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Ottawa Citizen
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Meet the new Calgary Hitmen coaches: Dustin Friesen named 13th bench boss
Dustin Friesen admits his road to becoming a bench boss wasn't by way of a typical hockey route. Article content There were many stops and years playing the game — nine, in fact, over a whopping 20 seasons — compared to just a handful teaching the sport. And even at that, the Saskatchewan native has only been a head coach of high-school talent. Article content Article content But that didn't stop the Calgary Hitmen from making him the 13th head coach of the storied Western Hockey League franchise. Article content Article content 'Yeah … they had some interest in my experience, which I think is fairly unique experience, I would say,' said Friesen, who was named to the gig by the Hitmen last Friday a few weeks after Paul McFarland returned to the NHL after one season leading the WHL club. Article content Article content 'Both as a player, which is probably not the most traditional route for coaching, and the same thing as a coach, I've been in different leagues,' continued Friesen. 'And coaching in the Prairie Hockey Academy and working with young players and building a program has given me a bit of a unique background. But I think it's been valuable in my journey.' Article content Friesen joins the Hitmen on a multi-year deal after a standout season as associate coach of the Québec Major Junior Hockey League's Moncton Wildcats, with whom he helped lead the team to a championship and a Memorial Cup appearance. Article content 'I had a really good situation in Moncton,' said 42-year-old Friesen, a native of Waldheim, Sask. 'But, obviously, to be a head coach, that was my goal since I started coaching. Article content Article content 'And to be close to my family (wife Katherine and daughters Karen, 16, Nova, 11, and Evelyn 7 in Caronport, Sask.) in the Western league is obviously another priority.' Article content Article content Prior to his time in the Canadian Hockey League, Friesen served as head coach of the PHA's under-18 prep team of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League from 2021-24. Article content He also contributed to the WHL's Moose Jaw Warriors during the 2023–24 season, when the Warriors captured its first-ever league championship and competed at the Memorial Cup. Article content 'I just think when you look at where he's been, what he's done …' Davidson said. 'I mean … he's tracked through junior hockey, went to college and got a degree, and he went to Europe and played professionally there. He's been involved with two Memorial Cup teams. Article content 'I guess the only thing really hasn't been a head coach before, but I don't have any issues with that. I think he's going to come in here and just carry on with what he's been doing here, only he'll be the guy in charge, and I know all of us around him will give him all the support he needs.'
New York Times
15 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
How a ‘metamorphosis' turned Ryker Lee into one of the NHL's most gifted prospects
MINNEAPOLIS — One of the first times Adam Nightingale went to watch Ryker Lee, he was 'a wee little' 14-year-old, his stick was spray-painted black and he 'was doing all these stickhandling moves.' Nightingale took to calling him 'The Wizard.' A few years later, the nickname has stuck. He's also now a first-round pick of the Nashville Predators and a big part of a sterling freshman class for Nightingale's Michigan State program, joining the Spartans with fellow first-rounders Cayden Lindstrom and Porter Martone and second-rounder Eric Nilson. Advertisement This week, all four of them are in Minneapolis at Ridder Arena playing games in the World Junior Summer Showcase. In the tournament's opening game between USA White and Finland, he picked up two goals and an assist. He opened the scoring on a pretty give-and-go with Bruins first-rounder James Hagens, added a second to make it 4-2 early in the third period and then passed up the hat trick to find fellow Predators prospect Teddy Stiga for the empty-netter. In Monday's second game against Sweden, he had and created several more looks and was moved from the second power play to the first. To get here, Lee has undergone what his old Shattuck St. Mary's coach Tom Ward calls 'an absolute metamorphosis in his world and his life over the last five years because of his growth.' Four years ago, when Lee arrived at Shattuck for his bantam year, he was 5-foot-3 and Ward said 'like 68 pounds.' Bruins prospect Will Zellers, one of his teammates on that Shattuck team, guessed that he was 'like 5-foot and maybe 95 pounds' when he first met him. 'He was a bone rack,' Ward said. 'Oh man, he was a little guy.' When he started his U16 season at Shattuck three years ago, he was still just 5-foot-6. He was 5-foot-7 when he committed to Michigan State. In his U18 year at Shattuck under Ward, he registered 45 goals and 99 points in 57 games (second on a loaded team of future NHL picks as a young 2006 playing mostly with 2005s), and another two points in two games with the USHL's Madison Capitols at season's end, earning him a spot on Team USA at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he registered one point in five games. That was enough to earn him a 'B' rating on NHL Central Scouting's preliminary players to watch list, which 'indicates a 2nd/3rd round candidate.' Advertisement At the start of his draft year, he'd shot up to 5-foot-11.5. He then won the USHL's Rookie of the Year Award, scoring 31 goals and 68 points in 58 games with the Capitols, both fourth in the league. He led Madison in goals and points by nine apiece and registered another six points in six playoff games, also tops on the team. At the midseason mark, he was named Player of the Game at the 2025 Chipotle All-American Game, scoring the game-winner in a 3-2 win with 4:54 left. At the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo, they measured him at 6-foot-0.25 and 185 pounds. 'I think in the last 24 to 36 months he has grown like 8-10 inches,' Ward said. Through it — one growth spurt after another — he climbed the ranks, rising to No. 40 on NHL Central Scouting's midterm ranking of North American skaters and then again to No. 28 on their final list. The Predators called his name with the 26th pick. Despite the newfound height, he's still got the wizardry he had to learn as a little guy, too. Capitols head coach and general manager Andy Brandt says Lee's stick skills are 'at a different level.' 'Stick. Brain. Off the charts,' Michigan State associate head coach Jared DeMichiel said earlier this year. 'What can I say? That kid is one of the most skilled offensive players with the puck on his stick,' Zellers said Sunday night. 'The things he does and tries in games, and pulls them off successful, I've never seen anything like it. He is one of a kind. And that guy's got a good goal-scoring touch too. He's a special player. And he has grown and still kept that hand-eye and that skill in his toolbox. I mean, it's pretty special. The sky's the limit for that type of player like him.' Now Lee is trying to show that he's more than just his hands. The two most common things scouts have talked about when they've talked about Lee over the last couple of years are, first, his hands and second, that his skating needed to improve. When he arrived at Shattuck, Ward said he was a little heavy-footed and 'kind of a thumper.' 'You could feel him coming behind you,' Ward said. Advertisement Part of that was the constant growing and the reality that things hadn't fallen into place for him yet. In Madison, Brandt set him up with their skating coach, Amy Claggett. Claggett would skate with the team once a week, and Lee another time. They worked on lengthening his stride to match his longer legs, his efficiency with his arm movement and also moving his feet more and the puck quicker — and trusting that he'd get it back. Lee said he enjoyed picking her brain about things that he could take into practice. Once the growth spurts slowed and three inches a year turned to one inch a year, his skating really started to come, and the results showed. In the agility testing for the prospects at the Chipotle All-American Game, he ranked near the top. 'It was something that he worked on, that he was mindful of, and it's something that he's continuing to grow into,' Brandt said of Lee's skating. 'He has continued to adapt to his growth while continuing to work on his skating. Just in a year, his foot speed improved noticeably.' Last season, he also worked hard with Madison's strength and conditioning coach Jason Johnson. Together, they didn't just maintain his weight in season (usually the goal), but actually managed to add five pounds. The coaching staff at MSU noticed it right away (that he was thicker in the shoulders and filling out) when he arrived on campus following Predators development camp earlier this summer. The results showed in the testing at the NHL Scouting Combine, too. He finished first in vertical jump (with a standing vertical jump of 25.67 inches), 13th in the no arm vertical jump, 10th in left-hand grip (151 pounds) and tied for 14th in pullups with 12. 'I get his skating needs to come, but look out,' DeMichiel said. 'I don't think he's done growing either. Unreal kid, too. Great energy to him. He adores the game.' Advertisement He has also always been 'a competitive little guy,' according to Ward, which has helped him mitigate against his size and skating at different points in his career. Ward said that Shattuck actually got lucky that he was as small as he was because the players who have his skill and also more physical stature at an early age have 'everybody in the world wanting them.' 'It was a blessing that he started out as a little guy. And now that he's moving on out into the big, real hockey world, he has been blessed again, and he has had a growth spurt. Because he's not afraid of the gym,' Wars said. 'He's a strong kid, a farmer strong kid. He's wiry strong. He can hold his own, and he can hang. He's a good athlete. He's got good explosiveness. And he's losing his heavy feet. Now that he's getting stronger in his legs and his core, he can lift them up, and set them down, and get back, and cut and stop and start.' Because of that development, Ward said Nightingale and his staff are now the lucky ones. '(Nightingale) has got a good player. And he's a wonderful kid. He gets it. Like the tortoise does win the race and he has just had to stick with it,' Ward said. 'He's just a rink rat, throwback kind of kid. If he could be up at the rink all day long, whether it's on the ice or just in the dressing room, or training, or laughing, or just shooting the breeze with his buddies, he would be. He's just a rat, and in the greatest, most affectionate, most competitive way. (He's) a really good teammate, and he plays his ass off, and he has finally grown. And I'm so happy for him because he is a completely different person.' The Predators will be the next lucky ones. 'I was telling all of the guys from the (NHL) when they were calling and asking questions about him, if you don't take him when you have the chance to take him, you're going to be kicking yourself in four or five years because this kid's going to be ripping it up,' Ward said. Advertisement In that way, Ward thinks Lee's metamorphosis actually helped his development 'because it's almost a curse if you're a young kid and you're already the fastest skater or the biggest kid and you don't develop things in your game that are nuanced-based that are in your brain and your soul.' 'He came into his love of the game as a little guy and learned how to manipulate his way through the trees,' Ward said. 'And now he's a good, big average-sized kid, and he can handle his own, and I'm sure he's loving being on the other side of a few checks here.' Ask Brandt and Ward what they'll remember most about coaching Lee, and they both start with how much fun it was and how hardworking he was. 'Right from when Ryker stepped onto the ice, we knew his approach every day,' Ward said. 'We do skills every day, and when he gets on the ice and it's his turn, he takes every rep serious. He can also challenge players in one-on-one situations or small-area games, but he makes it fun. He's got a contagious attitude that he brings to the rink, and it's one of work ethic, but also one that he truly enjoys doing what he does.' But they always come back to his hands. For Brandt, it's the way he does it all with his head up. And he said Lee's edges while handling don't get talked about enough, either. 'He can cut on a dime and use his body and torque his body in different ways,' Brandt said. 'He can still skate, he can still make a play, all while having the puck on a string. And as a defender, that's hard because if you make a wrong read, it's a dangerous thing when he's got his head up. And then he also loves to shoot it, so as a goaltender, you're never sure if he's going to pass or shoot it, and his deceptiveness adds to his stick skills.' For Ward, it's the absurdity of the way he always finds his way in and out of the tightest cracks in coverage. Even on a team with guys such as Zellers, the reigning USHL Player of the Year, and Aidan Park, a draft pick of the Oilers known for his hands, it was Lee who was 'The Wizard.' Advertisement 'You could put three of us, four of us, in a phone booth and we'd never touch the puck,' Ward said. 'He's got that ability. And he can wire it, too. Like he can shoot it and he's not afraid to score. He's not one of these guys that is just enamored with stickhandling. He's just as enamored with scoring.' Ask Lee where his hands come from, and he says it's twofold. They were honed with hard work in his basement, but they were also a necessity of his reality as a smaller player. 'I had to learn how to be smarter and put myself in good positions,' Lee said. With his new size, he's learning to use his body more as well. Between development camp with the Preds and the World Junior Summer Showcase, he has also been in East Lansing working out with Michigan State's strength and conditioning coach Will Morlock, who he said was one of the main reasons he and others are now choosing the Spartans. 'I've been working with him ever since I got on campus, and the workouts have been hard, but that's exactly what I need, and he kind of caters everything to what you need specifically,' Lee said. After a strong start at the World Junior Summer Showcase, he's excited to continue to show USA Hockey the progress he has made this fall — and that he's more than just his hands — with his sights set on making the team in December. 'Obviously, I have an offensive game and I can bring offense to this team, but I also want to prove that I can outwork opponents and play in all situations for them,' he said. (Photo of Ryker Lee: Madison Capitols / Rosenau Photography)
New York Times
15 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Philadelphia Flyers fan survey: What do you think of Briere, Tocchet, Michkov and more?
It's been a newsworthy few months for the Philadelphia Flyers. John Tortorella was replaced by Rick Tocchet. Trevor Zegras was acquired from Anaheim. Porter Martone is now arguably the top prospect in the organization, while another goalie and depth center were acquired in free agency. We're also about to enter the third year of the Daniel Briere and Keith Jones era — and with summer here, it's a good time, in our opinion, to gauge fan sentiment in the form of a brief survey. Results and analysis will be presented in a future piece. Anyone having trouble viewing the survey also can use this link. (Photo of Matvei Michkov: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images) Loading…
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Wales hammer Czech Republic 5-1 in Poland
Wales cruised to a 5-1 win over Czech Republic at the EuroHockey Championship II in Gniezno, Poland. The game had been postponed from Monday due to heavy rain, but having also won their opener against Switzerland on Sunday, Wales now top Pool B before their group-stage finale against Lithuania on Wednesday. Beth Peers' reverse stick effort put Wales ahead with her third goal in seven appearances before Great Britain squad member Millie Holme added the second. Rebecca Daniels was next on the scoresheet before captain Beth Bingham's penalty stroke and Betsan Thomas scored the fifth. Switzerland meet Lithuania later on Tuesday.
BBC News
16 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Wales hammer Czech Republic 5-1 in Poland
Wales cruised to a 5-1 win over Czech Republic at the EuroHockey Championship II in Gniezno, game had been postponed from Monday due to heavy rain, but having also won their opener against Switzerland on Sunday, Wales now top Pool B before their group-stage finale against Lithuania on Peers' reverse stick effort put Wales ahead with her third goal in seven appearances before Great Britain squad member Millie Holme added the Daniels was next on the scoresheet before captain Beth Bingham's penalty stroke and Betsan Thomas scored the meet Lithuania later on Tuesday.
