The Golden Knights will seek to win their first title after a five-game loss to the Washington Capitals in the 2018 Cup Final.
Four Vegas players who have played at least one Stanley Cup Playoff game have won the Cup: forwards Chandler Stephenson (2018; Capitals) and Phil Kessel (2016, 2017; Pittsburgh Penguins), and defensemen Alec Martinez (2012, 2014; Los Angeles Kings) and Alex Pietrangelo (2019; St. Louis Blues). Backup goalie Jonathan Quick, who has not played this postseason, has won the Cup twice with the Kings (2012, 2014).
Of the 24 players to play at least one postseason game, 12 were acquired via trade, six were signed in free agency, four were selected by Vegas in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, one was selected in the NHL Draft, and one was claimed off waivers.
Here’s how the roster of this Stanley Cup finalist was built, with background on the coaching staff and general manager:
FORWARDS
Michael Amadio, RW: Claimed off waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 30, 2021, Amadio had 27 points (16 goals, 11 assists) in 67 regular-season games and has seven points (three goals, four assists) in 11 playoff games.
Ivan Barbashev, C: Acquired in a trade with the Blues on Feb. 26 for forward prospect Zach Dean, Barbashev had 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 23 regular-season games after the trade and has 17 points (six goals, nine assists) in 17 playoff games.
Teddy Blueger, C: Acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 1 for defenseman prospect Peter Diliberatore and a third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Blueger had six points (two goals, four assists) in 18 games after the trade and has two points (one goal, one assist) in six playoff games.
William Carrier, LW: Selected in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft on June 21, 2017, Carrier had 25 points (16 goals, nine assists) in 56 regular-season games and has two points (one goal, one assist) in 13 playoff games.
Jack Eichel, C: Acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres on Nov. 4, 2021, with a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft for forwards Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs, a first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft (forward prospect Noah Ostlund) and a second-round pick in the 2023 draft, Eichel had 66 points (27 goals, 39 assists) in 67 regular-season games and has a team-high 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 17 playoff games.
Brett Howden, C: Acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers on July 17, 2021, for defenseman Nick DeSimone and a fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft (forward prospect Noah Laba), Howden had 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in 54 regular-season games and has six points (three goals, three assists) in 17 playoff games.
William Karlsson, C: Selected in the 2017 Expansion Draft, Karlsson had 53 points (14 goals, 39 assists) in 82 regular-season games and has 14 points (10 goals, four assists) in 17 playoff games.
Phil Kessel, RW: Signed as a free agent Aug. 24, Kessel had 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 82 regular-season games and has two assists in four playoff games.
Keegan Kolesar, RW: Acquired in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets on June 24, 2017, for a second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft (forward Alexandre Texier), Kolesar had 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 74 regular-season games and has five points (two goals, three assists) in 17 playoff games.
Jonathan Marchessault, RW: Selected in the 2017 Expansion Draft, Marchessault had 57 points (28 goals, 29 assists) in 76 regular-season games and has 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) in 17 playoff games.
Nicolas Roy, C: Acquired in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes on June 27, 2019, with a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft (defenseman prospect Oscar Plandowski) for forward Erik Haula, Roy had 30 points (14 goals, 16 assists) in 65 regular-season games and has eight points (one goal, seven assists) in 17 playoff games.
Reilly Smith, RW: Acquired in a trade with the Panthers on June 21, 2017, in exchange for Vegas selecting Marchessault in the 2017 Expansion Draft, Smith had 56 points (26 goals, 30 assists) in 78 regular-season games and has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 17 playoff games.
Chandler Stephenson, C: Acquired in a trade with the Capitals on Dec. 2, 2019, for a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft (defenseman prospect Ty Murchison), Stephenson had an NHL career-high 65 points (16 goals, 49 assists) in 81 regular-season games and has 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in 17 playoff games.
Mark Stone, RW: Acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Senators on Feb. 25, 2019, with forward Tobias Lindberg for defenseman Erik Brannstrom, forward Oscar Lindberg and a second-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft (forward prospect Egor Sokolov), Stone had 38 points (17 goals, 21 assists) in 43 regular-season games and has 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 17 playoff games. Stone was named first captain of the Golden Knights on Jan. 13, 2021.
Nicolas Hague: Selected in the second round (No. 34) of the 2017 draft, Hague had 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 81 regular-season games and has three points (one goal, two assists) in 17 playoff games.
Ben Hutton: Signed as a free agent Oct. 28, 2021, Hutton had eight points (three goals, five assists) in 31 regular-season games and has no points in two playoff games.
Alec Martinez: Acquired in a trade with the Kings on Feb. 19, 2020, for a second-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft (forward prospect Will Cuylle) and a second-round pick in the 2021 draft (defenseman prospect Ben Roger), Martinez had 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 77 regular-season games and has five assists in 17 playoff games.
Brayden McNabb: Selected in the 2017 Expansion Draft on June 21, 2017, McNabb had 17 points (one goal, 16 assists) in 82 regular-season games and has two assists in 16 playoff games.
Brayden Pachal: Signed as a free agent Sept. 20, 2019, Pachel had two assists in 10 regular-season games and has no points in one playoff game.
Alex Pietrangelo: Signed as a free agent Oct. 12, 2020, Pietrangelo had 54 points (11 goals, 43 assists) in 73 regular-season games and has nine points (one goal, eight assists) in 16 playoff games.
Shea Theodore: Acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on June 21, 2017, in exchange for Vegas selecting defenseman Clayton Stoner in the 2017 Expansion Draft, Theodore had 41 points (eight goals, 33 assists) in 55 regular-season games and has seven assists in 16 playoff games.
Zach Whitecloud: Signed as a free agent March 8, 2018, Whitecloud had 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 59 regular-season games and has five points (one goal, four assists) in 17 playoff games.
GOALIES
Laurent Brossoit: Signed as a free agent July 28, 2021, Brossoit was 7-0-3 with a 2.17 goals-against average and .927 save percentage in 11 regular-season games (10 starts) and is 5-2 with a 3.18 GAA and .894 save percentage in eight playoff games. He has not played since May 8 because of a lower-body injury.
Adin Hill: Acquired in a trade with the San Jose Sharks on Aug. 29, 2022, for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft, Hill was 16-7-1 with a 2.50 GAA and .915 save percentage in 27 regular-season games (25 starts) and is 7-3 with a 2.07 GAA, .937 save percentage and two shutouts in 11 playoff games (nine starts).
Bruce Cassidy, coach: Hired on June 14, eight days after he was fired by the Boston Bruins, Cassidy led the Golden Knights (51-22-9) to the best record in the Western Conference. He is 343-177-62 with nine ties in 591 games as coach of the Golden Knights, Bruins (2016-22) and Capitals (2002-04).
Ryan Craig, assistant: Hired on June 9, 2017, Craig has been an assistant for all six seasons in Golden Knights history. He played 198 NHL games as a forward from 2005-15.
Misha Donskov, assistant: Hired on Aug. 8, 2016, as director of hockey operations, Donskov was an assistant this season.
John Stevens, assistant: Hired on June 28, Stevens spent the previous three seasons as an assistant with the Dallas Stars. He was coach of the Kings from 2017-19 and the Philadelphia Flyers from 2006-08.
Sean Burke, goalie coach: Hired on June 28, Burke was a scout and goalie coach with the Montreal Canadiens from 2016-22 after he was goalie coach and assistant GM with the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes from 2008-16.
GENERAL MANAGER
Kelly McCrimmon: Promoted to GM on May 2, 2019, McCrimmon took over the position for president of hockey operations George McPhee, who also was GM, on Sept. 1. McCrimmon was named assistant GM on Aug. 2, 2016, and played a key role in building the Golden Knights roster from its inaugural season.
TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.
The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.
The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.
Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.
The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.
Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
MacKenzie Weegar wasn’t bitter or upset as he watched friends live out their dreams.
The Calgary Flames defenceman just hopes to experience the same feeling one day. He also knows the road leading to that moment, if it does arrive, will likely be long and winding — much like his own path.
A seventh-round pick by the Florida Panthers at the 2013 NHL draft, Weegar climbed the ranks to become an important piece of a roster that captured the Presidents’ Trophy as the league’s top regular-season club in 2021-22.
Two months later following a second-round playoff exit, he was traded to the Flames along with Jonathan Huberdeau for Matthew Tkachuk. And less than two years after that, the Panthers were hoisting the Stanley Cup.
“Happy for the city and for the team,” Weegar said of Florida’s June victory over the Edmonton Oilers. “There was no bad taste in my mouth.”
His sole focus, he insists, is squarely on eventually getting the Flames to the same spot. The landscape, however, has changed drastically since Weegar committed to Calgary on an eight-year, US$50-million contract extension in October 2022.
Weegar has watched a list that includes goaltender Jacob Markstrom, defencemen Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin and Nikita Zadorov and forwards Elias Lindholm and Andrew Mangiapane shipped out of town since the start of last season — largely for picks, prospects and young players as part of a rebuild.
Despite that exodus, he remains committed to the Calgary project steered by general manager Craig Conroy.
“It’s easy to get out of all whack when you see guys trying to leave or wanting new contracts,” the 30-year-old from Ottawa said at last week’s NHL/NHLPA player media tour in Las Vegas. “I just focus on where I am and where I want to be, and that’s Calgary.
“I believe in this team. The city has taken me in right away. I feel like I owe it to them to stick around and grind through these years and get a Stanley Cup.”
The hard-nosed blueliner certainly knows what it is to grind.
After winning the Memorial Cup alongside Nathan MacKinnon with the Halifax Mooseheads in 2013, Weegar toiled in the ECHL and American Hockey League for three seasons before making his NHL debut late in the 2016-17 campaign with the Panthers.
He would spend the next five years in South Florida as one of the players tasked with shifting an organizational culture that had experienced little success over the previous two decades.
“There’s always going to be a piece of my heart and loyalty to that team,” Weegar said. “But now I’m in a different situation … I compete against all 32 teams, not just Florida. There’s always a chip on my shoulder every single year.”
Weegar set career highs with 20 goals — eight was the most he had ever previously registered — and 52 points in 2023-24 as part of a breakout offensive performance.
“I think my buddies cared a lot more than I did,” he said with a smile. “All I hear is, ‘fantasy, fantasy, fantasy.'”
Weegar was actually more proud of his 200 blocked shots and 194 hits as he looks to help set a new Flames’ standard alongside Huberdeau, captain Mikael Backlund, Nazem Kadri, Blake Coleman and Rasmus Andersson for a franchise expected to have its new arena in time for the 2027-28 season.
“You have to build that culture and that belief in the locker room,” said Weegar, who pointed to 22-year-old centre Connor Zary as a player set to pop. “Those young guys are going to have to come into their own and be consistent every night … they’re the next generation.”
Weegar, however, isn’t punting on 2024-25. He pointed to the NHL’s parity and the fact a couple of teams surprise every season.
It’s the same approach that took him from the ECHL a decade ago to hockey’s premier pre-season event inside a swanky hotel on Sin City’s famed strip, where he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the game’s best.
“From the outside — media and even friends and family — the expectations are probably a bit lower,” Weegar said of Calgary’s outlook. “But there’s no reason to think that we can’t make playoffs and we can’t be a good team (with) that underdog mentality.
“You never know.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept 17, 2024.
Jose Maria Celestino da Costa was named vice-president and head of soccer operations while Marianne Brooks was appointed vice-president of partnerships, Kelly Shouldice as vice-president of brand and content and Joyce Sou as vice-president of finance and business operations.
The new six-team women’s pro league is set to kick off in April.
“Their unique expertise and leadership are crucial as we lay the foundation for not just a successful league in Canada, but one that stands among the top sports leagues in the world,” NSL president Christina Litz said in a statement. “By investing in top-tier talent and infrastructure, the Northern Super League is committed to creating a league that will elevate the game and set new standards for women’s professional soccer globally.”
Da Costa will oversee all on-field matters, including officiating. His resume includes stints with Estoril Praia, a men’s first-division team in Portugal, and the Portuguese Soccer Federation, where he helped develop the Portuguese women’s league.
Brooks spent a decade with Canucks Sports & Entertainment, working in “partnership sales and retention efforts” for the Vancouver Canucks, Vancouver Warriors, and Rogers Arena. Most recently, she served as senior director of account management at StellarAlgo, a software company that helps pro sports teams connect with their fans
Shouldice has worked for Corus Entertainment, the Canadian Football League, and most recently as vice-president of Content and Communications at True North Sports & Entertainment, where she managed original content as well as business and hockey communications.
Sou, who was involved in the league’s initial launch, will oversee financial planning, analysis and the league’s expansion strategy in her new role.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.
