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An often forgotten part of the NHL Draft is that teams usually like to make their picks based on positional needs or continue their reputation of drafting players with similar traits. Montreal taking French-Canadians was one example of a reputation-based drafting style. More recently, Detroit selected Moritz Seider sixth overall in the 2019 draft, not because he was the best player available, but because he was arguably the best left-handed defenseman on the board. This happens every year with drafting, and often results in angered fans for ‘not picking the right player’. So as we move towards the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, which teams selectionsRead More →

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As we’re around the halfway point in most of the world’s ice hockey leagues, it’s the perfect time to take a look at some of the standout prospects who’ve been impressing so far:  Connor McMichael, C London Knights (OHL) Drafted 25th Overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2019 Draft. Embed from Getty Images Bar any hyperbole, Connor McMichael may be the best drafted prospect as of right now. His current statline is almost unrealistic, with a staggering 30 goals in 30 games, and 66 points in total. As someone who I had consistently ranked in the top-12 for the 2019 Entry Draft, I can’tRead More →

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With some time off over the holidays, it can be difficult to get back into the rhythm of things in 2020. For some, that means forgetting your pants on your way to work. Canada are World Junior Championship Gold Medalists! Outside of that, who were the standouts of the tournament? Was it the officials? Speaking of officiating, John Tortorella has some big issues with how the NHL timekeepers functioned as his Columbus Bluejackets lost out an a win and got Joonas Korpisalo injured thanks to them. Was his anger justified? The 2020 All Star Game selections are announced, and are highlighted more by those whoRead More →

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Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella has fallen out with the NHL again. His expletive filled tirade after the Jackets’ shoot-out loss to Chicago has already hit headlines. If you’re not familiar with the reason for this, it’s because Columbus’ game winning goal was ruled no good as the buzzer had already sounded to end overtime. However there was an infraction prior to this and Tortorella argues that not enough time was added back in. Had that extra second been added then the goal would have stood. Instead the game went to a shoot out and Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo was hurt while blockingRead More →

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The world of sports lends itself to all manner of water cooler debate: Which player would you rather have? Who’s the greatest of all time? How exactly are the Patriots cheating this week? And if you could change one rule, what would it be? Generally speaking the NHL’s done a decent job with theirs. You may get the odd fan grumbling about a puck over the glass resulting in a delay of game infraction or the infamous instigator rule, but by and large, it’s not a book fans want totally rewritten. However, if there’s one rule the NHL has right now that’s so incredibly irritatingRead More →

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The current state of hockey in the Motor City is bleak, the Detroit Red Wings have taken just 17 points from 32 games. The season is still early, but it feels like 2019-20 is shaping up to be one of Detroit’s worst. Which begs the question, what was the Red Wings’ worst NHL season? And how do you measure this? Embed from Getty Images The NHL has changed a lot in the time that the Wings have won their 11 Stanley Cups, but one thing is consistent; if you’re not winning games, you’re not winning cups. To that end, lets use win percentage as ourRead More →

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The 2020 NHL Draft is one of the strongest we have seen in years, and of course, is topped off by Alexis Lafreniere. What those who don’t look in-depth into this class may not realize is how deep this draft is as well. Let’s take a look at some potential ‘under-the-radar’ players in the upcoming entry draft.   Marat Khusnutdinov, C 5’9” / 165 lbs. SKA-1946 St. Petersburg / MHL My December Rank: 10 (Crazy, I know) When I get asked about my favorite players in this draft, Marat Khusnutdinov is always one of the first names that comes to mind. Looking at the smallRead More →

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The first quarter of the NHL season for the Buffalo Sabres has been a rollercoaster ride to say the least. With a new head coach (Ralph Krueger) with limited NHL experience, who could predict realistically how the team would start. Despite added defenders, the forward group was largely the same. Fans were excited with the their ability to win games off the hop but I feel most involved in the world of advanced stats saw the Sabres coming down to Earth. Embed from Getty Images Winning only one game in the month of November, how will Jason Botterill, as well as the coaching staff, rightRead More →

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Cherrygate may have dominated headlines and water-cooler talk across Canada (at least until some dude in Toronto also got fired for unrelated shortcomings), but the dust has mostly settled and watching all this from the sidelines has gifted Alex and Mike a different perspective on the whole kerfuffle. Alex: European; lives in Canada Now for all you kids out there who don’t know me- I was not born in the Great White North nor did I grow up playing the great game on ice with my buddies. Originally, I was born in the hockey free Winchester, England a town which didn’t celebrate legends such asRead More →

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As the 2019-2020 season begins to unravel, we will be graced with our fair share of on ice events. We’ll see the All Star game in St. Louis, plenty of throwback and alternate jersey nights across the league, and the Winter Classic in Dallas, Texas. The latter has been rapidly growing in popularity over the years, and we get a taste of what this years outdoor excursion will look like.   Background The Nashville Predators will appear in their first NHL Winter Classic along side fellow first timer, the Dallas Stars. The Predators revealed their tarp that takes us back to a time where onlyRead More →