Latest news with #EliteProspects
USA Today
07-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Report: Penn State men's hockey earns commitment from top NHL prospect Gavin McKenna
Penn State men's hockey received some program-altering news on Monday afternoon. According to multiple reports, including one from Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects, 5-star recruit Gavin McKenna will commit to the Nittany Lions for the 2025-26 season. After months of rumors and speculation, the defenseman had narrowed his list down to Penn State and Michigan State, recently visiting both schools to tour. McKenna is considered the top prospect for the 2026 NHL draft, meaning he'll likely only play one season in Hockey Valley before heading to the professional ranks. Following the news, the Nittany Lions now have the best odds to win the national championship on DraftKings at +500, ahead of the Spartans at +800. Following Penn State's run to the Frozen Four last season, the team has acquired several highly rated recruits and has reportedly stepped up its NIL game. This offseason, Guy Gadowsky and Co. have also earned pledges from 5-stars Jackson Smith and Pierce Mbuyi. Heading into 2025, it seems the Nittany Lions are pushing all their chips in and will have their best roster ever, at least on paper. With one of the best barns in the country and a top-tier student section, the team now has the talent to match.
Toronto Sun
03-07-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Brantford picks 7-foot, 273-pound defenceman in CHL import draft
Published Jul 02, 2025 • 1 minute read FILE - A Canadian Hockey League logo is shown on a jersey during the CHL Top Prospects hockey game in Moncton, New Brunswick, Jan. 24, 2024. Photo by Darren Calabrese / AP BRANTFORD — The Brantford Bulldogs selected 7-foot, 273-pound defenceman Alexander Karmanov with the 172nd pick in the Canadian Hockey League import draft on Wednesday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Ontario Hockey League club in a social media post announcing the choice called the 17-year-old the 'largest hockey player on the planet.' Karmanov would be the tallest junior player in the CHL, and, according to Elite Prospects, he is the tallest active registered hockey player in the world. Recently elected Hall of Famer Zdeno Chara at 6-foot-9 is the tallest player in NHL history. New York Rangers enforcer Matt Rempe, also listed at 6-9, is the tallest currently in the league. Karmanov, who would also be the first player to make the CHL from Moldova, played last season for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights and had 34 points in 36 games at multiple levels of their program. Last summer, at age 16, he committed to play college hockey at Penn State in 2027. Read More Sports News Money News MLB Relationships
Vancouver Sun
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Memorial Cup host Kelowna Rockets add Islanders prospect with No. 1 pick in CHL Import Draft
Bruce Hamilton's heavy lifting to build the Kelowna Rockets into a Memorial Cup contender continues. The Rockets are hosting the four-team national championship tournament next May. Hamilton, who is Kelowna's general manager, has been putting the pieces together for that run since last season's WHL trade deadline. His latest additions came Wednesday, when the Rockets selected Czech winger Tomas Poletin with the No. 1 pick in the CHL Import Draft, and then took his countryman and fellow winger Daniel Pekar at No. 7. 'I think we're moving in the right direction. I don't foresee a bunch of changes here over the next little bit, unless something falls into our lap,' Hamilton said. 'I think we're close now.' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The Rockets made a trade last week to land the Poletin pick , sending the Moose Jaw Warriors the No. 71 Import selection, a 2026 WHL Draft first-round choice, and a 2027 WHL third-rounder in exchange for the top spot. Poletin, 18, is a 6-foot-1, 206-pound left-handed shot who was selected Saturday in the fourth round of the NHL Draft by the New York Islanders. Hamilton wanted 'another bigger forward capable of playing in our top-six.' According to Elite Prospects, Poletin is 'rugged, attacks in straight lines and pushes an extreme effort level across all shifts.' He played in the Finnish junior league last year, and was the captain of the Czechia team at the Under-18 worlds, where he put up two goals in five games. He also had three goals and four points in five games at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Poletin had 13 goals and 20 points in 25 games with the Pelicans of the Finnish junior league. Pekar, 19, is a 5-foot-11, 176-pound left-hand shot who played in the Czechia junior league with Bílí Tygři Liberec, and totalled 23 goals and 49 points in 45 games. Kelowna was a dismal 18-44-4-2 last season. They were stung in late December when star forward Tij Iginla, 18, was shelved for the season with a hip injury. He is expected back with Kelowna this season . Hamilton started his remake at the January trade deadline, and that included a deal with the Spokane Chiefs for winger Andrew Cristall that brought back centre Hayden Paupanekis and five WHL Draft selections, and a swap with the Lethbridge Hurricanes for defenceman Caden Price that acquired defenceman Will Sharpe, the rights to goalie Harrison Boettiger, and another five draft picks. The Rockets announced last week that they had signed Boettiger, 17, who played last season with the U.S. National Team Development Program. Paupanekis, 18, was a third-round pick Saturday of the Montreal Canadiens. Sharpe, 18, was a seventh-round choice of the Los Angeles Kings. They are among 10 Rockets who are at NHL development camps this week. That list includes defenceman Mazden Leslie, 20, who the Rockets acquired this summer from the Vancouver Giants for two conditional draft picks, including a 2028 first-rounder . Leslie was the WHL's second-leading scorer among blueliners last season, with 72 points, including 21 goals. He announced last season that he was going to suit up for the Bowling Green State University Falcons this fall if he didn't land a job in pro hockey, rather than coming back to the Giants. Leslie is at Vegas Golden Knights development camp this week, and he was a free-agent invite to their training camp last season, so there is history there. Assuming he doesn't stick with Vegas, Leslie could pivot and join Kelowna for their Memorial Cup run. There is always the chance, too, that he signs a deal with Vegas and they reassign him back to junior, knowing that he would have an extended playoff run with Kelowna. Vegas does have strong WHL ties thanks to general manager Kelly McCrimmon's time running the Brandon Wheat Kings. 'Hopefully, he's going to come to us,' Hamilton said of Leslie. Vancouver, who have also lost defender Colton Roberts, 19, to the NCAA ranks and Colorado College this off-season, filled some of those missing ice time minutes Wednesday when they nabbed Czech defenceman Jan Skok with the No. 61 choice. Skok, who turns 19 in October, is a 6-foot, 192-pound left-shot rearguard who Vancouver general manager Hnat Domenichelli described as a 'defensive-minded, first-over-the-board for the penalty kill' type of player. He played 28 games in the Czech pro league last season with Plzeň and had one goal. 'He's a veteran guy who can step in and play big minutes for us,' Domenichelli added. CHL teams will be permitted to have three Europeans on their game-day rosters this season, up from two. Vancouver's trio will include Czech winger Adam Titlbach, who is coming back for a third season with the Langley Events Centre crew, and Slovak winger Tobias Tomik, who was picked last year by Vancouver but opted to stay and play pro in his homeland. Tomik, who turns 18 in December, had six goals and eight points in 40 games with Trencin Dukla, a team that featured a 43-year-old Tomas Starosta. Titlbach, 19, went from nine goals in his first year with Vancouver to 27 last season. He has played internationally alongside Skok. As well on Wednesday, the expansion Penticton Vees made three choices that included nabbing Danish forward Tristan Petersen, 18, with a third-round selection (No. 123 overall). He finished this season playing for Penticton in their final campaign in the BCHL, and the 6-foot-4, 192-pound left shot totalled four goals and nine points in 17 games. Vees GM and coach Fred Harbinson has five players from this past season slated to join him and other team brass making that jump next fall. 'It's so that it's not just the coaching staff that's trying to explain our culture and our daily habits and traditions. A couple of years ago, we only had two returning players and it was very challenging at the beginning of the year,' Harbinson explained. sewen@
Winnipeg Free Press
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Brantford picks 7-foot, 273-pound defenseman in the Canadian Hockey League import draft
BRANTFORD, Ontario (AP) — The Brantford Bulldogs selected 7-foot-tall, 273-pound defenseman Alexander Karmanov with the 172nd pick in the Canadian Hockey League import draft on Wednesday. The Ontario Hockey League club in a social media post announcing the choice called the 17-year-old the 'largest hockey player on the planet.' Karmanov would be the tallest junior player in the CHL, and, according to Elite Prospects, he is the tallest active registered hockey player in the world. Recently elected Hall of Famer Zdeno Chara at 6-foot-9 is the tallest player in NHL history. New York Rangers enforcer Matt Rempe, also listed at 6-9, is the tallest currently in the league. Karmanov, who would also be the first player to make the CHL from Moldova, played last season for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights and had 34 points in 36 games at multiple levels of their program. Last summer, at age 16, he committed to play college hockey at Penn State in 2027. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. ___ AP NHL:
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Brantford picks 7-foot, 273-pound defenseman in the Canadian Hockey League import draft
FILE - A Canadian Hockey League logo is shown on a jersey during the CHL Top Prospects hockey game in Moncton, New Brunswick, Jan. 24, 2024. (Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press via AP, File) BRANTFORD, Ontario (AP) — The Brantford Bulldogs selected 7-foot-tall, 273-pound defenseman Alexander Karmanov with the 172nd pick in the Canadian Hockey League import draft on Wednesday. The Ontario Hockey League club in a social media post announcing the choice called the 17-year-old the 'largest hockey player on the planet.' Karmanov would be the tallest junior player in the CHL, and, according to Elite Prospects, he is the tallest active registered hockey player in the world. Advertisement Recently elected Hall of Famer Zdeno Chara at 6-foot-9 is the tallest player in NHL history. New York Rangers enforcer Matt Rempe, also listed at 6-9, is the tallest currently in the league. Karmanov, who would also be the first player to make the CHL from Moldova, played last season for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights and had 34 points in 36 games at multiple levels of their program. Last summer, at age 16, he committed to play college hockey at Penn State in 2027. ___ AP NHL:
