The Hockey News Yearbook 2018-19

FIFTEEN. OR FEMTON IN Swedish. Viisitoista in Finnish, quinze in French, petnajst in Slovenian and пятнадцать in Russian. Fifteen is how deep you have to go in our Top 50 Players in the NHL list until you encounter an American. You can turn to pg. 18 to find out who it is or believe me when I say it’s Blake Wheeler. There’s at least one player whose first language is among the aforementioned who place ahead of the Jets star. Notice the descriptor is star, not superstar. There has been a dearth of American-born immortals for, well, ever. There are enough Yanks; the NHL’s population last season was roughly 45 percent Canadian, 27 percent American and 28 percent rest of world. Yet, despite the decent representation, the USA has struggled to…

SOME THINGS CAN’T BE explained. The rock band Toto sells out massive stadiums in Europe but can’t get arrested in their own country. David Hasselhoff is big in Germany. Jerry Lewis was seen as a buffoon in the U.S. but a creative genius in France. People in Newfoundland actually love bologna. Some things catch on, others don’t. Those that do not often remain local gems, loved by a select group of people, while being relatively ignored outside the limited number of devotees. It’s the same for hockey players. Some choose to call them underrated, which they are outside the markets in which they play. But to those who watch them game-in and game-out, they’re treasures. Here are 10 of those players, listed in alphabetical order, with the hope 2018-19 will be the…

IT’S BEEN A WHILE since a rookie defenseman swept us off our feet. Florida’s Aaron Ekblad was the most recent Calder Trophy-winning blueliner, and he earned the honor on the strength of an all-around game that was more sturdy than flashy. But with Buffalo selecting Rasmus Dahlin first overall, there’s a chance the Sabres have a candidate who becomes a regular on highlight reels. Actually, the Sabres have two rookies who fit that description. Let’s take a look at the best of this year’s rookie class. RASMUS DAHLIN BUFFALO | DEFENSE The first overall pick in 2018 made an immediate splash at Buffalo’s development camp by running over Matej Pekar during on-ice action. Yes, the internet went nuts over that one. While the physical side isn’t the first thing that comes to mind…

THANKS TO THE VEGAS Golden Knights, last season was about as wild as you could get in the NHL. Well, there’s no expansion team this year, so things will be a bit more measured. Sure, Boston and Calgary will play a couple pre-season games in China, while four other teams (Edmonton, Florida, New Jersey and Winnipeg) will play regular-season games in Europe, but that concept isn’t new. Most of the upheaval in the NHL is coming at the brass level. There will be half a dozen new coaches behind the bench, while four franchises have new GMs. Here’s a rundown of all the new happenings in the NHL for 2018-19. JERSEYS With Adidas taking over the sweater racket last year, the NHL went without third jerseys just to make the transition smoother…

IT’S THE CLASSIC CHOICE in assessing the potential of young hockey talent. Who is more likely to succeed in the NHL – a well-balanced prospect with no real holes in his game or the prospect who can do something extraordinarily well but has some issues to work out? The top two rookies in the NHL in 2017-18 fit into the latter category. Mathew Barzal of the New York Islanders and Brock Boeser of the Vancouver Canucks had outstanding rookie seasons. Both players look like future all-stars. Neither was a top-10 draft pick. Both were recognized as possessing one extraordinary talent. Barzal was a world-class playmaker with exceptional passing ability. Boeser was an accomplished goal-scorer with an elite shot. Both players had flaws. Barzal often held the puck too long, and…

1. CONNOR MCDAVID EDMONTON OILERS POSITION C | LAST YEAR 1 The Professional Hockey Writers Association awards the Hart Trophy to the player judged most valuable to his team, so Taylor Hall was a fitting choice in 2017-18. His 93 points were 41 more than his closest teammate. He helped the New Jersey Devils improve by 27 points year over year. The NHL Players’ Association, meanwhile, gives the Ted Lindsay Award not to its chosen MVP, but to the player it judges as most outstanding. It’s the current NHLers’ way of telling one special player, “We see you up close every night, and you blow us away.” For the second straight season, the Lindsay went to McDavid, who enjoyed his second consecutive scoring title and 100-point season. “I don’t want to bash on the…