#World Junior

SAN JOSE - Sharks general manager Mike Grier attended the recent IIHF World Junior Championships in Canada and just like everyone else, was blown away by the unbelievable performance of Connor Bedard. "It's a 19-year-old tournament," Grier said Friday. "For a kid to go in there and do what he did as a 17-year-old. After one game I said, 'I don't…

The NHL Central Scouting Bureau released its mid-season rankings today, giving Montreal Canadiens fans a better idea of the type of player they're likely to welcome to the team this summer. It comes as no surprise that phenom Connor Bedard tops the North American skater list, powered by a fantastic showing at the 2023 World Junior Championship that…

The NHL just wrapped up the 2023 Winter Classic and is now looking ahead towards the 2023 NHL All-Star game in South Florida. That means we are officially in the second half of the season, and we are getting ever so close to the 2023 NHL Draft. The consensus number 1 overall pick to go in this year's draft is Connor Bedard and he has already made…

Welcome to Blackburn's Big Board, a weekly check-in on the hockey things that I currently care about. It'll go a variety of ways, including teams that are earning my attention, players of note, storylines generating buzz and any other hockey topics that my weird brain finds compelling. The 2023 World Junior Championship concluded last week after an…

The Toronto Maple Leafs and 30 other NHL teams just watched an amazing performance at the World Junior Tournament. Normally when there aren't any Toronto Maple Leafs on Team Canada, we lost a bit of interest in the tournament, but not this year. Connor Bedard scored nine times in seven games and added 14 assists and basically made an entire country…

If you want to dance, you got to pay the band. And if you want to bet against 2023 IIHF World Junior Champion Canada, you have to wear their jersey for Jordan Eberle. Seattle Kraken forward Matty Beniers made good on a friendly wager he lost to Eberle, wearing a Team Canada jersey to practice on Friday. Beniers, fresh off being named a 2023 Pacific…

Welcome to the first 2023 edition of Screen Shots, a THN.com regular feature in which we tackle a few hockey topics and analyze them in a few paragraphs. You know how this works by now, right? Onward we go: The NHL revealed most of the rosters for the league's upcoming All-Star Game in South Florida. The best news is the league has decided to give…

A new name makes it into the Who's Hot list as winger Travis Konecny leads the way for the suddenly resurgent Philadelphia Flyers. Familiar faces Alexander Ovechkin and Erik Gustafsson of the Washington Capitals and Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins join him. Ullmark continues his pursuit for the goaltending triple crown as the Bruins remain the…

In the grand scheme of things, the Philadelphia Flyers' current four-game winning streak is a blip on the radar screen of the 2022-23 season. This season, the Flyers have become a hard-working and more resilient club than they were in the recent past. Over the last month or so, they've started to have more of the 25-and-younger contingent take a…

By Chris Johnston NorthStar Bets Fri., Jan. 6, 20234 min. read No one is explicitly using the'T' word. You know, the one that rhymes with "sank." But it may not be a complete coincidence that three teams at the bottom of the NHL standings are currently pacing towards some of the lowest point totals we've seen recorded in the last two decades. Not…

It was about this time, seven years ago, that the hockey world was agog about a Canadian teenager named Connor. That one, surname McDavid, had arrived at the World Junior Hockey Championship as the almost-certain first overall pick in the upcoming NHL Draft, off a stellar junior career with gaudy point totals and a string of ridiculous…

Czechia humbled Canada in the WJC opener, but the host nation and pre-tournament favorites have dominated since, and will look to exact revenge in Thursday's final. See why our WJC picks are all over the faves. Coming off a pair of dramatic wins in the semifinals, Canada and Czechia will meet in the IIHF U20 gold medal game tonight in Halifax as…

Hello, Canadian and American hockey fans! It's that time! The IIHF World Junior Semifinal is tonight. The semifinal comes live to you from Scotiabank Centre in Halifax. Nova Scotia, Canada. Below is a table with some numbers from BetMGM and DraftKings. The round-robin stage showed us how vulnerable Canada and the USA were in this tournament. Again,…

Connor Bedard was a highly touted prospect before the IIHF World Junior Championships got underway. However, playing in Canada and putting on one of the most impressive showings in recent memory has only increased his profile. The next step is to lead Canada to the gold medal. First, comes a semifinal showdown on Wednesday night against the U.S.…

It was about this time, seven years ago, that the hockey world was agog about a Canadian teenager named Connor. That one, surname McDavid, had arrived at the World Junior Hockey Championship as the almost-certain first overall pick in the upcoming NHL Draft, off a stellar junior career with gaudy point totals and a string of ridiculous…

The Montreal Canadiens. had a very difficult December. "We're a tired group," said head coach Martin St-Louis. "Could be physically, could be mentally. This was a hard month. December was really hard for us with the travel and the schedule we played. Also, the injuries we got. And even with the time off at Christmas, we had to travel all the way…

In the first half of 2022-23, the Ducks seemed to be ascending in a wide-open Pacific Division. By mid-November, they were riding an eight-game winning streak and held a 10-4-3 record, buoyed by an incredible goal-scoring binge from right winger Troy Terry, who buried 24 goals in his first 41 games. The momentum didn't last, however. They had a…

Day four of the World Junior Championship is here! Group B is shaking up to be interesting. Finland sits in second, behind only Switzerland, but ahead of Team USA (fourth). Today, they will be taking on Latvia, who is looking to snag their first win of the tournament. Latvia is the underdog coming in. They lost to the USA in their first match, then…

LEEDS, England (AP) - Erling Haaland set a Premier League scoring record in Manchester City's 3-1 win over Leeds on Wednesday. At this pace, it won't be his last. Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. SAN DIEGO - Prolific passer Philip…

Editor's note: Alex Crowe is a junior journalism major and serves as a senior sports reporter at the Northern Star. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the Star. This is an opinion piece. The 2023 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships have arrived, giving Chicago Blackhawks fans a chance to watch up-and-coming talent amidst Chicago's…

Oliver Kapanen (Finland) and Adam Engstrom (Sweden) are off to a hot start in the 2023 World Junior Championship that's taking place in Halifax and Moncton. Kapanen was named the player of the game in Finland's second matchup, whereas Engstrom started the tournament by earning two assists. Montreal Canadiens prospect Justin Barron could provide the…

Some of the Ottawa Senators' top prospects are ready to take on the world. The Senators are well-represented at the 2023 IIHF world junior championship that got under way Boxing Day in Halifax and Moncton. General manager Pierre Dorion, assistants Trent Mann and Ryan Bowness along with the rest of the scouting staff will be keeping a close eye on…

Buffalo Sabres prospect Isak Rosen has been up and down in Rochester, but he put up big numbers in Game 1 of the IIHF World Juniors. Isak Rosen has had his moments with the AHL's Rochester Americans this season, putting up 15 points, 3 goals, and 12 assists in 25 games. The rookie hasn't been great, but he hasn't been bad either. Contrast this…

The Columbus Blue Jackets were certainly excited by the prospect of a Columbus native defying the odds and playing in the NHL at 18 years old. While it was certainly a fun turn of events at the time to have Cole Sillinger play for the team during the 2021-22 season, in the long run, it may have been a terrible mistake. Sillinger was the Blue…

May 15, 1982, is one of those dates that is chiselled into all long-time Kitchener Ranger fans' DNA. Dominating Sherbrooke Beavers 7-4 to win the Memorial Cup in Hull, Que., the Rangers broke a long championship drought for the city. Arriving home the following day, an impromptu parade through downtown was a treat for both the team and fans. Fan…

Note: The Jets lineup woes, which it didn't appear could get any worse with six skating wounded on the list, may in fact do so with the potential addition of rookie Cole Perfetti who suffered an injury in Boston on the 22nd of December. We will have to wait for morning skate to see what his status is but if I was a betting man my guess is you'll…

We've hit the second checkpoint mark of the 2022-23 season. First, it was Thanksgiving. Now, it's Christmas. Next, it's the All-Star Break and then it's the trade deadline. So here are 15 thoughts about the Blackhawks going into the three-day holiday break: 1. The Blackhawks are 8-20-4 and have 20 points through 32 games. They're on pace to finish…

The Montreal Canadiens are going to fight to the very end, but the impressive strength of the Metropolitan Division could significantly improve their outlook for the 2023 NHL Draft, A look at the MHN 2017 NHL Re-Draft. That, Montreal Canadiens news and more in the latest MHN Canadiens Daily below: Montreal Canadiens The Canadiens are going to fight…

The 2023 World Junior Championship is set to take place on Dec. 26 and Winnipeg Jets fans have plenty of reasons to tune in this year. Rutger McGroarty and Chaz Lucius will play within Team USA's top six, and Brad Lambert will fill the role of a top-six center for Team Finland. This article will go over a few things to look for from these prospects…

While the Wallabies were squaring off with Italy, stacks of Super Rugby stars returned to Shute Shield in preparation for the run home. Here's who caught our eye around the nation. Reigning premiers Northern Suburbs were the side bristling with Super Rugby talent but they couldn't keep the Manly Marlins at bay in the Round 12 Shute SHIELD match of…

It's that time of year again! The 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC) is nearly upon us. If it feels like it hasn't been that long since the last installment of this tournament, that's because the 2022 event was completed this past August after the original tournament was canceled last December. The 2023 WJC begins next Monday in host cities…

The Toronto Maple Leafs' defence is looking like Swiss cheese going into tonight's game against the streaking New Jersey Devils, at the Prudential Center, starting at 7 p.m. ET. Yesterday came the news that Morgan Rielly is going to be out long-term after sustaining a knee injury in a collision with the New York Islanders' Kyle Palmieri during New…

As we approach the holiday season and end of the calendar year, it's time we take another look at the NHL Sour Rankings and rank the teams putting their worst foot forward in an attempt to secure the best odds at the first overall pick. Unless one of these teams has a 2019 St. Louis Blues-level turnaround, there is a good chance that one of them…

WATCH BELOW as Postmedia's Rob Wong talks with National NHL Writer Michael Traikos about the Maple Leafs' "Core Four" and if he thinks they're the best quartet in the NHL, Tage Thompson's MVP-calibre season and Canada's chances at the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championship. What do YOU think? And don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube…

The Vancouver Canucks made an offer to team captain and pending unrestricted free agent Bo Horvat roughly two weeks ago, people involved with the negotiations confirmed to The Athletic on Monday morning. That offer was rejected by Horvat and his representative Pat Morris of Newport Sports. Due to the sensitive and private nature of contract talks,…

This Blackhawks season is going to test fans. It's going to test some players. It's likely to test Jonathan Toews' and Patrick Kane's loyalty. It's unlikely to test Luke Richardson. Richardson had a pretty good idea of what he was signing up for when he became the Blackhawks' coach. But even with an understanding that this team wasn't built to win…

byStan Fischler/ Special to NHL.com Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly column for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday. This week features Voices from the Past with Trevor Linden. The former Vancouver Canucks captain had 867 points (375 goals, 492 assists) in…

For the vast majority of the season, the Montreal Canadiens had too many healthy players on the roster, which led to frustration for veteran players and rookies alike. But now that Brendan Gallagher, Jonathan Drouin, and Mike Hoffman have been sidelined (in addition to Sean Monahan's questionable health status), reinforcements may be in order. The…

The deadline passed quietly late Thursday afternoon and speedy winger Alex Formenton was neither re-signed nor traded by the Ottawa Senators. The end result is that Formenton, who finished seventh in team scoring last season with 18 goals and 14 assists - including five shorthanded goals - cannot play in the NHL for at least the remainder of the…

Who will win the first DP World Tour event of the season? Oddschecker's Tom Jacobs has three players he expects to content at the Joburg Open After Rory McIlroy claimed the Race to Dubai, the 2023 DP World Tour season gets underway with the Joburg Open in South Africa. Co-sanctioned with the South-African based Sunshine Tour, the event will be…

After the descent of Aatu Räty's draft stock, he's proven doubters wrong time after time dating back to the 2021 Summer Showcase just hours after the NY Islanders drafted him in the second round, 52nd overall. It all started when Räty scored four goals in his first game of the Summer Showcase for Team Finland and then he went on to lead the…

STANFORD, Calif. - Adding to its roster with a trio of talented student-athletes, Stanford men's tennis has announced three signees in the class of 2023. Nico Godsick, Kyle Kang and Hudson Rivera signed national letters of intent with the Cardinal, giving Stanford three blue chip, top-20 signees, according to Tennis Recruiting. "We are positively…

With most leagues in full swing, it's the perfect time to go take an early look at how well some players are stacking up in the Montreal Canadiens prospect pool. These power rankings will be based on the overall season, as well as the most recent week of action. Factors such as the strength of their team, the league in which they play, their age,…

Patrik Laine can remember it like it was yesterday. He was just 11 years old at the time, a young hockey fan rather than the star he has become today. When Tappara, the professional team he grew up rooting for in his hometown of Tampere, Finland, hosted the Florida Panthers in an exhibition game back in 2009, Laine was there to support his squad in…

Ottawa's Tim Stützle is a star in the making. And it seems general manager Pierre Dorion shares that opinion, as the team announced Wednesday a max-term extension for the 20-year old, now signed on a $66.8 million dollar contract through the 2030-31 season. Stützle entered the league with quite the pedigree. A former third overall pick (2020) whose…

Roster cut down days are never fun. Never have been and never will be. The deeper into a training camp that it gets, the harder some of the roster decisions become. On Wednesday, the Flyers reduced the training camp roster from 44 to 34 players (20 forwards, 10 defensemen and four goaltenders). The totals include injured players such as defenseman…

The Anaheim Ducks have missed the playoffs for four straight seasons, and if you're looking at their futures, they suggest they will likely extend this streak. Anaheim has a lot of young talent across its roster, with some interesting veteran additions to bolster them. Despite the loss of Ryan Getzlaf to retirement, Anaheim could be in a position…

The National Hockey League has 32 franchises. Those franchises are the league's lifeblood. The owners represent those franchises, the tie that bonds a city to the team and the sport. So when a piece of news surfaces shedding negative light on one of those owners? Theoretically, it's a matter the league should take seriously, out of moral decency…

Here is the lowdown on each of the OHL's 20 teams, in order of predicted finish in each division: East Division Peterborough Petes After a disappointing 2021-22 season, the Petes will be looking to contend for a conference title. They have a host of returning players and will be dangerous offensively. Hamilton Bulldogs Last season's league…

When P.K. Subban announced his retirement from hockey this week, just a couple weeks after we learned Carey Price is out for the year and his career may also be done, one question came to mind. What are the odds? It seems entirely remarkable that arguably the two greatest Hamilton Bulldog grads would finish at the same time. That thought then led…