Category: Breaking News

Ann Arbor native, ex-Wolverine Andrew Copp shining in NHL playoffs

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NEW YORK, NY – NHL teams trading draft picks to acquire players to gear up for a Stanley Cup playoff run can be risky.

The New York Rangers trading two conditional second-round picks and a sixth-round pick for former Michigan forward Andrew Copp at the March 21 deadline appears to have been worth the gamble.

The Ann Arbor native continued his strong postseason Tuesday, recording a goal and two assists to help the Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 and tie the best-of-seven second-round series at 2-2.

Ian Cole’s Playoff OT Goal Lifts Hurricanes Past Rangers for Game 1 Win

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RALEIGH, NC – Ian Cole beat Igor Shesterkin at 3:12 of overtime to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 2-1 Wednesday night and take Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.

The defenseman’s second career playoff goal capped a late comeback by the Hurricanes after they trailed most of the night. Sebastian Aho finally pushed one past Shesterkin in the final minutes of the third period to send the game into OT.

Jaccob Slavin Named 2021-22 Lady Byng Trophy Finalist

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RALEIGH, NC – The National Hockey League today announced that Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin has been selected as one of the three finalists for the 2021-22 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, given annually to the player who best combines sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct with a high standard of playing ability. Slavin became the fourth defenseman in NHL history to win the award last season, and he looks to join Red Kelly (Detroit, 1952-53 and 1953-54) as the second NHL blueliner to win the award in consecutive seasons.

Bruins Sign Johnny Beecher To Three-Year Entry-Level Contract

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BOSTON, MA – Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney announced today, May 16, that the team has signed forward Johnny Beecher to a three-year entry-level contract with an annual NHL cap hit of $925,000.

Beecher, 21, appeared in nine games for the Providence Bruins on an ATO in 2021-22, recording three goals and two assists for five points.

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound center spent the past three seasons at the University of Michigan, recording 19 goals and 20 assists for 39 points and a plus-14 rating in 81 games for the Wolverines.

Wild’s Dakota Mermis named winner of Yanick Dupré Memorial Award

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DES MOINES, IA – The American Hockey League announced today that Iowa Wild defenseman Dakota Mermis has been selected as the winner of the Yanick Dupré Memorial Award for 2021-22.

Over his six seasons as a player in the American Hockey League, Mermis has placed an emphasis on making positive contributions to his community. In 2021-22, his first season in Des Moines, Mermis stepped into and embraced a leadership role both on and off the ice. With the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic – and the birth of his first child in December – altering his approach, Mermis, along with his wife, Sarah, remained steadfast in believing in the importance of community work.

Hurricanes’ Fast, Staal and Niederreiter make up one of NHL’s top lines

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RALEIGH, NC – They’ve been talked about all year, but the Hurricanes’ line of Nino Niederreiter, Jordan Staal and Jesper Fast has been as impactful as the Bruins’ Perfection Line of David Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand through five games of the Boston-Carolina first round series.

So why not dive a little deeper into the Hurricanes’ shutdown line. Since the line is known for its nonstop work ethic, we’ll adopt that “W” and call them the NSFW Line.

It all starts with Carolina’s captain.

One could call Staal a unicorn, but he’s more like a mix between a Clydesdale and a unicorn.

Wild Signs Simon Johansson to a Two-Year, Entry-Level Contract

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ST. PAUL, MN – Minnesota Wild General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed defenseman Simon Johansson to a two-year, entry-level contract starting with the 2022-23 season.

Johansson, 22 (6/14/99), recorded 32 points (8-24=32) including two power-play goals, a plus-6 rating, 177 shots on goal and 20 penalty minutes (PIM) in 58 games with Ilves Tampere in his first season in Finland’s Elite League. The 6-foot-2, 189-pound native of Stockholm, Sweden, became the youngest defensemen in Ilves history to score 32 points in a season. He ranked fourth on the team in assists and shots on goal and sixth in scoring. Johansson ranked T-6th among League defensemen in assists and T-8th in scoring. He collected six points (1-5=6) and 48 shots on goal in 10 playoff games, ranking T-2nd on the team in assists, third in shots on goal and T-3rd in scoring. Johansson ranked T-2nd among League defensemen in assists, third in shots on goal and T-3rd in playoff scoring.

Driving the bus: Bolts’ unique fourth line has found instant chemistry

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TAMPA BAY, FL – “I don’t know what to call our line – maybe the ‘School Bus,’ because we’re all carrying each other.”

It was forward Pat Maroon who coined the nickname for the Tampa Bay Lightning’s fourth line, a group that has remained intact for nearly the entire 2021-22 season. The trio consists of Maroon and two players who signed with Tampa Bay in free agency last summer, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Corey Perry.

Jaccob Slavin’s Story

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RALEIGH, NC – By the time Jaccob Slavin was in his first pair of skates, the third of five hockey-playing Slavin children, the folks at the local rink had given up any idea of enforcing age rules.

“They were, ‘oh, it’s the Slavins, he can start when he’s two,” mother Wendi recalled with a laugh.

And nobody seemed to bat an eye when Jaccob learned to skate by tottering from one M&M candy to the next strategically placed on the ice, five feet apart.

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