Hockey – Page 23 – North Platte Post Archive

14 Storm Players Attending NHL Prospect Camps

Posted on July 7, 2014

KEARNEY, Neb. – The Storm are well represented among this summer’s NHL development camps with 14 total players, past and present, receiving invites to play among other elite prospects.

All three of Tri-City’s picks in June’s NHL Draft will participate with their respective teams. Austin Poganski will be with the St. Louis Blues, while Sam Lafferty will be in Pittsburgh with the Penguins and Alec Dillon in Los Angeles with the Kings.

Forward Patrick Newell, who is expected to be with the Storm during the 2014-15 season, has also received an invite to join Dillon in Los Angeles with the Stanley Cup Champion Kings.

Newell was with the Indiana Ice a year ago, helping the team to a Clark Cup Championship by scoring 16 goals and 42 assists in a total of 72 games played. The Thousand Oaks, Calif. native is committed to play collegiately at St. Cloud State.

Goaltender Blake Weyrick, who the Storm drafted in Phase II of the 2014 USHL Draft, will participate in mini-camp with the New York Islanders from July 8-12.

In addition, nine Tri-City alumni received development camp invites from nine different NHL organizations.

The alums include forward Torin Snydeman with the Arizona Coyotes, goaltender Christian Frey with the Dallas Stars, forward Michael Vecchione with the Florida Panthers, forward Grant Opperman with the Minnesota Wild, defenseman Donovan Gardiner with the New York Islanders, forward Nick Lappin with the Pittsburgh Penguins, defenseman Rick Pinkston with the San Jose Sharks, goaltender Adam Wilcox with the Tampa Bay Lightning and goaltender Pheonix Copley with the Washington Capitals.

A full list of the players participating in camps, along with their colleges, is below.

Season tickets for the 2014-15 season are on sale now with packages as low as $375. Call the Storm office today at 308.338.8011 or visit stormhockey.com for more information.

2014 Development Camp Players

Arizona Coyotes: Torin Snydeman (Northeastern University)
Dallas Stars: Christian Frey (Ohio State University)
Florida Panthers: Mike Vecchione (Union College)
Los Angeles Kings: Alec Dillon, Patrick Newell (Tri-City Storm)
Minnesota Wild: Grant Opperman (Dartmouth College)
New York Islanders: Donovan Gardiner, Blake Weyrick (Tri-City Storm)
Pittsburgh Penguins: Sam Lafferty, Nick Lappin (Tri-City Storm, Brown University)
San Jose Sharks: Rick Pinkston (Dartmouth College)
St. Louis Blues: Austin Poganski (Tri-City Storm)
Tampa Bay Lightning: Adam Wilcox (University of Minnesota)
Washington Capitals: Pheonix Copley (Michigan Tech)

AP Source: Avs Sign Iginla to 3-Year, $16M Deal

Posted on July 1, 2014

DENVER (AP) — A person with knowledge of the situation says the Colorado Avalanche have signed forward Jarome Iginla to a three-year, $16 million deal.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the deal has yet to be announced.

Iginla scored 30 goals and had 31 assists in 78 games with the Boston Bruins last season. He will be counted on to help fill the scoring void left by Paul Stastny, who signed a four-year, $28 million deal with St. Louis earlier in the day.

Iginla, who turned 37 on Tuesday, is a six-time All Star. He’s led the league in goals twice and has 560 in his career with Calgary, Pittsburgh and Boston.

TSN first reported Iginla’s signing with Colorado.

Avs get D Brad Stuart in Trade with Sharks

Posted on July 1, 2014

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche acquired defenseman Brad Stuart from the San Jose Sharks for a second-round pick in 2016 and a sixth-rounder in 2017.

The 34-year-old Stuart will help bolster the Avalanche’s blue line after a season in which he skated in 61 games for the Sharks. He was third on the team in blocked shots (114) and hits (122).

Stuart was the third overall pick by San Jose in 1998. He’s also suited up for Boston, Calgary, Los Angeles and Detroit.

Colorado has been active the last two days, acquiring veteran forward Daniel Briere from Montreal on Monday for right wing P.A. Parenteau and a fifth-round pick next year.

Earlier Tuesday, the Avalanche lost Paul Stastny through free agency as the center signed a four-year deal with St. Louis.

Avs get Briere from Montreal for Parenteau, Pick

Posted on June 30, 2014

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche have acquired veteran forward Daniel Briere from the Montreal Canadiens for right wing P.A. Parenteau and a fifth-round pick in next year’s draft.

Briere had 13 goals and 12 assists in 69 games last season. He also had three goals as Montreal advanced to the Eastern Conference final.

Avalanche executive Joe Sakic says the 36-year-old Briere brings “experience to our hockey club.” Briere was a first-round pick of Phoenix in 1996 and has played in 916 regular-season games with Philadelphia, Buffalo, Phoenix and Montreal.

Parenteau missed 25 games last season after hurting both knees during the year. He finished with 14 goals and 19 assists.

Three With Storm Ties Selected In NHL Draft

Posted on June 28, 2014

PHILADELPHIA – The Tri-City Storm had a total of three players with ties to the organization selected on the second day of the 2014 NHL DraftSaturday.

The selections included forwards Austin Poganski and Sam Lafferty, as well as goaltender Alec Dillon.

Poganski was the first Storm player chosen, going to the St. Louis Blues in the 4th round, 110th overall.

The St. Cloud, Minn. native played 55 games for Tri-City during the 2013-14 season, scoring 19 goals and 12 assists.

“I think when you watch today’s NHL, it’s the big power forwards that help you win games, especially at your depth positions,” said Storm Head Coach Jim Hulton. “When I look at St. Louis and the current head coach Ken Hitchcock, he believes in big bodies and playing down low. That fits right in to the bill of what Austin is right now and he’s only going to continue to develop into that type of a player.”

15 of Poganski’s points came on the power play last season, including 11 goals, which was fourth-best in the league. The forward’s three short-handed goals were also tied for fourth in the USHL. Before he makes the jump to professional hockey, Poganski is committed to play at the University of North Dakota.

The Blues are the only NHL team with a Storm alum currently on their roster, in 2010 first round pick Jaden Schwartz.

Just three picks later, the Pittsburgh Penguins selected forward Sam Lafferty, of Hollidaysburg, Penn., 113th overall. Lafferty was an undrafted main camp invite who is expected to play in Kearney for Tri-City during the 2014-15 season.

“Some of our scouts stepped up and had a lot of positive things to say about him,” Hulton said. “We were really impressed with his play and his poise. The one thing that stuck out for me was that I thought he was the smartest player on the ice at our camp last week with his patience and positioning, and obviously Pittsburgh saw that as well.”

Last season the forward played at Deerfield Academy Prep School in Massachusetts. He is also committed to play collegiately at Brown University.

Dillon, who the Storm drafted in the second round of last month’s USHL Phase II Draft, was selected by the Los Angeles Kings with the final pick of the 5th round, 150th overall.

Dillon spent the 2013-14 season with his hometown team, the Victoria Grizzlies of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). He is committed to play college hockey at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

“We knew that Dillon was going to go at some point in the draft and being a goaltender, you never know when the run’s going to start,” Hulton said. “We knew prior to the draft that Los Angeles had some interest and privately we were hoping they would take him.”

The Storm plan on announcing their 30-man roster to begin the 2014-15 season at the beginning of July.

Storm Players Hopeful During NHL Draft Weekend

Posted on June 25, 2014

KEARNEY, Neb. – The 2014 NHL Draft will take place this weekend in Philadelphia and there are many Storm players, past and present, that are hoping to hear their name called.

A total of eight players with ties to the organization were listed on the NHL’s Central Scouting Final Rankings in April.

The draft will be held at the Wells Fargo Center, the home of the Philadelphia Flyers, on Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28.

Headlining the list of draft hopefuls is forward Austin Poganski, of St. Cloud, Minn. Ranked No. 100 on the list of North American skaters, Poganski excelled during 2013-14 in his first USHL season, scoring 19 goals and 12 assists in 55 games.

15 of Poganski’s points came on the power play, including 11 goals, which was fourth-best in the league. The forward’s three short-handed goals were also tied for fourth in the USHL. Before he makes the jump to professional hockey, Poganski is committed to play at the University of North Dakota.

The other forward from Tri-City’s roster last season appearing on the rankings list is Chris Wilkie, of Omaha, Neb.

Wilkie, who led the Storm in scoring with 36 points a season ago, comes in at No. 207 on the North American skater list. The Nebraska native also led the team with 168 shots on goal last season.

Also committed to North Dakota, Wilkie plans on returning to Kearney next season and participated in tryout camp with the team in Las Vegas a week ago.

Tri-City has also acquired two new skaters with NHL potential, both of whom were undrafted in last month’s USHL Draft, but made the team’s roster for next season during tryout camp.

Forward Sam Lafferty, of Hollidaysburg, Penn. is ranked No. 184 on the North American skater list, while defenseman Mattias Goransson of Sweden is No. 107 out of European skaters.

Lafferty played at Deerfield Academy Prep School in Massachusetts last year and is committed to play collegiately at Brown University. Goransson represented Brynas Jr. a season ago, and is a sizeable force, standing 6 feet 4 inches tall with a weight of 187 pounds according to the NHL Central Scouting measurements.

The Storm plan to release their full 30-man training camp roster to the public in early July.

Tri-City also has the rights to three netminders who were ranked on the North American goalie list.

Hayden Lavigne, who saw 27 games of action last year with the Storm, is ranked No. 26, while Phase II draft picks Blake Weyrick and Alec Dillon are No. 11 and 13 respectively.

Lavigne, a Brampton, Ont. native, plans on returning to Kearney for a second season this fall. He is committed to play for the University of Michigan.

Weyrick, who played for the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) during the last two seasons, hails from Ojai, Calif. The goaltender measures 6 feet, 3 inches and weighs 203 pounds.

A second round pick by the Storm last month, Dillon spent the 2013-14 season with his hometown team, the Victoria Grizzlies of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). Dillon is committed to play college hockey at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). His measurements are also impressive, at 6 feet 5 inches and 168 pounds.

Former Storm forward Jason Cotton has also made the Central Scouting list, after a successful season with the West Kelowna Warriors of the BCHL. In 50 games, Cotton put up 59 points on 23 goals and 36 assists.

Cotton played in 45 games with Tri-City during the 2012-13 season. He is listed as No. 162 on the North American skater ranks. The forward is committed to Northeastern University.

The first round of the 2014 NHL Draft will be held on Friday and broadcast live on NBCSN, with coverage starting at 6 p.m. CST. Rounds 2-7 will be completed Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. CST, and shown live on NHL Network.

Stay tuned to stormhockey.com and be sure to follow the Storm on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for updates from Philadelphia throughout the NHL Draft this weekend.

Charges: 2 Hockey Players Used Minor in Sex Video

Posted on June 24, 2014

MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) — Two members of the USHL’s Lincoln Stars are accused of using a 15-year-old girl to make a sex video in a Minnesota motel room.

Thomas Carey and Brandon Smith, both 19, were each charged Tuesday with using a minor in a sexual performance, possession of child pornography and distributing pornography, all felonies.

Clay County Attorney Brian Melton said the video was made in Moorhead in February during a team visit to play the Fargo Force.

The cellphone video was distributed to an unknown number of people, including hockey players.

Carey’s attorney calls it a case of “selective prosecution” and says Carey plans to defend himself “vigorously.”

The Lincoln Stars say the players have been suspended indefinitely for violating the USHL’s code of conduct.

Carey and Smith are scheduled to make their first court appearance July 10.

Avalanche Sign Jamie McGinn to 2-Year Deal

Posted on June 19, 2014

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche signed left winger Jamie McGinn to a two-year deal Thursday.

The 25-year McGinn had 19 goals and 19 assists in 79 games last season in helping the Avalanche tie a franchise record with 52 wins. He also had three game-winning goals.

Avalanche executive Joe Sakic said McGinn “played an important role for our team” as they made the playoffs for the first time since 2009-10.

McGinn was acquired by Colorado in a trade with San Jose on Feb. 27, 2012.

Avs in Running for Awards after Surprising Season

Posted on June 19, 2014

DENVER (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche could be wearing out the red carpet at the NHL awards show next week with all the players they have up for honors.

Semyon Varlamov is in the running for top goalie, Nathan MacKinnon up for best rookie and Ryan O’Reilly a candidate for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct. Coach Patrick Roy also could be recognized for his work behind the bench.

It was just that kind of season for the surprising Avalanche, who tied a franchise record with 52 wins as they returned to the postseason after a three-year absence.

The attention now — with the nominations and all — is “exciting,” Roy acknowledged.

Kearney’s Lowe Gets Taste of Open Camp

Posted on June 17, 2014

LAS VEGAS – For the second consecutive year, the Storm have a Tri-City native participating in the team’s tryout camp.

Forward Garrison Lowe, who attends Kearney Catholic High School, played locally with the Tri-City High School Hockey Team last season and led the league in scoring.

He will play for Team White in the Storm’s Open Camp, which runs through Wednesday morning.

Lowe got his start playing locally in Kearney with the Tri-City Optimists Youth Hockey Association.

Open camp began Monday afternoon and consists of undrafted players between the ages of 16-20.

The best players in open camp will be moved into main camp to compete against returning players, affiliates and draft picks. Main camp will take placeJune 18-21.

The team will release their 30-man training camp roster at the beginning of July.

Stay tuned to stormhockey.com and be sure to follow the Storm on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for updates throughout tryout camp!