The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.

November 23, 2009

The Hockey News - Nov-23-09

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TOM BOGGIE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-07174/9284585-1-eng-US/f0045-072.jpg" title="f0045-07" width="324" height="100"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>T</span>he pre-season hype about RPI freshman center Brandon Pirri was all true. The 59th overall pick by the Chicago Blackhawks in June has lived up to his reputation as a playmaker and is showing he can score, too. Through the Engineers&rsquo; first eight games, Pirri, 18, had four goals and seven points to sit second in team scoring. The 6-foot, 160-pounder is displaying other talents as well. &ldquo;He is very strong on faceoffs for such a young age,&rdquo; said RPI coach Seth Appert, who noted Pirri needs to work on details and positional play, but has all the tools to become a &ldquo;high-end center.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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PROSPECTS UNLIMITED

ENGINEERING A SOLID YEAR

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IN THIS ISSUE

hockeysockpuppettheatre

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04578/9282689-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="496" height="739"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HAINSEY: SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY; ORR: ABELIMAGES/GETTY IMAGES; HEDMAN: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>POLL RESULTS</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05453/9282696-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="161" height="160"></div><p><b>Who is the early favorite for rookie of the year?</b></p><p>Michael Del Zotto 31%</p><p>John Tavares 22%</p><p>James van Riemsdyk 15%</p><p>Tyler Myers 8%</p><p>Ryan O&rsquo;Reilly 7%</p><p><b>Victor Hedman 5%</b></p><p>Davis Drewiske 5%</p><p>Jamie Benn 3%</p><p>Jason Demers 2%</p><p>Semyon Varlamov 2%</p><h2><b>SPIT IT OUT!</b></h2><p>GET IT OFF YOUR CHEST</p><p>SEND US AN E-MAIL</p><p><b><a href="mailto:letters@thehockeynews.com">letters@thehockeynews.com</a></b></p><p>OR LOG ON</p><p><b><a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></b></p><p>SEND US SNAIL MAIL</p><p>Letters, The Hockey News</p><p>25 Sheppard Ave. W., Suite 100</p><p>Toronto, ON., M2N 6S7, Canada</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="66" height="65"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>BONUS!</b></h2><p>All subscribers get exclusive access on <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> to digital magazine archives!<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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thehockeynews.com

<p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HE CALDER TROPHY</b> has been awarded 76 times, but in only eight instances has a defenseman won it. With a bumper crop of young blueliners playing big minutes and doing some very good things early, we might see our first Calder-winning D-man since St. Louis&rsquo; Barret Jackman in 2003. Here are the top 10 favorites for the Calder, in order, based on the first month of play:</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-011258/9283212-1-eng-US/f0031-012.jpg" title="f0031-01" width="238" height="329"></div><h2><b>1. TYLER MYERS (BUF)</b></h2><p>Myers is contributing important minutes at both ends of the ice on one of the best defensive teams in the league. And he&rsquo;s doing it while going up against the NHL&rsquo;s best forwards. If anyone saw this coming two years ago, let us know.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02840/9283205-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="238" height="327"></div><h2><b>2. RYAN O&rsquo;REILLY (COL)</b></h2><p>Forget the Calder, this kid will be in the running for the Selke Trophy if he keeps it up. O&rsquo;Reilly is taking faceoffs late in games and is contributing offensively. He&rsquo;s a perfect example of a player who might be a better pro than he was a junior.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03638/9283198-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="238" height="329"></div><h2><b>3. MICHAEL DEL ZOTTO (NYR)</b></h2><p>Del Zotto led all rookies in scoring through the first month of the season and was the NHL&rsquo;s rookie of the month for October. He&rsquo;s jumping into holes and playing with authority on a Rangers team where he&rsquo;s surrounded by good players.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-04493/9283191-1-eng-US/f0031-042.jpg" title="f0031-04" width="238" height="323"></div><h2><b>4. JOHN TAVARES (NYI)</b></h2><p>The first overall pick in 2009 hasn&rsquo;t disappointed and while he hasn&rsquo;t set the league on fire offensively, it must be remembered he&rsquo;s on a weak team and he&rsquo;s generally drawing the top-checking forwards and defensemen.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-05392/9283184-1-eng-US/f0031-052.jpg" title="f0031-05" width="238" height="326"></div><h2><b>5. JAMES van RIEMSDYK (PHI)</b></h2><p>Playing on a strong Flyers team, van Riemsdyk has been put in situations where he can have success and he has responded very well. A power forward, he has excellent physical attributes and they&rsquo;re showing.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-06329/9283177-1-eng-US/f0031-062.jpg" title="f0031-06" width="239" height="322"></div><h2><b>6. DAVIS DREWISKE (LA)</b></h2><p>The undrafted free agent out of the University of Wisconsin has been an incredible find for the Kings on the blueline. He&rsquo;s an older player &ndash; he turns 25 Nov. 22 &ndash; and he was leading all rookies in plusminus.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-07275/9283170-1-eng-US/f0031-072.jpg" title="f0031-07" width="239" height="329"></div><h2><b>7. VICTOR HEDMAN (TB)</b></h2><p>Hedman has come exactly as advertised when he was drafted second overall last June. He could do what Drew Doughty did last season &ndash; progress so well as the season goes on that he will be a top four Calder contender.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-08222/9283163-1-eng-US/f0031-082.jpg" title="f0031-08" width="239" height="329"></div><h2><b>8. JAMIE BENN (DAL)</b></h2><p>Myers&rsquo; teammate last season with the WHL&rsquo;s Kelowna Rockets has been seeing second-line minutes with the Stars. He&rsquo;s the kind of offensive talent that has the ability to change the complexion of a game with his scoring knack.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-09184/9283156-1-eng-US/f0031-092.jpg" title="f0031-09" width="239" height="319"></div><h2><b>9. SEMYON VARLAMOV (WSH)</b></h2><p>He doesn&rsquo;t have to steal games on one of the NHL&rsquo;s most dynamic teams and his stats weren&rsquo;t spectacular, except for the fact he had five wins in his first six starts. He got a leg up by backstopping the Caps in the playoffs last spring.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-10148/9283149-1-eng-US/f0031-102.jpg" title="f0031-10" width="238" height="326"></div><h2><b>10. JASON DEMERS (SJ)</b></h2><p>Jason who? Demers has proven to be an effective playmaker and led rookie defensemen in assists with 10 through early November. The Sharks liked him so much, they traded away a pair of veteran defensemen in late September.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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TOP 10

<div class="byline">PHOTOGRAPH BY PHILLIP MACCALLUM</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012097/9282430-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>Take that, kid</b></h2><p>Ottawa&rsquo;s Chris Neil taught Tampa Bay rookie Victor Hedman that you have keep your head up, even at 6-foot-6.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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THE BIG PICTURE

<div class="byline">with Jason Kay</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012112/9282475-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="594" height="503"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MARK WILSON)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>H</span>OCKEY FANS LIKE TO SUGGEST, argue, even boast, that the Stanley Cup is the most difficult trophy to win in North American professional sports.</p><p>In the spirit of our annual Rookie Report special issue, we&rsquo;d like to offer another contender. The Calder Trophy. Here&rsquo;s the case:</p><p>&bull; <b>One and done, Part 1</b> The NHL&rsquo;s rookie-of-the-year award is available to players only once in their careers; there are no second chances. The list of players who got beaten out for the Calder, either through merit or a technicality (see Wayne Gretzky), is long and impressive and includes all-time greats such as Sidney Crosby, Gordie Howe, Rocket Richard, Jean Beliveau, Bobby Hull, Brett Hull, Mark Messier, Patrick Roy, Jaromir Jagr, Phil Esposito, Guy Lafleur, Jacques Plante, Joe Sakic, Steve Yzerman, Dominik Hasek, Doug Harvey, Ron Francis, Gretzky&hellip;need we go on?</p><p>&bull; <b>One and done, Part 2</b> The NHL offers just one trophy for its pre-eminent first-year player. In baseball, there&rsquo;s a winner in each of the National and American Leagues. In football, the NFL recognizes its top youngster on both sides of the ball, offense and defense. In other words, the competition is diminished.</p><p>&bull; <b>Age</b> The NHL expects more from its kids at a younger age than any other league, heaping huge amounts of pressure on lads who may not even be legal to drink away the stress. The average age of Calder winners over the past 10 years has been just under 21. By comparison, over the same period of time, baseball&rsquo;s top freshmen have averaged 24 years of age and football&rsquo;s 22.5. Only basketball rivals hockey, with the NBA&rsquo;s rookie prize winners averaging 21, but the ice whiz kids get the edge in our (perhaps biased) opinion because of:</p><p>&bull; <b>Opportunity</b> The NBA has just two rounds in its draft, a small 12-man roster and a mediocre minor professional system. So those who make it to The Show are typically given a very liberal chance to succeed immediately. In hockey, it&rsquo;s common for rookies to cut their teeth with third- or fourth-line ice time and/or frequent shuttles between the NHL and the AHL. Their success in Year 1 can depend on their linemates, the strength of the team&rsquo;s depth chart and the coach&rsquo;s willingness to provide power play minutes. Bottom line, there are significant variables to navigate.</p><p>What does it all mean? Big picture, not much. But when you&rsquo;re No. 5 or 6 among the Big 4 sports, chest-thumping is a natural inclination; a sometimes important exercise to reassure ourselves how special our shared passion truly is.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021789/9282468-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="523" height="280"></div><p><b>LISTEN UP!</b></p><p><b>THE HOCKEY NEWS RADIO SHOW</b></p><p><b>FRIDAYS 3-4 EST</b></p><p><b>XM 204</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031444/9282461-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="185" height="72"></div><p>NEXT ISSUE NOVEMBER 30, 2009</p><p>CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TO SUBSCRIBE: <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a> CONTACT US: <a href="mailto:editorial@thehockeynews.com">editorial@thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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THE AMAZING BABY RACE

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-021520/9282568-1-eng-US/f0005-022.jpg" title="f0005-02" width="888" height="940"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(NOAH GRAHAM/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-03978/9282561-1-eng-US/f0005-032.jpg" title="f0005-03" width="252" height="251"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span> attended a Red Deer Rebels game against the Medicine Hat Tigers, which wasn&rsquo;t supposed to be different than any other Western League contest.</p><p>But when I glanced over to another section, I saw Steve Yzerman. I hit my friends sitting next to me and we figured it&rsquo;s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet one of hockey&rsquo;s best.</p><p>Steve had no problem holding my friend&rsquo;s baby daughter for a picture and signing autographs for us. When he was asked if he would prefer to sit in the private boxes, he replied: &ldquo;No thanks, I&rsquo;m good here.&rdquo; He made an ordinary night a truly special one. Thanks, Steve.</p><p><b>Devan Krahn, Lacombe, Alta.</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0005-012099/9282554-1-eng-US/f0005-012.jpg" title="f0005-01" width="273" height="223"></div><h2><b>FREE SWAG!</b></h2><p>Each issue, we&rsquo;ll give a cool THN hat to the top letter.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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STEVIE Y, GREAT GUY

<blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>&ldquo;After watching a few games, I was unaware Eric Staal was playing this season at all</b></blockquote><h2><b>DOWN TO EARTH</b></h2><p>Shane Doan was a superb choice to grace the cover of your unique and terrific &ldquo;No Money Issue.&rdquo;</p><p>I have always been a fan of Doan&rsquo;s on-ice work ethic, but after reading the cover story, I am a fan of his off-ice ethics as well. The hockey world is filled with people like Doan who &ldquo;get it&rdquo; and use their fame and notoriety to make enormous contributions to the lives of others.</p><p>Perhaps that should be the name of a future themed issue: &ldquo;Guys Who Get It&rdquo; or &ldquo;Hockey&rsquo;s Good Guys.&rdquo;</p><p><b>Russ Thibeault, Norwood, Mass.</b></p><h2><b>INVISIBLE HURRICANE</b></h2><p>I was startled to hear that Carolina center Eric Staal will apparently miss some games due to injury.</p><p>After watching a few Hurricanes games this year, I was unaware that he was playing this season at all.</p><p><b>Hart Stoffman, Lake Echo, N.S.</b></p><h2><b>TIME FOR CHANGE</b></h2><p>Something has to be done when &ldquo;clean&rdquo; hits are resulting in players being seriously injured.</p><p>The game has changed radically in many ways. The players are bigger, stronger and faster. The equipment is large, plastic and can hurt an opponent. The glass is now so rigid there is really no noise when a player is checked into it; it&rsquo;s like hitting a brick wall.</p><p>I&rsquo;m afraid someone is going to be injured badly or even die because the problem is being ignored by the league and the NHL Players&rsquo; Association.</p><p><b>Mike Kavanagh, Little Neck, N.Y.</b></p><h2><b>ABSENT GREATS</b></h2><p>Why does the Hall of Fame seemingly disregard the numbers accumulated by players from the World Hockey Association?</p><p>There is no plausible explanation for why Mark Howe is not in the Hall. He has 400-plus goals and 1,200-plus points in the WHA and NHL combined, yet he gets no consideration for induction.</p><p>The Hall includes international players who never set foot in the NHL &ndash; it&rsquo;s about time some of the WHA greats get some love, too.</p><p><b>Steve Lourenco, Dover, Ohio</b></p><h2><b>MIGHTY NICE PENS</b></h2><p>On Halloween night I went to the Penguins-Wild game in Pittsburgh with my wife and 11-year-old daughter. We had a great time even though the Pens lost.</p><p>My daughter really wanted to get some player autographs, so we waited outside Mellon Arena on a cold night. My daughter watches every game with me and she knows all the players by name.</p><p>Three players turned a good trip into a great one by taking the time to sign her team picture. A special thanks to Maxime Talbot, Chris Kunitz and Marc-Andre Fleury. I know my daughter will never forget the experience.</p><p><b>Jeff Johns, Charleston, W.V.</b></p><h2><b>GREATEST JERSEYS</b></h2><p>I just wanted to let you guys know that the work put into THN&rsquo;s <i>Greatest Jerseys of All-Time</i> magazine is much appreciated. I spent a good two days reading it and completely enjoyed rediscovering the amazing artifacts and learning some new things about the hockey world.</p><p>Thank you for creating such an amazing issue.</p><p><b>Colleen Meegan, Vancouver</b></p><h2><b>INTENT OVER INJURY</b></h2><p>People have said the season-ending suspension given to Michael Liambas for his hit on Ben Fanelli is justified by the injuries sustained by Fanelli.</p><p>What that says to me is if Fanelli was able to get up and skate to the bench under his own power, Liambas would have only deserved a five-game suspension. And that is wrong.</p><p>While I generally agree with David Branch&rsquo;s bold decision to suspend Liambas for the rest of the season and playoffs, I can&rsquo;t agree with this line of thinking.</p><p>The intent is what you suspend, not the result.</p><p><b>James Neeson, Toronto</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

Crowd Shots

<div class="byline">with RON HAINSEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012337/9282606-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="562" height="676"></div><p><b>What was your &lsquo;welcome to the NHL&rsquo; moment?</b></p><p>I&rsquo;d say going minus-3 in my second game and then getting scratched for the next four games after that.</p><p><b>Did you ever get to play against any of your hockey heroes?</b></p><p>Yeah. (Mario) Lemieux would probably be the coolest one. But I never got to meet him. He elbowed me in the head, that was about it.</p><p><b>Do you have a favorite movie?</b></p><p>It changes a lot, but <i>Goodfellas</i> is a classic.</p><p><b>Which current NHLer is a lock for the Hall of Fame?</b></p><p>Detroit&rsquo;s Nicklas Lidstrom.</p><p><b>What city that doesn&rsquo;t have an NHL team right now should have one?</b></p><p>Hartford, Connecticut.</p><p><b>What is your favorite road city to play in?</b></p><p>New York City&hellip;I&rsquo;m a big New York guy.</p><p><b>What is your favorite place to eat at on the road?</b></p><p>Del Frisco&rsquo;s in New York. It&rsquo;s a good steak house.</p><p><b>Best vacation?</b></p><p>Two weeks in Hawaii. It was my honeymoon.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="66" height="65"></div><p><b>Visit <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> for exclusive Q+A&rsquo;s in our &lsquo;Getting to Know&rsquo; feature</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

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2 MINUTES IN THE BOX

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03920/9282644-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="692" height="551"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021570/9282651-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="168" height="168"></div><p>Adam,</p><p class="dropcap"><b><span>C</span>olton Orr</b> pushed a linesman in Toronto&rsquo;s Oct. 26 game against Anaheim, yet received no supplementary discipline for an act that clearly is against the rules. Is there any rhyme or reason as to how the league punishes its players?</p><p><b><i>Robert Russell, St. Louis</i></b></p><p>Robert,</p><p>There&rsquo;s nothing predictable about the NHL&rsquo;s dealings with egregious actions by players. The only thing that would surprise me is if the NHL hit some wayward soul with a season-long suspension, the way Ontario League boss David Branch recently did to Erie Otters winger Michael Liambas. Just don&rsquo;t hold your breath waiting for that to happen.</p><p>Adam,</p><p>If, much like everyone has anticipated, the Islanders finish at the bottom of the standings, do you think it would be wiser for them to draft a defenseman such as Cam Fowler or a highly touted forward such as Kirill Kabanov or Taylor Hall?</p><p><b><i>Matt Landers, Binghamton, N.Y.</i></b></p><p>Matt,</p><p>As we&rsquo;ve seen through the Isles&rsquo; first 14 games, they may not be in the NHL draft lottery by season&rsquo;s end. But I&rsquo;m someone who thought they should&rsquo;ve drafted Victor Hedman instead of John Tavares &ndash; because high-scoring forwards are easier to find than a D-man with Hedman&rsquo;s skills &ndash; so I&rsquo;d argue they should build their defense corps with a player such as Fowler, rather than adding depth at forward.</p><p><b>SUBMIT YOUR BURNING QUESTIONS AT <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></b></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="66" height="65"></div><p>Need more of your questions answered? Read Proteau&rsquo;s <b>&lsquo;Ask Adam&rsquo;</b> column every Friday at <b><a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

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ASK Adam

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN DIXON</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0007-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021420/9282734-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Erik Johnson has returned strong after missing all of last year with a knee injury.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(NORM HALL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012093/9282741-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="119" height="119"></div><p><b>DEPENDING ON HOW</b> you view it, Erik Johnson&rsquo;s status can get a bit convoluted.</p><p>He&rsquo;s been a member of the St. Louis Blues for three years now, but is technically a sophomore after missing all of last season with a knee injury. Ask John Davidson and he&rsquo;ll add another layer to the conversation.</p><p>&ldquo;Two years ago he played some, last year he didn&rsquo;t play at all, this year he&rsquo;s playing a lot, so it&rsquo;s his first full year, really,&rdquo; said the Blues&rsquo; president of hockey operations.</p><p>Johnson played 69 games as a rookie in 2007-08 before a freak pre-season golf cart accident forced him to sit and watch the entire &rsquo;08-09 campaign while his ACL and MCL healed.</p><p>The 21-year-old made the best of a bad situation last year by getting stronger, but as much as he benefits from his beefed-up 6-foot-4, 235-pound frame, it&rsquo;s Johnson&rsquo;s vision and precision that separates him from the pack.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s just a pure first-passer, really good vision,&rdquo; said Davidson of the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2006.</p><p>Through 12 games, Johnson had seven points &ndash; all assists &ndash; and was averaging 21:40 of ice time per contest, more than any other healthy Blues player in the lineup.</p><p>Those first passes Davidson alluded to are key in triggering the Blues&rsquo; transition game. According to Johnson, the first step in that process must be a quick one.</p><p>&ldquo;The most important thing is just getting your feet moving,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re not skating, that kind of stagnates the whole breakout. You have to skate in order to draw pressure to yourself and that opens someone else up.</p><p>&ldquo;For me, I&rsquo;m a skater. If I&rsquo;m not moving my feet, I&rsquo;m going to get myself into trouble.&rdquo;</p><p>While injury relegated Johnson to the press box, it was good ol&rsquo; fashioned poor play that resulted in Tampa center Steven Stamkos being a healthy scratch early on in his rookie campaign last year. Consider those days long gone. Stamkos turned things on in the second half of &rsquo;08-09 and began this season looking very much like a kid who deserved to be picked first overall in 2008. Stamkos put together an eight-game point streak early on and had 11 goals after 13 games.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>Much of Stamkos&rsquo; success was struck while being paired with savvy veteran right winger Martin St-Louis on a line that often featured rugged Ryan Malone on the left side.</p><p>&ldquo;We got put together at the end of last season and it seemed we had instant chemistry,&rdquo; said Stamkos of the trio. &ldquo;I think we all bring something different to the table. Marty is extremely skilled, he&rsquo;s got great speed, he works hard. Malone is a big body, he goes to the net and he creates space, and I think I&rsquo;ve got a little combination of both there. I like to use my shot, my speed.&rdquo;</p><p>The 19-year-old attributed part of his surge to a rigid off-season training regimen with a now-retired former Tampa teammate who&rsquo;s a renowned gym rat.</p><p>&ldquo;I worked very hard this summer with Gary Roberts, he&rsquo;s known for being a great guy off the ice and working really hard,&rdquo; Stamkos said. &ldquo;He let me into his house this summer, I trained with him and right now it looks like it&rsquo;s paying off.&rdquo;</p><p>Also showing great strides in Season 2 is 6-foot-3, 206-pound Dallas Stars left winger James Neal, who had nine goals and 17 points after 15 games.</p><p>But not every NHLer was achieving honor in their encore campaign. Steve Mason was struggling to find the form that landed him the Calder Trophy and a Vezina nomination last season. The Columbus goalie had an underwhelming .889 save percentage and 3.38 goals-against average after 12 starts.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012232/9282727-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="931" height="918"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>STEVEN STAMKOS</b> <span class="photo-credit">(STAMKOS: SCOTT AUDETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Johnson&rsquo;s teammate Patrik Berglund is one of a bevy of young forwards St. Louis is counting on for continued progress this year, but the Swedish center had just four points after 11 games and had been a healthy scratch. And Luke Schenn&rsquo;s early struggles mirrored that of his team&rsquo;s as the Toronto Maple Leafs blueliner seemed to have his confidence shaken.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0007-02

IN EVERY ISSUE

SUPER SOPHOMORES

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0008-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021691/9282772-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ANZE KOPITAR</b> <span class="photo-credit">(KOPITAR: NOAH GRAHAM/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>+ LEARNING TO KOPE</b></h2><p>Anze Kopitar&rsquo;s terrific start indicates the fourth-year Kings center is truly ready to fulfill a front-line role.</p><h2><b>&ndash; CANES CRUMBLE</b></h2><p>In keeping with its historical trend, Carolina is following up a deep playoff run with a disappointing season.</p><h2><b>+ SOMMER DAYS</b></h2><p>Worcester&rsquo;s Roy Sommer becomes just the fourth AHL coach to record 400 career victories.</p><h2><b>&ndash; WHERE&rsquo;S THE LOVE?</b></h2><p>Colorado off to great start, but attract smallest crowd ever (11,012) for an Avs home game in early November.</p><h2><b>&ndash; BIG SHOTS</b></h2><p>No reason for pro hockey players to get preference when it comes to H1N1 vaccinations based solely on their occupation.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-02

Plus/Minus

<h2><b>5 FIVE</b></h2><p><b>Joe Juneau (&rsquo;92-93) & Sidney Crosby (&rsquo;05-06)</b> finished with 102 points, but neither won the Calder.</p><h2><b>4 FOUR</b></h2><p><b>Dale Hawerchuk</b> claimed the Calder with 45 goals (tied for fifth all-time) and 103 points for Winnipeg in &rsquo;81-82.</p><h2><b>3 THREE</b></h2><p><b>Alex Ovechkin</b> hoisted the Calder for his work in &rsquo;05-06, scoring 52 goals (fourth all-time) and 106 points.</p><h2><b>2 TWO</b></h2><p><b>Peter Stastny</b> won the Calder with 70 assists (tied for first all-time) and 109 points for Quebec in &rsquo;80-81.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031187/9282803-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="676" height="548"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SELANNE: ART FOXALL/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>1 ONE</b></h2><p><b>Teemu Selanne</b> took home the Calder for Winnipeg after setting rookie records of 76 goals and 132 points in &rsquo;92-93.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-03

Starting from 5

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JIM PRIME</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-012006/9282834-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg" title="f0009-01" width="859" height="633"></div><p><b>ADDING SOME</b> teeth to a rivalry is one thing, but this is ridiculous.</p><p>Richard Galpin of Coldbrook, N.S., is a diehard Montreal Canadiens fan. His friend, Dr. Rob MacGregor, is a dentist from nearby Kentville and an avid Toronto Maple Leafs supporter. The friendly feud can get pretty intense; recently it escalated from verbal jabs to practical jokes, with Galpin usually gaining the upper hand.</p><p>&ldquo;The final straw was when he somehow managed to put a Canadiens license plate on my brand new car before it left the showroom,&rdquo; MacGregor said.</p><p>When Galpin called his friend&rsquo;s dental office to have a chipped tooth repaired, MacGregor, who is vice-president of the Canadian Dental Association, was prepared. He suggested a Friday night appointment, followed by dinner with their wives at a local pub. Galpin readily agreed.</p><p>Beneath his surgical mask, Mac-Gregor concealed a devilish grin as he quickly fixed the chipped tooth. With Galpin still numb from the local anesthetic, and with a rubber dam in place, he placed two blue Maple Leafs decals on his adversary&rsquo;s two front teeth. With is wife Noreen assisting, he then applied several coats of clear resin to seal them on, a procedure not taught in most reputable dentistry schools.</p><p>With the job done, Galpin slurred a &ldquo;thank you&rdquo; and they drove to the local pub where his wife and a dozen friends had gathered.</p><p>It was happy hour and soon everyone was in a weekend frame of mind. On a pre-arranged cue, a co-conspirator asked Galpin what was wrong with his front teeth. He mumbled that he had just had a filling. The woman insisted there was something stuck to his teeth and passed him her compact mirror. Baring his Leafs teeth for all to see, Galpin stared in horror at his reflection. His friends collapsed in laughter and within minutes the entire pub was in an uproar as people gathered round to view the phenomenon.</p><p>&ldquo;I looked at Rob and he was grinning like a dog eating thistles,&rdquo; Galpin said. &ldquo;I tried to scrape it off with my fork, but they said it had been surgically cemented there.&rdquo;</p><p>Despite his friend&rsquo;s pleas, MacGregor was in no hurry to remove the decals.</p><p>&ldquo;He said he was quite busy, but might be able to fit me in &ndash; after his week-long trip to Calgary on Monday.&rdquo; Galpin said. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t repeat what I said.&rdquo;</p><p>On Sunday night, MacGregor finally relented and the decals were removed, but not before the Canadiens fan was forced to grin and bare them on demand for two full days.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-01

TOOTH AND CONSEQUENCE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOHN GRIGG</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012148/9282872-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Pittsburgh&rsquo;s Marc-Andre Fleury is making a big push for an Olympic berth.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(FLEURY: GREGORY SHAMUS/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04647/9282865-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="523" height="385"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>ITH A TRIP TO</b> the Stanley Cup final in 2008 and a Cup win in &rsquo;09, the resume of Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Marc-Andre Fleury can&rsquo;t be ignored. And after a great start to the 2009-10 NHL season, he&rsquo;s more than just in the Olympic mix for Team Canada; he&rsquo;s a favorite.</p><p>Fleury&rsquo;s repositioning began at Canada&rsquo;s summer orientation camp.</p><p>&ldquo;It was OK,&rdquo; said the soon-to-be 25-year-old of his play at the camp. &ldquo;The coaches told us, &lsquo;You&rsquo;re not going to make the team this week, but you&rsquo;re not going to not make it, either.&rsquo; So it was fun.&rdquo;</p><p>Columbus coach and Team Canada assistant Ken Hitchcock was at the camp and was more impressed by Fleury&rsquo;s play than Fleury was. In fact, all the goalie candidates impressed Hitchcock.</p><p>&ldquo;We all left there thinking, &lsquo;Man, it&rsquo;s hard to score on these goalies,&rsquo;&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re all big and mobile or flat-out mobile and competitive. Every top country has two top goalies, guys who can steal games. And that&rsquo;s such a huge factor in single-game elimination.&rdquo;</p><p>Fleury knows he has his work cut out for him and figures it&rsquo;s a race for one spot.</p><p>&ldquo;Roberto Luongo for sure, and Martin Brodeur,&rdquo; said Fleury when asked about the Canadian frontrunners. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve had a lot of (NHL) success as well as on Team Canada. Cam Ward also won a Stanley Cup. So we&rsquo;ll see.&rdquo;</p><p>Luongo and Brodeur, Brodeur and Luongo. Whatever the order, those are the two names that are always bandied about, and with good reason.</p><p>But what about Marty Turco? He&rsquo;s been a loyal foot soldier for years and can start a breakout like few goalies in hockey history.</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s more room to roam with the international rules, those are factors,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;Marty&rsquo;s been in these competitions before and he&rsquo;s had a hell of a start to the year.&rdquo;</p><p>Ward, the 2006 Conn Smythe Trophy recipient, had poor numbers early, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean it&rsquo;s too late. Hitchcock stressed that Team Canada will consist of players performing their best when the Dec. 31 roster announcement is made; no &ldquo;hope-for&rdquo; guys this time around.</p><p>That&rsquo;s good news for Steve Mason, 21. The reigning Calder Trophy winner and Vezina runner-up is Hitchcock&rsquo;s No. 1 man in Columbus and, according to his coach, has picked up his play after a slow October. So is there a plan to prepare for the future by bringing a young No. 3?</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know about that,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;But I know this: It&rsquo;s a position where he has to have a really team-first mentality. The third guy has to have the attitude of, &lsquo;If I&rsquo;ve got to get in early and stay late (at practice), I&rsquo;m willing to do that.&rsquo;</p><p>&ldquo;That&rsquo;s the topic of conversation. Is he willing to do the things that maybe he had to do early in his career or probably aren&rsquo;t things he&rsquo;s used to?</p><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s such a big deal to represent your country and be a part of this. It&rsquo;s such an unbelievable experience for the players. It&rsquo;s the only time in their whole professional careers they get to be just strictly athletes like everyone else. It&rsquo;s a very emotional, unique experience for a player.&rdquo;</p><p>Fleury couldn&rsquo;t agree more.</p><p>&ldquo;Yeah, it&rsquo;s in the back of my mind,&rdquo; he said when asked if he&rsquo;s thinking about the Olympics. &ldquo;I think it would be something amazing.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0012-01

CROWDED CREASE

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-031083/9282910-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="642" height="664"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(O&rsquo;REILLY: SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021680/9282917-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="165" height="165"></div><h2><b>RYAN O&rsquo;REILLY</b></h2><p><b>COLORADO, C</b></p><p><b>DEBUT</b> Oct. 1, 2009</p><p><b>VS.</b> San Jose (5-2 win)</p><p><b>ICE TIME</b> 10:51, 14 shifts</p><p><b>KEY STAT</b> 1 assist, plus-1</p><p><b>&ldquo;MY FIRST GAME</b> was awesome. It was also Joe Sakic&rsquo;s retirement ceremony. It was just so emotional before the game seeing one of the greatest players of all-time out there, talking about going through the NHL and his rookie year. He was such a great guy and such a great player. Just to be there and also to have my first game, there were so many emotions&hellip;It was such an exciting day.</p><p>I had an assist that game, too. I was caught on a long shift playing in our own end, everyone on our line was just gassed. The puck squirted out and I just head-manned it to Chris Stewart and went right to the bench for a change. I had been out there for like a minute-and-a-half and I turned around and the puck was in the net. I didn&rsquo;t really know I had an assist and the guys said to me, &lsquo;Oh, congratulations&rsquo; and I was like, &lsquo;Wow.&rsquo; It was a lucky break and it worked out.</p><p>After the game I talked to my brother and my parents. They just wanted to know how it went and how it was. I just really enjoyed the game and tried to get ready for the next one.&rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon012.jpg" title="common01" width="66" height="65"></div><p><b>Visit <a href="http://TheHockeyNews.com">thehockeynews.com</a> for exclusive Q+A&rsquo;s in our &lsquo;Getting to Know&rsquo; feature</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0012-03

FRESH LEGS

<div class="byline">with Ken Campbell</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-021593/9282962-1-eng-US/f0014-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>James van Riemsdyk and his brethren may be the last to earn big money early.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(LEN REDKOLES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012124/9282969-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg" title="f0014-01" width="207" height="245"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>T&rsquo;S DIFFICULT &ndash; IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE &ndash;</b> to portray even the lowest-paid NHL player as an indentured serf whose right to be paid what he is worth is sometimes violated.</p><p>But in what other work environment besides North American professional sports do you find a situation where even the brightest and best young people are dictated to about such things as where they will work, whom their employer will be and how much they will be paid?</p><p>Can you imagine Harvard Law School&rsquo;s top graduate being told he or she must spend the first three years of his/her career practicing in smalltown Iowa for an independent firm while making $60,000 a year?</p><p>That&rsquo;s not exactly the case for this year&rsquo;s crop of NHL rookies, which through the first month of the season was shaping up to be one with a depth of talent not seen among a freshmen class in years. But each and every one is being told the terms of his employment and, if the NHL gets its way in the next collective bargaining agreement, future first-year players will be even more constricted in their abilities to maximize their earnings.</p><p>For example, John Tavares was the No. 1 choice in the 2009 entry draft and is seen as a potential savior of the New York Islanders, or Brooklyn Islanders or Kansas City Islanders or wherever they end up. He was good enough to play in the NHL as a 17-year-old, but was forced to stay in junior hockey where he made the owners of the OHL&rsquo;s Oshawa Generals and the Hunter brothers in London a ton of money.</p><p>Now that Tavares is in the NHL, he stands to make $3.75 million this season if he hits all of his performance bonuses. They&rsquo;re certainly achievable, but not if he gets injured or if his teammates prove to be so inept he must create all the offense by himself. In that case, he&rsquo;ll make $900,000 this season and possibly for two years more after that.</p><p>Compare that to Alexei Yashin, a world-class dog who will be paid a mind-boggling $4.8 million in 2010-11 to <i>not</i> play for the same Islanders team that Tavares has been charged with saving on and off the ice.</p><p>So don&rsquo;t go suggesting there is no discrimination based on age in the NHL, because there is. And chances are, the owners and the league will try their best to make it even more inequitable for players such as Tavares. And chances are, they&rsquo;ll be permitted by the players in the league right now to do just that.</p><p>If there&rsquo;s one thing that sticks in the craw of every owner, GM and league administrator, it&rsquo;s that the best young players in the league are now the driving force behind salary escalation. It used to be 31-year-old free agents who got the crazy money, but now players 10 years younger are getting untold riches and contract terms that border on the absurd.</p><p>Which is where the likes of Tavares and Michael Del Zotto and James van Riemsdyk come in. Under the terms of the current CBA, those players would be spending the first three years of their careers setting themselves up for the kind of big-money, long-term deals that were given to Alex Ovechkin, Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and a bunch of other star players coming out of their entry-level deals.</p><p>But not so fast. Their contracts expire after the 2011-12 season, which just happens to be the same time the current CBA comes to its conclusion. And because GMs and teams basically need to be saved from themselves, there&rsquo;s a good chance those players and all future stars will have a big target on their backs in the next round of CBA negotiations.</p><p>There is already talk the league will pursue one of two avenues when it comes to dealing with players coming out of entry-level deals. It will either shoot to increase the entry-level period from three to five years or it will seek to limit any raises on second contracts to 100 percent of the base salary (not the salary plus bonuses), meaning even if Del Zotto were to develop into a premier offensive defenseman, he&rsquo;d be limited to making only $1.8 million per season in his second contract.</p><p>And if the current players continue to behave according to their own interests only, there&rsquo;s a good chance the league will get what it wants. That&rsquo;s because not only do NHL players have no problem throwing their leaders under the bus, they have no trouble bargaining away the rights of young men who aren&rsquo;t even a part of their association yet. If it means it will give them more money and job security, don&rsquo;t think they won&rsquo;t offer up rookie salary rights as a concession at the bat of an eye.</p><p>The one thing that may save players such as Tavares is the fact that deals can be extended a year before they expire, meaning the rookies from this season will be in a position to come to terms the summer before the current CBA expires. But if we know the NHL the way we think we do, there&rsquo;s a good chance the league will mandate that teams not extend any contracts beyond 2011-12. And if they know changes are on the way that could save them millions of dollars, why would they?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-011881/9282955-1-eng-US/f0015-012.jpg" title="f0015-01" width="604" height="673"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption></div><p>Of course, the two parties could choose to impose the restrictions on players drafted in 2012 and after, which would mean Tavares and the other rookies from this season would be free to use the threat of an offer sheet against their employers and get the money and term other players of their ilk received.</p><p>But that will make them the last ones able to do it. Teams can then go back to paying big money for past performance to players who have historically not proven to be worth the money, at the expense of those who have the best years of their careers ahead of them.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="83" height="83"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>For Ken&rsquo;s web-exclusive <b>Campbell&rsquo;s Cuts</b> column, visit <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-02

ROOKIE RESTRAINT

<h2><b>Alex Ovechkin</b></h2><p>13 years</p><p>$124 million</p><p>$9.5 million per season</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-021337/9283014-1-eng-US/f0015-022.jpg" title="f0015-02" width="260" height="139"></div><h2><b>Mike Richards</b></h2><p>12 years</p><p>$69 million</p><p>$5.75 million per season</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-03934/9283007-1-eng-US/f0015-032.jpg" title="f0015-03" width="260" height="138"></div><h2><b>Sidney Crosby Evgeni Malkin</b></h2><p>5 years</p><p>$43.5 million (each)</p><p>$8.75 million per season (each)</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0015-04695/9283000-1-eng-US/f0015-042.jpg" title="f0015-04" width="260" height="139"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0015-02

BIGDEALS

<div class="byline">with Adam Proteau</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021463/9283052-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Patrick Marleau led the Sharks in scoring last year with a career-best 38 goals.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DON SMITH/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-011898/9283059-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg" title="f0016-01" width="207" height="245"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>HEN PATRICK MARLEAU</b> and the captaincy of the San Jose Sharks were made mutually exclusive last summer (a polite way to say he was stripped of the role as the official team leader), most presumed the move was a precursor to the end of the center&rsquo;s 11-year stint in Northern California.</p><p>But after many premature media reports of Marleau&rsquo;s departure, Sharks management decided to keep him in teal after all. That has to be a relief for both fans and management, because judging by his scorching start to this season &ndash; 11 goals and 22 points in San Jose&rsquo;s first 16 games &ndash; giving him the America&rsquo;s capital treatment (you know, getting de-&lsquo;C&rsquo;-d) is suiting Marleau extremely well.</p><p>And if the past is any indication, removing the captaincy from Marleau may lay to rest the Sharks&rsquo; consistent playoff woes and deliver them, finally, to at least their first Stanley Cup final appearance in franchise history.</p><p>To wit: Veteran Dave Lowry was stripped of the &lsquo;C&rsquo; in Calgary late in the 2001-02 campaign and the Flames went on to qualify for the Cup final two seasons later.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>&lsquo;WE WEREN&rsquo;T GOING TO STOP BELIEVING IN PATTY MARLEAU&rsquo;</b></blockquote><p>Vincent Lecavalier suffered the same fate early in his career with the Tampa Bay Lightning &ndash; and two years after he endured that indignity, the Bolts claimed their first-ever Cup.</p><p>&ldquo;Well, I hope that&rsquo;s what happens here with us,&rdquo; said Marleau with a laugh. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re off to a good start so far and obviously, that would be the perfect way to finish the year.&rdquo;</p><p>Both the Flames and Lightning were dealing with significant internal-combustion issues and on-ice struggles before the decision was made to put Lowry and Lecavalier through the emotional wringer.</p><p>But both the Sharks and Marleau enjoyed very productive regular seasons in &rsquo;08-09 &ndash; Marleau led San Jose in goals last year with a career-high 38 &ndash; before they collectively soiled the sheets in a first-round playoff loss against Anaheim.</p><p>In other words, Marleau never was the root cause of San Jose&rsquo;s troubles.</p><p>&ldquo;What people overlooked with Patty last year was that he had a pretty good season for us,&rdquo; said Sharks GM Doug Wilson prior to the start of the 2009-10 campaign. &ldquo;He doubled his goal total from the previous year and was very responsible for us at both ends of the ice.</p><p>&ldquo;But because we disappointed everybody &ndash; our fans, ourselves &ndash; in the playoffs, Patty took heat like everybody on the team. That never meant I was going to trade him &ndash; and let me re-iterate, regardless of what was erroneously reported in the media, I never once asked him to waive his no-trade clause.</p><p>&ldquo;We weren&rsquo;t going to stop believing in Patty Marleau because of our disappointments as an organization. We know him better than that.&rdquo;</p><p>Wilson&rsquo;s patience with his longest-serving veteran was very similar to the manner in which the Lightning dealt with Lecavalier &ndash; and like Marleau, the Tampa Bay star now understands why it was the right decision at the time.</p><p>&ldquo;Obviously I was upset, like anybody would be,&rdquo; Lecavalier said. &ldquo;But you get over it.</p><p>&ldquo;(Marleau) and I are in different situations. I was 19, 20 years old and when a guy like Dave Andreychuk came in at 39, it was pretty understandable why they gave the &lsquo;C&rsquo; to him.</p><p>&ldquo;Maybe it was a tough situation for (Marleau) when it happened, but he&rsquo;s talking back with his play. He&rsquo;s a great leader and whether he has an &lsquo;A&rsquo;, a &lsquo;C&rsquo;, or nothing at all on his sweater, he&rsquo;s leading the way for them right now.&rdquo;</p><p>Marleau admits losing the &lsquo;C&rsquo; wasn&rsquo;t the ideal capper for an &rsquo;08-09 season that began with such promise. But he wasn&rsquo;t about to let the decision haunt him.</p><p>&ldquo;Obviously it was an honor to be a captain,&rdquo; said Marleau, who handed the &lsquo;C&rsquo; to Rob Blake. &ldquo;But if you look at the guys wearing our letters, they&rsquo;re well-deserved.</p><p>&ldquo;But one thing you do realize is that when things change within our team, you&rsquo;re still going to be the same person and you&rsquo;re going to lead the same way, whether or not you have a letter. I&rsquo;ve had a lot of conversations with (Sharks coach) Todd (McLellan) and with Doug, and they still expect the same things out of me, even though I&rsquo;m not wearing a letter.&rdquo;</p><p>Marleau&rsquo;s excellent efforts this season are being buttressed by an even more dangerous Sharks team.</p><p>&ldquo;You can tell this is a team that&rsquo;s different from last year&rsquo;s,&rdquo; Marleau said. &ldquo;Our penalty kill is a lot better already than it was.</p><p>&ldquo;I think the team was looking for a little bit of change and hopefully the changes we&rsquo;ve made are the changes we needed to win.&rdquo;</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="mon022.jpg" title="common02" width="83" height="83"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>For Adam&rsquo;s web-exclusive <b>Screen Shots</b> column, visit <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0016-02

NO ‘C’? NO PROBLEM

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0026-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0026-011381/9283118-1-eng-US/f0026-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>YOU HAVE TO ADMIT</b>, George Bernard Shaw was probably onto something. Generally speaking, youth really is wasted on the young.</p><p>Who among us doesn&rsquo;t wish they could turn the clock back armed with the knowledge and benefit of experience they have now? So many brain cells needlessly destroyed, so much valuable time frittered away playing <i>Call of Duty</i>, so many questionable haircuts.</p><p>You&rsquo;re never, ever getting that time back, dude, so deal with it.</p><p>But wait a minute. How do you explain the teenager who is surviving and thriving among the best hockey players on the planet? Let&rsquo;s take wunderkind John Tavares, for example. Yup, a perfect case of misspent youth, if ever there was one.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve gotten into heated discussions with people about this,&rdquo; said Matt Moulson, Tavares&rsquo; boyhood friend and current linemate with the New York Islanders. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve heard people say he&rsquo;s lazy and it frustrates me because I&rsquo;ve seen day-in and day-out how hard this guy works. When he was 16, he would be in the gym before or after school and then go play lacrosse, then come back and stickhandle and shoot pucks. Basically, his whole life revolved around making himself a better hockey player. I don&rsquo;t think he gets enough credit for that. Everyone knows how skilled he is, but he&rsquo;s one of the hardest workers I&rsquo;ve ever seen.&rdquo;</p><p>Including second-year stars Steven Stamkos and Zach Bogosian, there are a total of 13 underage junior players in the NHL right now. Ten of them are part of this year&rsquo;s bountiful rookie crop and each of the New York state teams has one of them on its roster.</p><p>Tavares, of course, is the new savior of the Islanders and, aside from owner Charles Wang, will be the man most responsible for getting the team a refurbished arena. Hulking defenseman Tyler Myers looks like Chris Pronger without the attitude in Buffalo and Michael Del Zotto, never good enough to play for Canada in the world junior, is anchoring the power play and providing the New York Rangers with their most dynamic offensive defenseman since Brian Leetch.</p><p>All three have hit the ground running at the NHL level and are not only playing, but making a valid contribution. There was a time when young rookie defensemen would spend the first half of their freshman seasons chipping the puck off the glass and hoping not to get into any trouble. But watch Del Zotto and Myers and they&rsquo;re playing with a confidence and poise well beyond their years and with almost no fear of making a mistake.</p><p>Being guided by some of the most progressive coaches in the game has certainly helped. So has a salary cap that forces teams to use younger, cheaper players. And, in the new NHL, a rookie doesn&rsquo;t have to spend much of his first year figuring out how to avoid being gang-tackled every time he enters the offensive zone.</p><p>Tavares is spending his first NHL season living with veteran teammate Doug Weight and his family. Del Zotto just moved into an apartment with Rangers teammate Brian Boyle and Myers has a hotel room in Buffalo booked until the end of November. The living arrangements for all three are rather temporary, but their strong play has made them a permanent part of their teams&rsquo; roster.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011361/9283111-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg" title="f0028-01" width="1398" height="1247"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Michael Del Zotto has made a surprising and immediate impact with the Rangers.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DEL ZOTTO: RICHARD WOLOWICZ/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>This was expected of Tavares, but not of Del Zotto or Myers. And who would&rsquo;ve thought Del Zotto, who played three years in the OHL with Tavares in Oshawa and London, would be named rookie of the month before JT? Who would&rsquo;ve thought that as a 6-foot-8 Macaulay Culkin lookalike, Myers would prove to be a smooth-skating, imposing blueliner with a quick stick and even quicker feet?</p><p>&ldquo;Who knows where he can go with it,&rdquo; marveled Myers&rsquo; Buffalo teammate Ryan Miller. &ldquo;It took (Zdeno) Chara years to develop to where Tyler is now. He&rsquo;s already pushing that envelope where it&rsquo;s hard to get around him. He&rsquo;s making smart plays and he&rsquo;s on the power play. It took Chara until he was 24 or 25 before he saw that kind of time and he came into the league when he was 20.&rdquo;</p><p>Without exception, though, all three came into the league with something to prove. For Tavares, it was that his skating wouldn&rsquo;t be a hindrance and that he could play all 200 feet of the ice at the NHL level. For Myers, it was the opposite. Everyone knew he could defend, but could he bring other dimensions to his game? For Del Zotto, it was simply a matter of proving he belonged in the NHL, period.</p><p>Mission accomplished for all three. Islanders coach Scott Gordon has his staff keep track of plus-minus according to scoring chances. If you are directly involved in a scoring chance for, you get a nice black tick beside your name. If you are directly involved in a scoring chance against, a nasty red tick goes beside your name.</p><p>&ldquo;John is definitely on the plus side,&rdquo; Gordon said. &ldquo;There are no problems there.&rdquo;</p><p>But there is little doubt that was the knock against Tavares. First, he would never be confused with Sergei Fedorov or Teemu Selanne in the skating department. And there were concerns with his defensive game, especially with all the responsibilities associated with playing center in the NHL.</p><p>&ldquo;I think I&rsquo;ve always been a better defensive player than people have given me credit for,&rdquo; Tavares said. &ldquo;Maybe because I&rsquo;ve scored a lot of points and been an offensive guy, I think that got overlooked a little bit. There are things I can work on for sure, but I know I&rsquo;m smart enough in my own zone to know my coverage there, and in the neutral zone as well.&rdquo;</p><p>Tavares somehow manages to say that stuff without coming off sounding brash. Many wonder how he deals with the pressure of being a No. 1 overall NHL draft pick, but Tavares has been dealing with these things in one form or another since he was 14 years old and Hockey Canada made him its first &ndash; and so far, only &ndash; player to gain &ldquo;exceptional player&rdquo; status, thus allowing him to play major junior hockey a year earlier than he otherwise could have. And the sad truth is some of the crowds that watched him play as a junior in London last year were bigger than a few of the audiences he&rsquo;s displayed his talents for on Long Island.</p><p>Weight is among the legion of admirers of Tavares, not only for his skills, but for the manner in which he has handled himself early in his career. Weight said they&rsquo;ll be sitting in the barcalounger watching a game and Tavares will be breaking down the penalty kill right there, then checking to see when the Islanders next play that team.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0029-011207/9283104-1-eng-US/f0029-012.jpg" title="f0029-01" width="1621" height="1137"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Tyler Myers has shown more on the attack than anybody expected.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BILL WIPPERT/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;His motor is always running,&rdquo; Weight said. &ldquo;From Day 1, I&rsquo;ve been more than impressed with his maturity and confidence in a good way, not even close to approaching cockiness. He believes in himself, but he doesn&rsquo;t portray that to anybody else.&rdquo;</p><p>From the hashmarks in, there might not be a better young player in the NHL right now than Tavares. He is opportunistic and his history right up to the NHL has proved time and again that the higher the stakes, the more Tavares will elevate his game. And just because he might not be the prettiest skater in the league, it doesn&rsquo;t mean he can&rsquo;t keep up by using a superior hockey mind.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not going to be the same player as Alex (Ovechkin) or Evgeni (Malkin) or Sidney (Crosby) because of the way they skate, but John has other stuff,&rdquo; Weight said. &ldquo;A lot of people forget that little black thing has a great deal to do with his game. He&rsquo;s always in position, so you don&rsquo;t have to go 90 miles an hour. To tell you the truth, I don&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;d be as good a player if he had more speed because he&rsquo;d be skating himself out of position.&rdquo;</p><p>For Myers, playing sound defensively was hardly the problem. With the wingspan of a condor, he has always been very difficult to get around in the defensive zone. But what people have discovered is that Myers&rsquo; skating stride is almost effortless and his ability to jump into the rush and launch bombs from the point on the power play are something to behold. His ability to get back into the play rarely leaves him out of position and his knack to both knock pucks out of the air and use the backboards as an option from the point inspire visions of Nicklas Lidstrom.</p><p>&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s played so well that when he has made a couple of mistakes, people have overreacted to them,&rdquo; said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. &ldquo;In this league, if you can&rsquo;t defend, you&rsquo;re going to have a tough time. We knew he could defend.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">&lsquo;Tavares is always in position, so you don&rsquo;t have to be going 90 miles an hour&rsquo;</blockquote><p>But what seems to have caught so many people by surprise is the offensive bent to Myers&rsquo; game. Prior to a recent contest against New Jersey, former Sabre and current Devil Dainius Zubrus was going on and on about this &ldquo;big forward&rdquo; the Sabres had until he was informed that Myers is actually a defenseman.</p><p>&ldquo;Up until the second half of last season, I wasn&rsquo;t that type of player,&rdquo; Myers said. &ldquo;But after the world juniors, I thought I really came into my own and started to figure out I could do more than just play in my own end. It was then that I really started to realize that I could play against the best players in the world.&rdquo;</p><p>Myers went on to score 20 points in 22 playoff games for the WHL&rsquo;s Kelowna Rockets last season. And he deserves credit for not only adapting his game, but for not opting for the path of least resistance. The son of a Texas oil man, Myers played minor hockey in Houston until he was 10. It was then that his father, a former college player at Pennsylvania-based Lehigh University, was transferred to Calgary. Despite playing for Team USA in the Ivan Hlinka under-18 tournament, Myers acquired a dual citizenship and opted to play his international career with Canada, which typically is a much more difficult lineup to crack.</p><p>&ldquo;My choice wasn&rsquo;t based on which team was going to be easier to make,&rdquo; Myers said. &ldquo;I just felt I wouldn&rsquo;t be where I am if I hadn&rsquo;t moved to Canada. It was a tough choice, but the way I looked at it, if I hadn&rsquo;t moved to Canada I&rsquo;d probably be playing basketball right now.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011371/9283097-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="555" height="562"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TAVARES: SPORTS ACTION PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption></div><p>The most surprising revelation of the three, Del Zotto never really got a chance to show what he could do on the international stage. He played with the Canadian under-18 team in 2007 and didn&rsquo;t acquit himself well. As a result, he pretty much fell off Hockey Canada&rsquo;s radar for the world junior team. For the better part of two years, Del Zotto was something of a whipping boy for the establishment, with some scouts questioning his seriousness and others wary of his conditioning.</p><p>Clearly the snubs by Hockey Canada stung Del Zotto, particularly after seeing his roommate Tavares come home two years in a row with a gold medal around his neck. But you can&rsquo;t second-guess Hockey Canada for its decision, since it won gold at the WJC every year in which Del Zotto was eligible to play.</p><p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t bother me because my goal was to make the New York Rangers, not the world junior team,&rdquo; Del Zotto said. &ldquo;But I think this year I&rsquo;ve proven them wrong and I hope they realize that.&rdquo;</p><p>With his newfound dedication to conditioning, Del Zotto had a terrific camp with the Rangers last season and went back to junior hockey with the singular goal of making the NHL team in the fall. A trade from Oshawa to London, along with Tavares, put Del Zotto in a winning situation for the first time as a junior and gave him a ton of confidence as he contributed to the Knights&rsquo; long playoff run.</p><p>&ldquo;He has come in and maybe shocked a few people, but he has definitely showed he deserves to be here,&rdquo; Tavares said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a guy who might have rubbed some people the wrong way, but to me he has always had a great attitude. Maybe people thought he was a bit of an outsider, but I always knew what a special player he was.&rdquo;</p><p>Del Zotto was selected second overall in the OHL entry draft in 2006, one pick after Steven Stamkos. In fact, a goal Tavares scored late in the last game of the season gave the Generals enough points to climb out of the basement and avoid having the first overall pick for the second straight season. If Tavares hadn&rsquo;t scored that goal, things might have turned out much differently.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-02934/9283090-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="665" height="676"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MICHAEL DEL ZOTTO</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DEL ZOTTO: BRUCE BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;I know there was a debate about whether we were going to pick Michael or Steven,&rdquo; Tavares said.</p><p>&ldquo;When Michael saw me later that summer, he was mad at me for scoring that goal because he said we would have picked him with the first overall pick anyway.&rdquo;</p><p>There is much to like about Del Zotto&rsquo;s game, largely his offensive instincts and his ability to both rush the puck up ice and anchor the Rangers&rsquo; power play. And if Del Zotto wanted to exploit his offensive style, he couldn&rsquo;t ask for a better coach &ndash; John Tortorella has long lived by the credo that &ldquo;Safe is death.&rdquo; Playing for a coach he knows can live with the occasional error of commission has made a huge difference in Del Zotto&rsquo;s game.</p><p>&ldquo;The biggest thing for me was being able to come in here and quarterback the power play,&rdquo; Del Zotto said. &ldquo;Doing that at such a young age is a tough job, but the coaching staff here has a style of play that allows me to jump into the rush and be aggressive offensively. Mistakes are going to happen and they&rsquo;re part of the game, but the attitude here is that you learn from it and you move on.&rdquo;</p><p>Through the early stages of the season, none of the three had faced any of the inevitable adversity first-year players confront. But in a league where Stamkos was being regularly scratched as a rookie and Joe Thornton had seven points in his first season, they have at least proved to be quick studies.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure there will be a grind at some point, but I think I just have to look back at my schedule with Kelowna last season,&rdquo; Myers said. &ldquo;Those bus rides were pretty hard to handle. If I could handle those&hellip;&rdquo;</p><p>&hellip;If he can handle those, he can probably handle whatever the NHL has to throw at him. And chances are, so can his cross-state rivals.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0026-01

START SPREADING THE NEWS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-02930/9283250-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="309" height="185"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011357/9283257-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg" title="f0034-01" width="124" height="133"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> As young and green as the Islanders are this season, technically only one of them will compete for the Calder Trophy &ndash; but he&rsquo;s sure to be a frontrunner.</p><p>Center John Tavares was heralded as a savior for a flagging franchise when he was drafted by New York with the first pick last June and the talented pivot has not disappointed. Paired up with summer workout buddy Matt Moulson, Tavares has been a consistent offensive threat, with 11 points through 15 games.</p><p>Moulson, who had the same numbers, is not eligible for the Calder since he played parts of two seasons with Los Angeles, but is essentially getting his first true chance to be an NHL regular.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-03739/9283243-1-eng-US/f0034-032.jpg" title="f0034-03" width="1135" height="964"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>John Tavares has been everything the Islanders predicted early on in his rookie year.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(MIKE STOBE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>The 6-foot-1, 205-pound left winger uses his frame to make life difficult for opposing checkers when he has the puck and has so far provided the perfect distraction for Tavares to find open space. Moulson is happy to have found chemistry with his fellow Toronto-area product.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve known Johnny and how he plays for a long time,&rdquo; said Moulson, 26. &ldquo;I knew he was a dominant player and it&rsquo;s great to get an opportunity to play with him. I was hoping for that ever since I signed with the Islanders.&rdquo;</p><p>Tavares, for his part, has risen to the occasion early on in the season, netting two points in his NHL debut against Pittsburgh, then ending New York&rsquo;s winless start to the season with a shootout goal on a nifty deke on Carolina&rsquo;s Cam Ward in Game 8 &ndash; at Nassau Coliseum, no less.</p><p>&ldquo;I think my transition has been pretty good,&rdquo; said Tavares, 19.</p><p>&ldquo;I think I&rsquo;ve been able to step in and be comfortable. I&rsquo;ve been given a great opportunity to do what I do best in the right situation.&rdquo;</p><p>And while the Islanders have regularly been dressing half-a-dozen players with fewer than 82 games on their NHL resume, most have done so over the course of several seasons, meaning they aren&rsquo;t Calder-eligible rookies.</p><p>Enforcer Joel Rechlicz, 22, suited up for five games early in the season before being sent down to Bridgeport (AHL). The rookie right winger posted no points and one fight with L.A.&rsquo;s Raitis Ivanans.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-02

NY Islanders

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RICH CHERE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-04594/9283288-1-eng-US/f0034-042.jpg" title="f0034-04" width="316" height="184"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> It appeared the window of opportunity had closed for Mark Fraser after the 6-foot-3, 220-pound defenseman played a few games with the Devils back in 2007.</p><p>But New Jersey waited patiently until Fraser, now 23, showed he was ready for another chance. With Matt Halischuk back in the AHL, Fraser and left wingers Niclas Bergfors and Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond are the remaining Devils rookies.</p><p>Fraser said Scott Stevens, Larry Robinson and Jacques Laperriere all had impacts on him in the AHL last season.</p><p>&ldquo;Scott Stevens I grew up watching,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Any words of wisdom from a person like that, you definitely take it well.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-04

New Jersey

<div class="byline">&#x2013; STEVE ZIPAY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-05487/9283319-1-eng-US/f0034-052.jpg" title="f0034-05" width="297" height="184"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> One of the early surprises of the season has been 19-year-old blueliner Michael Del Zotto, who emerged as the Rangers&rsquo; power play quarterback in training camp and has blossomed with his poise and creativity.</p><p>But other first-year Rangers also are contributing. Artem Anisimov, 21, has earned the trust of coach John Tortorella, who said the 6-foot-4 center &ldquo;was our best player&rdquo; in a pair of late October games.</p><p>The other rookie blueliner, Hobey Baker winner Matt Gilroy, 25, is adjusting to a two-way game. Although the Long Island native said the pace and battering of the NHL is a challenge, he has paired with Wade Redden and is playing top-four minutes (18:35).<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-05

NY Rangers

<div class="byline">&#x2013; WAYNE FISH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-06437/9283350-1-eng-US/f0034-062.jpg" title="f0034-06" width="315" height="184"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> Not many No. 2 overall draft picks have taken two years to get to the NHL, but in the case of James van Riemsdyk, the wait appears to be worth it. The Flyers&rsquo; 20-year-old rookie left winger shot out of the gate with 13 points in his first 10 games, the most among NHL freshmen.</p><p>That start, along with a long-term injury to Simon Gagne, has led to van Riemsdyk&rsquo;s promotion to the top line alongside Jeff Carter. Team USA GM Brian Burke said the New Jersey native is &ldquo;being considered&rdquo; for the Olympics.</p><p>It&rsquo;s around the net that van Riemsdyk has done the most damage. In a three-assist game on Nov. 2, all the set-ups were down low in traffic.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-06

Philadelphia

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOE STARKEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-07383/9283381-1-eng-US/f0034-072.jpg" title="f0034-07" width="352" height="184"></div><p><b>ROOKIE REPORT</b> The only Penguins rookie who has played significant minutes is winger Chris Bourque, the son of Hall of Famer Ray Bourque.</p><p>The 5-foot-8 Bourque, claimed off waivers from Washington on Sept. 3, had only an assist in his first six games, but was skating on the second line and appeared to be finding his game &ndash; which is built around speed and feistiness.</p><p>Pens coach Dan Bylsma was familiar with Bourque, whom he coached against when both were in the AHL.</p><p>&ldquo;He gave us a lot of headaches with his speed, skill and playmaking,&rdquo; Bylsma said.</p><p>&ldquo;I want to represent this name well,&rdquo; Bourque said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a good hockey name. I want to add to that legacy.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0034-07

Pittsburgh

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BOB DUFF</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011269/9283419-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="352" height="185"></div><p><b>ROOKIE REPORT</b> Columbus is home to the reigning Calder Trophy winner in 2008-09 recipient Steve Mason.</p><p>The netminder backstopped the Blue Jackets to their first-ever playoff berth after he was called up from the AHL when incumbent starter Pascal Leclaire went down with an injury last November. No Jackets rookies are poised to make as big a splash this season, but the long-term outlook for Nikita Filatov is bright.</p><p>When the Penguins visited Columbus Oct. 30, Filatov took a seat in the press box, idled by a back bruise as the Jackets fell 4-3 in a shootout to the Stanley Cup champs. It was a far cry from what Filatov experienced when Pittsburgh visited Columbus in the pre-season. Lining up for a faceoff, Filatov was tapped on the shins by a passing Penguin. It was Art Ross Trophy winner and fellow Russian Evgeni Malkin.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-02894/9283412-1-eng-US/f0035-022.jpg" title="f0035-02" width="1143" height="964"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>His game is still rounding out, but Jacket Nikita Filatov can absolutely fly.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like he was saying, &lsquo;Welcome (to the NHL),&rsquo;&rdquo; Filatov said. &ldquo;I appreciated it.&rdquo;</p><p>Enduring a trying start to his rookie campaign, Filatov can use all the support he can get. Columbus&rsquo; first round pick in 2008 (sixth overall) had just one goal in eight games. After three straight games as a healthy scratch, coach Ken Hitchcock was pondering sending the 19-year-old down. Slotted on the second line alongside Jakub Voracek and Antoine Vermette, Filatov looked to be finding his form when his back flared up.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s more competitive on the puck and he&rsquo;s more determined,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got unbelievable skill and he&rsquo;s making some adjustments.&rdquo;</p><p>Utilized at both wings, Filatov is a fluid skater and an adept playmaker, but needs to bulk up and improve his defensive game to become a force.</p><p>Meanwhile, a shoulder injury to Andrew Murray opened up a spot for Michael Blunden on the Jackets&rsquo; fourth line. Acquired in a January trade with Chicago, a determined performance in training camp earned Blunden an NHL job.</p><p>&ldquo;I felt like I had a really good camp,&rdquo; said the 6-foot-4, 211-pounder. &ldquo;I was willing to do anything to make the club.&rdquo;</p><p>Blunden, 23, mixes it up and can play center or the wing.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s a really strong, dependable player,&rdquo; Hitchcock said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a guy that any coach would trust.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0035-01

Columbus

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TIM SASSONE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-03738/9283450-1-eng-US/f0035-032.jpg" title="f0035-03" width="353" height="185"></div><p><b>ROOKIE REPORT</b> It&rsquo;s hard to believe a team as young as Chicago was without a true rookie, but that was the case.</p><p>Backup goalie Antti Niemi, 26, is in his first NHL year, but missed the Calder Trophy age-cutoff by days. Niemi won his first three games, including a shutout of Florida in his native Finland to help the Hawks start well despite the early struggles of No. 1 man Cristobal Huet.</p><p>The backup role is a new one for Niemi, who beat out Corey Crawford for the job in training camp. Niemi quickly learned the life of a No. 2, sitting for more than two weeks after Huet got his game going.</p><p>The Hawks have also used rookies Jake Dowell and Bryan Bickell, but only as short-term injury replacements.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0035-03

Chicago

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ANSAR KHAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-04600/9283481-1-eng-US/f0035-042.jpg" title="f0035-04" width="350" height="184"></div><p><b>ROOKIE REPORT</b> Due to key personnel losses, the Wings are relying on several rookies.</p><p>Multi-talented Jonathan Ericsson was leading Detroit&rsquo;s defensemen in goals (three) and points (eight) after one month. He needs to improve defensively and use his 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame to play more physical.</p><p>Center Darren Helm missed the entire pre-season and first four games due to a sprained ACL, but finished October with two strong outings. He puts pressure on defenses with his speed and forechecking.</p><p>Left winger Ville Leino and backup goalie Jimmy Howard both struggled. Howard needs to establish his reliability or Detroit will consider an upgrade through a trade.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0035-04

Detroit

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JOHN GLENNON</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-05508/9283512-1-eng-US/f0035-052.jpg" title="f0035-05" width="347" height="185"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> The eyes of Predators fans are focused on center Colin Wilson, who cracked the NHL roster after helping lead Boston University to the NCAA title last season.</p><p>There&rsquo;s little doubt he has big-time potential, in part because his 6-foot-1, 215-pound frame already makes him a physical force in the offensive zone. Wilson&rsquo;s strength on the puck and superior vision will lead to plenty of points.</p><p>But like most freshmen, he&rsquo;s having a difficult time adjusting to the all-round NHL game, which carries more defensive responsibilities.</p><p>On the blueline, Cody Franson&rsquo;s passing ability is his strength, while Alexander Sulzer has steadied his game after a slow training camp.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0035-05

Nashville

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JEREMY RUTHERFORD</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-06459/9283543-1-eng-US/f0035-062.jpg" title="f0035-06" width="331" height="185"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> On the night he scored his first NHL goal, blueliner Alex Pietrangelo was lauded for something that didn&rsquo;t show up on the scoresheet. He came to the aid of teammate Carlo Colaiacovo, who was leveled by a hip check from Dallas&rsquo; Steve Ott.</p><p>Pietrangelo, 19, received a double minor for roughing and was praised for his response.</p><p>&ldquo;You respect a young guy for that type of thing,&rdquo; said Blues coach Andy Murray.</p><p>St. Louis has begun to show more faith in the No. 4 overall pick from &rsquo;08. He suited up for just one of the first eight contests, but has since played in a string of games. His puck-moving ability and blistering shot got him drafted and those traits are starting to shine.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0035-06

St. Louis

<div class="byline">&#x2013; HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011255/9283581-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="346" height="181"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> When the clock struck midnight on defenseman Tyler Myers, his coach didn&rsquo;t turn into a pumpkin. Instead, Buffalo GM Darcy Regier, as expected, announced in late October that Myers, 19, would remain with the Sabres &ldquo;for the foreseeable future.&rdquo;</p><p>The 6-foot-8 Myers, selected 12th overall in 2008, had two goals and five points through 11 games. He also had a plus-7 rating, was third on the team in average ice time (20:20) and has been used on both the power play and penalty kill.</p><p>&ldquo;For a big man, he&rsquo;s got small-man skills,&rdquo; said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got quick feet and is a smooth stickhandler. He&rsquo;s got those fast, quick skills that make him an effective puckhandler. And he has an incredible reach. He&rsquo;s mature beyond his years.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02834/9283574-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg" title="f0036-02" width="1143" height="964"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>At 6-foot-8, Tyler Myers will be a force for the Sabres for years to come.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BILL WIPPERT/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Myers &ndash; who uses a 65-inch stick, the longest in the league &ndash; has displayed poise with the puck and hasn&rsquo;t shied away from going into the corners. He&rsquo;s a strong, mobile skater for a man of his size.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s not afraid to hold onto the puck,&rdquo; said Henrik Tallinder, Myers&rsquo; defense partner. &ldquo;Some veterans still don&rsquo;t have that confidence.&rdquo;</p><p>While Myers heaved a sigh of relief upon learning the Sabres&rsquo; decision to keep him, he said it was more nerve-wracking in training camp and the pre-season when he was attempting to earn a spot on the roster. Myers believes it will be more beneficial to remain in the NHL, even just practising with the pros, than returning to Kelowna (WHL).</p><p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s nothing left for me to learn in junior,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But, of course, I&rsquo;m biased. I feel like I&rsquo;m a part of the team here. I&rsquo;m just trying to help the team win every game.&rdquo;</p><p>The Sabres were one of the NHL&rsquo;s early-season surprises, using a stingy defense to grab the Northeast Division lead. In Myers, they have a cornerstone on which to build.</p><p>&ldquo;No situation fazes him,&rdquo; said winger Mike Grier. &ldquo;He wants the puck all the time and he&rsquo;s trying to make plays. It&rsquo;s rare for a young kid to have that type of confidence. He&rsquo;s been a big part of what we&rsquo;ve been able to do.&rdquo;</p><p>Buffalo has also used rookie left winger Tim Kennedy. In 11 games, he had a goal and four points.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-01

Buffalo

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MIKE LOFTUS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-03684/9283612-1-eng-US/f0036-032.jpg" title="f0036-03" width="319" height="182"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> Adherence to a development plan is paying off for the Bruins and rookie goalie Tuukka Rask, who&rsquo;s expected to play up to one-third of Boston&rsquo;s games behind Tim Thomas.</p><p>A net-filling 6-foot-3 &ndash; but with more weight needed on his 169-pound frame &ndash; the 22-year-old Finn spent the past two years in the AHL, with NHL cameos. Rask ended a solid October with a 19-save shutout against Edmonton on Halloween.</p><p>Meanwhile, injuries and Boston&rsquo;s uneven start brought winger Brad Marchand, 21, up from the AHL. Though offense didn&rsquo;t come right away, coach Claude Julien was determined to find a place for Marchand&rsquo;s energy and determination.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-03

Boston

<div class="byline">&#x2013; HERB ZURKOWSKY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-04542/9283643-1-eng-US/f0036-042.jpg" title="f0036-04" width="348" height="182"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> It didn&rsquo;t take long for winger Gregory Stewart to make an impression. In his first NHL game, against Toronto in April of 2008, he had numerous scoring chances and held his own in a fight against Bryan McCabe.</p><p>Last season, the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder played in 17 of Montreal&rsquo;s final 25 games, plus two more in the playoffs. Stewart doesn&rsquo;t consider himself a fighter, but his physical presence is a welcome addition.</p><p>&ldquo;My role is to be strong on the forecheck and put pressure on the opposing team&rsquo;s defense,&rdquo; said Stewart, who has been used sparingly this year.</p><p>D-men Yannick Weber (three games) and Shawn Belle (two games) have also played for Montreal this year.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-04

Montreal

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRUCE GARRIOCH</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-05459/9283674-1-eng-US/f0036-052.jpg" title="f0036-05" width="285" height="179"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> Peter Regin was knocking on the door last season. This year, he&rsquo;s finally able to call Ottawa home. As the first month of the NHL calendar wrapped up, the rookie center was given permission to find a permanent residence for the season.</p><p>Not bad for a guy from Denmark, where hockey isn&rsquo;t exactly every youngster&rsquo;s dream. Regin, 23, is solid at both ends of the ice.</p><p>Mostly used on the third line, Regin was promoted to the second when Jason Spezza got hurt. He has also had power play time with Daniel Alfredsson and Alex Kovalev.</p><p>&ldquo;Everybody wants to play against the top players in the world,&rdquo; said Regin, drafted 87th overall in 2004.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-05

Ottawa

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TERRY KOSHAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-06404/9283705-1-eng-US/f0036-062.jpg" title="f0036-06" width="331" height="176"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> While it appears several rookie forwards &mdash; Viktor Stalberg, Tyler Bozak, Christian Hanson &mdash; will get chances to audition, the only Maple Leafs freshman likely to have a big impact this season is goalie Jonas Gustavsson. GM Brian Burke racked up some air miles when he travelled to Sweden to convince Gustavsson, 25, to sign. When Burke&rsquo;s diligence paid off in July, many saw it as a big piece of the club&rsquo;s future.</p><p>But the future is now, as it didn&rsquo;t take long for Gustavsson to wrest the No. 1 role from Vesa Toskala. The lanky rookie was in goal for the Leafs&rsquo; lone win in their first 13 games and his quickness in the crease led to some eye-opening saves his first few starts.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-06

Toronto

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROB TYCHKOWSKI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-011121/9283743-1-eng-US/f0037-012.jpg" title="f0037-01" width="335" height="181"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> The fact you have to look up in the Western Conference standings to find the Colorado Avalanche &ndash; and not way, way down as almost everyone predicted when the regular season began &ndash; tells you the team&rsquo;s rebuilding effort is off to a flying start.</p><p>And playing no small part in this are young guns Matt Duchene and Ryan O&rsquo;Reilly, a pair of 18-year-old centers who have quickly become key ingredients in Colorado&rsquo;s shocking turnaround.</p><p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;ve stepped right in and played very well for us, no question,&rdquo; said Avs coach Joe Sacco, a rookie bench boss who&rsquo;s also having a big impact.</p><p>This is an organization that had steadfastly refused to rush its prospects &ndash; these are the first 18-year-olds to ever play for the Avalanche &ndash; but Duchene and O&rsquo;Reilly left Colorado virtually no choice but to give them NHL paychecks.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-02777/9283736-1-eng-US/f0037-022.jpg" title="f0037-02" width="1135" height="958"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Ryan O&rsquo;Reilly went from 33rd overall to frontliner with the Avalanche.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(CLAUS ANDERSEN/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>O&rsquo;Reilly came out of the starting blocks at an accelerated pace &ndash; 11 points in 15 games to sit third in team scoring &ndash; while Duchene, logging 17 minutes per night on a division leader, is showing why he went third overall in the 2009 draft behind only John Tavares and Victor Hedman.</p><p>When the 10-game mark drew closer and Avs management had to decide whether to keep Duchene and O&rsquo;Reilly (thus activating their entry-level contracts) or send them back to junior, the decision had already made itself.</p><p>Or rather, Duchene and O&rsquo;Reilly made it for them, and there has been no reason for second-guessing.</p><p>Duchene is an obvious high-end talent &ndash; not many expected he&rsquo;d be back in Brampton (OHL) &ndash; but O&rsquo;Reilly, still available at 33rd overall last June, is catching people by surprise. He&rsquo;s anchoring the penalty kill, challenging for the league lead in plus-minus, winning faceoffs and contributing as much as anyone to the team&rsquo;s offense.</p><p>&ldquo;Certainly their play dictated the majority of that decision,&rdquo; said Avs GM Greg Sherman. &ldquo;Our coaching staff were very comfortable with these two players, both Matt and Ryan, not only with their minutes, but also in crucial parts of the game.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-01

Colorado

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RANDY SPORTAK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-03621/9283774-1-eng-US/f0037-032.jpg" title="f0037-03" width="332" height="179"></div><p><b>ROOKIE REPORT</b> Not a single rookie made the Flames during training camp and none played in the opening month.</p><p>Calgary has a few kids who will eventually get a look &ndash; center Mikael Backlund and defensemen Matt Pelech and John Negrin &mdash; but no youngster is under the gun more than Curtis McElhinney, the backup netminder who is the closest thing Calgary has to a rookie.</p><p>The hard-luck case must show he&rsquo;s of NHL caliber &ndash; last year, he didn&rsquo;t win a start until the season finale.</p><p>Calgary wants 15 to 20 starts from its backup this year to keep Miikka Kiprusoff fresh, so McElhinney must do the job. If not, the Flames will find someone else to or summon Leland Irving from the AHL.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-03

Calgary

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROB TYCHKOWSKI</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-04527/9283805-1-eng-US/f0037-042.jpg" title="f0037-04" width="333" height="176"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> The Oilers are two years removed from their influx of rookies &ndash; when Sam Gagner, Andrew Cogliano and Tom Gilbert broke in &ndash; so the young end of the lineup is pretty much filled.</p><p>The rookies playing this season stepped into the breach as injuries cut a swath through the blueline. When Sheldon Souray, Steve Staios and Lubomir Visnovsky went down, Taylor Chorney and Theo Peckham stepped up.</p><p>Peckham had a cup of NHL coffee until Visnovsky recovered from a suspected bout of H1N1, but Chorney played 10 of the first 15 games. He&rsquo;s a smooth skater who thinks the game very well, but was often pressed into more minutes than he was ready for.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-04

Edmonton

<div class="byline">&#x2013; MICHAEL RUSSO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-05476/9283836-1-eng-US/f0037-052.jpg" title="f0037-05" width="352" height="182"></div><p><b>ROOKIE REPORT</b> Thanks to poor drafting and the trading of picks, the Wild has a severe lack of prospect depth and no rookies on the roster.</p><p>A.J. Thelen and Roman Voloshenko (12th and 42nd overall in 2004) were busts, as was Ondrej Fiala (40th in &rsquo;06). Benoit Pouliot (fourth in &rsquo;05) and James Sheppard (ninth in &rsquo;06), have been slow to develop. But fan-favorite Cal Clutterbuck (72nd in &rsquo;06) led the NHL in hits last season.</p><p>&ldquo;(Sheppard) can be,&rdquo; said assistant GM Tom Thompson when asked about being a top-nine forward. &ldquo;Pouliot&rsquo;s been erratic, but I look at his talent level. Why can&rsquo;t he be? If you flip them and say Clutterbuck was our first-rounder in &lsquo;06, people would say, &lsquo;I like him.&rsquo;&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-05

Minnesota

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ELLIOTT PAP</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0037-06420/9283867-1-eng-US/f0037-062.jpg" title="f0037-06" width="343" height="179"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> With Pavol Demitra out long term, the Canucks had a vacancy in their top-six forward group. Those auditioning included freshmen Cody Hodgson, Sergei Shirokov and Michael Grabner.</p><p>Hodgson didn&rsquo;t make it and went back to junior with a sore back. Shirokov made it, but lasted just six pointless games. That left Grabner, the 14th overall pick in 2006. He started the season in the AHL, but returned when Daniel Sedin broke his foot in Game 4.</p><p>Grabner showed promise with five points in nine games, meshing well with Ryan Kesler and Mason Raymond on a speedy second line. But he injured ankle ligaments, leaving the Canucks without a legitimate rookie in the lineup.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0037-06

Vancouver

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ERIC DUHATSCHEK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011211/9283905-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="350" height="178"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> What sets the Stars&rsquo; rookie crop apart this year, last year, and really every year since about 1988 with Mike Modano, is that they&rsquo;ve rarely had a blue-chipper, can&rsquo;t-miss, Sidney Crosby-type come down the pipeline.</p><p>Instead, they&rsquo;ve been a lot like this year&rsquo;s primary rookie addition. Left winger Jamie Benn was drafted 129th overall in &rsquo;07, but cracked the lineup in training camp and was playing on a scoring line alongside vets Mike Ribeiro and Brenden Morrow. Benn was one of two rookies to make the Stars roster along with center Tom Wandell, the 146th player chosen in &rsquo;05. Virtually every youngster that has made the team in this transitional year for Dallas was developed in-house.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02822/9283898-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg" title="f0038-02" width="1143" height="964"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Jamie Benn has surprised many by jumping right from junior into the Dallas lineup.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Benn is an exception of sorts, given that he was still playing for his hometown Victoria Grizzlies (B.C. Jr. A League) during his draft year. From there, he spent two seasons with Kelowna in the WHL. Last season, after 82 points in 56 contests, he led the league in playoff scoring with 33 points in 19 games and made the WHL&rsquo;s first all-star team.</p><p>Rarely do Stars prospects ever bypass the minors for the NHL, but Benn has made the jump after an impressive training camp and developing at an accelerated rate.</p><p>&ldquo;Everybody told me he was going to play in the NHL, but most people thought he&rsquo;d need a little time in the minors,&rdquo; said coach Marc Crawford. &ldquo;He hasn&rsquo;t. He&rsquo;s been just terrific.</p><p>&ldquo;What sets him apart is his hockey sense, which is high-end. He&rsquo;s got really good hands. He makes plays. He can play with good players. He&rsquo;s mature enough that while he doesn&rsquo;t know everything yet, he is really a clever kid.&rdquo;</p><p>As for Wandell, Crawford saw tapes of him in the summer and said his early-season contributions were invaluable in keeping the Stars competitive because of injuries at center to Modano and Brad Richards. Crawford was especially impressed with Wandell&rsquo;s all-around game.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s obviously been schooled really well,&rdquo; Crawford said. &ldquo;We can play him in a second-line role and we&rsquo;ve had to at times. He&rsquo;s very good on the third line and obviously, he&rsquo;s biding his time while playing behind these other good centers.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-01

Dallas

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ERIC STEPHENS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03660/9283936-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="340" height="176"></div><p><b>ROOKIE REPORT</b> The Ducks don&rsquo;t have a rookie who will have the same kind of impact as Bobby Ryan did last season.</p><p>Highly touted Luca Sbisa, 19, started off as Scott Niedermayer&rsquo;s defense partner out of camp, but Sbisa&rsquo;s early struggles in his own end forced Anaheim to return him to Lethbridge of the Western League where he&rsquo;ll log major minutes instead of 10 minutes a night with the Ducks.</p><p>Left winger Matt Beleskey did get a look-see on the checking line for three games while Evgeny Artyukhin was suspended, but he was returned to the AHL. Goalie Justin Pogge will figure in the Ducks&rsquo; plans if veteran Jean-Sebastien Giguere is dealt at some point.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-03

Anaheim

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JONATHAN DAVIS</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-04532/9283967-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="344" height="179"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> Defenseman Davis Drewiske arrived at training camp with little fanfare. But less than a month into the season, the Kings locked him up with a three-year deal.</p><p>&ldquo;He grabbed the opportunity when he got the call and he continues to improve,&rdquo; said coach Terry Murray.</p><p>Drewiske takes a safe approach and is rarely out of position. He&rsquo;s a student of the game and spends a lot of time studying video of his favorite player, Detroit&rsquo;s Nicklas Lidstrom.</p><p>Up front, the Kings hope they have a diamond in the rough with Scott Parse. The 25-year-old was the leading scorer in Manchester (AHL) when he got the call to replace an injured Justin Williams.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-04

Los Angeles

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JIM GINTONIO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-05428/9283998-1-eng-US/f0038-052.jpg" title="f0038-05" width="302" height="179"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> Knowing his role is something that will keep Paul Bissonnette, defenseman turned aggressive forward, in the NHL for years. He has adapted well and knows his ice time will be limited. He&rsquo;s smart about aggression, picking his spot to play physical and vent his wrath.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s an old defenseman (24) so he understands the game,&rdquo; said coach Dave Tippett. &ldquo;He understands what he&rsquo;s doing.&rdquo;</p><p>Bissonnette, claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh on Sept. 30, strives to create energy and be a positive on the bench: &ldquo;You&rsquo;re encouraging guys, and you&rsquo;re letting them know they&rsquo;re doing a good job, so in that aspect, yeah, I think I&rsquo;ve done well.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-05

Phoenix

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAVID POLLAK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-06363/9284029-1-eng-US/f0038-062.jpg" title="f0038-06" width="336" height="182"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> The Sharks traded Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich in September with the hope someone in the organization would show he was ready to play defense at the NHL level.</p><p>That person turned out to be Jason Demers, San Jose&rsquo;s 2008 seventh round pick (186th).</p><p>&ldquo;I just said to myself I didn&rsquo;t really have anything to lose,&rdquo; Demers said. &ldquo;I just decided to go all-out and go for it.&rdquo;</p><p>Todd McLellan has some concerns about the 21-year-old&rsquo;s play in his own zone, but the coach very much likes Demers&rsquo; overall package.</p><p>Demers is one of three rookies contributing to the Sharks&rsquo; early success as forwards Ryan Vesce and Benn Ferriero also have earned regular shifts.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-06

San Jose

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RORY BOYLEN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-011114/9284067-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="353" height="184"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> When the Panthers snagged Dmitry Kulikov with the 14th overall selection in the draft last summer, the team viewed it as something of a steal.</p><p>After all, in Kulikov they got an NHL-ready, defensively conscious blueliner with a knack for scoring as evidenced by his 62 points in 57 Quebec League games last year.</p><p>Kulikov has been given every opportunity to display his trademark skills. Second only to Bryan McCabe in power play time among Panthers defensemen, Kulikov scored all of his four October points on the man advantage &ndash; which just happens to be one of the league&rsquo;s worst.</p><p>The fact Kulikov didn&rsquo;t post a plus rating in any October match is disconcerting, but his timing and tactics in the defensive end will come as he acclimatizes himself to the professional game.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02724/9284060-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="1142" height="959"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Dmitry Kulikov is one of six players drafted last June playing in the NHL this season.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(LEN REDKOLES/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Kulikov is the leader of this year&rsquo;s rookie crop in Florida and even though his numbers don&rsquo;t inspire headlines, it&rsquo;s hard to ask much more out of the just-turned 19-year-old at this juncture.</p><p>The Panthers have a few other rookies in and out of the lineup this season, none of whom have been lighting the lamp enough or settling into a niche to warrant a significant amount of ice time.</p><p>Perhaps the most intriguing rookie story in Miami is that of Victor Oreskovich. A second round pick of Colorado in 2004, Oreskovich retired from hockey after his overage Ontario League season in 2007.</p><p>When he decided he wanted to return to the game, it didn&rsquo;t take long for his former junior coach, Peter DeBoer, to convince Florida GM Randy Sexton to give Oreskovich a chance.</p><p>An invitation to camp set the wheels in motion and, amazingly, Oreskovich made his NHL debut Oct. 31, playing 13:42 with a plus-1 rating.</p><p>Through his first couple of games, Oreskovich was averaging more than 12 minutes of ice time, almost double the amount of playing time the rest of Florida&rsquo;s rookie forward class (Michael Repik, Shawn Matthias, Kenndal McArdle) was receiving.</p><p>He can&rsquo;t be leaned on as a scorer, but Oreskovic is the kind of gritty forward fans identify with because of his dogged play and inspiring tale.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0039-01

Florida

<div class="byline">&#x2013; GUY CURTRIGHT</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03563/9284098-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="342" height="179"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> Evander Kane had an assist in his first game and a goal in his second. Not a bad way to break into the NHL, especially when you turned 18 just two months ago.</p><p>The No. 4 pick in June&rsquo;s draft was just getting started, though. Kane scored the winner in the Thrashers&rsquo; fourth game and quickly established himself as NHL-ready, just as Atlanta had expected. So much for all that &ldquo;too young&rdquo; and &ldquo;too skinny&rdquo; talk.</p><p>Playing left wing on the third line with Marty Reasoner and Colby Armstrong, Kane had three goals and five points in 10 games and was plus-4.</p><p>Kane hasn&rsquo;t received much power play time, but he was a valuable member of a much-improved penalty-kill.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0039-03

Atlanta

<div class="byline">&#x2013; LUKE DECOCK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-04470/9284129-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="351" height="179"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> Carolina doesn&rsquo;t have a single rookie on the oldest roster in the league. But that will change next season &ndash; and even sooner if the Canes&rsquo; struggles continue.</p><p>With 10 expiring NHL contracts, Carolina is developing a group of young players in the AHL with a plan to bring them up together next fall. The top prospects include forwards Zach Boychuk (14th overall, 2008) and Drayson Bowman (72nd, &rsquo;07); defenseman Jamie McBain (63rd, &lsquo;06); and goalies Mike Murphy (165th, &rsquo;08) and Justin Peters (38th, &rsquo;04).</p><p>Sophomore NHLer Brandon Sutter, 20, was supposed to be the group&rsquo;s unofficial leader, but he had to be recalled. If the Canes&rsquo; continue to falter, he won&rsquo;t be the only one.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0039-04

Carolina

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DAMIAN CRISTODERO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-05392/9284160-1-eng-US/f0039-052.jpg" title="f0039-05" width="311" height="179"></div><p><b>ROOKIE REPORT</b> The Lightning knew it had a good one when it drafted Victor Hedman No. 2 overall last June. It just didn&rsquo;t realize how good.</p><p>The 6-foot-6, 220-pound defenseman skates better than advertised, loves to jump into the offensive flow and has good vision and passing skills. He&rsquo;s even manning the point on the first power play unit.</p><p>He is 18, though, so there are rough edges &ndash; such as his offensive urges, which put him out of position occasionally.</p><p>Just as much of a plus is left winger James Wright. The 117th overall pick in &rsquo;08, Wright, 19, was given little chance of making the team, but his straight-ahead style and forechecking ability earned him a regular shift.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0039-05

Tampa Bay

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PETER KERZEL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-06325/9284191-1-eng-US/f0039-062.jpg" title="f0039-06" width="352" height="183"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>R</span>OOKIE REPORT</b> At times during his playoff debut last spring, rookie goalie Semyon Varlamov brilliantly frustrated the Rangers and Pens. At other times, his inexperience was clearly exposed.</p><p>With starter Jose Theodore in the final season of a two-year pact, the 21-year-old Varlamov is on the fast track and will be given the opportunity to prove himself. The rising stock of net prospects Michal Neuvirth and Braden Holtby means there&rsquo;s little room for backsliding.</p><p>Varlamov needs to develop his all-around game &ndash; it&rsquo;s not enough to rely on his flashy saves. But flipping between butterfly and upright styles makes it difficult for opponents to peg him and his glovework and reflexes are impressive.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0039-06

Washington

<div class="byline">BY TIM CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01731/9284257-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="958" height="1191"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02456/9284264-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="213" height="214"></div><p><b>MIKAEL BACKLUND GIVES</b> the word homesick a whole new meaning.</p><p>The Abbotsford Heat&rsquo;s rookie center had a whirlwind 10 months after deciding, despite loving his hometown of Vasteras, Sweden, the cure for his hockey malaise was elsewhere.</p><p>&ldquo;It was my hometown, I&rsquo;d been there my whole life and I felt I needed a fresh start, so Kelowna was a good decision,&rdquo; said Backlund, 20, of his mid-season jump to the eventual Western League-champion Rockets. &ldquo;I had a rough start at home, didn&rsquo;t feel comfortable there and I felt I needed something new.&rdquo;</p><p>Asked to put his finger on the problem &ndash; boredom, maybe? &ndash; the Calgary Flames first round pick (24th overall) in 2007 said it was more like hockey&rsquo;s old vicious circle.</p><p>&ldquo;I had a hard time playing at my top level,&rdquo; he said of the four goals and eight points he had in 17 games with Vasteras to start 2008-09. &ldquo;I struggled with my game and when you don&rsquo;t play well, you don&rsquo;t get to play much. I started to get frustrated; I didn&rsquo;t have any confidence.&rdquo;</p><p>The unusual mid-season change also offered him an early introduction to North America.</p><p>&ldquo;It gave me a chance to get used to the style over here and the living style,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I was afraid of what it might be like in a new country. Guys were much the same; really good guys. We did the same kinds of things we did at home.&rdquo;</p><p>Backlund certainly helped the Rockets after arriving, earning 12 goals and 30 points in 28 games, then 13 goals and 23 points in 19 playoff games.</p><p>That confidence figures to help the rookie&rsquo;s jump to the pro game.</p><p>&ldquo;We all recognize he&rsquo;s a great talent,&rdquo; said Abbotsford coach Jim Playfair. &ldquo;The next part is to make sure he&rsquo;s a consistent player the whole 200 feet of the rink. His play away from the puck, his awareness when he has the puck, (supporting) both defensemen and wingers &ndash; it&rsquo;s all those details that are going to allow him to be a real solid player in the NHL.</p><p>&ldquo;Obviously his offensive talents are going to give him a chance to play. His commitment to the details of defensive hockey are going to give him a chance to stay.&rdquo;</p><p>Before leaving Vasteras, Backlund helped Sweden win successive world junior silver medals.</p><p>&ldquo;Those tournaments, except for the playoffs in Kelowna last year, they were the best times of my hockey life,&rdquo; Backlund said.</p><h2><b>Mikael Backlund</b></h2><p>Abbotsford Heat</p><p><b>Ht.</b> 6-4</p><p><b>Wt.</b> 194</p><p><b>Pos.</b> C</p><p><b>Age</b> 20</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03354/9284250-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="229" height="138"></div><h2><b>AND COUNTING</b></h2><p><b>7</b></p><p>Backlund&rsquo;s point total through 14 games with Abbotsford</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04283/9284243-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="198" height="198"></div><h2><b>Hey, Ben Maxwell,</b>&nbsp;EXPECT THE CALL</h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-05244/9284236-1-eng-US/f0042-052.jpg" title="f0042-05" width="197" height="103"></div><p>The 21-year-old center, Montreal&rsquo;s second round pick in 2006 (49th overall), continues to impress with his skating, playmaking and smarts. He showed defensive responsibility during a brief NHL stint last season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-06218/9284229-1-eng-US/f0042-062.jpg" title="f0042-06" width="186" height="271"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DAVE SANDFORD/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-07184/9284222-1-eng-US/f0042-072.jpg" title="f0042-07" width="312" height="90"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0042-01

CAREER JUMP START

<div class="byline">&#x2013; TIM CAMPBELL</div><p>There was little summer stress for Houston Aeros coach Kevin Constantine despite an organizational house-cleaning.</p><p>New Minnesota GM Chuck Fletcher and new coach Todd Richards did not ask the veteran Constantine to revamp his style on the farm.</p><p>&ldquo;The previous management didn&rsquo;t care how we coached the team because they knew any player we sent them could be educated real quick on how they played,&rdquo; said Constantine, now in his third season with Houston. &ldquo;Ninety-five per cent of the way we coached the team last year hasn&rsquo;t changed.&rdquo;</p><p>But there are a few changes with the Wild&rsquo;s new up-tempo style. Often, though, it&rsquo;s personnel that matters most.</p><p>&ldquo;They want whoever comes (up) to be onto their system real quick,&rdquo; Constantine said. &ldquo;(But) you have to fit the way you play with the personnel you have.&rdquo;</p><p>OLD FOE, NEW MATE The Grand Rapids Griffins signed a player they knew well in veteran defenseman Doug Janik. He played for Rockford and Hamilton in 2008-09. Grand Rapids beat Hamilton in an emotional first round playoff series last spring. Janik, 29, is a 161-game NHL veteran. He had six points and was a team-leading plus-4 in October.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

NOTHING WILD IN HOUSTON

<div class="byline">BY KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01720/9284340-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="966" height="1183"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>HEN ALEX STALOCK MADE</b> the jump from squirt to peewee back in South St. Paul, Minn., he said goodbye to being a skater and hello to a life in the goal crease.</p><p>The coaches knew that&rsquo;s where he&rsquo;d be best, so did he.</p><p>His departure a year early from Minnesota-Duluth for an NHL contract with the San Jose Sharks is proof everyone was correct.</p><p>Except along the way, Stalock wasn&rsquo;t ever willing to give up puck-handling. So while he became better and better at stopping the puck, he incorporated playing the puck into his game.</p><p>&ldquo;I just think it&rsquo;s wanting to have the puck and have a little control of the game,&rdquo; said the Worcester Sharks rookie.</p><p>Added Worcester coach Roy Sommer: &ldquo;He&rsquo;s the best puck-moving goalie I&rsquo;ve coached.&rdquo;</p><p>Sommer can&rsquo;t say whether Stalock will become the best puck-stopper he&rsquo;s coached. Not when that list already includes Miikka Kiprusoff, Evgeni Nabokov, Vesa Toskala, Johan Hedberg and Nolan Schaefer.</p><p>&ldquo;But he&rsquo;s going to be right up with those other guys we&rsquo;ve had,&rdquo; Sommer said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s quick, he&rsquo;s real athletic and the competitor in him is going to get him where he has to go.&rdquo;</p><p>How competitive is Stalock? &ldquo;You know when guys play that &lsquo;last-puck&rsquo; drill and there&rsquo;s 16 guys trying to score?&rdquo; Sommer said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had to kick them off the ice after 15 minutes because they couldn&rsquo;t get it by him.&rdquo;</p><p>He&rsquo;s been like that in games, too. Through October, Stalock was 5-1-0-1 with a 1.95 goals-against average and .924 save percentage.</p><p>Stalock, 22, was drafted by the Sharks in the fourth round (112th overall) in 2005, fitting in that he attended Warren Strehlow&rsquo;s goaltending camp &ndash; Strehlow was the Sharks&rsquo; long-time goalie coach until his death in April, 2007.</p><p>Stalock had a great junior season at UMD. He went 21-13-8 with a 2.13 GAA and .924 save percentage in helping the Bulldogs to the WCHA championship and an NCAA tournament berth. The Sharks, UMD coaches and Stalock knew turning pro was best for his career. He only needs to fine-tune his game, not overhaul it.</p><p>&ldquo;The Sharks want you to try a lot of stuff and see if it works, but they&rsquo;re not forcing you to change,&rdquo; Stalock said. &ldquo;Some things are going to take time.&rdquo;</p><p>But not that much time.</p><h2><b>Alex Stalock</b></h2><p>Worcester Sharks</p><p><b>Ht.</b> 6-0</p><p><b>Wt.</b> 185</p><p><b>Pos.</b> G</p><p><b>Age</b> 22</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03402/9284333-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="229" height="130"></div><h2><b>AND COUNTING</b></h2><p><b>14</b></p><p>Goals against Stalock this season in seven-plus games of work</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04303/9284326-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="186" height="261"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(WORCESTER SHARKS)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>TWO-WAY PLAY</b></h2><p><b>Andrei Loktionov</b></p><p>Manchester Monarchs</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-05261/9284319-1-eng-US/f0043-052.jpg" title="f0043-05" width="197" height="115"></div><h3><b>ON</b>&nbsp;<b>TOP</b></h3><p><b>+10</b></p><p><b>PLUS-MINUS</b></p><p>Alexandre Giroux, Her +9</p><p>Scott Parse, Man +8</p><p>Oscar Moller, Man +8</p><p>Tom Pyatt, Ham +8</p><p>Brock Trotter, Ham +8</p><p>Chris Chelios, Chi +7<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0043-01

STINGY STOPPER

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEVIN OKLOBZIJA</div><p>Roy Sommer admits the idea of being an NHL coach still intrigues him, but he&rsquo;s not preoccupied with leaving the Worcester Sharks.</p><p>Not even after 12 seasons.</p><p>Sommer, 52, became just the fourth coach in AHL history to win 400 games, but he&rsquo;s quite content developing talent for the San Jose Sharks.</p><p>They&rsquo;ve been his employer for 14 consecutive seasons (two as an NHL assistant from 1996 to &rsquo;98). He&rsquo;s so content he recently signed a contract extension through 2011-12.</p><p>&ldquo;You always think the grass is greener on the other side,&rdquo; Sommer said. &ldquo;But 14 years is a long time. They very easily could have gotten rid of me.&rdquo;</p><p>Only Fred &lsquo;Bun&rsquo; Cook (636), Frank Mathers (610) and John Paddock (585) won more AHL games as a coach.</p><p>A LOCKE TO SCORE Sixth-year right winger Corey Locke is again proving he&rsquo;s one of the AHL&rsquo;s elite scorers, this time with the Hartford Wolf Pack.</p><p>At 5-foot-9, 189 pounds, size has always been an issue for Locke, but he&rsquo;s become a big-time scorer. He totaled eight goals and 17 points in 12 games to begin the season.</p><p>He scored a career-high 30 goals for Hamilton in 2007-08 and a career-high 79 points last season for Houston.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

MAKING HISTORY

<div class="byline">&#x2013; DENIS GIBBONS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0044-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01623/9284402-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>Jiri Hudler&rsquo;s controversial jump to Moscow Dynamo has been successful.</b> <span class="photo-credit">(HUDLER: KHL PHOTO SERVICES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>EVEN WITH A PERENNIAL</b> Stanley Cup contender, being a small fish in a big pond just wasn&rsquo;t enough for Czech Republic native Jiri Hudler.</p><p>And the two-year, $10-million contract he was offered by Moscow Dynamo was the clincher in his decision to leave the Detroit Red Wings.</p><p>&ldquo;I had been assured that arbitration would settle a contract dispute with Detroit to my advantage,&rdquo; Hudler said. &ldquo;But though I won the Stanley Cup (in 2008), I wasn&rsquo;t a leading part of the team. My dream was to play on the first line.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02385/9284395-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg" title="f0044-02" width="251" height="273"></div><p>Now he is a first-liner, part of the Moscow club&rsquo;s top power play unit and is sixth in league scoring with eight goals and 23 points through 21 games. Playing with Swedish scoring star and October forward of the month Mattias Weinhandl (first in KHL scoring with 13 goals and 28 points), Hudler has helped Dynamo to third place in the 12-team Western Conference and fifth overall.</p><p>Countryman Karel Rachunek and former NHL defenseman Danny Markov have eased Hudler&rsquo;s transition to life in Moscow by serving as interpreters for him until he learns the language.</p><p>In another age, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia were bitter enemies on the ice. But times have changed dramatically. Hudler can visit Czech House in Moscow to enjoy the culinary delights of his homeland or dine at a restaurant owned by Czech coach Milos Riha, who now is Moscow Spartak&rsquo;s bench boss.</p><p>Hudler&rsquo;s surprising jump to the KHL followed his best NHL season in 2008-09: 23 goals, 57 points in 82 games. He made $1.15 million last season and reportedly turned down a five-year, $15-million offer from Detroit.</p><p>Hudler wanted to be a top-line player, but was also direct about the contract he received from Dynamo.</p><p>&ldquo;The Russians offered me the most lucrative contract of my career,&rdquo; he said.</p><p>While Hudler signed with Dynamo in July, the International Ice Hockey Federation did not approve his transfer until September after investigating whether Hudler was still under contract to Detroit. The IIHF ruled that Hudler&rsquo;s file for NHL arbitration was signed by his agent, but not the player himself, making him an unrestricted free agent.</p><p>Jaromir Jagr and Jakub Klepis, two Czechs who play for Avangard Omsk, told Hudler he wouldn&rsquo;t regret playing in Russia. Former Dynamo coach Vladimir Vujtek, the first Czech ever to coach in Russia&rsquo;s top league, called him last year to suggest he cross the ocean.</p><p>Chris Chelios, Kris Draper and coach Mike Babcock tried to convince Hudler to stay in Detroit, but when he finally made the decision to sign with Dynamo he left on good terms.</p><p>Czech Olympic coach Vladimir Ruzicka is counting heavily on Hudler as the Czechs try to win their second Olympic gold medal in Vancouver.</p><p>Early indications are that he will play a leading role in the team. During the Czech Hockey Games tournament in Karlovy Vary in September, Hudler was named most valuable player after scoring two goals and the shootout winner, as the Czechs upset Russia 3-2 to win the gold.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-01

MONEY TALKS

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RISTO PAKARINEN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-03285/9284440-1-eng-US/f0044-032.jpg" title="f0044-03" width="506" height="657"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KRUGER: CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS)</span></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-04228/9284433-1-eng-US/f0044-042.jpg" title="f0044-04" width="224" height="132"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span>n Sweden, the Elitserien names four rookie-of-the-year candidates during the course of the season; the first is Marcus Kruger, 19, from Stockholm&rsquo;s Djurgarden. The forward began the season with six goals and 18 points in 16 games.</p><p>Chicago&rsquo;s fifth round pick (149th) in 2009, Kruger leads his team in scoring and is fifth in the league. His 18 points have already tied Mats Sundin for fourth all-time for under-20 players in Djurgarden history. The club record is held by Kent Nilsson who scored 54 points in 36 games in 1975-76.</p><p>&ldquo;Kruger has carried a heavy load, despite his young age,&rdquo; the jury said in a statement. &ldquo;Obviously, an exceptional talent.&rdquo;</p><p>Added Per Marts, coach of the junior national team and a member of the jury: &ldquo;An excellent choice for rookie of the year.&rdquo;</p><p>Last season, Kruger played 15 games in Elitserien and recorded two goals and four points.</p><p>The rookie of the year winner also receives 7,000 euros to be donated to the his junior club. In Kruger&rsquo;s case, that would be Huddinge, a team based in a suburb south of Stockholm. NHLer Michael Nylander played there, as did Kruger&rsquo;s teammates Jimmie Olvestad, Kristofer Ottoson and Nichlas Falk, along with their coach, Mikael Johansson.</p><p>&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t say I&rsquo;m surprised because I&rsquo;ve coached him in the juniors,&rdquo; Johansson said, &ldquo;but his season just goes to show the importance of self-confidence,&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-03

TEENAGED SENSATION

<div class="byline">&#x2013; LARRY MAHONEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02343/9284492-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="283" height="283"></div><p><b>ALEX VELISCHEK WAS</b> a forward in youth hockey.</p><p>But when his dad, 10-year NHL defenseman Randy Velischek coached him, he made him move to the blueline.</p><p>&ldquo;He stressed playing defense,&rdquo; said the 18-year-old. &ldquo;He wanted me to learn the position.</p><p>&ldquo;When I got to high school, they converted me into a defenseman. I already had a good idea how to play defense. It was good my dad forced me to learn all that stuff.&rdquo;</p><p>It has paid dividends. Velischek was a fifth round pick by Pittsburgh in June (123rd overall) and earned a scholarship to play at Providence, his parents&rsquo; alma mater. The freshman is seeing 20 to 23 minutes of ice time a game and playing special teams.</p><p>&ldquo;He is playing very well,&rdquo; said Providence coach Tim Army, a former teammate of Velischek&rsquo;s dad in college and the pros. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s big and strong and gets around the ice very well. He has a good sense for the game and he has great composure.&rdquo;</p><p>The 2009 New Jersey high school player of the year consults his father all the time.</p><p>&ldquo;He&rsquo;s been really good,&rdquo; the son said. &ldquo;He does a good job breaking games down for me. If I have a bad game or I&rsquo;m having a tough time, I&rsquo;ll call him and he&rsquo;ll tell me how to get through it. It means a lot.&rdquo;</p><p>The 6-foot, 200-pound Velischek said his dad never meddled in his decision to attend Providence, but &ldquo;it has worked out nicely&rdquo; and he&rsquo;s happy with his start.</p><p>Randy Velischek was an all-American and an exceptional student. Alex said following in his dad&rsquo;s footsteps is important.</p><p>&ldquo;My goal is to be on the all-academic team,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I may not be an all-star hockey player, but I want to be a good student.&rdquo;</p><p>But Army believes Velischek will have an opportunity to play in the NHL.</p><p>&ldquo;He has a big upside,&rdquo; said Army, a former NHL assistant. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s very smart and physically gifted. He has potential to evolve at the college level to give himself a chance.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01533/9284485-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="684" height="925"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TIM GILLIGAN/PROVIDENCE COLLEGE)</span></figcaption></div><p>Velischek needs to get stronger. He noted his senior defense partner Mark Fayne has been a tremendous mentor.</p><p>&ldquo;The biggest thing is learning how to play without the puck,&rdquo; Velischek said. &ldquo;But I feel a lot more comfortable now. It&rsquo;s a huge learning process.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>Alex Velischek</b></h2><p>Providence College Friars</p><p><b>Ht.</b> 6-0</p><p><b>Wt.</b> 200</p><p><b>Pos.</b> D</p><p><b>Age</b> 18</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03288/9284478-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg" title="f0045-03" width="376" height="88"></div><h2><b>Draft Status</b></h2><p>Selected 123rd overall by Pittsburgh in 2009</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04256/9284471-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="175" height="103"></div><h2><b>AND COUNTING</b></h2><p><b>14</b></p><p>Velischek&rsquo;s penalty minutes through seven games this season<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0045-02

DOING LIKE DAD DID

<div class="byline">&#x2013; PHILIP COLVIN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-05229/9284523-1-eng-US/f0045-052.jpg" title="f0045-05" width="297" height="113"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>S</span>everal CCHA freshmen forwards have had big impacts, but Michigan State&rsquo;s Derek Grant has been filling the scoresheet. Playing with Nick Sucharski and CCHA top scorer Corey Tropp, October&rsquo;s rookie of the month is second in league scoring with four goals and 10 points in eight games. &ldquo;Playing with those guys has made it a lot easier for me,&rdquo; said the Ottawa fourth-rounder (118th overall in 2008). The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder has a long reach, soft hands and good vision. &ldquo;Grant is a tremendous passer; Corey goes to good spots and Grant finds him,&rdquo; said Spartans coach Rick Comley.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0045-05

A SPARTAN SETS THE PACE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; LARRY MAHONEY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-06198/9284554-1-eng-US/f0045-062.jpg" title="f0045-06" width="318" height="142"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>N</span>obody has had bigger skates to fill than Northeastern goalie Chris Rawlings. The freshman from North Delta, B.C., has had to replace Brad Thiessen, the 2009 Hockey East player of the year and a Hobey Baker finalist. But the 6-foot-5, 210-pound Rawlings, 21, has played well. &ldquo;He was nervous the first night, but from the third period of that game on, he has been pretty steady,&rdquo; said Northeastern coach Greg Cronin. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s the hardest working kid on our team. He is very, very athletic and very quick for a guy 6-foot-5. If he continues to improve, he&rsquo;s going to be pretty darned good.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0045-06

TAKEOVER DAUNTING

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ANDY BAGGOT</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-08109/9284616-1-eng-US/f0045-082.jpg" title="f0045-08" width="388" height="84"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>W</span>isconsin has three first-rounders and two second-rounders on its blueline. Yet the D-man everyone&rsquo;s asking about is undrafted freshman John Ramage, who&rsquo;s flown under the radar despite an NHL pedigree. Through six games, Ramage, 18, had two goals, five points and a team-leading plus-6. He&rsquo;s the son of Rob Ramage, the No. 1 overall pick in 1974 who played 16 years in the NHL. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a lot further along than anyone would have expected,&rdquo; Wisconsin assistant coach Mark Osiecki said of Ramage, who was passed over in the 2009 draft. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to be a good NHL player.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0045-08

BUILDING A REPUTATION

<div class="byline">&#x2013; NEIL HODGE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02335/9284668-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg" title="f0046-02" width="354" height="191"></div><p><b>ROOKIE KIRILL KABANOV</b> is dealing with the consequences of leaving Russia to join the Quebec League&rsquo;s Moncton Wildcats.</p><p>&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t bother me,&rsquo;&rsquo; said the 6-foot-3, 176-pound left winger in reference to being banned from playing for Russia at the 2010 World Junior Championship. He&rsquo;s already skated for his country more than a dozen times and would like to again. &ldquo;I love Russia. They don&rsquo;t love me. It&rsquo;s one-way love.</p><p>&ldquo;They hated Ovechkin, Kovalchuk, Radulov and Malkin when they left Russia. In a few years, they were NHL stars and people back home love them. I&rsquo;m trying to become a star.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>The 17-year-old is projected to be a top-five pick in the 2010 NHL draft. The Moscow native left Russia amidst controversy, turning down $360,000 from Ufa of the Kontinental League to stay.</p><p>Moncton claimed him seventh overall in the 2009 CHL import draft and then faced a battle with Ufa over who owned his rights. He missed the first month of the season before the International Ice Hockey Federation cleared him to play in the QMJHL.</p><p>&ldquo;I have very good coaches in Moncton,&rsquo;&rsquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m learning about NHL style hockey and how to play a two-way game. This is why I came to Canada.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>Kabanov speaks English well and has an upbeat personality. He fast-tracked through school and, at 14, began university in Russia.</p><p>&ldquo;He has great offensive instincts and real good hands,&rsquo;&rsquo; said Moncton coach Danny Flynn. &ldquo;The challenge for him is to get used to the North American game &ndash; smaller rinks, closer checking and playing a two-way game. He&rsquo;s bright and he came here because he&rsquo;s committed to learning the NHL style. You have to admire his determination.&rdquo;</p><p>The offensively well-rounded Kabanov needs to get stronger and improve defensively.</p><p>&ldquo;His hockey sense is excellent,&rsquo;&rsquo; Flynn said. &ldquo;He knows when it&rsquo;s time to shoot and when it&rsquo;s time to pass. He&rsquo;s very unselfish with the puck. In fact, we&rsquo;re encouraging him to shoot more.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01527/9284661-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="744" height="1004"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(DAVID CONNELL)</span></figcaption></div><p>&ldquo;He has lots of bounce. He comes in every day like he&rsquo;s had six cups of coffee. He missed two months while waiting for the IIHF to clear him. I think all things considered he&rsquo;s made a really solid adjustment so far.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><h2><b>Kirill Kabanov</b></h2><p>Moncton Wildcats</p><p><b>Ht.</b> 6-3</p><p><b>Wt.</b> 176</p><p><b>Pos.</b> LW</p><p><b>Age</b> 17</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-03242/9284654-1-eng-US/f0046-032.jpg" title="f0046-03" width="376" height="88"></div><h2><b>Draft Status</b></h2><p>Ranked fourth overall by ISS for 2010 NHL draft</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-04199/9284647-1-eng-US/f0046-042.jpg" title="f0046-04" width="197" height="99"></div><h2><b>AND COUNTING</b></h2><p><b>1.3</b></p><p>Kabanov&rsquo;s points-per-game average, highest among QMJHL rookies<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-02

FROM RUSSIA SANS LOVE

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROB VANSTONE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-05158/9284699-1-eng-US/f0046-052.jpg" title="f0046-05" width="278" height="155"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>R</span>yan Nugent-Hopkins knows the expectations are there. Anyone who is a first overall pick, as he was at the 2008 bantam draft, is always closely scrutinized. But the Red Deer Rebels&rsquo; 16-year-old center remains unfazed, as evidenced by his early-season production. At the 17-game mark, Nugent-Hopkins had 10 goals and 19 points. &ldquo;I feel some pressure, but I don&rsquo;t really let it bother me at all,&rdquo; the Burnaby, B.C., native said. &ldquo;I just play through it and play my game. I don&rsquo;t really think about what other people think about me. I go out there and try my best and try to help my team any way I can.&rdquo; The transition was eased late last season when, during a five-game call-up, Nugent-Hopkins had two goals and six points. He&rsquo;s NHL draft eligible in 2111.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-05

EARLY RETURNS FOR YOUNG REBEL

<div class="byline">&#x2013; JIM CRESSMAN</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-06137/9284730-1-eng-US/f0046-062.jpg" title="f0046-06" width="332" height="104"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>L</span>ondon Knights GM Mark Hunter has lost track of the miles he puts on his pickup truck scouting. But a trip to Sylvania, Ohio last season to see a goalie was worth the gas. He watched Michael Houser of Wexford, Pa., with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States League try out for the U.S. under-18 team. Hunter invited the then 16-year-old to visit London in the summer; the free agent signed. Houser is proving to be a steady backup to Michael Hutchinson, a 19-year-old Boston Bruins prospect acquired from Barrie in the off-season. &ldquo;He (Hunter) must have liked what he saw and I know I liked what I saw,&rdquo; said Houser, who won five in a row, including over Memorial Cup-champion Windsor, before his streak ended in a nine-round shootout at Guelph.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-06

NEW KNIGHT ANOTHER GEM

<div class="byline">&#x2013; NEIL HODGE</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-07112/9284761-1-eng-US/f0046-072.jpg" title="f0046-07" width="262" height="155"></div><p class="dropcap"><span>Q</span>uebec Remparts rookie Ryan Bourque knows it&rsquo;s a shadow he will never escape. &ldquo;Obviously, there&rsquo;s going to be extra attention with my last name, but I don&rsquo;t look at it as pressure,&rdquo; said the left winger, whose father is Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque. &ldquo;If I can achieve half the things that my dad did, I will be happy with my career.&rdquo; Bourque, 18, a third round pick of the New York Rangers in 2009 (80th overall), spent the past two seasons with the U.S. national team development program. He&rsquo;s a small, speedy forward blessed with offensive skills. &ldquo;The extra attention that comes with my family name is always going to be there,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve learned to use it as a positive because I do have my father there for support and advice when I need it.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-07

MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF

<div class="byline">by Nicolas Chabot</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0047-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0047-01492/9284792-1-eng-US/f0047-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SCOTT CUNNINGHAM/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>HERE&rsquo;S NO ESCAPING</b> the connection between Michael Del Zotto and John Tavares. Del Zotto, the Rangers rookie defenseman, and Tavares, the Islanders rookie center who was drafted first overall last June, not only spent the past three seasons together in the Ontario League with the Oshawa Generals and London Knights, they&rsquo;re now both toiling as NHL freshmen in New York. Del Zotto surprised by cracking the Rangers roster in training camp &ndash; and taking over quarterbacking duties on the power play &ndash; while Tavares, as expected, immediately stepped into a top-line role on Long Island. Despite all the commonalities, there was one key difference between Del Zotto and Tavares &ndash; their ice time. While Del Zotto&rsquo;s was trending way up, Tavares had seen his cut back significantly. <i>(See chart at right.)</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0047-01

NEW YORK’S ROOKIE RACE

<div class="byline">By Larry Humber</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0049-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02234/9284823-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01326/9284830-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="124" height="124"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><h2><b>ACROSS</b></h2><p>1 Chicago&rsquo;s Jonathan ___</p><p>8 Isles goalie Rick ___, pictured</p><p>9 Uses up the playing time of a penalty</p><p>10 A stickmaker</p><p>11 Shinbone</p><p>14 Sends to the minors, ___ out</p><p>15 Swiss city that hosts the Spengler Cup</p><p>20 Involuntary muscle contraction</p><p>21 Helmet</p><p>22 Steve ___ tended net for six NHL teams</p><p>23 ___ camp</p><p>24 Color worn by the Kings, Senators and Stars</p><h2><b>DOWN</b></h2><p>2 &lsquo;The ___ Six&rsquo; included Montreal and Toronto</p><p>3 &lsquo;Tiger&rsquo; is still the NHL&rsquo;s most penalized player</p><p>4 Number of Cups won by the two New York teams</p><p>5 Michel Bergeron was &lsquo;Le Petit ___&rsquo;</p><p>6 Crouch</p><p>7 Hockey great ___ Dumart</p><p>12 A THN writer or a former NHL president</p><p>13 He became Colorado captain in 1992</p><p>16 The first left winger to get 60 goals</p><p>17 Where Mario played as a junior</p><p>18 One who reps a player</p><p>19 The greatest Gretzky</p><p><b>ANSWERS AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT ISSUE AND AT <a href="http://THN.com/XWORD">THN.com/xword</a></b></p><h2><b>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION</b></h2><p><b>ACROSS</b> 1. SLUMP, 8. MEMORIAL, 9. ZDENO, 10. OLYMPICS, 11. STARS, 14. LOYAL, 15. MAJOR, 20. FEINT, 21. HAMILTON, 22. VEGAS, 23. OF COFFEE, 24. CYCLE <b>DOWN</b> 2. LIDSTROM, 3. MONTREAL, 4. KELLY, 5. ROOMS, 6. CIVIC, 7. GLASS, 12. RAY EMERY, 13. CORNWALL, 16. SHOOT, 17. SMACK, 18. CLIFF, 19. HOMER<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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November 23, 2009

ENGINEERING A SOLID YEAR

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