Sabres rock: Roy, Vanek (Hecht, Connolly)

Treasure Hunting, the Hockey Edition

By Rob Aquino

03/16/06

The return of the NHL has, among other things, brought a renewed emphasis on offence back to the league. Over much of the past decade, most teams had (at best) one “scoring line” and after that would hope for the best – often throwing out “muckers and grinders” on the second and third lines, trying to bruise their way to a goal or two. The new crackdown on interference has obviously led to much more wide open hockey and as a result – more goals. Another meta-result is that we are seeing many teams with a deeper attack than we’ve seen recently – many teams’ second and third lines are seeing smaller and faster (read: more skilled) players take over jobs from the grinders because they finally have the freedom to skate. Over the next few columns we’ll slightly change the focus at Treasure Hunting and look closely at a few of these “deep” teams who are taking full advantage of the new rules, and who might be able to give your fantasy team some help in these final weeks of the regular season.

Buffalo is being called one of the biggest “surprise” teams of the league this year, likely because of where most national publications predicted them to finish – out of the playoffs. But the surprise factor is gone – this is one of the very elite teams in the entire league, having lost only seven times in regulation since mid-November. While they are a complete team in virtually every way, their offence is what has propelled them close to the top of the league standings. Much is made about Buffalo’s so-called lack of elite scorers – not listing anyone anywhere near the top 50 - but there are at least two reasons to dismiss that fact: first, the Sabres’ offensive production ranks fourth in the entire league – scoring almost three and a half goals per game – mostly due to their deep and talented roster, with no less than ten players with at least 30 points. Second, the Sabres played a healthy chunk of the season without arguably their three most talented offensive players – J.P. Dumont (seven goals in last ten games), Tim Connolly (six points in four games since his return), and Daniel Briere – three former first round picks who are now all back in the Buffalo lineup, giving them perhaps the most dangerous offence in the entire league. Briere is making a case for himself as one of the absolute elite forwards in the NHL – since his return from a serious abdominal injury he has totaled an amazing 16 points in just eight games. He’s the rare player that elevates the offensive game of everyone around him, and his linemates Dumont and Jochen Hecht have been reaping the benefits since his return, as has the entire team. In the eight games since the Olympic break, the Sabres have scored 40 goals. Healthy and ready for the playoffs, the Sabres’ diverse attack offers as many options as any team in the league.

Let’s look at a few players on Buffalo that may be available in your leagues and will definitely help your team.

Derek Roy, Center, Buffalo Sabres

Sabres center Derek Roy has been absolutely red hot lately. He has torched opposing goaltenders to the tune of eight goals in the last seven games, including two hat tricks within one week against the Leafs and Lightning (in that Tampa game alone he was a +5) and getting a big game-tying goal Tuesday night against Washington. More importantly for his career, he has also been gaining coach Lindy Ruff’s confidence – last week in that wild game against Tampa Bay both teams were exchanging goals at a rapid pace. It may have been a fun game for the fans but both teams were playing terrible defensively and there seemed to be no end to the goals – after the Sabres went up 6-5 late in the third, Ruff – wanting to shore up their defensive play – benched two of his better offensive players in Maxim Afinogenov and Thomas Vanek and double-shifted Derek Roy, putting him between power forwards Mike Grier and Paul Gaustad – he responded by breaking in alone on Sean Burke and scoring Buffalo’s seventh goal which effectively sealed the game (later getting the empty-netter to complete the hat trick).

Roy was a fantastic player in junior with the Kitchener Rangers, leading them to the Memorial Cup championship in 2003 and earning Most Valuable Player honors in the tournament. Overall in his four years with Kitchener he averaged nearly 37 goals per season and always playing with what I would describe as a barely-controlled aggressive passion. There was no questioning his talent at the junior level – it was obvious to anyone watching him for two minutes, but his size – generously listed at 5’9” – was always a potential barrier for him. He split the 2003-2004 season between Rochester of the AHL and Buffalo and didn’t fare too poorly with the Sabres, getting 19 points in 49 games, but he clearly needed to work more to be able to fight through the physical play at the NHL level. Last season at Rochester he scored at just under a point-per-game and chipped in 11 points in nine playoff games. After starting this season in Rochester (much to his chagrin) he made the most of it by notching 20 points in just eight games. Finally he got the call to return to Buffalo in early November and he hasn’t been back since. He was eased into the lineup, getting usually around 12 minutes of ice time for his first month but since late December has been a regular in the Buffalo lineup, and his point total has reflected that.

Roy’s play combines quickness, a deft touch, and the kind of feistiness that opponents loathe, but hometown fans love. As the Sabres have gotten healthy and solidified their lines, Roy has centered Vanek and Afinogenov to form another potent scoring line for Buffalo. Before this month began it’s likely not many casual fans or fantasy players would have heard of Roy, but the time is growing short to jump on his bandwagon now. Center is a deep position in the league but if you’re looking for depth, Roy is an excellent choice as he will be a good bet to continue scoring points down the stretch for Buffalo.

Thomas Vanek, Winger, Buffalo Sabres

Sabres rookie Thomas Vanek – another member of Buffalo’s “RAV” line (Roy, Afinogenov, Vanek) – came into this season with high expectations. Last year the former fifth-overall pick in 2003 finished second in the AHL in goals and was hoping to have a quick impact on the Sabres in his first year in the NHL. However, he suffered through a painful start, with no goals through his first 14 games, and only three up until the second week of December. Vanek looked out of place in the NHL.

Vanek’s career path is rather unique – born in Austria, he moved to the States as a teenager to improve his hockey prospects, and played for three years in the USHL before spending two fantastic years at NCAA powerhouse University of Minnesota. His freshman year at Minnesota was spectacular – breaking the school freshman scoring record with 31 goals and 62 points in just 45 games. More impressive were his playoff exploits, dazzling fans in the Frozen Four (played in Buffalo) en route to the national championship as he was named tournament Most Valuable Player. Sabres brass no doubt were no less impressed than anyone else and much to the local fans’ delight selected Vanek fifth overall two months later. The team felt it best that Vanek spend another year developing his game in college, where he had another great season with 28 more goals before deciding to turn pro.

Last year’s lockout was probably beneficial to Vanek as there was no doubt he’d play in the AHL rather than have the big club be tempted to call him up to the Sabres. With 42 goals in 74 games he appeared ready to make the big jump this year. Yet with only four goals in his first 27 games he was on the verge of being demoted back to Rochester (AHL). Coach Lindy Ruff kept Vanek in the lineup, showing confidence in the slick winger and it began to pay off with seven goals in the next eleven games. In any other year the Vanek would have started to become quite noticeable, but in this historic “year of the rookie” he was a bit overshadowed. That’s not so much the case anymore as suddenly Vanek has an impressive 23 goals with five of those coming in the last seven games. My only knock on Vanek is that in many games you’ll never even hear his name called – he tends to look lost at times and not get into the flow of the game. I’d resist being too negative and calling him lazy as other games he’ll be found hustling at both ends; I think he still has a lot to learn about the NHL game and anticipation, especially in his defensive end. In the end though, he has the skills to be a premier offensive talent in the league and has already scored some brilliant highlight-reel goals. Vanek has been sitting on my bench for much of the season before the past week – he’ll be starting from here on out and if you can get him he may even be worth protecting in deep keeper leagues.

Other Sabres to Note: Jochen Hecht and Tim Connelly.

We took a quick look at Hecht last month on the eve of the Olympics – he’s a player who has never put up huge numbers but his skills unveil themselves the more you watch him. He’s a great two-way player with good offensive talent. The Sabres seem to have found magic in the Briere-Hecht-Dumont line and with those two talents on his line he’ll easily back into a few points at worst. He has snuck up to 42 points on the season and with eight in his past five games, he seems destined to best his career high of 52. Hecht – especially if he qualifies at wing in your league – is another great depth acquisition.

If you had mentioned Tim Connolly’s name to a Sabres fan before this season you’d get a response somewhere between eyes rolling and disgust. Connolly was one of two players (Taylor Pyatt being the other) coming from the Islanders in the Mike Peca deal a few years back, and as such carried high expectations in Buffalo, to which he never really delivered. After suffering a terrible concussion two years ago and not playing since then, expectations had dwindled to barely above nothing this season, even from the coaching staff, but something finally clicked and his play has skyrocketed this year. He was unlucky enough to have an unscheduled and never-welcomed meeting with a Kasparaitus hip and missed about six weeks, but since returning he hasn’t missed a beat, using his dazzling puck control to give Buffalo more depth and becoming a mainstay on the power play. Note of warning – in the Washington game he did injure his knee and as of Wednesday it’s uncertain if he’ll miss time as a result.

Thanks for reading - next week we’ll have part two of this series and take a look at another deep and successful team containing a number of deep fantasy options.

Feedback can be sent to robaquino@sportsblurb.com.

Bouwmeester, McClement, Armstrong

Treasure Hunting, the Hockey Edition

By Rob Aquino

03/09/06

This year’s NHL trading deadline (also known in previous seasons as “the day I get no work done”) is just about upon us – and very possibly by the time you read this, the deadline will have already passed (official deadline being Thursday at 3:00 PM, EST). Everyone sees how the deadline is a chance for contenders (or wannabe contenders) to get that extra body to help them in their playoff push, but it's also - or more so - a big opportunity for the lesser teams, or the "sellers" as much of the media will portray them. Yet it's often these lesser teams that get the better deal in the long-run; dealing the big-name (read: expensive) veteran for a mostly-unknown prospect for the plans of rebuilding the club over the next few years. The deadline could also have an impact on departed teammates, or have the effect of creating new lines. For a recent example, check out the St. Louis Blues since dealing Mike Sillinger and Doug Weight - guys like Lee Stempniak and Dennis Wideman have become less fringe players and more integral to the rebuilding of the Blues franchise.

While it's hard at this late juncture to find anyone who will shock you with offensive production over the final few weeks, let’s try to dig deep for some players who have either taken on a greater role in recent weeks or are likely to do so over the final month of the regular season.

Jay Bouwmeester, Defense, Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers are truly enigmatic: 15-8-4 at home, 9-21-5 on the road. I really like the potential for this team’s future, especially if they today somehow have managed to hang on to Olli Jokinen or Roberto Luongo. They have some potentially great young players like Nathan Horton and Stephen Weiss but most importantly a franchise defenseman in Jay Bouwmeester. Fans may not remember but in late 2001 it was a fait accompli that Bouwmeester was going to be the number one pick in the upcoming 2002 draft. He was in the middle of his fourth year on the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers and had already compiled an impressive résumé, representing Canada at the World Juniors three times, becoming one of the youngest players in tournament history.

However, as is often said: “a funny thing happened on the way” to the draft in Toronto. Forward Rick Nash put together a fantastic year in London and became the number one pick that year, taken by Columbus. At number two, the Atlanta Thrashers surprisingly took Finnish goaltender Kari Lehtonen, leaving Bouwmeester a bit in shock by the time the Panthers took him with the number three pick. Although it was more a case of the other two players having fantastic seasons and those two teams having specific needs for scoring and goaltending, it was nevertheless a bit of a surprise to those who had followed the draft class over the previous year. The point is this: by not being the number one pick as expected, Bouwmeester didn’t immediately become the household name (you know, like Patrick Stefan…) many expected. Over the next two seasons on a mostly lousy Panthers team he slowly and quietly developed his game, scoring just 36 points over those years while working on the finer aspects of defensive and physical play.

This year Bouwmeester has a career high 30 points (and all on assists! Look out Teppo Numminen…) and has lowered his efficiency rating to a -5, which looks bad except when you look at his progression: he has gone from -29 in his rookie year to -15 to this year’s rating. He has already set a personal best with 135 shots to date. He recently had a six-game point scoring streak, which points towards him putting together his offensive game. Every aspect of his play is improving, and he is only 22 years old. Within the next three or four years at most, I expect Jay Bouwmeester to be one of the top five overall defensemen in the entire league. For the sake of Florida fans, I hope the youthful core of the team remains intact so Bouwmeester can help lead them to the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference.

Jay McClement, Center, St. Louis Blues

You’re looking at the name, you’re looking at the numbers, you’re looking at the team…you’re thinking: why would I even consider him for a fantasy pickup? And ordinarily I’d agree, as 17 points in 45 games is not only nothing to shout about, it’s usually something to avoid in a center if you’re talking about fantasy leagues. In the opening of this column, I alluded to how trades can re-sculpt a team not just by adding players but by subtracting them. That may sound patronizingly obvious but recently Jay McClement of the St. Louis Blues has been putting up numbers to bolster that theory. Over the last few games the Blues have been juggling their lines but McClement has often found himself lined up with Keith Tkachuk and Lee Stempniak, which has no doubt helped with McClement’s productivity, to say nothing of his confidence.

After scoring 30 goals in his second year of junior with the Ontario League’s Brampton Battalion, Jay McClement was drafted in the second round of the NHL draft by St. Louis. He advanced his game the next season, scoring 55 points in 61 games while becoming the team’s most reliable two-way player, and earning a spot on Canada’s World Junior team that winter (earning a silver medal).

He spent the last two seasons in Worcester, Massachusetts with the Blues’ AHL farm team refining his game before getting called up to the parent club this season. As we’ve mentioned numerous times this season, a player’s raw point totals are rarely an accurate measure on their own as to the skill or potential skill of that player – having said that, let’s throw some numbers at you: in a span of 19 games in the middle of this season with St. Louis McClement played over ten minutes only five times; most of those games getting no more than six minutes. Over his past five games his ice time has steadily increased each game, from 14 minutes to nearly 23 last Tuesday against Colorado. In those five games McClement has nine points and has been a +5. Small sample size to be sure, but is some evidence that when given the opportunity, this is a player who can and will deliver. Watch for Jay McClement to use this last month to establish himself on a St Louis team searching for a new identity moving into the 2006-2007 season.

Colby Armstrong, Winger, Pittsburgh Penguins

For the very forgettable season the Penguins are going through, on and off the ice, if they play their cards right they can actually look forward to on-ice success in the not too distant future. Everyone knows Sidney Crosby and with the arrival of Evgeni Malkin next season, complimented by young players like Tomas Surovy, Michael Ouellet, and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury they should have an exciting and talented core of players to build upon. Another such player who has been breaking out of late is right wing Colby Armstrong. He is currently riding a six game point-scoring streak in which he’s scored nine points and even more remarkably been a +6 (while the team has lost four of those games).

Armstrong was selected in the first round of the 2001 draft by the Penguins after scoring 36 goals for the powerhouse Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League, with whom he won the Memorial Cup that season. He put together a quality junior resume which combined point-per-game scoring with an edge, as evidenced by his more than 270 penalty minutes earned over his final two seasons. He spent the last three-plus seasons with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre of the AHL, improving on his numbers each year until last season’s 55 points, earning him “most improved player” on the team.

Armstrong is a smaller player who likely benefits from the crackdown on obstruction this year. Of late he has been getting shifts with Crosby and Recchi, which will nearly guarantee him points. Averaging well over 20 minutes per game in the past month, Armstrong looks to have found a good fit on this Penguins team and – much like Jay McClement of St. Louis – will be showcasing his skills for a leading spot on next year’s team.

Feedback can be sent to robaquino@sportsblurb.com.

McDonald, Emery, Bouchard

Treasure Hunting, the Hockey Edition

By Rob Aquino

03/02/06

The NHL is finally back after a long Olympic break, and with it brings many questions about how teams will respond. For one, the Olympic schedule was incredibly demanding: the two finalists, Sweden and Finland, played eight games in 12 nights. That alone would be exhausting but compound that with the fact that these games were all at the highest level possible as well as played halfway around the world, and you have a lot of tired athletes….who are set to come back to a grueling final six weeks of the regular season.

So we are left with an unprecedented and rather mysterious end stretch to the season – for each team there are a crazy amount of games in a short amount of time. Nobody knows how this will play out – the conventional wisdom is that players will be exhausted – will those teams with players who played in the Olympics be more affected than those without Olympians? What of the players from Sweden and Finland, some of whom have only returned to North America within the last day? As reported on Canada’s TSN, the five Detroit Red Wings on the gold-medal-winning Swedish team will end up playing 13 games in 25 days, while traveling virtually around the world.

While nobody can predict how this will play out, we can assume that the Olympics could very well have an effect on some teams making or missing the playoffs this year. There is a lot of parity in the NHL in 2006, with both conferences being more compressed than ever - just ten points separates the third from eleventh seeds in the West. Most teams are actually still in playoff contention (flashback to the 21-team era when “playoff contention” meant that you could be somewhere within 20 game of .500 and still carry that label…maybe things really weren’t better back then…) which if we relate it to the Olympic break means that any slight edge might be the difference between the eighth and final spot and missing the playoffs by a point or two.

This week I’m taking a look at a few different players who are/were affected by the Olympic break either due to injury or simply play on young teams who may be able to convert the two-week break into a playoff sprint.

Andy McDonald, Center, Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks have quietly put together a good few months and are now within striking distance of the playoffs. The deal that sent Sergei Fedorov east to the Blue Jackets was good for them in myriad ways, not the least of which was allowing their younger players to step up and establish themselves as vital members of the Ducks present and future. Andy McDonald is one of those players; he’s been flying under the radar of national attention thus far but his play has warranted so much more – prior to this season McDonald’s high in points was 30, in 79 games two years ago. His best efficiency rating was a +2 in his first extended campaign back in 2001-2002. This year, with 53 points to date, he will soon double that previous high and perhaps just as significant is his impressive (and team high) +20.

McDonald is a smallish center, listed at 5’11” and 186 pounds. He spent four years at Colgate University where he scored 136 points over his final three years - in his senior year he finished seventh in the nation in scoring with 58 points in just 34 games, so he has the scoring pedigree. Or *did* - he had a fine time in two AHL stints, scoring over a point per game, but over his first three-plus years with Anaheim was not statistically too successful - his best run was 2003 with 21 points in 46 games.

That has all changed this year, and especially of late. Currently McDonald is riding a league-high 11-game point scoring streak, helping the Ducks close to within a few points of the playoff picture in the West. Anaheim could be a very interesting team down the stretch, and with McDonald on a fairly constant pairing with Teemu Selanne, expect the confidence and points to continue at a career high.

Ray Emery, Goaltender, Ottawa Senators

Let’s just say that Ottawa backup goalie Ray Emery has had an “interesting” year. He started off the year winning his first six games in a row, which enabled him to set an NHL record for most wins at the beginning of a career (nine) – in many people’s minds this put him as the Senators’ goalie of the future. Emery certainly does nothing to dispel the “crazy goalie” stereotype, but rather than being the moody or odd introvert (ala Hasek), Emery is brash and outgoing. Those who paid attention to him in juniors knew, but finally this year he attracted attention with the story about Emery eating a live cockroach in the dressing room (on a dare from teammate Daniel Alfredsson). This would have been brushed off as harmless and amusing…but soon to follow came the inevitable Ottawa slump, and as Emery took a few of those losses (some of them bad including giving up eight goals to Atlanta in early January) critics were a bit more vocal about Emery and his potential shortcomings. Erratic or non-traditional behaviour…the Mike Tyson mask “controversy.” So what now for Ray Emery? Due to Dominik Hasek’s groin injury at the Olympics in Italy, now he finds himself – at least for a little while – the number one goalie for the Senators. The spotlight is on.

Emery started his pro career with the Sault St. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League, and became notorious for his aggressive (and admittedly entertaining) play – both inside and outside of the crease (I was fortunate enough to be in attendance one night against the Knights in London, Ontario while he engaged in one of his many fights). His often on-the-edge behavior didn’t obscure his considerable talent, as in his final year in the Soo he was named OHL goaltender of the year and was runner up to Brad Boyes for league most valuable player.

He spent most of the last three seasons in the AHL with Binghamton, putting up good to great numbers each year. He had a few tastes of life with the big club, but was third on the Senators’ depth chart behind Patrick Lalime and Martin Prusek and was better served getting playing time in the minors. It seemed that Emery’s time had come…until Dominik Hasek was signed, and Emery was going to be at best the number two guy.

Fast forward to today – conflicting reports have Hasek out for anywhere from a week to the end of the regular season, so barring a disastrous performance before next week’s trading deadline, the Ottawa crease belongs to Ray Emery. The time is now for Ray Emery to show the league – and more importantly his teammates – what he’s made of, talent-wise. The Senators – once runaway leaders in the East – are only a few points in front of Buffalo for the division lead. Even if Dominik Hasek returns to take the top spot soon, Emery is using this time to showcase himself as an imminent goaltending star in this league.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Winger, Minnesota Wild

Since entering the NHL in 2000, the Minnesota Wild have been known as a team focused mainly on the defensive side of play. This year they’re once again only in the middle of the pack in terms of goals per game, but they do feature some premier offensive talent. Remember the name Pierre-Marc Bouchard. Bouchard was a high first round pick, going eighth overall to Minnesota in the loaded 2002 draft. Bouchard had come off a spectacular two years in the Quebec Major Junior League; with the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, he had seasons of 95 and 140 points, the latter season (2001-2002) leading the league and earning Canadian Hockey League player of the year honors.

He immediately graduated to the NHL where he obviously found the competition just a little more difficult, yet he was only 18 years old as a rookie, so expectations were not unrealistic. He has been brought along slowly, notching 20 and 22 points in his first two years in the NHL, but last year with Houston of the AHL seemed to help elevate his game – he increased his production to 54 points, a pro high for him. This year with Minnesota he has already totaled 45 points (exceeding his NHL career totals) in just 58 games. Coach Jacques Lemaire last month challenged Bouchard to be more aggressive and he has responded with nine points in his last six games - he seems to be getting better as the season progresses. Again, this is a kid who is only 21 years of age and has the talent to be a premier sniper in the league for years to come.

As of Wednesday night, Minnesota was 11^th in the West, but at the same time only ten points out of first place in the incredibly competitive Northwest division. The pressures of a playoff race could be great experience for the young team and it will be interesting to see if Bouchard can keep his outstanding play up for the remainder of the season. Bouchard has occasionally been lining up with Marian Gaborik and Brian Rolston, putting the Wild’s top three snipers all on one line, so if he remains there he could be one of the better point producers in the conference for the last six weeks and a true sleeper.

Feedback can be sent to robaquino@sportsblurb.com.

T.H. - The Olympic Edition

Treasure Hunting, the Hockey Edition

By Rob Aquino

02/16/06

The format of the Olympic hockey tournament has changed in so many ways over the years – from the development of a formal medal round to dropping the amateur requirement (a fuzzy requirement at best for some of the former Soviet teams) in recent years, nonetheless it rarely fails to generate excitement. This year’s tournament is underway, and for hockey fans everywhere will hopefully provide drama on par with many past tournaments.

Many players have used the Olympics as a stepping stone to success in the NHL – back in the “amateur” days there was more of a sense of “coming out of nowhere” as most of the public hadn’t heard of the players until the tournament began. 1980’s “Miracle On Ice” United States team contained players such as Neal Broten, Dave Christian, and Ken Morrow who all went on to great success in the NHL. 1988 was the last hurrah for the legendary and mysterious Russian “KLM” line of Vladimir Krutov, Igor Larionov, and Sergei Makarov as they took gold in Calgary. Soon afterwards, players behind the Iron Curtain began to defect and find their way to North America. A better way of life, to be sure, but much intrigue was to be lost forever in international hockey.

1992 was an emotional tournament in which the unheralded United States – led by goalie Ray LeBlanc – went undefeated in their first six games to reach the medal round (where they lost their last two, finishing fourth). The eventual winner was the so-called “Unified Team” which was comprised of members of the former Soviet Union. And in 1994 Peter Forsberg “stamped” his presence on the international stage with his legendary shootout goal against Corey “lawsuit” Hirsch.

The format is drastically different now, with established professionals being allowed to compete, so the chances are less that an unheralded or unknown player will suddenly make himself known, especially on the Canadian or United States teams which are primarily comprised of veterans. Yet there’s always the chance that the world stage brings something out in a player and they reach new levels of success –recall Dominik Hasek’s performance at the 1998 Olympics: he had been considered an excellent goaltender before then but his incredible play leading the Czechs to gold cemented his status as an all-time legend of the game. He went on that season to win his second consecutive league MVP and over the next two seasons in the NHL he led his Buffalo Sabres to semi-final and final appearances.

The nostalgic part of me undoubtedly misses the “old” format – using the best amateur and junior level players in the world. For me, I’d rather see an eager college kid (e.g. 19-year old Brian Leetch -1988) manning the point than a 43-year old uber-veteran like Chris Chelios. Yet I also recognize that without the often-abused “amateur” tag as a barrier, we now have a true world tournament pitting the absolute best players in the world against each other, with perhaps as many as eight teams with a legitimate medal chance. I’d rather see the reinstitution of the old Canada Cup / World Cup format, with a return to the younger players in the Olympics, but that time has likely passed.

This week I’m offering a few quick one-timers on a few non-superstar players competing in the Turin Olympics who have been playing quite well of late in the NHL – some “underdog” names to watch for. I think each of them could have a big impact on their teams for the remainder of the NHL season.

Maxim Afinogenov, Winger, Buffalo Sabres - Russia

Maxim Afinogenov has been labeled a “Pavel Bure” clone for years now – fairly or not - but has never come close to validating that label on the scoresheet. He did score 21 goals in his third season and total 40 points but that has been his high until this year. With 14 goals and 42 points, statistically he’s on pace for his best year on paper, but watching him play it becomes especially obvious that he’s made great strides in all facets of the game. He is playing much more aggressively –not unwilling to muck it up and go after the puck in the corners - and when the situation calls for some puck control there may be nobody better in the entire league at stickhandling than Afinogenov. He still lacks that killer finishing touch which could turn him into a perennial 40-goal scorer, and at times actually seems to be playing “too fast” – he needs to find that ability to vary his speeds (and thereby not knock linemates offsides), but overall this season he has transformed himself from merely a talented curiosity into an integral part of the diverse Buffalo offense. Immediately before the Olympic break Afinogenov was on a four game point scoring streak with seven points and as a bonus was a +5. Now might be the time to grab the speedy Maxim and if you are in deep keeper leagues might be worth a gamble hanging onto in the off-season if he continues his confident play into the fall.

David Vyborny, Winger, Columbus Blue Jackets - Czech Republic

It’s hard to make the case that a team’s leading scorer is a sleeper pick, but when you’re the leading scorer of the Columbus Blue Jackets, and you’re not Rick Nash, it may be legitimate. David Vyborny has actually been around for a while compared to other players we’ve profiled – currently in his fifth NHL season, he also played eight professional seasons before arriving in North America for good, playing mostly in the Czech League (with one spent in the American Hockey League). Vyborny was a second round pick of the Oilers way back in 1993 and has since – as mentioned – bounced all over the world. He made his way to the Columbus organization in 2000 and has put up average-at-best offensive statistics over the past four seasons on a mostly very weak club. This year again started out poorly for the Blue Jackets (winning only five of their first 23 games) and Vyborny especially, who notched a mere five points in the first month. However since the new year, Vyborny has been hot and the Jackets have improved their play. Vyborny has scored 22 points in his last 17 games, 12 of those points coming on the power play. That’s a long hot stretch, one that makes it likely that with 44 points to date, he’ll top his previous season high of 53 points.

Marek Zidlicky, Defense, Nashville Predators - Czech Republic

If for some reason Marek Zidlicky is available in your fantasy league, you’re in great luck - he has become one of the top defensemen in the league without deserved fanfare. The Czech Republic is a favorite to medal in this tournament and Zidlicky is a crucial cog in their mobile defensive corps. The relatively unknown defenseman has a similar resume to David Vyborny’s in that he played nine seasons overseas before coming to the NHL. In this season, only his second in North America, he has 40 points (with ten power play goals) from the blueline and is a +6 for the powerful Nashville Predators. He’s an exciting player to watch and should continue his production as the Preds battle for first overall in the West.

Jochen Hecht, Center/Wing, Buffalo Sabres - Germany

Sadly for Germany – and of course Jochen Hecht himself – Hecht went down last week with a knee injury last week and is unable to play in the Olympics. Over the past few weeks Hecht has become one of the most important players for the Buffalo Sabres, if not the most important. With injuries to two of their top scorers in Daniel Briere and more recently Tim Connolly, Hecht moved over to center from his familiar wing position and has added a scoring touch to his strong defensive game, with five points in the six games that Connolly has missed. Hecht will never put together a season with huge numbers but his overall play makes him a very valuable player – as long as the Sabres continue to have injury woes, look for Hecht to remain in a bit of a scorer’s role, and he could be especially valuable if he qualifies in your league at center and wing.

Fedor Tyutin, Defense, New York Rangers - Russia

Second-year Russian defenseman Fedor Tyutin played one year in the Canadian Junior system and was the defensive anchor of the 2002 Memorial Cup host Guelph Storm, scoring an impressive 69 points in 62 games overall that season. He had yet to regain anywhere near that scoring touch until this year, where currently Tyutin is the leading defensive scorer on the division-leading Rangers, with 21 points in 54 games. Even though his overall numbers aren’t exactly eye-popping, if you take out an early season 14-game pointless streak he’s been fairly steady at about a point every other game, which is quite good from the defensive position. As the baby on Team Russia’s blueline, the Olympic experience could be a big one for Tyutin, and the Rangers should benefit. Tyutin could be an excellent depth addition to your defense for the remainder of the season.

Mikael Tellqvist, goaltender, Toronto Maple Leafs- Sweden

As has been the custom for most of this decade, this season started with high goals for Leafs fans. After the first few months of the season, those lofty goals looked not entirely out of reach, yet hard times have befallen the 1967 Stanley Cup champions and as of the Olympic break would be out of the playoff picture in the East. One part of the Leaf failure is the play of veteran Ed Belfour who continues to get the bulk of the starts yet statistically is far inferior to young Mikael Tellqvist. Tellqvist has played only 14 games this year to Belfour’s 45, yet has much better goals-against and save percentage numbers. At this point it is impossible to predict what coach Pat Quinn will do – he favors the veteran players for certain, but with Toronto embarking on a desperate run to simply make the playoffs, keep an eye on the netminding situation – Belfour is not the future of the team at age 40 and whether Tellqvist is or not is also uncertain. But if Belfour falters severely, look for the Leafs to rely on the Swede Tellqvist.

For the Olympic tournament, Tellqvist will likely be backing up Henrik Lundqvist, the Rangers’ stellar rookie goalie.

Evgeni Malkin, Center/Wing, (property of Pittsburgh Penguins) - Russia

This is purely an entry under “long-term potential” and “keeper.” This Olympic tournament will be the first chance for much of the world to view the electrifying talents of Penguins’ draft choice Evgeni Malkin. Selected second overall in 2004 after Alexander Ovechkin, Malkin is described as a scintillating franchise player – something the Penguins are slowly stockpiling. If your league allows it, grab Malkin whenever you can and stow him away. Then watch the Russian team play over the next week and a half, and picture next year’s top line in Pittsburgh with Malkin next to Sidney Crosby. Better yet, picture that line in about three years when the team should be more mature and their young stars have likely begun to gel - Penguins fans can only hope the team is still in Pittsburgh at the time.

Feedback can be sent to robaquino@sportsblurb.com.

Hartnell, Huet, Stempniak

Treasure Hunting, the Hockey Edition

By Rob Aquino

02/09/06

The NHL is in their final week of play before taking a two-week Olympic layoff. With that layoff comes a roster freeze, but don’t expect general managers to not be extremely active behind the closed curtain. After the NHL resumes there are only nine days until the trading deadline (March 9^th) so I expect that the genesis of many deadline deals will take place in the next few weeks.

As mentioned in last week’s column, many teams have already begun to restructure their squads, either in anticipation or hopes of a long playoff run (e.g. Nashville), desperation to make the playoffs (Montreal), or simply throwing in the towel on 2006 and rebuilding for 2007 and beyond (St. Louis). Today’s column looks at a player on each of those teams and we’ll take a look at how they could contribute down the stretch.

Scott Hartnell, Winger/Center, Nashville Predators

Drafted sixth overall in 2000, Scott Hartnell at age 23 is already in his fifth full season. Hartnell doesn’t have the long scoring resume that many other top ten draftees often have – the biggest reason for this is that he immediately joined Nashville after being drafted (becoming the youngest player in the NHL). He only played two full years in the Western Hockey League; his second season being the one that attracted scouts as he provided his Prince Albert Raiders a nice blend of scoring (team-leading 82 points in 62 games) and toughness (124 penalty minutes).

Although he has not yet realized the high expectations laid on him coming out of the WHL, Hartnell has been a solid player for Nashville over the past four years, but never really contributing in the offensive end on a consistent basis. Yet over the past three weeks he has shown signs of finally becoming an impact player, averaging a point per game over the Predators last 11 contests. On the season he has notched nine power play goals and has shown a knack for the timely goal with seven game-winners so far. His 154 shots (a close second on Nashville behind Paul Kariya) is further exhibit of his offensive aggressiveness this year.

As for predicting how well he’ll finish this year, a lot may be dependent on who Hartnell’s linemates will be - Nashville has been juggling their lines quite a bit, often times during a game. At times Hartnell plays on a wing with Kariya and Yanic Perreault, other times with Greg Johnson and Jordan Tootoo. Obviously if he were to stick on a line with Kariya the likelihood of offensive production would increase.

With 36 points in his first 55 games, Hartnell is well on his way to establishing a career high in points – his previous high being 41– and he’s already hit the 20 goal mark this season for the first time. Nashville is viewed as one of the league’s elite teams this season and has put together a high-quality and diverse offense, of which Hartnell is becoming an integral part. Hopefully he can use the rest of this season as a springboard to a highly successful career, one that has been expected of him since his draft year.

Cristobal Huet, Goaltender, Montreal Canadiens

Another week, another seemingly out-of-nowhere hot goalie: I originally wrote something along the lines of “there’s a serious goaltending controversy in Montreal right now” but in all honesty, there isn’t one. Cristobal Huet – with his gaudy .925 save percentage – has closed the books on which goalie has been Montreal’s best this year. Of course decisions like this are never simple – does past performance mean anything when deciding the future of a franchise, especially in terms of the most important position in the sport?

All things being equal, Huet should get the starts but whither former league MVP Jose Theodore? As the season of goalie-flux continues…it’s really time to wonder about Jose Theodore’s status in the game today as an elite netminder. Aside from his glorious 2001-2002 season in which he won both the Vezina and Hart trophies, has he really earned NHL elite goaltender stature? With his save percentage down to a brutal .881 (last in the league for qualifying goaltenders), he has a long climb back up the ladder of respectability ahead of him. And that climb may not come in Montreal, as backup Cristobal Huet has been stealing playing time from Theodore, and taking advantage.

Huet spent parts of the past two NHL seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, getting into 42 games in the 2003-04 season, and was traded to Montreal last summer with the expectation that he’d see limited action as a backup to Theodore. Alas, Theodore stumbled badly this year and Montreal turned to Huet, who has been remarkable, especially in the last week. Huet posted back-to-back shutouts over Boston and Philadelphia and put together a span of over 173 minutes without giving up a goal. Many comments from the coaching staff and his teammates are quite revealing, giving the distinct impression that they have full confidence in him as their goalie down the stretch.

Whether Montreal takes the plunge and deals the former-MVP Theodore (of course providing they find a willing partner to take him) is still undetermined, but based on playing time it seems obvious the club has lost a lot of faith in Jose. Huet probably isn’t viewed by Montreal as a long term solution as he’s 31 years old but I would think that the Canadiens would be foolish to not play out the string this year with Huet, at least until he falters horribly, as the Canadiens frantically attempt to remain in the playoff picture in the East.

Lee Stempniak, Winger, St. Louis Blues

As was mentioned in last week’s column, the revamping of the Blues franchise has created - and will create - nearly limitless opportunities for young players in the organization. With the jettisoning of high-salaried veteran players, the time has come to rebuild with youth – and it’s open-audition time in St. Louis. Dartmouth College graduate Lee Stempniak has been the latest beneficiary of greater ice-time with the Blues. Stempniak led Dartmouth in scoring in each of his final three seasons and made the Blues out of training camp this year.

Stempniak initially struggled during his first tour of the NHL, going through a 12-game pointless streak that lasted over a month, which culminated in his demotion to Peoria in the AHL. Yet since his recall on January 29^th he’s been producing at an impressive clip. In his first four games back in St. Louis he has scored at least a point in every game, including four goals, and has added two shootout winners in that streak as well. He put at least three shots on goal in three of the games, which he had only done twice before in 24 games and has been a +2.

Of late he’s been seeing time with a host of linemates, from Dean McCammond and Petr Cajanek to Scott Young and Keith Tkachuk (who, if you read the writing on the wall, may not be long for the Blues this season – probably dependent on whether the Blues can convince another team to pick up some of Tkachuk’s salary). So predicting who he’ll be lining up with is virtually impossible, but I’d expect this will probably settle out by the trading deadline at the latest, as St. Louis will likely bid farewell to more veterans. For now, however, Stempniak is hot and getting quality ice time (averaging over 15 minutes since his recall) and could be a sneaky pickup for the final two months of the season.

Feedback can be sent to robaquino@sportsblurb.com.

Wideman, Thomas, Bryzgalov

Treasure Hunting, the Hockey Edition

By Rob Aquino

02/02/06

As we progress further into this season, it becomes harder to find that “diamond in the rough” for your teams. One of the better ways to uncover late-season help is by keeping your eyes on teams in transition - it can reveal players getting better opportunities or simply more ice-time, which may translate into better numbers. I’m specifically referring to teams either changing their philosophy of team-building (as in trading of veterans to free up money and begin rebuilding with youth – see Pittsburgh, Boston, St. Louis) or inadvertently having to look elsewhere due to circumstance, i.e. injuries.

Today we’ll take a look at a few players who unquestionably have risks associated with them – earlier in the year they wouldn’t be players I would flat-out recommend for long term pickup – yet at this point if you’re looking for a pickup, then you’re probably struggling to contend in your league. It’s time to start taking some chances and to make some risky pickups – there are major question marks regarding all of these, mostly in terms of “how much of an opportunity will they actually get?” Yet in following these players closely over the next week, you might be first to grab them if/when it becomes apparent that they have been fully worked into their team’s lineups…

Seeing as much of this column has focused on forwards over the year - as that obviously tends to be where the more offensive oriented players play - we’ll dedicate the bulk of the column to the back end of the ice; at defense and goaltending.

Dennis Wideman, Defense, St. Louis Blues

We'll dispense with all the "fire-sale" analogies surrounding the St. Louis Blues and focus on the potential opportunity that has opened up for virtually everyone in the organization. One player that I've had my eye on for years is the Blues' rookie defenseman Dennis Wideman. By all possible measures, he had a highly successful five-year junior career - he began in Sudbury then really elevated his game upon a trade to the London Knights where he helped to lead them from a bad squad in 2001 to the top of the league three years later. Wideman is a highly skilled offensive defenseman, with a keen awareness of everyone on the ice around him. In London he became the quarterback of the power play and on-ice leader on a team loaded with junior stars - his final season was marked by leading the Ontario League in efficiency with a +51.

Wideman was drafted by Buffalo in 2002 in the eighth round but was never signed by the Sabres. He was inked to a free agent deal by the Blues in 2004 and plied his trade in the AHL until this year, when he got the opportunity with the big club.

With being a point-per-game defenseman (in both the regular season and playoffs) throughout his three years in London, what's been the impediment to his ascent to the NHL? As much as big numbers look flashy on a defenseman's scoresheet, his primary role is of course defense. And rightly or wrongly, that had been the knock on Wideman for years by scouts - his defense was not "NHL-caliber" – combined with a perception that he wasn't big enough to have an impact.

Breaking into the NHL with St. Louis this season might have been the perfect situation for Wideman. This year he has been getting a shot on a bad club that very possibly could get even worse before getting better. Wideman has increased his ice-time to where he's getting over 20 minutes a game (with a season-high of over 28 minutes Monday night against Calgary, and a shootout goal to boot). Overall he has 17 points in 36 games but with nine in the last month and increased responsibilities I'd expect those numbers to rise. Don't expect anything out of his plus-minus; on this team only one semi-regular (Matt Walker) is NOT a minus. If you're looking for points from defense, Wideman could be a nice surprise for the rest of the season.

Tim Thomas, Goaltender, Boston Bruins

If you live in New England, you're no doubt quite familiar with what 31-year old “rookie” Tim Thomas has been doing this past month, but others may be late in coming to the party. The Bruins overall have had a fairly miserable season; considered in some corners to be a division contender this year, they had a horrible start and then they further alienated much of their dwindling fan base by dealing their captain Joe Thornton to San Jose. What was supposed to be a strong point - their goaltending - with reigning Calder Trophy winner Andrew Raycroft and top rookie prospect Hannu Toivonen backing him up - became a huge problem. Raycroft suffered from poor play and injury, then when Toivonen seemed to settle the problem with decent play he severely sprained his ankle early last month against Ottawa and is out indefinitely. At that point Boston fans were thinking their team was closer to Phil Kessel, Erik Johnson, or Jonathan Toews in the June draft than the playoffs.

Ah...enter the savior: Tim Thomas. Thomas certainly hasn't taken the direct route to the NHL. A member of the outstanding University of Vermont teams of the mid-90s (and teammate of reigning Hart winner Martin St. Louis) he's played in Finland, the ECHL, IHL, and AHL - on no less than nine teams before getting called up to Boston on January 10th. So the expectations - if there were any - were fairly minimal at best.

Fast forward to this Wednesday - Thomas had played in nine straight games, the most for a Boston goaltender this season, and won six of the seven decided in regulation (and in that loss he still managed 47 saves while only letting in four in a barrage from the Islanders). On Tuesday night he earned his first NHL shutout against what many people feel is the best team in the league, the Ottawa Senators. More importantly, the Bruins have moved squarely into the playoff discussion in the East, having maneuvered to within two points of the eighth and final playoff spot.

And now the ultimate question: who is the Bruins' number one goaltender? GM Mike O'Connell has said that they will go with whoever is playing the best - considering nobody else is currently playing at all, that would be Thomas. With Raycroft back from injury (and the subject of trade rumours all year) we shall see, but if you're struggling with goaltending Thomas is worthy of an immediate pickup and may end the season as Boston's top man.

Ilya Bryzgalov, Goaltender, Anaheim Ducks

(Seeing as Anaheim is planning on dropping "Mighty" from their name next year, I'll happily play along early. I only wish they could take the old moniker California Golden Seals...)

How long ago does it seem that the Ducks made their storybook run to game seven of the Cup finals? Jean-Sebastien Giguere was the talk of the league, as his two-month-long dominance nearly single-handedly got the title of a Disney movie engraved on Lord Stanley's Cup <>. After becoming just the third player on a losing team to win the Conn Smythe award for playoff MVP, the future of the Ducks seemed to be squarely on his shoulders, yet they've struggled. This year seems to be a transitional one for Anaheim, as they finally appear to be making a turn towards youth - one that should benefit them in years to come.

Where does Giguere fit in all of this? He should be the centerpiece of the youth movement but that now appears to be in some question. Following his classic freak-out last week against Edmonton the Ducks have at least temporarily turned to rookie Ilya Bryzgalov - he has played and won the last three games for Anaheim, putting them on a parallel with the Bruins in the West as they have moved into ninth place, three points out of the final spot.

Even without the recent streak, Bryzgalov's important season numbers (goals against and save percentage) are better than Giguere's. With Giguere making about four million dollars this year, it is conceivable that he could be shopped around if the club has confidence in Bryzgalov to carry the load for the next few years. After four full seasons in Cincinnati of the AHL, Bryzgalov is probably in the NHL to stay for a while, whether it is as starter or backup. A team like Anaheim doesn't have much to lose seeing if the younger (and cheaper) Bryzgalov can do the job for them - he's another goalie worth taking a chance on with a pickup. You're likely to know within a few games whether he'll remain as the main man in Anaheim.

Other early-February Players of Note

Buffalo: watch for captain Chris Drury and rookie Thomas Vanek, currently linemates (with winger Mike Grier). With the injury to top center Tim Connolly and JP Dumont not yet fully effective upon his return, Drury has had to take on an even bigger offensive role and he is responding. He has a reputation of being a clutch performer and his recent play hasn't changed that perception with 11 points in his last nine games. Vanek has had a streaky rookie season and is on a mini one now, with four goals in his last three games.

Columbus: Columbus is still a team that will end up far out of the playoffs but they've figured something out, having won seven of their last ten - winger David Vyborny has led the way in January. He's been on fire with 16 points in his last 11 games, including six multiple-point games.

Feedback can be sent to robaquino@sportsblurb.com.

1st rounders: Ladd, Parise, Eaves, Lehtonen

Treasure Hunting, the Hockey Edition

By Rob Aquino

01/26/06

“…With our first pick in this year’s NHL draft, we are pleased to select…”

…and with those words a young draftee’s professional life is forever changed, and forever defined. A first round pick in the National Hockey League automatically brings high hopes…and high expectations. The label “first-round pick” will remain with a player throughout his career and beyond. Often that label is an albatross which becomes impossible for a player to shed if the player doesn’t reach elite status. Rarely does a fan look back at his or her favorite team’s first round picks and not utter a simple declaration of “great” or “bust.” Unfair? Of course it is – labeling an 18-year old as a potential franchise savior is often a crapshoot as there lies the very possibility that a particular player peaks at that age and never improves. For every Guy Lafleur there’s a Brian Lawton; for every Denis Potvin there’s a Greg Joly. For every Mario Lemieux there’s…well, there’s an Alexandre Daigle, billed as a Lemieux clone based on his astronomical stats in the Quebec League. Daniel Tkaczuk, Rico Fata (sorry Calgary Fans), Jason Bonsignore…the list is endless. Even to this day if you mention Morris Titanic or Jiri Dudacek to old-time Sabres fans you’ll get eyes rolling skyward. My point is this: from the moment a player is selected in the first round, they will forever be etched into that team’s history. Nobody remembers a seventh-rounder that never made it at the top level.

This week we’ll be profiling some recent first round picks who have yet to become stars or household names - it is too early to tell whether they’ll be looked back at as stars or busts as they are all still in the very early part of their careers (all are NHL rookies this year) but each one is beginning to have an impact on their respective teams. In fairness, with the expansion of the league to 30 teams, what is now a late first-round pick would – in 1969 (the advent of the modern amateur draft) – have been an early third-round pick. The counter-argument can be made that with the huge expansion of international talent it evens out. But that’s nitpicking, isn’t it?

Andrew Ladd, Winger, Carolina Hurricanes

Andrew Ladd was drafted fourth overall in 2004 by the Hurricanes, so will obviously be carrying some pretty high expectations; in fact, the Hurricanes traded up (by dealing a few lower picks to Columbus) to specifically get Ladd. He has a relatively different resume than most top prospects, with only two seasons of major junior in Canada in the Western Hockey League – he spent the two seasons before entering the WHL starring in British Columbia Junior B and A leagues. After turning professional this season with the Lowell Lock Monsters of the AHL he notched seven goals in just 15 games, then got the big call in November to join Carolina and ever since – in short time – he’s had great success. His overall numbers are impressive – six goals in his first 11 games, and that after being held off the scoresheet for his first two games. He was getting quality ice time on a top-level team, averaging nearly 16 minutes per game until he ripped up his knee in December….

Ladd was selected by the ‘Canes in 2004 after having a great rookie year with the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL in 2003-2004, when he was the leading rookie scorer in the league with 75 points – one scout compared him favorably to Rick Nash. However, in his second season he dropped off offensively to 45 points, yet his gritty play contributed to him earning 167 penalty minutes that season which attracted the Carolina brass. Ladd plays an up-tempo game and has mostly been a playmaker in his career, despite the outstanding goal scoring prowess he’s shown in his thus far very short NHL career. One impressive number is that his six goals to date have come on only 21 shots, good for a 28.6% shooting percentage.

…now back to that knee: Ladd returned on January 17^th after six weeks on the shelf and played a few minutes against Phoenix. In each game since (four in total) he has seen his ice-time increase – likely a wise move to make sure he’s fully healthy. Ladd has responded very well on the scoresheet, with two goals and his first NHL assist in the last three games. In his last game against Montreal, he played mostly with Rod Brind'Amour and Justin Williams, logging over ten minutes on the ice in 17 shifts. If Ladd continues this progression, he not only could make a surprise positive addition to your fantasy team in terms of points, he could round out an already-talented Hurricanes team that has their sights realistically set on a deep playoff run.

Zach Parise, Center, New Jersey Devils

I was surprised in 2003 when Zach Parise fell all the way to the 17^th pick in the first round (although that class is already shaping up to be quite strong). Parise is a unique offensive dynamo – he created quite a buzz even before his draft year in his time spent at the famous hockey factory of Shattuck-St. Mary’s prep school in Minnesota where in his senior season he scored 73 goals and 174 points in 63 games. In two years at the University of North Dakota he was a two-time Hobey Baker finalist while scoring 116 points in just 76 games. In his second season he was the most valuable player for the USA at the World Junior Championships, leading them to a gold medal by leading the tournament in scoring. That was clearly enough to convince the Devils that he was ready to turn pro, and Parise headed to Albany of the AHL last year. Even though his raw numbers weren’t at an elite level – 58 points in 73 games – he was the fifth-highest scoring rookie and was a starter on the AHL all-star team.

This year Parise made the jump to New Jersey, but immediately faced a big depth problem - Parise has played in 48 of the Devils’ 49 games this year but with the Devils’ other centers including Scott Gomez, John Madden, and Erik Rasmussen, quality ice time was limited. The Devils seemed to bring him along slowly this season as he saw inconsistent ice time throughout most of the first half of the season. Yet almost exactly coinciding with the “changing of the guard” behind the bench from Larry Robinson to Lou Lamoriello, Parise has seen his ice time increase, never dipping below ten minutes and often now playing in the 15 minute range, and just as important he’s been getting roughly 20 shifts every night.

Parise has been playing on a line with Sergei Brylin and Victor Kozlov. His status as a center will make him a little less valuable and only worthwhile this year in deep leagues – but there is no denying his great offensive talent (see last Saturday’s shootout winner vs. the Islanders). Watch him and if he continues to impress his new coach he should see more and more offensive (read: power play) opportunities. Zach Parise is on track to be a star in the NHL within the next few years and if you are in a keeper league, he is worth stowing away.

Patrick Eaves, Winger, Ottawa Senators

Another talent coming out of Shattuck in Minnesota, Patrick Eaves took his game to the east coast and the strong NCAA program at Boston College in 2002. Patrick’s freshman campaign was sadly marked by a terrible collision with an opposing goaltender (Merrimack’s Joe Exter) which left the goalie in a coma and Eaves with a concussion. His tough year seemingly came at a tough time in his draft year but the Ottawa Senators knew his talent and took him with their first pick in the first round in 2003, at #29 overall. Eaves went on to two more full seasons at BC, scoring at well over a point-a-game pace with 87 in 70 games.

This year, being Eaves’ first pro season, has seen him bounce between Binghamton of the AHL and Ottawa no less than five times already. Ottawa went through a string of injuries in the past few months and Eaves was called on to fill in as the team got healthy. If he continues to play at his current rate, he may not see central New York for a while. Eaves has been one of the Senators crucial players over the past few weeks as they’ve battled through their first adversity of the season – in his last seven games Eaves has six points and has been a fantastic +7.

Eaves has the offensive skills to be a top-six forward in the league – he’ll eventually get a chance to play on a line with other premier talents but with the Senators boasting a loaded offense, Eaves is learning the finer points of the NHL game on Ottawa’s third line with Chris Kelly and Vaclav Varada and has quietly totaled 10 goals through his first 24 NHL games. Eaves bears watching: if one of Ottawa’s top forwards again suffers an injury, Eaves would be a good bet to step up on one of their top lines.

Kari Lehtonen, Goaltender, Atlanta Thrashers

Kari Lehtonen is the highest-drafted of our profiles this week, having gone second overall in 2002 to Atlanta (behind Rick Nash and ahead of the highly-touted Jay Bouwmeester). The NHL’s Central Scouting Bureau (seen as the standard authority for objective player rankings for NHL teams) had him ranked as the highest-ranked European prospect, but it was still seen as risky or cutting-edge to take a goalie so high in the draft. Nevertheless, the Thrashers took the chance that Lehtonen could be the cornerstone for their franchise for the next decade along with Ilya Kovalchuk. At the time, Lehtonen became the second-highest drafted goalie to date (Rick DiPietro, Islanders’ #1 overall, 2000 – since then Marc-Andre Fleury was taken first in 2003 by Pittsburgh). Lehtonen was seen as a “can’t-miss prospect” in many circles – twice he was awarded as outstanding goalie of the professional Finnish elite league SM-Liiga while playing for Jokerit (he became their starting goalie at age 18) and twice he was named Hockey News’ top prospect.

The Thrashers had high hopes for this season with Lehtonen in goal but he suffered a terrible groin injury in his first game of the season and Atlanta struggled for consistency for two months, going through a parade of goaltenders and trying to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference. He finally returned to the team just before the end of December, and if there was any question as to how effective he’d be, Lehtonen won five in a row in early January to help put the Thrashers firmly into the playoff discussion in the East. In limited time (12 games through Wednesday) he’s put up a 2.57 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage, and has given up three or less goals in each of his last six games. It certainly appears that health is no longer an issue for him.

Despite a recent slump by the team, look for Lehtonen to get virtually all the work between the pipes for Atlanta from here on out as he and players like Kovalchuk, Marc Savard, Marian Hossa and Slava Kozlov try and help push this team to their first playoff birth. If for some reason Lehtonen has been overlooked in your league due to his late start to the season, pick him up immediately.

Feedback can be sent to robaquino@sportsblurb.com.

struggles: Bruins and Penguins

Treasure Hunting, the Hockey Edition

By Rob Aquino

01/19/06

As we’ve passed the halfway point of this season, it seems a logical spot for teams to self-evaluate. Have they been successful to this point? Or has the season been a disappointment? For some teams who had high hopes, this can be a point at which they attempt to turn the tide – either by changing coaches, personnel, or even philosophy on building a team.

Two of the more disappointing teams this year would be the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins, both currently safely ensconced in last place in their respective divisions. I say “disappointing” in that many writers predicted both clubs to make the playoffs and even make some noise advancing in the spring. Yet in retrospect those were puzzling predictions – to me it seemed that both clubs had decisions to make: “do we focus on our very young talent and nurture it for a few seasons or do we make some noise with free agent signings and try to immediately jump ahead of our learning curve and “go for it” this year?” Well as you may know, both teams chose the “sign a bunch of free agents” route, fans and writers were blinded, and virtually none of those signings have worked out.

That hazy/unsure mix of “we like our young talent…but let’s still spend lots of money on aging veterans” rarely works, and I think often backfires on an organization. My philosophy would be to make a commitment either way (although I’d almost always steer towards building a young team), and stick it out. The New York Rangers – an active endorsement on how *not* to assemble an NHL team over most of the past decade, finally weren’t afraid to let their youth shine through this year and (along with a dramatic resurgence from Jaromir Jagr) it has kept them near the top of their division all season long. Aside from Jagr, their two most important players this year have been rookies Henrik Lundqvist and Petr Prucha. The Buffalo Sabres suffered a painful few years through bankruptcy and the departure of veteran stars. They claimed to have a plan in place, which didn’t sit well with fans but finally this season the club has gelled and after a cool start has been near the top of the league standings ever since. The team may not have the superstars that casual fans would recognize but they have an overloaded roster filled with skilled players - the franchise has been so deep, that call-ups like Jason Pominville, Dan Paille, and Derek Roy have stepped in due to injuries and the team has lost virtually nothing. If they can find a way to keep them all together they should be a force for the next few seasons.

Despite the disappointing seasons thus far by the Penguins and Bruins, there are still bright lights in their organizations. And they have both made mid-season moves, both minor and major, that perhaps point to them realizing their missteps and attempting to correct them midstream. If the moves have come too late to see postseason success this year, they should benefit the health of the franchises in the near future. Today we’re taking a look at a few of the youngsters on those teams….

Michel Ouellet, Winger, Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins are a very bad hockey team right now. 11 wins in 46 games bad. I didn’t like the way they “built” the team in the summer – the multiple veteran signings smacked of desperation, when they have so much youth on the roster that I felt they should have let develop. Finally, to not let their goaltender of the future Marc-Andre Fleury even stay on the roster (due to his potential bonuses) and watch the team bury itself in the initial months…it must have been very frustrating for a Penguins fan who was fed so much hype on the heels of all the off-season activity, highlighted by Sidney Crosby’s arrival. The vets didn’t play well, Super Mario finally played like his age says he should, and their defence was abysmal. December rolled around, coach Ed Olcyck was fired and Michel Therrien was hired from their AHL team in Scranton. While the team’s overall fate hasn’t been any better at all, at least one bright light has been found – winger Michel Ouellet. Ouellet played three early-season games under Eddie O, but didn’t get much of an opportunity – averaging about 10 minutes per game. He was sent down to Scranton…and coach Michel Therrien…where he potted 10 goals and 30 points in just 19 games.

When Therrien was hired as coach of the Pens he called Ouellet up to the big club within one day. Ouellet responded immediately. He scored points in nine of his first ten games, including an amazing ten goals. He has cooled off in recent games to put his overall numbers at 11 goals and 17 points in 18 games. Incredibly, he’s only a -3 considering he’s only been on the Pens for four wins this year (against 14 losses). He has made his mark on the power play with nine goals and 13 points, perhaps not making him the next Tim Kerr (or even J.F. Sauve) but still producing at an impressive clip. Only twice since his recall on December 16^th has he failed to register a shot on goal, and in fact his shooting percentage is an outrageous .355. Ouellet was a member of the Rimouski Oceanic in the Quebec Junior league (and a teammate of Brad Richards) where he racked up 118 goals over his final three seasons. He took that scoring talent to the next level with Scranton and over his first two seasons hit the 30 goal mark each time.

Due in part to the season being over three months old (his totals compared to other players’ season totals wouldn’t stick out) and the general ineptitude of the Penguins he’s still available in some leagues. Although I hardly expect him to keep up this pace all season, if the Penguins reshape themselves and continue to give young players like Ouellet a legitimate shot at being the future face of the team, I have high hopes for him and the Penguins in coming seasons.

Tomas Surovy, Winger, Pittsburgh Penguins

Wow, two Penguins? Could this youth movement be a return to the days of Pierre Larouche and Rick Kehoe (yes, I just wanted to drop those names)? Tomas Surovy was another mid-season recall by the Penguins - Surovy came up on December 11^th. He played parts of the past two seasons with the Penguins, having some success in 2003-04 with 11 goals in 47 games. Yet possibly due to that previously mentioned Penguins inability to fully commit to a youth movement, he found himself beginning the season in the American Hockey League with Scranton (where he notched 28 points in 25 games). Noting a pattern here? Hello Mr. Therrien. Surovy actually made it to Pittsburgh about a week before Therrien – in the two games before the coaching change Surovy was held without a point and was a -1. In the first six games under the new coaching staff, Surovy had eight points and was a +2 (the team was 2-4).

Although Surovy has tailed off of late in Pittsburgh, this might be a time to keep an eye on him as other owners might not be noticing him. The young Czech was drafted in the fourth round in 2001 by Pittsburgh and spent most of the next four seasons assigned to their American Hockey League affiliate in Scranton, with the occasional cup of coffee with the big club in Pittsburgh. His second season in Scranton proved his best as he scored at a point-per-game clip and tallied 19 goals in just 39 games before being recalled. The troubling mark on Surovy’s career thus far might be his consistency. He seemed to take a step back the next few years in the AHL until this year before his call-up. A big attraction to Surovy is his linemates: Crosby and Ziggy Palffy – despite criticisms of Palffy, to me he’s been the only “name” addition who has done anything of worth this year. If Surovy continues to play alongside those two he’ll put up good numbers the rest of the way.

Yikes! Late news: Ziggy Palffy suddenly announced his retirement on Wednesday. You should note how this might affect line combinations on the Penguins.

Brad Boyes, Center, Boston Bruins

Continuing with our “lousy black and gold” theme this week, we move on to the Bruins. Brad Boyes is a very interesting player– he was a first round pick by the Leafs back in 2000 and then was shuttled in the Owen Nolan deal to San Jose, then finally to Boston a year later. Boyes’ game is offence – he twice won the Ontario Hockey League’s outstanding player award with the Erie Otters, amassing 167 points in his last 106 games in those two seasons – his last culminating in an incredible 22 goals in 21 playoff games while leading the Otters to the OHL championship. He also starred for Canada in the World Junior Championships that season, helping them win silver and ending up second in overall scoring with nine points.

Boyes’ statistics with the Bruins this year aren’t super: in 45 games he has 10 goals and 25 points. I think those numbers can and should rise. First of all, his average ice time has to this point been the second-least of any Boston regular. He’s shown a willingness to play a strong two-way game; some evidence of that is in his +4 efficiency rating - best on the team. Boyes has been moved between different lines a good deal this season as the Bruins try to find any identity. One good sign is that he has been matched up with Marco Sturm and Patrice Bergeron at times – two of their best offensive players.

On a larger scale, Joe Thornton’s departure should have sent a clear sign to Boyes and the rest of the club that they are the future. Speaking of which - while I don’t want to come out and say I necessarily liked the Thornton trade from a Bruins’ point of view, I hardly saw it as the disaster that so many in the media portrayed it as. It’s a new opportunity for the team. Thornton is a great talent but for a variety of factors it wasn’t happening in Boston. I don’t see Thornton as a player who can take a team by himself and carry it – that’s no indictment, only a handful of players in recent years could fall into that category (Peter Forsberg and Jerome Iginla come to mind – going back a few years: Ray Bourque and Dominik Hasek). Thornton is doing well playing with some like-minded players in San Jose. The Bruins may not have received “name-players” back in the deal but all three were former first rounders, including Brad Stuart who should anchor their blue line for a long time. The point I’m (slowly) getting at is that there comes a time when you have to realize that “the plan” (whatever it may be) isn’t working, and you have to start over. That’s not easy, least of all from a marketing or fan perspective. “Hey, we know we stink and it’ll take some time but we hope you stick with us as we blow it all up and start over!” – aside from being too long to fit on a billboard, you’re alienating your fans. But building from the ground up can be rewarding as it inevitably is the most efficient way of assembling a team that will compete year after year.

Boston’s top two centers now are Patrice Bergeron and Brad Boyes; two former junior superstars who should now expect to be the main men in Boston at center ice. Now is the time for Boyes to become the player he should be – a quality scoring centerman. I believe the rest of this season will be important to Boyes’ development, so keep an eye on his numbers, and especially if he gets an increase in ice-time (and power play opportunities). If he gets hot, he could be picking up confidence and he has the talent to keep a hot streak going.

Milan Jurcina, Defense, Boston Bruins

Milan Jurcina is another key to the future progress of the Bruins’ franchise. Jurcina was a low-risk gamble by the Bruins, taken in the eighth round of the 2001 draft while playing in the Quebec League for Halifax. He soon developed into a steady leader for the Mooseheads (yup, named after and backed by the famed brewery), and putting up decent numbers for the first-place squad in 2003 with 15 goals and 102 penalty minutes in just 51 games.

Jurcina will likely never develop into a top offensive defenceman – his strengths are his…strength (he’s listed at six foot four, 233 pounds) and defensive play. On a less-than-average team he has maintained a +3 rating, quite impressive especially for a rookie defenceman. Yet after scoring (gulp) just one point in his first 19 games, he has suddenly and shockingly turned up his offensive game with six points in his last five games. One reason for the stunning reversal is that he’s taking shots. In those first 19 games he took as many as two shots in a game only three times and averaged well under a shot per game. In these last five games he’s had 12 shots on goal, showing much more willingness to jump into the play. He recently admitted to being too nervous to be more aggressive earlier in the season and dumping the puck into the corner rather than take a chance with a shot.

While it’s unclear how much Jurcina will be counted on once Brian Leetch returns from a groin injury, the Bruins’ staff has had their eyes opened to the potential that the young Slovak brings to the Boston blueline (aside: Jurcina was named to next month’s Slovakian Olympic team). If he continues to be paired with the highly skilled Brad Stuart he may continue to see his confidence – and offensive contributions – grow.

Feedback can be sent to robaquino@sportsblurb.com.

WJC II - Stoll, Getzlaf, Meszaros

Treasure Hunting, the Hockey Edition

By Rob Aquino

01/12/06

The 2006 World Junior Championships are over and a hearty congratulations to Canada for an underdog gold medal winning performance, their second title in a row. Last year Canada assembled a roster that experts put outrageous pressure on to win gold - which they did - bringing such accolades as “best junior team of all time.” En route to a perfect 6-0 record, they outscored their opposition 41-7. This year the team was relatively unheralded and at best even money to even earn a medal. USA got the lion’s share of publicity, but as it turned out the team never gelled (no doubt due to their horrible uniforms – I digress: how hard would it be to dress the USA in vintage 1980 Olympic sweaters? Aside from being visually superior, I’d have to think it might actually attract a little media attention in the States) they were a bust and finished fourth.

Canada had a lack of “star” power in this year’s tournament but used a punishing team-oriented attack spearheaded by tournament all-star and general agitator (as well as Philadelphia Flyers’ first round pick in 2005) Steve Downie to dominate from start to finish, culminating in a 5-0 whitewashing of the dynamic Russian team (led by Evgeni Malkin, whom I would expect to be seen profiled in this column next year playing alongside Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh).

As I mentioned in last week’s column, this tournament needs to be fully televised in the United States. With the specialty programming now offered through cable, there aren’t many good excuses why at least the medal round couldn’t be shown somewhere. While fully understanding that hockey is viewed in dramatically different terms in Canada as opposed to the States, last year’s final game between Canada and Russia attracted over three million Canadian viewers. With a little marketing (…ahem…1980 Olympic uniforms) I would think some fledgling US cable broadcaster wouldn’t mind taking a chance.

For the second week in a row, we’re spotlighting recent World Junior participants now playing in the NHL, and ones to keep an eye on in the coming weeks. One in particular has “arrived” and if he’s flying under your league’s radar, snap him up – the other two are projected future stars for you to monitor in the coming weeks…

Jarret Stoll, Center, Edmonton Oilers

Center is often a hard position to “break in” in fantasy terms – by this I mean that many fantasy leagues are set up so rosters have half the centers as wings, therefore the centers you usually have are the “stars” of the league – i.e. it’s easier to take chances on wingers since you have to fill more slots. Sometimes a “new” or hot/upcoming center is harder to spot.

Melville, Saskatchewan’s Jarret Stoll is rapidly stepping up into that category for the Oilers. Stoll has the classic scorer’s pedigree: in his final three years in the Western Hockey League for the Kootenay Ice, Stoll scored 109 goals in 180 games, culminating in two Memorial Cup championships, in 2000 and 2002 – he also starred in the World Juniors his final two seasons, winning bronze and silver medals for Canada. He was selected by Edmonton in the 2002 draft (after having been originally drafted by Calgary two years earlier, but failing to come to terms) and assigned to Hamilton in the American Hockey League where he put up decent but not overwhelming totals in his first professional season, notching 21 goals and 54 points. Finally he “graduated” to the big club in 2003-2004 where he put up modest totals of 10 goals and 21 points.

Expectations this season – his second in the NHL – were high but not overwhelming. Edmonton made no less than two high profile acquisitions last summer in defenseman Chris Pronger and center Michael Peca – perhaps this took the heat off of the other young Oiler centers as both Stoll and Shawn Horcoff have flourished. Stoll started off the season slowly, with only two goals in his first 14 games, but began to put up points on a regular basis starting in early November. He had 18 points in a terrific December which helped propel Edmonton up near the top of the most competitive division in the league. Overall his numbers suddenly look quite strong: in 42 games he has 14 goals and 26 assists for 40 points. His 143 shots are in the league top 20 and overwhelmingly tops on his club, showing aptitude to get into scoring situations. He’s getting time on the power play, netting 22 of his points in extra-strength situations.

Jarret Stoll is Edmonton’s leader in ice time for forwards this year and will be counted on to lead them into the playoffs. Stoll has only approached point-per-game status for the season in recent weeks and thus may still be available on the wire for a pickup – grab him if he is.

Ryan Getzlaf, Center, Anaheim Mighty Ducks

Another Saskatchewan native, Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf was a two-time World Junior participant and member of the soon-to-be-historic 2005 Canadian gold medal junior team, lining up with Jeff Carter (making noise with the Philadelphia Flyers this year) and Andrew Ladd (selected fourth overall by Carolina in 2004 - currently injured but has four goals in seven NHL games). He was drafted in the first round by Anaheim in 2003 as a potential team building-block center – a good mix of offence and grit. For example, last year, in his final junior season with the Calgary Hitmen, he scored 29 goals and logged 102 penalty minutes in only 51 regular season games, then added 17 more points in 12 playoff games.

He set up perhaps unfair expectations this preseason after scoring seven points in as many games – after scoring seven points in 16 regular season games he was sent down to Portland (Maine) of the American Hockey League to work on his game. Making the direct step from major junior to the National Hockey League is not an easy one and perhaps Anaheim thought Getzlaf would benefit from some relatively lesser competition and working his confidence back up. Seems there are some smart Ducks in Anaheim’s front office as Ryan simply tore up the AHL while he was there – in a mere 17 games he vaulted to fifth in league scoring with a fantastic 33 points, averaging a shade under two per game. Anaheim needs help in the goal scoring department (currently hovering around the bottom 10 in terms of goals per game) and recalled Getzlaf this past week – he responded by scoring a goal in his first game back against the Kings.

For the same reason that Stoll might be overlooked, Ryan Getzlaf is likely not ready to step into your fantasy lineup today – the overall center position is too deep. However, he has made it clear this year that the American Hockey League is beneath him – he’s ready for the NHL. If he can ride the confidence he undoubtedly gained in Portland into his latest foray back into the NHL, he could energize the Ducks into an exciting young squad. I wouldn’t currently recommend for shallow leagues but keep a close eye on him – for keeper leagues or deep leagues with bench room, with Getzlaf you could end up with a pleasant surprise over the final half of the season.

Andrej Meszaros, Defense, Ottawa Senators

As my SportsBlurb.com colleague John Franco notes this week, Slovakian native Andrej Meszaros has flown under the radar this year, both in the league overall and on a team otherwise chock full of megastars. I’d noted Meszaros three weeks ago as someone to keep an eye on but I feel he warrants a longer look. In a seemingly historic year for rookies, his is a name you don’t often hear but he stacks up against any of the bigger name rookies in terms of talent. He was the youngest player to play in the 2002 World Juniors in the Czech Republic, and created a buzz in Slovakia as their top NHL prospect which culminated in him being selected by Ottawa in the first round of the 2004 draft.

Thus far in his first pro season Meszaros hasn’t exactly lit up the scoresheet, but for a defenseman – and especially a rookie blueliner – his point totals are very respectable. To date he’s totaled 17 points, but has come on strong as the season has progressed – in December he scored nine points in 14 games. The good news is that he has long been projected by scouts to be an offensive defenseman, and I would expect the points to come in time for him. He recently went through a streak of 13 games in which he scored a point in 11 of those – I see this consistency as a great sign of his overall game.

Meszaros projects to be a top defenseman for years to come and has wisely worked on the defensive aspects of his game first, most notably reflected in his fantastic +26 rating thus far, which as of January 11^th is second in the league and tops among all defensemen. While I wouldn’t expect him to end up in the top 20 for defense scoring, I do expect him to improve on his point total in the second half as he becomes more confident in his abilities on the highest stage. Andrei Meszaros is absolutely recommended for all keeper leagues (and especially all combination stat leagues) as he could develop into one of the top 10 overall defensemen in the entire league by next season.

Feedback can be sent to robaquino@sportsblurb.com.

WJC I - B. Campbell, Ekman, Cammalleri

Treasure Hunting, the Hockey Edition

By Rob Aquino

01/05/06

The Winter Olympics start late next month in Turin, Italy. Once again the hockey event will be played by professionals, which has happened since Nagano in 1998, and inevitably after the tournament begins, someone you know will complain. Perhaps even you will complain. People will complain about how they miss the “good old days” of the Olympics when they used to be for amateurs (except, you know, those countries that always used pros).

For all those pining for this brand of international hockey – it’s not gone. And in fact it happens every single year in a tournament lauded by those who watch it, attended in record numbers in certain hockey hotbeds, and is utterly and completely ignored in the United States. It’s the World Junior Championships, and is held every winter for two weeks after Christmas. It matches the very best players in the world under the age of 20 against each other in a short and exciting tournament for the considerable honor of national hockey pride. This year the tournament is being held in British Columbia, Canada, and was completely sold out eight months in advance.

Of course if you’re living in the good old USA, you have a better chance of seeing the world championship of mud-wrestling superstars playing poker than merely a tournament pitting the next crop of NHL superstars against each other. Even the usually great Center Ice package deigns to show merely a handful of games (USA games only, of course), which is better than nothing, but it’s not enough - this tournament gets a horrible treatment from the American sporting world. Go ahead and ask the next 20 people you talk to about the World Juniors and I’d be surprised if any of them have even heard of it.

Many times in history the World Juniors have been a platform for teenagers to shine on the world stage for the first time. The 1978 tournament in Montreal welcomed a young Wayne Gretzky for the first time, and it took him a total of one game to register his first hat trick. He ended up leading the entire tournament in scoring that year with 17 points in six games (Canada took the Bronze that year as the Soviet Union won their fifth consecutive tournament, on the way to seven straight). The 1988 tournament first all-star team consisted of forwards Alexander Mogilny, Sergei Fedorov, and Theoren Fleury. In 1993, Peter Forsberg gave the world a glimpse of what the Quebec Nordiques were soon to see when he obliterated the previous record and scored 31 points in seven games. Last year’s first all star team at the World Juniors included two players we have profiled here: Dion Phaneuf and Jeff Carter, as well as rookie sensation Alexander Ovechkin and Bruins regular Patrice Bergeron. Carter and Phaneuf made the first all star team two years in a row. And, in 2004, Sidney Crosby became the youngest player in World Juniors history to score a goal. At age 16. I once scored a killer goal against my friend Brian at age 16. In a parking lot. Using a tennis ball. The World Junior Championships are the equivalent of taking the very best college football players playing in this week’s bowl games, and forming an elite group of eight teams, then letting them play an elimination tournament. You think that wouldn’t interest a few people in this country?

This week’s spotlight shines on a few players who have used a successful World Junior Championships to put them on the hockey map, and are seeing some success in this NHL season…

Brian Campbell, Defense, Buffalo Sabres

I’ve held off on Campbell for a few weeks, as I had seen a lot of inconsistency in his play, but his continued production is now warranting a profile. Brian Campbell came out of the Ontario Hockey League known as an outstanding offensive threat from the blue line. Even though in his final season playing with the Ottawa 67s he won the “most outstanding defenseman” trophy for the league, there was never a doubt that his game was generating points – in 1999 he led his team with 87 points in 62 games, with 12 more in nine playoff games. His elite play earned him a spot on the Canadian World Junior team and in helping the Canadians to a silver medal finish in Winnipeg he earned first-team all star honors. Campbell’s final award that year was being named Canadian Hockey League player of the year.

Upon completion of his junior eligibility he joined the Sabres’ farm team in Rochester and rode the I-90 shuffle between Rochester and Buffalo for the better part of three years before becoming somewhat of a regular in the 2002-2003 season. Campbell’s two previous full seasons in Buffalo could hardly be considered successes, both with the team failing to make the playoffs and Campbell scoring a total of 30 points in 118 games.

This year started off as more of the same, with only two points in his first eight games. The turning point seems to be when coach Lindy Ruff revamped the Sabres’ power play and installed Campbell as a key component. They caught fire and since late November the Buffalo power play has consistently been in the top five in the league. Since the beginning of November, Campbell has notched 15 points on the power play and 21 overall in just 29 games. If you are in a points-only league, Brian Campbell is a worthy addition and one that may have slipped below the radar in many leagues due to his slow start. If you’re in a combination league, take this into consideration – Campbell will get the majority of his points on the power play and at this point is below-average at even strength. One major caveat with Campbell is his horrible -12 efficiency rating. Campbell is a relatively small defenseman – listed at less than six feet and 190 pounds – and often is caught in his own zone when faced with an aggressive forechecking team.

Nils Ekman, Winger, San Jose Sharks

Ekman was a key component of the 1996 silver medal Swedish team at the World Juniors in Boston. He was a decent scorer in the Finnish league, leading his team his first season with 24 goals in 50 games. Since coming to North America, however, Ekman has been notable in that he’s been the property of four different organizations in total, first being drafted by Calgary and finally two years ago being dealt to San Jose after two partial seasons with the Lightning. In 2003-2004 Ekman put together a surprisingly tremendous season – finally getting the chance to play a full slate of games, he potted 22 goals (including four shorthanded) and 55 points while adding a fantastic +30 rating, good for fifth in the league. Expectations were fairly high heading into this season for Ekman.

Yet from a statistical point of view, after two and a half months his season was a disaster: in 29 games he was a -2 with only 9 points; only once getting points in consecutive games and that being in early October. So after starting off the season so poorly, what’s given ol’ Nils the kick in the knickers to put him in the scoring column in four consecutive games? Playing with Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo on the top line – it may be as simple as that.

I wouldn’t expect huge total numbers from Ekman no matter what – he’ll be 30 this year which makes it not extremely likely for him to suddenly transform into an elite scorer. However, as we’ve pointed out many times in this column, your production is often tied dramatically to your linemates. If he continues to play with the Sharks’ two best players, he will get points, as he’s shown a scoring touch in the past. Ekman’s low season totals thus far will keep him off most teams’ radars so if he’s available he’d be worth grabbing now in hopes that he remains on that top line.

Mike Cammalleri, Center, Los Angeles Kings

Mike Cammalleri has shown a scoring touch at every level – a suburban Toronto native, he starred at the University of Michigan, scoring 52 goals in his final 70 games there. He missed time his final year to star in the World Juniors in Pardubice, Czech Republic where he became a(nother) silver medal winner. Cammalleri led the entire tournament in scoring in 2002 with 11 points in seven games for the snake-bitten Canadian program.

Cammalleri is suddenly emerging as a potential force in the NHL, and is likely another example of how last year’s lockout actually helped the development of a number of young players (see also Jason Spezza, Thomas Vanek, and Eric Staal among others). After parts of two seasons with the Kings, Cammalleri spent all of last year with the Manchester Monarchs, the Kings’ affiliate in the American Hockey League, where he led the league in goals with 46 and was second in points with 109.

This year – which will doubtless end up being his first full year in the NHL – he has already surpassed his previous career NHL point totals. As of Wednesday he has 15 goals and 29 points in 40 games, and has been extremely productive in the past few weeks with nine points in the past seven games; only once in that span has he failed to register a point. The Kings have shaken up their lines a bit and Cammalleri has found himself playing with a host of linemates, but most notably he’s had time with Pavol Demitra which immediately makes him more valuable. In his last game against Dallas he registered a season-high of just under 23 minutes of ice time, including starting the overtime period, proving that the coaching staff has great faith in him. Mike Cammalleri has a great future in the NHL and by season’s end may be considered one of the better young centers in the league.

Feedback can be sent to robaquino@sportsblurb.com.