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.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points in a record-setting performance and the Sacramento Kings beat the Toronto Raptors 122-107 on Wednesday night.
Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season for Sacramento. He shot 6 for 6 from the field and 5 for 5 at the free-throw line.
Keegan Murray chipped in with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and De’Aaron Fox scored 21.
The 35-year-old DeRozan has scored at least 20 points in each of his first eight games with the Kings, breaking a franchise mark established by Chris Webber when he reached 20 in his first seven games with Sacramento in 1999.
DeRozan spent the past three seasons with the Chicago Bulls. The six-time All-Star also has played for Toronto and San Antonio during his 16-year NBA career.
RJ Barrett had 23 points to lead the Raptors. Davion Mitchell scored 20 in his first game in Sacramento since being traded to Toronto last summer.
Takeaways
Raptors: Toronto led for most of the first three quarters before wilting in the fourth. The Raptors were outscored 33-14 in the final period.
Kings: Fox played strong defense but struggled again shooting from the floor as he is dealing with a finger injury. Fox went 5 for 17 and just 2 of 8 on 3-pointers. He is 5 for 25 from beyond the arc in his last three games.
Key moment
The Kings trailed 95-89 early in the fourth before going on a 9-0 run that gave them the lead for good. DeRozan started the spurt with a jumper, and Malik Monk scored the final seven points.
Key stat
Sabonis had the eighth game in the NBA since at least 1982-83 with a triple-double while missing no shots from the field or foul line. The previous player to do it was Josh Giddey for Oklahoma City against Portland on Jan. 11.
Up next
Raptors: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, the third stop on a five-game trip.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps are one win away from moving on to the next round of the Major League Soccer playoffs.
To get there, however, the Whitecaps will need to pull off the improbable by defeating the powerhouse Los Angeles FC for a second straight game.
Vancouver blanked the visitors 3-0 on Sunday to level their best-of-three first-round playoff series at a game apiece. As the matchup shifts back to California for a decisive Game 3 on Friday, the Whitecaps are looking for a repeat performance, said striker Brian White.
“We take the good and the bad from last game, learn from what we could have done better and go to LAFC with confidence and, obviously, with a whole lot of respect,” he said.
“We know that we can go there and give them a very good fight and hopefully come away with a win.”
The winner of Friday’s game will face the No. 4-seed Seattle Sounders in a one-game Western Conference semifinal on Nov. 23 or 24.
The ‘Caps finished the regular season eighth in the west with a 13-13-8 record and have since surprised many with their post-season play.
First, Vancouver trounced its regional rivals, the Portland Timbers, 5-0 in a wild-card game. Then, the squad dropped a tightly contested 2-1 decision to the top-seeded L.A. before posting a decisive home victory on Sunday.
Vancouver has scored seven goals this post-season, second only to the L.A. Galaxy (nine). Vancouver also leads the league in expected goals (6.84) through the playoffs.
No one outside of the club expected the Whitecaps to win when the Vancouver-L. A. series began, said defender Ranko Veselinovic.
“We’ve shown to ourselves that we can compete with them,” he said.
Now in his fifth season with the ‘Caps, Veselinovic said Friday’s game will be the biggest he’s played for the team.
“We haven’t had much success in the playoffs so, definitely, this is the one that can put our season on another level,” he said.
This is the second year in a row the Whitecaps have faced LAFC in the first round of the playoffs and last year, Vancouver was ousted in two straight games.
The team isn’t thinking about revenge as it prepares for Game 3, White said.
“More importantly than (beating LAFC), we want to get to the next round,” he said. “LAFC’s a very good team. We’ve come up against them a number of times in different competitions and they always seem to get the better of us. So it’d be huge for us to get the better of them this time.”
Earning a win last weekend required slowing L.A.’s transition game and limiting offensive opportunities for the team’s big stars, including Denis Bouanga.
Those factors will be important again on Friday, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini, who warned that his team could face a different style of game.
“I think the most important thing is going to be to match their intensity at the beginning of the game,” he said. “Because I think they’re going to come at us a million miles per hour.”
The ‘Caps will once again look to captain Ryan Gauld for some offensive firepower. The Scottish attacking midfielder leads MLS in playoff goals with five and has scored in all three of Vancouver’s post-season appearances this year.
Gearing up for another do-or-die matchup is exciting, Gauld said.
“Knowing it’s a winner-takes-all kind of game, being in that kind of environment is nice,” he said. “It’s when you see the best in players.”
LAFC faces the bulk of the pressure heading into the matchup, Sartini said, given the club’s appearances in the last two MLS Cup finals and its 2022 championship title.
“They’re supposed to win and we are not,” the coach said. “But it’s beautiful to have a little bit of pressure on us, too.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
Each PWHL team operated under its city name, with players wearing jerseys featuring the league’s logo in its inaugural season before names and logos were announced last month.
The Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens will start the PWHL’s second season on Nov. 30 with jerseys designed to reflect each team’s identity and to be sold to the public as replicas.
Led by PWHL vice-president of brand and marketing Kanan Bhatt-Shah, the league consulted Creative Agency Flower Shop to design the jerseys manufactured by Bauer, the PWHL said Thursday in a statement.
“Players and fans alike have been waiting for this moment and we couldn’t be happier with the six unique looks each team will don moving forward,” said PWHL senior vice president of business operations Amy Scheer.
“These jerseys mark the latest evolution in our league’s history, and we can’t wait to see them showcased both on the ice and in the stands.”
Training camps open Tuesday with teams allowed to carry 32 players.
Each team’s 23-player roster, plus three reserves, will be announced Nov. 27.
Each team will play 30 regular-season games, which is six more than the first season.
Minnesota won the first Walter Cup on May 29 by beating Boston three games to two in the championship series.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
