Newfoundland – it seems as though we are back in an all too familiar place.
After multiple COVID-19 lockdowns that saw arena shutdowns for long stretches of 2020 and 2021, things had normalized to some degree since June. People were in class, university was back on the go, hockey players left the rock for some Atlantic Canadian hockey action, and the Growlers were in a battle of wits with the city council. Essentially what one would see in the Fall of 2019….2018… 2017… point made. However, a new strain of COVID-19 – one that sounds like it could be the 1986 Transformers villain Unicron’s evil cousin – has swept through Sin City much like Unicron did to Moon Base 2. You’d have to be a true Transformers fan to get it. I still get a little emotional when Optimus Prime dies in the aforementioned movie – I blame Hasbro for pushing hot rod car toys in 1986. OK I’ll stop now.
The USHL has done its very best to stay open during these tough times, which has opened the door for Paradise, NL native and familiar face at VHG Ryan Greene to showcase his elite vision, skating and skills. Greene opened the season with a 12-game goal-less drought, but has really picked up his game since tallying on November 20th vs Youngstown. Since getting the monkey off his back, Greene has been a point-per-game player at the top of the Green Bay Gamblers line up and is looking down the barrel of an early round selection in the upcoming NHL Draft. Some sites have Greene inside their top-50 for this years NHL Draft – here’s a site that validates my claim .
We had the opportunity to interview Colorado Avalanche forward Alex Newhook last week – special thanks to Alex for sitting down with us! Lots of good content here, click here to watch the interview
Special thanks to everyone who has sent in their outdoor rink photos to us! If you have any fresh new #odr content that you’d like to share, sauce it over to ap@vhghockey.ca and we will post it on our social media channels! Feel free to give us a follow, like and subscribe, channel links are on the top of the pages!
Since inception, we have had both Jack Warren (’08) and Drew Warren (’10) in our program. Sadly, both players will be moving back to Ontario this week! We will miss you guys! Not too many players around who love the game like Jack Warren – always gets on the ice early, never wants to get off, doesn’t take reps off, and is always attentive even at the ungodly hour of 6 am.
Despite the WJC being cancelled, it was nice to get a glimpse of some of the upcoming NHL superstars from Canada and abroad. One player that really stood out to me was Buffalo Sabres 1st overall selection Owen Power; Power is gigantic, smart, mobile, and has the ability to ‘look people off’ by looking at a decoy target before making the play he wants to make. I’m sure there are a few Buffalo Sabre fans that wanted to see Power play for their team right away, but I think it was smart of Power to go back to college. For one, Michigan are absolutely stacked. For two, it gives Power the chance to let Buffalo develop as a franchise instead of being thrust into a situation where he would have to be the ‘saviour’ of the franchise when he’s likely not ready. After watching what the Rangers have done with Alexis Lafreniere, there is nothing wrong with taking a step backwards (going back to junior/college) before taking a big step forward to the pro level. Look at what Edmonton did with Leon Draisaitl – gave him a taste of the NHL, sent him back down to junior, then recalled him down the road vs sitting the guy on the bench and decreasing his confidence. One other player who stood out to me on Team Canada in very limited viewings was QMJHL product Xavier Bourgault. The Shawinigan Cataractes forward has excellent wheels, and was constantly noticeable in the game vs “Czechia”. The Edmonton Oilers first round pick (#22 overall) this past summer is one to watch as the QMJHL fires back up at the end of the month, along with the Saint John Sea Dogs and Charlottetown Islanders. The Sea Dogs traded away everything that wasn’t nailed down over the past few days in an attempt to bolster their line-up for the Memorial Cup in their back yard – it should be interesting to see how the recently-created all-star team fares once ice hits metal soon!
Even though I just took a pot shot at the Rangers for how they have chosen to develop Alexis, they absolutely nailed the hiring of Gerard Gallant. It still blows my mind that Gallant was dumped in Florida when his team had a winning record, and was dumped from Vegas when his team had reached the Cup finals as an expansion team! Gallant can flat out coach – the guy won at the Junior A level, Major Junior level, and has done well at the pro level. The Rangers look like a contender this year, and it’s no surprise given the man behind the bench in the Big Apple.
The team across the Hudson River from the Rangers has a Newfie on it (duh). Dawson Mercer is a Calder Trophy candidate around the midpoint of the NHL season – I weigh in on why by clicking right here !
Until Next Time,
The VHG Boys