NHL Notebook: Penticton Young Stars Classic to return for 2023 and 2024, Oilers top Western Conference team in power rankings, and more
By Cam Lewis
7 months agoThe Vancouver Canucks announced last week that the Penticton Young Stars Classic rookie tournament will be back for both 2023 and 2024.
The Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, and Winnipeg Jets will send teams comprised of prospects to Penticton for a six-game, round-robin style tournament. The schedule hasn’t yet been announced but the expectation is that the 2023 Young Stars Classic will take place between September 15 to 18.
“The Young Stars Classic is a key event for the Vancouver Canucks organization and one that we are extremely proud to be hosting again in Penticton for the next two years,” said Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford. “The tournament provides a great opportunity for similar aged prospects to play and practice in a competitive environment, in front of thousands of fans. This is an important event on our hockey calendar and we, along with all the other teams participating, look forward to bringing another exciting tournament to the South Okanagan Events Centre.”
Last summer, the Oilers sent a team highlighted by first-round picks Philip Broberg, Dylan Holloway, and Xavier Bourgault to Penticton and they breezed through the competition, winning all three games while outscoring their opponents 12-to-5 in total.
Oilers top team in Daily Faceoff Power Rankings…
Daily Faceoff released its weekly NHL Power Rankings on Monday and the Edmonton Oilers jumped up to No. 5 on this list. They’re the top Western Conference team on the list and they’re behind only the Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, and Toronto Maple Leafs…
“The Oilers are heating up again at the right time, with wins in nine of their last 10 and four wins in a row last week over the Coyotes, Golden Knights, Kings, and Ducks. That’s not only clinched them a playoff spot, but put them in a good spot to potentially pounce on Vegas to take that top division spot, and maybe even the Western Conference.”
The Oilers currently sit in third place in the Pacific Division. They’re one point behind the L.A. Kings and the two teams will play an important head-to-head on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
Edmonton is also four points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the top spot in both the Pacific Division and Western Conference. Vegas pulled off a huge win on Monday night over the Minnesota Wild, scoring with under one minute left on the clock in the third period to tie the game before winning in the shootout.
Quick notes…
- Another note from Daily Faceoff, Frank Seravalli and Mike McKenna discussed who will be in the mix for the NHL’s General Manager of the Year Award. McKenna and Seravalli mentioned Rob Blake of the L.A. Kings, Bill Guerin of the Minnesota Wild, Chris Drury of the New York Rangers, and Tom Fitzgerald of the New Jersey Devils. McKenna figures that Ken Holland would be a longshot while Seravalli said that he wouldn’t be surprised if Holland got some votes.
- The Hockey News did an interesting interview with Jesperi Kotkaniemi of the Carolina Hurricanes. He talked about the difference between playing in Carolina compared to playing for the Montreal Canadiens, where he spent the first three seasons of his career after being selected No. 3 overall in the 2018 draft… “Here in Carolina, the life is so much easier,” Kotkaniemi said. “You don’t really stress about anything. Great teammates. Great staff. The media is not bad. It’s really a stress-free life here.”
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