In anticipation of the Seattle Kraken‘s inaugural season, we at The Hockey Writers are writing deep-dives on each player. This installment focuses on right wing Joonas Donskoi, whom the Kraken selected from the Colorado Avalanche in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Donskoi is a shifty, nimble forward who utilizes his stick-handling and edge work to
Player Profiles
This shortened 56-game season was a unique one for many Dallas Stars players, including their captain Jamie Benn. Coming off of a dominant performance in the Edmonton bubble that led the team all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, Benn experienced ups and downs and a move to center that could ultimately change the
Right-winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel played 50 games for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2020-21. He finished with three goals and nine assists while leading the team in penalty minutes with 44. He lost the position in the lineup that he had earned during his rookie season in 2019-20, as head coach Alain Vigneault healthy scratched him several
Johnny Gaudreau has been considered a superstar forward since the day he broke into the NHL. It seems hard to believe that he is already 26 years old and has 464 career regular-season games under his belt. Related: Val James: The Forgotten Trailblazer He is beloved by Calgary Flames fans and rightfully so, as he
The St. Louis Blues’ 2020-21 season had its highs and lows but ultimately ended in disappointment after the team fell in four games to the Colorado Avalanche in Round 1. In this series, we’ll look back on the season, player by player, and evaluate each player’s performance as an individual, with an eye towards their
When looking at core members of the Philadelphia Flyers who can help lead the organization for the next decade, Travis Konecny is one of if not the player who many fans might think of. Ever since he first donned orange and black, he has consistently improved his game season after season as he continues to
Roman Cechmanek was one of these European players whose star risen as fast as declined. He was not a widely known draft pick, burst onto the scene in the NHL later in his career and had several solid to great seasons in the NHL. Then all of a sudden he disappeared. Roman Cechmanek (Photo by Jeff
Talyn Boyko 2020-21 Team: Tri-City AmericansDate of Birth: Oct.16, 2002Place of Birth: Drumheller, AB, CanadaHt: 6-foot-6 Wt: 201 poundsCatches: LPosition: GoalieNHL Draft Eligibility: 2021 first-year eligible Rankings With only a handful of goalies listed in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, Talyn Boyko is on a mission to make his name known. At a colossal 6-foot-6,
Sasha Pastujov 2020-21 Team: U.S. National Development TeamDate of Birth: Jul. 15, 2003Place of Birth: Bradenton, FL, USAHt: 6-foot-0 Wt: 183 poundsShoots: LPosition: LW/RWNHL Draft Eligibility: 2021 first-year eligible Rankings When you look at this year’s USNTDP draft class, there have been three forwards that have stood out from the rest — Dylan Duke, Chaz
The Minnesota Wild are starting to become a very veteran team with a majority of their players over the age of 25. Defenseman Ryan Suter is no different as he entered his 16th season at 36 years of age this year. In the last 16, he hasn’t been the biggest goal scorer, but he has
Red Savage 2020-21 Team: USNTDP JuniorsDate of Birth: May 15, 2003Place of Birth: Scottsdale, AZ, USAHt: 5-foot-11 Wt: 174 poundsShoots: LPosition: C/LWNHL Draft Eligibility: 2021 first-year eligible Rankings When you look at the prospects available each year, there are always a few players who catch everyone’s attention, not because of their style of play, but
Combine a gritty style of play with quick hands and fast feet, throw in a swagger that sat well with his movie-star good looks, mix well with his fair share of nastiness and you have the young Derek Sanderson, better known by his friends and teammates as “Turk”. Born and raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario,
The Vancouver Canucks are back in the playoff race thanks mostly to the brilliant play of Thatcher Demko. He is firmly entrenched as the starting goaltender and does not look like he’s giving it up any time soon. He may have struggled out of the gate, but is now on an 8-1-0 run with a
When thinking about former Boston Bruins and current Washington Capitals defender Zdeno Chara, one word should come to mind. That word, as you might have guessed, is big. Whether it big his stature, his contributions to the team or his contributions to the city he’s playing hockey in, everything about Chara screams “big.” It’s for
When your favorite team has been playing as well as the Tampa Bay Lightning have in the first half of the 2020-21 season, it is easy to forget how competitive the NHL really is. After earning at least one point in their last nine games, the Lightning fell to the Detroit Red Wings who are
As the third anniversary of the trade deadline deal that brought Ryan McDonagh to the Tampa Bay Lightning approaches, it is easy to overlook the 31-year-old’s contributions to the team since arriving in the Bay Area. With a roster headlined by the electric offense of Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point, and Nikita Kucherov, as well as
When the Minnesota Wild drafted Kirill Kaprizov 135th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, no one could imagine the impact he’d have in his rookie season six years later. At the start of the season, it wouldn’t be surprising that many casual NHL fans didn’t know who he was. For starters, when Kaprizov was
The Calgary Flames’ first-round draft pick in 1984, Gary Roberts, played 10 memorable seasons in the Stampede City. He finished his career with the Tampa Bay Lightning over two decades later. He shattered no NHL records and never won an individual award but he played in three All-Star Games. Roberts was also loved by fans in