The first bit of World Junior Championship news to break today was the International Ice Hockey Federation’s unveiling of the schedule for the 2012 event, being held in Edmonton and Calgary.
Coming up after the jump, a look at Team USA’s WJC schedule and the other big WJC-related news regarding Jamie Oleksiak.
If you’ve read this blog for about 10 seconds, you probably know it’s very America-centered. While the United States can lay claim to the “Best of” a lot of things, hockey isn’t quite there yet. That’s why I decided to start a blog that focused on all things American hockey.
The three years I spent working for USA Hockey allowed me to learn a lot about the game in our country in a lot of ways. I’ve kind of been able to see where it’s been, where it is now and where it’s going, or at the very least where it can go.
Truth is, hockey is in a really great spot in America and it’s only going to get better as those of us that love it so much spread it to other people. That’s why, on Friday, July 8, I will be unveiling my first ever “State of American Hockey” post. We’ll take a look at the season that was, with an eye towards the future. I can’t wait to share my thoughts with you and of course would love to hear yours. So make sure to check that out on Friday.
Until then, I wish you a very happy Independence Day. Hope you all celebrate safely and enjoy this great American tradition. Don’t forget to remember all of our great men and women in service and those who have struggled to make this country great throughout our relatively young history.
For your enjoyment, here’s a few links to the extra-American posts in the last several months at The United States of Hockey:
Raw Numbers: USA Hockey Surpasses 500,000 Registered Players in 2010-11: An incredible feat that made me as proud as ever to be a hockey fan in the U.S.
Raw Numbers: Hockey’s Growth in the United States 1990-2010: Looking back at the growth over 20 years, with some really exciting numbers.
Mr. USA Hockey — A look at why Ryan Kesler may be on his way to being the posterchild for USA Hockey.
Tim Thomas: American Hockey Hero — Tim Thomas had a magical run to the Stanley Cup, but there’s plenty more reasons he’s one of the best Americans to suit up in the NHL.
Doug Weight’s USA Hockey Legacy — A look back at Doug Weight’s USA Hockey career, with some reminiscing of the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.
Rafalski’s Place in USA Hockey History — A look back at Rafalski’s USA Hockey career and my ranking of the Top 10 American defensemen in NHL history. Looking at it again, I really screwed the pooch on not putting Rod Langway a lot higher. I feel shame.
2010: A Banner Year for American Hockey — Remembering a year in which USA Hockey won WJC gold, U18 gold and Olympic silver. A truly incredible calendar year.
USA-Canada: End of Days — My tongue-in-cheek preview for USA-Canada semifinal at the World Juniors. Sadly, the U.S. effort did not match the enthusiasm of this post. It’s worth a click if only for the video at the end.
It’s been a lot of fun bringing many of the American hockey highlights to you over the last seven months. I’ll keep it going as long as you keep on reading. Don’t forget to check back on Friday for the State of American Hockey post. As always, thanks for stopping by the blog. Happy Fourth!
Aw, heck… just because.
For bloggers that don’t regularly write about the National Hockey League, July 1st is just about the worst possible day to post anything of substance. Free agency is the story of the day. However, it is going to be a long weekend in both the U.S. and Canada, so I figure I’ve got to do something, right? So I did. I wrote about teenage hockey players that won’t be NHL Free Agents for at least five, seven years. Smart move. Hope this gets you through your holiday weekend.
NHL’s Central Scouting Services unveiled its list of prospects to watch for the 2012 National Hockey League Draft. The players receive letter grades. ‘A’ prospects are those identified as potential high draft picks by CSS, while ‘B’ prospects are expected to be upper-mid round picks, and ‘C’ prospects are expected to get drafted somewhere come next June.
American players were well represented throughout the watch list, and it’s looking like it should be a much stronger year in terms of the overall draft. Most believed the 2011 NHL Entry Draft to lack star power, 2012 will not. From elite Russian talents like Mikhail Grigorenko and Nail Yakupov, to Canadian wunderkind Ryan Murray, to Czech sensation Martin Frk, to a host of American kids who could find themselves in the first round led by defensive dynamos Nick Ebert and Jacob Trouba.
So, in order to get you the earliest look at some of the top Americans preparing for the 2012 NHL Draft, I’ve put together a list with some of the names you should definitely know this summer.
Coming up this afternoon (Thursday), I’ll be joining Michael Grau on Sports Talk on TribLIVE Radio at around 3:40 p.m. ET.
I’ll be talking 2011 NHL Draft, free agency and other U.S. hockey-related topics. And since the show is Pittsburgh related, there may be a mention or two of Jaromir Jagr. Hope you’ll tune in.
Now that I’ve had a few extra days to digest the 2011 National Hockey League Entry Draft, I’ve got some final thoughts and a few more highlights, as well as some links to more post-draft analysis.
First off, as I mentioned in an earlier post, the 60 American players selected last weekend represent the highest total since 62 were selected in 2007. So even though the quality of selections may not have been as good as the last few seasons, the quantity and depth were there.
The second day of the NHL Draft was a busy one for the United States as 55 American players were selected. As has been the case in recent years, there was a high number of Americans selected in the second and third rounds of the draft and there was some real value to be had right on down to the seventh.
There was no shortage of surprises on Saturday in St. Paul. From where players fell, to how high other went, the Draft kept everyone on their toes throughout the day.
Coming up after the jump, complete analysis of the second round and picking out some highlights and lowlights from rounds three through seven. Continue reading
The 2011 NHL Entry Draft featured five Americans selected in the first round, the lowest total since 2008. However, there were 60 Americans taken overall, just two shy of the all-time record for Americans drafted (2007). U.S. players made up 28.4% of the players selected at the draft. It is the third consecutive year more than 25% of the players selected at the NHL Entry Draft were American. So while the first round numbers were down this year, the overall numbers were up. Not a bad trade off.
Before I dive into the full-on analysis here, I just had a few thoughts on my first draft experience:
First off, St. Paul was a fantastic host. It was my first trip to the Xcel Energy Center and I came away incredibly impressed with the facility and also the staff. The draft was a time for work to get done, but it was also quite fun.
For whatever reason, I realized more this year than in years previous that 217 draft picks sounds like a lot… but it isn’t. You look at some of the players that didn’t get drafted over the weekend and you think, well how didn’t he get picked? In the end, there’s just simply not a lot of picks. You can’t argue with a lot of the picks later in the draft, so when certain guys get left out, it might be surprising, but only a little. There just aren’t enough picks to go around.
Last, but not least, it’s always safe to expect the unexpected at the NHL Entry Draft. Nearly impossible to predict, whether you talk to scouts or not, the pool of players and the way teams view those players is hard to gauge. That’s the beauty of the draft, of player evaluation and prospects in general… its unpredictable. I think that makes the Draft more fun. Plenty of surprises along the way.
The NHL Entry Draft is a great event, regardless of what happens before, during or after. It was a pleasure to be a part of it for the first time and I hope I’ll have a chance to go again in the future.
Now it’s time to dive right into this thing. Coming up after a jump, a look at each of the first rounders in depth and what their new fan bases might be able to expect.
Friday night at 6 p.m. CST, the 2011 NHL Entry Draft will begin. After a long hockey season, we’ve finally come to its conclusion in St. Paul, Minn. The prospects have been evaluated up and down, from physical testing to interviews to what they’ve done on the ice.
Now it’s time for the teams to make their picks and fans to be introduced to a host of new players that will be viewed as the future of their team.
If you’re unfamiliar with the prospects in this draft, I’ve compiled a bit of a guide for you to brush up. For those of you that don’t need any more prospect info, I’ve got some people to make sure you are following for the very best Draft coverage on the internet.
Let’s go…
Previously on United States of Hockey… We took a look back at how Americans have fared in the NHL Entry Draft from 2003 to 2006. Today, we conclude that series as we review the Draft from 2007 to 2010.
Two of these Drafts proved historic for American players, while the other two were a little less exciting. Regardless, some future stars came out of the last four Drafts.
So here it is… a look back at the last four NHL Entry Drafts…
Over the last eight drafts, Americans have found their names being called more often than ever before in the first two rounds. In 2010, a record 11 Americans were selected in the first round, while an additional 10 were picked up in the second round.
Needless to say, 2010 was a good year for Americans at the draft, coming off of two less than stellar campaigns in 2009 and 2008. In 2010, 28.1% of the players selected in the NHL Entry Draft were American. My, how far we’ve come as a hockey country.
While this year may not live up to recent years past from an American standpoint, it’s still going to be a strong year for the U.S.A.
With that in mind, I decided to take a look back at previous NHL Drafts, dating back to 2003, to see how Americans have fared in the first round and where they are now. I’ve split this review into two parts, with the first looking at NHL Drafts from 2003 to 2006, while Part II examines 2007 to 2010.
Check out Part I after the jump.
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