Mitch Marner and William Nylander get on the scoresheet on the final day of the preliminary stage of the 2017 World Championships, the Leafs sign Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman, the Marlies force a Game 7 in Syracuse, and more in the links.
Leafs/NHL Links
Andreas Borgman, Calle Rosen: Scouting reports, Video (MLHS)
[Borgman] has pretty good credentials this year. He was the rookie of the year in the Swedish league. The book I got on him from talking to some other NHL teams who were interested in him is that the agent was maybe selling him as a guy who is going to be a top-four guy or is ready to be a top-four guy in the National Hockey League. Some of the other teams thought that he was maybe more of a third-pairing guy.
Leafs sign Calle Rosen, Andreas Borgman to two-year contracts (MLHS)
The Leafs‘ recruitment efforts in Europe have been led by Director of Player Evaluation Jim Paliafito, who was hired in the offseason of 2015. Throughout his first year on the job, Paliafito was credited with putting in the legwork to land Zaitsev amid a sizable crowd of NHL suitors. Neither Rosen or Borgman garnered quite the same level of interest as Zaitsev, but we know the Chicago Blackhawks were the other front-runner for Rosen while Borgman was said to have a number of NHL clubs interested in him dating back to January. One selling point with the Leafs for both these players, no doubt, is the opportunity to compete for an NHL roster spot on Toronto’s blue line as early as this September.
Leafs draft pick Adam Brooks reflects on successful WHL career (Toronto Sun)
“I was fortunate enough to be with the Pats the whole time,” said an emotional Brooks, who proudly wore Regina’s colours for a quarter of his life. “There are teammates that I played with when I was a young guy who are here tonight. All the things that happened in your career, all the friendships you make, it’s tough. It’s tough to see it all go. I’ll always be a Pat at heart and I’ll always call Regina my home. (Losing) is definitely a tough pill to swallow, but I guess there comes a time where you have to move on.”
Nielsen’s third-period goal lifts Marlies to Game 6 victory over Crunch (MLHS)
It was no oil painting — far from the Marlies‘ best showing of the playoffs — but an inspired goaltending performance from Kasimir Kaskisuo gave Toronto a chance and they took advantage of a third-period power play to win their fifth home playoff game in a row in front of a packed Ricoh crowd of 6,749.
Canada takes first (IIHF.com)
Mitch Marner, a natural passer of great skill but often a reluctant shooter, scored two goals in the first period and assisted on another to lead Canada to an impressive win over Finland in the final round-robin game in Paris. The win gives Canada six wins and an overtime loss to conclude the round robin while the loss leaves the Finns with a 2-2-1-2 record.
Marner is now tied for sixth in tournament scoring with 10 points (four goals, six assists) in seven games.
Sweden drops Slovakia (IIHF.com)
Seconds later, though, Sweden showed how it should be done. Play went straight back down the ice and William Nylander displayed some superb skills up close to go backhand then forehand and bamboozle Julius Hudacek before finding the top shelf.
30 Thoughts: Should St. Louis target Eberle for scoring help? (Sportsnet)
An unusual name started circulating in trade circles the last few days: Minnesota’s Nino Niederreiter. The 24-year-old winger had a career-high 25 goals in 2016–17, and, after making a few calls, it sounds like teams are looking at the Wild’s expansion/cap situation, wondering if he could be available. Two years away from unrestricted free agency, Niederreiter is arbitration eligible and will get a nice raise from the $2.7 million he just earned.
Penguins coach defends Phil Kessel, Emotional Bench Guy (Puck Daddy)
“Phil’s an emotional guy. When he comes back to the bench, he wants a pass and he doesn’t get it, he lets a guy know. I have no problem with that. I don’t think our team has any problem with that. I think that’s how we make progress. That’s how we come together as a team,” said Sullivan. “I think it brings energy to our bench, and for me, that’s a good thing. So it tells me that we’ve got a bunch of guys that are invested and they want to win.”
5 Keys: Ducks at Predators, Game 3 (NHL.com)
The matchup between Predators center Ryan Johansen and Ducks center Ryan Kesler has been the dominant storyline after a 5-3 Ducks win in Game 2. Johansen said after Game 2 that Kesler “blows his mind” with the way he plays the game. They could be matched up against each other again in Game 3. “I laughed,” Kesler said. “I got a lot of text messages from friends and family saying they still cheer me on. He can say whatever he wants though, I’m not going to change my game. I’m here for one reason and one reason only, and that’s to win some games here and to ultimately win the series. He can say whatever he wants.”
