Category: Breaking News

Analytics with Alison: Bellemare Deep Dive

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SEATTLE, WA – Pierre-Edouard Bellemare knew quite a bit about the Seattle Kraken even before signing a one-year contract with the team this summer. The center played for Dave Hakstol when both were with the Flyers organization; he played with Andre Burakovsky in Colorado; and for 15 years, the Frenchman has lived a few houses down from friend and Kraken assistant captain Adam Larsson in Sweden.

But beyond the personal connections, there’s a bite to Bellemare’s game on the ice and the special ability to motivate and mentor off the ice that makes him a solid addition to the Seattle roster.

“I think (Bellemare) brings a lot,” Larsson said. “Even in the dressing room (he is) a veteran presence. He’s vocal and obviously he’s a proven steady center. I’m sure he will like the way we play here and how the team works together. I have only good things to say about him.”

Shane Wright still working hard as his Kraken camp nears its end

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SEATTLE, WA – Kraken prospect Shane Wright was again one of the last players off the ice Wednesday morning before accompanying his travel group to British Columbia for the night’s penultimate preseason game.

Wright’s appearance in a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the B.C. town of Abbotsford will likely be his last this preseason as remaining players leave Thursday for Edmonton, Alberta, and Friday’s finale against the Oilers before the Oct. 10 regular-season opener. It has been a workmanlike training camp for last year’s No. 4 overall draft selection, evidenced not only by Wright staying late after practices but also his picking up on professional hockey nuances.

“I think, overall, I’m feeling more comfortable out there,” Wright, who assisted on a first period Andrew Poturalski goal, said before leaving for Wednesday’s game. “I’m more comfortable holding on to the puck a little bit more, making plays and understanding our systems just a little bit better. And understanding teammates and systems and all that.”

Penguins Claim Jansen Harkins off of Waivers from Winnipeg

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PITTSBURGH, PA – The Pittsburgh Penguins have claimed forward Jansen Harkins off of waivers from the Winnipeg Jets, it was announced today by President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Kyle Dubas.

Harkins is signed through the 2023-24 campaign and his contract carries an average annual value of $850,000.

Harkins, 26, spent the 2022-23 campaign split between the Winnipeg Jets and the Manitoba Moose of the American Hockey League. With Winnipeg, Harkins notched five points (3G-2A) in 22 games. He also established AHL career highs in goals (25), assists (25), points (50) and was plus-11 in 44 games with the Moose. His 25 goals ranked first and his 50 points were second on Manitoba, respectively.

Canucks counting on Ian Cole to show them his winning ways

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VANCOUVER, BC – All the Vancouver Canuckshave done for most of the last eight years is lose. Ian Cole is the opposite.

While there hasn’t been a National Hockey League playoff game in Vancouver since 2015, Cole has made it to the Stanley Cup tournament the last nine seasons. And with six different teams.

 

Kraken Camp Video: Why You’ll Love Pierre-Edouard Bellemare

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SEATTLE, WA – Seattle training camp continued Friday at Kraken Community Iceplex, with new rounds of drills, scrimmages, and conditioning exercises. Among the new campers is Pierre-Edouard Bellmare, the pride of Le Blanc-Mesnil, France.

Pierre brings to the Kraken veteran savvy, penalty killing know-how, faceoff expertise, and a smile as wide as the Columbia river. Get to know Bellemare in today’s Kraken Reaction video.

Canucks: Why Ian Cole signed in Vancouver

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VANCOUVER, BC – When you’ve been a defender in the NHL for 14 years, you get a sense of who is a challenging attacker.

Your job, after all, is to stop the guys who are trying to score.

Ian Cole has a good sense of what made the Vancouver Canucks tick offensively, both from playing against the likes of Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes, and from his teammates with top-end offensive talent.

Cole’s career resume is astounding when adding up the future hall of famers he’s counted as teammates, starting with this past season in Tampa Bay with Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman. Or Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar before that in Colorado.

JT Compher looking to lock down things up the middle

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DETROIT, MI – The Detroit Red Wings made some moves this off-season. They added a few pieces to their offense, hoping to strengthen the forward core, especially in the top six. One of their new additions should be able to lock down a centerman role with the team this season.

The Detroit Red Wings agreed to a five-year, $25.5 million contract with J.T. Compher, who’s been around for the last seven seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). For the Red Wings, Compher is someone who should be able to jump into the team’s forward core and hopefully have a positive impact immediately.

Joel Farabee discusses offseason training, Flyers’ chances in Q&A with NHL.com

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PHILADELPHIA, PA – Joel Farabee was looking for a pregame cup of coffee before he strapped on the skates to take part in a Checking For Charity tournament game Friday.

It’s a quite a change from where he was a year ago, when Farabee still was recovering from artificial disk replacement surgery in his neck in June 2022. He was cleared for contact a week before the Flyers played their season opener.

He had 39 points (15 goals, 24 assists) in 82 games last season, the most he’s had in his four NHL seasons. But with a regular offseason of training, the 23-year-old feels prepared to contribute more this season.

“When you have the full offseason to work out, I feel like you just have that extra jump in your legs or a little extra energy,” Farabee said. “You feel a lot better. … Just having that whole offseason to work out, your body’s just in a way better place to endure a long season.”

NHL.com caught up with Farabee and discussed several topics, including how his offseason has gone, becoming more of a leader, which teammate forcefully reassured him he was ready for contact last season, and more.

Cal Foote Signs One-Year Deal with Devils

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NEWARK, NJ – The New Jersey Devils announced today that the team signed free-agent defenseman Cal Foote to a one-year, two-way contract worth $800,000 at the NHL level and $350,000 at the American Hockey League (AHL) level ($450,000 guaranteed) for 2023-24. The announcement was made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Tom Fitzgerald.

Foote, 24, finished the 2022-23 season with the Predators, after he was traded to Nashville from Tampa Bay on Feb. 26, 2023. A righthanded shot, Foote played in 24 games with Nashville and another 26 with Tampa Bay, totaling seven points (2g-5a) and 63 PIM last season.

In total, Foote has played 141 career regular-season contests (5g-14a) since his NHL debut with Tampa Bay on Jan. 13, 2021, vs. the Chicago Blackhawks. The 6’5″, 225lbs. blueliner has also recorded 121 career PIM and five fighting majors at the NHL level. Foote was a member of the 2021 Stanley Cup winning Tampa Bay Lightning. During Tampa’s Cup run, Foote appeared in 13 playoff games, totaling two assists and averaging 11:29 time on ice per game.

Born Dec. 13, 1998, the Denver, CO native, was selected 14th overall by Tampa Bay in the 2017 NHL Draft. As a member of the Lightning franchise, he played parts of five seasons in the AHL with Syracuse from 2017-18 to 2021-22 and earned 64 career points (18g-46a) in 155 regular-season games. Before his professional career, he played his Junior hockey in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Kelowna Rockets from 2015-16 to 2017-18 and was named team captain in his final WHL season. He led all Kelowna defensemen with 57 points (6g-51a) in 2016-17 and again in 2017-18 (19g-51a-70pts).

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