MarchHockey

All The Kings Men: River Kings 2013 LNAH Draft

Oh dear. What a circus act it has been this past year for the Cornwall River Kings. First losing critical pieces in management, then coaching staff, it’s actually quite shocking that the team is still here in the first place. Of course there’s plenty of rumors swirling around but I’m not about to gossip. Instead let’s criticize one of the worst drafts I’ve ever seen!

Loic Lacasse. Cornwall River Kings. (PHOTO: Allison Papineau.)

First things first. Cornwall has a remarkable goaltender in Loic Lacasse. In case you’re not keeping track, Lacasse went 181st in the 6th round in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft to the Montreal Canadiens. And you want to know a fun fact about that statistic? He got drafted HIGHER then PEKKA RINNE. Rinne went in 258th in the 8TH ROUND.

And in case you’ve been living under a rock, Pekka Rinne plays for the Nashville Predators and was nominated for the Vezina 2 years in a row (2011, 2012). I don’t know about you but being drafted higher then a two time Vezina trophy nominee AND winning the league’s award for best goaltender says something in my books. But what do I know.

So we come to the 2013 LNAH draft with our heads held high. After all of this management fiasco, we are determined that we will be able to snag a few brilliant pieces into the fold. And in the first round we draft………a goalie.

Sigh. Brilliant. 2 of Cornwall’s 10 picks turned out to be goaltenders. I wasn’t aware that our goaltending situation was in trouble.

Jonathan Zion. Chicago Express. (PHOTO: Farm8. Flickr.)

Anyway, with the second pick Cornwall selected Jonathan Zion. A huge defensive addition that will hopefully fill the hole left from Sasha Pokulok who is heading off to Russia next season.

Here’s the final draft order:

1) Josh Tordjman ……..Goalie
2) Jonathan Zion ……..Defence
3) TRADED
4) TRADED
5) Christian Boucher……Goalie
6) Carl Tatonetti …….Forward
7) Danick Paquette …….Forward
8) Brett Angel …….Defence
9) Myke Byrd …….Defence
10) Chris Ayotte …….Forward

Hey, it can’t get any worse. Right?

Grand Rapids Griffins Capture Calder Cup

June 18, 2013

Syracuse, New York

What a moment for Michigan hockey. The Grand Rapids Griffins have won the Calder Cup for the first time in their 17 year history over the Syracuse Crunch. The Crunch were playing in their first ever Calder Cup final appearance and both teams put on a show.

The series went 6 games with the final curtain coming down to a 5-2 victory to finish the series 4 games to 2. Unfortunately for the Griffins, the title capture wasn’t at home but it was still cheers and happiness throughout a crowd of 6375 the War Memorial arena.

The Most Valuable Player award for the entire Calder Cup playoffs went to Tomas Tatar of Grand Rapids who scored twice in the win. He lead the playoffs in points with 21 in an astounding 24 games. Detroit Red Wings prospect goaltender Petr Mrazek made 24 stops in the win.

If this is a sign of things to come, Detroit Red Wings fans should be thrilled with their primary affiliate’s performance this season. The General Manager-less Griffins rely extensively on the Red Wings for support. That being said, Detroit must be doing something right over there with this young and striving team.

Kingston Frontenacs Add Depth With First Round Signing

http://www.kingstonfrontenacs.com

General Manager Dougie Gilmour has been a busy little beaver as of late. The club announced the signing of Lawson Crouse; a first round pick in the 2013 OHL Priority Selection draft. At only 16 years old, the 6’3 Crouse is a whopping monster of a kid who will bring great skill. The Frontenacs are looking to build a championship team in the coming years.

Here is the official statement from the team:

“General Manager Doug Gilmour announced the Kingston Frontenacs have signed the club’s first round pick in the 2013 OHL Priority Selection. Lawson Crouse, a 1997 born forward who turns 16 on June 23, was the 5th overall selection by the club this past April, having played for the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs.

“We are thrilled to welcome Lawson and his entire family to our organization, Lawson is the total package, size, skill and character,” said Gilmour. “With Lawson as a member of the team we feel it brings us that much closer to an OHL Championship.”

Crouse, a six-foot-three, 183-pound left winger, impressed scouts across the OHL with his 22 goals and 50 points in 27 games this season playing left wing. He was equally impressive at the recent OHL Cup, scoring four goals in five games. “I’m really excited to come to Kingston and be a part of the Frontenacs,” said Crouse. “I feel that I’m going to be part of a great team over the next number of years.” – http://www.kingstonfrontenacs.com/article/fronts-sign-first-round-pick_145105