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Post by JIM (Wild GM)/FwdAgent(M-Z) on Jan 13, 2013 0:53:58 GMT -5
Native Son Returns To Take Reins Of Hockey ClubWild Hire Marushin As President Of Team OperationsMarushin's Introductory Presser As the impending lockout was avoided teams again resumed their off-season activities. One team though made a drastic move right after the signing of the CBA. The Wild hired James Marushin, of Fairmont, MN, as their new President of Hockey Operations. The 26 year old has no formal experience with the game but is told to have a brilliant, analytical mind when it comes to managing the sport. "I was shocked when they called me. I interviewed and sent in my resume, but never in my wildest dreams, no pun intended, did I imagine I'd be here in this position...it's a dream come true"The Wild had become looking for a fresh new vision to guide the team going forward. Owner Craig Leipold added "Chuck and I scored big with Zach and Ryan, we've drafted well, we're just looking for that person to put all of the pieces together and guide this organization to the next level." While some may think this move diminishes the role of General Manager Chuck Fletcher, the GM thought otherwise. "Wehave different roles, responsibilities, and duties. Technically I answer to him and we both answer to Craig and the board, but we're all in this together like one body with many parts. I have to handle my duties: heading up the scouts, the formal contract process, day to day managing, and other things. He's got his duties, negotiating, personnel, trade talks, et cetera. If we all play our parts the Minnesota Wild will thrive." The newly acquired Justin Faulk during his days in Carolina Marushin already has begun shaping the Wild into his own vision with such acquisitions as defender and Minnesota native Justin Faulk who came in a deal from Carolina. The move sent out popular prospects Jason Zucker and Marco Scandella along with free agent signee Zenon Konopka. Marushin is looking to capitalize on the Parise/Suter deal by making the Wild a tough, skilled team to play against without sacrificing their future. "A lot of people think you either have to blow up the team or sacrifice your future. Those are options to be used in certain times, but for the Wild I see a middle ground where we can both compete and stock up for the future. We have a great roster and a great pool of prospects and I am excited to shape this roster around the core values of Minnesota Hockey." Marushin said in an interview following the Press Conference. Wild fans are both nervous and excited to see how the Marushin will handle the new position. We'll have more on Marushin's first moves in the days ahead but for now the State of Hockey is abuzz like never before. -The Star Tribune
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Post by JIM (Wild GM)/FwdAgent(M-Z) on Jan 14, 2013 18:43:14 GMT -5
Wild Roster Starting To Take ShapeMarushin Taking Balanced, Cautious Approach As the offseason starts winding down with the coming of the Preseason, the Wild's opening night roster is reaching it's final stages of development. New President of Hockey Operations James Marushin has been fine tuning the roster and organization through a number of trades and transactions meant to supplement the big free agent pickups of Parise and Suter. "Without getting too crazy there's not a lot of left to do but finalize a few places and continue to seek opportunities for improving the club" Marushin said at this afternoon's press conference. Since assuming the reins of the club Marushin has made 6 trades. While they lack the blockbuster quality of many of the offseason's trades, many agree they are all beneficial for the Wild organization now and for the future. Faulk celebrating a goal for the USA during the 2012 WHC The two biggest acquisitions from these trades have been defender Justin Faulk and winger Guillaume Latendresse. Faulk, a Minnesota native from South St. Paul, is coming off a successful rookie season with the Carolina Hurricanes. After playing for the US World Juniors and the University of Minnesota-Duluth's team he was selected 37th overall by the Canes in 2010. He joined the Cane's AHL team in Charlotte just in time for the playoffs and added 2 assists as they reached the semifinals of the Calder Cup Playoffs. In 2011-12 he played 66 games with Carolina, where he tallied 8 goals and 14 assists, and earned a spot on the USA's World Championship team. Faulk was picked from the Canes in exchange for defender Marco Scandella, center Zenon Konopka, and prospect forward Jason Zucker. Gui Latendresse during his first stint with Minnesota battling Justin Faulk's former team, the Carolina Hurricanes Latendresse is a former 2nd round pick of the Montreal Canadiens who has already had a stint with the Wild. Latendresse had a breakout season in 2009-10 with the Wild, scoring 25 goals in 55 games. Since then the strong power forward has been plagued by a myriad of injury issues. He had signed a contract with the Ottawa Senators but one of Marushin's first acts as PHO was to get him back. "I think Gui is past his injury concerns, I believe he can be the force that he was in '09. I think the fans, the organization, and the rest of the guys all think so too and we're behind him 100 percent." Marushin said when asked about Latendresse. Oft-injured Pierre Marc Bouchard and defender Jared Spurgeon had to be shipped out to bring GUI back to the State of Hockey. Many of the other trades were meant to improve the Wild's organizational depth. Recent 7th overall pick Matthew Dumba was traded to Buffalo for the 14th overall pick-center Zemgus Girgensons, veteran defender Shaone Morrison, and Buffalo's 2nd round pick. Brawler Matt Kassian was sent to San Jose for a pair of late round picks. Prospect Charlie Coyle, acquired in the Brent Burns trade, was sent to rival Edmonton for young defender David Musil and Edmonton's upcoming 3rd round pick. Lastly, winger Devin Setoguchi, another Burns trade piece, was shifted to Carolina for center Zac Dalpe and Carolina's 2013 2nd round selection. While the team is close to being ready for opening night, Marushin isn't ruling more moves. "The phone always rings, information is always coming into the office, scouts are always saying to check out this guy or another. You have to be constantly aware of the league's happenings to take advantage of possible opportunities. We still have places we'd like to improve so more trades are definitely possible." Even during our time on the phone it was revealed that another trade had been made involving prospect Tyler Graovac being sent to Colorado for power forward Hugh Jessiman. Things are certainly exciting in Minnesota and fans can't wait to see how their players, new and old, mesh together and perform. -The Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Post by JIM (Wild GM)/FwdAgent(M-Z) on Jan 15, 2013 12:48:45 GMT -5
Wild Preseason Roster SetHackett, Girgensons Among Late Invites Amidst the chaos of training camp the Minnesota Wild announced their starting lineup for the 2013-13 preseason. The Wild will mostly be fielding a roster of younger players and prospects for the exhibition games a number of veterans will be added to the mix. According to the announcement the line up will look as follows: Centers: Torrey Mitchell Mikael Granlund Zac Dalpe Zemgus Girgensons Left Wing: Cal Clutterbuck Stephane Veillieux Johan Larsson Kris Foucault Right Wing: Guillaume Latendresse Nick Palmieri Brett Bulmer Carson McMillan Defense: Justin Faulk Justin Falk Steve Kampfer Tyler Cuma Jonas Brodin David Musil Goalies: Josh Harding Matt Hackett Clutterbuck and Latendresse are expected to be on the first line with blue chip prospect Mikael Granlund in the center. Clutterbuck's booming shot and Latendresse's big body will hopefully provide good targets for Granlund's passing skills. Larsson, Girgensons, and Bulmer will likely form the second line; though Bulmer has brief NHL experience but all three are still very green. The recently acquired Dalpe will center Palmieri and Foucault on the third line. It's another prospect line but Palmieri and Dalpe both have gotten shots at the bigs. To round out the lines Veilleux, Mitchell, and McMillan will be put together to add some physical grit to the young roster. Wild Prospects Celebrate a Goal During the 20122-12 Preseason On defense, Faulk will probably be paired with Brodin in the hopes that the American youngster can help along his Swedish colleague. Musil and Falk, a pair of big Canadian boys, will be played together. Cuma and Kampfer will form the bottom pairing with the organization hoping to get a view of how these prospects play and develop against NHL caliber competition. In goal while Harding is on the roster he'll likely cede most of the net time to Hackett. Hackett was brilliant in his short stint with the Wild and is expected to be the number one tender in Houston this season. Harding will be there for support and leadership, lending his knowledge to the young goalie. I caught up with POH Marushin after the announcement had been made and asked what he hoped to see out of the preseason. "Well, I am hoping to get a good view of where some of our prospects are in their development and to give them their first or additional experience against NHL competition. For our vets, I'd like to see them help our young guys along as well as get into better game shape for the upcoming season. We'd like to win some of these games, but mostly we just want to be competitive and to come out healthy and having grown as individuals and as a team." Clutterbuck, a fan favorite in Minnesota, has been named Captain of the preseason with Stephane Veillieux and Justin Faulk being named as his assistants. Stay tuned to the Star Tribune for more Wild preseason coverage! -The Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Post by JIM (Wild GM)/FwdAgent(M-Z) on Jan 16, 2013 11:01:05 GMT -5
Jessiman To Get Chance At Wild Roster SpotMinnesota Latest Stop For Former First Rounder Typically fans would be in an uproar when they heard the news that their team acquired a 12th overall selection, especially at the mere price of a 7th round pick. However headlines around the internet were sparse, aside from a few jokes, after it was announced that the Wild had traded for winger Hugh Jessiman, the 12th pick in the '03 draft. The 6'6'' power forward comes over from Colorado in exchange for prospect Tyler Graovac. Thus the next chapter in the long, strange journey of "Huge Specimen" comes to the State of Hockey. Jessiman and the Rangers Front Office on Stage at the '03 Draft Jessiman is the prototypical "draft bust," a player who comes into the draft with a large amount of hype but lives up to that hype or their own potential. Wild fans should be well acquainted with the term after high picks like A.J. Thelen and Colton Gillies flamed out. Despite his high selection Jessiman has played only two NHL games and hasn't scored a single point in his entire career. The Darien, CT native made his name at Dartmouth College where in his freshman season he scored 23 goals and added 24 assists in just 34 games, earning him a spot on the ECAC's all-rookie team and ECAC Rookie of the Year honors. He scored at nearly a point-per-game pace the next year, garnering him second team all-conference accolades. a 6'6'', massive power forward with playmaking skills, a nose for the net, and a physical edge to his game? Jessiman looked like a can't miss choice when the Rangers made that fateful selection. Jessiman Celebrating at Dartmouth However, the '04-'05 season had different plans. Jessiman started out his junior season very slow, scoring only 2 points in 12 games. He suffered a season-ending injury and would miss the rest of Dartmouth's season. Jessiman decided that he would forego his senior season at Dartmouth to make the jump to the pro leagues. A decision he talks about with regret "I think if I were to do that decision again, I would’ve stayed. I came off an injury and turned pro. I don’t know what the thinking was behind that. Obviously there was a lot of pressure from New York. A lot of pressure. You want to make the organization happy. I think coming off an injury and not giving myself enough time, I think that’s something I would do over.” New York assigned him to their farm club in Hartford but Jessiman struggled to rack up points with only 19 recorded in 46 games. The Rangers moved him to the lesser ECHL where he would find his game amongst the less skilled competition. This pattern repeated the next season also. When asked why he made the early jump, Jessiman responded that it wasn't just the Rangers or himself that pressured him into a decision. “It was a little bit of both. I think a lot of those guys [in the 2003 draft] left after two years of school. I decided to stay for that third year and really dominate. The Parises the Vaneks, they really dominated that second year [of college]. I really wanted to have a year like that and then I go get injured in the fourth game of the year. You’re done. After that, I think at that point it was more pressure from me. So, like I said, it’s no one’s fault. I feel fortunate I got drafted by my home team and now… Here we are.”Jessiman battling in front of the net at Hartford He finally stuck with Hartford for a full season in in '07-'08. Just as it looked as if he might be turning his career around he put up 6 pointless games to start the next season and was shipped out by the Rangers, trading him to the Predators for the ambiguous return of "future considerations." For the rest of '08-'09 and '09-'10 Jessiman played for Nashville's farm club in Milwaukee, playing the role of a brawler. In two seasons he had over 200 penalty minutes but just 69 points. By summer of 2010 Jessiman almost found himself out of a job. He was signed by Chicago and then traded to Florida, playing all of his games in the AHL and scoring just 13 points. Jessiman punches out Carolina forward Troy Bodie Jessiman, in what he describes as the highlight of his pro career, finally made his NHL debut with Florida on February 27, 2011. He'd get to play a second game where he made a splash by beating Carolina forward Troy Bodie in a fight. That would end up being the extent of his time in Florida however as he was returned to the AHL after those games. Jessiman attempted to get an NHL contract during the last offseason but settled for an AHL contract with Colorado's affiliate in Lake Erie. Jessiman found a bit of the old scoring touch as he potted 20 goals in 43 games, earning himself a standard player contract. He finished the season with the Abbotsford Heat where scored 19 points in 24 games. "Huge Specimen" It was unsure where Jessiman's career would go next; there was talk of a deal with the Senators but the trigger was never pulled and he remained Colorado property until the Wild made their latest move. "Hugh's a big guy, great physicality, still has that nose for the goal now and then but more than that I think he has real grit and character. When you go through what he has and the ridicule he's been given you either shrink and quit or you keep striving and grow. I think seeing his dedication to the game shows you what route he went there." POH Marushin said earlier today. Jessiman was excited to hear about the trade, he spoke about the need to regain his balance and agility over the summer and that he looked forward to his chance. Despite being labeled as a bust Jessiman has learned and grown through the years. "When you’re young you’re inexperienced. You live and you learn from your mistakes. It sounds cliché but it’s so true,” Jessiman says. “I don’t blame anybody, I always look in the mirror. But, as a veteran now, I try to be the guy to help out the rookies now. I try to be a good guy for us.” Look for Jessiman, if he makes the cut, to slot in on the Wild's fourth line or with the Wild's affiliate in Houston. -The Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Post by JIM (Wild GM)/FwdAgent(M-Z) on Jan 17, 2013 11:37:32 GMT -5
Wild Showcase New Stars and Youngsters at ScrimmageFans Pack Arena as Parise, Granlund Steal the Show As the preseason reaches it's halfway point the Wild took time between games for a special Showcase Scrimmage event at the Xcel Energy Center. Over 18,000 excited fans packed the place for a night of fun hockey in anticipation of the 2012-13 season. Tickets and concessions were severely discounted and children under 12 were allowed in for free to watch the Red Wild take on the White Wild. President of Hockey Operations James Marushin addressed the fans at center ice prior to the game: "We are so proud to be able to show off our players' talents and skills for you tonight. All the work and effort these guys put in is all for you, the fans. And especially for you, fans of the State of Hockey. The absolute best fans in the league, hands down. We're going to do our utmost to raise many more banners in this arena, OUR arena, for you and we're going to need you in that effort. So tonight, I want you cheering on our boys just like I know you will be all season. LET'S PLAY HOCKEY!"The Xcel, lit up at night The Wild and Xcel crew put the game on as if it were a real home game with full production value. It was broadcast on Fox Sports North with all of it's personalities out covering the action. A local singer from the Minnesota National Guard was brought in to sing the National Anthem and Minnesota Viking star Adrian Peterson was on hand for the ceremonial face off puck drop. Local Mites and Squirts teams were featured as the Intermission Entertainment. Even before the action officially started between the two teams the arena was rocking with enthusiasm. Granlund Strikes First! The current roster invites were split up into two squads with Mikko Koivu captaining the Red Team and Matt Cullen captaining the White Team. Coaches Sutter and Yeo split the teams up with Sutter taking the Red and Yeo the White. The game was surprisingly fast paced right from the get-go. While the Red team had most of the high-priced stars, it was youngster Mikael Granlund who struck first blood, scoring a breakaway goal on Niklas Backstrom. Cullen and Heatley would exchange goals for the White and Red respectively to finish out the first period. While the energy was high, referees and coaches made sure that physicality was toned down for the event in an effort to avoid injuries. Zach Parise, Red Team Hero The teams went toe-to-toe in the second but only Granlund could tally again, taking a nice feed from the newly acquired Justin Faulk. There was a lot of tight checking, good forcehecking pressure, good passes and even better defense. All four goalies (Backstrom, Harding, Hackett, and Gustafsson) saw some action and made some nice saves on the Wild's snipers. The White led 3-1 going into the third...and that's when Zach Parise turned on his beast mode. The Minnesota native put on a show in the third period, or as Coach Yeo said "He was putting on a real clinic, I told our young guys to take notes haha" Parise set up Heatley for another goal and then scored two of his own to help the Red win 4-3. Though the game finished with the Red team as victor, the squads played an OT period and shootout for fun and practice. The simulated OT was played 4 on 4 for 5 minutes, but only half that time was needed. Granlund completed his hat trick with a rebound winner off of a Guillaume Latendresse shot. The Red team would rebound in the Shootout however, winning 3-2. All players ended with a fan salute and the crowd gave them a standing ovation. Overall the event was a big success and no one was injured! PHO Marushin said after "It was a fun time, I think the guys bonded well, had fun, and hopefully got a little more geared up for the season." The team will get a bit of rest before travelling to Calgary and Colorado for a couple of divisional preseason contests. -The Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Post by JIM (Wild GM)/FwdAgent(M-Z) on Feb 6, 2013 18:26:21 GMT -5
Minnesota-Detroit Get Wild at the Joe!Wild Lose Frolov For Month In Crazy Victory Over Wings The Minnesota Wild continued to inch their way towards playoff contention with their latest stop taking them to the famed Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, MI. The Wild continued their upward trend in a 5-4 victory but the score doesn't indicate just how intense this game was. After 9 combined goals, 7 combined power plays, 2 full-on fights, an injury, 49 total penalty minutes, and several scrums and tussles the dust settled with Minnesota on top. Unfortunately for the Wild they will be without winger Alexander Frolov for the next month. The Red Wings Power Play Celebrates A First Period Goal The game started innocently enough with the usual assortment of fast play and standard penalties. The Wings killed off a Todd Bertuzzi holding-the-stick call early and then struck home seconds after going on the PP for a Justin Faulk slashing call. Mark Giordano blasted home his 4th of the year off an Ian White D-to-D feed. Cal Clutterbuck caught the Wings on a bad change, causing a turnover and springing Zach Parise on a breakaway. The pricey Wild winger buried a fast wrist shot past Wings tender Jimmy Howard. The first period had all the ingredients for a good, tight NHL game as the teams went to intermission knotted at 1. Kronwall is known for often playing on the "edge" The second period is when things started to get out of hand in this Western Conference matchup. Midway through the period Detroit defender Niklas Kronwall laid a "borderline" hit on Frolov and the Russian winger instantly went down clutching his knee. Medical reports later came back stating that Frolov will miss at least a month due to the injury. Kronwall was given a 5-minute major for the hit which resulted in another Zach Parise goal. Justin Abdelkader and Matt Cullen exchanged goals to take the game to 3-2 to end the 2nd period. Jessiman Answering The Call The Wild and Wings got more and more chippy in the third with several scrums happening post-whistle. The referees had their hands full breaking the scraps up, handing out several roughing calls. 6 minutes in Kronwall was brought to answer for his hit by Wild brawler Hugh Jessiman, his 9th fight of the year. Jessiman hammered the Swede with several punches, leaving Kronwall bloodied on the ice. In the locker room after the game Jessiman answered questions saying "We knew what had to be done, it was just a matter of who was going to corner him first." Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise each scored after the fight pushing the Wild to a 5-2 lead. Very few hats flew for Parise's Hat Trick but boos were plentiful. Dan Cleary brought the wings back into the game with a snipe from the left faceoff dot but the Joe was silenced again when Wild defender Clayton Stoner pummeled Kronwall after the Wing d-man attempted to lay a big hit on Parise. The crowd roared again in the up-and-down contest when Darren Helm scored minutes later to bring Detroit with 1. However, despite the flurry of goals late for Detroit, Minnesota goalie Niklas Backstrom shut the door, capping the 5-4 win. Wild vs. Wings aftermath After the game it was announced the Kronwall will not face a suspension for the hit. "It disgraces the league. We lose Gui and then Alex on these clearly dirty hits and the league just watches...well, if that is standard I guess the league better be ready for an extended IR list by year's end." GM James Marushin had to say after the game. Guillaume Latendresse fell to a similar fate a few weeks earlier on a dangerous play by Washington's Adam Larsson. The Wild are expected to call up blue chip winger Mikael Granlund to replace Frolov in the lineup. He'll likely skate with Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Cullen on the team's second line. The team's next meet on January 5th. -The Star Tribune
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Post by JIM (Wild GM)/FwdAgent(M-Z) on Mar 1, 2013 10:45:17 GMT -5
NHL Playoffs Preview Bonanza!Tribune Looks At Western Conference Matchups Sans Wild Though the Wild have been eliminated the Hockey world continues to move on. The 82nd game has been played and the matchups are now official. It's the hockey fan's favorite time of year - Playoffs! 16 teams, 8 Eastern, 8 Western, will take the ice for a shot at the absolute greatest trophy and honor of all time: Lord Stanley's Cup. We'll be giving our playoff preview for the more familiar conference, the Western: #1 Edmonton Oilers (54-22-6) vs. #8 Phoenix Coyotes (43-30-9) Season Series: EDM 3 - PHX 1 This is the matchup that most likely stings for Wild fans as the team narrowly missed out on the 8th seed this season. That spot was earned by the gritty Phoenix Coyotes who will face the Edmonton Oilers who garnered a whopping 114 points this season. The Oilers were paced by star center Jonathan Toews who tallied 73 points while the Coyotes Patrice Beregeron, known for his solid two-way play, lead the team with 62. While Edmonton is known for having big name offensive starts (Semin, Radulov, Ennis, etc.) their strength surprisingly lies with their defense, led by star defender brent Seabrook, as they gave up a league-low 164 goals. By contrast, Phoenix had one of the swiss cheese-iest defenses, a break from the norm, as they gave up 232 goals - second most among playoff teams. Each squad features players with playoff experience everywhere but in net. The Oilers Jon Bernier and the Coyotes young stud Mark Visentin are both playoff greenhorns; though they have talent they've not been under this amount of pressure, will they falter? If they do, will their coaches have a short leash on them? The play in net could be the difference maker especially for the Coyotes who will need Visentin (or Mike Smith) to rise to the occasion. Official Prediction: Sorry PHX fans, Oil take this one in 5#2 St. Louis Blues (54-22-6) vs. #7 San Jose Sharks (46-27-9) Season Series: Series Tied 2-2 The 2v7 slot is features a rematch of teams that met last season in the playoffs...in this matchup...as the same seeds. The number 2 Blues will again meet the number 7 Sharks. While the Blues took last year's match, this year's victor is up in the air. Patrick Marleau again posted a 30 goal season and added 43 helpers to lead San Jose's attack. Meanwhile, big acquisition Jarome Iginla led the Blues with a quiet 67 point season. Each team had a similar goal differential and play similar styles of hockey. The Blues additions of Brendan Morrow and Iginla help give the young squad some playoff experience, leadership, and grit while the Sharks bringing in Danny Alfredsson and Lubomir Visnovsky do the same for them though they had plenty of experience before. The big difference between these teams lies in net. The blues two-headed monster of Halak and Elliot will be on display again but over in the Teal corner, the Sharks will be relying on veteran Ryan Miller. The caveat with Miller is that he's an elite goalie trapped on a terrible Buffalo team...that excuse is no longer valid now that he is with San Jose. It's put up, or shut up time for the big time American netminder. Official Prediction: This is a close one, call me crazy but I am going with Sharks in 7. #3 Anaheim Ducks (52-20-10) vs. #6 Chicago Blackhawks (53-25-4) Season Series: ANA 3 - CHI 1 Hoo boy, this series is probably going to be one of the most competitive. The Ducks finished 114 points, the Hawks 110. The Ducks scored 254, the Hawks scored the same. The Ducks gave up 195 goals, the Hawks only 181. Each team has made several trades and rosters have been somewhat fluid through the year. The rosters now resemble something of an all-star game: Eberle, Hall, Kane, Hossa, Callahan, Skinner, Keith, Girardi, Lecavalier, Ladd, Selanne, Weber, Jack Johnson, Nugent-Hopkins, Brayden Schenn. Each team will have their star power on full display and firing on all cylinders. In net the teams are pretty even. The Ducks will roll with Vertigo-free Jonas Hiller and Pascal LeClaire. The Hawks will roll out Steve Mason and Corey Crawford. Honestly, there is very little in the way of a clear advantage on either side. What this writer feels will be the difference is bottom 6 depth; Chicago, on paper, seems to be a deeper team. That being said Anaheim took the season series and finished with 4 more points than the Hawks. This one should be a gem of a series! Official Prediction: The coin flip came out for the Hawks, we'll say it'll be in 7 games#4 Los Angeles Kings (54-23-5) vs. #5 Vancouver Canucks (50-20-12) Season Series: Tied at 2-2 Another rematch from last year's playoffs but the dynamic is different. The Canucks, though close, are not the President Trophy winning #1 seed and the Kings are not lowly underdog fighting a Davidian battle. This time around the teams are running in the middle of the pack, each narrowly missing out on a divisional title. Goal differentials run about even, more or less, and the season series ran right down the middle. Each team brought in some extra firepower: the Kings got ex-Oiler Ales Hemsky while the Canucks brought in the timeless Martin St. Louis. The Nucks attack will figure around the Sedin twins while the Kings drinking buddies, Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, lead the royal offense. Kopitar will be making plays while Kesler backchecks and Dustin Brown and Alex Burrows will be throwing checks and scoring goals. On defense, each squad also buffed themselves up. The Kings brought in disciplined German Christian Ehrhoff while the Nucks signed Jason Garrison and his booming shot. Jon Quick and Roberto Luongo will again be the backstoppers...can Bobby Lu hold it together this time? Official Prediction: Wow...this one is so close. But the Kings got it done last year and as a Minnesota Paper, do you think we'll vote for the Nucks? Kings in 7!Stay tuned for more on the playoffs and wrap up of the Wild season. Good luck to all the playoff teams, both West and East! -The Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Post by JIM (Wild GM)/FwdAgent(M-Z) on Mar 2, 2013 14:16:51 GMT -5
Minnesota Wild Year End Report CardGood Performance For Most Despite No Playoffs It is that time of year again folks. Kids and students know it well, many look forward to it and others dread it: Report Card time. The Wild's season is officially over and the playoffs are well underway. While new battles rage on it's time for a little self reflection on our boys in green and red. Let's start with the team as a whole: Minnesota Wild Grade: B The Wild end up with a B, which is a good grade despite missing the playoffs. The squad ended with 90 points which was only 5 shy of the last playoff spot. They gave up fewer than 200 goals, 197 to be exact, which is better than 7 of the 16 playoff teams. They could have, however, improved their shorthanded play which clocked in at just over 81%. The offense was inconsistent this year and at times found themselves unable to put the biscuit in the basket. The powerplay clicked right along at nearly 20% but even strength the Wild struggled. I am giving the Wild a pass though as they lost Dany Heatley, Guillaume Latendresse, Alexander Frolov, and Matt Cullen for long stretches. The loss of Heatley was particularly devastating. Forwards Zach Parise: A- Parise led the team in scoring with 73 points (top 20 in league scoring) and was the best goal scorer the team had. Considering the injury issues he carried the load for much of the season. At times he tried to do too much and resulted in many turnovers but that's about the only fault we could find with Zach's season. Mikko Koivu: B+ Koivu has had better seasons and at times it seemed like he was clutching the stick. In a turbulent season though his steady leadership helped hold the team together through some tough spots. Also he tied his career high with 22 goals, which is nice to see. Matt Cullen: B- Cullen had a very Cullen-esque season of 43 points after missing 6 games with an injury. 43 points aren't bad and it's what you can expect from him from year to year but an NHL 2nd line center really needs to provide more. Throughout the year, you could tell Matt was losing a step; rumors are he might be getting ready to hang up the skates. Alex Frolov: A Despite getting a late start to the season and then missing several months due to a Nik Kronwall cheapshot, Frolov was one of the most cost-effective players Minnesota had. In 58 games he had 19 goals and 21 assists. He did exactly what the Wild signed him for. There's not really much to argue about with his season. Dany Heatley: I The infamous incomplete grade. Heatley played half a season and while he floated at times he added 33 points in 44 games. Heater is always a constant threat to score and losing him for the season really harmed the Wild's overall offensive attack. Wild fans are hoping Dany can get back to game shape before the start of the next season, which will be a contract year for the self-proclaimed All Star. Cal Clutterbuck: B A very Cal-like year of 30 or so points and lots of hits. Cal jumped around the lineup as trades and injuries forced lineup revisions. He maintained his game though and didn't change his style. Not a standout style of game, but he played the role he is meant to play: part time scorer, full time hitter, constant agitator. Mikael Granlund: C+ Granlund had an...odd year. He started the season witht he Wild but was sent to the AHL after 5 games of futility. He seasoned himself in Houston but only put 18 points in 31 games. While that may not totally be his fault, the numbers had Wild fans panicking. When injury forced his return to the lineup he was a changed player though. in 46 games with the Wild after his stint in the A he tallied 10 goals and 29 assists. That's an ok total and he is growing as a player; expect the golden child to center Minnesota's 2nd line next season. Kyle Brodziak: C Brod-side only missed 1 game at the end of the year and continues to be one of the hardest working players on the team and in the league. His production took a big step back this past season however. Many felt he was trying to hard to score instead of just being Kyle Brodziak. He also saw his PP time reduced a bit which may have had an effect as well. Mason Raymond: C-/I Raymond was brought in to help jolt the scoring but it really took him awhile to get his bearings in the Wild lineup. I am inclined to give him an incomplete, but really his play was lackluster until the waning portions of the season. Hopefully a full off-season in the system will bring the old Mason back to the ice. Darroll Powe: B+ Powe did what Powe does. He hit guys, played solid defense, playes shorthanded, tallied 17 points, and worked hard. The Wild asked him to play his role and he did that just as good as he did in Philly. Stéphane Veilleux: B+ Stephane is another bottom 6 grinder and he played his role adequately well. He had an excellent turnover and hit ratio and added 15 points to boot. This write won't really argue with that season for a 4th liner. Hugh Jessiman: A+ Hugh finally, finally, finally got his shot at a full NHL season and he took it. Jessiman developed into the Green and Red's enforcer, throwing the mitts down 25 times. He was involved in several other scrapes and scrums in defense of his teammates. He only took 22 pims outside of his fights though, showing good discipline otherwise. He was a +3 player and had 4 goals and 10 assists. Welcome to he big leagues kid! Torrey Mitchell: D Mitchell played 4th line center most of the season but really never settled into he role as he had with the Sharks in previous years. That being said his defense wasn't bad but he only had 5 points and never really seemed like the Torrey that the front office was expecting. Jon DiSalvatore: C+ Jonny D played spot duty on and off during the year and fulfilled the role adequately. He also mentored players in the minors. All around did a nice job for the organization. Defense Ryan Suter: A+ Suter was one of the best defenders in the league this season and showed he could play very well without Shea Weber. His 47 points was a career high and was good for 9th in the league among defenders. His 12 goals also were a career high. He played stellar defense 162 takeaways, 216 hits, and 76 blocked shots. There's not much to argue with here folks, Suter is the real deal. Justin Faulk: B Faulk's defensive game didn't really improve but the young Minnesotan stepped up his offensive game with 28 points. I think he was asked to do a bit more than was expected on the first pairing however. If he wants to be a top defender, he'll need to step his game up. Andrei Markov: B- He, for the most part, staved off the injury concerns this year but the 11 game suspension was a killer. Markov did add some offense and wasn't a slouch defensively but he didn't play up to his regular level of play. Have all the injuries taken their toll or is age causing to lose a step? Perhaps an offseason of recovery and workouts with the team will help him regain his form. Andrej Sekera: A- Sekera was a nice surprise for the Wild. The front office paid a pittance for the off-cast defender and he blossomed into one of the best defenders on the team. Making up the "Eastern Bloc" with Markov. His 23 points were a rebound from last season's down year and his defensive play came out of nowhere. Fans are looking forward to a full year of the "Andre" pairing next season. Shaone Morrisonn: B+ Morrisonn did what he was asked and more. He ate some minutes and played very responsibly on the third pairing. Added to that though he brought a little offense with 13 points which is near his career high but in just 57 games. Jonas Brodin: B Brodin came up late in the year after some time with the Aeros. He quietly turned himself into a great defender who can pass pretty well. His 34 hits and 49 takeaways quickly impressed Wild staff and fans alike. Look for him to build on this good start next year. Justin Falk: C Falk had a very quiet year. He didn't stand out but he didn't do really bad he did...average, hence the C grade. Goalies Nicklas Backstrom: C+ The ratios were down for Nick, but he did win 19 games and had a GAA of 2.32 which is pretty good. He also added 3 shutouts to the mix. He needed to be better though to live to the 6 million dollar contract he had. I expect for this to have been the last season for Nick in Minnesota Josh Harding: B 8-7-2 is a decent year for a goalie, especially one diagnosed with MS. Harding, the penultimate team player, had ratios similar to Backstrom but for nearly 4 million dollars less in cost. Harding may finally get the Starter's mantle next season, at least in part with Matt Hackett. Matt Hackett: I Hackett only played in 4 games but he put up similar ratios to the other goalies and went 2-2. His game really blossomed this season and he should get a better chance in the NHL next year. There you have it folks, will these grades get anyone grounded? Extra allowance money for As and Bs? Who is to say! Hopefully for Wild fans these can all be As or Bs next season and/or this article will be delayed by playoff coverage! -The Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Post by JIM (Wild GM)/FwdAgent(M-Z) on Mar 6, 2013 11:47:57 GMT -5
Wild Well Represented At World ChampionshipsParise, Suter lead USA to Gold, Sekera stars for 4th place Slovaks Recently the IIHF's World Hockey Championships came to an end. Amidst the chaos of the continuing NHL playoffs many players went overseas to represent their country in this annual international tourney. The Minnesota Wild sent a whopping 10 players, ranging from stars to prospects, to the WHC to participate. At the end of the 12 day tournament Team America captured the Gold, their North American rivals in Canada took the silver, and ex-Cold War opponent Russia took the bronze. A surprising Slovakian team took 4th place after an upset of an early favorite Finnish team. Many of the Wild's players played key role in the tournament's outcome. Parise, Suter, and some USA teammates celebrate a goal To start, Minnesota's twin UFA monster, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, were two big time players at this year's tournament. The duo helped lead America past Slovakia in the semifinals and to an Overtime victory against Canada in the Gold medal game. Parise was named tournament MVP and tied for the scoring lead with fellow American Paul Stastny and Canadian John Tavares. He scored in each of America's 6 games and ended with 13 points, 8 goals and 5 assists. Suter logged heavy minutes on the American blueline, averaging nearly 26:30 in ice time over those 6 games. Along with excellent defensive play Suter added 8 points of his own, all assists. On the rival Canadian team the Wild had one player representing the State of Hockey, goalie Josh Harding. In all 6 of their games the Canucks rolled with Montreal netminder Carey Price so Harding was relegated to the bench for the tournament. Harding, in his typical classy fashion said "Carey is a great goalie. I am just happy to have been honored with a position on the team. There are plenty of great Canadian goalies and to be selected as one of them means a lot."Granlund, Koivu, and the talented Finns struggled this year Captain Mikko Koivu and blue chip prospect Mikael Granlund were Minnesota's Finnish delegation this year. Despite the Finnish team boasting Koivu, Granlund, and other star players such as Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne, the team struggled. They lasted 4 games, losing to the Slovaks in the Round Robin and the Russians in the Quarterfinals. Koivu acquitted himself well with 2 goals and 6 assists in those 4 games. Granlund 1 goal and added 3 assists while skating with Koivu. Elsewhere in Scandinavia, Jonas Brodin suited up for Team Sweden. The Swedes suffered a similar fate as the Finns, being knocked out of the Quarterfinals by Team Canada. Brodin skated on Sweden's top pairing with the flashy Erik Karlsson. The young Wild d-man had 1 assist, great defensive plays, and was a +4 player despite the Swedish performance. Sekera battling hard versus Team Finland The Cinderella story of the tourney was the underestimated team from Slovakian. Though they have many talented players, they generally are overlooked as other teams get more hype and favor. While they didn't medal, they did overcome some of the more favored teams to take 4th place. Wild defender Andrej Sekera, acquired this past season from Buffalo, was a key reason for the Slovaks improved play. He skated heavy minutes for his country on defense and scored points in all 6 of their games, ending with 2 goals and 5 assists. In their round robin game vs Finland, Slovakia found themselves down 4-2 going into the third. Sekera engineered a 5-4 comeback win with 2 late assists. Another big moment was their quarterfinal matchup vs. Switzerland which went into double overtime. Sekera looged 38 minutes on the ice and set up Juraj Mikus for the game winner at 93:55 mark. Though the weary Slovaks lost to America in the semis and Russia in the Bronze Medal game, they certainly played their hearts out and shocked many people. Other Wild players at the tourney include Andrei Markov, who aided Russia to a bronze medal with a whopping 9 points, all assists; Dennis Endras, who backstopped Germany to a 1-2 record; and young Christoph Bertschy who skated on the Swiss third line and had 1 assist. The Wild certainly had their fair share of players and the World Championships certainly helped ease the pain of missing the playoffs. We hope to be covering many more international Wild stars at next year's tournament or in the playoffs! -The Minneapolis Star Tribune
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Post by JIM (Wild GM)/FwdAgent(M-Z) on Mar 12, 2013 11:55:47 GMT -5
Dat's NiiiiiceWild Acquire Pavel Datsyuk From Bruins The Wild front office continues it's trend of bold moves designed to bring the team closer to success and energize its hockey crazed fanbase. In their most recent move Minnesota brings in elite Russian center Pavel Datysuk from the Boston Bruins in exchange for center Kyle Brodziak, prospect forward Brett Bulmer, and two picks (a first and second) in this year's draft. The Wild hope the Datsyuk's leadership and elite two-way play will help bolster their offensive attack while not diminishing the Wild's rigorous attention to defensive detail. Datsyuk battles Latvia at the 2010 Olympic Games "Pasha" or "Dats" hails from Yekaterinburg in the central Urals region of Russia. Though he showed considerable skill from an early age he had to battle through many hardships such as his mother passing away when he was 16, walking with a "twitchy" gait, and being overlooked by many scouts because of his smaller size. He went undrafted in the 1996 and 1997 NHL drafts and was chosen very, very late in 1998 by the Detroit Red Wings with the 171st pick. In his early years he was mentored by some of the best players in the league at that time: Hull, Yzerman, Larionov, Fedorov. Under their tutelage he blossomed into a very good two-way hockey player. After helping the Wings to a cup in 2002 he had his breakout season in 2003 when he scored 68 points, including 30 goals. Datsyuk easily cutting through the Nashville defense Though the NHL lockout marred the 04-05 season, Datsyuk never looked back and continued his elite play, earning him superstar status and a mythical reputation for his hands and dekes. New words have been created in his honor such as "Datysukian" and "Datsyuked" to describe a dangle or deke and the aftermath. Since then he's put up point totals of 87, 87, 97, 97, 70, 59 (in 56 games), and 67 (in 70 games). He won another cup with the Wings in 2008. He's a four time all star, four time Lady Byng winner, three time Selke winner, a Kharlamov trophy winner, and has been voted by his peers as the: Smartest Player, Most Difficult to Play Against, Hardest to Take the Puck From (twice), Most Difficult to Stop, Cleanest Player, Toughest Forward to Play Against. He's also won an Olympic Bronze medal and a Bronze, Silver, and Gold World Championship medal. Datsyuk lifting sports' greatest trophy Wild PHO James Marushin was excited to announce the deal "We're are so very proud to bring Pavel to the state of hockey. He's not only an elite talent but a person of great character and a great leader. We hope he will help push us further in our goal to win a Stanley Cup and continue to build the Wild into a great franchise for years to come." Coach Brian Sutter commented on the deal as well "It's tough giving up a guy like Brodziak but our problem last year wasn't defense, it was offense. Datsyuk brings Brodziak's hustle and responsibility but with world-class offense as well. We're excited to have him on board." Early rumors are that Datsyuk will center a line flanked by Zach Parise and Dany Heatley while Mikko Koivu will slide down to the second with fellow Finn Mikael Granlund and last season's surprise player Alex Frolov. One reason for this would be that Koivu and Granlund showed good chemistry in the World Championships despite Finland's early exit. Minnesota and the Hockey World certainly are a buzz after the trade and with the ongoing Entry Draft. Stay tuned for more Wild off-season news! -The Minneapolis Star Trbiune
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Post by JIM (Wild GM)/FwdAgent(M-Z) on Mar 15, 2013 13:15:20 GMT -5
Wild PHO Talks About League’s Social Media PresenceEncourages GMs To Continue Their Good Work; Offers TipsWe at the Star Tribune are honored to have this article written by James Marushin, Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and PTPHL Director of Social Media Relations [/size] Hello all, I'd first like to offer my sincere thanks to the State of Hockey for their continued support of our Minnesota Wild. We missed the mark this year, barely, but I feel we'll be in the hunt this upcoming season. Our goal, above all else, is to bring Lord Stanley's Cup to Minnesota for all of you. However, this article is about a different facet of the game we love: The Media. The Star Trib was gracious enough to ask me to write an article on the league's social media standing, my role with the league, and where the league can continue to build upon and improve. So wait, an article about articles? Firstly my role, though it comes with an excellent title for my business card, is not really that burdensome. I monitor the PTPHL teams' twitter accounts both to ensure proper conduct and also to track how each team utilizes that powerful social media medium. I also pitch ideas, as do other GMs and executives, to the Commisioner and front office and how we can improve our social media activity. So no fear Wild fans, I spend much more time scouting, bartering, analyzing, etc. for the Wild than I do reading Facebook statuses or tweets! This IS work, GO BACK TO BED IMAGINARY WIFE! So far, through the first season we've had a number of teams starting to use Twitter to establish a connection with their fans. Why is this important? Any connection with our fans obviously helps from a pure business standpoint but it goes deeper than mere dollars and cents. Establishing that connection with our fans deepens the meaning and impact of hockey. Sure, people can just casually watch the games but it’s those connections to the game that bring out the best and worst of our sport; hopefully the best more times than not. Twitter, articles, and these other things are conducive to that relationship and we owe it to our fans to build that with them to share in this experience together. I feel a number of my fellow executives agree and the amount of tweets and articles is sure evidence of that. GM points....sweet, sweet nectar For that reason, the league has come up with a points system to reward teams who excel at article and tweet creation; who help contribute to the buzz of league activity and work to establish that all-important connection with their fans. Our commissioner keeps track of articles while I am watchman of the tweets; as teams write we tally and record the volume of these and turn that number into points. A shorter, decent article gets a team one point while a bit longer, bit more well written article can net a team two points. Tweets, being much shorter, count for less but can build quickly. A team can have up to three tweets per day count towards their total and once they tweet 12 times a point is added to their account. OMG PRESENTS! Are these points just for bragging rights like the President’s trophy? Nay, they can actually be put to good use by smart GMs. For a mere 10 points, the league office will hand over a detailed depth chart that shows team needs and where things could be improved. For 12 points, the league will encourage a prospect to change their name for the betterment of the team or for the sake of nostalgia. At 15 points a GM has two options. One is they can have an additional underaged player join their AHL squad to expedite their development. The other is they can have the league’s specialist doctor’s take a look at one of their injured players who can usually reduce the recovery time by two weeks. At 16 points, the GM can have the league Central Scouting Office give them a highly detailed, accurate report about a prospect (whether on their team, another team, or undrafted). At a whopping 30 points (which isn’t really that hard to get even) the Commissioner himself will entreat a retiring player to stay for another year (I bet the Red Wings wished they’d have had 30 GM points last season, amirite?). More rewards could potentially be available and all ideas should be submitted to the Commissioner. So wait...an article within a tweet? Tweetception! So that’s a brief rundown of the system. We’re very grateful to have many GMs taking advantage of this system by working with their own staff or local media. Of course, there is always room for improvement and we encourage all of our GMs to either continue or increase their efforts and for those who have yet to take advantage yet, we’d encourage them to start! It’s easy and not terribly time consuming. Here are some helpful tips: 1) Synergy: Write an article? Tweet about it and include the article’s link in your tweet 2) Tweets: They are very easy and you can make 3 a day; 3 tweets for 4 days gets you a GM point...it’s that simple! 3) Team News: Use your team news feed to generate idea. Perhaps a player is on a scoring streak/drought, someone got picked for the WJC or WC, the captain and a player clashed in the locker room...there’s a lot there that can be used 4) Length: Articles don’t have to be novels! Short articles (a few paragraphs) are better than no articles! 5) Box Scores: Game box scores are another good source of article ideas! 6) Pictures! Everyone likes books with pictures so why not spruce up your article with a picture or 5?I am very proud of our GMs thus far and hope they continue to do a great job. If any GM needs or would like help, my office is always open to answer any questions. Thanks and we’re all looking forward to a great season -James Marushin President of Hockey Operations, Minnesota Wild PTPHL Director of Social Media Relations
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