Canadiens Defenseman Named As Top Breakout Candidate
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Forbes
4 minutes ago
- Forbes
NHL 2025-26 Key Dates Include Olympic Break, Florida Outdoor Games
Let's take a look at the NHL 2025-26 key dates for the upcoming season, with the opening of training camps now just one month away. The NHL has an interesting calendar this year. Before the changes from the new collective bargaining agreement kick in for 2026-27, this will be the last year of an 82-game regular season, before that number increases to 84. We've got a pair of outdoor games scheduled for the Sunshine State and the league's newest franchise will debut its new branding, but international hockey looks set to dominate the discourse. Here's what to keep an eye on. International Events The marquee hockey event of the year will be the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. The men's hockey tournament will run from Feb. 11-22 at two arenas in Milan, with 12 nations competing. To accommodate the return of NHL players to the competition for the first time since 2014, the league will be dark from Feb. 6-25. The league is staging one NHL Global Series event in 2025-26. With Swedish stars Erik Karlsson, Rickard Rakell and Filip Forsberg taking center stage, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators will square off for a pair of games at Avicii Arena in Stockholm on Nov. 14 and Nov. 16, 2025. Also worth mentioning on the international calendar: the 2026 World Junior Championship will return to the United States for the first time since 2018. With the United States looking to three-peat for the first time in program history, the world's 10 best U20 teams will compete in Saint Paul and Minneapolis from Dec. 26, 2025 to Jan. 5, 2026. Pre-Season Play The jump to 84 regular-season games in the 2026-27 season coincides with a reduced pre-season calendar. Under the new rules, teams will play no more than four exhibition games, and players with at least 100 games of NHL experience won't play in more than two of them. This fall, will be the last time the calendar looks similar to what we've seen in recent years. Teams typically play between five and eight exhibition games, which include smattering of neutral-site contests. There won't be any pre-season games in Europe this year. Here's the full list of nine neutral-site games. Like last season, we'll see two games in Quebec City at the NHL-ready Videotron Centre — this time with the Ottawa Senators featured in both games. We'll also see the return of some regular annual showcases including the 'Empire Classic' between Southern California's Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks and a rematch between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning in Orlando. Utah Mammoth Brand Debut One year after the Utah Hockey Club debuted after purchasing the hockey assets of the Arizona Coyotes, the new team is set to hit the ice with its new Utah Mammoth branding. The team will wear its new jerseys for the first time in a pair of split-squad games against the Colorado Avalanche on Sept. 21. They'll be the road team at Denver's Ball Arena and designated as the home team for the neutral-site game at the University of Denver. The Mammoth's true home debut will come in a pre-season game against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, Oct. 2 at Delta Center, and their regular-season debut will be against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, Oct. 15. 2025 Opening Night The 2025-26 NHL regular season will kick off with a tripleheader on Tuesday, Oct. 7. The Florida Panthers will kick off the festivities with their second banner raising at Amerant Bank Arena before they take on the Chicago Blackhawks (5 p.m. ET). Then, the Penguins will face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden (8 p.m. ET) before the night wraps up with the Colorado Avalanche taking on the Los Angeles Kings at Arena (10:30 p.m. ET). 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame Weekend The annual celebration of the latest inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame will take place from Nov. 8-10 in Toronto. Special events will include the Hockey Hall of Fame game between the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday, Nov. 9 and the induction ceremony in the Great Hall on Monday, Nov. 10. With Seattle Kraken president Ron Francis now serving as the chair of the Hall of Fame's selection committee, this year's class features eight inductees. The six players are Zdeno Chara, Duncan Keith, Alexander Mogilny and Joe Thornton along with Jennifer Botterill and Brianna Decker. In the builder category, general manager Daniele Sauvageau of the PWHL's Montreal Victoire will become the first woman inducted as a builder. She goes in alongside longtime Boston University coach Jack Parker. Outdoor Games In 2025-26, the NHL will mount its first-ever outdoor games ever in the Sunshine State. With the Florida Panthers now back-to-back Stanley Cup champions and the Tampa Bay Lightning having won two Cups themselves in 2020 and 2021, the tentpole events were long overdue — but challenging to mount given the weather conditions in the region. The Panthers will face the New York Rangers at 2026 NHL Winter Classic at LoanDepot Park in Miami on Friday, Jan. 2 as the league continues to look at moving off the traditional Jan. 1 date that it traditionally favored. Last year's even at Wrigley Field in Chicago was held on Dec. 31. The home of baseball's Miami Marlins, LoanDepot Park features a retractable roof and air conditioning — features should be enormously helpful during the ice-making process for the game's temporary rink. Then, on Sunday, Feb. 1, the Lightning will face the Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium, the home of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The game will fall one day after Tampa's famed Gasparilla Pirate Fest, and a week before Super Bowl LX in California. Because of the Olympics, it has been decided that there will be no All-Star event in 2026. There is also no Heritage Classic outdoor game scheduled in Canada among the NHL 2025-26 key dates.
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
WHL Standouts At The 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup: Gold & Bronze Medal Games
The 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup wrapped up on Saturday with Team USA winning Gold and Team Canada winning Bronze. Both games were close to the end, with the Americans and Canadians winning by a combined five goals. Just like they have for the entire tournaments, WHLers played key roles for their teams, with Noah Davidson, Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll and Daxon Rudolph having standout performances. Noah Davidson, Team USA Davidson had a game to remember against Sweden. The Medicine Hat Tigers forward recorded a goal and an assist en route to a 5-3 victory in the Gold Medal game. If Davidson can be a similar net-front presence once he gets to the WHL, then he is going to be a problem for opposing defenders next season. Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll, Team USA Gordon-Carroll was able to have an impact for Team USA despite not recording a point. The Tigers forward was constantly being mentioned on the broadcast and was used in the final minutes to help secure the Gold Medal. Fans in Medicine Hat should start to get excited, as between Gordon-Carroll, Davidson and the Ruck brothers, the Tigers have built what should be an exciting team in 2025-26. Daxon Rudolph- Team Canada Rudolph played a key role in Canada's 3-0 win over Finland. The Prince Albert Raiders defenceman recorded an assist on the Canadian first goal of the game, and the scored the empty netter which solidified the win. If anything, Rudolph's performance throughout the tournament showed why he is considered a top prospect for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Make sure you bookmark THN's WHL site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News. Red Deer Rebels Captain Ollie Josephson Commits To The University of North Dakota WHL Standouts At The 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup: Day 4 2025 WHL Prospect Pools: San Jose Sharks WHL Standouts At The 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup: Day 3 WHL Standouts At The 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup: Day 2
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Efton Chism, Drake Maye and other Patriots risers and fallers after preseason win
Even after a pair of intense joint practices in Minnesota with the Vikings, New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel still wanted to see his starters iron out some issues. So even though Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell told Vrabel on Saturday morning that Minnesota would hold out all of its starters — the Vikings sat more than 30 players in total — Vrabel had his starters play. Advertisement The result, a 20-12 win, wasn't as important as the individual performances in the second of three exhibition games. So with the preseason finale against the New York Giants up next on Thursday, and with roster cutdown day just 10 days away, here's a look at who helped and hurt his case in Saturday's victory. The undrafted rookie was so good that it's hard to pick his most impressive play from Saturday, even though he played less than half the game. Was it the strength shown in fighting for his 12-yard touchdown reception? Or his 33-yard catch and run? Or the impressive third-and-5 conversion he picked up after fighting through multiple would-be tacklers? Chism with 6 to put the Pats up! 📺: WBZ — New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 16, 2025 Either way, Chism probably played his way onto the 53-man roster Saturday (if he hadn't already been penciled in). Any hope of quietly sneaking him onto the practice squad is probably gone. Chism III caught all six targets and turned those catches into 71 yards and a touchdown. DeMario Douglas is still the team's starting slot receiver, but Chism looks like a more-than-capable backup who can step in if the Pats need him. His speed is lacking, but his strength with the ball in his hands is so impressive as he routinely breaks out of arm tackles. On the TV broadcast, Eliot Wolf, the Patriots' executive vice president of player personnel, said Chism's consistency has stood out from the beginning. He noted that Chism does 5 a.m. film studies with wide receivers coach Todd Downing and shouted out his ability to 'set up a defender at the top of his route.' With roster cutdown day approaching, Chism looks to be safely on the team. 'He's certainly made the most of his opportunities,' Vrabel said during his halftime interview on the TV broadcast. Advertisement With Rhamondre Stevenson already hurt, the Patriots didn't use Henderson a ton. But even in a limited role, he shone again. He might already be the Patriots' most reliable offensive player. The rookie running back has such an impressive mix of speed, toughness and pass-catching skills. He frequently turns nothing into something, including a third-and-10 conversion on one carry and his 8-yard touchdown on another. It's telling, too, that when the Patriots tried to hit him on a wheel route on an early third down, the Vikings defense (after facing the Pats for two straight practices) put a safety over the top of Henderson, which helped break up the play. Still, Henderson finished with four carries for 20 yards and a touchdown. Each week of camp, he seems to earn more and more touches. So far, it hasn't seemed like Jennings fits what the Patriots want to do defensively, even after recent years of thriving as an edge setter in Bill Belichick's scheme. That he was still playing in the fourth quarter of a preseason game doesn't speak highly of Jennings' standing on the depth chart or his chances of making the 53-man roster. But his performance Saturday might give coaches some pause and perhaps earn Jennings more playing time this week. Jenning had 2.5 sacks against the Vikings, and at one point, he was in on sacks on back-to-back plays. Oh, and pass rushing isn't even the strength of his game. Things have pointed toward Jennings getting cut, but maybe this jump-starts a late surge up the depth chart. 33 gets there! @anferneejenning | #NEPats 📺: WBZ — New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 16, 2025 His interception wasn't the most impressive part of his game, since Sam Howell threw one up for grabs, but it was a nice afternoon for Austin nonetheless. What was especially impressive was Austin's versatility. He started the game on the outside. Then, when Marcus Jones exited, Austin moved into the slot. At 6-foot-1, Austin is five inches taller than Jones and is playing well enough that perhaps the Pats would consider using him as their nickel corner when matched up against bigger receivers. Advertisement This isn't really cause for concern considering the small sample size and the (lack of) meaning of this game, but Maye didn't have his best stuff Saturday. He missed high on a pair of throws, one of which landed right in the hands of a Vikings defender (though it was dropped), and at one point didn't get the offense in position quickly enough, resulting in a delay-of-game penalty. Maye finished 4-of-7 for 46 yards against the Vikings' second- and third-string defenders. It's not anything to worry about in the big picture, but it wasn't a great day for the 22-year-old. With Chism showing coaches why they shouldn't leave him off this roster, Baker didn't take advantage of the opportunity the same way. On Saturday, Baker was … fine. He made some mistakes, including a false start in the red zone, and couldn't come down with the catch on an out route on the next play. In the fourth quarter, he made a nice reception on the sideline. Still, with Chism basically writing his name on the 53-man roster in pen Saturday, Baker needs to convince the team to keep seven wide receivers for him to make it. It feels like a tall task for a guy who caught one of seven targets for 13 yards against the Vikings. A Vikings rookie fifth-round pick stiff-armed Bradbury several yards into the backfield in the first quarter, showing the veteran center's issues against strong, bullying defensive linemen. The Patriots don't really have a better option while Ben Brown, Cole Strange and Jared Wilson all focus on guard. But Bradbury could let up quite a few interior pressures this season, even though he moves well in the run game. It's not that Dugger made any horrendous plays on Saturday, but the team's seventh-highest-paid player (based on annual average value) was out there with mostly third-stringers in the final minutes of a preseason game. He made an interception on the last play when the Vikings threw it up for the tie, but then failed to get down right away. If it had been a regular-season game, the refs may have overturned the call and determined he fumbled. Just the fact that he was in for the final drive is awfully telling — and damning — about what the Patriots coaches think of Dugger right now. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
