If everything goes according to plan, the NHL qualifying round and seeding will begin on August 1st in Toronto and Edmonton, which means we could see exhibition games by the end of this month. With more time on my hands than usual at this time of year, we can look deeper into commentary, and one…
The NHL hasn’t made an official announcement yet, but Edmonton and Toronto will be the two hub cities for the 2020 NHL playoffs. We could see exhibition games by the end of this month and the qualifying round and seeding rounds beginning in early August. The NHL would like to announce an extension to the…
The Detroit Red Wings were the biggest loser during Friday’s draft lottery. The Wings won 17 of 71 games this past season, and had the lowest points percentage (.275) in the NHL since 2000, when the expansion Atlanta Thrashers won 14 of 82 games and finished the season with a .238 points%. The Thrashers were…
The NHL draft lottery goes tonight, but it will be much different than previous lotteries. Because one, two or even three teams could win the lottery (top-three picks) tonight, and not even know it. That is not a typo. Let me explain.
The Nation Network continues our series on the seven Canadian franchise’s all-time rosters of drafted players. While unrestricted free agency gets more focus each summer, the draft is much more important to an organization’s long-term success. The NHL Entry Draft is the scouts’ championship. It is very difficult projecting how good teenage hockey players will…
The NHL draft lottery is this Friday. The NHL entry draft was supposed to be Friday and Saturday, but the NHL wisely decided to push it back until the 2019/2020 season is concluded. While unrestricted free agency gets more focus each summer, the draft is much more important to an organization’s long-term success. This week…
For the fourth consecutive season, an Edmonton Oilers player will finish in the top-five of voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy. It is very likely Leon Draisaitl will be one of the three finalists for the “player judged most valuable to his team” trophy. And with Draisaitl under contract to the Oilers for at least…
Mark Fraser turns 34 in September. He was born in Ottawa in 1986. His mother, Ann, is white. His father, Hugh, is black. Mark has dealt with racism his entire life, but it didn’t stop him from following his dream to play in the NHL. He was drafted 84th overall in 2005 by the New…
Being an NHL amateur scout can be a thankless job. You spend countless hours in arenas, eating less-than-stellar food, driving even more hours, often in treacherous conditions, and your main task is to project which 17 or 18 year olds will be good NHL players in a few years. It is a challenge, but scouts…
NHL training camps will open on July 10th, as the NHL hopes to complete the 2020 playoffs. Unless medical experts deem it unsafe, the NHL’s plan is to have the qualifying round start in early August. Let’s assume the games start on August 5th, because usually, the playoffs begin on a Wednesday. That will be…
We are one month away from NHL training camps opening — potentially. The NHL has yet to officially announce when training camps will open, but July 10th is a day that has been mentioned often, so let’s go with it. If the league opens up a few days before or later than July 10th, that…
Early this morning the Professional Hockey Writers Association announced the 31 nominees for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. Masterton is the only player in NHL history to die as a result of injuries suffered in a game. During his first season in the NHL with the Minnesota North Stars, Masterton died after sustaining massive head…
