Another Calgary Flames player heading to world championship
Article content
'It's a kid's dream for me, back home it's really big,' Klapka said at his exit interview last weekend. 'All the people watching it, all the pubs are full just watching hockey. For me, it was play in the NHL and then under it was playing for worlds.
'If there was an opportunity for me, I would definitely go.'
That opportunity did come, and Klapka will now be joining his country's national team for the tournament, which runs from May 9-25 in Stockholm, Sweden, and Herning, Denmark.
It's a nice reward for a player who is coming off a breakthrough season in which he established himself as one of the more intriguing pieces of the Flames future.
The 6-foot-8, 235-pound winger always has had size, but had played in only six NHL games prior to this season. In 31 games with the Flames in 2024-25, though, he managed six goals and four assists, with three of those lamp-lighters and three of those helpers coming in the Flames' final eight games, when the stakes were at their highest.
It's expected that Flames head coach Ryan Huska will be joining Canada's staff, while Mikael Backlund and Rasmus Andersson will play for Sweden, MacKenzie Weegar will be a key part of the Canadian team and Sam Honzek will skate for the Slovakians. Dan Vladar will be joining Klapka on the Czechia team, too.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
16 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Harris looks to give Sea Bears massive offensive boost
One of the top scorers in CEBL history is joining the Winnipeg Sea Bears. The club announced Thursday that Jalen Harris, a two-time All-CEBL guard and former Toronto Raptor, has officially signed with the Sea Bears and is expected to join them on the road and play in Friday night's game against the Brampton Honey Badgers (0-5). It's a massive boost to a Winnipeg side that has lost four straight games by double digits and fallen to 1-4 on the season. Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES Jalen Harris made his CEBL debut with the Scarborough Shooting Stars in 2022. 'We tried to build a team that would play a little bit better team basketball, and we got a great group of guys… (But) we got off to a slow start,' said Sea Bears head coach and general manager Mike Taylor at the Sport for Life Centre on Thursday. 'We felt we needed a little bit of offensive production and offensive playmaking in the back court. So, from our standpoint, we're really excited to add Jalen. We think he'll bring a lot to the team.' The six-foot-five Dallas, Tex., product averaged 24.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 11 games with the Saskatchewan Rattlers last summer. In 2022, he made his CEBL debut with the Scarborough Shooting Stars and led the team to the championship final. Harris, 26, was most recently in China with the Nanjing Monkey Kings where he averaged 12.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and two assists in 32 games. He was drafted in the second round, 59th overall, by the Raptors in 2020, and appeared in 13 games as a rookie, highlighted by a career-high 31-point performance against the Dallas Mavericks on May 14, 2021. On July 1, 2021, the NBA dealt Harris a one-year suspension after he tested positive for a prohibited substance and he hasn't played in the league since. The Sea Bears have had some accomplished scorers in the past in Teddy Allen and Justin Wright-Foreman, but Taylor believes Harris is a different type of player than those two. Harris set the CEBL's scoring record last year with a 45-point performance against Brampton. 'I think Jalen can play with the ball or without the ball efficiently. I think Jalen is a willing passer, and he's a guy we can use in different situations to play as a point guard, at the point of attack, controlling the tempo, and force defences to play defensive coverage because of his ability to shoot,' said Taylor. 'And I think he's also a guy we can move off the ball, so I think he's got a chance to connect well with every type of teammate we have.' Also joining the Sea Bears this weekend is star Canadian centre Simi Shittu who was finishing up his season in the Greek Basketball League. Shittu isn't expected to play in Brampton on Friday or in Scarborough on Saturday. Tony Gutierrez / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Jalen Harris (front) was drafted in the second round, 59th overall, by the Toronto Raptors in 2020. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Once Harris and Shittu start to gel with their teammates, this Sea Bears team should look a whole lot different than the one that underwhelmed in the first five games. Shooting has been the biggest issue, as they're dead last in in both field goal (36.7) and three-point percentage (25.7). 'The goal stays the same. We've always been aiming to play our best basketball at the championship weekend and so adding those two talents definitely help our odds and we're happy about it,' said veteran Canadian guard Alex Campbell. 'I think them joining us on the road actually helps us build camaraderie. Between the games, travelling, being at the airport, stuff like that, those types of things do go a long way so I think camaraderie and chemistry will happen quickly.' The Sea Bears will return to downtown Winnipeg on June 11 to square off against the Montreal Alliance. Taylor AllenReporter Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor. Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Globe and Mail
27 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Bruins name former winger Marco Sturm head coach
The Boston Bruins hired Marco Sturm as coach on Thursday to help the Original Six franchise get back to the playoffs after missing them for the first time since 2016. The Bruins picked the 46-year-old German to replace interim coach Joe Sacco, who took over from Jim Montgomery in November and led the team to a 25-30-7 record — much of it after a trade deadline roster purge. Sturm, who spent the past three seasons as head coach of the AHL's Ontario Reign and coached Germany to a silver medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, is a former Boston player — just like Bruins president Cam Neely and general manager Don Sweeney. 'Boston has always held a special place in my heart, and I know how much this team means to the city and to our fans,' said Sturm, who was a Bruins left wing from 2005-10. 'I've felt that passion as a player, and I can't wait to be behind the bench and feel it again. I'm excited to get to work and do everything I can to help this team succeed.' A three-time Olympian and first-round NHL draft pick who played most of his 14 seasons for the San Jose Sharks and Bruins, Sturm scored 242 goals with 245 assists in 938 career games and is No. 2 on the league's all-time scoring list for players born in Germany. As a coach, he worked as a Los Angeles Kings assistant guiding the Reign, the Kings' AHL affiliate, to a 119-80-11-6 record and three playoff appearances. 'His path — playing for multiple NHL teams, coaching internationally, and leading at both the AHL and NHL levels — has shaped a well-rounded coach who's earned this opportunity,' Sweeney said. 'As a former Bruin, he understands what this team means to the city and our fans. We're embracing a new direction with Marco behind the bench and are confident his energy, standards, and commitment to a competitive, hard-nosed brand of hockey reflect exactly what Bruins hockey should be.' Sacco, a Bruins assistant and former Colorado Avalanche head coach, replaced Montgomery 20 games into this season, but with the team unable to challenge for a playoff berth Sweeney traded away captain Brad Marchand and other veterans, and the Bruins stumbled to a 33-39-10 record overall, tied for the worst record in the Eastern Conference. Only three teams in the league were worse, and CEO Charlie Jacobs said after the season that the results were 'absolutely unacceptable' and apologized to the fans for the performance. 'We owe you a better team, and we aim to deliver a better team,' he said after the season. 'I share your disappointment and, frankly, embarrassment on how poorly things played out over the course of this season.' Sacco was a candidate for the permanent job. Others who reportedly received consideration were Washington Capitals assistant Mitch Love, former Chicago Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson and Bruins assistant Jay Leach. Montgomery, 55, was 120-41-23 in two-plus seasons in Boston. The Bruins finished with more than 100 points in each of his first two years — including a record-setting debut, when their 65 wins and 135 points were both the most in NHL history. But the team lost in the first round of the playoffs that season and advanced to only the second round last year. The struggles carried over into an 8-9-3 start this season before Montgomery was fired. He was hired five days later by the St. Louis Blues and was given a five-year contract; the Blues reached the playoffs and lost in the first round in seven games to the Winnipeg Jets. Boston never improved under Sacco. Heading into the trade deadline with a three-game losing streak that left them at 28-28, the Bruins traded Marchand — the only remaining member of their 2011 Stanley Cup championship team — along with forwards Justin Brazeau, Marc McLaughlin, Trent Frederic and Charlie Coyle and defenseman Brandon Carlo. And they left Sacco on the bench to ride it out. The depleted roster lost 10 straight games — the team lost only 12 in its record-setting 2022-23 season under Montgomery — and fell from possible playoff contender to the NHL draft lottery. Despite the disappointment, the Bruins signed Sweeney to a two-year contract extension, with Neely saying it would help to have stability in the front office during the coaching search. 'I am confident in the plan he has followed these past few months — and excited for what's to come for our team,' the former Bruins forward said of the former Bruins defenseman. 'The expectations in Boston have always been clear. It's about winning championships.'
Ottawa Citizen
an hour ago
- Ottawa Citizen
'It sucked the way it ended,' Laval head coach Pascal Vincent says of Rocket's playoff exit
The Laval Rocket's season had barely ended before speculation began that the club could be seeking another head coach this summer. Article content After finishing first overall in the AHL and winning a franchise-high 48 regular-season games, Pascal Vincent knew there would be conjecture revolving around his future with Laval — especially because he has already been an NHL head coach with Columbus. Article content Article content And while the Laval native hasn't hidden his affinity for being in the Canadiens' organization, the 53-year-old didn't close the door on a return to the NHL — even as an assistant. Article content Article content 'I'm a head coach. I've figured that out,' Vincent said during the Rocket's season-ending availability at Place Bell after the team was swept Tuesday by Charlotte in the Eastern Conference final. 'I'm a good assistant coach, too. Having said that, it would depend on the organization. Where they're at, whom I'm working with. Am I going to learn? Am I going to be excited to go to the rink every day? I've done it in the NHL. Article content 'If I feel there's an opportunity where I keep growing, enjoy my time there and it's the right fit … there's a lot of coaches and not many jobs. When it happens, and you have an opportunity, you've got to think about it. To leave this organization, it's going to take an offer I can't refuse. I don't know if it's going to happen, but right now I'm here.' Article content Article content Vincent also spent five seasons as an assistant with Winnipeg and already has been linked to potential supporting coaching roles with the Tampa Bay Lightning and with the New York Islanders. After being fired last June by the Blue Jackets after one season, he was unemployed for only one month, hired by Laval to replace Jean-François Houle, who returned to his Clarkson University alma mater. Vincent said he's not actively pursuing a promotion to the NHL. Article content Vincent was named AHL coach of the year after guiding the Rocket to a 48-19-5 record. And while Laval dispatched Cleveland and Rochester in the playoffs, Charlotte exposed the Rocket's weaknesses, beating the team handily in the first three games while outscoring Laval 15-4.
