NHL moves into Kansas City [EHM:2007]

[duff88]

NOTE: I'm in a pretty impressive streak of starting dynasties only to stop them after 5-10 posts. This time I've got a lot written before posting, so this should go much more easily. I'll try posting short updates very frequently.

Lightning and Coyotes to move

July 8th 2008 - Two new cities will host NHL teams when the 2008-2009 season gets under way in a few weeks. The Tampa Bay Lightning will be relocated to Portland and become the Titans while the Phoenix Coyotes will move to Kansas City. The Portland Titans will play their home game at the Rose Garden while the Kansas City Coyotes will play at the brand new Sprint Center.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Phoenix Coyotes were in big financial trouble; both teams were reportedly going to be unable to pay their players on the first payday of the year and this move was the most viable solution. The whole situation is not as rushed as it may seem as the deal had been in the works for a few months.

The deal agreed upon includes a clause to release all contracted players to a dispersal draft and follow with a relocation draft where both new teams would get to select unprotected players from the 28 other NHL teams. All players with rights held by Tampa Bay or Phoenix but without contracts would remain within the organization.

The dispersal draft has been scheduled for Saturday July 19th in Toronto. Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos, Olli Jokinen and Shane Doan will be the biggest names available. The draft will feature two rounds and the order of selection will follow a reverse of the 2007-2008 standings. The Los Angeles Kings, Atlanta Thrashers, St. Louis Blues, New York Islanders and Columbus Blue Jackets will therefore round the top 5. Trading picks will not be allowed, although players picked can be traded at any time following the draft.

The relocation draft will follow in the next week on Saturday July 26th in Toronto. Each team will have the possibility to protect 13 waiver-eligible players and 5 waiver-exempt players, no matter the position. The two drafting teams can only select up to one player on each team.

NEW DIVISIONS ALIGNMENT:
Northeast - Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Boston, Buffalo
Atlantic - New York R, New York I, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia
Southeast - Washington, Carolina, Atlanta, Nashville, Florida
Central - Detroit, Columbus, St. Louis, Chicago, Kansas City
Northwest - Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Portland, Minnesota
Pacific - Dallas, Colorado, San Jose, Los Angeles, San Jose

[duff88]

Dispersal Draft

July 19th 2008 - The Phoenix/Tampa dispersal draft was held today in Toronto. Without much surprise, Vincent Lecavalier was picked first overall by the Los Angeles Kings. Young phenom Steven Stamkos, who had been the first pick in the last NHL Entry Draft, went second to the Atlanta Thrashers. Following the draft, the Canucks announced the trading of Kyle Turris to the New York Islanders for prospect defenseman Travis Hamonic and two picks in the 2009 NHL entry draft.

1. Los Angeles Kings - C Vincent Lecavalier (TB)
2. Atlanta Thrashers - C Steven Stamkos (TB)
3. St. Louis Blues - RW Martin St. Louis (TB)
4. New York Islanders - RW Shane Doan (PHO)
5. Columbus Blue Jackets - C Olli Jokinen (PHO)
6. Toronto Maple Leafs - RW Peter Mueller (PHO)
7. Florida Panthers - C Martin Hanzal (PHO)
8. Vancouver Canucks - C Kyle Turris (PHO)
9. Chicago Blackhawks - C Kevin Porter (PHO)
10. Edmonton Oilers - C Steve Reinprecht (PHO)
11. Buffalo Sabres - D Ed Jovanovski (PHO)
12. Nashville Predators - D Zbynek Michalek (PHO)
13. Carolina Hurricanes - D Derek Morris (PHO)
14. Boston Bruins - D Andrej Meszaros (TB)
15. Calgary Flames - LW Ryan Malone (TB)
16. Ottawa Senators - D Paul Ranger (TB)
17. Washington Capitals - LW Mikkel Boedker (PHO)
18. Philadelphia Flyers - D Keith Yandle (PHO)
19. Colorado Avalanche - C Vaclav Prospal (TB)
20. New York Rangers - D Ty Wishart (TB)
21. Dallas Stars - G Al Montoya (PHO)
22. Minnesota Wild - RW Viktor Tikhonov (PHO)
23. New Jersey Devils - D Steve Eminger (TB)
24. Anaheim Ducks - G Riku Helenius (TB)
25. Pittsburgh Penguins - RW Enver Lisin (PHO)
26. Montreal Canadiens - D Nick Ross (PHO)
27. San Jose Sharks - D David Hale (PHO)
28. Detroit Red Wings - G Mikael Tellqvist (PHO)

1. Los Angeles Kings - G Ilya Bryzgalov (PHO)
2. Atlanta Thrashers - LW Jussi Jokinen (TB)
3. St. Louis Blues - D Marek Malik (TB)
4. New York Islanders - LW Dan Carcillo (PHO)
5. Columbus Blue Jackets - D Kurt Sauer (PHO)
6. Toronto Maple Leafs - D Andy Rogers (TB)
7. Florida Panthers - RW Mark Recchi (TB)
8. Vancouver Canucks - G Mike Smith (TB)
9. Chicago Blackhawks - RW Jason Ward (TB)
10. Edmonton Oilers - D Mike Lundin (TB)
11. Buffalo Sabres - C Alex Bourret (PHO)
12. Nashville Predators - LW Todd Fedoruk (PHO)
13. Carolina Hurricanes - D Jonas Ahnelöv (PHO)
14. Boston Bruins - C Steve Downie (TB)
15. Calgary Flames - D Vladimir Mihilik (TB)
16. Ottawa Senators - G Karri Rämo (TB)
17. Washington Capitals - C Dana Tyrell (TB)
18. Philadelphia Flyers - C Garth Murray (PHO)
19. Colorado Avalanche - c Brett MacLean (PHO)
20. New York Rangers - C Matt Pettinger (TB)
21. Dallas Stars - RW Radek Smolenak (TB)
22. Minnesota Wild - C Wes Walz (TB)
23. New Jersey Devils - D Lukas Krajicek (TB)
24. Anaheim Ducks - RW Brandon Bochenski (TB)
25. Pittsburgh Penguins - RW Evgeni Artyukhin (TB)
26. Montreal Canadiens - D Ken Klee (PHO)
27. San Jose Sharks - RW Joakim Lindström (PHO)
28. Detroit Red Wings - RW Juraj Simek (TB)

Notable players released to free agency:
LW Ryan Craig (TB)
C Chris Gratton (TB)
RW Adam Hall (TB)
C Jeff Halpern (TB)
D Jamie Heward (TB)
G Olaf Kölzig (TB)
LW Gary Roberts (TB)
RW Jeff Hoggan (PHO)
D Matt Jones (PHO)
RW Bryan McGrattan (PHO)
C Joël Perrault (PHO)
C Wyatt Smith (PHO)
C Daniel Winnik (PHO)

[Travis]

Ah, an EHM dynasty, I'll be following along for sure. What roster set are you using?

[duff88]

Ah, an EHM dynasty, I'll be following along for sure. What roster set are you using?

Modified version of Lidas 1.1 2008-2009 update (http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=65158#65158). There's some inaccuracies due to the year off-set, but I'll just play god and manipulate some information and nobody will notice. ;)

[duff88]

Fillion and Quinn to lead the Coyotes, Feaster and Crawford to lead the Titans

July 23rd 2008 - The Kansas City Coyotes announced today that 35 years-old Nicolas Fillion will be the team's new General Manager. Fillion had already worked as an amateur scout for 6 years in the NHL and was considered by many as a promising young candidate, but some worries have already been raised about his lack of experience. Pat Quinn will coach the team, assisted by Rick Ley, Kevin Dineen and Craig Simpson. Jake Goertzen will serve as assistant GM, Mark Yanetti as director of recruitment and David Bell as goaltender coach.

Earlier in the week, Jay Feaster had been named the General Manager of the Portland Titans. Craig Patrick had been named assistant GM while former director of NHL's Central Scouting Service E.J. McGuire was named the team's director of amateur scouting. Marc Crawford will be the team's head coach, assisted by Marty Raymond, Paul Coffey and Craig Billington.

[duff88]

Relocation Draft

July 26th 2008 - A few surprises awaited hockey fans in Toronto today for the relocation draft. With regards to NHL policy, the protection lists were not released to the public and therefore one could only speculate on who would get picked by the Kansas City Coyotes and the Portland Titans.

1. Kansas City Coyotes - G Nikolai Khabibulin (CHI)
2. Portland Titans - RW Maxim Afinogenov (BUF)
3. Portland Titans - D Jay McKee (STL)
4. Kansas City Coyotes - D Greg de Vries (NAS)
5. Kansas City Coyotes - C Rob Schremp (EDM)
6. Portland Titans - D Frantisek Kaberle (CAR)
7. Portland Titans - G Manny Fernandez (BOS)
8. Kansas City Coyotes - C Dan Fritsche (NYR)
9. Kansas City Coyotes - D Bret Hedican (ANA)
10. Portland Titans - RW Edward Purcell (LA)
11. Portland Titans - D Jim Vandermeer (CGY)
12. Kansas City Coyotes - C Dean McAmmond (OTT)
13. Kansas City Coyotes - RW Blake Comeau (NYI)
14. Portland Titans - C Marcel Goc (SJ)
15. Portland Titans - G Johan Hedberg (ATL)
16. Kansas City Coyotes - C Tomas Kopecky (DET)
17. Kansas City Coyotes - C Glen Metropolit (PHI)
18. Portland Titans - RW Michel Ouellet (VAN)
19. Portland Titans - LW Steve Bégin (MTL)
20. Kansas City Coyotes - D Sami Lepisto (WAS)
21. Kansas City Coyotes - D Staffan Kronwall (TOR)
22. Portland Titans - D Noah Welch (FLO)
23. Portland Titans - C Bryan Sutherby (DAL)
24. Kansas City Coyotes - D Daniel Tjarnqvist (COL)
25. Kansas City Coyotes - LW Jeff Taffe (PIT)
26. Portland Titans - C Petr Vrana (NJ)
27. Portland Titans - D Tomas Mojzis (MIN)

-NO PLAYERS PICKED FROM CBJ-

Kansas City Coyotes - G Marc Denis (MTL)
Kansas City Coyotes - D Doug Janik (DAL)
Kansas City Coyotes - D Cory Murphy (FLO)
Kansas City Coyotes - D Bryan Rodney (CAR)
Kansas City Coyotes - LW Lukas Kaspar (SJ)
Kansas City Coyotes - LW Brett Sterling (ATL)
Kansas City Coyotes - C Rick Rypien (VAN)
Kansas City Coyotes - C Jamie Lundmark (CGY)
Kansas City Coyotes - C Krys Kolanos (MIN)
Kansas City Coyotes - C Petteri Nokelainen (BOS)
Kansas City Coyotes - RW Dan Hinote (STL)
Portland Titans - D Derek Meech (DET)
Portland Titans - D James Wisniewski (CHI)
Portland Titans - D Jonas Frögren (TOR)
Portland Titans - C Todd Marchant (ANA)
Portland Titans - C Rich Peverley (NAS)
Portland Titans - C Jeremy Colliton (NYI)¸
Portland Titans - RW Petr Prucha (NYR)
Portland Titans - RW Jean-François Jacques (EDM)
Portland Titans - RW Brian Wilsie (COL)
Portland Titans - RW Eric Godard (PIT)

[Travis]

You will *love* Schremp if you groom him well. Another guy you might be able to pluck for cheap off the Oilers is Ryan O'Marra.

Just call me your Western Canada scout ;)

[duff88]

You will *love* Schremp if you groom him well. Another guy you might be able to pluck for cheap off the Oilers is Ryan O'Marra.

Just call me your Western Canada scout ;)

One of the problem with an expansion team though is that you don't really have the time to groom those players; more often then not they have to be rushed into the lineup because they are the best immediate solution.

O'Marra would be a solid pickup, but he's anything but cheap. No way in hell I can get that guy.

[duff88]

Coyotes sign Carter and Adams

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/71/PhoenixCoyotes.png

August 9th 2008 - Unrestricted free agent winger Anson Carter, who played only 15 professionnal games last year in the Swiss Nationalliga, has signed a one-year contract with the Kansas City Coyotes. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Coyotes hope that he can come back to his great scoring form by playing the role the go-to guy offensively.

Another signing, that of veteran center Kevyn Adams, was also announced. The 33-years-old played only 27 games with the Chicago Blackhawks last season due to an ACL tear that cut his season short. He will bring a veteran presence on the team.

[duff88]

43 players invited to Coyotes training camp

September 10th 2008 - The Kansas City Coyotes' first training camp is getting under way this week with 43 players in uniform. Four goaltenders, 16 defensemen and 23 forwards will fight for the 23 open roster spots. Five of those players are junior invitees.

http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/29/teamroster2008ow8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Among players whose rights are held by the Coyotes but aren't under contract or invitees for training camp:

Brett Bennett - G - 6'1/183 - 20 Years Old - Boston University (NCAA)
Scott Darling - G - 6'7/189 - 19 Years Old - Indiana Ice (USHL)
Maksim Goncharov - D - 5'11/174 - 19 Years Old - CSKA Moscow (RUS)
Aleksandr Taratinov - LW - 5'11/194 - 26 Years Old - Metallurg Novokuznetsk (RUS)
Alexei Kaigorodov - C - 6'0/191 - 25 Years Old - Metallurg Magnitogorsk (RUS)
Dmitri Pestunov - C - 5'9/198 - 23 Years Old - Avangard Omsk (RUS)
Anton Krysanov - C - 6'2/198 - 21 Years Old - Lada Togliatti (RUS)
Ben Ferriero - C - 5'10/183 - 21 Years Old - Boston College Eagles (NCAA)
Vladimir Ruzicka - C - 6'2/189 - 19 Years Old - Slavia Praha (CZE)
Patrick Brosnihan - C - 6'4/213 - 22 Years Old - Yale Bulldogs (NCAA)
Brett Hextall - RW - 5'10/176 - 20 Years Old - North Dakota Fighting Sioux (NCAA)
Martin Latal - RW - 5'11/167 - 20 Years Old - Sparta Praha (CZE)

[duff88]

Multiple injuries and surprises shape up the Coyotes

http://imageshack-france.com/out.php/i292429_deVries.jpg
Greg de Vries will serve as captain of the Kansas City Coyotes

September 28th 2008 - Five injuries to players attending the Kansas City Coyotes training camp, as well as some surprise pre-season performances by some of the players attending, contributed to shape up the starting roster of the Kansas City Coyotes. Dan Hinote (1 Week - Twisted Knee), Rick Rypien (5 Months - Surgery - Sports Hernia), Daniel Tjärnqvist (1 Week - Thigh Strain), Eric Hunter (Day-to-day - Hip Flexor Strain) and Nathan Saunders (3 Weeks - Pulled Harmstring) will all miss the opening game. Only Hinote and Tjärnqvist were kept on the Coyotes roster and placed on the injured reserve; the three other players were officially sent down to the AHL affiliate San Antonio Rampage.

These injuries opened doors for three surprising players who made the team out of training camp. American winger Jack Combs, who came to camp as a free agent signing expected to suit up for San Antonio, played great two-way hockey in camp and added 2 assists in 5 pre-season games to get a spot on the fourth line. Bryan Rodney will serve as eighth defenseman while Daniel Tjärnqvist is out. 2006 first-round draft pick Chris Summers will start the year as seventh defenseman, with the team going with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen in the first game of the season.

The team finished pre-season with a 5-0-0 record, with a shootout win and two shutouts by Nikolai Khabibulin. Rob Schremp put forth the most impressive performance with 4 goals and 6 assists in 5 games. Cory Muphry, Greg de Vries, Anson Carter and Dean McAmmond also impressed. Following the end of the pre-season schedule, the team claimed 6'6 defenseman Alexei Semenov off waivers from the San Jose Sharks.

#3 - D - Alexei Semenov - 6'6/233 - Left - 27 years old - Russia

In other news, Greg de Vries was named captain of the team. Bret Hedican and Kevyn Adams will serve as assistants at home while Anson Carter and Dean McAmmond will serve as assistants on the road. Nikolai Khabibulin will serve as starter and should start the majority of the games; he is widely considered the star of this team. The season will open on October 5th with a visit from the Chicago Blackhawks. The team will then travel to Portland to face the Titans on October 7th.

Among the players who could be recalled in case of injuries, the front-runners should be David McKee in nets, Doug Janik and Rosario Rugerri on defense and Petteri Nokelainen up front.

Kopecky-Lundmark-Carter
Fritsche-Schremp-Comeau
Kaspar-Adams-McAmmond
Sterling-Combs

Hedican-de Vries
Kronwall-Muprhy
Lepistö-Semenov
Summers

Khabibulin
Denis

Healthy Scratches: Bryan Rodney, Krys Kolanos and Jeff Taffe
Injured Reserve: Daniel Tjärnqvist and Dan Hinote

Pre-Season Results:
September 16th 2008 : Coyotes at Washington, 5-3 W (Schremp [3], Fritsche, Ruggeri), McKee [W] (28/31)
September 17th 2008 : Coyotes at Chicago, 5-4S W (Kaspar, Comeau, Sterling, Schremp), Ford [W] (19/23)
September 19th 2008 : Kansas City vs. Chicago, 6-2 W (Comeau [2], Kaspar, Murphy, Summers, Lepistö), Denis [W] (24/26)
September 21st 2008 : Kansas City vs. St. Louis, 1-0 W (Kaspar), Khabibluin [W] (18/18)
September 22nd 2008 : Kansas City vs. Toronto, 4-0 W (Kaspar, McAmmond, de Vries, Murphy), Khabibulin [W] (16/16)

[Travis]

Nice addition in Semenov. Looks like a pretty interesting roster. Out of curiosity, how do you set up your practices?

[duff88]

Nice addition in Semenov. Looks like a pretty interesting roster. Out of curiosity, how do you set up your practices?

I'm lazy. I know it's not recommended, but I let everyone on general except when they are not improving. I set two coaches on each practice assignment except goaltenders.

[duff88]

Final off-season moves

TRADE
BOS: 5th Round Pick 2009 (TOR)
TOR: Aaron Ward

TRADE
EDM: 3rd Round Pick 2009 (PTD)
PTD: Steve Staios

FA SIGNINGS
ATL: Joel Gistedt, Jason Doig, Mark Fistric
ANA: Chris Dingman, Brad Ference
BOS: Nikos Tselios
BUF: Dave Scatchard, Martin Lapointe, Bryan Smolinski
CBJ: Ben Eaves
CGY: Drew Bannister
DAL: Shane Willis
DET: Richard Matvichuk, Matt Smaby, Jamie Heward, Matt Jones
FLO: Brian McGrattan
MTL: Ian Moran, Kelly Guard
NAS: Andreas Johansson, Geoff Sanderson, Jocely Thibault, John Grahame, Daniel Winnik
NYI: Dan Cloutier
NYR: Joel Lundqvist, Jeff Hoggan, Brad Norton, Yannick Tremblay, Josh Tordjman, Mark Rycroft
PTD: Vladimir Orzagh, Nathan Dempsey, Jeff Friesen, Chris Gratton, Brendan Shanahan
SJ: Dan Lacouture
STL: Toby Petersen
TOR: Glen Murray, Pekka Rinne, Sandis Ozolinsh
WAS: Dale Purinton

[duff88]

Tavares headlines preliminary 2009 draft rankings

http://img83.imageshack.us/img83/6711/tavaresto6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
John Tavares of the Oshawa Generals is considered by most NHL teams the top prospect in the 2009 NHL Draft

October 1st 2008 - John Tavares, a centre from the Oshawa Generals of the OHL, was ranked as the top prospects for the upcoming draft by the International Scouting Service in their preliminary rankings. Tavares is a 6'0/200 goal-scoring centre from Oakville, Ontario. He is followed by towering swedish defenseman Victor Hedman in the rankings. Both of those players are expected to fight for the top spot until the end of the season.

1. John Tavares - C - 6'0/200 - Oshawa Generals (OHL) - CAN
2. Victor Hedman - LD - 6'6/220 - Modo (SEL) - SWE
3. Brayden Schenn - C - 6'0/200 - Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) - CAN
4. Jared Cowen - LD - 6'5/209 - Spokane Chiefs (WHL) - CAN
5. Matt Duchene- C - 5'11/191 - Brampton Battalion (OHL) - CAN
6. Magnus Svensson-Pääjärvi - LW - 6'1/200 - Timra (SEL) - SWE
7. Jordan Schroeder - RW - 5'9/185 - Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA) - USA
8. Stefan Elliot - LD - 6'1/174 - Saskatoon Blades (WHL) - CAN
9. Evander Kane - C - 5'11/163 - Vancouver Giants (WHL) - CAN
10. Olivier Roy - G - 6'0/169 - Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL) - CAN
11. Jeremy Morin - C - 5'10/160 - USNDP - USA
12. Toni Rajala - RW - 5'9/163 - Ilves (FIN) - FIN
13. Nazem Kadri - C - 6'0/176 - London Knights (OHL) - CAN
14. Simon Després - LD - 6'4/213 - Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL) - CAN
15. Richard Panik - LW - 6'1/180 - Trinec (CZE) - SVK
16. Jacob Josefson - C - 6'0/187 - Djurgarden (SEL) - SWE
17. Landon Ferraro - RW - 6'0/169 - Red Deer Rebels (WHL) - CAN
18. Ryan Ellis - RD - 6'1/191 - Windsor Spitfires (OHL) - CAN
19. Anton Lander - LW - 6'0/189 - Timra (SEL) - SWE
20. Drew Shore - C - 6'2/200 - USNDP - USA
21. Andrei Kuchin - LW - 6'0/180 - Vityaz (RUS) - RUS
22. Cass Mappin - LW - 6'0/183 - Red Deer Rebels (WHL) - CAN
23. Seth Helgeson - LD - 6'3/220 - Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) - USA
24. Louis Leblanc - C - 5'11/171 - Yarmouth (MJAHL) - CAN
25. Jordan Caron - C - 6'2/200 - Rimouski Oceanics (QMJHL) - CAN
26. Calvin de Haan - LD - 6'0/171 - Oshawa Generals (CAN) - CAN
27. David Rundblad - RD - 6'2/191 - Skelleftea (SEL) - SWE
28. Taylor Doherty - RD - 6'8/220 - Kingston Frontenacs (OHL) - CAN
29. Jimmy Bubnick - C - 6'0/183 - Kamloops Blazers (WHL) - CAN
30. Dmitri Kulikov - RD - 6'1/196 - Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) - RUS

[duff88]

Just a heads up to say this is not dead; it's actually stronger than ever. I just have a minor setback and I hope to be back continuing next week.

[Travis]

Just a heads up to say this is not dead; it's actually stronger than ever. I just have a minor setback and I hope to be back continuing next week.

Good to hear. Looking forward to more updates.

[duff88]

Martin Havlat ruins the party at Sprint Center

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/9317/havlatxw2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Martin Havlat scored a goal and an assist for the Blackhawks


October 5th 2008 - It was the Kansas City Coyotes inauguration game tonight at the Sprint Center, but the party was cut short by a two points (1-1) performance from Martin Havlat as the Chicago Blackhawks won the game 3-2. Cam Barker scored the game winning goal while David Bolland got the other. Cristobal Huet blocked 29 out of 31 shots for the win.

Things had started very well for the Coyotes as they had took the lead 3 minutes into the second period as Tomas Kopecky scored the first goal in franchise history, assisted by Anson Carter and Sami Lepitö. With ten minutes to go, after three straight goals by Chicago, Dean McAmmond scored his team's second goal but it was too little too late. Nikolai Khabibulin blocked 36 out of the 39 shots from his former team in the losing cause. Greg de Vries had an assist in the loss and was named second star while Tomas Kopecky was named the third star.

The powerplay was the killer for the Coyotes, who failed to convert on 7 occasions. On the other hand, Chicago scored twice on six attempts. Dan Fritsche left the game with a minor arm injury. He will be added to the injured reserve list and replaced by the returning Dan Hinote in the second line left winger role.

October 5th 2008 : Kansas City vs. Chicago, 3-2 L (Kopecky 1, McAmmond 1), Khabibulin [L] (36/39)

Kansas City Coyotes (1GP, 0-1-0, 0 points)

[duff88]

Five loss run stopped

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/3746/kasparwo6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Lukas Kaspar scored twice in the Coyotes' first win

October 18th 2008 - The Kansas City Coyotes finally won their first game in franchise history, halting the attrocious season start after five straight losses with a 4-2 win over the New York Rangers. Lukas Kaspar, who played on the second line with Rob Schremp and Tomas Kopecky, was the first star of the game after scoring his first and second goal of the season.

The win goes to the record of Marc Denis, who was playing his first game this season. He blocked 31 of the 33 shots against. Blake Comeau and Dan Hinote also scored for the winners.

Meanwhile, Bryan Rodney and Chris Summers were sent down to the San Antonio Rampage before the game to make place for the return of Daniel Tjärnqvist and Dan Fritsche.

October 7th 2008 : Coyotes at Portland, 3-1 L (Lundmark 1), Khabibulin [L] (37/40)
October 12th 2008 : Coyotes at Chicago, 3-0 L, Khabibulin [L] (31/34)
October 14th 2008 : Kansas City vs. Los Angeles, 2-0 L, Khabibulin [L] (32/34)
October 16th 2008 : Coyotes at New York I, 3-2 L, (de Vries 1, Lundmark 2), Khabibulin [L] (27/30)
October 18th 2008 : Coyotes at New York R, 4-2 W, (Kaspar 1-2, Comeau 1, Hinote 1), Denis [W] (31/33)

Kansas City Coyotes (6GP, 1-5-0, 2 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Rob Blake traded to Toronto

October 27th 2008 - The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired defenseman Rob Blake from the San Jose Sharks today, as well as a 7th round pick, for defenseman Josef Boumedienne, forward Kris Newbury and a 3rd round pick.

October 19th 2008 : Coyotes at New Jersey, 4-3 L, (Semenov 1, Schremp 1, Adams 1), Khabibulin [L] (35/39)
October 21st 2008 : Kansas City vs. Vancouver, 5-0 L, Denis [L] (25/30)
October 26th 2008 : Kansas City vs. San Jose, 4-0 L, Khabibulin [L] (32/36)

Kansas City Coyotes (9GP, 1-8-0, 2 points, 15th in the West)

[DeToxRox]

Amazing work as always, Duff.

Where do I DL the editor again?

[duff88]

The website for everything EHM (http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/portal.php)

[duff88]

Signs of a long season to come

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/9535/mcammondea8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Dean McAmmond won the October segment of the Sprint Cup

November 1st 2008 - October has ended and the Kansas City Coyotes' record indicates nothing to be optimist about. With only two wins in eleven games, the Coyotes are sitting confortably in the last place of the entire NHL.

Dean McAmmond has won the October segment of the Sprint Cup, which will be given at the end of the year to the player judged most valuable to the team as judged by a panel of media in Kansas City. McAmmond ended the month with 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points in 11 games. He beat goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin and captain Greg de Vries in the voting.

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/1415/oct08vt9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

NHL Offensive Player of the Month: LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta Thrashers (13-16-8-24)
NHL Defensive Player of the Month: G Marc-André Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins (8GP-6W)
NHL Rookie of the Month: RW Radek Smolenak, Dallas Stars (12-4-7-11)

NHL Goals Leader: 16 - LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta Thrashers
NHL Assists Leader: 14 - C Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks
NHL Points Leader: 24 - LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta Thrashers
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 11 - D Tobias EnstrÖm, Atlanta Thrashers
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 11 - RW Radek Smolenak, Dallas Stars

October 28th 2008 : Coyotes at Calgary, 4-1 L, (McAmmond 2), Khabibulin [L] (28/32)
October 31st 2008 : Coyotes at Vancouver, 3-1 W, (Kolanos 1, McAmmond 3, Hedican 1), Khabibulin [W] (38/39)

Kansas City Coyotes (11GP, 2-9-0, 4 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Coyotes get first home win

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/1922/carterli8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Anson Carter scored his second and third goals of the season

November 6th 2008 - Anson Carter scored twice while Dean McAmmond had a three points performance to lead the Kansas City Coyotes to their first home win in the new Sprint Center in an insane game that ended 6-5 against the Dallas Stars. The lack of discipline by the Coyotes in the second period led to two 5-on-3 goals 30 seconds appart by Brendan Morrow and Mike Modano that gave the Stars a 4-2 lead. The Coyotes rallied with less than 10 minutes to play in the third while trailing 5-3, when Jamie Lundmark, Dean McAmmond and Brett Sterling beat Alvaro Montoya to win the game. Krystofer Kolanos got the other goal for the Coyotes. The win goes to Marc Denis, who blocked 26 of the 31 shots against.

November 1st 2008 : Coyotes at Minnesota, 4-2 L, (Carter 1, Schremp 2), Khabibulin [L] (24/28)
November 4th 2008 : Coyotes at Portland, 4-2 L, (Lepistö 1, Kaspar 3), Khabibulin [L] (26/30)
November 6th 2008 : Kansas City vs. Dallas, 6-5 W, (Carter 2-3, Kolanos 2, Lundmark 3, McAmmond 4, Sterling 1), Denis [W] (26/31)

Kansas City Coyotes (14GP, 3-11-0, 6 points, 15th in the West)

[NoSkillz]

NHL Goals Leader: 16 - LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta Thrashers
NHL Assists Leader: 14 - C Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks
NHL Points Leader: 24 - LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta Thrashers
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 11 - D Tobias EnstrÖm, Atlanta Thrashers
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 11 - RW Radek Smolenak, Dallas Stars



Great work Duff. Look forward to seeing it continue.

Funny looking at the goal and point leader. I was on the research team for EHM, looking after the Northeast Division. I could never understand why the guy who did Atlanta refused to realize he overrated Kovalchuk. Every dynasty I see, the guy ends up overtaking Gretzky's records...

The guy is good but no where near THAT good. :)

[duff88]

A few trades around the league

November 13th 2008 - The Buffalo Sabres acquired 35-years-old swedish defenseman Niclas Hävelid from the Atlanta Thrashers. In return, the Thrashers recieved prospect Jacob Lagace from the Chicoutimi Saguenéens.

In other news, the Colorado Avalanche acquired defenseman Anton Babchuk from the Carolina Hurricanes in return for winger Per Ledin. In the same trade, the Avalanche recieved a 4th round pick, giving a way a 5th and a 6th to the Hurricanes. The Montreal Canadiens traded Patrice Brisebois to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 4th round pick in 2007. The Colorado Avalanche also acquired Clarke MacArthur from the Buffalo Sabres for the rights to prospect goaltender Peter Delmas.

November 10th 2008 : Coyotes at Detroit, 6-1 L, (Kaspar 4), Khabibulin [L] (7/12) & Denis (31/32)
November 11th 2008 : Kansas City vs. Edmonton, 4-3S L, (Fritsche 1, Carter 4, Kaspar 5), Denis [OTL] (32/35)

Kansas City Coyotes (16GP, 3-12-1, 7 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Khabibulin scares, Coyotes recall McKee

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/4821/mckeehe3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
David McKee was recalled to second Marc Denis during the absence of the number one goaltender

November 19th 2008 - Nikolai Khabibulin suffered a wrist injury midway into the third period of yesterday's 4-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The injury is less serious than initially thought and the russian goaltender should be sidelined for one to two weeks with a sprained wrist. He has been placed on the injured reserve while David McKee has been recalled from the San Antonio Rampage.

November 15th 2008 : Coyotes at Columbus, 5-2 L (McAmmond 5, Lundmark 4), Denis [L] (37/42)
November 16th 2008 : Kansas City vs. Portland, 3-2 W (McAmmond 6, Taffe 1, Carter 5), Khabibulin [W] (27/29)
November 18th 2008 : Kansas City vs. Columbus, 4-3 L (Lepistö 2, Sterling 2-3), Khabibulin [L] (29/33) & Denis (4/4)

Kansas City Coyotes (19GP, 4-14-1, 9 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Colorado trading frenzy continues

November 20th 2008 - The 11th place Colorado Avalanche completed a third trade in the month of November today, sending veteran defenseman Adam Foote to the Ottawa Senators for young Canadian forward Nick Foligno and a 2nd round pick.

Rumors had the Avalanche very interested in young danish rookie Peter Regin, who is having a great start to the season in Ottawa. Foligno is having a very tough start to his season and will probably be sent down to the minors by Colorado. The 37-years-old Foote will bring a new dimension to the Senators, who can now claim one of the best defensive brigade in the NHL.

[duff88]

Sterling suspended, McAmmond out, Nokelainen comes in

http://img206.imageshack.us/img206/9493/nokelainenyx6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Nokelainen will try to bring his aggressive high-energy style to the NHL

November 21st 2008 - Brett Sterling has been suspended for one game for his third period charge on Columbus' defenseman Mike Commodore. In other news, Dean McAmmond will be sidelined for at least three weeks after suffering a hip flexor strain. He has been placed on the injured reserve.

Petteri Nokelainen has been called up from the San Antonio Rampage. In 17 games with the Rampage, Nokelainen had scored 7 goals and 12 points. Coach Pat Quinn has announced that he will use seven defensemen for the time being with the return of Cory Murphy from a concussion.

November 20th 2008 : Coyotes at Columbus, 4-2 L (Adams 2, Hinote 2), Denis [L] (30/34)

Kansas City Coyotes (20GP, 4-15-1, 9 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Khabibulin back to face the Wings

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/2900/datsyukyo2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Pavel Datsyuk took care of his compatriot in the last game with 3 points

November 24th 2008 - After missing exactly one week due to a sprained wrist, goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin will be back between the pipes tomorrow as the Kansas City Coyotes will face the Detroit Red Wings. It will be a nice challenge for the russian goaltender who allowed 5 goals in 12 shots during the first period of his last meeting with the Red Wings 15 days ago.

David McKee, who did relatively well as backup during the Bulin Wall's absence, even serving as starter for a game, was sent back to the Rampage in the American Hockey League. Petteri Nokelainen, who was scoreless in two games, was also sent down to the Rampage; the Coyotes will therefore keep a 22-men roster for the time being.

November 22nd 2008 : Coyotes at Colorado, 6-3 L (Schremp 3, Comeau 2, Carter 6), Denis [L] (20/26) & McKee (11/11)
November 23rd 2008 : Kansas City vs. Vancouver, 3-2 L (Lundmark 5, Carter 7), McKee [L] (19/21)

Kansas City Coyotes (22GP, 4-17-1, 9 points, 15th in the West)

[Travis]

I smell a winning streak around the corner. This team is going to get a tough win, roll with some confidence and rattle a few off.

[duff88]

Coyotes surprise Wings

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/5815/schrempfn8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Rob Schremp had a three points night on the first line of the Coyotes

November 25th 2008 - Anson Carter (2g-2a), Rob Schremp (2g-1a) and Lukas Kaspar (3a) all had a wonderful night in Kansas City as the Coyotes' first lined combined for 10 points to lead their team to a 6-5 victory over the Detroit Red Wings, who had only lost once in their last 10 games. In his first game back from injury, Nikolai Khabibulin was solid but unspectacular, blocking 31 of the 36 shots he recieved. Dan Fritsche and Greg de Vries also scored for the winners.

November 25th 2008 : Kansas City vs. Detroit, 6-5 W (Carter 8-9, Schremp 4-5, Fritsche 2, de Vries 2), Khabibulin [W] (31/36)

Kansas City Coyotes (23GP, 5-17-1, 11 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Few positives for Kansas City in November

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/2071/carter2ot4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Anson Carter won the monthly segment of the Sprint Cup

December 1st 2008 - Any franchise who wins 5 out of their first 25 games of the season can consider it a failure. Furthermore, when the special teams aren't working, the offense is last and the defense is second-to-last, there is nothing to be optimistic about. There are very few positives to retain from the beginning of the new franchise in Kansas City. If anything, the emmergence of Anson Carter during the month of November proves to be a nice surprise and, although it would be surprising to see him keep the same pace, he will be due for a contract extension very soon. The great play of rookie Lukas Kaspar, who had a team high +5 during November and who was named NHL Rookie of the Month, is also a huge positive.

Carter, who is on a 6-games point streak with 7 goals and 12 points along the way, was the November segment winnger of the Sprint Cup with 12 goals and 10 assists for 22 points in 14 games. He currently leads the team with 24 points in 20 games. Although there were no real challengers, he beat linemate Lukas Kaspar and captain Greg de Vries in the voting.

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/9356/no08dn9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

NHL Offensive Player of the Month: RW Marian Hossa, Detroit Red Wings (12-11-16-27)
NHL Defensive Player of the Month: G Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers (12GP-8W-1SO)
NHL Rookie of the Month: LW Lukas Kaspar, Kansas City Coyotes (14GP-4G-10A-14PTS)
NHL Goals Leader: 22 - LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta Thrashers
NHL Assists Leader: 28 - RW Marian Hossa, Detroit Red Wings
NHL Points Leader: 43 - RW Marian Hossa, Detroit Red Wings
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 18 - D Lubomir Visnovsky, Edmonton Oilers
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 23 - RW Radek Smolenak, Dallas Stars

November 29th 2008 : Coyotes at Philadelphia, 3-2 L (Carter 10-11), Khabibulin [L] (32/35)
November 30th 2008 : Coyotes at St. Louis, 5-2 L (Carter 12, Kaspar 6), Denis [L] (24/29)

Kansas City Coyotes (25GP, 5-19-1, 11 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Sundin saga not yet over

December 5th 2008 - Mats Sundin has officially announced that he will come back to the NHL this season. There had been a lot of speculation through the summer about his come back, which he confirmed this week after intense training in the Los Angeles area. The Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks are reportedly the front runners for his service. Ottawa, Toronto and Portland are also on the run. Contacted about the possibility of acquiring Sundin, Coyotes GM Nicolas Fillion was very clear:

"Where does he fit? What does Sundin bring to this team? We have to be realistic; we are not what he is looking for, and he is not what we want either. Sundin is a great player, but he is far from his prime and will be looking to join a contender. We will not make an offer."

Sundin is aiming to sign a contract before Christmas and to come back into action in the first week of January.

In other news, the Vancouver Canucks acquired winger Jamal Mayers from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a 4th round pick in the 2009 NHL Draft.

December 2nd 2008 : Kansas City vs. Chicago, 3-2 L (Schremp 6, Carter 13), Khabibulin [L] (32/35)
December 4th 2008 : Coyotes at Los Angeles, 3-2 L (Carter 14, Hedican 2), Khabibulin [L] (20/23)

Kansas City Coyotes (27GP, 5-21-1, 11 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Sens halt Coyotes three game winning streak

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/6408/alfredssonir9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Alfredsson put two pucks past goaltender Marc Denis in the Sens 4-3 win over Kansas City

December 14th 2008 - Daniel Alfredsson scored twice and goaltender Alex Auld stood sharp in the third period as the Ottawa Senators beat the Kansas City Coyotes 4-3 to halt their longest winning streak in history at 3. After a 2-1 shootout win in Dallas and big 7-3 and 5-3 victories over San Jose and Minnesota, Marc Denis was unable to continue his hot streak as the Senators were just too strong. Christoph Schubert scored the game winner in the third period. Lukas Kaspar, with two goals, and Jamie Lundmark scored for the Coyotes.

Anson Carter continued his dominating season with two assits, giving him a point in each but two of the last fourteen games, scoring 22 points along the way. Alexei Semenov had been suspended for the Ottawa game after recieving a game misconduct against Minnesota. Dean McAmmond was back in the lineup after missing three weeks.

December 6th 2008 : Coyotes at Anaheim, 3-1 L (Fritsche 3), Khabibulin [L] (38/41)
December 7th 2008 : Coyotes at Dallas, 2-1S W (Hinote 3), Denis [W] (26/27)
December 9th 2008 : Coyotes at San Jose, 7-3 W (Lepistö 3, Carter 15, Lundmark 6-7, Kaspar 7, Comeau 3, Hinote 4), Denis [W] (24/27)
December 12th 2008 : Kansas City vs. Minnesota, 5-3 W (Lundmark 8, Schremp 7, Comeau 4, Carter 16-17), Denis [W] (22/25)
December 14th 2008 : Kansas City vs. Ottawa, 4-3 L (Kaspar 8-9, Lundmark 9), Denis [L] (27/31)

Kansas City Coyotes (32GP, 8-23-1, 17 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Denis meltdown leads to Blues comeback

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/9926/denissy1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Marc Denis was starting a fifth consecutive game before his third period collapse

December 16th 2008 - The Kansas City Coyotes had a 3-0 lead with less than 10 minutes to go in the third period when the unthinkable happened. Alex Steen, Matt Foy, Andy McDonald and Keith Tkachuk scored to give the St. Louis Blues a 4-3 win. Perfect until then on 24 shots, Marc Denis allowed 4 goals on the last 10 shots, two of which he should probably have stopped. Dan Hinote, Rob Schremp and Dan Fritsche had scored for the Coyotes.

Staffan Kronwall left the game with an hip injury. His case will be re-evaluated tommorow, but he is expected to miss a few weeks. The Coyotes will be in St. Louis to face the Blues in the second of the weekend's back-to-back series.

December 16th 2008 : Kansas City vs. St. Louis, 4-3 L (Hinote 5, Schremp 8, Fritsche 4), Denis [L] (30/34)

Kansas City Coyotes (33GP, 8-24-1, 17 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Kronwall on IR, Janik recalled

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/8644/janikxn8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Doug Janik had 10 assists in 27 games with the Rampage

December 17th 2008 - Staffan Kronwall has been placed on the injured reserve after suffering an hip pointer in last night's game against the St. Louis Blues. Kronwall is expected to be sidelined for at least 6 weeks. American defenseman Doug Janik has been recalled from the San Antonio Rampage. In 27 games in the American Hockey League, Janik had 10 assists and was a -6. Coach Greg Ireland has called him his team's best player so far this year. With his pre-season and San Antonio Rampage #3 now worn by Alexei Semenov, Janik will wear #38.

LINES FOR TONIGHT'S GAME AGAINST ST. LOUIS
Kaspar-Schremp-Carter
Fritsche-Lundmark-Kopecky
Hinote-Adams-Comeau
Kolanos-McAmmond-Taffe

Hedican-de Vries
Lepistö-Semenov
Tjärnqvist-Murphy

Khabibulin
Denis

[duff88]

Sundin down to two teams

December 21st 2008 - Mats Sundin will announce his decision on December 23rd, but rumors are saying his choice is down to two teams: The Vancouver Canucks and the New York Rangers.

Lukas Kaspar suffered a minor injury in last night's game against the Chicago Blackhawks. He will be replaced by Doug Janik, who will play as seventh defenseman, tonight against Buffalo. Marc Denis will be in net.

December 17th 2008 : Coyotes at St. Louis, 2-1 L (de Vries 3), Khabibulin [L] (16/18)
December 20th 2008 : Coyotes at Chicago, 4-3 L (McAmmond 7, Hinote 6, Lundmark 10), Khabibulin [L] (24/28)

Kansas City Coyotes (35GP, 8-26-1, 17 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Sundin to Vancouver

December 23rd 2008 - Mats Sundin has signed a one year contract with the Vancouver Canucks. The 37-years-old swedish forward is not expected to suit up for at least two weeks.

Bret Hedican suffered a minor ACL sprain in tonight's overtime loss to the Dallas Stars. He will miss aroung ten days of action and has been placed on the injured reserve. Lukas Kaspar should be back in action for the next game against the St. Louis Blues on December 26th.

December 21st 2008 : Kansas City vs. Buffalo, 4-1 L (Comeau 5), Denis [L] (21/25)
December 23rd 2008 : Kansas City vs. Dallas, 3-2 OTL (Carter 18, McAmmond 8), Khabibulin [OTL] (24/27)

Kansas City Coyotes (37GP, 8-27-2, 18 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Goncharov, Ruzicka and Long to play in WJC

December 26th 2008 - Three Kansas City Coyotes prospect will be participating at the World Junior Championships in Ottawa this year. Maksim Goncharov will anchor the russian blue line and is expected to be a go-to guy on defense for their team. Vladimir Ruzicka will serve as captain for Czech Republic and he is expected to play on the first line with Ondrej Roman and Tomas Kubalak. Colin Long was named to the American team but is going to be used slightly as the 13th forward.

Canada, USA and Sweden are the favourites to win the tournament. Here are the group predictions and important players at each position for the tournament.

Group A
Canada: G Olivier Roy - D Thomas Hickey [C] - D Alex Pietrangelo - F Angelo Esposito - F John Tavares - F Kyle Beach
USA: G Josh Unice - D Kevin Shattenkirk - D Ryan McDonagh - F James Van Riemsdyk - F Colin Wilson [C] - F Drayson Bowman
Sweden: G Jacob Markström - D Victor Hedman - D Erik Karlsson - F Mattias Tedenby - F Magnus Svensson-Pääjärvi - F Mikael Backlund [C]
Slovakia: G Jaroslav Janus - D Martin Dulak [C] - D Michal Pichnarcik - F Richard Panik - F Milan Kytnar - F Tomas Tatar
Germany: G Timo Pielmeier - D Denis Reul - D Marco Nowak [C] - F Jerome Flaake - F Laurin Braun - F Simon Fischhaber

Group B
Russia: G Sergei Gaiduchenko - D Maksim Goncharov - D Maksim Chudinov [C] - F Kirill Petrov - F Evgeni Dadonov - F Egor Averin
Czech Republic: G Tomas Klestil - D Tomas Schmidt - D Michal Jordan - F Ondrej Roman - F Vladimir Ruzicka [C] - F Tomas Vincour
Finland: G Harri Säteri - D Tommi Kivistö - D Jyri Niemi - F Tommi Sallinen [C] - F Toni Rajala - F Teemu Pulkkinen
Switzerland: G Robert Mayer - D Roman Josi [C] - Lukas Stoop - F Luca Cunti - F Etienne Froidevaux - F Eric Wyder
Belarus: G Artyom Dmkov - D Sergei Sheleg - D Gleb Zhurba - F Artem Demkov [C] - F Mikhail Stefanovich - F Igor Voroshilov

December 26th 2008 : Kansas City vs. St. Louis, 3-1 W (Murphy 1, Carter 19, Comeau 6), Khabibulin [W] (23/24)

Kansas City Coyotes (38GP, 9-27-2, 20 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Fritsche leads Coyotes to second win in a row

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/7025/fritscheui8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Dan Fritsche scored twice and added an assist in the win

December 29th 2008 - Dan Fritsche scored two goals and added an assist as the Kansas City Coyotes beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-4 tonight in Denver. Andrew Raycroft was pulled in the second period after alowing four goals in 15 shots. Lukas Kaspar, Anson Carter and Tomas Kopecky also scored for the Coyotes. Nikolai Khabibulin blocked 29 of 33 shots for the win.

Meanwhile, the season of New York Rangers forward Scott Gomez is over after he suffered a dislocated shoulder that will require surgery. Gomez had scored 38 points in 35 games for the Rangers this year.

December 29th 2008 : Coyotes at Colorado, 5-4 W (Fritsche 5-6, Carter 20, Kaspar 10, Kopecky 2), Khabibulin [W] (29/33)

Kansas City Coyotes (39GP, 10-27-2, 22 points, 15th in the West)

[NoSkillz]

Sundin to Vancouver


December 23rd 2008 - Mats Sundin has signed a one year contract with the Vancouver Canucks. The 37-years-old swedish forward is not expected to suit up for at least two weeks.

Bret Hedican suffered a minor ACL sprain in tonight's overtime loss to the Dallas Stars. He will miss aroung ten days of action and has been placed on the injured reserve. Lukas Kaspar should be back in action for the next game against the St. Louis Blues on December 26th.

December 21st 2008 : Kansas City vs. Buffalo, 4-1 L (Comeau 5), Denis [L] (21/25)
December 23rd 2008 : Kansas City vs. Dallas, 3-2 OTL (Carter 18, McAmmond 8), Khabibulin [OTL] (24/27)

Kansas City Coyotes (37GP, 8-27-2, 18 points, 15th in the West)

Did you manually sign Sundin to Vancouver?

[duff88]

Did you manually sign Sundin to Vancouver?

Did I? :devil:

Actually, I had him signed there in the pre-game editor and suspended until January. But I thought it was news worthy that he was coming back.

[duff88]

Better month of December still not enough for Coyotes

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/2127/carter3la0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Anson Carter won his second straight Sprint Cup monthly segment

January 1st 2009 - The Kansas City Coyotes showed some improvement in December, but their record still leaves a lot of questionning. With five wins and eleven points in fifteen games, the Coyotes are still last in the league, seven points behind the Nashville Predators who are last in the East.

Anson Carter won the December segment of the Sprint Cup, his second win in a row. In 15 games, Carter scored 8 goals and 8 assists for 16 points. He held off Blake Comeau and Dan Fritsche in the voting.

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/5528/dec08oc2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

NHL Offensive Player of the Month: C Olli Jokinen, Columbus Blue Jackets (11-7-13-20)
NHL Defensive Player of the Month: D Nicklas Lidström, Detroit Red Wings (15-5-11-16)
NHL Rookie of the Month: C Benoit Pouliot, Minnesota Wild (13-7-10-17)
NHL Goals Leader: 30 - RW Martin St. Louis, St. Louis Blues
NHL Assists Leader: 38 - C Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
NHL Points Leader: 60 - RW Marian Hossa, Detroit Red Wings
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 29 - D Nicklas Lidström, Detroit Red Wings
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 30 - C Benoit Pouliot, Minnesota Wild

Eastern Conference:
*1. Ottawa Senators (41, 27-12-2) - 56 Points
*2. New York Rangers (40, 26-10-4) - 56 Points
*3. Carolina Hurricanes (41, 20-12-9) - 49 Points
4. Buffalo Sabres (38, 27-10-1) - 55 Points
5. Toronto Maple Leafs (40, 24-14-2) - 50 Points
6. Washington Capitals (39, 21-14-4) - 46 Points
7. Florida Panthers (42, 22-19-1) - 45 Points
8. Boston Bruins (37, 20-15-2) - 42 Points
-
9. Pittsburgh Penguins (37, 19-16-2) - 40 Points
10. Montreal Canadiens (39, 17-18-4) - 38 Points
11. Philadelphia Flyers (38, 18-19-1) - 37 Points
12. New Jersey Devils (38, 15-16-7) - 37 Points
13. Atlanta Thrashers (40, 16-21-3) - 35 Points
14. New York Islanders (38, 14-22-2) - 30 Points
15. Nashville Predators (39, 13-23-3) - 29 Points

Western Conference
*1. Vancouver Canucks (39, 25-11-3) - 53 Points
*2. Columbus Blue Jackets (39, 24-11-4) - 52 Points
*3. San Jose Sharks (40, 24-12-4) - 52 Points
4. Dallas Stars (42, 23-13-6) - 52 Points
5. Detroit Red Wings (38, 24-13-1) - 49 Points
6. Edmonton Oilers (39, 21-15-3) - 45 Points
7. Calgary Flames (38, 19-15-4) - 42 Points
8. Anaheim Ducks (41, 18-17-6) - 42 Points
-
9. Colorado Avalanche (40, 18-18-4) - 40 Points
10. St. Louis Blues (38, 18-17-3) - 39 Points
11. Los Angeles Kings (38, 16-17-5) - 37 Points
12. Portland Titans (39, 16-19-4) - 36 Points
13. Minnesota Wild (38, 16-20-2) - 34 Points
14. Chicago Blackhawks (38, 16-20-2) - 34 Points
15. Kansas City Coyotes (40, 10-28-2) - 22 Points

December 30th 2008 : Kansas City vs. Boston, 4-2 L (Murphy 2, Fritsche 7), Khabibulin [L] (39/43)

Kansas City Coyotes (40GP, 10-28-2, 22 points, 15th in the West)

[Travis]

Given your record, the fact you have that many guys pretty close to even if not above should bode well for you. Hopefully you can be close to .500 over the second half of the season and head into next year just needing a tweak or two to be a playoff contender.

[duff88]

Hartnell to San Jose

January 2nd 2008 - Scott Hartnell has been traded to the San Jose Sharks for goaltender Thomas Greiss. Greiss will suit up for the Philadelphia Flyers' AHL affiliate, the Philadelphia Phantoms. Hartnell had scored 10 points in 17 games with the Flyers this year.

The Montreal Canadiens traded forward Tom Kostopoulos to the New York Rangers for a 3rd round pick.

January 1st 2009 : Kansas City vs. Edmonton, 6-1 L (Carter 21), Khabibulin [L] (43/49)

Kansas City Coyotes (41GP, 10-29-2, 22 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Canada worries in group stage

January 4th 2009 - The US Under-20 Team impressed early on in the World Junior Hockey Championship, ending the group stage with a perfect 4 wins record, including an impressive 6-1 defeat of team Canada. This win earns USA a bye in the quarterfinals. Sweden also beat Canada in the group stage to end with a 3-1 record, while Canada ended with a 2-2 record. Things were much more surprising in group B as the Russians, who were perfect in 3 games until then, lost their last game to Belarus. This loss, combined with the tie between the Czechs and Fins, means that Czech Republic will play in the relegation round.

Quarterfinals matchups:
Belarus vs. Sweden
Finland vs. Canada

[duff88]

Canada and Sweden pass, Czech Republic and Slovakia relegated

January 6th 2009 - Mattias Tedenby scored a hat trick to lead Sweden to a 7-0 victory over Belarus in the first quarterfinal game. Sweden will face team USA in the first semi-final. In the other game, Canada defeated Finland 3-0 with John Tavares being named the first star. Canada will face team Russia in the second semi-final.

In the relegation round, Germany and Switzerland surprised Czech Republic and Slovakia, who have now been relegated to the Division 1 group. Denmark and Norway, who won their group of the Division 1 tournament, will be promoted in their place. This result proves to be a big letdown for the countries ranked respectively third and seventh in the world rankings.

January 5th 2009 : Coyotes at Chicago, 5-2 L, (Lundmark 11, Kaspar 11), Khabibulin [L] (30/35)
January 6th 2009 : Kansas City vs. St. Louis, 2-0 L, Denis [L] (38/40)

Kansas City Coyotes (43GP, 10-31-2, 22 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Canada and USA to face in the finals

January 8th 2009 - Kevin Shattenkirk scored a goal and two assists to help team USA past Sweden 5-2. USA will face their Canadians arch rivals in the finals as Canada, lead by a hat trick from John Tavares, took care of Russia 4-2 in the other semi final.

[duff88]

Americans win on Canadian soil

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/9097/vanriemsdykfn8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
James Van Riemsdyk was named MVP of the tournament

January 9th 2009 - The American U20 hockey team ended their perfect tournament with a 5-2 win over Canada in the finals of the World Junior Hockey Championship. After leaving the first period with a 2-0 deficit, USA scored 5 unanswered goals on their way to a gold medal victory. In the bronze medal game, Sweden beat Russia in the shootouts after the 70 minutes of regular play ended with a 1-1 tie. Mattias Tedenby scored the winning goal.

Gold Medal: United States
Silver Medal: Canada
Bronze Medal: Sweden
4th place: Russia
5th place: Finland
6th place: Belarus
7th place: Germany
8th place: Switzerland
9th place: Slovakia
10th place: Czech Republic

Top 5 Scorers:
1. James Van Riemsdyk (USA) - 6GP - 8-5-13
2. John Tavares (CAN) - 7GP - 5-7-12
3. Colin Wilson (USA) - 6GP - 5-7-12
4. Matt Rust (USA) - 6GP - 4-7-11
5. Egor Averin (RUS) - 6GP - 3-6-9

MVP: James Van Riemsdyk (USA)
Best Forward: James Van Riemsdyk (USA)
Best Defenseman: Kevin Shattenkirk (USA)
Best Goaltender: Jacob Markström (SWE)

All-Star Team:
Colin Wilson (USA) - John Tavares (CAN) - James Van Riemsdyk (USA)
Victor Hedman (SWE) - Kevin Shattenkirk (USA)
Josh Unice (USA)

Coyotes prospects:
Maksim Goncharov (RUS) - 6GP - 0-1-1
Vladimir Ruzicka (CZE) - 6GP - 1-5-6
Colin Long (USA) - 4GP - 2-4-6

January 9th 2009 : Kansas City vs. Anaheim, 5-4 L, (Lepistö 4, de Vries 4, Fritsche 8, Schremp 9), Denis [L] (37/42)

Kansas City Coyotes (44GP, 10-32-2, 22 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Ellis makes big bouce in midterm rankings

http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/430/elliscq3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Ellis raised from 18th to 8th in the midterm rankings for the 2009 NHL Draft

January 10th 2009 - Following an impressive performance in the World Junior Championship, canadian defenseman Ryan Ellis has jumped into the top 10 of the ISS midterm rankings for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. An offensive defenseman with the Windsor Spitfires, Ellis is considered by many a hit or miss on defense.

1 (1) John Tavares - C - 6'0/200 - Oshawa Generals (OHL) - CAN
2 (2) Victor Hedman - LD - 6'6/220 - Modo (SEL) - SWE
3 (4) Jared Cowen - LD - 6'5/209 - Spokane Chiefs (WHL) - CAN
4 (3) Brayden Schenn - C - 6'0/200 - Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) - CAN
5 (5) Matt Duchene- C - 5'11/191 - Brampton Battalion (OHL) - CAN
6 (9) Evander Kane - C - 5'11/163 - Vancouver Giants (WHL) - CAN
7 (6) Magnus Svensson-Pääjärvi - LW - 6'1/200 - Timra (SEL) - SWE
8 (18) Ryan Ellis - RD - 6'1/191 - Windsor Spitfires (OHL) - CAN
9 (7) Jordan Schroeder - RW - 5'9/185 - Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA) - USA
10 (13) Nazem Kadri - C - 6'0/176 - London Knights (OHL) - CAN
11 (15) Richard Panik - LW - 6'1/180 - Trinec (CZE) - SVK
12 (23) Seth Helgeson - LD - 6'3/220 - Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) - USA
13 (10) Olivier Roy - G - 6'0/169 - Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL) - CAN
14 (14) Simon Després - LD - 6'4/213 - Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL) - CAN
15 (8) Stefan Elliot - LD - 6'1/174 - Saskatoon Blades (WHL) - CAN
16 (17) Landon Ferraro - RW - 6'0/169 - Red Deer Rebels (WHL) - CAN
17 (27) David Rundblad - RD - 6'2/191 - Skelleftea (SEL) - SWE
18 (12) Toni Rajala - RW - 5'9/163 - Ilves (FIN) - FIN
19 (25) Jordan Caron - C - 6'2/200 - Rimouski Oceanics (QMJHL) - CAN
20 (20) Drew Shore - C - 6'2/200 - USNDP - USA
21 (11) Jeremy Morin - C - 5'10/160 - USNDP - USA
22 (59) Tomas Vincour - C - 6'2/185 - Sparta Praha - CZE
23 (24) Louis Leblanc - C - 5'11/171 - Yarmouth (MJAHL) - CAN
24 (36) Tommi Kivistö - RD - 6'2/194 - Red Deer Rebels (WHL) - FIN
25 (16) Jacob Josefson - C - 6'0/187 - Djurgarden (SEL) - SWE
26 (30) Dmitri Kulikov - RD - 6'1/196 - Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) - RUS
27 (22) Cass Mappin - LW - 6'0/183 - Red Deer Rebels (WHL) - CAN
28 (97) Éric Gélinas - RD - 6'2/189 - Lewiston MAINEiacs (QMJHL) - CAN
29 (44) Taylor Beck - LW - 6'1/194 - Guelpg Storm (OHL) - CAN
30 (19) Anton Lander - LW - 6'0/189 - Timra (SEL) - SWE

[duff88]

Detroit teaches Coyotes a lesson

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/7369/hossaks2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
NHL leading scorer Marian Hossa scored his 68th and 69th points of the season

January 17th 2009 - The Detroit Red Wings shot 59 times towards an overwhelmed Nikolai Khabibulin while the Kansas City Coyotes defense had no answer to the Wings' fast-paced offensive game, on their way to a 5-1 defeat. Five different players scored for Detroit, although none of the goals were scored on the powerplay; this may be the only positive for the Coyotes who killed 8 penalties thanks to the Bulin Wall. Bret Hedican was the lone scorer on the losing end.

January 12th 2009 : Kansas City vs. Columbus, 5-1 L, (Fritsche 9), Khabibulin [L] (30/35)
January 13th 2009 : Coyotes at Columbus, 3-0 L, Denis [L] (30/33)
January 15th 2009 : Kansas City vs. Calgary, 5-2 W, (Schremp 10, Fritsche 10, Kaspar 12-13, Lundmark 12), Khabibulin [W] (30/32)
January 17th 2009 : Coyotes at Detroit, 5-1 L, (Hedican 3), Khabibulin [L] (54/59)

Kansas City Coyotes (48GP, 11-35-2, 24 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Doug Janik traded to Anaheim

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/2135/macmillanks0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
The rights to Logan MacMillan will now belong to Kansas City

January 21st 2009 - The Kansas City Coyotes have traded defenseman Doug Janik to the Anaheim Ducks, along with prospect defenseman Michael Stone, who was ranked 2nd on the team by Hockeysfuture behind Maksim Goncharov, and a 3rd round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft for prospect Logan MacMillan, who was the Ducks' first round pick in 2007.

Son of former NHLer Bob MacMillan, Logan is a 19-years-old two-way forward who currently plays for the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL. In 42 games this season, the right winger has scored 29 goals and 74 points which places him 6th in league scoring. MacMillan won the silver medal with team Canada at the last World Junior Championships.

Meanwhile, Brett Sterling and Jack Combs have been sent down to the San Antonio Rampage, leaving the Coyotes with a 21-men active roster.

January 18th 2009 : Kansas City vs. Columbus, 3-1 W, (Taffe 2, Carter 22, Kaspar 14), Denis [W] (29/30)
January 20th 2009 : Kansas City vs. Chicago, 5-2 W, (Carter 23-24, Hinote 7, Lepistö 5, Kopecky 3), Denis [W] (22/24)

Kansas City Coyotes (50GP, 13-35-2, 28 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Jackets-Capitals complete major trade

January 24th 2009 - The Washington Capitals traded swedish forward Michael Nylander to the Columbus Blue Jackets for prospects Nikita Filatov and Matt Calvert. In 49 games with the Capitals this season, Nylander had scored 19 goals and 55 points. Filatov had a tough start to his North-American career, scoring only 12 points in 45 games in the AHL with Syracuse; he is still an 18 years old 6th overall selection in the draft so it is not time to give up on him.

In other news, the Pittsburgh Penguins traded defenseman Philippe Boucher to the Buffalo Sabres for defenseman Andrej Sekera and forward Alex Bourret. The trade deadline is closeing in and tons of rumours are appearing. Boston's Zdeno Chara is at the forefront of these discussions, with the Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators and Portland Titans often coming up. A few Kansas City Coyotes could get some attention from other teams for the playoffs: Bret Hedican, Greg de Vries, Dean McAmmond, Anson Carter, Kevyn Adams and Dan Hinote should be popular names come trade deadline.

[duff88]

Fritsche scores first hat-trick

January 26th 2009 - Dan Fritsche scored three goals and added an assist, completing the first hat trick in Coyotes history to lead Kansas City to a 5-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Dean McAmmond, who also scored four points, and Lukas Kaspar scored the other goals for the Coyotes. Marc Denis had a great game in nets, blocking 31 of the 32 shots he recieved. This is the third straight win for the Coyotes.

January 26th 2009 : Coyotes at Chicago, 5-1 W, (Fritsche 11-12-13, McAmmond 9, Kaspar 15), Denis [W] (31/32)

Kansas City Coyotes (51GP, 14-35-2, 30 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Chara a Hurricane

http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/6669/charare9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Zdeno Chara will bring a huge presence to the 3rd place Hurricanes

January 27th 2009 - As was brought up in recent rumours, the Boston Bruins have traded towering slovak defenseman Zdeno Chara to the Carolina Hurricanes. In return, the Hurricanes gave up defenseman Joni Pitkänen and prospect Chris Terry.

In 41 games with the Bruins this year, Chara had scored 1 goal and 20 points. He has three years left on a 7.5M$ p/y contract. Pitkänen, a 25 years old defenseman who also has 3 years left on a 4M$ p/y contract, had 4 goals and 11 points in 49 games.

In other news, the Buffalo Sabres have traded defenseman Tony Lydman to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 3rd round pick. The Montreal Canadiens traded defenseman Mathieu Dandenault to the Edmonton Oilers for defenseman Denis Grebeshkov. The Anaheim Ducks have fired head coach Randy Carlyle and the New York Islanders have fired their coach Scott Gordon. Glenn Patrick will serve as Carlyle's replacement while Gordon will be replaced by Brian Sutter.

January 27th 2009 : Coyotes at St. Louis, 5-1 W, (Fritsche 14, McAmmond 10, Murphy 3, Kopecky 4, Schremp 11), Khabibulin [W] (22/23)

Kansas City Coyotes (52GP, 15-35-2, 32 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

January ends well

http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/4460/kaspar2uv5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Lukas Kaspar won the January segment of the Sprint Cup

February 1st 2009 - With a 4-game winning streak that ended on January 30th with a loss in the final seconds of the third period to the Edmonton Oilers, there is a lot of positive on the Coyotes' side for the first time this season. Dan Fritsche has scored 6 goals in the last 3 games and both goaltenders are very hot right now. Everyone is contributing both on the scoresheet and on the ice with a constant effort.

Lukas Kaspar was the recipient of the January segment of the Sprint Cup. With 5 goals and 10 assists for 15 points in 13 games this month, the Czech rookie beat Dean McAmmond and Dan Fritsche in the voting process.

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/2276/jan09ub4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

NHL Offensive Player of the Month: C Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks (11-9-12-21)
NHL Defensive Player of the Month: D Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames (15-6-11-17)
NHL Rookie of the Month: LW Lukas Kaspar, Kansas City Coyotes (13-5-10-15)
NHL Goals Leader: 36 - LW Markus Näslund, New York Rangers
NHL Assists Leader: 50 - C Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
NHL Points Leader: 80 - C Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 41 - D Nicklas Lidström, Detroit Red Wings
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 42 - LW Lukas Kaspar, Kansas City Coyotes

January 30th 2009 : Coyotes at Edmonton, 3-2 L, (Fritsche 15-16), Khabibulin [L] (32/35)

Kansas City Coyotes (53GP, 15-36-2, 32 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Major blow for Khabibulin and Coyotes

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/6941/khabibulin2dz3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Nikolai Khabibulin suffered a UCL tear that will keep him out for the rest of the season

February 2nd 2009 - The Kansas City Coyotes lost 3-2 to the Kings yesterday in Los Angeles, but the loss came in second to the news they got this mourning from the team doctors. Goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, who left the game in the second period with the score at 2-2 with an elbow injury, suffered a UCL tear. He will be out for the reminder of the season; this injury should keep him out of action for 4 to 5 months.

Marc Denis, who got the loss on his record for allowing the game winning goal while in replacement of Khabibulin yesterday against the Kings, will now be given the chance he has worked all season long to get. In 23 games so far, Denis had a 8-12-1 record with a 3.32 Goals Against Average and a 89.6% Save Percentage. In comparison, Khabibulin had a 7-24-1 record in 33 games with a 3.46 Goals Against Average and a 89.9% Save Percentage, leading to some fans and media members questionning why he was keeping the starting role.

David McKee has been recalled from the San Antonio Rampage to serve as backup to Denis.

February 1st 2009 : Coyotes at Los Angeles, 3-2 L, (Carter 25-26), Khabibulin (19/21) & Denis [L] (9/10)

Kansas City Coyotes (54GP, 15-37-2, 32 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Trade deadline frenzy starts

February 4th 2009 - The Montreal Canadiens have traded defenseman Andrei Markov to the Florida Panthers. In return, the Canadiens got two young players in forward Anthony Stewart and prospect defenseman Adam Comrie. This move marks the start of trading frenzy until the deadline on February 23rd. There are tons of rumours right now and some big names mentionned include Miroslav Satan, Mike Komisarek, Bret Hedican, Dustin Byfuglien, Marek Zidlicky, Michal Handzus, Craig Conroy, Tom Poti, Dan Hamhuis, Alex Kovalev and Brian Gionta.

Meanwhile, no Kansas City Coyotes have been named to the All-Star game in Montreal this year.

February 3rd 2009 : Kansas City vs. Anaheim, 4-1 L, (Lundmark 13), Denis [L] (27/31)

Kansas City Coyotes (55GP, 15-38-2, 32 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Hedican leaves pre-game warmup

February 6th 2009 - Coyotes defenseman Bret Hedican left the pre-game warmup of tonight's match against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Rumours are saying he has been traded to another western conference team. More details to follow.

Trade: Washington sends Tom Poti to Chicago for prospect Shawn Lalonde
Trade: Montreal trades Mike Komisarek to Minnesota for Marek Zidlicky

[duff88]

Coyotes win insane shootout

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/9253/mcammond2hb2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Dean McAmmond was the 8th shooter to face Marc-André Fleury in the shootout

February 6th 2009 - Dean McAmmond scored the game-winning shootout goal in the 8th round of shootouts as the Kansas City Coyotes beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3. Lukas Kaspar, Dean McAmmond and Kevyn Adams had scored for the Coyotes who earned their 15th win of the season. Marc Denis blocked 28 of 31 shots for the win.

There is still no official word on the Bret Hedican trade, but there are talks that a deal is being finalised at the moment by GM Nicolas Fillion and another western conference team that would send Hedican for a young defenseman and a high draft pick.

February 6th 2009 - Coyotes at Pittsburgh, 4-3S W, (Kaspar 16, McAmmond 11, Adams 3), Denis [W] (28/31)

Kansas City Coyotes (56GP, 16-38-2, 34 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Hedican traded to the Sharks

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/3993/hedicantp7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Hedican will now wear the San Jose Sharks' uniform

February 7th 2009 - The deal took some time to be announced, but the Kansas City Coyotes have finally officialized the transaction that sent Bret Hedican to the San Jose Sharks. In return, the Coyotes recieved 25-years-old offensive defenseman Reid Cashman and a 2nd round pick in the 2009 draft. San Jose also gets a 5th round pick in 2010 along with the 38-years-old Hedican.

Cashman, a Quinnipiac Bobcats standout, spent time during the last two seasons between the AHL and ECHL. He only played 24 games in the AHL this season this season, scoring 2 goals and 7 assists. Cashman was immediately sent to the San Antonio Rampage. He has two years remaining on a 455,000$ p/y two-way contract.

#5 - D - Reid Cashman - 6'1/191 - Left - 25 years old - USA

[duff88]

Coyoteless all-star fun in Montreal

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/4083/crosbypx5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Sidney Crosby quickly took down all four targets in the shooting accuracy competition with four shots

February 12th 2009 - The All-Star game was held today in Montreal, and since it's an all-star game there was no surprise in the fact that no Kansas City Coyotes took part in the event.

The game was preceded by the skills competition that was won 13-12 by the Eastern All-Stars. Marian Gaborik was the fastest skater, Ed Jovanovski won the hardest shot, Sidney Crosby the shooting accuracy competition and Martin St. Louis the puck control relay. Roberto Luongo too the honors in the goalie competition by blanking the shooters during the breakaway relay.

The game itself was won 7-6 in a shootout by the Western conference. However, the player of the game was an East All-Star; Patrick Elias of the New Jersey Devils scored 3 goals in the loss.

Trade: Islanders trade Shane Doan to Toronto for Justin Pogger and prospect Mikhail Stefanovich.
Trade: Blackhawks trade Brian Campbell to New Jersey for John Madden and a 2nd round pick in 2009.
Trade: Devils ship Colin White to Canucks for Steve Bernier
Trade: Flyers trade Keith Yandle to Los Angeles for two 2009 4th round picks.
Trade: Islanders trade Brendan Witt to Edmonton for Kyle Brodziak
Trade: Canadiens trade Roman Hamrlik to Carolina for right to prospect Michal Jordan.
Trade: Canadiens trade Francis Bouillon and a 3rd round pick in 2009 to Atlanta for Ron Hainsey
Trade: Rangers trade Artem Anisimov and the rights to Derek Stepan to Dallas for Darry Sydor
Trade: Islanders trade Mark Streit to Buffalo for prospect Jordon Southorn
Trade: Blue Jackets trade Derick Brassard and prospect Allen York to New Jersey for Dainius Zubrus
Trade: Devils trade Scott Clemmensen and Johnny Oduya to Hurricanes for Dennis Seidenberg and a 5th round pick in 2009.


February 8th 2009 : Kansas City vs. Toronto, 4-0 L, Denis [L] (40/44)
February 14th 2009 : Kansas City vs. San Jose, 4-2 L, (Schremp 12, Taffe 3), Denis [L] (30/34)
February 16th 2009 : Coyotes at St. Louis, 2-1 OTL, (McAmmond 12), Denis [OTL] (33/35)

Kansas City Coyotes (59GP, 16-40-3, 35 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

McAmmond traded to Pittsburgh

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/6292/mcammond3wu1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
McAmmond will play for a 9th NHL club in his career

February 17th 2009 - In another move for the last-place Coyotes closing in on the trade deadline, Kansas City has traded forward Dean McAmmond to the Pittsburgh Penguins. In return, the Coyotes get massive russian forward Evgeni Artyukhin. The 6'4/213 forward had 7 points in 38 games for the Penguins along with 133 Penalty In Minutes. He is a big intimidating forward who skates relatively well and who can ship it in offensively if asked too. He could be a decent project on the top lines, but if he doesn't pan out he can still serve as an enforcer on the fourth line.

#76 - RW - Evgeni Artyukhin - 6'4/213 - Left - 25 years old - Russia

Artyukhin won't be in Kansas City in time for tonight's game against the Titans. The Coyotes have recalled forward Brett Sterling from the San Antonio Rampage to fill in for McAmmond. Sterling had a lot of success in the AHL during his demotion, scoring 12 goals and 22 points in only 13 games. He will suit up on the second line with Rob Schremp and Jamie Lundmark.

[Icy]

Awesome dinasty, love the NHL09 pics.

[duff88]

Awesome dinasty, love the NHL09 pics.

Thanks, I like getting feedback so if you ever want infos about anything that's happening in my little EHM world, don't hesitate to ask!

[duff88]

Hinote to Sabres

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/3702/hinotede0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Hinote joins Buffalo with career highs 7 goals and 10 assists in 53 games.

February 19th 2011 - GM Nicolas Fillion has continued on his trade deadline sale by sending forward Dan Hinote to the Buffalo Sabres. In return, the Coyotes recieve a 3rd round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Unless something major comes up, this should be Kansas City's last move before the deadline:

"We are now going to try and finish the season strong and prepare the players to come back better next year." said Fillion.

LINES FOR THE NEXT GAME
Kaspar-Fritsche-Carter
Artyukhin-Schremp-Lundmark
Sterling-Kopecky-Comeau
Kolanos-Adams-Taffe

Tjärnqvist-de Vries
Lepistö-Murphy
Kronwall-Semenov

McKee
Denis

Trade: Vancouver trades Jannik Hansen, Shane O'Brien and Mason Raymond to Pittsburgh for Miroslav Satan
Trade: Islanders send Andy Sutton and a 3rd round pick to Minnesota for Nick Schultz

February 17th 2009 : Kansas City vs. Portland, 2-1 W, (Fritsche 17, Comeau 7), Denis [W] (38/39)

Kansas City Coyotes (60GP, 17-40-3, 37 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Artyukhin costs Coyotes in debut

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/4912/artyukhinhq7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Artyukhin recieved a five minutes major for charging

February 20th 2009 - Forward Evgeni Artyukhin was playing a good game in his debuts with the Kansas City Coyotes through two periods. The team was leading 3-2 and the Russian forward already had 2 shots on net. It didn't end that way though, as the russian forward got a five minutes major midway through the third period for charging Brad Richardsson of the Kings from during a penalty kill. Richardsson came back to haunt the Coyotes with a goal on the 5-on-3 before Kyle Calder scored the game winner during the reminder of Artyukhin's penalty. The Kings went on to win the game 5-3.

"Sometimes you have to tone down your aggressiveness." said coach Pat Quinn

"Well the guy was trying to help the team, he was having a good game." said captain Greg de Vries "It may have been a severe call, but it's the way games are officiated" he added without trying to pinpoint referee Dean Warren as guilthy.

Anson Carter had scored two goals, while Brett Sterling had scored the other. David McKee blocked 35 of 40 shots against during the loss. Cory Murphy left the game with an ankle injury that turned out to be a sprain in ankle ligaments which should make him miss a bit more than a month. Recent acquisition Reid Cashman, who has scored 2 goals and 5 points in 6 games with the Rampage, was recalled from the minors.

February 19th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Los Angeles, 5-3 L, (Sterling 4, Carter 27-28), McKee [L] (35/40)

Kansas City Coyotes (61GP, 17-41-3, 37 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Captain de Vries signs a new deal

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/2055/devries2yz3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Captain de Vries will stay in Kansas City for at least another year

February 20th 2009 - Coyotes captain Greg de Vries has demonstated his intention to spend the rest of his playing career with Kansas City by signing a one-year contract extension. Many teams had demonstrated interest in the steady stay-at-home defender for the playoffs run, but the Coyotes weren't ready to part with an important part of their core.

The team also announced a one year extension with Sami Lepistö and two year extensions with Dan Fritsche, Blake Comeau, Rob Schremp and Lukas Kaspar. Meanwhile, Evgeni Artyukhin has been suspended 2 games for his game misconduct against the Los Angeles Kings. Petteri Nokelainen and Jack Combs have been recalled, Combs will replace him on the second line for the team's next game against Montreal.

Trade: Capitals trade Brent Johnson, Viktor Kozlov and a 2nd round pick to New Jersey for Brian Gionta
Trade: Penguins trade Ryan Whitney and Matt Cooke to Montreal for Alex Tanguay

[duff88]

Insane trade deadline passes

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/2628/doantanguaystreitcampbebe7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Shane Doan, Alex Tanguay, Mark Streit and Brian Campbell are only four of the big names that changed team at the deadline

February 24th 2009 - This year's NHL Trade Deadline was probably the most memorable one in NHL history. In what might have been a result of the financial uncertainty, teams made multiple important trades and completely shook the foundation of the NHL as we knew it at the start of the season.

Trade: Avalanche trade Ray Macias, Ian Laperrière and prospect Kevin Montgomery to New Jersey for Brian Rolston
Trade: Canadiens trade Tomas Plekanec to Los Angeles for Kyle Quincey and Kyle Calder
Trade: Islanders trade Bruno Gervais and Sean Bergenheim to Boston for Michael Ryder
Trade: Sabres trade Jhonas Enroth to Montreal for Ken Klee
Trade: Sabres trade Nathan Paetsch and 3rd round pick to Calgary for Craig Conroy
Trade: Hurricanes trade Patrick Eaves to New Jersey for Jamie Langenbrunner
Trade: Stars trade Loui Eriksson to New Jersey for Andy Greene
Trade: Sharks trade Justin Daniels to Los Angeles for Sean O'Donnell
Trade: Penguins trade Tyler Kennedy, Hal Gill and prospect Casey Pierro-Zabotel to Nashville for J-P Dumont
Trade: Penguins trade Petr Sykora to New Jersey for Paul Martin
Trade: Blues trade prospect James Livingston to Chicago for Brent Sopel

February 22nd 2009 - Kansas City vs. Montreal, 5-4 OTL, (Schremp 13, Comeau 8, Kopecky 5, Carter 29), McKee [OTL] (19/24)

Kansas City Coyotes (62GP, 17-41-4, 38 points, 15th in the West)

[Travis]

Hey duff, how did you go about setting up the expansion draft? I just did a cursory look over in the game last night and didn't see anything that jumped out at me for getting that rolling (and to be fully honest, I figured it might be easier to ask you so I may have just loaded up my current career and played some of that instead)?

Didn't know if you'd prefer this here or over PM, so however you'd prefer to continue, feel free.

Also, now that the season is winding down, can we expect some insight into what your thoughts are on the upcoming draft/what your strategy will be?

[duff88]

Hey duff, how did you go about setting up the expansion draft? I just did a cursory look over in the game last night and didn't see anything that jumped out at me for getting that rolling (and to be fully honest, I figured it might be easier to ask you so I may have just loaded up my current career and played some of that instead)?

Didn't know if you'd prefer this here or over PM, so however you'd prefer to continue, feel free.

Also, now that the season is winding down, can we expect some insight into what your thoughts are on the upcoming draft/what your strategy will be?

For the expansion draft, I took care of everything in the Pre-Game Editor but did it all using "house rules". By that, I mean nothing was controlled by the CPU; both the dispersal and expansion drafts were controlled by me, trying to keep it as real as possible.

First, I made a list of all contracted players for Phoenix and Tampa Bay and changed their contract to new teams according to the Dispersal Draft list I provided. Then, I went from team to team and looked at which players would be protected and which would not for the expansion draft. From then on, I tried to build the two best teams possible, although I used a different building philosophy: I wanted Portland to be more competitive in the early years while Kansas City would take some younger players.

To create the new teams, I simply replaced the Coyotes and Lightning. To make sure the database doesn't corrupt, you have to take two unused teams and rename them to Phoenix Coyotes and Tampa Bay Lightning though; that way the game will still find teams that fits those names.

As for my thoughts on the future, I'll cover it in the post-season press conference. If you have any questions afterwards, feel free to ask them.

[duff88]

February leads to end-of-season sale

http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/7435/carter4ze2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Anson Carter was the Sprint Cup winner for February

March 1st 2009 - With starting goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin's season ending early due to an injury and the trading away of Bret Hedican, Dean McAmmond and Dan Hinote, the Kansas City Coyotes have pretty much given up hope on making an impact before the end of the season.

Anson Carter was the winner of the February segment of the Sprint Cup. With 7 goals and 3 assists for 10 points in 12 games this month, Carter beat his linemate Lukas Kaspar and forward Kevyn Adams in the votings.

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/3281/feb09sw0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

NHL Offensive Player of the Month: C Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks (13-7-12-19)
NHL Defensive Player of the Month: D Wade Redden, New York Rangers (11-3-8-11)
NHL Rookie of the Month: D Jonas Junland, St. Louis Blues (11-2-5-7)
NHL Goals Leader: 41 - LW Markus Näslund, New York Rangers
NHL Assists Leader: 62 - C Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
NHL Points Leader: 99 - C Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 46 - D Nicklas Lidström, Detroit Red Wings
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 52 - LW Lukas Kaspar, Kansas City Coyotes

February 24th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Detroit, 1-0 OTL, Denis [OTL] (35/36)
February 25th 2009 - Coyotes at Columbus, 6-2 L, (Schremp 14, de Vries 5), Denis [L] (45/51)
February 27th 2009 - Coyotes at San Jose, 7-4 L, (Adams 4, Carter 30-31, Artyukhin 5), McKee [L] (23/30)

Kansas City Coyotes (65GP, 17-43-5, 39 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Shanahan a top 10 all-time goal scorer

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/162/shanahanvv0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Shanahan scored his 669th career goal against goaltender Nicklas Backström

March 2nd 2009 - By scoring his 19th goal of the season in a 4-2 Portland Titans win over the Minnesota Wild yesterday, Brendan Shanahan reached the impressive total of 669 career goals, putting him in front of Luc Robitaille as the tenth all-time goal scoring NHLer. The 40 years old captain has slowed down considerably in the last few weeks as it took him two weeks to score the 669th goal after tying Robitaille in mid February.

In 63 games with the Titans this year, Shanahan has 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points. Maxim Afinogenov leads the team with 55 points in 64 games.

[duff88]

Cashman is money in the bank

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/649/cashmanxj2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Can rookie defenseman Reid Cashman keep this rythm?

March 14th 2009 - A lot of people questionned general manager Nicolas Fillion when he traded away an experienced Bret Hedican who was at the top of his trade value for defenseman Reid Cashman and a late second round pick this past month. The rumour preceding the trade was that Kansas City was going to recieve a very good young defenseman, so fans and media alike were let down by the acquisition of a 25 years old with no NHL experience who had, until then, travelled between the AHL and ECHL.

Reid Cashman was called up from the San Antonio Rampage on February 20th after scoring 5 points in 6 games. Since then, the offensive defenseman has played 10 games with the Coyotes, scoring twice and adding 8 assists for 10 points; an astonishing performance for a rookie defender. In last night's game against the Detroit Red Wings, Cashman scored a goal and added two assists while being named the first star.

"I just go out there and try to do my job." said the man of few words.

It is doubtful that Cashman can keep up this incredible rythm, but he has proven that Fillion had done his job when he acquired him from the San Jose Sharks.

March 3rd 2009 - Coyotes at Dallas, 3-2 W, (Kaspar 17, Lundmark 14, Schremp 15), Denis [W] (35/37)
March 4th 2009 - Coyotes at Anaheim, 3-1 L, (Carter 32), Denis [L] (21/24)
March 6th 2009 - Coyotes at Detroit, 4-3 L, (Artyukhin 6-7, Taffe 4), McKee [L] (29/33)
March 8th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Calgary, 3-2S L, (Cashman 1, Schremp 16), Denis [OTL] (31/33)
March 10th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Columbus, 7-4 W, (Carter 33-34, Kopecky 6, Lepistö 6, Kaspar 18-19, Lundmark 15), Denis [W] (32/36)
March 13th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Detroit, 5-4 W, (Schremp 17, Carter 35-36, Cashman 2, Lepistö 7), Denis [W] (23/27)

Kansas City Coyotes (71GP, 20-45-6, 46 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Kaspar secures Calder in March

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/9536/kaspar3um8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Lukas Kaspar is now tied with Anson Carter for the team point scoring lead with 69 points

April 1st 2009 - With a performance of 8 goals and 17 points in 14 games, Lukas Kaspar has done everything in his power to confirm that he is the best candidate for the Calder Trophy, given anually to the best rookie in the National Hockey League. The Coyotes themselves had a very good month with 6 wins, 7 losses and one overtime loss.

Without surprise, Kaspar was the winner of the March segment of the Sprint Cup. He beat Rob Schremp and Marc Denis in the voting. Meanwhile, Evgeni Artyukhin has once again been suspended for three games, therefore the reminder of the season, for elbowing Wojtek Wolski of the Colorado Avalanche in the March 31st 2-0 loss. GM Nicolas Fillion appealed the decision but the league stood their ground.

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/1008/mar09ci3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

NHL Offensive Player of the Month: C Vincent Lecavalier, Los Angeles Kings (15-9-13-22)
NHL Defensive Player of the Month: G Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks (12GP-8W-5SO)
NHL Rookie of the Month: LW Lukas Kaspar, Kansas City Coyotes (14-8-9-17)
NHL Goals Leader: 52 - LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta Thrashers
NHL Assists Leader: 72 - C Daymond Langkow, Calgary Flames
NHL Points Leader: 113 - C Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 52 - D Lubomir Visnovsky, Edmonton Oilers
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 69 - LW Lukas Kaspar, Kansas City Coyotes

March 14th 2009 - Coyotes at Detroit, 6-3 L, (Schremp 18, de Vries 6, Tjärnqvist 1), Denis [L] (8/12) & McKee (30/32)
March 17th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Colorado, 3-2S W, (Schremp 19, Kaspar 20), Denis [W] (30/32)
March 21st 2009 - Coyotes at Vancouver, 3-1 W, (Kaspar 21-22, Artyukhin 8), Denis [W] (39/40)
March 23rd 2009 - Coyotes at Calgary, 4-2 L, (Kaspar 23, Semenov 2), Denis [L] (33/37)
March 24th 2009 - Coyotes at Minnesota, 6-1 L, (Schremp 20), McKee [L] (26/32) & Denis (7/7)
March 27th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Minnesota, 5-2 W, (Carter 37, Kaspar 24, Artyukhin 9, Kolanos 3, Lepistö 8), Denis [W] (25/27)
March 29th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Detroit, 5-1 L, (Artyukhin 10), Denis [L] (28/33)
March 31st 2009 - Kansas City vs. Colorado, 2-0 L, Denis [L] (35/37)

Kansas City Coyotes (79GP, 23-50-6, 52 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Denis signs one-year extension

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/1091/denis2kv1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Marc Denis has maintained been a revelation in nets for the Coyotes

April 5th 2009 - After a convincing win against the Chicago Blackhawks earlier this week, the Kansas City Coyotes announced that they had come to terms on a one-year contract extension with goaltender Marc Denis. With two games remaining on the regular season calendar, Denis qualifies as one of the best comeback stories of the year. After being demoted to the American league by the Tampa Bay Lightning last year, he has come back to the NHL and posted better stats then his team's starter Nikolai Khabibulin. In 45 games, Denis has a 17-21-4 record with a 3.11GAA and a 90.6 SAV%.

Anson Carter suffered a twisted knee in practice yesterday and will be out of action for two weeks. He will therefore miss the final two games of the regular season. The Coyotes have called up forward Rick Rypien from the San Antonio Rampage. Rypien missed most of the season with a sports hernia, but has scored 6 goals and 10 points in 16 games since returning. Although he is not a heavyweight by any means at 5'11/169, Rypien brings forth an agressive style and he rarely backs down from a fight; he is often mentionned among the best middleweight fighters in hockey.

In other news, prospect Michael Stone suffered a torn MCL in the Calgary Hitmen's 5-3 loss to the Saskatoon Blades in the WHL's Eastern Conference Semi Final Game 2. Stone, who was traded to Anaheim along with Doug Janik for prospect Logan MacMillan earlier this year, will miss at least 8 months of action and may require surgery.

April 3rd 2009 - Kansas City vs. Chicago, 4-1 W, (Lundmark 16, Kaspar 25, Kopecky 7, LepistÖ 9), Denis [W] (29/30)

Kansas City Coyotes (80GP, 24-50-6, 54 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Coyotes finish last in the league

It has been no secret for a while, but with the end of regular season today, the Kansas City Coyotes have finished last in the entire NHL with a dysmal 24 wins, 52 losses and 6 overtime losses record. The Buffalo Sabres won the President Trophy as best regular season club with a 55 wins, 22 losses and 5 overtime losses record, good enough for 115 points.

The Sprint Cup (Player of the Year as voted by the media), Gold Stick (Biggest contributor without recieving praise for his work) and Star Trophy (Player of the Year as voted by the fans) will be given to their respective winner after the conclusion of the NHL Playoffs.

April 5th 2009 - Kansas City vs. St. Louis, 3-1 L, (Fritsche 18), Denis [L] (30/33)
April 7th 2009 - Coyotes at Edmonton, 5-1 L, (Adams 5), Denis [L] (37/42)

Kansas City Coyotes (82GP, 24-52-6, 54 points, 15th in the West, 201GF-283GA, 13.3%PP [28th], 80.3%PK [28th])

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/541/saison0809fz4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

NHL Top 10 scorers:
1. C Patrick Marleau, San Jose (82GP - 44G - 75A - 119PTS)
2. C Daymond Langkow, Calgary (82GP - 28G - 76A - 104PTS)
3. C Pavol Demitra, Vancouver (82GP - 50G - 53A - 103PTS)
4. C Vincent Lecavalier, Los Angeles (82GP - 42G - 61A - 103PTS)
5. LW Milan Michalek, San Jose (82GP - 44G - 55A - 99PTS)
6. C Tim Connolly, Buffalo (79GP - 30G - 69A - 99PTS)
7. LW Rick Nash, Columbus (82GP - 49G - 49A - 98PTS)
8. RW Jarome Iginla, Calgary (81GP - 43G - 52A - 95PTS)
9. RW Marian Hossa, Detroit (77GP - 40G - 55A - 95PTS)
10. C Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit (73GP - 36G - 57A - 93PTS)

NHL Top 5 goalscorers:
1. LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta (74GP - 53 Goals)
2. RW Jonathan Cheechoo, San Jose (82GP - 51 Goals)
3. C Pavol Demitra, Vancouver (82GP - 50 Goals)
4. LW Rick Nash, Columbus (82GP - 49 Goals)
5. LW Markus Näslund, New York R (75GP - 47 Goals)
. LW Thomas Vanek, Buffalo (82GP - 47 Goals)

NHL Top 5 defensemen scorers:
1. D Nicklas LidstrÖm, Detroit (82GP - 17G - 37A - 54 PTS)
2. D Lubomir Visnovsky, Edmonton (82GP - 22G - 30A - 52 PTS)
3. D Dion Phaneuf, Calgary (82GP - 14G - 38A - 52PTS)
4. D Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim (82GP - 14G - 35A - 49 PTS)
5. D Brian Rafalski, Detroit (82GP - 5G - 43A - 48 PTS)

NHL Top 5 rookie scorers:
1. LW Lukas Kaspar, Kansas City (79GP - 25G - 46A - 71 PTS)
2. LW Benoit Pouliot, Minnesota (78GP - 27G - 32A - 59 PTS)
3. C Rob Schremp, Kansas City (77GP - 20G - 28A - 48 PTS)
4. RW Radek Smolenak, Dallas (74GP - 16G - 29A - 45 PTS)
5. RW Bobby Ryan, Anaheim (77GP - 19G - 18A - 37 PTS)

NHL Top 5 goaltender GAA (min. 60GP)
1. G Roberto Luongo (72GP - 45W - 2.18GAA - 92.2SAV% - 7SO)
2. G Ryan Miller (69GP - 48W - 2.41GAA - 91.0SAV% - 5SO)
3. G Tomas Vokoun (67GP - 38W - 2.46GAA - 91.5SAV% - 5SO)
4. G Cam Ward (72GP - 38W - 2.54GAA - 91.5SAV% - 1SO)
5. G Henrik Lundqvist (72GP - 43W - 2.63GAA - 91.4SAV% - 3SO)

Other notable players:
RW Teemu Selänne, Anaheim (69GP - 38G - 54A - 92PTS)
C Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim (82GP - 28G - 61A - 89PTS)
D Chris Pronger, Anaheim (76GP - 6G - 35A - 41PTS)
G Jean-Sébastien Giguère, Anaheim (31GP - 19W - 2.40GAA - 92.1SAV% - 1SO) [UCL TEAR]
C Marc Savard, Boston (81GP - 37G - 49A - 86PTS)
RW Phil Kessel, Boston (82GP - 28G - 53A - 81PTS)
D Andrej Meszaros, Boston (75GP - 7G - 36A - 43PTS)
D Ed Jovanovski, Buffalo (82GP - 7G - 37A - 44PTS)
LW Mike Cammalleri, Calgary (77GP - 37G - 52A - 89PTS)
RW Todd Bertuzzi, Calgary (82GP - 33G - 49A - 82PTS)
LW Ryan Malone, Calgary (82GP - 35G - 45A - 80PTS)
G Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary (69GP - 37W - 2.66GAA - 91.0SAV% - 4SO)
C Eric Staal, Carolina (82GP - 34G - 49A - 83PTS)
D Zdeno Chara, Carolina (71GP - 2G - 37A - 39PTS)
C Jonathan Toews, Chicago (81GP - 19G - 41A - 60PTS)
RW Patrick Kane, Chicago (82GP - 26G - 32A - 58PTS)
RW Milan Hejduk, Colorado (76GP - 33G - 48A - 81PTS)
C Joe Sakic, Colorado (77GP - 31G - 49A - 80PTS)
LW Paul Stastny, Colorado (82GP - 28G - 44A - 72PTS)
D John-Michael Liles, Colorado (89GP - 10G - 36A - 46PTS)
C Olli Jokinen, Columbus (74GP - 30G - 60A - 90PTS)
C Michael Nylander, Columbus (82GP - 27G - 58A - 85PTS)
C Brad Richards, Dallas (82GP - 34G - 57A - 91PTS)
LW Brendan Morrow, Dallas (82GP - 44G - 43A- 87PTS)
LW Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit (69GP - 36G - 41A - 77PTS)
C Shawn Horcoff, Edmonton (78GP - 31G - 56A - 87PTS)
LW Dustin Penner, Edmonton (82GP - 42G - 44A - 86PTS)
RW Ales Hemsky, Edmonton (79GP - 28G - 52A - 80PTS)
RW Nathan Horton, Florida (75GP - 30G - 46A - 76PTS)
D Andrei Markov, Florida (77GP - 10G - 30A - 40PTS)
C Ales Kopitar, Los Angeles (69GP - 20G - 46A - 66PTS)
LW Alexander Frolov, Los Angeles (61GP - 30G - 35A - 65PTS)
RW Patrick O'Sullivan, Los Angeles (67GP - 26G - 39A - 65PTS)
RW Marian Gaborik, Minnesota (60GP - 27G - 28A - 55PTS)
RW Alex Kovalev, Montreal (74GP - 34G - 43A - 77PTS)
LW Andrei Kostitsyn, Montreal (82GP - 30G - 42A - 72PTS)
C Saku Koivu, Montreal (35GP - 10G - 25A - 35PTS)
G Carey Price, Montreal (68GP - 30W - 2.82GAA - 90.8SAV% - 3SO)
LW Patrik Elias, New Jersey (82GP - 38G - 42A - 80PTS)
RW Petr Sykora, New Jersey (79GP - 26G - 49A - 75PTS)
RW Steve Bernier, New Jersey (83GP - 33G - 40A - 73PTS)
C Zach Parise, New Jersey (82GP - 22G - 43A - 65PTS)
D Brian Campbell, New Jersey (78GP - 10G - 31A - 41PTS)
G Martin Brodeur, New Jersey (1GP - 1W)
C Chris Drury, New York R (74GP - 30G - 50A - 80PTS)
RW Nikolai Zherdev, New York R (76GP - 30G - 50A - 80PTS)
D Wade Redden, New York R (62GP - 10G - 37A - 47PTS)
C Scott Gomez, New York R (34GP - 13G - 25A - 38PTS)
LW Dany Heatley, Ottawa (80GP - 40G - 49A - 89PTS)
RW Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa (72GP - 42G - 43A - 85PTS)
C Jason Spezza, Ottawa (69GP - 29G - 51A - 80PTS)
LW Simon Gagné, Philadelphia (82GP - 36G - 45A - 81PTS)
LW Alex Tanguay, Pittsburgh (72GP - 36G - 47A - 83PTS)
C Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh (76GP - 28G - 47A - 75PTS)
C Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh (69GP - 32G - 34A - 66PTS)
G Marc-André Fleury, Pittsburgh (73GP - 39G - 2.86GAA - 90.9SAV% - 0SO)
RW Maxim Afinogenov, Portland (82GP - 34G - 40A - 74PTS)
C Joe Thornton, San Jose (72GP - 26G - 45A - 71PTS)
D Dan Boyle, San Jose (79GP - 7G - 34A - 41PTS)
G Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose (61GP - 36W - 2.71GAA - 90.2SAV% - 4SO)
RW Martin St. Louis, St. Louis (77GP - 41G - 41A - 82PTS)
C Andy McDonald, St. Louis (82GP - 31G - 46A - 77PTS)
RW Shane Doan, Toronto (82GP - 42G - 41A - 83PTS)
C Peter Mueller, Toronto (82GP - 22G - 48A - 70PTS)
C Daniel Sedin, Vancouver (77GP - 33G - 50A - 83PTS)
C Mats Sundin, Vancouver (38GP - 11G - 22A - 33PTS)
RW Brian Gionta, Washingotn (81GP - 38G - 43A - 81PTS)
RW Alexander Ovechkin, Washington (51GP - 39G - 35A - 74PTS)
LW Alexander Semin, Washington (80GP - 28G - 35A - 63PTS)
C Nicklas Bäckström, Washington (78GP - 19G - 38A - 57PTS)

Eastern Conference:
*1. Buffalo Sabres (55-22-5) - 115 Points
*2. Carolina Hurricanes (45-21-16) - 106 Points
*3. New York Rangers (50-27-5) - 105 Points
4. Toronto Maple Leafs (51-26-5) - 107 Points
5. Ottawa Senators (47-25-10) - 104 Points
6. Florida Panthers (45-29-8) - 98 Points
7. Boston Bruins (43-33-6) - 92 Points
8. Pittsburgh Penguins (42-36-4) - 88 Points
-
9. Washington Capitals (39-35-8) - 86 Points
10. Philadelphia Flyers (40-40-2) - 82 Points
11. Montreal Canadiens (34-37-11) - 79 Points
12. New Jersey Devils (34-40-8) - 76 Points
13. New York Islanders (33-41-8) - 74 Points
14. Atlanta Thrashers (32-42-8) - 72 Points
15. Nashville Predators (29-44-9) - 67 Points

Western Conference
*1. Vancouver Canucks (53-24-5) - 111 Points
*2. Detroit Red Wings (49-28-5) - 103 Points
*3. San Jose Sharks (46-28-8) - 100 Points
4. Columbus Blue Jackets (46-27-9) - 101 Points
5. Edmonton Oilers (46-30-6) - 98 Points
6. Calgary Flames (44-30-8) - 96 Points
7. Los Angeles Kings (43-32-7) - 93 Points
8. Dallas Stars (42-32-8) - 92 Points
-
9. St. Louis Blues (41-32-9) - 91 Points
10. Anaheim Ducks (39-32-11) - 89 Points
11. Colorado Avalanche (39-35-8) - 86 Points
12. Portland Titans (35-41-6) - 76 Points
13. Minnesota Wild (33-44-5) - 71 Points
14. Chicago Blackhawks (31-46-5) - 67 Points
15. Kansas City Coyotes (24-52-6) - 54 Points

NHL Playoffs
1 Buffalo Sabres vs. 8 Pittsburgh Penguins
2 Carolina Hurricanes vs 7 Boston Bruins
3 New York Rangers vs 6 Florida Panthers
4 Toronto Maple Leafs vs 5 Ottawa Senators

1 Vancouver Canucks vs. 8 Dallas Stars
2 Detroit Red Wings vs. 7 Los Angeles Kings
3 San Jose Sharks vs. 6 Calgary Flames
4 Columbus Blue Jackets vs. 5 Edmonton Oilers

[Travis]

Let's go Oil!

How has Schremp been developing for you? I've had a few careers where his offense goes off the charts but his D stats never budge and others where they almost get to green levels in a season or two as well.

[duff88]

Let's go Oil!

How has Schremp been developing for you? I've had a few careers where his offense goes off the charts but his D stats never budge and others where they almost get to green levels in a season or two as well.

He looks very promising; more than I would have imagined. He won't ever be a great defensive forward, but he has been performing very well and improving at a decent rate. He should become a good playmaking 2nd line centre, but I obviously wouldn't build my team around him. I expect him to be the 1st line centre in a year or two if we don't get someone with experience, considering we are still a rebuilding team.

[duff88]

9 Coyotes named to World Championships

POOL A
Sweden (D Staffan Kronwall, D Daniel Tjärnqvist)
Switzerland
Latvia
Italy

POOL B
USA (G David McKee)
Czech Republic (LW Lukas Kaspar)
Belarus
Austria

POOL C
Canada (D Greg de Vries)
Slovakia (RW Tomas Kopecky)
Germany
Norway

POOL D
Russia (D Alexei Semenov)
Finland (D Sami Lepistö)
Ukraine
Denmark

[duff88]

2008-09 Season wrap-up press conference

GM Nicolas Fillion and head coach Pat Quinn met with media members today to wrap-up the first season of the Kansas City Coyotes, who finished last in the league. Among the biggest topics covered were the contract status of Nikolai Khabibulin and Anson Carter, the upcoming NHL Entry Draft and the future of the team.

Opening Statement
NF: "The first year of the Coyotes in Kansas City had its up and downs. Obviously you never go into a season with the idea that you will finish last in the league, so this was a definite disappointment. There were still a lot of positives to take out of this whole situation. Our team and staff have developped a great chemistry that will make us a better team in the future. Our young players have improved tremendously and we were in for some nice surprises. The veteran core that we built through the summer proved to be very dedicated to the team's growth and proved to be a great influence to the younger players. There is no doubt that we will have to make adjustments through the summer; we won't go into the next season with the "expansion team" sticker so we will have to provide better results. Through the next few weeks, our staff will go through our personnel and make choices to make us a better team, both for now and for the future. We want to give Kansas City the team that they deserve."

On the players moved out through the season
NF: "There are two ways to look at the moves a team make. One is asset management; obviously you don't want to look at players as asset but as General Manager you have to get the best out of a player for the present and for the future. Sometimes, the best is not the player himself but rather the value he can bring through the transactions market. The other aspect is more on a personal standpoint; if you take a look at guys like McAmmond and Hedican who were traded in the course of the year, they were great players for our team and they brought in some strenghts that we will be missing, but they are in their final active years and you want to give them a chance to win and it wasn't going to happen here this year. Now if you look at the assets we added through those trades: MacMillan is a great young prospect who will join us here next year, Cashman has been a tremendous surprise on defense and Artyukhin adds a new dimension with his size and style of play. We also got picks and we have the confidence that our scouting team can turn those into players"

On looking back at the expectations before the season
NF: "What were the expectations? From the get-go, people in Kansas City were told we had a five-year plan for the team. History has shown that you can't skip a step; you have to build a team gradually if you want to succeed in this league. This is my philosophy, and I think the Coyotes are going to benefit from this. As of right now, we get a chance to see some great young players who may not win a championship, but they will play exciting hockey and that can certainly give any team a tough time."
PQ: "If anything, exceeded my expectations. I can't say I coached a lot of teams that ended at the bottom of the standings, but I sure can say that I haven't coached a lot of teams that were so close and so enclined on getting better. Younger and older players alike, they did a very good job at coming out every game with their best effort. Chemistry is very important to help acclimate the younger players, and if you look at the seasons of guys like Kaspar, Schremp, Fritsche, Lepisto; they went from rookies to NHL players and have become a part of our core."

On the success of the Portland Titans
NF: "I don't know wether to call it success or a different philosophy. Jay [Feaster] and Craig [Patrick] went out there and got some established playersto help their team. Just off the top of my head, they got Afinogenov, Shanahan, McKee, Friesen, Prucha, Marchant... But I don't see a Kaspar. I don't see a Schremp. I don't see a Fritsche. Their youngest regular was 25; as of right now we have nine regulars who were 25 or younger. But again I tell you, Jay has his own philosophy and we have ours. We think that at this point, we'd rather have a young developping team than a older team that will be in the playoffs hunt. I guess the future will tell us if we're right."

On Nikolai Khabibulin
NF: "He isn't happy with the year he had. In the mean time, Denis has proven to be a pleasent surprise. We will re-evaluate our options, but we'd like to have him back. I guess we will have to sit down and talk."
PQ: "If I may add, and I told both of them the same thing, at this point in time and with the way Denis played to end the season, I'm not sure if Khabibulin would have remained starter for the reminder of the season had he not gone down with this injury. If he is coming back, and we are all hoping to reach an agreement, we may be going with a 1A-1B duo with Marc and Khabi."

On Anson Carter
NF: "For a guy heading to retirement at 34 and who had only played 14 games in Switzerland last year, he has been unbelievable for us. The dedication, professionalism, ambition and character of his is really impressive. We will discuss with him; but I'll say that we didn't move him at the deadline because we want him to stay here in Kansas City."

On other players' contract status
NF: "We will re-evaluate this all in the upcoming weeks with Pat [Quinn], Jake [Goertzen] and the rest of the staff. At this point in time, I don't want to talk about it."

On the first overall selection and the 2009 NHL Draft
NF: "The lottery will be held following the end of the playoffs. At this point, our staff is still torn between Tavares and Hedman so the lottery may be a blessing in disguise for me."
[laughs]
"Mark [Yanetti] and his team have done a very impressive job heading into the draft. We are pretty confident at this point that we can add future stars with our first and second round picks. I won't name names, but we've aimed a few gems we hope to manage to put our hands on in the later rounds."

On trading the first pick
NF: "Out of question."

On the free agency market
NF: "We'll be active; but I'll be realist and ask you how receptive players will be? We have the money to spend and the right organization values for the players, but it's no secret that we will not contend for the Cup next year. We need to get players that fit our team and who understand the sacrifices needed."

[duff88]

Kings, Flames and Sens create only first round surprises

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Alec Martinez, who went scoreless in only two regular season games, scored the game winning overtime goal of the 7th game between the Kings and Red Wings to lead the 7th place past the defending Stanley Cup Champions. The Calgary Flames created another first round upset by defeating the San Jose Sharks in only four games. The Ottawa Senators defeated archrivals Toronto in seven games; defeating the Leafs 4-2 in the final match.

FIRST ROUND RESULTS
1 Buffalo Sabres defeat 8 Pittsburgh Penguins in 5 games (BUF G Ryan Miller - 5GP - 4W - 1.16GAA - 95.7SAV%)
2 Carolina Hurricanes defeat 7 Boston Bruins in 6 games (CAR C Matt Cullen - 6GP - 1G - 8A - 9PTS)
3 New York Rangers defeat 6 Florida Panthers in 7 games (NYR LW Markus Näslund GWG (9th goal) at 15:37 of OT1)
5 Ottawa Senators defeat 4 Toronto Maple Leafs in 7 games (OTT C Jason Specca - 7GP - 3G - 6A - 9PTS)

1 Vancouver Canucks defeat 8 Dallas Stars in 6 games (VAN LW Daniel Sedin - 6GP - 5G - 2A - 7PTS)
7 Los Angeles Kings defeat 2 Detroit Red Wings in 7 games (LA C Brad Richardsson - 7GP - 1G - 7A - 8PTS)
6 Calgary Flames defeat 3 San Jose Sharks in 4 games (CGY G Miikka Kiprusoff - 4GP - 4W - 1.76GAA - 93.9SAV%)
4 Columbus Blue Jackets defeat 5 Edmonton Oilers in 4 games (CBJ C Olli Jokinen - 4GP - 4G - 3A - 7PTS)

TOP 5 PLAYOFF SCORERS
1. RW Nikolai Zherdev, NYR (7-4-9-13)
2. LW Markus Näslund, NYR (7-9-3-12)
3. C Chris Drury, NYR (7-0-12-12)
4. C Jason Spezza, OTT (7-3-6-9)
5. C Matt Cullen, CAR (6-1-8-9)

SECOND ROUND MATCHUPS
1 Buffalo Sabres vs. 5 Ottawa Senators
2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. 3 New York Rangers

1 Vancouver Canucks vs. 7 Los Angeles Kings
4 Columbus Blue Jackets vs. 6 Calgary Flames

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Multiple new contracts in Kansas City

Tomas Kopecky, Staffan Kronwall, Cory Murphy, Alexei Semenov, Jamie Lundmark and Kevyn Adams have signed one-year contract extensions with the Kansas City Coyotes. Anson Carter has signed a two-years contract entension.

Among all contracted players, Nikolai Khabibulin, Jeff Taffe, Krys Kolanos, Rick Rypien, Tyler Mosienko, Cody Bostock and Bryan Rodney remain unsigned and will become free agents on July 1st if no deal is agreed on.

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NHL announces trophy finalists

Calder Memorial Trophy - Best rookie in the NHL
D Jonas Junland, St. Louis Blues, (70GP - 7G - 16A - 23PTS; +15, 14PIM)
LW Lukas Kaspar, Kansas City Coyotes, (79GP - 25G - 46A - 71PTS; 189S, 5GWG)
LW Benoit Pouliot, Minnesota Wild, (78GP - 27G - 32A - 59PTS; 191S)

Frank J. Selke Trophy - Best defensive forward in the NHL
Mathieu Dandenault, Edmonton Oilers, (70GP - 10G -17A - 27PTS; +15)
Adam Mair, New York Islanders, (77GP - 12G - 15A - 27PTS; +15)
Dave Scatchard, Buffalo Sabres, (69GP - 10G - 14A - 24PTS; +15)

Jack Adams Trophy - Best coach in the NHL
Tom Renney, New York Rangers
Lindy Ruff, Buffalo Sabres
Alain Vigneault, Vancouver Canuks

James Norris Trophy - Best defenseman in the NHL
Nicklas Lidström, Detroit Red Wings, (82GP - 17G - 37A - 54PTS; 26:28 ATOI)
Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames, (75GP - 14G - 38A - 52PTS; 27:10 ATOI)
Lubomir Visnovsky, Edmonton Oilers, (82GP - 22G - 30A - 52PTS; 26:30 ATOI)

Hart Memorial Trophy - Most Valuable Player in the NHL
Pavol Demitra, Vancouver Canucks, (82GP - 50G - 53A - 103PTS; +26)
Vincent Lecavalier, Los Angeles Kings, (82GP - 42G - 61A - 103PTS; +29)
Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks, (82GP - 44G - 75A - 119PTS; +27)

Lady Bing Trophy - Most sportsmanlike player in the NHL
Patrik Elias, New Jersey Devils, (18PIM in 82GP)
Simon Gagné, Philadelphia Flyers, (16PIM in 82GP)
Teemu Selänne, Anaheim Ducks, (14PIM in 79GP)

Vezina Trophy - Best goaltender in the NHL
Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers, (72GP - 43W - 2.63GAA - 91.4SAV% - 3SO)
Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks, (72GP - 45W - 2.18GAA - 92.2SAV% - 7SO)
Vesa Toskala, Toronto Maple Leafs, (40GP - 26W - 1.88GAA - 93.5SAV% - 3SO)

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Only 18 games in second round

The four teams that advanced to the conference finals only needed a total of 18 games to eliminated the four rivals: Three of the series ended in four games while the other needed six to be decided.

SECOND ROUND RESULTS
1 Buffalo Sabres defeat 5 Ottawa Senators in 4 games (BUF G Ryan Miller - 9GP - 8W - 1L - 1.04GAA - 96.0SAV%)
3 New York Rangers defeat 2 Carolina Hurricanes in 4 games (NYR C Chris Drury - 11GP - 1G - 18A - 19PTS)

1 Vancouver Canucks defeat 7 Los Angeles Kings in 4 games (VAN C Pavol Demitra - 10GP - 4G - 10A - 14PTS)
6 Calgary Flames defeat 4 Columbus Blue Jackets in 6 games (CGY RW Jarome Iginla - 10GP - 7G - 8A - 15PTS)

TOP 5 PLAYOFF SCORERS
1. C Chris Drury, New York Rangers (11-1-18-19)
2. LW Markus Näslund, New York Rangers (11-13-5-18)
3. RW Nikolai Zherdev, New York Rangers (11-6-12-18)
4. RW Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames (10-7-8-15)
5. C Pavol Demitra, Vancouver Canucks (10-4-10-14)

CONFERENCE FINALS MATCHUPS
1 Buffalo Sabres vs. 3 New York Rangers
1 Vancouver Canucks vs. 6 Calgary Flames

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Canada wins World Championships

The Canadians beat Finland 5-2 in the World Championships finals in Moscow today to win the Gold Medal. David Legwand scored the game winning shootout goal in the Bronze Medal game as USA barely defeated the surprising Germany 4-3. Ukraine and Latvia were relegated and will be replaced by Kazakhstan and Slovenia who won their respective group of the World Championships Division 1.

Gold Medal: Canada
Silver Medal: Finland
Bronze Medal: USA
4th Place: Germany
5th Place: Russia
6th Place: Sweden
7th Place: Czech Republic
8th Place: Denmark
9th Place: Slovakia
10th Place: Switzerland
11th Place: Italy
12th Place: Austria
13th Place: Norway
14th Place: Belarus
15th Place: Ukraine (Relegated)
16th Place: Latvia (Relegated)

Top 5 Scorers:
1. RW Bobby Ryan, USA - 9GP - 9-7-16
2. LW Vyacheslav Kozlov, RUS - 7GP - 5-10-15
3. C Paul Stastny, USA - 9GP - 4-10-14
4. RW Teemu Selänne, FIN - 9GP - 8-5-13
5. C Brendan Morrison, CAN - 9GP - 6-7-13

MVP: Carey Price (CAN)
Best Forward: Paul Stastny (USA)
Best Defenseman: Ryan Whitney (USA)
Best Goaltender: Carey Price (CAN)

All-Star Team:
Vyacheslav Kozlov (RUS) - Paul Stastny (USA) - Teemu Selänne (FIN)
Brian Campbell (CAN) - Ryan Whitney (USA)
Carey Price (CAN)

Kansas City Coyotes:
LW Lukas Kaspar (CZE) - 5GP - 2-2-4
RW Tomas Kopecky (SVK) - 6GP - 0-3-3
D Staffan Kronwall (SWE) - 7GP - 0-0-0
D Daniel Tjärnqvist (SWE) - 7GP - 0-2-2
D Greg de Vries (CAN) - 6GP - 0-1-1
D Alexei Semenov (RUS) - 7GP - 2-5-7
D Samil LepistÖ (FIN) - 9GP - 2-5-7
G David McKee (USA) - DNP

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Coyotes sign prospect Krysanov

The Kansas City Coyotes retained the rights to russian prospect Anton Krysanov today by signing him to a one-year pro contract rookie deal. Krysanov, a 22 years old centre, was drafted 148th overall by Phoenix in the 2005 NHL Draft. He scored 6 goals and 17 points in 50 games with Lada Togliatti. He had offers from 5 russian teams including Ak Bars Kazan and CSKA Moscow.

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CHL Memorial Cup tournament set

The Belleville Bulls beat the London Knights in 6 games to win the OHL Championship, thanks to stellar performances by Bryan Cameron and Eric Tangradi who scored respectively 43 and 37 points to lead the OHL in playoffs scoring. Bjorn Krupp, son of former NHLer Uwe Krupp, was also an important piece for the Bulls as the draft eligible but unranked defenseman put in 25 points in 23 games.

In the QMJHL, the Lewiston MAINEiacs took care of the Montreal Junior in 4 games to complete the first perfect playoffs in league's history; going 16-0 after finishing first overall in the league. Stellar play by German defenseman Denis Reul and ontarian goaltender Peter Delmas lead the only American team in the QMJHL past Montreal, who featured the best three playoffs scorer in Angelo Esposito, Jean-Simon Allard and T.J. Brennan.

Out west, after a long road to the finals that included three series that went respectively six, seven and seven games, the Saskatoon Blades quickly took care of the Memorial Cup hosts Vancouver Giants by winning four consecutive games by one goal. Colton Gillies, Adam Zamec and Mylan Kytnar were the best producers for Saskatoon who managed to win desptie Evander Kane's 11 points performance which confirmed his playoff leading points total.

The three league champions will now face hosts Vancouver in the four team tournament. The Giants feature a star-heavy team that includes goaltender Tyson Sexsmith, defensemen Jonathon Blum and Brent Regner as well as forwards Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Michal Repik, Lance Bouma, Evander Kane and Spencer Machacek.

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Rangers and Canucks to face in Stanley Cup finals

Lee Goren, a 31 years old forward who hadn't played a regular season NHL game since 2005-2006 and who played barely 65 games in his career, had the game of his life in the seventh match between the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres. Goren, who had played two games in the playoffs for the Rangers, scored the game tying goal with 7 minutes to play in the third period. Then, two minutes into the second overtime, Goren put in the rebound of a Brandon Dubinsky shot on a powerplay to win the series and Eastern Conference Championship for the Rangers. They will face the Canucks, who beat the Flames in five games, in the Stanley Cup Finals.

CONFERENCE FINALS RESULTS
3 New York Rangers defeat 1 Buffalo Sabres in 7 games (NYR C Chris Drury - 18GP - 3-21-24)
1 Vancouver Canucks defeat 6 Calgary Flames in 5 games (VAN C Pavol Demitra - 15GP - 6-13-19)

TOP 5 PLAYOFFS SCORERS
1. C Chris Drury, New York Rangers (18GP - 3-21-24)
2. RW Nikolai Zherdev, New York Rangers (18GP - 8-15-23)
3. LW Markus Näslund, New York Rangers (18GP - 15-7-22)
4. C Pavol Demitra, Vancouver Canucks (15GP - 6-13-19)
5. RW Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames (15GP - 9-8-17)

STANLEY CUP FINALS
2 New York Rangers vs. 1 Vancouver Canucks

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Lewiston wins Memorial Cup

The MAINEiacs may have lost a game to the Saskatoon Blades, but they continued on their playoffs sucess by beating the Belleville Bulls 3-2 in the finals to take home the Memorial Cup. Once again, defenseman Dennis Reul and goaltender Peter Delmas were the stars for Lewiston in this series.

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Canucks face elimination

The New YOrk Rangers have taken a 3-2 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals.

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ISS releases final 2009 NHL Draft Rankings

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/4601/hedmantt2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Victor Hedman has been second for the whole year, but some teams may still have him in front of Tavares in their personnal rankings

John Tavares is still the top ranked player for the 2009 NHL entry draft. Victor Hedman remains second, but offensive defenseman Ryan Ellis has continued his rise and closed in on Hedman in many teams' rankings.

1 (1-1) John Tavares - C - 6'0/200 - Oshawa Generals (OHL) - CAN
2 (2-2) Victor Hedman - LD - 6'6/220 - Modo (SEL) - SWE
3 (8-18) Ryan Ellis - RD - 6'1/191 - Windsor Spitfires (OHL) - CAN
4 (3-4) Jared Cowen - LD - 6'5/209 - Spokane Chiefs (WHL) - CAN
5 (6-9) Evander Kane - C - 5'11/163 - Vancouver Giants (WHL) - CAN
6 (4-3) Brayden Schenn - C - 6'0/200 - Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) - CAN
7 (13-10) Olivier Roy - G - 6'0/169 - Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (QMJHL) - CAN
8 (10-13) Nazem Kadri - C - 6'0/176 - London Knights (OHL) - CAN
9 (14-14) Simon Després - LD - 6'4/213 - Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL) - CAN
10 (5-5) Matt Duchene- C - 5'11/191 - Brampton Battalion (OHL) - CAN
11 (11-15) Richard Panik - LW - 6'1/180 - Trinec (CZE) - SVK
12 (7-6) Magnus Svensson-Pääjärvi - LW - 6'1/200 - Timra (SEL) - SWE
13 (15-8) Stefan Elliot - LD - 6'1/174 - Saskatoon Blades (WHL) - CAN
14 (26-30) Dmitri Kulikov - RD - 6'1/196 - Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) - RUS
15 (16-17) Landon Ferraro - RW - 6'0/169 - Red Deer Rebels (WHL) - CAN
16 (24-36) Tommi Kivistö - RD - 6'2/194 - Red Deer Rebels (WHL) - FIN
17 (28-97) Éric Gélinas - RD - 6'2/189 - Lewiston MAINEiacs (QMJHL) - CAN
18 (17-27) David Rundblad - RD - 6'2/191 - Skelleftea (SEL) - SWE
19 (19-25) Jordan Caron - C - 6'2/200 - Rimouski Oceanics (QMJHL) - CAN
20 (12-23) Seth Helgeson - LD - 6'3/220 - Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) - USA
21 (9-7) Jordan Schroeder - RW - 5'9/185 - Minnesota Golden Gophers (NCAA) - USA
22 (20-20) Drew Shore - C - 6'2/200 - USNDP - USA
23 (22-59) Tomas Vincour - C - 6'2/185 - Sparta Praha - CZE
24 (30-19) Anton Lander - LW - 6'0/189 - Timra (SEL) - SWE
25 (27-22) Cass Mappin - LW - 6'0/183 - Red Deer Rebels (WHL) - CAN
26 (63-155) Shane Miller - RD - 6'2/220 - Texas Tornado (NAHL) - USA
27 (29-44) Taylor Beck - LW - 6'1/194 - Guelpg Storm (OHL) - CAN
28 (36-77) Chris DeSousa - C - 5'8/180 - Niagara IceDogs (OHL) - CAN
29 (64-66) Oliver Ekman-Larsson - LD - 6'2/174 - Ledksand (SEL) - SWE
30 (103-UR) Vincent Scarsella - C - 5'7/163 - Canisius Golden Griffins (NCAA) - 19 Years Old

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Canuck force 7th game

The Vancouver Canucks won game 6 3-2 to force a seventh and decisive game at the GM Place in Vancouver.

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Game 7 Play-by-Play

VANCOUVER CANUCKS
D. Sedin - Demitra - Satan
H. Sedin - Sundin - Krog
Pyatt - Wellwood - Mayers
Burrows - Kessler - Cowan

Öhlund - Salo
White - Edler
Mitchell - Bieksa

Luongo

-

NEW YORK RANGERS
Näslund - Gomez - Zherdev
Forbes - Drury - Yetman
MacLean - Dubinsky - Moore
Sjöström - Mowers - Ling

Redden - Roszival
Mara - Girardi
Sydor - Kwiatkowski

Lundqvist

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Game 7 Play-by-Play

1:32 - VAN - Miroslav Satan [8] (Pavol Demitra [18] & Mattias Öhlund [7]) [PP]

1-0 Vancouver

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Game 7 Play-by-Play

8:17 - NYR - Greg Moore [5] (Brandon Dubinsky [7] & Donald MacLean [7])

1-1

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Game 7 Play-by-Play

End of 1st Period

Shots: 11-9 Vancouver

Score: 1-1

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Game 7 Play-by-Play

End of 2nd Period

Shots: 20-19 Vancouver

Score: 1-1

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Game 7 Play-by-Play

48:55 - VAN - Pavol Demitra [8] (Daniel Sedin [9] & Colin White [5])

2-1 Vancouver

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Game 7 Play-by-Play

49:26 - VAN - Jason Krog [1] (Mats Sundin [10] & Henrik Sedin [8])

3-1 Vancouver

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Game 7 Play-by-Play

50:26 - VAN - Kyle Wellwood [4] (Sami Salo [4] & Kevin Bieksa [3]) [PP]

4-1 Vancouver

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Game 7 Play-by-Play

End of Game

Shots: 31-27 Vancouver

Score: 4-1 Vancouver

The Vancouver Canucks are Stanley Cup Champions.

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Vancouver wins Stanley Cup

With a 4-1 win in the 7th game of the Stanley Cup finals, the Vancouver Canucks brought home the Stanley Cup for the first time in their 39 years history. Goaltender Roberto Luongo was also the first goalie captain to win the Cup. Pavol Demitra won the Conn Smythe trophy for most valuable player in the NHL Playoffs. This was also the first Stanley Cup for Mats Sundin, confirming the big swedish centre made the right bet by coming back with the Canucks in mid-season.

Vancouver Canucks
G Roberto Luongo
G Mike Smith
D Rob Davison
D Willie Mitchell
D Mattias Öhlund
D Colin White
D Nolan Baumgartner
D Kevin Bieksa
D Alexander Edler
D Sami Salo
LW Alex Burrows
LW Jeff Cowan
LW Cody McLeod
LW Taylor Pyatt
LW Daniel Sedin
C Pavol Demitra
C Ryan Johnson
C Ryan Kessler
C Henrik Sedin
C Mats Sundin
C Kyle Wellwood
RW Dan Da Silva
RW Jason Krog
RW Jamal Mayers
RW Miroslav Satan

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Coyotes acquire defenseman Denis Kulyash

June 12th 2009 - The Kansas City Coyotes acquired rights to 26-years-old Russian defenseman Denis Kulyash today from the Nashville Predators. In return, the Coyotes sent prospect Mathieu Brodeur and a 6th round pick in 2009.

Kulyash, a 6'3/213 offensive defenseman who played the last season with CSKA Moscow, signed a one year deal with Metallurg Magnitogorsk recently that included a NHL release clause. The Coyotes hope to succeed in what the Predators couldn't do; that is bringing Kulyash to North America. He is said to want a guaranteed contract that he will play in the NHL. Kulyash is said to be a good skater with a cannon for a shot. He scored 7 goals and 9 assists in 48 games last season.

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Marleau hits homerun at NHL Awards Ceremony

http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/7584/awardszi7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Lukas Kaspar (Calder) - Roberto Luongo (Vezina) - Patrick Marleau (Hart) - Nicklas Lidström (Norris) - Ilya Kovalchuk (Richard)


Art Ross (most regular season points): C Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
Bill Masterton (perseverence and sportsmanship): C Pavol Demitra, Vancouver Canucks
Calder Memorial (rookie of the year): LW Lukas Kaspar, Kansas City Coyotes
Frank J. Selke (defensive forward): RW Mathieu Dandenault, Edmonton Oilers
Jack Adams (coach of the year): Alain Vigneault, Vancouver Canucks
James Norris Memorial (defenseman of the year): D Nicklas Lidström, Detroit Red Wings
Hart Memorial (most valuable player): C Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
King Clancy Memorial (leadership and humanitarian contribution): C Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche
Lady Bing Memorial (gentlemanly conduct): RW Teemu Selänne, Anaheim Ducks
Lester B. Pearson (MVP selected by NHLPA): C Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks
Maurice 'Rocket' Richard (most regular season goals): LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta Thrashers
Vezina (goaltender of the year): G Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks

First All-Star Team
Pavol Demitra (VAN) - Patrick Marleau (SJ) - Milan Michalek (SJ)
Zdeno Chara (CAR) - Nicklas Lidström (DET)
Roberto Luongo (VAN)

Second All-Star Team
Rick Nash (CBJ) - Vincent Lecavalier (LA) - Marian Hossa (DET)
Dion Phaneuf (CGY) - Wade Redden (NYR)
Vesa Toskala (TOR)

All-Rookie Team
Lukas Kaspar (KC) - Benoit Pouliot (MIN) - Radek Smolenak (DAL)
Jonas Junland (STL) - Sami Lepistö (KC)
Tuukka Rask (BOS)

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Kulyash signs

June 17th 2009 - Denis Kulyash has agreed to terms on a one year agreement with the Kansas City Coyotes. Kulyash will have a cap hit of 1.6M$. The deal includes an agreement that if he doesn't make the team and isn't picked on waivers after training camp, he will return to Russia.

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Tavares CHL Player of the Year

June 18th 2009 - John Tavares, who will most likely be the first overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, was named the CHL Player of the Year today. Tavares ended 3 points behind his Oshawa Generals teammate Brett MacLean in OHL scoring in four fewer games. He finished the season with 69 goals and 71 assists for 140 points in 62 games. Here are the different awards in the various leagues around the world:

QMJHL Regular Season Championship: Lewiston MAINEiacs (70GP - 49W - 18L - 1OTL 2SOL - 101PTS)
QMJHL Jean Béliveau Trophy (Leading scorer): C Kelsey Tessier, Quebec Remparts (67GP - 49-91-140)
QMJHL Offensive Player of the Year: C Kelsey Tessier, Quebec Remparts (67GP - 49-91-140)
QMJHL Emile Bouchard Trophy (Best defenseman): D Kirill Tulupov, Victoriaville Tigres (70GP - 25-70-95)
QMJHL Jacques Plante Trophy (Best goaltender): G Olivier Roy, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (56GP - 32W - 2.59GAA - 91.8SAV% - 6SO)
QMJHL Offensive rookie of the year: LW Andrej Nestrasil, Victoriaville Tigres (70GP - 33-63-96)
QMJHL Defensive rookie of the year: D Dmitri Kulikov, Drummondville Voltigeurs (70GP - 26-69-95)
QMJHL Michel Brière Trophy (Player of the year): D Kirill Tulupov, Victoriaville Tigres (70GP - 25-70-95)
QMJHL Presiden't Cup Championship: Lewiston MAINEiacs (4-0 win over Montreal)

Top 10 QMJHL Scorers:
1. C Kelsey Tessier, Quebec Remparts (67GP - 49-91-140)
2. LW Maxim Grachev, Lewiston MAINEiacs (70GP - 61-65-126)
3. C Paul Byron, Gatineau Olympiques (64GP - 53-73-126)
4. C Angelo Esposito, Montreal Junior (63GP - 57-65-122)
5. RW Logan MacMillan, Halifax Mooseheads (64GP - 52-63-115)
6. C Keven Veilleux, Rimouski Oceanics (70GP - 47-65-112)
7. C Maxime Macenauer, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (70GP - 47-63-109)
8. D Andrew Bodnarchuk, Halifax Mooseheads (62GP - 26-83-109)
9. D T.J. Brennan, Montreal Junior (63GP - 23-85-108)
10. C Nicolas Deschamps, Chicoutimi Saguenéens (68GP - 44-61-105)

-

OHL Regular Season Championship: Brampton Battalion (68GP - 39W - 20L - 5OTL - 4SOL)
OHL Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy (Leading scorer): RW Brett MacLean, Oshawa Generals (66GP - 71-72-143)
OHL Max Kaminsky Trophy (Best defenseman): D Adam Comrie, Saginaw Spirit (68GP - 19-22-41)
OHL Goaltender of the year: G Thomas McCollum, Guelph Storm (56GP - 27W - 2.60GAA - 91.2SAV% - 4SO)
OHL Emms Family Trophy (Rookie of the year): RW Sergei Korostin, Peterborough Petes (67GP - 31-29-60)
OHL Red Tilson Trophy (Player of the year): C John Tavares, Oshawa Generals (62GP - 69-71-140)
OHL J. Ross Robertson Cup Championship: Belleville Bulls (4-2 win over London)

Top 10 OHL Scorers:
1. RW Brett MacLean, Oshawa Generals (66GP - 71-72-143)
2. C John Tavares, Oshawa Generals (62GP - 69-71-140)
3. C Logan Couture, Ottawa 67's (68GP - 59-59-118)
4. LW Gianluca Caputi, Niagara IceDogs (68GP - 55-55-110)
5. C Zack Torquato, Erie Otters (60GP - 48-60-108)
6. D Alex Pietrangelo, Niagara IceDogs (61GP - 18-90-108)
7. D Bobby Sanguinetti, Brampton Battalion (67GP - 29-78-107)
8. C Michael Lomas, Owen Sound Attack (67GP - 50-54-104)
9. C Thomas Stajan, Brampton Battalion (66GP - 41-63-104)
10. C Scott Timmins, Kitchener Rangers (68GP - 46-55-101)

-

WHL Regular Season Championship: Kamloops Blazers (72GP - 48W - 20L - 1OTL - 3SOL - 100PTS)
WHL Bob Clarke Trophy (Leading scorer): C Zac Boychuk, Lethbridge Hurricanes (67GP - 53-89-142)
WHL Bill Hunter Trophy (Best defenseman): D Alex Plante, Calgary Hitmen (61GP - 17-47-64)
WHL Del Wilson Trophy (Best goaltender): G Chet Pickard, Tri-City Americans (58GP - 35W - 2.52GAA - 91.6SAV% - 6SO)
WHL Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the year): LW Stepan Novotny, Kelowna rockets (72GP - 31-28-59)
WHL Four Broncos Memorial Trophy (Player of the year): D Jonathon Blum, Vancouver Giants (66GP - 17-74-91)
WHL President's Cup Final Championship: Saskatoon Blades (4-0 win over Saskatoon)

Top 10 WHL Scorers:
1. C Zac Boychuk, Lethridge Hurricanes (67GP - 53-89-142)
2. C Evander Kane, Vancouver Giants (72GP - 70-68-138)
3. LW Drayson Bowman, Spokane Chiefs (62GP - 64-64-128)
4. C Matt Tassone, Swift Current Broncos (71GP - 50-66-116)
5. RW Brandon Sutter, Red Deer Rebels (72GP - 43-73-116)
6. RW Kyle Beach, Everett Silvertips (64GP - 53-58-111)
7. C Tyler Ennis, Medicine Hat Tigers (71GP - 52-54-106)
8. C Mitch Wahl, Spokane Chiefs (62GP - 36-70-106)
9. LW Ashton Hewson, Prince Albert Raiders (71GP - 52-53-105)
10. LW Adam Zamec, Saskatoon Blades (72GP - 48-51-99)

-

CHL Memorial Cup Champions: Lewiston MAINEiacs
CHL All-Star Team:
LW Zac Boychuk (LET) - C John Tavares (OSH) - RW Brett MacLean (OSH)
D Kirill Tulupov (VIC) - D Jonathon Blum (VAN)
G Chet Pickard (TRI)

-

NCAA Championship: Boston University Terriers
NCAA Hobey Baker Trophy (Player of the year): C Colin Wilson, Boston University Terriers [HE] (46GP - 34-28-62)

NCAA Top 10 Scorers
1. C Colin Wilson, Boston University Terriers [HE] (46GP - 34-28-62)
2. RW Brandon Yip, Boston University Terriers [HE] (50GP - 20-36-56)
3. C Riley Nash, Cornell Big Red [ECAC] (50GP - 23-32-55)
4. LW Michael Gergen, Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs [WCHA] (47GP - 20-28-48)
5. C Ryan Duncan, North Dakota Fighting Sioux [WCHA] (49GP - 20-27-47)
6. D Kevin Shattenkirk, Boston University Terrires [HE] (46GP - 11-35-46)
7. LW James Van Riemsdyk, New Hampshire Wildcats [HE] (46GP - 21-23-44)
8. C Justin Mercier, Miami-Ohio Redhawks [CCHA] (50GP - 15-29-44)
9. C Chad Rau, Colorado College Tigers [WCHA] (50GP - 24-19-43)
10. RW Tyler Ruegsegger, Denver Pioneers [WCHA] (50GP - 18-24-42)

-

AHL John B. Sollenberger Trophy (Leading scorer): C Ville Leino, Grand Rapids Griffins (80GP - 43G - 56A - 99PTS)
AHL Willie Marshall Award (Top goalscorer): LW Liam Reddox, Springfield Falcons (79GP - 45G - 45A - 90PTS)
AHL Best Forward: C Ville Leino, Grand Rapids Griffins (80GP - 43G - 56A - 99PTS)
AHL Eddie Shore Plaque (Defenseman of the year): D David Hale, Worcester Sharks (80GP - 11G - 45A - 56PTS)
AHL Baz Bastien Memorial Trophy (Goaltender of the year): G Mike Morrison, Quad City Flames (66GP - 41W - 1.89GAA - 93.4SAV% - 13SO)
AHL Red Garrett Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the year): LW Oskar Osala, Houston Aeros (79GO - 25G - 57A - 82PTS)
AHL Les Cunningham Plaque (Most Valuable Player): C Ville Leino, Grand Rapids Griffins (80GP - 43G - 56A - 99PTS)
AHL Calder Cup Champions: Norfolk Admirals

AHL Top 10 Scorers
1. C Ville Leino, Grand Rapids Griffins (80GP - 43G - 56A - 99PTS)
2. RW Darren Haydar, Grand Rapids Griffins (80GP - 39G - 58A - 97PTS)
3. LW Alex Picard, Syracuse Crunch (80GP - 39G - 58A - 97PTS)
4. LW Liam Reddox, Springfield Falcons (79GP - 45G - 45A - 90PTS)
5. C Eric Christensen, Chicago Wolves (77GP - 43G - 47A - 90PTS)
6. C Mikhail Grabovsky, Toronto Marlies (79GP - 40G - 50A - 90PTS)
7. C Ryan Potulny, Springfield Falcons (80GP - 41G - 44A - 85PTS)
8. RW Junior Lessard, Chicago Wolves (78GP - 29G - 56A - 85PTS)
9. D Noah Welch, Norfolk Admirals (80GP - 10G - 75A - 85PTS)
10. C Derrick Brassard, Lowell Devils (74GP - 38G - 45A - 83PTS)

-

ECHL Champions: Cincinnati Cyclones
ECHL MVP: D Brad Brown, Fresno Falcons (68GP - 9G - 32A - 41PTS)

ECHL Top 5 Scorers
1. RW Sean O'Connor, Victoria Salmon Kings (70GP - 37G - 33A - 70PTS)
2. RW Garret Bembridge, Idaho Steelheads (61GP - 34G - 33A - 67PTS)
3. LW Dustin Sproat, Fresno Falcons (68GP - 32G - 34A - 66PTS)
4. C Olivier Fillion, Victoria Salmon Kings (70GP - 15G - 51A - 66PTS)
5. C Chris Ferraro, Las Vegas Wranglers (70GP - 26G - 38A - 64PTS)

-

Czech Elite League Championship: HC Sparta Praha
Czech Elite League MVP: C Marek Melenovsky, HC Karlovy Vary (50GP - 40-38-78)

Czech Elite League Top 5 Scorers
1. C Marek Melenovsky, HC Karlovy Vary (50GP - 40-38-78)
2. RW Jaroslav Kristek, HC Pardubice (50GP - 22-49-71)
3. C Tomas Vlasak, HC Plzen (50GP - 26-38-64)
4. D Martin Cakajik, HC Plzen (50GP - 24-37-61)
5. C Tomas Blazek, HC Pardubice (50GP - 23-36-59)

-

Slovakian T-Com Extraliga Championship: HK 36 Skalica
Slovakian T-Com Extraliga MVP: LW Zigmund Palffy, HK 36 Skalica (47GP - 40-41-81)

Slovakian T-Com Extraliga Top 5 Scorers
1. LW Zigmund Palffy, HK 36 Skalica (47GP - 40-41-81)
2. RW Miroslav Zalesak, HK 36 Skalica (50GP - 32-43-75)
3. C Richard Sechny, HK Zvolen (48GP - 25-44-69)
4. LW Arne Krotak, HK SKP Poprad (49GP - 39-30-69)
5. C Jaroslav Kmit, HK Kosice (49GP - 23-34-57)

-

DEL Championship: Iserlohn Roosters
DEL MVP: G Norm Maracle, Iserlohn Roosters (45GP - 39W - 1.55GAA - 94.3SAV% - 6SO)

DEL Top 5 Scorers
1. LW Ilya Vorobiev, Frankfurt Lions (50GP - 34-36-70)
2. RW Michael Wolf, Iserlohn Roosters (46GP - 32-28-60)
3. LW Tyler Beechey, Ausburg Panther (50GP - 18-42-60)
4. D Pascal Trepanier, Adler Mannheim (50GP - 12-41-53)
5. LW René Corbet, Adler Mannheim (50GP - 29-24-53)

-

Swiss National League Championship: HC Genève-Servette
Swiss National League MVP: G David Aebischer, HC Genève-Servette (40GP - 27W - 2.16GAA - 91.2SAV% - 1SO)

Swiss National League Top 5 Scorers
1. LW Reto von Arx, HC Davos (50GP - 28-34-62)
2. RW Rico Fata, EHC Biel-Bienne (50GP - 33-28-61)
3. LW Oliver Setzinger, Langnau Tigers (49GP - 26-34-60)
4. C Stacy Roest, Rapperswil-Jona Lakers (50GP - 15-40-55)
5. C Igor Fedulov, HC Genève-Servette (50GP - 20-33-53)

-

Swedish Elitserien Championship: Djugardens IF
Swedish Elitserien MVP: D Kenny Jönsson, Rögle BK (46GP - 10-31-41)

Swedish Elitserien Top 5 Scorers
1. C Michael Holmqvist, Djurgardens IF (50GP - 21-32-52)
2. LW Nicklas Danielsson, Djurgarderns IF (50GP - 28-24-52)
3. LW Niklas Andersson, Frölunda Indians (50GP - 22-27-49)
4. C Kristofer Ottosson, Djurgardens IF (50GP - 18-31-49)
5. RW Mikael Renberg, Färjestads BK (49GP - 13-31-44)

-

Finnish SM-League Championship: Jokerit Helsinki
Finnish SM-League MVP: G Olaf Kölzig, Lahden Pelicans (41GP - 32W - 2.44GAA - 90.6SAV% - 1SO)

Finnish SM-League Top 5 Scorers
1. RW Sami Kapanen, Jokerit Helsinki (50GP - 29-44-73)
2. LW Toni Mäkiaho, TPS Turku (50GP - 26-41-67)
3. C Kalle Sahlstedt, HIFH Helsinki (50GP - 29-38-67)
4. C Lasse Pirjetä, Jokerit Helsinki (50GP - 27-39-66)
5. C Jarkko Immonen, JYP Jyväskylä (46GP - 22-36-58)

-

Russian Superleague Championship: Dynamo Moscow
Russian Superleague MVP: D Dmitry Yuskevich (50GP - 5-15-20)

Russian Superleague Top 5 Scorers
1. RW Jaromir Jagr, Avangard Omsk (50GP - 32-18-50)
2. C Konstantin Gorovikov, Sibir Novosibirsk (50GP - 26-20-46)
3. RW Sergei Soin, Lada Togliatti (49GP - 18-26-44)
4. RW Dmitry Subbotin, Dynamo Moscow (50GP - 21-23-44)
5. RW Aleksey Morozov, Ak Bars Kazan (45GP - 22-20-42)

-

Yearly World Rankings
1. Canada
2. Sweden
3. Finland
4. Czech Republic
5. Russia
-
6. USA
7. Slovakia
8. Germany
9. Switzerland
10. Belarus
-
11. Denmark
12. Latvia
13. Norway
14. Italy
15. Ukraine
-
16. Kazakhstan
17. Austria
18. Slovenia
19. France
20. Poland
-
21. Hungary
22. Netherlands
23. Japan
24. Estonia
25. Lithuania
-
26. Romania
27. China
28. Great Britain
29. Croatia
30. Serbia
-
31. Bulgaria
32. South Korea
33. Belgium
34. Israel
35. Australia
-
36. Spain
37. North Korea
38. South Africa
39. Iceland
40. New Zealand
-
41. Turkey
42. Mexico
43. Luxembourg
44. Ireland
45. Armenia
-
46. Bosnia-Herzegovina
47. Thailand
48. Singapore
49. Mongolia
50. Malaysia
-
51. Greece
52. Andorra

[duff88]

Bad luck hits Coyotes

June 18th 2009 - The Atlanta Thrashers have won the NHL Draft lottery and will move up 4 spots in the draft rankings, just enough to overtake the first overall pick from Kansas City. The Coyotes will therefore hold the second overall selection.

1. Atlanta Thrashers
2. Kansas City Coyotes
3. Nashville Predators
4. Chicago Blackhawks
5. Minnesota Wild

Kansas City holds 7 picks. At the present time, they hold the 2nd, 31st, 59th, 61st, 91st, 121st and 181st picks.

[Travis]

Wow, brutal luck man. Or are you a little happy that you likely won't have to make the Tavares/Hedman decision now?

[duff88]

Wow, brutal luck man. Or are you a little happy that you likely won't have to make the Tavares/Hedman decision now?

Tavares was #1 on my list. But having a defenseman like Hedman is that much more needed to build a solid franchise, so hopefully he pans out well. This was a win-win situation.

[duff88]

Kaspar, Carter and Adams recieve honors

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/2738/2009coyotesawardswo3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Lukas Kaspar, Anson Carter and Kevyn Adams respectively won the Sprint cup, Star Trophy and Gold Stick

June 18th 2009 - Lukas Kaspar has won the Sprint Cup given to the best players as voted by the media for the 2008-09 season. Kaspar ended the year as the leader among rookies with 25 goals and 46 assists for 71 points in 79 games. He was also leading scorer with the Coyotes as well as the winner of the Calder Trophy.

Anson Carter won the Star Trophy for fans player of the year. Carter finished second on the team in points after scoring 37 goals and 33 assists for 70 points in 75 games.

Kevyn Adams won the Gold Stick as biggest contributor without earning praise for his hard work. Adams scored 5 goals and 25 points in 76 games, playing a key role on the PK and in the dressing room.

[duff88]

Tavares goes to Atlanta

http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/7060/tavares2se8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
John Tavares was picked first overall by the Atlanta Thrashers

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/3786/2009draftab2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


*Round 1, 21st overall - Originally held by Edmonton
**Round 1, 25th overall - Originally held by San Jose

Trade: Oilers trade pick 21 to San Jose for pick 55 and a 2010 3rd round pick
Trade: Colorado trades D John-Michael Liles to New Jersey for picks 41 and 67.
Trade: Nashville trades rights to D Marc-André Bourdon to Philadelphia for D Zbynek Michalek
Trade: Nashville trades D Dan Hamhuis and pick 83 to Pittsburgh for D Brooks Orpik
Trade: Rangers trade C Tom Pyatt to Washington for D Bryan Pothier

[duff88]

Coyotes draft review

Round 1 - 2nd overall - LD Victor Hedman - 6'6/220 - MODO (SEL) - 12/18/1990 - Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
2008-09 - MODO (SEL) - 41GP - 2G - 9A - 11PTS - Ranked 2nd overall by ISS
Victor Hedman was in a battle with John Tavares for first overall for most of the year, until defenseman Ryan Ellis made a late season surge to fight with Hedman for the second spot in the draft. A huge physical sepcimen, Hedman brings talent at both end of the ice. He can intimidate defensively with his strenght and excellent positionning, but he is also a very good skater who can bring it in offensively. He is a talented passer and has a solid shot from the point.

Round 2 - 31st overall - RW Travis Randell - 6'0/196 - Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) - 1/26/1991 - St. John's, Newfoundland
2008-09 - Halifax (QMJHL) - 70GP - 14G - 13A - 27PTS - Ranked 64th overall by ISS
Randell had a up-and-down season with the Mooseheads, but ended it well with 6 points in 5 playoffs game. A strong two-way player, Randell displays great work ethic and contagious enthusiasm. He is an excellent skater and an aggressive player who loves to go out and finish his checks. He has a good selection of shots and has the potential to be a solid contributor à la Darcy Tucker.

Round 2 - 59th overall - C Jeremy Morin - 5'10/160 - USNDP (USA) - 4/16/1991 - Ann Arbor, Michigan - Commited to Harvard (2009)
2008-09 - USNDP (USA) - 60GP - 31G - 44A - 75PTS - Ranked 42nd overall by ISS
Morin was one of the biggest fallers during the 2008-09 season. He started the year ranked 11th by ISS, fell to 21 at midseason and ended up ranked 42nd in the final rankings; only to be picked 59th overall in June. The main aspects that caused this free fall were Morin's lack of top-end potential and his relatively average skating technique. What the Coyotes saw was a deceptively quick skater who shows great tenacity, is a willing forechecker, wins faceoffs and is a good passer.

Round 3 - 61st overall - C Vitaly Karamnov - 6'1/185 - Dynamo Moscow (RUS) - 8/8/1989 - Moscow, Russia
2008-09 - Dynamo-2 (RUS-3) - 33GP - 12G - 6A - 18PTS - Unranked by ISS
After a difficult year adjusting to the North-American lifestyle with the Everett Silvertips of the WHL, Vitaly Karamnov went back to his native Russia to play with Dynamo Moscow. After being passed over in two consecutive drafts, Karamnov had a great World Junior Championship where he got the attention of a few NHL teams. A great two-way talent, Karamnov is an exceptionnal skater with great playmaking ability. He plays solid on both ends of the ice and has a game reminiscent of Dainius Zubrus. He will need to adjust to a more physical style, but he shows tremendous promise.

Round 4 - 91st overall - LW Erik Haula - 5'11/160 - Shattuck-St. Mary's (USHS) - 3/23/1991 - Pori, Finland
2008-09 - Shattuck-St. Mary's (USHS) - 60GP - 35G - 52A - 87PTS - Ranked 150th overall by ISS
Erik Haula showed his professional attitue by coming over to North America to play high school hockey with the prestigious Shattuck-St. Mary's club, which he led in scoring. Although he has yet to commit to an university, Haula hopes to play US College hockey for the 2010-11 season. He plays a solid two-way game based on his good anticipation and his solid work ethic. He's solid in the fact that he has no glarant strenght or weakness. He will need to get stronger if he wants to keep the same style in the pros, but he should have a lot of time to develop.

Round 5 - 121st overall - LD Mark Cundari - 5'9/185 - Windsor Spitfires (OHL) - 4/4/1990 - Woodbridge, Ontario
2008-09 - Windsor Spitfires (OHL) - 61GP - 24G - 32A - 56PTS - Ranked 80th overall by ISS
Passed over in last year's NHL Draft, the diminutive defenseman impressed with solid two-way play on a middle-of-the-pack Windsor team. Although very small, Cundari is rather strong and plays a defense first game that reminds the one of Atlanta's Francis Bouillon. Cundari is a hard worker and a leader on and off the ice; he can log in big minutes and plays a very physical game despite his size. He accumulated 113PIM with the Spitfires, also finishing in the top 20 in the leagues for hits with 122.

Round 7 - 181st overall - RW Matt Bourdeau - 6'2/205 - Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets (USHL) - 4/25/1989 - Hampton, New Brunswick - Commited to Denver (2009)
2008-09 - Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets (USHL) - 60GP - 32G - 42A - 74PTS - Unranked by ISS
Few would have expected Matt Bourdeau to ever be drafted when he was first eligible two years ago. Scoring 7 points in 43 games with Ohio in the USHL as a 17 years old, Bourdeau didn't open anyone's eyes. The following year, he tried his hand at the QMJHL with moderate success, only scoring 12 points in 62 games with Lewiston. Finally, Bourdeau decided to come back with Ohio where he had a good season, ending the year 3rd in league scoring. His offensive talent is not what got him drafted; his fiesty aggressive style, along with his good skating ability and excellent work ethic, were what got the Coyotes to take a flyer on this late bloomer.

[duff88]

Binnington, Bellefleur, Rowan and Ekman-Larsson picked first

June 28th 2009 - The QMJHL, OHL, WHL and CHL Import Draft have all been completed. In the QMJHL, the Victoriaville Tigres picked big Halifax-born defenseman Luc Binnington first overall. In the OHL, Kingston selected diminutive winger Saad Bellefleur with the first pick. The Moose Jaw Warriors picked big 15-years old center Billy Rowan first in the WHL Bantam Draft. Finally, swedish defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who was picked 37th overall by Chicago last week, was the first selection in the CHL Import Draft by Moncton.

QMJHL Draft Top 5:
1. Victoriaville Tigres - LD Luc Binnington - 6'2/216 - Restigouche Tigers - Halifax, Nova Scotia
2. Moncton Wildcats - LD Daryl Hopkins - 5'10/180 - Moncton Speedy Glass Flyers AAA - Moncton, New Brunswick
3. Val d'Or Foreurs - RD Éric Poudrier - 5'10/209 - Charlottetown Islanders AAA - Charlottetown, PEI
4. Drummondville Voltigeurs - LD Cleve Keating - 5'11/209 - Vaudreuil Mustangs - New Minas, Nova Scotia
5. Gatineau Olympiques - RW Alex Cotnoir - 5'10/200 - Yarmouth Motormart Mariners - Victoriaville, Quebec

OHL Draft Top 5:
1. Kingston Frontenacs - LW Saad Bellefleur - 5'9/176 - Chatham Kent Cyclones - Newmarket, Ontario
2. Niagara IceDogs - LW Doug Gillies - 5'8/202 - Westport Rideaus - Mississauga, Ontario
3. Owen Sound Attack - G Gord Harris - 6'0/200 - Kemptville 73's - Brantford, Ontario
4. Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds - RD Eric McRae - 5'7/191 - Eastern Ontario Cobras - York, Ontario
5. Sudbury Wolves - RD Pier-Luc Hill - 5'10/220 - Toronto Young Nats - Cornwall, Ontario

WHL Draft Top 5:
1. Kamloops Blazers - C Billy Rowan - 6'2/213 - Okanagan Rockets - North Saanich, British Columbia
2. Chilliwak Bruins - G Russel Dewar - 5'11/196 - Medicine Hat Big Country Pipeline Tigers - Spruce Grove, Alberta
3. Brandon Wheat Kings - C Ethan Harrison - 6'0/191 - Victoria Cougars - Golden, British Columbia
4. Everett Silvertips - LW Dorin Buchanan - 5'7/198 - Notre Dame Hounds - Neudorf, Saskatchewan
5. Kootenay Ice - RW Coady Pelletier - 5'8/187 - Notre Dame Hounds - Broadview, Saskatchewan

CHL Import Draft Top 5 (and other important picks):
1. Moncton Wildcats - LD Oliver Ekman-Larsson - 6'2/174 - Sweden - 37th overall by Chicago in 2009
2. Moose Jaw Warriors - LD Tim Erixon - 6'2/191 - Sweden - 62nd overall by Nashville in 2009
3. Kingston Frontenacs - LW Adam Pettersson - 6'0/178 - Sweden - Eligible for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft
4. Victoriaville Tigres - LW Iiro Pakarinen - 6'1/200 - Finland - 89th overall by Los Angeles in 2009
5. Chilliwack Bruins - C Markus Kinisjärvi - 6'0/185 - Sweden - Eligible for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft
-
37. Chicoutimi Saguenéens - LW Magnus Svensson-Pääjärvi - 6'2/200 - Sweden - 15th overall by Pittsburgh in 2009
38. Tri-City Americans - C Jacob Josefson - 6'0/187 - Sweden - 27th overall by the New York Rangers in 2009
40. Halifax Mooseheads - LW Anton Lander - 6'0/191 - Sweden - 20th overall by Florida in 2009

[duff88]

Khabibulin to hit free agent market

June 29th 2009 - The Kansas City Coyotes and goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin were unable to come on an agreement on a new contract; the Bulin Wall will therefore become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. GM Nicolas Fillion has mentionned that despite the current situation, there are still considerable chances of seeing the russian goaltender back with the team.

Krys Kolanos, Daniel Tjärnqvist, Jeff Taffe, Rick Rypien, Tyler Mosienko, Bryan Rodney and Cody Bostock will also be released to free agency.

[duff88]

Free-agent frenzy starts

July 1st 2009 - Slovakian forward Marian Hossa and Canadian defenseman Scott Niedermayer will be the biggest names available on the unrestricted free agents market this summer. The chase has barely begun, but already the Atlanta Thrashers, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs have shown interest in Hossa, who was named to the second all-star team this season while playing with Detroit. On the other hand, eight teams have offered a contract to the 35 years old defenseman, including Atlanta, Anaheim, Chicago, Portland and the New York Islanders.

Forwards
Erik Cole - RW - 6'2/198 - USA - Edmonton Oilers (79GP - 11G - 30A - 41PTS)
Mike Comrie - C - 5'10/183 - Canada - New York Islanders (71GP - 20G - 46A - 66PTS)
Mathieu Dandenault - RW - 6'1/198 - Canada - Montreal Canadiens/Edmonton Oilers (70GP - 10G - 17A - 27PTS)
Radek Dvorak - RW - 6'2/200 - Czech Republic - Florida Panthers (76GP - 18G - 18A - 36PTS)
Sergei Fedorov - C - 6'1/198 - Russia - Washington Capitals (58GP - 9G - 16A - 25PTS)
Ruslan Fedotenko - RW - 6'2/194 - Ukraine - Pittsburgh Penguins (82GP - 19G - 35A - 54PTS)
Mike Grier - RW - 6'1/218 - USA - San Jose Sharks (77GP - 15G - 14A - 29PTS)
Bill Guerin - RW - 6'2/209 - USA - New York Islanders (82GP - 33G - 35A - 68PTS)
Martin Havlat - RW - 6'1/191 - Czech Republic - Chicago Blackhawks (73GP - 21G - 25A - 46PTS)
Marian Hossa - RW - 6'1/207 - Slovakia - Detroit Red Wings (73GP - 36G - 57A - 93PTS)
Jaromir Jagr - RW - 6'3/240 - Czech Republic - Avangard Omsk [RUS] (50GP - 32G - 18A - 50PTS)
Mike Knuble - RW - 6'2/231 - USA - Philadelphia Flyers (78GP - 28G - 37A - 65PTS)
Saku Koivu - C - 5'10/187 - Finland - Montreal Canadiens (35GP - 10G - 25A - 35PTS)
Alexei Kovalev - RW - 6'2/218 - Russia - Montreal Canadiens (74GP - 34G - 43A - 77PTS)
Viktor Kozlov - C - 6'5/233 - Russia - Washington Capitals/New Jersey Devils (83GP - 14G - 24A - 38PTS)
Robert Lang - C - 6'3/216 - Czech Republic - Montreal Canadiens (77GP - 24G - 45A - 69PTS)
Jere Lehtinen - LW - 6'0/198 - Finland - Dallas Stars (78GP - 13G - 19A - 32PTS)
John Madden - C - 5'11/189 - Canada - New Jersey Devils/Chicago Blackhawks (48GP - 8G - 13A - 21PTS)
Dean McAmmond - LW - 5'11/194 - Canada - Kansas City Coyotes/Pittsburgh Penguins (73GP - 15G - 28A - 43PTS)
Andy McDonald - C - 5'10/185 - Canada - St. Louis blues (82GP - 31G - 46A - 77PTS)
Glen Murray - RW - 6'3/224 - Canada - Toronto Maple Leafs (76GP - 33G - 37A - 70PTS)
Ladislav Nagy - LW - 5'11/191 - Slovakia - Servestal Cherepovets [RUS] (44GP - 21G - 12A - 33PTS)
Samuel Pahlsson - C - 6'0/207 - Sweden - Anaheim Ducks (77GP - 8G - 22A - 30PTS)
Mark Parrish - LW - 5'11/191 - USA - Dallas Stars (77GP - 31G - 38A - 69PTS)
Mark Recchi - RW - 5'10/189 - Canada - Florida Panthers (76GP - 23G - 31A - 54PTS)
Steve Reinprecht - C - 6'0/189 - Canada - Edmonton Oilers (80GP - 35G - 36A - 71PTS)
Henrik Sedin - C - 6'2/198 - Sweden - Vancouver Canucks (71GP - 17G - 34A - 51PTS)
Martin Straka - LW - 5'9/176 - Czech Republic - HC Plzen [CZE] (48GP - 34G -33A - 67PTS)
Mats Sundin - C - 6'5/229 - Sweden - Vancouver Canucks (38GP - 11G - 22A - 33PTS)
Keith Tkachuk - LW - 6'2/229 - USA - St. Louis Blues (75GP - 24G - 31A - 55PTS)
Doug Weight - C - 5'11/198 - USA - New York Islanders (77GP - 17G - 47A - 64PTS)
Richard Zednik - RW - 6'1/194 - Slovakia - Florida Panthers (76GP - 15G - 15A - 30PTS)

Defensemen
Adrian Aucoin - RD - 6'2/209 - Canada - Calgary Flames (75GP - 5G - 22A - 27PTS)
Rob Blake - LD - 6'4/224 - Canada - San Jose Sharks/Toronto Maple Leafs (81GP - 12G - 32A - 44PTS)
Nick Boynton - RD - 6'2/211 - Canada - Florida Panthers (77GP - 9G - 5A - 14PTS)
Philippe Boucher - RD - 6'2/220 - Canada - Pittsburgh Penguins/Buffalo Sabres (78GP - 9G - 32A - 41PTS)
Hal Gill - LD - 6'7/249 - USA - Pittsburgh Penguins/Nashville Predators (31GP - 1G - 4A - 5PTS)
Niclas Hävelid - RD - 5'11/196 - Sweden - Atlanta Thrashers/Buffalo Sabres (62GP - 2G - 15A - 17PTS)
Bret Hedican - LD - 6'2/202 - USA - Kansas City Coyotes/San Jose Sharks (75GP - 3G - 18A - 21PTS)
Dmitri Kalinin - 6'2/205 - Russia - New York Rangers (71GP - 5G - 10A - 15PTS)
Ken Klee - 6'0/213 - USA - Montreal Canadiens/Buffalo Sabres (62GP - 0G - 7A - 7PTS)
Filip Kuba - LD - 6'3/202 - Czech Republic - Ottawa Senators (82GP - 7G - 34A - 41PTS)
Marek Malik - LD - 6'5/233 - Czech Republic - St. Louis Blues (81GP - 2G - 14A - 16PTS)
Paul Mara - LD - 6'4/209 - USA - New York Rangers (78GP - 3G - 20A - 23PTS)
Kyle McLaren - RD - 6'4/233 - Canada - San Jose Sharks (77GP - 3G - 23A - 26PTS)
Derek Morris - RD - 6'0/213 - Canada - Carolina Hurricanes (82GP - 4G - 16A - 20PTS)
Scott Niedermayer - RD - 6'1/198 - Canada - Anaheim Ducks (82GP - 14G - 35A - 49PTS)
Sean O'Donnell - LD - 6'3/229 - Canada - Los Angeles Kings/San Jose Sharks (82GP - 1G - 15A - 16PTS)
Mathieu Schneider - LD - 6'0/185 - USA - Atlanta Thrashers (77GP - 9G - 28A - 37PTS)
Jaroslav Spacek - LD - 5'11/202 - Czech Republic - Buffalo Sabres (80GP - 3G - 27A - 30PTS)
Darryl Sydor - LD - 6'1/202 - Canada - Dallas Stars/New York Rangers (79GP - 6G - 21A - 27PTS)
Sergei Zubov - RD - 6'1/198 - Russia - Dallas Stars (27GP - 2G - 20A - 22PTS)

Goaltenders
Martin Biron - G - 6'3/160 - Canada - Philadelphia Flyers (64GP - 29W - 2.98GAA - 90.2SAV% - 4SO)
Brian Boucher - G - 6'1/180 - USA - San Jose Sharks (24GP - 9W - 2.89GAA - 89.7SAV% - 1SO)
Emmanuel Fernandez - G - 6'0/185 - Portland Titans (63GP - 28W - 3.06GAA - 90.4SAV% - 3SO)
Nikolai Khabibulin - G - 6'1/207 - Russia - Kansas City Coyotes (33GP - 7W - 3.46GAA - 89.9SAV%)
Dwayne Roloson - G - 6'1/183 - Canada - Edmonton Oilers (67GP - 33W - 3.16GAA - 89.6SAV% - 1SO)
Kevin Weekes - G - 6'0/194 - Canada - New Jersey Devils (60GP - 26W - 3.18GAA - 89.5SAV% - 5SO)

[duff88]

UFA Tracker

Toronto signs RW Marian Hossa - 4 years ; 25M$
Atlanta signs D Scott Niedermayer - 1 year; 5.25M$
St. Louis signs G Martin Biron - 3 years ; 8.75M$
Atlanta signs D Paul Mara - 3 years ; 7M$
Portland signs D Filip Kuba - 3 years ; 7.75M$

[duff88]

Nylander traded to Canucks

July 3rd 2009 - The Vancouver Canucks have acquired center Michael Nylander from the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 3rd round pick in 2010 and a 2nd round pick in 2011. This trade all but confirms the separation of the Sedin twins; Henrik is a free agent and it would be surprising to see him come back to play with his brother Daniel in Vancouver.

Meanwhile, Lou Lamoriello has announced his retirement from professional hockey. He will be replaced by former Blue Jackets and current Barrie Colts GM Doug MacLean. Lindy Ruff wasn't offered a contract by the Buffalo Sabres; Wayne Gretzky will replace him behind the bench.

[duff88]

UFA Tracker

Montreal signs C Saku Koivu - 1 year ; 4.3M$
Philadelphia signs LW Keith Tkachuk ; 2 years ; 6.5M$
Los Angeles signs D Derek Morris - 3 years ; 7M$
New York Islanders sign C Todd Marchant - 1 year ; 1.9M$

[duff88]

Coyotes sign prospects Hedman, Karamnov and Long

July 5th 2009 - The Kansas City Coyotes have signed rookie deals with their first round pick, second overall in the last entry draft, defenseman Victor Hedman. Most experts consider Hedman to be NHL ready at the young age of 18; he should be able to start the yeat with the Coyotes. Otherwise, he is going to be sent down to San Antonio to mature in the AHL.

The Coyotes also signed russian forward Vitaly Karamnov and diminutive WHLer Colin Long. Both are expected to suit up for the Rampage in the AHL.

[duff88]

UFA Tracker

Florida signs D Darryl Sydor - 2 years ; 2.5M$
Washington signs G Manny Fernandez - 3 years ; 6.75M$
Montreal signs C Andy McDonald - 3 years ; 4.4M$
Columbus signs G Brian Boucher - 3 years ; 4.6M$

[duff88]

Coyotes sign Hävelid

July 6th 2009 - The Kansas city Coyotes announced today the signing of swedish defenseman Niclas Hävelid to a two-year contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 5'11/196 defender scored 2 goals and added 15 assists last year while splitting the year between Atlanta and Buffalo; finishing the year +11 in 62 games. He is a steady reliable defenseman who can log big minutes if needed, or play a defensive role. At 36 years old, the Stockholm native could provide a leadership role in the lockeroom for some of the young players. He is also expected to help grooming Victor Hedman.

[duff88]

UFA Tracker

Montreal signs C Robert Lang - 2 years ; 5.75M$
Montreal signs RW Alex Kovalev - 2 years ; 8.75M$
Montreal signs C John Madden - 3 years ; 10.75M$
Vancouver signs RW Mike Knuble - 1 year ; 1.3M$
Vancouver signs C Viktor Kozlov - 2 years ; 2.6M$
Montreal signs RW Mathieu Dandenault - 2 years ; 2.6M$
Los Angeles signs D Kyle McLaren - 2 years ; 1.9M$
Atlanta signs C Steve Reinprecht - 3 years ; 8.25M$
Vancouver signs RW Ian Laperrière - 1 year ; 800K$
Vancouver signs D Philippe Boucher - 1 years ; 1M$
Edmonton signs LW Erik Cole - 3 years ; 8M$
Ottawa signs D Dmitri Kalinin - 3 years ; 3.7M$
Boston signs RW Martin Havlat - 2 years ; 8M$
Atlanta signs D Jaroslav Spacek - 2 years ; 2.1M$
Washington signs D Sergei Zubov - 2 years ; 6.25M$

[duff88]

Khabibulin signs with Oilers

July 12th 2009 - After recieving offers from at least six teams, including the Kansas City Coyotes, free agent goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin accepted a two year, 7.25M$ deal with the Edmonton Oilers. Various sources have indicated the Coyotes had offered a higher paying contract for a single season.

With the list of notable free agent market goaltenders thinning to only Dwayne Roloson and Kevin Weekes, GM Nicolas Fillion may have to turn to the trade route if he wants to acquire a more experienced partner for goaltender Marc Denis.

[duff88]

UFA Tracker

Portland signs D Rob Blake - 2 years ; 6.75M$
Florida signs C Mike Comrie - 2 years ; 4.2M$
New York Islanders sign C Samuel Pahlsson - 2 years ; 1.6M$

[duff88]

Coyotes acquire Mason

July 16th 2009 - The Kansas City Coyotes have acquires 33-years-old goaltender Chris Mason from the St. Louis Blues. In return, the Coyotes gave up a 7th round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Mason played only 17 games with the Blues last season, finishing with a 6-8-1 record. He held a 2.97 goals against average and a 91.1% save percentage. He also had 1 shutout.

Meanwhile, the Blues traded Calder-nominated defenseman Jonas Junland to the Minnesota Wild for two draft picks.

[duff88]

Vancouver olympic games postponed

July 21st 2009 - It was announced today that every scheduled olympic events would be postponed by two years. Therefore, the 2010 Olympic Games scheduled in Vancouver will take place in 2012. The World Championships will be held in Vancouver this year as the city awaits the Olympic games. There will also be an 8-teams world cup event featuring Canada, USA, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden, Russia and Germany in September 2010.

[duff88]

UFA Tracker

Dallas signs RW Jere Lehtinen - 2 years ; 5.5M$
New York Islanders sign RW Mark Parrish - 3 years ; 6.5M$
Montreal signs D Adrian Aucoin - 1 year ; 950K$
Boston signs D Marek Malik - 1 year ; 1.5M$
Dallas signs LW Kyle Calder - 3 years ; 3.3M$
Montreal signs D Hal Gill - 2 years ; 1.4M$
Portland signs G Kevin Weekes - 3 years ; 4.8M$
Atlanta signs RW Glen Murray - 2 years ; 5M$
New York Islanders sign C Mats Sundin - 2 years ; 7.25M$
Portland signs RW Ruslan Fedotenko - 3 years ; 5.5M$
Portland signs C Henrik Sedin - 3 years ; 9.5M$

[duff88]

Quinn retires

July 27th 2009 - A bad surprise hit the Kansas City Coyotes today as head coach Pat Quinn announced his immediate retirement from hockey for personnal reasons. Kevin Dineen, already in the organisation as an assistant to Quinn, will replace him.

Meanwhile, word around the team is that GM Nicolas Fillion was unable to add a much needed center to his team through free agency and may be looking at making another trade. The name of highly praised prospect Colin Long has been at the center of recent rumours as a possible return.

[duff88]

Notable retirements

D Chris Chelios - 47 years old - 1648GP - 187G - 766A - 975PTS
---Fourth in All-Time Games Played - First in Defensemen
---36th in All-Time Assists - 8th in Defensemen

LW Gary Roberts - 43 years old - 1194GP - 434G - 469A - 903PTS

G Curtis Joseph - 42 years old - 962GP - 472W - 54SO
---Fourth in All-Time Wins
---18th in All-Time Shutouts

C Jeremy Roenick - 39 years old - 1394GP - 515G - 711A - 1226PTS
---35th in All-Time Goals
---48th in All-Time Assists
---38th in All-Time Points

RW Owen Nolan - 37 years old - 1150GP - 404G - 463A - 867PTS

[duff88]

UFA Tracker

Portland signs RW P.J. Axelsson - 3 years ; 2.2M$
Portland signs D Sean O'Donnell - 1 year ; 825K$
St. Louis signs C Doug Weight - 2 years ; 3.7M$
Montreal signs RW Richard Zednik - 2 years ; 1.5M$

[duff88]

Coyotes acquire Lombardi

August 3rd 2009 - As had been rumoured in the previous days, the Kansas City Coyotes have acquired a center via transaction. The Coyotes traded 19-years-old prospect center Colin Long to the Calgary Flames for speedy center Matthew Lomgardi. Lombardi, who stands at 5'11/189 and whom, at 27-years-old, has one year left on a 1.8M$ contract, scored 15 goals and 29 assists in 79 games with the Flames last year.

Meanwhile, prospect Erik Haula has announced that he wants to return to Finland for the next season and study his options from then on. He has recieved offer from various SM-League teams and should make a decision soon.

[duff88]

UFA Tracker

Anaheim signs C Sergei Fedorov - 2 years ; 4.3M$
Anaheim signs C Bryan Smolinski - 1 years ; 900K$
Dallas signs D Mathieu Schneider - 1 year ; 1M$
Portland signs C Alexei Yashin - 1 year ; 1.4M$

TRADE: Portland trades D Jay McKee to New Jersey for a 4th round pick in 2010.
TRADE: Anaheim acquires D Kevin Bieksa from Vancouver for rights to Adam Hughesman

[duff88]

42 players invited to training camp

September 3rd 2009 - 42 players will suit up for the Kansas City Coyotes when training camp opens in less than two weeks. Four prospect invitees will join the 38 roster players: defensemen Mark Cundari and Tim Billingsley as well as wingers Jared Staal and Travis Randell. The camp will feature four goaltenders, fifteen defensemen and nineteen forwards. Here is the complete list:

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/1043/teamroster2009fx4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Erik Haula will suit up for Tampereen Ilves in the Finnish SM-League next year. He has also announced that he doesn't plan on attending US Colleges anymore; his contract with Ilves will run out in two years and at that time he hopes to come to North America to play in the NHL or AHL.

Among players whos rights are held by Kansas City but who will not suit up in this year's training camp:

G Brett Bennett - 6'1/191 - 21-years-old - Boston University Terriers [NCAA]
G Scott Darling - 6'7/200 - 20-years-old - Western Michigan Broncos [NCAA]
D Maksim Goncharov - 5'11/187 - 20-years-old - CSKA Moscow [RUS]
C Alexei Kaigorodov - 6'0/191 - 26-years-old - Metallurg Magnitogorsk [RUS]
C Dmitri Pestunov - 5'9/198 - 24-years-old - Avangard Omsk [RUS]
C Ben Ferriero - 5'10/183 - 22-years-old - Boston College Eagles [NCAA]
C Vladimir Ruzicka - 6'2/198 - 20-years-old - Slavia Praha [CZE]
C Jeremy Morin - 5'10/160 - 18-years-old - Harvard Crimson [NCAA]
C Patrick Brosnihan - 6'4/213 - 23-years-old - Yale Bulldogs [NCAA]
RW Erik Haula - 5'11/160 - 18-years-old - Tampereen Ilves [FIN]
RW Matt Bourdeau - 6'2/205 - 20-years-old - Denver Pioneers [NCAA]
RW Martin Latal - 5'11/185 - 21-years-old - HC Olomouc [CZE]

[samifan24]

Just found your dynasty and it's been a fun read. Sometimes I wish it were possible to play EHM out of the box without having to worry about the salary cap bug but I'm on a Mac and I believe the editor is Windows-only. I'll enjoy reading your dynasty, though!

[Travis]

Hey Sami, I can't speak for duff, but I haven't had to touch the cap stuff since starting up a game with the Lidas 1.1 rosters.

[duff88]

Hey Sami, I can't speak for duff, but I haven't had to touch the cap stuff since starting up a game with the Lidas 1.1 rosters.

Me neither, don't really notice any cap problems.

[duff88]

Hedman stays; Coyotes set

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/4410/hedman2rj1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Victor Hedman was the second overall pick in 2009

September 28th 2009 - Victor Hedman has succeeded in getting a roster spot on opening day with the Kansas City Coyotes. The towering swedish defenseman, who was the second overall pick in this summer's NHL Entry Draft, will start the first game of his career on the first pairing with fellow countryman Niclas Hävelid. Hedman succeeds in what the player that beat him out on draft day, centre John Tavares, failed to do; Tavares was sent back to the Oshawa Generals by the Atlanta Thrashers.

Despite a 2-3-0 record in pre-season, there is some optimism that the Coyotes could cause some surprises this season and maybe even be in the hunt for a playoffs spot. Here are the expected lines for the opening game at the Honda Center in Anaheim on October 5th. Only Staffan Kronwall, with a light foot contusion, is currently sidelined with an injury which should be healed by opening day. The Coyotes will probably use 7 defensemen a lot through the year with Cory Murphy, Denis Kulyash and Reid Cashman serving as powerplay specialists.

22 Lukas Kaspar - 44 Rob Schremp - 77 Anson Carter [A]
49 Dan Fritsche - 18 Matthew Lombardi - 76 Evgeni Artyukhin
82 Tomas Kopecky - 17 Kevyn Adams [A] - 57 Blake Comeau
12 Brett Sterling - 10 Jamie Lundmark

6 Victor Hedman - 28 Niclas Hävelid
27 Sami Lepistö - 7 Greg de Vries [C]
8 Denis Kulyash - 6 Alexei Semenov
21 Cory Murphy

31 Marc Denis
50 Chris Mason

H.S. - 16 C Petteri Nokelainen, 5 D Reid Cashman, 2 D Staffan Kronwall

PRE-SEASON September 16th 2009 : Kansas City vs. St. Louis, 3-2 L (MacMillan, Hunter), McKee (10/10) & Ford [L] (18/21)
PRE-SEASON September 18th 2009 : Coyotes at St. Louis, 6-4L (Karamnov, Murphy, Krysanov, Sterling), Ford [L] (21/27)
PRE-SEASON September 20th 2009 : Kansas City vs. Atlanta, 5-3W (Kopecky, Kulyash, Kaspar, Fritsche, Lepistö), Mason [W] (27/30)
PRE-SEASON September 22th 2009 : Kansas City vs. Pittsburgh, 4-1W (Lundmark, Kaspar, Lepistö, Schremp), Denis [W] (24/25)
PRE-SEASON September 24th 2009 : Coyotes at Boston, 5-2L (Schremp [2]), Denis (20/21) & Mason [L] (11/15)

[duff88]

Taylor Hall ranked first

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/7711/halleu2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Taylor Hall will be the go-to-guy in Windsor this year

October 1st 2009[/I] - Taylor Hall of the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL was ranked first in the ISS Preliminary 2010 NHL Draft rankings. The Kingston native precedes finnish winger Teemu Pulkkinen and big canadian defenseman Erik Gudbranson in the rankings.

1. Taylor Hall - C - 6'1/165 - Windsor Spitfires (OHL) - CAN
2. Teemu Pulkkinen - RW - 5'10/176 - Jokerit Helsinki (FIN) - FIN
3. Erik Gudbranson - RD - 6'4/189 - Kingston Frontenacs (OHL) - CAN
4. Brandon Gormley - LD - 6'0/187 - Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) - CAN
5. Maksim Kitsyn - LW - 6'1/198 - Mettalurg Novokuznetsk (RSL) - RUS
6. Joey Hishon - C - 5'11/167 - Owen Sound Attack (OHL) - CAN
7. Cam Fowler - LD - 6'0/180 - Maine Black Bears (NCAA) - USA
8. John McFarland - C - 6'1/194 - Sudbury Wolves (OHL) - CAN
9. Artem Gareev - LW - 6'0/222 - Salavat Yulajev (RSL) - RUS
10. Kirill Kabanov - LW - 6'2/171 - Spartak Moscow (RSL) - RUS
11. Alex Cotnoir - RW - 5'10/200 - Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL) - CAN
12. Ryan Spooner - C - 5'10/168 - Peterborough Petes (OHL) -
13. Cleve Keating - LD - 6'0/209 - Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) - CAN
14. Clay Lenardon - C - 6'0/205 - Cornell Big Red (NCAA) - USA
15. Steve Chaffin - LD - 6'4/185 - Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) - CAN
16. Jared Knight - C - 6'0/186 - London Knights (OHL) - USA
17. Luc Binnington - LD - 6'3/216 - Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) - CAN
18. Aleksandr Ataev - RD - 5'10/191 - Ak Bars Kazan (RSL) - RUS
19. Wade Poulin - G - 6'2/207 - Tri-City Americans (WHL) - CAN
20. Myles Lambert - RW - 5'10/198 - Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) - CAN
21. Jimmy Dias - RD - 6'1/213 - Kamloops Blazers (WHL) - CAN
22. Markus Kinisjärvi - C - 6'0/185 - Västeras HK (SEL) - SWE
23. Vladimir Tarasenko - RW - 6'1/189 - Sibir Novosibirsk (RSL) - RUS
24. Adam Sedlak - RD - 6'3/196 - Peterborough Petes (OHL) - CZE
25. Jarno Sandell - LD - 5'10/183 - Södertälje SK (SEL) - SWE
26. Carl Mulock - LW - 6'2/229 - Brampton Battalion (OHL) - CAN
27. Lasse Sillanpää - C - 5'10/205 - Niagara IceDogs (OHL) - FIN
28. Kevin Sundher - C - 5'7/147 - Chilliwack Bruins (WHL) - CAN
29. Zak MacDonald-Miller - RD - 6'4/220 - Chilliwack Bruins (WHL) - CAN
30. Maksim Gryaznov - G - 6'2/163 - Barys Astana (RUS-2) - KAZ

[samifan24]

Hey Sami, I can't speak for duff, but I haven't had to touch the cap stuff since starting up a game with the Lidas 1.1 rosters.

Cool, where can I find these rosters? Will they work on my Mac or do you need the editor to use them?

[Travis]

Cool, where can I find these rosters? Will they work on my Mac or do you need the editor to use them?

The Blue Line :: Download (http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/dload.php?action=category&cat_id=73&sid=2d09b7113ecdee1b188d4c1cba566d09)

As far as I know they should work straight out of the zip, but I've never tried on a mac so I'm not 100% on that.

[samifan24]

The Blue Line :: Download (http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/dload.php?action=category&cat_id=73&sid=2d09b7113ecdee1b188d4c1cba566d09)

As far as I know they should work straight out of the zip, but I've never tried on a mac so I'm not 100% on that.

Thanks.

[duff88]

Lombardi uncertain, Denis out, McKee called up

October 3rd 2009 - Coyotes goaltender Marc Denis, who was expected to start on opening day against the Ducks, will miss around one week of action after coming out of practice with anterior knee pain. David McKee has been recalled from the Rampage; Chris Mason will therefore have his first start with the Coyotes.

Recent acquisition Matthew Lombardi suffered a twisted ankle in practice but should be in place for the game against Anaheim. Meanwhile, defenseman James Sanford suffered a separated shoulder in a pre-season game with San Antonio and will miss at least four months.

[duff88]

Lombardi stars in opening game win

http://img54.imageshack.us/img54/6421/lombardi.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Matthew Lombardi was playing his first game with the Coyotes

October 5th 2009 - Matthew Lombardi's participation in the Kansas City Coyotes' opening game was a gameday decision, but the new acquisition did more than just suit up for his first game. Lombardi contributed two assists on his way to being named the first star of the game while goaltender Chris Mason blocked 29 of the 31 shots against for the win.

Blake Comeau scored the opening goal of the season midway into the second period. Rob Schremp scored a few minutes later, but two early goals in the third period by the Ducks tied the game at 2. Alexei Semenov scored the game winning goal with a rocket from the point. Niclas Hävelid completed the score with a powerplay marker with four minutes left, using Evgeni Artyukhin as a screen.

Victor Hedman, who played his first game in the NHL, had to leave the game at the end of one period with a finger injury. He should be back for the next game in Los Angeles on October 7th. Mason will once again be in nets.

October 5th 2009 - Coyotes at Anaheim, 4-2 W, (Comeau 1, Schremp 1, Semenov 1, Hävelid 1), Mason [W] (29/31)

Kansas City Coyotes (1GP, 1-0-0, 2 points)

[samifan24]

I think this thread is more engaging than other dynasties I've seen because you write well and add a visual element with the photos. Does EHM support exporting standings and stats and such in HTML pages in the same way that FOF does? That would be impressive.

[duff88]

I think this thread is more engaging than other dynasties I've seen because you write well and add a visual element with the photos. Does EHM support exporting standings and stats and such in HTML pages in the same way that FOF does? That would be impressive.

You can print roster, stats, schedules, transactions and standings both in text and html. One thing I recommend though is to save before everytime you do it because it happened a few times that the game quitted on me.

Thanks for the comments. English is my second language and I can barely speak it (I never really get the chance to practice), so it's nice to know it doesn't show up too much or at least that the text is understandable.

[duff88]

Murphy fractures shin in humiliating loss

October 8th 2009 - Brian Boyle scored twice and added an assist yesterday as the Los Angeles Kings put forth a hockey clinic for the Kansas City Coyotes who were defeated 5-0, only shooting 17 times at goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. Vincent Lecavalier, Patrick O'Sullivan and Michal Handzus also scored for the winners.

Few players stood out for the Coyotes in a losing cause. Niclas Hävelid, Lukas Kaspar, Dan Fritsche and Evgeni Artyukhin played solid hockey for the most part while goaltender Chris Mason had to stand on his head for most of the game. Everyone but Fritsche and Artyukhin finished in the minus, Anson Carter leading in that category with a dysmal -4.

Among the negatives to take out of that game, defenseman Cory Murphy will be out of action for 3 months after suffering a fractured shin on a slapper from Brian Boyle whom, to add insult to injury, scored on the rebound. Murphy had to be helped off the ice and went directly to the locker room from which he didn't return. Reid Cashman will be inserted into Murphy's seventh defenseman spot.

October 7th 2009 - Coyotes at Los Angeles, 5-0 L, Mason [L] (26/31)

Kansas City Coyotes (2GP, 1-1-0, 2 points)

[duff88]

Denis back for home opener

October 11th 2009 - Marc Denis will be back in nets for the home opener tommorow against the Buffalo Sabres. David McKee has been sent down to San Antonio, opening the roster spot to remove Denis from the injured reserve.

The Coyotes lost their last game to the Avalanche 4-2, despite taking an early 2-0 lead. Three goals in the third period, including two by Milan Hejduk, led the Avs to their first win of the season. 40-years-old captain Joe Sakic was held off the scoresheet in the win. Lukas Kaspar and Anson Carter scored for the Coyotes in the loss. Victor Hedman played his best game of the season, finishing +1 in slightly more than 16 minutes of ice time.

The Coyotes will have four straight home games followed by a game in St. Louis before a complete week without hockey.

October 9th 2009 - Coyotes at Colorado, 4-2 L, (Carter 1, Kaspar 1), Mason [L] (21/25)

Kansas City Coyotes (3GP, 1-2-0, 2 points)

[duff88]

Losing streak to end October

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/76/artyukhin2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Evgeny Artyukhin was the October winner of the Sprint Cup

November 1st 2009 - After starting the season on the right foot with three early wins, the Kansas City Coyotes lost their five last game, on their way to finish the month with a disappointing 3-7-0 record, which places them 14th in the West and 28th in the League.

Evgeny Artyukhin, despite not being the team's leading scorer, was the winner of the October segment of the Sprint Cup. In 10 games, the big russian forward scored 4 goals and 2 assists for 6 points. Most of all, Artyukhin played dominant hockey and was consistently an intimidating presence whenever he hit the ice. Rob Schremp and Anson Carter also recieved some votes.

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/5729/oct09.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

NHL Offensive Player of the Month: LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta Thrashers (11GP - 10G - 10A - 20PTS)
NHL Defensive Player of the Month: G Miikka Kiprusoff (9GP - 7W - 0L - 2T - 1SO)
NHL Rookie of the Month: D Erik Johnson, St. Louis Blues (12GP - 1G - 6A - 7PTS)
NHL Goals Leader: 10 - LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta Thrashers
NHL Assists Leader: 14 - C Tomas Plekanec, Los Angeles Kings
NHL Points Leader: 22 - RW Patrick O'Sullivan, Los Angeles Kings
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 11 - D Bryan Berard, Los Angeles Kings
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 7 - D Erik Johnson, St. Louis Blues

October 12th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Buffalo, 5-4S W, (Kulyash 1, Nokelainen 1, Artyukhin 1, Hävelid 2), Denis [W] (32/36)
October 14th 2009 - Kansas City vs. St. Louis, 4-3S W, (Schremp 2, Artyukhin 2-3), Denis [W] (31/34)
October 17th 2009 - Kansas City vs. San Jose, 5-1 L, (Cashman 1), Denis [L] (30/35)
October 20th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Minnesota, 4-2 L, (Nokelainen 2, Lombardi 1), Denis [L] (28/32)
October 21st 2009 - Coyotes at St. Louis, 4-1 L, (Kopecky 1), Mason [L] (33/37)
October 28th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Columbus, 6-2 L, (Carter 2-3), Denis [L] (38/44)
October 30th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Colorado, 5-3 L, (Artyukhin 4, Sterlin 1, Kaspar 2), Denis [L] (50/55)

Kansas City Coyotes (10GP, 3-7-0, 6 points, 14th in the West)

[duff88]

I'm having problems installing the new patch for NHL 09, so I will temporarly continue to post the dynasty without pictures. I have some left on my computer that are going to be posted when they fit, but otherwise I they will not be included until the problem is fixed.

[duff88]

Kulyash impresses, Coyotes continue to plummet

November 10th 2009 - Acquired before the NHL Entry Draft for a prospect and a late pick, russian defenseman Denis Kulyash has really impressed in his debut with the Kansas City Coyotes. The 6'3/213 rearguard already has 4 goals and 6 points in 14 games played, while playing solid defensive hockey.

It was a hard task to convince Kulyash to come to North America. The Omsk native finally accepted a one-year deal that would give him 1.6M$ with possible performance bonuses along the way. He is currently producing at a great pace, and that is without even speaking a word of english. Wherever he goes, Kulyash is accompanied by his friend and defensive partner Alexei Semenov who acts as a translator, even though both are men of few words. The important is that the russian duo is performing well and Kulyash gives a new dimension to the second powerplay unit.

Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman, who is also in his first footsteps in North America after being drafted 2nd overall last summer, has been playing incredibly solid hockey. Despite only two assists and a minus one differential in 14 games, the huge defensive specimen is sixth on the team in ice-time per game with 18:36 and is an important part of the Coyotes' penalty killing unit. Most of all, Hedman has been playing steady, consistent defensive hockey and has looked like a ten-years veteran on the ice. Whenever he gets comfortable enough to start using his speed and offensive abilities more, he could become the franchise defenseman the team was looking for when they took a flyer on him at the NHL Entry Draft.

November 1st 2009 - Coyotes at Dallas, 6-3 L, (Sterling 2, Lundmark 1, Lombardi 2), Denis [L] (21/27)
November 2nd 2009 - Kansas City vs. Vancouver, 4-3 W, (Kopecky 2, Carter 4, Kulyash 2, Noklainen 3), Mason [W] (25/28)
November 4th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Portland, 4-2 L, (Sterling 3, Kulyash 3), Mason [L] (30/34)
November 9th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Chicago, 4-2 L, (Schremp 3, Kulyash 4), Denis [L] (33/37)

Kansas City Coyotes (14GP, 4-10-0, 8 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Rumours have Carter going to Ottawa

November 13th 2009 - The Ottawa Sun reports that sources close to the Senators report the team has been in discussion with the Kansas City Coyotes in order to land Anson Carter. In 16 games this season with the Coyotes, Carter has 4 goals and 6 assists. The Sun mentions the names of prospects Linus Klasen and James O'Brien as possible return and mentions at least one source saying the deal is imminent.

"Obviously nobody wants to hear their names mentionned." said Carter when asked about the rumours.

November 10th 2009 - Coyotes at. St. Louis, 4-0 L, Denis [L] (34/38)
November 12th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Calgary, 6-5S W, (Schremp 4, Hävelid 3, Nokelainen 4, Kaspar 3, Artyukhin 5), Mason (16/20) & Denis [W] (14/15)

Kansas City Coyotes (16GP, 5-11-0, 10 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Carter not leaving

November 14th 2009 - GM Nicolas Fillion has made it clear; he has no intentions of trading forward Anson Carter. In a statement to the press yesterday, Fillion states he has not had discussions with any other teams about Anson Carter since his arrival with the team and that he doesn't intend to see his star forward leave the team. He also added, as a little arrow towards the Ottawa Sun, that they could focus on the recent success of the Senators to sell their newspaper instead of spreading false reports about other teams.

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Coyotes recall MacMillan from San Antonio

November 27th 2009 - The Kansas City Coyotes have recalled 20-years-old winger Logan MacMillan from the San Antonio Rampage. In 21 games with San Antonio this year, MacMillan has scored 7 goals and 9 assists for 16 points. He also has the highest ice-time of any forward on the team, playing an integral part of both the powerplay and penalty killing units. He had played four pre-season games with Kansas City, scoring one goal.

LINES FOR TOMMOROW'S GAME AGAINST ANAHEIM
Artyukhin - Lombardi - Carter [A]
Kaspar - Schremp [A] - MacMillan
Sterling - Fritsche - Comeau
Kopecky-Lundmark

Hedman-Hävelid
Kronwall-de Vries [C]
Kulyash-Semenov
Lepistö

Mason
Denis

November 14th 2009 - Coyotes at Portland, 6-3 L, (Schremp 5, Artyukhin 6, Fritsche 1), Denis [L] (38/44)
November 16th 2009 - Coyotes at Calgary, 2-1 L, (Kaspar 4), Mason [L] (26/28)
November 17th 2009 - Coyotes at Minnesota, 2-0 L, Mason [L] (31/33)
November 22nd 2009 - Coyotes at Chicago, 5-3 W, (Lombardi 3, Kopecky 3, Kaspar 5-6, Carter 5), Mason [W] (28/31)
November 24th 2009 - Coyotes at Columbus, 3-2 W, (Schremp 6, Sterling 4, Kaspar 7), Mason [W] (21/23)
November 25th 2009 - Kansas City vs. San Jose, 4-2 L, (Lundmark 2, Lombardi 4), Denis [L] (26/30)

Kansas City Coyotes (22GP, 7-15-0, 14 points, 15th in the West)

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MacMillan makes notable debut, Coyotes fail to follow

November 28th 2009 - Logan MacMillan player barely ten minutes, but he succeeded in leaving a good impression on the Kansas City Coyotes staff and head coach Kevin Dineen. MacMillan contributed two assists, but the Coyotes were defeated 5-2 by the Anaheim Ducks. Chris Kunitz scored a hat trick for the winners.

Chris Mason blocked 35 of the 40 shots against. The Coyotes were particularly undisciplined as the Ducks benefited from nine powerplays, scoring only once.

November 28th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Anaheim, 5-2 L, (Kaspar 8, Schremp 7), Mason [L] (35/40)

Kansas City Coyotes (23GP, 7-16-0, 14 points, 15th in the West)

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Has Hell frozen over?

November 29th 2009 - The Montreal Canadiens traded away fan favourite Guillaume Latendresse to the Boston Bruins today for 2nd and 3rd round picks in 2010. Latendresse had been out for the whole year with a shoulder injury and had scored 3 assists in his comeback game in the American Hockey League. He will report to the Providence Bruins, Boston's farm club.

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Not better than last year?

December 1st 2009 - Everyone in Kansas City hoped the Coyotes would have a better record than last year's awful last place finish, but two months into the new season it doesn't look like the team will be much better. At the same date last year, the Coyotes had 11 points in 25 games and were in last place. This year, they have 14 points in 24 games and things don't seem to look up.

Lukas Kaspar, who had a very tough start to his season, came back strong in the second month and won the November segment of the Sprint Cup. Kaspar scored 7 goals and 8 assists for 15 points in 14 games this month. He beat Rob Schremp and Niclas Hävelid in the voting.

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/1104/no09.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

NHL Offensive Player of the Month: C Vincent Lecavalier, Los Angeles Kings (13GP - 9G - 15A - 24PTS)
NHL Defensive Player of the Month: D Ryan Whitney, Montreal Canadiens (13GP - 3G - 10A - 13PTS)
NHL Rookie of the Month: RW Hugh Jessiman, Nashville Predators (15GP - 4G - 7A - 11PTS)
NHL Goals Leader: 18 - C Vincent Lecavalier, Los Angeles Kings
NHL Assists Leader: 27 - RW Patrick O'Sullivan Los Angeles Kings
NHL Points Leader: 43 - C Vincent Lecavalier, Los Angeles Kings
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 19 - D Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 16 - C Colin Wilson, Nashville Predators

November 30th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Detroit, 4-3 L, (Fritsche 2, Kaspar 9, Schremp 8), Denis [L] (39/43)

Kansas City Coyotes (24GP, 7-17-0, 14 points, 15th in the West)

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Hedman shows the extent of his talent

December 9th 2009 - Brent Seabrook scored the game-winning overtime goal at the Sprint Center to lead the Blackhawks to a 4-3 win, but the great play by first star selection, defenseman Victor Hedman, retained some attention despite the loss. In a bit more than 22 minutes of ice time, Hedman had two points, including the game tying goal with a bit more than a minute to go in the game; the first goal of his young career. Hedman was particularly dominating on the penalty kill as the Blackhawks had ten powerplays, converting twice, both times without the big swedish defenseman on the ice. He also finished the game with 5 hits and 3 shots blocked.

"It's scary to think he will one day have the confidence to play like that consistently." said head coach Kevin Dineen

Meanwhile, Toronto has fired head coach Ron Wilson. He will be replaced by Lindy Ruff.

December 1st 2009 - Coyotes at St. Louis, 5-1 L, (Schremp 9), Mason [L] (16/21)
December 5th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Columbus, 4-3 OTL, (Schremp 10, Semenov 2-3), Denis [OTL] (41/45)
December 7th 2009 - Coyotes at Columbus, 4-2 L, (Artyukhin 7, Lundmark 3), Denis [L] (32/36)
December 9th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Chicago, 4-3 OTL, (Carter 6, Lundmark 4, Hedman 1), Denis [OTL] (32/36)

Kansas City Coyotes (28GP, 7-19-2, 16 points, 15th in the West)

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MacMillan down, Krysanov up

December 13th 2009 - The Kansas city Coyotes have sent down right winger Logan MacMillan to the San Antonio Rampage. In seven games with the Coyotes since his callup, MacMillan had three assists; all of those were scored in his first two games as he was shutout since then.

The Coyotes called up Anton Krysanov from the Rampage. In 27 games, the russian forward had 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points. Krysanov can play both center or right wing, but will be used on the wing in his first game. Krysanov will have a spot on the opening lineup from a minor injury to Jamie Lundmark, who will miss one week. Kevyn Adams, who hasn't played a game since mid-october, will also join the lineup.

LINES FOR TONIGHT'S GAME AGAINST VANCOUVER
Artyukhin - Lombardi - Krysanov
Kaspar - Schremp - Carter [A]
Sterling - Fritsche - Comeau
Adams [A] - Kopecky

Hedman - Hävelid
Lepistö - de Vries [C]
Kulyash - Semenov
Cashman

Mason
Denis

December 12th 2009 - Kansas City vs. St. Louis, 3-2 L, (Kaspar 10, Carter 7), Denis [L] (20/23)

Kansas City Coyotes (29GP, 7-20-2, 16 points, 15th in the West)

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Carter halts 10 game winless streak

December 17th 2009 - Anson Carter scored twice and the three Coyotes' shooters scored on the shootout as the Kansas City Coyotes defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-4 today, to hald a 10 games winless streak. Sami Lepistö and Tomas Kopecky also scored in the win for the Coyotes. Rob Schremp, Lukas Kaspar and Matthew Lombardi were the scorers in the shootout. Chris Mason gets the win after blocking 38 of the 42 shots against.

December 13th 2009 - Coyotes at Vancouver, 4-3 L, (Comeau 2, Carter 8, Schremp 11), Mason [L] (41/45)
December 16th 2009 - Coyotes at Detroit, 5-1 L, (Artyukhin 8), Denis [L] (36/41)
December 17th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Detroit, 5-4S W, (Carter 9-10, Lepistö 1, Kopecky 4), Mason [W] (38/42)

Kansas City Coyotes (32GP, 8-22-2, 18 points, 15th in the West)

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Nokelainen sent to San Antonio

December 26th 2009 - Petteri Nokelainen has been demoted to the San Antonio Rampage. The move opens a roster spot for Cory Murphy's comeback from the injured reserve. In 19 games with the Coyotes this season, the 23 years old had scored 4 goals.

This move means russian forward Anton Krysanov will get an extended look on the team's first line. Krysanov has played excellent hockey since his call up and has 3 assists in 6 games. Cory Murphy will replace Reid Cashman in the lineup.

December 19th 2009 - Coyotes at New York I, 4-3 W, (Carter 11, Lombardi 5, Lepistö 2, de Vries 1), Mason [W] (36/39)
December 21st 2009 - Kansas City vs. Los Angeles, 5-0 L, Mason [L] (25/30)
December 23rd 2009 - Kansas City vs. Montreal, 4-1 W, (Comeau 3, Kaspar 11, Artyukhin 9, Sterling 5), Denis [W] (25/26)

Kansas City Coyotes (35GP, 10-23-2, 22 points, 15th in the West)

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Randell, Morin and Haula to play in WJC

December 26th 2008 - Three Kansas City Coyotes prospect will be participating at the World Junior Championships in Innsbruck this year. Travis Randell will play on Canada's third line with Nazem Kadri and Josh Brittain. Jeremy Morin will play on USA's second line with Philip McRae and Scooter Coleman. Erik Haula will play on Finland's second line with Jere Laaksonen and Harri Pesonen.

Canada, USA and Russia are the favourites to win the tournament. Here are the group predictions and important players at each position for the tournament.

Group A
USA: G Phil Carroll - D Adam Comrie - D Seth Helgeson - F A.J. Jenks - F Mitch Wahl - F Jordan Schroeder [C]
Russia: G Daniil Alistratov - D Dmitri Kulikov - D Dmitri Orlov - F Maksim Kitsyn - F Kirill Kabanov - F Dmitri Kugryshev [C]
Sweden: G Sebastian Idoff - D Tim Erixon [C] - D David Rundblad - F Anton Lander - F Jacob Josefson - F Tony Lagerström
Denmark: G Lasse Jensen - D Simon Grönvaldt - D Stefan Nielsen - F Sebastian Svendsen [C] - F Mark Mieritz - F Simon Dalsgaard
Norway: G Jens Martinsen - D Konstantin Deev - D Daniel Sorvik - F Andreas Stene - F Scott Winkler - F Mats Rosseli Olsen

Group B
Canada: G Olivier Roy - D Simon Després - D Colten Teubert - F Cody Hodgson [C] - F John Tavares - F Taylor Hall
Finland: G Jere Ringbom - D Jami Elo - D Tommi Kivistö [C] - F Joonas Nättinen - F Teemu Pulkkinen - F Erik Haula
Germany: G Niklas Treutle - D Marco Nowak - D Dominik Bielke - F Jerome Flaake - F Laurin Braun - F Simon Fischhabe [C]
Switzerland: G Benjamin Conz - D Roman Josi - D Patrick Geering [C] - F Reto Schäppi - F Daniel Keller - F Eric Wyder
Belarus: G Dmitri Stas - D Sergei Sheleg [C] - D Roman Vasyuk - F Nikolai Suslo - F Vitali Grishukevich - F Denis Mikulchik

December 26th 2009 - Coyotes at Detroit, 4-2 W, (Artyukhin 10, Kaspar 12-13-14), Denis [W] (32/34)

Kansas City Coyotes (36GP, 11-23-2, 24 points, 15th in the West)

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Will the Coyotes beat last year's mediocrity record?

January 1st 2010 - Once again December was a month to forget for the Kansas City Coyotes. If it wasn't for four wins in five games towards Christmas time, the Coyotes would be on their way to beat last year's awful season. If there is anything good to take out of this month, it's the good play by rookies Denis Kulyash, Victor Hedman and Anton Krysanov. Lukas Kaspar's continuous great play is another good aspect.

Lukas Kaspar was once again the winner of this month's segment of the Sprint Cup. In 14 games, Kaspar scored 5 times and added 8 assists for 13 points. He beat Anson Carter and Alexei Semenov in the voting.

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/7001/dec09.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

NHL Offensive Player of the Month: C Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks (14GP - 10G - 15A - 25PTS)
NHL Defensive Player of the Month: D Sergei Gonchar, Pittsburgh Penguins (15GP - 6G - 9A - 15PTS)
NHL Rookie of the Month: D Erik Johnson, St. Louis Blues (16GP - 2G - 5A - 7PTS)
NHL Goals Leader: 27 - RW Marian Hossa, Toronto Maple Leafs
NHL Assists Leader: 34 - C Vincent Lecavalier, Los Angeles Kings
NHL Points Leader: 59 - C Vincent Lecavalier, Los Angeles Kings
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 28 - D Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 29 - C Ville Leino, Detroit Red Wings

December 29th 2009 - Coyotes at Vancouver, 5-2 L, (Carter 12, Comeau 4), Denis [L] (31/36)
December 30th 2009 - Kansas City vs. Vancouver, 2-1 L, (Lombardi 6), Mason [L] (31/33)

Kansas City Coyotes (38GP, 11-25-2, 24 points, 15th in the West)

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Group stage leads to some surprises

January 4th 2010 - There were some pretty surprising results in the group stage of the World Junior Championship. Finland's 15-0 loss to Canada and losses to Germany and Switzerland as well as USA's loss to Denmark and tie with Norway after beating Russia and Sweden were not in anyone's prediction. But all-in-all, most of the favourites were able to qualify for the next round. Only Finland, who were surpassed by Germany and Switzerland, will be a surprise entry in the relegation round. Canada, in virtue of a perfect record, and Russia will get a bye in the Quarterfinals.

Quarterfinals matchups:
Switzerland vs. USA
Germany vs. Sweden

January 2nd 2010 - Kansas City vs. St. Louis, 8-1 W, (Carter 13-14, Artyukhin 11, Kaspar 15, Lepistö 3, Lundmark 5, Sterling 6, Semenov 4), Denis [W] (18/19)

Kansas City Coyotes (39GP, 12-25-2, 26 points, 15th in the West)

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Defending champions fall on their face

January 5th 2010 - The defending champions of the World Junior Championship, team USA, were surprised by team Switzerland 5-3 in the first quarterfinal game. The American team's desmise started when the team had a perfect record in the preliminary round and starting goaltender Phil Carroll got injured. Layne Stuart was not able to replace him and the Americans didn't win another game in the tournament. The other quarterfinal game was won by Sweden 3-2 over Germany.

In the relegation round, Finland barely avoided going to Division 1 with a 4-4 tie against Norway. Belarus and Norway will therefore be relegated. An amazing performance by 16-years-old danish backup goaltender Ulrik Bork in their two relegation games also allowed Denmark to stay in the main group. Czech Republic and Latvia won this year's division 1 tournament and will join the main group next year; Slovakia will therefore stay another year in division 1.

Semifinals matchups:
Switzerland vs. Russia
Sweden vs. Canada

January 4th 2010 - Kansas City vs. St. Louis, 5-0 W, (Kulyash 5-6, Lombardi 7-8, Krysanov 1), Denis [W] (26/26)

Kansas City Coyotes (40GP, 13-25-2, 28 points, 15th in the West)

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Canada and Russia to face in the finals

January 7th 2010 - A three points performance by captain Dmitri Kugryshev led the Russians to a 4-2 win over Switzerland today in the first semi final game. In the other game, Geordie Wudrick's three assists contributed to Canada's 5-3 defeat of Sweden. Canada will therefore face Russia for the gold medal while Sweden will play Switzerland for the bronze.

January 6th 2010 - Coyotes at Detroit, 4-2 W, (Fritsche 3, Hävelid 4, Schremp 12, Lundmark 6), Denis [W] (40/42)

Kansas City Coyotes (41GP, 14-25-2, 30 points, 15th in the West)

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Holmström a Sens

January 7th 2010 - The Detroit Red Wings traded 36-years-old hard nosed swedish forward Tomas Holmström to the Ottawa Senators. In return, the Red Wings obtained 20-years-old forward James O'Brien and rights to prospect Patrick Wiercioch. In 38 games with the Wings, Holmström had scored 11 goals and 25 points.

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Canada wins gold

January 9th 2010 - The Russians never gave up, but in they end time beat tem. After Canada took a 6-0 lead midway into the Gold Medal game, the Russians started a rally, scoring four goals but falling two short as Canada survived. John Tavares, with two goals, was the player of the game for Canada.

Gold Medal: Canada
Silver Medal: Russia
Bronze Medal: Sweden
4th place: Switzerland
5th place: Germany
6th place: USA
7th place: Denmark
8th place: Finland
9th place: Norway
10th place: Belarus

Top 5 Scorers:
1. John Tavares (CAN) - 6GP - 7-7-14
2. Geordie Wudrick (CAN) - 6GP - 7-6-13
3. Daniel Weib (GER) - 5GP - 6-6-12
4. Cody Hodgson (CAN) - 6GP - 4-8-12
5. Jacob Josefson (SWE) - 7GP - 1-11-12

MVP: John Tavares (CAN)
Best Forward: John Tavares (CAN)
Best Defenseman: Tyson Barrie (CAN)
Best Goaltender: Olivier Roy (CAN)

All-Star Team:
Artem Gareev (RUS) - John Tavares (CAN) - Cody Hodgson (CAN)
Tyson Barrie (CAN) - Seth Helgeson (USA)
Olivier Roy (CAN)

Coyotes prospects:
Travis Randell (CAN) - 6GP - 1-5-6
Jeremy Morin (USA) - 5GP - 0-0-0
Erik Haula (FIN) - 6GP - 0-5-5

January 9th 2010 : Coyotes at Chicago, 2-1 L, (Schremp 13), Denis [L] (33/35)

Kansas City Coyotes (42GP, 14-26-2, 30 points, 15th in the West)

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Kabanov and Gareev rise, Pulkkinen falls

January 10th 2010 - The World Junior Championship had a notable impact on the draft stock of a few top 10 ranked prospects. Finnish forward Teemu Pulkkinen, who was ranked second overall in the ISS 2010 NHL Draft Preliminary Rankings, fell to number 9 after scoring only four points while the go-to-guy on a disappointing Finland team. Meanwhile, two russian standouts in the tournament, forwards Kirill Kabanov and Artem Gareev, made a big bounce up to number two and three in the mid-term rankings.

1 (1) Taylor Hall - C - 6'1/165 - Windsor Spitfires (OHL) - CAN
2 (9) Artem Gareev - LW - 6'0/222 - Salavat Yulajev (RSL) - RUS
3 (10) Kirill Kabanov - LW - 6'2/171 - Spartak Moscow (RSL) - RUS
4 (7) Cam Fowler - LD - 6'0/180 - Maine Black Bears (NCAA) - USA
5 (4) Brandon Gormley - LD - 6'0/187 - Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) - CAN
6 (3) Erik Gudbranson - RD - 6'4/189 - Kingston Frontenacs (OHL) - CAN
7 (12) Ryan Spooner - C - 5'10/168 - Peterborough Petes (OHL) - CAN
8 (5) Maksim Kitsyn - LW - 6'1/198 - Mettalurg Novokuznetsk (RSL) - RUS
9 (2) Teemu Pulkkinen - RW - 5'10/176 - Jokerit Helsinki (FIN) - FIN
10 (6) Joey Hishon - C - 5'11/167 - Owen Sound Attack (OHL) - CAN
11 (15) Steve Chaffin - LD - 6'4/185 - Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) - CAN
12 (8) John McFarland - C - 6'1/194 - Sudbury Wolves (OHL) - CAN
13 (23) Vladimir Tarasenko - RW - 6'1/189 - Sibir Novosibirsk (RSL) - RUS
14 (11) Alex Cotnoir - RW - 5'10/200 - Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL) - CAN
15 (28) Kevin Sundher - C - 5'7/147 - Chilliwack Bruins (WHL) - CAN
16 (29) Zak MacDonald-Miller - RD - 6'4/220 - Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) - CAN
17 (34) Austin Clancy - LD - 5'11/176 - Vancouver Giants (WHL) - CAN
18 (16) Jared Knight - C - 6'0/186 - London Knights (OHL) - USA
19 (14) Clay Lenardon - C - 6'0/205 - Cornell Big Red (NCAA) - USA
20 (26) Carl Mulock - LW - 6'2/229 - Brampton Battalion (OHL) - CAN
21 (39) Davis Muller - RW - 6'0/205 - Peterborough Petes (OHL) - CAN
22 (19) Wade Poulin - G - 6'2/207 - Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) - CAN
23 (21) Jimmy Dias - RD - 6'1/213 - Kamloops Blazers (WHL) - CAN
24 (13) Cleve Keating - LD - 6'0/209 - Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) - CAN
25 (31) Brent Leveille - RW - 5'10/196 - Saskatoon Blades (WHL) - CAN
26 (35) Darrell Hoyer - LD - 5'7/187 - Ottawa 67's (OHL) - CAN
27 (18) Aleksandr Ataev - RD - 5'10/191 - Ak Bars Kazan (RSL) - RUS
28 (20) Myles Lambert - RW - 5'10/198 - Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) - CAN
29 (22) Markus Kinisjärvi - C - 6'0/185 - Västeras HK (SEL) - SWE
30 (17) Luc Binnington - LD - 6'3/216 - Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) - CAN

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Kevyn Adams traded

January 18th 2010 - The Kansas City Coyotes traded 35-years-old forward Kevyn Adams to the Dallas Stars today. In return, the Coyotes recieve a 6th round pick in 2011. In 11 games with the Coyotes this year, Adams had two assists. He will add some experience on the Stars who are hunting for a playoff spot.

January 10th 2010: Coyotes at New York R, 5-3 L, (Kaspar 16, Comeau 5, Lombardi 9), Denis [L] (15/19) & Mason (18/19)
January 13th 2010: Kansas City vs. Los Angeles, 5-3 L, (Krysanov 2-3, Sterling 7), Mason [L] (30/35)
January 15th 2010: Coyotes at San Jose, 5-0 L, Denis [L] (7/10) & Mason (16/18)
January 16th 2010: Coyotes at Colorado, 4-3 L, (Comeau 6, Kaspar 17, Artyukhin 12), Mason [L] (26/30)

Kansas City Coyotes (46GP, 14-30-2, 30 points, 15th in the West)

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New lines fail to halt losing streak

January 21st 2010 - The Kansas City Coyotes are in a dysmal 8-games losing streak, and head coach Kevin Dineen has tried everything to shake up their players to no avail. Dineen had comepletly revamped lines for tonight's game against New Jersey, but the Coyotes were shutout for the second night in a row.

The names of captain Greg de Vries and star forward Anson Carter are now mentionned regularly in trade rumours and may be gone before the trade deadline. Jack Combs has been recalled from the San Antonio Rampage. In 46 games, he had 13 goals and 24 assists for 37 points. He is not expected to debut in the next game.

Artyukhin - Schremp [A] - Krysanov
Kaspar - Lombardi - Lundmark
Sterling - Fritsche - Carter [A]
Kopecky - Comeau

Kulyash - de Vries [C]
Hedman - Hävelid
Lepistö - Semenov
Cashman

Mason
Denis

January 18th 2010: Coyotes at Los Angeles, 5-3 L, (Carter 15-16, Kaspar 18), Denis [L] (42/47)
January 20th 2010: Coyotes at Anaheim, 5-0 L, Denis [L] (36/41)
January 21st 2010: Coyotes at New Jersey, 3-0 L, Denis [L] (29/32)

Kansas City Coyotes (49GP, 14-33-2, 30 points, 15th in the West)

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Gionta scores 9 points in a game

January 22nd 2010 - The Washington Capitals destroyed the San Jose Sharks 12-4 today at the Verizon Centre, but winger Brian Gionta took the front of the stage with a 9 points performance. Gionta scored twice and added seven assists in this single game to give him the second highest point total in an NHL game in history, only one behind Darryl Sittler's 10 point game. Alexander Ovechking, with two goals and four assists, and Nicklas Bäckström, with three goals and three assists, also had games to remember.

[duff88]

Losing streak halted; Kulyash defensive player of the week

January 29th 2010 - Three days after halting the losing streak with a 6-5 victory over Columbus, Kansas City Coyotes defenseman Denis Kulyash has been named the defensive player of the week in the NHL. In two games, Kulyash scored a goal and added 3 assists. He is the first player in the team's history to win this honor. The 26-years-old blueliner said through an interpreter that he is getting more at ease every game and that he hopes the team starts to win. Coach Kevin Dineen, GM Nicolas Fillion and captain Greg de Vries, who is also his current defensive partner, had only good things to say about him:

"He came in as a very timid guy, he doens't talk much but he works so hard. He does his best to understand the instructions, and you can see we've only touched the tip of the iceberg in terms of his potential." said coach Dineen

"Our russian scout Vyacheslav Golovin was very high on him last year. We made a special trip to see him in Russia and that's when we decided to complete the trade with the Predators. It is tough for a player like him to come over to North America and not be certain of your future, so we made sure he came in here well surrounded. He has been everything we hoped for, and more." said Fillion

"It's so easy to play with him because he does everything so well. The communication is still difficult, but he's like a kid who wants to learn so we can understand each other through gestuals."

January 26th 2010: Kansas City vs. Columbus, 6-5 W, (Artyukhin 13, Schremp 14-15, Kaspar 19-20, Carter 17), Mason [W] (22/27)
January 27th 2010: Kansas City vs. Detroit, 5-3 L, (Kaspar 21-22, Kulyash 7), Denis [L] (21/26)

Kansas City Coyotes (51GP, 15-34-2, 32 points, 15th in the West)

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Enigmatic Coyotes show two faces in January

February 1st 2010 - The Kansas City Coyotes can be a dangerous team at times, but whenever they fall in a tougher streak, they completely disappear from the face of the earth. After an encouraging sequence to start January, the team fell in a disgusting 8-game losing streak, showing no signs of having what it takes to get ouf ot it. The Coyotes finally managed two wins in their final three games to rally a bit after another disappointing month.

Lukas Kaspar, for the third straight time, was the winner of the month's segment of the Sprint Cup. In 14 games, the Czech forward scored 8 goals and 9 assists for 17 points. He beat Anson Carter and Matthew Lombardi in the voting process.

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/7865/jan10.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

NHL Offensive Player of the Month: LW Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals (12GP - 13G - 14A - 27PTS)
NHL Defensive Player of the Month: D Joni Pitkänen, Boston Bruins (13GP - 2G - 8A - 10PTS)
NHL Rookie of the Month: D Ryan Ellis, Nashville Predators (11GP - 2G - 7A - 9PTS)
NHL Goals Leader: 36 - LW Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
NHL Assists Leader: 43 - C Nicklas Bäckström, Washington Capitals
NHL Points Leader: 75 - C Vincent Lecavalier, Los Angeles Kings
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 38 - D Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 33 - C Ville Leino, Detroit Red Wings

January 30th 2010: Kansas City vs. Edmonton, 2-1OT W, (Fritsche 4, Lombardi 10), Denis [W] (27/28)

Kansas City Coyotes (52GP, 16-34-2, 34 points, 15th in the West)

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Trade deadline approaching

February 4th 2010 - The trade deadline is less than three weeks away. Here's a look at the players who might move until then:

D Joe Corvo - CAR
D Duncan Keith - CHI
D Tom Poti - CHI
D Mike Commodore - CBJ
D Toni Lydman - CBJ
D Rostislav Klesla - CBJ
D Bryan McCabe - FLO
D Greg de Vries - KC
D Adrian Aucoin - MTL
D Shaone Morrisonn - WAS
F Marco Sturm - BOS
F Marc Savard - BOS
F Scott Walker - CAR
F Patrick Sharp - CHI
F Dustin Byfuglien - CHI
F Fredrik Modin - CBJ
F Olli Jökinen - CBJ
F Jere Lehtinen - DAL
F Brenden Morrow - DAL
F Mike Ribeiro - DAL
F Brad Richards - DAL
F Stephen Weiss - FLO
F Anson Carter - KC
F Andrew Brunette - MIN
F Chris Clark - WAS

February 2nd 2010: Coyotes at Columbus, 7-1 L, (Sterling 8), Denis [L] (19/24) & Mason (6/8)
February 3rd 2010: Kansas City vs. Dallas, 4-3S W, (Semenov 5, Kaspar 23, Carter 18), Denis [W] (26/29)

Kansas City Coyotes (54GP, 17-35-2, 36 points, 15th in the West)

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Things moving fast

February 8th 2010 - Trades have been firing left and right at an insane ratio over the last few days and the top teams are starting to shape up. If the Kansas City Coyotes are to make a move, expect it in the next few days.

TRADE: Montreal trades D Adrian Aucoin to Nashville for a 1st round pick in 2010
TRADE: Columbus trades D Toni Lydman to Ottawa for F Josh Hennessy
TRADE: Dallas trades F Jere Lehtinen to Detroit for F Jan Mursak and a 2nd round pick in 2010
TRADE: Columbus trades D Rostislav Klesla and a 2nd round pick in 2010 to Detroit for G Daniel Larsson and D Jonathan Ericsson
TRADE: Columbus trades F Kristian Huselius to San Jose for F Logan Couture
TRADE: Carolina trades D Joe Corvo to Washington for D Shaone Morrisonn and a 2nd round pick in 2010
TRADE: Minnesota trades F Andrew Brunette to Calgary for rights to F Mitch Wahl
TRADE: Buffalo trades D Henrik Tallinder to Atlanta for D Jaroslav Spacek
TRADE: Carolina trades F Sergei Samsonov to Los Angeles for F Toni Rajala
TRADE: Dallas trades F Brad Richards to Florida for D Bryan McCabe, D Nick Boynton and a 2nd round pick in 2010

February 6th 2010: Kansas City vs. Boston, 3-1 W, (Kaspar 24, Krysanov 4, Hävelid 5), Denis [W] (32/33)
February 8th 2010: Kansas City vs. Columbus, 4-3S W, (Sterling 9, Lepistö 4, Kaspar 25), Denis [W] (28/31)

Kansas City Coyotes (56GP, 19-35-2, 40 points, 15th in the West)

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Another year, another Coyoteless All-Star game

February 11th 2010 - The Coyotes had once again no players participating in the All-Star game this weekend. In the skills competition, Olli Jokinen won the Puck Control Relay, Marian Gaborik the Fastest Skater, Zdeno Chara the Hardest Shot, Evgeni Malkin the Shooting Accuracy and Henrik Lundqvist the Goalie Competition.

In the game, the Western All-Stars defeated the East 8-5. Rick Nash was the player of the game with a hat trick, adding an assist, for four points.

TRADE: Pittsburgh trades D Andrej Sekera to Atlanta for rights to D Michael D'Orazio
TRADE: Atlanta trades D Paul Mara to Ottawa for rights to D Stefan Elliot
TRADE: Columbus trades F Fredrik Modin to New York R for rights to F Chris Doyle
TRADE: Colorado trades F Brian Rolston to New York R for rights to D Michael Del Zotto

[duff88]

Captain leaves for the Big Apple

February 12th 2010 - It had been no secret for a few weeks, but the Kansas City Coyotes confirmed today that captain Greg de Vries was traded away to a Stanley Cup contender. The 37-years-old defenseman will pack his bags for New York where he will join the first place cup favourite Rangers. In return, the Coyotes get the Rangers' first round selection in 2011. The Rangers also recieve a 6th round pick in 2011 in that trade.

"It's tough to leave" said the captain to journalists while packing his bags. "I've played for many teams in the league, I've notably spent great time in Colorado where I won a cup, but I don't think I've ever grown so attached to a team, it's staff and it's fans. I'll keep great memories."

The Coyotes won't use a captain for the reminder of the year. Niclas Hävelid, Anson Carter, Rob Schremp and Lukas Kaspar will work as assistants. The odds still seem to be 50/50 on wether Carter will be traded away; he still has another year left on his contract and has said he wants to stay in Kansas City.

TRADE: Columbus trades D Fedor Tyutin to Minnesota for D Mike Komisarek
TRADE: Columbus trades D Mike Commodore to Florida for D Keith Ballard

[duff88]

Carter will stay

February 15th 2010 - Anson Carter will be a Kansas City Coyotes until the end of the season, and should still be here when the next training camp gets under way. GM Nicolas Fillion has confirmed that the 35-years-old winger is an important part of the team and that he wanted him to continue on his important role on and off the ice with the young competitive team the team will have next year. Asked about the upcoming moves by the Coyotes before the trade deadline, GM Fillion only provided a smile and a demand to wait and see.

Meanwhile, with a team-record 5 wins streak, the Coyotes are now only 5 points away from the Chicago Blackhawks and the 14th place in the Western Conference. The Coyotes have the fourth best record in the league during the last 10 games with 7-3-0.

TRADE: Boston trades Martin Havlat to Nashville for D Ryan Suter and a 2nd round pick in 2010

February 13th 2010: Kansas City vs. Anaheim, 4-3 W, (Comeau 7, Carter 19-20, Kaspar 26), Denis [W] (30/33)
February 14th 2010: Coyotes at Chicago, 4-3 W, (Lundmark 7, Kulyash 8-9, Carter 21), Mason [W] (19/22)

Kansas City Coyotes (58GP, 21-35-2, 44 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Russian-fours sign new deals

February 17th 2010 - The four russians playing with the Kansas City Coyotes have signed new multi-season extensions. First and foremost, defenseman Denis Kulyash has signed a four years extension worth 7M$. Alexei Semenov signed a three years extension while Evgeni Artyukhin and Anton Krysanov both signed for two more years.

TRADE: Washington trades D Sergei Zubov to Calgary for rights to D Shane Miller
TRADE: Dallas trades F Mike Grier to San Jose for a 5th round pick in 2010 and a 3rd round pick in 2011

February 16th 2010: Kansas City vs. Detroit, 3-2 L, (Schremp 16-17), Denis [L] (33/36)

Kansas City Coyotes (59GP, 21-36-2, 44 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Nokelainen and McKee traded to Atlanta

February 18th 2010 - The Kansas City Coyotes and Atlanta Thrashers have completed an unexpected transaction of youth. The Coyotes shipped out centre Petteri Nokelainen, goaltender David McKee and rights to russian forward Alexei Kaigorodov. In return, Atlanta gave up goaltender Ondrej Pavelec and rights to forward Andrew Kozek. Pavelec was the key component the deal was worked around.

Petteri Nokelainen, a 24 years old finnish center, had played 25 games with San Antonio, scoring 5 goals and 9 assists for 14 points. He also had 4 goals in 19 games in the NHL. David McKee, a 26 years old goaltender, had played 41 games with San Antonio, keeping a 16-19-6 record with a 2.73GAA and 91.3SAV%. Alexei Kaigorodov, a 26 years old center, had scored 28 points in 36 games with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Russian League.

Ondrej Pavelec, a 22 years old czech goaltender, had played 12 games as backup to Kari Lehtonen in Atlanta. He recorded 3-5-1 with a 4.07GAA and 85.5SAV%. He will be sent down to San Antonio where he will get to suit up in more games as he only played 32 games in the last two years, all at the NHL level. Andrew Kozek, a 23 years old winger, is in his senior year with the University of North Dakota. In 41 games, he has scored 29 points.

TRADE: Carolina trades F Justin Williams and D Roman Hamrlik to Buffalo for rights to F Luke Adam and F Tyler Ennis
TRADE: Washington trades F Brian Gionta to Los Angeles for D Drew Doughty
TRADE: Chicago trades D Duncan Keith to Florida for D Francis Bouillon and a 3rd round pick in 2010

February 18th 2010: Kansas City vs. Edmonton, 5-3 W, (Kaspar 27, Comeau 8, Fritsche 5, Lombardi 11, Sterling 10), Denis [W] (33/36)

Kansas City Coyotes (60GP, 22-36-2, 46 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Cory Murphy traded to Detroit

February 19th 2010 - In what was deemed by general manager Nicolas Fillion as the Kansas City Coyotes' final move before the trade deadline, the team traded away 32-years-old offensive defenseman Cory Murphy to the Detroit Red Wings for a 4th round pick in 2010. Murphy, who suffered a major injury early in the season, played only 13 games this year, scoring one point.

TRADE: Boston trades F Marc Savard to Chicago for F Patrick Sharp, a 2nd round pick in 2010 and a 3rd round pick in 2011

[duff88]

Trade deadline passes

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/725/havlatjokinenmorrow.jpg (http://img10.imageshack.us/my.php?image=havlatjokinenmorrow.jpg)
Nashville will hope for a long playoffs run with the addition of Martin Havlat, Olli Jokinen and Brenden Morrow

TRADE: Boston trades F Marco Sturm to Carolina for F Tuomo Ruutu and a 2nd round pick in 2010
TRADE: Boston trades G Tim Thomas and rights to D Tommy Cross to San Jose for 1st and 2nd round picks in 2010
TRADE: Philadelphia trades F Arron Asham to New York R for F Troy Brouwer and a 3rd round pick in 2010
TRADE: Boston trades D Marek Malik to Calgary for 2nd and 4th round picks in 2010
TRADE: Florida trades D Darryl Sydor to Nashville for D Cody Franson
TRADE: Carolina trades F Scott Walker to Nashville for F Stanislav Chistov
TRADE: Carolina trades F Matt Cullen to New Jersey for 2nd and 3rd round picks in 2010
TRADE: Columbus trades F Dainius Zubrus to Chicago for D Tom Poti and D Francis Bouillon
TRADE: Columbus trades F Olli Jokinen to Nashville for F Tyler Kennedy, a 1st round pick in 2011 and 6th and 7th round picks in 2010.
TRADE: St. Louis trades F Toby Petersen to Detroit for a 3rd round pick in 2010
TRADE: Atlanta trades F Curtis Brown to Buffalo for 4th and 7th round picks in 2010
TRADE: Dallas trades D Trevor Daley to New York I for D Raymond Giroux and F Jon Sim
TRADE: Washington trades F Chris Clark to Los Angeles for 3rd, 4th and 5th round picks in 2010
TRADE: New Jersey trades D Andy Roach to San Jose for rights to D Nick Petrecki
TRADE: Florida trades F Cory Stillman to Ottawa for D Alexandre Picard
TRADE: Dallas trades F Brenden Morrow to Nashville for F Colin Wilson
TRADE: Florida trades F Michael Peca to New York R for 4th and 6th round picks in 2010
TRADE: Dallas trades F Mike Ribeiro to Portland for D James Wisniewski and F Ted Purcell
TRADE: Vancouver trades F Kyle Wellwood to Columbus for rights to F Ryan O'Reilly

February 20th 2010: Kansas City vs. Chicago, 2-1 W, (Kaspar 28, Krysanov 5), Denis [W] (27/28)

Kansas City Coyotes (61GP, 23-36-2, 48 points, 15th in the West)

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Denis defensive player of the week

February 26th 2010 - Coyotes goaltender Marc Denis has been named the NHL defensive player of the week. The canadian netminder won his two games, including one shutout, allowing only one goal in 61 shots. Since being pulled in his first game of the month, Denis has allowed only 17 goals in 8 games, winning 7 of those games with one shutout.

The Coyotes are now one point away from the Chicago Blackhawks and the 14th place in the West, 29th in the league. They also have one game in hand. Kansas City will recieve the Minnesota Wild tommorow, the last game of the month.

February 25th 2010: Coyotes at St. Louis, 3-0 W, (Cashman 2, Krysanov 6, Carter 22), Denis [W] (23/23)

Kansas City Coyotes (62GP, 24-36-2, 50 points, 15th in the West)

[duff88]

Coyotes best in February

http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/9811/denis3.jpg (http://img105.imageshack.us/my.php?image=denis3.jpg)
Marc Denis led the Coyotes to a sensationnal month of February

March 1st 2010 - With a 9-2-0 record in 11 games during the month of February, the Kansas City Coyotes, who started the month last in the league, had the best record in the entire NHL. Led by a solid contribution from every lines, as well as the excellent play from goaltender Marc Denis and defenseman Denis Kulyash, the Coyotes have suceeded in passing the Chicago Blackhawks to take the 14th place in the West. The Coyotes are now 4 points away from the Minnesota Wild at 13th, and if you are a dreamer, 15 points away from the Anaheim Ducks at the final playoff position, 8th place in the West. There are 19 games left to play in the season.

Marc Denis won the February segment of the Sprint Cup. In 10 games, Denis had a 8-2 record with a 2.11GAA and a 91.9SAV% with 1 shutout. He beat Denis Kulyash and Lukas Kaspar in the voting. Denis was also named NHL Defensive player of the Month, the first Coyotes to recieve such honor.

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/8049/fe10.jpg (http://img89.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fe10.jpg)

NHL Offensive Player of the Month: C Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins (10GP - 5G - 12A - 17PTS)
NHL Defensive Player of the Month: G Marc Denis, Kansas City Coyotes (10GP - 8W - 1SO)
NHL Rookie of the Month: C Perttu Lindgren, Dallas Stars (10GP - 6G - 1A - 7PTS)
NHL Goals Leader: 46 - LW Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
NHL Assists Leader: 56 - C Nicklas Bäckström, Washington Capitals
NHL Points Leader: 93 - LW Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 44 - D Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 38 - C Colin Wilson, Dallas Stars

February 27th 2010: Kansas City vs. Minnesota, 4-3OT W, (Carter 23-24, Cashman 3, Kaspar 29), Denis [W] (32/35)

Kansas City Coyotes (63GP, 25-36-2, 52 points, 14th in the West)

[duff88]

Coyotes keep pace

March 15th 2010 - The Kansas City Coyotes are not slowing down; 7 games into the month of March, the team has won another 5 games and are now 3 points away from the Columbus Blue Jackets at 12th in the West. Although not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs race, the real chances of seeing the Coyotes make it are incredibly slim; the 8th place Portland Titans only need 9 points in 10 games, assuming Kansas City wins its 12 remaining games, to make it to the post-season.

The Coyotes now sit 26th in the entire NHL. The Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks share last place, while the Washington Capitals and Minnesota Wild also trail the Coyotes.

March 1st 2010: Coyotes at Philadelphia, 5-1 L, (Krysanov 7), Denis [L] (39/44)
March 3rd 2010: Coyotes at Pittsburgh, 2-0 W, (Lepistö 5, Krysanov 8), Mason [W] (27/27)
March 6th 2010: Kansas City vs. Portland, 5-4OT W, (Hävelid 6-7, Kulyash 10-11, Sterling 11), Mason [W] (28/32)
March 8th 2010: Kansas City vs. Dallas, 3-1 W, (Krysanov 9, Lundmark 8, Kulyash 12), Mason [W] (25/26)
March 10th 2010: Kansas City vs. Ottawa, 5-0 L, Mason [L] (32/37)
March 12th 2010: Coyotes at Portland, 5-4S W, (Lundmark 9, Schremp 18, Carter 25, Fritsche 6), Denis [W] (31/35)
March 15th 2010: Coyotes at Minnesota, 4-1 W, (Schremp 19, Krysanov 10, Lombardi 12, Fritsche 7), Denis [W] (26/27)

Kansas City Coyotes (70GP, 30-38-2, 60 points, 13th in the West)

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Coyotes eliminated

March 21st 2010 - With two straight losses, that Kansas City Coyotes are now officially eliminated. There are 10 games left in the regular season.

March 17th 2010: Coyotes at Calgary, 3-2 L, (Kulyash 13, Kaspar 30), Denis [L] (30/33)
March 20th 2010: Kansas City vs. Toronto, 4-0 L, Denis [L] (32/36)

Kansas City Coyotes (72GP, 30-40-2, 60 points, 13th in the West)

[duff88]

Ups lead way to downs

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/3308/lombardi2.jpg (http://img8.imageshack.us/my.php?image=lombardi2.jpg)
Matthew Lombardi scored 15 points in 15 games in March

April 1st 2010 - Like they have gotten their fans used to through the year, the Kansas City Coyotes can be hot as well as they can be cold. After exciting hockey through February and the first half of March, the team has completely lost its touch, losing 7 of their last 8 games, scoring only 12 goals. With four games left in the season, the team currently sit 14th in the West and 28th in the League.

Matthew Lombardi, who scored 2 goals and 13 assists for 15 points in 15 games, was the winner of the March segment of the Sprint Cup. He beat Lukas Kaspar and Denis Kulyash in the voting.

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/8817/mar10.jpg (http://img6.imageshack.us/my.php?image=mar10.jpg)

NHL Offensive Player of the Month: C Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins (15GP - 12G - 15A - 27PTS)
NHL Defensive Player of the Month: G Jean-Sébastien Giguère, Anaheim Ducks (9GP - 8W - 2SO)
NHL Rookie of the Month: LW Michael Frolik, Florida Panthers (14GP - 8G - 3A - 11PTS)
NHL Goals Leader: 56 - LW Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
NHL Assists Leader: 66 - C Nicklas Bäckström, Washington Capitals
NHL Points Leader: 110 - LW Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 53 - D Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 50 - C Ville Leino, Detroit Red Wings

March 22nd 2010: Coyotes at Edmonton, 2-1 L, (Kaspar 31), Mason [L] (36/38)
March 24th 2010: Coyotes at Columbus, 4-2 W, (Sterling 12-13, Hävelid 8, Schremp 20), Denis [W] (37/39)
March 25th 2010: Coyotes at Chicago, 3-2 L, (Kaspar 32-33), Denis [L] (36/39)
March 27th 2010: Kansas City vs. Chicago, 5-1 L, (Kaspar 34), Denis [L] (40/45)
March 29th 2010: Kansas City vs. Calgary, 3-1 L, (Kulyash 14), Mason [L] (26/29)
March 31st 2010: Kansas City vs. Colorado, 4-2 L, (Schremp 21, Lombardi 13), Denis [L] (29/33)

Kansas City Coyotes (78GP, 31-45-2, 62 points, 14th in the West)

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Coyotes finish 13th in the West

Coach Kevin Dineen said after the final game that his young team had grown together thourgh the season. All in all, there are some positives in this tough season. The Kansas City Coyotes finished the 2009-10 season 13th in the West, 28th in the league with 68 points, 14 more than last season. The New York Rangers won the President Trophy as best regular season club with a 55 wins, 23 losses and 4 overtime losses record, good enough for 114 points. Surprisingly, the Nashville Predators, who had been huge trade deadline players by acquiring Vyacheslav Kozlov, Adrian Aucoin, Martin Havlat, Darryl Sydor, Olli Jokinen, Scott Walker and Brenden Morrow, all while standing 3rd in the East, missed the playoffs.

The Sprint Cup (Player of the Year as voted by the media), Gold Stick (Biggest contributor without recieving praise for his work) and Star Trophy (Player of the Year as voted by the fans) will be given to their respective winner after the conclusion of the NHL Playoffs.

April 2nd 2010: Coyotes at Dallas, 2-0 W, (Carter 26, Kopecky 5), Denis [W] (34/34)
April 3rd 2010: Coyotes at San Jose, 4-2 W, (Kaspar 35, Combs 1, Krysanov 11, Artyukhin 14), Denis [W] (24/26)
April 5th 2010: Coyotes at Detroit, 5-1 L, (Sterling 14), Denis [L] (40/45)
April 7th 2010: Coyotes at Edmonton, 6-2 L, (Schremp 22, Kulyash 15), Denis [L] (39/45)

Kansas City Coyotes (82GP, 33-47-2, 68 points, 13th in the West, 214GF-284GA, 12.3%PP [28th], 82.8%PK [24th])

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/3922/saison0910.jpg (http://img5.imageshack.us/my.php?image=saison0910.jpg)

NHL Top 10 scorers
1. LW Alexander Ovechkin, Washington (82GP - 60G - 55A - 115PTS)
2. C Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh (81GP - 45G - 61A - 106PTS)
3. C Vincent Lecavalier, Los Angeles (82GP - 41G - 65A - 106PTS)
4. C Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim (82GP - 50G - 53A - 103PTS)
5. RW Jarome Iginla, Calgary (82GP - 52G - 49A - 101PTS)
6. RW Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa (82GP - 44G - 57A - 101PTS)
7. LW Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit (82GP - 47G - 52A - 99PTS)
8. RW Brian Gionta, Los Angeles (82GP - 52G - 45A - 97PTS)
9. LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta (82GP - 49G - 46A - 95PTS)
10. LW Dany Heatley, Ottawa (76GP - 46G - 48A - 94PTS)

NHL Top 5 goalscorers
1. LW Alexander Ovechkin, Washington (82GP - 60 Goals)
2. RW Jarome Iginla, Calgary (82GP - 52 Goals)
3. RW Brian Gionta, Los Angeles (82GP - 52 Goals)
4. C Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim (82GP - 50 Goals)
5. LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta (82GP - 49 Goals)

NHL Top 5 defensemen scorers
1. D Dion Phaneuf, Calgary (82GP - 14G - 43A - 57PTS)
2. D Ryan whitney, Montreal (77GP - 9G - 42A - 51PTS)
3. D Michal Rozsival, New York R (82GP - 9G - 41A - 50PTS)
4. D Mark Streit, Buffalo (82GP - 8G - 40A - 48PTS)
5. D Andrej Meszaros, Boston (82GP - 13G - 33A - 46PTS)

NHL Top 5 rookie scorers
1. C Ville Leino, Detroit (82GP - 22G - 32A - 54PTS)
2. C Colin Wilson, Dallas (82GP - 22G - 30A - 52PTS)
3. LW Michael Frolik, Florida (80GP - 22G - 21A - 42PTS)
4. D Erik Johnson, St. Louis (82GP - 8G - 29A - 37PTS)
5. C Perttu Lindgren, Dallas (69GP - 17G - 13A - 30PTS)

NHL Top 5 goaltender GAA (min. 60GP)
1. G Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary (64GP - 42W - 2.27GAA - 92.5SAV% - 5SO)
2. G Ryan Miller, Buffalo (68GP - 44W - 2.53GAA - 91.3SAV% - 4SO)
3. G Martin Brodeur, New Jersey (65GP - 34W - 2.56GAA - 92.0SAV% - 3SO)
4. G Martin Gerber, Ottawa (65GP - 35W - 2.58GAA - 91.3SAV% - 5SO)
5. G Henrik Lundqvist, New York R (69GP - 47W - 2.59GAA - 90.5SAV% - 4SO)

Other notable players
RW Teemu Selänne, Anaheim (69GP - 35G - 48A - 83PTS)
D Chris Pronger, Anaheim (66GP - 11G - 29A - 40PTS)
G Jean-Sébastien Giguère, Anaheim (72GP - 38W - 2.62GAA - 91.6SAV% - 8SO)
RW Phil Kessel, Boston (71GP - 30G - 47A - 77PTS)
C Patrice Bergeron, Boston (80GP - 21G - 54A - 75PTS)
D Joni Pitkänen, Boston (82GP - 7G - 34A - 41PTS)
LW Thomas Vanek, Buffalo (82GP - 47G - 44A - 91PTS)
C Tim Connolly, Buffalo (67GP - 32G - 51A - 83PTS)
LW Ales Kotalik, Buffalo (77GP - 33G - 49A - 82PTS)
RW Justin Williams, Buffalo (83GP - 39G - 39A - 78PTS)
D Ed Jovanovski, Buffalo (76GP - 8G - 34A - 42PTS)
C Daymond Langkow, Calgary (73GP - 33G - 50A - 83PTS)
LW Mike Cammalleri, Calgary (82GP - 30G - 50A - 80PTS)
D Sergei Zubov, Calgary (82GP - 5G - 36A - 41PTS)
LW Marco Sturm, Carolina (82GP - 41G - 45A - 86PTS)
C Eric Staal, Carolina (81GP - 38G - 45A - 83PTS)
D Zdeno Chara, Carolina (75GP - 10G - 26A - 36PTS)
C Marc Savard, Chicago (70GP - 25G - 42A - 67PTS)
C Jonathan Toews, Chicago (55GP - 10G - 29A - 39PTS)
RW Patrick Kane, Chicago (67GP - 15G - 25A - 40PTS)
LW Paul Stastny, Colorado (82GP - 35G - 46A - 81PTS)
LW Wojtek Wolski, Colorado (82GP - 36G - 45A - 81PTS)
RW Milan Hejduk, Colorado (57GP - 35G - 31A - 66PTS)
C Joe Sakic, Colorado (54GP - 12G - 35A - 47PTS)
LW Rick Nash, Columbus (72GP - 43G - 33A - 76PTS)
C Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit (77GP - 27G - 64A - 91PTS)
RW Mikael Samuelsson, Detroit (77GP - 33G - 47A - 80PTS)
LW Jere Lehtinen, Detroit (76GP - 30G - 40A - 70PTS)
D Rostislav Klesla, Detroit (81GP - 6G - 40A - 46PTS)
D Brian Rafalski, Detroit (82GP - 6G - 37A - 43PTS)
D Nicklas Lidström, Detroit (76GP - 7G - 21A - 28PTS)
RW Ales Hemsky, Edmonton (76GP - 34G - 37A - 71PTS)
LW Dustin Penner, Edmonton (82GP - 29G - 41A - 70PTS)
C Sam Gagner, Edmonton (76GP - 24G - 45A - 69PTS)
D Lubomir Visnovsky, Edmonton (57GP - 11G - 18A - 29PTS)
C Brad Richards, Florida (79GP - 33G - 64A - 97PTS)
RW Nathan Horton, Florida (75GP - 30G - 46A - 76PTS)
D Andrei Markov, Florida (77GP - 10G - 30A - 40PTS)
RW Patrick O'Sullivan, Los Angeles (82GP - 42G - 51A - 93PTS)
LW Alexander Frolov, Los Angeles (72GP - 38G - 44A - 82PTS)
C Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles (80GP - 26G - 49A - 75PTS)
G Ilya Bryzgalov, Los Angeles (71GP - 46W - 2.63GAA - 90.1SAV% - 6SO)
C Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Minnesota (81GP - 34G - 49A - 83PTS)
RW Marian Gaborik, Minnesota (65GP - 33G - 35A - 68PTS)
RW Alex Kovalev, Montreal (82GP - 35G - 53A - 88PTS)
LW Andrei Kostitsyn, Montreal (81GP - 46G - 41A - 87PTS)
C Saku Koivu, Montreal (70GP - 21G - 45A - 66PTS)
G Carey Price, Montreal (73GP - 36W - 2.64GAA - 91.3SAV% - 4SO)
C Olli Jokinen, Nashville (74GP - 29G - 50A - 79PTS)
C Jason Arnott, Nashville (74GP - 26G - 50A - 76PTS)
LW Brenden Morrow, Nashville (75GP - 32G - 37A - 69PTS)
RW Martin Havlat, Nashville (73GP - 27G - 42A - 69PTS)
LW Patrik Elias, New Jersey (82GP - 46G - 31A - 77PTS)
C Mats Sundin, New York I (65GP - 27G - 48A - 75PTS)
C Scott Gomez, New York R (82GP - 26G - 67A - 93PTS)
LW Markus Näslund, New York R (77GP - 45G - 44A - 89PTS)
C Chris Drury, New York R (82GP - 36G - 42A - 78PTS)
RW Nikolai Zherdev, New York R (65GP - 30G - 40A - 70PTS)
D Wade Redden, New York R (60GP - 8G - 37A - 45PTS)
C Jason Spezza, Ottawa (77GP - 29G - 59A - 88PTS)
RW Joffrey Lupul, Philadelphia (82GP - 37G - 39A - 76PTS)
LW Alex Tanguay, Pittsburgh (82GP - 40G - 48A - 88PTS)
C Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh (81GP - 29G - 48A - 77PTS)
D Sergei Gonchar, Pittsburgh (82GP - 10G - 32A - 42PTS)
G Marc-André Fleury, Pittsburgh (71GP - 39W - 2.92GAA - 90.6SAV% - 3SO)
RW Maxim Afinogenov, Portland (77GP - 30G - 44A - 74PTS)
C Henrik Sedin, Portland (82GP - 20G - 52A - 72PTS)
C Joe Thornton, San Jose (82GP - 30G - 50A - 80PTS)
C Patrick Marleau, San Jose (78GP - 26G - 50A - 76PTS)
LW Milan Michalek, San Jose (65GP - 25G - 37A - 62PTS)
D Dan Boyle, San Jose (82GP - 11G - 28A - 39PTS)
LW Paul Kariya, St. Louis (82GP - 31G - 40A - 71PTS)
RW Martin St. Louis, St. Louis (81GP - 29G - 33A - 62PTS)
LW Nik Antropov, Toronto (80GP - 42G - 51A - 93PTS)
C Peter Mueller, Toronto (80GP - 31G - 59A - 90PTS)
RW Marian Hossa, Toronto (76GP - 44G - 45A - 89PTS)
RW Shane Doan, Toronto (82GP - 34G - 38A - 72PTS)
C Pavol Demitra, Vancouver (80GP - 32G - 60A - 92PTS)
C Daniel Sedin, Vancouver (82GP - 43G - 45A - 88PTS)
RW Miroslav Satan, Vancouver (81GP - 35G - 46A - 81PTS)
G Roberto Luongo, Vancouver (30GP - 22W - 2.10GAA - 92.0SAV% - 3SO)
C Nicklas Bäckström, Washington (81GP - 23G - 69A - 92PTS)
D Mike Green, Washington (79GP - 11G - 32A - 43PTS)

Eastern Conference
*1. New York Rangers (55-23-4) - 114 Points
*2. Buffalo Sabres (53-23-6) - 112 Points
*3. Atlanta Thrashers (43-33-6) - 92 Points
4. Toronto Maple Leafs (46-27-9) - 101 Points
5. Ottawa Senators (47-29-6) - 100 Points
6. Pittsburgh Penguins (44-35-3) - 91 Points
7. New Jersey Devils (43-34-5) - 91 Points
8. New York Islanders (42-33-7) - 91 Points
-
9. Montreal Canadiens (40-33-9) - 89 Points
10. Nashville Predators (41-36-5) - 87 Points
11. Philadelphia Flyers (35-38-9) - 79 Points
12. Carolina Hurricanes (36-40-6) - 78 Points
13. Florida Panthers (34-40-8) - 76 Points
14. Washington Capitals (31-43-8) - 70 Points
15. Boston Bruins (29-42-11) - 69 Points

Western Conference
*1. Los Angeles Kings (53-22-7) - 113 Points
*2. Calgary Flames (50-24-8) - 108 Points
*3. Detroit Red Wings (42-32-8) - 92 Points
4. Vancouver Canucks (51-28-3) - 105 Points
5. San Jose Sharks (48-30-4) - 100 Points
6. Colorado Avalanche (47-30-5) - 99 Points
7. Edmonton Oilers (43-32-7) - 93 Points
8. Anaheim Ducks (41-32-9) - 91 Points
-
9. Portland Titans (38-34-10) - 86 Points
10. St. Louis Blues (35-39-8) - 78 Points
11. Columbus Blue Jackets (35-42-5) - 75 Points
12. Dallas Stars (34-42-6) - 74 Points
13. Kansas City Coyotes (33-47-2) - 68 Points
14. Minnesota Wild (30-44-8) - 68 Points
15. Chicago Blackhawks (31-46-5) - 67 Points

NHL Playoff Matchups
1 New York Rangers vs 8 New York Islanders
2 Buffalo Sabres vs 7 New Jersey Devils
3 Atlanta Thrashers vs 6 Pittsburgh Penguins
4 Toronto Maple Leafs vs 5 Ottawa Senators

1 Los Angeles Kings vs 8 Anaheim Ducks
2 Edmonton Oilers vs 7 Calgary Flames
3 Detroit Red Wings vs 6 Colorado Avalanche
4 Vancouver Canucks vs 5 San Jose Sharks

[Travis]

Nice job duff. Looks like next year should be a season where you've not only got a good chance at hitting the .500 mark, but could be vying for a playoff appearance. Looking forward to seeing more.

[duff88]

Nice job duff. Looks like next year should be a season where you've not only got a good chance at hitting the .500 mark, but could be vying for a playoff appearance. Looking forward to seeing more.

Hopefully I can add some players via free agency. The playoffs may be difficult to reach again next year though, the fourth year should be a good one. We can always hope though.

[duff88]

7 Coyotes accept World Championships invitation

POOL A
Sweden (D Staffan Kronwall, D Niclas Hävelid)
Slovakia (RW Tomas Kopecky)
Denmark
Kazakhstan

POOL B
Russia (D Alexei Semenov)
Czech Republic (G Ondrej Pavelec, LW Lukas Kaspar)
Norway
Slovenia

POOL C
Canada
Finland (D Sami Lepistö)
Germany
Belarus

POOL D
USA
Switzerland
Austria
Italy

[duff88]

Islanders surprise Rangers

Michael Blunden scored twice while goaltender Rick DiPietro blocked 36 shots in the seventh game as the New York Islanders went on to surprise President Trophy winners New York Rangers. Rick DiPietro was phenomenal in this series, allowing only 14 goals to the second best regular season attack, maintining a 94.5% save percentage.

FIRST ROUND RESULTS
8 New York Islanders defeat 1 New York Rangers in 7 games (NYI G Rick DiPietro - 7GP - 4W - 1.94GAA - 94.5SAV%)
2 Buffalo Sabres defeat 7 New Jersey Devils in 4 games (BUF G Ryan Miller - 4GP - 4W - 1.26GAA - 93.3SAV% - 2SO)
6 Pittsburgh Penguins defeat 3 Atlanta Thrashers in 5 games (PIT D Paul Martin - 5GP - 2G - 3A - 5PTS)
5 Ottawa Senators defeat 4 Toronto Maple Leafs in 7 games (OTT LW Dany Heatley - 7GP - 4G - 5A - 9PTS)

1 Los Angeles Kings defeat 8 Anaheim Ducks in 7 games (LA RW Patrick O'Sullivan - 7GP - 6G - 3A - 9PTS)
2 Calgary Flames defeat 7 Edmonton Oilers in 7 games (CGY RW Jarome Iginla - 7GP - 4G - 5A - 9PTS)
3 Detroit Red Wings defeat 6 Colorado Avalanche in 4 games (DET LW Henrik Zetterberg - 4GP - 4G - 2A - 6PTS)
4 Vancouve Canucks defeat 5 San Jose Sharks in 5 games (VAN RW Miroslav Satan - 5GP - 7G - 2A - 9PTS)

TOP 5 PLAYOFF SCORERS
1. RW Marian Hossa, Toronto (7GP - 6-4-10)
2. RW Miroslav Satan, Vancouver (5GP - 7-2-9)
3. RW Patrick O'Sullivan, Los Angeles (7GP - 6-2-9)
4. LW Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta (5GP - 5-4-9)
. LW Ryan Malone, Calgary (7GP - 5-4-9)
5. RW Jarome Iginla, Calgary (7GP - 4-5-9)
. LW Dany Heatley, Ottawa (7GP - 4-5-9)

SECOND ROUND MATCHUPS
2 Buffalo Sabres vs. 8 New York Islanders
5 Ottawa Senators vs. 6 Pittsburgh Penguins

1 Los Angeles Kings vs. 4 Vancouver Canucks
2 Calgary Flames vs. 3 Detroit Red Wings

[duff88]

NHL announces trophy finalists

Calder Memorial Trophy - Best rookie in the NHL
D Erik Johnson, St. Louis Blues, (82GP - 8G - 29A - 37PTS; +17)
C Perttu Lindgren, Dallas Stars, (69GP - 17G - 13A - 30PTS; -8)
C Colin Wilson, Dallas Stars, (82GP - 22G - 30A - 52PTS; +11)

Frank J. Selke Trophy - Best defensive forward in the NHL
C Marcel Goc, Ottawa Senators, (72GP - 14G -27A - 41PTS; +18)
LW Jere Lehtinen, Detroit Red Wings, (76GP - 30G - 40A - 70PTS; +25)
C Mike Rupp, New Jersey Devils, (79GP - 7G - 25A - 32PTS; +13)

Jack Adams Trophy - Best coach in the NHL
Wayne Gretzky, Buffalo Sabres
Tom Renney, New York Rangers
Alain Vigneault, Vancouver Canuks

James Norris Trophy - Best defenseman in the NHL
D Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames, (82GP - 14G - 43A - 57PTS; 26:10 ATOI)
D Michal Rozsival, New York Rangers (82GP - 9G - 41A - 50PTS; 25:15 ATOI)
D Ryan Whitney, Montreal Canadiens (77GP - 9G - 42A - 51PTS; 26:11 ATOI)

Hart Memorial Trophy - Most Valuable Player in the NHL
C Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins, (81GP - 45G - 61A - 106PTS; +30)
C Vincent Lecavalier, Los Angeles Kings, (82GP - 41G - 65A - 106PTS; +33)
LW Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals, (82GP - 60G - 55A - 115PTS; +17)

Lady Bing Tropgy - Most sportsmanlike player in the NHL
Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators, (26PIM in 82GP)
Pavol Demitra, Vancouver Canucks, (24PIM in 80GP)
Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings, (24PIM in 82GP)

Vezina Trophy - Best goaltender in the NHL
Jean-Sébastien Giguère, Anaheim Ducks, (72GP - 38W - 2.62GAA - 91.6SAV% - 8SO)
Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames, (64GP - 42W - 2.27GAA - 92.5SAV% - 5SO)
Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres, (68GP - 44W - 2.53GAA - 91.3SAV% - 4SO)

[duff88]

Second round results

2 Buffalo Sabres defeat 8 New York Islanders in 6 games (BUF LW Thomas Vanek - 10GP - 6G - 8A - 14PTS)
5 Ottawa Senators defeat 6 Pittsburgh Penguins in 7 games (OTT C Jason Spezza - 14GP - 12G - 7A - 19PTS)

4 Vancouver Canucks defeat 1 Los Angeles Kings in 6 games (VAN G Roberto Luongo - 11GP - 8W - 2.11GAA - 92.1SAV% - 1SO)
2 Calgary Flames defeat 3 Detroit Red Wings in 7 games (CGY LW Ryan Malone - 14GP - 7G - 10A - 17PTS)

TOP 5 PLAYOFF SCORERS
1. C Jason Spezza, Ottawa (14GP - 12-7-19)
2. LW Ryan Malone, Calgary (14GP - 7-10-17)
3. RW Miroslav Satan, Vancouver (11GP - 11-5-16)
4. LW Dany Heatley, Ottawa (14GP - 7-9-16)
5. RW Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa (14GP - 3-13-16)

CONFERENCE FINALS MATCHUPS
2 Buffalo Sabres vs. 5 Ottawa Senators
2 Calgary Flames vs. 4 Vancouver Canucks

[duff88]

Canada wins second straight World Championships

The Canadians beat Finland for the second straight year in the World Championships finals by a score of 6-0 in Vancouver today to win the Gold Medal. Robert Lang scored in overtime to give Czech Republic the bronze medal with a 4-3 win over Russia. Kazakhstan and Italy were relegated and will be replaced by last year's relegate, Latvia and Ukraine, who won their respective group of the World Championships Division 1.

Gold Medal: Canada
Silver Medal: Finland
Bronze Medal: Russia
4th Place: Czech Republic
5th Place: Sweden
6th Place: Slovakia
7th Place: USA
8th Place: Austria
9th Place: Denmark
10th Place: Norway
11th Place: Switzerland
12th Place: Belarus
13th Place: Germany
14th Place: Slovenia
15th Place: Kazakhstan (Relegated)
16th Place: Italy (Relegated)

Top 5 Scorers:
1. LW Rick Nash, Canada (9GP - 7-10-17)
2. RW Richard Zednik, Slovakia (7GP - 6-11-17)
3. RW Martin St. Louis, Canada (9GP - 4-13-17)
4. RW Marian Gaborik, Slovakia (7GP - 10-6-16)
5. C Eric Staal, Canada (9GP - 7-8-15)

MVP: Rick Nash (CAN)
Best Forward: Rick Nash (CAN)
Best Defenseman: Andrej Meszaros (SVK)
Best Goaltender: Carey Price (CAN)

All-Star Team:
Rick Nash (CAN) - Eric Staal (CAN) - Richard Zednik (SVK)
Andrej Meszaros (SVK) - Matt Niskanen (USA)
Carey Price (CAN)

Kansas City Coyotes:
LW Lukas Kaspar (CZE) - 9GP - 0-1-1
RW Tomas Kopecky (SVK) - 7GP - 2-5-7
D Staffan Kronwall (SWE) - 7GP - 0-0-0
D Niclas Hävelid (SWE) - 7GP - 0-2-2
D Alexei Semenov (RUS) - 9GP - 0-1-1
D Sami Lepistö (FIN) - 5GP - 0-0-0
G Ondrej Pavelec (CZE) - DNP

[duff88]

Coyotes sign prospects

The Kansas City Coyotes signed professionnal rookie contracts with four prospects to retain their rights: D Tim Billingsley, D Maksim Goncharov, C Vladimir Ruzicka and RW Jared Staal. The team will lose rights to forward Martin Latal, who was not extended an offer.

[duff88]

CHL Memorial Cup tournament set

The Mississauga St. Michael's Majors beat the London Knights in 7 games to win the OHL Championship. Forward Mike Pelech was an important part of the playoffs run, scoring 23 goals and 44 points in 25 games. Coyotes' prospect Tim Billingsley, who plays for the IceDogs, scored 3 goals and 15 points while finishing +12 in 24 games.

In the QMJHL, the Lewiston MAINEiacs repeated last year's success by defeating the Quebec Remparts in 6 games to win a second straight President's Cup. German defenseman Denis Reul and ontarian goaltender Peter Delmas were once again the go-to-guys for the MAINEiacs, who also benefited from great play by forwards Danick Hudon-Paquette and Billy Lacasse.

In the WHL, the Kelowna Rockets defeated the Saskatoon Blades in 5 games in the finals. Defenseman Luke Schenn, captain of the Rockets, was a man amongst boys during the playoffs, scoring 13 goals and 32 assists for 45 points in 21 games.

The three league champions will now face the hosts Erie Otters, who after a disastrous season, are the first non-playoffs Memorial Cup hosts. Forwards Luke Gazdic and Ryan O'Reilly will have the hard task of saving the Otters' face, and maybe trying to cause an upset along the way.

[duff88]

Canucks will have a chance to repeat Stanley Cup glory

In what promises to be the battle of goaltenders, this year's Stanley Cup finals between the Vancouver Canucks and Buffalo Sabres promises to be epic. Roberto Luongo, who missed most of the season with a UCL tear, has been dominant whenever he has hit the ice since returning. On the other hand, Ryan Miller is a Vezina candidate who has been hot for the whole year while at the top of his game. Both teams feature a lot of depth at every position and it is hard to predict who will come out on top; will the Vancouver Canucks be the first back-to-back Stanley Cup winners since Detroit in 97 and 98?

CONFERENCE FINALS RESULTS
2 Buffalo Sabres defeat 5 Ottawa Senators in 6 games (BUF G Ryan Miller - 16GP - 12W - 2.17GAA - 91.9SAV% - 4SO)
4 Vancouver Canucks defeat 2 Calgary Flames in 5 games (VAN G Roberto Luongo - 16GP - 12W - 2.01GAA - 92.6SAV% - 1SO)

TOP 5 PLAYOFFS SCORERS
1. C Jason Spezza, Ottawa (20GP - 17G - 11A - 28PTS)
2. LW Dany Heatley, Ottawa (20GP - 10G - 16A - 26PTS)
3. RW Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa (20GP - 7G - 18A - 25PTS)
4. C Michael Nylander, Vancouver (16GP - 9G - 13A - 22PTS)
5. RW Justin Williams, Buffalo (16GP - 7G - 14A - 21PTS)

STANLEY CUP FINALS
2 Buffalo Sabres vs. 4 Vancouver Canucks

[duff88]

Kelowna wins Memorial Cup

The Erie Otters nearly made it; the team surprised Mississauga in the Semi-Final and ended the second period of the Final with a 2-2 tie, but the Kelowna Rockets were finally too strong. Tyler Myers scored the game winning goal as the Kelowna Rockets defeated the Otters 5-3 to win the second Memorial Cup in their history.

[duff88]

Vancouver repeats Stanley Cup glory

Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks were just too strong. The Canadian goaltender allowed only 6 goals as the Canucks won their second cup in a row in 4 games against the Buffalo Sabres. Although Michael Nylander would have deserved a mention with his 11 goals and 26 points, the Conn Smythe trophy winner for Playoffs MVP was without surprise goaltender Roberto Luongo. In 20 games, he had a 16-4-0 record with a 1.91 goals against average, 92.9% save percentage and 1 shutout.

G Roberto Luongo
G Mike Smith
D Richard Matvitchuk
D Willie Mitchell
D Mattias Öhlund
D Colin White
D Philippe Boucher
D Alexander Edler
D Sami Salo
F Alex Burrows
F Ladislav Nagy
F Taylor Pyatt
F Daniel Sedin
F Pavol Demitra
F Ryan Kesler
F Viktor Kozlov
F Michael Nylander
F Mike Knuble
F Ian Laperrière
F Jamal Mayers
F Chris Neil
F Miroslav Satan

[duff88]

ISS releases 2011 NHL Draft Preview

Windsor's Taylor Hall remains number one prospect in the final rankings by ISS. American defenseman Cam Fowler rose to number two. Russian defenseman Aleksei Marchenko, who rose constantly through the season, finds himself in the top 10.

1 (1-1) Taylor Hall - C - 6'1/165 - Windsor Spitfires (OHL) - CAN
Offensive centre who should fill out at around 6'2/180. He is a very good skater with good hands, a good shot repertoire and good all-around ability. He is not the strongest at the moment, so don't be surprised if he takes the Steven Stamkos development path as the Thrashers' forward is just starting to turn into his own. Once he fills out, he could be a smaller version of Ryan Getzlaf.

2 (4-7) Cam Fowler - LD - 6'0/180 - Maine Black Bears (NCAA) - USA
A skilled defenseman, the Maine freshman impressed in his first year with his poise in the back end. He may not be a star, but he is a solid, strong defenseman who can make a great first pass and who can quarterback the powerplay with his poise and hockey sense. At the moment, his shot is somewhat deficient and he lacks confidence in his abilities, taking very few chances even when he has the chance to make things happen.

3 (2-9) Artem Gareev - LW - 6'0/222 - Salavat Yulajev (RSL) - RUS
A speedy goal-scoring winger à la Simon Gagné. Gareev is strong and hard to knock off the puck. He has the ability to get in open zones to recieve pass and release one of his great wristshots. He won't make jaw dropping moves, but he will undoubtfully become a constant 30-goals scorer in the NHL.

4 (3-10) Kirill Kabanov - LW - 6'2/171 - Spartak Moscow (RSL) - RUS
Kabanov is a higher risk/higher reward version of his russian compatriot. A great skater, Kabanov uses his speed to blow by defenders and release his excellent wrist shot. He also has jaw-dropping deking ability and can stickhandle like few players in the world. He has scout worried because he doesn't seem to use his excellent frame and has been rather invisible against the North American teams in international play.

5 (5-4) Brandon Gormley - LD - 6'0/187 - Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) - CAN
Gormley promises to be a mobile two-way defender who uses his excellent skating ability to keep the other team on their toes. He can log in big minutes and is already one of the strongest players in his age group. His work ethic and determinations are top notch, but at the moment his top-end offensive skills are questionnable.

6 (6-3) Erik Gudbranson - RD - 6'4/189 - Kingston Frontenacs (OHL) - CAN
Gudbranson is a big, defensive minded defenseman who skates well, makes smart plays with the puck and is extremely poised in making a great play out of his blueline. He has a solid shot from the point and can be used in any situation.

7 (8-5) Maksim Kitsyn - LW - 6'1/198 - Mettalurg Novokuznetsk (RSL) - RUS
Not quite as highly skilled as his two fellow russians, Kitsyn compensates with a great work ethic and excellent skating ability. He has a good selection of shots and soft hands that makes him a constant threat in the offensive zone. Doesn't seem to possess first star talent.

8 (9-2) Teemu Pulkkinen - RW - 5'10/176 - Jokerit Helsinki (FIN) - FIN
Fell greatly following an uninspired performance at the World Junior Championships. Technically, with Kabanov and Hall, Pulkkinen is at the top of this draft class in terms of pure talent. He possesses great hands, a good shot, excellent vision and an ability to be at the right place at the right time to bury chances like few others. He is a solid, although not spectacular skater, but is rather small so he will need to get quicker to make up for it. When he is trying, he can also be a solid defensive player. Consistency, strenght and hard work will be the key to either make Pulkkinen a star or a forgotten player.

9 (10-6) Joey Hishon - C - 5'11/167 - Owen Sound Attack (OHL) - CAN
Hishon is the player that comes around every year that does everything well, but nothing fantastic. He has great work ethics and comes to play every night, bringing his solid two-way play and leadership ability. He is an average skater but has a good first step, he has solid hands and a good shot. He can also hit and play a high-tempo style.

10 (32-71) Aleksei Marchenko - LD - 6'2/180 - CSKA Moscow (RSL) - RUS
May not go that high, but his amazing rise up the charts and great potential lead ISS to rank him in their top 10. He is strong, has a big frame to bulk up, he is a great skater, can log in top minutes and is incredibly consistent. He is a defensive minded defender who impressed with his poise despite his age; he looks like a ten year veteran sometimes out there.

11 (12-8) John McFarland - C - 6'1/194 - Sudbury Wolves (OHL) - CAN
Style: Offensive forward
Comparison: Peter Mueller

12 (7-12) Ryan Spooner - C - 5'10/168 - Peterborough Petes (OHL) - CAN
Style: Skilled offensive forward
Comparison: Mike Ribeiro

13 (13-23) Vladimir Tarasenko - RW - 6'1/189 - Sibir Novosibirsk (RSL) - RUS
Style: Skilled offensive forward
Comparison: Petr Sykora

14 (16-29) Zak MacDonald-Miller - RD - 6'4/220 - Prince Albert Raiders (WHL) - CAN
Style: Two-way defenseman
Comparison: Braydon Coburn

15 (15-28) Kevin Sundher - C - 5'7/147 - Chilliwack Bruins (WHL) - CAN
Style: Skilled offensive forward
Comparison: Daniel Brière

16 (17-34) Austin Clancy - LD - 5'11/176 - Vancouver Giants (WHL) - CAN
Style: Two-way defenseman
Comparison: Jeff Woywitka

17 (14-11) Alex Cotnoir - RW - 5'10/200 - Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL) - CAN
Style: Two-way forward
Comparison: P.J. Axelsson

18 (29-22) Markus Kinisjärvi - C - 6'0/185 - Västeras HK (SEL) - SWE
Style: Skilled offensive forward
Comparison: Saku Koivu

19 (18-16) Jared Knight - C - 6'0/186 - London Knights (OHL) - USA
Style: Two-way forward
Comparison: Radek Bonk

20 (24-13) Cleve Keating - LD - 6'0/209 - Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) - CAN
Style: Two-way defenseman
Comparison: Trevor Daley

21 (21-39) Davis Muller - RW - 6'0/205 - Peterborough Petes (OHL) - CAN
Style: Offensive forward
Comparison: Martin Erat

22 (19-14) Clay Lenardon - C - 6'0/205 - Cornell Big Red (NCAA) - USA
Style: Two-way forward
Comparison: Wayne Primeau

23 (22-19) Wade Poulin - G - 6'2/207 - Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) - CAN
Style: Hybrid
Comparison: Mike Smith

24 (23-21) Jimmy Dias - RD - 6'1/213 - Kamloops Blazers (WHL) - CAN
Style: Two-way defenseman
Comparison: Yannick Tremblay

25 (20-26) Carl Mulock - LW - 6'2/229 - Brampton Battalion (OHL) - CAN
Style: Two-way forward
Comparison: Loui Eriksson

26 (26-35) Darrell Hoyer - LD - 5'7/187 - Ottawa 67's (OHL) - CAN
Style: Two-way defenseman
Comparison: Francis Bouillon

27 (27-18) Aleksandr Ataev - RD - 5'10/191 - Ak Bars Kazan (RSL) - RUS
Style: Skilled defensive defenseman
Comparison: Daniil Markov

28 (54-UR) Peter Sisovsky - LW - 6'2/167 - HC Martin (SVK) - SVK
Style: Two-way forward
Comparison: Fredrik Sjöström

29 (28-20) Myles Lambert - RW - 5'10/198 - Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) - CAN
Style: Two-way forward
Comparison: Adam Mair

30 (36-60) Stephen Silas - LD - 6'1/178 - Belleville Bulls (OHL) - CAN
Style: Mobile defenseman
Comparison: Shane O'Brien

[duff88]

Crosby beats Ovechkin at Awards ceremony

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/3434/awards10.jpg (http://img7.imageshack.us/my.php?image=awards10.jpg)
Erik Johnson (Calder), Dion Phaneuf (Norris), Sidney Crosby (Hart), Miikka Kiprusoff (Vezina) & Alexander Ovechkin (Art Ross)

Art Ross (most regular season points): LW Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Bill Masterton (perseverence and sportsmanship): D Pavel Kubina, Toronto Maple Leafs
Calder Memorial (rookie of the year): D Erik Johnson, St. Louis Blues
Frank J. Selke (defensive forward): LW Jere Lehtinen, Detroit Red Wings
Jack Adams (coach of the year): Alain Vigneault, Vancouver Canucks
James Norris Memorial (defenseman of the year): D Dion Phaneuf, Calgary Flames
Hart Memorial (most valuable player): C Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
King Clancy Memorial (leadership and humanitarian contribution): C Mats Sundin, New York Islanders
Lady Bing Memorial (gentlemanly conduct): LW Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit Red Wings
Lester B. Pearson (MVP selected by NHLPA): C Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Maurice 'Rocket' Richard (most regular season goals): LW Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals
Vezina (goaltender of the year): G Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames

First All-Star Team
Ilya Kovalchuk (ATL) - Sidney Crosby (PIT) - Alexander Ovechkin (WAS)
Dion Phaneuf (CGY) - Mattias Öhlund (VAN)
Miikka Kiprusoff (VAN)

Second All-Star Team
Ryan Getzlaf (ANA) - Vincent Lecavalier (LA) - Jarome Iginla (CGY)
Michal Rozsival (NYR) - Ryan Whitney (MTL)
Ryan Miller (BUF)

All-Rookie Team
Colin Wilson (DAL) - Perttu Lindgren (DAL) - Hugh Jessiman (NAS)
Erik Johnson (STL) - Victor Hedman (KC)
Alvaro Montoya (DAL)

[TurnerONU22]

Duff, when you did the "expansion draft", did you come up with a manual list of players that you considered eligible? If so, would you be willing to share that? I'm thinking about getting back into this game and I think it would be an interesting challenge to start from scratch and/or have some budget constraints. Thanks!

Also: what happened to the Jackets to go from making the playoffs last year to sell, sell, sell at this year's deadline?

[duff88]

Duff, when you did the "expansion draft", did you come up with a manual list of players that you considered eligible? If so, would you be willing to share that? I'm thinking about getting back into this game and I think it would be an interesting challenge to start from scratch and/or have some budget constraints. Thanks!

Also: what happened to the Jackets to go from making the playoffs last year to sell, sell, sell at this year's deadline?

Turner, I'm afraid I didn't do a list per say. I simply went from team to team and determined who would be available, but didn't take them in note because it was less time consuming to immediately select one of those players. It's a long process, but I would recommend going from team-to-team in the pre-game editor and using the filters to select only players below a certain current ability (and with NHL experience).

About the Blue Jackets... let's see, they started the year with the following lines:

Rick Nash - Olli Jokinen - Dainius Zubrus
Fredrik Modin - Jiri Novotny - Bill Guerin
Kristian Huselius - R.J. Umberger - Raffi Torres
Josh Green - Steve Kelly - Scott Parker

Fedor Tyutin - Rostislav Klesla
Christian Bäckman - Mike Commodore
Toni Lydman - Kris Russel

Pascal Leclaire
Brian Boucher

That lineup included Josh Green, Scott Parker and Bill Guerin as replacements for the off-season losses of Manny Malhotra, Michael Peca, Michael Nylander and Mike York. The team had also lost Patrice Brisebois.

Obviously every season is different, but the Jackets were killed by a lack of depth. Raffi Torres was injured for most of the season before being traded to Philadelphia for a draft pick. The top two lines were producing, but the bottom two lines were horribly down in minus. The team was third after around 20 games, but they went into an horrible stretch when the best players stopped producing. I personally think the losses of Nylander and Peca hurt horribly because they had nobody to replace these guys.

[duff88]

Tavares too good for juniors

June 18th 2009 - John Tavares, who was surprisingly returned to the OHL by the Atlanta Thrashers despite scoring 9 points in 5 pre-season games, was named the CHL Player of the Year again today. He finished the season with 72 goals and 81 assists for 153 points in 60 games. Here are the different awards in the various leagues around the world:

QMJHL Regular Season Championship: Saint John Sea Dogs (70GP - 49W - 20L - 0OTL 1SOL - 99PTS)
QMJHL Jean Béliveau Trophy (Leading scorer): C Kelsey Tessier, Quebec Remparts (56GP - 51-85-136)
QMJHL Offensive Player of the Year: C Kelsey Tessier, Quebec Remparts (56GP - 51-85-136)
QMJHL Emile Bouchard Trophy (Best defenseman): D Dennis Reul, Lewiston MAINEiacs (68GP - 31-94-125)
QMJHL Jacques Plante Trophy (Best goaltender): G Olivier Roy, Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (54GP - 31W - 1.99GAA - 93.3SAV% - 7SO)
QMJHL Offensive rookie of the year: RW David Cabana, Val d'Or Foreurs (70GP - 26-35-61)
QMJHL Defensive rookie of the year: D Cleve Keating, Drummondville Voltigeurs (70GP - 19-20-39)
QMJHL Michel Brière Trophy (Player of the year): D Dennis Reul, Lewiston MAINEiacs (68GP - 31-94-125)
QMJHL Presiden't Cup Championship: Lewiston MAINEiacs (4-2 win over Quebec)

Top 10 QMJHL Scorers:
1. C Kelsey Tessier, Quebec Remparts (56GP - 51-85-136)
2. LW Mikhail Stefanovich, Quebec Remparts (66GP - 66-69-135)
3. C Paul Byron, Gatineau Olympiques (67GP - 60-73-133)
4. C Maxime Macenauer, Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (66GP - 64-63-127)
5. D Dennis Reul, Lewiston MAINEiacs (68GP - 31-94-125)
6. C Nicolas Deschamps, Chicoutimi Saguenéens (66GP - 60-64-124)
7. D T.J. Brennan, Montreal Junior (67GP - 28-96-124)
8. C Maxime Savué, Val d'Or Foreurs (67GP - 53-70-123)
9. D Dmitri Kulikov, Drummondville Voltigeurs (63GP - 34-84-118)
10. LW Luca Cunti, Rimouski Oceanics (67GP - 53-64-117)

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OHL Regular Season Championship: Ottawa 67's (68GP - 46W - 17L - 3OTL - 2SOL)
OHL Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy (Leading scorer): C John Tavares, Oshawa Generals (60GP - 72-11-153)
OHL Max Kaminsky Trophy (Best defenseman): D Tyler Cuma, Ottawa 67's (68GP - 27-86-113)
OHL Goaltender of the year: G Thomas McCollum, Guelph Storm (61GP - 27W - 2.32GAA - 92.8SAV% - 3SO)
OHL Emms Family Trophy (Rookie of the year): G Gord Harris, Owen Sound Attack (59GP - 38W - 2.62GAA - 90.5SAV% - 5SO)
OHL Red Tilson Trophy (Player of the year): C John Tavares, Oshawa Generals (60GP - 72-11-153)
OHL J. Ross Robertson Cup Championship: Mississauga St. Michael's Majors (4-3 win over London)

Top 10 OHL Scorers:
1. C John Tavares, Oshawa Generals (60GP - 72-11-153)
2. C Cody Hodgson, Brampton Battalion (63GP - 58-82-140)
3. C Scott Timmins, Kitchener Rangers (67GP - 59-80-139)
4. C Eric O'Dell, Sudbury Wolves (67GP - 49-76-125)
5. C Nazem Kadri, London Knights (61GP - 61-58-119)
6. C Mike Pelech, Mississauga St. Michael's Majors (66GP - 55-59-114)
7. LW Chris MacKinnon, Kitchener Rangers (63GP - 56-59-113)
8. D Tyler Cuma, Ottawa 67's (68GP - 27-86-113)
9. C Matt Duchene, Brampton Battalion (67GP - 60-51-111)
10. C Taylor Hall, Windsor Spitfires (61GP - 55-56-111)

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WHL Regular Season Championship: Kelowna Rockets (72GP - 51W - 18L - 1OTL - 2SOL - 105PTS)
WHL Bob Clarke Trophy (Leading scorer): C Evander Kane, Vancouver Giants (66GP - 81-70-151)
WHL Bill Hunter Trophy (Best defenseman): D Luke Schenn, Kelowna Rockets (71GP - 31-97-128)
WHL Del Wilson Trophy (Best goaltender): G Jamie Tucker, Vancouver Giants (64GP - 42W - 2.56GAA - 91.2SAV% - 6SO)
WHL Jim Piggott Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the year): LW Jerome Flaake, Prince George Cougars (67GP - 60-61-121)
WHL Four Broncos Memorial Trophy (Player of the year): D Luke Schenn, Kelowna Rockets (71GP - 31-97-128)
WHL President's Cup Final Championship: Kelowna Rockets (4-1 win over Saskatoon)

Top 10 WHL Scorers:
1. C Evander Kane, Vancouver Giants (66GP - 81-70-151)
2. C Mitch Wahl, Spokane Chiefs (62GP - 55-92-147)
3. C Lance Bouma, Vancouver Giants (71GP - 63-82-145)
4. C Milan Kytnar, Saskatoon Blades (71GP - 69-69-138)
5. LW Matt Calvert, Brandon Wheat Kings (71GP - 53-76-129)
6. C Dana Tyrell, Prince George Cougars (72GP - 36-93-129)
7. D Luke Schenn, Kelowna Rockets (71GP - 31-97-128)
8. LW Jerome Flaake, Prince George Cougars (67GP - 60-61-121)
9. C Jordan Eberle, Regina Pats (71GP - 52-59-111)
10. C Kevin Sundher, Chilliwack Bruins (72GP - 46-64-110)

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CHL Memorial Cup Champions: Kelowna Rockets
CHL All-Star Team:
LW Evander Kane (VAN) - C John Tavares (OSH) - RW Cody Hodgson (BRA)
D Dennis Reul (LEW) - D Luke Schenn (KEL)
G Olivier Roy (CAP)

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NCAA Championship: Denver Pioneers
NCAA Hobey Baker Trophy (Player of the year): LW James Van Riemsdyk, New Hampshire Wildcats [HE] (50GP - 35-36-71)

NCAA Top 10 Scorers
1. LW James Van Riemsdyk, New Hampshire Wildcats [HE] (50GP - 35-36-71)
2. C Brett Wilson, Princenton Tigers [ECAC] (50GP - 21-36-57)
3. C Jeric Agosta, Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks [CCHA] (50GP - 20-34-54)
4. LW Evan Barlow, Cornell Big Red [ECAC] (50GP - 18-35-53)
5. LW Evan Trupp, North Dakota Fighting Sioux [WCHA] (50GP - 17-31-48)
6. RW Andreas Vlassopoulos, Colorado College Eagles [WCHA] (49GP - 16-31-47)
7. C Ryan Stoa, Minnesota Golden Gophers [WCHA] (50GP - 30-17-47)
8. RW Erik Condra, Notre Dame Fighting Irish [CCHA] (50GP - 23-23-46)
9. C Troy Schwab, Lake Superior Lakers [CCHA] (50GP - 21-25-46)
10. RW Tyler Ruegsegger, Denver Pioneers [WCHA] (50GP - 19-26-46)

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AHL John B. Sollenberger Trophy (Leading scorer): LW Colin Murphy, Portland Pirates (73GP - 34-50-84)
AHL Willie Marshall Award (Top goalscorer): C Toby Petersen, Grand Rapids Griffins (76GP - 37G - 37A - 74PTS)
AHL Best Forward: C Joel Lundqvist, Hartford Wolfpack (80GP - 34-47-81)
AHL Eddie Shore Plaque (Defenseman of the year): D Matt Lashoff, Providence Bruins (80GP - 6G - 57A - 63PTS)
AHL Baz Bastien Memorial Trophy (Goaltender of the year): G Jonas Enroth (64GP - 45W - 2.03GAA - 92.6SAV% - 10SO)
AHL Red Garrett Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the year): LW Mike Hoeffel, Lowell Devils (80GP - 28-45-73)
AHL Les Cunningham Plaque (Most Valuable Player): C Joel Lundqvist, Hartford Wolfpack (80GP - 34-47-81)
AHL Calder Cup Champions: Albany River Rats

AHL Top 10 Scorers
1. LW Colin Murphy, Portland Pirates (73GP - 34-50-84)
2. LW Linus Klasen, Binghampton Senators (80GP - 33-50-83)
3. C Steve Downie, Bridgeport Sound Tigers (81GP - 33-50-83)
4. C Tyler Redenbach, Peoria Riverkings (80GP - 31-51-82)
5. C Mikael Johansson, Hamilton Bulldogs (75GP - 26-56-82)
6. C Joel Lundqvist, Hartford Wolfpack (80GP - 34-47-81)
7. C Corey Locke, Houston Aeros (80GP - 30-50-80)
8. LW Dan LaCouture, Worcester Sharks (79GP - 35-42-77)
9. LW Liam Reddox, Springfield Falcons (80GP - 30-47-77)
10. LW Oskar Osala, Houston Aeros (67GP - 32-44-76)

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ECHL Champions: South Carolina Stingrays
ECHL MVP: C Mike Stathopoulos, South Carolina Stingrays (70GP - 43-41-84)

ECHL Top 5 Scorers
1. C Mike Stathopoulos, South Carolina Stingrays (70GP - 43-41-84)
2. C Thatcher Bell, Dayton Bombers (70GP - 41-41-82)
3. D Patrik Hersley, Mississippi Sea Wolves (70GP - 30-48-78)
4. C Rob Hennigar, Utah Grizzlies (66GP - 28-43-71)
5. C Brad Schell, Gwinnett Gladiators (62GP - 27-36-63)
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Czech Elite League Championship: HC Pardubice
Czech Elite League MVP: G Jiri Trvaj, HC Pardubice (44GP - 37W - 1.60GAA - 93.7SAV% - 3SO)

Czech Elite League Top 5 Scorers
1. C Tomas Vlasak, HC Sparta Praha (50GP - 41-41-82)
2. C Marek Melenovsky, HC Karlovy Vary (50GP - 32-43-75)
3. LW Zdenek Blatny, HC Liberec (50GP - 25-40-65)
4. RW Petr Sachl, HC Slavia Praha (50GP - 31-31-62)
5. RW David Vyborny, HC Sparta Praha (46GP - 21-35-56)
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Slovakian T-Com Extraliga Championship: HK Kosice
Slovakian T-Com Extraliga MVP: LW Zigmund Palffy, HK 36 Skalica (45GP - 36-46-82)

Slovakian T-Com Extraliga Top 5 Scorers
1. LW Zigmund Palffy, HK 36 Skalica (45GP - 36-46-82)
2. C Jimmy Kilpatrick, HK 36 Skalica (49GP - 36-43-79)
3. C Martin Cibak, HK Zvolen (47GP - 27-38-65)
4. C Jaroslav Kmit, HK Kosice (47GP - 22-38-60)
5. RW Miroslav Zalesak, HK Kosice (50GP - 20-34-54)

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DEL Championship: Adler Mannheim
DEL MVP: G Mika Noronen, Adler Mannheim (44GP - 31W - 1.80GAA - 93.2SAV% - 8SO)

DEL Top 5 Scorers
1. LW Klaus Kathan, Adler Mannheim (46GP - 38-33-71)
2. RW Michael Wolf, Adler Mannheim (46GP - 33-37-70)
3. LW Tyler Beechey, Augsburger Panther (50GP - 19-50-69)
4. C Joey Tenute, Hamburg Freezers (50GP - 27-36-63)
5. RW Brad Leeb, Augsburger Panther (50GP - 28-33-61)

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Swiss National League Championship: ZSC Lions
Swiss National League MVP: C Martin Plüss, SC Bern (46GP - 25-33-58)

Swiss National League Top 5 Scorers
1. RW Patrick Thoresen, Rapperswil-Jona Lakers (47GP - 32-37-69)
2. LW Reto von Arx, HC Davos (50GP - 26-41-67)
3. C Eric Himelfarb, HC Ambri-Piotta (50GP - 27-36-63)
4. C Romano Lemm, HC Lugano (45GP - 20-41-61)
5. RW Juraj Kolnik, SC Bern (46GP - 35-23-58)

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Swedish Elitserien Championship: HV71
Swedish Elitserien MVP: C Yared Hagos, HV71 (50GP - 20-42-62)

Swedish Elitserien Top 5 Scorers
1. RW Niklas Sundström, MODO (50GP - 30-33-63)
2. C Yared Hagos, HV71 (50GP - 20-42-62)
3. D Lars Jonsson, Frölunda Indians (46GP - 17-35-52)
4. LW Andreas Dackell, Frölunda Indians (50GP - 23-29-52)
5. RW Mathias Tjärnqvist, Rögle BK (50GP - 27-24-51)

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Finnish SM-League Championship: JYP Jyväskylä
Finnish SM-League MVP: C Jarkko Immonen, JYP Jyväskylä (46GP - 25-40-65)

Finnish SM-League Top 5 Scorers
1. LW Tuomas Pihlman, JYP Jyväskylä (49GP - 36-35-71)
2. C Jarkko Immonen, JYP Jyväskylä (46GP - 25-40-65)
3. LW Antti Laaksonen, Tampereen Ilves (50GP - 32-33-65)
4. RW Marko Jantunen, Porin Ässät (50GP - 28-37-65)
5. RW Kristian Kuusela, Tampereen Ilves (48GP - 31-32-63)

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Russian Superleague Championship: Severstal Cherepovets
Russian Superleague MVP: C Aleksandr Skugarev, Sibir Novosibirsk (50GP - 30-18-48)

Russian Superleague Top 5 Scorers
1. C Yuri Trubachev, Severstal Cherepovets (50GP - 25-25-50)
2. C Aleksandr Skugarev, Sibir Novosibirsk (50GP - 30-18-48)
3. RW Pavel Vorobiev, Severstal Cherepovets (50GP - 29-19-48)
4. LW Alexei Mikhnov, Metallurg Magnitogorsk (50GP - 27-20-47)
5. RW Alexander Radulov, Salavat Yulajev (50GP - 19-28-47)

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Yearly World Rankings
1 (1) Canada
2 (3) Finland
3 (4) Czech Republic
4 (2) Sweden
5 (5) Russia
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6 (6) USA
7 (7) Slovakia
8 (8) Germany
9 (11) Denmark
10 (9) Switzerland
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11 (17) Austria
12 (10) Belarus
13 (13) Norway
14 (18) Slovenia
15 (12) Latvia
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16 (14) Italy
17 (16) Kazakhstan
18 (15) Ukraine
19 (19) France
20 (21) Hungary
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21 (20) Poland
22 (22) Netherlands
23 (24) Estonia
24 (28) Great Britain
25 (26) Romania
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26 (23) Japan
27 (25) Lithuania
28 (29) Croatia
29 (27) China
30 (30) Serbia
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31 (32) South Korea
32 (31) Bulgaria
33 (33) Belgium
34 (34) Israel
35 (36) Spain
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36 (35) Australia
37 (37) North Korea
38 (38) South Africa
39 (39) Iceland
40 (40) New Zealand
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41 (41) Turkey
42 (42) Mexico
43 (46) Bosnia-Herzegovina
44 (43) Luxembourg
45 (47) Thailand
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46 (48) Singapore
47 (44) Ireland
48 (49) Mongolia
49 (45) Armenia
50 (50) Malaysia
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51 (51) Greece
52 (52) Andorra

[duff88]

Coyotes re-sign some players

June 15th 2010 - The Kansas City Coyotes signed new 1 year deals with James Sanford, Rosario ruggeri, Louis-Philippe Martin, Brett Sterling, Sami Lepistö, Reid Cashman, Jamie Lundmark and Nathan Saunders. The team also signed 2 years deals Eric Hunter, Ondrej Pavelec and Matthew Lombardi.

Marc Denis, Chris Mason, Todd Ford, Staffan Kronwall and Tomas Kopecky remain unsigned.

[duff88]

Dallas wins draft lottery, Coyotes fall back one spot

June 15th 2010 - The Dallas Stars have won the 2010 NHL Draft Lottery and will go up to select second overall. The Kansas City Coyotes therefore fall one spot and will be picking fourth. The draft will be held in one week at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa.

1. Chicago Blackhawks
2. Dallas Stars
3. Minnesota Wild
4. Kansas City Coyotes
5. Boston Bruins

Other Coyotes picks:
2nd round, 33rd overall
3rd round, 87th overall (BUF)
4th round, 93rd overall
4th round, 114th overall (DET)
6th round, 153rd overall

[duff88]

Kaspar and Hävelid recieve honors

http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/5752/kaspar4.jpg (http://img255.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kaspar4.jpg)
Lukas Kaspar lead the Coyotes with 77 points in 82 games

June 18th 2009 - Lukas Kaspar has won for the second time the Sprint Cup given to the best players as voted by the media for the 2009-10 season. Kaspar ended the year as team leader with 35 goals and 42 assists for 77 points in 82 games. Kaspar also won the Star Trophy as fans player of the year.

Niclas Hävelid won the Gold Stick as biggest contributor without earning praise for his hard work. The swedish defenseman scored 8 goals and 25 points in 79 games, playing a key role on the PK as well as playing the role of mentor for some of the team's young defensemen.

[duff88]

Denis re-signs

June 20th 2010 - Marc Denis has signed a new two-years deal worth 6M$ that will keep him with the Kansas City Coyotes until June 30th 2012. The 32-years-old goaltender has been a key element of the Coyotes and the team hopes he can continue on his great work for the seasons to come. It is still unknown if Chris Mason will come back or if Ondrej Pavelec will get a chance as backup.

[duff88]

Hall goes to Chicago

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/9577/hall2.jpg (http://img4.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hall2.jpg)
Taylor Hall was the first overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/8797/2010draft.jpg (http://img4.imageshack.us/my.php?image=2010draft.jpg)


*Round 1, 13th overall: Originally held by Nashville
**Round 1, 22nd overall: Originally held by San Jose

TRADE: Philadelphia trades D Kimmo Timonen to Atlanta for D Tobias Enström
TRADE: Montreal trades F Richard Zednik to Atlanta for the 55th overall pick
TRADE: Dallas trades picks 76 and 126 to Montreal for the 54th overall pick

[duff88]

Coyotes draft review

Round 1 - 4th overall - LW Kirill Kabanov - 6'2/171 - Spartak Moscow (RSL) - 7/16/1992 - Moscow, Russia
2008-09 - Spartak Moscow (RSL) - 15GP - 1G - 0A - 1PTS - Ranked 4th overall by ISS
Kabanov is a dynamic offensive winger who uses his game breaking speed and stickhandling abilities to be a scoring force. He is a dangerous scorer with a powerful wrist shot, excellent poise and an ability to get open. He is a hard working player who is ready to work in the dirty areas to score. His defensive game is lacking at this point and he will need to add some meat to his big frame to be a dangerous player at the NHL level. Don't be surprised if he is signed to come to North America and suit up either for the Coyotes, the Rampage or an eventual CHL team that would pick him in the Import Draft. Some call him, along with finnish winger Teemu Pulkkinen, the player with the highest offensive ceiling in the 2010 crop.

Round 2 - 33rd overall - LW Peter Sisovsky - 6'2/167 - HC Martin (SVK) - 8/15/1991 - Dubnica, Slovakia
2008-09 - Martin (SVK) - 48GP - 11G - 13A - 24PTS - Ranked 28th overall by ISS
At this point, Sisovsky is all about potential. A solid two-way player with an interesting frame, Sisovsky is a good skater who plays a smart game at both ends of the ice. Sisovsky is strong physically and has the size to add more weight. He is a creative player with the puck, but will need to improve his stickhandling and his scoring abilities. Sisovsky's junior rights belong to the Red Deer Rebels.

Round 3 - 87th overall - RW Johan Larsson - 6'0/194 - Brynäs IF (SWE) - 7/25/1992 - Visby, Sweden
2008-09 - Brynäs (SWE) - 46GP - 7G - 4A - 11PTS - Ranked 157th overall by ISS
Larsson is a checking winger who plays a game based on speed and hard work. He is a strong player on both ends of the ice who plays hard every shift. He is also a gifted skater, although he is easy to push off the puck. He sees the game well and has good playmaking ability. He is also able to play center, where he is very good on faceoffs. Most of all, Larsson is a team player and the kind of guy the coach likes to have on his team. His junior rights are held by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

Round 4 - 93rd overall - C Gregg McKegg - 6'0/189 - Saginaw Spirit (OHL) - 6/17/1992 - St. Thomas, Ontario
2008-09 - Saginaw (OHL) - 68GP - 14G - 18A - 32PTS - Ranked 71st overall by ISS
McKegg is another player who is a coach's dream; he is aware of what he does on the ice and will play any role to win. He is a good two-way talent who displays a high fitness level. He is a solid skater who plays an aggressive high-tempo style. He is smart with the puck and works hard in the corners and in front of the net. McKegg also excells in the faceoff circle and has solid technical abilities. He should be one of the go-to-guys on a strong Saginaw team next year.

Round 4 - 114th overall - C Mikael Granlund - 5'10/176 - Tampereen Ilves (FIN) - 2/26/1992 - Oulu, Finland
2008-09 - Ilves (FIN) - 19GP - 0G - 7A - 7PTS - Ranked 115th overall by ISS
Once a highly touted prospect for the 2010 draft, Granlund fell on the rankings after a disappointing season last year in the Finnish 3rd division followed by a subpar year where he played for half the season with the senior team in Ilves. The Coyotes scouts may have seen him enough while watching last year's fourth round pick Erik Haula with whom Granlund played in Ilves. Granlund is a superb skater with top-end speed who sees the ice well and who has the ability to make incredible plays look easy. He is smart with the puck, has superb vision and can pass the puck better than most. He also has a solid slection of shots. Although described by coaches as determined, loyal and ambitious, Granlund lacks aggressiveness and often looks shy on the ice. He is also weak and easy to knock off the puck.

Round 6 - 153rd overall - LD Bjorn Krupp - 6'3/202 - Brampton Battalion (OHL) - 3/6/1991 - Buffalo, New York
2008-09 - Belleville (OHL) - 45GP - 7G - 32A - 39PTS - Ranked 175th overall by ISS
After surprisingly going undrafted after a very good rookie season with Belleville last year that ended with a Memorial Cup participation, Krupp started the year on a bad note by suffering a broken collarbone early in the season. He was traded after the end of a solid season to the Brampton Battalion. A solid two way defenseman, Krupp is an intimidating player who leaves everything on the ice and who will make the ultimate sacrifice for his team. His deficient skating technique and poor technical skills will limit his future, but his combination of size, strenght, leadership and work rate could one day make him a good bottom pairing defender.

[duff88]

Just recieved a PM from Fenney, but I prefer answering those questions here in case anyone else is interested. Don't hesitate to ask anything you want on this thread; I'll gladly answer.

What do the Bruin's look like in your dynasty and who did they select with the 5th pick????Great story,enjoy reading it and look forward to updates!

The Bruins had a tough season, but things are looking up. Guillaume Latendresse should become a force for them, already showing talent at the end of the year with 34 points in 43 games, and he's only starting to develop into a power forward at the age of 23. They also added Chris Campoli, Ryan Suter, Patrick Sharp and Tuomo Ruutu who are all solid players. They have Bergeron and Kessel who are becoming great players up front and they have Pitkanen and Meszaros to give them a strong blue line. Unless they get another goaltender in the summer, they'll have to rely on young Tuukka Rask who has tons of talent but who should take some time to get comfortable.

The Bruins also had seven picks in this year's top 56, even though it was a relatively weak draft class. I'm not a fan of MacFarland, I think they should have taken either one of the defensemen at fifth overall. He is somewhat big and a good skater, but I can't see him developping into much at the NHL level. Cotnoir at 22nd overall was a good pick for his time, but he is another low reward pick as I don't see him becoming more than a 3rd liner, if he ever makes it. I think their best pick was big defenseman Steve Chaffin at 31st ovreall. Big, solid defensively, works hard, skates well and is very strong. But overall, according to my vision of things, they had a rather average draft compared to last year where they got three excellent players in Brayden Schenn, William Wallén and Tristin Llewellyn.

I could see them competing for a playoffs spot next year.

[duff88]

Gagnon, Sigouin, Brine and Lindblad picked first

June 28th 2009 - The QMJHL, OHL, WHL and CHL Import Draft have all been completed. In the QMJHL, the Shawinigan Cataractes picked defenseman Alexandre Gagnon first overall. In the OHL, Peterborough selected local winger Darren Sigouin with the first pick. The Moose Jaw Warriors picked 14-years old center Gene Brine first in the WHL Bantam Draft. Finally, swedish center André Lindblad, who is one of the high profile players eligible for the 2011 NHL Draft, was the first selection in the CHL Import Draft by Moose Jaw.

QMJHL Draft Top 5:
1. Shawinigan Cataractes - LD Alexandre Gagnon - 6'0/187 - Seminaire St. François - Laval, Quebec
2. Acadie-Bathurst Titan - RD Sebastien Côté - 5'10/156 - Shawville - Shawville, Quebec
3. P.E.I. Rocket - RW Stéphane Aubin - 6'4/187 - Orford/St-François - Laval, Quebec
4. Victoriaville Tigres - C Tom Fournier - 6'1/163 - Antoine-Girouard - Blainville, Quebec
5. Halifax Mooseheads - RD Rémy Friesen - 6'0/164 - Antigonish - Antigonish, Nova Scotia

OHL Draft Top 5:
1. Peterborough Petes - RW Darren Sigouin - 6'1/163 - Peterborough - Orangeville, Ontario
2. Belleville Bulls - LW Josh Cameron - 5'7/189 - CharLan - Thunder Bay, Ontario
3. Erie Otters - LW Armand Hull - 5'11/158 - Markham - Scarborough, Ontario
4. Sarnia Sting - G Spiros Houghton - 5'11/191 - Wexford - Scarborough, Ontario
5. Kingston Frontenacs - LW Yiorgo Ewanchuk - 6'0/154 - Ottawa West - Ottawa, Ontario

WHL Draft Top 5:
1. Moose Jaw Warriors - C Gene Brine - 6'1/165 - Grandview - Vancouver, British Columbia
2. Prince Albert Raiders - G Murray Hackett - 6'2/146 - Saskatoon Quakers - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
3. Medicine Hat Tigers - G Robbie Beatti - 5'9/130 - Comox Valley - North Vancouver, British Columbia
4. Portland Winterhawks - C Mitch Currie - 5'9/147 - Sicamous - North Delta, British Columbia
5. Kamloops Blazers - RW Quinten Flood - 5'11/158 - Thompson - Kamloops, British Columbia

CHL Import Draft Top 5 (and other important picks):
1. Moose Jaw Warriors - C André Lindblad - 6'1/169 - Sweden - Eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft
2. Peterborough Petes - LW Gérard Laraque - 5'10/165 - France - Eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft
3. Acadie-Bathurst Titan - G Ulrik Bork - 5'11/178 - Denmark - Eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft
4. Prince Albert Raiders - LD Owe Söderberg - 5'10/163 - Sweden - Eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft
5. Belleville Bulls - C Andrei Glotov - 5'7/136 - Kazakhstan - Eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft
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72. Kingston Frontenacs - RD Aleksandr Ataev - 5'10/194 - Russia - 15th overall pick by Anaheim in 2010
73. Halifax Mooseheads - LD Aleksei Marchenko - 6'2/180 - Russia - 29th overall pick by the Rangers in 2010
76. Moncton Wildcats - RD Nikita Donets - 5'11/189 - Russia - 20th overall pick by Colorado in 2010
89. Regina Pats - C Nikita Gusev - 5'8/185 - Russia - 34th overall pick by Dallas in 2010

[duff88]

Free-agent frenzy starts

July 1st 2009 - After two straight cups with the Vancouver Canucks, Canadian goaltender Roberto Luongo will test the free agents market. A return to Vancouver is not out of question, but there are already quite a few team who have shown interest, including Portland, Minnesota, Columbus and Boston. 40 years old defenseman Nicklas Lidström is also a free agent, although he is said to consider going back to Sweden to play one final season. If he does come back to the NHL, he has not taken out the possibility of signing with a different NHL team after playing his whole career in Detroit. Up front, Ilya Kovalchuk will be one of the hottest free agent commodities. The Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild have reportedly already approached the 27 years old russian winger who has 356 goals and 293 assists for 649 points in 622 career games.

Forwards
Tyler Arnason - C - 31yo - 5'11/202 - USA - Colorado Avalanche (73GP - 12G - 26A - 38PTS)
Pavol Demitra - C - 35yo - 6'0/205 - Slovakia - Vancouver Canucks (80GP - 32G - 60A - 92PTS)
Milan Hejduk - RW - 34yo - 5'11/183 - Czech Republic - Colorado Avalanche (57GP - 35G - 31A - 66PTS)
Tomas Holmström - LW - 37yo - 6'0/209 - Sweden - Detroit Red Wings/Ottawa Senators (68GP - 22G - 21A - 43PTS)
Jaromir Jagr - RW - 38yo - 6'3/240 - Czech Republic - Avangard Omsk [RUS] (50GP - 21G - 24A - 45PTS)
Olli Jokinen - C - 31yo - 6'3/213 - Finland - Columbus Blue Jackets/Nashville Predators (74GP - 29G - 50A - 79PTS)
Paul Kariya - LW - 35yo - 5'10/174 - Canada - St. Louis Blues (82GP - 31G - 40A - 71PTS)
Mike Knuble - RW - 37yo - 6'2/231 - Canada - Vancouver Canucks (33GP - 8G - 17A - 25PTS)
Saku Koivu - C - 35yo - 5'10/178 - Finland - Montreal Canadiens (70GP - 21G - 45A - 66PTS)
Ilya Kovalchuk - LW - 27yo - 6'2/218 - Russia - Atlanta Thrashers (82GP - 49G - 46A - 95PTS)
Patrick Marleau - C - 30yo - 6'2/218 - Canada - San Jose Sharks (78GP - 26G - 50A - 76PTS)
Jamal Mayers - RW - 35yo - 6'1/216 - Canada - Vancouver Canucks (67GP - 7G - 18A - 25PTS)
Taylor Pyatt - LW - 28yo - 6'4/218 - Canada - Vancouver Canucks (75GP - 9G - 11A - 20PTS)
Marc Savard - C - 32yo - 5'10/194 - Canada - Boston Bruins/Chicago Blackhawks (70GP - 25G - 42A - 67PTS)
Dave Scatchard - C - 34yo - 6'2/222 - Canada - Buffalo Sabres (71GP - 12G - 27A - 39PTS)
Teemu Selänne - RW - 39yo - 6'0/202 - Finland - Anaheim Ducks (69GP - 35G - 48A - 83PTS)
Raffi Torres - LW - 28yo - 6'0/200 - Canada - Columbus Blue Jackets/Philadelphia Flyers (63GP - 14G - 22A - 36PTS)
Darcy Tucker - RW - 35yo - 5'10/176 - Canada - Colorado Avalanche/Atlanta Thrashers (75GP - 18G - 34A - 52PTS)
Josef Vasicek - LW - 29yo - 6'4/198 - Czech Republic - Atlanta Thrashers (74GP - 16G - 19A - 35PTS)
Scott Walker - LW - 36yo - 5'10/194 - Canada - Carolina Hurricanes/Nashville Predators (79GP - 23G - 28A - 51PTS)

Defensemen
Philippe Boucher - RD - 37yo - 6'2/220 - Canada - Vancouver Canucks (62GP - 3G - 7A - 10PTS)
Brett Clark - RD - 33yo - 6'1/194 - Canada - Colorado Avalanche (66GP - 8G - 30A - 38PTS)
Joe Corvo - LD - 33yo - 6'1/202 - USA - Carolina Hurricanes/Washington Capitals (80GP - 9G - 25A - 34PTS)
Greg de Vries - RD - 37yo - 6'3/213 - Canada - Kansas City Coyotes/New York Rangers (81GP - 1G - 8A - 9PTS)
Sergei Gonchar - RD - 36yo - 6'2/213 - Russia - Pittsburgh Penguins (82GP - 10G - 32A - 42PTS)
Kim Johnsson - RD - 34yo - 6'1/191 - Sweden - Minnesota Wild (82GP - 5G - 22A - 27PTS)
Frantisek Kaberle - LD - 36yo - 6'1/189 - Czech Republic - Portland Titans (73GP - 5G - 26A - 31PTS)
Rostislav Klesla - RD - 28yo - 6'3/213 - Czech Republic - Columbus Blue Jackets/Detroit Red Wings (81GP - 6G- 40A - 46PTS)
Pavel Kubina - RD - 33yo - 6'4/229 - Czech Republic - Toronto Maple Leafs (82GP - 10G - 31A - 41PTS)
Nicklas Lidström - LD - 40yo - 6'2/189 - Sweden - Detroit Red Wings (76GP - 7G - 21A - 28PTS)
Jay McKee - LD - 32yo - 6'4/200 - Canada - New Jersey Devils (62GP - 0G - 13A - 13PTS)
Willie Mitchell - LD - 33yo - 6'3/209 - Canada - Vancouver Canucks (59GP - 0G - 6A - 6PTS)
Scott Niedermayer - RD - 36yo - 6'1/198 - Canada - Atlanta Thrashers (71GP - 6G - 27A - 33PTS)
Chris Pronger - RD - 35yo - 6'6/218 - Canada - Anaheim Ducks (66GP - 11G - 29A - 40PTS)
Stéphane Robidas - RD - 33yo - 5'11/187 - Canada - Dallas Stars/Atlanta Thrashers (76GP - 4G - 16A - 20PTS)
Jaroslav Spacek - LD - 36yo - 5'11/202 - Czech Republic - Atlanta Thrashers/Buffalo Sabres (85GP - 4G - 22A - 26PTS)
Andy Sutton - LD - 35yo - 6'6/244 - Canada - Minnesota Wild/Calgary Flames (66GP - 3G - 7A - 10PTS)
Henrik Tallinder - LD - 31yo - 6'3/209 - Sweden - Buffalo SabreS/Atlanta Thrashers (79GP - 5G - 22A - 27PTS)
Mike Van Ryn - RD - 31yo - 6'1/200 - Canada - Toronto Maple Leafs (68GP - 5G - 29A - 34PTS)
Vitaly Vishnevski - LD - 30yo - 6'2/202 - Russia - New Jersey Devils (44GP - 4G - 10A - 14PTS)
Anton Volchenkov - LD - 28yo - 6'1/224 - Russia - Ottawa Senators/Anaheim Ducks (69GP - 2G - 9A - 11PTS)

Goaltenders
Niklas Bäckström - G - 32yo - 6'2/194 - Finland - Minnesota Wild (21GP - 10W - 2.87GAA - 90.2SAV% - 1SO)
Manny Legace - G - 37yo - 5'9/163 - Canada - St. Louis Blues (49GP - 18W - 3.21GAA - 90.0SAV% - 1SO)
Roberto Luongo - G - 31yo - 6'3/202 - Canada - Vancouver Canucks (30GP - 22W - 2.09GAA - 92.2SAV% - 3SO)
Evgeni Nabokov - G - 34yo - 6'0/194 - Russia - San Jose Sharks (51GP- 31W - 2.70GAA - 91.0SAV% - 3SO)
José Théodore - G - 33yo - 5'11/178 - Canada - Washington Capitals (45GP - 18W - 3.42GAA - 89.4SAV% - 1SO)
Marty Turco - G - 34yo - 5'11/180 - Canada - Dallas Stars (64GP - 28W - 3.01GAA - 90.3SAV% - 1SO)

[Travis]

I'm assuming you're not going to wade into the bidding war for Luongo? Not sure where you're at cap space wise, but any temptation to try and land a premier type player in free agency this offseason?

[duff88]

I'm assuming you're not going to wade into the bidding war for Luongo? Not sure where you're at cap space wise, but any temptation to try and land a premier type player in free agency this offseason?

I'm afraid Luongo has no interest in joining the Coyotes, so I won't waste my offer space on him. I'd like to add a couple of forwards and a defensive defenseman, also hopefully a core player up front. That said, it doesn't seem like Kansas City is a popular destination.

[duff88]

UFA Tracker

Atlanta re-signs D Scott Niedermayer - 2 years ; 10.5M$
Calgary signs D Andrew Ference - 2 years ; 1.3M$
New York I sign D Mike Van Ryn - 3 years ; 6M$
St. Louis signs D Chris Pronger - 1 year ; 4.5M$
Vancouver re-signs G Roberto Luongo - 3 years ; 16.75M$
Chicago signs C Olli Jokinen - 3 years ; 16.25M$
Toronto signs D Sergei Gonchar - 2 years ; 9.25M$

[Travis]

I'm afraid Luongo has no interest in joining the Coyotes, so I won't waste my offer space on him. I'd like to add a couple of forwards and a defensive defenseman, also hopefully a core player up front. That said, it doesn't seem like Kansas City is a popular destination.

Ah, so might have to go the trade route more than free agency eh? Sounds a bit like the Oilers last two offseasons.

[duff88]

Kronwall fills for arbitration

July 6th 2010 - Restricted free agent Staffan Kronwall has filed for salary arbitration. His hearing will be held on July 25th. Meanwhile, the Coyotes have confirmed they will not try and re-sign recently released free agents Tomas Kopecky and Todd Ford. The team is currently on the market for wingers and defensemen.

[duff88]

UFA Tracker

Dallas re-signs G Marty Turco - 2 years ; 9M$
Atlanta signs D Jaroslav Spacek - 1 year ; 1M$
Ottawa signs D Brett Clark - 3 years ; 4.4M$
Vancouver re-signs D Philippe Boucher - 1 year ; 900K$
Boston signs LW Raffi Torres - 2 years ; 3.2M$
Montreal re-signs C Saku Koivu - 1 year ; 5M$

[duff88]

Coyotes sign Pyatt

July 7th 2010 - The Kansas City Coyotes signed 28-years-old winger Taylor Pyatt to a two-year contract worth 1.85M$. Pyatt, although still young, will bring the experience of two consecutive Stanley Cups with the Vancouver Canucks. Although he had a more silent year last season with only 20 points in 75 games, he had been dominant in 2008-09 with 24 goals and 48 points in 77 games as well as finishing +23. Pyatt is a great skater who works hard and who can play a very physical game.

#24 Taylor Pyatt - LW/RW - 6'4/218 - 28 years old

[duff88]

UFA Tracker

Chicago signs LW Ilya Kovalchuk - 2 years ; 13.25M$
Anaheim signs LW Martin Straka - 2 years ; 3.1M$
Anaheim signs C Dave Scatchard - 3 years ; 4.7M$
Colorado re-signs RW Milan Hejduk - 1 year ; 4.7M$
Anaheim signs RW Mike Knuble - 1 year ; 1.4M$
New York I sign D Joe Corvo - 3 years ; 8.75M$
Nashville signs LW Scott Walker - 2 years ; 2.8M$
St. Louis signs D Kim Johnsson - 2 years ; 5.25M$

[duff88]

Coyotes sign prospects Kabanov, Cundari, Bennett and Kozek

July 9th 2010 - The Kansas City Coyotes signed four prospects to entry-level deals today. 17-years-old russian winger Kirill Kabanov, who was the fourth overall pick of the last NHL Draft, was amongst those players and is expected to start the year in the AHL with San Antonio. The other signings were goaltender Brett Bennett, defenseman Mark Cundari and winger Andrew Kozek.

[duff88]

UFA Tracker

Vancouver signs D Greg de Vries - 2 years ; 2.6M$
Atlanta signs D Frantisek Kaberle - 1 year ; 900K$
Portland signs G Evgeni Nabokov - 3 years ; 12M$
Atlanta signs RW Teemu Selänne - 2 years ; 7M$
Carolina signs LW Adam Hall - 2 years ; 1.5M$
Toronto re-signs D Pavel Kubina - 3 years ; 12M$

[duff88]

Hävelid won't come back

July 12th 2010 - The Kansas City Coyotes suffered a major blow today when swedish defenseman Niclas Hävelid, a key player on defense for the team, announced his retirement from professional hockey. At 37 years old, Hävelid stated he didn't have the fire necessary to keep on level with the rest of the league during the off-season and that it was time to hang the skates.

"Obviously we approve the decision; we have to think about the man before thinking about the player." said GM Nicolas Fillion "Still, we just lost a complete dimension on our defense."

Asked if he would be looking to add another defenseman to his team, Fillion didn't hide his interest.

[duff88]

UFA Tracker

Dallas signs C Shawn Bates - 1 year ; 1.7M$
Columbus signs RW Jamal Mayers - 1 year ; 1.4M$
Anaheim signs D Rostislav Klesla - 2 years ; 4.4M$
Atlanta signs C Pavol Demitra - 1 year ; 5.25M$
Portland signs D Andy Sutton - 1 year ; 1M$
New York I sign D Jason Smith - 2 years ; 2.1M$
San Jose re-signs C Patrick Marleau - 3 years ; 16M$
Atlanta signs D Willie Mitchell - 2 years ; 1.8M$
Atlanta signs D Adam Foote - 2 years ; 3.8M$
Atlanta signs C Marc Savard - 3 years - 15.75M$
Ottawa signs RW Tomas Holmström - 2 years ; 3.6M$

[duff88]

Coyotes sign Jay McKee

July 16th 2010 - The Kansas City Coyotes have come to an agreement on a one year contract with unrestricted free agent defenseman Jay McKee. The big defenseman has suffered some injuries and hasn't been dominant since his days in Buffalo; the Coyotes will hope he can come back to his great defensive days that he never showed in St. Louis, Portland or New Jersey.

#74 Jay McKee - LD - 6'4/200 - 32 years old

[duff88]

UFA Tracker

Washington signs G José Theodore - 3 years ; 8.25M$
Philadelphia signs G Niklas Bäckström - 3 years ; 7M$
Philadelphia signs D Aaron Ward - 2 years ; 3.1M$
Portland signs D Henrik Tallinder - 3 years ; 5.75M$
Chicago signs D Vitaly Vishnevski - 3 years ; 3.7M$
Detroit signs LW Vyacheslav Kozlov - 2 years ; 2.1M$
Detroit signs D Nicklas Lidström - 2 years ; 6.25M$

TRADE: New York R trades C Brian Rolston to Vancouver for a 1st round pick in 2011
TRADE: Buffalo trades LW Jochen Hecht to Portland for a 2nd round pick in 2011
TRADE: Los Angeles trades C Michal Handzus to Philadelphia for a 2nd round pick in 2011
TRADE: Florida trades RW Jason Blake to Dallas for a 3rd round pick in 2011
TRADE: Buffalo trades D Roman Hamrlik to Montreal for C Trevor Letowski and a 2nd round pick in 2011

[duff88]

Kronwall recieves arbitrator decision

July 25th 2010 - The Kansas City Coyotes have accepted the contract awarded by an independent arbitrator to restricted free agent defenseman Staffan Kronwall. Kronwall will stay in Kansas City for one year, earning 696,000$.

The Coyotes also signed Slovak prospect Peter Sisovsky. He will report to the team for training camp, but is expected to be sent down to the Red Deer Rebels who hold his CHL rights.

[duff88]

Coyotes make two trades

August 11th 2010 - In a matter of a few hours today, general manager Nicolas Fillion announced two important acquisitions for the Kansas City Coyotes via transaction. The first place took place with the Philadelphia Flyers as the Coyotes acquired 38-years-old winger Keith Tkachuk for a 4th round pick in 2011. Then, later in the same day, the Coyotes offloaded a 5th round pick in 2011 to Ottawa for forward Chris Kelly.

In 74 games with the Philadelphia Flyers last season, Tkachuk scored only 13 goals and 26 assists for 39 points. Chris Kelly also had a subpar season with the Senators, scoring 12 times and adding 15 assists for 27 points while finishing the year a dysmal -21.

#7 Keith Tkachuk - LW - 6'2/229 - 38 years old
#14 Chris Kelly - C/Rw - 6'0/189 - 29 years old

[duff88]

4 Coyotes at World Cup

August 20th 2010 - Four Coyotes have been chosen on their respective country's roster for the upcoming World Cup. Czech goaltender Ondrej Pavelec, Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman, Russian defenseman Alexei Semenov and newly acquired American forward Keith Tkachuk will participate in the event that was last won by Canada in 2004. Two particular players' non-selection were caracterized as puzzeling by general manager Nicolas Fillion: Czech forward Lukas Kaspar and Russian defenseman Denis Kulyash.

EUROPEAN GROUP
Sweden (G Henrik Lundqvist - D Nicklas Lidström - D Mattias Öhlund - F Henrik Zetterberg - F Daniel Alfredsson [C] - F Mats Sundin)
Czech Republic (G Tomas Vokoun - D Rostislav Klesla - D Tomas Kaberle [C] - F Patrik Elias - F Milan Hejduk - F Martin Havlat)
Finland (G Miikka Kiprusoff - D Kimmo Timonen - D Joni Pitkänen - F Olli Jokinen - F Saku Koivu [C] - F Teemu Selänne)
Germany (G Dmitri Pätzold - D Christian Ehrhoff - D Dennis Seidenberg - F Jochen Hecht - F Marco Sturm - F F Daniel Kreutzer [C])

NORTH AMERICAN GROUP
Canada (G Martin Brodeur - D Dion Phaneuf - D Scott Niedermayer - F Sidney Crosby - F Vincent Lecavalier - F Jarome Iginla [C])
Russia (G Evgeni Nabokov - D Sergei Gonchar - D Andrei Markov - F Ilya Kovalchuk - F Pavel Datsyuk [C] - F Alexander Ovechkin)
USA (G Ryan Miller - D Erik Johnson - D Ryan Whitney - F Scott Gomez - F Patrick O'Sullivan - F Chris Drury [C])
Slovakia (G Petr Budaj - D Zdeno Chara [C] - D Andrej Meszaros - F Pavol Demitra - F Marian Gaborik - F Marian Hossa)

[duff88]

World Cup Quarter Finals set

European Group:
1. Czech Republic (3-0-0-0-0)
2. Sweden (2-1-0-0-0)
3. Finland (1-2-0-0-0)
4. Germany (0-3-0-0-0)

North American Group:
1. Canada (3-0-0-0-0)
2. Slovakia (2-1-0-0)
3. USA (1-2-0-0-0)
4. Russia (0-3-0-0-0)

Quarter Final Matchups:
Czech Republic vs Germany
Finland vs Sweden
Canada vs Russia
Slovakia vs USA

[duff88]

Czechs, Canadians, Slovaks and Swedes to Semi Finals

Quarter Final Results:
Czech Republic defeat Germany 7-2 (F Ales Kotalik scored 3 goals and 1 assist for 4 points)
Sweden defeat Finland 3-0 (F Daniel Sedin had 2 assists)
Canada defeat Russia 5-3 (F Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist)
Slovakia defeat USA 3-1 (F Richard Zednik scored twice)

Semi Final Matchups:
Sweden vs Czech Republic
Canada vs Slovakia

[duff88]

Sweden and Canada set to face in World Cup finals

Semi Final Results:
Sweden defeats Czech Republic 7-3 (F Henrik Zetterberg scored two goals and an assist for three points)
Canada defeats Slovakia 5-0 (F Vincent Lecavalier scored a goal and added an assist)

[duff88]

Canada wins World Cup

September 16th 2010 - Martin St. Louis scored twice while Dany Heatley added two assists today as Canada defeated Sweden 6-2 in the finals of the World Cup. Brad Richards, Jarome Iginla, Alex Tanguay and Brian Campbell also scored for Canada.

Best forward: C Henrik Sedin, Sweden (6GP - 2G - 7A - 9PTS)
Best defenseman: D Dion Phaneuf, Canada (6GP - 2G - 3A - 5PTS)
Best goaltender: G Martin Brodeur, Canada (6GP - 6W - 2.01GAA - 90.5SAV% - 1SO)
MVP: D Dion Phaneuf, Canada (6GP - 2G - 3A - 5PTS)

[duff88]

Training camp opens with 47 players

September 14th 2010 - 4 goaltenders, 15 defensemen and 28 forwards will be present at the Kansas City Coyotes training camp that opens in a few days. Two roster spots should be open to young defensemen or forwards who hope to make the team. Defensemen Maxim Goncharov, Chris Summers, Reid Cashman and Rosario Ruggeri as well as forwards Eric Hunter, Alexandre Picard-Hooper, Logan MacMillan and Jack Combs will hope to impress th team to start the year in Kansas City.

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/1755/teamroster2010.jpg (http://img23.imageshack.us/my.php?image=teamroster2010.jpg)

The following players' rights belong to the Coyotes but aren't under contract or werent invited to training camp:

G Scott Darling - 6'7/207 - 21 years old - Western Michigan Broncos (WCHA)
C Dmitri Pestunov - 5'9/198 - 25 years old - Avangard Omsk (RSL)
C Ben Ferriero - 5'10/183 - 23 years old - Boston College Eagles (HE)
C Jeremy Morin - 5'11/160 - 19 years old - Harvard Crimson (ECAC)
C Pat Brosnihan - 6'4/213 - 24 years old - Yale Bulldogs (ECAC)
C Mikael Granlund - 5'10/187 - 18 years old - Tampereen Ilves (FIN)
RW Erik Haula - 5'11/169 - 19 years old - Tampereen Ilves (FIN)
RW Johan Larsson - 6'0/196 - 18 years old - Brynäs (SWE)
RW Matt Bourdeau - 6'2/207 - 21 years old - Denver Pioneers (WCHA)

[duff88]

Carter named captain

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/3074/carter5.jpg (http://img3.imageshack.us/my.php?image=carter5.jpg)
Anson Carter succeeds Greg de Vries in this role

September 26th 2010 - Kansas City Coyotes head coach Kevin Dineen has announced that forward Anson Carter will serve as team captain. Jay McKee and Denis Kulyash will serve as home assistants while Rob Schremp and Keith Tkachuk will serve as road assistants.

[duff88]

No surprises in Coyotes pre-season

http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/468/kulyash2.jpg (http://img5.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kulyash2.jpg)
Denis Kulyash will be a key player on defense

September 28th 2010 - There were pretty much no surprises in the final roster of the Kansas City Coyotes after an uneventful pre-season. Reid Cashman and Jack Combs, who have the most NHL experience of all skaters who were fighting for roster spots, will respectively be the seventh defenseman and fourteenth forward. Dan Fritsche will miss the first game of the season with a groin strain. The line on opening night when the Coyotes recieve the Calgary Flames should be as follows, with head coach Kevin Dineen rolling lines equally:

76 Evgeni Artyukhin - 44 Rob Schremp - 83 Anton Krysanov
22 Lukas Kaspar - 18 Matthew Lombardi - 10 Jamie Lundmark
12 Brett Sterling - 57 Blake Comeau - 77 Anson Carter
7 Keith Tkachuk - 14 Chris Kelly - 24 Taylor Pyatt

8 Denis Kulyash - 3 Alexei Semenov
74 Jay McKee - 27 Sami Lepistö
6 Victor Hedman - 2 Staffan Kronwall

31 Marc Denis
50 Chris Mason

Scratches - D Reid Cashman, RW Jack Combs, C Dan Fritsche (day-to-day, groin)

Defenseman Mark Cundari put on a solid performance in training camp, but the 20-years-old was still sent down to the San Antonio Rampage.

Pre-Season: September 14th 2010: Kansas City vs. Chicago, 11-2 L, (Karamnov, Cundari), Pavelec [L] (34/39) & Bennett (11/17)
Pre-Season: September 16th 2010: Coyotes at St. Louis, 6-1 L, (Karamnov), Pavelec [L] (32/38)
Pre-Season: September 18th 2010: Kansas City vs. St. Louis, 4-2 W, (Krysanov, Pyatt, Lundmark, Kelly), Mason [W] (23/25)
Pre-Season: September 20th 2010: Coyotes at Boston, 3-2S L, (Pyatt, Krysanov), Denis [OTL] (21/23)
Pre-Season: September 21st 2010: Kansas City vs. Carolina, 4-3 W, (Krysanov, Lundmark [2], Sterling), Denis (12/14) & Mason [W] (11/12)

[duff88]

Markov and Denisov headlines draft rankings

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/5353/markov.jpg (http://img11.imageshack.us/my.php?image=markov.jpg)
Anton Markov tops the ISS preliminary rankings for the 2011 NHL Draft

October 2nd 2010 - ISS released its preliminary rankings for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, and although dynamic russian wingers Anton Markov and Boris Denisov deserve mention as the top prospects, it's the lack of North American prospects, most notably Canadians, that is shocking. Only 8 North Americans are featured in the first round, with barely three of them in the top 15.

1. Anton Markov - RW - 5'10/174 - CSKA Moscow (RSL) - RUS
2. Denis Borisov - RW - 6'0/171 - Dynamo Moscow (RSL) - RUS
3. Teppo Inkilä - C - 6'0/180 - Oulun Kärpät (FIN) - FIN
4. Owe Söderberg - LD - 5'10/167 - Frölunda Indians (SEL) - SWE
5. Luigi Gilbert - C - 6'1/211 - Mississauga St. Michael's Majors (OHL) - CAN
6. Pavel Misko - LW - 6'4/169 - Dynamo Moscow (RSL) - RUS
7. André Lindblad - C - 6'1/169 - Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) - SWE
8. Maxim Lazarev - RD - 6'3/202 - Metallurg Magnitogorsk (RSL) - RUS
9. Marc-André Hay - C - 5'11/202 - PEI Rocket (QMJHL) - CAN
10. Gérard Laraque - LW - 5'10/165 - Chamonix (FRA) - FRA
11. Ruslan Maltsev - LD - 6'4/187 - Salavat Yulajev (RSL) - RUS
12. Per-Anton Holm - C - 6'0/160 - Pitea HC (SWE) - SWE
13. Milos Falter - LW - 5'10/149 - Sparta Praha (CZE) - CZE
14. Billy Rogers - C - 5'11/189 - Omaha Lancers (USHL) - USA
15. Valerij Zakharov - RW - 5'9/169 - Avangard Omsk (RSL) - RUS
16. Jens Ring - RD - 6'6/194 - Västeras HK (SEL) - SWE
17. David Pulliainen - RD - 6'1/163 - Jokerit Helsinki (FIN) - FIN
18. Ruslan Nosov - C - 6'1/174 - Avangard Omsk (RSL) - RUS
19. Gord Harris - G - 6'1/202 - Owen Sound Attack (OHL) - CAN
20. Jacob Karlberg - LD - 6'1/174 - Portland Winterhawks (WHL) - SWE
21. Adam Niemelä - C - 5'11/183 - Skelleftea (SEL) - SWE
22. Scooter Coleman - RW - 5'9/185 - Northern Michigan Wildcats (CCHA) - USA
23. Marco Jarl - G - 5'11/160 - Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) - SWE
24. Sven-Ake Blomberg - C - 6'1/176 - Nyköping (SEL) - SWE
25. Aidar Safonov - LD - 5'10/160 - Dynamo Moscow (RSL) - RUS
26. Artem Mikriukov - LW - 6'1/169 - Ak Bars Kazan (RSL) - RUS
27. Austin Timmins - LW - 5'8/189 - Owen Sound Attack (OHL) - CAN
28. Kam Hunter - LD - 5'9/216 - Alexandria Blizzard (NAHL) - USA
29. Sergej Kurenkov - RD - 6'5/222 - Avangard Omsk (RSL) - RUS
30. Morgan Stephens - C - 6'0/213 - Wisconsin Badgers (WCHA) - USA

[duff88]

Coyotes start season on wrong foot

October 8th 2010 - The Kansas City Coyotes were competitive in both games, but the team came out on the losing end of their first two games of the season. After being beaten by Daymond Langkow and the Calgary Flames in the inaugural game at the Sprint Center, the team was defeated by the New York Rangers who came back from a two goals deficit to win 3-2. All of the team's goals have been scored on the powerplay during these two games.

Dan Fritsche will be back in the lineup on Saturday as the Coyotes will recieve the undefeated Colorado Avalanche. He will take Blake Comeau's spot between Brett Sterling and Anson Carter.

October 5th 2010: Kansas City vs. Calgary, 4-1 L, (Tkachuk 1), Denis [L] (25/29)
October 7th 2010: Coyotes at New York R, 3-2 L, (Tkachuk 2, Schremp 1), Denis [L] (28/31)

Kansas City Coyotes (2GP, 0-2-0)

[duff88]

Kelly scores hat-trick

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/4058/kellytvt.jpg (http://img19.imageshack.us/my.php?image=kellytvt.jpg)
Chris Kelly scored three goals and an assist in his third game with the Coyotes

October 11th 2010 - Chris Kelly scored a natural hat-trick today, leading the Coyotes to a 5-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Kelly added an assist to complete his first career four-point night. The line of new guys he forms with Keith Tkachuk and Taylor Pyatt combined for 9 points in the game. Sami Lepistö had opened the scoring while Rob Schremp completed it in the third period.

Anton Krysanov left the game with anterior knee pain. He is expected to miss around a week and will be replaced in the lineup by Blake Comeau.

October 11th 2010: Kansas City vs. Colorado, 5-2 W, (Lepistö 1, Kelly 1-2-3, Schremp 2), Denis [W] (26/28)

Kansas City Coyotes (3GP, 1-2-0, 2 points)

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Tkachuk NHL Offensive Player of the Week

October 14th 2010 - With 3 goals and 4 assists in 3 games last week, the Coyotes new star forward Keith Tkachuk was named the NHL Offensive Player of the Week. Tkachuk now leads the team with 8 points in 4 games while being a +4. He has, from all acounts, been the best player on the Coyotes so far this season. He sits second in NHL scoring behing Ilya Kovalchuk.

October 13th 2010: Kansas City vs. Toronto, 4-2 L, (Tkachuk 3-4), Denis [L] (8/11) & Mason (23/24)

Kansas City Coyotes (4GP, 1-3-0, 2 points)

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New guys helping Coyotes survive

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/732/tkachuk.jpg (http://img18.imageshack.us/my.php?image=tkachuk.jpg)
Even at 38 years old, Keith Tkachuk has been a force for the Coyotes

November 1st 2010 - The Kansas City Coyotes have barely escaped what could have been a disastrous start to their season, thanks to the team's new forwards acquisitions. The line of Chris Kelly, Keith Tkachuk and Taylor Pyatt have combined for 37 points, which accounts for nearly half the team's production. Meanwhile, Matthew Lombardi and Lukas Kaspar have been shades of their former selves, although the later has somewhat come back into old form towards the end of the month.

Keith Tkachuk was the recipient of the October segment of the Sprint Cup. His 17 points, 9 goals and 8 assists, place him 11th in NHL scoring. He also has the highest shooting percentage of anyone with more than 4 goals with 34.6%, in barely 14minutes of average ice time.

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/4795/oct10.jpg (http://img18.imageshack.us/my.php?image=oct10.jpg)

NHL Offensive Player of the Month: RW Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames (13-8-13-21)
NHL Defensive Player of the Month: D Brent Seabrook, Chicago Blackhawks (10-2-7-9)
NHL Rookie of the Month: C Lars Eller, St. Louis Blues (10-2-6-8)
NHL Goals Leader: 11 - RW Brian Gionta, Los Angeles Kings
NHL Assists Leader: 13 - RW Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames
NHL Points Leader: 21 - RW Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames
NHL Defenseman Points Leader: 12 - D Dan Hamhuis, Pittsburgh Penguins
NHL Rookie Points Leader: 8 - C Lars Eller, St. Louis Blues

October 16th 2010: Coyotes at Anaheim, 5-1 L, (Semenov 1), Mason [L] (7/11) & Denis (24/25)
October 18th 2010: Coyotes at Los Angeles, 5-2 L, (Tkachuk 5, Carter 1), Denis [L] (29/34)
October 19th 2010: Coyotes at Dallas, 4-2 W, (Pyatt 1-2, Tkachuk 6-7), Denis [W] (33/35)
October 21st 2010: Coyotes at Portland, 3-2 L, (Kaspar 1-2), Denis [L] (26/29)
October 25th 2010: Kansas City vs. Dallas, 3-1 W, (Lombardi 1, Kulyash 1, Artyukhin 1), Denis [W] (24/25)
October 27th 2010: Coyotes at San Jose, 4-2 W, (Lombardi 2, Tkachuk 8, Carter 2, Pyatt 3), Denis [W] (31/33)
October 28th 2010: Coyotes at Chicago, 6-2 L, (Artyukhin 2, Tkachuk 9), Mason [L] (35/41)

Kansas City Coyotes (11GP, 4-7-0, 8 points, 13th in the West)

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Coyotes lose three in a row, Dineen asks for change

November 9th 2010 - After suffering three straight losses, coach Kevin Dineen has had enough:

"We will need to work harder. I have done everything in my power to make this work as a team, but there are some individuals who don't seem to be interested. They know who they are, let's see if they can wake up." he stated with a sound of discouragement, before continuing in a more dramatic fashion. "These guys have to look at themselves in the mirror. Some guys on this team are busting their asses of every night, but they can't do everything alone. I'm not asking for much, I just want some fucking intensity."

Although their names were not mentionned, the main players directed by this criticism could be centers Matthew Lombardi and Dan Fritsche, wingers Blake Comeau, Jamie Lundmark and Brett Sterling as well as defenseman Sami Lepistö.

In response to this call, general manager Nicolas Fillion has sent down fowards Jack Combs and Anton Krysanov to San Antonio while recalling Logan MacMillan and the team's first pick in the last NHL Entry Draft, winger Kirill Kabanov. Combs had not played a game this season with the Coyotes and should be back to the Coyotes soon. Krysanov had only scored an assist in 9 regular season games. With San Antonio, MacMillan had scored two goals and 5 assists for 7 points while Kabanov had scored 5 goals and an assist in 12 games.

LINE FOR TOMMOROW'S GAME AGAINST ST. LOUIS
Tkachuk - Kelly - Pyatt
Kabanov - Schremp - Artyukhin
Kaspar - Lombardi - Carter
Fritsche - Comeau - MacMillan

Hedman - Semenov
McKee - Kulyash
Lepistö - Kronwall

Denis
Mason

November 1st 2010: Kansas City vs. Edmonton, 4-2 W, (Tkachuk 10, Lombardi 3, Carter 3, Kaspar 3), Denis [W] (27/29)
November 2nd 2010: Coyotes at Columbus, 5-2 L, (Artyukhin 3, Carter 4), Denis [L] (34/39)
November 4th 2010: Kansas City vs. Detroit, 2-0 L, Denis [L] (24/26)
November 8th 2010: Kansas City vs. Portland, 4-1 L, (Tkachuk 11), Denis [L] (36/40)

Kansas City Coyotes (15GP, 5-10-0, 10 points, 14th in the West)

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Ferriero tears ACL

November 10th 2010 - Boston College Eagles forward Ben Ferriero, who belongs to the Kansas City Coyotes, will miss the reminder of the season after suffering a torn ACL today in a game against Maine. The 23-years-old senior forward had scored 12 points in 13 games so far in his last season in the college ranks as captain of the Eagles. The Vermont native will stay in the team's entourage as he will be behind the bench of the team for the games until the end of the season.

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Kabanov wins one in shootouts

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Kirill Kabanov was playing his second career game against Calgary

November 14th 2010 - Kirill Kabanov was held pointless in his first two career NHL games, but he came big at the most unexpected moment. After Carter and Schremp missed their shootout attempts, with Marc Denis having saved all three Flames shooters, Kabanov was surprisingly sent in. The 18-years-old russian made a nice fake on goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff to score the game winner.

"It is nice to help the team win" said the young russian with surprisingly good english.

November 10th 2010: Kansas City vs. St. Luis, 4-3 L, (Lombardi 4, Kaspar 4, Tkachuk 12), Denis [L] (30/34)
November 14th 2010: Coyotes at Calgary, 2-1S W, (Kulyash 2), Denis [W] (35/36)

Kansas City Coyotes (17GP, 6-11-0, 12 points, 15th in the West)

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Lepistö asks for a trade

November 15th 2010 - In a story that was published in a newspaper in Espoo, Coyotes defenseman Sami Lepistö stated that he wants to leave Kansas City. The 26-years-old blueliner has been one of the most criticised players this year with the Coyotes, and he commented that although he has appreciated the time he spent with the Coyotes, he doesn't want to be put in the media spotlight.

"We're going to study our options" said GM Nicolas Fillion

A well reputed national television analyst commented on the story by asking "is there a place in the league where there's less media spotlight than in Kansas City?".

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Lepistö and Fritsche traded

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P.J. Axelsson will be a welcomed replacement on the penalty kill

November 16th 2010 - The Kansas City Coyotes have completed two trades today. First, defenseman Sami Lepistö was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 5th round pick. Less than an hour later, forward Dan Fritsche was traded, along with a 4th round pick in 2012, to the Portland Titans for forward Per-Johan Axelsson and defenseman Ryan Parent.

In 16 games with the Coyotes, Lepistö had scored a goal and 4 assists for 5 points while keeping a -8 rating. Although GM Nicolas Fillion assured the deals were not related, Lepistö was the roomate of Dan Fritsche, who was traded to Portland only a few minutes later. Fritsche had been held pointless in 15 games; the 25-years-old's production had dropped from 41 points in 2008-09 to 20 points in 2009-10 to this year's awful season.

In his second season with the Titans, P.J. Axelsson was having a great start with 5 goals and 8 points in 17 games. He had finished the last season with 20 pointsin 77 games. Ryan Parent had scored a goal and 8 assists for 15 points with Norfolk in the AHL. The 23 years old had only played 6 and 19 games in the last two season following a torn ACL, playing in two NHL games with the Flyers. He will be sent down to San Antonio but is expected to be back in Kansas City in the next week.

#15 Per-Johan Axelsson - LW - 6'1/183 - 35 years old - Kungälv, Sweden
#40 Ryan Parent - D - 6'2/189 - 23 years old - Prince Albert, Saskatchewan