Late last night I was watching the movie Mystery, Alaska which starred Oscar Award winning actor Russel Crowe and legend Burt Reynolds. In the film, the big thing in this fictional Alaska town is the “Saturday game” where the best hockey players the community has play a pickup game on a frozen pond. Crowe’s character, the Mystery burrough sheriff John Biebe is getting up there in age and the “committee” a group of townies that select the players to participate in the “Saturday game” decide to ask the veteran to step aside in order to give an up and coming high school star Stevie Weeks a shot. Weeks has lots of speed and energy while Biebe is the slowest player on the team which in many ways is an experience that all NHL’ers will face as they age and new, younger players replace the old guard. While many back in Minnesota may be more fixated with the NFL draft as the Vikings try to add a few more pieces that they hope will help them finally reach a Super Bowl. With the Brett Favre-drama aside, the draft plays a critical role in the development of any organization where a few good selections like an Adrian Peterson or a Percy Harvin can really boost a team but even as the Wild can tell you a few poor choices can really be devastating in both the short and long-term. Will Virginia’s Chris Cook be the corner the Vikings need and will Stanford grad Toby Gerhart be able to provide that devastating 1-2 power running tandem that West Coast offenses so covet? Unlike the NFL or the NBA, where a player that is drafted means their college eligibility ends and their pro career begins in the NHL being drafted is just one step of a player’s development. In some cases it may be 3-4 seasons before they every get their first shot in the NHL just ask Clayton Stoner who waited nearly 5 years before he got his first ‘cup of coffee’ with the Wild.
Minnesota’s playoffs never happened, the team failed for the 2nd season in a row to qualify for the post-season, almost the same can be said of the Houston Aeros who also did not extend their season with a trip to the AHL playoffs. Yet that does not mean every player in Minnesota’s development system is currently thinking just about ‘next year.’ For Calgary Hitmen (WHL) winger Kris Foucault and the Omaha Lancer (USHL) forward Erik Haula they are still battling through the playoffs in their respective leagues. These are ostensibly bonus games for these two forwards to further hone their game and can give the Wild an idea of just how well they play when the pressure is on and the games become more important than ever before. It is also a test of endurance as we see if they can handle the strain of a tough regular season and then continue with a solid playoff performance. So how are they doing so far?
Erik Haula – Omaha Lancers (USHL)
2009-10 Playoff Statistics: 7GP 1G 9A = 10pts 2 PIM’s Even
Haula was one of the top scorers in the USHL and has had a fairly strong post-season for the Lancers who play deciding Game #5 in their series against the Fargo Force tonight. A gifted playmaker, Haula has played that role very effectively even though he was used to finding the back of the net with a bit more frequency during the regular season. In their most recent game, Haula had a single assist and 1 shot on goal in a 6-2 victory in Fargo. The Pori, Finland-native has great on-ice vision and is an adept passer but has a good quick shot that is accurate making him a versatile offensive forward. Hopefully Haula can work his magic again and get the Omaha Lancers to the Clark Cup Finals. Currently Haula is the 3rd leading scorer on the team. (Update, unfortunately he was not enough. Even after scoring a goal, the Fargo Force eliminated the Lancers 5-2 at Omaha on Saturday).
Kris Foucault – Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
2009-10 Playoff Statistics: 18GP 8G 6A = 14pts 17 PIM’s +8
For Wild prospect Kris Foucault, one phrase that seems to fit him well is “better late, than never,” as he heats up in the WHL playoffs. The 6’1″ Calgary-native has gone from insignificant role player throughout much of the regular season to clutch performer for the Hitmen this post-season providing timely offense. A player who has struggled with inconsistency throughout his junior career seems to bring his best when the games mean the most as a hot playoffs for the Hitmen first caught the attention of the Wild’s scouts. Foucault is a tremendous puckhandler and has an above average shot which benefits from a very quick release. In his most recent game, a 6-1 series clinching victory over the Brandon Wheat Kings Foucault ended the game a +1 with 2 penalty minutes. The Hitmen now wait while the Vancouver Giants battle it out against the Tri City Americans, to see who will get the chance to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup as champions of the Western Hockey League as well as earning a bearth in the Memorial Cup tournament.
Team USA’s U-18 Boys Team wins Gold at U-18 Championships in Minsk
Remember when recently ousted Wild Assistant General Manager Tommy Thompson talked about his last official assignment for the organization as he traveled to Minsk to watch the U-18 tournament, I wonder how many members of Team USA’s U-18 team may have risen a bit on the scouting chart. For the 2nd straight season Team USA won the U-18 world tournament with another dominating performance, going 6-0-0-1 in 7 games. Nick Shore, Rocco Grimaldi and Adam Clendening led the way for Team USA with 10 points each. 2010 Entry draft hopefuls Austin Czarnik was the U.S.’ best sniper with 5 goals while Jason Zucker and Bryan Rust both tallied 4 goals apiece in what was an offense by committee attack that had Team USA outscore the opposition 33 to 7. Former Duluth East stud and highly touted draft prospect Derek Forbort led Team USA with a +9 to go along with 2 assists Yet arguably the most impressive performance was between the pipes where Jack Campbell shined sporting a .83 goals against average and a .963% save percentage.
Tue. April 13th, vs. Sweden ~ 2-1 loss
Wed. April 14th, vs. Switzerland ~ 5-1 win
Fri. April 16th, vs. Canada ~ 5-0 win
Sun. April 18th, vs. Belarus ~ 7-1 win
Tue. April 20th, vs. Czech Republic ~ 6-0 win
Wed. April 21st, vs. Finland ~ 5-0 win
Fri. April 23rd, vs. Sweden ~ 3-1 win
In what could quite possibly be USA Hockey’s best year perhaps ever winning gold at the U-18 and U-20 tournaments and a silver at the Olympics. USA Hockey Executive Director David Ogrean has done an outstanding job and its obvious the shift of the U.S. National Development program from playing in the North American Hockey League to the USHL. The U.S. has focused on having better chemistry and adopting a hard-charging style and so far that has been part of the keys to their success. No matter what it is, the United States is making a strong case of just how formidable our nation has become at developing high quality hockey talent.
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