CAROLINA HURRICANES NEWS CLIPPINGS September 6, 2018 - NHL.com
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CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • September 6, 2018
Is it possible to have too many good defensemen? Canes may have to figure that out.
By Brett Haensel “I’m just trying to get comfortable as quick as I can,” Hamilton
said. “I don’t know who I’m going to play with or whatever,
After an eventful summer of roster moves, the Carolina but it doesn’t really matter because I think we have so many
Hurricanes have found themselves with a depth chart loaded good guys. We’ll see how it plays out in training camp, but
with talented defensemen. it’s not up to us to make those decisions.”
With the additions of Dougie Hamilton and Calvin de Haan Slavin was handed a seven-year, $37.1 million deal just a
and a lack of a trade involving Justin Faulk, the Hurricanes year ago -- a long-term commitment Carolina likely would not
have seven quality players to fill six main defensive spots. have made if it didn’t envision him eating up ice time for
While a good problem to have, coach Rod Brind’amour will years to come.
still need to figure out what he is going to do with his extra Pesce, a third-round pick for the Canes in 2013 and still just
blue liner. 23 years old, has played 216 games for the team over the
“You keep seven or eight [defensemen] on your roster past three years. Van Riemsdyk, who won a Stanley Cup
anyway, but it’ll be an open competition for sure,” with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015, was acquired via trade
Brind’amour said at the Hurricanes’ media day. “I think it’s before last season. He stepped in and played 79 games for
great to have competition all the way up your lineup. Carolina and assisted on a career-high 13 goals.
Everyone’s got to earn their spot, and that’s what training The youngest of the bunch is Fleury, who at just 22 years old
camp is going to be all about.” still remains a part of the Canes future. Carolina’s seventh
As Brind’amour mentions, the Canes can keep more than six overall pick in the 2014 draft, Fleury got his first NHL action a
defenders on their roster and even dress seven if they want, year ago, appearing in 67 games.
but NHL teams typically play a rotation of three different “I knew going into the summer that I had to put in a lot of
defensive pairs on the blue line. Currently, one of Carolina’s hard work, and I had to lose some body fat percentage and
seven talented defensman would be left out of that rotation. lose some weight,” Fleury said. “I lost close to 15 pounds, so
In addition to Hamilton, de Haan and Faulk, the Canes’ I’m feeling really good about myself. I put in the work, and
roster features Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Trevor van the confidence came with that.”
Riemsdyk and Haydn Fleury -- all played in at least 65 Injuries, Brind’amour noted, may make the decision of who to
games for Carolina a season ago. play much easier, as he mentioned that Pesce had already
The Canes remain committed to each of their seven had “some health issues” over the summer.
defensive options in some way. Hamilton was acquired from There also remains a chance that Faulk will be traded, even
the Calgary Flames at the expense of former fixtures in the with training camp set to start in just over a week.
Hurricanes lineup Elias Lindholm and Noah Hannifan
(Carolina’s lone representative in the 2018 NHL All-Star As of now though, there remain seven talented and
Game), while de Haan was given a four-year, $18.2 million experienced defensemen and just six starting spots.
deal by the Canes over the summer.
“We’ve got a pretty good group to choose from,” Brind’amour
Both are already proven commodities and seem unlikely to said. “[We have] some pretty nice options, so we’ll see how it
be benched in favor of one of the other options, open all shakes out. We’ll get through training camp and then
competition or not. make those decisions on everybody.”
CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • September 6, 2018
Hurricanes to start training camp on Sept. 14
a.m. with Team Grind to follow at 10:45 a.m. The two teams
The Carolina Hurricanes have announced the schedule for will alternate practice times each day.
their first training camp with Rod Brind'Amour as head
coach. The Canes open exhibition play with back-to-back games
against the Tampa Bay Lightning with the first game taking
The first practice will be Friday, September 14 at 8:45 a.m. place at Amalie Arena in Tampa on Sept.18 at 7:30 p.m.
All sessions will be held at PNC Arena in Raleigh. Carolina hosts the Lightning on Sept. 19 at 7 p.m. at PNC
The Canes will practice every day from Sept. 14-17 at 8:45 Arena.
a.m. and 10:45 a.m. The Canes play six exhibition games before their regular
The players will be divided into two groups: Team Grit and season opener at home versus the New York Islanders on
Team Grind. Rosters for those teams will be announced October 4 at 7 p.m.
later. For the first practice, Team Grit will take the ice at 8:45
2018 Canes Media Day: New Voices and New Leaders
This season’s media day marked a new look and a new After signing in Raleigh on the first day of free agency last
beginning in Hurricanes history. What does the future hold summer, Mr. Game 7 pronounced that the Carolina
for the retooled squad? Hurricanes were done losing. They weren’t, but it was
through no fault of his.
By Andrew Ahr
A lot has changed in the year since Williams made a return
This season’s media day was one of new beginnings. It to the colors he lifted his first of three Stanley Cups in. The
marks the first such gathering of the Tom Dundon era and franchise was sold. The team parted ways with a general
the first with Rod Brind’Amour as the locker room leader. It’s manager, then did likewise with a coach. They traded away
a new era of Carolina Hurricanes hockey, and it was ushered two 5th overall draft picks, said goodbye to a franchise goalie
in by new voices. of 14 seasons, and shipped out a big time goal scorer in Jeff
One of those new voices, Jordan Martinook, described the Skinner. Quite a ride.
Canes as a very fast team who are tough to keep up with. “I The Ron Francis era in Carolina was defined by a slow,
was actually surprised to kind of see where they ended up methodical rebuild. That rebuild came to a head last season,
last year,” said the former Arizona Coyotes forward. and it blew up in spectacular fashion. But the effects of the
The team’s most outspoken envoy, Justin Williams, echoed Francis process were evident at media day yesterday, as
Martinook’s sentiment. “I think that we underacheived last Williams talked about Sebastian Aho having no ceiling. We
year, I thought that we were better than where we ended up,” saw the Francis era in one of the best prospects in hockey,
said Williams. “But at the end of the day it doesn’t matter.” Martin Necas, as he talked about his outstanding prospect
camp performance with the Hurricanes and his aspirations to
And he’s right, it doesn’t matter; you are what your record make a crack at the NHL lineup. And in a way, we felt the
says you are. But that’s a tough pill to swallow for Hurricanes effects of Francis’ calculated tenure as GM when we talked
fans who were sold on real playoff hopes a season ago. to Necas’ new roommate, and another one of the NHL’s top
“The good news is I know we’re going to have a really good prospects, Andrei Svechnikov.
team. I’m not going to sit here and make promises, but all I But the Francis era is over, and so is the rebuild.
know is we have a really, really good team,” Williams said
with a laugh. The attention has shifted from one franchise legend to the
next, as Rod Brind’Amour is now in the Hurricanes spotlight.
Brind’Amour has always been a leader by example, and itCAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • September 6, 2018
appears that he’s already made a good impression on his view mirror now. The Hurricanes have a lot of new exciting
players. Haydn Fleury spoke of needing to keep up with the voices in the room: Calvin de Haan, Svechnikov, Dougie
man known in his playing career as “Rod the Bod,” saying “If Hamilton, the list goes on.
we can be close to him, we’ll be good.”
But we’ve had excitement in Raleigh before. This team has
Martinook was appreciative of his head coach, who once something to prove.
was a similar newcomer to the area, as he handles his own
uprooting and relocation from Arizona to North Carolina. “For And no one knows that better than Justin Williams, who said,
him to be able to relate to the things that I’m going through at “Words are just words. We’ve gotta go out there and earn
the time was really nice to see.” this area’s time back and turn this into a hockey town yet
again.”
Last season was a colossal dissapointment. Chalk it up to
what you may, but the players have firmly put it in the rear
State of the Franchise: Lots of buzz and lots of skepticism as Hurricanes struggle to return
to relevance
By Scott Burnside discussion if they live up to their pre-NHL hype. But the
biggest question facing the Hurricanes and their bid to return
For a team that hasn’t had a sniff of the playoffs since 2009, to relevance is what happens between the pipes.
the longest current drought in the NHL, there seems to be a
surprising amount of buzz surrounding the Carolina A year ago Francis, in a move that likely hastened his
Hurricanes heading into the 2018-19 season. Maybe it’s the departure from the franchise, rolled the dice and signed free
change in ownership that saw firebrand Texas businessman agent netminder Scott Darling to a four-year, $16.6-million
Tom Dundon take over the team midway through last season deal after Darling showed great promise in Chicago filling in
and toss hockey convention aside in the process. Whether it for an injured Corey Crawford. It was a disaster. Darling
was his handling of the internal structure of his team first wasn’t in great shape to start with and couldn’t find the right
banishing Hall of Fame player turned GM Ron Francis to the mindset to be a starter and were it not for the play of
sidelines and then overseeing his departure from the longtime Carolina netminder Cam Ward, who earned the
organization entirely or moving on from head coach Bill bulk of the starts as the Hurricanes made a late if
Peters or repatriating former Atlanta GM Don Waddell who unsuccessful push to the playoffs, the season would have
had been the head of the business side of the Carolina been a complete write-off.
operation (and still is by the way) as the team’s GM when
attempts to lure other candidates fell apart there has been no Darling won just 13 of 40 games he started turning in an .888
shortage of news surrounding the Hurricanes. save percentage and 3.18 GAA. There was some discussion
about an offseason trade or buying Darling out of the final
Longtime player and assistant Rod Brind’Amour, one of the three years of his deal but the decision was made, in large
most popular players in franchise history, will take over as part due to the economics, to give Darling another shot and
head coach his first such assignment and, oh yeah, there according to officials in the organization he has worked
was a blockbuster deal that saw the Hurricanes acquire top diligently to come to camp both mentally and physical ready
defenseman Dougie Hamilton and a separate deal that saw to put last season behind him. The Hurricanes took a run at
the team part ways with former rookie of the year Jeff Washington netminder Philipp Grubauer but Grubauer ended
Skinner. There is also the sense this season represents the up in Denver and so the ‘Canes brought in Petr Mrazek to
writing on a fresh page with the arrival of two top-tier back up Darling. If Darling can’t answer the bell then Mrazek
prospects in number two overall pick Andrei Svechnikov from will get a chance to prove he’s a legitimate starter something
June’s draft and center Martin Necas, both of whom are he couldn’t do consistently in Detroit and briefly in
expected to make an immediate and of course long-term Philadelphia where he finished last season after being
impact on the franchise. acquired by the Flyers at the trade deadline. His 3.22 GAA
and .891 save percentage down the stretch in Philadelphia
So there’s no shortage of storylines in Raleigh this fall. Does suggests that if it’s not Darling it’s bust in Raleigh.
it all coalesce into a renaissance season for a team that won
a Stanley Cup in 2006 but has managed just one playoff Still, given the impressive depth along the Carolina blueline
appearance (that in 2009) since? Read on friends. especially with the addition of Hamilton in the big trade at the
draft in Dallas, if Darling elevates his game even marginally
Biggest on-ice question this is a team that should go from 22nd in goals allowed per-
Lots of moving parts with the Hurricanes including how game to middle-of-the-pack and that might be enough to get
talented youngsters Necas and Svechnikov adjust to life as them into the postseason.
NHLers. The team’s plan to return to the playoffs depends on Big question part deux
a significant contribution offensively from these two high-end
rookies both of whom figure to be in the Calder TrophyCAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • September 6, 2018
Brind’Amour is one of the most respected figures in the signed last offseason to return to Carolina where he won a
game and has become something of an institution in Raleigh Cup in 2006. Brock McGinn also brings skill to the top-nine
having arrived via a blockbuster trade for Keith Primeau back wing group and Valentin Zykov will look to jump into that top-
in 2000. He’s never left and now moves from an assistant’s nine group as well with Saku Maenalanen looking like he’s
role to being the big boss behind the bench. He will got NHL tools. It’s likely McGinn, Wiliams and Staal will
command a high level of accountability and that was a key spend some time playing together. Lucas Wallmark and
factor in the trade of Skinner in the offseason. Does Janne Kuokkanen will also get a long look in training camp
Brind’Amour’s abundance of experience both as a player and and could see some time with the big club this season.
as an assistant coach make for an easy transition? The
simple answer should be yes. And with a staff that includes Defense: This group might be the most talented, well-
former AHL coach (and Brind’Amour’s teammate in Carolina) balanced group ever in Carolina and that includes the Cup-
Jeff Daniels, newly added Dean Chynoweth who replaces winning team of 2006. With the addition of Hamilton, who
Steve Smith who left the team late in the summer and Mike has four straight seasons of 40-or-more points (including a
Bales who joins as goaltending coach, if the ‘Canes once 50-point campaign two seasons ago), the ‘Canes might be
again fall out of the playoff picture if won’t be for lack of as deep down the right side as anyone in the league with
preparation. Hamilton, Brett Pesce and Justin Faulk. The Hurricanes also
added veteran free agent defenseman Calvin de Haan who
Depth chart analysis looks to line up with Faulk while Hamilton is likely to play with
Jaccob Slavin. That would leave either Trevor van Riemsdyk
Center: There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to the or Haden Fleury on the left side to play with Pesce although
Carolina forward corps especially with Skinner off to Buffalo it’s easy to see Pesce jumping past Faulk on the depth chart
and Elias Lindholm gone to Calgary as part of the Hamilton on the right side and spend time playing with Slavin as a
deal. If we use the domino imagery it starts with the potential second pairing.
move of Sebastien Aho to center.
Goal: As noted so much is riding on Darling’s ability to
The team’s top point-producer with 65 and top goal-scorer bounce back from last season’s debacle and if he fails, for
with 29 played center for Finland at the World Mrazek to step into the breach. Darling, 6-foot-6, showed in
Championships and Brind’Amour is thought to want to take a Chicago during the 2016-17 season when he turned in a
look to see if Aho could move to the middle for the ‘Canes. If .924 save percentage in 32 appearances, that he has tools
he does, it creates a center lineup that looks like this; Aho, to be ‘the man.’ Now he has to prove he has the mental
Jordan Staal, rookie Necas and Victor Rask although Rask is toughness to go with the physical attributes. It’s not a stretch
probably better suited to playing up the lineup. What is more to suggest this is a make-or-break season for the Illinois
likely is that Aho stays on the wing and continues to play with native.
Teuvo Teravainen with Necas getting a chance to play with
the two gifted wingers. Special teams
It’s hoped Staal will bounce back from a difficult season on There’s no getting around the fact this team has to be better
and off the ice and certainly has 20-plus goal potential as on special teams as they finished 22nd on the power play
well as continuing to assume top defensive assignments. If and 24th on the penalty kill, which is part of the reason the
needed Jordan Martinook, acquired in the offseason from ‘Canes did not crack the top eight in the Eastern Conference.
Arizona, can move to center on the fourth line although he’s Not nearly good enough. Can one of the game’s greatest
likely better suited on the wing. Necas is the key moving two-way centers, Brind’Amour, bring about the needed
forward for the ‘Canes as far as their center depth. The 12th change especially on the PK? One assumes that’s one of the
overall pick in 2017 has oodles of talent and a big upside. reasons that he’s behind the bench in his first head coaching
role. And certainly the skill level up front with Necas,
Wings: Speaking of upside, the player everyone is watching Svechnikov, Staal, Williams and Ferland should produce a
not just in Carolina but across the NHL is Svechnikov who in power play that settles into the top half of the NHL in terms of
any other year might have gone first overall were it not for efficiency.
uber Swedish defensive prospect Rasmus Dahlin. Buffalo
took Dahlin with the first pick in the June draft and Carolina In the pipeline
did not flinch in taking the big right wing with the second pick.
He’s expected to make the team out of camp and already The Hurricanes slotted into the fourth spot in our own Corey
has a polished look about him that bodes well for a Carolina Pronman’s league-wide assessment of prospect talent.
team that parted ways with another talented but one- That’s pretty darned good because, well, Pronman is pretty
dimensional forward in Skinner. darned good at what he does. Here’s a look at some players
that could be moving through the Hurricanes’ pipeline in the
Svechnikov is expected to play in the top-six although it’s a coming months and years and whose presence suggests a
crowded group with the addition of Micheal Ferland from bright future in North Carolina.
Calgary. The tough-as-nails Ferland also has nice offensive
skills and is coming off a career-best 21 goals with Calgary Goal: Drafted out of Kingston of the Ontario Hockey
where he played often with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean League, Jeremy Helvig, the 6-foot-4 native of Markham,
Monahan on Calgary’s top line. He might be a nice fit with Ontario, has shown he can handle a heavy workload. Now
Svechnikov and/or Necas providing some cushion for the can he translate his game to the pro level? Carolina hasn’t
young talents. There’s also veteran playoff money man had a legitimate homegrown goaltending prospect crack the
Justin Williams now in the second of a two-year deal he lineup since Cam Ward and we don’t need to tell you how
long ago that was. (Okay, we’ll tell you, Ward was a rookieCAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • September 6, 2018
when he won a playoff MVP award for the ‘Canes in 2006). neither of whom could be brought under contract, for Ferland
Scouts have high hopes for the big netminder. and Hamilton and Fox.
Defense: The Hurricanes may have gotten their defenseman Sure, the return on Skinner was underwhelming (prospect
of the present in Hamilton this summer but the same deal Cliff Pu and a second, third and a sixth round draft pick) but
may have also secured their defenseman of the future the player controlled his own fate with a no-trade clause and
in Adam Fox. Scouts love Fox and his physical presence and as noted Skinner simply didn’t fit into the ‘Canes’ long-term
maturity. He’s not far away and the fact the Hurricanes are plans as he headed in the final year of his current contract
rock solid in terms of their defensive depth at the NHL level which carries a $5.725 million cap hit and wasn’t considered
means Fox won’t have to be rushed. Luke Martin and Roland defensively strong enough to play against other team’s top
McKeown also bear watching. players. It will be interesting to watch and see what unfolds
with Faulk who has this year and next left on his current deal
Center: Nicholas Roy is a big, right-handed center who and was in play during the draft period but who in all
enjoyed a strong season in Charlotte in his first taste of pro likelihood settles in as the team’s third-pair right-handed
hockey. This followed up a stellar junior career which defenseman. Ferland, Martinook and Williams are all
included a trip to the World Junior Championships in his final entering their contract years.
season. With a little more speed and quickness and another
year of seasoning under AHL coach Mike Vellucci on what Final analysis
should be once again a very good, deep Charlotte team the
6-foot-4 Roy has a good shot at being a regular NHLer. Pierre LeBrun always accuses me of having Stockholm
Syndrome whenever I spend more than five minutes with any
Wing: Julien Gauthier is another big man looking to build on particular player or team. Fair enough. And we’ve spent a lot
his experience in the AHL. At 6-foot-4 he needs to take a of time in Raleigh over the years and were granted access to
step forward this season after a 16-goal campaign in his first the team’s pre-draft meetings in Dallas so we have a pretty
as a pro. Looking for a dark horse? Spencer Smallman good understanding of how far this team has fallen since
missed most of last season with a shoulder injury but those halcyon days in 2006 when they were the kings of the
according to one scout he’s a real high character guy with hockey world and how much anticipation there is for the
the kinds of intangibles that could pave a way to the NHL. coming season and seasons. We get that lots of folks are
quietly hoping that the Hurricanes struggle if for no other
Salary cap reason than to put Dundon in his place. But let’s remember
Not a huge surprise but the historically frugal ‘Canes aren’t this; the old ways weren’t working in Carolina and haven’t for
anywhere near the salary cap and in fact have committed a long time. It’s Dundon’s team. His money. He can run it
just over $60 million in salary against the expected $79.5 how he sees fit. And if he’s trying to cut corners in some
million cap. If Dundon is good to his word that he will spend areas at least give him credit for having made moves that
money to put a winning team on the ice, that means if should improve this team’s on-ice performance including
Carolina is in the hunt they could be buyers instead of the okaying the Hamilton deal when it was clear they weren’t
perpetual sellers they’ve been for most of the last decade. going to re-sign Lindholm or Hanifin and for agreeing to
Lots of eyebrows were arched when Waddell was brought jettison Skinner even though the external optics didn’t look
over from the business side to head up the management great. And there is lots to like about this team especially on
team which includes veteran talent evaluator (and former the back-end and with the influx of young talent up front. Is it
colleague in Atlanta where Waddell was the team’s only GM) too much to expect this team to be this year’s Colorado or
Rick Dudley and former agent Paul Krepelka. But Waddell New Jersey, jumping out of the wilderness and into the
has acquitted himself well getting out from under Marcus playoffs? Not if Darling plays the way he did in Chicago. And
Kruger’s salary and adding the useful Martinook and then really, is there a market that deserves some unexpected
moving Lindholm and young defenseman Noah Hanifin, good news more than the Caniacs in Raleigh?
Pronman: Most intriguing prospect to watch at camp for every NHL team
By Corey Pronman his talent level, I’ll be looking to see if he can take that next
step.
With NHL training camps opening next week, I’ll be
discussing one young player from each team who I’ll be Arizona: Nicholas Merkley, RW
watching closely. This is not pointing out who the team’s top
prospect is, but rather who is interesting to me, for one Dylan Strome is the AHL player who will get the most
reason or another. discussion and deservedly so from this organization, but
Merkley is very intriguing. I liked him a lot when I watched
Anaheim: Jacob Larsson, D Tucson last season, and he has the indicators to be
someone who surprises early on in training camp. He’s very
Larsson made some noise when he briefly made the Ducks skilled and works hard. Even if a scoring role isn’t open in
out of camp in 2016, but since then he’s faded into the Arizona, he might be versatile enough even at his size to
background a bit. He’s still a good player. He’s mobile and play lower in a lineup.
had two-way ability, but he wasn’t perfectly healthy last
season in the AHL and he hasn’t been a true top player at Boston: Jack Studnicka, C
the pro level. He may not be NHL ready yet but for a guy withCAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • September 6, 2018
I don’t expect Studnicka to make the Bruins; it’s quite enough to be a legit top four in the NHL or is he more in the
unrealistic at this stage of his development, but I know a lot four-to-six range? I think he could be that next level player
of scouts who go to bat hard for him. He’s impressed me but I’ve only seen it in flashes. He has the makeup of a pro to
whenever I’ve watched him in the OHL and at the U20 level, make noise in camp.
and he was quite good at B’s camp last year. The question
will be how close is he, and as a player with a high hockey Columbus: Jonathan Davidsson, RW
IQ who can play a strong two-way game, how well does his Internally in the Blue Jackets’ organization there seems to be
game translate to the pro level. a lot of optimism about Davidsson. Their GM Jarmo
Buffalo: Alexander Nylander, LW Kekalainen has said he could make the team this season.
Other NHL scouts I’ve asked about him are less optimistic,
While most of the Buffalo camp attention will deservedly be even while admitting he is skilled and a good player. Thus, I
on Rasmus Dahlin and Casey Mittelstadt, nobody’s will be very interested to see which player shows up: is it the
progression is more critical at this moment than Nylander, good, not great one from his teenage years, or has he really
who has not progressed as quickly at the AHL level as some taken a major step forward?
may have hoped after he was a top 10 pick two summers
ago. Getting stronger and quicker over the summer will be Dallas: Adam Mascherin, LW
important for him, and he needs to show he’s more than just Mascherin became a storyline after he and the Florida
a skilled player but one who can win battles versus men. Panthers could not come to terms on a contract, and the
Mittelstadt and Dahlin have spots secured in likely prominent former high second-round pick re-entered the draft, picked
roles. Nylander still has a lot more to prove. again in the fourth-round by Dallas. He’s got big-time skill
Calgary: Andrew Mangiapane, LW and scoring ability, but scouts have major concerns on his
skating and compete level, especially for his size. This
The big battle to watch in Flames camp will be on defense, combination of attributes combined with him putting up huge
with Rasmus Andersson, Oliver Kylington and Juuso numbers in the OHL, being small and the contract dispute
Valimaki all vying for a spot. But Mangiapane is the most has led to him being a divisive prospect. The question then
intriguing prospect for me. He’s was passed over at the for Mascherin, who signed shortly after being drafted, is can
draft and just continued to produce. At the AHL level last his game translate to the pro level or will something like his
season, he was very good. It’s not just production, he has skating get exposed?
legit NHL tools despite his size, and I think he has a chance
to score as a pro. He’s continued to trend up and prove Detroit: Joseph Veleno, C
people wrong, so I wouldn’t be shocked if he had a big camp. Michael Rasmussen, Filip Zadina, and Filip Hronek are the
Carolina: Morgan Geekie, C Wings’ top prospects with realistic chances of making the
opening day roster. The reason I’m mentioning Veleno is due
Geekie in all likelihood won’t be in the NHL this season and to the fact he slid on draft day over concerns about his
there are guys with more headline intrigue in Carlolina. offensive potential, with many scouts I’ve talked to labeling
Lucas Wallmark and Valentin Zykov are vying for spots, and him a third-line center at best. I think there’s a little more
the team has first-round picks in Julien Gauthier and Jake there, though. He’s shown it to be in flashes, and he’ll have a
Bean at the pro level. Geekie is intriguing to me because chip on his shoulder after what’s transpired in the summer.
he’s fallen under the radar a bit, despite the fact he’s big, I’ll be curious to see if he can light the lamp a few times in
skilled and has produced very well at the junior level. He’s the preseason.
got the tools to succeed and he might need AHL time, but I
wouldn’t be shocked if he outlasted one of Carolina’s big Edmonton: Ethan Bear, D
names. Andrej Sekera’s injury and the Oilers’ constant search for
Chicago: Carl Dahlstrom, D good defensemen despite trading the league MVP for one
puts Bear in prime position to have a big camp and push his
A lot of Chicago’s top prospects are younger and thus a bit way onto the Oilers’ roster. He had a very good rookie pro
away from NHL time, so the guys to watch are from last season and looked OK when called up. The big thing for him
year’s Rockford team and Dahlstrom was one guy who will be if he can skate at the NHL level and if he showed any
consistently caught my eye. He’s never going to fool you for improvement in that area over the summer.
an impact guy, his offense is mediocre at best, but he’s big
and mobile, and I think he has the skillset to play NHL Florida: Owen Tippett, RW
minutes. He’s getting up there in age, though, so it’s now or You couldn’t find anyone around the Panthers team last fall
never for the former second-round pick in 2013. to say a negative thing about their 2017 first-round pick, as
Colorado: Conor Timmins, D he made the team, albeit briefly, and looked dynamic during
camp. However, after being sent back to the OHL, Tippett
Timmins garnered a lot of attention last season between his was very good but didn’t dominate as expected. He was a
play in the OHL and the World Junior Championships, and a somewhat surprising cut from Canada’s U20 camp in
lot of scouts I know are big fans. He’s not a flashy speed/skill December and a lot of scouts don’t have much time for his
player, but just very smart at both ends. I’m curious how well compete level. He has a lot to prove, but there’s a chance he
that translates immediately to playing versus men. Can he breaks doors down and makes the team again.
keep up with the NHL pace with his skating? Can he make a
skilled play to get out of trouble? Can he impact a game Los Angeles: Daniel Brickley, DCAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • September 6, 2018
Often college and major junior free agent signings can be a New York Rangers: Brett Howden, C
lot of hype without much actual impact. Brickley was
considered one of the top NCAA free agents of the past few The Rangers’ rebuild is under way and it’s expected their top
years, but there hasn’t really been much to show from those prospects like Filip Chytil and Lias Andersson will both make
top names, so it’s natural to presume he won’t be much of the team and potentially play notable roles right away.
anything. I’m not going to say Brickley is a top-four lock by Howden is the most interesting one to me, though, given he
any means — he’s not — but I think he could play and play could go a lot of ways. One of the main pieces they got at the
right away for the Kings with a good camp. He’s big, smart trade deadline last season, Howden doesn’t have a ton of
and has good touch with the puck. If he shows he’s quick flash in his game, but he’s produced well at various levels
enough to keep up with the NHL pace, I think he adds to that and coaches tend to like him a lot. He may not be NHL ready
team. yet, but the question I have on him given his advanced two-
way play is how close is he.
Minnesota: Mason Shaw, C
Ottawa: Alex Formenton, LW
Shaw was injured in the Traverse City rookie tournament last
year, tearing his knee and missing the entire 2017-18 Formenton surprised people a bit with making the Senators
season. He returns to the tournament now to reboot his (albeit very briefly) out of their training camp last season after
hockey career. I liked him a lot during his junior career, as a being a second-round pick and one of the youngest players
skilled and highly intelligent forward. He’s never been the in the 2017 draft. He had a good, albeit not great, season
quickest, so it will be interesting to see how much if any between the OHL and world juniors, and a strong U20
speed he’s lost from the knee injury. The Wild are short on summer camp, so I don’t think he’ll catch people by surprise.
prospects who can help soon, and he probably won’t but Reasonable expectations are he returns for one more junior
he’d be among the top names in the next wave. season, but people around junior hockey have speculated he
might be good enough to crack Ottawa’s roster, at least for a
Montreal: Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C trial period. He’s got elite speed and he’s been making more
plays in games I’ve been watching, so I’m not ruling it out.
This is a boring choice picking the recent third-overall pick,
but not a lot has been going right for the Habs lately and they Philadelphia: Carter Hart, G
need Kotkaniemi to go right. He’s been a hotly contested
name, as I’ve often heard people argue that the Habs went Expectations are sky high for Hart in Philadelphia after a
off the board for position (which I disagree with). A lot of eyes dominant WHL career and the very long need for stability in
will be on him to see how dynamic he is offensively and the Philadelphia net. Even the very best goalie prospects like
whether he can skate at the NHL level. He’s not expected to Andrei Vasilevskiy and John Gibson tend to need a year in
make the Habs, but he hopefully shouldn’t look far away. the AHL, and thus I expect Hart is sent down for a year at the
very least. But it will be interesting to see how well he does
Nashville: Eeli Tolvanen, RW early on in camp (with the caveat in mind that goalie
production can be very variable). Can he dominate a game
Tolvanen generated a ton of interest last season after he tore as a 20-year-old? How does his lack of great size impact his
up the KHL, especially doing so as an 18-year-old. He’s got play versus pro shooters, despite his elite IQ?
some big-time abilities, he’s very skilled, smart and has an
elite shot. That said, I know many NHL scouts who remain Pittsburgh: Daniel Sprong, RW
skeptical. They point out that he’s small and not a great
skater, and while he’s a good player, he might not be a true The Penguins’ farm system is very thin, and at the moment,
impact guy at the top level. Thus, how well he translates to it revolves around one name: Daniel Sprong. He’s got all the
the NHL will be intriguing. Can he continue to prove his tools you want in a top-six forward, but Pens coach Mike
doubters wrong, or will the major jump to the NHL be a little Sullivan was frustrated by his defensive play. Sprong’s ability
bumpy? to win over his coach’s heart will go a long way to getting
consistent ice time with the big club and that impression will
New Jersey: Joey Anderson, RW start in training camp. The Penguins need his scoring to
stretch out their depth, so hopefully this can be a happy
Nobody on New Jersey’s AHL team Binghamton really stood marriage.
out last season, so for any immediate help it might need to
come from a new crop of players. I’m not 100 percent sold St. Louis: Ville Husso, G
that Anderson is NHL ready, but I’ve learned never to bet
against him. He’s a highly intelligent player who competes There isn’t a lot of trust in Jake Allen at the moment, and
very hard and makes every coach fall in love with him. We’ll thus eyes are glancing down the depth chart to Husso to see
see what the Devils’ coaching staff thinks of him after his first if he can be a realistic option to play games this season. I
real NHL camp. think the answer is yes. Is he going to steal Allen’s job?
Maybe not right away, and he’ll start the year in the AHL, but
New York Islanders: Devon Toews, D I think he’s close enough to where his performance will be
watched closely all camp, and if he starts to make noise, you
The Islanders’ defense unit, well, isn’t exactly a strong part of start to wonder if the club has a quick trigger finger during
their team. Toews could provide some help, as he was one the season despite being ready to go into the year with Allen
of the top defensemen in the AHL last season when healthy. and Chad Johnson as their tandem.
I don’t expect the 24-year-old to be an impact player, but
he’s a mobile, smart, two-way defender who could be useful, San Jose: Jeremy Roy, D
and given where he is in his development, now is his time.CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • September 6, 2018
Sharks fans may roll their eyes at the mention of the scouting community and among fans about how good he
perpetually injured Roy, but he remains an intriguing player really is. He’s been good the past two seasons, albeit not
despite multiple serious knee injuries. He was playing very amazing, and his camp with Vancouver a year ago didn’t
well early in the AHL season before he was injured and inspire a ton of confidence. Thus, it leads to the question of
looked like a potential call-up. He seems ready to go again, can he turn impressions around starting next week?
and the question isn’t whether he can play but whether he
can stay on the ice. If the answer is yes, I think Sharks fans Vegas: Nicolas Hague, D
could be pleasantly surprised by what he does. I’m not a huge Hague fan. When I’ve seen him over the past
Tampa Bay: Gabriel Fortier, LW year, he hasn’t made a great impression on me, but I know
some scouts who are big backers and he was very good
After the draft, one of the names I got a lot of feedback on toward the end of the AHL season. I expect Vegas’ top
from scouts who disagreed with my evaluation was Fortier, prospects like Cody Glass will push for ice time, but the team
saying he’s much more skilled than I gave him credit for. I needs the most help is on defense, and it will be interesting
saw enough flashes from Tampa’s second-round pick in to see how close Hague is to playing in the NHL.
2018 to where I could have reasonably bumped him up a
little bit. I have no expectations he comes close to making Washington: Ilya Samsonov, G
the team in Tampa, but I am watching to see if he can make You may be aware, but I’m not a huge fan of the Capitals’
a little noise at camp. farm system, but the one big piece they have coming in
Toronto: Carl Grundstrom, LW Samsonov ought to make things quite intriguing in
Washington. He’s the best goalie outside the NHL and enters
Grundstrom had a good camp with Toronto last year, and a into a team situation with one of the best goalies in the NHL
very good showing with the Marlies when he came over late in Braden Holtby. Presuming the Caps don’t have high
last season. He’s a call-up option down the line rather than a expectations for Pheonix Copley, Samsonov has an
realistic opening day roster guy, but given his versatility, age opportunity to compete for NHL games and make for one of
and Mike Babcock’s praise for his play, he’s a guy worth the most fascinating goaltending tandems in the NHL.
monitoring at camp for Leafs fans to see how far along he is.
James Mirtle told me to tell all of you he’s likely to spend Winnipeg: Mason Appleton, RW
most of the season playing big minutes in the AHL. Appleton was one of the top forwards in the AHL last season
Vancouver: Olli Juolevi, D and, with Joel Armia in Montreal, there is a spot on the right
wing open for bidders. I’m 50-50 on whether Appleton will be
Expectations are that 2017’s fifth-overall pick, Elias ready for full-time NHL duty, but he’s close, and with his
Pettersson, will make the Canucks in a notable role, but it’s hockey sense, it’s possible he can make the jump sooner
the fifth-overall pick from 2016 in Juolevi whose camp will be than I thought. Between him and Sami Niku, Jets fans have
more interesting. He’s been a highly debated player in the reasons to be prospect watching at camp.
Carolina Hurricanes hilariously divide training camp into teams 'grit' and 'grind'
Kyle Cantlon As Emily Kaplan of ESPN noted, this is absolutely the most
hockey thing to happen maybe ever, but future clubs hoping
Hockey tends to take a lot of ribbing for some of the slang, to one day sit alongside the Hurricanes in preseason folklore
lingo and blanket cliches that plague NHL conversation and have a few options they can consider for their training camp
pressers on a near-nightly basis during the NHL season. splits.
And I can’t for the life of me figure out why. Team ‘200-foot-game’ and team ‘hard off the glass’ … team
The Carolina Hurricanes got an early jump on prepping their ‘time and space’ versus ‘pucks in deep … team ‘one shift at
players’ scripts for the upcoming campaign, splitting it’s a time’ against team ‘worst lead in hockey’ … team ‘earn
training camp groups into two teams named after a pair of your bounces’ versus team ‘we’re a team’ … so many
the most common, old-school Hockey Man terms that exist options for any organization brave enough to take on the
on the market today: grit and grind, baby! current GOAT of pre-season, spilt-squad roster naming
currently residing in Raleigh.CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • September 6, 2018
Prospects take spotlight at rookie tournaments
Sabres defenseman Dahlin, Hurricanes forward Svechnikov, Also, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders prospects
Canucks center Pettersson get first taste of NHL competition will play each other at Northwell Arena in East Meadow, New
York, on Sept. 12.
by Mike G. Morreale
Here are five questions to consider heading into this
Many top prospects looking to earn a spot on an NHL roster weekend:
this season, including Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus
Dahlin and Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov,
will be on display at various rookie tournaments beginning
Friday. Which United States-based NHL team has the strongest
group of prospects on paper?
In addition to players who already have been drafted, there
are undrafted prospects and tournament invites hoping to The Buffalo Sabres have four first-round picks: Dahlin (2018,
impress enough to earn an invitation to an NHL training No. 1) and forwards Alexander Nylander (2016, No. 8),
camp with a chance to make the team. Casey Mittelstadt (2017, No. 8) and Tage Thompson, chosen
No. 26 in the 2016 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues and
The tournaments traded to Buffalo as part of a package for forward Ryan
O'Reilly on July 1. Each will be on the ice at HarborCenter.
2018 NHL Prospects Showcase The Sabres could have as many as six first-round picks
Where: Germain Arena, Estero, Florida (Sept. 8-11) between the ages of 18 and 23 on their roster to open the
Teams: Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, season.
Washington Capitals
The Sabres also will have four second-round selections at
2018 Prospects Challenge the tournament: forwards Rasmus Asplund (2016, No. 33)
Where: HarborCenter, Buffalo (Sept. 7-10) and Eric Cornel (2014, No. 44), defenseman Brendan Guhle
Teams: Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, (2015, No. 51), and goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (2017,
Pittsburgh Penguins No. 54).
2018 Rookie Tournament Which Canada-based NHL team has the strongest group of
Where: Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary (Sept. 9), Enmax prospects on paper?
Centrium, Red Deer, Alberta (Sept. 12)
Teams: Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers The Ottawa Senators look to have a promising future based
on the number of high-end prospects participating in the NHL
2018 Vegas Rookie Face-off Rookie Showdown 2018. The roster consists of three first-
Where: City National Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada (Sept. 8- round picks, including forwards Colin White (2015, No. 21),
11) Logan Brown (2016, No. 11) and Brady Tkachuk (2018, No.
Teams: Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Colorado 4); seven prospects played for Belleville of the American
Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Vegas Hockey League last season.
Golden Knights
Forwards Drake Batherson (2017, No. 121), Alex Formenton
2018 Young Stars Classic (2017, No. 47), and Filip Chlapik (2015, No. 48), defensemen
Where: South Okanagan Events Centre, Penticton, British Christian Wolanin (2015, No. 107) and Christian Jaros (2015,
Columbia (Sept. 7-9) No. 139), and goalie Filip Gustavsson, acquired in a trade
Teams: Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets, University of with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 23, are high-end
Alberta, University of British Columbia prospects also looking to earn more time with the Senators
20th Traverse City Prospects Tournament sooner than later.
Where: Centre Ice Arena, Traverse City, Michigan (Sept. 7-
11)
Teams: Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Which two prospects not named Dahlin will generate a big
Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, following?
Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues
Forward Andrei Svechnikov of the Carolina Hurricanes at the
NHL Rookie Showdown 2018 Traverse City Prospects Tournament, and center Elias
Where: Place Bell, Laval, Quebec (Sept. 7-9) Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks at the 2018 Young
Teams: Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Stars Classic.
Maple LeafsCAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • September 6, 2018
Svechnikov, taken No. 2 in the 2018 draft, was considered Defenseman Alexander Alexeyev (2018, No. 31) is expected
by many the closest NHL-ready player after Dahlin. The 18- to return to Red Deer of the Western Hockey League for a
year-old was voted No. 1 in the best skater category and third season. He led all Red Deer defensemen with 37 points
second for best shot in the Ontario Hockey League Eastern (seven goals, 30 assists) in 45 games last season.
Conference coaches poll last season and led all OHL rookies
in goals (40), game-winning goals (six) and points (72) with Three prospects who could surprise:
Barrie last season. Troy Terry, F, Anaheim Ducks
Pettersson, chosen No. 5 in the 2017 NHL Draft, had 56 How acquired: Selected with No. 148 pick in 2015 NHL Draft
points (24 goals, 32 assists) for Vaxjo of the Swedish Hockey Terry (6-1, 175), who turns 21 on Sept. 10, was the second-
League to break a record set by Kent Nilsson (53 points in leading scorer for the United States at the 2018
1975-76) for most SHL points in a season. The 19-year-old PyeongChang Olympics with five assists in five games, and
also led the SHL playoffs with 19 points (10 goals, nine played two games with the Ducks at the end of last season.
assists) in 13 games, and was named top offensive player He had 48 points (14 goals, 34 assists) in 39 games as a
and playoff MVP for SHL champion Vaxjo. junior at the University of Denver last season before signing
Is there a prospect to keep an eye on who was chosen very his entry-level contract with Anaheim on March 26.
late in the NHL Draft? Cam Dineen, D, Arizona Coyotes
Liam Kirk, 19, became the first player born and trained in How acquired: Selected with No. 68 pick in 2016 NHL Draft
England to be chosen in the NHL Draft when the Arizona Dineen (5-11, 183), born in Toms River, New Jersey, ranked
Coyotes selected him in the seventh round (No. 189) in third among OHL defensemen with 20 goals and fourth with
2018. Kirk (6-foot, 160 pounds), who will participate in the 64 points playing for North Bay and Sarnia last season. The
Vegas Rookie Face-off, had 16 points (nine goals, seven 20-year-old is a gifted offensive defenseman, strong on the
assists) for Sheffield of the Elite Ice Hockey League in the power play, and extremely smart with the puck.
United Kingdom last season, the most points by an under-18
player in EIHL history. He'll make his North American debut Jordan Bellerive, C, Pittsburgh Penguins
this season when he plays for Peterborough (OHL). How acquired: Signed as free agent on Sept. 16, 2017
Bellerive (5-10, 195), 19, sustained burns to his hands and
upper body during a campfire accident June 15 and was
Who are the top prospects representing the Washington hospitalized for 12 days, but was in the gym the day after he
Capitals? got out, and began skating less than a month after that.
The Capitals have a bevy of talented players participating in Bellerive was not drafted but was invited to play for the
The NHL Prospects Showcase. Forward Shane Gersich Penguins at last year's Prospects Challenge, and led them
(2014, No. 134), defensemen Lucas Johansen (2016, No. with seven points (four goals, three assists). He led
28), Jonas Siegenthaler (2015, No. 57) and Connor Hobbs Lethbridge (WHL) in goals (46) and points (92) as its captain
(2015, No. 143), and goaltender Ilya Samsonov (2015, No. last season.
22) each is expected to vie for an NHL roster spot within the
next two seasons.
TODAY’S LINKS
https://www.newsobserver.com/sports/article217809070.html#storylink=cpy
https://www.wralsportsfan.com/hurricanes-to-start-training-camp-on-sept-14/17822020/
https://www.canescountry.com/2018/9/5/17821802/carolina-hurricanes-media-day-new-voices-new-leaders-jordan-
martinook-rod-brindamour-justin-williams
https://theathletic.com/501713/2018/09/06/state-of-the-franchise-lots-of-buzz-and-lots-of-skepticism-as-hurricanes-
struggle-to-return-to-relevance/
https://theathletic.com/506880/2018/09/06/pronman-most-intriguing-prospect-to-watch-at-camp-for-every-nhl-team/
https://sports.yahoo.com/carolina-hurricanes-hilariously-divide-training-camp-teams-grit-grind-015834535.html
https://www.nhl.com/news/oliver-ekman-larsson-believes-in-arizona-coyotes-future/c-299956258CAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • September 6, 2018
1103506 Carolina Hurricanes The youngest of the bunch is Fleury, who at just 22 years old still
remains a part of the Canes future. Carolina’s seventh overall pick in the
2014 draft, Fleury got his first NHL action a year ago, appearing in 67
Is it possible to have too many good defensemen? Canes may have to games.
figure that out. “I knew going into the summer that I had to put in a lot of hard work, and I
had to lose some body fat percentage and lose some weight,” Fleury
said. “I lost close to 15 pounds, so I’m feeling really good about myself. I
BY BRETT HAENSEL put in the work, and the confidence came with that.”
Injuries, Brind’amour noted, may make the decision of who to play much
easier, as he mentioned that Pesce had already had “some health
After an eventful summer of roster moves, the Carolina Hurricanes have
issues” over the summer.
found themselves with a depth chart loaded with talented defensemen.
There also remains a chance that Faulk will be traded, even with training
With the additions of Dougie Hamilton and Calvin de Haan and a lack of
camp set to start in just over a week.
a trade involving Justin Faulk, the Hurricanes have seven quality players
to fill six main defensive spots. As of now though, there remain seven talented and experienced
defensemen and just six starting spots.
While a good problem to have, coach Rod Brind’amour will still need to
figure out what he is going to do with his extra blue liner. “We’ve got a pretty good group to choose from,” Brind’amour said. “[We
have] some pretty nice options, so we’ll see how it all shakes out. We’ll
“You keep seven or eight [defensemen] on your roster anyway, but it’ll be
get through training camp and then make those decisions on everybody.”
an open competition for sure,” Brind’amour said at the Hurricanes’ media
day. “I think it’s great to have competition all the way up your lineup. News Observer LOADED: 09.06.2018
Everyone’s got to earn their spot, and that’s what training camp is going
to be all about.” 1103533 NHL
As Brind’amour mentions, the Canes can keep more than six defenders
on their roster and even dress seven if they want, but NHL teams NHL Seattle minority owners include Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer
typically play a rotation of three different defensive pairs on the blue line. and family of former Sonics owner
Currently, one of Carolina’s seven talented defensman would be left out
of that rotation.
In addition to Hamilton, de Haan and Faulk, the Canes’ roster features Geoff Baker
Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Trevor van Riemsdyk and Haydn Fleury -- all
played in at least 65 games for Carolina a season ago.
The Canes remain committed to each of their seven defensive options in A son of one of this city’s dynastic real estate families, David Wright says
some way. Hamilton was acquired from the Calgary Flames at the he’s seen firsthand how sports can bind a community together.
expense of former fixtures in the Hurricanes lineup Elias Lindholm and His father, Howard S. Wright, was an original Seahawks and Sounders
Noah Hannifan (Carolina’s lone representative in the 2018 NHL All-Star owner. Their family owns the Space Needle, towering over KeyArena
Game), while de Haan was given a four-year, $18.2 million deal by the where the SuperSonics won the city’s first major sports league
Canes over the summer. championship. And now, with an eye on combining all of those aspects
Both are already proven commodities and seem unlikely to be benched anew, in a remodeled arena and changed Seattle Center, David Wright
in favor of one of the other options, open competition or not. has become the lead representative of a group of local minority owners
for an expected National Hockey League expansion franchise.
“I’m just trying to get comfortable as quick as I can,” Hamilton said. “I
don’t know who I’m going to play with or whatever, but it doesn’t really “Our family being involved in owning the Space Needle — which gave us
matter because I think we have so many good guys. We’ll see how it access to Seattle Center — we think this is just a great legacy for our
plays out in training camp, but it’s not up to us to make those decisions.” city,’’ Wright said in an interview following a Wednesday press
conference at the Space Needle introducing the local ownership team.
Slavin was handed a seven-year, $37.1 million deal just a year ago -- a “And it’s a great opportunity here at Seattle Center.’’
long-term commitment Carolina likely would not have made if it didn’t
envision him eating up ice time for years to come. Wright will become vice-chairman of the Seattle Hockey Partners Group
— commonly known as NHL Seattle — that’s applied to purchase an
Pesce, a third-round pick for the Canes in 2013 and still just 23 years old, expansion team, where he’ll be a voice for the local owners.
has played 216 games for the team over the past three years. Van
Riemsdyk, who won a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in He and his brother, Jeff, managing partner at Chihuly Garden and Glass,
2015, was acquired via trade before last season. He stepped in and are two of seven members of a local group that includes current
played 79 games for Carolina and assisted on a career-high 13 goals. Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer, Chris and Ted Ackerley — whose
father was a longtime Sonics owner — Andy Jassy, CEO of AmazonCAROLINA HURRICANES
NEWS CLIPPINGS • September 6, 2018
Web Services and Jay Deutsch, CEO of Bensussen Deutsch & Wright said his role as vice-chairman of NHL Seattle has yet to be
Associates, a global leader in promotional merchandising and technology completely defined. But his presence could help shape the future of
solutions. Seattle Center and how it will look once the upgraded KeyArena facility
re-launches as the park’s main anchor.
They will own an as-of-yet undisclosed minority stake in the NHL
franchise, fronted by billionaire managing partner David Bonderman and “We did the public-private, two-way partnership with Chihuly Garden and
Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Bonderman, Bruckheimer, NHL Glass,’’ he said of his family’s deal with the Seattle Center attraction
Seattle CEO Tod Leiweke and Mayor Jenny Durkan will make an Oct. 2 adjacent the Space Needle. “And I foresee that as really the future of
presentation in New York to the NHL’s executive committee. Seattle Center being developed. These public-private partnerships.’’
After that, if their presentation meets approval, the full NHL board of Wright sees the NHL — and later NBA — potentially luring millions more
governors would vote in December in Florida on whether to award patrons annually to the public park and helping make it a far bigger city
Seattle an expansion franchise for $650 million to play at a remodeled asset than it already is.
KeyArena.
“I think it’s the heart of our city,’’ he said. “It’s a fabulous asset for the city.
The existence of Bonderman, a Boston Celtics minority owner, and now There’s been a lot of growth — not only business growth and population
the Ackerley brothers and others with connections to multiple sports moving downtown and living in the city. It’s got 74 acres in the heart of
within the NHL team’s ownership group is also a sign that a bid for an downtown Seattle. There’s bigger opportunity to come. It’s not developed
NBA franchise looms probable. to its full potential right now, but at a minimum it’s headed in the right
way.’’
Tim Leiweke, older brother of Tod and CEO of the Oak View Group
company spearheading a planned $700 million renovation of KeyArena, Seattle Times LOADED: 09.06.2018
said future NHL owner Bonderman made it clear his goal is also to bring
the NBA back. Leiweke lauded the local owner additions as key to 1103569 Websites
assuring the NHL team will stay rooted here as would any future NBA
squad.
The Athletic / Despite another knee surgery, Sharks star Joe Thornton
“We had enough relationships here where we understood how everyone still confident he can ‘dictate the play’
felt about losing a team,’’ Leiweke said of the Sonics departing for
Oklahoma City in 2008. “We don’t need to go into the reasons why, but
when you ask Mr. Bonderman why we brought in these partners, that’s
Kevin Kurz Sep 5, 2018 9
why we brought in these partners. It’s not going to happen again with this
team. It gives us a huge core of additional local owners and partners to
help us with the other challenges.’’
More than four months after the Sharks were eliminated by the Vegas
Leiweke added that, once landing the NHL team and completing the Golden Knights in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Joe
arena renovation, then “we have a great group of people that can turn Thornton maintains that he was very close to returning to the lineup on
their attention to seeing if there’s an opportunity in the other league.’’ his surgically repaired right knee that he hurt in late January.
Durkan said three separate agreements — for KeyArena development, Had the Sharks found a way to get past the expansion startup, that
an arena lease and the modified venue’s integration within Seattle Center familiar teal No. 19 sweater would have made an appearance.
— have been completed between OVG and the city and turned over to
the city council for consideration. “I was close. I was real close,” Thornton told The Athletic on Tuesday.
“Give me a little bit more time, I’d have played for sure.”
The council is expected to vote on ratifying the agreements Sept. 24
ahead of the NHL executive committee meeting. The Sharks lost that series in six games, though, so Thornton has had
much more time to recover from a completely torn ACL and MCL
Bonderman attended the press conference and reiterated his main suffered on Jan. 23 against Winnipeg when he collided with teammate
objective for now is the NHL franchise. He said adding local owners was Mikkel Boedker. In fact, Thornton has been able to follow what has been
a matter of “intelligence’’ above need, given his group isn’t lacking for his standard offseason routine for about a decade now — take a few
money. weeks off from skating when the season ends, get back on the ice in
Switzerland where he spends a good chunk of time with his family in the
“This is a Seattle-based team,’’ Bonderman said. “It’s all about Seattle,
offseason in mid-July, and return to Sharks Ice a few weeks before
the arena is all about Seattle.’’
training camp begins.
It’s also about taking advantage of their fields of expertise.
“Really just followed the same baseline as I’ve done with all my summer
Sounders owner Hanauer teamed with then-Seahawks president Tod training,” said Thornton, who has been skating in San Jose for about the
Leiweke to launch the Major League Soccer squad in 2009 and the pair past three weeks.
became best friends. Leiweke will look to ideas from Hanauer that have
That wasn’t the case last year, though, when Thornton was recovering
worked in growing the Sounders’ grassroots fanbase, while Hanauer will
from a torn ACL and MCL in the other knee. After getting hurt on April 2,
seek synergies — perhaps even partnering with any regional sports
2017, Thornton somehow managed to play just two weeks later,
network carrying the NHL squad — that can benefit his current MLS
appearing in the final four games of a six-game first round series loss to
team.
the Edmonton Oilers. It defied all logic that he was out there, as coach
Deutsch’s background will likely help the NHL team’s marketing launch, Pete DeBoer later described Thornton’s knee as “floating” in place due to
as will the Ackerley brothers’ experience in the media and entertainment the torn ligaments.
sector. Amazon executive Jassy’s tie-in prompted obvious questions
And Thornton is willing to admit now that the left knee injury not only
about whether the retail giant will seek naming rights or other
affected his offseason training in 2017, but carried over into the first few
sponsorship deals with the hockey team and arena — something that
months of the 2017-18 season, too. It was evident around mid-November
neither OVG nor NHL Seattle would answer Wednesday — while the
that he wasn’t moving around all that well, as Thornton attempted to play
Wright brothers’ connections to Seattle Center could provide help in
through a back injury that was surely related to the knee injury from the
future team business and revenue opportunities there.
previous April.You can also read
