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Yahoo
9 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
NHL Coaching Carousel Now Down To Penguins, Bruins
Blues Top Prospect Should Break Out In 2025-26 The St. Louis Blues selected forward Dalibor Dvorsky with the 10th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. With the way that Dvorsky has been developing since then, it is fair to say that the Blues must be happy about this decision. 4:17 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Getting A Read On Kindel: Could The Ottawa Senators Hire A Hitman Again This Year?
Getting A Read On Kindel: Could The Ottawa Senators Hire A Hitman Again This Year? Leading up to the 2025 NHL Draft, we'll examine some of the young players that the draft experts think might be available to the Ottawa Senators when they step up to the podium to make the evening's 21st overall selection.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The Athletic Hockey Show NHL Draft debate: Our panel ranks the top 12 prospects
By Max Bultman, Scott Wheeler and Corey Pronman By this point in the 2025 NHL Draft cycle, you know what the top of Corey Pronman's list looks like, just as you know Scott Wheeler's. If you're a regular listener to The Athletic Hockey Show Prospect Series or the Flo Hockey podcast 'Called Up,' you're also familiar with Max Bultman's and Chris Peters' takes on the 2025 draft class. Advertisement But what happens when those differing lists and perspectives are forced to collaborate and produce one shared list? Not just by taking the averages of each panelist's ranking, but through debate, persuasion and compromise? That was the question the most recent episode of TAHS Prospect Series set to answer. And the results lived up to the curiosity. By the end of nearly an hour and a half debating 12 prospects, the group settled on four tiers of players ranked 1 through 12, and no one on the panel got exactly what they wanted. Whether it was a favorite player slotted a little lower than hoped, or having to compromise high on a prospect with some risk, the collaborative nature of the process, meant to loosely mimic the process NHL teams go through to compare thoughts and produce a draft list, meant everyone had to give in somewhere. In most cases, our panel was able to reach satisfactory conclusions and cut deals to keep everyone content, even if there were some gritted teeth involved. But in cases of true gridlock, each analyst was given one 'super vote,' allowing them to break a 2-2 tie on a player they were particularly passionate about, in either direction. You can listen to the whole episode to hear how it all went down, but here were some of the key debates and takeaways from the exercise. This was our liveliest debate, which is fitting given Hagens has among the widest ranges of potential outcomes of the top group we debated. He came into the season as the favorite to be the first pick in the draft, but after a strong, though not necessarily spectacular, freshman season at Boston College — and perhaps some nitpicking of such a known player — there's real debate over where he fits within the top of this class. That was true in our debate, too. Pronman noted Hagens' outstanding track record over the years, including a 'really, really good' draft year at Boston College. He called him arguably the most offensively skilled player in the class, headlined by his skating. But he also raised the issue of Hagens' size, as a 5-foot-10 forward, and whether the relative lack of interior offense in his game this season could be a product of playing against bigger, stronger opponents — the kind he will continue to see as he progresses to the NHL. Advertisement Wheeler and Peters, meanwhile, were adamant in Hagens' favor, with Wheeler advocating for Hagens at No. 3 on our list and threatening to use his Super Vote to keep him no lower than No. 4 on the collective list. 'I have, actually, fewer questions — despite the fact that he's 5-foot-10, despite the fact that he didn't score a ton — I've got fewer questions about projecting James Hagens than I do about protecting Anton Frondell or Porter Martone,' Wheeler said. Peters took it a step further in rejecting Pronman's argument, telling Pronman, 'Corey, put the f—ing tape measure away, all right?' 'I think that we are gonna see a very different James Hagens this year,' Peters said. 'And I do think he'll be one of the best players in college hockey, and I feel like we're gonna have a reset. And when we're doing a redraft, he's gonna be really high on a redraft. … In terms of potential, he is my number three with a bullet.' But Hagens did not finish at No. 3. Bultman sided with Pronman on the debate between Hagens and Martone (the 6-foot-3 winger from the Brampton Steelheads), creating a 2-2 gridlock. Rather than use his tie-breaker, though, Wheeler opted to strike a compromise with Pronman that Hagens would sit behind Martone on the final list, but ahead of Frondell. Moncton (QMJHL) center Caleb Desnoyers was also mentioned at No. 3, but ultimately finished at No. 5. Peters still wanted Hagens at No. 3, but with the other three panelists already agreeing to that order, he had no choice but to, in his words, 'sit and stew in the corner.' Prior compromises came into play on multiple occasions through our process. The Martone-Hagens compromise, for example, resurfaced as an issue for Peters when discussing which tier to place Desnoyers into. He had Hagens ahead of Desnoyers, but Desnoyers ahead of Martone, making it tricky to place Desnoyers with Martone already ahead of Hagens on the consensus list. Advertisement And later on, Wheeler nominated Seattle (WHL) defenseman Radim Mrtka at number seven, but had to watch as the other analysts' votes not only bumped Mrtka down, but into a separate tier, which ultimately left him outside the top 10. But Wheeler did get passionate and use his veto vote to ensure that one of the draft's most divisive players did not end up higher than where he was comfortable. Brandon (WHL) center Roger McQueen has some of the best athletic tools in the class as a highly skilled 6-foot-5 center who can skate, but has struggled with a back injury. When the group was deadlocked as to which tier McQueen should fit into, Wheeler stepped in 'against taking a chance that we risk making a mistake on Roger McQueen.' That put McQueen into the fourth tier with Mrtka, instead of into a third tier that ultimately included OHL center Jake O'Brien, Swedish winger Victor Eklund, OHL forward Brady Martin and OHL defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson. After all the debating, the final top 12 — separated into four tiers — came out like this: Matthew Schaefer Michael Misa Porter Martone James Hagens Caleb Desnoyers Anton Frondell Jake O'Brien Victor Eklund Brady Martin Kashawn Aitcheson Roger McQueen Radim Mrtka (Photo of James Hagens: Richard T Gagnon / Getty Images)
National Post
2 days ago
- Business
- National Post
FLAMES RETOOL TRACKER: Which right-wingers could Calgary target in 2025 NHL Draft?
There has been so much focus on centre ice that it's easy to forget that the Calgary Flames are thin on right wing, too. Article content When the name-calling commences at the 2025 NHL Draft, the Flames will be determined to address both. Pivot prospects should be the priority with one or even both of their first-round picks, but could they target a future flank with the No. 54 overall selection? Article content Article content Here are a few right-wingers who could be on their radar, whether it's in the second round or the later stages. Article content Measurements: 5-foot-7, 161 pounds Article content The skinny: If he wasn't so small, Schmidt likely would be a shoo-in to be selected in the first round. He still could hear his name called on opening night, but it wouldn't be a huge shock to see him slide and that could turn him into a potential steal. This on-the-rise righty has blazing speed and a wicked shot, two things that will appeal to the Flames. The question is: Will he be too easy to push around at the pro level? Schmidt was coached at RINK Academy in Kelowna by Jarome Iginla, so his input will be invaluable. Article content Nathan Behm Article content Hometown: Calgary Article content Measurements: 6-foot-2, 192 pounds Article content The skinny: There were a lot of smiles around Calgary when the Flames plucked Andrew Basha in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft and there undoubtedly would be a repeat if they pick another hometown hopeful in 2025. The smooth-skating Behm is an alum of Edge School and the Royals 'AAA' program. He made headlines by winning a national golf long-drive title last summer and scouts have been impressed with the velocity that he can fire a hockey puck, too. He is projected to be a second-rounder. Article content Article content Article content The skinny: The World Under-18 Championship is one of the most important scouting showcases of the season and Ekberg certainly didn't waste his opportunity to make a positive impression. He won the tournament scoring title — and nabbed MVP honours, too — with 10 goals and 18 points in seven outings for Team Sweden. The Flames have had past success with mid-round swings on undersized forwards and, because defence prospect Henry Mews played part of this season with the 67's, the decision-makers at the Saddledome should be mighty familiar with Ekberg. Article content Vaclav Nestrasil, Muskegon Lumberjacks, USHL — He can't quite look eye-to-eye with Adam Klapka, but Nestrasil is another towering righty from Czechia. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 187 pounds, he contributed seven goals and 13 points in the playoffs as the Lumberjacks captured the Clark Cup as USHL champions. He is headed to UMass, the same program that helped to prepare Flames prospect Aydar Suniev for the jump to pro hockey.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Islanders new GM: Patrick Roy to remain head coach
May 29 - Patrick Roy will remain as the head coach of the New York Islanders, new general manager and executive vice president Mathieu Darche said at his introductory press conference on Thursday. Roy, 59, owns a 55-47-17 record since replacing Lane Lambert as the Islanders' coach on Jan. 20, 2024. The Hall of Famer posted a 35-35-12 mark this past season but failed to guide the club to the playoffs. Assistant coaches John MacLean and Tommy Albelin will not return to the bench, Darche said. Darche wasn't done there, however. When asked about whether he was interested in entertaining offers for the top overall pick of the 2025 NHL Draft, Darche was quick with a response. "Someone would have to really knock my socks off to trade that pick," he said. New York landed the top overall pick of the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft earlier this month, despite having the 10th-best chance of winning the lottery at 3.5 percent. Darche, 48, has served as the director of hockey operations for the Tampa Bay Lightning over the past six seasons. The Lightning qualified for the playoffs in each year of that stretch, including capturing consecutive Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021 and appearing in the Finals in 2022. Tabbed general manager and executive vice president, Darche will replace Lou Lamoriello, who left the Islanders last month after seven seasons. --Field Level Media
