Latest news with #Papineau
Ottawa Citizen
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Sudbury Wolves take Rangers prospect Artyom Gonchar in import draft
Article content A defenceman noted for his ability to walk the blueline to create offence, Artyom Gonchar looks forward to taking the next steps in his hockey career with the Sudbury Wolves. Article content Sudbury selected the smooth-skating, puck-moving Russian rearguard with its first-round pick, 29th overall, in the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft on Wednesday, just four days after the nephew of former big-league standout Sergei Gonchar heard his name called by the New York Rangers in the third round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. Article content Article content 'I'm very happy to be drafted by Sudbury and will do whatever team needs me to do,' said Artyom Gonchar, with his uncle serving as translator. Article content Article content An 18-year-old native of Chelyabinsk who played for the Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk in the Russian junior league this past season, Gonchar had seven goals and 18 assists in 50 regular-season games. Article content 'I'm a team player,' said the left-shooting 6-foot-1, 157-pounder, when asked to describe himself as a player. 'My strength is offence and first pass.' He'll find no argument there from Rob Papineau, the Wolves' vice-president of hockey operations and general manager, who is anxious to add the Rangers prospect to his stable of blueliners for 2025-26. Article content Papineau hopes Gonchar will help to fill the void created when Henry Mews announced he would jump to the NCAA ranks at the University of Michigan this coming season. Article content Article content 'This was just too good of an opportunity,' Papineau told The Sudbury Star. 'He has the same agency that worked with Dalibor Dvorsky and we had been talking to them for a couple of months now about the opportunity to bring him over. Obviously, he's a really good player who was selected pretty high in the NHL draft this past weekend by the Rangers and he's looking forward to coming over. We had a good conversation after the draft and he's got a good bloodline, as well, with his uncle. Article content 'We're really excited to be able to add him to the team.' Article content Indeed, the Wolves may have already passed the biggest potential hurdle to securing a commitment from the up-and-comer, having waited on the edges of their seats for a half hour or so while 28 other CHL teams made their own selections on Wednesday. Article content 'This draft is really hard for all the teams,' Papineau said. 'You have to build those relationships and it's a lot for players and families to get comfortable with an organization, knowing which one they would feel good coming to and moving a long way from home. Then there are those situations where players go in front of you and you're sort of stuck. Even though it is a draft, there's way more conversations and teams trying to line up players than in any other part of the game.'
Ottawa Citizen
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
CHL Import Draft offers more picks, more choice in 2025
One of the more challenging, but potentially rewarding means of adding high-end players to a junior roster, the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft has the potential to be even more impactful in 2025. Article content A landmark decision by the NCAA last fall to allow U.S. college-bound players to sign in the OHL and its partner leagues has not only opened up a new recruiting stream on the domestic front, but also among players from overseas who wish to keep their options open — including several who may hear their names called in the upcoming import draft on Wednesday. Article content Article content Start time for the draft is 11 a.m. Article content Article content In a bid to help member clubs tap into more of that talent, the CHL expanded the draft from two to three rounds this year, with teams also now permitted to carry three imports on their rosters. They're also able to trade import picks for the first time since the practice was banned in 2013, with all trades to be finalized by this coming Monday. Article content The Sudbury Wolves are set to draft 29th, 90th and 151st overall on Wednesday, but will likely see those picks bumped up as clubs with returning imports pass on their selections. Article content With Slovak forward Ondrej Molnar set to return home and join the professional ranks, Sudbury has no signed imports for 2025-26, but general manager Rob Papineau couldn't confirm earlier this week if the team would use all three selections as talks continued with previously drafted players such as forward Jan Chovan, who is expected to be a pick in the NHL Entry Draft this weekend. Article content Article content Papineau said the Wolves have identified their target in the first round and hope that player will still be available at No. 29. Article content 'We've got a player in mind who we think would be a good fit for us,' he told The Sudbury Star. 'We won't really get into anything beyond that, but it's a draft and sometimes, that player is there when you go to pick and sometimes, somebody who doesn't necessarily have a lot of information might step up and make a pick in front of you. That has happened in the past and we expect some of that will happen next week.' Article content Having already seen the Kelowna Rockets and the Brantford Bulldogs acquire the first- and second-overall picks, respectively, Papineau said it would have to be a good fit for the Wolves to consider trading up themselves. Article content 'It would have to make sense,' Sudbury's GM said. 'We'll listen to everything, but at the end of the day, the price is pretty heavy to move up a few spots and this draft is pretty unique. We got Dalibor Dvorsky in the second round, so moving up didn't necessarily matter in that situation. There are some players who indicate they're not coming to North America and then sometimes, they change their mind and they do. Some of them have a preference for what league they want to play in.
Winnipeg Free Press
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ex-treme adventures
Angenia Papineau said she hasn't smiled this much in weeks. The 20-year-old from Cross Lake spent a thrilling evening with her sister and friend at the Red River Exhibition in Winnipeg after a nomadic few weeks caused by wildfires near her hometown. 'It's been very stressful because we've wanted to go home for a while. We came out here for a break, and it's been a lot of fun,' Papineau told the Free Press on Tuesday. 'It feels a lot better getting out of the Airbnb after being stuck there and not really doing much.' JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Hailey Papineau, Angenia Papineau and Kayleigh Ross enjoy the Crazy Mouse ride at the Red River Ex Tuesday. More than three weeks ago, Papineau was preparing to return home to surprise her family after wrapping up her university studies this spring. She said her plans got derailed once her community was ordered to evacuate. 'It totally sucked. People left and had to find places to sleep. They were either going to community centres or arenas,' said Papineau. She and her parents, three brothers, sister, and dog are staying at an Airbnb since nobody in their family lives in Winnipeg. She said they are expected to return to Cross Lake, 500 kilometres north of Winnipeg, on Friday after the province lifted the evacuation order June 16. Thanks to the Canadian Red Cross, Papineau said she got free tickets to the Red River Ex this week. She rode the Ex's popular 'crazy mouse' and 'mega drop' roller-coasters and rode in the classic bumper cars. 'It's gotten our minds off what has been happening with the evacuation and being away from home and things like that. It's been nice,' she said. Shane Farberman, better known as 'Doo Doo the International Clown,' helped to bring ear-to-ear smiles to fair-goers, including evacuees. 'Everywhere I go, when I'm driving from a hotel and I see a busload of people walking in the park or having lunch, I've been jumping out, doing videos, taking pictures, and doing magic, and just getting families out,' said Farberman. 'I just feel it's good for my heart, and it's good for their heart.' The clown from Ontario, who appeared in Adam Sandler's Billy Madison and has performed at the Ex for more than 30 years, also entertains people across North America and Europe. Whether it's walk-around parties, pop-up shows, or being on stage, Farberman said Winnipeggers are an unmatched audience. JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Doo Doo The Clown, who has been clowning for 30 years, entertains at the Red River Ex Tuesday. 'The love that I get in Winnipeg is just amazing. Everybody is so warm and loving, and the people I've met have actually become lifetime friends of mine,' he said. 'I always have hundreds of families that come up to me, and the parents tell their kids, 'This is the clown when I was little at the fair.'' It's no surprise, during Doo Doo's 31st year at the Ex, he was seen drawing in a crowd of younger folks with his comedic magic tricks and balloon animals. He said being a clown will never get old for him. 'What other job in the world do you get paid to make people smile and laugh? To have this longevity, you need to love it,' he said. Although Doo Doo has been a longtime staple at the largest travelling carnival in North America, Garth Rogerson, CEO of the Red River Exhibition Association, said there are new features this year. Some of the latest concepts include a pro wrestling show, a chainsaw-carving demo area, the 'haunted carnival'— a 6,000-square-foot walk-through haunted house attraction — and a lumberjack show, which includes an axe-throwing and log-rolling competition. There's a theme each day, including Indigenous Peoples Day on Saturday and Filipino Day and Kids Day on Sunday. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Rogerson said more than 4,000 people entered the park within the first hour on Sunday. The Ex's revenues are trending up at around 12 per cent to start this year's tour in Winnipeg. JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS Imrose Dhaliwal, front left, Sirat Sran, front right, Sahipbep Dhaliwal, back left, and Simrandeep Dhaliwal, back right, enjoy the Outlaw ride at the Red River Ex Tuesday. Safety measures have been beefed up this year, including a mile of new fencing, more lit-up areas to prohibit outsiders from throwing objects over the fence, additional cameras, and enough security officers to ensure there is at least one guard for every 250 guests. 'We want to make sure that everybody feels safe at all times and doesn't have to worry,' Rogerson said. 'Let us worry about those bad guys, and we'll take care of that.' The Ex concludes on Sunday.
Ottawa Citizen
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Sudbury Wolves GM Papineau enters busy off-season
Article content With a hectic holiday weekend at Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex, the Sudbury Wolves will unofficially drop the puck on a busy OHL off-season, during which changes to NCAA eligibility rules and the league's own import draft could have wide-ranging impacts. Article content One need only a glance at the Pack's latest draft class, which includes an unprecedented contingent of U.S.-based and college-committed talent, to know this year's prospect orientation camp, set to run on Saturday and Sunday, will have a different look from those of the past. Article content Article content A desire for an early look at those new prospects, as well as an opportunity to sell youngsters from all over the map on Sudbury's major-junior program, was certainly a part of what prompted Wolves general manager Rob Papineau to host the first spring prospect orientation camp since COVID-19. Article content Article content Each preceding prospect camp since the pandemic, beginning with the 2021 orientation event, was held immediately prior to the Wolves' main camp at the end of summer. Article content 'We're excited to bring it back in the spring,' Papineau told The Sudbury Star. 'COVID changed things, but then again, we saw more changes this year, some of the rule changes. Where in the past, we were limited to a 48-hour training camp, because of some of the rules that were in place back then, that restriction is gone. When it comes to the fall camp, we want to be able to dive right in and get started with the veterans involved. 'Orientation camps across the league are great for players to come in, learn about the league, learn about the city and the team and the coaches and really get comfortable in that environment, but showing up in August now, you want to be able to get right into it and we're hoping to be able to play a few more exhibition games this year, because players will be able to play in those, so the dynamics have changed a little bit. And for our coaches, too, they're really excited to see these players. Our scouts know them well, they have watched them all season long, but the coaches haven't had that luxury, so they're anxious to get their eyes on them and to start to get to know them.' Article content Article content A roster has not been released yet for the camp this weekend, but a majority of players from the 2024 and 2025 draft classes are expected to attend, including those who dressed for OHL games as rookies in 2024-25. Exceptions will include players who have to attend regional or development camps as part of the USA Hockey development program and players who are currently overseas, such as recently signed second-round pick Vladimir Provorov. Article content 'That's a big thing with our staff, because they really relate well to players, so getting to know these guys before camp will allow them to start those relationships,' Papineau said. 'They have been talking and texting and communicating already, but now you'll add that personal element to it. Article content 'You get excited to see the 2008s, how they developed over the year since they all went off and played. We have watched them, but it's nice to get them back in this environment, under one roof and seeing how they have taken steps. Some of them had the privilege this year to come in and practise and even get into some games, so we'll see how they have separated themselves. And the '09 group has just got so much talent and speed, so we're really excited to see them, as well, and how they do against guys who are one year older, a little bigger and a little stronger. For a lot of them, that will be the first time they are in that environment.'
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Normal Museum holds 2nd annual International Day of Women and Girls Science
NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) — The Children's Discovery Museum in uptown Normal held its 2nd annual International Day of Women and Girls in Science. At the event were 10 local STEAM organizations that gave kids a hands-on experience with science, technology, engineering, art and math. Kids practiced being doctors, experimented with water power and checked out geology experiments to name a few of the many activities. They also heard from women with STEAM-related careers like nurses, engineers and biologists. Nick Papineau with the museum said it's a great way to expose kids to STEAM at a young age. 'We want them to see themselves as problem solvers, and that extends beyond a job, it extends into social life. It extends into just basic things at home, so it is becoming more of a community member,' said Papineau. He said one-third of people in the steam workforce are women. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
