Sunday, January 29, 2012

EA SPORTS NHL 12 All-Star Game Simulation: Team Alfredsson 12 - Team Chara 10

With All-Star Weekend upon us, EA SPORTS has simulated the 2012 NHL All-Star game using NHL 12’s simulation engine. The final score was Team Alfredsson 12 – Team Chara 10.

Claude Giroux was the game’s  MVP with 2 goals and 2 assists.

EA Sports NHL 12 All-Star Game MVP Flyers Claude Giroux


FINAL SCORE: TEAM ALFREDSSON: 12 TEAM CHARA: 10
MVP: CLAUDE GIROUX (2G, 2A)

FIRST PERIOD:

TIME
TEAM
ASSIST
1:33
TEAM ALFREDSSON
STAMKOS
GIROUX
HARTNELL
1:54
TEAM CHARA
KANE
DATSYUK
HOSSA
4:11
TEAM CHARA
GABORIK
EBERLE
PERRY
7:13
TEAM ALFREDSSON
SPEZZA
KARLSSON
LETANG
12:22
TEAM CHARA
HOSSA
DATSYUK

13:56
TEAM ALFREDSSON
COUTURE
POMINVILLE
NEAL
18:20
TEAM ALFREDSSON
STAMKOS
GIROUX
YANDLE

SECOND PERIOD:

TIME
TEAM
GOAL
ASSIST
ASSIST
0:53
TEAM CHARA
IGINLA
SEGUIN
KESSEL
4:20
TEAM ALFREDSSON
EDLER
H.SEDIN
D.SEDIN
7:19
TEAM CHARA
MALKIN
LUPUL

9:22
TEAM ALFREDSSON
GIROUX
HARTNELL
LUNDQVIST
11:17
TEAM CHARA
GABORIK
BENN
EBERLE
12:59
TEAM ALFREDSSON
WEBER
KARLSSON
TAVARES
15:11
TEAM CHARA
PHANEUF
CHARA
KANE
19:40
TEAM CHARA
PERRY
CAMPBELL


THIRD PERIOD:

TIME
TEAM
GOAL
ASSIST
ASSIST
3:36
TEAM ALFREDSSON
TAVARES
NEAL

8:22
TEAM CHARA
SUTER
CAMPBELL

11:34
TEAM ALFREDSSON
MICHALEK


14:02
TEAM CHARA
KESSEL
IGINLA
SEGUIN
16:46
TEAM ALFREDSSON
GIROUX
D.SEDIN

17:01
TEAM ALFREDSSON
D.SEDIN
H.SEDIN

19:45
TEAM ALFREDSSON
ALFREDSSON
SPEZZA
GIRARDI

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Monday, January 23, 2012

NHL 2012 Mock Draft: Fail for Nail or Mikhail | The Hockey Writers

NHL 2012 Mock Draft: Fail for Nail or Mikhail | The Hockey Writers


Is it ever too early to think about the NHL’s next entry draft?

Many shots will be taken. Many saves will be made. Many hits will be dished out. Many battles for loose pucks will be fought. Many passes will be delivered. Many savvy puck moves will be executed. Many coach tirades will fall on deaf ears.
All before the 2012 NHL Entry Draft takes place on June 22nd-23rd in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.
Every year it seems I contemplate whether or not to go through the intriguing yet dubious task of putting together a mock draft. We all know how fascinating it is to go through the progress of formulating which team should select which prospect and at what point in the draft.
We also know how quickly a mock draft can go off the rails when the actual NHL draft takes place. Whether it be the Phoenix Coyotes going off the board to take a Blake Wheeler or the Los Angeles Kings selecting Thomas Hickey seemingly out of nowhere, one’s mock draft can be wrecked faster than Michael Grabner can do a lap around the rink.
Of course, temptation got the best of me again yet again.
Today’s article embarks on my first mock draft of the season.
Notes:
  • This is not an attempt to rank prospects – rankings will follow similar to preceding years. This is mere a “guesstimate” at what teams might choose if they were to draft today based on weighing out best player available with team need and past experiences at the draft table.
  • Draft order is based on the NHL standings as of morning of January 17th, 2012. Standings and thus team drafting positions will obviously fluctuate on a day-to-day basis from here on end.
1. Columbus Blue JacketsMathew Dumba (D, Red Deer, WHL)
Starting this mock draft off with a bang, the Blue Jackets would likely heavily shop this pick should they land the #1 overall pick. Make no mistake, I feel Nail Yakupov and Mikhail Grigorenko are the 1A and 1B prospects eligible for the 2012 draft. However, given the franchise’s atrocious history with drafting talented Russian players near the top of the draft, they are likely terrified of having similar outcomes as with the two Nikitas – Zherdev and Filatov – and thus go against the consensus Fail for Nail or Mikhail theme of this draft.
If they keep the pick, why not swing for the fences and go with the blueliner with the highest risk/reward in the draft – Mathew Dumba. The Red Deer Rebel defenseman is an explosive and dynamic player with a seemingly unmatched passion for the game. He has a personality that could really be infectious in Columbus.
2. Anaheim DucksNail Yakupov (RW, Sarnia, OHL)
The Ducks do not hesitate to call the name of Yakupov, perhaps the most talented and creative player in the draft with game-breaking potential.
3. Tampa Bay Lightning – Mikhail Grigorenko
GM Steve Yzerman knows the importance of strength down the middle. The big Russian centerman is an exceptional talent that can control the tempo of a game. He reminds some of Evgeny Malkin. The Lightning also consider potential franchise blueliner Ryan Murray.
4. Edmonton Oilers – Ryan Murray (D, Everett, WHL)
The Oilers have a plethora of talent up front and land their future anchor on the blueline. Put Ryan Murray’s dreadful hard luck semifinal game against Russia out of your mind. Murray experienced Murphy’s Law in that game, but the cool, calm and collected blueliner will put that game behind him. He is a steady, superb skating defenseman with ridiculous upside in the mold of Scott Niedermayer.
5. New York Islanders – Filip Forsberg (C, Leksand, Sweden)
The Islanders were hoping for one of Ryan Murray or Mathew Dumba to further build up the blueline, but gladly settle on the top rated Swedish prospect in the draft – centerman Filip Forsberg (no relation of Peter). Filip was a member of Sweden recent World Juniors gold medal winning squad, albeit with a limited role. He is a good sized center and one of the youngest eligible prospects for the draft. Forsberg projects as an excellent two-way center who creates plenty opportunities for his teammates.
6. Carolina Hurricanes – Alex Galchenyuk (C, Sarnia, OHL)
The 2012 NHL Entry Draft class seems like it’s cursed – cursed with an abnormally high number of injuries to top end prospects. Galchenyuk is at the top of this list, having to miss all of this season with a knee injury. The Canes draft the talented center based on his high end skill level. He had an absolute stunning season for the Sarnia Sting last year with 83 points in 68 games.
7. Montreal CanadiensBrendan Gaunce (C, Belleville, OHL)
The Habs recent trade of Mike Cammalleri for Rene Bourque makes it evident the value the organization now place on size. Gaunce fits the mould possessing good size and is a tantalizing package of skill, grit, leadership ability and strong two-way play.
8. Buffalo SabresGriffin Reinhart (D, Edmonton, WHL)
The Sabres struck black gold the last time they went out west and drafted a big blueliner with high upside. In 2008 it was the towering Tyler Myers. In 2012, it’s 6’3″ Griffin Reinhart, son of former Calgary Flame Paul Reinhart, who has the potential to be a fantastic two-way defenseman, but has to continue to work on consistency.


9. Calgary FlamesCody Ceci (D, Ottawa 67’s, OHL)
The Flames select the best player available on their list in Cody Ceci. The 6’2″ defenseman can fill the role of powerplay quarterback and is calm and steady in his own zone. At this point in the season, he has notched an impressive 38 points in 41 games in the OHL.
10. Winnipeg Jets– Morgan Rielly (D, Moose Jaw, WHL)
2012 is definitely the year of the defenseman and the year of the injury for the entry draft. Morgan Rielly fits both descriptions. The blueliner was averaging a PPG when he too went down with a knee injury. He is highly regarded for his high hockey IQ and is a scintillating skater.
***
Read full article at THW for the remainder of the first round mock draft:
http://thehockeywriters.com/nhl-2012-mock-draft-fail-for-nail-or-mikhail/

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World Juniors: Top 10 2012 NHL Draft Eligible Prospect Performances Part 2: Overagers | The Hockey Writers

World Juniors: Top 10 2012 NHL Draft Eligible Prospect Performances Part 2: Overagers | The Hockey Writers

It is no secret the World Junior Hockey Championships provides an outstanding opportunity for scouts to evaluate prospects – both drafted and undrafted.

Part 1 of this series highlighted the top 10 performances (with a bonus prospect and a couple of sleepers) by first-year 2012 draft eligible prospects.
Part 2 focuses on the top 10 over-agers that have been previously passed over in the draft at least one year.
*Please note that this is not a ranking of the prospects for the 2012 NHL draft, but simply rating their performance at the World Juniors.

2012 NHL Draft Overagers

(Prospects who have passed through at least one draft undrafted)
1. Tanner Pearson: Forward, Canada (OHL)
Pearson’s meteorological rise this season has taken him atop the OHL scoring lead and he has yet to give it up despite joining Team Canada for the World Juniors. His 2.09 PPG is the best in the league by quite a margin. Pearson is the classic late bloomer and is a case in point that hockey scouting is far from an exact science. He has been passed over twice already in the NHL draft, but don’t expect that to occur a third time. He had 6 points in 6 games for Canada putting his very good hockey sense on fine display.
Draft Stock: Unchanged to slightly elevated
Projected Round Drafted: 2nd to 3rd round with an outside chance of landing in the first round.

2. Nikita Gusev: Forward, Russia
As I stated in my article coining him “Picasso” – a hockey artist.
Team Russia’s #8 is an extremely crafty and savvy forward who is equally adept at scoring or playmaking. He is very elusive and exhibits laser-like precision shooting and passing.
Size and the Russian Roulette Factor are his biggest obstacles should he want to cross the pond to tackle the NHL. He finished tied for 6th in scoring at the World Juniors.
Draft Stock: Elevated
Projected Round Drafted: 2nd to 5th round
3. Andrei Makarov: Goalie, Russia
Makarov’s gold medal game exploits against Sweden are well documented. He was the somewhat surprise starter for that game – named by Coach Bragin after Makarov came in for the yanked phenom Andrei Vasilevski to hold off Canada and the miracle comeback attempt with 5 minutes left to play in the semi-final game. He is a cool, calm and collected netminder who reminds some of Evgeny Nabokov.
Draft Stock: Skyrocketed
Projected Round Drafted: 2nd to 4th round
4. Tomas Hyka: Forward, Czech Republic
While he didn’t necessarily have a stand-out World Juniors per se, Hyka is on the radar of many NHL scouts. Hyka was involved in some offseason hockey intrigue as the Flyers seemingly mistakenly thought they could simply sign him as a free agent after a strong training camp rather than drafting him.
Broad Street Hockey reported in September, 2011:
Flyers knew Hyka was on the board in the seventh round of the 2011 draft, they thought about drafting him, and then decided to take big goon Derek Mathers instead.
Draft Stock: Unchanged
Projected Round Drafted: 4th to 7th round


5. Tanner Richard: Forward, Switzerland
Richard led Switzerland in shots with 25 and chipped in 2 goals and 2 assists in 6 games. He’s also averaging well over a PPG for the Guelph Storm of the OHL.
Draft Stock: Elevated
Projected Round Drafted: 4th to 6th round
***
Read full article at THW:
http://thehockeywriters.com/world-juniors-top-10-2012-nhl-draft-eligible-prospect-performances-part-2-overagers/
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World Juniors: Top 10 2012 NHL Draft Eligible Prospect Performances | The Hockey Writers

World Juniors: Top 10 2012 NHL Draft Eligible Prospect Performances | The Hockey Writers

World Juniors: Top 10 2012 NHL Draft Eligible Prospect Performances


Part 1: First Year NHL 2012 Entry Draft Eligible Prospects

It is no secret the World Junior Hockey Championships provides an outstanding opportunity for scouts to evaluate prospects – both drafted and undrafted. One does, however, have to keep in mind that it is not easy for a prospect in his first year of eligibility to make a tremendous impact in this tournament.
The WJCs are typically dominated by 19 year olds. It stands to reason then if a 17 or 18 year old first year draft eligible player has a solid tournament they can raise their stock immensely or cement their stranglehold as a high end prospect.
A less than stellar performance may not necessarily result in a subsequent dip in a players stock as scouts have realistic expectations. However, glaring weaknesses could potentially be exposed that may not have been previously apparent. It is also an opportunity to see how a player responds to playing at this high level amongst his peers.
Part 1 will highlight the top 10 performances by first-year 2012 draft eligible prospects, with Part 2 soon to follow looking at the top 10 over-agers that have been previously passed over in the draft at least one year.
*Please note that this is not a ranking of the prospects for the 2012 NHL draft, but simply rating their performance at the World Juniors.

The Top 10 2012 NHL Entry Draft Eligible Prospect Performances - 1st Year of Eligibility:


Nail Yakupov: explosive for Russia at 2012 World Juniors {Alyonka Larionov Photography}
1. Nail Yakupov: Forward - Russia (Sarnia Sting, OHL)
Yakupov had a slightly perplexing tournament. He somehow transformed from a sniper to a playmaker. He was definitely snake-bitten on a multitude of opportunities throughout the World Juniors. He registered 9 assists in 7 games with surprisingly no goals. What was on fine display, however, was his explosiveness and creativity.
Draft Stock: Unchanged
Projected Round Drafted: 1st round (likely 1st or 2nd overall)
2. Sebastian Collberg: Forward, Sweden (Frolunda, SEL)

2012 Draft Eligible Sebastian Collberg of Team Sweden sports his Gold Medal (Chris Ralph/THW)
While Collberg’s potential was never in doubt, his ability to have such a positive impact on this tournament was surprising to most. The speedy sniper notched 4 goals and 3 assists for 7 points in 6 games. Add in two super-slick shootout goals to round out his impressive performance. Although he will be likely be drafted behind countryman Filip Forsberg come June, he definitely outplayed Forsberg on this stage.
Draft Stock: Elevated
Projected Round Drafted: First round (first half)
3. Mikhail Grigorenko: forward, Russia (Quebec Ramparts, QMJHL)
Grigorenko had a curious tournament. In what was Evgeny Kuznetsov’s near record breaking performance against Latvia, Grigorenko was actually easily the best player on the ice for the 1st period. Early in the third he left with an ankle injury that was feared would keep him out of the rest of the tournament. However, it wasn’t as bad as initially expected and he was able to return to play in what appeared to be a somewhat limited capacity. His talent level is immense, however.
Draft Stock: Unchanged
Projected Round Drafted: 1st round (likely top 3 pick)
4. Andrei Vasilevski: Goalie, Russia
Coach Bragin didn’t start him for the gold medal game, but that was not because of Vasilevski’s ability. The big netminder with a lightning fast glove hand was on the radar for many scouts, but his play undoubtedly left many stunned. His combination of technique and athletic ability leaves one to think he has ridiculous upside.
Draft Stock: Skyrocketed
Projected Round Drafted: 2nd round (He might be a candidate for a late 1st round selection)
5. Ryan Murray: Defense, Canada (Everett Silvertips, WHL)
Besides the nightmare semifinal game against Russia, Murray actually had a good overall tournament. He was a plus 6 and had 3 assists in 6 games. He is an efficient defender with a beautiful skating stride and projects to be a high end blueliner at the next level. He may, however, not be the best 2012 eligible blueliner from Canada when it is all said and done. Mathew Dumba was not selected by Hockey Canada, but may just have a higher upside than Murray. He would have been very interesting to watch at the World Juniors.
Draft Stock: Likely unchanged, but may have slightly dipped
Projected Round Drafted: 1st round (likely top 3-5 pick)
***
Read full article at THW:
http://thehockeywriters.com/world-juniors-top-10-2012-nhl-draft-eligible-prospect-performances/
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Friday, January 6, 2012

World Juniors: Team Sweden Makes History In Gold Medal Win Over Russia | The Hockey Writers

World Juniors: Team Sweden Makes History In Gold Medal Win Over Russia | The Hockey Writers:


"Calgary - “The Russians are coming!” historic phrase is often burrowed for sports analogies. In the gold medal battle between Sweden and Russia Thursday night at the Saddledome, it was more like: “The Russians are coming, but boy are they tired…”

The normally ever explosive Russian forwards like Kuznetsov, Gusev and Yakupov only had glimpses of brilliance.

It was a game in which Sweden dominated play, but one had the feeling that Russia could unleash their stealth-like counter attack at any moment to take the lead."

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World Juniors: Team Canada Avoid "Murray's Law" Against Finland To Win Bronze | The Hockey Writers

World Juniors: Team Canada Avoid "Murray's Law" Against Finland To Win Bronze | The Hockey Writers:


"Calgary - For Canada it has always been gold or bust. Gold or nothing. On Thursday night in Calgary, however, bronze helped sooth the wounds of the devastating semifinal loss to Team Russia. The bronze medal never really seemed in doubt as Canada executed Coach Don Hay’s game plan and skated to a 4-0 shutout victory.

One has to realize just how close nations are at this level. True – Canada could probably ice three or more complete teams that would all compete in this tournament. However, when choosing one team per nation, Sweden, Russia, USA (despite their relegation experience this year), Finland and others can win on any given icetime."

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Mark Visentin Incredible Save Vs Finland (Bronze medal game)

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