For the most part, this Team Blue vs. Team White intrasquad game had a pretty good pace to it, although not surprisingly, it got progressively sloppier as the game entered its later stages.
Team White won both the regulation game — by a score of 6-3 — and the OT period thanks to a 3-on-3 goal from Ilya Mikheyev. The two squads split the two shootout contests, with Mikko Lehtonen winning the first one for Team White and Morgan Rielly clinching the second one for Team Blue.
William Nylander led the way with a pair of goals for Team White, while Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews countered with a goal apiece in a losing effort for Team Blue.
Take this scrimmage exercise for what it is, but a few quick notes below:
– Alex Barabanov displayed a good motor throughout the game for Team Blue, pushing the pace and persistently hounding puck carriers. He also broke through for a breakaway that he couldn’t convert. That line — with Barabanov next to two heavier-footed players in Spezza and Simmonds — will need someone to help push the pace, so that’s an encouraging sign, at least as far as these scrimmages go.
– After the talk about Mitch Marner playing the middle of the power play in between Auston Matthews and Joe Thornton, it was Thornton in the bumper role in between Marner and Matthews in this game. Those concerned about too many playmakers and not enough shooters on that unit weren’t assuaged by this sequence:
Jokes aside, Marner let a number a few shots off on the first power-play opportunity for Team Blue, a few of which missed the net. It was hard to tell if his shot had a little more zip on it than last year — maybe it just seemed that way with a few loud bangs off the end wall — but for those asking Marner to shoot more this season (including the Leafs coaching staff), he did seem more trigger happy in the scrimmage.
Going to need to see more from this unit before they’ll have me convinced of moving both Tavares and Nylander off of the top group.
– At 5v5, the top line had some good sequences. Thornton’s intelligence, strength and presence down low — extending plays on the cycle, dishing, getting to the front of the net — while Matthews and Marner buzzed was visible at different times throughout the night. Jumbo kept up well for the most part. Again, we’ll wait until the real stuff starts before making any real judgments.
– While Marner and Matthews were right there, too, William Nylander might have been the Leafs’ best forward — skating really well, generating turnovers, turning them into offense — and he potted two goals of his own, one on a wicked one-timer on the power play off a Mikko Lehtonen feed.
– Speaking of Mikko Lehtonen, it wasn’t a perfect game in all areas of the ice, but his prowess offensively shone through clearly in this scrimmage, as he was very involved at the offensive end and eager to get pucks to the net, including one for Nylander’s first goal on a tip in front. We should see the coaching staff get Lehtonen involved offensively with softer matchups and some offensive-zone deployment off of the bottom pairing in the early going of the regular season, in addition to PP2 time, as he adjusts to the league.
– Jack Campbell put on the best goaltending performance of the three goalies, particularly in the first period, where he was really sharp and turned aside a number of good scoring chances and second opportunities for Team Blue.
– The coaching staff has put an emphasis on shootout practice knowing its weakness in this area last season and the importance of the extra points in the divisional matchups. But it wasn’t exactly a sterling display of shooting prowess tonight — while the goalies were sharp, there were lots of bobbles, failed backhand deke attempts, and not enough picking a spot and letting it rip. The two converted attempts out of the 13 were two good low, hard shots from a pair of defensemen in Lehtonen and Rielly:
1st shootout:
Tavares – missed on a backhand deke Matthews – stopped on a five-hole attempt Vesey – stopped on a backhand attempt, glove save by Andersen Marner – stopped on a low glove side attempt (Campbell) Nylander – missed, lost control after initially fooling Andersen Spezza – missed, lost control of the puck early Lehtonen – scored on a shot low blocker side past Andersen Barabanov – stopped on his backhand
2nd shootout:
Mikheyev – missed on a backhand attempt Spezza – missed wide right Robertson – missed, lost handle going to backhand Hyman – stopped on blocker side shot Matthews – stopped on a five-hole attempt
– Harsh words from Sheldon Keefe on Pierre Engvall, especially after a scrimmage: “I expect him to be better, to be honest.” While he scored late on a good play in the neutral zone by Zach Hyman to send him in alone, Engvall turned a puck back into the defensive zone and forked it over to Marner for the Matthews goal in the third period. It doesn’t seem as though the coaching staff would have a ton of confidence in going ahead with this line if Alex Kerfoot can’t go on Wednesday — which may necessitate a rethink of the lines, depending on Kerfoot’s status. Travis Boyd, who had a couple of nice moments in this game, is another option for center cover here, but the depth down the middle past the big two remains a question mark and also ties into the question of where Thornton is best used.
– This Rourke Chartier fellow is a good-looking piece for the Marlies; his pace and puck pursuit definitely stood out (note: he appeared in 13 games for the Sharks last season).
– For me, Ramus Sandin is ready for regular NHL minutes. We saw some nice instances of his evasiveness against the forecheck, and a beautiful reverse check along the endboards against a big lad in Justin Brazeau. The Leafs will have a couple of defensemen worthy of an NHL top six who won’t be playing on Wednesday night by virtue of the numbers game on the blue line.
– Quiet game from him overall, but they’ll have a player with this kind of shot in the press box to start, too:
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.
