NEW YORK, NY – For the third year in a row, Jesper Fast has been selected as the recipient of the Players’ Player Award for the 2017-18 season.
This is an annual award given to the player “who best exemplifies what it means to be a team player” as determined by his teammates.
The last Ranger to win the Award three years in a row was Ryan Callahan from 2010-13.
TORONTO, ONT –
| Garret Sparks is having another stellar campaign in his fifth season in Toronto, showing a 30-9-2 record in 42 games for the league-leading Marlies while pacing the AHL with a 1.81 goals-against average, a .936 save percentage and six shutouts. Sparks was named the CCM/AHL Goaltender of the Month during January, and put together a scoreless stretch of more than 185 minutes from Jan. 19 to Feb. 2. The 24-year-old native of Elmhurst, Ill., is the first goaltender in the Maple Leafs organization to earn a postseason AHL All-Star berth since Felix Potvin’s First Team nod in 1992. |
BOSTON, MA –
Following a brilliant senior season that has already earned Massachusetts-Boston forward multiple postseason honors, including All-American status, the Joe Concannon Award, and the Sid Watson Award, Colin Larkin is the USCHO D-III player of the year. The Waterford, Michigan, native capped off a brilliant four-year career with the Beacons before signing two professional contracts with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers.
“It is just so great to see Colin get recognized like this,” said coach Peter Belisle. “He has earned it with everything he did on and off the ice here at Massachusetts-Boston. It is a terrific recognition for him and the program he helped make better every year since his arrival. He worked so hard to make himself and the players around him better.”
TAMPA BAY, FL – The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed defenseman Cal Foote to a three-year, entry-level contract today, vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced.
Foote, 6-foot-4, 212 pounds, played in 60 regular season games for the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League this season, recording 19 goals and 70 points. He led all Rockets blue-liners for goals, assists and points, while also ranking second overall on the team for plus/minus with a plus-31 rating. Foote also appeared in four playoff games as the Rockets lost to the Tri-City Americans in the first round of the WHL playoffs. He was second on the team for points with six.
ANAHEIM, CA –
Forwards Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins and Anaheim Ducks goalie John Gibson were named the NHL’s three stars for March on Sunday.
McDavid was named the first star after leading the NHL with 13 goals and 28 points in 16 games and helping Edmonton to a 7-7-2 record. McDavid registered a point or more in 13 of the Oilers’ 16 games.
Marchand was the second start after registering 10 goals and 16 assists in 15 games as Boston went 11-2-3 over that span. He also had the winning goal in three straight games (March 3-8).
Gibson was the third star after going 9-3-1 with a 2.15 goals-against average and .931 save percentage with three shutouts in 13 appearances. Anaheim posted a 9-4-1 record in March.
CHICAGO, IL –
Tyson Barrie took the puck from behind his own net, gathered up a head of steam and barreled toward the neutral zone. Blackhawks wingers Andreas Martinsen and Brandon Saad backed off and turned toward the neutral zone, a smart and safe move.
Nick Schmaltz attacked.
Schmaltz darted across the blue line and into the Avalanche’s zone, steering Barrie toward the boards. He then lunged forward, reached out with his left hand and swatted the puck right off Barrie’s stick — without slashing or tripping him. Schmaltz got the puck, a scoring chance and a power play out of it, as Barrie desperately hacked Schmaltz on the right knee as he raced in on goal.
BOSTON, MA –
Riley Nash recently revealed that one way his Bruins teammates often teased him was by calling him Rick Nash.
Now the joke’s up because Rick Nash is wearing a Bruins sweater, and because Riley Nash has become a prolific scorer capable of temporarily filling in for the injured Patrice Bergeron without Boston missing a beat.
The 28-year-old Riley Nash, who was a first-round pick (21st overall) of the Edmonton Oilers in 2007, has met every challenge placed in front of him this season, including plugging in between Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak while Bergeron recovers from a fractured foot. Nash has eight points (three goals, five assists) in seven games and the Bruins are 6-1-0 since Bergeron went out of the lineup heading into Tuesday night’s game at Carolina.
Nash has already set career-highs for goals (13), assists (23) and points (36) in 66 games.
Some of the challenges Nash has met were made by coach Bruce Cassidy and his staff. Others Nash wrote down early this season.
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