NHL - Pens - Defensive Options

With at least one veteran defenseman departing, the Penguins will rely heavily on Derrick Pouliot to take a substantial step forward this season. Pouliot was Pittsburgh's first-round pick (No. 8) at the 2012 NHL Draft.


Pouliot: "I definitely know the expectations, that's for sure. I know I have to be ready when the season comes around, what I have to do to be ready. It's a little different in that aspect, that's for sure. … I'm pretty anxious. I feel like I can take on a bit of a bigger role. Someone's going to have to step up and take some of those minutes that he took. He played a lot. He's a very good defenseman, so there's a chance for everybody to grab an elevated role."

Pouliot, 21, impressed in his first season in a similar fashion to defenseman Olli Maatta's debut during the 2013-14 season. In 34 games, Pouliot solidified his position as one of Pittsburgh's top four defensemen (two goals, five assists) while showcasing his dependable defensive IQ, steady skating and heavy slap shot, which he routinely unleashed on the Penguins' second power-play unit.

He temporarily filled a void left by Maatta when the 20-year-old defenseman sustained a season-ending upper-body injury 20 games into his second season and about two weeks after returning from surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his thyroid.
Maatta is expected to return this September when training camp opens. But even with him back in the lineup, Pouliot's presence will be necessary for Pittsburgh's success.
Paul Martin, arguably the Penguins' most consistent defenseman the past three seasons, signed with the San Jose Sharks on July 1, and defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, who signed a one-year contract with Pittsburgh last summer, is an unrestricted free agent and unlikely to return.
Martin played a lot of minutes during his five seasons in Pittsburgh, with a high of 25:20 per game in 2012-13 and a low of 22:47 last season.

Rob Scuderi will again provide veteran leadership on the back end, but the top-four group will be led by 28-year-old defenseman Kris Letang, who is likely to be paired with Maatta. Pouliot's partner won't be established until September at the earliest, but he is firmly entrenched as one of the Penguins' necessary cogs.
The defensive depth Pittsburgh built throughout the past several seasons will finally be tested with Pouliot, Maatta and potentially Brian Dumoulin all finding a place in the opening-night lineup, if not in the Penguins' top-four defense group.
Pouliot's place within that group wasn't guaranteed entering July when he was rumored to be a piece in a potential trade for Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel. The trade went through on July 1, but Pouliot remained with Pittsburgh.


"I heard some rumors that I might be involved in that," Pouliot said. "I saw the trade come through and I think that's great. He's a very good player. He scores a lot of goals. I think he'll be a good fit here. … You try not to think about [being traded]. I was working with [former Penguins forward Gary Roberts] in the summer. You just kind of go day by day. If it happens, it happens. And fortunately, it didn't happen and I get to stay here."


Pouliot contacted Roberts shortly after the New York Rangers eliminated the Penguins during the Eastern Conference First Round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs. After sustaining an upper-body injury that kept him from making his postseason debut, Pouliot set out to enter the 2015-16 season in better condition and felt Roberts could help him achieve his goal.


"I improved my fitness over the summer," Pouliot said. "That's a big thing, so I can handle the speed. And the minutes aren't really elevated, I think, but they're harder minutes. I think that'll be a big help coming into this season.
"One of the big things I learned, I think I have to be in a little better shape. I learned I can play at the NHL level and hopefully I can stick and be a big part of this team in the coming years."


Pouliot is attending his fourth development camp with the Penguins this week. His experience is clear when compared with Pittsburgh's prospects.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins goalie Matt Murray, the 2015 AHL goaltender of the year and rookie of the year, faced Pouliot during a shootout competition on the opening day of the development camp Tuesday. Pouliot drove in slow, drifted left and quickly shifted the puck from forehand to backhand before roofing it over Murray.


"I don't want to pump his tires too much, but he's a heck of a player, obviously," Murray said. "He definitely stands out out there. He's just so smooth. His offensive ability is just God-given talent. He's born to be a hockey player and he's really fun to watch. Not so fun to try to stop, most of the time."


Pouliot is no longer using the camp to develop his game; that was accomplished in previous years. This time, he is expected to help guide the next wave of Penguins talent.


"He's at a stage of his career where nobody should be dragging him around to meetings or to the rink," Penguins assistant general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. "He should be leading. I don't know who I put him with, but I'm guessing I put him with a young 18-year-old to help get up, be prepared to get to the rink. Not just roll out of bed and throw a baseball hat on. That's the stage he's at. And his ultimate goal, obviously, is to make this team out of training camp."

Olli Maatta, who played in 20 games last season after having surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his neck before sustaining a season-ending shoulder injury, expects to be ready for training camp in September.


"We're on the schedule," Maatta told the Penguins website on Thursday. "Obviously the goal is to be ready for training camp. Everything is going as we planned, so that's the goal. Just leave [last season] all behind me. I don't even think of it. That's not on my mind. All I'm thinking of is the next season. Just being ready to go in training camp and the beginning of the season. Getting healthy and better every day and every week. Just trying to build up the muscle and fitness I lost during those four months. I actually feel pretty good [conditioning-wise]. That's the goal. I want to be there. I want to be a big part of this team and produce. That's what I'm driving towards – just helping my team all I can to win the Stanley Cup."


Maatta, 20, had one goal and nine points last season. He didn't play after Dec. 6 and had shoulder surgery for a second time in less than a year. Maatta has been skating at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh and has met with his doctors, who have told him he is progressing. Maatta played in 78 games during his rookie season in 2013-14 and had nine goals and 29 points and, if healthy, should provide the Penguins (who lost defenseman Paul Martin to the San Jose Sharks in free agency and have not re-signed Christian Ehrhoff) with a much-needed defensive boost.

NHL - Stars - Oduya Signs For Dallas

The Stars signed defenseman Johnny Oduya to a two-year contract Wednesday. The average annual value is $3.75 million, according to ESPN.com. Oduya said the Stars appealed to him because of their up-tempo style of play. He likened it to the style of his former team, the Chicago Blackhawks, and said it should help him find his comfort quickly.
"I think it's a very, very fast team, a team that wants to play hockey, a similar style I think as Chicago; wants to have the puck, create things," Oduya said. "I think the speed is the thing that stands out the most. It's a new challenge, a new chapter. It's going to be a lot of fun for me. I think I'm pretty comfortable with the role that I play and the things I can bring. It's not really going to change a whole lot for me, and that's something that I like."
With Oduya, Stars general manager Jim Nill said he feels they are ready to contend after failing to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season.
Dallas acquired forward Patrick Sharp and defenseman Stephen Johns in a trade with the Blackhawks last week for defenseman Trevor Daley and forward Ryan Garbutt. The Stars signed goalie Antti Niemi to a three-year contract June 29, two days after acquiring his negotiating rights in a trade with the San Jose Sharks.
"We have to start moving up," Nill said Wednesday. "Jamie Benn just won the Art Ross for the scoring race. Tyler Seguin just turned 23; he's starting to come into his own. Cody Eakin's just had success over at the World Championships. Jason Spezza was a top forward at the World Championships. We're in the beginning of, I think, where we should be starting to make the jump."
Nill said Oduya was the final piece of the puzzle. The Stars GM said he went into free agency July 1 hoping to improve the Stars defense by adding a veteran if he could. That became a paramount need last week, when Nill traded Daley to the Blackhawks and got back Johns, a 23-year-old prospect who has never played in the NHL.
Oduya is a two-time Stanley Cup champion who turns 34 before this season. He is the Stars' oldest defenseman and their most experienced with 664 NHL games played in the regular season and 89 in the playoffs. He was part of the top-four defense group the Blackhawks rode to the Stanley Cup last season. Oduya averaged 24:45 of ice time and had five points in 23 postseason games.
Oduya has 152 points, including 31 goals, and a plus-58 rating in his NHL career, which spans nine seasons.
"We knew that it was important to get one more experienced guy if we could, and Johnny was on the top of our list," Nill said. "He's an important piece for us. He's a steady influence. What I love about Johnny Oduya is the way he lives his life. Johnny Oduya does all the right things. He prepares right. He's a fitness fanatic. His preparation, his workouts, I know that that's going to be huge for our young guys in the dressing room. Any time you have somebody that has that pedigree, and it's not him coming out of the box, it's just him being himself, that's the most important part for me."
Oduya seems to be intrigued at the chance to be a mentor, especially to fellow Swedish defensemen John Klingberg and Patrik Nemeth. Oduya said Klingberg, who made the NHL All-Rookie team last season, reminds him of Ottawa Senators captain and two-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson when he was coming into the NHL.
"He has the potential to be a great defenseman," Oduya said.
Oduya also said he has skated and worked out with Nemeth in Stockholm.
"Any time you come into a situation like I do now … of course you approach it maybe a little bit differently. Obviously, I have to worry about what I have to do to perform and help the team as much as possible, but also try to be there with whatever little things I picked up through the years and help out."
That's another reason Nill said he targeted Oduya even before July 1, when unrestricted free agents became eligible to sign with other teams. It's the same reason he was so intrigued with Sharp and Niemi. There are six Stanley Cup championships, all won with Chicago, between the three main additions to the Stars roster.
"We're trying to get to where Chicago is, we're trying to get to where Detroit's been," said Nill, a former assistant GM with the Red Wings. "How do you get there? They do things right. I can't make them do things right; it's the players inside the dressing room that have to do it right. And the more guys you get like that, the more success you're going to have."
Nill said he feels the Stars are positioned to start experiencing that success this season.
"To win, you've got to know how to win, and that's a process. These guys (Oduya, Sharp and Niemi) have been doing it all the time. Our core is young, and I know they're going to be like sponges. They're going to feed off this."


Maybe it was unfair on Wednesday to ask Jim Nill to pick out the top defenseman on his depth chart right now, because the player who probably should be the Stars' top defenseman is only 22 years old and has played in all of 65 games in the NHL.
"I think we got about four of them right now," Nill said. "John Klingberg, if he continues … "
Nill trailed off at that point, talking about outgrowing depth charts and the need to identify No. 1 defensemen because there are so few players in the NHL that fit into the category of superstars Shea Weber, Drew Doughty, Duncan Keith and Erik Karlsson.
"There's only six or seven of those guys in the game," Nill said.
The Stars might have the next one in Klingberg. It's still a question of might at this point because of Klingberg's inexperience, but if he becomes the all-situations defenseman coach Lindy Ruff can pin 25 minutes a game on it'll make what Nill has done with Dallas' defense look so brilliant.
Klingberg, who had 40 points last season and was on the NHL's All-Rookie team, is clearly the best of what appears to be a deep, talented pool of young defensemen in Dallas that are going to be buoyed in their development this season by veterans Alex Goligoski, Jason Demers, Jordie Benn and Johnny Oduya, who signed a two-year contract Wednesday.
Jyrki Jokipakka, Patrik Nemeth and Jamie Oleksiak are expected to join Klingberg as the Stars' 23-and-under defensemen this season and round out their top eight. With the addition of Oduya, Nill feels the defense is built to be good this season with the potential to be better in seasons to come. Klingberg is obviously a key to that because if he's No. 1, it will ease the pressure on players such as Jokipakka, Nemeth and Oleksiak, and allow everyone else to fall into their proper places.
"We've got some good young pieces coming," Nill said. "Potential is just a word, but as history has shown you, if some of these guys get better and become better than what you ever dreamed of, we're going to wake up one of these days with a pretty solid core of defensemen."
Klingberg already got his first big NHL contract (seven years, $29.75 million, according to war-on-ice.com). Oleksiak, Jokipakka and Nemeth, all with way more to prove than Klingberg at this point, will all be making less than $1 million this season.
"We're trying to be patient," Nill said. "You can't rush young defensemen. That's why it's so important for the Johnny Oduyas, the Goligoskis, the Demers, the Jordie Benns, you have to have those guys in place. We think we've got a real good young core of defensemen coming up. We just have to be patient with it."
Nill also identified Julius Honka, Esa Lindell, Stephen Johns and Mattias Backman as four more up-and-comers for the Stars. Don't be surprised if any of them leap into the top eight at some point this season. Honka was the Stars' No. 1 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft (No. 14). He is coming off a strong rookie season in the American Hockey League with the Texas Stars (31 points in 68 games).
"He's only 19 years old and he's knocking on the door," Nill said.
Lindell was Dallas' third-round pick in the 2012 draft (No. 74). He has been playing professionally in Finland and for the Finnish national team at the 2015 IIHF World Championship. Nill was part of Canada's management team at that tournament.
"Twenty-one years old and was one of the top defensemen for the Finnish national team," Nill said of Lindell, who led Finland's defensemen with six points and 26 shots on goal in eight games during the tournament.
Johns came to the Stars as part of the trade last week with the Chicago Blackhawks that also brought Patrick Sharp to Dallas. He was one of the top defensemen in the AHL last season with the Rockford IceHogs.
"I wasn't doing the trade without getting him in it," Nill said of Johns.
The Stars acquired Backman on March 1 in the trade that sent Erik Cole to the Detroit Red Wings. Nill was the Red Wings assistant GM and top amateur scout when they selected Backman with the 145th pick in the 2011 draft.
"We think we've got a lot of different options, a lot of potential," Nill said. "We just got to be patient. You can't speed this process up. That's the path we're on."
The path will be smoother if Klingberg becomes the player Nill expects.
"We think we've got a chance of having the next [Erik] Karlsson. We think he's heading that direction, and if he continues to improve I think he will be that type of player. We're sitting good."

NHL - Pens - New Fitness Coach Appointed

The Penguins hired Andy O'Brien as director of sport science and performance and Andres Huppi as sports massage therapist on Tuesday. O'Brien, who has trained professional athletes including Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and New York Islanders captain John Tavares, was Florida Panthers strength and conditioning coach from 2005-09.


"We are excited to add such highly regarded specialists as Andy O'Brien and Andreas Huppi to our staff," Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said. "We want to look at all aspects of how we train and prepare our players, how we can maximize performance and hopefully minimize injuries. We want to make sure they receive the best information available regarding training, nutrition, rehab and getting proper amounts of rest during a long season."


The Penguins ranked near the top of the NHL with 343 man-games lost to injury last season. According to mangameslost.com, the Penguins rank fourth since the 2009-10 season with 1,845 man-games lost to injury. Among players who missed time because of injury for Pittsburgh last season were forwards Pascal Dupuis (66 games) and Evgeni Malkin (13 games), and defenseman Olli Maatta (62 games), Christian Ehrhoff (33 games) and Kris Letang (13 games).


News on potential sale of the Penguins:
http://deadspin.com/report-offer-to-buy-the-pittsburgh-penguins-will-come-1717760366

NHL - Central - Avs & Preds Utilising Scouting Network

Minnesota - Taking the ice about 30 minutes from his hometown, Wild defenseman Mike Reilly is in a whole new world. Born in Chicago but raised in Chanhassen, Minn., a Minneapolis suburb on the southwest end of the Twin Cities, stepping inside Xcel Energy Center is nothing new for Reilly. His dad, also named Mike, is a minority investor with the Wild, and Reilly and his brothers have been coming to games here nearly his entire life. But stepping on the ice for the Wild, which Reilly did last week for the first time during development camp, is something that's difficult for him to believe is true.
"It's starting to sink in a little more now skating with the jersey on," Reilly said. "It's a great feeling to wear that jersey."
A star across town at the University of Minnesota, Reilly was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award last season, awarded to the best player in college hockey.
An All-American who led the Golden Gophers in scoring, Reilly was a fourth-round pick (No. 98) by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2011 NHL Draft. Until recently, Reilly thought he would finish at Minnesota then begin his professional career with the Blue Jackets. But his draft rights with Columbus expired June 15, which made Reilly an unrestricted free agent. As a young, emerging, relatively cheap player at a premium position, nearly every team in the NHL contacted Reilly to express interest. When it came time to sign, Reilly said staying home felt like the best decision.
"It was a unique experience that many don't get to go through. It was a special opportunity to be here and learn from a lot of great people."
Reilly's next mission is to make the Wild roster this season. The two-year contract he signed with Minnesota is a two-way deal, meaning he can be sent to the Iowa Wild in the American Hockey League. When Reilly was drafted, he weighed 150 pounds. At 5-foot-10, his lack of size was a big reason he slipped down draft boards. A year with the Penticton Vees in the British Columbia Hockey League and three years with the Gophers changed that for Reilly, now 6-foot-2, 190 pounds.
"I was ecstatic to sign a guy like him," Wild assistant general manager Brent Flahr said. "We didn't get the news until the draft. Really, it's like adding a first-round pick this year. It's terrific when you can add a player of that caliber."
Development camp was Reilly's first opportunity to impress the Wild with his skating and play-making ability. He was clearly the best player on the ice during the first scrimmage Saturday and was an impact player again during the final session on Tuesday.
"He's a very good kid and fits in right away with a lot of our guys," Flahr said. "He's worked hard, came in with a good attitude. He's stood out in both scrimmages with his mobility and his ability to get up ice and make plays offensively. But he knows what he's up against. He needs to continue to work hard and get stronger to compete against the big boys when the time comes."
Reilly said he's excited to take the next couple of months off before coming to training camp in September.
"I haven't made any roster yet. There are guys on the current team and in the AHL that have a lot of experience in pro hockey and know how to act like a pro. I'm going to come in [to training camp] and work hard, try to pick up things from the older players. If I come in and play my game, hopefully it will all work out."

Nashville - Center Matt Cullen remains an unrestricted free agent but is preparing to play what would be his 18th season in the NHL, The Tennessean reported Tuesday. Cullen, who turns 39 in November, played 62 regular-season games for the Predators last season and had seven goals and 18 assists. He had one goal and one assist in six Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"I'm excited about the idea of playing again. I'm leaning a lot more that way. Now that doesn't necessarily mean that I'll be somewhere, because I am 38 and teams see that number and it's a big number, so I understand that side of it. … Bottom line is that I just still really love to play the game, and the fact that I'm excited about another season is a good thing."
Teams have inquired about Cullen for this season and said they would get back to him once priorities were handled and their rosters began to take shape, according to The Tennessean.
"The last little bit, it's kind of picked up a little bit, and there's a few teams now that have expressed some interest. We're just going through where I would fit salary cap wise and things like that. … It's been good. I've been thrilled with the fact that there's been a few teams looking to hopefully make a move here."
Cullen has 219 goals and 407 assists in 1,212 games for the Predators, Minnesota Wild, Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Florida Panthers and Anaheim Ducks.
Kevin Fiala is doing everything he can to ensure he'll make a good impression on the Predators coaching staff at training camp in September. The 18-year-old Swiss forward even started a few months early. After his exit meetings with Predators general manager David Poile and coach Peter Laviolette at the end of last season, Fiala decided to return to Nashville in May to begin his training for the 2015-16 season. He wanted to be around the facility to prove to the organization he was willing to do whatever it took to make the Predators' opening-night roster.
"I just wanted to come here early to Nashville to know the city better and just practice here with [Predators strength and conditioning coach David Good] and do what Nashville says to make the team next year," Fiala said last week at Predators development camp.
The Predators selected Fiala in the first round (No. 11) at the 2014 NHL Draft in hopes that he would become a part of their foundation at left wing as a major offensive threat. Fiala played one game for the Predators during the 2014-15 regular season and also was in the lineup for Game 4 of their Western Conference First Round series against the Chicago Blackhawks.
"It was a really nice experience. I'm very happy that I could play the two games. I saw how the level is, especially against Chicago. They were so good, so I know now where the level is and I'm working hard for that."
It took Fiala some time to become comfortable in professional hockey last season, but his skill set eventually allowed him to make a smooth transition.
Defenseman Jonathan-Ismael Diaby, Fiala's teammate with the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League, credited Fiala's attitude on the ice as the main reason for his success.
"He's so confident. He believes in himself. He knows he's good, he knows he could be one of the good players out there. His ego, it's good and bad, like there are pros and cons, but he's so confident. You see it in his play. He's good with the puck, he's not scared of mistakes, and it's good for him."
Fiala had 11 goals and nine assists in 33 games with Milwaukee last season. After his teammates helped him adjust to pro hockey in North America, he became one of the Admirals' top playmakers down the stretch.
"Junior hockey and pro hockey is so much different. There's a couple habits that he had that he for sure had to change, but he did well, got to play in the NHL and things are going great for him."
Nashville has had success bringing young players along to make an immediate impact in recent seasons. Rookie forward Filip Forsberg's 63 points led the Predators in 2014-15, his first full season in the League. Fiala hopes to have the same sort of immediate impact with the Predators this season. The offensive skill set is there. He's got good speed and has been a gifted playmaker at every level of hockey he's played. It took Forsberg some time to bulk up and get used to playing a North American style of hockey. Once he was able to add size and learn how to win battles for the puck, he was able to use his skills to make an impact in the NHL.
"He had a great year," Fiala said of Forsberg. "Also at the World Championships, he had the most goals in the whole World Championships, so his play was unbelievable. I look up to him actually, and I want to do it the same way as he did."
At 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, getting bigger and stronger is at the top of Fiala's agenda for the offseason. There will be stiff competition for a limited number of spots at Predators camp in September, but a player with Fiala's skill set could help Nashville add scoring depth to an improving young team



Colorado - At 6-foot-4, 211 pounds, right wing Mikko Rantanen stood out at Avalanche development camp, where he aimed to make a positive first impression before heading to training camp in September. Rantanen, 18, was the Avalanche's first-round pick (No. 10) at the 2015 NHL Draft. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract Monday and his goal is to make the opening-night roster (Oct. 8 vs. the Minnesota Wild), just as Matt Duchene, Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon did in his first pro season.
"I will do everything I can to be there and fight for a place in the lineup," Rantanen said. "I know it's hard and it will take hard work, but I will do everything I can and fight as hard as I can to be there. It was an awesome feeling to hear my name called by Colorado, and I'm looking forward to training camp."

Mikko Rantanen is hoping to be on Colorado's opening night roster this season.

The Avalanche were looking to add size this summer after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, and they considered trading up in the draft to ensure Rantanen would be available.
"We decided to gamble, and he was there," coach Patrick Roy said. "We were pretty happy to see him there. He's exactly what we were looking for, size, and a player that has good skating ability."
Rantanen, who is from Nousiainen, Finland, had nine goals, 19 assists and 22 penalty minutes in 56 games last season, his second with TPS Turku in Liiga, Finland's top league, while serving as an alternate captain. He had four goals in five games at the 2015 World Junior Championship and was the top European skater in NHL Central Scouting's final draft rankings.
"I think it has been helping me to play against men the past two years in Finland. I think it has helped me a lot."
Rantanen said he isn't concerned about playing on smaller NHL rinks and that he felt comfortable during the World Junior tournament in Montreal and Toronto.
"I actually enjoy playing on a small rink. The World Juniors was my second time playing on small rinks. I enjoy that more. Things happen quicker and faster, so it's good. Small rink or big rink, you can play hockey if you are good."
Rantanen started playing hockey at age 4 in Nousiainen, which is in western Finland. He said his parents "were always watching hockey" and had season tickets for TPS Turku. Fellow countrymen Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne were his favorite NHL players, but Sidney Crosby turned him into a Pittsburgh Penguins fan, an allegiance that will have to change now that he's with Colorado.

"My strengths are making plays, having hockey sense and of course protecting the puck and playing near the boards," Rantanen said. "One thing I try to do is be big and try to help the team with that. Hard work."
The 22 players who participated in Colorado's July 7-9 development camp spent nearly a full day under the supervision of skating coach Tracy Tutton, a technical specialist with the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League who has worked with several NHL teams.
"It was nice to skate with the skating coach and try to learn new things. I'll try to learn from those when I go back to Finland, some techniques to get more explosive in my skating. I feel confident. When I go back home I'll work hard and improve my weaknesses to be ready to fight for a place in training camp. Explosiveness to my skating, the first couple strides. And my shot can always be harder and quicker."
The Avalanche won't put any pressure on Rantanen, whose options if he doesn't make the NHL this year are to return to Europe or play for the San Antonio Rampage, Colorado's new American Hockey League affiliate.
"I would like to see him play for us, but we're certainly going to be very patient," Roy said. "He'll come to camp and we'll see how it goes."

Former Avs center Ryan O'Reilly was arrested following a vehicle accident in Ontario last week, according to multiple reports. Buffalo general manager Tim Murray acknowledged the reports on the Sabres' Twitter account Monday night.
"We are aware of the reports regarding the incident involving Ryan O'Reilly last week," Murray said. "We are currently in the process of gathering more information and will have no further comment until we have spoken with all parties involved."
The Buffalo News reported O'Reilly crashed a pickup truck into a Tim Hortons store in Lucan, Ontario, at about 4 a.m. July 9, and was arrested after he and a passenger were found walking along a street. He was charged with driving a motor vehicle while ability impaired and leaving the scene of an accident.
O'Reilly, 24, signed a seven-year contract extension July 3. He had one year remaining on his contract when the Avalanche traded him to the Sabres on June 26.

FIFA Women's World Cup 2015 Canada - Part 2 USA

With the hosts losing to England in the Quarter Finals my full attention switched to the favorites, America!
Hope Solo has been in the news for the wrong reasons of late but that shouldn't take away just what a great goalkeeper she is. She deservedly won the 'Golden Glove Award' for being the best goalie at the tournament, and was outstanding throughout.

In front of her was a very strong defensive unit, led by Julie Johnston and Becky Sauerbrunn. The two formed a near-impenetrable barrier in the center of  defence. They were supported by Ali Krieger, who was probably the best Right Back at the tournament and Meghan Klingenberg, who liked to get forward and join the attacks.

With the Americans lining up in a 4-3-3 formation it meant there was a lot of variations to how the midfield looked from game-to-game. Christen Press along with Megan Rapinoe, Tobin Heath and Morgan Brian shared responsibilities out on the flanks.

Rapinoe, was instrumental during the earlier games and scored some important goals along the way. Tobin Heath looked great in the final and played like she was simply enjoying herself out there. Morgan Brian was also a joy to watch.

The midfield engine room was usually patrolled by Lauren Holiday and Carli Lloyd. Anyone who watched the final four years ago would have felt Carli's heartache during the penalty shoot-up. Despite her more than making up for that a year later at the London Olympic Games, you just felt, she was on a one-woman mission to landing the States the prize they have been waiting for since 1999. Her hat-trick in the final couldn't have come for a more-deserving person. She was simply un-stoppable, her positioning and ability to read the game, always saw her in the right place at the right time. Quite simply, Carli, your country should be proud of you.

The team's poster girl was very much Alex Morgan. I was able to watch some interviews with her on American TV whilst in the States in March of this year, and I can see what all the hype is about. A very clever forward, who has years ahead of her in the national team. It was just a shame a serious injury delayed her entrance into the tournament.

Morgan is seen as the long term successor to Abby Wambach, who was used sparingly throughout. Wambach is a footballing legend, and having read an article about her in Sports Illustrated ahead of the World Cup, is quite an amazing person too, given her charity work.
Growing up with four older brothers in Rochester, NY, she used to have Hockey Pucks fired at her by her siblings to toughen her up. It must have worked as she was soon out-performing the boys on her soccer team.
With me only just recently starting to follow the Women's game, I feel cheated, that I have missed out on so much of her career. The word 'Legend' is often used far too often, but Wambach is one of the very few that deserves that accolade.

With Alex Morgan re-gaining her fitness when the World Cup started Sydney Leroux, was Wambach's strike partner in the opening games. Leroux, is Canadian by birth but opted to play for the United States, and was booed throughout the tournament by the local Canadian supporters. Thankfully she was able to block out the haters with some impressive shifts for the team. Amy Rodriguez also saw some action up front and looked good when used.

Abby Wambach wasn't the only experienced player for the United States. Christie Rampone, at 39, was the oldest player in the squad, and was able to use her vast knowledge to help close out games. Likewise the 37 year old Shannon Boxx.
Every out-field player was used at some point during the World Cup. Defenders Lori Chalupny and Whitney Engen, and midfielders Kelley O'Hara and Heather O'Reilly also looked good when they came on.

So what have I learnt over the last month or so about Women's football. Firstly, it's of a high quality. The technical ability of the players were great. Secondly I will be following games much more often now.
The BBC in the UK has to take a lot of credit for their coverage as every game was available to watch on one of their various platforms (The Main Channels, Digital Channels or Online).

What annoys me about Women's football is the sexist, male chauvinist comments that are made whenever it is mentioned. Sepp Blatter is as much to blame for that as anyone, and hopefully once he is thrown out of the organisation a much more progressive person can come in to promote the Women's game.
I also got fed up of people trying to compare the Women's game to the men's game. Why do the two have to be compared? Why can't people accept 'The Women's Game' is like 'any other Football'. Why can't Ronaldo and Miroslav Klose (Leading goal scorers at men's world cup finals) be mentioned in the same sentence as Abby Wambach and Marta.

I think the media has to promote the game better, certainly in the UK. Where publications like 'Match' and 'Shoot' are on the news stands over here, there should be a football magazine that includes Women's football. Its great to see EA Sports 'FIFA 16' will include Women's teams and players in their latest edition.
Also the gap in the salaries is something that should be addressed, but that is a whole other argument.

I will leave the post with this. There used to be a big inequality between the Men's and Women's games in tennis both in coverage and prize money. For me Men's tennis is quite boring, as a powerful server will ace his shot passed his opponent until they change over, whilst the Women's game has much more rallies and is more interesting to watch.
Football could follow a similar path. The Men's game has became turgid and boring with teams now too scared to lose and will sit back defending rather than going for the win. The Women's game is like a breath of fresh air with teams playing well... Football, and actually trying to win games. If tennis can be used  as the yard stick, maybe football can become wore equal too. Watch this space......

KHL - Tarasov Division - ХК Витязь

Hockey Club Vityaz (ХК Витязь, or HC Knight) is based in Podolsk, Moscow Oblast. The team is widely known for playing a tough and physical North American-influenced style of hockey. The club was founded in 1996 in Podolsk. In 2000, the team moved to the neighboring city of Chekhov; however, the team kept playing under the name Vityaz Podolsk until 2004, where the renaming was finally done. The team initially played its home games at the Ice Palace Vityaz in Podolsk, the same arena HC MVD used until 2006. Such a thing was allowed by virtue of the opening in 2004 of a new arena in Chekhov, the Ice Hockey Center 2004, that Vityaz began using. Initially, this arena had a capacity of 1,370; it was expanded in 2007–08 to 3,300. Vityaz played at the top level of Russian hockey for the 2000–01 season; it got relegated to Vysshaya Liga at the end of the season. In 2005, Vityaz made to the Vysshaya Liga final losing the championship to HC MVD 4 games to 1 but earned a promotion back to the elite level.
Rumors of a move back to Podolsk arose in the wake of the inaugural KHL season as even with the expansion of 2007–08, due to Chekhov's capacity being below the KHL league standards. The team restarted playing their home games in Podolsk, but remained attached to Chekhov. For the 2013-14 KHL season, the team moved back to Podolsk.
Thei inaugural season in the KHL was pretty bad. Vityaz registered a mere 6 wins in regulation, plus 5 in overtime; in counterpart for those 11 wins, the team lost 45 times (of which, 12 games were in overtime). The meager 40 points collected meant that the team finished at a dismal 23rd place out of 24, a single point ahead of the equally bad Khimik Voskresensk. Head coach Sergei Gomolyako made the mistake in October to dress one more foreign player than allowed by the rules, resulting in a match lost by forfeit. Gomolyako claimed he ignored there was such a rule, and the following week, he was fired, to be replaced by former NHL player and Vityaz head coach Mike Krushelnyski. Vityaz' fans enjoyed the return of Krushelnyski, who helped the team to the playoffs in 2006–07.
But a team full of goons, which general manager Alexei Zhamnov wishes to shape after the 1990s Chicago Blackhawks for whom he played, just couldn't bring good enough performances to repeat the feat. They however led the league in penalty minutes, some 500 minutes ahead of the second most penalized club, with players such as Nathan Perrott (137 minutes in 9 matches and not a single point), Darcy Verot (more disciplined and productive than in his first season with Vityaz, even though it still only meant 5 points and 168 minutes) and Chris Simon (league leader at 263 minutes, and club's second best scorer behind Gleb Klimenko at 27 points). The team traded away three of its six top scorers (Klimenko, Pavel Boychenko and Igor Radulov) and without the arrival of Bryan Berard (who scored 18 points in 25 games and vastly improved Chekhov's powerplay), the team might have done even worse.
The season was particularly darkened by the death of Alexei Cherepanov in October 2008, that occurred on home ice and could have been avoided had Chekhov's arena been equipped with a working defibrillator and had the ambulance that should remain available until the end of the match not departed well before the conclusion, resulting in much longer delays between the accident and the moment where Cherepanov arrived at the nearest hospital.
2009–10 felt like déja-vu for. After almost being thrown out of the league due to its finances in August (they needed to find 300 million rubles, which they eventually did), the Knights started the season with two wins and temporarily led the league. Things didn't last however as the team finished 23rd out of 24 teams with only 13 regular-season wins (plus 3 in overtime and 2 in the shootouts—an improvement from the previous year), 54 points and, once again, a colossal amount of penalty minutes: 1522, ahead and by far every other team in the league. Vadim Berdnikov, Gleb Klimenko (who came back from Kazan) and Chris Simon led the offence with respectively 33, 27 and 25 points. Darcy Verot, on the other hand, led the team in penalty minutes with 376 in 34 matches.


Once again, an incident between Vityaz and Avangard marked the season. On January 9, 2010, the game between Vityaz and Avangard was stopped after 3 minutes and 39 seconds when a bench-clearing and penalty-box-clearing brawl broke out. Darcy Verot had instigated the brawl after three minutes of play when he shot the puck at an Avangard player. A mass brawl quickly followed, which the referees could deal with. However, as soon as the game was resumed, fighting resumed as well and both benches cleared to join the fight. The game was quickly getting out of hand and the officials decided it was better to cancel the whole game. Little else could be done, as a whopping total of 707 penalty minutes had been incurred - a new world record - and a total of 33 players on both teams were ejected from the game, as well as both head coaches. Only four players avoided being ejected. The KHL imposed a total of 5.7 million rubles (about US $191,000) fines, including 150,000 rubles fines to Vityaz's Darcy Verot and Brandon Sugden and Avangard's Alexander Svitov and Dmitry Vlasenkov. Additionally, Verot, Sugden, Vlasenkov and four other Vityaz players received one-game suspensions. Additionally, this game became the first in the league history where both teams lost the game, as the league declared it would be a 5-0 loss for both Avangard and Vityaz. No team earned points for this match. It was the first time Avangard visited Chekhov since Cherepanov's death.

 

Season	GP	W	OTPS Wins	L	OT-PS L	Pts	GF	GA	Finish	Top Scorer	Playoffs
2008–09	56	7	5	32	12	43	137	226	6th, Chernyshev	Gleb Klimenko (30 points: 19 G, 11 A; 39 GP)	Did not qualify
2009–10	56	13	5	33	5	54	142	216	6th, Tarasov	Vadim Berdnikov (33 points: 9 G, 24 A; 47 GP)	Did not qualify
2010–11	54	13	4	32	5	52	119	178	6th, Tarasov	Vadim Berdnikov (29 points: 12 G, 17 A; 53 GP)	Did not qualify
2011–12	54	10	6	36	2	44	108	193	6th, Tarasov	Mikhail Anisin (29 points: 16 G, 13 A; 38 GP)	Did not qualify
2012–13	52	11	7	26	8	55	119	151	6th, Bobrov	Alexander Korolyuk (29 points: 15 G, 14 A; 41 GP)	Did not qualify
2013–14	54	12	6	26	10	58	110	147	7th, Tarasov	Maxim Afinogenov (26 points: 12 G, 14 A; 53 GP)
2014–15	60	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	Div. Tarasov	- ( - )

First round draft picks

• 2009: none
• 2010: Maxim Alyapkin (4th overall)
• 2011: Jonathan Huberdeau (5th overall)
• 2012: none
• 2013: none
• 2014: none

List of Vityaz players selected in the NHL Entry Draft

• 2001: Evgeny Artyukhin (Tampa Bay Lightning) (94th overall), Leonid Zvachkin (New York Rangers) (230th overall)

All Star Game

• Mikhail Anisin, RW, 2011–12, 2012
• Alexander Korolyuk, RW, 2004–05, 2005–08, 2012–2014, 2013
• Chris Simon, LW, 2008–11, 2010, 2011
• Ivan Lisutin, goalie, 2012–present, 2014, Bratislava
• Maxim Afinogenov, RW, 2013–present, 2014, Bratislava

Head coaches

• Vyacheslav Anisin, July 1, 1997 – 31 May 1999
• Alexander Zachesov, 1 June 1999 – 11 October 2000
• Alexander Barinev, 11 October 2000 – 30 April 2001
• Valery Belov, 30 April 2001 – 15 June 2003
• Yury Rumyancev, 15 June 2003 – 5 April 2004
• Miskat Fakrutdinov, 5 April 2004 – 16 January 2005
• Alexander Bodunov, January 16, 2005 – 30 June 2005
• Anatoly Bogdanov, 30 June 2005 – 27 October 2005
• Alexander Bodunov, 27 October 2005 – 4 April 2006
• Mike Krushelnyski, 4 April 2006 – 31 March 2007
• Miskat Fakrutdinov, 18 June 2007 – 28 October 2007
• Sergey Gomolyako, 29 October 2007 – 5 November 2008
• Mike Krushelnyski, 6 November 2008 – 3 December 2009
• Alexei Yarushkin, 6 December 2009 – 14 October 2010
• Andrei Nazarov, 14 October 2010 – 18 May 2012
• Yuri Leonov, 20 June 2012 – 11 January 2014
• Oleg Orekhovskiy, 11 January 2014 – present

Current Roster

#	Position	Name	Born	Country	Contract
-	defense		25.07.1994	Canada
88	forward	Abdullin Denis	01.01.1985	Russia	30.04.2016
61	forward	Afinogenov Maxim	04.09.1979	Russia	30.04.2016
84	defense	Berdyukov Georgy	19.08.1991	Russia	30.04.2016
70	defense	Bukhanko Anton	01.07.1986	Russia	30.04.2016
-	goaltender	Cherepov Denis	08.06.1996	Russia
20	goaltender	Denisov Sergei	12.05.1990	Russia
21	defense	Eronen Teemu	22.11.1990	Finland	30.04.2016
52	defense	Golovkov Igor	17.05.1990	Russia	30.04.2016
15	forward	Horak Roman	21.05.1991	Czech Republic
-	forward	Huberdeau Jonathan	04.06.1993	Canada
20	forward	Kempe Mario	19.09.1988	Sweden
27	forward	Koksharov Yury	01.11.1985	Russia	30.04.2017
95	forward	Konozov Albert	04.06.1991	Russia	30.04.2016
42	forward	Korolyov Anton	26.01.1988	Russia	30.04.2016
22	defense	Kostromitin Dmitry	22.01.1990	Russia
67	forward	Krysanov Anton	25.03.1987	Russia
55	forward	Kucheryavenko Alexander	27.08.1987	Russia	30.04.2016
44	defense	Kudinov Roman	23.06.1992	Russia	30.04.2016
-	forward	MacKinnon Nathan	01.09.1995	Canada
-	forward	MacNeill Mark	22.02.1993	Canada
91	forward	Makeyev Alexei	25.11.1991	Russia	30.04.2016
15	forward	Musatov Igor	23.09.1987	Russia
-	forward	Palola Olli	08.04.1988	Finland
38	defense	Peretyagin Sergei	19.04.1984	Russia
40	goaltender	Saprykin Igor	30.01.1992	Russia	30.04.2016
29	goaltender	Sateri Harri	29.12.1989	Finland
-	forward	Shinkarenko Denis	12.11.1996	Russia
8	defense	Shinkevich Ilya	01.09.1989	Belarus
23	forward	Shitikov Dmitry	21.01.1986	Russia	30.04.2016
57	forward	Shvets-Rogovoi Artyom	03.03.1995	Russia	30.04.2017
17	forward	Solodukhin Vyacheslav	31.07.1988	Russia
-	forward	Trocheck Vincent	11.07.1993	USA
10	forward	Tsyganov Dmitry	18.02.1989	Russia	30.04.2016
38	defense	Vashchenko Grigory	29.01.1995	Russia
28	defense	Viksna Evgeny	16.02.1990	Russia
21	forward	Vyglazov Nikita	20.10.1985	Russia	30.04.2016
5	defense	Yezhov Denis	28.02.1985	Russia

Penalty Minute Leaders

Player	Pos	PIM
Darcy Verot	LW	1219
Reid Simpson	RW	531
Ruslan Murzashev	RW	486
Chris Simon	LW	484
Alexei Kochegarov	F	381
Mikhail Strelkov	D	355
Andrei Kozyrev	D	345
Alexei Krovopuskov	C	327
Josh Gratton	LW	282
Oleg Voschenikin	F	274

Vityaz Ice Palace
Kirova St. 63a, Podolsk, Moscow Region, Russia, 142117
Vityaz Ice Palace is located in Podolsk. The capacity of the arena is 5,500 and was built in 2000. The home games of Russkie Vityazi, the junior team of Vityaz Chekhov, are played in the arena. Until 2006 it was the home arena of the HC MVD ice hockey team.