Latest news with #Swayman
Boston Globe
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Three players Bruins could move to create even more cap space this offseason
But as enticing as that cap space might be, it will likely dissipate in short order — especially during this surging cap era in the NHL. Here are three possible players that the Bruins could try to move on from in order to free up some additional cap space. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Joonas Korpisalo ($3 million AAV, signed through 2027-28) Advertisement Sweeney acknowledged in April that the Bruins should have handed Korpisalo more reps this past season instead of giving the lion's share of minutes in net to a struggling Jeremy Swayman. Given how porous Boston's defense was this past season, Korpisalo fared as expected in his first year with the Bruins (11-10-3, .893 save percentage). But with cap space being a premium and with Swayman still expected to be the team's No. 1 goalie, the case can be made that the Bruins should try to find a taker for Korpisalo's contract and use a cheaper option as Swayman's backup moving forward. Advertisement If the Bruins are committing $11.25 million to their goalie rotation for the next three years, they better be a pretty effective tandem. Unless the Bruins are going to realistically carve out 35-40 games for Korpialo moving forward, a $3 million backup for a 26-year-old netminder earning big bucks isn't all that tenable. Of course, not every team has a potential franchise fixture like Swayman (at least, the one that Bruins fans saw from 2020-24). As such, there could be several teams with plenty of cap space on hand who might be interested in taking on Korpisalo as either a low-cost starter or a backup for more of an unproven goalie. A team on the upswing like Columbus could be a fit for an old friend like Korpisalo if they think he has a higher upside than Elvis Merzlikins. If the Ducks find a taker for John Gibson, adding someone like Korpisalo could be a better alternative as backup to Lukas Dostal. Boston likely wouldn't get much back in a Korpisalo deal, and might have to retain some of his $3 million annual cap hit in order to entice a team to take on the majority of that contract. Still, an extra $2-2.5 million gained over the next three seasons could be redistributed elsewhere on Boston's roster, especially if the Bruins opt to use a cheaper backup behind Swayman like Michael DiPietro. Casey Mittelstadt ($5.75 million AAV, signed through 2026-27) Mittelstadt is a tough player to gauge on the 2025-26 roster. Advertisement When the Bruins essentially swapped Charlie Coyle for Mittelstadt (along with prospect Will Zellers and a 2025 second-round pick), the 26-year-old center represented a change of pace from Boston's previous roster-building efforts. Whereas Coyle was more of a puck-possession, two-way center, Mittelstadt represented the higher-skilled pivot that the Bruins were trying to add to their roster, especially in the midst of a year where offense was hard to come by. Mittelstadt didn't exactly stuff the stat sheet in his first foray with Boston (six points, minus-17 rating in 18 games). Granted, his most common linemates to close out the year were also Cole Koepke and Vinni Lettieri. The Bruins might think there's more there with a young center in Mittelstadt, who also had two 50-plus-point seasons on his resume. If the Bruins were to add a scoring winger in free agency like Boeser (a fellow Minnesota native), Mittelstadt's contract could end up being good value if he becomes a solid playmaking 2C. But if there are some reservations about Mittelstadt's game, or the Bruins just believe that they can make use of that money elsewhere, the center could also be dangled as a trade chip this summer. Much like Korpisalo, it remains to be seen if the Bruins would actually net something of top value for an unproven product like Mittelstadt, with the cap savings standing as the top reward for Boston. The Bruins might like Mittelstadt's upside and playmaking touch. But if moving his contract allows them to sign a potential 30-goal scorer like Ehlers, Mittelstadt could be redundant on a team that already has a glut of middle-six centers in place on its roster. Advertisement Pavel Zacha ($4.75 million AAV through 2026-27) If the Bruins are both trying to create cap space AND get a useful asset back in a trade, Zacha is the type of versatile middle-six asset (on a great contract) that several teams would love to take off of Boston's hands. A mock draft from The Athletic earlier this month even had Boston securing the Canucks' first-round pick (No. 15) i If the Bruins' top priority is accumulating more draft picks, they should have no issue finding a suitor for Zacha. But even if the Bruins might be a few years away from reestablishing themselves as a legitimate contender, Zacha still holds plenty of value for Boston both in the present and potentially in the future. Zacha has been a versatile regular in Boston's lineup since joining the team in 2022-23, surpassing 50 points in two of his three seasons with the Bruins. He was hindered at times by a nagging knee injury this past year, but still played in all 82 games while scoring 14 goals and 47 points. On a roster in flux, Zacha's ability to both play center or on the wing also makes him a useful cog for Sturm moving forward. Zacha might be Boston's best bet this summer when it comes to both shedding money and potentially gaining another first-round pick (or blue-chip prospect). But his presence would be missed on a Bruins team that also needs some stability in place after a sizable roster overhaul. Conor Ryan can be reached at
Boston Globe
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
‘Boom, I'm back. It was pretty amazing.' Bruin Jeremy Swayman found his game playing for Team USA at World Championship.
The telltale scent was of champagne and beer, the celebratory beverages of choice that showered down on Swayman and his Team USA brethren Sunday in Stockholm when copping Advertisement It also was Swayman's first gold on the international stage — adding to his World Junior bronze medal while on loan from the University of Maine — and it further whet his appetite to play for the Yanks come February at the Olympic Games in Italy. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'Completely,' he said. 'I want nothing more than to be on that Olympic team and being a big piece of USA Hockey, making an impact on this game and taking a gold medal home.' Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman helped Team USA win the World Championship for the first time since 1933. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff Of far more interest to Bruins fans, of course, is what version of Swayman they'll see in the months leading up to, and following, the Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. He struggled in 2024-25, along with most everyone in Black and Gold. The hope throughout the organization now is that the gold-plated, refreshed version of the No. 1 backstop serves as a leverage point in getting the franchise back in the Stanley Cup chase. Advertisement On the eve of the championship game, after backing the US to its semifinal win over Sweden, Swayman said he felt 'rebirthed in a way' by the tournament. He repeated that sentiment Wednesday, while making clear what price a disappointing season extracted from him. 'The ups and down of the season definitely took a toll,' he said. 'The outside noise I was facing, with personal matters, and we weren't getting results as a team. I felt like I was going to the rink every day, doing what I needed to do, and still just wasn't getting results — I had to dig in deeper, had to find different ways to find a way to win, just feel good on the ice. This [playing for Team USA] was just a great way for me to do it.' Some of that outside noise, he noted, included the lingering narrative about his negotiations for a new contract (eight years/$66 million) and the late start to his training camp that came with it. His numbers slumped. So did his confidence. All of which had him eager of a mental reset as he headed to Europe for Uncle Sam. For a guy looking for a reset, a 'different mind-set,' as Swayman put it, it was good to be away with his fellow Americans, 'I truly felt it was a total mind-set thing,' Swayman said. 'I know I can play at this level. I know I can have success at this level. But my mind-set was something that was challenged this year, and what I got to experience with this tournament was, if I get my mind right, I'm pretty hard to score on — and that's something I could really build on.' Advertisement Swayman went 7-0-0 in the tournament, with a 1.69 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. Although a relatively small sample size compared with the daily NHL grind, and largely against competition not of NHL caliber, it was a vast improvement over his Bruins season: 22-29-7, 3.11, .892. 'The hardest thing ever was letting other people down,' said Swayman. 'Not having confidence in myself, walking down the street and worrying about what other people are thinking, what other people are saying. That's not who I am. That's not who Jeremy is. And I just said, [expletive] that, I'm just going to carry myself with the demeanor that I'm here for a reason — I'm going to help this team win, I am going out to be who I am.' Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman went 7-0-0 at the World Championship. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff The contrast struck him, noted Swayman, when walking the streets of Denmark and Sweden, where people came up to him, asking for autographs and pictures. 'Two weeks [earlier], I would have been like, 'Why?' ' he said. 'I just changed my mind-set. I said, this is why, because I can have an impact on people and I can have an impact on the game of hockey, and it's an incredible opportunity. I have to enjoy it and embrace it.' To emphasize his point, Swayman emphatically snapped his fingers, just once, mirroring the click inside his head. Advertisement 'That's exactly what I did,' he said. 'Boom, I'm back. It was pretty amazing.' Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jeremy Swayman's ‘Pinch Yourself' Moment
The USA won its first gold medal at a stand-alone IIHF World Championship since 1933 on Sunday, thanks to a 25-save shutout by Jeremy Swayman in the final – a 1-0 overtime victory over Switzerland. 'It's unbelievable,' Swayman smiled after the game to 'It's mission accomplished. This is a long time coming for USA Hockey so I'm glad to be a part of it.' Following a difficult season with the Boston Bruins, Swayman refound his game in Scandinavia this year, posting a 1.69 goals-against average, a .921 save percentage and two shutouts in seven games. Playing in his second World Championship, Swayman was spectacular throughout, not only in the final, and was constantly praised by his teammates throughout. 'Sway's the man,' Conor Garland said after the semifinal win over Sweden. 'Sway's the best. He's just a dog in there.' 'Tage (Thompson) makes a great play in overtime, makes a lot of great saves to keep us in it all game and we came out on the right side,' defenseman Zach Werenski said after the final. Swayman's 25th save of the game was his biggest. Almost a minute into overtime, Denis Malgin carried the puck into the U.S. zone, circled the net and fired a shot that just caught a piece of Swayman's glove and deflected out of play. It was his only save in overtime, but without it, there would have been no opportunity for Thompson's heroics a little over minute later. 'Right at home,' Swayman smiled. 'I love that stuff. That's why we play. It's a big moment and I knew we were going to get it done, so that's something I'll never forget.' Photo © Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images Zach Werenski Says Johnny Gaudreau 'Deserves This Gold Medal More Than Anyone' Zach Werenski had a great World Championship. He missed the first couple of games but it was no coincidence that the U.S. team got much better after he arrived. In seven games, Werenski had six points and was voted to the tournament all-star team by accredited media and named Top Defenseman by the tournament directorate. Tage Thompson's OT Goal 'Didn't Feel Real; It Still Doesn't' Like a lot of the members of the team that represented the USA at this year's IIHF World Championship, Tage Thompson has had success at the U-18 and U-20 levels internationally, but gold had eluded him at this level.
Boston Globe
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
United States wins first world championship gold medal in 92 years, with Bruins' Jeremy Swayman stopping everything
Advertisement This moment will go down in history 🇺🇸 — USA Hockey (@usahockey) Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman (25 saves), who backed the Yanks to a 5-2 win over Sweden in Saturday's semis, sealed the net — the Swiss surprisingly cantankerous around the crease — and wore a smile that could have stretched from Boston to his hometown Anchorage when collecting his gold medal at center ice. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Following his win on Saturday over the Swedes, an exuberant Swayman noted he had been 'completely rebirthed in a way' by the tournament. He finished 7-0-0 with a stellar 1.69 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage, looking every bit the franchise tender whose play in 2023-24 convinced the Bruins last summer to deal away Linus Ullmark and go the way with 'Sway.' Advertisement Red-white-and-blue Bruins Andrew Peeke and Mason Lohrei also will report to the Bruins training camp in September as first-time IIHF world gold-medal winners. Fellow Bruins David Pastrnak (Czechia) and Elias Lindholm (Sweden, bronze medal), both of whom led their respective teams in scoring, were named to the tournament's all-star team. Like Swayman, those two forwards will be vital to what team president Cam Neely and GM Don Sweeney hope will be a quick return trip to the playoffs next season after the club logged a DNQ for the first time since 2016. A handful of US players, led by team captain Clayton Keller (ex- of BU), had their gold medals proudly dangling around their necks as they skated to the Avicii sideboard to receive the tournament trophy. Before hoisting the chalice high in celebration, though, they first draped it with a Johnny Gaudreau No. 13 Team USA sweater. 'Never to be forgotten,' said play-by-play announcer Gord Miller, whose call was carried by NHL Network. American players hold the trophy and the jersey of the late Johnny Gaudreau after winning the gold medal at the IIHF Hockey World Championship. Petr David Josek/Associated Press It was a touching moment to salute the former Boston College star who was killed, along with brother Matthew Gaudreau, when mowed down on their bicycles by an alleged drunk driver on August 29 — the eve of their sister's wedding. Warsofsky, the 37-year-old coach of the Sharks, played at Marshfield High as well as a post-grad year at Cushing Academy prior to a college playing career that took him to both Sacred Heart and Curry. He began his coaching career as a Curry assistant in the fall 2012 and eventually was hired to be the Sharks bench boss last summer. Now the former Marshfield Rams backliner is a golden South Shore boy. Advertisement 'Tears of joy for Ryan, his players and family,' Dan Connolly, Warsofsky's coach at Marshfield texted to a Globe reporter early in the evening. 'Unreal . . . 92 years!' Connolly recalled that Warsofsky, a natural defenseman, often swung up to forward in games for double duty with the Rams. Sometimes, noted the coach, it meant logging back-to-back shifts at forward and defense, a break, and then a double shift on the blueline. 'He didn't miss much time on the ice,' noted Connolly, who is still coaching at Marshfield. Early in Sunday's action, 5:38 into the second period, the US was awarded a penalty shot, with Blackhawk rookie forward Frank Nazar blatantly hooked while bearing down on the Swiss net. As Nazar prepared for the free attempt, planning to race in from center ice, he was called over to the bench by Warsofsky, who decided he wanted fellow Bay Stater Conor Garland to take the shot. Garland, the veteran Canucks forward from Scituate, calmly tracked in on Genoni, pulled the puck from backhand to forehand, and saw his doorstep five-hole stuff attempt erased by the alert 37-year-old Swiss netminder. It was an emotional loss for the Swiss squad. Not among the world's hockey elite, the watch makers never have won a 'Worlds' gold medal. They also lost to Czechia (and Pastrnak) in last spring's gold game and were runner-up to powerhouse Sweden in 2013 and 2018. A smattering of their fans, decked out in red sweaters, openly wept in the Avicii stands. Overtime, 1-0. So close. Again. Had they beaten the Yanks on Sunday, the booster shot of national pride might have encouraged more Swiss youth to take up the game. It happened here 45 years ago when Team USA, captained by Winthrop's Mike Eruzione, beat the mighty CCCP and eventually captured Olympic gold at Lake Placid. Advertisement Another day, perhaps. Swayman, who sat and watched from the USA bench as a backup to Connor Hellebuyck in February's 4 Nations Face-Off, no doubt bettered his chances to be part of the America's next Olympic squad (Italy '26). Jake Oettinger, still in the playoffs with Dallas, also will be in the mix. Jeremy Swayman stopped all 25 shots on Sunday to help the United States win the IIHF Hockey World Championship gold medal for the first time since 1933. Petr David Josek/Associated Press It was a long, hard winter for Bruins fans, likely few of whom spent the Memorial Day weekend watching, or even thinking of, the hockey comings and goings on the biggy sheet of ice in Stockholm. No telling what those three gold medals will be worth when Black & Gold hopes spring anew in September. But they can't hurt. After all the pain of this season, it's at least a start. Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
LIVE BLOG Of Switzerland Vs USA, World Championship Final
Welcome to a live blog of the 2025 IIHF World Championship gold-medal game between Switzerland and the USA! The events will be listed in reverse-chronological order, so most recent events are seen first. Scroll down to read older events of the game. A fairly even opening period. Each team had 11 shots on goal and one power play. The Americans seemed a bit more dangerous on their PP but this game is still wide open. 0:00 - End of the 1st period. 0:07 - Swiss back at full strength but the USA continue to press in the zone, finally Genoni covers it. 1:10 - Werenski quarterbacking the PP, gets one shot through to Genoni, USA continues to control in the Swiss zone... 1:44 - USA goes offside on the PP, 1:28 left in the penalty. 2:16 - The USA will go to the power play for the first time as Sven Andrighetto gets his stick into the skates of Jackson LaCombe and gets called for tripping. 2:27 - In that last sequence there was a bit of a flurry in front of Genoni, and at the other end Swayman stops a long shot and covers. 4:58 - Moser's shot from the point hits a screened Swayman, who covers. 5:40 - As the Americans broke out of their zone it looked like Vlasic got his stick up on a Swiss player, who went down but play goes on... 5:58 - Again some back and forth action. A Swiss shot from the point, didn't catch the player, gets blockered out of play by Swayman. Power break. 9:28 - USA back to full strength. I believe Switzerland had 1 shot on the PP and a couple other attempts were blocked. 9:53 - Scramble around the USA net but the Swiss can't find the loose puck, USA ice it to relieve pressure... 11:04 - Swiss go offside on the PP. 1:36 left in the penalty. 11:28 - First penalty of the game. In the corner, Zach Werenski give a cross-check to Denis Malgin across the back. Swiss to the power play. 11:42 - Icing against the USA. 12:20 - The last sequence was back and forth. The Swiss got a couple of shots on net but nothing dangerous. Back the other way, Genoni makes a save and freezes it for a faceoff. Power break. 14:51 - First good scoring chance of the game. The USA pressuring and Eyssimont centered behind the net to O'Connor right in front. Genoni kept it out. 16:35 - Garland and Kukan got their sticks up on each other after a whistle in the Swiss zone. Garland seemed to get clipped in the mouth and is not happy about it. No call on the play. 20:00 - The game is underway. The teams are on the ice and the opening faceoff is moments away. Switzerland is the designated home team of this game and is wearing red jerseys trimmed in white and black with white numbers and lettering and a white Helvetic cross on the front, black pants and white helmets. The USA is wearing their white jerseys trimmed in blue and red with blue pants and white helmets. Switzerland: Genoni (Charlin) – Siegenthaler (A), Kukan, Moser, Glauser (C), Marti, Fora, Berni – Andrighetto (A), Malgin, Meier – Fiala, Ambühl, Niederreiter – Schmid, Moy, Bertschy – Knak, Jäger, Riat – Baechler. Coach: Patrick Fischer USA: Swayman (Daccord) – Werenski, LaCombe, Skjei (A), Peeke, Vlasic, Kesselring, Buium – C. Keller (C), Cooley, Garland (A) – Thompson, Beniers, Nazar – Gauthier, Pinto, Smith – Eyssimont, McCarron, O'Connor – Doan. Coach: Ryan Warsofsky Referees: Campbell (CAN), Holm (SWE). Linesmen: Ankerstjerne (DEN), Hautamaki (FIN). Between these two teams, they have one gold medal at a stand-alone IIHF World Championship, which was won by the USA in 1933. The Americans also won gold at the 1960 Olympics, which also doubled as a World Championship, and at the 1980 Olympics, which did not. The USA last claimed silver at a stand-alone World Championship in 1950. Yesterday, in a 6-2 semifinal win over Sweden, they guaranteed themselves at least that. It was their first semifinal win following 12 straight losses since 1992, when the IIHF added a playoff format to the World Championship. Switzerland has had more recent success at the Worlds, making the final in 2012, 2018 and 2024. The Swiss lost to Sweden in 2012 and 2018, the latter in a shootout, and then last year to Czechia in Prague. These teams met in group stage, with Switzerland beating the USA 3-0. Switzerland finished second in Group B and the USA finished third. Switzerland then beat Austria and Denmark, while the USA beat Finland and Sweden. Read post-game reaction from the semifinals: Clayton Keller, Jackson LaCombe, Cutter Gauthier React To USA Semifinal Win Over Sweden On the lucky 13th try, the semifinal curse is dead. For the first time since the IIHF adopted a playoff format for the World Championship in 1992, the USA is in the final, following a 6-2 win over Sweden in Stockholm. Andres Ambühl Can End His Career With Switzerland's First-Ever World Championship Gold Last year, following Switzerland's 2-0 loss to Czechia at the World Championship final in Prague, Andres Ambühl spoke barely above a whisper. There was a feeling that the 40-year-old might have missed his last chance to win a gold medal. Photo © David Kirouac-Imagn Images: Zach Werenski playing for the USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off
