Latest news with #IIHFU-18WorldChampionship
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Cap, Hab, Wing Finds New Home In Germany
American winger Riley Barber, 31, has signed a one-year contract with ERC Ingoldstadt, the DEL club announced on Wednesday. 'I had very good discussions with (club management), which were very helpful and ultimately reinforced my decision,' said Barber. 'Ingolstadt is one of the best teams in the DEL and had a fantastic season last year, so I'm looking forward to joining the team, finding out where my place in the lineup will be, and then hopefully winning a lot of games.' Advertisement 'We are convinced that Riley will play an important role for us,' said club sports director Tim Regan. 'He has a successful career in North America and was also productive in the KHL. Riley has the goal-scoring gene and can also play a decisive role on the power play. The fact that he is a right-handed shot makes him even more valuable.' The son of former NHLer Don Barber, Riley was born in Pittsburgh and played youth hockey in Michigan, eventually playing in the U.S. National Team Development Program, the 2012 IIHF U-18 World Championship and two World Juniors, winning a gold medal at each level. He was drafted in the sixth round, 167th overall, by the Washington Capitals in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. After playing three NCAA seasons at Miami University in Ohio, Barber signed with Washington in 2015 and, over the next eight seasons, played in the organizations of the Capitals, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings and Dallas Stars. Although he spent the majority of the time in the AHL, he played three NHL games with Washington, nine games with Montreal and four with Detroit, recording no points and four penalty minutes in 16 games. Barber spent the last two seasons in the KHL playing for Barys Astana, Ak Bars Kazan and Neftekhimik Nizkhnekamsk, recording 64 points in 102 games. Advertisement Barber joins an Ingolstadt team that finished first in the DEL regular season but lost in the semifinals to Kölner Haie. The team also has former NHLers Kenny Agostino and Morgan Ellis under contract for 2025-26. Photo © Geoff Burke-Imagn Images: Washington Capitals right wing Riley Barber (24) and Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Trevor Carrick (46) battle for the puck during the 2017 pre-season. Ex-Hab, Canadian Olympian Signs Contract Extension In Germany Ex-Hab, Canadian Olympian Signs Contract Extension In Germany ERC Ingolstadt finished first in the DEL regular season and, with the playoffs about to start, announced on Friday that an important piece of this year's team will be returning in 2025-26, in the form of Canadian defenseman Morgan Ellis.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mrtka, Novotny, Cihar Lead Czechs Into U-18 World Championship
Šimon Katolický, who is on this year's Czech U-18 team, scoring a goal against the USA in the final of the 2024 Youth Winter Olympics in Gangwon-do, Korea. © OIS/Joel Marklund-Imagn Images As the IIHF U-18 World Championship begins on Wednesday in Frisco and Allen, Tex., one of the medal contenders will be the Czechs, who began the U-18 season by losing 2-1 to Canada in a tightly contested Hlinka Gretzky Cup final in Edmonton. The Czechs' 25-man roster heading to Texas includes 18 members from that squad. That tournament Hlinka Gretzky Cup featured a massive performance by diminutive center Adam Benák, who produced 11 points in seven games. According to most sources, Benák will be picked late in the first round or in the second round of this year's draft – THN's Tony Ferrari has him ranked 30th. Advertisement Benák and Tomáš Poletín, the expected captain of this year's team, are the only returnees from last year's squad that lost in the quarterfinals in Finland. This team includes three players who were on the Czech team that won bronze at the World Junior Championship this past winter, including defenseman Radim Mrtka and forwards Vojtěch Čihař and Adam Novotný. Mrtka is projected to be a first-round pick this year while Čihař is the fourth-ranked European-based skater by NHL Central Scouting and could go in the second or third round. Novotný is one of six players that won't be eligible to be drafted until 2026 – the others are goaltender Tobiaš Trejbl, Lukáš Kachlíř, Šimon Katolický, Jakub Seidl and Vladimír Dravecký Jr. The latter player, who was born in the United States, made news last summer when he opted to play for Czechia – where he became a naturalized citizen – rather than Slovakia – the home of both his parents. Fifteen-year-old defenseman Lukáš Kachlíř isn't draft-eligible until 2027. Slovaks react to Vladimír Dravecký Jr playing for Czechia Slovaks react to Vladimír Dravecký Jr playing for Czechia When Advertisement Czechia announced its 24-man roster for this summer's Hlinka Gretzky Cup on Thursday, the player that received the most attention was 16-year-old Vladimír Dravecký Jr – a dual Czech-American citizen with Slovak parents who will be eligible for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Goaltenders (3): Michal Oršulák (Karlovy Vary), Tobias Trejbal (Litvínov), Ondřej Štěbeták (Portland, WHL). Defensemen (8): Lukáš Kachlíř, Jakub Seidl (both Liberec), Tomáš Malínek (Sparta Praha), Štěpán Černý (Hradec Králové), Tomáš Mikel (Cedar Rapids, USHL), Max Pšenička (Portland, WHL), Vladimír Dravecký Jr. (Rögle, SWE), Radim Mrtka (Seattle, WHL). Forwards (14): David Rozsíval (Liberec), David Krčál, Vít Macek (both Pardubice), Vojtěch Čihař (Karlovy Vary), Matouš Jan Kucharčík (Slavia Praha), Šimon Fasner (Vítkovice), Adam Novotný (Hradec Králové), Vít Záhejský (Kamloops, WHL), Dominik Pavlík (Moose Jaw, WHL), Tomáš Poletín (Pelicans Lahti, FIN), Matěj Mikeš (Rovaniemi, FIN), Matěj Pekař (Seattle, WHL), Šimon Katolický (Tappara Tampere, FIN), Adam Benák (Youngstown, USHL). Advertisement Reserves: Goaltenders: František Poletín (Pelicans Lahti, FIN). Defensemen: Jakub Winkelhöfer (Litvínov), Kryštof Dyk (Karlovy Vary), Jiří Kamas (Plzeň). Forwards: Jakub Lev (České Budějovice), Imrich Maxin (Mladá Boleslav), Artur Matějovský (Slavia Praha), Matyáš Úbl (Plzeň). Team Staff: Manager: Michal Vondrka. Head Coach: David Čermák. Assistant Coaches: Radek Bělohlav, Jaroslav Nedvěd. Goaltending Coach: Lukáš Mensator. Prospect Leaves Czechia for Seattle Thunderbirds Prospect Leaves Czechia for Seattle Thunderbirds Czech defenseman Radim Mrtka, 17, is leaving his hometown club Oceláři Třinec to join the Seattle Thunderbirds, with whom he has signed a scholarship and development agreement, the WHL club announced on Wednesday.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Sharks First-Rounder Leaves KHL Team For 'Family-Related Situation'
KHL club Avangard Omsk and 24-year-old Canadian defenseman Ryan Merkley have mutually agreed to terminate their contract, the club announced on Saturday. The contract was 'due to the player's family-related situation.' Family is a commonly cited reason for terminating a KHL contract mid-season. Linden Vey also left Omsk in early November, officially 'to manage family issues' and then signed in Switzerland with Fribourg-Gottéron 10 days later. In January, Tony DeAngelo left SKA St. Petersburg for 'family reasons.' Born in Oakville, Ont., Merkley played junior hockey for the OHL's Guelph Storm and had a spectacular 2017-18 season with 67 points in 63 games from the back end, and was chosen to play for Canada that season at both the Ivan Hlinka Memorial and the IIHF U-18 World Championship. He was subsequently chosen in the first round, 21st overall, by the San Jose Sharks in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. While he followed that up with two more solid junior seasons, his offensive abilities did not transfer to the pros, as he produced just 53 total points over 129 AHL games between 2019 and 2023. In 39 NHL games with the Sharks in 2021-22, Merkley scored one goal and added five assists, eight penalty minutes, and was a minus-10. Merkley spent the entire 2022-23 in the minors split between the San Jose and Colorado Avalanche organizations. Merkley has played almost two full seasons in the KHL. Over a season and a half with Kunlun Red Star, he produced 37 points and 82 penalty minutes in 83 games. Earlier this season, Merkley was traded from Kunlun to Omsk in exchange for cash. Merkley had 12 points and 12 penalty minutes in 29 games since the trade. Omsk currently sits sixth out of 12 teams in the KHL's Eastern Conference. Former Sharks First-Rounder Changes KHL Teams Canadian defenseman Ryan Merkley, 24, has been traded within the KHL from Kunlun Red Star to Avangard Omsk in exchange for monetary compensation, the latter club announced on Saturday.
