Connor Murphy is one blue line defender you do not want to come across. At 6’3″ he is a towering addition to any blue line he’s on. While suiting up for the OHL’s Sarnia Sting for the past two seasons, he’s notched up 44 points in 68 games. He previously played for the USA Hockey National Team Development Program and in that same year was selected 20th overall by the Phoenix Coyotes. This past winter he scored the overtime game winner of the gold medal match up at the 2013World Juniors in Ufa, Russia.
You may even recall his father, Gord Murphy, a bruising defenceman who spent 14 seasons in the National Hockey League between the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers and Atlanta Thrashers. He is currently assistant coach to Kevin Dineen of the Florida Panthers.
I jumped at the chance at this opportunity to go into the mind of a first round drafted player.
March Hockey: You were drafted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the first round of the 2011 Entry Draft, how did you mentally prepare to go into an event of that stature?
(Photo: sarniasting.com)
Connor Murphy:The preparation was all in the NHL Combine off the ice, in games during the season, and in the interviews with each team. So once the draft came, it was all about enjoying the experience and soaking it all in. I always watched the draft growing up, so it was pretty surreal being there with my family and around teammates of mine.Continue reading “One on One with Phoenix Coyotes 2011 First Round Draft Pick, Connor Murphy”
Just like that, the Cornwall Colts have lost a key piece to their next season’s attempt at back to back champions.
(Photo: icelevel.com)
Michael Pontarelli, a right winger out of Laval, Quebec, announced that he is not returning for another season with the Junior A Cornwall Colts after weeks of will he or won’t he. He has opted instead to get his college career underway with Schenectady, New York’s Union College. He’ll start off his career with the NCAA Division 1, Union Dutchmen. David Roy and Sebastien Gingras who are Brockville Braves alumni are already apart of the squad.
Now, let’s take a look at what a powerhouse the Colts are losing. Pontarelli played one year in the CCHL with Cornwall. In 53 games played, Pontarelli notched 107 points (52 goals, 55 assists) coincedently leading the league in points and goals as well. Here’s a list of his accomplishments and keep in mind, he only played ONE season.
CJHL Player of the Year
CCHL Most Valuable Player
CCHL Sportsmanship Award
CCHL First All Star Team
CCHL Most Goals (52)
CCHL Most points (107)
2013 CCHL Champion
That’s quite the list of accomplishments for having played one year. Union will know exactly how to mold a player like Pontarelli. On Cornwall’s side of things, it will only give somebody else the chance to step up and shine. Well, somebody’s going to HAVE too. Welcome to the nature of hockey boys and girls.
(Photo: icelevel.com)
I have no doubt in my mind though that the Colts are still going to be up to par come season time even with the loss of their best player. Coach Ian MacInnis doesn’t like to lose (then again what coach does really). Though he’ll have his hands full come fall, juggling both the Colts and head manning Team Canada East for the 2013 World Junior A Challenge. That tournament is set to take place November 5-11 in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.
There are a few times in every team’s history where a full roster just seems to come together. Years of drafts picks and scouting seem to pay off. Coaches direct. Players gel. Goalies become brick walls.
This year could turn into just that for the Kingston Frontenacs. A historical year where everything just goes right. After going through a rebuilding year that only amassed 19 wins, the Frontenacs picked up 24 picks in 2012’s OHL draft. Those picks have become almost a full roster. A roster of players centered around a core of three; two forwards and a defenceman. 3 U18 World Champions.
(Photo: thescoutingreport.org)
Defenceman Roland McKeown was selected second overall in the 2012 OHL Priority draft. At 6’1”, he is a towering presence on the blue line; a Drew Doughty type player if you will. Collecting 29 points in 61 games, he was named to the OHL First All-Rookie Team. Now entering his second year with the black and gold he will enter with a gold medal under his belt after winning with U18 Team Canada back in April of this year. International competition experience can never hurt.
(Photo: Terry Wilson/OHL Images)
Left winger Sam Bennett has an incredible eye for hockey. His hockey sense is what makes his game excel. Sharing his rookie year with McKeown, Bennett notched 40 points in 60 games leading him to be a part of the OHL Second All-Rookie Team. He not only comes into his second year with an U18 gold medal; he comes in with two. Within four months he’s been an U18 World Champion twice.
(Photo credit: Terry Wilson/OHL Images)
Then there’s Spencer Watson. An explosive and dynamite forward from London, Ontario. A sharp shooter with a keen eye for knowing just where to put the puck. He led the U18 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament in scoring for Team Canada while capturing his own gold medal.
All three players have had one year of playing time together to get used to each other on the ice and started to really gel at the end of last season. With Bennett and Watson playing on one Team Canada squad while McKeown and Bennett played on the other, there’s no reason to not expect exciting things from these three once the puck drops in September.
With Coach Todd Gill entering his third season and his second with the boys, they will already know what to expect from each other. I won’t be surprised to see a long post season run in the Limestone City. It’s time for optimism.
Get ready Ontario Hockey League. The Frontenacs are back to prominence.
Philadelphia Flyers press box hero Jody Shelley has retired in order to join the Columbus Blue Jackets front office. This will be a pleasant surprise for most Flyers fans who have seen Jody Shelley in the press box more often than on the ice.
Jody Shelley was famously donned “irrelevant” by Mike Rupp on the HBO: 24/7 Flyers/Rangers: Road to the NHL Winter Classic, much to the amusement of viewers.
To be fair to Jody he did take a beating when needed. But with the rise of Zac Rinaldo as an actual enforcer he can hang up his skates and do what he does best, sit in the Columbus press box.
The boys are golden and the streak is staying alive.
(hlinkamemorial.com)
Team Canada powered through the Russians in the semi final yesterday and then shutout the Americans today to capture their sixth straight gold medal at the U18 Memorial of Ivan Hlinka tournament in Breclav, Czech Republic. Chicoutimi Sagueneens netminder Julio Billia picked up his second shutout of the tournament with the 4-0 win.
Oshawa Generals forward Michael Dal Colle’s first goal was all the Canadians needed to put away the Americans. Brandon Wheat Kings’ Jayce Hawryluk and Barrie Colts forwards Aaron Ekblad and Brendan Lemieux added the extra cushion for the red and white. Billia managed just 21 saves.
The story of the tournament is powerhouse forward Spencer Watson of the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs. He lead the tournament with an astonishing 10 points (four goals, six assists) with three helpers coming from today’s final. Watson and his Kingston teammate Sam Bennett each scored once in Canada’s 3-1 semi final victory over Russia.
Canada is proving that their up and coming junior stars are strong and willing to play. There’s no shortage of talent across the board in every league and every position. This includes goaltending where Hockey Canada is extremely concerned. The list of next year’s NHL draftees are going to be long and no shortage of depth and will have NHL general managers making some very tough decisions.
In the bronze medal game, the Czech Republic edged Russia with a 3-2 win.
I love European hockey, it’s clearly no secret. Although it will never top the home sweet home of Canada and our passionate game, Europe and their leagues are following close behind. Here’s the thing, I know barely anything about the leagues aside from the EIHL and KHL and a bit of SM-Liiga. So when Jon Rowson approached me about his passion for the Czech Extraliga, I jumped at the chance to expand my hockey knowledge. Rowson is also the current English website manager for HC Slovan Bratislava of the KHL.
Jon Rowson. (Twitter: @JonRowson)
He took the time to talk to me about both leagues and the effect of last season’s NHL lockout.
March Hockey: Where are you located and how did you get into hockey?
Jon Rowson:Well I was born and raised in a town just outside of Birmingham, England, although this summer I’m calling Prague, Czech Republic home. It was actually my father who got me into hockey. He tells me that he took me to a game at the old Solihull Blaze rink back in the late 90s when I was very young, but apparently I hated it and so we left mid-way through the game! However, the Blaze then relocated to Coventry, and I was taken to a few games and I grew to love the game. I can still remember being there when the Blaze defeated the Dundee Stars in the 2003 British National League playoff final. Very hazy memories of course, but still, I remember all the streamers and confetti falling from the top of the stand!
MH: Why are you so passionate about the Czech Extraliga and in your opinion, what makes the league a superior one?
JR: When I was younger, my father did a lot of work in the Czech Republic, and he would often schedule his trips in time with my school holidays, meaning that from an early age I would end up in either the Czech Republic or Slovakia. Of course, we would also try and fit it in with the hockey schedule, and back in 2006 I went to my first Czech Extraliga game. None other than the Prague derby between Slavia and Sparta at the then Sazka Arena (now o2 Arena). Cue my surprise as a fourteen year old kid who had only been to EIHL games before that, seeing a massive crowd of over 10,000, riot police bringing in the Sparta fans, and also the whole atmosphere was just crazy. I had never experienced two sets of fans singing for the whole sixty minutes. From that day I began to love everything about Extraliga hockey.
While the fan culture is a massive part, and I’ve met some fantastic people through it, I also find that it is incredibly fun to watch. At present I work for a KHL club on their website, which has meant that I have watched a lot of KHL hockey over the past two years, and if I’m honest, I find it incredibly defensive minded and rather dull, even when I’m watching a team I support. The Extraliga is an incredibly offensive minded league, and I don’t think any of the fourteen teams understands what a neutral zone trap is. The players shoot at will, and I just find it by far the most entertaining league in the world to watch. I’ve also noticed that players seem to play the game with a real love for the sport. I love to see players really celebrate after scoring a goal like it means something to them. I hate it when guys score a goal don’t smile or show some sort of happiness at scoring. You don’t get that in the Extraliga.Continue reading “Fan Voice: Jon Rowson and the Czech Extraliga”
This weekend is a pivotal one for four teams in the NZIHL. Four teams have the chance to make the Grand Final. Every stride, every shot, every body check will be fighting for this moment. The action will unfold in dramatic fashion for the Canterbury Red Devils, the Southern Stampede and the Dunedin Thunder. Botany Swarm however, having already played all of their regular season games will be sitting on the edge of their seats watching how the standings will play out.
Red Devils goaltender Justin Findlay sums up the road to the Grand Final:
In the first set the Red Devils will be hosting the Stamps down in Christchurch. They’re coming off of a weekend series with the Botany Swarm having split both games. Swarm proved how powerful they were as they took a commanding 10-3 in the first match-up and only fell to Canterbury by one on the second. Canterbury will need to have top notch goaltending and the ability to stay out of the penalty box this weekend in order to remain alive for the Grand Final.
(Photo: nzihl.com)
From the Stampede’s point of view, it looks pretty similar. They also took a powerful 10-5 victory over the Dunedin Thunder in their last weekend set but fell in the second game 6-4. I have a slight feeling were in for some rough action with this Red Devils/Stampede series folks.
On the other side the Dunedin Thunder are hosting the West Auckland Admirals. As Findlay said earlier, the Thunder only need to win one game this weekend. The Admirals will be in top form so they better not sit back and go into these games nonchalantly as everybody will be looking for a huge upset.
Catch all the action at ww.nzihl.tv as you’ll be in for some of the best hockey played this season.
Craig Summerton is a die-hard Coventry Blaze fan who also runs his own blog dedicated to hockey of the United Kingdom. It might be new but his post gives an in-depth look at Team Great Britain and the Blaze in general. He gives me a look at the Blaze, how they will cope with the loss of Captain Shea Guthrie, and how they continue to Bleed Blue.
March Hockey: Where are you located and how did you first get into hockey?
Craig Summertown (middle) with Blaze players Adam Calder and Joel Poirier (Twitter: @block15blaze)
Craig Summerton:Born and bred in Coventry, living and working in London. Coventry Blaze season ticket holder so every game is an away game for me. On recommendation from a friend I attended one of the first Blaze games at the Skydome and I’ve been hooked ever since.
MH: What makes you a passionate fan of the Coventry Blaze and the EIHL in general?
CS:I used to be a Coventry City season ticket holder but after attending a few ice hockey games my passion quite quickly shifted to the Blaze. After my first season of ice hockey, the Coventry City season ticket wasn’t renewed (sorry for my part in the state that club are in today!) and I found myself travelling around the country following the Blaze most weekends. I enjoy being part of a fairly small community of UK hockey fans, I’ve met life long friends of all ages through ice hockey. One of the big attractions of the sport for me is how it breaks down age barriers. I’m 29, one of my best friends who I met through hockey is 82. It really makes no difference. I like the fact that fans of all teams, can make friends and come together after a game without fear of trouble. Can you imagine bringing ten sets of football supporters into one venue for a whole weekend like we do in the UK for the playoff weekend? Mixed with alcohol, it would be chaos. It’s a shame more ‘closed minded’ football fans won’t give ice hockey a chance in the UK.
The EIHL has taken a lot of criticism over the years (deservedly so in the most part) but I certainly wouldn’t want to go back to the old British National League days in which Coventry used to compete or indeed for my club to move to the current EPL. Don’t get me wrong, the EPL has its merits & some of my best hockey memories come from the days when Blaze competed in the BNL. However, I feel that the EIHL as a ‘product’ is a major step up in quality over the old BNL and current EPL and that’s where I want my team to compete. The level of import being recruited to play in the EIHL seems to be improving each and every year. Many clubs have done a good job forging links with local Universities in order to offer high calibre pros the opportunity to study and play. Younger guys from across the pond seem to be using the league as a stepping stone to get into the higher paying Euro leagues and British players appear to be reaching levels beyond what we have seen in the past. The ever-widening gap between the rich and poor in the league is a worry but the introduction of the conference system (with the prospect of tweaks in future years!) has to be considered a success.Continue reading “Fan Voice: Craig Summerton and the Coventry Blaze”
Nathan Pollard is a fiesty defenceman who’s been playing with the Peterborough Phantoms of the EPIHL for the past 3 years. At 20 years old, he’s a definite force on solid player on the team.
March Hockey: Growing up, what player was the biggest influence on your style of play and why?
Nathan Pollard:There isn’t really any players that I based my style of play on, because when I was younger like everybody else your favourite player most of the time would either be the big goalscorer or the fighter! However 2 coaches have helped my progress as a player throughout my hockey career which are Jon Kynaston and Stevie Johnson. These guys have coached me since I started playing at the age of 9 and still now, Jon is teaching me ways to better my game every time I step on the ice.
MH: What was it like to be a part of the U18 championship?
NP:It was a good experience for the team and for me as a player, we didn’t play as well as we had first hoped. But we had a great team that year and played well all season to get there.
MH: Where would you like to see your hockey career go from here?
NP: I haven’t really thought about it to much, having just turned 20 I still (hopefully) have many years of playing ahead of me, so I’m just taking every season as it comes! I’d love to become a Peterborough legend and get my shirt on the wall with the other greats that have played in Peterborough colours! However it would be a dream to play in the EIHL or another top European league.Continue reading “One on One with Peterborough Phantoms’ Nathan Pollard”
In the first step down a new path for Team GB, two Under 20’s squad have been announced for forthcoming tournaments.
Lithuania will be the first port of call in a six team tournament held from 23rd to 28th August 2013.
The tournament is dedicated to the memory of Alexei Cherepanov, a Russian hockey player who died after collapsing during a KHL game in Russia in October 2008.
Team GB will face Lithuania Under-20s, Poland Under-20s, Belarus Under-18s and Russian sides Omsk Hawks and Kapitan Stupino.
A young squad of players has been selected with the emphasis on getting valuable experience.
Nine of the players are aged 16-17, with just four 19 year olds.
Without going through each member of the squad, I’ve selected a few interesting or notable players to note. Defenseman Ben Russell is now with Milton Keynes but…
marchhockey.com 
You must be logged in to post a comment.