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The Bolts
It was a long postseason in the NHL, made longer by the fact that the Tampa Bay Lightning were out so soon. But now it’s time for us all to look ahead and get back to work. There’s a lot to look forward to! [Raw Charge]
It’s time now for us to look ahead to the coming season. It’s time for us to get excited again. We have Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Victor Hedman, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and so many more great players to cheer for. The core is still together. There’s likely to be little change to the overall roster with just a few adjustments and a makeover of the blue line.
As we continue to assess the talent that will go in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft, Lauren looks at Samuel Poulin and whether he can be a future power forward for the Lightning. [Raw Charge]
Poulin may have only turned 18 in February, but he’s had the stature of an NHL player for quite some time now. The 6’2”, 207 pound left-wing isn’t just a large body, though. Poulin is an underrated playmaker with quick hands, boasts a lethal, NHL-calibre shot, and can do a lot of damage off of the rush. Poulin can beat goalies with his forehand or backhand, and his one-timer is deadly.
In Bolt-adjacent news, Erik Karlsson and the San Jose Sharks are working on an eight-year contract extension for the Swedish defenseman. How they have the cap space to make such a move is beyond me.
How does eight more years sound?
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) June 14, 2019
The Sharks and Erik Karlsson reportedly are working on a contract extension https://t.co/GMv0PNcDoj pic.twitter.com/ZdyFXCKoie
Girls hockey around the United States has been growing at a very healthy rate and the Lightning Made Hockey program is no different.
Thank you Braydon Coburn and the @TBLightning for saying hi and showing the Girls Camp around the practice facility! pic.twitter.com/kZ9Pv4WEsk
— Lightning Made Hockey (@LightningMade) June 13, 2019
Per USA Hockey, women's and girls' hockey membership increased by 4% in the 2018-19 season. A record 82,808 women and girls were registered to play hockey this year. Those numbers just keep going up every year. Great for the game.
— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) June 13, 2019
The NHL is doing their annual fan choice awards and Andrei Vasilevskiy’s mutant save with his legs has made the list of potential winners.
How did he keep that out?!
— NHL (@NHL) June 13, 2019
Was this unreal stop by Andrei Vasilevskiy the Save of the Year? #NHLFanChoice
Get your votes in by Saturday ➡️ https://t.co/nyeIMquo6y pic.twitter.com/mw94UgakzD
The Game
After quietly ending his career after suffering multiple concussions, Rick Nash is back in Columbus (the city where he was drafted first overall to the brand new expansion franchise) as the Assistant TO the Regional Manager or some role of a similar name.
The Blue Jackets have given Rick Nash an official title: special assistant to GM Jarmo Kekalainen. Nash, who retired due to lingering issues w concussions, has been back in the fold w #CBJ for several months now, getting an inside look at the hockey operations department. 1/3
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) June 13, 2019
Getting back to the draft, Dobber prospects does great breakdowns of draft eligible prospects and this article has a handful of players the Bolts could take with their first pick. [Dobber Prospects]
31. Matthew Robertson, LHD / 03-09-01 / 6’3 201lbs / WHL
A smart defender who blends size and mobility. Can impact any situation while chewing up big minutes. Won’t blow you away with his offensive creativity, but makes intelligent plays and has a heavy shot from the point. A safe selection.
If the hockey players played soccer, what would the women’s national team look like? The Ice Garden looked to find that answer. [The Ice Garden]
A good goaltender is crucial to a team’s success ... obviously. Because the nets in soccer are so big (8 yards wide, 8 feet tall), good positioning is probably the No. 1 skill that a soccer goalie has to master. It’s important in hockey, too, but sufficiently aggressive or flexible goaltenders can compensate for mediocre positioning — not so in soccer. Hensley is a very solid, well-positioned goalie. She’s a bit short for soccer goalies, but I think she could handle it regardless.
Charles Barkley gave some love to hockey in last night’s NBA Finals Game 6 broadcast. IT’s nice to be noticed sometimes. [Pensburgh]
For some unknown reason in the biggest hockey game of the year, NBC’s broadcast had former basketball star (and hockey fan) Charles Barkley on during the first intermission. When asked who Sir Charles would compare current NBA star player Kawhi Leonard to, Barkley shouted out the Penguins’ Sidney Crosby.
Oh, and congratulations to the Toronto Raptors on winning their first NBA Championship in franchise history. You never forget your first. Hopefully this makes Leafs fans a little less grumpy. I know that’s a long shot. [Raptors HQ]
The Raptors beat the odds, beat the dynasty, and did what they have all year — beat the notion of the old Toronto Raptors. Now, the Larry O’Brien trophy is coming to the country where basketball was invented, where the first NBA game was played.
The Toronto Raptors are NBA champions. Now it’s time to celebrate.