NEUGSIE’S AROUND THE RINKS

By: Jamie Neugebauer
Voice of the ND Hounds

Get the guy some help: Was at the Regina Pats-Winnipeg ICE game last Friday night and my only thought was that Connor Bedard needs some help, and fast. Five points in seven games, a league-second-worst minus-eight (which has more to with the fact that he’s on the ice all night than anything), and a 2-5 record for this Regina team, all equals that it has to be considered a disappointing start to this new year for boy wonder. I am not blaming him, and all I’ve seen from this team is a lot of effort, but there just is not a lot of skill behind Connor. Zack Stringer was brought in to be the new Carson Denomie beside him, and he has not done much yet, and on his other wing, former Melfort Mustang Zack Smith, is a kid I adore; but the veteran is a middle-of-the-forward-core-at-best type guy. Way too early to panic, and Ryker Evans looks awesome, but as I said last week, you have to think GM John Paddock is working the phones hard.
Don’t sleep on Toon: Great start for the Saskatoon Blades with the most electric partnership on a first line in the Western Hockey League in Tristen Robins and Kyle Crnkovic, even though Nolan Maier has only been OKAY in the net. Either way, this team is so well-schooled from the departed Mitch Love in playing playoff-style, team-first hockey, so don’t ever sleep on the Toon! Young Tanner Molendyk is so steady and mature as a 2005 birth year, it’s crazy.
The Danault effect: It’s only two games into the National Hockey League season so who knows what it all means, but the best acquisition of the off-season might have been the L.A. Kings and Phillip Danault. Patrice Bergeron-light will take some of those heavier, defensive minutes away from Anze Kopitar, and that is going to be huge for this team, and seven points through two games for the big Slovene is early evidence. Drew Doughty has said he’s gotten into great shape, and badly wants on Team Canada, so the recipe for a surprise great season for the Kings looks to be there. Still way too early.
Shesterkin, wow: I was not too frustrated with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Monday night overtime loss to the New York Rangers since the Leafs absolutely dominated big-time in Auston Matthews’ return. The real story was NYR goaltender Igor Shesterkin, who made 40 saves, many of which were on glorious chances deep into overtime, and he just stole it. I like Michael Bunting as a better Zach Hyman on one line, and Nick Ritchie as a better Zach Hyman on the other line, so good start for the Leafs! Don’t mind it. Leafs’ goalies can’t stop a beach ball, but anyways…
Top 5 incredible: Wherever your team picks in the Top 5 of the 2022 NHL Draft, you are going to get an awesome, awesome prospect. Shane Wright is going No. 1, there isn’t that much doubt…but Brad Lambert, Ivan Miroschnichenko, Matt Savoie, and Juraj Slafkovsky are all just fantastic too. Loved what I’ve seen from Savoie’s Winnipeg ICE chum Conor Geekie too, whom many have around the Top 10, but that group of five at the top are all just excellent, mature forwards. The first-round D available are not nearly of the same calibre – as much as people know I’m a fan of Moose Jaw’s Denton Mateychuk – but as they say “lots of history between now and then”.
The rath of McGrath: To the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League now and how about local-boy-come-home Connor McGrath’s start to the year with the Humboldt Broncos. I wrote at the time that I couldn’t believe the Weyburn Red Wings were willing to give this guy up at all, but I love to joke with Broncos’ GM Scott Barney that he has a sawed-off shotgun somewhere he uses to make one-sided trades. Seven goals, 19 points through 11 games for McGrath is great, and he’s had even more chances than that (believe me, I’ve watched a ton of his minutes so far). The Broncos have a lot of different guys with different specialties up front, and a very steady blueline, so they’re tough for anyone on a given night.
Austin’s Powers: In Notre Dame-land all is well in the nets with 2004-born Austin Elliott in the door. The reigning Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League Goaltender of the Week was excellent in last Tuesday’s win over Humboldt, and made the stops he needed to the next night vs. Kindersley, and that he rose to both challenges is great news for Brett Pilkington’s squad. Veteran Ryley Osland is a nice partner for him too, and both seem to be fitting into the team really well. Two very good kids, two guys who seem to be great at keeping even keel as all the best goaltenders are. Elliott is 4-0, with a goals-against-average of 2.15, and a save percentage of .936 so far, so that’s not bad.
Sneaky good grab for Nipawin: Osland and the Hounds were beaten by an even better performance by Chase Hamm in the Nipawin net Sunday afternoon, and while Hamm was undoubtedly the No. 1 star in the game, the newly acquired Braxton Buckberger looks like a great pickup. The twin brother of Wisconsin-committed NHL prospect Boston, who is a defenceman at Brooks, Braxton is a skilled forward who started the year with the Blackfalds Bulldogs of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, but as a Saskatoon kid has come home to where he was drafted back in 2018. It’s early, but I think this is going to be a great add by the Hawks. Buckberger scored two of Nipawin’s three goals at the Duncan McNeill Arena in Wilcox Sunday.
A fun night in Toronto: The Canadian Men’s National Soccer Team made waves last Wednesday by thumping Panama in Toronto, and they currently sit third in regional qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. The Top 3 countries when it’s all said and done make the Qatar World Cup, while the fourth-placed team faces another regional qualifier in a showdown that Canada will definitely want to avoid. Check out Alphonso Davies’ goal from the game all over social media and YouTube, it was special, and the buzz around this team after six of 14 final-round qualifiers is huge. Time to jump on the bandwagon people!
New baby: My wife and I are expecting our second daughter in mid-November, right when the Hounds are on a long road trip, and many have asked me if I’m nervous about it. Well, the answer is not that I’m nervous about taking care of a baby, or even two babies…the answer is that I’m nervous about being severely sleep-deprived while trying to do all my work! Ha! Thank goodness my wife has really good maternity leave, and if baby girl No. 2 arrives on time, I’ll have about 11 days until I call another game. We’ll see what happens!