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As over 30 young prospects came to Philadelphia Flyers’ Prospect Camp at the Flyers Skate Zone on Wednesday, careers were started and paths to the NHL were cleared.
Those paths may be long and winding, but each of these players has a unique opportunity to one day play for a major league team in the best league in the world.
"It's an education for these kids," said Chris Pryor, director of ...
Mike Richards: How Does He Match Up Against Former Flyers Captains?
Posted: 27th June 2010 by Alan Bass in NHL
One of the most important leadership roles in sports is being your team’s captain.
Fans, teammates, coaches and other captains look to you to make the right decisions both on and off the field.
In hockey particularly, the captain has the right to speak with the officials, takes part in ceremonious puck drops and leads the team through the season and often deep into the playoffs.
Hockey is also the only ...
With the 2010 NHL Entry Draft in the books, it’s time to do what every journalist and blogger looks forward to from the minute the draft floor is opened by Commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday night: writing about which teams won and which teams lost during the great event that is the annual entry draft.
Skipping the obvious winners such as Edmonton, for picking Taylor Hall, or Boston, for picking Tyler ...
In what has become an annual tradition, here I am again with another edition of my NHL Entry Draft journal. I started the journal during the 2008 NHL Entry Draft and continued it last summer when I was in Toronto for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
This year, I intend to do the same thing: entertain you, in addition to providing analysis on (in my opinion) the best non-Stanley Cup related event ...
The old mantra says that "Defense Wins Championships," right? Many NHL teams would agree. Though defense can often be dominated by the goaltender, a goalie's life is often made easier through the work of his defensemen. Having a solid defensive-minded player in front of the net can help opponents gain scoring chances and can often prevent goals from being scored.
These defensemen can also help start the rush the other way, ...
After making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history in 2009, the Columbus Blue Jackets’ 2009-10 season was anything but impressive. In fact, with a 32-35-15 record, the Blue Jackets’ season was simply pathetic.
Goaltender Steve Mason had a sophomore slump for the ages, head coach Ken Hitchcock was relieved of his duties, and GM Scott Howson could do nothing but watch his team sink to the bottom ...
Original posting at Resurfacing the Ice
When you’re called the Ovechkin of Novosibirsk, you’ve got a lot of expectations to live up to.
Statistically, people may say that they don’t match up.
But remember, Ovechkin scored just 69 points in 151 Russian league games (before the KHL existed) on a much better team in Dynamo Moscow.
Vladimir Tarasenko, on the other hand, has scored 34 in 80 games, a very similar points percentage, and ...
Original posting at Resurfacing the Ice
Riley Sheahan is another one of those anomalies. He is an extremely talented Canadian player who decided to attend US College as opposed to playing in Canadian Major Junior. Scouts must often question why a kid wants to do this, which often affects his draft ranking. However, Sheahan doesn’t quite care what number is beside his name.
"It's pretty cool that I'm getting that attention, and ...
Original posting at Resurfacing the Ice
There have been many complaints regarding the CHL’s rule of not allowing 16-year-old imports to play in their league. The annual import draft allows CHL teams to have up to two foreign players on their roster, assuming they are at least 17 years old.
Well, the Saint John Sea Dogs are not complaining anymore, as with the first pick in 2009 CHL Import Draft, the Sea ...
When you are the first overall pick in WHL Bantam Draft, there are going to be some expectations that come with it. Quinton Howden, the 6'3", 183-pound left winger for the Moose Jaw Warriors, has surpassed those expectations.
“He's making the adjustments, which is what you want to see,” Sports Illustrated says. “He always got by on size before. Now he's showing more drive, more commitment to physical play and he's ...