Comments / New

FlightZone: Cuts Expected at USA Junior Camp

It's hatchet day at the 2015 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp, with cuts expected to be announced this morning. Winnipeg Jets prospects Kyle Connor (2 assists in 3 games), Jack Roslovic (1 goal, 2 assists in 3 games) and Erik Foley (2 goals in 3 games) should all be okay to make it to the next stage, don't you worry. As for yesterday:

And now the news.

Central Division

The 2015 Stanley Cup tour continues, as Kris Versteeg brought the cup home to Lethbridge. (Global News)

Our Colorado frenemies speculate on 2015-16 power play unit combinations. It'll be hard for the Avs to roll out a power play worse than last season, but having John Mitchell on the first unit and Carl Soderberg on neither would be an interesting step towards improvement. (Mile High Sticking)

With a lineup including but not limited to Joe Sakic, Patrick Roy, Peter Forsberg, Rob Blake, Chris Chelios, Brendan Shanahan, Nicklas Lidstrom and Igor Larionov, that Avs – Wings Stadium Series alumni game looks rather appealing. (Denver Post)

Middle Tennessee is faced with the possibility of losing one-third of its regulation ice surfaces. For the sake of hockey's continued growth and entrenchment, one hopes that either A-Game Sportsplex is saved or its replacement isn't too far down the road. SESPS headmaster Brad Guzda has it exactly right: "We're going to take a step backward because I feel like we're going to miss a lot of kids in Williamson County that would have started playing hockey until a new ice surface shows up." (The Tennessean)

Frenemies do battle, as the Blues loyalists feel confident when pitting their projected top-six against Colorado's. Nobody tell them about Backes being a 3rd line center next season. (Bleedin' Blue)

And All The Rest

Canada marched to a 4-1 victory over Russia at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Calgary. (TSN)

With the Connor McDavid hype train being one of the most intense we've ever seen, here's a look at the five best rookie seasons by first overall selections. In a highlight of hockey history which will be new knowledge for some and old hat for others, a certain Jets 1.0 legend unsurprisingly makes the list. (Sportsnet)

Though Jack Eichel is mentioned four times, the Buffalo Sabres' most important player is here purported to be Ryan O'Reilly. This assessment isn't wrong, but boy does that DUI ever put a damper on things. Also, Sam Reinhart really does seem like the forgotten man sometimes. (ESPN)

Ron DeGregorio, Chris Drury, Angela Ruggiero and Mathieu Schneider are your U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2015. (StarTribune)

A reminder of how Adrian Kempe continues to make the Los Angeles Kings' scouting staff look rather brilliant. (The Hockey News, Commemorative Edition)

Our NYR friends have a looksie at their team's offseason moves, which is a topic they have more to talk about than we do. GM Jeff Gorton did a quietly awesome job giving the Rangers quality, affordable depth with deals for Oscar Lindberg, Raphael Diaz, J.T. Miller, Jesper Fast and Viktor Stalberg. (Blueshirt Banter)

The Ottawa Senators won their arbitration bout with Mike Hoffman, with the ruling which came down yesterday being a one-year, $2 million contract. Should he cement himself as a productive top-six forward however, expect his next deal to be of a slightly more affluent sort. (TSN)

And finally, it ended up being a far more active than usual arbitration season in the NHL. So long 2015 player vs. team salary filings, we barely knew you and now you're gone:

Thanks for reading! Be sure to mention in the Comments section what your favourite Dale Hawerchuk memory is, if you're of a sufficient vintage to have any.

Looking for an easy way to support Arctic Ice Hockey?
Use our Affiliate Link when shopping hockey merch this holiday season!

Talking Points