CI 65 pages - Center Ice Hockey Magazine Philly

Vol. 22, No. 65
November 2015
Giroux
Simmonds
Voracek
Streit
Changes
Coming?
Martel
Pulashaj
Hockey
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Volume 22, No. 65
FEATURES
CENTER ICE HOCKEY MAGAZINE
P.O. Box 1071
Royersford, Pa.19468
3
Flyers Report: Hakstol’s Maiden Voyage
Proving to Be Rough Sailing
by Anthony Mingioni
Editorial Staff
Managing Editor
Chris Rubert
Editor Emeritus
Fran Rubert Jr.
5
LV Phantoms Phocus
By Chris Rubert
6
Shayne Gotisbehere Interview
By Chris Rubert
Director of Marketing
Dave Rubert
Senior Writer
Anthony Mingioni
Contributing Writers
Dave Sherman
Russ Cohen
Shawn Reznik
Chris Rubert
Photographers
Andrew King
Fran Rubert Jr.
L. Blieman
Business Manager
Donna Rubert
Art & Production
Joe Firth
Fran Rubert Jr.
GRASS ROOTS
8
Reading Royals Report
By Chris Rubert
ICE TALK
11
USPHL Report - Flyer Juniors Voorhees, NJ
12
College Hockey - Women’s - Nuemann U
13
Penn State Men’s Ice Hockey
14
USA Hockey Standings
15
NHL Prospects - Alex DeBrincat
16
NHL Prospects - Keenan Suthers & Adam Fox
17
Capital City Classic 2015
18
Trivia & Upper Deck Trading card contest!
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Cover photos: Flyers: Andrew King, Phantoms: Justsports
2
Flyers
R E P O R T
Hakstol’s Maiden Voyage
Proving to Be Rough Sailing
By Anthony Mingioni
There has been more than a few for Flyers first year head coach Dave Hakstol.
Consistent competitive levels. On-ice accountability. Injuries.
A bumpy ride to be sure.
The first month of Hakstol’s tenure has not been a picturesque one. After a
promising 4-2-1 start, the Flyers were only able to win two games in their next
nine games, including a rough 1-3-1 road trip to Buffalo and Western Canada.
Put plainly, the Flyers under Hakstol are very much a work in progress, a
challenge for a coach used to consistent winning hockey at the collegiate level.
Injuries a factor in the early going.
Defenseman Mark Streit has been the biggest loss to date after undergoing
surgery on November 17 to repair a pubic plate detachment. He is expected to
be out at six weeks. In his 16 games this season, Streit has scored three goals
and six assists for nine points.
Streit joined forward RJ Umberger on the injured reserve, who had suffered a
lower body injury.
With those developments, the Flyers decided to call up young defenseman
Shayne Gostisbehere and left wing Taylor Leier from their AHL affiliate, the
Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Gostisbehere has notched two goals and eight assists in his 14 games this
season with the Phantoms. Last year he joined the parent club for two games.
This time, the native Floridian’s pace of play and offensive anticipation played
a key role as he notched an assist on Jake Voracek’s game winning overtime
goal over the Carolina Hurricanes on November 14.
“In a perfect world, would he be here? Probably not,” Hextall said. “But as we
all know it’s not a perfect world and he’s done a good job down there.”
It surprised many that Hextall decided to bring the University of North Dakota
head coach on board and it marked the first time since 1982 that a coach
jumped from college hockey to the NHL. Initially the Flyers were expected to
bring a veteran NHL hand to assist Hakstol on his first professional season, but
instead most of the assistants under Berube were retained.
At North Dakota, Hakstol compiled a 249-141-43 record with an NCAA record
seven Frozen Four appearances.
One of the staple marks of Hakstol’s tenure at UND was having his teams play
at an aggressive pace in all zones, whether it involved hard fore-checking
pressure to fluster opposing teams’ breakout ability and putting a greater
emphasis on puck possession, especially in the neutral zone.
But one area that Hakstol emphasizes beyond systems implementation is a
cultural mindset of accountability amongst his players.
One of the coach’s emphases in the early season is focusing in on battle drills
that simulate in game situations.
After a homecoming 4-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on November 10 in
which the team struggled in just about every aspect of on ice play, the Flyers
engaged in one of the most intense practices in recent memory the following
day.
Along the side boards and behind the net, in pairs and one on one’s, forwards
and defenseman went full contact against one another. Players flying on the
ice, and then leaning hard against one another. Hard hits sent them tumbling.
While battle drills were incorporated throughout training camp, the intensity
of the 45 minute practice (as opposed to the usual hour on non-game days)
was very noticeable. Despite a number of injuries to the Flyers lineup, there
seemed to be little concern in the locker room for potential further dings from
the coach or his players.
Taylor Leier’s NHL debut was a solid one as well in limited ice time, providing
needed speed to the bottom six. He was off to a good AHL start with four goals
and five assists with the Phantoms and might have made the Flyers roster out
of training camp if cap concerns were a consideration.
“It was a work day,” Hakstol said. “Guys competed. There was nothing over
the lines out there. They played hard and practiced hard.”
Forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare’s activation from the injured reserve was
also a needed one as he had been out since suffering a lower-body injury
during the Flyers vs.Sabres game on October 27. His partnership with Ryan
White and Chris VandeVelde had been one of the better developments in the
early season.
Defenseman Radko Gudas, one of the NHL’s top hitters, agreed that intense
During the preseason, the Flyers lost second line center Sean Couturier to a
concussion and forward Michael Raffl to an upper body injury, while Russian
import defenseman Evgeny Medvedev also lost time to a concussion and the
aforementioned White is on the mend for two to four weeks with his own
upper body injury.
Systemic Implementation and Accountability
Key in the building of any successful organization is the understanding that a
specific mindset and vision must be implemented amongst the members of
that group before any sustained victories can be achieved.
For Hakstol, it’s that straightforward message that attracted Flyers general
manager Ron Hextall to tap him as Craig Berube’s replacement this summer,
after scuttlebutt that the team would pursue big names like Mike Babcock and
Todd McClellan.
3
“We’ve been about 50 percent over our last four games," he said, "We had
excellent competitive levels in two of those games. Fifty percent is not what
we’re shooting for.”
Flyers
R E P O R T
“If you can go out there and have mean streak
against your teammates, I don’t see why you can’t
have it against the other team.”
picture. The group in here is well aware of the
situation and we've got to find a way to get out of
this little rut that we're in."
“We came home and came out flat. That was a
great practice for us. It was high paced and not too
long. We rose our compete level.”
Mason-Neuvirth Pairing Holding down The Fort
While the team fell short in their game the
following night versus the Capitals, time will tell
whether the implementation of early season work
habits might pay off over the long term.
“Play Smart”
It was a statement made by Simmonds that
highlights where the Flyers have struggled thus far
this season.
“We’ve got to play smart. At times we have to take
what the defense gives us and know when to chip
(the puck) in (as opposed to carry it in).”
Head Coach Dave Hakstol
practices were necessary after the efforts in recent
games.
“Obviously,” he said. “Take a look at our games,
battles was something we weren’t good enough at.
Today showed we want to battle. If you want to
win games in this league, you want to compete.
Set the tone high and you’re winning those
battles.”
Flyers assistant captain Wayne Simmonds echoed
those sentiments.
“It was like training camp revisited, but it’s
something we need. Getting into battles like that
will help activate us more. We just got to be more
competitive and have a higher compete level.”
Simmonds agreed that hard practices such as
those can lead to better results against opponents
Again, with Hakstol’s system requiring high
pressure in the attacking and neutral zones, it
becomes incumbent on the defensemen to
diagnose the proper times to pinch and when to
back off. Not knowing the difference is what puts
Flyers goaltenders Steve Mason and Michal
Neuvirth under more duress than they should as
opposing teams can exploit improper spacing and
force counter rushes.
The Avalanche game was a prime example as
Colorado frustrated Philadelphia’s zone exits
repeatedly and established offensive zone
beachheads. The times that the Flyers did manage
zone entries, they had a difficult time sustaining
pressure because of the spacing issues.
A recent comment by Mason certainly illuminates
that early hole the Flyers have put themselves in.
"Right now, whether we're a good team or a bad
team, we need to be a better team," Mason said to
NJ.com. "Until we become a better team we're
going to be toying with being out of the playoff
If there’s one area of the Flyers lineup that doesn’t
provide Hakstol with much concern, it is his
goaltending tandem.
After last season saw Mason used to an almost
absurd degree, Hextall knew he has to acquire a
backup who could not only handle a spot start or
two, but could answer the multi-game bell if need
be.
The signing of Neuvirth to a two year deal in the
summer has proven to be a major boon for the
club.
Neuvirth has a league-high three shutouts, a goals
against average of2.08, and an excellent save
percentage of .939.
While it’s been a bit of a rough start statistically (35-0, 3.37 GAA, .895 save percentage), physically,
and also personally for Mason, his own play belies
his numbers as a majority of the goals he’s given
up have not been solely his fault.
That said, an improvement heading into the
winter months would go a long way towards
improving the Flyers chances of competing in the
Metropolitan Division.
Voracek Granting Wishes
On November 11, the same day as the Flyers
grueling practice after the Colorado game. Jake
Voracek welcomed 8 year old Liam Idzi, an 8 year
old diagnosed with the Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome
(LGS) form of epilepsy as well as cerebral palsy.
He lives in Wisconsin but is a Flyers fan because
his father is from the area.
After taking Liam and his family around the ice,
Voracek spoke to the importance of giving back.
"After that practice, when you look at that kid and
try to make him happy, it's an awesome feeling,"
Voracek said. "When you're thinking about some
stuff, it puts everything in perspective."
Jake And Idzi
Indeed.
Metropolitan Division Standings
(As of November 16, 2015)
New York Rangers 14-2-2, 30 points
Washington Capitals 11-4-1, 23 points
New Jersey Devils 10-6-1, 21 points
New York Islanders 9-6-3, 21 points
Pittsburgh Penguins 10-7-0, 20 points
Philadelphia Flyers 6-8-3, 15 points
Carolina Hurricanes 6-9-2, 14 points
Columbus Blue Jackets 6-12-0, 12 point
4
LEHIGH VALLEY
LehighValleyPhantomsPhocus
By Chris Rubert
Pictures by justsports
The Phantoms have been a bit of an inconsistent bunch. The different
injuries and call ups always affect an AHL club. Many different factors
are putting the “Phantoms Focus “ on youth. GM Ron Hextall has
brought in and tried to nuture a young defense core with more on the
way . Can you say Western Hockey League players Ivan Provorov (
1st round – 2015) and Travis Sanheim (1st round- 2014) . Sixteen
players on this roster are twenty four years or younger .
The current standing is just okay, fourteen games played six wins
eight losses zero OTL and zero SOL. Forty seven goals for the team
and forty two against.
New head coach Scott Gordon and Assitent Riley Cote have been
tweaking these young men to alter the games to play the right way,
defense first. Young goaltender Anthony Stolarz is showing signs of
promise. (8 games ,5 wins 3 losses 2.00 GA and 922 save %).
Danick Martel
The forward prospects will need some time but time will tell who can
end up in orange and black. Nick Cousins (22 yrs), Danick Martel
(20yrs) , Taylor Leier( 21 yrs), Petr Straka ( 23 yrs) , Pavel Padakin (21
yrs) …I am sure Ron Hextall is going to stock the cupboards again. The
only way to survive the NHL is keep them coming.
Tyrell Goulbourne
Stolarz in Net
Phantoms Action!
5
LEHIGH VALLEY
PhantomsPhocusOn...
By Chris Rubert
Shayne Gotisbehere
Union College , 3RD round draft pick 78th overall from 2012.
Center Ice Hockey Magazine had the opportunity to sit down with
Shayne. The time was after a rousing 7 goals to 1 shellacking to the
Rochester Americans. The tilt played November 13 ,2015 at the PPL
center in Allentown ,Pennsylvania .
CIHM : Nice win !
SG : Yes, really a great team effort.
CIHM : How are you feeling ? ( Shayne had a ACL problem which
ended his season after 7 total games last season.)
SG : Great no effects , they say you lose a little but I really feel good.
CIHM : Your vision is really great out there on the ice .
SG : I consider that one of my strengths .
CIHM: How nice to play with Sam Morin (6’7” +230lbs) rookie
Defenseman.
SG: He is a big Guy , his size allows room for me out there.
CIHM : The Flyers organization is your first how is that ?
SG : They have been great, treating everyone from my family to just
being in one big Flyers Family.
CIHM : We here have started a little tradition here at Center ice mag.
Nick Cousins was called up after our interview last year.
SG : well we are just going to have to keep that streak alive.
Shayne Gostisbehere and Taylor Leier were called up to the
Philadelphia Flyers on November 14, 2015. Congratulations ghost
the streak is still alive. I ask the question… who is next!
6
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7
Reading Royals Report
By Chris Rubert
Pictures courtesy Reading Royals
The season is still young and coach Larry Courville is working to find
a balance. This team has enough to push for a playoff spot. ECHL teams
all find the same troubles, player movement.
As the season rolls along the combination of balance with scoring, plus
defense. Some how this coach has done that for several years. This
disparity in the wins and losses scores must be a little bit of a concern.
They are somewhat lopsided each way, but now seem to hitting their
stride. A long season folks.
Goaltender Connor Knapp (4 wins , 2 by shutout against 2 losses) has
shown promise enough to called up to the AHL on several occasions.
Martin Oullette also (4 wins -2 losses) share netminding duties.
Several big “D” men Sam Windle(6’4” 233lbs.) and Todd Perry
(6’3”234lbs) can clear a front porch. Several other young men Maxim
Lamarche, Jesper Pettersson, Adam Comrie all vying for playing time. The
forwards are currently being led by rookie Justin Crandall (5 goals,10
assists) followed by Adam Comrie (7 g7a), Robbie Czarnik (6g,6a) and
Mike Pereira (5g,9a).
Currently standing second in their division with 8 wins 4 losses
and zero in both OTL and SOL .
Game #1
Game #2
10/17- South Carolina Stingrays loss 2-1,
10/18 SC Stingrays 6-0 win
Game #3
Game #4
10/23 Elmira Jackals 5-1 win
10/24 Elmira Jackels
7-2 loss
Game# 5
Game #6
10/28 E. Jackals 8-3 win
10/31 Orlando solar bears 5-2 loss
Game #7 11/7
Game #8
Game #9
11/8 G.Swamp Rabbits 5-0 win
11/10 Wheeling Nailers 2-1 win
Game#10 11-13 Wheeling Nailers 6-1 loss
Game #11 11/14 Norfolk Admirals 4- 2 win
Game #12 11/15 N.Admirals 2-1 win
Justin Crandall
Matt Hatch
8
Greenville Swamp Rabbits 5-1 win
Flyers
R E P O R T
9
R I N K
D I R E C T O R Y
Center Ice Hockey Magazine is distributed at the following locations:
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8116 Church Road
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Virtua Health Flyers Skate Zone
at Pennsauken
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Virtua Health Flyers Skate Zone
at Voorhees
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Hollydell Ice Arena
601 Hollydell Drive
P.O. Box 472
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Ice Land
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Sportsplex (Inline Rink)
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Bodyzone
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550 West Willow Grove Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19118
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PARENTS, FANS, PLAYERS AND OFFICIALS....
The biggest and greatest common denominator of all these people in one room!?
Must be the understanding. This you may ask why? I will tell you...learn, educate and have fun. Many times
this group may forget the true meaning of who, what AND why they came together for this gathering.
TEAMWORK, SPORTSMANSHIP and DISCIPLINE should be the motto of all people at the rink, not just the
players. Thanks!
10
U S P H L
R E P O R T
USPHL Junior Flyers
21 games played 12 wins , 6 losses 3 OTL 63 goals for 65
goals against.
Coach Jared Beach has his hands full as a midseason swoon has
the team in the middle of the standings. Discipline will be needed,
the losses were full of penalties(26 penalties) four defeats. A
pourous PP unit at 706% and PK at 82 %. This changed the
mindset and a six game win streak came next. Followed by 2
losses and a win. Consistency will be the aim for the rest of the
season. Clarke Cup is the gold at the end of the rainbow.
Home Games are played Flyers Skate Zone Voorhees, NJ . Next
home outing December 19 and 20th against the Syracuse Stars.
11
C O L L E G E
H O C K E Y
R E P O R T
Women’s Hockey - Nuemann U
12
C O L L E G E
H O C K E Y
R E P O R T
Penn State Hockey
By David Malandra Jr (Twitter @djmjr788)
University Park PA: When the calendar turned to October means
the start of a new hockey season in Hockey Valley as Penn State is
looking to build off their first winning season, first national ranking,
in 2014-15, the team was looking to build off a 8-26-2 during 201314. This Nittany lions team would finish with a record of 18-15-4
while going 10-9-1 in the Big Ten Conference. This year, PSU will
play in four NHL Arena and they go as follows
Wells Fargo Center in South Philadelphia for the Philadelphia
College Hockey Faceoff when Penn State Plays Vermont on Sunday
November 29 at 1PM.
Madison Square Garden in New York when Penn State plays
Michigan on January 30 at 7PM ET LIVE on Big Ten Network
CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh against Robert Morris on
Monday December 28 at 8PM in the Three Rivers Classic
Big Ten Hockey Tournament on March 17-19 at Xcel Energy
Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
The 5th NHL Arena that Penn State could play in would be
Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay for the 2016 Division I Men's Ice
Hockey Championship (Known as the Frozen Four) on April 7 & 9
Second Star of the Week as he was tied for the conference lead with
his three goals that he scored in the series against Notre Dame.
The Nittany Lions would continue their six game home stand
with a 2 game weekend series against AIC Yellow Jackets, They
were the first opponent that Penn State played as a Division I
program, Nittany Lions would sweep the series by winning 8-3 in
first game which saw them score a program record 8 goals in the
win and they would finish off the series with a 5-3 win. Following
the series sweep of AIC, Big Ten Conference announced that
freshman forward Chase Berger was named the Big Ten’s Third Star
of the Week as he led the conference with five points on three goals
and two assists and 30 faceoff wins during a sweep of AIC.
The Penn State Nittany Lions would finish off the 6 game home
Stand with a 2 game series against another first-time opponent in a
strong St. Lawrence. The first game of the series would end up in a
2-2 draw and St. Lawrence would take down Penn State in the
second game by the score of 4-2. Nittany Lions finished the month
of October with a 4-2-1 record.The Month of November looks very
good for Penn State as they will play the following
Fri., Nov. 6 at Niagara Niagara Falls, N.Y. 7:00 p.m. ET
Fri., Nov. 13 vs. Sacred Heart, University Park, Pa. 7:00 p.m. ET
Before the season started, Head Coach Guy Gadowsky would
name senior forward David Glen team Capitan and defensemen
Luke Juha and David Thompson will serve as alternate captains.
The Penn State Nittany Lions opened the 2015-16 regular season
on Saturday October 10 on the road at at Canisius and Penn Stats
would take full control of the game, Curtis Loik would score the 1st
Goal of the season at 1:33 into the first period and State would win
this game 6-1 as there was Four Nittany Lions came up with multipoint games in the win as David Goodwin had a goal and two
assists, David Glen came up with two goals, Kenny Brooks with two
assists. After that game, the Big Ten Conference would announce
that senior forward Curtis Loik was named Big Ten’s First Star of the
Week for his three-point first period in 6-1 win over Canisius.
Following their opening season win over Canisius, Penn State
played its first game in front of their home fans at Pegula Ice Arena
as the took on Notre Dame for the first ever meeting against each
other, They would split the 2 game series with Notre Dame as the
fighting Irish would take them down 7-4 in the 1st game, Dylan
Richard would score the first home goal of the season. Penn State
would come back and take down Notre Dame the next day by the
score of 5-3 for their first home win of the season. Following the
series against Notre Dame, The Big Ten Conference announced that
Penn State freshman forward Alec Marsh was named the Big Ten’s
13
Sat., Nov. 14 vs. Sacred Hear,t University Park, Pa. 4:00 p.m. ET
Fri., Nov. 20 at Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage,
Alaska 11:00 p.m. ET
Sat., Nov. 21 at Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage,
Alaska 11:00 p.m. ET
The Month of November will end by Penn State Nittany Lions
taking on Vermont in the 4th annual Philadelphia College Hockey
Faceoff on Sunday November 29 at 1PM from the Wells Fargo Center
in South Philadelphia. The Nittany Lions have won 2 of the 3 games
against Vermont in the Philadelphia College Hockey Faceoff.
Update results for November
The Nittany Lions would tie against Niagara & they would sweep
the series against Sacred Heart. In that series against Sacred Heart,
the Nittany Lions would score 6 power play goals in the 8-2 win in
the first game.
U S A
H O C K E Y
Men’s & Women’s Standings
Christopher Rubert / Sales/Writer
610-804-6706 • [email protected]
www.CenterIceHockeyMagazine.com
14
ICE Talk - NHL Prospects
Alex DeBrincat
To Some His Height Is Still An Issue
By Russ Cohen
He’s 5-7, he weighs in at 165 pounds and he’s scoring at a Connor
McDavid clip with the Erie Otters once again. The only difference is he’s
doing it without McDavid and still scored when Dylan Strome was out
with an injury as well. He’s one of the 5 best scorers in the 2016 NHL
Draft yet some have him pegged as a Top 15 pick because they can’t get
past the fact that he’s a smaller player. I think it’s bunk. Talent is talent.
“Last year was a fun year for sure,” said DeBrincat. “I signed as a free
agent and feel like I didn’t get too much of a chance until the season
started. I just played my game even though I’m a little undersized.”
In high school he averaged 2.22 points per game. 111 points in just 50
games. Skeptics would shrug that off to “hey it’s high school” and the
competition in Michigan (sarcasm) isn’t that great.
The he joined the Erie Otters. He turned 16 last December and finished
the season with 104 points 68 games. Skeptics said it was his teammates
who helped to inflate his numbers.
“Everybody has their own opinion and maybe they just chalked it up
as I was too small,” he said honestly. “I think they missed the work ethic
that I have on the ice.”
This year he has 22 goals in his first 15 games. What’s the
rationalization for this? There isn’t any at this point. He’s the current OHL
point leader with 32 points. He’s ahead of Christian Dvorak, Travis
Konecny, Mitch Marner, Josh Ho-Sang, Dylan Strome and Matthew
Tkachuk to name a few.
He won the OHL Player of the Month for October. He may be able to
open up more eyes on the International stage. But should he have to?
That’s the big question here. With the success of some smaller players in
the NHL, and the numbers are growing, he has the blueprint. Some teams
still shy away from players of his size where others don’t worry about it.
I still think there’s a higher percentage of teams who will pass on the
smaller player with a high pick and instead hope that this player drops so
they could possibly get them with a second first round pick or via a trade
of some sort.
Alex DeBrincat
(Photo Russ Cohen)
Russ Cohen
609-980-9131
“You look at the top scorer the playoffs last year (Tyler Johnson). He’s
a small guy and just found a way to get to the net and get points.”
http://www.sportsology.net <http://www.sportsology.net/>
NHL Network Radio (XM 218, Sirius 211)
Hockey Prospect Radio
Cultureburst.com
Twitter: @sportsology
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/russ.cohen
Check out my new book called "Numbers Don't Lie"
Before you worry if he’s strong enough. He’s already answered the
pull up question.
“I’ve done them a few times we’ve done them for our training camp,”
he chuckled.
He should be a guaranteed Top 10 pick. Maybe higher. Will he be?
That’s the million dollar question.
15
ICE Talk-NHL PROSPECTS
Russ Cohen
Adam Fox’s Long Island
Keenan Suthers
Roots Have Carried Him
a Long Way
Big Player, Big Dreams
By Russ Cohen
By Russ Cohen
Twenty years ago Long Island
wasn’t considered a hockey
hotbed. Shortly after that prospects
like Rob Scuderi (134th overall in
1998), Mike Komisarek (7th overall
in 2001), Chris Higgins (14th
overall in 2002), and Eric Nystrom
(10th overall pick in 2002),
emerged and changed the
landscape. Since then high profile
players like Brandon Sutter (11th
overall in 2007), Sonny Mi-lano
(16th overall in 2014) and Jeremy
Bracco (61st overall in 2015) have
all been draft. One of the next to be
added to this list will be
defenseman, Adam Fox.
Adam Fox
(Photo Russ Cohen)
“Long Island hockey has
definitely picked up. There have
been some great players coming
out of there. Sonny Milano, Jeremy
Bracco. It’s really growing on Long
Island and they’re building some
new rinks out there,” said Fox. “It’s
good for the kids right now to be
able to look up to some good
hockey players.”
Standing at 5-10, 183 pounds the Jericho, New York native, isn’t the
ideal size, although at 17 he could still grow, but he makes up for that with
some other intangibles including a good hock-ey I.Q.
“I did play a year of high school hockey,” he revealed. “In public
school. It wasn’t anything big but it was fun. I’ve also played for the Long
Island Gulls with Bracco and Charlie McAvoy (2016 draft eligible). It was
a fun experience to grow up like that and see where we all are now. It’s
re-ally cool to see.”
Currently a member of the NTDP and a silver medal winner in the Five
Nations tournament this year he has his sights set on gold in the U-18’s.
“I’m looking forward to the Worlds in April, the U-18, That’s what
we’re working for everyday. Playing teams in the USHL and colleges this
year should be good competition. Our end goal is to win gold there so
we’re just preparing for it everyday,” Fox added.
Fox is a good skater who was playing on the top paring for Team
Roenick at the 2015 All Amer-ican Prospects game in Buffalo, New York.
His team won and he was on the ice for more than a few goals.
As a 2016 Harvard commit he will be able to get a great education as
well as playing ECAC hockey. A conference that has gotten very
competitive over the past 5 seasons. The Kitchener Rangers did pick him
as their 8th selection in 2014 but he chose to go the college route so far.
Keep an eye out for this right defender. He should hear his name called
at the 2016 NHL Draft in Buffalo this June.
One wonders what it would be
like to be so tall that you could see
what’s happening in a room before
anybody else. One such hockey
prospect is Keenan Suthers from
the NTDP. This Ma-comb,
Michigan native is a 98 so he’s
going to be ready this June when
he hopes to hear his name called
by some NHL club in Buffalo.
When I asked him what it was
like to be the shortest guy on the
team? He chuckled and said, “It’s a
struggle. There’s a lot of good, tall
players here. It’s a good age group.”
At 6-7, 220 this left shot plays a tough left wing. And let’s face it at the
junior hockey level he’s a big guy to try and hold off. It’s a nightmarish
assignment for any defenseman to undertake.
Last week at the All American Prospects game in Buffalo, NY, he has
one of 42 players who hope to be selected in the 2016 NHL Draft. He got
a chance to play for Derek Plante’s team and you did notice him on the
ice.
“There’s a lot of people watching,”he said acknowledging the 150
scouts who were in attend-ance. “I’ll just go out there and do what I can.
Get on the forecheck, get in front of the net play the body and get off some
shots.”
“Sudzy” as he’s known by his teammates is a Western Michigan
University commit who shined in the U17 Five Nations Tournament in
Russia. He tied for a team best two goals in 4 games and helped Team USA
secure a second place finish.
“Our Team USA team looks good. We just had some preseason games
at home. We have our first game in Youngstown which should be good
(NTDP won that game 6-4),” Suthers stated. “We’re all getting ready for
the U18. We’re trying to bring home another gold medal.”
He has a hockey bloodlines. His grandfather, Tom, signed with the New
York Rangers before being deployed to defend his country in WWII.
His father was an athlete as well, Tom, played pro basketball in France,
Germany and Holland.
He’s a smart kid. When asked about the talent level in the USHL he
gave an interesting answer.
“There are so many 98’s and 97’s who are really young and doing well.
Last year when I came in it seemed like there were a few 20-year-old
players who were really good. There’s a lot of young talent in that league
and it’s very successful.”
Suthers was focused on Buffalo for more than a few reasons.
“I’ll get to know the city pretty good this weekend and when I come
back it will be pretty excit-ing,” he added.
Russ Cohen • 609-980-9131
http://www.sportsology.net <http://www.sportsology.net/> • NHL Network Radio (XM 218, Sirius 211)
Hockey Prospect Radio • Cultureburst.com • Twitter: @sportsology • Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/russ.cohen
Check out my new book called "Numbers Don't Lie"
16
ICE Talk
CAPITAL CITY CLASSIC 2015
by Michael Kurman
All Photos by Michael Kurman
OCTOBER 30, 2015
YALE V UMASS
UMASS V MAINE
Kicking off the inaugural Capital
City Classic at the Sun Bank Center in
Trenton, NJ,
After a back and forth first period
with a lot of shots for both teams,
Maine’s Will Merchant had a super
deflection of a point shot to beat
UMass goalie Nic Renyard.
The second period opened up as
UMass scored a power play goal.
UMass made it 3-1 when Dennis
Kravchenko scored his second of the
game, undressing the Maine defense
three times on his way to a pretty forehand goal. Maine answered with a great
individual effort by Will Merchant who outwaited Reynard and stashed it home.
The third period got really interesting after UMass forward Shane Welsh scored on
a weak goal. Maine never quit, scoring twice including a shortside goal to tie it
4-4 sending the game to OT. The teams traded chances in OT. An unfortunate
goal off a skate in front had UMass prevail 5-4 with Ray Pigozzi getting credit for
the winner.
Yale dominated the first 40 minutes
in shots 20-10 and score 4-0.
Netminder Nic Renyard was pulled
after third goal in favor of Henry Dill.
With three NHL draftees and a few
potential candidates, Yale was clearly
a much better team and the game was
never in question. UMass freshman
energy guy and NJ native Ryan Badger
(#21) saw limited time but was
effective when he did play. Yale won
the 2015 Capital City Classic, the
tournament that moved south from
the Prudential Center in Newark in
2014. Yale was the best team but got a
fight from Princeton. The Tigers have
a young team. Look for them to be a threat in 2016-17.
LOCAL FLAVOR:
ERIC ROBINSON, Bellmawr, NJ (F - Princeton #18) 1G, +2
Started this year like he did last year – scoring in Princeton’s first game of the
year. But his demeanor on the ice looks that of a more confident player. He
skated strong – up on his skates. He was a big part of the penalty kill for the
Tigers. Had multiple shots in both games.
YALE V PRINCETON
Spirited first period where there
probably as many hits as there were
shots. Local Princeton winger Eric
Robinson scored his team’s first goal of
the year 1:28 in to the game 22 seconds
after Yale took the 1-0 lead. The second
period didn’t bring the same energy.
Yale carried the play and outshot
Princeton 19-5 but couldn’t solve
goaltender Colton Phinney. In the
third, the hitting came back. Yale
outshot Princeton once again and
finally beat Phinney with under four
minutes to play. Blackhawks draft pick
John Hayden closed it with an empty netter to seal the 3-1 victory for Yale.
QUIN POMPI, Springfiled, PA (D - Princeton #24) +1
A staple on the penalty kill. Solid at even strength. The smooth skating
defenseman looked the same as last year.
JOE GRABOWSKI, Lawrenceville, NJ (D - Princeton #27) 1G, +1
Scored a goal against Maine. Steady on the blue line. Delivers some punishing
checks.
Eric Robinson scored his first goal of the year and finished +1. He was a
staple on the penalty kill, helping to keep Yale off the board in the 2nd period.
PRINCETON V MAINE
For the second day in a row,
Princeton was outshot, including a 225 margin in the third period. On this
day, though, it felt like they carried the
play. Leading 2-0 heading into the
third, Maine cut it to 2-1 at 6:08.
Maine came on strong after that,
hoping to tie the score. Colton
Phinney stood strong and the Tigers
scored into an empty net and sealed
the deal.
17
STEVE SWAVELY, Reading, PA (C - Maine #11)
The Maine captain was an effective penalty killer. Swavely grew up just outside
Reading in Muhlenburg, PA. He did most of his skating at the Body Zone
Sports & Wellness Center in Wyomissing. He played for the Reading Jr. Royals
before moving on to the Jr. Flyers organization. Sawevly credits his brother Jon,
a former Black Bears forward, as a big influence on his hockey life. "He's the
reason I'm here" said Swavely. "He paved the way for me." Others would say
the 23-year-old business major earned his way to the captaincy by being both
tenacious and calm under pressure. In many circles, those traits are mutually
exclusive. Swavely wears them together very well.
RYAN BADGER, Hainesport, NJ (F – Umass #21)
Freshman last played for the Philadelphia Flyers Elite team (USPHL).
Christopher Rubert / Sales/Writer
610-804-6706 • [email protected]
www.CenterIceHockeyMagazine.com
?
TriviaPages ?
TriviaContest
The 1st person to correctly answer these 5 questions wins a Center Ice Hockey Magazine Hockey Jersey.
Send answers to [email protected]. One entry per e-mail address allowed. Previous winners this season are ineligible to win
again this season. Must collect within 30 days.
4) Top Ten Flyer goaltenders most wins history. In order
Doug Favell , Brian Boucher , Bernie Parent ,
WayneStephenson , Pelle Lindbergh, Pete Peeters ,
Ron Hextall , Martin Biron, Roman Cechmanek
1) Top ten goal scorers in Flyers history, in order.
You may use a name more than once !
Mark Howe , Pelle Eklund , Mark Recchi , Eric Lindros,
Rick Mac Leisch , Rod Brind’Amour , Gary Galley, Gary
Dornhoefer, Bill Barber, Brian Propp , Bobby Clarke.
2) Top Ten scoring Flyer Defenseman, in order.
You may use a name more than once
Brad McCrimmon , Mark Howe, Janne Niimimaa , Behn
Wilson , Gary galley , Mark Howe, Jim Watson Bob Dailey
5) Top Ten team wins in season, in order
1986—87 , 1976-77 , 1975-76 , 1979-80 , 1995-96 ,
1975-76 , 1982-83 , 1985-86 , 1974-75 , 1984-85 ,
1972-73 , 1977-78
3) Top Ten Flyers scorers history in order. You may use a
name more than once.
Rick MacLeisch , Tim Kerr , Mark Recchi , Bobby Clarke ,
Eric Lindros , Bill Barber , Brian Propp , Mark Howe.
WordSearch
NHL ALL-TIME NHL SCORERS
18
The
CIHM WordScramble
MatchGame
Category: NHL ALL TIME SCORERS
The 1st person to correctly answer the match game wins
a box of Upper Deck cards.
Send answers to [email protected]. One entry per e-mail
address allowed. Winner must be 14 or younger. Previous winners
this season are ineligible to win again this season. Must collect
within 30 days.
NHL all time shutout leaders, match to number
of shutouts
1)
Ed Belfour
81
3)
Goeorge Hainsworth
81
2)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
Glenn Hall
Terry Sawchuk
Martin Brodeur
Jacques Plante
Tiny Thompson
Alex Connell
Tony Esposito
10) Dominick Hasek
94
1. EEYR YWKTZGNA
2. MERKAMISE RS
3. REW EHOGIDO
4. RJARG AJOMRI
5. ANRSO NCRFI
6. ECNDA RONELIM
7. NAVEYTZMR EES
8. RIIMUOXEAEML
9. JSKEIC OA
10. LOESISPTPIOH
1 ________________________________________
2 ________________________________________
76
3 ________________________________________
76
4 ________________________________________
5 ________________________________________
103
6 ________________________________________
81
7 ________________________________________
125
8 ________________________________________
76
9 ________________________________________
84
10 ________________________________________
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19