NHL - News Round Up

Penguins - Last season, Scott Young would take a break from his role as an assistant coach at Boston University and drive 30 minutes to Cushing Academy to watch his son Tyler, who played for the school's hockey team. A lot of times, Young would run into former Penguins teammate Mark Recchi, whose son Cameron was also on the team. Young and Recchi ended up spending a fair amount of time with each other throughout the year, at both Cushing Academy and BU, as Young took Recchi's daughter for a tour when she came to the campus for a college visit. That constant contact with Recchi helped Young land his new position as the Penguins' director of player development. And he couldn't be more thrilled to rejoin the organization he won the Stanley Cup with as a player in 1991.

"It feels great because I'm familiar with a lot of people in the organization, and obviously it's a first-class organization," said Young, a Massachusetts native who played for BU with Mike Sullivan and Clark Donatelli and also skated alongside Bill Guerin in the NHL.

"When you bring up the top NHL teams, Pittsburgh comes to mind as No. 1. Obviously because of the last two Cups, but also the way that they've run the organization. If you ask around to players around the league, coaches, scouts, it's always Pittsburgh is doing it right. So to me, it's just a great feeling to be back with the Penguins."

Young ended up playing a distinguished 16-plus year NHL career that included another championship with Colorado in 1996. He skated for six total franchises - Pittsburgh, Quebec/Colorado, Hartford, Anaheim, St. Louis and Dallas - while amassing regular-season totals of 1,181 games, 342 goals, 415 assists and 757 points. That goal total ranks 10^th all-time among American-born players, which helped him get inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame this year. Young also tacked on 87 points (44G-43A) in 141 career NHL playoff contests. Talking with him, he credited his short time in Pittsburgh as the biggest reason for achieving such longevity. Young was traded to the Penguins from the Whalers midway through that 1990-91 season - just his third full season in the league - and quickly learned that he had a lot to learn.

"I went into Pittsburgh as a kid, or an immature NHL player," Young said. "And I felt like I left there and learned how to be a pro."

Young points to teammate Paul Coffey and his work ethic as the biggest revelation for him.

"We'd play a six-game series in the second round of the playoffs, and he's in riding the bike and doing situps and pushups after a game after he just played 30 minutes," Young said. "That really was an eye-opener to me. I said to myself, 'I thought I was working hard, but I'm not working hard enough.'"

Moving forward, Young said he became a true professional, and that's an experience he can use to help the young players he'll be working with in Pittsburgh.

"It's a maturity thing, and I think that's the advice you always want to give to young players," Young said. "Watch the successful players and their work habits and their preparation and everything about them and you can learn. Paul Coffey had just won four Stanley Cups in Edmonton, so that was a pretty good guy to watch and learn from (laughs). There's a reason. He knew what it took. It totally changed me and I felt like I was a true professional after leaving Pittsburgh."

There's plenty of other experiences Young can draw on as well, both in his playing career and his post-playing career.

"As former players, we just want to help players get better," Young said. "We want to help players maximize their potential in the NHL. Hopefully it's at the NHL level, and there's so many different experiences that all of us players have. There's not many situations I think a player could throw at us and we haven't already been through it."

Blues - The St. Louis Blues have entered into a one-year affiliation agreement with the ECHL's Tulsa Oilers. The agreement will begin with the 2017-18 season.

"We are proud to extend our footprint to Tulsa and partner with the Oilers for the 2017-18 season," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "The Oilers are a strong organization from top to bottom and will provide a great opportunity for our young prospects to continue to develop their game."

"It is truly an honor for us to affiliate with such a class organization like the St. Louis Blues," Oilers general manager Taylor Hall said in a press release. "Our fan base will be thrilled as we have many Blues fans here in Tulsa."

The Oilers play their home games at BOK Center and will begin their fourth season in the ECHL in October. Last season, Tulsa finished with a 27-37-6 record (62 points), which ranked fifth in the ECHL's Central Division.

 

The Blues have signed defenseman Nate Prosser to a two-year, two-way contract. Prosser, 31, has appeared in parts of eight NHL seasons - all with the Minnesota Wild - where he played in 282 regular-season games, recording seven goals, 31 assists (38 points) and a minus-9 rating. Last season, Prosser played 39 games for the Wild, registering two goals and five assists. The 6-foot-2, 201-pound native of Elk River, MN played in a career high 63 games for head coach Mike Yeo during the 2014-15 season. Prosser previously joined the Blues at training camp in 2014, but was claimed by Minnesota off waivers before the season began.

 

SAN JOSE - San Jose Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson announced today that the club has re-signed forward Barclay Goodrow to a two-year contract.

"Barclay played a key role in the success of the Barracuda last season and we feel he took a step forward in his development," said Sharks Assistant General Manager and San Jose Barracuda General Manager Joe Will. "He took on more of a leadership role with the Barracuda and we look forward to him competing for a spot in the NHL this season." 

Last season, Goodrow, 24, recorded 45 points (25 goals, 20 assists) in 61 games with the San Jose Barracuda, the American Hockey League affiliate of the San Jose Sharks. His 25 goals led the team, and he finished 4th in points for the Barracuda. Additionally, he ranked 4th on the team with a plus-16 rating, and scored four of the team's 14 shorthanded goals to lead that category as well. He played in all 15 playoff games with the AHL club this postseason, where he collected five goals, five assists, a plus-three rating and 45 shots on goal. He also played three games with the Sharks in 2016-17, registering an assist and three shots on goal. Goodrow has 125 games of AHL experience with the San Jose Barracuda and the Worcester Sharks. In that time, he has 47 goals, 43 assists and a plus-25 rating. In 77 career NHL games with the Sharks, Goodrow picked up 16 points (4 goals, 12 assists). In addition, he has an even rating, two game-winning goals, and two shorthanded points. The six-foot-two, 215-pound forward is a native of Toronto, Ontario. He was originally signed by San Jose as a free agent on March 16, 2014.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Blackhawks defenseman prospect Henri Jokiharju could have stayed in Finland to continue his development as a hockey player, like a lot of his friends did. Instead, Jokiharju, 18, the No. 29 pick of the 2017 NHL Draft, is preparing for his second season with Portland of the Western Hockey League, which he hopes will speed his path to the NHL. Jokiharju, who participated in his first development camp with the Blackhawks in July, said his decision to play in North America wasn't as difficult as it might seem.

"I have always had a strong idea that I wanted to come over and play hockey, and be close to the NHL," Jokiharju said. "After the first week [in Portland], I had a rough week [being homesick], but after that I was fine. I knew that someday you have to take that step and get away from home, so that was good to make it at that time."

After adjusting to life in North America on and off the ice, Jokiharju began to show his skills as an offensive-minded defenseman with Portland last season. He had 48 points (nine goals, 39 assists) in 71 regular-season games and three assists in 11 WHL playoff games.  His play attracted the attention of the Blackhawks, who went into the 2017 draft looking to stockpile defensemen. Chicago selected defensemen with five of its nine picks and Jokiharju was the headliner. The Blackhawks also took Ian Mitchell of Spruce Grove (Alberta Junior Hockey League) in the second round (No. 57), Roope Laavainen of Jokerit Jr. (Finland) in the fourth round (No. 119), Jakub Galvas of Olomouc (Czech Republic) in the fifth round (No. 150) and Joshua Ess of Lakeville South High School (Minnesota) in the seventh round (No. 215). Jokiharju and Mitchell each are right-handed shots, a valued commodity to the Blackhawks, but Jokiharju's slick skating stood out most. The next step is adding more strength and defensive responsibility.

"He's a very good skater," said Blackhawks director of amateur scouting Mark Kelley. "He has great ice awareness. He's very good with the puck and making plays with the puck, but if you look at all the good defensemen, it takes a little longer [to develop] only because there's two elements to it. He's going to be offensive, but at the same time, he's going to have to be defensive, as well."

Kelley isn't big on comparing prospects to NHL players, but there's an obvious one to be made with Jokiharju. His mobility, fluid strides and ability to absorb a lot of ice time are all traits that also belong to Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith, a two-time winner of the Norris Trophy and 2015 Conn Smythe Trophy recipient during Chicago's run to the Stanley Cup.

"We would call him an easy skater," Kelley said of Jokiharju. "Easy skaters, especially on defense, go longer. They can play more minutes. [Keith] would probably be at the top of the bar."

Jokiharju is still a long way from the top; he is expected to miss the rest of the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Michigan, this week, after sustaining a lower-body injury playing for Finland. His goal clearly is to get to the NHL someday, preferably sooner than later. That's why he decided to leave home as a teenager.

"I learned [to play] a quicker game and we had a good team in Portland," said Jokiharju, whose older brother, Juho, is a forward at Clarkson University. "I feel like the WHL and all [Canadian Hockey League] leagues are more close to the NHL than the Finnish hockey league [Liiga], so that's why [I came over]. I learned a lot about the North American game and the quick [transition] game. The Chicago Blackhawks [play] the same kind of game, so it's good."

Leafs - The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that the hockey club has agreed to terms with forward Zach Hyman on a four-year extension. The average annual value of the contract will be $2.25 million ($2.0M in 2017-18 and 2018-19, and $2.5M in 2019-20 and 2020-21). Hyman, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent prior to the 2019-20 season, collected 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in 82 regular season games before adding four points (one goal, three assists) in six playoff games with the Maple Leafs in 2016-17. Last season, the Toronto, Ontario native led all NHL forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (2:47) while establishing a new Maple Leafs record for shorthanded goals scored by a rookie (four). In 98 career regular season NHL games, Hyman has registered 14 goals and 20 assists. Before joining the Maple Leafs, the 25-year-old played one season (2015-16) with the American Hockey League's Toronto Marlies and four seasons with the University of Michigan. During his tenure at Michigan, Hyman was honoured as Michigan's Athlete of the Year as well as a First-Team All-American, a First-Team All-Big Ten selection, a Big Ten All-Academic Selection and a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award in 2014-15. Hyman was acquired by Toronto in a trade with the Florida Panthers on June 19, 2015. He was originally selected by Florida in the fifth round (123rd overall) in the 2010 NHL Draft.

On the second day of the NHL's unrestricted free agency period, the Maple Leafs landed a major component for the next three seasons when they signed former San Jose Sharks cornerstone forward Patrick Marleau to an $18.75-million contract. The signing, which was made official late Sunday afternoon, carries an average annual salary cap value of $6.25 million for the services of the 37-year-old Marleau, who had spent his entire 19-year NHL career in San Jose and leaves that franchise as its all-time leader in regular-season games played (1,493), goals (508), points (1,082), power play goals (160), shorthanded goals (17), game-winning goals (98) and shots on net (3,798). The Aneroid, Sask., native's game-winning goal total is the seventh-best in league history, and his overall experience as one of the game's most consistent high-end performers makes him an extremely valuable addition to Toronto's lineup. Given his deep family roots in California and in the organization that drafted him second overall in 1997, Marleau's decision to leave the Sharks was not an easy one, but in a brief conference call with reporters Sunday, he said he was thrilled to join the Leafs and begin a new journey.

"I think I've worn out a few carpets pacing around the house trying to make this decision over the last couple days, but I'm extremely excited and happy to be a part of the Maple Leafs organization," Marleau said. "It's definitely an honour to be able to call myself a Maple Leaf, obviously, being a Canadian-born player. This decision took me quite a while to come to, but I've made it and I'm happy with it. I can't wait to get started."

Marleau has scored at least 20 goals in 14 of his 19 seasons and his 289 goals-scored since the 2007-08 campaign ranks ninth among all NHL players in that span. He's also an ironman of sorts, having played every regular-season game since the 2009-10 season began; prior to that, he's only played fewer than 76 games in a season once - 74 games in his rookie year - and he's got 177 games of playoff experience under his belt, amassing 68 goals and 120 points in those post-season contests. There are few NHLers more dependable than that. Even in his late thirties, Marleau's speed and conditioning remains elite, and he'll fit in nicely with the Leafs' fast and talented group of youngsters. In addition, he's familiar with Leafs head coach Mike Babcock from their time working together on Canada's gold-medal-winning Olympic teams in 2010 and 2014. All things considered, the chance to come to the Leafs to help them continue their evolution into a Stanley Cup frontrunner was too tempting for Marleau to turn down.

"It's a team, the excitement that's around it, the coach, the management, the way they see the game going, the players they have on their roster, it's extremely exciting to be part of that," Marleau said of the Leafs before discussing his familiarity with Babcock. "The work (Babcock) has done over his career speaks for itself. Knowing what he's doing there with the team he has, and knowing what I can contribute, is extremely exciting for me."

Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello added two new faces to the Leafs' lineup on the first day of the NHL's unrestricted free agency period Saturday, signing veteran defenceman Ron Hainsey and centre Dominic Moore. But the acquisition of Marleau - who netted 27 goals and 46 points in 82 games with the Sharks last season - is likely to stand out as one of the key moves the veteran GM has made since arriving in Toronto, and Lamoriello is confident it will prove beneficial to the bottom line: winning hockey games.

"It's not every day that you can acquire a player like Patrick Marleau," Lamoriello said early Sunday evening. "He fits right in with the type of game that we play. His skating ability is still exceptional. His versatility in being able to play in all situations. A tremendous amount of experience into the lineup. It just adds to the depth of our forwards."

Marleau will be 41 years old when his new contract expires, but Lamoriello had no qualms when it came to giving the two-time Lady Byng Memorial Trophy finalist a three-year pact. The Leafs' salary cap situation is in an ideal state for the organization to bring in a top-tier veteran, and everyone in management, from Babcock and team president Brendan Shanahan to assistant GMs Kyle Dubas and Mark Hunter, believe Marleau only makes the group better.

"We won't be able to do (a move like) this in a year or so but we have the room and flexibility to do it and not interrupt the process that we have in place, understanding where our young players are and where they will be," Lamoriello said. "You only have one chance to do something like this and we would not have done it if it was not the right player. The timing is perfect. We've always said that coming off the season we had last year, the year that our young players had, the difficulty of taking the next step, that giving them a veteran who can be put into any position in the lineup and support these players, help these players."
Marleau's arrival might cause some to heighten expectations for the Buds in the short-term, but Lamoriello cautioned that the original plan set in place by Shanahan and Leafs brass remains in place. Marleau's salary is not insignificant, but remember, it cost Toronto no assets (at least, in terms of players within the organization) to land him, and his presence will assist developing young talents including Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Connor Brown and Zach Hyman, among others.

"Certainly, the acquisition of this player made a little change in perception but not reality," Lamoriello said. "It's going to enhance the development of our players like they did last year. We didn't know what to expect going into last season - whether Mitch (Marner) would make the team, how Auston (Matthews) would adjust, where William (Nylander) was, Connor Brown, Zach Hyman, go on and on. We also have to be very careful of the next stage and that's the year after. This is where we want to make sure we don't go off-course. 

"I can see how people would look at it differently, but we have not given up any assets, we have added support, and as I said earlier, we have the room and flexibility within the salary cap system to do this now. We wouldn't have this flexibility later on."

What Toronto does have now is an even more dangerous attack on offence, a more experienced and deep pool of talent, and an opportunity to continue thrilling Leafs Nation as they did last season. Two days into the unrestricted free agency period, it's tough to ask for more than that.