Reinforcements came quickly for the London Knights.
The MasterCard Memorial Cup hosts finally got the good news they were anxiously awaiting when the Buffalo Sabres returned defenceman Nikita Zadorov on Tuesday. The two-time defending champs beefed up their blue line the same day with the acquisition of the yappy, shot-blocking sensation Zach Bell from the North Bay Battalion.
Zadorov, who scored a goal in his seven game audition, stepped right into a Team Russia jersey in Thursday’s Subway Super Series and picked up three assists in the 5-2 win over Team OHL. He added two more assists in two games with the Knights, beginning his mandate in taking over the OHL.
“I want to be a (top) defenceman in the (OHL),” Zadorov told the London Free Press’s Ryan Pyette. “I want to have a good season and dominate here and win the Memorial Cup. I’m back to my family and all these guys. This organization is the best in junior hockey and I think it’ll be a good experience for me.”
Although brief, Zadorov took a lot away from his first taste of the National Hockey League, including his ‘welcome to the NHL moment.’
“I think I realized it when Ryan Getzlaf scored his hat-trick goal because of my mistake,” he told Yahoo’s Andrey Osadchenko. “I wasn’t quick enough and he got in position. Corey Perry passed it to him and he scored. Well, what can I say? Getzlaf and Perry are one of the best players in the league. They’ve played together for a while now. All they needed was a split second and they turned it into a goal. I didn’t have time to do anything about it. It was then and there that I realized I play in the NHL and you always have to be on your toes in that league.”
Bell’s addition left the Knights with a surplus of overages, which was remedied by a trade with bitter-rival Kitchener, sending Paxton Leroux to the Rangers for a fifth-round pick. Now that Leroux’s a rival, a former teammate took a moment to give him a parting shot.
GRIGORENKO RETURN TO QUEBEC?
The same day the Sabres returned Zadorov to London, they attempted sending 19-year-old forward Mikhail Grigorenko to their American Hockey League team in Rochester on a conditioning assignment.
The NHL vetoed the move, because it contradicted the agreement with the Canadian Hockey League. If a player is drafted from a CHL team, he’s not eligible for the AHL until he’s 20, has played four full seasons in major junior or if his team is done its season. Grigorenko doesn’t fit the bill, which means his options are Buffalo or Quebec.
Grigorenko’s agent, Jay Grossman, chimed in on the “soap opera” in the life and times of his client.
“Thankfully, (Grigorenko) has a sense of humour and ability to laugh at it,” Grossman told Le Soleil’s Kathleen Lavoie. “When you think about it, he’s had six coaches in one year. You can’t help but laugh because it is funny. He’s only 19.”
Grossman hopes Ted Nolan, the Sabres’ new head coach, will give his client an opportunity to impress him, and not only on the fourth line. Meanwhile, it seems apparent Grigorenko will be given the opportunity to play for Russia at the world juniors. Where he’ll play following the tournament remains in question.
SUBWAY SUPER SERIES STANDOFF
The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League set the tone for the Subway Super Series with back-to-back wins over the Russians on Monday and Wednesday. It was the first time Team QMJHL won both meetings in this event since 2009.
There were some memorable moments, to be sure. Russian forward Vladimir Tkachev, a Moncton Wildcats draft pick, tied Game 1 early in the third period on a beautiful solo rush.
Chicoutimi forward Laurent Dauphin earned a six-game suspension for this hit early in the first period of Game 2.
TVA Sports’ Mikael Lalancette believes the length of the suspension raises the bar and sets an example in the QMJHL.
The Ontario Hockey League lost only its second game in the event’s history with a 5-2 decision in Oshawa on Thursday. Game 4 goes Monday in Sudbury and can be seen on Sportsnet.
Meanwhile, Yahoo’s Andrey Osadchenko has an interesting piece on Russian forward Ildar Shiksatdarov, who’s doubling as the team’s guide in Canada.
BRASSARD NETS NEW MARK
Ottawa Senators prospect and Remparts’ starting goalie Francois Brassard established a new mark for the longest shutout streak in league history on Friday.
Brassard held the door shut for a span of 212 minutes and 10 seconds, surpassing the mark set by one-time Senators prospect Mathieu Chouinard during the 1997-98 season at 207 minutes and four seconds.
Brassard has certainly come a long way since going undrafted and being cut by his midget team as a 16 year old.
TRADE REQUESTS LEAVING BAD TASTE
As has been covered in this space the previous two weeks, multiple players have been sent home or chosen to return home early in the Western Hockey League season due to unhappiness in their situations. Regarding the scenario in Lethbridge, many of these players seeking trades have been granted their wish, no matter what it means for the franchise they’ve jilted.
Yahoo’s Kelly Friesen has an interesting take on whether the players fully understand the scope their decisions could have over the long haul, and how they may be perceived by NHL teams deciding their futures.
“I’m not sure if players quite realize the bad effect asking for a trade can have on them,” Rockets GM Bruce Hamilton told Friesen. “They are in this league to try to get to the NHL and asking for a trade in junior isn’t going to look good to them. I think sometimes that they hurt themselves by asking for one (a trade). NHL teams don’t like seeing that.”
Meanwhile, the Red Deer Rebels are now fully committed to Conner Bleackley after naming the 17-year-old sophomore team captain in recent weeks.
– Nathan MacKinnon may be gone, but Jonathan Drouin is ensuring the Halifax Mooseheads still have a human highlight reel in the lineup.
– The Guelph Storm couldn’t send positive vibes out west after a dominating 6-0 win over Kitchener on Sunday while wearing Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ jerseys on Grey Cup Sunday.
– The Rangers settled their overage situation by dealing Ben Thomson to North Bay.
– The Rangers also dealt Vancouver Canucks prospect Evan McEneny to Kingston, leaving some to wonder if this deal signals the Fronts are ready to take the next step into becoming a contender.
– Mario Morissette looks at one of junior’s most unheralded players, Baie-Comeau captain Felix Girard, and outlines why he should be considered a prime candidate for Canada’s world junior team.
– A scary incident as Seattle’s Roberts Lipsbergs sends Kelowna’s Mitchell Wheaton into the boards and off on a stretcher on Tuesday. Wheaton hasn’t played since.