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New York Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Why Jackson Smith's 2-way upside makes him an exciting 2025 NHL Draft prospect
The trend among NHL defense corps in the Stanley Cup playoffs has been impossible to ignore. Whether it's Florida with Gustav Forsling, Aaron Ekblad and Seth Jones, Dallas with Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley and Esa Lindell or Edmonton with Darnell Nurse, Evan Bouchard and Brett Kulak, teams are going on deep runs with blue lines largely made up of big, mobile defensemen who can put those tools to use. And that's just this year. Vegas, Tampa Bay and St. Louis all built their blue lines in much the same way in recent years en route to winning the Cup. Advertisement And when something works in the playoffs, those trends tend to translate to draft day. That's true at the very top of this year's forward-heavy draft class, with OHL Erie defenseman Matthew Schaefer, and it'll be true throughout the lottery, too. The big names on defense after Schaefer are Radim Mrtka (WHL Seattle) and Kashawn Aitcheson (OHL Barrie). But right there with them could be WHL Tri-City's Jackson Smith. He has the frame at 6 feet 3 inches, the fluid skating, and increasingly, the two-way potential to potentially go in that same lottery range, where some team will surely be hoping he can be part of their future postseason blue line. He even poses some intriguing similarities to one of those aforementioned playoff defensemen: Harley. 'Actually he was a guy that we kind of mentioned to (Smith) this year,' former Tri-City coach Stu Barnes said. 'You try to, with these young guys, give them maybe somebody that they can look to at the next level and see what could be, and I think Thomas Harley's a great comparison.' Of course, Barnes — a former Dallas Star himself — knows that's a lofty comparison. Harley has become something of a darling in the wake of his success at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and after eating massive minutes with Heiskanen out injured. He scored the Game 6 overtime winner that sent Dallas to the conference final. Smith is a long way off from being able to do any of that. But in terms of the profile, it's easy to see some rhyme with the 2019 No. 18 pick. Smith came into Tri-City two years ago as 'a real good offensive player already, just by pure natural skill,' Barnes said. Certainly, those talents are reflected in his 11 goals and 54 points in 68 games this season. But over the course of two seasons with the Americans, Smith has grown his defensive game more and more, using that reach and mobility — and at times, physicality — to look the part of a legitimate two-way defenseman. Jackson Smith rush defence reel from Game 1 of the CHL USA Prospects Challenge. Led the game in rush stops with perfectly timed pokes as opponents entered his range, big hits, and a tight gap — all as a left-shot playing on the right. — Mitchell Brown (@MitchLBrown) November 27, 2024 'You always come into the league as a 16-year-old and you want to prove yourself, you want to prove what type of player you are, and you're energetic and you're go-go-go-go-go,' said Tri-City assistant coach Jody Hull, who works with the team's defensemen. 'And he did that. But I think this year, his overall game just matured. Like he just wasn't relied on offensively to create stuff, he was also very sound defensively, and that was proven because he was pretty much (playing) against the other teams' top players most nights.' Advertisement Certainly, you expect that to come with time and feedback via video, but both Barnes and Hull independently took it a step further than just calling Smith coachable. They also feel he's a good self-evaluator. Like many young defensemen with natural offensive games, and the physical tools to get away with the temptations they bring, Smith has an occasional tendency to skate himself into trouble. Sometimes, it leads to a turnover. And when that happens, Hull said Smith will come right to the bench and say I know. 'He can own up to his things, and as a coach, that's important for a player's development,' Hull said. 'And I think when he's done that a few times this year, his next few shifts are just like, 'Boom.' Like, wow, this is what you can be all the time.' The turnovers themselves represent one of the questions in Smith's game, with those mental lapses always a bit of a risk. As much as teams value the traits of a big defenseman who can transport the puck, making good decisions is paramount if you're actually going to succeed in the NHL. But as much as any coach wants to avoid turnovers, Hull also realizes that Smith's natural gifts — and the instinct to use them — are what can make him so exciting. He doesn't want to take them away. And for good reason. Sticking with the Harley comparison for a moment, it's worth noting that in Corey Pronman's 2019 scouting report of the then-Mississauga defenseman, he wrote: 'Harley makes a lot of plays but tends to get too cute and make costly turnovers.' It's not a unique issue for a defenseman with natural talent to struggle with. And not all of them pan out like Harley, of course. That's part of what makes that self-awareness piece key, because if Smith can be the one to recognize his mistakes, and then diagnose where he went wrong, then perhaps he has a better chance to find that elusive balance between risk and reward as he grows. Advertisement 'It's just, as a coach, having trust that you know you can put him back out there,' Hull said. 'Because it probably never happens twice in a row in a game. … Might happen four games from now again, but it's not happening that game, or in that situation.' There's also another trend that Barnes and Hull have noticed from Smith over the last two years, particularly when the young defender departs for events with Team Canada. With Tri-City, he's relied upon a lot for offense — his 54 points were more than twice as many as the team's next-highest scoring defenseman. But when he's with the national team, they feel his game takes on a different character. 'His role there has been more shutdown, PK, get the job done in the final couple minutes if we're defending the lead,' Hull said. 'And I think that proved to him that he's capable of doing those things. And that's going to be a big part of his game for him moving forward, without taking any of his offensive abilities away from him.' 'He gets put in these situations where he's surrounded or playing against really high-end players,' Barnes added. 'He seems to really be able to raise his game and be successful on both sides of the puck.' That, certainly, is part of the vision NHL teams will be dreaming on when they consider Smith for this draft. A big defenseman who can produce offense is nice, and Smith has the ability to be that. But when that 6-foot-3 blueliner can also use those feet to shut down transition the other way, and then start the break back north, it becomes an especially appealing package. 'The way he defends is with his stick, and then once he has the puck it's with his feet,' Hull said. 'He can get your team out of trouble pretty quick with the puck on his stick. Whether it's a pass, or whether it's him just carrying it himself out of the zone.' That in itself is a valuable tool for a defenseman: being able to skate the puck into the neutral zone and then make a clean first pass to get the offensive process started. Advertisement 'And then again, he's got a good shot, he's deceptive, he's able to change angles on the shot in the offensive zone,' Barnes said.' He's patient with the puck. He doesn't panic a lot with pucks when he is on offense. It's going to be interesting to see how he relays it, but I think some of those attributes are going to make it pretty exciting.' Add that up, and it's not hard to see why Smith is among the top defense prospects in the class. He fits the physical profile teams have seen win at the hardest time of year. He's shown an ability to both defend and create offense. He's still early in the process, of course. But the potential is there for it all to come together into a complete package. 'Honestly, in two years from now, when he's more of a man, I don't even know what his ceiling is going to be,' Hull said. 'I really don't.'
Time of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Jason Robertson injury and losing streak leave Stars in crisis before Avalanche clash
Jason Robertson injury and losing streak leave Stars in crisis before Avalanche clash (Image Source: Getty Images) The Dallas Stars' regular season finish did not match their expectations. They lost to the Nashville Predators on Wednesday night. Instead, it gave them more problems. The biggest concern came when forward Jason Robertson left the game in the second period. He took a hard hit from Nashville's Michael McCarron and did not return. Reporters saw him leave the arena wearing a knee brace. The team said it was a lower-body injury. Jason Robertson's injury adds to Dallas Stars' trouble Jason Robertson was one of Dallas' best players all season. He played in all 82 games and led the team with 35 goals. But in this game, he was on the ice for just over six minutes before he got hurt. Losing him just before the playoffs is a major blow for the Stars. Head coach Pete DeBoer said after the game that resting players in the final games was supposed to help avoid injuries, not cause new ones. 'The purpose of resting people down the stretch was to hopefully avoid injury, and unfortunately, we didn't do that with the Robertson injury,' he said. 'So, tough night.' Also Read: Dallas Stars Eliminated In Game 5 Of The Stanley Cup Final Miro Heiskanen and Tyler Seguin still have question marks Jason Robertson isn't the only injury worry for the Stars. Miro Heiskanen is now recovering from knee surgery he had in January. He has started skating again but hasn't played yet. With the regular season now over, it's not clear if he'll be ready for the first round against the Colorado Avalanche. Reports say the team is hoping Heiskanen can return, but there's no guarantee. 'It's very possible Heiskanen is not available at all during the first round,' said TSN's Chris Johnston. Tyler Seguin, another key player, finally returned to the lineup on Wednesday. He had hip surgery and missed 58 games. The good news is that he played nearly 15 minutes and picked up an assist. That was one of the few bright spots in a game filled with bad news. The Dallas Stars are heading into the playoffs with a lot of concerns. They've now lost seven games in a row. Jason Robertson, their top scorer, got hurt in the last game of the regular season. Miro Heiskanen may not return in time. Tyler Seguin came back and played well, yet the team is not in a healthy state. Dallas will play Game 1 on Saturday against the Avalanche; they must rapidly locate solutions if they hope to go far in the playoffs.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Edmonton Oilers Survive Without Mattias Ekholm, But He Could Be The Final Puzzle Piece
The Edmonton Oilers have been thriving in the current Stanley Cup playoffs, taking a 2-1 series lead in their Western Conference final series against the Dallas Stars. But for as good as the Oilers have looked, they could be even better if veteran defenseman Mattias Ekholm returns to the lineup this week. It's still undecided if Ekholm will play in Tuesday's Game 4 against the Stars, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters on Monday, but he remains day-to-day, meaning he could play on Thursday as well. Edmonton has been without Ekholm's services since the second week of April, nursing an injury that has hampered him for months. But in Ekholm's absence, the Oilers have managed not only to survive but to put themselves in a position to add more or less a trade deadline-type asset who adds the type of physical, high-panic-threshold presence any true Cup contender needs at this time of year. The way things are shaking out, Ekholm could be the final puzzle piece that puts the Oilers over the top and into the winner's circle over either the Florida Panthers or Carolina Hurricanes in the Cup final. When this writer made his Western final prediction, we noted there was very little separating the Stars and Oilers. Through three games, that's the way the series has played out, with Edmonton winning Games 2 and 3 to steal home-ice advantage from Dallas. We believed another returning veteran defenseman – Stars star Miro Heiskanen – would be one of the difference-makers in Dallas' favor, but the Oilers have been able to pile up goals on Dallas netminder Jake Oettinger despite Heiskanen being in the lineup. Ekholm's experience and veteran know-how are highly valuable, and his ability to eat up major minutes – he averaged 22:12 of ice time this regular season, and he's averaged 23:42 in 112 career playoff games – will have a terrific ripple effect on what the Oilers can do the rest of the way. If Ekholm does get back in the lineup this week, life will get considerably more difficult for Stars players who enter Edmonton's defensive zone. Ekholm's 6-foot-5 frame and willingness to play a robust physical game will benefit the Oilers. The 35-year-old Swede is about to enter the final year of his contract, meaning there's going to be some urgency to his game. Elite NHL teams want to have players who seize the moment, and after so much time on the sidelines, Ekholm should come into this series knowing how precious these opportunities really are. So, imagining he's going to ratchet up his game isn't at all a stretch. The Stars are a very good bounce-back squad, so the Oilers are far from out of the woods in this Western final showdown. But the emotional and structural boost they could get from a returning Ekholm can't be overstated. Ekholm is a calming influence and an experienced contributor who isn't going to mess around once he does get into game action. Edmonton will need all hands on deck if they're to win this year's Cup, but so long as Ekholm does what he normally does when he's healthy, the Oilers are in a good spot. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on
New York Times
24-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
With Stars' offense dormant — and Roope Hintz possibly out — it's time for Mikko Rantanen to carry them again
DALLAS — Connor McDavid was stalking in the defensive zone, waiting for an outlet pass, a chance to make a break for it — menacing even from 150 feet away. When Jake Walman got the puck with time and space in the corner, McDavid made himself available while skating backward toward the neutral zone — still faster than half the guys on the ice. Walman, bewilderingly, sent the puck elsewhere. But Mikael Granlund lunged for the pass, got his stick on it, and — oops — knocked it right to McDavid at center ice. Advertisement The Edmonton Oilers captain took it in stride — with McDavid, it's always in stride — and off he went, reaching ludicrous speed in a step and a half. Gone? Not quite. Because Dallas' Miro Heiskanen, the best defender on the ice, one of the best defenders in the world, was right there to meet him at the blue line. Heiskanen swiped his stick and knocked the puck loose, up in the air — McDavid casually kept control as if he were skating all alone. Heiskanen steered him to the outside, facing him up like a basketball defender. McDavid never slowed. Heiskanen managed to stick with him every step, maintaining a dangerously tight gap, but McDavid was unflustered. Even with one of the best defensemen on the planet stuck to him, he managed to get off a nasty little snap shot that Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger was just able to get his pad on. That's McDavid. He's a nuclear weapon, always poised to go off and change a shift, a game, a series. The Stars have one of those, too. It's Mikko Rantanen, their $96-million man, their trade-deadline acquisition that sent seismic shocks through the rest of the league. He went off against Colorado in the first round, posting five goals and six assists in the last three games of a seven-game epic. He was still smoldering in the second round, when he had his second straight hat trick in Game 1. Rantanen might not have the speed or the razzle-dazzle that McDavid does — who does? — but he can take over a game in other ways. Through sheer size and strength and hands and will. And it's high time for him to go off again. Look, it's absurd to lay Dallas' 3-0 Game 2 loss to Edmonton at Rantanen's feet. It's a little absurd to even point out the fact that Rantanen hasn't scored in five straight games, that he has just two assists in that span, that he's scored just once since that Game 1 hat trick against Winnipeg. After all, Rantanen is tied with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for the league lead with 20 points this postseason. He's the Conn Smythe Trophy front-runner. Advertisement Dallas isn't even in the conference final without Rantanen. Dallas doesn't even get out of the first round without Rantanen. But that's the problem. Dallas is built to be an unrelenting current of offense, wave after wave of scoring lines coming over the boards. But we haven't seen that at all in this postseason. They're winning series but they're not dominating them. Rantanen stole the Colorado series. Oettinger stole the Winnipeg series. As a whole, the Stars weren't even the better team for large chunks of both series. They've given up the first goal in 12 of 15 playoff games. Friday night marked the third time they've been shut out in this postseason. They were shut out just once in 82 regular-season games — in the fourth-to-last game of the campaign. We haven't seen anything close to Dallas at full power for anything other than spurts, a period here, a period there. That third-period explosion in Game 1 the other night? That cathartic slump-buster for so many stymied Stars? After watching Game 2, it feels more like a blip than a breakout. Yes, halfway to the Stanley Cup, you can be a cup-half-full optimist and say that it's great that Dallas has made it this far without being its best self. But the reality is, the Stars are running out of time. Edmonton is too good, too battle-tested, to let them steal another one. The Stars are going to have to take it by force. 'There's definitely another level,' Mason Marchment said. 'There's been spurts, even in (Game 2) there in the second period. We controlled for a majority of the second period, I felt. It's just building and building and keeping the momentum when we have it. We can't just be throwing the momentum away when we have it.' That's being generous. The Stars looked oddly hesitant in the first period, repeatedly making timid passes that the Oilers pounced on; they had a ghastly 27 turnovers in all. They did fare better in the second, but rarely tested Edmonton's boom-or-bust goaltender, Stuart Skinner, with anything all that dangerous. And in the third period, there was virtually no pushback — on the scoreboard or in the Oilers' faces — after Darnell Nurse knocked No. 1 center Roope Hintz out of the game with a wildly unnecessary slash on the top of the left foot far behind the play. Advertisement Hintz was helped off the ice and carried back to the locker room, never putting any weight on his foot. The officials reviewed it to see if it warranted a major penalty, but only assessed a two-minute minor. Hintz's status is very much up in the air for Game 3 on Sunday in Edmonton. It would be a devastating loss for Dallas if Hintz — who plays on the power play, who kills penalties, who's one of the few Stars who have produced in these playoffs — were to miss time. 'We didn't like it,' Stars captain Jamie Benn said. 'If that was McDavid walking down the tunnel, I would like to see the result of that.' 'Does anyone in this room think if Connor McDavid gets carried off the ice like that, it's not a five-minute major?' Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. Not a great sign when the postgame quotes are spicier than the on-ice response. And yet, DeBoer said that he liked his team's game better in Game 2 than he did in Game 1. That's how rough the Stars looked for much of Game 1. So it falls to Rantanen. If the Stars can't win by committee, the way they always do, the way they're meant to, then it's up to the one guy who's capable of putting a team on his back and carrying it to the Stanley Cup Final. That's not Wyatt Johnston, who's a staggering minus-15 for a team that's won two series. That's not Jason Robertson, who continues to be a shell of his dynamic self since rushing back from a leg injury suffered in the season finale. That's not Matt Duchene, whose Game 1 power-play goal didn't exactly break the dam, after all. And that's not Hintz, who might not even be ambulatory, for all we know. Unseemly as it seems to criticize him in any way, Rantanen needs to be better now. He needs to be the guy who took over in Round 1, who made a statement to kick off Round 2, who averaged more than a point per game in six straight Avalanche playoff runs. He needs do it in Game 3, and then again in Game 4, and again in Game 5. And on and on until he has the Stanley Cup in his hands. Might not be fair, but that's life at the top, that's the burden of greatness. McDavid and Draisaitl each have a point in all but two playoff games. They get hot, yes, but they never seem to run cold. They're always burning. Advertisement No, zero goals and two assists in five games won't cut it. Not in the conference final. Not against Edmonton. Rantanen was never The Guy in Colorado, not with Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar on his team. But in Dallas, he's very much The Guy. He has to be The Guy. The difference-maker. The nuclear weapon. It's time to go off. Otherwise, the way the rest of the Dallas forwards are playing, it'll soon be time to go home. (Photo of Roope Hintz: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)
Newsweek
23-05-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
How to Watch Oilers vs Stars Game 2: Live Stream NHL Western Conference Finals, TV Channel
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Game 1 of the NHL's Western Conference Finals was a figurative and literal slugfest, with nine goals scored and a massive brawl to end the contest, with the Dallas Stars beating the Edmonton Oilers 6-3. Game 2 is setting up to be another heated contest, with a chance to move closer to the Stanley Cup Finals on the line. Stuart Skinner #74 of the Edmonton Oilers allows a goal to Miro Heiskanen (not pictured) of the Dallas Stars as Mason Marchment #27 celebrates during the third period in Game One of the Western Conference... Stuart Skinner #74 of the Edmonton Oilers allows a goal to Miro Heiskanen (not pictured) of the Dallas Stars as Mason Marchment #27 celebrates during the third period in Game One of the Western Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center on May 21, 2025 in Dallas, Texas. More Photo byHow to Watch Oilers vs Stars Game 2: When: Friday, May 23, 2025 Time: 8:00 PM ET Where: American Airlines Center TV Channel: ESPN Live Stream: Fubo (Try for free!) The Oilers knew they had to start hot to quiet the crowd in Dallas, and they did just that, as Leon Draisaitl scored his sixth goal of the playoffs at 10:19 of the first period. After Dallas evened things up, the Oilers would go on to score twice in 1:40 of the second period to take a commanding 3-1 lead. That lead quickly vanished as Edmonton's penalty kill faltered, giving up three power-play goals in the first six minutes of the third period. While they were near league average on the power play during the regular season (22% vs. 21.64% league average), the Stars caught fire in Game 1, scoring three different times with a man advantage. Miro Heiskanen scored his first goal of the playoffs just 32 seconds into the third period, with Mikael Granlund adding his fifth at 3:49 and Matt Duchene scoring his first at 5:58. The Stars would add an even-strength goal (Tyler Seguin) and an empty-netter (Esa Lindell), leading to an impressive comeback victory. Live stream Oilers vs Stars Game 2 on Fubo: Start your subscription now! Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
