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Toronto FC teenage forward Jayden Nelson continues to turn heads with Canada – The Globe and Mail

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Canada’s Jayden Nelson during the FIFA Under 17 World Cup Brazil v Canada match at Bezerrao Stadium, Brasilia, Brazil on Oct. 26, 2019.

SERGIO MORAES/Reuters

It’s been a dizzying ride of late for Jayden Nelson.

Last year, the young forward from Brampton, Ont., made his pro debut with Toronto FC 2, turned 17, represented Canada at the FIFA U-17 World Cup and was named Canadian Youth International Player of the Year. He kicked off 2020 by making his senior debut Jan. 7 and scoring his first goal three days later in a pair of 4-1 wins over No. 162 Barbados.

Nelson and 73rd-ranked Canada faced No. 39 Iceland in an international friendly Wednesday at Irvine, Calif.

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The Canadian men, who currently stand seventh behind No. 69 El Salvador in CONCACAF, are looking to pick up FIFA ranking points in their bid to crack the top six in the region by the close of the June international window.

The top six in CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean, will advance to the Hex – the most direct route of World Cup qualifying out of the region.

Nelson acknowledges he has felt nerves during his rapid rise – a lot has happened since he attended his first Canadian youth camp in 2016. But his confidence has grown in meeting the challenges along the way.

“To be honest, everything is moving really fast right now,” he said in an interview from California. “But I take it step by step and just remain humble and work hard every day.”

Nelson, who turned 17 on Sept. 26, replaced Jay Chapman in the 67th minute in the Jan. 7 game to become the third-youngest player to debut for Canada (behind Domenic Mobilio and Alphonso Davies).

Three days later, Nelson came off the bench in the 59th minute and opened his senior account in the 86th minute after an errant clearance by the Barbados goalkeeper gave the teenager an open net to shot at from just outside the penalty box.

“First goal, second cap. I was just honoured to score for Canada,” he said.

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It was a far cry from the emotions he felt stepping on the Canada training field for the first time in a group that included Samuel Piette and Manjrekar James.

“I was nervous because growing up I’d seen them playing on the national team,” Nelson said. “It was kind of a surreal feeling – playing with them on the same pitch. But after I got into it, they welcomed me with open arms.”

Canada coach John Herdman continues to live up to his mantra when choosing talent – if you’re good enough, you’re old enough.

Nelson, who joined the Toronto FC academy in 2017, made his pro debut for Toronto FC 2 on April 6 against Orlando City B and appeared in 14 games last season. He has yet to appear for the first team although he has trained with them and will likely do so again when preseason starts next week.

While Jacen Russell-Rowe, a fellow highly touted TFC academy prospect, recently committed to the University of Maryland, Nelson plans to remain at TFC and go the pro route.

Nelson played at the 2017 CONCACAF Boys’ Under-15 Championship and then helped Canada qualify for the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil later that year with five goals in six games at the CONCACAF U-17 Championship.

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He started all three games at the FIFA U-17 World Cup against Brazil, Angola and New Zealand and was named man of the match against New Zealand.

“I learned a lot from that tournament. A lot of learning experiences within each game,” he said.

“It was a great experience overall,” he added. “Tournaments like that really help players grow into the future, to be able to go to camps like these and perform well.”

His preferred position is left wing, although he likes to roam inside. Nelson is a shifty player with great vision, happy to take players on and dip into his bag of tricks when needed.

On and off the pitch, Nelson is easy to spot with a shock of hair usually bursting out of a headband and sometimes sporting colour. Some have dubbed him the Canadian Valderrama after former Colombia playmaker Carlos Valderrama.

“I’ve always had it. That’s my trademark,” Nelson said of his wild hair.

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Is it easy to look after, he was asked?

“No. But it’s worth having, it’s worth going through all the hard work,” he replied with a chuckle.

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Toronto Maple Leafs: Treliving Hiring Shows Shanahan's Incompetence – Editor in Leaf

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The problem isn’t that Brad Treliving is the newest GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but instead, it’s Brendan Shanahan’s explanation of it.

As previously mentioned, Brad Treliving is a good executive with a long hockey career, but he never should have been hired as the Toronto Maple Leafs GM.

Reports already indicate that the core-four will  remain the same next year, which is fine, but why hire someone new if they’re going to do the same thing and not at least scare the roster that they could be moved?

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A new GM is supposed to ignite change and bring a new approach to the game. It’s not someone who’s just going to re-do the job that Kyle Dubas just did.

When Shanahan fired Dubas, he wanted someone who had experience, which is what Treliving brings, but it’s not like he has a ton of winning experience. He’s never been to a Stanley Cup Finals before and only advanced to the second round twice in nine years in Calgary, so what’s really the difference between him and Dubas?

Nothing, at least not in terms of experience or success.

The only difference is that Shanahan is a bitter old-man who was scared that the young buck in Dubas was getting too much attention and that he might take his job one day.

Toronto Maple Leafs: New GM Brings Nothing Different From Dubas

If you look across the league, it’s crazy how much esteem Dubas has. By the way Shanahan described Dubas during his firing, it’s like he was only in the league for 10 minutes and didn’t have the respect of his peers.

Shanahan’s statement was actually hilarious when you compare his words to what other people have said about Dubas. Here’s what Shanahan said during his press conference:

“Treliving earned tremendous respect during his time in the NHL and built excellent relationships … We are confident that Brad’s leadership and strategic vision will elevate the Maple Leafs in our continued pursuit of a championship.”

As for Dubas, if you read Pierre LeBruns’ article in The Athletic last week, the same words were essentially said about him, here are some quotes from that article:

For example:

  • Jarmo Kekalainen (Columbus Blue Jackets): “I have the utmost respect for Kyle, both as a professional and as a person. He’s always a straight shooter to deal with. No bulls—. Just an all-around really good person and a professional. All our discussions were straightforward and analytical. I think he has a very thorough approach to everything; you have to be prepared when you talk to him because he’s going to look at things from every angle. I have a lot of respect for him.”
  • Bill Zito (Florida Panthers) : “Obviously, a very bright man. And a guy that I have a lot of faith in his character. He’s a guy you could do a deal with. And if it wasn’t papered, you could tell the (player) go ahead get on the plane. As an agent, we used to say if you did a deal with a GM and you didn’t have a contract back yet, would you send your player on the plane? That’s a level of respect I have for Kyle’s integrity. Obviously, I’m very fond of him. I think he did a hell of a job there.”
  • The GMs of Nashville, Tampa and Edmonton were all quoted as saying really nice things about him as well.

All of these old-school and experienced GM’s said nothing but great things about Dubas, yet the Leafs didn’t want him. They explained all of the attributes that Shanahan wanted in a GM, yet they decided to move on and hire Treliving instead.

Shanahan took a bitter approach and gassed one of the most thoughtful and intelligent hockey minds of this generation and instead hired a guy who hasn’t doesn’t seem to be an improvement in any way.

No disrespect to Treliving because I think he’s going to do a fine job, but the explanation of Dubas’ firing gets dumber with every second and continues to show the incompetence of Shanahan as the President of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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How much are Stanley Cup Final tickets? – ESPN – ESPN

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The Stanley Cup Final will return to Las Vegas and South Florida for the Florida Panthers vs. the Vegas Golden Knights. For fans of the Knights, who reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2018, tickets to the first two games at T-Mobile Arena are a bit cheaper this time around.

The average price for a ticket to Game 1 is $763, according to Vivid Seats data. In 2018, during the franchise’s first trip to the Final, the average was $1,062. That was the highest in recent years for a team making its Final debut or returning after a long drought. Last year’s Game 1 between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche had an average price of $1,052. The Avalanche, who hosted Game 1, were playing their first Final game since 2001. When the St. Louis Blues hosted their first Final game in decades in 2019, the average was $869.

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For Saturday’s opening game, the lowest-priced available ticket is going for $405 on the Knights’ website, while TickPick lists a no-view, standing room only ticket for $311. The most expensive ticket is $9,750. These prices don’t reflect taxes or fees.

For Game 3, the Panthers’ first Stanley Cup Final home game since 1996, the average price for a ticket at FLA Live Arena is $628, according to Vivid Seats. At Ticketmaster, the Panthers’ ticket-seller, the lowest-priced ticket is $538. The most expensive ticket is reselling for $9,000 before taxes and fees. The average price for Game 4 is a bit higher at $689.

If the series goes to seven games, fans might need some extra casino winnings to get into the arena. Prices via the Knights’ website range from about $900 to $25,000.

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NBA Finals Takeaways: Nuggets’ stars show they’re ready for biggest stage – Sportsnet.ca

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