Interesting CBA Note:  While the NHL did cap salaries and removed bonuses from veteran players, they did allow for first time contract, rookie player to acheive an additional $850,000 annually in performance bonuses.  Performance bonuses included, games played, points scored, being named to the NHL All Star Team, Winning the Hart Trophy, etc.  Newly signed Phil Kessel has a number of these bonuses in his contract with the Boston Bruins.

Former Gopher defenseman Peter Kennedy will try out with the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL but is likely to begin the season with the Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL.

Look for Toby Petersen to be signed by an NHL club this week.
 
Congratulations to PJ Atherton who will be married prior to the start of his first full season as a professional with the farm team of the Tampa Bay Lightning.  PJ would have been signed to a two-way deal with the Bolts but they already had the maximum number of players under such a contract so they signed him to the minor league deal to keep him in their system and so they can closely watch his progress.  Atherton is still very much part of the future plans for the Lightning.
 
Shjon Podein's First Annual Rock N Walk at Lake Calhoun over the weekend was a big success.  Participants walked three laps around the lake and contributing pledges.  Walkers were entertained by performers gb leighton and Nathan Miller and more and then held a party at Famous Daves at Calhoun Square after the event.  Attendees included John Waibel, Erik Rassmussen, Marty Sertich, John Pohl, Krissy Wendell and Scott Parker even flew in from Los Angeles to attend the party.  The event raised more than $5,000 for the Shjon Podein Children's Foundation which will help fund a local Sledge Hockey team, allowing them to purchase sleds this winter.
 
Podein, who officially retired from professional hockey after spending last season in Japan, is now working for Brian Lawton, joining former Gopher Jon Waibel in the professional sports agency.  Podein and his wife Sherry are expecting their first son in one month, a little brother for Anna, the Podein's first daughter, and playmate for Bear, the family dog.  No word on names for the little one, though "Junior" seems to be the favourite.
 
Unable to attend the Rock N Walk were regular Podein participants Mark Parrish and Dan Hinote, who were in Denver to attend the premiere of "Beerfest" the movie.
 
Its' that time of year again.  Local player agents host their annual training camps for the players they represent and local skaters.  Neil Sheehy's camp, which includes Matt Koalska, the Potulny brothers and John Pohl skates daily at Augsburg College and Ben Hankinson's camp skates at Parade Ice Garden also in Minneapolis.  Chris McAlpine helps Hankinson run his camp and Bill Butters assists with Sheehy.  Brian Lawton's camp is usually held at Bloomington Ice Gardens.  Rookies start to report to their teams in late August with veterans and older players joining them at the end of the first week in September.  
 
Former Gopher Troy Riddle will play in Germany this season with Adler Mannheim.  Riddle won the Kelly Cup with the Alaska Aces last season.
 
Joe Bourne has signed to play with Esbjerg fB Ishockey in Denmark this season.  He skated with ESV Kaufbeuren in Germany last year.
 
Derek Eastman, former standout with the ECHL Columbia Inferno will also be crossing the pond and playing for Storhamar Dragons in Norway this season.
 
Goaltender Justin Eddy too will play overseas for SV Caldaro in Italy this year.
 
Mike Pudlick has signed to play in Germany with EHC Wolfsburg this year, transferring from Krefeld Pinguine, where he played last season.
 
Former Gopher Judd Stevens will join Nick Angell in Sweden this year, playing for IFK Arboga IK.  He did not play last season.
 
Former Wild defenseman Steve McKenna who played last year in Australia will play this season in Korea and has agreed to be the National Team coach for Australia in 2007.
 
Former Wild prospect Marc Cavosie will play in Sweden with Rögle BK next year.
 
Grand Rapids native Kurt Kleinendorst is returning to the professional ranks as the first head coach of the new AHL Lowell Devils hockey team.  Formerly the Lowell Lock Monsters the club is the new AHL affiliate for New Jersey who dropped thier long-time relationship with Albany after last season.  Kleinendorst was last an assistant coach with the NHL Devils and has been coaching amateur hockey in New Jersey and has been on the Devils' scouting staff since leaving that post.  Chris Terreri and Kevin Deal will be Kleinendorst's assistants.
 
Former Minnesota Wild forward Jason Wiemer underwent reconstructive knee surgery this month which could provide Lou Lamoriello and the Devils a salary cap break.  The fourth-liner, whose salary was slated to be $950,000 this season, is expected to miss at least six months following the surgery.  That should allow Lamoriello, who is still looking to move some more players, to sign defensemen Paul Martin and David Hale.  It is expected that Wiemer will be placed on the long-term injury list which means that he will still be paid his salary (likely funded by insurance) but that it will not be applied toward the salary cap.
 
The contract for Phil Kessel is laden with bonus clauses, but ones which may be very difficult to reach.  Some are obvious, like one paid out if he wins the Calder trophy for best rookie player in the NHL and one if he is named to the All Star Team.


Quick Speculation:
 
Look for the local NHL Player Agent landscape to change shortly.
 
Quick Facts would not be surprised if former Gopher defenseman Nate Hagemo did not return to hockey.  While, unverified, there have been reports of side effects to medication he is taking to help heal the nerve damage in his shoulder.  Quick Facts would not be shocked to learn for certain that nerve damage is irreparable and permanent, but would be happy to learn that wasn't the case.

 
  .

Former Gopher Todd Richards has been named head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL.  Since retiring from competitive hockey Richards has been an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Admirals.  Richards has won the Turner Cup as champion of the IHL while playing with the Orlando Solar Bears and won the Calder Cup championship with Milwaukee as a coach.

While Todd Richards is moving up to a head coaching position his brother Travis decided that the coaching path wasn't for him.  Travis Richards, who officially retired this spring, hopes to open a training center in Grand Rapids, Michigan with former Gopher baseball player Brent Gates with Gates handling the baseball training and Richards running the hockey training.
 
Former Gopher and Wild player Darby Hendrickson has healed and recovered nicely following sports hernia surgery that ended his season early last spring.  He leaves with his family on Sunday for Austria where he will once again play this year for Red Bulls Salzburg.
 
Goaltender Justin Eddy has signed to play in Italy next season with SV Caldaro.  He played last season with the ECHL Utah Grizzlies.
 
Ben Eaves, who last season played in the AHL with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins will play with Blues Espoo in Finland this season.
 
Steve Slaton of Plymouth will play in Europe with ESV Kaufbeuren of the German Bundesliga next season.  He played last year with the ECHL Gwinnett Gladiators, runners up for the ECHL Kelly Cup Championship.
 
Former Wild prospect Rickard Wallin will play for HC Lugano in Switzerland next season.  He played last year for Färjestads BK in his home country of Sweden.  The Wild did not re-sign the forward.
 
Andrei Nazarov, whom the Wild signed last fall to replace retired enforcer Matt Johnson, has stated in a Russian newspaper interview that steroid use amongst NHL enforcers is rampant. Nazarov told the Russian sports journal Sport-Express that steroid use is universal among the league's goons and that a majority of players are using some kind of drugs to help them hang on to lucrative jobs. Nazarov also said that it was easy for players to find out the dates of drug testing so that they could avoid the drugs long enough for them to clear their system.  The emergence of Derek Boogaard last season made Nazarov expendable and he was dispatched to Houston, where he rarely played.  He announced his retirement from professional hockey last month.
 
David Tanabe will have his arbitration hearing tomorrow, August 4th.
 
Wild prospect Shawn Belle was unable to participate in scrimmages during prospect camp as he is still recovering from shoulder surgery that sidelined him late last season.
 
The Minnesota Wild will be flirting with $42 million in salary attributable to the salary cap this season.  A players' salary is averaged for the term of their contract and applied toward the cap and signing bonuses and last year's performance bonuses are also applied toward the cap.  That will give the Wild just enough wiggle room to sign a player that may become available or to replace and injured player at some point in the season.
 
The Dwayne Roloson trade could go down as one of Doug Risebrough's greatest feats if the experiment of pairing Pavol Demitra and Marian Gaborik works.  The way the deal worked, the Wild got Demitra as well as Petteri Nummelin in exchange for Roloson and prospect Patrick O'Sullivan.  Nummelin could be an acquisition equal in importance to that of signing Brian Rolston was two years ago, but is a highly unpublicized move.
 
Notable NHL unrestricted free agents still unsigned:  Richard Park, Jim Dowd, Josh Langfeld, Jeremy Stevenson, Alex Henry, Erik Rasmussen
 
Paul Martin, a restricted free agent with the New Jersey Devils remains unsigned as Lou Lamoriello tries to dig out from the salary cap mess he got himself into last season.  

Cam Stewart was named Assistant Coach and Front Office Advisor for the Houston Aeros.  Stewart was an assistant coach of the Aeros after his career ended with the Minnesota Wild during their inagural season due to concussion complications.  Stewart left prior to the lockout season to pursue other business opportunites and returns to the organization this season.
 
John Marks, who until they folded just recently was the head coach of the Greenville Grrrowl, has been named head coach of the SPHL Fayetteville FireAntz.  While the league is certainly a step down, it allows Marks to stay closer his home in South Carolina.  Marks was one of the finalists for the Houston Aeros head coaching jobs after Dave Tippett left for the NHL.  Marks, a former coach and player with UND, and the Chicago Blackhawks, broke the Most Games Coached in the ECHL record last season after topping the previous mark of 878 games set by John Brophy.

 
 
Quick Quote:
 
"Todd was an extremely smart player and has proven to have one of the brightest young coaching minds in the AHL.  His record of success, both as a player and coach, will be a great asset when developing our future in Wilkes-Barre."  Chuck Fletcher Pittsburgh Penguins Assistant General Manager (Pittsburgh Penguins).

 

Watch Quick Facts soon for a story about the Minnesota Wild's new look this season!
 

The New York Rangers re-signed Bryce Lampman who missed the end of the season last year due to injury.
 
Former Wild Center Marc Chouinard signed a deal with the Vancouver Canucks, bringing to five, the number of players who played with the Wild last season, signing with Division rivals.  Chouinard joins Willie Mitchell in Vancouver, Andrei Zyuzin signed with Calgary, Dwayne Roloson & Daniel Tjarnqvist signed with Edmonton.  Last year saw the three former Wild players skate with the Colorado Avalanche (Andrew Brunette, Antti Laaksonen and Jim Dowd).  The General Managers of Wild opponents must like what they see in Wild castoffs.
 
Scott Ferguson, whom the wild signed as a free agent last year but quickly dispatched to the minors, signed with the San Jose Sharks.  The Atlanta Thrashers picked up former Wild forward Kyle Wanvig, whom the Wild did not qualify.
 
Tim Jackman was re-signed by the Los Angeles Kings.
 
There are currently 17 players who have been signed to NHL contracts after missing more than one season and playing overseas or not at all.  The dramatic increase can be attributed to the revision in the CBA that relaxed waiver rules for veteran players in the minors and increased their salary levels.  The Minnesota Wild have two reclamation players, Peter Ratchuck & Petteri Numellin but Philadelphia & Atlanta top the list with three players each, Dan Corso, Brad Tapper & Marty Murray were signed by Philly while Atlanta signed Cory Larose (who was formerly in the Wild organization), Jason Krog & Fred Brathwaite.
 
Minnesota Free agents still unsigned:
 
Unrestricted:
Sean Hill, Troy Riddle, Todd Rohloff, Matt DeMarchi, Erik Rassmussen, Josh Langfeld, Ben Eaves
 
Restricted:
David Tanabe, Andrew Alberts, Jeff Taffe, Kurt Sauer, Brandon Bochenski, Toby Petersen, Paul Martin, Ben Clymer

Bret Hedican will get his one day with Lord Stanley's Cup in Minnesota.  Matt Cullen has the cup this week in Moorhead and Hedican will have it one day in August.
 
Matt Hussey, who last year played with the Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins, signed a free agent deal with the Detroit Red Wings.  It is the first time the Wings have had a Minnesotan in the organization for a few years.
 
Former Hobey Baker winner and UMD standout Junior Lessard has accepted his one-year qualifying offer with the Dallas Stars.
 
Jordan Parise's contract with the New Jersey Devils just became official over last weekend.  Parise will play with the Devils' new AHL affiliate, the Lowell Devils (formerly Lock Monsters).  The Devils terminated their agreement with the Albany River Rats last year after a lengthy relationship with the NY Capital city.
 
There is no word yet on whether the Ottawa Senators will sign Badger goalie Brian Elliott.
 
Erik Westrum was offered a very tempting contract to play for Yaroslov Lokomotiv in Russia this season.  Had he not received a one-way contract offer from the Toronto Maple Leafs he would have accepted but he wanted to give the NHL one more try.
 
Ryan Potulny will live with Flyers prospect Jeff Carter in Philadelphia this season.  Potulny has the advantage of having the AHL team in the same city as the NHL team so that if either Carter or Potulny start the season with the Phantoms, it won't affect the living arrangements. Potulny lived with Carter after signing with the team last spring and the two got along famously.
 
Wyatt Smith purchased a condo in Eden Prairie last summer so won't have to find new living arrangements if he plays for the Wild this season. With Pavol Demitra, Wes Walz, Todd White and Mikko Koivu all listed at the Center position, Smith will have a difficult time cracking the starting lineup unless there is an injury or position shift.
 
David Tanabe will have his arbitration hearing with the Boston Bruins on August 8th if not signed prior to then.
 
Nate DiCasmirro was signed as a free agent by the Bruins.  He played last year under contract with the Edmonton Oilers.
 
Former St. Cloud State Husky Joe Jensen was signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins this week. The Maple Grove native was drafted in 2003.
 
Goaltender Karl Goehring was signed as a free agent by the Nashville Predators.  He is likely to start the season with the Milwaukee Admirals. Goehring spent the last two seasons as part of the Blue Jackets organization.
 
JJ Daigneault, one of the original members of the Minnesota Wild, has been named an assistant coach with the Hartford Wolf Pack working alongside Ken Gernander. Daigneault was selected by the Wild in the expansion draft but only played one game before being reassigned to the Cleveland Lumberjacks.  He retired following that season.  He was an assistant coach with the Phoenix Roadrunners last season.
 
Colin Stuart was resigned by the Atlanta Thrashers. He played last season with the Chicago Wolves.
 
Clay Wilson was signed to a two-year entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks.  Wilson, a native of Sturgeon Lake, played last season with the Grand Rapids Griffins.  The Ducks also signed former UND forward Colby Genoway who played last season with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
 
Former Wild goaltender Jamie McLennan signed with the Calgary Flames.  He played last year in Florida but McLennan returns to Calgary where he was back up for two seasons after he was not re-signed by the Minnesota Wild after the 2001-02 season.
 
Evan Schwabe was re-signed by the South Carolina Stingrays.
 
TJ Guidarelli will play for EV Landchut in Germany this season.  He played for EHC München last year.
 
Andrei Nazarov, the enforcer the Wild signed last year as a free agent, has retired from professional hockey. Nazarov was signed as a replacement for Matt Johnson, but the emergence of Derek Boogaard made Nazarov expendable and he spent the majority of the season in Houston after clearing waivers.
 
A new fundraising event for Shjon Podein's Children's Foundation will be held in Minneapolis at Lake Calhoun this summer.  The First Annual "Rock-N-Walk" will be held on August 19th.  Billed as a family-friendly event it will feature a walk around the lake beginning at 10:00am, with a band entertaining participants every 3/4 mile,  and a big party at Famous Dave's following the walk beginning at 2:00pm.  Sponsors are still needed for the event so if you are interested in participating please send an email to Quick Facts and your information will be passed along.  There is a chance that the Stanley Cup could make an appearance at the event too!


Quick Speculation:
 
With Garth Snow retiring to take over General Manager duties with the New York Islanders the club will be looking for a back-up goaltender.  They did re-sign former Denver star Wade Dubielwicz to a one-year deal, but will need an additional goaltender to back up Rick DiPietro as well.  The Minnesota Wild have both Nicklas Backstrom and Josh Harding as very capable NHL back up netminders so it wouldn't be a stretch to see Risebrough make a deal to send one eastward.  
 

 QF Exclusive:  Former Gopher Erik Westrum, who played with the Minnesota Wild last season, will play with the Toronto Maple Leafs next year.  He joins fellow Gophers John Pohl and Chris Harrington in TO.
 
Westrum is busy with his annual charity raffle to benefit the Parkinsons Association of Minnesota.  Erik lost his grandmother to Parkinson's Disease and has held the raffle to raise funds for support of those with the disease and for research efforts to find a cure.  Raffle tickets are $5 each and prizes include several restaurant gift certificates, hockey equipment, Minnesota Wild team-signed memorabilia, a hotel stay and $100 cash!  The raffle drawing will be held on Sunday, August 6th at Rascal's Restaurant in Apple Valley.  You need not be present to win.  If you are interested in purchasing a raffle ticket you may contact Quick Facts via email.

Jed Fiebelkorn has graduated from the University of Montana, Missoula and now lives in Montana with his wife Shannon.  He is a fishing guide with Blackfoot River Outfitters.  If you're interested in booking a fishing trip in Montana with Jed as your guide, go to the Blackfoot website.
 
Lord Stanley's Cup will be making a visit to Minnesota next week and will make a return trip for one day in August.  Minnesota players Bret Hedican and Matt Cullen won the Stanley Cup, and the right to have it for one day, with the Carolina Hurricanes this past June.  The Hockey Hall of Fame does not release the whereabouts of the Cup and details of players' schedules with the trophy unless a public event is planned.
 
Tom Preissing had a point in virtually every playoff game for the San Jose Sharks last year and he logged a great deal of ice time so it came as a shock to learn he had been traded.  Preissing was especially anxious when he learned his destination was Chicago but when he learned a few hours later he was headed to Ottawa the former CC Tiger became excited at the opportunity.  Admittedly the move took a bit of getting used to, it is the first time he had been traded since signing as a free agent with the Sharks, but now is looking forward to the chance to play with Wade Redden and the Senators.  He is being counted on with the Sentators to help provide offense, filling the void left by Zdeno Chara.  Preissing will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
  
While Erik Johnson has decided to honor his commitment to the University of Minnesota, several other of the Gophers opponents are looking to sign NHL contracts. Word is that the Chicago Blackhawks are trying to sign Jack Skille and Jonathan Toewes.  New Jersey already signed Jordan Parise and there remains a chance the Ottawa Senators may try to sign goaltender Jason Elliott this summer as well. That means the Gophers may have lost four of their toughest opponents, and by having one of the top incoming freshman classes and three highly ranked sophomores, Minnesota will be early favourites to repeat as WCHA Regular Season Champions.
  
Gopher Village?  Paul Martin, Keith Ballard and Thomas Vanek have all bought condominiums in the same location in Northeast Minneapolis.  Ballard and Martin are in fact, neighbors with Vanek just a few houses away.
  
Interesting CBA fact:  NHL teams are allowed to exceed the salary cap by 7.5 percent, but when they exceed the cap, say when a player reaches a perfomance bonus at the conclusion of the season, that amount is applied to the following season, lowering their cap for that season. 
  
The New Jersey Devils are in a devil of a pickle with the salary cap this season.  They haven't signed Paul Martin and David Hale, both restricted free agents, in part because they are still trying to determine a course of action to assemble a team and still come in under the cap.  The Devils will be penalized for some kneejerk moves Lou Lamoriello made last season in signing Alexander Mogilny and Vladmir Malakhov after losing Scott Neidermeyer to the Ducks.  In addition, he is saddled with some hefty contracts for Brian Rafalski and John Madden.  Before he can sign Martin, Hale and Gomez, Lamoriello will need to make some trades to come in under the cap.  Look for Sergei Brylin, Madden and Rafalski to be shopped with Malahkov and Mogilny, if the latter two can be moved.
 
Its no secret that Jordan Leopold and Darryl Sutter did not have the best of relationships so Leopold wasn't terribly disappointed to be traded to Colorado.  Now comes word out of Canada that Sutter may step down as head coach of the Flames and allow Jim Playfair to take over as bench boss.
  
Dean Blais has quietly moved from an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets into a role in player development with the team.
   
Brothers Matt Cullen and Mark Cullen will play for bitter rivals this season. Mark signed with the Philadelphia Flyers while Matt signed with the New York Rangers.
  
Grant Potulny will have his best chance ever of cracking the Ottawa Senators' NHL lineup this season.  While the Sens have a great first two lines consisting of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley, Mike Fisher, Patrick Eaves and Brian McGrattan, they don't have much for the blue-collar lines, a perfect opportunity for the former Gopher who makes his living working hard and getting dirty.  He could be matched with Chris Neil as part of a physical grind line.
 
Qualifying offers tendered to NHL restricted free agents expire on July 15th.
  
Nick Angell will play for the Swedish Elitesieren team IF Brynas this season.  He leaves for Sweden on August 22nd.
  
TJ Caig will play for Heilbronner EC in Germany next year after spending last season leading the Netherlands in scoring.
  
Matt Froehlich of Apple Valley will not return to his Montpellier AHC club in France next season.
  
Brett Hauer will play for Lokomotiv Yaroslav of the Russia Superleague next year. Lokomotiv is known to pay some of the highest salaries in Europe.  Hauer has spent the last few seasons playing in either the Swiss or German Elite Leagues.
  
Former Gopher goaltender Adam Hauser will play in the Deutche Eishockey Liga for Kölner Haie.  He played his first NHL game in Los Angeles with the Kings last year.
  
Dwight Parrish will play for the Bracknell Bees in the British league this year.
  
Minnesota NHL Free Agents still unsigned:
  
Restricted:  David Tanabe, Brandon Bochenski, Kurt Sauer, Ben Clymer, Junior Lessard, Bryce Lampman, Jeff Taffe
  
Unrestricted: Wyatt Smith, Erik Rasmussen, Sean Hill, Tim Jackman, Toby Petersen, Todd Rohloff, Nate DiCasmirro, Matt Hussey, Adam Berkhoel, Josh Langfeld, Matt DeMarchi, Troy Riddle

PJ Atherton has signed an AHL contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning and will play for their affiliate, the Hershey Bears in Pennsylvania next season.  Neither Gino Guyer nor Andy Sertich have contracts yet, and will become unrestricted free agents August 15th if not signed by Dallas or Pittsburgh, respectively.
 
Defenseman Sean Hill of Duluth had his contract bought out by the Florida Panthers making him an unrestricted free agent.
 
There has been a noticible uptick in the number of players returning from Europe to sign two-way contracts in the NHL this season.  The revision of the waiver rules and maximum salaries is the reason, allowing veteran players to make decent money at the AHL level and still have an opportunity to be recalled to the NHL.
 
Former Minnesota State Mankato defenseman Kyle Peto has signed to play with KaiPa in Finland next season.
 
Randy Robitaille, whom the Wild did not tender a qualifying offer, has signed with the Philadelphia Flyers and Daniel Tjarnqvist, who was an unrestricted free agent defenseman after playing with the Wild last year, has signed with the Edmonton Oilers.  The signing of Tjarnqvist has made the number of defensive players who were with the Wild last year now playing with Division opponents four, Willie Mitchell to Vancouver, Tjarnqvist & Roloson to Edmonton, and Zyuzin to Calgary.
 
Quick Facts has projected the Wild team salary (not including signing bonuses) to be at least $42 million next season.  On this link is a grid of players projected to start in the NHL and other possible candidates, and their estimated salaries*


Quick Speculation:

Quick Facts believes that the Minnesota Wild are not done shaking up the roster and that there will be an effort to move some players to other teams or off the Wild roster through other means.

 

Quick Feature: AHL to require face shields

Jeff Taffe will marry Jenny Brown, the niece of Janet Gretzky, who is the wife of his Coyotes' Head Coach, Wayne Gretzky, this weekend.  The two met and began dating when Taffe played in Phoenix the first time around. Taffe was traded last season to the Rangers but reacquired at the end of the season.  The wedding will take place in Scottsdale.
 
Tyler Pitlick, nephew of former Gopher Lance Pitlick, is starting to attract attention.  Pitlick was a member of the Minnesota Hockey District 10 Advanced 15 team that won the Championship of the Advanced 15 Spring Festival.  Tyler, however, said he hasn't yet been contacted by any colleges.
 
There are also some players with Nanne genes who have hit the scouting radar.  Tino Leterri's son, Vinni, and Marty Nanne's son Tyler, are both hockey-crazy.  Of the two, however, it is Tyler who will likely garner the most attention.
 
The foursome of Ben Hankinson, Lance Pitlick, Marty Nanne and Grant Bischoff tied for first in the Mariucci Classic Golf Tournament on Monday, but lost to Mark Bahr's team in a scorecard shootout. Both teams finished at 17 under but Bahr's team, that included the pro from the White Bear Country Club, was playing with only three players and they had 5 shots so they alternated taking 2 extra shots each hole, giving them the final advantage.
 
Paul Martin, Joel Otto and Danny Hinote have helped to organize a fund-raising hockey tournament in Elk River (all three called the city their hometown) that will include several NHL and Minnesota players.  The tournament raised funds for Elk River hockey, Hinote's Heroes and the Boys & Girls Club.
 
Former Bemidji State Beaver Ryan Huddy has signed to play in German with EC Peiting next season.
 
The Minnesota Wild raised ticket prices across the board this season, a year after the lockout and a mediocre season.  The Detroit Red Wings, who fill a building larger than the X to capacity and also have a waiting list, reduced thier ticket prices after the lockout, announced they will not increase ticket prices for 2007, a year after a President's Trophy season.

Former St. Cloud State standout Tyler Arnason has been let go by the Ottawa Senators without a qualifying offer, making the former Husky an unrestricted free agent. He was being paid $1.2 million US last season, and Sens GM John Muckler said Monday that he couldn't work the American into his budget for next season.  Arnason refused a salary reduction to stay with the Senators so they did not qualify the forward.  He has a lazy reputation and was traded from the Chicago Blackhawks to Ottawa at the deadline last season in exchange for Minnesotan Brandon Bochenski.  Free Agency begins for the NHL on July 1st with Arbitration beginning on July 20th.
 
The Senators signed Andy Hedlund to a one-year deal prior to the draft.  Hedlund, a Minnesota defenseman, played last year in Germany due to the pay restriction on veteran players under the New CBA.  With the revision to that clause of the CBA, Hedlund is able to return to the Senators system, play in the AHL make more than $75,000 a season and still have the ability to be recalled by the Ottawa Club without them losing him to waivers and having to pick up half his salary.
 



 

Quick Facts Exclusive

Rumors of Parise Departure Premature:

There has been some recent speculation that Jordan Parise has signed or will sign with an NHL team and forego his final eligibility with North Dakota.  However, according to his father JP Parise, "At this time, there has not been any contact or negotiation with any (NHL) team."  Parise pointed out, correctly, that CBA terms dictate that no North American free agents (Parise is undrafted) can be signed prior to the July 1st deadline.  However, Jordan may indeed decide to depart the Sioux.  "If something that would make financial sense came Jordan’s way, I am sure that he would give it strong consideration and decide if he should leave or not," said Parise.  But, "North Dakota has been great for him and it would be hard for him to leave early," he added.

Quick Facts:
 
Congratulations to Troy Riddle and Justin Maiser who were members of the ECHL Kelly Cup Champion Alaska Aces!  They won the Championship in a five-game series against the Adam Berkhoel-backstopped Gwinnett Gladiators.
 
Due to budget shortfalls the 2010 Olympic hockey games played in Vancouver at GM Place, the home of the Canucks, will not be played on Olympic-size ice, but rather will be played on NHL regulation-size ice.  North American ice measures 60 metres by 26 meters while international ice is 60 meters by 30 meters.  Reconstruction of the concrete base, chiller plant and installing new boards and glass and removal of about 300-800 seats at GM Place was part of the original plan when Vancouver bid on and was awarded the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, but none of that will be completed now. IIHF Chairman Rene Fasel approved the decision not to undertake the rink changes.  Conspiracy theorists will have a field day with the fact that now the Canadian national team has a distinct advantage over European teams who play mostly on International size ice surfaces, as well as the fact that Vancouver will now have the ability to sell additional tickets for the games.   
 
There was a lot of misinformation surrounding Peter Mueller's decision to forego his college eligibility and to play last season for the WHL Everett Silvertips.  However, according to his father, there was only one reason Mueller chose not to attend the University of Minnesota and not honor his original committment: it was because the Gophers did not have room for him to begin play last season and Mueller felt his development was better served playing at the higher level of the WHL than to spend a year biding time in the USHL.  For Mueller, the decision appears to have paid off, as he was named WHL Rookie of the Year and his stock has risen to be amongst the top ten for this year's NHL Entry Draft.  Mueller enjoyed playing for Coleraine's Kevin Constantine and feels that the more physical play of the WHL has served him well in preparation for the National Hockey League.
 
Of Constantine, he has repeatedly rebuked rumors that he would be interested in a return to the NHL coaching ranks.  Rather, he prefers working with the younger players of the WHL, but he also won't forever rule out an NHL renaissance one day.
 
Erik Johnson, the projected number one pick in this year's NHL Entry Draft, isn't taking anything for granted and is trying to enjoy the build up toward the draft because he knows it will be over soon.  Johnson, said his father Bruce, is "just taking one day at a time, trying not to get ahead of himself."  Speculation is that should Johnson become the number one overall pick in the draft that he will forego his committment to play at the University of Minnesota next season and sign immediately with his NHL club, which if he goes first, will be the St. Louis Blues.  Keep in mind that the Blues have not had a good recent history with Gopher players, having cast aside both John Pohl and Troy Riddle to the minors and seem to have shifted their philosophy of waiting for players to develop in college to signing them earlier to develop in their minor league system instead.  David Backes, for instance, was signed early out of Mankato, last spring.
 
Recent Minnesota Wild signee Peter Ratchuk isn't new to Minnesota.  He was drafted out of Shattuck St-Mary's in 1996 where his coach was Mike Eaves.  Ratchuk was reunited with Eaves when he signed with Pittsburgh where Eaves was an assistant coach.  Ratchuk's little brother is expected to be a first round NHL draft pick this summer, ranked currently anywhere between the Wild's two first round picks.  The elder Ratchuk has seen great offensive success as a young player and in Germany and is known as a leader.  Time will tell whether the Wild have scored another successful reclamation project for a bargain basement price.
 
Former Wild defenseman Jason Marshall has signed to play with the DEL's Kölner Haie next season.
 
Former St. Cloud State Husky Derek Eastman of St. Paul has been re-signed by the ECHL Columbia Inferno.  Eastman has spent the last three seasons with the Inferno and had a couple cups of coffee in the AHL with the Iowa Stars and Norfolk Admirals last season.
 
BJ Gaustad, who played at the University of St. Mary's, has been acquired  by the ECHL Victoria Salmon Kings.
 
The Tampa Bay Lightning have signed former Wild prospective goaltender Johan Holmqvist.
 
Former St. Cloud State goaltender and Grand Forks native Jake Moreland is part of the Milwaukee Admirals team vying for the Calder Cup Championship.  Moreland is a reserve netminder.  Behind the bench as assistant coach for the Ads is former Gopher Todd Richards.  Richards already has one Calder Cup win as an assistant bench boss in Milwaukee three seasons ago.  
 
The Admirals' opponent is the Hershey Bears, who have Kirk Daubenspeck as a back-up goaltender and fellow Wisconsin native and giant centerman Dave Steckel on the roster.
 

 
Quick Speculation:
 
Ulf Samuelsson and Ken Gernander shared assistant coaching duties with the NY Rangers' affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack last season.  General Manager Jim Schoenfeld was head coach but said last season that he hoped to not hold that responsibility next season.  With the Phoenix Coyotes signing Ulf Samuelsson as an assistant coach the door remains open for Ken Gernander to be named head coach of the Wolf Pack for next season.  With the success of Kevin Dineen, who jumped to head coach of the Portland Pirates with no behind-the-bench experience last season, the case for Gernander, who has spent the last 12 years with the franchise, is strong.
 
Red Line Report has projected that the Minnesota Wild select incoming Gopher freshman Kyle Okposo in its Mock NHL Entry Draft and that the Wild would select another forward with the Edmonton pick.  However, Quick Facts still believes that the Wild will make an offensive defenseman one of their first round picks, possibly Nigel Williams or David Fischer, or trade a pick for an offensive blueline prospect or established veteran.   However, what would it take for the Blues to trade that first pick and allow the Wild to select Erik Johnson, perhaps a Marian Gaborik?  It wouldn't shock Quick Facts to see that move made, especially if the Wild could still take the likes of Okposo or Jiri Tlusty in the first round.

 
Quick Quotes:
 
"Peter is an excellent skating defenseman. With the new NHL, his ablility to skate will make him a valuable commodity. In Germany he put up some good offensive numbers as a defenseman, so one would hope that he could transfer some of that ability to the NHL.  He is a quality young man as well.  I will be keeping an eye on him."

- Mike Eaves on new Wild defenseman Peter Ratchuk.
 
"I visited the U of M on May 18 and coach Lucia offered me (a scholarship) to come in the Fall of '07 or '08.  I had many WCHA choices and wished to play at Minnesota, the best program in the country, in front of Minnesota fans."

- Gopher recruit Peter White on committing to play for the University of Minnesota.