The Bolts
Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik’s multi-billion dollar renewal project adds a startup accelerator. “With his development set to continue construction for another eight years, Vinik says he’ll be continuing to push for Tampa’s startup scene for the next decade. ‘There’s no reason we can’t become the center of innovation in the southeast U.S.,’ he says.” [Forbes]
The Hockey News shares their projected expansion draft protection lists for team in the Atlantic Division. “But how about exposing Alex Killorn? He’s pricy for a cash-strapped team like Tampa at $4.45 million through 2023 but has some leftover upside a team like Vegas might want to explore.” [The Hockey News]
Scouting the 2017 NHL draft: Kailer Yamamoto is good at big hockey. “When I started to research Kailer Yamamoto, a familiar name immediately popped up: Tyler Johnson… Johnson also helped three-year-old Yamamoto with his moves, telling THW, ‘When he was three or four years old, he was trying moves that I was trying to do – and I was 11. And he was able to do some of them. It was always fun to go out on the ice with my mom and see what he could do.’” [Raw Charge]
The Worlds
With ten members of the Tampa Bay Lightning participating across four teams at the IIHF World Championship, we’ll be keeping a close eye on Canada (Jon Cooper, Alex Killorn, and Brayden Point), Russia (Nikita Kucherov, Vladislav Namestnikov, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and prospect Nikita Gusev), Sweden (Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman), and Switzerland (Tanner Richard).
Of the four teams featuring Bolts players, only Switzerland played yesterday. Richard was held off the score sheet as Switzerland lost 4-3 to France in the shootout.
Team Canada enjoyed their day off by touring the city of Paris.
Playing tourist in Paris! #IIHFWorlds pic.twitter.com/VGUedx653P
— Team Canada Men (@HC_Men) May 9, 2017
Canada’s “Kid Line” of Mitchell Marner (Toronto Maple Leafs), Brayden Point, and Travis Konecny (Philadelphia Flyers) has been incredibly productive on the ice. It’s nice to see them enjoying each other’s company off the ice as well.
In Russia, May 9th is known as Victory Day to commemorate the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany. The players on Team Russia paid their respects to the soldiers who lost their lives in that war. Photos courtesy of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation.
The Prospects
Late in the third period, the Syracuse Crunch had a 3-2 lead. In the span of 30 seconds, the Toronto Marlies scored three times to win the game 5-3. Absolutely brutal breakdown by the Crunch. “The Marlies couldn’t do wrong in the final two minutes of the contest, putting up three goals in just 33 seconds. Yes, you read that correctly. No, Syracuse did not have an empty net.” [Raw Charge]
Syracuse Crunch D Jake Dotchin suspended three games for hit on Toronto Marlies’ Frederik Gauthier. “Dotchin has been a physical defenseman since his Junior days, and plays on the edge. He is not afraid to hit and not afraid to mix it up with his opponents. The problem comes from his lack of discipline in determining the right time to make a hit. His aggressiveness can be both a tool and a hindrance, and in this instance, his poor judgment cost him and his team dearly.” [Raw Charge]
Well at least the Crunch black aces (prospects who are called up from juniors to watch the playoffs and gain experience) are having fun!
Mathieu Joseph (#21 in white) picked up an assist as the Saint John Sea Dogs defeated the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 2-0. Bokondji Imama (#51) was held off the score sheet. Saint John has a commanding 3-0 lead in the QMJHL Finals.
Joseph was named the Canadian Hockey League’s player of the week. “This season he delivered career-high offensive numbers with 36 goals and 44 assists for 80 points in 54 games for the first place Sea Dogs and currently ranks second in playoff scoring with 27 points including 13 goals and 14 assists through 16 games.” [CHL]
The Game
#Stars acquire goaltender Ben Bishop from the Kings in exchange for Montreal’s fourth round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. pic.twitter.com/XrbD3EdQEJ
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) May 9, 2017
The Dallas Stars acquired the rights to pending Unrestricted Free Agent Ben Bishop. “It sends a clear message to the fans that the Stars front office is looking at significant roster upgrades to get the team back into contention. It also sends the same message to the players already signed by Dallas for next season, including Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn, the young core guys that the Stars want to win with now.” [Defending Big D]
For the first time in a decade, the Ottawa Senators advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Erik Karlsson continues to prove that he’s an absolute superstar.
