On the Sochi Olympics, Gay Rights and Expectations for NHL Players

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Chris Peters

When candidates for the U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team convene in Arlington, Va., later this month for USA Hockey’s Olympic Orientation Camp, they can undoubtedly be expected to answer this question: “What are your thoughts on Russia’s anti-gay laws?” How each player answers, or doesn’t answer that or similar questions will be publicized, scrutinized, analyzed and probably criticized no matter what he says or doesn’t say.

SochiIf you’re unfamiliar, the Russian government passed a bill in June that is both vague and draconian. The bill specifically states that any “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations to minors” is banned. Essentially, anyone speaking or engaging in public displays of support for the LGBT community is subject to fines and jail time. This goes for Russian citizens and foreign visitors.

Specifically, via policymic.com, the law reads as follows:

Propaganda is the act of distributing information among minors that 1) is aimed at the creating nontraditional sexual attitudes, 2) makes nontraditional sexual relations attractive, 3) equates the social value of traditional and nontraditional sexual relations, or 4) creates an interest in nontraditional sexual relations.

The vagueness of how one is actually distributing this “propaganda” is  why there is mounting concern for how athletes, gay or straight, will be expected to conduct themselves while competing in Sochi. Russian officials have already confirmed anyone found in violation of the law could serve jail time and be expelled from the country, athlete or otherwise.

More after the jump.

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Posted in 2014 Olympics, NHL, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey | 4 Comments

Report: Three UNO Hockey Players Facing Serious Allegations

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Chris Peters

According to the Omaha World-Herald, three players from the University of Nebraska Omaha men’s hockey team face allegations of disorderly conduct stemming from an altercation outside a local bar. Witnesses say the players were shouting racial slurs and got into a fight in the Old Market area of town.

More from the World-Herald:

Matt White, 25, Alex Simonson, 23, and Preston Hodge, 21, all members of the University of Nebraska at Omaha hockey team, were each ticketed Aug. 3 on suspicion of disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor.

Lamar Triplett, 26, of Omaha, who got into a confrontation with the players, was ticketed on suspicion of misdemeanor assault.

City Prosecutor David Smallheiser said the men have not been formally charged and have court appearances scheduled in September.

Omaha police were called to a parking lot at 10th and Harney Streets about 2 a.m. to investigate a disturbance.

Witnesses told police that the hockey players had been harassing a small group of African-Americans with racial slurs and epithets.

More after the jump. Continue reading →

Posted in NCAA | 3 Comments

2013 U.S. WJC Camp Wrap Up

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Chris Peters

Every year, USA Hockey’s National Junior Evaluation Camp provides the staff of the U.S. National Junior Team a great chance to get a close look at its candidate pool under one roof. Normally things start clearing up as some players separate from their peers and give the staff at least some kind of picture of what its final roster will look like when the World Junior Championship rolls around. After taking a few days to digest all of the happenings in Lake Placid, that might not have been the case this time around.

Logo_USA_hockeyFrom the second the roster for the camp was released in June, the lack of depth was evident. Without Seth Jones, Jacob Trouba and Alex Galchenyuk, there’s some massive holes that are uneasily filled. There really wasn’t a player in camp that played at a high enough level to project to fill those gaps with any amount of confidence. That puts more pressure on the staff to find the right mix of players to have a chance at defending gold at the WJC. It’s a tall order at this point.

There’s a lot that will happen over the course of the middle of the season, but some of the things coaches saw at this camp will be a part of the decision process when it comes to decide who is in and who is out.

Coming up after the jump, a look at the evident holes in the lineup coming out of camp, a quick recap on each player’s performance, their chances coming out of camp and a wild stab at a way-too-early-no-way-it-will-be-right projected roster.

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Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL, U.S. National Teams, Uncategorized, USA Hockey, World Junior Championship | 2 Comments

2013 U.S. WJC Camp: USA vs. Canada Recap

Posted on August 10, 2013 by Chris Peters

The U.S. found a way to finish the camp on a pretty high note with a 5-1 victory over Canada. Team USA got terrific goaltending from Jon Gillies and found the magic on the power play as well.

Logo_USA_hockeyThe scoreline is a bit deceiving, however. The U.S. did not score a single 5-on-5 goal the entire game. Three came on the power play — two of which were 5-on-3, one was shorthanded and the fifth goal came 4-on-4. At 5-on-5, the U.S. didn’t generate much of anything, which is still a concern that wasn’t eased at all.

The American defense was particularly good, not allowing a ton of chances and giving Gillies some good looks. When there was a breakdown, and there really weren’t many, Gillies stood tall making some incredible stops along the way as well.

The win was great for the U.S., but I don’t know that it made anything clearer in terms of who the best options at this early stage are for the final roster. It makes the first half of the season so important for both the candidates and evaluators.

Coming up after the jump, a scoring summary, Team USA’s lineup for the day and notes on every American who hit the ice Saturday.

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Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NCAA, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey, World Junior Championship | 9 Comments

2013 Ivan Hlinka: USA Falls Short in Championship Game

Posted on August 10, 2013 by Chris Peters

The U.S. Under-18 Select Team made it to the championship game at the Ivan Hlinka for the first time since 2010, but fell just short in the final to Canada, 4-0. Coming off a year in which the team finished a disappointing seventh place, second-place stings, but doesn’t really seem so bad.

According to TSN’s Craig Button, the U.S. mustered zero quality scoring chances in the game, which obviously makes it tough to win. Canada rolled to its sixth consecutive tournament title, which really isn’t that surprising as Canada puts a lot into this tournament. They’re one of the few countries that sends its optimal lineup and it shows pretty much every year.

The U.S. lineup for this year’s Hlinka was one of the best in the last several years, however, with many players looking like good bets to be selected in one of the next two NHL Drafts. That said, the Hlinka has always been an opportunity to allow the depth of the country’s age-eligible class meaningful international experience, which means many of the top players in the age group aren’t on the squad.

Team USA has claimed the tournament title only once at the Hlinka, in 2003, and has finished second eight times.

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Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Wayne Gretzky Trade’s Impact on U.S. Hockey Growth

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Chris Peters

The NHL has been so closely tied to hockey’s growth in the United States, from the very beginning really. However, there are two significant events that altered the game forever in this country: Southeast expansion and The Trade.

Wayne Gretzky coming to Los Angeles in 1988 via the trade that is 25 years old today was an earth-shattering moment in the hockey world. Not only did it have a major impact on how the NHL was viewed and followed in the United States, it was a seminal moment in the hockey participation boom of the early 1990s in America.

Unfortunately, the state-by-state numbers tied to USA Hockey playing membership I have only go back to 1990-91, but even then it tells the tale of what Wayne Gretzky coming to LA really meant. We’ll probably never see anything like it ever again, but that incredible growth laid the foundation for a new era of hockey in the United States.

Coming up after the jump, the remarkable growth after The Trade in California and the rest of the country.

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Posted in Grow the Game, NHL | 2 Comments

2013 U.S. WJC Camp: USA vs. Finland Recap

Posted on August 8, 2013 by Chris Peters

If the U.S. National Junior Team was hoping for a clearer evaluation picture for the first half of the season, I’m not sure they’ve got it with this year’s National Junior Evaluation Camp, but there were a few positives taken out of Thursday’s action.

Logo_USA_hockeyThe U.S. downed Finland 4-3 in a shootout, coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the third period. It was just the second win for a U.S. team in six games at the NJEC, including those played with split squads.

It’s a camp, so the results don’t really matter, but they do tell a story. That story is not necessarily comforting one for Don Lucia and his staff. Finland was without its top defenseman in Olli Maatta and isn’t a very deep team, so the U.S. probably should have fared better than it did, though they’ll be happy to have the win.

There haven’t been a lot of positives to take out of the evaluations when it comes to individual players either. Only a few players have consistently stood out and made any kind of statement that they belong in the World Junior discussion. There are a lot of good players, but when building a team for the World Juniors, there needs to be at least a few elite players. Very difficult to call any one of the guys on the U.S. side truly elite.

It’s also important to remember that it’s August and these camps aren’t always going to give the best indication of what a player actually is. The first half of the season will loom large in the evaluation process, perhaps moreso than other years.

Coming up after the jump, a scoring summary, Team USA’s lineup from today and notes on players of note from Thursday’s action.

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Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL Draft, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey, World Junior Championship | 2 Comments

2013 U.S. WJC Camp: USA vs. Sweden Recap — Ivan Hlinka Update

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Chris Peters

The newly-trimmed roster for Team USA didn’t get off to the best of starts in its first game as one squad. The U.S. fell to Sweden 4-0 Wednesday.

It was one of those games that just never had much flow. The U.S. couldn’t do a thing offensively and when they did generate chances, Marcus Hogberg was solid between the pipes and shut the door. He made 27 saves in the whitewashing.

It’s a good thing the staff has two more games to watch these guys because no one has really stood out enough to really solidify his candidacy. The first half of the season will be weighed far more heavily than this camp, but with this opportunity for exposure, players making a good first impression can improve their chances dramatically. I don’t think it’s happened for more than a handful of guys.

It’s August, so the hockey is going to be somewhat sloppy, but as we enter the last few days of the camp, players are really going to have to start stepping up and make a lasting impression.

Coming up after the jump, a summary from the game, a look at the line combos Team USA started the game with and notes on some of the notable U.S. players from the game.

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Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NCAA, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey, World Junior Championship | 1 Comment

2013-14 NTDP U17 Team Roster Announced

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Chris Peters

When the National Team Development Program announces its roster for the  U.S. National Under-17 Team every August, it’s like a glimpse into the future of American hockey. Several players from the team are likely to go on to success at the collegiate, junior and NHL levels based on the numbers the program has produced for the pro and college ranks of late.

USAH NTDP LogoThe NTDP has had a strong track record of placing players in positions to succeed and the results have been evident at all levels of hockey. So now this is a fresh group of kids who will put their development in the hands of the national governing body and begin two years of some pretty grueling training.

The 2013-14 U17 roster (which can be found here) is made up of 22 players born in 1997. Yes, there are elite-level hockey players that have never known a world without the Spice Girls.

I haven’t really been tracking the 1997 borns as much as previous classes, but junior hockey scouts I’ve spoken to have very high expectations for a number of players on this roster. Coming up after the jump, a quick look at the roster and some notes on some of the standouts.

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Posted in American Prospects, High School Hockey, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL Draft, NTDP, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey | 2 Comments

2013 U.S. WJC Camp: 13 Players Cut From Lake Placid

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Chris Peters

The U.S. National Junior Team staff cut down its camp roster to 31 players as USA Hockey announced Tuesday morning. That means 13 players previously in camp, including one injured player, are done in Lake Placid.

It’s important to remember that getting cut from the camp doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the end of World Junior hopes for the guys sent home.

“The players released today will continue to be evaluated this fall for Team USA. For the players that are staying, the games this week give us an opportunity to continue assessing them,” Team USA GM Jim Johannson said.

That’s not just lip service. This class of players isn’t deep enough to not continue looking at the guys that were cut and even guys that weren’t invited to camp. So much of this team is decided by what happens in the first half of the regular season. This camp merely serves as a first impression and a chance to compete against some top-level international teams to get that extra experience.

Coming up after the jump, a look at the players cut and which players are getting a second chance in Lake Placid.

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Posted in American Prospects, Junior Hockey, NCAA, NHL Draft, U.S. National Teams, USA Hockey, World Junior Championship | 7 Comments