Breaking News Archives - Page 4 of 60 - Boutique Hockey Agency

Boston rookie Beecher score 1st NHL goal in Bruins’ 3-2 victory over Stars

Posted on November 7, 2023

BOSTON, MA – Boston rookie defenseman Mason Lohrei pulled the puck out of his pocket, the keepsake from his first NHL goal. John Beecher had one, too.

Beecher and Lohrei became the first Boston rookies in more than six years to score their first goals in the same game, doing so less than four minutes apart in the first period to put the Bruins ahead to stay in a 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night.

“Had to steal my thunder a little bit I guess,” Beecher, who scored first, said with a smile.

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare embraces fresh start with Kraken

Posted on November 1, 2023

TAMPA BAY – Pierre-Edouard Bellemare made his mark with the Lightning as the consummate locker room guy, a player who could lift his teammates with his ever-positive demeanor and genuine appreciation for playing the game.

But in finding a new home with the Seattle Kraken this season at age 38, Bellemare wants to show he still has more hockey left in him on the ice.

“It was not that something was wrong here in Tampa,” Bellemare said. “It was more like, ‘OK, how can I challenge myself to be more like I was a few years ago and instead of being maybe set back a little bit.”

In the first period of his first game back in Tampa with the Kraken, Bellemare was honored with a video tribute, and given a standing ovation by the Amalie Arena crowd. The Kraken ultimately escaped with a 4-3 overtime triumph.

Ekholm set for ‘special’ return to Nashville with Oilers

Posted on October 17, 2023

EDMONTON, AB – Mattias Ekholm discussed with his family whether they should attend his first game back to play against the Nashville Predators.

The Edmonton Oilers defenseman has a strong connection to Nashville, selected by the Predators in the fourth round (No. 102) of the 2009 NHL Draft and spending nine-and-a-half seasons playing home games at Bridgestone Arena before he was traded Feb. 28.

“My wife and I, we debated back and forth,” Ekholm said Monday prior to departing with the Oilers for Nashville. “We’re arriving around 6 p.m., and leaving right after the game, so we decided for them to stay back. We have three kids, and one is only three months old, so to jump on a plane, four hours there, four hours back, my wife was probably making the right decision to say, ‘we’ll watch it on TV and support you.’”

After 7 Year Wait, Lucas Johansen Has Made The Capitals Opening Night Roster

Posted on October 16, 2023

WASHINGTON, DC – Lucas Johansen was on the ice for practice when Spencer Carbery called him out in front of the rest of the team. And then, yelling and stick taps from his teammates took over as he got the news he’d been waiting seven years to hear: he made the Washington Capitals.

Johansen, who was originally taken in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft, has been through ups and downs over the course of his tenure in D.C., from injuries to setbacks to camps where he almost broke through but didn’t do enough to remain up at the NHL level. This time, though, things are different, as he did everything right to impress the coaching staff and stick with the big club.

Jansen Harkins Trying to Quickly Make a Good Impression

Posted on October 16, 2023

PITTSBURGH, PA – Despite having less time than his new teammates to make an impression at Penguins training camp, Jansen Harkins is doing his best to quickly make a big impact.

The Penguins claimed Harkins off of waivers from the Winnipeg Jets on Monday afternoon, as President of Hockey Operations and GM Kyle Dubas felt he was someone who could contribute to Pittsburgh’s bottom-six forward group, and the 26-year-old winger feels excited for the opportunity.

“I tried not to do much thinking when I was on waivers or the day before. I just tried to relax and try not to get too ahead of myself,” Harkins said after practice on Tuesday, his first day with the team. “My goal is to play in the NHL, and I definitely think I’m a good enough player to be here.

“Just trying to come in here and prove what I can do. Obviously don’t know many guys and many coaches, so I think it will be a good test for me the next few days, just to show what I can do on the ice and chip in.”

NHL, MEET MIKEY EYSSIMONT: THE LIGHTNING’S LATEST GEM NOBODY WANTS TO FACE

Posted on October 16, 2023

TAMPA BAY, FL – Tampa Bay Lightning GM Julien BriseBois often surveys his pro scouting department and analytics staff separately when assembling his NHL trade deadline targets.

During the midway point of last season, BriseBois sought upgrades to his bottom six.

“We were trying to find good forecheckers that had low cap hits,” BriseBois told The Hockey News.

One name that both Tampa Bay’s eye-test evaluators and number crunchers coveted was Mikey Eyssimont. He checked off every box. A virtual unknown before becoming an NHL regular at 26 last season, Eyssimont is a speedy winger who excelled on the forecheck, played with an edge and had a knack for getting under the skin of his opponents.

Ryan Johansen exclusive: How the new second-line center feels about joining the Avalanche

Posted on October 16, 2023

DENVER, CO – Ryan Johansen was acquired by the Avalanche in June to shore up the center depth following Colorado’s early first-round exit from the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. The veteran center, who had spent the past seven years in Nashville, was the first of a long list of additions the team made to its forward group.

After settling in for training camp and getting a preseason game under his belt, the 32-year-old sat down with me following a practice at Family Sports Center to discuss the move to Denver. Among other topics, he also touched on his relationship with Matt Duchene, his playoff experience in 2017, and the Cup-or-bust mentality the team has after failing to defend its championship last spring.

Confident Copper

Posted on October 16, 2023October 16, 2023

DETROIT, MI – A natural progression to the regular season is a luxury Andrew Copp did not enjoy last year, when offseason abdominal surgery forced him to miss his first training camp and preseason with the Detroit Red Wings.

But the 29-year-old forward is in a much different position entering the 2023-24 campaign and believes coming off a full, healthy offseason will pay huge dividends.

“It was nice to have a full summer of training,” Copp said on Sept. 29. “I did a lot of new stuff, things that helped me get to the point where I am now. It was nice to not have to worry about that side of things coming into the year. Just go out and play a little bit.”

Gustavsson makes 41 saves, Wild shut out Panthers in season opener

Posted on October 13, 2023

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Filip Gustavsson made 41 saves, and the Minnesota Wild opened their season with a 2-0 win against the Florida Panthers at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday.

“It’s not going to be like that every night, that’s for sure,” Gustavsson said. “It’s on the limit a few times. It’s very close that the puck goes by me. But sometimes you’re lucky, and you create your own luck.”

Joel Eriksson Ek had a goal and an assist, and Brock Faber scored his first NHL goal in his third career game for Minnesota.