Quick Strikes: Crunch defenseman Oleg Sosunov out for a month

The Bolts

On their day off, the Tampa Bay Lightning headed to a museum to check out some of Sweden’s finest ships and relics. I have to say, Tyler Johnson is quite the host. Good voice!

ThunderBug got to join in on the fun too!

Speaking of strong voices, Dan Girardi is back for another episode of The Block Party! What an incredible name. Just leaning right into those shots. Literally!

The Prospects

Gabriel Fortier might be my favourite Bolts prospect going right now. He is just on fire, especially when he gets a chance to play against the best in the world from his age group. For a short guy he really stands head and shoulders above the rest. Here’s Lauren with the deep dive. [Raw Charge]

Fortier was also a pivotal part of the Q’s penalty kill, as Russia was unable to capitalize on their man-advantage. He was one of the Q’s best players all night (although the player of the game award went to 2020 draft-eligible Dawson Mercer, who was also excellent), and was physically involved. Fortier’s speed and great defensive awareness allowed him to excel in this one, and if he wasn’t in the conversation to make Canada’s World Junior team after his solid showing at the WJSS, he definitely is after this one.

Free plant-based burgers are coming from a Syracuse Crunch player near you! Head on over to Dunkin’ and catch Dominik Masin and Ben Thomas in their aprons.

In injury news, Oleg Sosunov is out for a month with a leg injury. Mike Condon is also still on the shelf.

What an honor the Crunch had, meeting a 90-year-old air force veteran. Thank you for your service, sir, and happy birthday!

The Game

Huge news coming out of Humboldt. Survivor Ryan Straschnitzki has been given the ability to move his legs once again after having surgery in Thailand. Way to go, Ryan! Awesome to see.

You love seeing the STDrs out on the ice. And did it have to be Tyler Seguin?

Some NWHL goalie analytics in this article from TIG. [The Ice Garden]

It goes without saying that Lovisa Selander is having a historically significant start to her NWHL career with the Boston Pride. Selander’s .949 save percentage in her first seven starts stands above Jaimie Leonoff’s .943 save percentage in the first seven appearances of her peerless 2015-16 season. She’s also faced an average workload of 34.0 SA60, which is likely a result of Boston’s free-flowing style of play.

Understanding the mental stress and how to deal with it from NHLer A.J. Greer. [Mile High Hockey]

Throughout his career, Greer has been candid about his mental health. Pinned on his Twitter profile page is a heart-warming message about knowing that there’s always someone there for you with the subsequent hashtags “MentalHealthMatters” and “BellLetsTalk,” the latter of which is a social media initiative by Bell Telecommunications in which money is donated by the corporation to aid in various mental health programs in Canada.

The Blues announced last night that they traded Robby Fabbri to the Detroit Red Wings for Jacob De la Rose. Fabbri was once a highly touted prospect who looked ready to emerge as an impactful scoring winger. But injuries and multiple surgeries have derailed his career. If he can rediscover his form from before the injuries, this will be a steal for the rebuilding Wings.