Latest news with #defensemen
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
From McDonald's To The NHL: How ‘Undersized' Jaroslav Halák Became The Best Slovak Goalie Ever
When you look back at the history of Slovak hockey, elite goaltenders have been few and far between. There used to be a common joke: Slovakia had A-level forwards, B-level defensemen, and C-level goalies.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
‘Don't Come In Passive': Penguins Give Scrappy Connor Clifton Marching Orders
There are six right-handed defensemen on the Pittsburgh Penguins roster, or who otherwise have hopes of playing on NHL ice this season. Coach Dan Muse has not yet begun to sort the gaggle of righties, but gave newly acquired Connor Clifton some direct advise. 'I was speaking to Dan and (he said) just how we're gonna be competitive, and it's all gonna start with work. He mentioned he wanted me to come in and try to find it right away. Don't come in all passive, but be aggressive and be who I am,' Clifton said during his first meeting with Pittsburgh media Tuesday. 'And I think that's always good to hear. I said, I'm excited for the opportunity.' Clifton, 30, and Muse have a little bit of a history. While Muse was an assistant coach at Yale, he tried to recruit Clifton, who eventually chose Quinnipiac, presumably because of the hockey. Clifton has had some struggles over the last few seasons, split between the Boston Bruins and, most recently, the Buffalo Sabres. The physical defenseman found himself a healthy scratch in Buffalo and was dealing with the mental challenges of absorbing such hits off the ice while trying to deliver them on the ice. In 73 games, Clifton didn't provide a lot of offense for Buffalo, netting just one goal and 15 assists, but he led the team by a wide margin with 208 hits. Only one other Sabres player had more than 150. However, like many players before him, Clifton was swallowed up by the malaise that has become the Buffalo NHL franchise. 'I wasn't too happy with (the situation). You know, I think I was all over my place. I wouldn't even say just last year. Really, the past two years. I think my game has kind of been at a standstill. It was a lot of mental battles along the way,' said Clifton. 'There were a couple of scratches two years ago, too. So I think my whole time in Buffalo, I feel like I kind of lost myself. Again, the change of scenery, I got that call that I'm going to be a Pittsburgh Penguin. I was really excited about the change. I want to get back to my old self, and how I play, and the impact that I have on the game.' There is little question that Clifton is a fierce defenseman. After all, in his NHL debut, he fought current Penguins assistant general manager Jason Spezza. For the record, Clifton admitted Spezza offered him a second go the second time they met, but Clifton didn't need that line on his resume. After five seasons with Boston and two with Buffalo, Clifton has played 384 games. While he has only 77 points, he has 290 penalty minutes. He has 17 professional fights, and his first scrap also has Penguins connections–it was against former Penguins winger Bobby Farnham while both were in the AHL (Clifton with Providence, Farnham with Springfield). It's despite being only 5-foot-11, 195 pounds. 'I've heard (that I'm small) plenty of times. That's kind of how I've always played, and working to get to the next level, it was always a big part of my game,' Clifton said. 'I feel like I out-competed my way to the NHL with that sort of style, and that's what's gonna keep me there.' Physicality has been a sorely lacking quality amongst Penguins defensemen over the past few … decades. Gritty defensemen have quickly stood out and become coaching favorites. For comparison, the Penguins defenseman with the most hits last season was Kris Letang, who registered a mere 120 in 74 games. Ryan Graves was second among D-men with 75. Given that context, there's good reason that Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas seemed to be genuinely excited to acquire him, even at the expense of Conor Timmins. The Penguins also received a second-round pick in the draft-day deal from Buffalo, which the Penguins used to select Peyton Kettles (39th overall). Perhaps the only thing quiet about Clifton was how he was informed of the trade. 'It was kind of funny. I was putting my daughter down for a nap. I guess the draft was going on–We didn't even have it on the TV. I didn't see Kevyn (Adams), the GM of Buffalo, he texted me, and I had a missed call when I was in my daughter's room,' Clifton recounted. 'So, she was getting a nap … and I was getting a nap too. We went to our room, and Kevin popped up. I didn't even see it. I had already missed a call. And I told my wife, I was like, 'Oh, Kevyn's calling,' and she's like, 'Oh, where are we going?' 'I answered. I had to whisper a little bit in our bathroom. And he told me it was Pittsburgh, and I was, I was pretty excited.' Of course, Clifton probably wasn't the only one taking a nap on Saturday afternoon during Day 2 of the laborious NHL Draft. But if Muse and he get their way, it will be the last time Clifton is quiet with the Penguins. The post 'Don't Come In Passive': Penguins Give Scrappy Connor Clifton Marching Orders appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oilers-Penguins Trade Idea Swaps Defensemen With $166 Million in Combined Salaries
Oilers-Penguins Trade Idea Swaps Defensemen With $166 Million in Combined Salaries originally appeared on Athlon Sports. As Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson's name remains in offseason trade speculation, NHL analysts are starting to come up with trade destinations that could benefit all parties involved. One of those could be the Edmonton Oilers, who are coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup Final losses and looking to bolster their defense. TSN's Travis Yost floated the runners-up as a potential trade destination, laying out a framework that would involve Darnell Nurse heading to the Penguins. 'Why Edmonton?' Yost wrote. 'Adding more offensive firepower to this Western Conference juggernaut would seem silly at first blush, but there are two compelling reasons to consider it. 'One, the Oilers might be able to solve a contract issue of their own as part of a bigger trade. Two, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl still benefit from another playmaker on the ice, especially from the blueline.' In Yost's eyes, Edmonton could address both its cap issues and its postseason struggles on the blue line in one swing if they complete a Darnell Nurse-Karlsson swap. Karlsson, 35, still carries elite offensive upside, having averaged 70 points per 82 games across the last three seasons. He carries a cap hit of $11.5 million annually, but Pittsburgh could retain some salary in a potential trade. Nurse, meanwhile, is younger (30) but is coming off a low-production season with just 33 points in 76 regular-season games. Making things worse, he carries an annual $9.25 million cap hit through June 2030. Karlsson, who has two years left on his deal, holds a full no-move clause but could be willing to waive it under the right conditions. 'He's arrived in Pittsburgh as they're headed in the wrong direction,' NHL insider Chris Johnston said about Karlsson's mindset. 'I have to think he's going to get antsy at a certain point here.' This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
09-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Can Red Wings find missing piece on defense with pick No. 13 in NHL Draft?
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Since Steve Yzerman took over as general manager of the Red Wings back in 2019, Detroit hasn't been shy about stockpiling defensemen through the draft. Yzerman used his first pick as GM (No. 6 in 2019) to select Moritz Seider, who quickly became a foundational piece of the Red Wings' blue line. Two years later, he used the No. 6 pick in 2021 on Simon Edvinsson, who has joined Seider as a top-four staple for the long-term future. In 2023, Detroit grabbed slick Swede Axel Sandin-Pellikka, who projects to run the team's top power play in the future. Yzerman's Red Wings have also used a whopping six second-round picks on defensemen since 2019, including Albert Johansson, who turned himself into a nightly regular this past season. Advertisement It's been a lot of draft capital, and in a couple of years, it looks entirely possible that Detroit could have a true homegrown blue line to show for it. Detroit has a pair of true two-way pillars in Seider and Edvinsson. It likely has its power-play quarterback in Sandin-Pellikka. It also has the potential for depth, headlined by Johansson at the NHL level and with prospects Shai Buium, William Wallinder and Anton Johansson all candidates to become regulars someday. But even projecting down the line, there may still be a missing piece: one more true stopper who projects to play tough minutes in that top four — whether pairing with Seider or slotting in as a physical, defensive piece who enables Sandin-Pellikka to maximize his talents. And as the 2025 NHL Draft creeps ever closer, Detroit's 13th pick on June 27 may just present the opportunity to find that piece — if a few things break the right way. The draft's top prospect, lefty Matthew Schaefer, will be long gone by 13. The safe bet is that WHL righty Radim Mrtka, who measured in just under 6-foot-6 at the combine, will be gone too. After that, though, it's a little more open-ended. The best fit might be Kashawn Aitcheson, a lefty out of OHL Barrie who plays with a throwback level of snarl. Aitcheson measured in at 6-foot-1 1/2 at the combine, and while his thundering hits are certainly a hallmark of his game, he also has plenty of offense, scoring 26 goals this season while putting up nearly a point per game. Compilation of hits (and a couple fights) of dman Kashawn Aitcheson from the Barrie Colts during his #NHLDraft year. Kash is a missile and throws bone crushing hits, as seen in the clips. The physical aspect of his game makes him an extremely attractive prospect. #2025NHLDraft — Ryan McArthur (@ryanpmcarthur) May 22, 2025 Aitcheson told me he's still working on the balance of when to get aggressive and make those big hits (or jump into the rush), and when to hold off, which will be part of his maturation process, but the fact he's so capable of doing both is highly appealing. He also has an impressive feel for the moment — he had two goals (including the winner) and an assist in Barrie's Game 7 win over Kingston in this year's OHL playoffs and led all OHL defenseman with six winning goals in the regular season. Advertisement 'I think it's just the bigger the game, the bigger the moment, I think the bigger player I get,' Aitcheson told me in Buffalo. 'That's just kind of how it's always been.' Put all those elements together — the physicality, the offense, the feel for the moment and the solid size in a mobile defender — and it's easy to get excited. That said, while Aitcheson plays like the kind of player the Red Wings have coveted, it was interesting to learn he hadn't met with Detroit when we spoke midweek in Buffalo and wasn't scheduled to. That doesn't mean everything, but there are also two potential destinations for him right in front of Detroit's spot, with Pittsburgh and the New York Rangers picking 11 and 12. That makes his path to Detroit look a bit less likely. Another strong candidate would be WHL lefty Jackson Smith, who certainly fits the long, rangy profile Detroit has targeted in its defensemen. Smith measured in at 6-foot-4, 199 pounds and looks every bit of it. He's also a good skater, has offense in his game and is easy to see becoming a two-way blueliner with serious impact on the transition game. One thing I find interesting about Smith after speaking with his coaches in Tri-City is that he's been used differently for Team Canada than he has with his junior club. Coming up, he was an offensive-minded player, and accordingly, he's played more of an offensive role for his WHL team — where his 54 points in 68 games were more than double Tri-City's next-highest-scoring defender. But the national team leaned on him to use his tools more as a defensive stopper. 'I can kind of just switch my mindset to 'just got to shut down these guys,'' Smith said. 'Like, don't worry about the other side of the puck, just shut them down.' That mindset shift entails being 'a pest in the D-zone, making simple plays, just keeping it simple, not trying to do too much,' he said, and right now, he does take some risks that his future NHL team will want to iron out as he develops. Advertisement Smith also acknowledged the physical side of the game can come and go for him, and feels it's something he needs to bring back to his game more in WHL play. 'But then when I go to Team Canada events I do again, so I think it's just a bit more of a mentality for me, where you need to keep on being physical.' But while he's still on the raw side, the tools are there if he's able to roll it into one complete package: The offense that can come from his skill and skating and the physical tools to shut down transition offense. If he can do that, and add in more of the physical dimension, the recipe for a two-way, top-four defender is there. He also has valuable versatility in being able to play both sides of the ice, growing up playing the right side and doing so again at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup and at the CHL-USA Prospects Challenge. 'I can play either side, I'm very comfortable with both,' Smith said. 'Gotten a little bit more comfortable on the left side these past two years, but you throw me on the right side, I'll do the same thing.' As with Aitcheson, there's a chance Smith could get scooped up just before Detroit goes on the clock. Big, toolsy defenseman tend to go early in drafts, and both qualify. But if that happens — which would likely mean four defensemen going in the top 12 — that's the path for a top winger prospect such as Victor Eklund to still be on the board for the Red Wings at 13. Detroit certainly could use another scoring winger in its system, and there are a handful they met with at the combine who could fit. If they end up really wanting a 'D,' though, there are a few more names to know. Kitchener LHD Cam Reid isn't as big as the defensemen Detroit usually targets high in the draft — and the Red Wings were one of two teams he didn't interview with in Buffalo — but he's an excellent skater who competes and plays a smart game. It's not too hard to imagine him still finding a way to eat minutes in the NHL, even as a smaller player. Advertisement 'It's no secret, I'm not the tallest guy on the ice, but that doesn't mean I can't have an impact like I'm tall out there,' Reid said. 'I just kind of think of it (as) just get in the face of guys, and just try to be a guy that's hard to play against. That's all I really care about.' There are also a couple of bigger bodies in righties Logan Hensler (NCAA Wisconsin) and Blake Fiddler (WHL Edmonton), though the value gets more debatable the further you go down the list. The importance of a strong, well-rounded blue line is hammered home every time you watch a Stanley Cup playoff game. It's hard to win at any meaningful level without one. But if Aitcheson and Smith end up going just before Detroit picks, the Red Wings may have to weigh that against their need for more offensive pop in their forward pipeline. (Photo of Moritz Seider and Brogan Rafferty: Kyle Ross / Imagn Images)
New York Times
01-06-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Why Jackson Smith's 2-way upside makes him an exciting 2025 NHL Draft prospect
The trend among NHL defense corps in the Stanley Cup playoffs has been impossible to ignore. Whether it's Florida with Gustav Forsling, Aaron Ekblad and Seth Jones, Dallas with Miro Heiskanen, Thomas Harley and Esa Lindell or Edmonton with Darnell Nurse, Evan Bouchard and Brett Kulak, teams are going on deep runs with blue lines largely made up of big, mobile defensemen who can put those tools to use. And that's just this year. Vegas, Tampa Bay and St. Louis all built their blue lines in much the same way in recent years en route to winning the Cup. Advertisement And when something works in the playoffs, those trends tend to translate to draft day. That's true at the very top of this year's forward-heavy draft class, with OHL Erie defenseman Matthew Schaefer, and it'll be true throughout the lottery, too. The big names on defense after Schaefer are Radim Mrtka (WHL Seattle) and Kashawn Aitcheson (OHL Barrie). But right there with them could be WHL Tri-City's Jackson Smith. He has the frame at 6 feet 3 inches, the fluid skating, and increasingly, the two-way potential to potentially go in that same lottery range, where some team will surely be hoping he can be part of their future postseason blue line. He even poses some intriguing similarities to one of those aforementioned playoff defensemen: Harley. 'Actually he was a guy that we kind of mentioned to (Smith) this year,' former Tri-City coach Stu Barnes said. 'You try to, with these young guys, give them maybe somebody that they can look to at the next level and see what could be, and I think Thomas Harley's a great comparison.' Of course, Barnes — a former Dallas Star himself — knows that's a lofty comparison. Harley has become something of a darling in the wake of his success at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and after eating massive minutes with Heiskanen out injured. He scored the Game 6 overtime winner that sent Dallas to the conference final. Smith is a long way off from being able to do any of that. But in terms of the profile, it's easy to see some rhyme with the 2019 No. 18 pick. Smith came into Tri-City two years ago as 'a real good offensive player already, just by pure natural skill,' Barnes said. Certainly, those talents are reflected in his 11 goals and 54 points in 68 games this season. But over the course of two seasons with the Americans, Smith has grown his defensive game more and more, using that reach and mobility — and at times, physicality — to look the part of a legitimate two-way defenseman. Jackson Smith rush defence reel from Game 1 of the CHL USA Prospects Challenge. Led the game in rush stops with perfectly timed pokes as opponents entered his range, big hits, and a tight gap — all as a left-shot playing on the right. — Mitchell Brown (@MitchLBrown) November 27, 2024 'You always come into the league as a 16-year-old and you want to prove yourself, you want to prove what type of player you are, and you're energetic and you're go-go-go-go-go,' said Tri-City assistant coach Jody Hull, who works with the team's defensemen. 'And he did that. But I think this year, his overall game just matured. Like he just wasn't relied on offensively to create stuff, he was also very sound defensively, and that was proven because he was pretty much (playing) against the other teams' top players most nights.' Advertisement Certainly, you expect that to come with time and feedback via video, but both Barnes and Hull independently took it a step further than just calling Smith coachable. They also feel he's a good self-evaluator. Like many young defensemen with natural offensive games, and the physical tools to get away with the temptations they bring, Smith has an occasional tendency to skate himself into trouble. Sometimes, it leads to a turnover. And when that happens, Hull said Smith will come right to the bench and say I know. 'He can own up to his things, and as a coach, that's important for a player's development,' Hull said. 'And I think when he's done that a few times this year, his next few shifts are just like, 'Boom.' Like, wow, this is what you can be all the time.' The turnovers themselves represent one of the questions in Smith's game, with those mental lapses always a bit of a risk. As much as teams value the traits of a big defenseman who can transport the puck, making good decisions is paramount if you're actually going to succeed in the NHL. But as much as any coach wants to avoid turnovers, Hull also realizes that Smith's natural gifts — and the instinct to use them — are what can make him so exciting. He doesn't want to take them away. And for good reason. Sticking with the Harley comparison for a moment, it's worth noting that in Corey Pronman's 2019 scouting report of the then-Mississauga defenseman, he wrote: 'Harley makes a lot of plays but tends to get too cute and make costly turnovers.' It's not a unique issue for a defenseman with natural talent to struggle with. And not all of them pan out like Harley, of course. That's part of what makes that self-awareness piece key, because if Smith can be the one to recognize his mistakes, and then diagnose where he went wrong, then perhaps he has a better chance to find that elusive balance between risk and reward as he grows. Advertisement 'It's just, as a coach, having trust that you know you can put him back out there,' Hull said. 'Because it probably never happens twice in a row in a game. … Might happen four games from now again, but it's not happening that game, or in that situation.' There's also another trend that Barnes and Hull have noticed from Smith over the last two years, particularly when the young defender departs for events with Team Canada. With Tri-City, he's relied upon a lot for offense — his 54 points were more than twice as many as the team's next-highest scoring defenseman. But when he's with the national team, they feel his game takes on a different character. 'His role there has been more shutdown, PK, get the job done in the final couple minutes if we're defending the lead,' Hull said. 'And I think that proved to him that he's capable of doing those things. And that's going to be a big part of his game for him moving forward, without taking any of his offensive abilities away from him.' 'He gets put in these situations where he's surrounded or playing against really high-end players,' Barnes added. 'He seems to really be able to raise his game and be successful on both sides of the puck.' That, certainly, is part of the vision NHL teams will be dreaming on when they consider Smith for this draft. A big defenseman who can produce offense is nice, and Smith has the ability to be that. But when that 6-foot-3 blueliner can also use those feet to shut down transition the other way, and then start the break back north, it becomes an especially appealing package. 'The way he defends is with his stick, and then once he has the puck it's with his feet,' Hull said. 'He can get your team out of trouble pretty quick with the puck on his stick. Whether it's a pass, or whether it's him just carrying it himself out of the zone.' That in itself is a valuable tool for a defenseman: being able to skate the puck into the neutral zone and then make a clean first pass to get the offensive process started. Advertisement 'And then again, he's got a good shot, he's deceptive, he's able to change angles on the shot in the offensive zone,' Barnes said.' He's patient with the puck. He doesn't panic a lot with pucks when he is on offense. It's going to be interesting to see how he relays it, but I think some of those attributes are going to make it pretty exciting.' Add that up, and it's not hard to see why Smith is among the top defense prospects in the class. He fits the physical profile teams have seen win at the hardest time of year. He's shown an ability to both defend and create offense. He's still early in the process, of course. But the potential is there for it all to come together into a complete package. 'Honestly, in two years from now, when he's more of a man, I don't even know what his ceiling is going to be,' Hull said. 'I really don't.'
