NEUGISE’S AROUND THE RINKS

By: Jamie Neugebauer
Voice of the ND Hounds/DUB Network MJ Warriors Beat Writer

Those cats: How about those Florida Panthers? 7-1 and 9-2 wins in the NHL just don’t happen very often, and they did just that this past week, thrashing Dallas and Columbus, respectively. Yes, they are deep, but guys have really blossomed this year beyond what the club could reasonably have hoped, like Carter Verhaeghe, stuck in a great Tampa team; Anthony Duclair, stuck in Ottawa; and Sam Bennett, stuck in Calgary. The list goes on and on with this team, but they come at you in waves, and you get no rest against them. They need a D or two I would say, but if Sergei Bobrovsky keeps this year up, they could really keep the Cup in Florida.
HDIS: Really enjoyed Hockey Day in Saskatchewan on HomeTeam Live this past week in Radville! On the female U18 side, the Regina Rebels smoked the Weyburn Gold Wings 8-0 with only two different scorers, if you can believe it (Greta Henderson, and Alexis Petford doing the work). On the male side, it was an awesome clash between the Estevan Bears and Battlefords Stars, as the Bears pulled off an epic 6-5 win, which included a lacrosse-style goal by Estevan Bruins prospect Carson Birnie. Great atmosphere, love working with Darren DuPont who did colour for me, and Tanner Goetz and HomeTeam Live is just awesome! What a blast!
Kudos to the three: NHL Central Scouting released its mid-term watch list ahead of the 2022 draft, and I have to send a big shout out to the three Saskatchewan Junior Hockey Leaguers listed: Connor McGrath and Matthew Perkins of the Humboldt Broncos, and Kevin Anderson of the Notre Dame Hounds. I have really really enjoyed watching Kev play this year, and while he still has lots of room to grow in his game, it has just been a treat to observe him on the ice, but even better, to know him off the ice! What a mature, thoughtful, driven human being. He’s committed to Princeton University, and with his hunger to get better all over the ice, with the tools he already has, I know he would be a great pick for any NHL team. So proud of him already, and can’t wait to see what he’ll become.
The Oil Kings…woof: The WHL trade deadline came and went Monday and the biggest move was definitely the Edmonton Oil Kings pickup of Justin Sourdif from the Vancouver Giants. They sent a player and two first-rounders the other way for the Florida Panthers prospect, but if Edmonton wasn’t the Memorial Cup favourites in my mind before, they absolutely are now. It’s dub championship or bust for the team that boasts five Canadian World Juniors, plus the likes of Nashville prospect Luke Prokop, and highly-touted Slovak and Vegas prospect Jakub Demek, among others. Boy is this club a wagon now. A player and two picks still feel like not that much after I’ve seen what OHL and QMJHL teams give up for premium players like Sourdif.
Drew and Q: I had to feel good for Regina Pats assistant captain and Notre Dame Hounds alum Drew Englot as he was moved on to contend with the Kamloops Blazers. He joins his fellow Telus Cup champ (and also good dude) Quinn Schmiemann on one of the two teams (with Winnipeg) that maybe, just maybe, could give Edmonton a run for their money in a seven-game series. Drew is a big, heart-and-soul, battle-tested kid who knows his own game well and will be a great addition to a highly-skilled, finesse team like Kamloops who want to go deep in the playoffs.
Hobey Baker: It’s still a couple of months away from being voted on, and it’s usually a popularity contest, but I am still proud of my pals Ture Linden and Willy Calverley, of RPI and RIT, respectively, for being nominated for the NCAA’s Top Player award. Owen Power or Matty Beniers or Kent Johnson are going to win it, but still, cool for those great kids. I was with Willy and Ture with the North York Rangers in Toronto years ago, but have always followed their careers closely, and know they are going to be solid pros one day! I’m also thrilled they’re having great years to get recognized as nominees for the Hobey Baker!
100 for Sili: Scoring in NCAA Division I hockey is hard, so it was a great accomplishment this past week for Regina’s own Owen Sillinger of Bemidji State to hit 100 career points in U.S. college hockey! He did it on Jan. 15 vs. Bowling Green State University, and I think an NHL team should give him a shot after the season is over. I saw him play in the summer in a serious men’s league, and he was so impressive. Maybe join little bro in Columbus?
USport Exodus: Speaking of pro deals, I think I saw a tweet that said over 50 Canadian university players have signed contracts at various levels since Omicron shut down two-thirds of USports. My old buddy Kyle Clarke left the University of Toronto for Huntsville in the SPHL, for example, and I’m pretty happy for him! Guys are sick of the disregard of politicians for all their hard work, so it’s hard to blame them for grabbing a paycheck if they can. Pumped to call some UofR women’s hockey this weekend on CanadaWest.tv, though!
Poor Faith: Felt bad for my pal Jacob Faith and all Arizona Cardinals fans this past weekend after they got smoked by the L.A. Rams in the playoffs. I rode with Jacob the day after the game to Kindersley to call the SJHL Game of the Month with Daniella Ponticelli and Rob (Sharky) Jamont on SaskTel TV Max Local, produced by Rusty Cone and the fine people at Bamboo Shoots, and he let his anguish be known to me. As a Vikings fan, all I could do was shrug…but losing like that in the playoffs has to hurt for sure, especially after the promise of that Cardinals season…
Lay off Dak: Finally, calm down Cowboys fans. Yes, Dak Prescott screwed that last play up, but he was being coached by an awful coach in Mike McCarthy, and he played his absolute heart out this year and was great. Give him another off-season to get healthy in body and mind, and I think next year will be…well, it’ll probably be the same…sorry Cowboys fans. Again, as a Vikings fan, I have no right to throw stones.