Author Archives: Alan Avital
As Jacob Trouba turned five years old, he joined his older brother T.J. at a local rink in Troy, Michigan with lofty dreams of playing professional hockey one day. Unbeknownst to Trouba, that first step onto the ice – playing against kids two-to-three years older – would prove to be a pivotal springboard to what many prognosticators believe could be a highly productive NHL career.
One of a handful of talented, young defensemen expected to be selected near the top of June’s NHL entry draft board, Trouba’s all-around skill-set has many in-the-know predicting his upside – when fully developed – might just be better than the rest.
“Rochester, Michigan (approximately 10 minutes from Troy) is a big hockey area,” said the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Trouba, just a few days before traveling with Team USA to compete at the World Under-18 Hockey Championships in the Czech Republic. “And playing with older kids, like my brother T.J. – who was a big influence on me – really helped me develop my game.”
Trouba would continue to hone his skills locally for the next three years, before playing one season in the Little Caesar’s Amateur Hockey League (LCAHL) – the nation’s largest amateur youth hockey league, pitting players from all around the America’s Midwestern States.
As a sixth grader, having also competed locally in soccer, baseball and basketball, Trouba decided that he was ready to solely concentrate on hockey. He signed up at Compuware Sports Arena’s AAA Hockey Organization, located in neighboring Plymouth, Michigan.
“It wasn’t a real hard decision to give up on the other sports,” said Trouba. “And by playing at Compuware, I was playing against a higher level of competition.”
Trouba would excel in five seasons at Compuware, winning National Championships in both the Under-12 (2007) and Under-14 (2009) levels.
“The core group of guys at Compuware made the entire experience a lot of fun,” said Trouba.
As a 16-year-old, Trouba – with options of playing Major Junior Hockey up north in the various Canadian Hockey Leagues – decided to stray just an hour away from home and enroll in the USA Hockey National Team Developmental Program (USNTDP) in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“The USNTDP was the best place for me,” said Trouba. “They have the best trainers, and they give me the best tools to succeed.”
In his rookie season at the USNTDP, Trouba split time between the program’s USHL team and both the Under-17 and Under-18 teams.
In 31 games with the USHL team, Trouba collected seven points – three goals and four assists. In 37 games with the Under-17 squad, he registered 19 points – six goals and 13 assists. He concluded an exhausting 86-game schedule, playing 18 games with the Under-18 team, scoring two goals and adding five assists.
Furthermore, Trouba played for the U.S. in both the 2011 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge – earning a silver medal, while collecting nine points (two goals and seven assists) in five games – and the 2011 Under-18 World Junior Championships – winning gold, while potting one goal in six games.
“Playing on both the under-17 and under-18 teams was definitely a challenge for me,” said Trouba, who grinded out nine games in a span of 10 days. “But it was also the first time that I had a chance to play internationally, and in a different role.
“I was asked to be more of a physical defenseman.”
Playing for the under-18 team also gave Trouba an opportunity to compete under the tutelage of seven-year NHL veteran Danton Cole. Cole, who recorded 118 points – 58 goals and 60 assists – in 318 NHL games, quickly grew fond of his teenage blue-liner.
“When I first started coaching Jacob, I noticed how mature – hockey-wise – he was,” said Cole, who joined the USNTDP program, after resigning as head coach at the University of Alabama in Huntsville after three seasons. “He’s not a rah-rah guy, but he’s a good leader in our room. The other guys really like him.”
Following an eventful rookie season, Trouba returned this fall to the USNTDP as a full-fledged member of the Under-18 team.
Cole noticed the progression immediately.
“Jacob came in and has become a complete 200-foot player,” said Cole, who likens Trouba’s game to that of current Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger. “While Jacob isn’t as physically imposing as Chris is right now, based on his current body frame, Jacob could easily gain 20-to-25 pounds of muscle and not lose any of the intangibles that make him a complete defenseman.”
Trouba collected 29 points – eight goals and 21 assists – in 48 regular season games for the U-18 team, while playing upwards of 25-minutes a night against the opponent’s top offensive unit.
“My skating has improved, and I have noticed that everything about me has become stronger,” said Trouba, who as a self-proclaimed Detroit Red Wings fan, has always marveled at the way the 20-year NHL veteran Nicklas Lidstrom has played, based on his ability to always be at the right place at the right time. “But I know that I have to improve my lateral movement.”
Last December, the then 17-year-old Trouba earned a coveted spot for Team USA at the IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Calgary. Despite finishing a disappointing seventh place, the experience was invaluable to the squad’s youngest member.
“The world juniors were tough,” said Trouba. “It was definitely not the result we wanted.
“But for me personally, it was great experience to play with and against older guys.”
That physical presence and hockey acumen are two of the reasons why TSN’s Craig Button has pegged Trouba as his 13th best prospect – eighth amongst defensemen – in June’s draft in Pittsburgh. However, many insiders believe Trouba is a shoe-in to be picked in the draft’s top ten.
Cole also believes that Trouba’s potential is still yet untapped.
“It is important that whichever team drafts Jacob, they allow him to fully develop,” said Cole. “But his play in the Under-20 tournament surely separates him from others in the class.”
Likewise, Trouba is unfazed by all the draft talk, and believes his dream to play in the NHL will come in due time.
“I don’t really look at mock drafts. It doesn’t make me a better player – either way,” said Trouba, who will enroll at the University of Michigan this fall, after signing his Letter of Intent to play for NCAA legendary head coach Red Berenson and the Wolverines last fall. “My timeline is to play this fall at Michigan.
“Whether it is two or three years, I want to leave Michigan being fully ready to step onto an NHL ice.”
Will Trouba’s commitment to play next season and beyond in Ann Arbor cause the Islanders to steer clear? With a dire need for a physical presence on the blue-line, could the Islanders ill-afford to shy away from Trouba? Could the Islanders trade back a few spots and still get a potential top-pairing defenseman to team with 21-year-old Travis Hamonic?
“The Islanders have a great organization,” said Trouba. “And playing in a city like New York would be pretty cool.”
Presently, Trouba and his under-18 U.S. mates are 4-0 in preliminary games in the Czech Republic, including an impressive 5-3 victory over potential 2012 top-10 draftee Matthew Dumba and Team Canada on Tuesday.
Trouba has a goal and two assists in four games. By virtue of winning all four of its preliminary games, the U.S. have automatically advanced into Friday afternoon’s semifinal. The team is seeking their fourth straight Gold Medal.
The NHL Draft is just 65 days away.
Each week until the entry draft in June, Point Blank will be reporting on the top prospects in this summer’s NHL Entry Draft. This week’s profile is forward Alex Galchenyuk, ranked as the fourth best North American skater in the final CSS rankings. You can keep a watch on our profiles via the “2012 Draft” tab at the top of the page and check out profiles of Islanders’ young guns filed under the “NYI Prospects” tab.
As Alexander Galchenyuk’s professional hockey career was transitioning from a seven-year stay (1985-92) with HC Dynamo Moscow in the now defunct Russian Super League to a brief two-year stint (1992-94) with the International Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals, a miracle fell upon the then 27-year-old Belarusian.
Born February 12, 1994 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Alex Jr. would quickly become acclimated with the life of a hockey player. As his father was continuing onward with his playing career, the family would make stops in Germany, back to Wisconsin, Michigan, Russia, Italy and finally settling in Belarus where Galchenyuk Sr. would play his 21st and final season by splitting time with Dinamo Minsk and Neman Grodno in the Belarusian Hockey League. He retired following the 2006-07 season with 233 goals and 466 assists in 956 career games.
Galchenyuk was born with a hockey stick in hand and skates on his toddler feet. He was just 18 months old, when his father – while playing for the Madison (Wisconsin) Monsters of the Colonial Hockey League – introduced him to his first sheet of ice. (more…)
For the first time since the Quebec Nordiques selected Mats Sundin, Owen Nolan and Eric Lindros first overall in back-to-back-back seasons (1989-91), the Edmonton Oilers have now indeed accomplished that same three-peat. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly announced Tuesday evening that the Oilers were winners of the 2012 ScotiaBank NHL Draft Lottery. The proceedings took place in the NHL offices in Toronto.
The Oilers, who selected Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins first overall in 2010 and 2011, respectively, are expected to select Sarnia (OHL) forward Nail Yakupov with the first pick at this June’s NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh. Yakupov, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound scoring winger from Nizhnekamsk, Tatarstan, Russia, has been the clear-cut favorite to be selected with the top overall pick, ever since the initial central scouting rankings tabbed him with that honor back in September.
The Islanders, with director of pro scouting Ken Morrow on hand in Toronto, failed to win the draft lottery for a fourth time in its past five attempts. Yet, unlike last year’s lottery outcome in which the New Jersey Devils climbed past the Islanders to secure the fourth overall selection (Adam Larsson), the Islanders will remain positioned at the #4 spot.
Isles’ luck in the lottery: – 2008 – Finished 5th in lottery – Traded back twice from the 5th pick to select Windsor (OHL) forward Josh Bailey with the ninth overall pick (D Aaron Ness was also acquired in this deal). 2009 – Won lottery – Selected London (OHL) forward John Tavares. 2010 – Finished 5th in lottery – Selected Portland (WHL) forward Nino Niederreiter. 2011 – Finished 5th in lottery – Selected Niagara (OHL) forward Ryan Strome. 2012 – Finished 4th in lottery – ?
Final Draft Standings: 1. Edmonton. 2. Columbus. 3. Montreal. 4. Islanders. 5. Toronto. 6. Anaheim. 7. Minnesota. 8. Carolina. 9. Winnipeg. 10. Tampa Bay. 11. Washington (via Colorado). 12. Buffalo. 13. Dallas. 14. Calgary.
Early Top-5 Prediction: 1. Edmonton – Nail Yakupov (F, Sarnia, OHL). 2. Columbus – Mikhail Grigorenko (F, Quebec, QMJHL). 3. Montreal – Ryan Murray (D, Everett, WHL). 4. Matthew Dumba – (D, Red Deer, WHL). 5. Toronto – Alex Galchenyuk (F, Sarnia, OHL).
Dumba an Islander? – “I think I would be a good fit for the Islanders because I’m a versatile defenseman that can play in all scenarios. I think coming into the NHL, there are things that I would have to overcome, but those are the challenges of being a young guy and learning the ropes from the older guys there. I would be a guy that would come in and be willing to absorb everything. I would learn as much as I can while I am there,” said the six-foot, 183-pound Dumba earlier this afternoon. The 17-year-old is currently playing for Team Canada in the Under-18 World Championships in the Czech Republic.
“The game that I would bring to the Islanders is a guy that is a very good skater. I think my skating ability is elite. I think I bring a versatile game and can play in all situations. I can play on the penalty kill, the power play, as well as 4-on-4 and 5-on-5, and be reliable. I don’t ever want to be a liability. I think this year, I have proven that I can play that type of game and be a shutdown guy and log lots of minutes. I don’t think I’m one dimensional, I think my skill-set allows me to be very versatile and go out there and compete. I battle hard. I’m very passionate about the game. When I care about something, I go all out.”
Off the cuff : With Yakupov, Grigorenko and Murray all expected to be picked before the Islanders step up to the podium for their first round selection in June, could the #4 overall pick be tempting enough for other organizations to part with present-day talent and/or future prospects?
Now that the Edmonton Oilers – heavily rumored to draft Murray with their first selection – have won the draft, is Montreal’s P.K. Subban now even more available? If so, would a deal to bring one of John Tavares’ closest friends make hockey sense for the Islanders? Could the Maple Leafs, having missed the playoffs for a seventh consecutive season, dangle the likes of Phil Kessel and/or Luke Schenn to acquire a second top-five pick? Would the Lightning be willing to part with both of their first round picks (#10 & #23), and in turn give the Islanders the option of filling multiple needs, such as a potential top-4 defenseman (London’s 6-foot-2, 200-pound Olli Maatta) and a top-6 forward (Plymouth’s 6-foot-4, 200-pound Tom Wilson).
Or could the Islanders really stand pat and select a forward – either Galchenyuk or Sweden’s Filip Forsberg – in the top-10 for a fifth consecutive year?
Many questions still need to be answered … The 2012 NHL Draft is just 73 days away.
All eyes will be on the NHL offices in Toronto this evening, as the 2012 Scotiabank NHL Draft Lottery, a weighted system to determine the order of selection for the first 14 picks of the 2012 NHL Draft, will take place at 8 p.m., EST. Tonight’s telecast will be televised by TSN in Canada. NBC Sports Network (Verizon Fios Channel 590, Time Warner Cable Channel 481, RCN Cable Channel 691, Cablevision Channel 719, Directv Channel 603, Dish Network Channel 151) will air tonight’s lottery in the U.S.
With hopes of securing the top overall selection in June’s NHL entry draft, the Islanders will hold a 10.7% chance of moving up from their present fourth slot to nab the coveted top pick. The Columbus Blue Jackets, who finished 30th overall with a league-low 65 points, will hold the best chance – 25% – of locking up the top overall pick. (more…)
Each week until the entry draft in June, Point Blank will be reporting on the top prospects in this summer’s NHL Entry Draft. This week’s profile is defender Morgan Rielly, ranked as the fifth best North American skater in the CSS mid-term rankings. You can keep a watch on our profiles via the “2012 Draft” tab at the top of the page and check out profiles of Islanders’ young guns filed under the “NYI Prospects” tab.
Brian Leetch is widely recognized as one of the top defensemen in NHL history. His skill-set, along with a silent, yet deadly demeanor were immense factors in helping the New York Rangers slay a 54-year drought and capture the 1994 Stanley Cup. For Moose Jaw (WHL) first-year head coach Mike Stothers, a professional hockey player and coach for the past three decades, he can see the traits that made Leetch a 2009 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee in his 18-year old defenseman and isn’t afraid to lead the Morgan Rielly campaign with the 2012 NHL Entry Draft quickly approaching.
“Morgan reminds me of Brian Leetch when he played with the Rangers,” said Stothers, whose 12-year playing career included stops in Philadelphia and Toronto, before turning to the coaching ranks where he has served as an assistant and head coach on the AHL, OHL and NHL levels. “They both have the same size and body structure. Morgan is agile and elusive because of that powerful skating stride.”
Yet, despite the fact that Morgan Reilly’s junior season was cut short – 18 games in – by a season-ending torn ACL in a regular season game against Calgary back in November, scouts haven’t wavered in their praise of the six-foot, 202-pound blue-liner.
Regarded by many insiders as the most gifted offensive-defenseman in this year’s draft class, TSN’s Craig Button has pegged Rielly as his fourth overall prospect – second behind Red Deer’s Matthew Dumba amongst defensemen – in this June’s NHL entry draft in Pittsburgh.
“In his 18 games, before he got injured, Morgan was improving his overall defensive zone responsibilities,” said Stothers. “While being blessed with great vision, offensively, he knows the importance to positioning in the defensive zone.” (more…)
Each week until the entry draft in June, Point Blank will be reporting on the top prospects in this summer’s NHL Entry Draft. This week’s profile is forward Nail Yakupov, ranked as the best North American skater in the CSS mid-term rankings. You can keep a watch on our profiles via the “2012 Draft” tab at the top of the page and check out profiles of Islanders’ young guns filed under the “NYI Prospects” tab.
Nearly ten years ago, Sarnia Sting head coach Jacques Beaulieu witnessed first-hand the frenzy that comes with coaching a potential franchise-building selection in the NHL draft. As an assistant coach for the London Knights, a then 17-year-old Rick Nash generated that sort of mind-blowing buzz, resulting in daily gossip in tabloids all across the hockey world. Today, Beaulieu could look across his locker room or simply just type “Fail for Nail” in any search engine and get a grasp of what his 18-year-old right-winger Nail Yakupov is experiencing. (more…)
Each week until the entry draft in June, Point Blank will be reporting on the top prospects in this summer’s NHL Entry Draft. This week’s profile is forward Mikhail Grigorenko, ranked as the second best North American skater in the CSS mid-term rankings. You can keep a watch on our profiles via the “2012 Draft” tab at the top of the page and check out profiles of Islanders’ young guns filed under the “NYI Prospects” tab.
When Alexei Kovalev was selected 15th overall by the New York Rangers in 1991, it marked the first time since the NHL Draft’s inception that a Russian hockey player was selected in the first round. Ten years later, the Atlanta Thrashers became the first team in 39 years to break the “anti-Russian” bias by picking high-powered forward Ilya Kovalchuk first overall. Nearly 11 years after the Kovalchuk selection and eight since the Washington Capitals tabbed forward Alex Ovechkin first overall, a trio of forwards are vying to become a future trivia answer by being the third Russian teen in a half-century to be selected first overall at this June’s NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh.
Mikhail Grigorenko, a 6-foot-3, 203-pound forward who is currently lighting the lamp for the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), is one of those highly-skilled Russian imports whose name has been bandied about as a potential top overall selection. Yet, the 17-year-old (18 on May 16), has not been caught up by the hype. He would just rather blend in with the other 2012 draftees.
“It would be nice to be the first overall pick in the NHL Draft,” said Grigorenko, who as a pre-teen would pattern his own game after both Kovalchuk and former Colorado Avalanche standout Peter Forsberg. “But I don’t think it’s the most important thing for me.
“I just want to play in the NHL, and if I play there, I don’t care which pick I will be.” (more…)
