Latest news with #MarcusPettersson
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Canucks: Conor Garland named top three player for U.S. at worlds
Conor Garland is showing well at the world championships in Stockholm. The Vancouver Canucks spark plug forward was named one of Team USA's top three players for the tournament Saturday after his squad beat Sweden 6-2 in the semifinals at Avicii Arena before what was announced as a sellout crowd of 12,350. The Americans will face either Denmark or Switzerland in the gold medal game tomorrow. Puck drop is 11:20 a.m. Pacific. Garland gave the Americans a 3-0 lead over the Swedes, converting on a rebound off a one-timer chance from Logan Cooley. Garland has five goals and 10 points in nine games The Americans also feature Canucks forward Drew O'Connor, 26. O'Connor has one goal and four points in nine games with the Americans so far in the tournament. The Swedes featured Canucks defenceman Marcus Pettersson, as well as former Vancouver goalie Jacob Markstrom and centre Elias Lindholm. Fellow forwards Cooley, who plays with the Utah Mammoth, and Frank Nazar, who plays for the Chicago Blackhawks, were also saluted along with Garland for their play in the tournament so far after the win over the Swedes. The victory ended a 12-game losing streak in the semifinals for the Americans and has the U.S. playing in its first gold-medal game in the event since 1934. 'We played well as a team. We had some guys play awesome. We're just excited about the opportunity we've got,' Garland told reporters afterwards. 'We're locked in, we're playing our game.' Garland is from Scituate, Mass., and this is his third worlds with the Americans. In 2021 in Latvia, he led the Americans in goals (six) and points (13) in 10 games and helped them to a bronze medal. Garland, 29, had 19 goals and 50 points in 81 regular season games this past season for Vancouver. It was his fourth year with the team. He's an unrestricted after next season, finishing off a deal this coming campaign that has him at a cap hit of $4.95 million. @SteveEwen SEwen@ How the Canucks' coaching staff stacks up against Cup contenders And then there was one — Abbotsford Canucks playoff series headed to deciding game
Edmonton Journal
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Canucks: Conor Garland named top three player for U.S. at worlds
Article content The Swedes featured Canucks defenceman Marcus Pettersson, as well as former Vancouver goalie Jacob Markstrom and centre Elias Lindholm. Fellow forwards Cooley, who plays with the Utah Mammoth, and Frank Nazar, who plays for the Chicago Blackhawks, were also saluted along with Garland for their play in the tournament so far after the win over the Swedes. The victory ended a 12-game losing streak in the semifinals for the Americans and has the U.S. playing in its first gold-medal game in the event since 1934. 'We played well as a team. We had some guys play awesome. We're just excited about the opportunity we've got,' Garland told reporters afterwards. 'We're locked in, we're playing our game.' Conor Garland is ready to stick to @usahockey 's game plan and take down the home team. 💪 #MensWorlds #IIHF — IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 24, 2025
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
No magic this time: Rangers have No. 12 pick in 2025 NHL Draft after dropping 1 spot in lottery
The New York Rangers didn't have much good fortune this season, and that trend continued into the offseason when they dropped one spot in the NHL Draft Lottery on Monday. The Rangers finished 11th from the bottom in the League standings, but now have the No. 12 overall selection in the 2025 draft, which will be held June 27-28 in Los Angeles. The Rangers entered the lottery with a three percent chance to land the No. 1 overall pick. Instead their archrival, the Islanders, landed the top selection in this year's draft, making a big jump from the 10th spot. The Islanders had only slightly better odds at 3.5 percent to move up to No. 1, but the ping-pong balls bounced their way. Advertisement The second phase of the lottery was won by the Utah Hockey Club, and they now have the No. 4 overall pick. Utah began the night sitting at No. 14, but draft lottery rules stipulate that no team can move up more than 10 spots. Since Utah finished behind the Rangers in the standings and jumped them in the lottery, the Blueshirts were knocked back one spot to 12th overall. The San Jose Sharks, who had the best odds entering the lottery, will pick second overall, and the Chicago Blackhawks dropped to No. 3 overall. Now, the Rangers must decide if they want to hold on to their 2025 first-round pick or turn it over to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Rangers traded this pick to the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 31 when they acquired J.T. Miller. The Canucks then flipped it to the Penguins in a deal for defenseman Marcus Pettersson. Advertisement Since the pick is top-13 protected, the Rangers can keep it this season and then send an unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the Penguins, or give this year's pick to Pittsburgh and retain their 2026 selection in the first round. The Rangers have until 48 hours before the draft on June 27 to inform the Penguins of their decision. Related: Rangers rumors — Irritated Brady Tkachuk says trade wish 'just not true' Luck shined previously on Rangers, but this time Islanders win draft lottery The Rangers had their share of luck in the recent past with the draft lottery, including winning the right to select forward Alexis Lafreniere with the No. 1 pick in 2020. They won the draft lottery that year after finishing 18th in the League; the Rangers were allowed to move up that many spots because they lost in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers during the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season. Advertisement In 2019, the Rangers selected forward Kaapo Kakko with the No. 2 overall pick after moving up four spots in the lottery. They lost out to the New Jersey Devils, who won the lottery and selected center Jack Hughes first overall. The Islanders have selected first overall four times in their history: 1972 (Billy Harris), 1973 (Denis Potvin), 2000 (Rick DiPietro) and 2009 (John Tavares). Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman with Erie in the OHL, is projected by many to be the top pick in this year's draft. Long Island native James Hagens, a forward at Boston College, could be an intriguing option for the Islanders, as well. In an interesting side note, had the Islanders defeated the Rangers once this season in regulation, the teams would've flipped spots in the lottery and the Rangers would've ended up with the top pick. The Rangers swept all four games in the season series with the Islanders.
New York Times
13-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Why Canucks' loss to Wild is a microcosm of a disappointing season: 3 takeaways
VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks competed hard and put in a solid, professional effort in a 3-2 overtime loss against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night that served as a microcosm of their season. The game meant nothing for Vancouver, but it was high stakes for a Wild team that would've lost control of their playoff fate with a loss. Given that asymmetry, at the very least the Canucks made their opponent earn it. Advertisement Playing in the second leg of a back-to-back, the Wild looked out of sorts and fatigued in the opening 40 minutes. The Canucks surrendered offensive-zone possession time but little in the way of meaningful scoring opportunities. Meanwhile, they built a 2-0 lead, with Marcus Pettersson beating Filip Gustavsson cleanly to open the scoring in the first period and Jake DeBrusk adding another deflection to his collection of tips this season on the power play in the second frame. In the third, on tired legs, the Wild found their footing. They took over the game and slowly, but persistently, overwhelmed the Canucks. The third period contained multitudes. There was some good, like when the Vancouver crowd warmly congratulated Marc-Andre Fleury on the conclusion of his Hall of Fame career in the third period; some bad, like the Canucks surrendering a 2-0 lead in the third period; and some ugly, like when Wild forward Yakov Trenin left Canucks defender Derek Forbort injured in the wake of a fight between the two competitors, delivering an extra blow to a defenceless opponent. By the time Mats Zuccarello scored on a breakaway in overtime and the final buzzer sounded, it felt like the entire Canucks season contained in one 63-minute stretch of hockey. It wasn't a poor performance, but it was a loss. The club blew a third-period lead. They lost despite a remarkable effort from Quinn Hughes. And, of course, they lost in 3-on-3 overtime. How can you sum up what this season has felt like any better than that? Not that this was a signature Hughes performance. In fact, in some facets of the game, Hughes' mobility looked compromised relative to what we've come to expect from the most impactful defender in hockey. The Canucks' captain, however, is a remarkable gamer, and Saturday night — a meaningless contest in terms of the stakes for Vancouver — was the latest example. Advertisement Hughes logged huge minutes throughout the contest, cresting 25 total minutes played before overtime even began. And while the Canucks were outshot in those minutes, as you'd expect with Vancouver leading early and the Wild desperately pushing to grind out a point with control of their playoff destiny on the line, the extent to which Vancouver relied on him to generate offensive pressure was astounding. With Hughes on the ice at five-on-five on Saturday, Vancouver was outshot by the Wild eight to 13. In all other minutes, Vancouver generated just five shots on goal while surrendering 17 against. We know going into this offseason that Vancouver's greatest area of need is up front. The truth is, however, this club is going to have to find a way to raise its floor in non-Hughes minutes. Upgrading the forward corps and having a healthier lineup will help, but if games regularly look like Saturday's, the Canucks will be too reliant on Hughes again next season. In a third-period fight between the Canucks defender and the Wild forward, Forbort got his licks in early as the fight spun violently onto the ice. Forbort hit the ice, and his head appeared to connect with the ice sheet as his helmet partially fell off during the fall. It was already a pretty dangerous hockey situation, from a concussion-risk perspective. Then, Trenin crossed the line. With Forbort on his back and completely defenseless, Trenin threw an extra punch at his prone opponent. If you'd permit me to editorialize, it was a despicable sucker punch. Yakov Trenin received a game misconduct after landing a late punch on Derek Forbort while he was on the ice. Forbort went to the dressing room following the altercation. — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 13, 2025 Forbort remained on the ice after the fight concluded and left the game with an apparent head injury. Trenin, meanwhile, was tossed from the game after a lengthy review. He should be hearing from the Department of Player Safety after this one. This particular punch went well beyond reckless. This was a strange game for Vancouver. Advertisement On the one hand, fans always want to see their team do well. The dominance of the post-elimination Canucks might be an annoying rite of spring in the Vancouver market. But it's better — especially with low lottery stakes on the table — than watching the Canucks mail it in at the end of an unsuccessful regular season. On Saturday night, with the opportunity to play spoiler against a Wild team that had a lot to lose, Vancouver was up to the task. It built an early lead and defended well, at least until the third period. Ultimately, Vancouver lost in overtime. Kirill Kaprizov is just too dominant with the sort of space and time on offer in 3-on-3 situations. As disappointing as that is, on the other hand, it's probably not the worst outcome. After all, a Vancouver win would've significantly enhanced Calgary's odds of qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs. And if the Flames play beyond Game 82, well, that would leave the Canucks as the only Canadian team not invited to this years Stanley Cup playoff party. On some level, then, Saturday night's disappointment will at least make it more likely that the Canucks have some company on the sidelines north of the 49th parallel when the playoffs begin next weekend. (Photo of Quinn Hughes: Bob Frid / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Canucks: At least there's a youth movement on defence
The Vancouver Canucks may have found themselves at a standstill on trade deadline, but when you back up and focus on the overall state of the defence corps, you can see some progress there anyway. Adding Marcus Pettersson on Jan. 31 the final piece in the roster shuffle that began with moving on from J.T. Miller was an essential reset of a defensive group that was struggling. Struggling because Canucks management — and their pro scouts — misfired in their initial assessments last summer. Vincent Desharnais was not a solution. Noah Juulsen was always going to be a stopgap. And Carson Soucy somehow ceased to be the effective player he'd been last season. So around Christmas the Canucks started thinking about changing the mix of their blue line. Everything was too static. Elias (Junior) Pettersson had long been a blueliner the Canucks had high hopes for. He's now delivering. And then there's Victor Mancini, the big defenceman the Canucks acquired in a trade from the New York Rangers in the Miller trade, who is already playing a role on this blue line. That's two young defencemen already in the mix — and getting young defencemen in the mix is a good sign for the future. And then there's Tom Willander, who is fully expected to sign once his Boston University season is over. He's not going to be a game changer right off the hop, but if all goes well he will change the dynamic of the top four. And then you're talking about three young defenceman changing the whole conversation around your blue line. Rick Tocchet said that his coaching focus has indeed changed over the past month. His roster is now the seventh-youngest in the NHL. This is a team with a handful of veteran stars and a handful of young players. 'There's a standard that the coaches here and the organization have. This is what the Vancouver Canucks do,' he said after the Canucks' 3-1 win Friday. 'We have to teach them the standard. And the guys that are here, the older guys, they have to teach them, too.' That's the good part. It's the forward part that needs to progress. They do need to find a centre who is more than Filip Chytil. He's a fine player, but he's a shadow of Miller. And that, let's be clear, remains the challenge for this team, and its management, going forward. It's not just about needing Elias Pettersson to get back to where he was. It's about also rebuilding what Miller brought to the table in seasons past. Perhaps that will take a Moneyball-style approach, where the Canucks rebuild his offensive influence in the aggregate. When this team was firing, Miller was a force. There's just no getting around that. He was an important power play player. He took big faceoffs. He could dominate a shift like few others on the team. Just think of what he meant to the team in the playoffs last year. That's very, very hard to replace. But the Canucks have to. SICK BAY — Quinn Hughes's status remains shrouded in mystery. He's been skating some, but what skating he did do Friday morning was pretty tentative and he didn't do any work with pucks. He skated before Friday's morning skate with skills coach Jason Krog. Tocchet acknowledged Friday that Hughes is dealing with a lower body problem, an injury that developed as he tried to come back from an oblique injury. He overcompensated, Tocchet said. Hughes didn't skate Saturday. … Thatcher Demko's timeline is similarly murky. He practised on his own on Saturday morning but hasn't been in a practice with his teammates since before he suffered his injury before the 4-Nations Face-off break. pjohnston@ Canucks Coffee: So what happened on NHL trade deadline day?
