The Bell Centre was rocking on Thursday for the highly anticipated first-overall selection from the Montreal Canadiens. Day 2 produced a bit of everything. Some teams exchanged draft picks. Others made roster trades. Finally, the announcement that Duncan Keith had decided to retire after a storied career also made waves on the floor.
It’s my opinion that no other professional league does it better than the NHL when it comes to the entry draft. It never gets old seeing the excitement on the faces of prospects and their family members after their names are called.
Congratulations to the city of Montreal. One of my favourite scouting destinations in the world delivered what we expected they would: A fantastic event hosted by one of the classiest hockey cities in hockey.
Here’s a look at some intriguing picks from each round:
ROUND 1
No. 1: Juraj Slafkovsky, Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens did their due diligence and settled on Slafkovsky over the likes of Shane Wright, Logan Cooley, and Simon Nemec. The management group in Montreal eliminated any outside noise, and pressure, and went with the player that they believe will assist the most in taking the organization to another level.
This selection said something to me about Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes: that they have their own vision of how they want to build their team. There have been drafts in the past where teams cave and take the consensus No. 1. This wasn’t one of those moments.
An observation: Watching Slafkovsky get paraded around the Bell Centre for media interviews and the fans clamouring to get a picture, fist pump, or autograph was something to behold. He’s already a rock star in Montreal.
ROUND 2
No. 62: Lane Hutson, Montreal Canadiens
I absolutely love this pick. Hutson is a highly skilled transitional “D” who makes plays off the rush and quarterbacks the power play. There was a time, not so long ago, that players like this were passed over by NHL clubs due to their lack of size and physicality. Hutson made it known to teams at the combine in Buffalo that he hasn’t stopped growing and has a chance to get to around 5-foot-10. His height doesn’t bother me, but he will need to add weight as he matures.
Hutson is a difference maker. He’s uber competitive and wants the puck on his stick in key situations.
ROUND 3
No. 88: Michael Buchinger, St. Louis Blues
This was a savvy pickup for the Blues. Buchinger is a “glue guy” for the Guelph Storm in the OHL. The two-way defenceman is a strong skater who sees the ice and distributes very well. He scored 44 points (five goals, 39 assists) this past season and was deployed in all situations. There’s a real chance the Blues have found a second-pairing NHL defender with the selection of Buchinger.
ROUND 4
No. 122: Dennis Hildeby, Toronto Maple Leafs
Hildeby is an interesting pick in the fourth round and worth the gamble. He’s a 20-year-old European who had a breakout campaign in 2021-22. At the SHL level playing for Farjestad, he had a goals-against average of 1.93 and his save percentage was .931. He’s an absolute giant in the net, standing 6-foot-6 and weighing 236 lbs.
Goalies take longer to develop than skaters and that is why I believe in the strategy of this selection. Hildeby will be in Sweden for at least one more season before potentially coming to North America. When NHL teams draft players from Europe, they hold their rights for four years of development time compared to two years for major junior players in North America. By the time his four years have expired, Hildeby will be 24 and potentially entering the NHL phase of his development.
ROUND 5
No. 136: Jorian Donovan, Ottawa Senators
The son of Senators Director of Player Development Shean Donovan, Jorian is a nice add in the fifth round. He scored 22 points (three goals, 19 assists) in his rookie OHL season with Hamilton this year. What I like most about this selection is Donovan can be used in a variety of roles. I’m projecting him to score more as he matures at the OHL level. He skates very well, outlets responsibly, has good size (6-foot-1, 183 lbs.) and will only get stronger. He will likely see some power-play time in junior but I’m not seeing him as a fit in that role as a pro.
Sometimes nepotism can sneak into some decisions that organizations make. This isn’t an example of that. Donovan has a chance to be more than just a bottom pairing “D” as a pro. I’m confident saying he’s going to put the work in. This pick has Senators scout Don Boyd written all over it and it’s a good one.
ROUND 6
No. 179: Matt Seminoff, Dallas Stars
It’s not often teams can find a player at this stage of the draft with the kind of impact offensively that Seminoff had last year with Kamloops in the WHL. He logged 26 goals and 31 assists, with six of his goals coming on the power play. Seminoff brings more than just offence, too. He is a responsible player who is above the play when opponents have the puck and reliable defending his zone. His small-area game is very strong as well. He has the creativity to spin off checks in tight quarters and take the play to the net or distribute. His quickness will have to improve but this is a nice find for Stars director of scouting Joe McDonnell.
ROUND 7
No. 225: Ivan Zhigalov, Colorado Avalanche
A tall (6-foot-3), lean (167 lbs.), athletic goalie who plays for Sherbrooke in the QMJHL. He was the last pick of the draft and might, literally, fly under the radar as a bit of an after thought but I actually like the upside of this selection. Zhigalov has quick feet and pads, he’s capable of making reaction saves in scramble mode and he’s a south paw who catches with his right hand, which gives opponents a different look when directing pucks on net.
Former NHL goalie Jocelyn Thibault is the owner of the team in Sherbrooke, so I’m sure the Avalanche consulted with him to get some more background on Zhigalov.
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This concludes the scouting cycle for the 2021-2022 season.
There was a time when staffs took time off following the draft to enjoy what summer has to offer. That’s not the case any longer.
Prospects from around the world will be attending development camps starting Sunday July 10 and Monday July 11 for all NHL clubs.
The 2022-23 amateur scouting calendar begins July 31 in Red Deer, Alberta at the annual Hlinka/Gretzky Cup.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.
The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.
The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.
Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.
The final is scheduled for Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
