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Plenty of skill and depth in full 2020 NHL Mock Draft – TSN

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After the New York Rangers do the expected by taking Alexis Lafreniere with the first-overall pick of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, our final 31-team mock draft has Sudbury Wolves centre Quinton Byfield going next to the Los Angeles Kings.

Byfield’s size (6-foot-4 1/4 and 215 pounds) is such an important part of his game – not only from a skill point of view, but in his ability to impact the game in all its areas. His completeness and competitiveness stand out in his 200-foot game and he has the tools to develop into a two-way star centre in the mould of Anze Kopitar.

The Ottawa Senators’ first of two top-five picks starts with German pivot Tim Stutzle at No. 3. He’s a dazzling and creative centre with an array of skills that allow him to impact the game at a significant manner. Stutzle is immediately dangerous to opponents when he has the puck and reminds me of Blackhawks sniper Patrick Kane.

The Sens then go with winger Lucas Raymond, a player with a sublime and stealth skill set. His hockey sense is two-to-three steps ahead and he also has a lot of creativity to make different sorts of plays. He has the makings of a No. 1 playmaking right winger in the mould of Mitch Marner.

The Winnipeg Jets have the 10th overall pick and take hometown boy Seth Jarvis, whose playing style is comparable that of Tampa Bay playoff hero Brayden Point. The Portland centre finished second in WHL scoring with 42 goals and 98 points in 58 games, won league most sportsmanlike player honours and earned a place on the Western Conference first all-star team.

With the 14th overall selection, the Edmonton Oilers snap up 67’s winger Jack Quinn. The best goal-scorer in the draft, Quinn went from 12 goals in his rookie season to 52 in 2019-20. One thing to keep in mind: If the highly- outed Yaroslav Askarov were somehow to fall this spot, I would have Edmonton choosing the Russian goaltender.

The Kasperi Kapanen trade to Pittsburgh gave the Toronto Maple Leafs the 15th overall pick and I’m going with Brandon’s Braden Schneider, a competitive right-shot defenceman in the mould of Jacob Trouba. If Toronto decides not to go for a blueliner, edgy two-way Brandon centre Ridly Greig would be a good fit. His comparable? Ex-Leaf Nazem Kadri.

At No. 16, the Montreal Canadiens take Chicoutimi Sagueneens winger Dawson Mercer – an all-around force who won’t just score goals, but set them up as well. If the native of Bay Roberts, Nfld., were to be drafted by Montreal, it would be the second straight year a Newfoundlander is picked No. 16, following in the skateprints of St. John’s native Alex Newhook, who was selected by Colorado.

The Calgary Flames are at No. 19 and I like them picking Halifax defenceman Justin Barron. He brings heady play, puck-moving skills and a good all-around game. He missed three months of the 2019-20 season with a blood clot and returned to play seven games before the pandemic pause. He will have the opportunity to play two more games before Tuesday’s draft, with the Mooseheads playing back-to-back today and Saturday against Cape Breton.

The Senators round out the Canadian teams in Round 1 with their third pick and take German winger John-Jason Peterka. He’s smart, can skate and is always in the right spot at the right time to produce offence. He can also fit seamlessly in multiple situations with different players.

Check out our full 31-team final mock draft below:

NYR 1. Alexis Lafreniere Rimouski (QMJHL) LW 52 35 112
LA 2. Quinton Byfield Sudbury (OHL) C 45 32 82
Ott 3. Tim Stutzle Mannheim (DEL) C/LW 41 7 34
Det 4. Jamie Drysdale Erie (OHL) D 49 9 47
Ott 5. Lucas Raymond Frölunda (SHL) RW 33 4 10
Ana 6. Jake Sanderson USA U-18 (USHL) D 47 7 29
NJ 7. Cole Perfetti Saginaw (OHL) C/LW 61 37 111
Buf 8. Marco Rossi Ottawa (OHL) C 56 39 120
Min 9. Anton Lundell HIFK (SM Liiga) C 44 10 28
Wpg 10. Seth Jarvis Portland (WHL) C 58 42 98
Nsh 11. Yaroslav Askarov St. Petersburg (VHL) G 18 2.45 .920
Fla 12. Kaiden Guhle Prince Albert (WHL) D 64 11 40
Car 13. Alexander Holtz Djurgårdens (SHL) LW 35 9 16
Edm 14. Jack Quinn Ottawa (OHL) RW 38 52 89
Tor 15. Braden Schneider Brandon (WHL) D 60 7 42
Mtl 16. Dawson Mercer Chicoutimi (QMJHL) C/RW 42 24 60
Chi 17. Hendrix Lapierre Chicoutimi (QMJHL) C 19 2 17
NJ 18. Jacob Perreault Sarnia (OHL) RW 57 39 70
Cgy 19. Justin Barron Halifax (QMJHL) D 34 4 19
NJ 20. Dylan Holloway Wisconsin (NCAA) C/LW 35 8 17
CBJ 21. Ridly Greig Brandon (WHL) C 56 26 60
NYR 22. Connor Zary Kamloops (WHL) C 57 38 86
Phi 23. Tyson Foerster Barrie (OHL) RW 62 36 80
Wsh 24. Jeremie Poirier Saint John (QMJHL) D 64 20 53
Col 25. Brendan Brisson Chicago (USHL) C 45 24 59
StL 26. William Wallinder  MoDo (SWE J20) D 37 5 24
Ana 27. Helge Grans Malmo (SWE J20) D 27 4 27
Ott 28. John-Jason Peterka Munich (DEL) LW 42 7 11
VGK 29. Ryan O’Rourke Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) D 54 7 37
Dal 30. Rodion Amirov Ufa (KHL) LW 17 10 22
SJ 31. Jan Mysak Hamilton (OHL) C/LW 22 15 25

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After 20 years at the top of chess, Magnus Carlsen is making his next move

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STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — Few chess players enjoy Magnus Carlsen‘s celebrity status.

A grand master at 13, refusing to play an American dogged by allegations of cheating, and venturing into the world of online chess gaming all made Norway’s Carlsen a household name.

Few chess players have produced the magical commodity that separates Norway’s Magnus Carlsen from any of his peers: celebrity.

Only legends like Russia’s Garry Kasparov and American Bobby Fischer can match his name recognition and Carlsen is arguably an even more dominant player. Last month, he beat both men to be named the International Chess Federation’s greatest ever.

But his motivation to rack up professional titles is on the wane. Carlsen, 33, now wants to leverage his fame to help turn the game he loves into a spectator sport.

“I am in a different stage in my career,” he told The Associated Press. “I am not as ambitious when it comes to professional chess. I still want to play, but I don’t necessarily have that hunger. I play for the love of the game.”

Offering a new way to interact with the game, Carlsen on Friday launched his application, Take Take Take, which will follow live games and players, explaining matches in an accessible way that, Carlsen says, is sometimes missing from streaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch. “It will be a chiller vibe,” he says.

Carlsen intends to use his experience to provide recaps and analysis on his new app, starting with November’s World Chess Championship tournament between China’s Ding Liren and India’s Gukesh Dommaraju. He won’t be competing himself because he voluntarily ceded the title in 2023.

Carlsen is no novice when it comes to chess apps. The Play Magnus game, which he started in 2014, gave online users the chance to play against a chess engine modeled against his own gameplay. The company ballooned into a suite of applications and was bought for around $80 million in 2022 by Chess.com, the world’s largest chess website.

Carlsen and Mats Andre Kristiansen, the chief executive of his company, Fantasy Chess, are betting that a chess game where users can follow individual players and pieces, filters for explaining different elements of each game, and light touch analysis will scoop up causal viewers put off by chess’s sometimes rarefied air. The free app was launched in a bid to build the user base ahead of trying to monetizing it. “That will come later, maybe with advertisements or deeper analysis,” says Kristiansen.

While Take Take Take offers a different prospect with its streaming services, it is still being launched into a crowded market with Chess.com, which has more than 100 million users, YouTube, Twitch, and the website of FIDE the International Chess Federation. World Chess was worth around $54 million when it got listed on the London Stock Exchange.

The accessibility of chess engines that can beat any human means cheating has never been easier. However, they can still be used to shortcut thousands of hours of book-bound research, and hone skills that would be impossible against human opponents.

“I think the games today are of higher quality because preparation is becoming deeper and deeper and artificial intelligence is helping us play. It is reshaping the way we evaluate the games,” especially for the new generation of players, says Carlsen.

At the same time, he admits that two decades after becoming a grand master, his mind doesn’t quite compute at the tornado speed it once did. “Most people have less energy when they get older. The brain gets slower. I have already felt that for a few years. The younger players’ processing power is just faster.”

Even so, he intends to be the world’s best for many years to come.

“My mind is a bit slower, and I maybe don’t have as much energy. But chess is about the coming together of energy, computing power and experience. I am still closer to my peak than decline,” he said.

Chess has been cresting a popularity wave begun by Carlsen himself.

He became the world’s top-ranked player in 2011. In 2013, he won the first of his five World Championships. In 2014, he achieved the highest-ever chess rating of 2882, and he has remained the undisputed world number one for the last 13 years.

Off the table, chess influencers, like the world No. 2, Hikaru Nakamura, are using social media to bring the game to a wider audience. The Netflix series “The Queen’s Gambit” burnished chess’ unlikely cerebral sex appeal when it became one of the streamer’s biggest hits in 2020.

And in 2022 Carlsen’s refusal to play against Hans Niemann, an American grand master, who admitted to using technology to cheat in online games in the past, created a rare edge in the usually sedate world of chess. There is no evidence Niemann ever cheated in live games but the feud between the pair propelled the game even further into public consciousness.

Whether chess can continue to grow without the full professional participation of its biggest celebrity remains to be seen.

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Top figure skaters ready to hit the ice at Skate Canada International

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Canadian pairs team Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps along with ice dancers Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier headline a strong field at Skate Canada International. The Canadians say they’re excited to perform in front of a home crowd as the world’s best figure skaters arrive in Halifax. (Oct. 24, 2024)

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Nico Echavarria shoots another 64 to lead the Zozo Championship by 2 shots after the second round

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INZAI CITY, Japan (AP) — Nico Echavarria shot a 6-under 64 on Friday — matching his 64 on Thursday — to lead by two shots over Taylor Moore and Justin Thomas after the second round of the Zozo Championship in Japan.

Thomas shot 64 and Moore carded 67 with three others just three shots off the lead including Seamus Power, who had the day’s low round of 62 at the Narashino Country Club.

Thomas has twice won the PGA Championship but is winless in two years on the PGA Tour.

Eric Cole (67) and C.T. Pan (66) were also three behind heading to Saturday.

Nick Taylor, of Abbotsford, B.C., is the top Canadian at 5-under and tied for 16th.

Ben Silverman, of Thornhill, Ont., is two shots back of Taylor and tied for 31st.

“I’ve never had a lead after 36 holes,” said Echavarria, a Colombian who played at the University of Arkansas. His lone PGA win was last year in Puerto Rico.

He had a two-round total of 12-under 128.

“I’ve had it after 54, but never after 36, so it’s good to be in this position. There’s got to be some pressure,” he added. “Hopefully a good round tomorrow can keep me in the lead or around the lead. And how I said yesterday — the goal is to be close with nine holes to go.”

Rickie Fowler, a crowd favorite in Japan because of his connections to the country, shot 64 to go with an opening 68 and was four shots back going into the weekend. Max Greyserman was also four behind after a 68.

“It would be amazing to win here,” said Fowler, whose mother has Japanese roots. “Came close a few years ago.”

Fowler tied for second in 2022

Fowler described his roots as “pretty far removed for Japan, but I’m sure I have relatives here, but I don’t know anyone. Japanese culture’s always been a fairly big part of life growing up. I always love being over here.”

Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama shot his second 71 and was 14 shots off the lead.

Defending champion Collin Morikawa shot 67 and pulled within eight shot of the lead, and Xander Schauffele — British Open and PGA winner this season — shot 65 and was 10 behind after a 73 on Thursday.

“I feel like I’ve got a good game plan out here,” Morikawa said, another player with Japanese connections. “I just have to execute shots a little better.”

“I am the defending champ, but that doesn’t mean I’m immediately going to play better just because I won here,” he added. “It’s a brand new week, it’s a year later. I feel like my golf game is still in a good spot. I just haven’t executed my shots. When that doesn’t happen it makes golf a little tougher.”

Schauffele turned 31 on Friday and said he was serenaded before his opening tee shot. He also has ties to Japan. His mother grew up in Japan and his grandparents live in the Tokyo area.

“Nice way to spend my 31st birthday,” he said.

___

AP golf:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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