Lauri Tukonen? – HFBoards
Last season Tukonen could not fullfil the expectations of 1st line winger in Ilves Tampere and moved to Lukko Rauma where he was “ok” in a minor role. His season ended to a knee injury that required a surgery.
He made a 4-year contract with an NHL clause to Lukko and has stated that he will try to claim a spot in a Lightning roster via training camp.
via commenter “Phenomenon” on Lauri Tukonen? – HFBoards.
Buffalo News: Sabres sign Myers to three-year pact
It’s fair to say the Buffalo Sabres liked Tyler Myers from the start. They traded up to select him 12th overall in last June’s NHL entry draft, and General Manager Darcy Regier said he was happy to pay the price to get him.
On Monday, the Sabres proved their admiration again. They signed their top prospect to a three-year contract potentially worth more than $2.6 million.
The big question for the 6- foot-8 defenseman is when will he start making that money.
The 19-year-old has one year of junior hockey eligibility remaining. That leaves the Sabres with two options for next season: Play him in Buffalo or send him back to the Kelowna Rockets. Players with junior eligibility cannot play in the minor leagues.
The Sabres will have nine games to decide whether Myers is ready to patrol their blue line. Once Myers plays in 10 games, his contract cannot slide. If they decide he needs more junior seasoning before the 10th game, the contract wouldn’t start until the following season.
The way Myers is playing, it would be a surprise to see him anywhere but Buffalo this fall. Myers was named the Most Valuable Player of the Western Hockey League over the weekend after leading Kelowna to the WHL title and a spot in the Memorial Cup. Myers had 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in his 22 playoff games and a plus- 13 rating.
The Houston native and Calgary resident was just as good in the 58-game regular season, recording 42 points (nine goals, 33 assists), 105 penalty minutes and a plus-31. The smooth skater was also in the spotlight at the world junior championships, helping lead Canada to the gold medal.
“Tyler is having an outstanding year,” Regier, who was unavailable for further comment, said in a statement. “He is a big, strong player who has excellent hockey skills for a 19-year old player. We’re glad to have him signed and look forward to his continued development both on and off the ice.”
The Sabres expect Myers, who weighs 215 pounds, to add more bulk to his substantial frame as he matures. He’ll have the money for good food. Myers signed for the rookie maximum of $875,000 per season.
via Sabres sign Myers to three-year pact : Sports : The Buffalo News.
I have to remember when I have more time to look into the way entry-level contracts and bonuses are structured. I looked it up de Doughty last summer, and promptly forgot it all. Something limits the amount of bonus possible. Doughty’s bonus put his potential salary above $3MM. Myers’ — as reported here — would put him at $2.6MM. Hickey’s (as quoted on Inside the Kings) is in the $1.5MM range (from memory). If the bonus limits are tied to draft selection, wouldn’t Hickey’s bonus (selected 4th) be higher than Myers’ (selected 12th)?
Meanwhile, I’m not going to say out loud that I’m afraid Myers would have been a better pick than Teubert. Just because Myers had a tremendous year and Teubert had a spotty one? Yes, that would be the reasoning, were I to say such a thing, which I am not.
Windsor OHL Champs, Loktionov 2nd in playoff scoring, 1st among rookies
In Windsor, Taylor Hall capped an incredible playoff run by scoring the winning goal 2:09 into overtime to lift the Spitfires to a 2-1 win over the Brampton Battalion and give the Spitfires their second OHL championship and first in 21 years. Hall, who won the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as the Most Valuable Player in the OHL playoffs as selected by the media covering the championship series, capitalized on a powerplay early in overtime to give the Spitfires a 4-1 win in the Rogers OHL Championship Series. The Spitfires win the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions and will represent the OHL at the MasterCard Memorial Cup in Rimouski, Quebec starting next Saturday against the champions from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. After a scoreless first period, Dale Mitchell opened the scoring with a powerplay marker at 13:06 of the second period. The Spitfires looked like they might escape with the regulation time win before Matt Kang tied the game with 3:46 left in the third period. “I think we jumped on them early and getting that first goal was key,” said defenceman Ryan Ellis. “They got one back but fortunately we’re a pretty good team in overtime.” For Ben Shutron, Scott Timmins and Josh Unice, it’s their second straight OHL championship after helping the Kitchener Rangers win the title last year. “The feeling hasn’t really sunk in yet,” Shutron said. “I’ve won two in a row and I’m just so lucky to be a part of this team and be part of this group of guys. To win this is just amazing.” Windsor goaltender Andrew Engelage was the first star of the game after making 37 saves in the win. Thomas McCollum made 34 saves for the Battalion.
via Ontario Hockey League ◊ Official Website Spitfires soar to OHL championship.
Loktionov, one goal one assist in Windsor’s 5-3 victory over Brampton in Game Two
He’s still second overall in playoff scoring, with 29 points. Taylor Hall has 32.
Windsor Star: Loktionov, Grachev make their respective marks
It’s been this way for years for Andrei Loktionov and Evgeny Grachev. Passing the puck together on the ice. Passing the time together off the ice. Halfway around the world, battling for the right to play for the Memorial Cup, things have only changed slightly. They still turn heads with their unbelievable skills, but now, they do it at opposite ends of the ice. Each is a key element for their respective teams in the Ontario Hockey League final – Loktionov, at centre for the Windsor Spitfires and Grachev, on left winger for the Brampton Battalion.
In Wednesday’s series opener, Loktionov stole the show, dancing through the Brampton defence and around netminder Thomas McCollum to launch Windsor’s 10-1 rout, steering home Windsor’s first two goals. “He played an amazing game,” Grachev acknowledged. Used to be that Grachev would revel in such a performance by Loktionov. They were teammates in their native Russia on Lokomotiv Yaroslavl’s junior team. Fast friends who moved in even faster company when carrying the puck toward the opposition goal. “We played the last two years on the same line,” Loktionov said. “We talk to each other all of the time.”
With eight goals and 27 points, Loktionov is among Windsor’s playoff scoring leaders. Ditto for Grachev, who’s contributed 11-13-24 totals to Brampton’s cause. “He’s been huge for us this year,” Battalion captain Cody Hodgson said of Grachev, voted the OHL’s rookie of the year after his 40-40-80 totals shattered the mark for a first-year Brampton player previously established by ex-Spitfire Jason Spezza. About as huge as Loktionov’s been for Windsor. When fans flock to the WFCU Centre, many are attracted by the chance to see such future stars as defenceman Ryan Ellis, certain to be a first-round NHL draft pick this spring and left-winger Taylor Hall, likely to be the 2010 No. 1 overall choice. By the time they’ve exited the building, many depart talking about the magic the young man wearing No. 90 for Windsor can work with the puck. Some fans have taken this love affair to a point where it’s landed Loktionov a North American handle.
Around the Windsor dressing room, Loktionov is simply known as Jimmy by his Spitfire teammates. As in Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, a popular cartoon character. “The fans started that because he’s such a smart player on the ice,” said Spitfires right-winger Dale Mitchell, often Loktionov’s linemate and always his road roommate. “They put the comparison together with the cartoon.” With his deft moves, lightning speed and precision puckhandling, like the animated Jimmy, Windsor’s Jimmy often appears to be light years ahead of the rest. “He’s a great player,” Grachev said. “He can find you with the puck.”
At first, almost completely bereft of English, Loktionov’s ever-present smile was his main form of communication. “He’d have to point things out and try to explain things to you,” Mitchell recalled. “His English is really good now. He makes sense of a lot of things now. It’s a lot easier than it was at first. “He’s come a long way.” Among all of Loktionov’s achievements, this may be the one that wows his teammates the most. “If I could learn Russian in a year, I’d be pretty impressed by an accomplishment like that,” Mitchell said. Among all the friends they’ve made this season, Grachev and Loktionov still treasure their shared bond, but at this most important time of year, there’s no side bets about who will contribute most to the outcome.
“I want to win,” Loktionov said. “Not to be better.”
So far, his wish is coming true.
via Lotionov, Grachev make their respective marks .
Bryan Cameron Selected by OHL GMs to OHL First Team All-Stars [UPDATE: and is released by the Kings]
2008-09 All-Star Teams
First Team:
Centre – Cody Hodgson, Brampton Battalion (81)
Left Wing – Taylor Hall, Windsor Spitfires (68)
Right Wing – Bryan Cameron, Belleville Bulls (63)
Defence – Ryan Ellis, Windsor Spitfires (81)
Defence – P.K Subban, Belleville Bulls (79)
Goaltender – Mike Murphy, Belleville Bulls (81)
Coach – Bob Boughner, Windsor Spitfires (58)
Second Team:
Centre – John Tavares, London Knights (65)
Left Wing – Justin DiBenedetto, Sarnia Sting (40)
Right Wing – Greg Nemisz, Windsor Spitfires (47)
Defence – Cameron Gaunce, Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors (61)
Defence – John Carlson, London Knights (43)
Goaltender – Thomas McCollum, Brampton Battalion (44)
Coach – George Burnett, Belleville Bulls (38)
Third Team:
Centre – Chris Terry, Plymouth Whalers (25)
Left Wing – Evgeny Grachev, Brampton Battalion (33)
Right Wing – Matt Kennedy, Guelph Storm (43)
Defence – Alex Pietrangelo, Niagara IceDogs (26)
Defence – Michael Del Zotto, London Knights (20)
Goaltender – Edward Pasquale, Saginaw Spirit (19)
Coach – Michael Vellucci, Plymouth Whalers (34)
Gare Joyce/SPORTSNET: Loktionov “the second best Russian in the OHL”
In the first period Andrei Loktionov set the template for all action to come. His pair of first period goals showed off a great pair of hands and a high hockey IQ – he must have taken it to heart that I labelled him the second best Russian in the OHL. I suspect that Brampton’s Grachev will have a better NHL career than the slight-ish Loktionov. No matter, Loktionov lapped him last night.
2009 WHL Championship Series prospects preview – Hockey’s Future
Under first-year head coach Dave Lowry, the Hitmen have been a virtual juggernaut since opening day. The team won the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as regular season champions, compiling a 59-9-3-1 record for 122 points, three more than Vancouver.
The talent pool is very deep in front of outstanding goaltender Martin Jones (LA), who managed a 2.08 goals against average and .915 save percentage during the regular season. The North Vancouver native’s 45-5-3-1 record is outstanding, yet it pales in comparison to his 12-0 mark in the post season.
via 2009 WHL Championship Series prospects preview – Hockey’s Future.
Crackpot Roster Musings: Kings 09-10
Assumptions: Kings sign one of Hossa, Gaborik or Havlat. Kings keep the number five pick and select MSP, Kane or Duchene, whoever is left.
FORWARDS:
If Hossa or Havlat:
Frolov/Kopitar/Hossa-Havlat
Williams/Stoll/Brown [North American drive-to-the-net ass-kicking, hits and goals]
Lewis/Handzus/Simmonds [shut-down]
Purcell/Loktionov/Moller [the real first line]
If Gaborik:
Frolov/Kopitar/Williams
Gaborik/Stoll/Brown
Lewis/Handzus/Simmonds
Purcell/Loktionov/Moller
[The #5 pick will obviously have the opportunity to dislodge one of Lewis, Purcell, Loktionov or Moller (or Wudrick, for that matter). I'm willing to imagine that one of the realistically too-young prospects surprises everyone and makes the team, but I've chosen Loktionov as my representative of that crackpot fantasy. Could easily be Kane, Duchene, MSP -- whichever one -- or Wudrick.]
DEFENSE:
Johnson/Doughty
Quincey/Greene
SOD/Hickey
Voynov/Drewiske
GOAL:
Quick
Ersberg
The Canadian Press: Loktionov scores in overtime as Windsor takes 3-1 series lead against London
Andrei Loktionov scored 59 seconds into overtime to give Windsor a 5-4 victory over the London Knights on Monday and the Spitfires a 3-1 lead in their Ontario Hockey League Western Conference final.
Lane MacDermid, Greg Nemisz, Eric Wellwood and Dale Mitchell, with two assists, scored in regulation for Windsor, which entered the third period up 4-1.
John Carlson scored twice in the third to rally the Knights, including the tying goal at 15:55 – his seventh of the post-season. Michael Del Zotto also scored in third while Justin Taylor scored his sixth playoff goal in the first period for London.
The status of Loktionov, the OHL’s leading rookie scorer in the playoffs, was questionable before the game after taking an apparent knee-on-knee hit in Game 3. Loktionov had to be helped off the ice with three minutes remaining in regulation and did not return for overtime.
via The Canadian Press: Loktionov scores in overtime as Windsor takes 3-1 series lead against London.
Loktionov Scores in OT to lead Windsor over London/Tavares
For the fourth time in the series, the Spitfires and Knights took the game to overtime and for the third time, the Spitfires were victorious. Just 59 seconds into overtime, Andrei Loktionov scored his 6th goal of the playoffs to give the Spits the win.
via Windsor Spitfires Hockey Club | Ontario Hockey League.
Loktionov is fourth overall in the league in playoff scoring, with 23 points. Tavares has 19 points. Windsor is up 3-1 in the series.
OHL Playoff Leaders: Loktionov #3, Duchene #9, Tavares #14
GP G A Pts PIM
1 Taylor Hall Windsor Spitfires 12 10 14 24 10
2 Ryan Ellis Windsor Spitfires 12 8 14 22 12
3 * Andrei Loktionov Windsor 12 5 17 22 2
4 Dale Mitchell Windsor 12 11 10 21 12
5 Eric Tangradi Belleville Bulls 13 8 13 21 12
6 Cody Hodgson Brampton 12 6 15 21 10
7 Nazem Kadri London 11 9 10 19 18
8 * Evgeny Grachev Brampton 12 9 10 19 4
9 Matt Duchene Brampton 12 9 9 18 10
10 Luke Pither Belleville Bulls 13 6 12 18 2
11 * John Carlson London Knights 11 5 13 18 12
12 Michael Del Zotto London 11 2 16 18 8
13 Phil Varone London Knights 11 9 8 17 19
14 John Tavares London Knights 11 8 8 16 6
via Ontario Hockey League ◊ Official Website .
Loktionov leads all players in assists, with 17. He’s third overall in points. Potential King pick Duchene is ninth, certain number one pick Tavares is fourteenth. Also, Loktionov is a rookie in the OHL.
Monarchs on NHLHD…
…normal resolution broadcast in HD so you can see every pixel of how crappy the feed is. Bernier looked sharp. Campbell looked like an adenoidal 17 year old chicken-giant, but he blocked at least a half-dozen shots. Azevedo and Clune made some bad passes. Lewis had a nice goal, two on one with Moulson (nice pass). Moulson scored on a pass he kicked from his skate to a quick top shelf snap shot with the D right on him. Hickey looked good, in general, but more importantly at the end of the game I was able to freeze frame the group huddle in the crease (congratulating Bernier). Hickey stands about an inch taller than Bernier and about two (maybe three) inches shorter than Campbell. Bernier is listed at 6′ on the Manchester site (5’11″ on Hockey’s Future), Campbell at 6’4″ on the Manchester site (6’3″ on HF). Hickey is listed at 5’10″ on HF and 5’11″ on the Manchester site…
…but he’s clearly between Bernier and Campbell in height. I’m going to call it 6′ even.
And that’s some good news. Maybe we can squeeze another inch out of him by training camp.
Hockey’s Future Top 50 prospects: #10 Oscar Moller
10. Oscar Moller, RW – Los Angeles Kings
A number of Kings forward prospects were expected to make the team out of training camp this season, but not Moller. Moller did his best to disrupt those plans and indeed earned a spot. At only 19 years of age, Moller is already skating a semi-regular shift on the second and third lines, becoming an occasional healthy scratch when the Kings want to go with a bigger line-up. His offensive skills are only half the picture. As he becomes more established in the NHL, his grit and leadership qualities will be more apparent. Right now, Moller must take a back seat to the more veteran players on the Kings roster. But once he has some more experience under his belt, he will combine the scoring ability of a top-six forward with the leadership ability of a future captain.
via Hockey’s Future Top 50 prospects, Spring 2009 1-10 – Hockey’s Future.
So I have to assume Oscar Moller will land in the top ten prospects in the league…
…but at what number? Here’s the Hockey’s Future entry on Moller from the early March Kings evaluation, which put him at #1 overall in the Kings organization:
Oscar Moller, RW
2nd round, 52nd overall, 2007Only a shoulder injury sustained during the World Junior Championships prevented Moller from graduating before the release of this ranking. Having secured himself with a roster spot with the Kings during training camp, Moller hit the ground running in his first season in professional hockey. Even with major junior hockey eligibility remaining, Moller broke camp with the Kings and contributed solid all-around play on the third line, including spot starts as a top-six forward. By the time the Kings released Moller to play for Team Sweden during the WJCs, Moller was skating a regular shift as a top-six forward. A shoulder injury, which was sustained during the tournament but diagnosed as a broken clavicle only after the tournament, kept Moller from returning to the Kings. He is already back from his injury and contributing once again to the Los Angeles efforts to make the playoffs. Moller is already a top-six caliber forward for the Kings and is still developing with a strong possibility of being a top-line forward.
Hockey’s Future Top 50 prospects: #12 Thomas Hickey
12. Thomas Hickey, D – Los Angeles Kings
Returning to Seattle of the WHL, Hickey began the season concentrating on his defensive game and proving that he can shut down the top forwards of the league. After anchoring the blueline for Team Canada during the U20 WJC, the Seattle coaches let loose the reins on Hickey and he went on a scoring tear, showing that he still had the skills to lead an offensive rush and to quarterback a power play. Hickey is one of the most well-rounded defensemen in major junior hockey. He does not have the raw skills that a Pietrangelo possesses or the bruising ability of a Bogosian. Hickey instead combines a excellent grasp of both sides of the ice. He will join the Kings minor league system at the end of the major junior hockey season and immediately be an option for the NHL roster.
via Hockey’s Future Top 50 prospects, Spring 2009 11-25 – Hockey’s Future.
Hickey will wear number 37 in Manchester
Hopefully he will wear #4 with the Kings. Although I guess he would be the greatest player in Kings history ever to wear #37 (assuming he’s better than Denis Grebeshkov and/or Bob Kudelski).
The Manchester Monarchs, the primary affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings, have added defenseman Thomas Hickey to their roster, Monarchs Director of Hockey Operations Hubie McDonough announced today.
Hickey, 20, recently finished his fourth full season with the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds. As captain of the Thunderbirds, the 6-foot-, 191-pound native of Calgary, Alberta, led the team’s blueliners with a career high 16 goals and 51 points (16-35=51) in 57 games. Hickey’s 51 points also ranked 10th among WHL defensemen. In 262 career games with the Thunderbirds from 2004-09, Hickey collected 177 points (39-138=177) and 208 penalty minutes.
In December, Hickey was named Canada’s team captain for the 2009 World Junior Championships in Ottawa. The tournament ran from December 26 to January 5 and Hickey recorded three points (0-3=3), two penalty minutes and five shots on goal in six games as Team Canada won the gold medal with a perfect 6-0 record.
Hickey signed a three-year entry level contract with the Kings on July 17, 2007. He will wear No. 37 for the Monarchs.
Two T-Birds Headed to AHL
Defenseman Thomas Hickey will join the Manchester Monarchs for the rest of their season. The Monarchs are the top minor league affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings. In four seasons with the T-Birds Hickey appeared in 262 games and had 39 goals and 138 assists for 177 points. He had a plus/minus rating of plus-73 with 208 career penalty minutes.
via Two T-Birds Headed to AHL – OurSports Central – Independent and Minor League Sports News.
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