Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Top 10 Team Canada Selection Day Surprises

Top 10 Team Canada Selection Day Surprises

Boston Bruins v Atlanta Thrashers


Off the top, I have to admit, no selection or admission will be all that surprising tomorrow when Yzerman et al. name their 23-man roster.

Reflecting back to the amazing atmosphere of the Red & White Team Canada scrimmage game at the Saddledome in Calgary this past August though, reminds me that the roster I had in mind back then will not necessarily match-up with the one revealed tomorrow.

Team Canada Logo - Center Ice - Red & White Scrimmage August 2009 {Photo by Author}

Team Canada Logo - Center Ice - Red & White Scrimmage August 2009 {Photo by Author}

Hockey fans and journalists nation wide have been pleading their cases for who they think should be named to that roster for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics in order to avoid the disastrous performance in Turin, Italy in 2006. Yzerman and crew have been working diligently non-stop to try and ensure they have the right mix of players to avoid that very outcome on home soil.

With the luxury of so much talent to choose from, any selection or admission can be defended, but it is an interesting exercise to try and predict some of the possibilities before the projected roster is finally announced December 30th, 2009.



Read on...
http://thehockeywriters.com/top-10-team-canada-selection-day-surprises/

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Sunday, December 27, 2009

World Juniors Championships Players To Watch

World Juniors Championships Players To Watch



IIHF World Juniors Semifinals - Canada v Russia


Christopher Ralph – THW’s Flames, Draft and Prospect Correspondent

The WJC U20s are well underway in Saskatchewan, Canada. Sweden have already hammered the Czech -Republic 10-1 in a surprisingly lop-sided fashion. Canada are not so surprisingly in the process of ripping apart the squad from Latvia (16-zip was the final).

In my review of the pre-tourney tilt between Team Canada and Finland, I’ve already highlighted in detail players to watch from those specific countries. What follows is an overview of players to watch throughout the tournament – some obvious; some not so obvious.

Read on...

http://thehockeywriters.com/world-juniors-championships-players-to-watch/

How will be named...

Top player of the tournament?

- Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Nikita Filatov, MPS or Toni Rajala?

Top blueliner?

- Ryan Ellis, Alex Pietrangelo, OEL, Cam Fowler or Sami Vatanen?

Top netminder?

- Jake Allen, Jacob Markstrom, Igor Bobkov, Jack Campbell or Joni Ortia?

Will Canada extend their gold medal streak to six straight?

Should be an amazing tournament in Saskatchewan!

Read more...

Thursday, December 24, 2009

The Kids Can Play! Observations From Finland Versus Team Canada

The Kids Can Play! Observations From Finland Versus Team Canada

Team USA v Team Ontario


Part 2: Team Canada

http://thehockeywriters.com/the-kids-can-play-part2-teamcanada/

Goalie(s)

*Starting with the masked crease protector, hometown Calgary Hitmen netminder
Martin Jones, an undrafted free agent signed by the LA Kings, didn’t disappoint.
The 6’4” goalie is an imposing figure in goal, but also has impressive mobility.
He shut out Finland in the 3-nil win, although Finland did have a goal
disallowed in the third, that I believe should have counted which would have
made the game 2-1. If projected starter Jake Allen falters, Jones is more than
ready to take over the reins.


Forwards

*Projected #1 overall draft selection for next June’s entry draft and the only
yet to be drafted forward on Team Canada, Taylor Hall, showed off his explosive
and dynamic offensive abilities. Joni Ortio made two
brilliant saves when Canada’s youngest forward broke in all alone on two
occasions but he did managed to tweak the twine on a beautiful one-timer setup
by Brandon Kozun. An elite combination of speed and skill, and solidly built
physically, the young forward has been compared to both Pavel Bure and Mark
Messier. Use your imagination to create a hydrid of the two legends of hockey.

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The Kids Can Play! Observations From Team Finland Versus Team Canada

The Kids Can Play! Observations From Team Finland Versus Team Canada


IIHF World Juniors Relegation - Finland v Germany





Fortunate enough to land lower bowl seats in the Saddledome for last night’s
tilt between Finland and Team Canada in a pre-WJC tournament game, I thought I’d
reflect back on the game with observations from my point of view – some obvious
and some maybe not so obvious. This will also highlight specific players to
watch from these respective teams throughout this year’s World Junior
Championships (U20s).

Part 1: Team Finland

http://thehockeywriters.com/the-kids-can-play-observations-from-team-finland-versus-team-canada/

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Sunday, December 20, 2009

PIB’s Blackhawks Prospect Rankings #3 Shawn Lalonde

My ranking of the Blackhawks prospects continues over at Paint It Blackhawks.

2008 NHL Entry Draft Portraits


Shawn Lalonde comes in as the third ranked prospect. This position was the closest contested ranking to date for Paint It Blackhawks’ prospect ranking series. The 3rd round 2008 (68th overall) selection was a bit of a wildcard coming into the draft. The blueliner was regarded as one of the best skaters in the draft with offensive upside. I was admittedly keeping a close watch on where he would land and thrilled to see the Hawks snag him in the third. I’ve previously read or heard the Hawks actually had him pegged as a 1st rounder by their scouts’ rankings. While too soon to tell at this point, he sure looks like a crafty pick thus far along in his hockey journey. Lalonde had a breakout year last year after being drafted posting 53 points in 66 games, while registering an impressive plus 29 rating. This season, his evolution continues…


Fantasy Hockey Potential: Offensive = 8/10 Defensive = 8/10

NHL Player(s) Comparison: If you can imagine a morph or hybrid of Marek Zidlicky and Bret Hedican (admittedly a tough one to compare to a current NHLer).
http://paintitblackhawks.com/2009/12/17/pib%E2%80%99s-blackhawks-prospect-rankings-3-shawn-lalonde/

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Saturday, December 12, 2009

Messier – Set Up To Excel Or Fail?

Hockey Hall of Fame Induction


Messier – Set Up To Excel Or Fail?

Hockey Hall Of Famer and the quintessential, ultimate leader, Mark Messier was officially named general manager of Team Canada’s entry at the 2010 World Championships in Germany.

“Mess” won the Hart Trophy twice to go with six Stanley Cup rings.

The lingering question is, in this situation has Messier been set up to excel or fail?

Let’s take a glance at both sides of the equation.

Fail:

*Will Messier succumb to the pressure and expectations to name Wayne Gretzky as head coach?..........

Read on...

http://thehockeywriters.com/messier-%E2%80%93-set-up-to-excel-or-fail/

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Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Blackhawks Prospect Rankings #2 Kyle Beach

2008 NHL Entry Draft Portraits


Over at Paint It Blackhawks, I'm counting down the top prospects in the system.

Kyle Beach, 11th overall 2008 1st rounder, is tight behind Olsen as the second ranked prospect in the Hawks organization. The 6’3, 210 lb emerging dominant power forward winger is posting fantastic numbers this season, now his fourth in the dub (WHL).

NHL Potential: 2-way physically dominant, agitating power forward (Top 6 forward)

Beach’s notorious reputation for attitude problems, immaturity and lack of discipline precedes him. However, this season Kyle seemingly is growing as a person and a player.


Read more...

http://paintitblackhawks.com/2009/12/04/prospect-rankings-kyle-beach/


Beach hat trick:

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Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Flames Status Report – Monitoring 10 Burning Questions

Flames Status Report – Monitoring 10 Burning Questions

Colorado Avalanche v Calgary Flames
Christopher Ralph – THW’s Flames Correspondent

The THW Flames season preview highlighted 10 questions to monitor as the season progresses. Given that we’re now amazingly already just past one-third of the way through the regular season schedule, let’s reflect back on these burning questions and evaluate how the Flames are making headway with these respective issues.





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Sunday, December 6, 2009

Blackhawks Prospect Rankings #1 Dylan Olsen

2009 NHL Draft Portraits


Over at Paint It Blackhawks, I'm counting down the top prospects in the system.

The #1 ranked prospect by Paint It Blackhawk might come as a surprise to some. As the University Of Minnesota-Duluth media guide notes regarding the premiere Blackhawk prospect Dylan Olsen: “Seldom was his name mentioned in the Alberta Junior Hockey League circles with­out the word ‘impact’ in the same sentence.” While Olsen is on many Blackhawk fans’ radar, having him is as the number 1 current prospect is not a consensus by various ranking systems out there. Hockey’s Future, for instance, has him ranked as the #4 prospect in the pipeline.

I had the 28th overall 2009 1st rounder ranked 16th overall in my Draft Preview Rankings.

Read more...
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