Volume 2 Issue 1 -- October 24, 2001
(Awarded to the the top scorer and top goalie over the past 10 games)
Player: Mike Modano of the Seattle Saints
Goalie: Curtis Joseph of the Toronto Stallions
Nominees
Players GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM His Team
Mike Modano 10 8 11 19 6 4 1 0 0 48 6 Saints
Eric Lindros 9 11 7 18 12 4 2 3 0 44 20 Stallions
Alexei Zhamnov 10 12 4 16 5 6 2 1 0 38 9 Bulls
Alexei Yashin 10 5 11 16 4 3 0 1 1 40 12 Vikings
Martin Straka 10 5 8 13 2 3 0 0 0 39 11 Sparrows
Pierre Turgeon 10 5 8 13 0 4 0 2 0 40 14 Sparrows
Dainius Zubrus 10 4 9 13 9 0 0 1 0 26 5 Seawolves
Alex Tanguay 9 8 4 12 -6 3 0 1 0 28 4 Steelcats
Deron Quint 10 3 9 12 11 0 0 2 0 8 7 Hawks
Alexei Kovalev 10 6 5 11 1 3 1 1 0 35 25 Enforcers
Sergei Fedorov 9 5 5 10 -1 3 1 1 0 51 41 Endless
Mats Sundin 10 3 6 9 4 1 0 0 0 47 9 Corinths
Milan Kraft 10 7 0 7 1 4 0 0 0 33 15 Bears
Jeff Halpern 9 3 3 6 6 0 0 0 0 19 23 Dropkicks
Phil Housley 3 1 4 5 2 0 0 1 0 4 11 Dominatrs
Andrei Markov 10 1 4 5 1 0 0 1 0 16 18 J-Naughts
Goaltenders GP MIN AVG W L T EN SO GA SA PCT His Team
Curtis Joseph 8 485 2.35 6 1 1 1 0 19 248 .923 Stallions
Jamie Storr 6 360 2.33 5 1 0 0 0 14 183 .923 Vikings
Chris Osgood 4 240 2.25 4 0 0 0 0 9 117 .923 Dropkicks
Tomas Vokoun 2 120 2.50 2 0 0 0 0 5 58 .914 Bulls
Mathieu Garon 4 245 2.94 1 2 1 0 0 12 125 .904 Sparrows
Jean-F. Damphousse 6 360 3.00 4 2 0 0 0 18 185 .903 Hawks
Ed Belfour 10 605 3.07 4 5 1 0 0 31 308 .899 Enforcers
Jose Theodore 10 600 3.00 5 5 0 0 0 30 289 .896 Corinths
Martin Biron 10 605 3.27 5 4 1 0 0 33 303 .891 Saints
Sean Burke 2 120 4.00 2 0 0 0 0 8 58 .862 Bears
Mike Dunham 7 420 4.71 1 6 0 1 0 33 238 .861 Dominatrs
(News articles from every corner of the W.H.L.)
Endless Rumours Surround Pittsburgh Stars
Pittsburgh, PA - These have been turbulent days over here in the Endless' offices. A small winning streak, trades made as well as trade speculations regarding the 2 superstars of the team. As usual the Endless trade for youth and did so once again in the two trades that were made recently.
It began with the Sparrows asking whether a couple of players could be acquired and after a few phone calls Patrick Traverse was told that he was leaving us for right winger Sergei Zholtok and a draft pick. This was not a major deal, more of a tinkering with the personnel available to us and trying to address our dire needs.
The 2nd trade was both more expected as well as having a bigger impact on the regarding teams. Ever since the beginning of the season we have been trying to ship off one of our goalkeepers and finally we managed to get at least a fair price for one of them: Sean Burke. Burke was the assigned back up to Arturs Irbe but will not be necessarily missed by the fans as Patrick Lalime now steps into his shoes. In return for Burke we received young defender Branislav Mezei as well as a quality pick from da Bears.
There has also been recent speculation in the local newspapers that the two star-skaters of the team have been involved in recent trade talks. Sergei Fedorov & Mark Recchi are pretty much what the team is built around but both are getting up there in age and with the recent "youth-trades" there might be some truth to the rumours...
The top scorer for Endless thus far has been Sergei Fedorov with 10pts in 8gms. Surprisingly Mark Recchi is not 2nd but instead Russian Oleg Kvasha has impressed with his 8pts in 8gms. Recchi is "only" ranked 3rd with 6pts in 8gms. Best defender has been young Swede Kim Johnsson with 6pts in 8gms and he's closely followed by Remi Royer and his 5pts accumulation. Best rookie so far is Radoslav Suchy, a defender, with 3pts where of 2 have been goals. Irbe leads the team with an unimpressive 0.872 save percentage as well as a horrible 4.63 g.a.a!! Maybe Lalime will have to step in?
Cats Implement European System Of Defence
Hamilton, ON - The Hamilton Steelcats have purred their collective way through the first ten games of the season. In a system very much reminiscent of the Pittsburgh Penguins circa the mid 90's. That is not to say that the team has the offensive horses to just beat goalie into oblivion it means they don't play much defence.
The system so far has what I would call a Swiss flavour.....Swiss cheese. The defence couldn't clear out the front of the net with a scythe. Sure there has been some development in Robin Regehr but not enough to help the other 5 or 6 defencemen with their assignments.
This team was bad in preseason and it is proving to be equally bad in the regular season. The forwards don't back check at all, oh yes they forecheck hence the powerplay standing. Some like Jeff O'Neill and Alex Tanguay have even been magical with the puck when they have it, but where is the accountability of this team? Why have the players just stopped playing normal up and down hockey? The players don't know or don't admit to the problem, the coaches know it exists but you just can't pull a Scott Stevens out of your ass every time you roll out a defensive pairing, and this writer certainly doesn't know what in the name of all that is holy is going on.
It is conceivable that this team should be better than last years squad. Jochen Hecht has improved, Martin Skoula has supposedly improved, word was Shane Willis was in line for a big season as was Marc Savard. Sure Hecht has played well but Willis and Savard now find themselves on the third unit most nights along with J.P. Dumont.
This is a team in disarray. It has no identity, and no heart. sniff sniff.....what's that I smell brie, provolone, cheddar....naaaa it is just Swiss cheese.
Oakville Bulls First Ten Games
Oakville, ON - Through the first ten games of the WHL's seventh season the Oakville Bulls appear to be coming along quite nicely for the most part. Currently the Bulls record is: (W)6 (L)2 (T)2, good enough for 1st place overall in the Wales Conference with a winning % of .700.
The Bulls still appear to be trying to find a new chemistry with all of the players that have been brought in to the organization over the past 2 months, but head coach Jacques Martin still has very high standards on this team.
Alexei Zhamnov has been the Bulls best player thus far in to the season, as his ability to score seats him atop the league leaders in goals scored with 12 in ten games. Dmitry Yushkevich has also impressed many not only with his physically dominating play, but also with his point production that seats him atop the leagues scoring defencemen.
The biggest question that the media is asking Bulls management and coaching staff right now is why Jeff Hackett seems to be 'slumping so badly'?, and coach Martin has stated that "For the last three seasons Jeff (Hackett) has been known to need a little more time to get going, and get himself back into the right mindset for the regular season. At the beginning of last season you guys (the media) asked the exact same question about Jeff and the reason than was because he had pulled his groin pretty badly. That isn't the case this year, and 'Hack' has told all of his teammates that he will improve his play".
On another note, Patrik Elias has also found himself in a bit of a slump. Elias has 11 points in ten games which is great!, however he only has one goal. Now for a player that is in the leagues top fifteen in shots, his goal production should increase by a fair amount.
Rookie netminder Tomas Vokoun has impressed many people around the league with his outstanding play in his two starts this past week, as he won both games and was solid through all 120 minutes of play. Jeff Hackett has been solid in the past 3 games though, and looks like he is coming back into form.
Return Of Firewagon Hockey To Chi-Town
Chi-Town, IL (AP) - Last season, the Krushers played like a boa constrictor. They choked the life out of their opponents, turning in a masterful defensive performance (2nd overall in GAA). However, they spent so much time choking their opponents, they left themselves little time to feast offensively. Krushers hockey was low-key, rather boring, but somewhat effective. Joel Quenneville had the players playing great technical hockey, but the people were left wanting more.
Fast forward to the present, and the return to style of Doug MacLean was so successful with...ALL OUT, EVERY SHIFT. The Krushers now find themselves 2nd in the league..in Goals For! The Krushers rank 3rd in Penalty Minutes with 34.9 per game, and the players play with a lot more passion than last season, when they often looked like robots.
More goals + more fights = More wins. After 10 games, the Krushers sport an impressive 6-2-2 record (2nd overall), with the only losses to the Vikings and Express in hard-fought 1-goal games. With the offensive numbers, and the W's piling up, Chi-Town fans have reason to be optimistic in the post-Blake era.
However, success has come with a price: More Goals Against.
A major role reversal, as the Krushers have opened up the floodgates..but alas poor Chris Rogles and Trevor Kidd have been hung out to dry like Sunday's laundry. With 3.40 GAA average combined, it must be irking to Quenneville to see his technical hockey turned into a wild back-and-forth lottery jackpot battle each night.
"I know we wanted to open it up a little, but I feel just as many grey hairs as last year," laughed coach Q after a recent practice, "Obviously, we have found 3 units that generate great offensive chemistry...but at the same time, we need some time to find that defensive chemistry...we need to perfect our defensive play if we are to win a Championships...we can't afford to get ourselves into 6-5 shootouts every night, as you're bound to get burnt playing such high risk hockey."
Shhhh...don't tell the players that. As captain Jeremy Roenick would have it, he's having the time of his life with 11 goals in the first 10 games.
"It's a lot more fun to play when the offense clicks," remarked Roenick, "we've been allowed to open it up, and each of the linemates we've been given have been perfect matches. I credit coach Q with finding the perfect combos, and the other players for playing so well. Obviously, with Rob Blake's greedy ass being dealt away, the room is full of players who WANT to be here."
Exhibit A - Adam Oates. At 39 years of age, everyone and their dog expect Oates to retire after last season, or take a stab at the Free Agent Draft. Instead, the Oates signed a 1-year extension with the Krushers, and is having a tremendous season with 4 goals and 10 assists in 10 games.
"This is a superb organization", stated Oates after signing his contract this off-season, "I feel with the changes being made, the cancers being cleaned out, and the success I had here last year...I didn't feel like moving my family to another city and trying to fit into another system."
Exhibit B - Ivan Droppa. The return of an original Krusher has been praised by most every hockey expect, as Droppa has filled a big gap left by the trade of Rob Blake. Ivan had stated he would play with Chi-Town or go home. Obviously, the Krushers were flattered Ivan thought so highly of Chi-Town, and his sparking defensive play has been a bright spot. He also accounts for 2 of the 3 goals by defenseman the Krushers have.
Of course, a 6-2-2 record will create a positive atmosphere, but the return to high-flying offensive hockey, combined with a great core of dedicated players, has combined to bring an overall happy-happy atmosphere back to the United Centre. The big question now...can they keep it up? Andrei Kovalenko will be out another 2-3 weeks with an ankle injury, and the Krushers have a lot of work to do defensively. Rogles and Kidd have not stolen any games, and the defencemen, for all of their great playmaking, haven't buried many goals. Another big test Thursday night vs. the Express will help tell the story...
For the Krushers, this is Paul Varelens.
Hawks Back Where They Belong!
Boston, MA - Much happened in the WHL this past off-season. One of the major events was the change in ownership and the relocation of the Halifax Hawks. The franchise was bought buy Swede Peter Nilsson this summer. Nilsson immediately moved the team back to Boston were the franchise used to be known as the Boston Agents. But that is all ancient history now. The Agents moved from Boston between the 1998-99(WHL4) and 1999-2000(WHL5) seasons.
In the absence of a "real" hockey club Boston fans have been forced to accept the New England Dropkicks as their team. GM Nilsson has always been a huge Boston fan and now that he got the opportunity to bring hockey back to Boston he didn´t hesitate. I´ve had the privilege to discuss these thing with the man himself.
"The reason that I got involved in hockey at this stage was that I felt that Boston deserved to have their own team. As things were last season they had to share the Dropkicks with Hartford. I feel that the fans here in Boston shouldn´t have to be in a situation like that. I mean hockey is all people talk about in this city, it´s a religion."
The move from Halifax to Boston has made the Dropkicks a little bit upset. In fact they tried just about everything to make us move from here. Lawsuits and I don't know what else. The media in and around the Boston metropolitan area have already started to call this rivalry the "Battle for Boston". In order to be able to play more games against them, the Hawks put in a request to the league office asking for a move from their division to the American division. League officials immediately understood that there was money to be made on this so they granted GM Nilssons request.
Last season the Hawks finished in an embarrassing 23rd place. GM Nilsson thought that it was due to poor coaching, so Mike Bossy got promoted to head coach. Bossy went to work immediately and one of his first moves was to trade former team captain Brendan Shanahan and Adrian Aucoin to the Bulls. Sniper Sergei Berezin and defenceman Sergei Zubov went the other way.
It was at the end of the preseason that the results of the off-season moves first could be seen. Hawks finished at the top of the American division with an impressive .800 record.
HAWKS 10 8 2 0 44 24 16 .800 8-2-0 3G winning
No one here in Boston feels that it is realistic to think that the Hawks are as good as it may seem. But now that 10 regular season games have been played the fans are starting to hope for great things.
The Hawks are currently ranked 3rd in the American division and tied for fourth place in the conference.
HAWKS 10 6 4 0 43 37 12 .600 6-4-0 3G winning
The team is doing well against its own division as well as against the rest of the league.
Against own division Others
HAWKS 4 2 2 0 4 ..500 6 4 2 0 8 .667
The fact that the Hawks has played 6 out of 10 games away from home doesn´t seem to matter either.
Home Away
HAWKS 4 3 1 0 6 ..750 6 3 3 0 6 .500
The fans here in Boston don´t demand that the Hawks have to be great this year but they sure wouldn´t mind it.
Hawks GM Nilsson has put up two goals for this season:
1: Finish better than last season and thereby making its first round pick as bad as possible.
(Currently held by the Express )
2: Win the series against the Dropkicks and thereby the "Battle of Boston".
Brought to you by Lasse Kinch
Saints Search For Starter
Seattle, WA - Well the Saints are off to a decent start but are still currently looking for an upgrade in goal. I will entertain any serious offers that are offering a nice starting goaltender. I will however not mortgage the rest of my team for a goalie right now as I'm a patient man and will wait for Martin Biron to be re-rated.
Thornton Taking Time
New England, MA - The trade that finally happened had Dropkicks management and fans alike eager to see what promised to be the dawning of the best one-two punch at center in Dropkicks history. When the 'Kicks acquired Joe Thornton from the Hamilton Steelcats for Jeff O'Neill and their first round pick in the draft, many expected 3-1 wins to become 6-1 blowouts.
The fact is that as of the ninth game of the season, it hasn't gone that way.
Much has been pinned onto Thornton's performance since his arrival.
F 19 Joe Thornton 9 1 2 3 2 1 0 1 0 28 12 3.6
A dismal shooting percentage (Thornton is still looking for his first goal in New England silks)and one assist has people wondering what is wrong more than why'd they trade O'Neill.
"Clearly Thornton is a better all around player than O'Neill," said Dropkicks fan Jimmy Sheasgreen, "but at some point we're all wondering what gives."
As long as the Dropkicks are winning Thornton will have a degree of leeway. But if he goes scoreless often enough in losses to the hated Krushers, as he did Day 8, the O'Neill fans will be tough to silence.
Dropkicks play-by-play man Tollbooth Willie could be considered one of those.
"Undastandably the trade looks good from a future value standpoint, but when fans see my buddy O'Neill rippin' it up ovah in Hamilton and Joe is suckin', it doesn't feckin' sit well. I said when the deal was done that they were fixin' something that wasn't broke but the bastahds didn't listen to me."
Clearly you won't see Thornton on the Dropkicks classified ads anytime soon, but the pressure at press time is very high as the Dropkicks prepare to face off against the Steelcats tonight.
Random Kicks:
Val Bure injured his ACL and will be out for a unknown period of time. Highly touted rookie Raffi Torres has been called up and scored his first goal in a Dropkicks uniform in a 3-1 win versus the Endless.
Brian Howe's long awaited CD has been released. "Straight Outta T.O.", Howe's first attempt to revive his rap career in more than ten years, features hits such as "H to the T.O.", "I Wish I Was a W.H.L Assistant Commissioner" and "Ghetto Liberal". Howe's first rap release, "Please, Rick Vaive, Don't Hurt 'Em" was a commercial and critical flop.
Almont Surprising Themselves
Almont, MI - A big surprising season so far for the Raiders. Scott Baden was planning on trying to rebuild once more after a failure to the past couple of seasons. "After Bradley retired this past off-season I decided maybe it was time to change once again." Scott started by trading their captain Scott Niedermayer to the Bulls. The Bulls last season tried to get him for their playoff push. The Raiders in return got a couple of veteran players along with a 1st pick in 2001-2(WHL7). Scott did say he is very happy in the direction of the team so far this season, but is still wanting to get good young players for the future. "I don't mind sacrificing the present as long as in the near future we are competing for the cup." The Raiders have also released what players right now are on the trade block.
Islanders Promote Potvin
Victoria, BC - In typical front office fashion, GM Dave MacDougall has laid the Islanders poor showing at the coach's doorstep. Denis Potvin has been promoted from the Yorkton Dugouts as Al Arbour Jr. was relieved of head coaching duties and appointed as head scout. Potvin who had been rumoured of taking over the head coaching duties after a successful debut in the WFHL gave a prepared statement:
"I am pleased to be given the opportunity to implant my style at the parent club level. Mr. MacDougall has definite ideas on the future of this organization to which I totally agree. I have been given the go ahead to handle line-ups, game strategy and coaching needs. My first move is to announce Greg Gilbert has agreed to serve as my assistant coach along with incumbent John Tonelli and Vladislav Tretiak will come on board to give our goaltenders some direction. Butch Goring has agreed to take over my head coaching responsibilities in Yorkton. The next move is ours."
With the season already into 10 games and a league-low record of one win and one tie with 8 zeros, it was obvious a change was required. The biggest problem has been penalty killing which has allowed 13 goals in 50 attempts. Considering the team has only allowed 37 goals against, this is a significant margin that will be addressed.
Steve Konowalchuk has been the most consistent performer who has managed to maintain an even plus/minus in all this adversity. In all fairness, the greatest loss has been a nagging injury to Boris Mironov who has been playing his normal leadership role in a reduced capacity.
Greatest need ??? lots which is more than evident however the Isles have been searching for a 68-70 point center to back up the 4th line. Age doesn't matter and a commensurate draft pick is available.
Islander structure has been revised as follows:
Team: Victoria Islanders
Owner: Hobbit Enterprises
Governor: Dave MacDougall
Alternate Governor: Bill Torrey
Vice President: Bill Torrey
General Manager: Dave MacDougall
Head Coach: Denis Potvin
Assistant Coach: Greg Gilbert and John Tonelli
Goaltender Coach: Vladislav Tretiak
Farm Team Coach: Butch Goring
Arena: Waterfront Gardens
Captain: Petr Nedved
Assistants: Boris Mironov and Marty McInnis
Montreal fights for their life!
Montreal, QC - Ten games into the season fans in Montreal begins to feel that they might not have a team in the playoffs this year. With just about everything going the wrong way, except for the PP and PK, heads are down in the hockey capital. The teams J-Naughts was supposed to fight with for a spot in the final eight have all started better than anyone could have guessed, as Oceanics tops the division and Bears are on the 2nd spot. Surely Corinths and Sparrows are going to get out of the slump and start dominating again but we can't afford to have a bad start and loose some very important games like we have. Slumping stars are of course a big concern and we can only hope to get it together before it's too late. Maxime Ouellet has started poorly in goal and we expect Roman Turek to take over real soon.
Vikings News and Notes
Edmonton, AB - Head coach Rob Ziccarelli has been very pleased with the club's start as the Vikings sit at 6-3-1 through the first ten games of the season. Included in those six wins were two over the Chicoutimi Sparrows, who went to the finals last season, and a 4-3 win over the Krushers, who have knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs the past two seasons. The club was disappointed with an opening night overtime loss to the Voodoo but the 9-8 loss to the Mississauga Icedogs was as sloppy a game as the club has played in Ziccarelli's tenure.
Ziccarelli has been very pleased with the play of rookie Andrew Ference who has 2 goals, 7 assists and is +4 in the ten games. "Well Andy is a guy who has a real bright future. He is not a real big guy but he sees the ice well and can move the puck quickly. He always makes a good first pass and that is more than half the battle for these young defencemen."
One of the club's big off-season acquisitions was left winger Ryan Smyth, who was picked up from the Express in exchange for Bill Guerin. Smyth was originally drafted by Edmonton, 112th overall in the WHL2 entry draft before being moved to the Voodoo as part of a package that netted the Vikings Brendan Shanahan. Since then Smyth has played for the Albany Mallrats, Waterloo Lunatics, Hartford Dropkicks and Rocky Mountain Express. Needless to say, Smyth hopes he is in Edmonton for awhile. "Alberta has always been my home and there's a great bunch of guys here. My wife is from here and we're hoping to be a part of something special here in Edmonton. We've got a solid team and a great bunch of guys and we're just going to go out and work hard and hopefully keep it going." Smyth has had a solid start with 10 points in 10 games.
Lee McEwen's trade of right-winger Owen Nolan was widely panned by the league's GM's last year and resulted in the league creating a trade-watchdog position that is manned by Brian Howe. While the league did not formally refer to the Nolan deal in creating Howe's position, it is well known that Howe lobbied the league to overturn the deal, which is the authority he now has.
Owen Nolan went on to win a Cyber Cup ring with the Voodoo, but was not exactly a force for them in the playoffs, managing only 4 goals in 25 playoff games. He was also a disappointing -7. Larry Murphy, who also went to Vancouver in the deal, managed 6 points and was -4 in the playoff run.
The Vikings parlayed the first and fourth round selections they acquired in the deal into Jason Allison. So ten games into the new season the trade looks like this:
With the Voodoo:
Owen Nolan 3g-5a-8pts, -1 in ten games.
Mike Commodore (42nd overall selection.) With the WFHL's Manitoba Moose.
David Cullen (99th overall selection.) With the WFHL's Manitoba Moose.
Larry Murphy was lost in the free-agent draft to the Oakville Bulls.
With the Vikings:
Jason Allison 2g-9a-11pts, +8 in ten games.
Anson Carter, 6g-2a-8pts, +7 in ten games.
Eric Brewer, 4g-4a-8pts, +8 in ten games.
Lee McEwen stood by the deal when he made it, and stands by it today.
Jim Matheson for the WHL Weekly.
Bears 10 Game Review
Harrisburg, PA - Well after struggling through the turmoil and fighting of the first 5 games the Bears went out and made some moves to shake things up. Now with the additions of Pahlsson, Beech, Burke and Kaspariatis the Bears have seemingly turned things around and are headed in the right direction. Early season surprises have been Kraft, Hrdina, Holmqvist and Kalinin. Early disappointments were the already departed Hasek, Kozlov, Manson and Lumme (Neither of which have played any defense yet.) One promising thing so far in the season is that the 2nd and 3rd lines have been outscoring the first and the team is still 5-5. Maybe with some shakeups and some more scoring from the top line this team will be a juggernaut headed for the playoffs.
Saskatoon News
Saskatoon, SK - Season so far: The Enforcers headed in to the regular season with one of the best records of the preseason. However after 10 games into the season things haven't changed much from last year. Making veteran and two time cyber cup champion Ed Belfour annoyed.
Saskatoon Weekly's King Don got an interview with him after the Enforcers loss to the Bulls 5-2.
The Interview
King Don: "Welcome Ed!"
Belfour: "Thank you King."
Don: "It was a tough night out there for you getting lots of quality shots from close in. What are your thoughts of the season so far."
Belfour: "I know that this team has the potential. We have players that can score like Renberg, Kovalev and like tonight Dvorak ( had 2 goals). We just have to focus and play hard every game and play hard for 60 minutes. In this league you don't get any easy victories. It seems like we have forgotten that after we played so well in the preseason. It's still early and things will turn around if we just get to it. But remember last year when this team lost it's last 10 games and slipped out of the race with a single point. I will not be standing there with my golfing bag in hand and wish I'd worked harder that night in a then seemingly meaningless game 10."
Don: "What were your expectations as you got traded to the Enforcers during the off season."
Belfour: "Well it didn't came as a shock to me that I'd get traded. I was feeling that I had to get a new challenge somewhere and a trade was a possibility for me to get a fresh start and get motivated. My expectation is to take this team to the playoffs. Once your in anything can happen."
Don: "Will you end your career here in Saskatoon?"
Belfour: "He he! I haven't thought about ending my career yet. But I don't just want to go here get the money and pull out when things are rough. I want to be a part of this team as it turns into a contender. I want to be a part of it, to feel satisfaction from contributing not only to getting wins, but also develop the many talented players on this team."
Don: "Maybe a coaching career is in the future for you?"
Belfour: "Well I think I'd like to be involved in hockey after I retire. And if I feel I can provide something I'm sure I'll give it a shot."
Don: "Thank you Ed for coming and good luck in the future."
Now it's time to turn to the Team breakdown:
TEAM BREAKDOWN
Saskatoon Enforcers Centers
L P # Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM PCT
1 F 18 Daniel Briere 10 6 6 12 0 3 0 1 0 33 31 18.2
2 F 36 Eric Chouinard 10 1 6 7 1 1 0 0 0 19 11 5.3
3 F 23 Andrew Cassels 10 1 3 4 -2 0 0 0 0 10 17 10.0
4 F 10 Bryan Smolinski 10 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 15 0.0
Briere has been producing as he is supposed to do and been a force on the power play. Chouinard has got an awful shooting percentage early on, but that should change. As a whole the centers have played well, but more could be expected from veterans Smolinski and Cassels. Look for Robitaille or Pederson to get a chance if the Veterans continue to struggle.
Right Wingers
L P # Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM PCT
1 F 29 Alexei Kovalev 10 6 5 11 1 3 1 1 0 35 25 17.1
2 F 19 Mikael Renberg 10 4 3 7 1 1 0 0 0 40 8 10.0
3 F 21 Radek Dvorak 6 2 1 3 -3 0 0 0 0 14 0 14.3
3 F 14 Vadim Sharifijanov 4 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 5 14 20.0
4 F 61 Peter Ferraro 10 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 25 33.3
The main threat the Enforcers have is the right wing. Kovalev has been deadly on powerplay and Renberg is a shooting maniac. Kovalev started the season furiously but has been hampered by back spasm lately. Dvorak returned from a preseason injury and has started slowly. Perhaps is the two goals against the Bulls a sign of him coming back to form. Veteran Ferraro does his job without any complaints.
Left Wingers
L P # Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM PCT
1 F 69 Jan Hlavac 10 4 3 7 6 1 0 1 0 31 2 12.9
2 F 15 Jonas Hoglund 10 2 0 2 -1 0 0 1 0 24 4 8.3
3 F 27 Ethan Moreau 6 0 0 0 -3 0 0 0 0 12 12 0.0
3 F 44 Josef Beranek 4 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 12.5
4 F 16 Alexei Smirnov 10 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 12 26 8.3
The left wing is proving yet again to be the Enforcers week point. Apart from Hlavac that's having a great season opening there isn't much to cheer about. Hoglund shoots and has got a couple of goals, but isn't getting any quality chances. More alarming is that he seems to be a little uninterested on the ice despite playing with fellow swede Renberg. Moreau has also recovered from preseason injury and seems to be out of shape. Look for Smirnov to grab that 3rd line spot and Beranek to fill in on the fourth line. If Smirnov continues to play with the same energy as the last couple of games and continues to improve he might even put Hoglund on the checking line.
Defenders
L P # Player GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT S PIM PCT
D D 2 Oleg Tverdovsky 10 1 6 7 0 0 0 0 0 22 9 4.5
D D 7 Shawn Chambers 10 0 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 17 14 0.0
D D 6 Greg Hawgood 10 1 3 4 1 0 0 0 0 9 4 11.1
D D 77 Vitali Vishnevsky 10 0 4 4 5 0 0 0 0 5 22 0.0
D D 33 David Wilkie 10 0 1 1 -6 0 0 0 0 3 8 0.0
D D 54 Dan Focht 10 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 0 4 34 0.0
The defensive corps are showing the most variation in performance this year. The first pair Tverdovsky and Chambers started out slowly but has improved with every game. Newcomers Hawgood and Vishnevsky, that form the second pairing, has proven to be solid WHL blue liners both offensively and defensively. Hawgood was brought in as a replacement for Barry Richter who had knee surgery during the off season. Big and though Dan Focht and his partner David Wilkie isn't as successful. Both seems to be lost on the ice. Wilkie has made some bad first passes and lost the puck as he tries to skate through the neutral zone which has led to easy goals for the opposition. Several players from the farm like Delmore, Grimes, Marchment, Grand-Pierre and Sean Brown are looking for an opportunity to get into the lineup. My bet is that Wilkie won't play against the Icedogs Thursday night and that Grimes who is defensively sound will get the call.
Goal:
GOALTENDER GP MIN AVG W L T EN SO GA SA PCT PIM AS
Ed Belfour 10 605 3.07 4 5 1 0 0 31 308 .899 0 0
Belfour has played all the games so far and is known for want to play all the time. His statistics is below his usual standards but that's not strange when you look at the amount of giveaways and poor defensive play he has to live with. Look for Kipprusoff to play soon to give Eddie a few nights off.
Rumors:
The enforcers are looking for a sniper to strengthen the left side and an experienced defender with offensive qualities.
Nilsson's Postion Questioned In Des Moines
Des Moines (WHL) - The fans in Des Moines are starting to get worried about the very bad opening of the season. "It was better when Kolsrud ran this team. Larsson isn't doing anything to change this" said one upset fan outside the home arena and added "Headcoach Nilsson don't seem to have a clue about how this team should be playing. Get rid of him now!!". This seem to be something many supporters agree on. General Manager Andreas Larsson didn't want comment the reactions at this point.
"The DMD are playing below their capacity. I think they need to do something quick. I think Bob Gainey should replace inexperienced Nilsson as head coach. Why is Gainey just assistant anyway?" said CFGD hockey expert, Lester Richards, when we asked him about a comment. Team captain, Steve Yzerman, was more calm and said that he believed that the entire squad is supporting the coaching staff lead by Kent Nilsson. "We will get out of this" were the legendary capatain's word to all the fans.
The man in focus himself, Kent Nilsson, said that he is concerned about the opening record. He also stated that he hasn't had any indications that he might be on the way out and that he understands the worried and upset supporters that pay expensive money to see there heroes.
(Taking a biographical and statistical look at superstars of today and tomorrow)
This month we look at Saku Koivu from the Quebec City Corinthians
NHL History:
Saku Koivu was drafted 21st overall in the 1993 Entry Draft by the Montréal Canadiens. Two seasons later, he made his NHL debut and scored his first NHL goal on October 23 against the Kings' Byron Dafoe. He played all 82 games that season and finished fourth in rookie scoring with 45 points. In 1996-97, Saku got off to a terrific start and finished the season at better than a point per game (56 points in 50 games) despite losing a number of games to injury. In 1997-98, Saku again missed a number of games, but this time managed to participate in the mid-season All-Star Game and lead the team with 43 assists in 69 games. At season's end, he ranked 39th on The Hockey News' Top 50 NHL Players poll. After missing more games in 1998-99 (he played just 65 games and scored 44 points), Saku missed the majority of the 1999-2000 season with injury and played just 24 games (21 points).
In 2000-01, Saku co-led the Canadiens with 30 assists and 47 points despite being limited to just 54 games as a result of more injuries.
Saku played his junior hockey with TPS Turku in Finland. In 1991-92, he split the season between the junior club and the second division TPS club. In 1992-93, Saku graduated to the sm-Liiga level and scored 10 points in 46 games as a teenager. In the playoffs he scored five points as TPS won the league championship. In 1993-94, Saku stepped up his play and scored 53 sm-Liiga points. He scored 12 playoff points as TPS finished second in the playoffs. In 1994-95, Saku was a standout by winning the Lasse Oksanen (MVP) and Veli-Pekka Ketola (top scorer, 74 points) trophies as well as being name to the First Team all-star squad. In the playoffs, Saku won the Jari Kurri Trophy as playoff MVP and led the circuit with 17 points as TPS won the championship.
Saku first represented Finland at the 1992 and 1993 World Junior Championships. In 1994, he first won a bronze medal with the national team at the Winter Olympics in February and then won a silver medal at the World Championships in April. One year later at the 1995 World Championships in Sweden, Saku led Finland to its first ever world tournament gold medal. At that 1995 tournament, Saku won the Best Forward directorate award.
Saku then represented his country at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and 1997 World Championships. At the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Saku won his second Olympic bronze medal and co-led the circuit with ten points. He also won a silver medal at the 1999 World Championships.
On March 23, 2001, Saku was named to the 2002 Finnish Olympic team.
Saku enjoys playing snooker and badminton. Saku's father, Jukka, is a coach in Finland. His younger brother, Mikko, is a centre with TPS Turku and prospect for the NHL's Minnesota Wild.
(source: NHLPA.COM)
Saku was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer, in the abdomen on Sept. 5th, 2001. Saku is currently undergoing exhaustive chemotherapy. Team doctor David Mulder said Koivu responded well to the first of eight scheduled rounds of chemotherapy and there is hope the Finnish star will make a full recovery. By January, doctors should know if he is cured, Mulder said. If so, he could be ready to return to action next season. “I think he can beat it,” said Mulder. “I'm very optimistic, although it's premature to say anything now.”
(source: SPORTSNET.CA)
WHL History:
Saku Koivu was drafted in the 1st round (2nd overall) by the Milton Mustangs(now the Toronto Stallions) in the 1996 Entry Draft. The Mustang organization quickly soured on young Saku and traded him on December 5th, 1996 to the Kingston Corinthians(now Quebec City Corinthians).
Saku went on to win the Calder Trophy that season as the league top Rookie by scoring 60 goals and 104 points in 71 games. He was named to the Rookie All-Star Team, and was instrumental in Kingston's Cyber Cup win that season. He scored 22 goals and 31 points in 24 playoff games on his way to winning the Conn Smythe Trophy.
Saku has spent the last 5+ seasons with Kingston/Quebec City. Saku has missed only 14 games due to injuries in 6 seasons in the WHL. Saku is listed as third in scoring with the club behind Mats Sundin and Keith Tkachuk.
Saku was named to Finland's Olympic team in 1998 and has again been named for 2002.
(Saku Koivu Age: 27 Born: November 23, 1974)
Jersey Handed Position Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
11 Right Centre 7 9 5 8 6 7 8 9 8 5 6 78
Pre-Season Statistics
Season Team GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT Shot PIM PCT
96-97(2) MUSTANGS 5 1 2 3 0 1 0 0 0 21 4 4.7
97-98(3) CORINTHS 10 0 4 4 -2 0 0 0 0 31 7 0.0
98-99(4) CORINTHS 10 4 10 14 4 3 0 0 0 32 16 12.5
99-00(5) CORINTHS 10 5 1 6 -1 2 0 0 0 31 12 16.1
00-01(6) CORINTHS 5 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 13 9 0.0
01-02(7) CORINTHS 6 4 3 7 -4 1 0 0 0 21 6 19.0
Pre-Season 46 14 22 36 -3 7 0 0 0 149 54 9.4
Regular Season Statistics
Season Team GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT Shot PIM PCT
96-97(2) CORINTHS 71 60 44 104 32 15 0 7 0 335 39 17.9
97-98(3) CORINTHS 74 29 56 85 23 10 3 4 0 332 74 8.7
98-99(4) CORINTHS 65 25 44 69 21 15 0 1 0 210 148 11.9
99-00(5) CORINTHS 84 26 42 68 9 13 0 6 0 322 82 8.1
00-01(6) CORINTHS 82 34 35 69 10 22 0 3 0 274 154 12.4
01-02(7) CORINTHS 6 0 1 1 -1 0 0 0 0 17 17 0.0
Regular Season 382 174 222 396 94 75 3 21 0 1490 514 11.7
Play-Off Statistics
Season Team GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT Shot PIM PCT
96-97(2) CORINTHS 24 22 9 31 15 4 0 7 0 113 4 19.5
97-98(3) CORINTHS 11 8 10 18 10 0 0 2 0 59 7 13.6
98-99(4) CORINTHS 17 1 8 9 5 1 0 0 0 44 20 2.3
99-00(5) CORINTHS 15 4 8 12 6 2 0 0 0 49 10 8.2
00-01(6) CORINTHS 11 3 5 8 1 1 0 0 0 22 22 13.6
Play-Off 78 38 40 78 37 8 0 9 0 287 63 13.2
Olympic Statistics
Season Team GP G A PTS +/- PP SH GW GT Shot PIM PCT
97-98(3) FINLAND 10 2 6 8 -10 1 0 0 0 33 22 6.1
Olympic 10 2 6 8 -10 1 0 0 0 33 22 6.1
Get well soon Saku!
(Transcripts of interviews with General Managers from around the W.H.L.)
This week we talked with Andreas Larsson from the Des Moines Dominators
Everything old is new again. That adage sums up one of our new GM's this year, as we welcome Andreas Larsson back to the WHL. There are only five General Managers left from the league's initiation in 1995. They are; Chicoutimi's Mike Hebert, Edmonton's Lee McEwen, Vancouver's Darren Kinnaird, Windsor's Jason Stumpf and Toronto's Brian Howe. Now there are six again, although no longer with his Minneapolis Monarchs, Andreas Larsson will head up the Des Moines Dominators.
The Monarchs, now the Mississauga Icedogs, were the WHL's first ever Presidents Cup winner in 1995. That year Andreas Larsson won the Executive of the Year Award. That was no surprise, considering he was smart enough to get a 22 year old center from Sweden to lead the Monarchs for the next three years. Center Peter Forsberg won the Calder Trophy in 1995 with the Monarchs. He was inexplicably traded the summer after Andreas left the club.
With "Trader-Jon" Lemoine at the helm of that storied franchise there is only one original player left from the Larsson days. Tim Taylor has been with the Monarchs/Icedogs organization since the beginning. And remains there today.
We talk now with Andreas Larsson from Des Moines, Iowa:
YSI: "Andreas, welcome back to the WHL! You left us in the summer of 1998. May we ask why?"
Andreas: "Thank you! Well, there were many things going on in my life at that point and I, and the WHL, felt that it was for the best that I sold the Monarchs. It was a tough time and really touched my heart to see 'my' Monarchs being sold and moved from Minneapolis. I still remember that opening season of the WHL with the Monarchs. But that's history now and I can never get that back, so I have to put 100% of my attention to the Dominators."
YSI: "Yes that inaugural season was amazing. You took the Presidents Cup that year. So you are going to put 100% into Des Moines now. What changes can we expect in the near future with the club?"
Andreas: "I will first see how the team performs. I'll not rush things and make changes just because I'm the new owner/manager. I believe that you should first focus on what you got and get to know that before you change everything to something that might not be better. So, when I came here I decided to go with the guys I have and I got some positive indications during the preseason. But, even if I'm not a man that make deals every day, there will be changes to club during the season. I have a plan and I know what I want to change and that is what I will do when the time is right."
YSI: "Why did you decide to stay in Des Moines and not move back to Minneapolis?"
Andreas: "I had several options when I bought the Dominators from (Jason) Kolsrud after last season. I talked with several cities and one of them was Minneapolis. After considering all options I decided that it was for the best to stay in Des Moines. The team has been in this city since 1996-1997(WHL2) and I have never liked franchises that move around all the time like a circus. The history of this team is in Des Moines and I'm very happy that I get a chance to write the next chapter of it."
YSI: "Well put. The Monarchs, now the Icedogs, have fallen on hard times. Does it bother you to see the mess your once proud team is in?"
Andreas: "Yes, it's really hurting me to see the once so proud and successful Monarchs struggling that much. All that talent we had back in 1995-1996(WHL1) is gone. Sad, very sad. I hope Lemoine is the right man to bring them back to the glory days."
YSI: "While talking with Tim Taylor, I asked him about then and now. He stated, quite diplomatically, that they are two different managing styles. He said 'Larsson was interested in building a contender every year, while Lemoine is trying to build a long term dynasty.'. What do you think?"
Andreas: "Back in the old days when I was younger and inexperienced I tried, as Tim says, to build a contender every year but the years I have been away from the hockey scene has changed me a bit. I still want to be a contender every season but I also know that it's not possible, so these days I try to get the right balance between both styles. I really don't know what style Lemoine has since I don't know him too much. All I know is that he owns what once were the Monarchs and that they don't do too well at this moment and I also know he made one, if not the best, pick in this seasons entry draft when he elected Fredrik Sjöström."
YSI: "Where do you see your team finishing in your division and also in your conference?"
Andreas: "I don't want to sit here and make those predictions that you in the media love so much ;) I think it's better that you tell me what you see. Do we miss the playoffs? Will I sack Nilsson before Day 7? I can't say anything about final standings when we just passed Day 4 of the season. I will leave the speculations to you guys in the media. I like facts and one is that we have started the season slow and that we will try and turn that around, which we should be able to do. We have a good team, good leaders, fanatic supporters and I believe in the guys on the ice. Together we will do a good job every night."
YSI: "Many changes have occurred in the WHL during your absence. Does anything stick out, in your opinion, either as a good or bad change?"
Andreas: "Things have changed in WHL since the old days, but for the better I think. The WHL is a healthy league and I enjoy being back."
YSI: "Sweden has announced over half its roster for the Olympics. What do you think of their chances this winter?"
Andreas: "Sweden could repeat the 1994 Olympic gold if they get the right mix in the line up. We have a couple of great players and with Magnus and Peter leading the team it could be a success. I look forward to watching them this winter. The Three Crowns means a lot to me and for all Swedes around the globe."
YSI: "Well Andreas, once again welcome back and thank you for your time. Good luck this season and I look forward to watching what you will do with this team. It would be good to see your name on the Presidents Cup again!"
YSI: "Now, as always, I like to give my guest the final word; so Andreas is there anything you'd like to add before we wrap this up?"
Andreas: "It's always a pleasure talking to this paper. I would like to add that our fans should give us some time before judging us. We have opened with a 1-5 record, but it's not as bad as it looks."
(Updates on the Olympic games in Salt Lake City 2002)
Here are some statistics regarding W.H.L. team participation. Of the currently named rosters, the team breakdown is as follows:
Team Can. USA. Swe. Fin. Cze. Slo. Rus. Ger. Total Pct
Bears --------- 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 3 3%
Bulls --------- 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 5 5%
Corinthians --- 0 1 2 1 2 0 0 0 6 6%
Dominators ---- 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 3%
Dropkicks ----- 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 1 5 5%
Endless ------- 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 2%
Enforcers ----- 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 4 4%
Express ------- 1 2 0 1 2 2 0 1 9 10%
Hawks --------- 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 2%
IceDogs ------- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0%
Islanders ----- 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 2%
Juggernaughts - 0 0 1 2 2 1 0 0 6 6%
Krushers ------ 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 4 4%
Lunatics ------ 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 4 4%
Oceanics ------ 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 5 5%
Raiders ------- 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1%
Saints -------- 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 2%
SeaWolves ----- 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 2%
Sparrows ------ 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 4 4%
Stallions ----- 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 8 8%
Steelcats ----- 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 4 4%
VooDoo -------- 4 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 10 11%
Vikings ------- 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1%
Vipers -------- 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 3 3%
Totals 13 14 16 12 24 10 0 6 95 100%
Team Sweden's Olympic Roster Takes Shape
The Swedish Olympic team will be looking to improve its outright poor results from the last Olympics four years ago. Rickard Fagerlund, the head of the Swedish Hockey federation, declared at an early stage that no resources will be spared in order to bring Sweden back to the top of international hockey.
Fagerlunds first step was to make sure that the team had a GM that is capable of picking the right players. After weeks of negotiation it was made official that newly appointed Boston Hawks GM Peter Nilsson had been appointed GM for Swedens Olympic campaign. Next step was to hire a coach, and who would be more suitable for this task than Mr. Darren Kinnaird, GM of the Vancouver Voodoo. Mr Kinnaird knows a lot about Swedish hockey. Another contributing factor to this choice was the fact that 6 Swedes play for the Voodoo.
GM Nilssons first action as GM for team Sweden was to assign Hakan Loob and Thomas Gradin as assistant coaches. Loob and Gradin are both experienced players that will be able to help the team in many ways.
So far 16 players have been named. The remaining 9 names are still undecided and will probably be made official sometime before Christmas.
So lets take a look at what team Sweden have to offer:
TEAM Sweden
GM: Peter Nilsson (Hawks)
Coach: Darren Kinnaird (Voodoo)
Assistants: Hakan Loob and Thomas Gradin
Goalkeepers on roster
1 Tommy Salo L G 6 8 5 6 6 7 6 6 7 - - 57 Vikings
30 Johan Hedberg L G 7 8 5 6 6 9 8 6 7 - - 62 Seawolves
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Goalies trying to get on roster
32 Johan Holmqvist L G 5 7 6 6 4 7 7 4 7 - - 53 Dominators
It might appear that team Sweden has weak goalies but that's not true. Tommy Salo is one of the best goalies around and he has always performed well on the previous occasions he has played for the Swedish national team.
Defense on roster
5 Nicklas Lidstrom L D 5 7 6 9 9 8 7 8 8 8 8 83 Voodoo
2 Mattias Ohlund L D 7 7 8 8 6 7 6 7 7 6 7 76 Voodoo
3 Kenny Jonsson L D 4 7 7 7 7 7 8 6 6 6 7 72 Stallions
7 Fredrik Olausson R D 5 6 6 6 7 8 7 7 7 5 8 72 Juggernaughts
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Defense, trying to get on roster
34 Marcus Ragnarsson L D 8 7 8 7 6 7 6 8 6 6 4 73 Hawks
16 Calle Johansson L D 6 6 6 7 6 7 7 6 6 6 8 71 Vipers
33 Christer Olsson L D 3 7 4 6 6 7 7 7 6 3 7 63 Krushers
44 Anders Eriksson L D 6 7 8 7 7 8 7 7 6 6 4 73 Islanders
18 Mattias Norstrom L D 7 7 7 7 7 6 7 6 6 6 3 69 Oceanics
4 Per Gustafsson L D 5 7 5 7 5 7 6 7 7 6 6 68 Bulls
The Swedes have a world class defenseman in Nicklas Lidstrom, no doubt will he be one of the Swedish players that sees the most ice time. Ohlund, Jonsson and Olausson are all veteran players that have been around the last 5 years. The Swedish defense might not be as strong as the one that Canada and the USA have but it should be enough to battle for a medal. Four players are still considered to have a chance to get their names on the roster. These nominations will pretty much be up to the head coach to decide upon.
Centers on roster
13 Mats Sundin R C 6 8 8 8 8 7 9 8 8 6 8 84 Corinths
21 Peter Forsberg L C 7 7 7 7 6 7 7 9 8 7 7 79 Voodoo
33 Henrik Sedin L C 7 7 7 6 6 5 6 8 7 7 6 72 Voodoo
92 Mikael Nylander L C 3 7 5 7 8 8 7 7 7 5 6 70 Oceanics
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Sweden looks very strong when one looks at the centers. Names like Sundin and Forsberg are recognized by almost everyone who claims to know anything about hockey. GM Nilsson is hoping for these two players to lead this team to an Olympic medal. But if Sweden wants a medal they better hope that Sedin or Nylander play better than normal.
Right wingers on roster
19 Markus Naslund L RW 4 8 6 7 7 7 8 7 8 6 9 77 Voodoo
27 Mikael Renberg L RW 5 8 6 7 7 8 8 8 8 5 8 78 Enforcers
71 Daniel Alfredsson R RW 6 7 6 7 6 8 8 8 7 6 7 76 Corinths
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Right wingers trying to get on roster
24 Niklas Sundstrom L RW 6 8 5 7 7 9 8 6 7 7 6 76 Oceanics
20 Ulf Dahlen L RW 4 6 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 5 6 67 Raiders
Naslund, Renberg and Alfredsson are three very competent wingers and should be able to score quite a few goals for team Sweden. Naslund and Forsberg know each other from both Voodoo and from their Swedish amateur club Modo. They also played together in the Swedish world junior championships where they dominated the tournament. Nicklas Sundstrom also played with Forsberg and Naslund back in the Modo days.
Left wingers on roster
22 Daniel Sedin L LW 5 8 5 6 6 7 7 6 7 5 8 70 Voodoo
15 Jonas Hoglund R LW 4 7 8 7 8 9 6 6 7 5 7 74 Enforcers
20 Magnus Arvedson L LW 6 9 6 6 6 7 7 6 6 9 6 74 Dropkicks
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Left wingers trying to get on roster
96 Tomas Holmstrom L LW 8 7 8 6 7 7 7 6 7 6 6 75 Steelcats
20 Marcus Nilson R LW 6 6 5 6 8 6 5 6 5 6 5 64 Dominators
14 Fredrik Modin L LW 4 6 8 5 6 7 6 5 5 5 6 63 Enforcers
One of the things that is being discussed in the Swedish newspapers right now is if the Sedin twins will be allowed to play together during the Olympics. Sources close to the Swedish management says that they might be split up since team Sweden lacks world class left wingers. It is very likely that the Swedes will be forced to play Daniel Sedin up in the first line since he is Swedens number one left winger.
There is plenty of time before the Olympics start so it might be too early to speculate about line formations but this should get all of you hockey fans out there a better picture of the Swedish Olympic team.
This is Lasse Kinch reporting from Stockholm.
Team Canada Players Starting Strong
The players already named to Team Canada are all playing well to start the season. Combined, the 11 named skaters have 55 goals and 120 points in 9 games. They are a +44 with 22 power-play goals, 3 short-handed goals, 8 game-winners, and 351 shots. The goalies have played a combined 16 games and have an 11-3-2 record with one shutout. They have allowed 44 goals on 495 shots for a .911 save-percentage and a 2.72 goals-against-average.
Four players lead their respective teams in points, while four players are in the top 15 scorers in the W.H.L. All four of the defencemen named to the squad are in the top 15 defencemen in the W.H.L.
Two players who have impressed at this early point in the season are forwards Steve Yzerman of the Des Moines Dominators, ranked 11th in the W.H.L. in scoring and Adam Oates of the Chicago Krushers, ranked 14th. The play of goaltender Jamie Storr of the Edmonton Vikings has been an early surprise. Ed Belfour remains on the periphery of the goaltender rankings, but could find himself excluded from the final roster if Storr continues his better than stellar performance.
WHL : Olympics - Czech Republic
Team Czechia has been ready for this years Olympics for three years now. The Czech's were also the first team in the Olympics this year to announce their entire roster. General Manager Chris Kubinec, and Head Coach Slavomir Lener are looking forward to this years team, as Team Czechia have an enormous amount of offensive strength to unleash this time around.
Bobby Holik, Patrik Elias, Jaromir Jagr, Milan Hejduk, Petr Sykora, and of course "The Dominator" Dominik Hasek will all be front and center in this years addition of the Olympic games.
Slovaks Vying For Roster Spots As Olympics Loom
As members of the Slovak hockey delegation scout various games, there is an air of excitement in Slovakia as they prepare their first entry into the modern day Olympic format.
"The whole country is pumped," smiled Vice-GM Peter Stastny, "They have already prepared to air the games live in Bratislava Square, and the players have really stepped up their performances in order to make the team."
Taking a look around the WHL, one might observe that there aren't enough Slovakians to make up two rosters, unlike other established powers, and that it might be quite easy for any Slovak player to make the roster.
"That just isn't so," continued Stastny, "playing in the WHL is no guarantee of making the squad...we selected (Lubo) Sekeras, (Lubo) Visnovsky, and (Vladimir) Orszagh for the squad, despite the fact they weren't in the WHL last season."
Visnovsky and Sekeras have now fit into WHL rosters spots, so what can they mean for the others?
"There isn't currently a goaltender in the WHL ranks from Slovakia," answers Stastny, "so we will have to get 3 non-WHL goaltenders for these spots."
At defense and forward, where they seem to be enough WHLers to form a team:
"We want the best team possible," said Stastny, "and we will take the 25 players we feel make the best roster and play the best while together. If we have to take some players from the WFHL, or the European leagues, we will do so. Like that fat toad Robert Dome...if he doesn't stop eating a dozen donuts after every game, he's not going to be invited to the squad, plain and simple."
There is endless speculation of who will be selected for the remaining 16 spots, most notably, the last 3 spots for defense, for which there is great competition.
A quick look at the starting 9 so far this season:
Peter Bondra (CAPTAIN) - A hot start for Captain Bondra with 6 goals and 7 assists in 10 games.
Lubomir Sekeras - A slow start in the WHL for Seko with 1 assist and -4 for the dissappointing Sparrows of Chicoutimi. Perhaps a quick return to Europe if he can't adjust to the WHL.
Lubomir Visnovsky - As advertised, Visnovsky has produced offensively with 7 assists in 10 games. However, his -7 is a glaring statistic, which follows a - rating in the preseason.
Zigmund Palffy - 3 goals and 5 assists in 10 games with +8. Solid 2-way play, but nothing spectacular.
Jozef Stumpel - 3 goals and 4 assists but -6 in 10 games. The whole team is playing poor defense and they have young.
Maxime Oullet in goal...who is way over his head.
Pavol Demitra - 4 goals and 5 assists in 10 games. The usual solid play from Demitra on the strongest Vipers team ever.
Robert Svehla - No longer a Sparrow, Svehla has 2 goals and 6 assists in 10 games and is having a great year offensively.
Ivan Droppa - A return to Chi-Town, the city he loves, has Droppa with 2 goals in 9 games with a +3 rating. He's happy and playing well.
Vladimir Orszagh - The lowly Enforcers have amazingly stuffed Orszagh on the Farm roster, so Vladdi is playing with Trinec of the Czech Extraliga where he has 8 goals and 3 assists in 15 games. A solid 2-way player, he's displayed a good scoring touch while in Europe, and should fit well into the Olympic squad in any role.
With 16 spots left to be filled, Stastny has stated that no roster decisions will be made until December. Marian Hossa, Miro Satan, and Zdeno Chara remain the favorites to take the next 3 roster spots..so the main fight is for the #6 defenseman spot and the #1 goalie (Inside edge to Jan Lasak).
From Slovakia, this is Daniel Kysel.
Team USA Update
For those that missed our introduction, the following 29 players have been invited to participate in post Olympic try-outs. There are no given spots right now except for Captain Chris Chelios.
The left side: John Leclair and Keith Tkachuk, Chris Drury, Todd Marchant, Scotty Gomez and Steve Konowalchuk
At center ice: Jeremy Roenick, Doug Weight and Mike Modano with left wing hopefuls Chris Drury and Scotty Gomez also competing for 4th line center.
Right wing has: Tony Amonte, Bill Guerin, Adam Deadmarsh, Brett Hull, Mike Grier and Steve Heinze.
Defense lead by: Chris Chelios, Brian Leetch, Brian Rafalski, Tom Poti, Phil Housley, Shawn Chambers, Derian Hatcher, Eric Weinrich and Mathieu Schneider.
Netminders: Chris Rogles, Guy Hebert, Mike Richter, Mike Durham and Tom Barrasso.
The Rosters
Canada's Roster
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
88 Eric Lindros 1+ R C 9 6 9 9 8 7 8 9 8 7 9 89
20 Joe Sakic 0 L C 6 9 5 8 7 7 9 9 9 5 8 82
66 Mario Lemieux 0 R C 5 9 7 9 3 8 8 9 9 5 9 81
12 Owen Nolan 1+ R RW 9 7 8 8 8 5 6 7 7 8 9 82
15 Theoren Fleury 0 R RW 8 9 3 8 9 3 9 6 8 6 9 78
9 Paul Kariya 0 L LW 4 9 5 8 5 9 9 9 9 6 9 82
14 Brendan Shanahan 0 R LW 7 6 9 7 8 5 7 7 6 7 9 78
44 Chris Pronger 1+ L D 7 7 9 9 8 6 6 9 7 9 7 84
4 Rob Blake 0 R D 9 6 9 9 8 5 6 8 6 9 8 83
55 Ed Jovanovski 0 L D 8 6 9 8 8 5 7 8 6 8 7 80
2 Al MacInnis 0 R D 5 7 7 9 6 7 7 7 8 7 9 79
31 Martin Brodeur 0 L G 9 9 8 8 9 8 8 9 9 - - 77
29 Curtis Joseph 0 L G 7 9 5 9 9 7 9 5 9 - - 69
United States Roster
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
9 Mike Modano 0 L C 3 8 7 9 8 7 8 8 8 8 8 82
27 Jeremy Roenick 0 R C 7 9 7 8 6 6 9 8 9 6 7 82
39 Doug Weight 0 L C 5 8 7 9 8 6 7 9 9 6 7 81
10 Tony Amonte 0 L RW 7 9 6 8 8 7 8 7 7 6 8 81
9 Bill Guerin 0 R RW 7 7 8 9 8 5 7 7 7 6 8 79
28 Adam Deadmarsh 0 R RW 8 7 7 8 7 5 7 6 7 7 7 76
16 Brett Hull 0 R RW 4 7 7 7 8 8 6 7 7 6 8 75
10 John LeClair 1- L LW 6 7 9 7 8 8 7 6 9 6 8 81
7 Keith Tkachuk 0 L LW 8 7 8 8 8 2 7 8 9 6 8 79
2 Brian Leetch 0 L D 6 8 5 9 9 8 7 9 8 5 7 81
28 Brian Rafalski 0 R D 6 6 6 7 8 8 8 9 7 6 6 77
7 Chris Chelios 1+ R D 6 7 6 9 8 6 7 7 7 8 6 77
3 Phil Housley 0 L D 4 9 5 8 6 7 9 9 8 5 6 76
5 Tom Poti 0 L D 5 7 6 7 8 7 7 7 8 5 7 74
Russia's Roster
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
Sweden's Roster
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
13 Mats Sundin 0 R C 6 8 8 8 8 7 9 8 8 6 8 84
21 Peter Forsberg 0 L C 7 7 7 7 6 7 7 9 8 7 7 79
33 Henrik Sedin 0 L C 7 7 7 6 6 5 6 8 7 7 6 72
92 Mikael Nylander 0 L C 3 7 5 7 8 8 7 7 7 5 6 70
19 Markus Naslund 0 L RW 4 8 6 7 7 7 8 7 8 6 9 77
27 Mikael Renberg 0 L RW 5 8 6 7 7 8 8 8 8 5 8 78
71 Daniel Alfredsson 0 R RW 6 7 6 7 6 8 8 8 7 6 7 76
22 Daniel Sedin 0 L LW 5 8 5 6 6 7 7 6 7 5 8 70
15 Jonas Hoglund 0 R LW 4 7 8 7 8 9 6 6 7 5 7 74
20 Magnus Arvedson 0 L LW 6 9 6 6 6 7 7 6 6 9 6 74
5 Nicklas Lidstrom 0 L D 5 7 6 9 9 8 7 8 8 8 8 83
2 Mattias Ohlund 0 L D 7 7 8 8 6 7 6 7 7 6 7 76
3 Kenny Jonsson 0 L D 4 7 7 7 7 7 8 6 6 6 7 72
7 Fredrik Olausson 0 R D 5 6 6 6 7 8 7 7 7 5 8 72
1 Tommy Salo 0 L G 6 8 5 6 6 7 6 6 7 - - 57
30 Johan Hedberg 0 L G 7 8 5 6 6 9 8 6 7 - - 62
Finland's Roster
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
11 Saku Koivu 1- R C 7 9 5 8 6 7 8 9 8 5 6 78
46 Juha Ylonen 0 L C 4 6 5 5 6 7 6 5 6 6 5 61
29 Jere Lehtinen 1+ R RW 5 7 4 7 5 9 7 7 6 9 6 72
8 Teemu Selanne 0 R RW 4 9 6 7 6 7 9 7 9 5 9 78
24 Sami Kapanen 0 L LW 4 8 5 6 6 9 7 7 7 6 7 72
14 Tomi Kallio 0 L LW 5 7 5 6 5 8 7 5 6 6 6 66
28 Teppo Numminen 0 R D 5 7 6 8 8 9 7 7 7 7 7 78
44 Janne Niinimaa 1- L D 7 7 8 8 8 6 6 7 7 6 6 76
48 Kimmo Timonen 0 L D 5 7 5 7 5 8 8 7 8 6 7 73
6 Jyrki Lumme 1+ L D 4 7 6 7 7 8 8 5 7 8 6 73
1 Mika Noronen 0 L G 6 7 6 7 8 6 7 7 7 - - 61
2 Jani Hurme 0 L G 4 8 6 6 3 9 7 7 7 - - 57
Czech Republic's Roster
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
42 Bobby Holik 0 R C 9 6 9 6 8 6 6 7 6 8 5 76
76 Radek Bonk 0 L C 7 6 8 7 8 7 6 7 6 7 6 75
94 Petr Nedved 0 L C 5 8 6 8 6 7 8 7 8 5 7 75
20 Robert Lang 0 R C 5 7 6 7 7 8 7 8 7 5 7 74
68 Jaromir Jagr 1+ L RW 8 9 8 9 9 7 9 9 9 4 9 90
17 Petr Sykora 0 L RW 3 8 5 7 7 8 8 8 8 5 8 75
25 Milan Hejduk 0 R RW 4 8 4 7 9 8 7 7 8 5 8 75
21 Radek Dvorak 0 R RW 3 8 6 7 8 9 8 7 6 6 7 75
21 Robert Reichel 1- L RW 4 7 6 7 7 8 7 6 7 5 7 71
26 Patrik Elias 0 L LW 7 8 6 7 9 7 8 9 8 6 8 83
82 Martin Straka 0 L LW 5 9 3 8 8 8 8 8 8 6 8 79
26 Martin Rucinsky 0 L LW 7 8 6 7 8 6 7 6 7 6 7 75
69 Jan Hlavac 0 L LW 5 7 6 6 8 8 7 7 7 6 7 74
4 Roman Hamrlik 0 L D 8 6 8 8 7 5 6 8 7 6 8 77
33 Filip Kuba 0 8 L D 6 6 7 8 7 8 6 7 6 6 6 73
16 Tomas Kaberle 0 L D 5 7 7 7 8 7 7 8 6 6 5 73
42 Martin Skoula 1- L D 7 7 6 6 9 8 7 6 6 6 5 73
8 Jaroslav Spacek 2- L D 6 6 6 7 8 7 6 7 6 7 6 72
13 Pavel Kubina 1+ R D 7 5 8 8 7 5 6 6 6 6 7 71
2 Richard Smehlik 0 L D 5 8 8 7 6 7 7 5 6 7 4 70
4 Michal Sykora 0 L D 6 6 7 7 3 8 7 6 7 6 7 70
8 Frantisek Kaberle 0 L D 5 7 5 7 5 8 7 6 6 7 6 69
40 Dominik Hasek 0 L G 8 9 6 9 8 9 9 7 9 - - 74
32 Roman Cechmanek 0 L G 7 9 8 8 8 7 7 4 8 - - 66
33 Milan Hnilicka 0 L G 6 8 6 6 6 8 7 4 6 - - 57
Slovakia's Roster
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
15 Jozef Stumpel 0 R C 6 6 7 8 8 8 6 8 7 6 6 76
68 Zigmund Palffy 0 L RW 5 8 5 8 5 7 8 7 8 5 8 74
14 Peter Bondra 0 L RW 6 9 5 7 6 6 9 7 8 6 9 78
43 Pavol Demitra 0 L LW 3 8 6 7 4 8 8 8 8 6 8 74
49 Vladimir Orszagh 0 L LW 8 7 5 5 3 8 6 4 5 6 5 62
87 Lubomir Vaic 0 R LW 4 8 4 5 3 9 8 6 6 4 5 62
37 Robert Svehla 1+ R D 6 6 6 8 8 7 7 9 7 7 6 77
2 Ivan Droppa 0 L D 6 7 6 6 7 8 8 6 7 8 5 74
24 Lubomir Visnovsky 0 L D 6 8 4 5 8 8 7 8 7 6 5 72
87 Lubomir Sekeras 0 L D 5 7 4 7 8 7 7 6 6 6 7 70
Germany's Roster
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
31 Randy Gilhen L C 6 6 6 7 8 8 6 5 5 7 5 69
17 Jochen Hecht L RW 6 7 6 6 7 7 6 6 6 7 6 70
19 Marco Sturm L LW 6 8 4 6 7 7 7 6 7 5 6 69
5 Uwe Krupp R D 5 5 8 6 5 7 5 6 5 7 6 65
22 Sven Butenschon L D 7 6 7 5 5 7 5 4 4 6 4 60
1 Olaf Kolzig L G 9 8 9 9 8 7 8 6 9 - - 73
(Who's available where? List of players known to be on the trading block)
Pittsburgh Endless:
We are looking for picks as well as young talent
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
Igor Korolev 0 L C 5 6 6 7 6 9 6 6 6 5 6 68
Antti Laaksonen 0 L LW 5 7 7 5 4 9 7 5 7 7 7 70
Dean McAmmond 0 L LW 4 8 6 6 8 7 7 6 6 6 5 69
Mike Sullivan 0 L LW 7 7 5 6 6 7 7 5 5 6 4 65
Joe Reekie 0 L D 7 5 8 7 7 6 5 5 5 7 3 65
Bob Boughner 0 R D 9 6 7 7 8 1 5 4 4 7 3 61
Toronto Stallions:
We are looking for draft picks and youth
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
22 Andrei Nikolishin 1+ L C 5 8 5 7 6 8 7 6 7 6 5 70
13 Dave Archibald 0 L C 5 7 6 6 4 8 7 5 5 6 6 65
19 Brian Bonin 0 L C 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 5 56
39 Terry Yake 0 R C 4 5 4 4 7 6 5 4 3 5 4 51
25 Chris Tancill 0 R LW 6 6 7 7 5 8 6 4 5 6 3 63
9 Ville Peltonen 0 L LW 5 7 5 5 5 8 7 5 6 4 4 61
12 Steve McKenna 0 L LW 9 4 9 6 6 4 4 3 4 6 4 59
18 Trevor Linden 1- R RW 7 7 8 7 8 7 6 7 6 7 7 77
53 Rusty Fitzgerald 0 L RW 6 8 7 6 6 8 7 5 6 6 5 70
35 Danton Cole 0 R RW 4 6 5 5 6 7 6 4 5 6 5 59
37 Mark Kolesar 0 R RW 6 7 6 5 6 3 7 4 5 4 4 57
6 Kevin Dahl 1+ R D 8 6 7 6 6 8 6 5 5 7 4 68
23 J.J. Daigneault 0 L D 6 6 6 6 7 6 6 4 5 5 4 61
32 James Patrick 0 R D 4 5 6 5 6 8 5 5 6 6 5 61
8 Dave Karpa 0 R D 8 5 6 6 6 3 5 5 6 5 4 59
92 Tom Pederson 0 R D 6 6 4 5 6 7 6 4 5 6 4 59
22 Chris O'Sullivan 0 L D 4 6 5 6 3 7 6 6 6 4 5 58
3 Grant Ledyard 0 L D 6 5 6 5 3 8 6 4 5 5 4 57
33 Steve Poapst 0 L D 6 6 6 5 5 5 6 5 5 5 3 57
17 Ken Sutton 0 L D 6 5 7 6 3 6 5 4 4 6 4 56
31 Kirk McLean 0 L G 8 6 7 6 6 7 5 7 6 - - 58
30 Rich Parent 0 L G 6 7 3 6 5 8 5 4 7 - - 51
Hamilton Steelcats:
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
44 Rob Niedermayer 0 L C 8 5 8 7 8 7 7 6 5 6 5 72
24 Daniel Tkaczuk 1+ L C 7 6 5 8 6 6 5 8 5 8 6 70
26 Stephane Yelle 0 L C 6 7 5 6 7 7 7 4 6 7 5 67
16 Tomas Kaberle 0 L D 5 7 7 7 8 7 7 8 6 6 5 73
Oakville Bulls:
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
16 Cory Stillman 0 L C 6 7 6 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 7 73
43 Steve Rucchin 0 L C 5 6 7 8 6 8 6 7 6 7 7 73
65 Mark Bell 0 9 L C 7 6 6 7 6 6 5 7 6 7 7 70
41 Tony Hrkac 0 L C 5 7 5 5 7 9 7 6 7 6 5 69
16 Darby Hendrickson 0 L C 7 7 5 5 7 7 6 4 5 6 5 64
14 Len Barrie 0 L C 6 6 6 5 6 6 6 5 5 6 5 62
71 Derek Armstrong 0 R C 7 6 4 6 5 6 5 5 6 6 3 59
13 Jeff Toms 0 L C 5 6 5 5 3 8 5 5 5 6 5 58
14 Brendan Shanahan 0 R LW 7 6 9 7 8 5 7 7 6 7 9 78
20 Magnus Arvedson 0 L LW 6 9 6 6 6 7 7 6 6 9 6 74
15 Valeri Kamensky 0 R LW 4 8 6 7 6 7 8 7 8 4 7 72
19 Garry Valk 0 L LW 6 5 5 5 7 6 5 5 4 5 6 59
57 Jeff Zehr 0 L LW 8 5 6 4 3 6 5 5 5 5 4 56
27 Denny Lambert 0 L LW 7 5 7 4 6 3 4 5 4 6 3 54
19 Shane Doan 0 R RW 9 6 9 7 7 6 7 7 6 6 7 77
25 Mike Johnson 0 R RW 6 6 7 6 6 9 6 7 6 6 6 71
42 Dan Kesa 0 R RW 6 5 7 6 5 7 6 6 5 4 8 65
47 Martin Spanhel 0 L RW 6 7 5 5 3 7 6 4 6 5 5 59
8 Sandis Ozolinsh 0 L D 5 8 7 9 8 7 8 8 8 6 9 83
27 Scott Niedermayer 0 L D 6 8 7 7 5 8 9 9 7 6 6 78
3 Garry Galley 1- L D 8 6 7 6 7 7 6 7 6 6 6 72
4 Per Gustafsson 0 L D 5 7 5 7 5 7 6 7 7 6 6 68
5 Uwe Krupp 0 R D 5 5 8 6 5 7 5 6 5 7 6 65
8 Ken Daneyko 0 L D 8 5 8 6 8 6 5 4 5 8 2 65
25 Jamie Rivers 0 L D 5 5 7 7 6 6 5 6 6 7 5 65
52 Todd Gill 0 L D 6 6 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 6 6 63
55 Larry Murphy 0 R D 4 5 7 6 5 8 5 7 7 5 4 63
37 Jason McBain 0 L D 3 7 6 4 4 6 6 6 6 3 5 56
9 Dale Clarke 0 R D 6 5 6 4 3 8 5 4 5 6 3 55
6 Damian Rhodes 0 R G 6 8 5 6 6 7 7 6 8 - - 59
35 Dan Cloutier 0 L G 6 8 6 7 7 5 7 6 7 - - 59
34 Kevin Hodson 0 L G 4 8 5 6 6 8 6 5 8 - - 56
Almont Raiders:
The Raiders would like draft picks and young players near equal value
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
44 Derek Plante 0 L C 3 6 5 6 3 8 7 5 6 5 4 58
17 Joe Murphy 0 L RW 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 5 6 71
41 Tie Domi 0 R RW 9 6 8 8 8 0 6 5 5 5 5 65
18 Steve Kariya 0 L LW 4 8 3 5 4 8 7 6 6 4 5 60
32 Gino Odjick 0 L LW 8 4 9 5 4 1 5 3 4 6 4 53
4 Kevin Hatcher 0 1 R D 5 7 8 8 7 6 7 6 7 6 7 74
6 Glen Wesley 0 L D 5 7 7 8 8 7 7 7 6 7 5 74
7 Greg deVries 0 L D 6 5 7 5 3 5 5 4 4 5 3 52
28 Derek Wilkinson 0 L G 7 8 6 6 6 9 7 6 6 - - 61
Montreal Juggernaughts:
Looking for a GOOD center to compete with Stumpel for the 1st line duty
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
All future picks available
New England Dropkicks:
Looking for a strong defensive defenseman, in the mold of Dimitri Yushkevich or Kyle McLaren
Harrisburg Bears:
Anyone is available but would take a better offer for guys not listed
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
23 Steve Washburn 0 R C 6 9 5 7 7 6 8 6 5 5 5 69
29 Kris Draper 0 L C 5 8 6 6 6 8 6 5 6 7 6 69
30 Brent Fedyk 0 R LW 7 6 6 6 4 7 7 5 6 6 6 66
34 Dave Manson 0 L D 8 6 8 6 7 5 6 7 6 6 5 70
44 Stephane Fiset 1+ L G 6 8 7 7 6 8 6 7 7 - - 62
47 John Grahame 1- L G 7 7 7 6 5 7 7 6 7 - - 59
27 John Slaney 0 L D 3 6 6 4 5 7 6 6 5 3 6 57
45 Mark Eaton 0 L D 6 6 6 6 3 8 7 6 6 6 5 65
33 Milan Hnilicka 0 L G 6 8 6 6 6 8 7 4 6 - - 57
12 Marko Tuomainen 0 R RW 5 6 5 4 5 4 5 4 5 5 4 52
23 Mike Watt 0 L LW 7 5 7 5 3 7 6 4 6 6 4 60
16 Rob DiMaio 0 R RW 6 7 5 6 7 7 6 5 6 6 4 65
28 Paul Ranheim 0 R LW 6 7 5 6 6 6 7 6 5 6 4 64
Hollywood Seawolves:
Anyone is available, but these are the main interests
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
7 Cliff Ronning 1- L C 3 8 3 7 8 8 7 8 8 5 6 71
26 Nelson Emerson 1- R RW 4 6 5 5 8 7 7 5 6 7 5 65
28 Rory Fitzpatrick 0 R D 8 7 8 9 9 7 7 6 6 7 6 80
8 Vladimir Malakhov 0 L D 6 7 7 6 7 6 7 7 6 6 6 71
27 Murray Baron 0 L D 8 6 8 6 9 7 5 4 6 7 4 70
44 Nolan Pratt 0 L D 7 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 65
29 Mike Vernon 0 L G 6 9 4 7 7 8 9 5 8 - - 63
Des Moines Dominators:
# Player's name St Inj H Ps Ag Qk Pw Fa In Pn Sk Pa PC Ck Sh Ttl
16 Marty Reasoner 0 L C 6 6 6 6 3 7 6 6 6 6 6 64
39 Jeff Friesen 2- L LW 5 9 7 8 8 9 9 6 7 5 7 80
23 Robert Kron 0 L LW 4 8 3 6 6 8 8 5 6 6 5 65
(With thanks to the following for their contributions)
Andreas Larsson
Peter Nilsson
Filip Bily
Larry Berteotti
Michael Hebert
Chris Kubinec
Jes Golbez
Denny McEwen
Chris Kordyback
Scott Baden
Dave McDougall
Magnus Nilsson
Lee McEwen
A.J. Kitner
Rob Sypes
Marc Hebert
Patrik Stroem
