We win!

Big win. Sure it's a pre-tournament game, but considering the shockingly weak teams in Canada's pool this year, it's important to get an idea of your level against a strong team like Sweden. Even if it doesn't count for the standings. Just a couple of final thoughts on the game. If Taylor Hall can't go, we'll probably seen Adam Henrique and Greg Nemisz move into more of a checking line role with Luke Adam joining them. Henrique and Nemisz didn't realy get anywhere near the scoresheet, but they were on the ice for the final minute of both the second and third periods. The rosters won't be finalized until Christmas Eve, so Canada can make a move if Hall can't go. Last year, Evander Kane was a late replacement because of injury and was a major factor in Canada's win. Patrice Cormier was probably my favourite player on last year's team (along with Angelo Esposito, Tyler Myers and Brett Sonne), and I was ecstatic when he was named captain. Looking at this year's squad, it may be Brandon McMillan. He got better as the game moved along, saving his best hockey for the second half of the game. Of course, he plays for Kelowna. So I think it's in my Hitmen contract that I can't cheer for him. Lastly, on Brandon Kozun, he looked really good out there. I watch him a whole lot here in Calgary, and I watched a lot of Brett Sonne last year. Kozun, like Sonne last year, is at the top of the WHL scoring charts heading into the tournament, and is one of Calgary's most important players. His game is far from perfect-- in fact, we usually leave the game cursing him until the post-game radio show reminds us he had three or four points-- but he seemed to really be competing tonight. When Sonne came back from the tournament last year, there were games he simply willed the Hitmen to victory, and it looks like Kozun may have some of that in him this year. Here's hoping.

WJC thoughts, second period

Sure enough, Taylor Hall has left the game. Also, the intermissions seem to be a little shorter than I'm used to and I missed the first four minutes of the second period, including the goal. So with Hall out, I expected to see more Luke Adam, but instead was treated to all kinds of the Bourque-Kadri-Kozun line. There's a lot of speed on that line and these guys seem to have some pretty strong chemistry already. They look poised to give the opposition fits for the next two weeks. I think Bourque is going to be Pierre McGuire's pet for the tournament, and that's just fine with me. He's wearing number seven, which Angelo Esposito wore in last year's tournament when he revitalized his career. They're totally different styles (Bourque is more of a grinder), but much like you always knew when Espo was on the ice last year, I think we'll always know when Bourque is on the ice this year. Great stuff. Saw Greg Nemisz for the first time during the late scrum that led to Ryan Ellis' penalty. It's early, I know. But he's being counted on to be a big part of this team and he'll need to step it up very soon. Marco Scandella seemed to want to get me familiarized with him during that second period. He was all over the place. He's very physical, so he'll have to find a way to make that work with the international rules, but he could be a lot of fun to watch. As noted, Colten Teubert is a warrior and blocked two shots during Sweden's first PP. Great stuff from him. Like I say, if he stays within himself, he's going to be fine. He only gets into trouble when he's trying to do too much. The TSN guys noted that 12 different players have points on Canada's four goals, and drew comparisons to the 2006 team in Vancouver that won with deep defense, scoring by committee from all four lines, and a herculean effort from Justin Pogge. That's a pretty fair comparison, though I think this team has more high-end skill than that team did.

WJC thoughts, first period

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! I love the World Juniors, I really do. No doubt it's my favourite hockey of the year. So, some early thoughts on Team Canada after the first period of the first exhibition game. The top two lines look great on paper. Absolutely awesome. The much-ballyhooed Windsor Spitfires line with Greg Nemisz, Taylor Hall and Adam Henrique should be solid, particularly in the early going because of their familiarity with one another. One note on Hall though: he took a couple of very solid shots late in the first and I wonder if he's quite ready physically for this tournament. He looks a little small and a little timid out there-- kind of the way you'd expect an 18-year old to look. The second line with Jordan Eberle, Brandon McMillan and Brayden Schenn looks like a solid trio that could be explosive. I'd forgotten all about Eberle's blazing speed and as a Calgary Hitmen season ticket holder, I'm excited about the fact Eberle's Regina Pats are here twice during this tournament. Having Jordan Caron on the third line, adding some firepower to the Stefan Della Rovere and Patrice Cormier defensive prowess has already paid off with a goal in the first period. Speaking of the Calgary Hitmen, their own Brandon Kozun has shown everything he's got. He has great speed, a nose for the net (as seen on his goal) and a tendency to over-pass (as seen in his first power play shift). Working with Nazem Kadri may pay off huge for him, since Kadri has such a strong goal-scoring touch. As for Luke Adam and Gabirel Bourque, I didn't see much of them, so I'll get back to you. On defence, I'm not familiar with Marco Scandella, and didn't see him much with all the special teams time in the first. This bodes well for the opinion that he's a good shut-down defender. His partner Travis Hamonic looked pretty good despite the penalty. He quarterbacked the first power play and it was a good one. The second pair of Alex Pietrangelo and Jared Cowen may end up being Canada's most important pair. I'm very high on Cowen (I would have taken him first overall in June), and while the TSN guys are already prepared to beat this point until it's thoroughly dead, Pietrangelo really does look like a completely different player from the one we saw last year. I would liken his transformation to the one Karl Alzner made in his two tournaments. His first year, Alzner was kind of OK, but in his second year, he was absolutely Canada's most important defender. Could go that way for Alex P this year. Last note, Pietrangelo seemed to be quarterbacking the PP even when he was out there with Ryan Ellis. This leads me to believe Ellis hasn't fully gained coach Willie Desjardins' trust. We'll see. Ellis is on the third pair with Colten Teubert, another player returning from last year's team. Teubert was part of Canada's shut-down pair last year with Tyler Myers, but I think we're going to see that Teubert probably isn't that player. He made some mistakes in the first period and really doesn't seem to quite be a top-pair defenceman. He is a warrior though, and he makes the right play more often than not. The key for both of these players is to stay within themselves and focus on doing well the things they do well. I didn't see much of Calvin de Haan, so again, more to come. As for Jake Allen, he looked good. I don't think he was spectacular, but he seems to stop the shots he needs to stop. His rebound control looks good, but not quite as controlled as my heart would like. I don't see Allen being the reason for any of Canada's losses in this tournament. All in all, things look good. In the first half of the period, Canada really seemed to rely on fast breakouts and really playing a counter-attacking style, which you'd expect from a team that's only been together a week. But as they got a couple power plays and as the period moved on, they played with more structure. As that structure improves, so should this team. It's been just one period of one exhibition game, but these guys look good so far.

The drumsticks are off; there's stuffing everywhere; now what?

Hello again folks. Here's a quick update on the last week. Last Tuesday I made a turkey for the first time ever. That was fun, which is to say I barely figured out what the hell I was doing and just sat around for six hours hoping for the best. I didn't get any direct feedback about my bird (it was one of three at the office potluck) but I didn't kill anyone with it. So that's good. Hockey news: Only watched one game, it was the Hitmen hosting the Medicine Hat Tigers. Last time the Tigers were in town they choked away a third period lead, which led to someone from my office being asked to leave the game. This time 'round the Tigers had a little payback in mind. With the Hitmen leading 3-0, I realized BK was wearing his new Hitmen jersey, from which point the Tigers outscored the Hitmen 5-2 before winning in a shootout. The Tigers' hero was Emerson Etem, a 2010 draft eligible player that decided to score a hat trick. The American forward was listed fourth in Central Scouting's preliminary ranking of Western League players, and recently had a feature on NHL.com. He's sure to climb the rankings and is almost a lock for a top-10 selection at the draft in June. One of the things they used to say about Brett Hull is that he'd get lost on the ice, which is to say, you would sometimes forget he was even on the ice-- until the moment the puck hit his stick before taking off for the back of the net. Etem has a similar quality. All in all, it was a lackluster effort by the Hitmen in their first game without WJC hopefuls Brandon Kozun and Martin Jones (TSN's Bob McKenzie feels Kozun will stay and Jones will come back). Despite captain Ian Schultz's best efforts, the lack of leadership was evident. I'm still not sold on new head coach Mike Williamson; I'm just not certain he's capable of running a dressing room in one of the WHL's hotbeds. Hitmen again this Friday, and Canada v Finland at the Dome next Tuesday. More on that later. In the pro ranks, TSN.ca decided I should throw up my morning coffee by putting Dustin Penner in their weekly Olympic Stock column as someone who's stock is up. If on December 30th, Hockey Canada names Dustin Penner to the Olympic team, I will smash my laptop to pieces and post the video here. That's how certain I am he's not even going to catch a sniff of the Canadian Olympic team. Jaroslav Halak and Bob Gainey have proven to be more classy than most players and GMs. By all accounts Halak has asked for a trade out of Montreal, by asking simply for more playing time (which isn't coming now that Carey Price is back on track), and by all accounts Gainey refuses to throw the young netminder under the bus by telling the world he's demanded a trade. Whether this is because Gainey knows he'll be lucky to get a second-round pick for a 24-year old goalie with less than a full season of starts under his belt, or because Gainey's suddenly found some sense of loyaly (ask Saku), I can't say. But I know this: if the Philly rumours are true, the Habs need to get a roster player in return. That's really all for now. I'm gonna call it a night and watch Inglourious Basterds. You should probably do the same.

Testing

So looks like this thing's still here. Let's give it a whirl for old times' sake. We're accompanied this evening by the soothing sounds of Drag The River's album Hey Buddies... Watched hockey for the first time in too long a little while ago and figured I'd ease back into the groove with some quick thoughts on the game. The Calgary Flames are a pretty good team. They controlled most of the second and third periods in Los Angeles tonight, but couldn't pull out the win. They get contributions from the second and third lines, but just not enough to be anything more than a one-line team. It's shocking to me that in all the time since the lockout, the biggest knock on the Flames has been that they're a one-line team. Now here we are in the fifth season since the lockout, and it's still the same knock. It's inconceivable. That said, I'm not sure how their opponents tonight are winning. I want to say it's misdirection or smoke-and-mirrors or some other magic lingo, but I honestly can't even commit to that description. If anyone can tell me how the LA Kings are winning games, please do. I thought Wayne Simmonds was a better skater than this. I think I could beat him in a goal line-to-goal line sprint, but the man is one effective hockey player. As for Kings netminder Jon Quick, the remark I made to BK earlier is that I've seen Pong paddles with better rebound control than this guy. He and his teammates do a great job clearing rebounds and preventing second-chance opportunities, but I didn't see him make a clean save all night. Incredible. One last thought: looks like NHL 10 finally has AHL rookies like Paul Postma, Carson McMillan, Brett Sonne (OK fine, the guys that graduated from the Hitmen to the American League this season) and others. I'm going to restart my Be A Pro with the Thrashers in hopes of spending a year in the AHL playing defense with Postma. Well, goodnight. I might be back tomorrow with turkey and/or hockey updates.

In defense of the Leafs

First and foremost, everyone should know that I loathe the Toronto Maple Leafs. In every fiber of my soul, there's room to despise this team. But in the interest of fairness, I figured I should respond to a text sent to me after the Leafs signed Francois Beauchemin on Monday. That text read "I think we have our best blue line since Kaberle/McCabe." Now, that's not exactly a feat in and of itself. The Kaberle-McCabe era was good to the Leafs, but also included players like Aki Berg and Calle Johansson, Anders Eriksson and Robert Svehla, the list goes on and on. Since those "salad days," and since the lockout, the Leafs haven't made the playoffs-- their longest playoff drought since the league expanded beyond six teams. But there is reason to believe that drought will come to an end. Soon. With all due respect to the Dave Ellett, Todd Gill, Dmitri Mironov, Jamie Macoun era, and the Al Iafrate, Borje Salming era, I figure the 2009-2010 Maple Leafs defense corps is shaping up to be the best since the first time Bobby Baun patrolled the Toronto blue line. Led by the likes of Baun, Marcel Pronovost, Tim Horton and Carl Brewer, the Leafs won four Stanley Cups between 1962 and 1967. Of course, I'm not predicting that kind of success over the next six seasons, but I'd probably take this group of eight defensemen over any other team's top eight. Projecting the Leafs top pair as Tomas Kaberle and Mike Komisarek (a poor man's Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger); second pair as Beauchemin (direct understudy to Niedermayer and Pronger) and Luke Schenn; and a rotating cast of Jeff Finger, Mike Van Ryn, Garnet Exelby and Ian White rounding out the top six at any given time, the Leafs have a fantastic mix of speed, skill, and sandpaper. Kaberle, Van Ryn and Finger are all in the puck-moving mold. Komisarek, Exelby and White are known for their physical play. Beauchemin and Schenn are very balanced, but blossoming into high-end puck movers that can make life miserable for opposing forwards. This is still a team in flux that needs to sort out their goaltending, their powerplay, their faceoffs, and their overall offense. But the defense is set, and will not rest. So there, I said something nice about the Leafs. Oh, and you know I can't let you leave without mentioning Cory Cross in that dead-weight group from the Kaberle-McCabe days.

2009 Draft continued

After all was said and done with the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, I learned I have very different ideas about most team’s needs than they do. The second half of the first round played out the way you’d expect in a deep draft, which is to say, very unexpectedly. To see players like Jordan Schroeder, Carter Ashton and Simon Depres fall all the way to the end of the first round was surprising based on early projections. But most teams are going to be happy with the way the draft went. Starting the Minnesota, who kicked off the second half of the first round, the American system finally started to make an impact on the draft. Nick Leddy, from the US high school system was the first of seven Americans chosen in the first round (though Tim Erixon is American born and Swedish trained). Leddy is very much a project, and is something of a surprise to go at 16. He’s off to the University of Minnesota next year, and it’s no doubt the Wild will let him grow into a very good defenseman. It may take a few years for Leddy to make an impact, but there’s little doubt he can become an impact player. At 17, the St Louis Blues went across the pond to draft Swedish defenseman David Rundblad. Like Leddy, Rundblad is seen as a longer-term project, though some think Rundblad may have been under-scouted and overlooked because of the hype around Victor Hedman. There’s no doubt the Blues are making the most of the lean years they’ve gone through since the lockout, and now feature at least four high-end defensive prospects in their system. Draft host Montreal selected 18th, and went to the USHL, moving away from their recent trend of drafting out of US College in the first round. Of course, the local product Louis Leblanc is headed to Harvard next season. Leblanc is a winner that has a chance of a coming out party with the Canadian World Junior team this coming holiday season. He has the size and tools to have a shot at being a first-line centre in the NHL, something the Canadiens have needed for a very long time. The New York Rangers selected Chris Kreider at 19, a player very similar to Leblanc with size, skill, decent speed, and questions about the level of competition he sees. Kreider has the potential to be an impact player with the Rangers, having drawn comparisons to John Leclair. The Rangers’ cross-river rivals selected 20th, drafting Jacob Josefson from Djurgarden of the Swedish Elite League. Josefson didn’t put up great numbers in Sweden last season, but is the prototypical Devils forward: smart, defensively responsible, a little offense, and again, smart. After they traded down from 16, I wanted to rip the Columbus Blue Jackets, but they got the player they wanted at 21, American defenseman John Moore. As previously noted, Moore is a strong, smart two-way defenseman with an extraordinarily high ceiling. Moore could become the player the Jackets thought they were drafting in 2000 when they drafted Rostislav Klesla. With the 22nd pick, the Vancouver Canucks may have the steal of the draft. Jordan Schroeder spent time flirting with the top of the draft ranking earlier this season before a sub-par World Junior tournament sent him spiralling down. If Schroeder can find his game again, the Canucks could have an ideal running mate to 2008 first round pick Cody Hodgson. The Calgary Flames had success looking to Sweden in the first round last year (expect Mikael Backlund to make the team out of camp), and must have seen something in Tim Erixon while they were there. Most of the write-ups I’ve seen about Erixon are middling at best, but the Flames will need more than that from the 23rd-overall pick. If they can get Erixon hooked up with Robyn Regehr before long, they may have a strong defensive prospect on their hands. Otherwise... Selecting 24th, the Washington Capitals chose Marcus Johansson from Farjestad of the Swedish Elite League. Johansson projects as a two-way forward with very good faceoff skills. The Caps certainly have most of the offensive pieces in place, and a guy like Johansson to anchor the group of defensive forwards could be the missing link. Boston nabbed Jordan Caron at 25, and much like the Canucks, the Bruins have to think they’ve found a diamond in the rough. Caron has shown off all kinds of skill during his time with Rimouski—the kind normally destined to be selected high in the first round. Injuries are more than a concern, as they’ll be the only thing preventing him from becoming an impact player with Boston. Kyle Palmieri projects as a solid two-way forward. The Anaheim Ducks like to draft, big, strong, smart players, and with the success they’ve had in recent years, it’s hard to argue with the logic. Palmieri may not be the most skilled player in the draft, but he can be coached, and should become a valuable player in a shut-down role. The Carolina Hurricanes made a surprisingly deep run in this spring’s playoffs, which actually hurt them in a very good draft. Philippe Paradis wasn’t this high on most boards, though that’s more a product of his projected potential than his skill level. He’s seen as a third-line centre in the John Madden mould, the kind of player you can’t win without. Dylan Olsen improved his stock at last year’s Under-18 tournament, coupling that performance with another strong season in the Alberta Junior League to find his way into the first round of the draft. The Blackhawks know what they’re doing when drafting Western League blue liners, and Olsen should become a special player in the Windy City. With their second pick in the first round, Tampa Bay grabbed Carter Ashton from the Lethbridge Hurricanes. Ashton doesn’t have the high-end skill some of the other forwards in the first round have, but he plays a complete game. Expect Ashton to get a long look at Lightning camp, and don’t be surprised if he sticks around. With the last pick in the first round, the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins picked up defenseman Simon Depres from Saint John of the Quebec Major Junior League. Depres is a big, strong defenseman that projects as a shut-down guy. He’s probably a better prospect than most Cup winners expect to get with the last pick in the first round, and the Penguins are already re-stocking. Quick notes on Calgary Hitmen drafted: There’s no doubt Kris Foucault (103 to Minnesota) has elite offensive skill. But questions about his maturity and his work ethic have dogged him (to the point he spent most of last season in the Alberta Junior League). The success the Hitmen had this past season, combined with the strong coaching staff (assuming Joel Otto takes over as head coach) should help Foucault become a more consistent, driven, and complete player. Brandon Kozun was also drafted (179 to Los Angeles). Kozun has all the tools, he notched 108 points this season, second in the league, and has positively blazing speed. But he’s a little guy (5’8”), and there are questions about his durability. Kozun’s speed should get him a look, but it’s tough to say he’ll become a full-time NHL player.