Latest news with #Vinni
Edmonton Journal
4 days ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Is this finally the goaltender the Edmonton Oilers have long been looking for?
The Top 20 countdown of our 2025 Cult of Hockey Prospect Series begins today. These are the twenty young men in the system right now who are closest to making an impact with the big club. Article content A friendly reminder: Players only fall off the list once they: Article content Article content -Make the NHL -Get dealt to a different organization -Age out, or… -Drop off the map. Article content (Voters: David Staples, Kurt Leavins, Jim Matheson, Ira Cooper). Article content Article content Few things are quite as divisive in Oil Country as the state of the Edmonton Oilers goaltending. Article content Article content And that debate gets no less heated when we start to delve into the young goalies advancing through the system. With the departure of Olivier Rodrigue from the organization, only two tenders remain in the Top 20 Prospects. And one of them, Eemil Vinni, sits squarely at #20. Article content Vinni is nineteen, turning 20 in December. The Finnish puck stopper was selected by the Oilers in Round Two, sixty-four overall in the 2024 draft. At the time, it was thought that perhaps the Oilers jumped the gun on him just a shade. TSN's Bob McKenzie had Vinnie ranked at 74. Craig Button had him at 93. In fact, one of the few who had him slated higher than where the Oilers picked him was Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News (41). NHL Central Scouting did have him listed as the top EU goalie available. Article content Article content A left shot/left glove, Eemil Vinni stands slightly above average among today's netminders at 6'2+. And his size is certainly a plus. But what type of goalie is he? We first glance at this entry from Elite Prospects: Article content 'A well-rounded goaltender who has an exciting approach to the game which plays into his strengths. The 6-foot-2 netminder is not afraid to attack shooters and force their hand – leading to a lot of mistakes by opponents. Very active and assertive in the crease, but not overly aggressive. He controls pucks with his hands extremely well, and his elite edgework completes the package. Article content And to Dobber Prospects, on how he is progressing thus far: Article content – 'Prior to the 2024-25 season, Vinni underwent back surgery which limited him to only nine regular season games across three teams in Finland. Encouraging sign to see him playing again before season's end and improve his save percentage as well. Vinni had a .910 SV% over seven games for SM-sarja of the Finnish U20 league. Look for him to start in Mestis in 2025-26 and make a push for playing time in Liiga before the season is over'.
Global News
13-05-2025
- Health
- Global News
Annual ‘Day of Giving' hopes to fast-track surgical robotics at Kelowna General Hospital
Wednesday marks the 'Day of Giving' fundraiser put on by the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation with an emphasis this year's on bringing robotic surgery to the Okanagan. 'We are falling behind when it comes to some of the latest technology, ' said Chandel Schmidt, the foundation's vice-president of philanthropy. 'We need to bring this robotic-assisted surgery to KGH. We have it in Vancouver. They have it on the island now and it's time we brought it to Kelowna.' The Da Vinci Robotic Surgery System, nicknamed 'Vinni' by the foundation, is one that could be for a variety of surgeries once in operation at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH). 'It can be used in thoracic surgery. It can be used in urology, general surgery, ear, nose and throat surgery and cardiovascular surgery,' said Dr. Josh Wiesenthal, the head of KGH's urology division. Story continues below advertisement Wiesenthal has been pushing to bring robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) for more than a decade, saying it allows for more precise and less invasive surgeries. 'Surgical robotics is a game-changer,' Wiesenthal said. RAS involves small instruments, which are inserted into the body. The instruments are connected to a robotic arm, which is controlled by the surgeon. 'Despite what the name suggests, the robot is not actually doing the surgery,' Wiesenthal said. 'All the movements that the surgeon does outside the body are mimicked inside the body, and you can change the scale.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The scale of the surgeon's movements can be changed so that the area of the body being worked on can be magnified significantly from what the human eye can see. 'Through high definition, three-dimensional visualization, you can clearly see the anatomy, which allows for more precise surgery,' Wiesenthal said. 'It will be able to turn surgeries that we traditionally did through large incisions and we can now perform them through keyhole incisions, so smaller incisions, so bowel receptions, prostate removals, removing portions of the kidney, removing lobes of the lung — those can all be now performed robotically.' Wiesenthal said that there are huge benefits to patients undergoing surgeries utilizing robotic equipment. Story continues below advertisement ' You get faster recovery, less pain for patients, quicker discharge at a hospital, and quicker recovery and back to life,' Wiesenthal said. 2:23 Robotic heart surgery helping patients in GTA But patient benefits aren't the only positives. Wiesenthal said the befits extend to the community at large. 'We're able to attract world class physicians that have the expertise in the robotic technology, and it's a win for the health care system because we do allow for higher throughput of patients through quicker discharge out of hospital,' Wiesenthal said. RAS is part of the KGH Foundation's current Closer To Home Than You Think campaign. The price tag to bring RAS to KGH is pegged at $12 million Half is coming from government funds, but the other $6 million is being funded through donations. Story continues below advertisement The foundation is hoping to boost the donations on Wednesday. Volunteers will be out in full force on Pandosy Street outside of KGH on Wednesday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. collecting donations towards the campaign. Donations can also be made online on the KGH Foundation website. The foundation making a plea for donations to be made during Wednesday's Day of Giving because it says the money will be generously matched. 'We have a group of families that have come together and are committing $500,000 in matching funds, so every dollar donated up till midnight tomorrow night will be matched dollar for dollar, so doubling the impact,' Schmidt said. 'Everything that comes in on Day of Giving will help bring that robot here to KGH.'
