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Meet The New Guys 2020
It's double the fun with our WJC Preview/Meet The New Guy Issue! Get all the info you need on the World Junior Championship while learning about the new faces in new places for the 2020-21 NHL season. In the WJC section, we have previews on each team, plus profiles on key players to watch. In Meet The New Guy, you'll find stories on Matt Murray, Alex Pietrangelo, Taylor Hall and many more. Published December 2020
Meet the New Guy
The Bruins got a bargain in speedy CRAIG SMITH at just $3.1 million per year. Had COVID-19 not shortened the 2019-20 season, he would’ve hit 20 goals for the sixth time in seven years. Only two NHLers have averaged more shots per 60 at 5-on-5 over the past three seasons. New GM Kevyn Adams made astute moves to protect top prospect Dylan Cozens, bringing in veteran pivots ERIC STAAL and Cody Eakin to add leadership and lineup insulation. Cozens can now earn his way up the depth chart rather than be handed tough assignments too soon. Carolina had a quiet off-season and with a rising cast of players, tweaks were probably the safe way to go. In right winger JESPER FAST, the Canes add a quick forward with plenty of playoff experience…
The COUNTDOWN
ONLY THE TRULY SPECIAL players can be dominant in the NHL before reaching their 22nd birthday. The Vancouver Canucks, with Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes guiding the way last season, made the biggest surge as a team. Pettersson is no longer part of the 21-and-under crowd (ages as of Jan. 1, 2021), but Hughes is still among the best in the game in that age classification. The Canucks’ group of players and prospects with 1999-or-later birth years rank fourth in the NHL. The New York Rangers are at the head of the class, thanks in large part to their selection of Alexis Lafreniere first overall in the 2020 draft. Sitting a close second and third are the New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators. This ranking was established using three criteria. First, the…
LUCAS RAYMOND
THOUGH HE’S JUST 18, Lucas Raymond has an extensive international career. The dynamic winger has already collected a silver at the under-18 Hlinka-Gretzky, gold at the world under-18s and bronze at the world juniors. That under-18 victory was particularly sweet as the tournament was in Sweden and the nation had never taken the gold before. And Raymond was the hero in the final, netting a hat trick – including the OT winner – in a 4-3 nailbiter over Russia. While he was one of Sweden’s youngest players at the 2020 world juniors, he’s going to be a veteran on the 2021 squad, where he’ll undoubtedly reunite with international linemates Alex Holtz (NJ) and Karl Henriksson (NYR). Raymond was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in 2020, going fourth overall. Though the…
PIPE DREAMS START HERE
TEAM USA’S OFFENSIVE ATTACK could be super-sized this year – or it could just be pretty good. Alex Turcotte (LA), Trevor Zegras (ANA) and Nick Robertson (TOR) are all still eligible to play for the team, but none attended the squad’s October camp for a variety of reasons. Ultimately, quarantine measures and whether or not NHL training camps start on time could determine their availability. Without those big guns, the Americans will have to rely on goaltending and a couple of high-end snipers that will be available. And the lessons of last year’s tournament loom large for the Yankees. In the Czech Republic, a U.S. squad with very real medal potential stalled out in the quarterfinal against Finland, failing to score a goal in a 1-0 loss. To that end, new coach…
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