18 Current & Former WHLers Named To Canada's 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase Roster
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CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Ice hockey fans, players excited for World Juniors tournament coming to Minnesota
Minnesota hockey fans get an extra gift this holiday season. The World Juniors is coming to the state of hockey. "Like no other," described defenseman Logan Hensler. "Happens once a year. It's always on TV. People are always watching, talking about it. There's a ton of attention to it. It's a pretty cool experience." Hensler has been there before. The defenseman from Woodbury took gold last January. Now, he's trying to repeat as a large, talented group tangle for a roster spot on Team USA. "Your compete, your discipline. All around play. You get pushed every day by these guys," said Hensler. "It's just important you keep up and keep going. Push through." Hensler's last few months have been his most accomplished in hockey. He won the most recent World Juniors gold and was then selected 23rd overall by the Ottawa Senators in the NHL draft in June. "Dream come true," remembered Hensler. "Got there, it was a great experience. The moment I got picked was kind of a blur. Kind of a blackout moment. Really special. Great organization. Just happy my family was there to witness it." Hensler, the top Minnesotan selected in 2025, will be a sophomore with the Badgers this winter. But it might not be long before he trades red and white for Ottawa's colors. "This next coming year I'm going back to Wisconsin," said Hensler. "A big thing for me is taking it year by year. Just gonna take this year, see how it goes. See how I grow as a player. I think it'll be a lot of growing. So it'll be fun." Note: The above video first aired on Jan. 5, 2025.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Why Rangers believe EJ Emery ‘on great path' with development ahead of sophomore season at North Dakota
If the New York Rangers have any concern that E.J. Emery managed just one point during his freshman season at Nork Dakota, they're certainly not letting on. Sure, they'd love to see more production from their 2024 first-round pick (30th overall), who picked up an assist in his first collegiate game and no points thereafter. But in the Rangers opinion, there's plenty to like about the stay-at-home defenseman's overall game last season. 'He had a really good year,' Rangers director of player development Jed Ortmeyer said at the beginning of July. 'He's one of the youngest defensemen in college hockey as a true freshman. It's a tough league (NCHC) he was playing in and he was able to go there, step in and have a big role, play big minutes for them. I think his development is headed in the right direction, he's on a great path. He's at a great school and we're excited about what he's doing and where he's going.' The 19-year-old appeared in 31 games in his first NCAA season, averaged roughly 20 minutes TOI, and finished sixth on the team with 29 blocked shots. He missed seven games, six due to a lower-body injury and one after he was suspended for a late-game incident with top Minnesota Wild prospect Zeev Buium of Denver on Feb. 15. Emery was also among the final cuts by the United States before they won the 2025 World Junior Championship last December. Three other Rangers prospects — Gabe Perreault, Drew Fortescue and Carey Terrance — were on that team. Expectations are high that Emery will make the 2026 U.S. squad for the World Juniors, especially with several key players from a stacked roster having aged out of the tournament. Emery is among 42 players (14 defensemen) invited to play for the United States at the 2025 World Junior Showcase from July 25 – August 2 in Minneapolis. And don't expect the youngster to hang his head or lose confidence about being the first NHL Draft pick in NCAA history to record just a single point in a season. 'It just shows that I've got something to work on,' Emery said at Rangers development camp. 'You always want something to work, to get better.' Related: No 'timeline' for E.J. Emery to make jump to NHL with Rangers Emery told reporters in early July that he added 10 pounds of muscle to his wiry (6-foot-3, 185 pounds) frame. Rangers officials said when they drafted Emery that he needed to fill out and hone his all-around game. John Lilley, New York's director of player personnel, emphasized at the time that the Rangers would not rush Emery and his development. That continues to be the game plan. So, don't expect to see a major push for Emery to join the Rangers blue line just yet. 'I can't put a timeline on it, everyone develops at their own pace,' Ortmeyer explained. 'For him, filling out and growing into his body — he's put a lot of work in, he's got a nutritionist — just to make sure he's developing as best as he can, as fast as he can. He's great to work with, eager to get better. He's in a great situation there at North Dakota.' Emery echoed those sentiments. He's more concerned about trying to win the NCAA National Championship with North Dakota then breaking into the NHL any time soon. 'I realized I've got to get bigger and stronger because when you're playing against 25-year-olds, it's a man's game,' Emery explained. A right-shot defenseman, Emery can look up at Adam Fox, Will Borgen, Braden Schneider and Scott Morrow on that side of the Rangers depth chart. Things can change quickly, of course. Heck, even stud d-man Vladislav Gavrikov, a top-four lefty shooter, can play on his off side. So, that's to say, there's no rush for Emery to turn pro. He could sign an entry-level contract next spring or remain in school, which is what Fortescue, another shutdown defenseman prospect, did heading back to Boston College this season for his junior year. By the sounds of it, the Rangers remain bullish on their top pick from a year ago, no matter how many — or how few — points he accumulates. Related Headlines 'Grateful' former Rangers defenseman pens heartfelt message after trade to Hurricanes 10 can't-miss games on the Rangers 2025-26 NHL schedule New York Rangers Daily: Don Maloney explains why brother Dave's TV gig is 'quite a coup for him' Former Rangers goalie, minor-league coach Wayne Thomas dies at age 77
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Rangers Daily: Blueshirts polling booths open; Wild, Marco Rossi at contract standstill
Our Forever Blueshirts intern this summer is a terrific young talent, Ryan McInerney. He's a massive New York Rangers fan, who's built a solid following on TikTok and proven to be a great addition to our staff. His fingerprints are all over what we do at Forever Blueshirts. His writing and reporting are top notch — you can find each of his stories here on his author's page — and Ryan's contributions improving our graphics and social media presentation have been game changers. He'll be returning to Penn State, where he's a communications major, in a few weeks. But until then, he's taking the pulse of Rangers fans with a series of poll questions on X (@4verBlueshirts). Last week, his poll about who should be New York's 3C was a close battle, with many fans voting and commenting. This week the polls focus on projected point totals next season for specific players — Artemi Panarin was first up Monday. Find out which player is the focus of the poll today. Next week? Who knows? Well, probably Ryan does. That's the thing about him, like a true pro, Ryan is always thinking ahead, planning for the next story or topical poll question or which graphic might grab the viewer's attention. He's working hard this summer, so the least our readers can do is take part in his polls — oh, and enjoy his articles, as well. I know that I do. New York Rangers The Rangers have two key prospects taking part in the 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase in Minneapolis this week. Here's what the Rangers need to see from EJ Emery (United States) and Malcolm Spence (Canada) at the showcase. Now that he is healthy after playing with a torn labrum last season, Brett Berard has his sites set on making the Rangers' opening-night roster. Our Eric Charles breaks down Berard's chances. One of Berard's competitors for a spot on Broadway is veteran forward Conor Sheary. Here's a breakdown of the pros and cons of the Rangers signing him to a PTO. Worth another look: our John Kreiser presents his version of the Rangers' Quarter Century team — 20 players to fill out the lineup (12 F, 6 D, 2 G). NHL rumors and news Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman reports that the Winnipeg Jets and defenseman Dylan Samberg are $3.5 million apart in their arbitration numbers. Samberg submitted a $6 million salary figure, and the Jets came in at $2.5 million. The arbitration hearing is set for Wednesday. TSN: Travis Yost takes a deep dive into the underlying numbers to get a handle on how Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews could be affected — or not — by Mitch Marner leaving the team to sign with the Vegas Golden Knights this summer. The Athletic ($$): Michael Russo and Joe Smith report that the Minnesota Wild have not spoken to star RFA forward Marco Rossi about a new contarct since June. That appears to be an off strategy for such an important player, but it's also in line with the trade rumors that have been swirling around Rossi for months. Mike Morreale is all over the World Junior Summer Showcase with his latest Daily Notebook. Washington Post: Nicklas Backstrom played eight games the past two seasons — none in 2024-25 — with the Washington Capitals because of a debilitating hip issue. Monday, it was announced that the 37-year-old will return to the ice — to play for Brynas back home in Sweden. Florida Hockey Now: Defenseman Aaron Ekblad admitted he was sweating out whether he'd get a deal done with the Florida Panthers before he could become a UFA on July 1. But in his mind, he never wanted to hit the open market because 'It was always Florida' for him. Philly Hockey Now: Jett Luchanko is a legit NHL prospect. But is he ready to make an impact next season with the Philadelphia Flyers? William James breaks down his chances. Related Headlines Jonny Brodzinski preps for Rangers season with summer league hat trick in Da Beauty League Rangers legend 'never really had a chance to say goodbye' until Chris Drury phone call changed everything Rangers top draft pick Malcolm Spence earns praise at World Junior Summer Showcase Rangers' most memorable regular-season games from 2000-25, including Mika Zibanejad's 5-goal night
