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 5, 2012

The Hockey News - Nov-05-12

<h2><b>Love It Or Leave It</b></h2><p class="dropcap"><span>I</span> like to think of the NHL lockout as my former girlfriend who left me. Out of anger, I tell myself I&rsquo;m better off without her. But the second she knocks on my door, I know I&rsquo;ll let her right back into my life.</p><p><i>Dusten Asmussen, Nashville</i></p><p>I was a huge hockey fan for a long time because it was the most exciting game to watch. I always tried to defend it from people saying football is better. My opinion has changed. I&rsquo;ve watched football lately and find myself counting the days until the next game is on. If there was a hockey season, I wouldn&rsquo;t have even thought about watching football because I never cared for the game. The NHL just lost a diehard fan for good because of a stupid battle over money that should&rsquo;ve been fixed the last time they did this. I have seen my Detroit Red Wings win four Stanley Cups in my lifetime, so I&rsquo;m good. Now I&rsquo;ll root for the Lions.</p><p><i>Ry&rsquo;al Lindgren, Wilton, N.H.</i></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-03989/9704356-1-eng-US/f0006-032.jpg" title="f0006-03" width="558" height="743"></div><h2><b>Junior Jubilation</b></h2><p>As an off-ice official for the Quebec League, it was nice to read your CHL preview (Oct. 15). Last year I discovered how great the league was and now with this lockout it will only be better.</p><p><i>Troy Chaisson, Moncton, N.B.</i></p><p>Why watch pros who only play for money? The CHL has just as good or better hockey, because they&rsquo;re playing for their careers. Pros who&rsquo;ve made it don&rsquo;t give it their all. CHLers are the future and play for the love of the game.</p><p><i>Brosie Schwartzentruber, London, Ont.</i></p><h2><b>Why Worry?</b></h2><p>Adam Proteau&rsquo;s &ldquo;No NHL? No Worries&rdquo; column (Oct. 15) is bang on. Hockey books, movies and docs and watching the P.E.I. Rocket are more ways to enjoy the sport. Ron MacLean&rsquo;s <i>Cornered</i> book is a priority for me, as is anything teaching me hockey history.</p><p><i>Scott Laforest, North Wiltshire, P.E.I.</i></p><h2><b>Sellout Callout</b></h2><p>Your Beyond the Spotlight article on former NHLer Ab McDonald and for-profit autograph hunters (Oct. 1) reminded me of a great story. A few years ago, the Capitals came to Nashville. My dad and I visited their hotel before the game to get autographs. Everyone hounded Alex Ovechkin for multiple autographs just for profit. Alex said something I&rsquo;ll never forget: &ldquo;Kids only.&rdquo; So a little girl and I got his autograph and spoke with him. I felt ashamed for those who wanted to sell his autograph and could not cherish a moment I&rsquo;ll always be thankful to Alex for.</p><p><i>Eric Dunay, Franklin, Tenn.</i></p><h2><b>SPILL FOR A DRILL!</b></h2><p><b>The author of our lead letter next issue wins a Premium</b>&nbsp;<b>DEWALT 20V MAX* Hammerdrill!</b></p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-05491/9704349-1-eng-US/f0006-052.jpg" title="f0006-05" width="98" height="31"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-012448/9704342-1-eng-US/f0006-012.jpg" title="f0006-01" width="180" height="244"></div><p><b>Submit your letter and see rules at: <a href="http://THN.COM/LETTERS">thn.com/letters</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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IN THIS ISSUE

THN INBOX

<div class="byline">By Charlie Teljeur</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0009-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-012086/9704577-1-eng-US/f0009-012.jpg"></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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The Instigator

<div class="byline">BY RONNIE SHUKER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0034-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-011451/9705168-1-eng-US/f0034-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>DALLAS STARS</b></p><p><b>Many consider the Marlies&rsquo; Dallas Eakins, middle, the best coach outside the NHL.</b></p></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0034-021012/9705175-1-eng-US/f0034-022.jpg" title="f0034-02" width="164" height="163"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he first practice</b> of training camp, Toronto Marlies coach Dallas Eakins wasted no time putting Mike Kostka on the spot. The Marlies are a consensus top contender for the Calder Cup, but Kostka&rsquo;s new teammates can&rsquo;t forget how he killed their hopes in last season&rsquo;s final. Eakins playfully ordered Kostka to shoot the puck off a stanchion into the net from center ice, but of course he couldn&rsquo;t duplicate his one-in-a-million goal.</p><p>In overtime of Game 3 in Toronto, Kostka, then with Norfolk, shot a dump-in from the red line in a 0-0 game. Ben Scrivens came out to cut if off, but it bounced off a stanchion into the open net, giving the Admirals a 3-0 series lead en route to a sweep. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not something we&rsquo;re going to get over any time soon,&rdquo; says center Joe Colborne. &ldquo;The only way is if we go back and win it all this year. To put that much work in, come that close and not get anything out of it &ndash; it sucks.</p><p>&ldquo;We still give Kostka a hard time about that stupid goal.&rdquo;</p><p>A few weeks after that loss, Toronto contacted Kostka just five minutes into the free agency period July 1. While management decided just to tweak instead of turn over another playoff-less Maple Leafs roster, it didn&rsquo;t sit on the success of the Marlies. To bolster the blueline, in came Toronto-area natives Kostka, who led all defensemen in playoff scoring, and Paul Ranger, who ranked No. 1 in the team&rsquo;s fitness testing despite not having played a game in almost three years. The organization also signed the American League&rsquo;s active points leader (15th alltime) Keith Aucoin and brought back the team&rsquo;s top scorer, Mike Zigomanis, as well as captain and leading goal-scorer Ryan Hamilton &ndash; all to complete what the Marlies left unfinished last season. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve improved from where we left off last year,&rdquo; Scrivens says. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how you can make the argument that it hasn&rsquo;t helped our team significantly. The core of our leadership, our youth and speed and all the strengths and pillars we had last year are still there and still intact. We&rsquo;ve just gilded them a little bit and put extra decoration on our strengths.&rdquo;</p><p>The Marlies held the spotlight in Toronto during the AHL playoffs after the Maple Leafs missed the post-season for the seventh straight time. And during the lockout, they received all the city&rsquo;s hockey attention. Ricoh Coliseum sold out for the Marlies season opener against the Rochester Americans for the first time since the opening game of 2005-06 after the franchise moved to Toronto from St. John&rsquo;s. Since then, the team has slowly gained ground in a city long considered an NHL-only market. Average attendance has increased each of the past four years, from 3,728 to 5,480, and new season ticketholders are up nearly 80 percent from last season. This is still Leafs Land and the Marlies will always be the Baby Leafs, but making it to the Calder Cup final has put them on the metropolitan map in Toronto. Not only that, it has put every other team in the AHL on notice. &ldquo;(Coach) Dallas thought they snuck up on a lot of teams last year and that&rsquo;s not going to happen again,&rdquo; Aucoin says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a team that everybody knows about now. We have one goal and that&rsquo;s to win a championship here. If we don&rsquo;t get there and win, it&rsquo;s going to be disappointing.&rdquo;</p><p>With Toronto taking greater notice of the Marlies, training camp didn&rsquo;t come without controversy. Here the city sweats the smallest stuff. First came the Nazem Kadri kerfuffle when Eakins called him out for his high body fat, comparing his diet to that of a chip-eating couch potato. Don Cherry later took to Twitter to chastise Eakins and management for continuing what he thinks is a campaign to ruin Kadri. Then came Leo Komarov&rsquo;s choice of jersey number, 87, considered de facto property of Sidney Crosby.</p><p>But there are bigger concerns for Eakins. He&rsquo;s had two years to work with Kadri, but the organization&rsquo;s highesttouted prospect is no more assured of making the big club than when he was drafted seventh overall in 2009. There&rsquo;s Joe Colborne, whose return from off-season surgery to repair torn ligaments and a fracture in his left wrist will be watched closely. Last season, he had 10 goals and 19 points in his first 13 games, but had just six goals and 20 points in 52 games afterward. There&rsquo;s also defenseman Korbinian Holzer, who started the season anchoring the Marlies &lsquo;D.&rsquo; The Leafs are so sure he&rsquo;s ready for the big time they offered him a one-way deal, assuring him a 920-percent raise despite only playing two games in the NHL. Then there&rsquo;s Ranger and the whispers whether he&rsquo;ll ever come clear on the personal reasons that forced him to quit hockey just days after he&rsquo;d turned 25, when he left Tampa Bay eight games into 2009-10. When he addressed the media early in training camp, he was on the verge of tears as he talked about how much he&rsquo;d missed playing.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b><i>The only way to get over last year&rsquo;s loss in the final is to go back and win it all</i></b><br> &ndash; Joe Colborne</blockquote><p>And of course there&rsquo;s Eakins, widely recognized as one of the top coaches in the AHL and among the best outside the NHL. He made no secret of his disappointment at being passed over for the Maple Leafs job when Ron Wilson was fired March 2. The debate is not if, but when and where he finally lands in the NHL. For his part, Eakins isn&rsquo;t concerned with his career trajectory. He signed for three more years with the Marlies, though he&rsquo;s free to take an NHL job after the first, and wants the Calder Cup on his resume before moving up. &ldquo;If I prepare this team and these players to get better, to win hockey games, my career is going to take care of itself,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;My mom told me a long time ago that if I looked after my pennies, the dollars would look after themselves. I just look after what I&rsquo;m doing every day and my career will look after itself.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0035-011348/9705161-1-eng-US/f0035-012.jpg" title="f0035-01" width="1398" height="1134"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>SO CLOSE, OR SO FAR?</b></p><p><b>Nazem Kadri, still not a full-time NHLer, may be a key Marlies cog again this season.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(BOTH: GRAIG ABEL/TORONTO MARLIES)</span></figcaption></div><p>Over his four years as Marlies coach, Eakins has slowly become the face of the franchise. He&rsquo;s a media darling and fans appreciate his interaction via Twitter. The players love him, but fear him as well. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a coach that demands you to go hard every shift,&rdquo; Aucoin says. &ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t do that and you don&rsquo;t do your job, you&rsquo;re going to be out of the lineup. If you don&rsquo;t go out there and do what you&rsquo;re supposed to do, whether you&rsquo;re a veteran or a rookie, you&rsquo;re not going to play.&rdquo;</p><p>What enables Eakins, 45, to command and keep his players&rsquo; respect: he prepares like he&rsquo;s one of them. A veteran of more than 1,000 pro games, including 120 in the NHL, he&rsquo;s a nutrition wackjob and a training junkie, especially cycling. Last season, when some players took part in an optional &ldquo;dry island&rdquo; pact of 30 days without alcohol, Eakins told them he&rsquo;d go 100. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a guy that lets his actions speak way louder than his words and he&rsquo;s a pretty talkative guy, so his actions need to be top notch,&rdquo; Colborne says. &ldquo;In the time I&rsquo;ve known him, he&rsquo;s followed through on every single thing. I have a ton of respect for that man.</p><p>&ldquo;You walk by him on the bike, peek at his meter and he&rsquo;s been on for 50 minutes already and his wattage is through the roof. It&rsquo;s nuts. You see him and then you see some coaches that are out of shape and they&rsquo;re sitting there screaming at you to get skating. He would never ask us to go do something he couldn&rsquo;t do himself.&rdquo;</p><p>With Eakins back behind the bench, the blueline rebuilt and the main offensive weapons returned, the Marlies are primed for another run at the AHL title. The Maple Leafs&rsquo; 45-year Stanley Cup drought is well known, but no Toronto AHL farm club has ever won the Calder Cup. While every team will be gunning for them, they at least won&rsquo;t have to worry about Kostka destroying their dreams again. He still hasn&rsquo;t heard the end of his fluke goal from his new teammates, however, even though all the stanchions at Ricoh were replaced in the summer. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a constant few jabs every day,&rdquo; Kostka says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;ll fizzle out hopefully over the next little bit, but it&rsquo;s all in good fun.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Out From The Shadow

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0016-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-012000/9704922-1-eng-US/f0016-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>WING AND A PRAYER</b></p><p><b>Legend has it Red Wing &lsquo;Fern&rsquo; Gauthier literally couldn&rsquo;t hit the ocean blue.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(GAUTHIER: HHOF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0016-021530/9704929-1-eng-US/f0016-022.jpg" title="f0016-02" width="207" height="245"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>Y</span></b>ou&rsquo;ve heard the expression dozens of times: &ldquo;That no good so-and-so is such a bum, he couldn&rsquo;t shoot the puck into the ocean if he was standing on the shore.&rdquo;</p><p>But how many times has a victim of such a devastating hockey insult been able to prove &ndash; or disprove &ndash; the theory?</p><p>Once, it actually happened.</p><p>The player in question was a Detroit Red Wings forward named Rene Fernand &lsquo;Fern&rsquo; Gauthier, a native of Chicoutimi, Que., hometown of the immortal Georges Vezina. Gauthier played some pretty good hockey during the World War II years with the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens. But the war ended and the quality of the NHL game steadily rose. At the same time, Gauthier&rsquo;s game declined just as steadily.</p><p>The more he skated for the Motor City sextet, the more difficult it was to imagine he once scored 14 goals for the Rangers and 18 for the Canadiens in a season. As a Red Wing, he was getting zilch.</p><p>In his first season with Detroit in 1945-46, he scored nine times in 30 games and added three more in five playoff games. But a year after that, he managed only one in 40 games and the year after that only one again in 35 games.</p><p>The less Gauthier scored, the more needling he absorbed and the less ice time he was given. He was reduced to penalty killing &ndash; he was outstanding in that role &ndash; but he soon earned the label from his mates as the player who &ldquo;couldn&rsquo;t put the puck in the ocean.&rdquo;</p><p>At the time, Stan Saplin was the publicity director of the Rangers and picked up on the Gauthier gag. &ldquo;In no time at all,&rdquo; Saplin says, &ldquo;the gag had spread around the league, but Fern took it good-naturedly.&rdquo;</p><p>Another who heard the puck-in-ocean routine was Lew Walter, hockey writer for the Detroit <i>Times</i>. Eventually, the paths of Walter, Saplin, and Gauthier would cross, thereby creating a mini-hockey legend. &ldquo;Lew got to thinking about all the ribbing,&rdquo; Saplin recalls, &ldquo;but he realized it was unfair, in Detroit, to say that Fern couldn&rsquo;t put the puck in the ocean since Detroit was hundreds and hundreds of miles from such a body of water.</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>A seagull swooped in and snatched the puck</b><br><b><i>&ndash; Lew Walter</i></b></blockquote><p>&ldquo;One morning, though, when the Wings checked into a New York hotel, prior to a game with the Rangers, Walter picked up a phone and arranged for a photographer to meet him. Then he phoned Gauthier and gave him specific instructions.&rdquo;</p><p>Saplin was informed of the grand scheme, as were a few New York writers. &ldquo;Within an hour, Walter, the photographer, and Gauthier, carrying a hockey stick and a handful of pucks, were on their way downtown. They headed for the Battery, at the tip of Manhattan Island, and there, with the photographer getting the evidence on film to disprove, once and for all, the false legend.&rdquo;</p><p>Just to be sure the evidence was well weighted on Gauthier&rsquo;s side, a number of Detroit players were invited along to act as additional witnesses. &ldquo;We took along Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, and Marty Pavelich,&rdquo; Walter says. &ldquo;They were able to refute the first two supposed &lsquo;misses&rsquo;made by Gauthier.&rdquo;</p><p>One version had it he missed on his first two tries. &ldquo;It was said,&rdquo; Walter laughs, &ldquo;that as Fern shot the first puck a seagull swooped down and snatched it. And then as the second puck went sailing out, a tugboat came by chuffing with a string of barges, on one of which the puck landed.&rdquo;</p><p>But Saplin and Walter insist Fern successfully shot the puck into the Atlantic Ocean.</p><p>&ldquo;Fern proved,&rdquo; Walter says, &ldquo;not only that he could put the puck in the ocean, but also that he was a good sport by entering into the spirit of the rib. He was just a winger of great potential, of fine personality, and, if injuries had not hampered him, it might have made him a true success in professional hockey.&rdquo;</p><p>If nothing else, Gauthier will be remembered for his non-scoring &ndash; certainly a first in hockey.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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Could ‘Fern’ Put A Puck In The Ocean?

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0003-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0003-012182/9704242-1-eng-US/f0003-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>Colts 8-5. Works every time</b></p><p><b>Saginaw&rsquo;s Garrett Ross finds the twine twice, but it&rsquo;s Barrie that picks up a three-goal win in the end.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(PHOTOGRAPH BY TERRY WILSON OHL IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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THEBIGPICTURE

<div class="byline">WITH JASON KAY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-012220/9704287-1-eng-US/f0004-012.jpg" title="f0004-01" width="907" height="580"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-031518/9704280-1-eng-US/f0004-032.jpg" title="f0004-03" width="291" height="481"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>he</b>&nbsp;<b>American Hockey League</b> is not going to play Lou Gehrig to the NHL&rsquo;s Wally Pipp this season. When the undisputed best loop in the world gets assets in gear, it will again take center stage. But that doesn&rsquo;t mean the AHL can&rsquo;t be Johan Hedberg, the capable backup who shines when it&rsquo;s his turn in the spotlight and wins over fans.</p><p>That&rsquo;s what happened in 2004-05 when the NHL season exploded and the AHL deftly caught many of the fragments. The league didn&rsquo;t see a huge spike in revenue; attendance grew by about 6.5 percent while TV income increased modestly. &ldquo;There isn&rsquo;t all that much gravy,&rdquo; said league president Dave Andrews.</p><p>Rather, it&rsquo;s an opportunity to leverage the newfound media exposure and entice fans to come back, or tune in, occasionally. Andrews, who has presided over the AHL since 1994, is proud of his fiefdom. He reminds us more than half the league&rsquo;s players in 2011-12 also saw action in the NHL last season. And while he welcomes the 100 or so big league regulars who are dotting AHL rosters right now, he isn&rsquo;t star-struck by the Jordan Eberles and Jeff Skinners. &ldquo;Having players in the league of this caliber raises the level of play,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but not as much as you&rsquo;d think. It&rsquo;s (not) a huge gap.&rdquo;</p><p>Additionally, he believes the NHL talent infusion gives AHL prospects incentive to show GMs, scouts and the public they have the skill and will to play in The Show. &ldquo;If we look back at &rsquo;04-05, there were a lot of players that really got an opportunity in the NHL because they matched up well against (NHL) players.&rdquo;</p><p>Andrews isn&rsquo;t kidding himself. He knows the AHL&rsquo;s place and is respectful of big bro&rsquo;. In fact, the AHL is carrying out another experiment for the NHL this season, testing hybrid icing. So far, Andrews said, it&rsquo;s playing to solid reviews. There&rsquo;s also a companion outdoor game to the Winter Classic slated for Dec. 30 between the Toronto Marlies and Grand Rapids Griffins, though it&rsquo;s unclear how that contest will be impacted if the Classic is cancelled.</p><p>Deference to the NHL aside, Andrews is running a business and wants it to be the best it can be. To that end, it&rsquo;s important to him to take advantage of the window while it remains open and to show the world he has a very good product. &ldquo;People who watch us for the first time are surprised at how good the level of hockey is,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But they shouldn&rsquo;t be.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0004-021884/9704273-1-eng-US/f0004-022.jpg" title="f0004-02" width="414" height="222"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JAMIE HODGSON/THN)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>NEXT</b>&nbsp;<b>ISSUE</b> NOVEMBER 12, 2012</p><p><b>CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TO SUBSCRIBE:</b> <a href="http://THN.com">thn.com</a></p><p><b>CONTACT US:</b> <a href="mailto:editorial@thehockeynews.com">editorial@thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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It’s The AHL’s Time To Shine

<div class="byline">Andrea Gallo, New York</div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span> recently did some math to see how much money I&rsquo;d save during the lockout. Then I thought, if the NHL doesn&rsquo;t want the $100 I&rsquo;d spend at a game, I&rsquo;ll donate it to Ice Hockey in Harlem, a charity. I invite other fans to give some of their NHL stash to local community programs. If you&rsquo;d stay home to watch your team&rsquo;s game, why not donate your snack and beverage budget? Every bit helps suit up a young player. And it says we still care about hockey, even if we care less about the NHL.</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-021663/9704387-1-eng-US/f0006-022.jpg" title="f0006-02" width="819" height="1063"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ANDREA L. GALLO)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

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SPEND WISELY

<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0006-04629/9704418-1-eng-US/f0006-042.jpg" title="f0006-04" width="117" height="118"></div><p><b>A. Hutchinson @alexhutchinson9:</b></p><p>I would watch one week of baseball 24/7 whilst listening to Justin Bieber.</p><p><b>Keith Duggan @Captainbabba:</b></p><p> Block a Zdeno Chara slapshot.</p><p><b>Jim Mahoney @jimmann99:</b></p><p>I would go for a ride in a car driven by Lindsay Lohan.</p><p><b>Jessica @thebumblebox:</b></p><p>I would listen to an entire Nickleback album&hellip;twice.</p><p><b>Ribeye Roast @RibeyeRoast:</b></p><p>I would gladly welcome scabs and root for my team just as much.</p><p><b>Sean Enderle @habsmaniac:</b></p><p>I would give up my Klondike Bar. What would you do-oo-oo to end the lockout.</p><p><b>Graeme Couch @GraemeCouch:</b></p><p>I would do that space jump.</p><p><b>M@ @mmalkemes2:</b></p><p>I&rsquo;d change my name to Gary Bettman.</p><p><b>Jessica Lynn @jessalynn35:</b></p><p>I would agree to pay off Rick DiPietro&rsquo;s medical bills.</p><p><b>Red Wings Doc @RedWingsDoc:</b></p><p>I would Lock myself in a room with Pierre McGuire while he reads <i>War and Peace.</i></p><p><b>Drew Logue @drewlogue:</b></p><p>I would wear a Penguins jersey in Philly at the next Flyers/Pens tilt.</p><p><b>Chad Blumes @rebel7MOTS:</b></p><p>I&rsquo;d drop mitts with Bob Probert in his prime. Then come out of the box and go with Basil McRae in his prime.</p><p><b>OilJays @OilJays:</b></p><p>I would release the Kraken.</p><p><b>Mexx Hentschel @Mexxecutioner:</b></p><p>I would tattoo the logo of Anaheim on my chest&hellip;I hate Anaheim. #GoKings</p><p><b>Mike Gaul @Gaulstone78:</b></p><p>I&rsquo;m holding out on answering that question.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

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TO END THE NHL COUNT LOCKOUT, I WOULD _________

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-012170/9704456-1-eng-US/f0007-012.jpg" title="f0007-01" width="522" height="89"></div><p>Which team will win the AHL&rsquo;s Calder Cup title?</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-021478/9704449-1-eng-US/f0007-022.jpg" title="f0007-02" width="523" height="312"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS</b> <span class="photo-credit">(NUGENT-HOPKINS: DAVID MAXWELL/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Oklahoma City 15%</b></p><p>Toronto 10%</p><p>Hamilton 7%</p><p>Adirondack 6%</p><p>Chicago 5%</p><p>Houston 5%</p><p>Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 5%</p><p>Rochester 4%</p><p>Hershey 4%</p><p>Bridgeport 4%</p><p>Binghamton 4%</p><p>Others 31%<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0007-01

POLLRESULTS

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0007-03925/9704487-1-eng-US/f0007-032.jpg" title="f0007-03" width="957" height="853"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JONATHAN HUBERDEAU</b> <span class="photo-credit">(HUBERDEAU: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Adam, how do you rate the incoming rookie-of-the-year prospects?</b></p><p><i>Les Wagner, Syosset, N.Y.</i></p><p>Les, You&rsquo;ve surely heard the top names &ndash; Mikael Granlund, Nail Yakupov, Chris Kreider, Jonathan Huberdeau, Justin Schultz, Mark Scheifele &ndash; but there will be some surprises who will play their way into contention. I mean, was anybody talking about Matt Read and/or Adam Henrique as Calder Trophy frontrunners at this time last season? THN prospect guru Ryan Kennedy says Calgary&rsquo;s Sven Baertschi, St. Louis&rsquo; Vladimir Tarasenko, Buffalo&rsquo;s Zemgus Girgensons and Boston&rsquo;s Dougie Hamilton are some lesser-knowns to watch. For the record, my prediction is Florida&rsquo;s Huberdeau.</p><p><b>Hi Adam. Could there be a global competition where the top teams from the Kontinental League (and Europe) and the NHL play for a worldwide title?</b></p><p><i>Antony Stewart, Wakefield, England</i></p><p>A relationship between the planet&rsquo;s top leagues could work, but it&rsquo;s a long shot. The NHL schedule is crowded as it is. If you&rsquo;re still going to have Olympic participation from NHLers, as well as the annual World Championship, there isn&rsquo;t an ideal time to add another major showdown. I&rsquo;m also dubious about the caliber of a KHL-NHL clash. Players dream of the Stanley Cup or Olympic gold and I can&rsquo;t picture them sacrificing their bodies for a title with little history or cultural currency behind it.</p><p>Read more <b>&lsquo;Ask Adam&rsquo;</b> every Friday at <a href="http://thehockeynews.com">thehockeynews.com</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0007-03

ASK ADAM

<div class="byline">&#x2013; KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-031266/9704546-1-eng-US/f0008-032.jpg" title="f0008-03" width="396" height="111"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>I</span>f NHL Lockout,</b> Part III ends up lasting the entire season, Martin St-Louis will have lost $10 million for the three-part series. And there&rsquo;s a good chance he&rsquo;ll end up losing something no amount of money can replace &ndash; a plaque in the Hall of Fame.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-04719/9704539-1-eng-US/f0008-042.jpg" title="f0008-04" width="122" height="139"></div><p>As the NHL and the NHL Players&rsquo; Association exchanged proposals and nasty words in mid-October, the focus was on how much money both sides had to lose by putting a $3.3-billion industry on the shelf for another season. That is certainly not insignificant. But neither is the fact two lockouts in eight years are seriously going to affect the lasting legacies of some of the game&rsquo;s best players.</p><p>And you could argue nobody has more to lose than St-Louis, who was coming off a season in which he won the Hart Trophy and the scoring championship before the last lockout. Entering this season, St-Louis had 323-529-852 totals in 931 career games. So let&rsquo;s assume he would have been, at the very least, a point-per-game player in 2004-05. Let&rsquo;s also assume that he would have had 70 points this season. That&rsquo;s a total of 152, which would push him over the 1,000 mark, putting him in the debate for the Hall of Fame. Combine that with a Stanley Cup, the aforementioned Hart and Art Ross Trophies and two Lady Byng Trophies and you have a career that merits serious consideration.</p></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-05513/9704532-1-eng-US/f0008-052.jpg" title="f0008-05" width="667" height="785"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>JAROMIR JAGR</b> <span class="photo-credit">(JAGR: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-012338/9704525-1-eng-US/f0008-012.jpg" title="f0008-01" width="1024" height="925"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>IMMORTALITY DEAD</b></p><p><b>The past two lockouts may have killed Martin St-Louis&rsquo; chances of Hall of Fame election.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(ST. LOUIS: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>And while St-Louis has proven himself durable and consistent, he will turn 38 next season. To expect him to score 150 more points over a couple of seasons at that age is too much.</p><p>Of course, St-Louis isn&rsquo;t the only one whose legacy will suffer because of multiple lockouts.</p><p>Jaromir Jagr will get into the Hall of Fame easily, but consider he sat out three lockouts that have cost him two full seasons and almost half another one. Jagr led the NHL with 32 goals and 70 points in 1994-95, when Lockout, Part I truncated the season to 48 games. It&rsquo;s reasonable to assume he would have scored at least 50 goals that season. He then rebounded from a 31-goal season in 2003-04 to score 54 goals in &rsquo;05-06, so let&rsquo;s say that Lockout, Part II robbed him of at least 30. He scored 19 goals last year, so let&rsquo;s say he&rsquo;d score at least 15 this season. That&rsquo;s a total of 63 goals, which would give him 728, within striking distance of Marcel Dionne (731) for No. 4 on the all-time list. Of course, if Jagr hadn&rsquo;t defected to the Kontinental League for three years, he would have easily eclipsed those marks.</p><p>The same goes for Teemu Selanne, who scored 22 goals in 1994-95. Let&rsquo;s say he would have had 35. Then, let&rsquo;s assume he&rsquo;d have at least 60 more without two more lockouts. That would give him 736, good for fourth all-time. It&rsquo;s doubtful he would catch Brett Hull at 741, because Hull would have added at least another 20 himself if not for the &rsquo;04-05 lockout.</p><p>How many points would Joe Thornton have without two lockouts? We know he had a monster year in 2005-06, with 96 assists and 125 points. So let&rsquo;s say the lockouts will have robbed him of about 175 points and 120 assists. With 754 career assists, he&rsquo;d have chance for 1,000. Adam Oates got into the Hall of Fame with 1,079.</p><p>Like Jagr, Martin Brodeur is a lock for the Hall of Fame, but three lockouts will have cost him about 90 wins to add to his all-time best 656. He took over full-time duties for New Jersey in 1993-94, so add 20 wins for Lockout, Part I. Give him another 40 for the sequel, since he racked off three straight 40-win seasons beginning in &rsquo;05-06. And after the 31 he put up last year, followed by his playoff renaissance, it wouldn&rsquo;t be a stretch to see him get another 30 this season.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0008-021787/9704518-1-eng-US/f0008-022.jpg" title="f0008-02" width="282" height="331"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SPEZZA: JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>2</b> NHLers with 100 points in a full AHL season during the &rsquo;04-05 lockout. Jason Spezza and Michael Cammalleri set records for Binghamton and Manchester.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0008-03

NHL Trilogy Stats Slasher

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0009-021459/9704608-1-eng-US/f0009-022.jpg" title="f0009-02" width="259" height="381"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(WITKOWSKI: SCOTT AUDETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>ONE TOUGH BRONCO</b></h3><p class="dropcap"><i><span>T</span>ampa prospect</i>&nbsp;<b><i>Luke Witkowski</i></b>&nbsp;<i>of Western Michigan quotes Liam Nee</i>-<i>son in</i> Taken <i>on Twitter after CCHA championship banner is stolen. It is promptly returned.</i></p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>STAY CLASSY, VANCOUVER</b></h3><p><i>Canucks blueliner Kevin Bieksa arranges big charity game; tickets immediately get scalped online.</i></p><h2><b>+PLUS</b></h2><h3><b>STICKS IN THE MIDDLE</b></h3><p><i>New Habs tough guy Brandon Prust organizes impromptu street hockey game in Montreal.</i></p><h2><b>&ndash;MINUS</b></h2><h3><b>BLADES NEED SHARPENING</b></h3><p><i>Saskatoon hosts the Memorial Cup and may need the automatic bid &ndash; the Blades were dead-last in their division after a month of play.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0009-02

PLUS MINUS

<div class="byline">&nbsp;&#x2013; DARRYL DOBBS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0010-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-012311/9704639-1-eng-US/f0010-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>MORE EFFECTIVE IN FLASHES</b></p><p><b>Older players such as Teemu Selanne, 42, can flourish with fresh legs in a short season.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(SELANNE: JEFF VINNICK/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span> shortened NHL season</b> helps the aging veterans who lose steam after 60 or 70 games. If Anaheim Ducks legend Teemu Selanne or Dallas Stars superstar Jaromir Jagr can play 60 games instead of 82, their production is certainly better off. Injury-prone players such as Detroit&rsquo;s Niklas Kronwall also stand to benefit from fewer games to risk getting hurt. Phoenix newcomer Steve Sullivan fits into both categories, making him a perfect candidate to surprise.</p><p>The third type of beneficiary isn&rsquo;t as obvious as the above two: rookies and sophomores who may have been rushed to the NHL a tad too soon. If you remember the 2004-05 lockout, youngsters such as Eric Staal, Jason Spezza and Mike Cammalleri went back to the American League for a year after they had already become established NHLers. They returned to the NHL far better for it. Consider last season&rsquo;s rookies such as Craig Smith, Brett Connolly and Magnus Paajarvi &ndash; players who could use a little extra seasoning in the minors (or in Smith&rsquo;s case, Europe). Now that they get that extra time, watch it pay dividends.</p><p>On the flip side, watch out for players across the league have that second-line/third-line skill set, but were primarily used on the second line in 2011-12. If these players have one of the aforementioned youngsters looking to take their spot &ndash; players such as Tampa&rsquo;s Ryan Malone, who has Connolly looking over his shoulder for power play time, or Calgary&rsquo;s Curtis Glencross, who has budding sniper Sven Baertschi &ndash; a demotion to the third line would hamper their production. These kids will have earned at least an extra minute per game on the power play and those minutes need to come from somewhere.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-01

Silver Lining

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-031090/9704670-1-eng-US/f0010-032.jpg" title="f0010-03" width="368" height="428"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-021691/9704677-1-eng-US/f0010-022.jpg" title="f0010-02" width="92" height="92"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p>&uarr; <b>5.3%</b>Increase in average AHL attendance (168,428 in total) while the big league was in lockdown.</p><p>2011-12 OPENING WEEKEND <b>5,924</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-03

2012-13 OPENING WEEKEND 6,238

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRANDON HUMBER</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0010-04755/9704708-1-eng-US/f0010-042.jpg" title="f0010-04" width="769" height="537"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MEMORIAL ARENA: SHAEREE L. ROBINSON)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span>lthough</b>&nbsp;<b>the Belleville</b> Memorial Arena has been closed for around two years, a group dedicated to refurbishing the 83-year-old barn hasn&rsquo;t given up.</p><p>The arena has sat idle since 2010 when its refrigeration units failed. Over that time, city council has been fielding proposals to repurpose the building, while the Belleville Memorial Arena Preservation Society has been fighting to restore it as an operational rink.</p><p>Memorial Arena, built in 1929, was named Hume Arena until the end of the Second World War when it was renamed to commemorate the Canadian Armed Forces. In the late 1950s, the building was home to the Belleville McFarlands, a senior team that won the Allan Cup in &rsquo;58 and the World Championship in &rsquo;59. It remained Belleville&rsquo;s main rink until 1978 when the Yardmen Arena was built, which would later house the city&rsquo;s OHL team that entered the league in 1981.</p><p>Former NHLer and Belleville native Bobby Crawford has volunteered to front the cost for the Memorial&rsquo;s new ice surface if it can&rsquo;t be raised otherwise, but said it wouldn&rsquo;t be his first choice. &ldquo;The city of Belleville should run it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They could do a wonderful job. Right now, they&rsquo;re stuck on the fact they want to make it something new.&rdquo;</p><p>Crawford, whose father Floyd was captain of the McFarlands, believes Memorial Arena is an important part of Belleville&rsquo;s heritage. Crawford and the preservation society propose it be reopened for youth games and tournaments, as well as public skates in winter. During warmer months, the group suggests the building be used to host markets and concerts.</p><p>The preservation society is seeking to raise $1 million from hockey fans to cover restoration and operational costs. Donations are held by the group&rsquo;s attorney and will be refunded if their efforts are unsuccessful.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0010-04

Belleville Barn Raising

<div class="byline">&#x2013; GREG OLIVER</div><p>&nbsp;<b>While fans bemoaned the</b> absence of their hockey heroes, some charities involved with the NHL and the players benefitted from the lockout.</p><p>Although the television visibility NHL players normally bring to the table disappeared during the lockout &ndash; no Mike Brown of the Toronto Maple Leafs and his scruffy, lumberjack beard he&rsquo;s going to shave and regrow for Movember, for example &ndash; the teams and players have a little extra time and charities appreciate it.</p><p>Brian Kitts is one of the co-founders of You Can Play, which promotes equality, respect and safety regardless of sexual orientation. He was the marketing director for the Colorado Avalanche during the last work stoppage in 2004-05, so he knows the drill well. &ldquo;What we are finding is that we&rsquo;ve got a lot of players with time on their hands who are reaching out and looking for ways to be involved,&rdquo; Kitts said. &ldquo;A lot of what our project does is film players. At least for hockey right now, they&rsquo;ve got the time to do that and sometimes they don&rsquo;t during the season.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-011932/9704753-1-eng-US/f0011-012.jpg" title="f0011-01" width="326" height="436"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MIKE BROWN</b></figcaption></div><p>Other charities, however, haven&rsquo;t been as lucky. Right To Play Canada had to shelve its Donation For Minutes campaign, where NHL stars pledge to donate based on their ice time, though there is a contingency plan when games resume. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a long season and we&rsquo;re fairly flexible,&rdquo; said Robert Witchel, national director of Right To Play Canada. &ldquo;We&rsquo;d have to look at the schedule and see if there&rsquo;s another weekend that worked.&rdquo;</p><p>Witchel praised the teams that have been proactive in calling him, saying the financial support continued for the organization even during the lockout. At the league level, it was business as usual. &ldquo;The league&rsquo;s charitable donations in Canada and the U.S., as well as some contributions which support our international players, continue throughout the season, regardless of a work stoppage,&rdquo; said Bernadette Mansur, executive director of the NHL Foundation.</p><p>Mathieu Schneider, special assistant for the NHLPA, said players were taking the opportunity to help out with various initiatives in local communities: &ldquo;The players will continue to help many grassroots programs around the world through NHLPA Goals & Dreams, despite the lockout. In September alone, the players have donated close to 300 sets of hockey equipment to various programs. In addition, several players have taken it upon themselves recently to go out into their communities and skate with local minor hockey teams over the past few weeks.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-021403/9704746-1-eng-US/f0011-022.jpg" title="f0011-02" width="931" height="1397"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>HELPING HANDS</b></p><p><b>Charitable organizations saw more NHLers taking part while the league was on hiatus.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(CHARA: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0011-03943/9704739-1-eng-US/f0011-032.jpg" title="f0011-03" width="1551" height="1647"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KENNEDY (LEFT): B BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES; KENNEDY (RIGHT): RON GALELLA/WIREIMAGE)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0011-01

Lockout Love

<div class="byline">&#x2013; NEIL ACHARYA</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0012-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-012254/9704798-1-eng-US/f0012-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>HITS CLOSE TO HOME</b></p><p><b>Scott Niedermayer, a B.C. native, fears a pipeline spill would be impossible to clean.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(NATALIE BOWES/WWF-CANADA)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>or Scott Niedermayer,</b> the idea of an oil pipeline cutting through pristine wilderness in his home province of British Columbia doesn&rsquo;t still well. Neither does a high volume of oil tankers penetrating the waters in and around the pacific temperate rain forest of coastal B.C.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-021774/9704791-1-eng-US/f0012-022.jpg" title="f0012-02" width="175" height="262"></div><p>That is why he&rsquo;s lending his voice to the opposition of the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines Project in Western Canada.</p><p>The proposed pipeline is undergoing an economic and environmental assessment by a joint panel as mandated by the Canadian government. But if the project goes ahead, the pipeline will stretch across the middle of B.C. from Alberta. &ldquo;In my understanding, this bitumen is almost impossible to clean up,&rdquo; said Niedermayer, who works as a hockey operations consultant with the Anaheim Ducks. &ldquo;If an accident were ever to happen in a place like that, or any of the rivers or streams it crosses, it would have some pretty bad consequences not only for the people up there that rely on the area for their jobs but on the environment in general.&rdquo;</p><p>Niedermayer is a volunteer with the World Wildlife Fund, which has partnered with the Coastal First Nations in their fight to oppose the pipeline. He became involved with WWF shortly after he retired from the NHL in 2010. Art Sterrit, the executive director of the Coastal First Nations, feels Niedermayer brings a lot to the table to support in support of the cause. &ldquo;There are people that listen to Scott that wouldn&rsquo;t necessarily listen to us,&rdquo; Sterrit said. &ldquo;The other thing he brings is his quiet dignity.&rdquo;</p><p>Niedermayer is well aware his stance is under scrutiny, especially with proponents arguing the slated development will create jobs as well as provide added indirect economic benefits. &ldquo;Democracies work with everyone having an opinion and by having people hearing as many of those as possible,&rdquo; Niedermayer said. &ldquo;I would like to think that everything doesn&rsquo;t revolve around the dollar. It&rsquo;s hard to see that in our society at times, but there are certain things that can&rsquo;t be measured in dollars and cents. I&rsquo;m 100 percent sure we don&rsquo;t want to see oil pipelines in that part of the province and oil tankers in that area.&rdquo;</p><p>Niedermayer&rsquo;s roots in environmentalism stem from his younger days growing up in Cranbrook, B.C., where he first started to relish outdoor life. His drive toward environmental preservation has been molded in part by his two NHL stops in New Jersey and Anaheim. Both are located in teaming metropolises, which are in stark ecological contrast to the backdrops of his youth that he feels need safeguarding. &ldquo;My biggest worry is to try and protect a special place that we have in B.C., in Canada, that is unlike anywhere else in the world,&rdquo; Niedermayer said. &ldquo;I would love for that region, the north coast of B.C. to remain a healthy environment. There is a sustainable economy there now with the fishery and tourism. If it can be well managed, hopefully it will go on forever. I don&rsquo;t know if the other side can say the same thing.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-031144/9704784-1-eng-US/f0012-032.jpg" title="f0012-03" width="666" height="771"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(JIM MCISAAC/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0012-01

Blueline To Pipeline

<div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0012-04683/9704829-1-eng-US/f0012-042.jpg" title="f0012-04" width="83" height="58"></div><p><b>Columnist/Writer Adam Proteau</b></p><p>&nbsp;<b>@proteautype:</b></p><p>This Halloween, I&rsquo;m going as an NHL owner: I&rsquo;m staying in, locking all my doors and showing kids the candy they can&rsquo;t have through my window.</p><p><b>Assoc. Senior Writer Ryan Kennedy</b></p><p><b>@THNRyanKennedy:</b></p><p> Working on a Nathan MacKinnon nickname. Thinking about &lsquo;Riptide.&rsquo; He pulls in defenders before overwhelming them. Plus it&rsquo;s Maritimey.</p><p><b>Editor In Chief Jason Kay</b></p><p>&nbsp;<b>@JKTHN:</b></p><p> Pouring through THN archives for a project. Love this ad from 1961 for a tobacco company: &ldquo;Great Moments in Hockey, Great Moments in Smoking&rdquo;</p><p><b>Web Editor Rory Boylen</b></p><p>&nbsp;<b>@THNRoryBoylen:</b></p><p> Why throw out a hockey sock when it gets a hole in it? That just means it&rsquo;s reached veteran status.</p><p><b>Copy Editor Matt Larkin</b></p><p>&nbsp;<b>@THNMatt Larkin:</b></p><p> Overheard in 1987 Canada Cup Game 2: &ldquo;Suffered a mild concussion in Game 1&hellip;Back out there tonight.&rdquo;</p><p><b>Senior Editor Brian Costello</b></p><p>&nbsp;<b>@BCostelloTHN:</b></p><p> In the spirit of getting a CBA deal done, I&rsquo;m going to trim 12% off my 140-character tweets, a la players taking a 12% cut.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0012-04

Tweets of the Week

<div class="byline">&nbsp;&#x2013; ANDREY OSADCHENKO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0013-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0013-011971/9704860-1-eng-US/f0013-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ESPN IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>H</span>ours after the NHL</b> lockout became official, hockey fans turned their heads to the Kontinental League. The Russian circuit has attracted many star players, including Ilya Kovalchuk, Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin. Doing so created an opportunity for the KHL to finally get some coverage on the North American TV market. &ldquo;The night the lockout happened, we got about a dozen emails from news agencies and TV networks that cover hockey,&rdquo; said Natalia Chaykovskaya, KHL marketing&rsquo;s head of TV projects. &ldquo;Some of them are interested in broadcasting entire games, while some are more interested in highlight packs for their newscasts.&rdquo;</p><p>On Oct. 2, the KHL announced a partnership with ESPN. Steve Levy and Barry Melrose debuted the coverage Oct. 9 on ESPN2, calling a game between Ovechkin&rsquo;s Dynamo Moscow and Zdeno Chara&rsquo;s HC Lev Praha. Reviews of the telecast were mixed at best, as Levy and Melrose were casual in their approach. When Levy asked Melrose what he knew about Praha coach Josef Jandac, Melrose replied, &ldquo;Not a thing, Steve. I&rsquo;m not going to sit here and lie to the audience.&rdquo;</p><p>Nevertheless, it&rsquo;s progress for the KHL. Some Canadian fans have been getting their hockey fix through KHL&rsquo;s official YouTube channel. The problem, however, was that there was no English commentary, which is another issue the KHL promises to address soon.</p><p>Steve Glynn, a video blogger with experience at CBC and Leafs TV, is expected to do the commentary. &ldquo;We know how to make highlights and we know the KHL,&rdquo; Glynn said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re not doing this for the sake of doing it. We&rsquo;ll do a great job.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0013-01

Media Darling

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0014-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0014-012230/9704891-1-eng-US/f0014-012.jpg"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span></b>ith all due respect to Mariusz Czerkawski, there&rsquo;s a new Polish Prince and his name is Wojtek Wolski. While many of his NHL peers jumped to Russia, Sweden or Switzerland during the lockout, the Washington Capitals left winger hopped back to his motherland, signing on with Poland&rsquo;s top squad, KH Sanok. But he&rsquo;s not the only NHLer who took a different path during the work stoppage. Players picked up new jobs in all sorts of non-hockey-power nations and their reasons were as varied as the countries they hooked up with.</p><p>Wolski, who was born in Poland but moved to the Toronto area when he was two, had visited his birth country every couple of years when he was younger and speaks fluent Polish. His father knew the president of KH Sanok, which won the league title last season and was in first place when Wolski came over. &ldquo;The city is awesome,&rdquo; Wolski says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s quite small but very nice. It would be comparable to being up north in Ontario. The media and fans have been amazing. Everyone was very excited, myself included.&rdquo;</p><p>Buffalo Sabres star Thomas Vanek is the most famous Austrian NHLer ever, so it&rsquo;s no surprise he headed back across the Atlantic to suit up for his hometown Graz 99ers. Since Vanek came to North America as a teenager to play American junior before heading to the University of Minnesota, he hadn&rsquo;t actually played for the Graz program since he was 14, so this was the perfect opportunity to pull that sweater on again and help out the franchise that nurtured him as a youth. &ldquo;I had some other options to play in various different leagues in Europe, but for me it just made the most sense to come back to Austria and try to help out the Austrian League,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Hopefully with me being here I can help attract more kids to start playing hockey.&rdquo;</p><p>Vanek also hoped to give the 99ers a boost in the process. &ldquo;Graz is a great city with awesome fans, but the team has struggled the past several years to draw many people,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I was hoping by me coming back to Graz I could help and so far the atmosphere at our games has been outstanding. I hope the fans will keep coming back and support the team even when I&rsquo;m not here.&rdquo;</p><p>Graz sold out its 4,000-seat rink in Vanek&rsquo;s first three games, while last season attendance was less than half that on some nights.</p><p>There have been trickles of Austrians following in Vanek&rsquo;s footsteps to the NHL, most notably Michael Grabner of the New York Islanders, who returned to Villacher, and Carolina&rsquo;s Andreas Nodl, who is playing for Innsbruck during the lockout. But more than just locals decamped for the nation of musically alive hills, with Edmonton&rsquo;s Sam Gagner and Chicago&rsquo;s Bryan Bickell also signing up. Plus, Vanek did some promoting of his own. &ldquo;There were several guys who asked me about the league and the country,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;And as it turned out, a few NHLers are here now, including my teammate Tyler Myers (signed with Klagenfurter alongside Gagner). All of them will enjoy their time here.&rdquo;</p><p>While Anthony Stewart was enjoying his time in Great Britain with the Nottingham Panthers, the Carolina Hurricanes power forward also had business to take care of and that&rsquo;s why his agent sent him to a team that didn&rsquo;t have any other NHLers on its radar. &ldquo;We had offers from teams in Germany and Austria, but he&rsquo;s in a situation where he can play the way he did when he was younger,&rdquo; says Eustace King. &ldquo;He&rsquo;ll get power play time, kill penalties &ndash; he&rsquo;ll feel the pressure of being counted on.&rdquo;</p><p>A consistent 30-goal scorer in junior, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Stewart has often been relegated to the fourth line in the NHL and has spent long stretches in the minors. His best season came in 2010-11 with Atlanta, when he averaged nearly 15 minutes of ice time per game and tallied 39 points in 80 contests. &ldquo;He will produce when he&rsquo;s in the top nine and getting second power play unit time,&rdquo; King says. &ldquo;He was able to stay involved. If you go back to Atlanta, he showed that.&rdquo;</p><p>When Stewart returns to Carolina, he&rsquo;ll rejoin a forward corps that added Jordan Staal and Alexander Semin and already included Eric Staal and Jeff Skinner, so there will be more gifted players to earn time with. And playing in Nottingham now will aid that quest. &ldquo;Conditioning-wise,&rdquo; King says, &ldquo;when he comes back, he&rsquo;ll be in great shape.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote">THERE WEREN&rsquo;T MANY OPTIONS FOR A GUY LIKE ME. THE BIG NAMES TOOK MOST OF THE SPOTS<br>- DERYK ENGELLAND</blockquote><p>So far, Nottingham has been kind to Stewart. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a pretty good city &ndash; larger than I thought,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m staying in a flat right in the city square, so there&rsquo;s lots to do. I can walk everywhere, which is good because I wouldn&rsquo;t dare try to drive on the opposite side of the road.&rdquo;</p><p>The 2003 first-rounder was roughly a point-per-gamer early on in his British adventure and described the atmosphere at games as more soccer-like in their boisterousness. Stewart admits  he underestimated the level of competition at first and had to get his legs under him because players are fast, even if it takes them a little longer to make plays.</p><p>Another NHLer hoping to stay sharp is Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Deryk Engelland. Though he made his reputation with his fists, the 30-year-old is coming off his best NHL season yet, tallying 17 points in 73 games and providing the Pens with a solid 16 minutes of hockey per night. Engelland joined Rosenborg of the Norwegian League. &ldquo;My agent said the competition is pretty good, kind of like the second league in Sweden,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;There weren&rsquo;t a lot of options for a guy like me. The bigger names were taking most of the spots.&rdquo;</p><p>Engelland had never been to Norway, but did some research online before he left for Rosenborg. The town boasts top quality of life and great health care, which sounded good to him and his wife &ndash; who was also making the trip alongside the couple&rsquo;s five-month-old son.</p><p>As for his role on the squad, Engelland doesn&rsquo;t think he&rsquo;ll need to play enforcer, especially when you consider most NHLers don&rsquo;t want to fight him. &ldquo;I want to fine-tune my game to be ready when the lockout ends,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;They don&rsquo;t fight as much over there, so that probably won&rsquo;t be part of my game. I&rsquo;m going to be a defensive defenseman.&rdquo;</p><p>Like Engelland, Vancouver Canucks tough guy Dale Weise hit up Google once he signed with Tilburg of the Dutch League. Though his experience in the Netherlands was limited to a quick stop in Amsterdam when the New York Rangers were in Europe, Weise isn&rsquo;t worried about fitting in. &ldquo;It&rsquo;ll be fun,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;In junior I played with European guys who didn&rsquo;t speak a lick of English and I would always try to help them out.&rdquo;</p><p>It&rsquo;s actually Weise&rsquo;s girlfriend who was more nervous to head over with him. &ldquo;All I have to do is play hockey,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;She&rsquo;s the one that has to find the coffee shops.&rdquo;</p><p>Vanek obviously knows his terrain well and while he gets bonus time back home with his parents, he&rsquo;s indulging in the local staples: Weinerschnitzel and potato salad. In the meantime, Stewart has broadened his culinary horizons. &ldquo;The food is pretty much the same,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;But I fell in love with crumpets.&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0014-01

HERE, THERE & EVERYWHERE

<div class="byline">BY ANDREY OSADCHENKO</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0018-021396/9704967-1-eng-US/f0018-022.jpg" title="f0018-02" width="327" height="546"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>U</span>ntil the fall of the Iron Curtain,</b> CSKA Red Army was the power-house of Russian hockey. After more than 20 years, it&rsquo;s once again on the hockey map.</p><p>How does a team that barely made it to the playoffs last season become a force again over just one summer? Simple: money.</p><p>CSKA signed a sponsorship contract with huge oil company Rosneft, which fueled a rapid rebuild. The first star signed was Alexander Radulov, known in the Kontinental League and the NHL for scoring prowess (and getting into trouble with coaches). The former Nashville Predator signed a four-year deal for $9.2 million a year.</p><p>Over the course of the summer, CSKA also signed defensemen Mikko Maenpaa and Denis Denisov, as well as forwards Vladimir Zharkov, Oleg Kvasha and Janis Sprukts. All five are big names in the KHL. The cherry on top was signing coach Valeri Bragin, who led Team Russia to two straight finals at the world juniors in 2011 and 2012.</p><p>When the NHL lockout began, CSKA picked up goalie Ilya Bryzgalov and centers Pavel Datsyuk and Mikhail Grabovski, who was rumored to sign with his hometown team, Dinamo Minsk, but the club couldn&rsquo;t cover his insurance. Enter CSKA, which happily inked the plucky Belarussian. &ldquo;Our hockey team is thankful to Rosneft,&rdquo; says GM and three-time Stanley Cup-winner Sergei Fedorov. &ldquo;With their help, we can follow our government policy in Russian sports and Russian hockey. By this I mainly mean bringing Russian players home, which is important for the Kontinental Hockey League, our hockey fans and also the Olympic Games in Sochi.&rdquo;</p><p>Like Grabovski, Datsyuk was also reportedly going to sign with his hometown squad, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, for the lockout. Both the team and the governor of Sverdlovsk region came out and publicly invited Datsyuk to sign with Avtomobilist, who was on the verge of bankruptcy last season. But Pavel said &ldquo;nyet.&rdquo; &ldquo;This was my hockey decision,&rdquo; Datsyuk says. &ldquo;I already thanked the governor and the club for the invitation to play for Avtomobilist&hellip;I understand I can&rsquo;t make everyone like me.&rdquo;</p><p>The KHL became a safe haven for NHLers returning home and Hockey Russia couldn&rsquo;t be happier. &ldquo;Guys who came over from the NHL will be useful because of their work ethic,&rdquo; says Hockey Russia president and legendary Red Army goalie Vladislav Tretiak. &ldquo;This is exactly why they have been producing so well already. Every team sees that NHL players are not quite there in terms of conditioning. However, they work hard and prepare for every game, so the rest of the team tries to keep up with them. This is exactly why fans are coming to the games now. I haven&rsquo;t seen that many show up at CSKA&rsquo;s home games before.&rdquo;</p><p>Things look good for both CSKA, and the KHL, from a fan&rsquo;s point of view, since the team is now able to throw big money at big names. CSKA is spending freely to sign stars and some, such as Grabovski, are in no hurry to rush back to the NHL. &ldquo;When is the lockout going to end? No idea,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I do care about it, but I don&rsquo;t at the same time. I play here. I play for CSKA. This is my team. Over there, it&rsquo;s just business. I&rsquo;ll let them figure it out. I want to be back in the NHL, but now that I&rsquo;m here I only care about CSKA. If they tell me to come back, I will since I have a contract with the Leafs. However, I won&rsquo;t be disappointed if I&rsquo;m going to spend the entire season in the KHL.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0019-021234/9704960-1-eng-US/f0019-022.jpg" title="f0019-02" width="1650" height="1280"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>PAVEL DATSYUK</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DATSYUK: KHL PHOTO AGENCY)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote">FANS ARE COMING TO THE GAMES AGAIN. I HAVEN&rsquo;T SEEN SO MANY FANS SHOWUP AT CSKA&rsquo;S HOME GAMES BEFORE.<br><b>VLADISLAV TRETIAK</b></blockquote><p>32 Championships won by CSKA, their last coming in 1988-89, during the 46-year existence of the Soviet Championship League (a precursor to the KHL). The team won 13 straight titles between 1977-89.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0018-02

CSKA A-IK

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0020-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-021171/9704998-1-eng-US/f0020-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>SHELL OF HIMSELF</b></p><p><b>Ulcerative colitis shrunk Ben Harper to 110 pounds, but he&rsquo;s a healthy 145 now.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(HARPER: KEN CAMPBELL)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0020-011630/9705005-1-eng-US/f0020-012.jpg" title="f0020-01" width="207" height="245"></div><p>Shaker Heights, Ohio &ndash;</p><p><b>T</b>he Charles William Marsolais Award is the Cleveland Skating Club&rsquo;s equivalent to the NHL&rsquo;s Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. It is awarded every year &ldquo;to the child who has exhibited the qualities of determination and grit to overcome obstacles and play with one&rsquo;s whole heart.&rdquo;</p><p>Nobody, but nobody, was getting that trophy last season after what Ben Harper endured. The captain of the CSC&rsquo;s AA bantam team was a little sheepish about all of it, telling his father immediately after getting the award that he didn&rsquo;t think he deserved to be lauded just for getting sick.</p><p>Hey, the kid is 14. He has a lot to learn. So his father, Scott, explained to him that the award wasn&rsquo;t for getting sick &ndash; it was for the way he handled his sickness and, more importantly, how he persevered and battled back to overcome it.</p><p>To see Harper these days, all 5-foot-9, 145 pounds of him, it would be unfathomable to consider that about this time last year, he was lying in a hospital bed, severely jaundiced, being fed intravenously and weighing only about 110 pounds. He certainly knew something was wrong when he had to leave football practice one day last fall to go to the locker room to vomit three separate times. But the worst of it was that prior to being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, he had no idea what was happening to him. Nobody did. &ldquo;It was scary to see him,&rdquo; says CSC coach Michael Berg. &ldquo;I walked into the hospital to visit him last November and he was hooked up to tubes. I didn&rsquo;t know if I was going to see him again. I came back to the kids and I was scared.&rdquo;</p><p>Harper had three extended hospital stints, because along with the chronic disease he had just developed, he also contracted a serious liver infection and twice had adverse reactions to his medication. But he was also a motivated young man. And the prospect of coming back and helping his team by the end of the season was all the motivation he needed. The team rewarded him not only by encouraging him and helping him through his illness, but by making him captain this season. &ldquo;I wouldn&rsquo;t have been nearly as motivated if I didn&rsquo;t have hockey,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;It made me work every day to get back in the game. Every day I thought about how my team was out there and I wasn&rsquo;t. I had school because they were bringing me my work, but I was missing hockey.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>I didn&rsquo;t know if I would see him again</b><br><b><i>&ndash; Michael Berg</i></b></blockquote><p>Slowly, painfully slowly at times, Harper began to improve. After the proper diagnosis and the right combination of medication were achieved, he started on the road to regaining his strength and getting back on the ice with his team.</p><p>He set a goal of being back to form by the end of the season, something he was able to do. But there were several false starts. A couple of times he came back and found he wasn&rsquo;t near able to play at the bantam level and felt as though he was letting his teammates down. &ldquo;It was like watching a kid in slow motion,&rdquo; Scott says. &ldquo;The game was going right by him. He could barely walk up a flight of stairs.&rdquo;</p><p>Things could not be more different now. Harper plays lacrosse in the off-season and on this night is part of a four-man defense corps that is out every other shift. There was no lag in his game and certainly no indication that not long ago he was a young man who was desperately ill and zapped of all his energy. But the change in Harper hasn&rsquo;t only manifested itself on the ice. His ordeal has altered his outlook on life. &ldquo;He really has an appreciation for good health,&rdquo; Scott says. &ldquo;And now Ben really has an appreciation for sick kids. He knows what it&rsquo;s like to be sick.&rdquo;</p><p>And he knows what it&rsquo;s like to fight to be well &ndash; well enough to go back to playing the game he loves.</p><h2><b>Box score</b></h2><p><b>Oct. 10</b> &ndash; Cleveland Skating Club, Shaker Heights, Ohio</p><p><b>Cleveland Skating Club</b> 3</p><p>Jimmy Warren (2), Henry Frontini</p><p><b>Cleveland Sharks</b> 1</p><p>Cameron Landis<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0020-02

Little Ben’s Big Heart

<div class="image-hero"><img title="f0021-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-02848/9705036-1-eng-US/f0021-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>THINK TANK</b></p><p><b>Brendan Shanahan has ex-NHLers under him who challenge his decisions.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(SHANAHAN: ANDRE RINGUETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0021-011313/9705043-1-eng-US/f0021-012.jpg" title="f0021-01" width="207" height="245"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>F</span>or years now,</b> I&rsquo;ve been one of the most vocal critics of the NHL&rsquo;s player discipline system and those who run it. But something troubled me late in the tenure of former chief disciplinarian Colin Campbell and it&rsquo;s the same thing troubling me early in the era of his successor, Brendan Shanahan. And that&rsquo;s the increasing tendency of some in the public and media &ndash; and even some people within the league itself &ndash; to focus their energies and/or frustrations on the individual men responsible for a collectively agreed-upon supplemental discipline process.</p><p>The same way commissioner Gary Bettman takes direction from league power brokers as to how he operates in his role, Shanahan and Campbell work within the guidelines set out by the NHL rulebook and collective bargaining agreement, as well as the decisions made by GMs and owners who have the ultimate say in how the game is played and policed. That doesn&rsquo;t mean I think it&rsquo;s unfair to disagree  with Shanahan&rsquo;s verdicts &ndash; when he didn&rsquo;t suspend Nashville&rsquo;s Shea Weber for smashing Henrik Zetterberg&rsquo;s head into the glass in the playoffs last year, I felt like smashing my own head into multiple glass panels of varying rigidity &ndash; but there&rsquo;s an ugly tendency to personalize what is a multivoice operation.</p><p>As I mentioned, that &ldquo;he&rsquo;s solely to blame!&rdquo; attitude had become a pox on Campbell&rsquo;s day-to-day existence before he stepped down from the role in June 2011. But with the rise of social media and the league&rsquo;s commendable decision to provide detailed public explanations  of each suspension, Shanahan has in record time taken more pokes than a porcupine-party pinata. Many are baseless crud like &ldquo;Shanahan won&rsquo;t ever punish  a Tampa Bay Lightning player because of his friendship with GM Steve Yzerman&rdquo; or &ldquo;Shanahan is somehow beholden to powerful board of governors chairman and Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs, which explains why Milan Lucic runs all over the ice like an untrained gorilla with no repercussion.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>Shanahan is not a disciplinary island unto himself</b></blockquote><p>Every team and fan base can scrape up pseudo-evidence to claim they&rsquo;re being railroaded by head office. Nobody remembers calls that weren&rsquo;t made on their team&rsquo;s players, but everyone is ready to bust out the iPitchforks and iTorches &ndash; be honest, you know they&rsquo;re coming &ndash; the second someone from their beloved tribe isn&rsquo;t avenged to their satisfaction.</p><p>The truth is, Shanahan is not a law enforcement island unto himself. He has fellow ex-NHLers Rob Blake, Stephane Quintal and others in his employ in the player safety department and wants his ideas and opinions challenged. There are times when his department is deadlocked in diverging opinions and he makes the final decision, but he isn&rsquo;t picking and choosing when to make his stands. Regardless of whether we agree with the department&rsquo;s positions, there is a process in place.</p><p>The NHL could take some heat off Shanahan by allowing Blake, Quintal and others to play a more prominent role in suspension explanation videos. When the public sees Shanahan&rsquo;s face more than any reckless player being disciplined, it compounds the enmity directed at the chief discipliner. Hell, you could have a voiceover actor explain all the verdicts; the rationale would still belong to Shanahan  & Co., but there would be far fewer opportunities to unhealthily fixate on an individual.</p><p>That is the bigger picture here. It took Campbell more than a decade before he decided he&rsquo;d had enough of being a punching bag, but if we continue on the path that started last season Shanahan will likely pack his bags long before that. If the game and the league want someone in that role with the experience Shanahan brings, the least we owe someone like him is a loud and consistent acknowledgement that he isn&rsquo;t the boogeyman.</p><p>WANT MORE PROTEAU? READ HIS EXCLUSIVE WEB COLUMN THURSDAYS AT <b><a href="http://THN.COM/PROTEAU">THN.COM/PROTEAU</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0021-02

Don’t Shoot The Sheriff

<div class="byline">Ken Campbell in Cleveland</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0028-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0028-011445/9705130-1-eng-US/f0028-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ROB FERGUSON)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>&ldquo;THEY BROUGHT THEIR F----N&rsquo; TOYS WITH &rsquo;EM!&rdquo;</b></p><p><b><i>Reggie Dunlop on the Hanson Brothers in the movie</i> Slap Shot</b></p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-011455/9705123-1-eng-US/f0030-012.jpg" title="f0030-01" width="609" height="460"></div><p><b>T</b>hey didn&rsquo;t exactly bring their toys, but Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Justin Schultz are intent on acquiring an Xbox. That should create a fair bit of traffic around their apartment, with Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall beating a path from their place a few doors down. The long-term future of the Edmonton Oilers fiddling around with joysticks in Oklahoma City isn&rsquo;t what everyone envisioned, but when you&rsquo;re young, talented and locked out, it&rsquo;s the best option available.</p><p>It&rsquo;s right across from the rink and they were able to get two apartments on a three-month lease. They might need an option on that. On off days, they have an instant foursome and the kind of climate where you can golf a lot longer than you can in Edmonton. Schultz, as it turns out, is the best golfer of the bunch, with Eberle a close second. &ldquo;I always have to give them shots,&rdquo; Schultz says, &ldquo;but I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ve lost yet.&rdquo;</p><p>Such is life for the future NHL stars, who are spending their lockout with the Barons of the American League. Following the template that saw Jason Spezza emerge as an NHL star after scoring 117 points and winning the AHL&rsquo;s most valuable player award during the 2004-05 lockout, teams all over the NHL have been stocking their AHL farm clubs with young talent on entry level contracts. Without having to worry about the prospect of putting them on waivers to send them down, NHL teams are using the top development league at their disposal to find places for their eager young talent to play.</p><p>But the thing is, they&rsquo;re not just keeping their skates warm while they wait for the NHL and its Players&rsquo; Association to start speaking the same language. These players are young enough that they can still benefit by being put in a learning environment, so it&rsquo;s not as though it will be time wasted. And if the young Oilers need to learn one thing, it&rsquo;s how to win hockey games. For all the personal success Eberle, Hall and Nugent-Hopkins have had, they haven&rsquo;t yet played in a single pro game where there has been any tangible pressure on them. The Oilers have made clear their focus is on rebuilding and you don&rsquo;t assemble a stable of prospects like they have by being good. These players have been a big part of a team that hasn&rsquo;t had a whole lot of success at the NHL level. But that should change this season. &ldquo;Down here we&rsquo;re going into every game wanting to win, expecting to win and thinking we can win,&rdquo; Nugent-Hopkins says. &ldquo;And we&rsquo;ve got to take that same attitude into Edmonton.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0030-021004/9705116-1-eng-US/f0030-022.jpg" title="f0030-02" width="1107" height="1861"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>KID &lsquo;A&rsquo;</b></p><p>Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 19, is the Barons&rsquo; youngest player. He wants to work on his faceoffs.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(DAVID MAXWELL/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>It&rsquo;s not as though people are approaching them in Oklahoma City to complain about the power play. In fact, the Barons get lost in the shuffle in their town and are among the bottom feeders in the league when it comes to attendance. But they know the eyes of the hockey world will be on them this season. And they expect very, very big things. &ldquo;The thing I love right now is that I&rsquo;ve played for the Oilers for a couple of years and we haven&rsquo;t really had a winning pressure on us,&rdquo; Eberle says. &ldquo;Here we have a lot of expectation, we have a lot of pressure on us to do well. You need that. You need that winning attitude they&rsquo;ve had here.&rdquo;</p><p>The tendency would be to think that after playing in the NHL, going to the AHL under any circumstances would represent a step down for Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins and Hall. That has something to do with the perception of playing in the minors. First, it&rsquo;s not as though the young Oilers are playing in Podunk, Nowhere. Oklahoma City has a metropolitan population of 1.3 million, which is bigger than Edmonton&rsquo;s. Instead of spending their travel time on iron lungs, the Barons fly to every locale in the league with the exception of the three teams in Texas. Yes, they have to wait in line and fly commercial like everyone else, but that isn&rsquo;t really a hardship. They stay in quality hotels and have a reasonable per diem of $67 a day. It&rsquo;s hardly <i>Slap Shot</i> and it isn&rsquo;t <i>Bull Dur</i>&nbsp;&nbsp;<i>ham.</i> They know who &ldquo;hones da team,&rdquo; the mill isn&rsquo;t about to close and, generally speaking, there are no Ogie Oglethorpes or Tim &lsquo;Dr. Hook&rsquo; McCrackens to abuse them.</p><p>And the hockey is good, very good. The way Eberle sees it, almost every team has at least five or six guys good enough to play in the NHL, perhaps more than that in an exceptional season such as this one. If their opponents are matching those players against his line every game, it&rsquo;s almost like being in the NHL anyway. &ldquo;People don&rsquo;t realize how good this league is,&rdquo; says Eberle, who found out the goalies are almost as good as they are in the NHL when he failed to score in his first two games despite having seven shots on goal. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a tough, demanding, physical league. The minute you take this league lightly, it&rsquo;s going to bite you in the ass.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-02896/9705109-1-eng-US/f0031-022.jpg" title="f0031-02" width="1019" height="754"></div><p>For Nugent-Hopkins, the equation is pretty simple as well. Two years ago, he was playing for the Red Deer Rebels and he&rsquo;s still the youngest player on the Barons. He has a lot of work to do on faceoffs, which he hopes to improve while he&rsquo;s in the AHL. Improving his play in the defensive zone is another area where he feels he can make some big strides. But for Nugent-Hopkins and the others, it gives them a sense of purpose. Ask any player, active or retired, what the best thing about being a professional hockey player is and almost all of them will tell you it&rsquo;s being around teammates in the dressing room and on the road. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re just kids who love to play,&rdquo; Nugent-Hopkins says, &ldquo;so it&rsquo;s a great opportunity for us.&rdquo;</p><p>But there isn&rsquo;t a player in the organization with potential to benefit more from the league-imposed exile to Oklahoma than Schultz. He is the only one of the four with no NHL playing experience, even though he&rsquo;s only two months younger than Eberle. At 22, he has already been the subject of a highly publicized free agent bid by the Oilers that increased the hype to the level of a No. 1 overall pick. None of the four will face the kind of adjustment Schultz will this season, going from the college game to one where the stakes are so much higher and the players are so much better.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0031-03683/9705102-1-eng-US/f0031-032.jpg" title="f0031-03" width="1661" height="1158"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>JOE VS. PROS</b></p><p>The AHL gives D-man 22-year-old Justin Schultz his first taste of pro competition.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(BOTH: ROB FERGUSON)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b><i>We haven&rsquo;t had pressure on us in Edmonton. Here we&rsquo;re expected to do well. You need that</i></b><br> &ndash; Jordan Eberle</blockquote><p>For example, in the Barons&rsquo; first game of the season against the Lake Erie Monsters with the two teams tied 1-1 late in the third period, Schultz was on the ice and backing into his zone to defend against a rush. With the winger coming down his off-wing, instead of pushing him out to less dangerous ice and forcing him to make a play, Schultz instead continued to back in. By not closing the gap, he gave the winger all kinds of time to make a play, which he did by firing it to the top corner for the game-winner.</p><p>Now if Schultz does something like that at Rexall Place, he does it in front of 16,839 critics who are breaking down his every move. That kind of scrutiny can destroy a young player&rsquo;s confidence, but Schultz is making that mistake in an environment where he can learn from it without a whole lot of external criticism. It also gives him the opportunity to learn to be a pro where he probably belongs without suffering the indignity of being sent down. &ldquo;This is a great opportunity for him,&rdquo; says Barons coach Todd Nelson. &ldquo;We all know he has the skills, he&rsquo;s a great skater, he has a good shot and he moves the puck really well. But he doesn&rsquo;t have to do it right now and deal with the pressure of going to an NHL team and trying to be that impact guy. He can adapt to it and feel comfortable and when things get straightened out, he can go up to the NHL and produce up there.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-02968/9705095-1-eng-US/f0032-022.jpg" title="f0032-02" width="1399" height="1566"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>NO JOKE</b></p><p>Even with &lsquo;The Nuge&rsquo; and Jordan Eberle, OKC&rsquo;s power play fizzled early. Goals aren&rsquo;t a given in the &lsquo;A.&rsquo;</p></figcaption></div><p>Making the jump from junior hockey or the college ranks &ndash; where Schultz starred for three years at the University of Wisconsin before signing with the Oilers last summer &ndash; to the AHL is the most difficult adjustment a player is ever going to make in his career. Part of that is getting accustomed to a grind, which often sees you play three games in two-and-ahalf days. The other is dealing with the prospect of competing against players whose livelihood depends on how well they perform. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a job now, it&rsquo;s not just fun anymore,&rdquo; Schultz says. &ldquo;You&rsquo;ve got to earn your spot and your ice time. There are guys with families here and they&rsquo;re going to try to kill you and run you through the boards. This is guys&rsquo; jobs and careers and it&rsquo;s serious stuff now. And I like that.&rdquo;</p><p>The Barons were already a good team loaded with legit imate potential NHL players-in-waiting before the lockout sent them manna from heaven in the form of some of the best, most exciting young players in the world. Oklahoma City reached the Western Conference final last season and wants to continue the momentum it&rsquo;s created the past couple of campaigns. But there is always this push and pull when it comes to the AHL teams that are beholden to their parent NHL clubs. Although winning is a great way to develop players, there is always the dilemma of whether or not winning should supersede preparing players for the NHL. Those who follow the fortunes of the Barons want to see victories. Almost everyone else wants to see development.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0032-03707/9705088-1-eng-US/f0032-032.jpg" title="f0032-03" width="655" height="735"></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b><i>It&rsquo;s a job now. It&rsquo;s not just fun anymore. There are guys with families here trying to kill you. It&rsquo;s serious. I like that</i></b><br>&ndash; Justin Schultz</blockquote><p>And that can create its own unique set of problems. First of all, Nelson is big on rolling four lines. That means everyone gets in the game. That also means his stars won&rsquo;t play as much and that will impact on the scoreboard. And while it&rsquo;s all well and good that these NHL guys want to use the minors as a place to improve deficiencies in their games, that might hinder the development of other players who need to work on their games more.</p><p>For example, Nugent-Hopkins wants to get better in the defensive zone. One way of helping him do that is to have him out for a crucial draw in his own end late in the third period with the game on the line, even though it means he might lose that draw and cause the winning goal. Eberle has said he wants to kill penalties, but Nelson already has players to fill those roles, ones who might make good penalty-killing specialists for the Oilers some day. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve spoken to Jordan and Ryan and I said, &lsquo;Look, I have a job to do besides winning hockey games and that&rsquo;s developing our players,&rsquo;&rdquo; Nelson says. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m trying to find ice time for everyone and that&rsquo;s the hardest thing for me right now. It&rsquo;s a good problem to have because we have a lot of good players.&rdquo;</p><p>It helps that all four of the players involved are mature enough to accept the reasoning and aren&rsquo;t exactly high-maintenance. All of them have embraced the opportunity to play during the lockout, even though their paychecks are about 10 percent of what they&rsquo;d be making in the NHL. In an ironic twist, one of the richest of all the Oilers, Eberle, is making more money than only Chris VandeVelde on the Barons. Eberle&rsquo;s at just $65,000 with no signing bonus, compared to Nugent-Hopkins and Schultz, who are pulling in $162,500 including their signing bonus. Hall had yet to actually sign an AHL deal with the Barons.</p><p>We&rsquo;ll have to presume Eberle&rsquo;s sixyear, $36-million deal that kicks in for the 2013-14 season will more than make up for the case of the shorts he&rsquo;ll have this season. It&rsquo;s clear he and the other young Oilers are doing this for anything but the money. Basically, the same kinds of traits that have made them such good young NHL players are the same ones that will serve them here. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve definitely never been one to be a prima donna or anything like that,&rdquo; says Nugent-Hopkins, who will likely find himself competing for Canada in the World Junior Championship if the lockout drags on that long. &ldquo;The bottom line is this beats sitting at home waiting for something to happen. It&rsquo;s the bestcase scenario and I couldn&rsquo;t be happier right now.&rdquo;</p><p>So with all this talent, and Hall on the way after he recovers from injury, the Barons should be doing their best impersonation of the Harlem Globetrotters against the Washington Generals on a regular basis, right? Well, it hasn&rsquo;t been quite that seamless for the Barons. They lost their first game of the season and barely won their second in a game during which, Nelson says, &ldquo;I thought I was in a bad dream.&rdquo;</p><p>Somehow, a power play with Schultz and Eberle at the points and Nugent-Hopkins, Magnus Paajarvi, a 2009 first round pick, and Teemu Hartikainen, the former Finnish League rookie of the year and World Championship standout, up front failed to score a goal in 13 opportunities. Of the three, Schultz was the only one to even get a point in the first two games.</p><p>But the evidence provided by the last lockout proves what the Oilers are doing can lead to good things. Eric Staal scored 31 points in his rookie season prior to the lockout, then came back from the AHL in 2005-06 to post career highs of 45 goals and 100 points and lead the Carolina Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup. Patrice Bergeron went from a 39-point scorer to 73 points and helped Canada win a WJC title with Sidney Crosby during the lockout. Michael Cammalleri spent parts of two seasons in the NHL, but became a full-time NHLer after scoring 109 points for the Manchester Monarchs. Jay Bouwmeester had already played two years in the NHL and responded with his best offensive season after spending the lockout in the AHL.</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-011273/9705081-1-eng-US/f0033-012.jpg" title="f0033-01" width="1394" height="1853"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>FOR PEANUTS</b></p><p>Eberle goes from a soon-to-be $6-million man in Oil Country to the second-lowest paid player on the Barons roster.</p> <span class="photo-credit">(ROB FERGUSON)</span></figcaption></div><p>There&rsquo;s always the danger players who belong in the NHL and aren&rsquo;t there will worry more about how talks are going than playing hockey. After the NHL and PA exchanged proposals, then barbs, in October, that ceased to be a problem for a short time. Nobody knows how long the young stars will be in the AHL, but they&rsquo;re not sitting at home marking the days off on their calendars. &ldquo;If this were to go the full season,&rdquo; Eberle says, &ldquo;I&rsquo;d be perfectly happy to stay here and have a great chance to win a Calder Cup.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0033-02876/9705074-1-eng-US/f0033-022.jpg" title="f0033-02" width="666" height="1140"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ALL OTHERS: DAVID MAXWELL/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span>

f0028-01

OILER BARONS

<div class="byline">BY MICHAEL RUSSO</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0036-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-02918/9705206-1-eng-US/f0036-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(COURTESY OF HOUSTON AEROS)</span></figcaption></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0036-011352/9705213-1-eng-US/f0036-012.jpg" title="f0036-01" width="164" height="146"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>M</span>ikael Granlund</b> always gets the fanfare because he&rsquo;s a Finnish superstar and YouTube highlight machine. Charlie Coyle is always hyped because he&rsquo;s a prototypical power forward that burst onto the scene last year to help Saint John to the Quebec League&rsquo;s President&rsquo;s Cup.</p><p>John Torchetti, who has been handed the Wild&rsquo;s cream-of-the-crop prospects this year as coach of the American League&rsquo;s Houston Aeros, drools at the chance to coach both 2010 first round picks. Minnesota took Granlund ninth and San Jose nabbed Coyle 28th before trading him a year later.</p><p>But Torchetti reminds Wild fans to not forget about watching the nuances of 2011 first-rounder Jonas Brodin (10th overall).</p><p>Torchetti says the blueliner skates like Jay Bouwmeester and thinks the game and has the natural instincts of Scott Niedermayer. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s going to create a better breakout team because of his speed and puck possession time is going to improve for us when he moves to the Wild,&rdquo; Torchetti said. &ldquo;And he&rsquo;s going to improve our practices because we&rsquo;ve got to catch up to his speed. No one&rsquo;s going to put a red light on him getting up ice, I can tell you that.&rdquo;</p><p>Brodin skyrocketed up the draft charts in the second half of 2010-11 and has proven since what type of player he can be. He helped Sweden to gold at last year&rsquo;s World Junior Championship, rendering Russia&rsquo;s Evgeny Kuznetsov invisible in the gold-medal game.</p><p>In the most recent World Championship, he went head-to-head with Russians like Evgeni Malkin. &ldquo;His feet, mobility &ndash; forwards, backwards, sideways &ndash; is very impressive,&rdquo; said Wild assistant GM Brent Flahr. &ldquo;And then the way he thinks the game, breaks down situations, anticipates and moves the puck, he certainly stands out.&rdquo;</p><p>Like many Swedes, Brodin is elite defensively. The Wild look for him to develop offensively in Houston, where he&rsquo;ll get to work with former Florida and Toronto offensive defenseman Mike Van Ryn, an assistant coach.</p><p>Brodin also got to learn a little from defense partner Marco Scandella, a 2008 second-rounder who was in Houston during the lockout. &ldquo;Brodin&rsquo;s got a chance to be a big-minute, top-pairing guy,&rdquo; Flahr said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got a long ways to go and a lot to learn and how he adapts to the pro level will dictate that. But our expectation? The sky&rsquo;s the limit.&rdquo;</p><p>The Aeros also feel the sky&rsquo;s the limit for them in a super-stacked and parity-filled AHL. Besides Granlund, Coyle and Brodin, also turning pro are 2010 second-rounders Brett Bulmer (39th overall),  Johan Larsson (56th) and Jason Zucker (59th), plus 2011 first-rounder Zack Phillips (28th). They also have a stellar tandem in net in Matt Hackett and former Western League player of the year Darcy Kuemper. The Aeros are getting such an infusion of skill, Torchetti said, &ldquo;Our top line last year (David McIntyre, Joel Broda and Justin Fontaine) could be our fourth line this year. We have skill upon skill now. We weren&rsquo;t blessed with that last year.&rdquo;</p><p>Torchetti has been around, having worked as an interim coach with Florida and Los Angeles, as well as an assistant with Cup-winning Chicago in 2010 (other NHL stops include Tampa Bay and Atlanta.) Now with the Aeros, he wants to prepare the youngsters for a smooth transition from the AHL to the NHL, where Wild coach Mike Yeo awaits. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t wait to see the learning curve,&rdquo; Torchetti said. &ldquo;Some you see in a week or two, &lsquo;They get it.&rsquo; Others, it takes a month, it might be two. But trust me, they&rsquo;ll be learning. I just want to teach them what I&rsquo;ve got and have them ready for &lsquo;Yeozie.&rsquo;&rdquo;<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0036-02

Brodin-ing Horizons

<h2><b>AHL EAST</b></h2><p>1. Syracuse Crunch</p><p>2. St. John&rsquo;s IceCaps</p><p>3. Portland Pirates</p><p>4. Springfield Falcons</p><p>5. Connecticut Whale</p><p>6. Bridgeport Sound Tigers</p><p>7. Binghamton Senators</p><p>8. Albany Devils</p><p>9. W-B/Scranton Penguins</p><p>10. Norfolk Admirals</p><p>11. Worcester Sharks</p><p>12. Manchester Monarchs</p><p>13. Providence Bruins</p><p>14. Adirondack Phantoms</p><p>15. Hershey Bears</p><h2><b>AHL WEST</b></h2><p>1. Oklahoma City Barons</p><p>2. Toronto Marlies</p><p>3. Chicago Wolves</p><p>4. Charlotte Checkers</p><p>5. Hamilton Bulldogs</p><p>6. Milwaukee Admirals</p><p>7. Lake Erie Monsters</p><p>8. Abbotsford Heat</p><p>9. Rochester Americans</p><p>10. San Antonio Rampage</p><p>11. Houston Aeros</p><p>12. Rockford IceHogs</p><p>13. Peoria Rivermen</p><p>14. Texas Stars</p><p>15. Grand Rapids Griffins<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

AHL Predictions

<div class="byline">&#x2013; ROBIN SHORT</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0038-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-02910/9705345-1-eng-US/f0038-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-011313/9705352-1-eng-US/f0038-012.jpg" title="f0038-01" width="88" height="88"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-03736/9705338-1-eng-US/f0038-032.jpg" title="f0038-03" width="657" height="774"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ALEX BURMISTROV</b> <span class="photo-credit">(BURMISTROV: CHRIS RUTSCH/CONNECTICUT WHALE)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>A</span></b>lex Burmistrov hasn&rsquo;t ridden a bus through a hockey outpost since his days as an 18-year-old junior in Barrie, Ont., but the Winnipeg Jets center hasn&rsquo;t had any problems adjusting to life in the American League.</p><p>The young Russian is the NHL&rsquo;s contribution to the St. John&rsquo;s IceCaps, the Jets&rsquo; AHL affiliate, where he joins several Winnipeg prospects, namely center Patrice Cormier, defenseman Paul Postma and wingers Carl Klingberg and Jason Gregoire.</p><p>Burmistrov hasn&rsquo;t arrived in Newfoundland with a too-big-for-his-britches attitude. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been awesome,&rdquo; said IceCaps captain Jason Jaffray. &ldquo;His attitude has been really good here.&rdquo;</p><p>Burmistrov just turned 21, but already has two years in the NHL after the Atlanta Thrashers picked him eighth overall in 2010. Last season in Winnipeg, he registered 13 goals and 28 points in 76 games, numbers he and IceCaps fans expect will improve in the AHL. &ldquo;Without a doubt,&rdquo; said St. John&rsquo;s coach Keith McCambridge, &ldquo;he has an opportunity to be an impact player in the American league. He possesses all the tools you need to be a high-end player.&rdquo;</p><p>The smooth-skating Burmistrov hoped to play in Russia&rsquo;s Kontinental League with his hometown Ak-Bars Kazan, but Jets management wanted him in St. John&rsquo;s where it could closely monitor his game. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s good competition for me,&rdquo; he said of the AHL. &ldquo;Hopefully, this will make me a better player.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-04597/9705331-1-eng-US/f0038-042.jpg" title="f0038-04" width="723" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-05479/9705324-1-eng-US/f0038-052.jpg" title="f0038-05" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PROKHORKIN: STEVE BABINEAU)</span></figcaption></div><p>Jordan Nolan and Slava Voynov bring Stanley Cup experience to the farm, but the Monarchs also have some tantalizing prospects making pro debuts. <b>Nikolay Prokhorkin&rsquo;s</b> draft stock slid to the fourth round in June, but the Russian heeded Kings GM Dean Lombardi&rsquo;s advice and brought his offensive prowess to North America to test his skills.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-06411/9705317-1-eng-US/f0038-062.jpg" title="f0038-06" width="723" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-07346/9705310-1-eng-US/f0038-072.jpg" title="f0038-07" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GORMLEY: JEFF GROSS/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Brandon Gormley</b> may have started his pro career in Portland anyway, but there&rsquo;s no doubt the all-purpose D-man is almost NHL-ready. After helping Shawinigan win the Memorial Cup, he&rsquo;ll join a lockoutboosted blueline including David Rundblad and rising star Oliver-Ekman Larsson. The competition for minutes will be fierce and fruitful.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-08283/9705303-1-eng-US/f0038-082.jpg" title="f0038-08" width="723" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-09242/9705296-1-eng-US/f0038-092.jpg" title="f0038-09" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SPOONER: ALAN SULLIVAN)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Ryan Spooner</b> split last season between two OHL teams, but will learn the pro game with Providence this year. The 20-year-old isn&rsquo;t physically imposing at 5-foot-10, but once he bulks up and learns to compete among grown men, Spooner&rsquo;s speed and stick-handling will make him stand out and get him to the NHL roster within a couple of seasons.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-10206/9705289-1-eng-US/f0038-102.jpg" title="f0038-10" width="723" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-11181/9705282-1-eng-US/f0038-112.jpg" title="f0038-11" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TELEGIN: St. JOHN&rsquo;s ICECAPS)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Ivan Telegin</b> was a scorer in the OHL, totalling 81 goals and 169 points in 156 games, but how will the 2010 fourth-rounder fare at the next level? He had knee and hand surgeries in the summer, so the IceCaps hope neither slows his start. The Russian found chemistry with fellow Jets prospect Mark Scheifele in Barrie, but won&rsquo;t have him in St. John&rsquo;s.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-12168/9705275-1-eng-US/f0038-122.jpg" title="f0038-12" width="723" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0038-13150/9705268-1-eng-US/f0038-132.jpg" title="f0038-13" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TENNYSON: WORCESTER SHARKS)</span></figcaption></div><p>San Jose is one of two teams (Vancouver) to have no draft picks from the past four years play in the NHL. But free agency yielded local boy <b>Matt Tennyson,</b> who left Western Michigan after three great years. The offensive D-man played in the Jr. Sharks system and got in seven games with Worcester last year once the Broncos finished NCAA play.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0038-02

Youthful Enthusiasm

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-011202/9705467-1-eng-US/f0039-012.jpg" title="f0039-01" width="950" height="184"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-02803/9705460-1-eng-US/f0039-022.jpg" title="f0039-02" width="88" height="88"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-03634/9705453-1-eng-US/f0039-032.jpg" title="f0039-03" width="658" height="735"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>AARON NESS</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>U</span></b>sually players pile up points in college and ratchet down expectations once they hit pro. Not so for Bridgeport&rsquo;s Aaron Ness, whose American League numbers are on par with those he put up at the University of Minnesota.</p><p>The blueliner tallied five goals and 27 points in 69 games during his first full campaign with the Sound Tigers last year, on pace with his goals- and points-per-game with the Gophers in roughly half the contests. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s more of a skilled game in the AHL,&rdquo; Ness said. &ldquo;College can be more dump-and-chase, guys flying around, playing out of position.&rdquo;</p><p>The Minnesota native made his NHL debut last season with the Islanders, playing nine games &ndash; including a tilt in Winnipeg that allowed friends and family to drive up from his hometown of Roseau a few hours away. That Minnesota connection has also made for some fun in Bridgeport, where Ness is teammates with big center Brock Nelson. While Ness hails from Roseau, Nelson calls Warroad home and the two high school teams have an epic history together. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a friendly rivalry,&rdquo; Ness said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s amazing how two small towns can produce so much hockey power.&rdquo;</p><p>That includes Dustin Byfuglien and T.J. Oshie. There&rsquo;s also the fact Nelson played for Minnesota&rsquo;s rival in college, North Dakota. But Ness isn&rsquo;t keeping score of recent results between the schools, right? &ldquo;It can&rsquo;t even be close,&rdquo; he said mischievously. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure Roseau and Minnesota take the cake.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-04532/9705446-1-eng-US/f0039-042.jpg" title="f0039-04" width="724" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-05449/9705439-1-eng-US/f0039-052.jpg" title="f0039-05" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LAURIDSEN: ANDY CAMP)</span></figcaption></div><p>Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timonen are opposites in size and style. So are their heirs. The 6-foot-6, 220-pound <b>Oliver Lauridsen</b> has Pronger&rsquo;s size and snarl. At 5-foot-10 and 180, Erik Gustafsson relies on the same positioning and stick-work that made Timonen a mainstay. Both prospects are 23 and will be busts if they aren&rsquo;t NHL-ready by year&rsquo;s end.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-06374/9705432-1-eng-US/f0039-062.jpg" title="f0039-06" width="724" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-07326/9705425-1-eng-US/f0039-072.jpg" title="f0039-07" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(KINKAID: JAMES DIBIANCO)</span></figcaption></div><p>Martin Brodeur and Johan Hedberg are each signed for two more seasons, but New Jersey needs to find out now what it has behind them. Top prospect Scott Wedgewood lost out to holdovers <b>Keith Kinkaid</b> and Jeff Frazee for the two spots in Albany. Kinkaid put up average numbers his first season in the AHL in 2011-12, while Frazee is entering his fifth.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-08277/9705418-1-eng-US/f0039-082.jpg" title="f0039-08" width="724" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-09225/9705411-1-eng-US/f0039-092.jpg" title="f0039-09" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(NESS+DE HAAN: DAVID GUNN)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Islanders hoped <b>Calvin de Haan</b> would stick with the big club as a 20-year-old, as Travis Hamonic did in 2010-11. But injuries to de Haan, a 2009 first-rounder, have made them wait. The Isles expect him to become an impact offensive defenseman, but with the acquisition of Lubomir Visnovsky they&rsquo;ll let him develop another year in Bridgeport.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-10194/9705404-1-eng-US/f0039-102.jpg" title="f0039-10" width="724" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-11170/9705397-1-eng-US/f0039-112.jpg" title="f0039-11" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MCILRATH: CHRIS RUTSCH)</span></figcaption></div><p>John Tortorella likes his D-men bruising and few come bigger and meaner than 6-foot-5, 215-pound <b>Dylan McIlrath,</b> a 2010 first round pick. He&rsquo;s the Rangers&rsquo; readiest &lsquo;D&rsquo; prospect and would have been first in line for a call-up had he not dislocated his knee in camp. His well-sandpapered game still needs smarter decision-making and improved puck-moving.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-12154/9705390-1-eng-US/f0039-122.jpg" title="f0039-12" width="724" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0039-13131/9705383-1-eng-US/f0039-132.jpg" title="f0039-13" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ERIXON: MIKE MITCHELL)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Tim Erixon,</b> the No. 17 prospect in Future Watch 2012, is on the cusp of regular NHL work. He had just two points in 18 games in his first big-league action with the Rangers last season, but excelled as a puck-mover in AHL Connecticut with 33 points in 52 games. He has a great chance to stick with Columbus if he shows enough in Springfield.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0039-01

No Regress In Ness

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BRUCE GARRIOCH</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0040-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-02580/9705575-1-eng-US/f0040-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-01906/9705582-1-eng-US/f0040-012.jpg" title="f0040-01" width="88" height="88"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-03449/9705568-1-eng-US/f0040-032.jpg" title="f0040-03" width="657" height="772"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>MARK STONE</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>M</span></b>ark Stone has risen from suspect to prospect since he was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the sixth round (178th overall) in 2010. And it looks like a gamble that&rsquo;s going to pay off.</p><p>There are still concerns about Stone&rsquo;s skating ability, but the Senators always knew he could score. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s got a skill you can&rsquo;t teach,&rdquo; said Senators assistant GM Tim Murray. &ldquo;He can put the puck in the net.&rdquo;</p><p>Stone finished with 106 goals during his four years with the Western League&rsquo;s Brandon Wheat Kings. He started slowly, scoring just 28 times in his first two seasons. But in Years 3 and 4, Stone had 37 and 41 goals and topped 100 points in both. He was called up by the big club late last season and suited up for Game 5 of its first round playoff series against the New York Rangers.</p><p>He has worked hard with director of player development Randy Lee and the club&rsquo;s skating instructors to improve that aspect of his game. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been working on skating ever since I got drafted,&rdquo; Stone said. &ldquo;I had lots of adversity with it and Ottawa has given me all the tools to try to improve it. I really thank them for that and I&rsquo;m trying to use all the opportunities I can.</p><p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m starting to show confidence in my game. There are always tweaks every season that you can do to make yourself better. Until you&rsquo;re one of the top players in the league, you&rsquo;re not going to stop trying to improve and even at that time, you want to keep improving.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-04362/9705561-1-eng-US/f0040-042.jpg" title="f0040-04" width="723" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-05307/9705554-1-eng-US/f0040-052.jpg" title="f0040-05" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(STONE+ZIBANEJAD: JUST SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHY)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Mika Zibanejad</b> played nine uneventful games for the Senators last season before returning to his native Sweden, but has committed to remaining in North America this year with the NHL team or Binghamton. The 2011 first-rounder had 13 points in 26 games for Djurgarden in 2011-12, but has the offensive creativity to significantly improve those totals.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-06269/9705547-1-eng-US/f0040-062.jpg" title="f0040-06" width="723" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-07234/9705540-1-eng-US/f0040-072.jpg" title="f0040-07" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(ORLOV: JEFF PITTENGER)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Dmitry</b>&nbsp;<b>Orlov</b> stands to benefit greatly from AHL time this season. The 21-year-old Russian scored nine points in 15 AHL games last season before being bumped up to the NHL full time in November. The 2009 second-rounder was impressive for the Caps, who hope he leads by example and returns to Washington with more confidence than ever.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-08202/9705533-1-eng-US/f0040-082.jpg" title="f0040-08" width="723" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-09151/9705526-1-eng-US/f0040-092.jpg" title="f0040-09" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(LINDHOLM: JOHN WRIGHT)</span></figcaption></div><p>These ain&rsquo;t your old Admirals &ndash; literally. Anaheim and Tampa switched affiliates. The 2012 Calder Cup champ roster is gone, but the Ducks bring a lot of talent. Blueliner <b>Hampus Lindholm,</b> 18, will be one of the youngest AHLers, straight from the 2012 draft podium in the first round to the pro ranks. Big and poised, he dazzled in the Swedish playoffs.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-10137/9705519-1-eng-US/f0040-102.jpg" title="f0040-10" width="723" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-11120/9705512-1-eng-US/f0040-112.jpg" title="f0040-11" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CONNOLLY: SCOTT AUDETTE/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p>If the Lightning rushed 2010 first round pick <b>Brett Connolly</b> last season, they got a mulligan. He entered the NHL after scoring 46 goals as an 18-year-old in junior, but struggled with Tampa, logging 15 points in 68 games. He was even given leave for the WJC. He joins a relocated AHL title team and can develop at a lesser difficulty level.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-12109/9705505-1-eng-US/f0040-122.jpg" title="f0040-12" width="723" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0040-1396/9705498-1-eng-US/f0040-132.jpg" title="f0040-13" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BENNETT: AFC MEDIA)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Pens are flush with &lsquo;D&rsquo; prospects after adding Derrick Pouliot and Brian Dumoulin. The forward pool isn&rsquo;t as deep. <b>Beau Bennett</b>, a 2010 first-rounder, joins Wilkes-Barre and will be fast-tracked if injuries hit the parent club. Pittsburgh patchworks its wings via trades and free agency, but wants to develop a top-six winger. Bennett projects as one.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0040-02

Hard Work Pays Off

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0041-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-01785/9705697-1-eng-US/f0041-012.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-02513/9705690-1-eng-US/f0041-022.jpg" title="f0041-02" width="88" height="88"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-03418/9705683-1-eng-US/f0041-032.jpg" title="f0041-03" width="657" height="769"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ZEMGUS GIRGENSONS</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>B</span></b>ecause hockey players wear long-sleeved jerseys, you wouldn&rsquo;t necessarily know power forward Zemgus Girgensons has a pretty formidable demon tattooed on his right arm, just below the shoulder. Metaphorically, American League opponents will realize it right away when he unceremoniously tattoos them, as he did veteran Syracuse blueliner J-P Cote to kick off the season. &ldquo;That was my first shift,&rdquo; Girgensons said. &ldquo;I tried to show what I&rsquo;ve got right away so I wouldn&rsquo;t get bothered by it the whole game.&rdquo;</p><p>The 18-year-old Latvian is a bull on the ice and his momentum hasn&rsquo;t slowed down since Buffalo traded up in the draft in June to nab him out of the United States League with the 14th overall pick. Scheduled to attend the University of Vermont, Girgensons was instead so impressive at Sabres rookie camp that the franchise signed him to a pro deal with hopes he would play somewhere in Western New York &ndash; Buffalo or Rochester &ndash; this year. &ldquo;At the rookie camp, they made their offer to me,&rdquo; Girgensons said. &ldquo;I saw that the camp was a good level and I didn&rsquo;t fall out, so I thought I should take my shot. I might not get that much ice time, but I&rsquo;m only an 18-year-old. I accept my role whatever it is.&rdquo;</p><p>Work ethic, physicality and offense are all there to be mined and though the Amerks are deep, an early yearending injury to Corey Tropp will open things up for the Latvian teen.</p><p>And once Girgensons gets going, he&rsquo;s tough to stop.</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-04362/9705676-1-eng-US/f0041-042.jpg" title="f0041-04" width="723" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-05328/9705669-1-eng-US/f0041-052.jpg" title="f0041-05" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(REINHART: ABBOTSFORD HEAT MEDIA - AMY WILLIAMS)</span></figcaption></div><p>Calgary hasn&rsquo;t had a homegrown center make it big in the nhl since Joe Nieuwendyk in 1985. Two-way rookie pro <b>Max Reinhart</b> is expected to change that. The eldest son of ex-NHLer Paul Reinhart is a consistent producer, but it&rsquo;s his maturity, defensive awareness and play without the puck that will pave his way after a season or two in the AHL.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-06285/9705662-1-eng-US/f0041-062.jpg" title="f0041-06" width="723" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-07245/9705655-1-eng-US/f0041-072.jpg" title="f0041-07" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(BEAULIEU: MARK NEWMAN/GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Nathan Beaulieu</b> finished his junior career in Saint John last season and will be groomed by new Hamilton coach and fellow blueliner Sylvain Lefebvre in his first year out of the QMJhl. The 19-year-old&rsquo;s size (6-foot-3) and smarts make scouts drool, but he&rsquo;ll need at least this season to acclimate to the pro game. Still, the Habs have big plans for him.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-08191/9705648-1-eng-US/f0041-082.jpg" title="f0041-08" width="723" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-09142/9705641-1-eng-US/f0041-092.jpg" title="f0041-09" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HISHON: BEN HALL/LAKE ERIE)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Joey Hishon</b> played four seasons with Owen Sound in the OHL, but it&rsquo;s the one he missed that&rsquo;s most concerning. The first round pick in 2010 didn&rsquo;t play a single game last season due to the lingering effects of a concussion sustained at the 2011 Memorial Cup. When he&rsquo;s closer to feeling ready to play, he&rsquo;ll report to Lake Erie.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-10115/9705634-1-eng-US/f0041-102.jpg" title="f0041-10" width="723" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1194/9705627-1-eng-US/f0041-112.jpg" title="f0041-11" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GIRGENSONS + PYSYK: MICHELINE VELUVOLU)</span></figcaption></div><p>A member of Canada&rsquo;s 2012 national junior team and captain of last season&rsquo;s WHLchampion Edmonton Oil Kings, <b>Mark Pysyk</b> will make his pro debut with the Americans. His vision and mobility excite the parent Sabres, but like many young blueliners, the 20-year-old will need to adjust to a faster, smarter level of play. He also must get more physical.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1279/9705620-1-eng-US/f0041-122.jpg" title="f0041-12" width="723" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0041-1364/9705613-1-eng-US/f0041-132.jpg" title="f0041-13" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(D&rsquo;AMIGO: GRAIG ABEL/ABELIMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Jerry D&rsquo;Amigo&rsquo;s</b> second pro season was far better than his first (which he started in 2010 with the AHL Marlies, only to be sent back to Kitchener of the ohl). The stocky but speedy 21-year-old finished fifth in team scoring (15 goals, 41 points) and was third in the post-season (eight goals, 13 points). There&rsquo;s work to do, but he&rsquo;s trending in the right direction.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0041-01

Buffalo Bull Brings Pain

<div class="byline">&#x2013; BOB DUFF</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-02538/9705805-1-eng-US/f0042-022.jpg" title="f0042-02" width="956" height="183"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-01833/9705812-1-eng-US/f0042-012.jpg" title="f0042-01" width="88" height="88"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-03422/9705798-1-eng-US/f0042-032.jpg" title="f0042-03" width="658" height="775"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>TOMAS TATAR</b></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span></b>hough it was just three years ago, it seems like forever since left winger Tomas Tatar became part of the Detroit Red Wings organization, so his anxiety to jump up to the big club is understandable.</p><p>When the lockout cancelled NHL training camps, the Red Wings granted Tatar, ranked 57th overall in THN&rsquo;s Future Watch 2012, permission to sign a short-term contract with SHK 37 Piestany of the Slovak Extraliga. But once the American League season got underway, he rejoined Grand Rapids, where he&rsquo;s played since being drafted 60th overall in 2009. &ldquo;You can always assign contracted players to Europe,&rdquo; said GM Ken Holland. &ldquo;He didn&rsquo;t have to clear waivers.&rdquo;</p><p>Back with the Griffins, a team he scored 24 goals and collected 58 points in 76 games with last season, Tatar admits he sometimes gets antsy in the AHL. &ldquo;Other players I play against, they are already in the NHL, so it&rsquo;s hard to look at that,&rdquo; Tatar said. &ldquo;Those guys did a good job down there, so they deserved that.&rdquo;</p><p>The 5-foot-10, 186-pound Tatar is into his fourth pro season with Grand Rapids, yet won&rsquo;t turn 22 until Dec. 1. He played nine games for Detroit in 2010-11, scoring one goal, in his only NHL action so far. &ldquo;Last year should actually have been my first year of pro if I didn&rsquo;t come so early,&rdquo; Tatar said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m still young. It&rsquo;s not like I have to be rushing. There&rsquo;s a lot of ice time down there for me, so I can develop and hopefully one day be part of the Red Wings for a whole season.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-04337/9705791-1-eng-US/f0042-042.jpg" title="f0042-04" width="723" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-05289/9705784-1-eng-US/f0042-052.jpg" title="f0042-05" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(SCHROEDER: ROSS DETTMAN)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Jordan Schroeder</b> has had three gradual years of development since Vancouver drafted him in the first round in &rsquo;09. But there&rsquo;s bound to be an opening for a skilled pivot with the Canucks after Cody Hodgson was traded to Buffalo for Zack Kassian. In two full AHL seasons, the undersized Schroeder has ramped up his goal production and improved his two-way play.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-06257/9705777-1-eng-US/f0042-062.jpg" title="f0042-06" width="724" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-07219/9705770-1-eng-US/f0042-072.jpg" title="f0042-07" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(TOMAS + SHEAHAN: MARK NEWMAN)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Riley</b>&nbsp;<b>Sheahan</b> struggled his first two years at Notre Dame, but blossomed in &rsquo;11-12, placing fourth in team scoring. He earned his promotions to Grand Rapids and the Red Wings for a game. Detroit likes his size and two-way presence, but the jury is out on his offensive ceiling. He&rsquo;ll be a Griffin all season and could be a Hockeytown injury replacement.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-08168/9705763-1-eng-US/f0042-082.jpg" title="f0042-08" width="723" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-09136/9705756-1-eng-US/f0042-092.jpg" title="f0042-09" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(WATSON: SCOTT PAULUS/MILWAUKEE ADMIRALS)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Preds need scoring and hope <b>Austin Watson,</b> a 2010 first-rounder, develops quickly in his first full season with AHL Milwaukee. The 6-foot-4, 193-pounder has an all-around game, but must fill out his frame. He showed resiliency last season, making the U.S. WJC team and amassing nine points in six games after being snubbed the year prior.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-10111/9705749-1-eng-US/f0042-102.jpg" title="f0042-10" width="723" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-1184/9705742-1-eng-US/f0042-112.jpg" title="f0042-11" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(COLE: NATHAN KERLEY)</span></figcaption></div><p>Peoria fans thought they&rsquo;d seen the last of <b>Ian Cole.</b> He was destined to spend all of 2012-13 with St. Louis after he looked comfortable during last season&rsquo;s promotion and Carlo Colaiacovo left for free agency. Instead, the budding shutdown D-man returns to the AHL to log major minutes and prepare himself for top-six NHL duty once the lockout ends.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-1271/9705735-1-eng-US/f0042-122.jpg" title="f0042-12" width="723" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0042-1359/9705728-1-eng-US/f0042-132.jpg" title="f0042-13" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MORIN: JIM ORLANDO)</span></figcaption></div><p>The Hawks are waiting on <b>Jeremy Morin</b> to give them a tangible return for the 2010 Dustin Byfuglien trade with Atlanta. Morin, 21, is fresh off an 18-goal, 40-point season with Rockford. Like last year&rsquo;s stellar call-up, Andrew Shaw, Morin blends scoring touch and sandpaper. Chicago needs centers more than wingers, so there&rsquo;s no pressure to rush Morin.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0042-02

Tatar’s Time Will Come

<div class="byline">&#x2013; GEORGE RICHARDS</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0043-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-02564/9705920-1-eng-US/f0043-022.jpg"></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-01813/9705927-1-eng-US/f0043-012.jpg" title="f0043-01" width="88" height="88"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-03468/9705913-1-eng-US/f0043-032.jpg" title="f0043-03" width="657" height="776"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>ALEX PETROVIC</b> <span class="photo-credit">(DARREN ABATE/PRESSPHOTOINTL.COM)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span></b>ith Erik Gudbranson out until January with a shoulder injury and Dmitry Kulikov still unsigned, Alex Petrovic had a good chance to make the Panthers out of training camp in October. Instead, Florida&rsquo;s 2010 second-rounder spent that time in his first American League camp with San Antonio.</p><p>Petrovic had a strong season at Red Deer last year, with 12 goals and 36 assists and was named the Western League&rsquo;s top defenseman. As soon as the Rebels&rsquo; disappointing season was over, Petrovic high-tailed it to San Antonio where he joined Florida&rsquo;s AHL team and played in 14 regular and post-season games. &ldquo;Last year did him a lot of good because now he knows what it is like competing against men and not 16-, 17-year-olds,&rsquo;&rsquo; said San Antonio coach Chuck Weber. &ldquo;Going up against players who are 27, 28 &ndash; that&rsquo;s a big difference. We know he has some offensive flair, but expectations for him are to be a better all-around defenseman. He has an edge to his game and he has to keep playing that way.&rsquo;&rsquo;</p><p>Petrovic wanted to be with the Panthers this season and during the summer was working toward a roster spot. Labor issues slowed his plans, but there&rsquo;s nothing wrong with a little more seasoning. &ldquo;Just playing at the end of the year was great for me,&rdquo; Petrovic said. &ldquo;I was able to get my feet under me. Being able to play in the playoffs was a great experience for me. I learned guys are harder to knock around, that&rsquo;s for sure.&rdquo;</p><h2><b>FOR THE RECORD</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-04360/9705906-1-eng-US/f0043-042.jpg" title="f0043-04" width="724" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-05314/9705899-1-eng-US/f0043-052.jpg" title="f0043-05" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(WELSH: ERIC BRIDENSTINE/CHARLOTTE CHECKERS)</span></figcaption></div><p>More undrafted college free agents fail to meet expectations and hang in the NHL than those who do, so the odds are against <b>Jeremy Welsh.</b> Still, the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder out of Union College can make a huge statement by starting this AHL season strong. His 27 goals were fourth in the NCAA last season and he got a one-game NHL taste after signing.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-06259/9705892-1-eng-US/f0043-062.jpg" title="f0043-06" width="724" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-07221/9705885-1-eng-US/f0043-072.jpg" title="f0043-07" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(HACKETT: HOUSTON AEROS &ndash; MORRIS MOLINA)</span></figcaption></div><p>When Josh Harding re-signed with Minnesota as a UFA, that meant <b>Matt Hackett</b> was ticketed back to Houston for a third season. The 2009 third-rounder had an impressive 12-game NHL stint last campaign, posting a .922 SP when Niklas Backstrom was injured. A permanent recall is in order when Backstrom becomes a UFA in July 2013.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-08173/9705878-1-eng-US/f0043-082.jpg" title="f0043-08" width="724" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-09132/9705871-1-eng-US/f0043-092.jpg" title="f0043-09" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PITLICK: StevenSTEVEN CHRISTY)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>Tyler Pitlick</b> has played four levels of hockey the past four seasons &ndash; from high school to U.S. college to major junior to minor pro. So a second season in Oklahoma City will help the 2010 second round pick regain his scoring touch. But with the Oilers deep at center, Pitlick will be asked to groom his two-way skills and develop a checking-line bent to his game.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-10117/9705864-1-eng-US/f0043-102.jpg" title="f0043-10" width="724" height="602"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-11101/9705857-1-eng-US/f0043-112.jpg" title="f0043-11" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(PETROV: JOSH HUSKIN/PRESSPHOTOINTL.COM)</span></figcaption></div><p>Florida&rsquo;s goalie of the future faces his stiffest AHL test yet. <b>Jacob Markstrom</b> finished 10th in GAA (2.32) and third in SP (.927) in 2011-12, but with more NHL-caliber players around, any dip from Markstrom will be worrisome. The 22-year-old also had two knee operations the past two years, so the Panthers want to see a full season out of him.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1289/9705850-1-eng-US/f0043-122.jpg" title="f0043-12" width="724" height="601"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0043-1375/9705843-1-eng-US/f0043-132.jpg" title="f0043-13" width="327" height="551"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(CAMPBELL: JOHN SNYDER JR./TEXAS STARS)</span></figcaption></div><p>Though <b>Jack Campbell</b> has the edge, there will be a spirited battle for crease time in Austin, with the 2010 first-rounder starting his first full pro campaign along with incoming Swedish vet Christopher Nihlstorp. Campbell is a confident big-gamer who started 12 games straight in Texas last year after his Soo Greyhounds missed the OHL playoffs.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0043-02

Ice Spice Plenty Nice

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0044-02" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-02454/9705965-1-eng-US/f0044-022.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL</b></p><p><b>Ryan Hartman was bound for Miami University, but changed his mind and joined the OHL.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(HARTMAN: RENA LAVERTY)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-01711/9705972-1-eng-US/f0044-012.jpg" title="f0044-01" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>B</span>eing an American</b> team in a league largely located across the border can be positive and negative. But for any hassle constant customs crossings bring for the Ontario League&rsquo;s Plymouth Whalers, they&rsquo;re a leg up when it comes to recruiting  top talent from the U.S. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an advantage in getting American players, definitely,&rdquo; said coach-GM Mike Vellucci. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an easier transition when you&rsquo;re used to the American schooling system. I&rsquo;m an American that went to play in Belleville and the Canadian system is different &ndash; I had a difficult time with Grade 13 Canadian history.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0044-03342/9705958-1-eng-US/f0044-032.jpg" title="f0044-03" width="159" height="140"></div><p>Fortunately, Vellucci&rsquo;s American geography is spot-on. The bench boss, who recently won his 400th career game (third amongst active OHL coaches), has assembled another hot roster featuring players from seven states, from Texas to New Jersey. The biggest coup was 18-year-old Ryan Hartman, a right winger converted to center who was slated to go the NCAA route with Miami University before a change of heart. &ldquo;I had a year of high school left, so I would have had to wait another year before college,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve seen OHL games, I&rsquo;ve known guys in the OHL and I like the league a lot.&rdquo;</p><p>A rambunctious forward tabbed as a &lsquo;B&rsquo; prospect by NHL Central Scouting&rsquo;s initial list (putting him in the second round of the 2013 draft), Hartman is an Illinois product who shined for Team USA&rsquo;s National Team Development Program the past two seasons. He capped off his NTDP career with a gold medal at the World Under-18 Championship, where he posted six points in six games, along with a plus-9 rating that tied teammate Seth Jones for second-best in the tourney. Hartman also picked up a team-high 22 penalty minutes in the process &ndash; all part of the havoc he enjoys creating behind enemy lines. &ldquo;I like to be physical and make plays for my teammates,&rdquo; Hartman said. &ldquo;Open up opportunities and get shots on net.&rdquo;</p><p>For Vellucci, Hartman is the latest in a string of high-end players such as Stefan Noesen, J.T. Miller and Tom Wilson (all NHL first-rounders) who balance skill and brawn, something the coach noticed right away during a scouting mission. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s his tenacity,&rdquo; Vellucci said. &ldquo;He works so hard on the ice. I remember watching him in his minor midget year in downtown Detroit and he scored four goals &ndash; three of them were top-shelf &ndash; but he&rsquo;s a gritty player, another power forward.&rdquo;</p><p>Since he&rsquo;s now playing center, the natural winger has tried to focus on his defensive zone routes and learning the position. All on top of getting used to that longer major junior schedule.</p><p>But Hartman is worldsavvy thanks to his NTDP days and even got to skate on NHL ice in September when the Buffalo Sabres hosted the first All-American Prospects Game. Hartman was one of the few Canadian Hockey Leaguers there (ex-teammate Jones was as a member of the Western League&rsquo;s Portland Winterhawks), as the rosters were mostly filled with current NTDPers or rising United States League stars. Hartman was on the losing side of a 5-2 game, but showed his skill set in the first period when he barged in front of the net and deftly tipped a shot that gave the goalie all he could handle. The event, organized by USA Hockey, was a showcase for draft eligible players and featured all the perks of playing in an NHL arena. &ldquo;It was an honor to be in the first game,&rdquo; Hartman said. &ldquo;We were in the Sabres&rsquo; facilities and we got to tour their dressing room, so it was a great time.&rdquo;</p><p>If Hartman keeps up his early play, it won&rsquo;t be his last time on NHL ice.</p><p>5 <b>Days separated Ryan Hartman from being eligible in the 2012 NHL draft instead of 2013</b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0044-02

Hartman’s Balancing Act

<div class="byline">BY EDWARD FRASER</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0045-03" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-03350/9706010-1-eng-US/f0045-032.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>UNSELFISH PLAYER</b></p><p><b>Scott Harrington sets up his teammates, but is also giving off the ice in community work.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(HARRINGTON: CLAUS ANDERSEN)</span></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-02415/9706017-1-eng-US/f0045-022.jpg" title="f0045-02" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>hat you need</b> to know about Penguins prospect Scott Harrington on the ice can be encapsulated in back-to-back shifts in Game 5 of the 2012 Ontario League final. No. 1: the Knights defenseman goes horizontal to block a shot and clears the zone to waste away the final seconds of a penalty. No. 2: Harrington streaks down the left boards into the Niagara zone and throws a puck into the crease, immediately banged in by Austin Watson.</p><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-04305/9706003-1-eng-US/f0045-042.jpg" title="f0045-04" width="133" height="151"></div><p>Harrington&rsquo;s proficiency in both ends is a big reason why London wrapped up the J. Ross Robertson Cup that night&hellip;and why Pittsburgh brass is stoked it drafted him in the second round (54th overall) in 2011. &ldquo;His strength is more of a defensive guy who can play the shutdown role, top penalty-killer,&rdquo; said Penguins assistant to the GM Tom Fitzgerald, a veteran of 1,097 NHL games, &ldquo;but he can jump up into the play and add some offense. He&rsquo;s just a very effective player because of how simple he keeps his game.&rdquo;</p><p>His game may be simple, but he&rsquo;s far from it between the ears. In speaking with Fitzgerald, one word arises again and again: &ldquo;He&rsquo;s smart; an <i>intelligent</i> player&hellip;His hockey <i>intelligence</i> is excellent and that allows him to be so coachable&hellip;He&rsquo;ll make adjustments because of the hockey <i>intelligence</i> that he brings to the table.&rdquo;</p><p>There&rsquo;s a lot to like about 6-foot-2, 205-pound Harrington off the ice as well. His leadership qualities led the Knights, via a vote by teammates, to sew the &lsquo;C&rsquo; on his sweater and he visits sick children at area hospitals with Seth Griffith (Boston, 131st overall in &rsquo;12) on top of regular school and community appearances. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice to give back, especially on a 1-on-1 basis, and especially to kids that are less fortunate.&rdquo;</p><p>His efforts in London get noticed 200 miles to the south by the big club. &ldquo;His on-ice presence is a reflection of his off-ice presence,&rdquo; Fitzgerald said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a real good hockey player and he&rsquo;s a real good person. He gets it.&rdquo;</p><p>Harrington, 19, has taken on additional ice time in all situations this season and though he has only three assists in eight games, he&rsquo;s a plus-5 with just two penalty minutes while facing the other team&rsquo;s best each night.</p><p>After reaching the Memorial Cup final in 2011-12, the Knights, despite a skittish 5-3-0 start, are poised to make a run &ndash; thought they will lose Harrington for at least one stretch while he pulls on the red and white for Canada at the World Junior Championship in Ufa, Russia in late December. They&rsquo;d also likely lose him to an NHL training camp in Pittsburgh.</p><p>With four solid regulars &ndash; Kris Letang, Paul Martin, Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen &ndash; signed through 2014 and a multitude of blueline prospects in the mix, it&rsquo;s a long shot Harrington will make the Penguins this year and he should spend at least one campaign incubating in the American League. But his skill set and intangibles make him a blue-chipper. &ldquo;He likes to win and that&rsquo;s great for the Pittsburgh organization because he&rsquo;s a winner,&rdquo; said Knights GM Mark Hunter. &ldquo;He&rsquo;ll be there someday, sooner than later.&rdquo;</p><p><b>For more on the future, check out: <a href="http://thn.com/prospects">thn.com/prospects</a></b><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p></div>

f0045-03

A Beautiful Mind On ‘D’

<div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0045-01623/9706048-1-eng-US/f0045-012.jpg" title="f0045-01" width="443" height="440"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(MORROW: AFC MEDIA)</span></figcaption></div><p><b>1. Joe Morrow</b></p><p> WBS Penguins (AHL)</p><p><i>A great combination of size, skating and shooting prowess nearly earned the farm boy a spot in the NHL last year. Starred in back-to-back WHL finals with Portland.</i></p><p><b>2. Simon Despres</b></p><p> WBS Penguins (AHL)</p><p><i>Earned a trip to the AHL All-Star Game as a rookie pro last year one season after helping Saint John win Memorial Cup. Big boy got some games in with Pens, too.</i></p><p><b>3. SCott Harrington</b></p><p> London Knights (OHL)</p><p><i>Least-heralded member of Canada&rsquo;s WJC blueline corps made a name for himself en route to bronze.</i></p><p><b>4. Derrick Pouliot</b></p><p>Portland Winterhawks (WHL)</p><p>&nbsp;<i>Smooth-skating, all-around player was selected with the pick earned in the Jordan Staal trade.</i></p><p><b>5. olli maatta</b></p><p> London Knights (OHL)</p><p><i>Touted as the best defensive defenseman in the draft, Maatta flipped the script in the OHL playoffs by tearing off 23 points in 19 games.</i><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0045-01

Pen Pals

<div class="byline">BY RYAN KENNEDY</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0046-04" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-04232/9706086-1-eng-US/f0046-042.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>REMEMBER HIM IN JUNE</b></p><p><b>Madison Bowey, ranked 33rd by International Scouting Services, is 2013 NHL draft eligible.</b></p></figcaption></div><div class="container"><div class="figure-block image-float"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-03281/9706093-1-eng-US/f0046-032.jpg" title="f0046-03" width="77" height="89"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>T</span>wo years ago,</b> Madison Bowey had to make a choice. The Winnipeg native was a great, young hockey player with the option to play in the NCAA or Western League, but he also excelled on the diamond, where his baseball skills led him to the national championship tournament. Bowey went with hockey and the WHL&rsquo;s Kelowna Rockets are all the richer for it, but the decision wasn&rsquo;t easy. &ldquo;It was tough,&rdquo; Bowey said. &ldquo;Anytime I watch a game on TV or pass a ball diamond, it brings back a lot of good memories.&rdquo;</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-02411/9706079-1-eng-US/f0046-022.jpg" title="f0046-02" width="153" height="135"></div><p>His sentiment echoes the feelings of another slick defenseman: the Anaheim Ducks&rsquo; Cam Fowler, who was also a standout in two sports and had to walk away from his field of dreams in favor of paradise on ice. And the similarities don&rsquo;t end there. &ldquo;The one thing that really stands out about Madison is his skating ability,&rdquo; said coach Ryan Huska. &ldquo;When he joins in on the play, we don&rsquo;t worry about it because he&rsquo;s usually the first one back, too. He&rsquo;s such an even skater.&rdquo;</p><p>Huska sees the talent Bowey brings and on a deep Rockets blueline also featuring New Jersey Devils second-rounder Damon Severson (60th overall in 2012) and veteran Myles Bell (who has even played forward this year as an injury fill-in), he has the luxury of pacing his young charge. Bowey kills penalties and gets power play time on the second unit. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a natural athlete, you can tell,&rdquo; Huska said. &ldquo;He does a good job joining the rush and he&rsquo;s becoming more comfortable on the defensive end.&rdquo;</p><p>Because of his potential NCAA aspirations, Bowey dropped to the second round of the 2010 WHL bantam draft, where the Rockets snagged him 23rd overall. But there was still buzz in the scouting community over what he would do at the next level. Bowey had six points in 10 games and is ranked 33rd overall by International Scouting Services for next summer&rsquo;s draft.</p><p>Kelowna&rsquo;s illustrious history has benefitted Bowey in other ways during the NHL lockout campaign. The Rockets have had a special guest in Philadelphia Flyers blueliner Luke Schenn. &ldquo;Luke has been a very important part of our practice plans,&rdquo; Huska said.</p><p>Not only is Schenn one of the famous recent D-men to come out of Kelowna, joining Duncan Keith, Shea Weber and Tyler Myers, but he&rsquo;s experienced highs and lows in his NHL career, so he can speak to the kids about pressure. Schenn also brings that pro commitment to his body youngsters can learn from. &ldquo;We get to see him on the ice and working out in the gym,&rdquo; Bowey said. &ldquo;After games, I ask him what I did well and what I did wrong out there.&rdquo;</p><p>As for going through the meat grinder that is a player&rsquo;s NHL draft year, Schenn has also been invaluable for the 6-foot-1, 194-pound youngster. &ldquo;In his draft year, he was getting compared to Drew Doughty,&rdquo; Bowey said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s told me to settle down and not worry about the draft, just to focus on the game.&rdquo;</p><p>Great advice, because Bowey will get his share of comparisons, too. In the WHL alone, there are many top D-men eligible, including potential No. 1 overall Seth Jones of Portland, Josh Morrissey in Prince Albert, Shea Theodore from Seattle and Brandon&rsquo;s Ryan Pulock and Eric Roy.</p><p>As for baseball, Bowey is a big Toronto Blue Jays fan and pulled for the Yankees and Cardinals during the playoffs. And though he also played catcher and center field during his heyday, he enjoyed the pressure of pitching most.</p><p>Whether it&rsquo;s a ball or a puck, Bowey knows how to make a difference.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-04

A Diamond On Defense

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RK</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0046-01628/9706124-1-eng-US/f0046-012.jpg" title="f0046-01" width="483" height="396"><figcaption class="caption-body">JACKSON WHISTLE <span class="photo-credit">(BOWEY+WHISTLE: MARISSA BAECKER/SHOOTTHEBREEZE.COM)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><span>G</span>oaltender Jackson Whistle has seen the best already, albeit in an informal setting. The Kelowna native took part in a summer training camp in L.A. that saw him facing off against the top forward prospect in the 2013 draft, Halifax&rsquo;s Nathan MacKinnon, during battle drills. Whistle held his own against the dangerous Mooseheads pivot and, thanks to an early-season trade from the Vancouver Giants, the draft-eligible netminder is playing for his hometown Rockets. &ldquo;He has lots of raw talent and ability,&rdquo; said coach Ryan Huska. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re grooming him to be our 19-year-old starter.&rdquo;</p><p>Early on, Whistle was lights-out  for the Rockets during spot duty, but didn&rsquo;t get a sniff from Central Scouting or International Scouting Services. At 6-foot-1, 184 pounds, he has a good frame. Now it&rsquo;s time to prove he&rsquo;s ready to seize that future role the Rockets envision for him.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0046-01

Whistle Stop

<div class="byline">BY ADAM PROTEAU</div><div class="image-hero"><img title="f0048-01" src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0048-01438/9706155-1-eng-US/f0048-012.jpg"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>IMPRESSIVE RESUME</b></p><p><b>Petr Svoboda won a Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1986 and gold medal at the 1998 Olympics.</b></p> <span class="photo-credit">(SVOBODA: HHOF IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>hen a teenaged defenseman</b> named Petr Svoboda made the choice to leave his Czech homeland, it wasn&rsquo;t with the relatively small consequences endured by Europeans who choose to play hockey in North America today. Put yourself in his shoes: what would you do if, like Svoboda, you knew you might never see your parents again and that they, too, would suffer after you left?</p><p>Svoboda bravely decided to follow his dreams at age 17 and defected to freedom in the former West Germany in 1984. The famous Stastny Brothers paved the way as the first Czech defectors in the NHL, but Svoboda was the first do it as a young prospect. And for a full year after he left Communism behind for Western society, he didn&rsquo;t have any contact with his parents. But he did enjoy incredible success &ndash; winning a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens in 1986 and an Olympic gold medal for the Czech Republic at the 1998 Nagano Winter Games in Japan &ndash; and today helps a new generation of players acclimate to a pro career in his role as a player agent (Jaromir Jagr and Jiri Hudler are among his clients).</p><p>And all that tumult and risk some three decades ago? Completely worth it. &ldquo;As a pretty young guy, you have no idea what would happen to your family you leave behind,&rdquo; says Svoboda, who maintains homes in Montreal, Los Angeles and the Czech Republic. &ldquo;And state officials gave my parents a pretty hard time. We came from a very close family, so it wasn&rsquo;t easy. But I&rsquo;m glad I made the decision I did, because I&rsquo;ve been extremely fortunate.&rdquo;</p><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>When I joined the NHL, I was 165 pounds</b><br><b><i>&ndash; Petr Svoboda</i></b></blockquote><p>Svoboda grew up in Most, a Czech city of 30,000 at the time. So when he was drafted fifth overall by Montreal at the 1984 draft, he not only had to adjust to the mania that surrounds all players drafted by the Canadiens, he had to learn the English language and culture  from scratch. Luckily, he had some help along the way. &ldquo;The language was the most difficult adjustment, because we had no opportunities to learn English in the Eastern European countries,&rdquo; says Svoboda, now 46. &ldquo;But I had great mentors like Serge Savard and my teammates, guys like Larry Robinson and Bob Gainey, were tremendous helps also. They made the transition so much easier.&rdquo;</p><p>Generously listed at 6-foot-1, Svoboda was one of the less physically imposing players of his day. But he could give as good as he got &ndash; over two straight seasons,  he had penalty minute totals of 149 and 147 &ndash; and prided himself on being able to play through pain and injury. Because of that, he was a key component of the Canadiens in 1986 and became beloved by Montreal&rsquo;s passionate fan base during his eight seasons there. &ldquo;I realized very fast what hockey means to Montreal fans and Montreal people,&rdquo; Svoboda says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s something you cherish, but at the same time, it can be overwhelming. Thank God I had such a strong support system to help me concentrate on what I needed to do and not get distracted by anything.&rdquo;</p><p>Svoboda was traded to Buffalo in 1991-92 and spent parts of four seasons as a Sabre before moving on to the Philadelphia Flyers from 1994-99 and finishing out his career in a mentor&rsquo;s role with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The chance to represent his country at the Nagano Games remains one of his career highlights, especially given he scored the only goal of the gold-medal game against Russia to give the Czechs the championship.</p><p>But what resonates loudest is his ability to be a survivor of the pro game for 17 years and his status as the first Czech player to reach 1,000 NHL games (he retired after 2000-01 with 1,028). &ldquo;When I got into the league, I was about 165 pounds and at the time the game was played much tougher than it is now, so a lot of people figured I wouldn&rsquo;t be around too long,&rdquo; Svoboda says. &ldquo;But I did and that&rsquo;s something I really treasure.&rdquo;</p><p>FOR MORE TALES OF PAST HOCKEY GREATS, CLICK ON <a href="http://THN.COM/BACKCHECKING">THN.COM/BACKCHECKING</a><span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0048-01

Svoboda The Survivor

<div class="byline">&#x2013; RYAN KENNEDY</div><h2><b>GUESS Who</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-01415/9706228-1-eng-US/f0049-012.jpg" title="f0049-01" width="479" height="651"></div><p><i>&ldquo;I used to figure skate when I was a kid.&rdquo;</i></p><p><i>&ldquo;I was selected seventh overall in 2010 following a two-year career with the Ontario League&rsquo;s Kitchener Rangers.&rdquo;</i></p><p><i>&ldquo;I played in the NHL All-Star Game and won the 2011 Calder Trophy after scoring 31 goals and 63 points with the Hurricanes.&rdquo;</i></p><h2><b>SEPARATED AT Birth</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-02314/9706221-1-eng-US/f0049-022.jpg" title="f0049-02" width="230" height="404"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>Sidney Crosby</b></p><p><i>Brown hair, big lips. Great &rsquo;07 won him Hart. Scored on a Sunday to win Olympics. Spends some time in box.</i></p></figcaption><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-03246/9706214-1-eng-US/f0049-032.jpg" title="f0049-03" width="231" height="404"><figcaption class="caption-body"><p><b>Andy Samberg</b></p><p><i>Brown hair, big lips. &lsquo;I&rsquo;m On A Boat&rsquo; got him Grammy nod. Scored fans with &lsquo;Lazy Sunday&rsquo; and &lsquo;D---In A Box.&rsquo;</i></p></figcaption></div><p>Email your suggestions to <b><a href="mailto:sab@thehockeynews.com">sab@thehockeynews.com</a></b></p><p>WHO AM I: JEFF SKINNER</p><h2><b>CROSSWORD</b></h2><p>By Larry Humber</p><div class="figure-block image-bleed"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-06100/9706207-1-eng-US/f0049-062.jpg" title="f0049-06" width="1025" height="1025"></div><p><b>ANSWERS AVAILABLE IN THE NEXT ISSUE AND AT</b> <a href="http://THN.com/XWORD">THN.com/<b>xword</b></a></p><h3><b>ACROSS</b></h3><p>1 Marc, Jordan, Eric and Jared</p><p>4 Sells tickets at inflated prices</p><p>9 Hit hard</p><p>10 &lsquo;One-Eyed&rsquo; Frank ___</p><p>11 First name of hockey&rsquo;s &lsquo;Entertainer&rsquo;</p><p>12 Fight: three words</p><p>13 ___ Ovechkin is Capitals captain, pictured</p><p>15 Tampa&rsquo;s building formerly named the st. ___ Times Forum</p><p>18 An IIHF member country since 1946</p><p>21 Where Gordie Howe broke in as a pro</p><p>23 Gretzky called Devils a &lsquo;Mickey ___ operation&rsquo;</p><p>24 Goalie Ty ___ grew up in Anchorage</p><p>25 The Islanders play at ___ Coliseum</p><p>26 bonuses</p><h3><b>DOWN</b></h3><p>1 Cammi is Tony Granato&rsquo;s</p><p>2 Trophy</p><p>3 &lsquo;The Magnificent One&rsquo;</p><p>5 Cam Neely hails from this B.C. town</p><p>6 Score frequently, ___ ___ up</p><p>7 Takes a series 4-0</p><p>8 ___ Oates is now coach in Washington</p><p>14 rosters</p><p>15 Where &lsquo;Gretz&rsquo; coached with little success</p><p>16 ___-___ advantage, an extra attacker (or two)</p><p>17 Stan Mikita&rsquo;s Donuts featured in ___ World</p><p>19 Joe Louis, for one</p><p>20 It&rsquo;s no goal if you ___ it in</p><p>22 More skilled</p><p><b>LAST WEEK&rsquo;S CROSSWORD SOLUTION ACROSS</b> 1. ALASKA, 4. WALTER, 9. SPINNER, 10. AWARD, 11. SWEEP, 12. SELANNE, 13. NCAA, 15. PARK, 18. HARVARD, 21. NORTH, 23. OPENS, 24. SCHOOLS, 25. SUTTER, 26. FRASER <b>DOWN</b> 1. ASSIST, 2. ALIVE, 3. KONOPKA, 5. AVAIL, 6. TRAINER, 7. REDDEN, 8. PROS, 14. CURRENT, 15. PANTHER, 16. SHOOTS, 17. CHASER, 19. AISLE, 20. DISC, 22. ROOKS</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-04227/9706200-1-eng-US/f0049-042.jpg" title="f0049-04" width="908" height="1184"><figcaption class="caption-body"><b>&lsquo;Wild&rsquo; Bill Ezinicki, front left, was tough as nails &ndash; despite archane training. He died Oct. 15 at 88.</b></figcaption></div><h2><b>Blast from the Past</b></h2><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-0772/9706193-1-eng-US/f0049-072.jpg" title="f0049-07" width="150" height="150"></div><p>from The Hockey Hall <i>of</i> Fame</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0049-05176/9706186-1-eng-US/f0049-052.jpg" title="f0049-05" width="622" height="633"><figcaption class="caption-body"><span class="photo-credit">(GUESS WHO: GRAIG ABEL/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; CROSBY: ANDY MARLIN/NHLI VIA GETTY IMAGES; SAMBERG: DONN A WARD/GETTY IMAGES, BLAST: HHOF IMAGES; JERSEY: DEREK LEUNG/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><h3><b>Everett Silvertips | 2012-13</b></h3><h2><b>JerseyHound</b></h2><p>The Western League&rsquo;s Silvertips turn 10 this season and with that comes special new jerseys. The logo is the main eye-catcher here, as the traditional stickwielding bear is replaced by a much more up-close-and-personal version set inside a shield, with mountains in the background.</p><p>Because the side-shot bear logo is so common in hockey, this new crest is a bold new look for Everett, which also boasts an &lsquo;X&rsquo; Roman numeral shoulder logo as part of the anniversary. Done in both home and away colors, the sweaters are only for this season.<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

f0049-01

LAST MINUTE OF PLAY

<div class="byline">BY KEN CAMPBELL</div><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-01402/9706266-1-eng-US/f0050-012.jpg" title="f0050-01" width="282" height="499"></div><p class="dropcap"><b><span>W</span>hen you get to</b> the age where birthday parties are eight-alarm fires just waiting to happen, a guy can sometimes pine for the good old days. Those were the times when we&rsquo;d spend a good part of our days on the phone tracking down the latest stats for a hotshot prospect from Voskresensk rather than looking them up online in 30 seconds. Hey, wait a minute. Maybe those days weren&rsquo;t so great after all.</p><p>But they were, oh, so innocent. Think about how little we knew a decade ago compared to the knowledge we&rsquo;re armed with now. In fact, I was lucky enough recently to come across a sealed letter of questions I posed to myself 10 years ago. No sense in procrastinating any longer, let&rsquo;s get to answering them.</p><p><b>Young Ken:</b> The collective bargaining agreement doesn&rsquo;t expire for another two years, but I&rsquo;m hearing rumblings the NHL might shut down for a whole season to get cost certainty. That sounds crazy. Would these guys really be willing to shut down a $2.2-billion industry?</p><p><b>Old Ken:</b> Well, actually, yes. In fact, they&rsquo;d be willing to shut down a $3.3-billion industry seven years after shutting down the $2.2-billion industry. The funny thing is the game has never been more financially robust because the Canadian dollar isn&rsquo;t worth 65 cents American anymore.</p><p><b>Young Ken:</b> If they do get their cost certainty, that should solve all their problems, right?</p><p><b>Old Ken:</b> You&rsquo;d think, wouldn&rsquo;t you? But you haven&rsquo;t factored in how the owners began to legally circumvent the collective bargaining agreement the moment the ink was dry. If you can believe it, 10 years later they still need to be saved from themselves.</p><p><b>Young Ken:</b> Alexei Yashin is making $7.4 million and stands to make $8.4 million next season on a 10-year deal. That doesn&rsquo;t seem outrageous for a guy who seems to be good for 40 goals and 80 points a season, does it?</p><p><b>Old Ken:</b> You poor, pitiful, misguided fool. That contract is so bad that Yashin is still being paid more than $2 million by the New York Islanders on the same contract <i>not</i> to play for them. What&rsquo;s worse is he&rsquo;ll be collecting checks until 2015.</p><div class="figure-block image-block"><img src="/var/site_2854/storage/images/media2/images/f0050-02297/9706259-1-eng-US/f0050-022.jpg" title="f0050-02" width="650" height="748"><figcaption class="caption-body">ALEXEI YASHIN <span class="photo-credit">(GRAIG ABEL/GETTY IMAGES)</span></figcaption></div><blockquote class="pullQuote"><b>Guys at my age can sometimes pine for the good old days</b></blockquote><p><b>Young Ken:</b> Rick Nash was drafted first overall a couple months ago. It looks like he has a bright future in Columbus.</p><p><b>Old Ken:</b> Ugh. What you don&rsquo;t know right now is the Blue Jackets will spend the next decade wasting Nash&rsquo;s talents with a combination of poor drafting and bad decision making. The Blue Jackets will languish near the bottom of the league and Nash will be waiting to experience his first playoff victory when he joins the New York Rangers in 2012.</p><p><b>Young Ken:</b> I must say I haven&rsquo;t been too impressed with the Sedin twins so far. Dany Heatley had one fewer point than both of them combined last season. Are these guys going to be busts?</p><p><b>Old Ken:</b> Thankfully, no, because if they had, it would have rendered the entire exercise known as the 1999 NHL draft entirely pointless. As far as Heatley goes, let&rsquo;s just say things got pretty eventful for him over the next 10 years.</p><p><b>Young</b>&nbsp;<b>Ken:</b> In the six years since they&rsquo;ve moved from Winnipeg, the Phoenix Coyotes have posted a winning record every season and have made the playoffs five times. Hockey in the desert doesn&rsquo;t seem like such a bad idea, don&rsquo;t you think?</p><p><b>Old Ken:</b> You don&rsquo;t know this, but the Coyotes are on the precipice of disaster. Next year, they&rsquo;re going to move into the Glendale Arena at Westgate, which is only 13 miles from downtown Phoenix, but might as well be 13,000. This whole thing will become the boondoggle of all boondoggles and the good people of Glendale will be left paying millions to keep a team nobody watches.</p><p><b>Young Ken:</b> The Penguins finished with the third fewest points in the NHL last season and things aren&rsquo;t looking much more promising. How on earth will they ever get out of this morass?</p><p><b>Old Ken:</b> Two words. Malkin and Crosby.</p><p><b>Young Ken:</b> Earlier this year, Martin Brodeur led Canada to the Olympic gold medal and played 73 games, more than any other goalie in the league. He already has two Stanley Cups and is approaching his 30th birthday. How much longer can he possibly keep up this level of play?</p><p><b>Old Ken:</b> I have absolutely no idea.</p><p>CAN&rsquo;T GET ENOUGH CAMPBELL? CLICK ON <b><a href="http://THN.com">THN.COM</a></b> FOR KEN&rsquo;S EXCLUSIVE BLOG<span class="end-marker"> &#9632;</span></p>

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November 5, 2012

THN INBOX

The Instigator

Out From The Shadow

Could ‘Fern’ Put A Puck In The Ocean?