Rebounding to make a save

Spencer never a passenger

THE SCOUTS AND COACHES who watch Spencer Machacek play hockey believe he has a special vision for the game. Call it 3-D vision. Only it doesn’t necessarily refer to how he sees the game. The 3 D’s instead relate to the way he plays the game. “His dedication, devotion and desire are why he’s going to play in the NHL,” said Chicago Wolves GM Kevin Cheveldayoff. “He’s going to will himself into the NHL.” Machecek is well on his way. A third round pick (67th overall) in 2007 by the Atlanta Thrashers, the rookie right winger has been a pleasant surprise for the Wolves. As the all-star break approached, Machacek was fifth in team scoring with nine goals and 20 points through 41 games. More impressive, though, was his plus-12 rating, seventh-best among AHL rookies. “I…

Hardcore Hockey

ECHL Tone-setting win streak The Victoria Salmon Kings formally introduced themselves as title contenders with a 15-game winning streak that ended in mid-January. Victoria has steadily improved since joining the league in 2004-05 and is a hit at the Save-On-Foods Centre, drawing nearly 4,600 a night. The Salmon Kings only won 15 games during their inaugural season and had four coaches their first three years. “Overall, it was positive to have been involved in something like that streak,” said Victoria coach-GM Mark Morrison, whose team finished two wins shy of Cincinnati’s ECHL record set last season. – MIKE MASTOVICH UNITED STATES LEAGUE Committing at 14 to college College recruiting continues to change, in both geography and demographics. Case in point: 16-year-old Fargo Force right winger Colten St-Clair. The Gilbert, Ariz., native gained notoriety while playing triple-A…

Moscow redux

THE CASH REGISTER rang in the new year for one of Russia’s most storied hockey clubs. In the old days, Moscow Dynamo was sponsored by the Ministry of the Interior, which oversaw the KGB. But state funds dried up with the Soviet Union’s demise. So Dynamo officials were happy to take in the two million rubles (about $60,000) in gate receipts from playing Ak Bars Kazan at the Megasport Arena in Moscow. That is a drop in the bucket for NHL owners, but it is a big payday for Dynamo. With most Muscovites earning less than $20,000 a year, ticket prices range from only $8 to $18. Just two weeks earlier, the club had brought home 200,000 Swiss francs ($172,500) for winning the Spengler Cup tournament in Davos, Switzerland. The game against Kazan – watched…