Pond. [Thaler.] Ice. Fun. Hockey. The puck drops here.
Minnesota’s Brian Rolston left Minnesota today, signing a four-year
deal with the New Jersey Devils. A 30-goal scorer for the Wild,
Rolston had his rights traded to Tampa Bay Sunday night, and
opted out of Tampa, taking his chances in the free-agent market.
Rolston was drafted by New Jersey 11th overall in the 1991
entry draft.
In a related move, the Devils resigned former Gopher
Barry Tallackson.
Gopher defenseman Stu Bickel signed a three-year, entry-level
contract today with the Anaheim Ducks, and will not return to the
University of Minnesota for his sophomore season.
Bickel, a 21-year old from Chanhassen, will likely earn an
annual bonus of $85,000 and the AHL maximum annual salary
of $62,500.
A forward turned defenseman, Bickel led the Gophers last
season in penalty minutes. His “hard-nosed” play was always
a source of much whining among WCHA foes.
There are a handful of rule change proposals currently on the table
with the NCAA. One is done. The others are “under review”.
Here are the major candidates:
In: Four official system (two referees, two linesman).
No improvement to the game here.
On the table:
The Kicking rule: (aka “The Notre Dame rule”)
Any deflection off the skate, without evidence of a definite
kicking motion toward the goal, will be considered a goal.
Notre Dame still would have lost the game to BC!
The Icing rule: Just like the NHL, the team that ices
the puck will not be allowed to change players.
This one I like… a lot.
The Shootout rule: Much discussion is going on to
try and eliminate an abundance of ties in college hockey.
Shoot-outs, 4-on-4, 3-on-3 variations have all been discussed.
Re-open the beer garden, and let the teams play a full 20 minutes.
The Faceoff rule: All faceoffs will be held only in the faceoff circles.
Don’t know what to make about this one.
The Minnesota Wild added something old and something new to
their roster today.
Minnesota added 31-year-old defenseman Marek Zidlicky to their
roster, in a trade with the Nashville Predators for Miami of Ohio’s
standout Ryan Jones. Zidlicky scored 43 goals in 79 games for the
Predators last season. Risebrough was quoted as saying “He [Zidlicky]
will add tempo to our lineup”.
The Wild also signed Avalanche winger Andrew Brunette to a
multi-year deal. Wild GM Doug Risebrough has said several times
previously he should never have let Brunette leave for Colorado
in 2004. “Not often do you get a chance to correct a mistake”,
Risebrough said during today’s signing.
In Boston, Gopher Blake Wheeler made his deal official with the Bruins,
and will join them at their development camp July 8. The terms of the
deal were not disclosed.
Mound’s Taylor Kuehl has been selected to attend the
USA Hockey National Girls Select 15 Development Camp
in Rochester NY in July.
Kuehl, Nina Chase, Emily Halvarson, and Kia Johnson were
all participants on the District 5 team during the Advanced 15
Spring Festival in April.
102 players were invited to attend the Festival Summer Camp
at Minnesota State - Mankato in mid-June. Seventeen players
from Mankato were selected to participate in Rochester in July.
Read The Laker article here.
Also this week:
Find the Laker Sports Online here.
Round — Pick / Name / NHL Team 2007-2008 Team (League)
===========================================
1 — 17 / Jake Gardiner / Anaheim Ducks ** Minnetonka H.S. (Minn.)
2 — 40 / Aaron Ness / New York Islanders ** Roseau H.S. (Minn.)++
2 — 51 / Derek Stepan / New York Rangers ** Shattuck-St. Mary’s (Minn.)
3 — 81 / Corey Fienhage / Buffalo Sabres ** Eastview H.S. (Minn.)
4 — 101 / Justin Jokinen / Buffalo Sabres ** Cloquet H.S. (Minn.)
7 — 192 / Joe Gleason / Chicago Blackhawks ** Edina H.S. (Minn.)
7 — 194 / Drew Daniels / San Jose Sharks ** Kent School (Minn.)
7 — 200 / Nathan Condon / Colorado Avalanche ** Wausau H.S. (Wis.)++
7 — 203 / David Carle / Tampa Bay Lightning ** Shattuck-St. Mary’s (Minn.)
++ committed to University of Minnesota
Gopher recruit and Roseau native Aaron Ness was selected by the
NY Islanders in last weekend’s NHL Entry draft.
Last season, in the midst of the Isle’s playoff run that was over by
Christmas, Islanders GM Garth Snow plucked Kyle Okposo from the
Gopher lineup at mid-season, and justified the move by taking a swipe
at the Gopher coaching staff along the way. Snow criticized Okposo’s
development, and suggested he was not making progress under
Lucia’s watch.
He went on to suggest they would do the same thing, regardless
of the player, until things changed in the program.
Snow was wearing his best second face this weekend, suggesting
he was defending the honor of the team and his player over
remarks made in a newspaper article in the Star-Tribune.
Ness, when asked if this could affect his stay at the U, said:
“Yeah, I guess, maybe. I’ll talk about it with them in the future.”
When asked about the draft, Lucia said “Whether it was the
Islanders or anybody else, it was a smart pick. It’s old news as far
as I’m concerned.”
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