TORONTO — The last time William Nylander killed penalties, it was quite possibly a form of punishment.
“It was during practice [last April] in Vancouver, the day after I missed that [team] meeting,” Nylander recounted on Saturday, ahead of Toronto’s final preseason game against Ottawa. “I don’t know [if those were related], but it had been awhile since I’d done it before that; I couldn’t tell you when.”
Nylander won’t have that problem anymore. The Maple Leafs’ winger has gone from punishment to promotion, being groomed to take a bigger role on Toronto’s penalty kill for the coming season.
Coach Sheldon Keefe has been ruminating on the idea since Toronto’s first-round playoff exit last May. He broached the topic with Nylander then and was met with enthusiasm, which Keefe is pleased to see bleeding into Nylander’s preparation for the gig.
“I think he’s been great; he’s embraced it,” Keefe said. “When I spoke with him about it, he had no doubts and no questions, he was ready go. He’s been attentive in the meetings, he’s asked questions. So it’s been really good. These are the kind of things that pre-season is for. Once we get rolling here in the regular season, we’ll see how it all shakes out.”
To Nylander, the appeal of killing penalties is that it translates to more ice time. He’s motivated by guys like Mitch Marner who are able to stay engaged throughout games by virtue of appearing on both the power play and penalty kill.
“I’ve always thought that it would be good, especially when there’s a lot of PKs in game,” Nylander said. “It’s good to get out there to get the legs going and get moving versus sitting on the bench for an extended period of time. And you’re trying to keep the puck out of the net too, which is the most important thing. I was happy that they brought it up. I’m looking forward to it.”
Keefe has been a party to Nylander’s development since the winger came to North America, coaching him with the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies from 2014-16, before taking over the Leafs’ bench in 2019. So Keefe knew from watching Nylander’s evolution last season that he was ready for more responsibility.
“I feel like he took big steps in terms of his attention to detail defensively, and his play without the puck in general,” Keefe said. “He was consistently more competitive on the puck, and then you see his skill set within that – he’s strong, he’s quick, he’s got good instincts, he’s got a really good stick to pick off pucks, and of course he’s dangerous in transition. So we’ve just seen some growth in him, and when we see growth in a player, we feel like his role needs to grow as well to reflect that.”
The Leafs’ penalty kill is also going through a period of overall transformation, starting with its structure. Gone is former coach Dave Hakstol, who ran that unit the last two seasons, and his replacement Dean Chynoweth has implemented a fresh philosophy. The hope is that Chynoweth can guide the Leafs’ penalty kill to more consistent success than it had last season, when Toronto finished 24th (78.5 per cent) overall shorthanded.
Alex Kerfoot previously described Chynoweth’s vision for the penalty kill as, “if we’re going to get beat, we’re going to get beat throughout aggressiveness, not passiveness.” To make that work, the Leafs will need a stable of players available to contribute.
“The way we want to kill penalties this season is going to require a lot more pressure, which is going to take a lot more more energy from [individuals],” Keefe said. “So we’re going to need more guys to do it. We’ve got a lot of different options there, we’ve got different people that could contribute there at different times. We’re trying to give ourselves as many opportunities [as possible] to utilize the lineup and the depth in different situations and it’s a competition for those positions as well.”
Keefe identified Ondrej Kase and Auston Matthews as other new players he’d like to see killing penalties this year. Kase has gotten some reps already in the preseason, and if Matthews hadn’t missed so much time rehabbing a wrist injury, he would have been involved in a similar capacity from the get-go.
It’s all part of Keefe’s plan to maximize the Leafs’ best talents.
“Maybe there’s an endless string of penalties and you don’t want your players sitting for too long and you want to get them out there feeling comfortable,” Keefe said. “So we just have this opportunity [in preseason] to gain that confidence that they can do it, and that the coaches believe in them. I think that’s a really healthy thing for our team.”
Nylander is certainly all-in on the assignment, and ready to test his skills in a regular season game. Toronto has been approved to house a capacity crowd for the home opener at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday, and there’s nothing Nylander would like more than to show off the fruits of his recent efforts.
I’ve been wanting to get going for real since camp started,” he said. “So it’ll be nice to get going with the fans and everything back, it’s going to be a good time. I feel pretty good. But camp is camp, and preseason is preseason. Now I have to translate that into [what’s next].”
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
