in defensive prospects which means they hopefully will think long and hard on Noreau.

In London, Tommy Hughes (NYR UFA 2013) and his London Knights were also needing a win to keep their series going against Mitchell Theoret (NYI 2011 7th) and his Barrie Colts. The Knights who are the defending OHL champions were heavy favorites to win this series but haven't played like champions.

The Knights scored the only goal in the first period made it a 2-0 lead early in the 2nd period before Theoret responded with his 11th goal of the playoffs to get his Colts on the scoreboard. London would add 2 more goals to take a 4-1 lead into the 2nd intermission and appeared to have the game under control.

The 3rd period saw the teams trade goals as London held off Barrie 6-4 to force a game 6 in Barrie on Saturday night. Both prospects in this game didn't play badly with Theoret putting up a goal along with a +2 and a cross-checking minor that was offset by a diving call on the London player. The OHL is going to rule on a charging major so Theoret could find himself having to fill in on the top line again.

Tommy Hughes who has overcome the rough game he had in game 3 was scoreless and a +2 in the win for the Knights. Game 6 is Saturday night in Barrie.

Three the wrong way

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Thu, 09 May 2013 06:49:00 +0000

(Lucasfilms LTD)

Wednesday night was a very good night for the New York Rangers and a very bad night for the 3 New York Ranger prospects playing in their league finals. Three prospects playing, three prospects on the losing end of the score and now all three's team's are on the wrong side of a 3-1 series lead.

The Portland Winterhawks were called the "Evil Empire" during the season because of the sanctions that the franchise was hit with back in November by the WHL. Their fans have embraced that nickname and the Darth Vader image that goes along with it. But no that image isn't Portland Winterhawk goalie Mac Carruth choking the life out of the Edmonton Oil Kings but it is a very good description of the way the Winterhawks have dominated the WHL finals.

Game 4 saw Portland once again hold the Edmonton Oil Kings to just 1 goal as they earned a 2-1 win that really wasn't as close as the score indicates. Yes Edmonton held Portland to 8 combined shots in the 2nd and 3rd periods but Mac Carruth made sure that Edmonton wasn't going to score more than the 1 goal.

Toss away the 4 goals that Edmonton scored in game 1 and Carruth has given up 2 goals in 3 games and is the biggest reason why the Winterhawks are heading back to Portland for a game 5 with a 3-1 series lead. The team that entered the WHL finals with a WHL best 71 goals in just 16 games has no answers for how to score on the Winterhawks.

Michael St. Croix (NYR 2011 4th) has been held to just one goal in the 4 games and the Oil King power play is making the Ranger power play look like gangbusters failing to score on their last 28 straight power plays (0 for 4 in the game). And trailing 2-1 in the game's final minute, Henrik Samuelsson killed any hope of scoring the tying goal by taking a terrible high sticking minor.

Portland just played "keep away" for the remaining 56 seconds to seal the win and now the Winterhawks will have a sold out Rose Garden waiting for them on Friday night as they look to dethrone the Oil Kings.

In Baie-Comeau, Samuel Noreau (NYR 2011 5th) scored his first career playoff goal to give his Baie-Comeau Drakkar a 1-0 lead in game 4 of the QMJHL finals. The Drakkar would score an early 2nd period goal to take a 2-0 lead on the Halifax Mooseheads.

Then the Halifax offense woke up first scoring 2 goals in a span of 15 seconds to tie the game and even though the Drakkar scored to retake the lead, the Mooseheads blew the game open. The Mooseheads would score 5 unanswered goals to grab a 7-3 lead as they went on to earn a 7-4 win and a 3-1 series lead.

The Mooseheads are heading back to Halifax looking to win their first QMJHL championships on Friday evening and it is highly doubtful that the Drakkar will be able to stop them. For Noreau, he didn't play a bad game as he like many of his Drakkar teammates just couldn't stop the MacKinnon/Drouin/Frk line (a combined 11 points).

In Barrie, the London Knights are the heavy favorites who find themselves on the wrong end of a 3-1 series deficit after dropping game 4 to the Barrie Colts 6-4. The Knights coach Dale Hunter was complaining after the game about the Colts "diving" but it is doubtful anyone inside or out of the OHL will feel bad for Hunter.

The Colts who were missing Mitchell Theoret (NYI 2011 7th) who sat out the game with a "torso" injury used a 5 goal 3rd period to rally from down 3-1 to earn the win. Tommy Hughes (NYR 2013 UFA) had a much better game despite the loss as he stayed out of the penalty box and was just a -1 on the night.

Barrie with the 3-1 series lead has to try to earn the series win on the road in London on Friday night. It will be interesting that is for sure.

Win 1 lose 1

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Wed, 08 May 2013 08:09:00 +0000

(Baie-Comeau Drakkar)

A Tuesday evening with a couple of teams sending out messages in their respective game 3's for the New York Ranger prospects. The question remains to be seen if the messages were received and how so will the teams in question respond.

Samuel Noreau (NYR 2011 5th) and his Baie-Comeau Drakkar returned home in need of a win to avoid falling behind to the Halifax Mooseheads in the QMJHL Finals. Down 2-0 to a team that had not even suffered a loss so far in the 2013 playoffs, a win was something that only the Drakkar and their fans thought possible as everyone else had been handing the Mooseheads the QMJHL Championship.

The teams played to a scoreless tie for all of the first period and into the late stages of the 2nd period when the Drakkar scored for the first lead of the series let alone the game. The Drakkar playing a more physical game were hitting everything in a Mooseheads jersey and it payed off.

The Drakkar were credited for 23 hits for the game as Noreau had 2 of them (and 2 shots) while keeping Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin off the scoreboard. The defensive work from the Drakkar held the 2 Mooseheads stars to a combined 2 shots for the game.

The 3-1 win for the Drakkar cuts the series lead to 2-1 and the Drakkar will attempt to tie the series at 2-2 on Wednesday evening.

In Edmonton, the Portland Winterhawks took back the home ice advantage they gave away in game 1 by defeating the Edmonton Oil Kings 3-1 in game 3 of the WHL Finals. The Winterhawks jumped on the Oil Kings for 3 goals in the first period and then held the Oil Kings at bay with a strong disciplined defensive game and a solid performance from their goalie Mac Carruth.

Michael St. Croix (NYR 2011 4th) scored Edmonton's only goal of the game, his 11th of the playoffs but other than that the Oil Kings have only themselves to blame for this loss. They have yet to play well in this series and other than game 1, it has cost them.

Give Portland the credit as they showed up ready to take the game to the Oil Kings and other than the St. Croix goal, they kept the Oil Kings and their fans very silent. Edmonton has less than 24 hours to rediscover their game or else they risk heading back to Portland for a game 5 that just might spell the end of their reign as WHL Champs.

Wednesday should be interesting with all 3 leagues playing key games that could have a huge say in who gets to head to Saskatoon for the Memorial Cup next week.

Colts stampede knights

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Tue, 07 May 2013 10:57:00 +0000

Mitchell Theoret (OHL Images)

Corny headlines day 2 but as the OHL Finals shifted to the home of the Barrie Colts for game 3, the advantages of home ice played a key role in helping Barrie earn a 6-3 win over the London Knights and a 2-1 series lead.

Mitchell Theoret (NYI 2011 7th) of the Barrie Colts got the nod to start the game as did Tommy Hughes (NYR 2013 UFA) but while Theoret got the start, he really didn't do much more than that. But at least Theoret didn't have the night that Hughes did as to say his game struggled would be an understatement.

It was bad enough that Hughes was a -3 but everything that could possibly go wrong did for the London defenseman. Hughes was on the ice for Barrie's first goal just 35 seconds into the game, then on again for Barrie's 2nd goal for a -2 in the first period.

Hughes also took the first of three minor penalties in the period but Barrie wasn't able to cash that one in. But the Colts did cash in on the 2nd minor that Hughes took, this time for "holding" as Barrie went ahead 3-2 on the play.

At least on Hughes's 3rd minor he took someone with him as he was called for roughing in the 3rd period. But Hughes's evening ended on a sour note when he was pressured into coughing up the puck on Barrie's 5th goal which sealed the win for the home team.

This will sound really cruel but this is the kind of game that we want to see happen to Hughes now. It is the playoffs and it may be in the OHL but if Hughes can't bounce back here then what might that say about his chances when he is wearing Ranger blue?

It is not like Hughes hasn't been here before (he won a OHL Championship last year) so I would be shocked if Hughes has 2 bad games in a row.

We will find out for sure Wednesday.

It is didn't like the hiring of John Tortorella in the first place and while I wouldn't shed any tears if he got fired, it isn't happening this year now that the Rangers won game 3. A sweep would have been about the only excuse to fire Tortorella who's act is finally starting to wear on Ranger fans.

But as much as I hate to say this but the trade for Nash and Ryan Clowe cost the Ranger's 3 top picks in the 2013 and Sather will want to keep Tortorella around to toss him to the media as to why the radical remake of the roster worked/failed.

Sather is not going to explain why Brad Richards will be bought out nor when Sather gets smart and moves Marc Staal to Carolina before Staal suffers another "head" injury. I would gladly accept Keegan Lowe from Carolina and a draft pick.

When you see the scissor's method of budgeting from the Rangers it won't be perfect. Take the 3.95 away for Staal, then Hamiriik with his 3.5 and I think we have seen the last of the slasler

Knights ride ponies to win

noreply@blogger.com (Jess Rubenstein) — Mon, 06 May 2013 07:50:00 +0000

Tommy Hughes (OHL Images)

OK yes I know that is one weak headline but really that is what happened as Tommy Hughes (NYR 2013 UFA) and his London Knights took care of Mitchell Theoret (NYI 2011 7th) and his Barrie Colts in game 2 of the OHL Finals 4-1. Seriously it was just like what Portland did to Edmonton on Saturday night as the Knights just flat out dominated the Colts.

London scored twice in the first 1:15 of the 2nd period and this game was for all intents and purposes over. London would go on to score a 3rd goal as they rang up a 24-4 difference in shots in the 2nd period.

Just like the Winterhawks, the only thing that the Knights did poorly was on their power play going just 1 for 8 (and giving up a shorthanded goal) otherwise this score would have been much worse for the Colts. The Knight's Tommy Hughes was scoreless and a +1 for the Knights while Theoret was also scoreless but a -1 for the Colts.

Theoret might find himself back on Barrie's 1st line when the series resumes in Barrie on Monday evening after Anthony Camara got himself ejected for a charging major in the 3rd period. Camara who has already been suspended once during the playoffs might be finding himself sitting yet again.

One can understand players getting frustrated but really the message has got to get across to the players that they are only making matters worse for their own team when they take penalties like this. Especially when you have a little over 24 hours between games as the OHL just might say hold him out until we review the play.

Lost in this win might be that Barrie got a split of the first 2 games stealing away the home ice advantage from the Knights. The series is just 1-1 so before we hand the Knights the OHL championship trophy again, let's see who rides who on Monday night.

It might be the Colts who tell the Knights to giddyap.