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. "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.
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