Latest news with #WorldJuniorHockeyChampionship
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Canucks Prospect Wilson Björck Selected To Sweden's 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase Roster
Vancouver Canucks prospect Wilson Björck has been selected for Team Sweden's 2025 World Junior Summer Showcase Roster. This year's tournament will take place from July 25-August 2 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis and at the University of Minnesota. The annual tournament features Team Canada, Finland, USA and Sweden, and is used to evaluate players for the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championship.
Winnipeg Free Press
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Jets signing hometown star Toews
The homecoming is happening for Jonathan Toews. The St. Vital product has decided to make his NHL comeback with the Winnipeg Jets, agreeing to terms on a one-year contract as he returns to the league after a two-year absence related to his health. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed but the contract will officially be filed on July 1. Jonathan Toews (Jeffrey T. Barnes / The Associated Press files) Toews, 37, is one of the most decorated athletes the province has produced and he's hungry for more. He's won three Stanley Cups with the Chicago Blackhawks (2010, 2013 and 2015), two Olympic gold medals (2010 and 2014), a World Cup of Hockey gold medal (2016), a pair of World Junior Hockey Championship titles (2006 and 2007) and a gold medal at the 2007 IIHF men's World Hockey Championship. His individual hardware includes a Conn Smythe trophy in 2010, being named best forward at the 2010 Olympics and a Selke Trophy as the NHLs top defensive forward in 2012-13. Not only is Toews a proven winner, he's a productive player and excellent leader, having been named captain of the Blackhawks before he turned 21. Including the regular season and playoffs, Toews has appeared in more than 1,200 NHL games and he's eclipsed 20 goals in 12 of his 15 seasons — hitting the 30-goal plateau three times, including in 2018-19, when he had 35 goals and 81 points in 82 games. His reputation for coming through in the clutch is well-earned, as he delivered 45 goals and 119 points in 137 playoff games to go along with 69 game-winning goals during the regular season. Although there is no playbook for the respiratory issues that plagued Toews in dealing with long COVID and Chronic Immune Response Syndrome (CIRS), he recently declared himself healthy and ready to return to action. Given his competitive nature and the high standard that he holds himself to, Toews wouldn't be making a comeback if he didn't feel like he could be a contributor. It's natural that Toews, a highly motivated individuals, would want to go out on his own terms and that wasn't the case regarding his departure from the Blackhawks. There was plenty of interest around the NHL to land Toews— including the Tampa Bay Lightning — before he ultimately decided playing in his hometown offered a great opportunity in terms of role and fit on a contender. As much as Toews enjoys winning, his hatred for losing is something that has driven him since he was a teenager. He would love to win at least one more Stanley Cup before he retires and the expectation is that Toews wants to play at least two more seasons. As for where he fits on the current Jets roster, Toews is someone that will bolster the centre-ice position and provide some insulation for top centre Mark Scheifele. Once Adam Lowry returns from a hip injury that required off-season surgery, the Jets will have a one-two-three punch that rivals the best teams in the NHL. Toews hasn't played in a game since April 2023 and he hasn't suited up in a playoff tilt since the bubble playoffs in Edmonton in 2021. In the qualification round series with the Oilers, Toews was the best player on the ice while matching up against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl as the Blackhawks authored an upset, ousting Edmonton in four games in the best-of-five affair. Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews shows off the Stanley Cup to fans of all ages at the Dakota Community Centre in Winnipeg in 2015. (Ruth Bonneville / Free Press files) Although the Vegas Golden Knights dispatched the Oilers in the next round, Toews finished those playoffs with five goals and nine points in nine games. Unfortunately, that was the last time Toews was fully healthy and he sat out the entire 2020-21 season. He appeared in 71 games the following season and 53 in 2022-23, working his way through his health issues. Toews spoke openly about how his healing journey took him to India for a five-week detox in an article in GQ magazine. With those issues under control, Toews has been dedicating himself to getting ready for a return. While the situations are different, there's no doubt Toews will draw inspiration from the slow and painful return made this season by Colorado Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog, who made his way back to the NHL in the opening round of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs after a three-year hiatus that included multiple knee surgeries. The Jets have an interesting off-season ahead and bringing Toews into the fold should provide a boost to the middle-six forward group that will require further strengthening if Nikolaj Ehlers leaves as an unrestricted free agent. Toews, who has been training in Arizona, brings with him a cache that should help attract additional talent to a Jets team that captured the Presidents' Trophy last season and made it past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2021. 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. Even if it takes a bit of time for Toews to shake off some of the rust, the left-handed pivot should immediately become the Jets' best faceoff option, as his career percentage in the dot is 57.3 per cent (with a career-best of 63.1 per cent during the 2022-23 campaign). Toews is a responsible, two-way player and adding his championship pedigree to a group that took an important step forward this season is a smart bet for an organization looking for its first title. As for Toews, having the chance to rewrite the final chapters of his career and chase another ring with the Jets is something that makes this move mutually beneficial. X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld Ken WiebeReporter Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken. Every piece of reporting Ken produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sex-assault trial of five NHL players takes dramatic turn as jury gets tossed
A 27-year-old Canadian woman wrapped up a marathon nine days of explosive testimony this week in a high-profile sex-assault trial involving five professional hockey players — as a jury was sent packing for a second time in yet another dramatic twist in the proceedings. The accuser, whose name is protected by a court-ordered publication ban, told a court that a naked Cal Foote — who played for the New Jersey Devils last year — performed 'the splits' over her face, an apparent 'party trick,' while others filmed in a hotel room. 'They were all laughing and thought it was hilarious,' the woman told the court. 'It wasn't funny to me. They were having a good time at my expense.' In a note to the judge, a juror accused two of the defense attorneys of making fun of the jurors' appearance. 'Every day when we enter the courtroom they observe us, whisper to each other and turn to each other and laugh as if they are discussing our appearance. This is unprofessional and unacceptable,' the note read. The trial will now continue before a judge alone. It's the second time the trial almost went off the rails. A mistrial was declared last month after the judge ruled a lunch break interaction between one of the jurors and defense attorneys, which was seen by some jurors as an attempt to influence their opinions, made it impossible for the jury to remain impartial. A new jury was chosen, but those nine women and five men are now off the case too. The wild drunken group sex followed a gala in London, Ontario, celebrating Canada's gold medal in the World Junior Hockey Championship, in which the five men — all future NHL players — competed. The Devils' Cal Foote and Michael McLeod, the Calgary Flames' Dillon Dubé, the Ottawa Senators' Alex Formenton and the Philadelphia Flyers' Carter Hart have all pleaded not guilty and have said whatever happened that night was consensual. They are all on leave from the NHL. But the woman claims she only went back to the hotel with McLeod, and that the other players were invited without her knowledge or consent. The players each face one count of sexual assault, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison in Canada. McLeod is facing an additional charge of being a party to the offense of sexual assault and faces a maximum of 20 years behind bars.
New York Post
17-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Sex-assault trial of five NHL players takes dramatic turn as jury gets tossed
A 27-year-old Canadian woman wrapped up a marathon nine days of explosive testimony this week in a high-profile sex-assault trial involving five professional hockey players — as a jury was sent packing for a second time in yet another dramatic twist in the proceedings. The accuser, whose name is protected by a court-ordered publication ban, told a court that a naked Cal Foote — who played for the New Jersey Devils last year — performed 'the splits' over her face, an apparent 'party trick,' while others filmed in a hotel room. 'They were all laughing and thought it was hilarious,' the woman told the court. 'It wasn't funny to me. They were having a good time at my expense.' 5 Cal Foote's last game with the Devils was in January 2024. AP 5 The woman has accused Foote of doing the naked splits over her face. AP In a note to the judge, a juror accused two of the defense attorneys of making fun of the jurors' appearance. 'Every day when we enter the courtroom they observe us, whisper to each other and turn to each other and laugh as if they are discussing our appearance. This is unprofessional and unacceptable,' the note read. The trial will now continue before a judge alone. It's the second time the trial almost went off the rails. A mistrial was declared last month after the judge ruled a lunch break interaction between one of the jurors and defense attorneys, which was seen by some jurors as an attempt to influence their opinions, made it impossible for the jury to remain impartial. 5 From left to right: Alex Formenton, Cal Foote, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube and Carter Hart, who have all pleaded not guilty. AP A new jury was chosen, but those nine women and five men are now off the case too. The wild drunken group sex followed a gala in London, Ontario, celebrating Canada's gold medal in the World Junior Hockey Championship, in which the five men — all future NHL players — competed. The Devils' Cal Foote and Michael McLeod, the Calgary Flames' Dillon Dubé, the Ottawa Senators' Alex Formenton and the Philadelphia Flyers' Carter Hart have all pleaded not guilty and have said whatever happened that night was consensual. They are all on leave from the NHL. 5 McLeod is facing the stiffest sentence among the five players — a maximum of 20 years. AP But the woman claims she only went back to the hotel with McLeod, and that the other players were invited without her knowledge or consent. 5 The woman met McLeod at a bar called Jack's Pub in London, Ontario, after the gala. AP The players each face one count of sexual assault, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison in Canada. McLeod is facing an additional charge of being a party to the offense of sexual assault and faces a maximum of 20 years behind bars.
