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Willie O’Ree’s hockey tree grows another branch with Ayodele Adeniye’s rise

17 Tuesday Jul 2018

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To understand why Willie O’Ree is entering the Hockey Hall of Fame in November as a builder of the game look no further than Ayodele “Ayo” Adeniye.

Adeniye is the latest branch – and a very big one – from the O’Ree hockey tree to bear fruit.

U of Alabama-Huntsville 2020 hockey commit Ayodele Adeniye.

The 6-foot-5 defenseman from Columbus, Ohio, committed last week to play for the University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers, an NCAA Division I team in the  Western Collegiate Hockey Association, beginning in the 2020 season.

In the meantime, he’s headed to Canada this fall to skate for the Carleton Place Canadians, a Junior A team in the Central Canada Hockey League.

The 19-year-old Adeniye said he’s achieving his dreams by following the hockey gospel according to O’Ree.

Adeniye first met the National Hockey League’s first black player when he was six years old and O’Ree visited the Columbus Ice Hockey Club, a part of the league’s “Hockey is for Everyone” program.

“In terms of development, he was just a good role model because there are not a lot of (black people) in hockey,” Adeniye told me recently. “He was always the guy I asked questions and looked up to. I picked his brain a little bit.”

Six-year-old Ayodele Adeniye with Willie O’Ree at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit when the Columbus Ice Hockey Club played  in the “Hockey in the ‘Hood” tournament (Photo/Courtesy Ayodele Adeniye).

And Adeniye had ample opportunities to do it. His mother, Lisa Ramos, chauffeured O’Ree around whenever he visited Columbus.

“I probably met him over 15 times,”  Adeniye said. “For me, Willie getting into the Hall, to me, means the world.”

Ramos said her son bonded with O’Ree, in part, because of their shared history with vision issues.

O’Ree only played 45 NHL games over the 1957-58 and 1960-61 seasons with the Boston Bruins largely because he was blind in his right eye, the result of a deflected puck.

That didn’t prevent him from having a long and prolific minor league career, scoring 328 goals and 311 assists in 785 games in the old Western Hockey League.

Adeniye suffered from misaligned eyes, a condition that required several surgeries to correct, Ramos said.

“It’s not only the story of him being the first black hockey player, but everything he went through, the issue with his eye,” Ramos told me. “The other thing that Willie does, and it means so much to Ayo, is he always takes time to talk to him. You can see the stars in his eyes when Willie talks to him, even now.”

Defenseman Ayodele Adeniye was cut from the Ohio Blue Jackets AAA hockey program, but worked his way back onto the team (Photo/Courtesy Ayodele Adeniye).

Adeniye, whose father is from Nigeria, got interested in hockey around age three when he attended a skating birthday party at a local rink. He noticed a high school hockey game on an adjacent ice sheet and told his mom that’s what he wanted to do.

Ramos immediately said “no” because “I didn’t know anything about hockey at all.”

“My grandfather played in the Negro Leagues (baseball), my dad won the state in high jump in track and field, he won the state in cross country, he played basketball for the Army in Europe,” she said. “We had all these different sports, and hockey wasn’t one of them.”

Defenseman Ayodele Adeniye practicing with the Ohio Blue Jackets AAA team.

But Adeniye persisted. When his mother put him in a tyke basketball program, he moved about the court in ice skating motions instead of running like the rest of the children. Ramos got the hint.

“My mom  said ‘Whatever,’ put me in hockey, and I fell in love,” he said.

Hockey didn’t always love him back. At one point, Adeniye was cut from the Ohio AAA program. Instead of sulking, he remembered one of O’Ree’s favorite sayings: “If you can, you can. If you say you can’t, you’re right.”

He became a hockey nomad to improve his game. He joined the Cleveland Junior Lumberjacks U16 team of the Eastern Junior Elite Prospects League in 2014-15; the Florida Eels of the United States Premiere 3 Hockey League in 2015-16;  the USPHL’ s New Jersey Hitmen along with the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League’s North Jersey Avalanche U18 squad  and Iowa Wild AAA U18 team all in the 2016-17 season.

He returned to Columbus last season and played 33 games for the Ohio Blue Jackets, contributing a goal and 7 assists from the blue line. He had 30 penalty minutes.

Adeniye patterns his game after Columbus Blue Jackets All-Star defenseman Seth Jones.

Ayodele Adeniye hanging out with his favorite NHL player, Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones (Photo/Courtesy Ayodele Adeniye).

“One hundred percent. I want to consider myself a two-way defenseman, but I’m more of a defensive defenseman with offensive abilities, just like Seth,” Adeniye said. “He can join the rush every once in a while and he’s a pretty good lock-down defenseman. I try to play the same game. I look at his speed, I watch his positioning.”

He met Jones once and offered the 23-year-old NHL veteran a bit of advice: Watch your back.

“I told him, as a joke, ‘I’m taking your spot,'” he said. “‘Give me about five, six years, I’m taking your spot.'”

Follow the Color of Hockey on Facebook and Twitter @ColorOfHockey. Download the Color of Hockey podcast on iTunes, SoundCloud, and Stitcher.

 

 

 

 

Players of color play pivotal roles in 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs first round games

14 Saturday Apr 2018

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The Stanley Cup Playoffs have only just begun but players of color are already having a major impact in opening-round games.

From the East Coast to the West Coast, minority players played pivotal roles for their teams in first-round contests.

Forward Evander Kane showed why the San Jose Sharks obtained him from the Buffalo Sabres shortly before the trading deadline. He scored two second period goals in his first-ever National Hockey League playoff game, helping the Sharks defeat the Anaheim Ducks 3-0.

The 26-year-old Vancouver native became the fourth player in the last 20 years to have a multiple goal game in his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut, according to the NHL.

“It was nice to finally get out in the playoff atmosphere, and it was fun to finally get my first playoff win,” Kane told reporters after the game. “It’s finally nice to contribute. That’s my job. I feel confident in my abilities. I don’t think it was my best game, but I’m never going to be mad when we get a playoff win and I get to contribute.”

Washington Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly flashed some of the playoff magic he displayed  four seasons ago as a member of the Ducks, scoring a third-period goal that gave the Caps a 3-2 lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets Thursday night.

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Not to be outdone, Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones scored a power play goal that tied the game at 3. The Blue Jackets won the game 4-3 in overtime, deflating the playoff euphoria inside Washington’s Capital One Arena.

In addition to his goal, Jones led all skaters in the game with 30:59 minutes of ice time, further building the case for his consideration for the Norris Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL’s best defenseman.

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Jones was tenth among NHL defensemen in scoring in the 2017-18 regular season with 16 goals and 41 assists in 78 games.

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones.

“If he’s in Los Angeles, or he’s in Montreal, or in Toronto, or New York, we’re talking about this guy as a Norris Trophy candidate,” ESPN hockey analyst Barry Melrose told The Columbus Dispatch last month. “He does get overlooked, but not by hockey guys that see him play…Every GM in the NHL would love to have Seth Jones, and every coach would love to have him in their lineup. Those guys are very, very hard to find.”

Winnepeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien is another blueliner who’s come up big early in the playoffs.

Big Buff was an offensive and physical force in the Jets 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild Friday night.

He contributed a backhand saucer pass assist from behind the Wild net on teammate Paul Stastny’s third period goal and delivered crunching back-to-back hits on Minnesota players in the second period that energized the sellout crowd inside Winnipeg’s Bell MTS Place.

Byfuglien logged a team-high 23:51 minutes of ice time Friday, helping him earn the game’s first star honor.

“Just another day at the office,” he told reporters afterward.

Wild rookie forward Jordan Greenway  is yet to score a goal in the series against the Jets.

But the former Boston University star did tally an assist Wednesday in the Wild’s 3-2 loss to Winnipeg on Wednesday and he continued to make hockey history as the first person to play in the Winter Olympics, the NCAA ice hockey tournament and the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the same year.

Greenway became the first African American to play on a U.S. Olympic hockey team when he skated at the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Follow the Color of Hockey on Facebook and Twitter @ColorOfHockey. And download the Color of Hockey podcast from iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud and Google Play

 

 

 

Meet the 2016-17 Color of Hockey All-Star team

07 Wednesday Jun 2017

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A friend recently presented me with a challenge: pick a 2016-17 Color of Hockey All-Star team.

Challenge accepted! But it wasn’t easy. Several players of color had really good 2016-17 seasons, enough to spark lively bar debates over who’s worthy of being a first-team all-star and who’s not.

Toronto Maple Leafs’ center Auston Matthews.

So here are my picks. Weigh in with your choices via the Color of Hockey Facebook page or Twitter @ColorOfHockey. Without further ado:

Auston Matthews, center, Toronto Maple Leafs. The 19-year-old Mexican-American from Arizona terrorized NHL goalies in his rookie year and returned the Leafs to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Matthews led the team in scoring with 40 goals and 29 assists while playing in all 82 regular season games. His 40 goals tied him for second in the NHL with Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov. Matthews’ 69 points were tops among NHL rookies and 20th among all NHL players.

He would be a top player for the United States on its 2018 Winter Olympics hockey team. But the National Hockey League insists that its not sending it’s  players to PyeongChang, South Korea.

 

Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds.

Wayne Simmonds, right wing, Philadelphia Flyers. Simmonds won the Most Valuable Player award at the NHL All-Star Game in Los Angeles in January. He also played for Silver Medal-winning  Team Canada at the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship in Paris and Cologne in May.

The Wayne Train led the Flyers in goals with 31. He was fourth on the team in scoring with 54 points – the combination of 31 goals and 23 assists. He also was the Flyers’ toughest customer, leading the team with 122 penalty minutes.

 

Brandon Saad, F, Columbus Blue Jackets

Brandon Saad, left wing, Columbus Blue Jackets. The U.S.-born son of a Syrian immigrant, Saad was the Blue Jackets’ third-leading scorer with 24 goals and 29 assists in 82 games He was the 18th-leading scorer among the league’s left wings, a group that includes Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, Artemi Panarin of the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Boston Bruins’ Brad Marchand.

Dustin Byfuglien, defense, Winnipeg Jets. Big shot. Big hits. Big man. Big Buff, at 6-foot-5, 260-pounds, was fifth among NHL defensemen in scoring with 13 goals and 39 assists in 80 games. He was fifth on the Jets in scoring with 52 points.

USA Hockey’s brain trust left him off the 2014 U.S. Olympic team and his use by Blue Jackets Head Coach John Tortorella as bench of the U.S. team in September’s World Cup of Hockey was curious. But Byfuglien probably  would have gotten a hard look for the 2018 Winter Games

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Seth Jones, D, Columbus Blue Jackets

Seth Jones, D, Columbus Blue Jackets. What? No P.K. Subban? Let the arguments begin. Jones, the son of former National Basketball Association player Popeye Jones, was Columbus’ seventh-leading scorer with 12 goals and 30 assists in 75 regular season games.

He was 19th among NHL defensemen in scoring. Subban, the Nashville Predators’ D-man, was 22nd among the league’s blue-liners with 10 goals and 30 assists in 66 games.

Jones would be a lock for Team USA at the 2018 Winter Games in February if NHLers were going.

 

 

 

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Carey Price, goaltender, Montreal Canadiens. Price rebounded from an injury-shortened 2015-16 season to finish fifth among NHL goalies with a 30-20-5 record and a 2.23 goals-against average. Price, whose mother is a former Ulkatcho First Nation chief, had three shutouts during the 2016-17 season.

Price was an Olympian in 2014 and would be in the mix to be Canada’s top netminder for the 2018 Winter Games if the NHL were sending its players.

SECOND TEAM

Nazem Kadri, F, Toronto Maple Leafs

Nazem Kadri, center, Toronto Maple Leafs. Kadri had a breakout year with Toronto, scoring 32 goals and 29 assists in 82 games. The son of a Lebanese Muslim father,  the London, Ontario-born Kadri finished 15th in scoring among centers, an elite group that includes the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby, Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid and the Capitals’ Nicklas Backstrom.

Evander Kane, left wing, Buffalo Sabres. Talented on the ice and sometimes trying off it, Kane tallied 28 goals and 15 assists in 70 games for Buffalo. He was sixth on the Sabres in scoring and 35th among the NHL’s left wings.

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T.J. Oshie, F, Washington Capitals

T.J. Oshie, right wing, Washington Capitals. Of Ojibwe heritage, Oshie enjoyed a stellar second season with the Capitals. He finished fifth on the team in scoring with 33 goals and 23 assists in 68 games. Four of those goals were game-winners.

A shootist remembered for his stunning display of moves during a dramatic U.S.-Russia shootout at the 2014 Olympics, Oshie would surely be under consideration for the 2018 U.S. Olympic squad.

P.K. Subban, defense, Nashville Predators. Adjusting to a new team, new town, and coping with injuries, Subban’s still manged to score 40 points on 10 goals and 30 assists. He’ll forever be linked to defenseman Shea Weber for whom he was swapped in the stunning trade last summer between Nashville and the Canadiens.

 

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So how did Weber do in 2016-17? He had 17 goals and 25 assists – 42 points – in 78 games. Weber’s Canadiens were ousted from the playoffs in the first round by the New York Rangers. Subban and the Predators are playing in the Cup Final against the defending champion Penguins.

Matt Dumba, D, Minnesota Wild

Matt Dumba, defense, Minnesota Wild. The fourth-year NHLer posted a career-best 11 goals and 23 assists in 76 games. His plus/minus – an indicator of defensive responsibility – improved from plus-1 in 2015-16 to plus-15 in 2016-17.

Charles Williams, goaltender, Canisius College. Sure, he’s not in the NHL but that doesn’t diminish the amazing 2016-17 season Williams had. He helped guide Canisius’ Golden Griffins to an Atlantic Hockey regular season title and was named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, presented to the top NCAA Division I men’s hockey player.

Canisius College goalie Charles Williams signed a contact with the ECHL’s Manchester Monarchs in March ( (Photo/Canisius College).

Williams posted a 15-6-4 record and helped backstop Canisius to a 17-game unbeaten streak. He led all Division I goalies with a .946 save percentage during the regular season. He was tied for first with 5 shutouts and second in the nation with a 1.83 goals-against average.

Williams, who was a fifth-year transfer student, signed a standard player contract in March with the Manchester Monarchs, the Los Angeles Kings’ ECHL farm team.

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Three from diverse 2015 NHL Draft vie for Team USA roster spots for World Juniors

06 Tuesday Dec 2016

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Twenty-seven players, 23 spots.

That’s the math problem that Team USA will try to solve as it whittles its roster for the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship,to be held in Toronto and Montreal Dec. 26, 2016 to Jan. 5, 2017.

USA Hockey announced Monday that 27 players have made the preliminary roster for the tourney and will attend a training camp Dec. 16-20 at HarborCenter in Buffalo, N.Y. The final 23-man roster will be announced on Dec. 24.

Three players of color, all members of National Hockey League Draft class of 2015, are vying for jobs on the U.S. squad. They are:

Portland Winterhawks' Caleb Jones

Portland Winterhawks’ Caleb Jones

Caleb Jones, defense, Portland Winterhawks, Western Hockey League.  Jones is the younger brother of Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones, who starred in Portland before the Nashville Predators selected him with the fourth overall pick of the 2013 NHL Draft. Jones joined the NHL after competing in the World Juniors.

Now Caleb Jones is making a name for himself in Portland. He’s fifth on the Winterhawks in scoring with 3 goals and 22 assists in 28 games. His 25 points is tops among the team’s defensemen. He’s tied for second in assists among WHL defensemen.

The Edmonton Oilers chose Jones in the fourth round of the 2015 draft and signed him to an entry-level NHL contract in April.

Portland Winterhawks defenseman Caleb Jones is fifth on his team in scoring (Photo/Dayna Fjord/Portland Winterhawks).

Portland Winterhawks defenseman Caleb Jones is fifth on his team in scoring (Photo/Dayna Fjord/Portland Winterhawks).

“Caleb has had a chance in the past to represent USA at several international events but I know the opportunity to play in the World Junior tournament on the biggest stage is something he’s always looked forward to,”said Mike Johnston, the Winterhawks head coach and general manager. “I am confident he will impress at the camp.”

Jordan Greenway, forward, Boston University, Hockey East. Greenway, a

Jordan Greenway, Boston University

Jordan Greenway, Boston University

6-foot-5, 230-pound sophomore is second on the Terriers in scoring with 6 goals and 7 assists in 13 games. He’s tallied 3 game-winning goals so far this season.

The Minnesota Wild drafted Greenway in the second round with the 50th overall pick of the 2015. His younger brother, defenseman J.D. Greenway, plays for the University of Wisconsin. The Toronto Maple Leafs chose him in the third round with the 72nd overall pick of the 2016 draft.

Boston University sophomore Jordan Greenway is second on the Terriers in scoring (Photo/Richard T. Gagnon)

Boston University sophomore Jordan Greenway is second on the Terriers in scoring (Photo/Richard T. Gagnon)

Providence College's Erik Foley

Providence College’s Erik Foley

Erik Foley, forward, Providence College,  Hockey East. Foley leads The Friars in scoring with 6 goals and 8 assists in 14 games. He also leads the team with 3 power play goals and 2 game-winning goals. The Winnipeg Jets plucked Foley in the third round with the 78th overall in the 2015 draft.

If Foley makes the USA roster, he’ll have company from Rhode Island. Friars Assistant Coach Kris Mayotte was named to the U.S. National Junior Team in June.

 

 

Providence College forward Erik Foley outskates Ohio State University player for the puck.

Providence College forward Erik Foley outskates Ohio State University player for the puck.

And Foley also may end up playing against a fellow Friar in Toronto and Montreal as teammate Kasper Björkqvist was named to Finland’s preliminary roster for the World Juniors on Monday.

 

 

Minority players having big impact in World Cup of Hockey, from scoring to sitting

18 Sunday Sep 2016

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The World Cup of Hockey is only a few days old and already players of color are having a huge impact in the best-on-best international tournament – from a brother from France scoring to Big Buff sitting.

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare

 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, a Philadelphia Flyers forward and Team Europe’s only French member, put a dagger in Team USA in the World Cup opener Saturday, scoring on a neat second-period tip-in in Europe’s 3-0 shocker over the United States.

On a Europe squad stacked with firepower the likes of Anze Kopitar of the Los Angeles Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks’ Marian Hossa, Bellemare made the most of his 15 minutes-plus of ice time, registering a goal, one shot, and one hit. He won 36 percent of his face-offs.

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While Team Europe basked in its upset victory, Team USA Head Coach John Tortorella faced questions about his decision not to dress Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfgulien for Saturday’s game.

The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Byfuglien is one of the National Hockey League’s best offensive blue-liners, blessed with one of the league’s hardest and most-accurate shots. He was eighth in scoring among NHL defensemen last season with 19 goals and 34 assists.

Dustin Byfuglien

Dustin Byfuglien

He’s the highest-scoring defenseman on a Team USA roster that includes John Carlson and Matt Niskanen of the Washington Capitals, Jack Johnson of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Erik Johnson of the Colorado Avalanche, Ryan Suter of the Minnesota Wild, and the New York Rangers’ Ryan McDonagh.

“Well, I have to take someone out, and Buff has been used on defense and forward, along with Kyle Palmieri as a right winger, too, and we made the decision for this game, this was our best lineup,” Tortorella explained after the game. “It’s certainly not a negative thought on Buff, but we decided to go with this lineup tonight.”

 

Don’t know about you, but I think Tortorella might pencil Byfuglien into the lineup when Team USA faces Canada Tuesday night.

Byfuglien and Bellemare are among five players of color participating in the eight-team World Cup of Hockey tourney. Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price, whose mother is a former chief of the Ulkatcho First Nation, Toronto Maple Leafs rookie forward Auston Matthews, and Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones are the other three.

No way, P.K.: Canada leaves Subban off its World Cup of Hockey roster

28 Saturday May 2016

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Teams participating in the World Cup of Hockey finalized their rosters Friday, providing plenty of news about who’s in and who’s out of the eight-team tournament.

Three black players will represent their countries in the games to be played Sept. 17-Oct. 1 at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, home of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban wasn't among the players picked for Canada's World Cup of Hockey team.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban wasn’t among the players picked for Canada’s World Cup of Hockey team.

Toronto is also the home town of Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban. But Subban, the 2013 Norris Trophy winner as the National Hockey League’s best defenseman, won’t be there because Team Canada didn’t add him to its roster.

“The decisions weren’t easy, and with the depth of player talent we have in Canada, we knew it would be a difficult process to finalize our roster – but it’s what we signed up for, and we feel we’ve been able to put together the right balance to create a winning team,” Team Canada General Manager Doug Armstrong said.

Canada selected seven blue-liners: Brent Burns  and Marc-Edouard Vlasic of the San Jose Sharks; Drew Doughty  and Jake Muzzin of the Los Angeles Kings; Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks;  Alex Pietrangelo of the St. Louis Blues; and Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators.

Subban was 12th among NHL defensemen in scoring in the 2015-16 regular season with 6 goals and 45 assists in 68 games. Weber finished ninth among D-men with 20 goals and 31 assists and Doughty was tenth with 14 goals and 37 assists.

An article in Canada’s National Post Saturday had a lead that summed up the Subban skip best: “Call him P.K. Snubban.”

“OK, so the nickname needs a little work but that doesn’t excuse the fact the reimagined World Cup of Hockey will be devoid of one of its marquee talents: The marvelous P.K. Subban,” John Matisz wrote.

Subban’s talent is undeniable. Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Trevor Daley, appearing in filmmaker Damon Kwame Mason’s “Soul on Ice, Past, Present and Future” black hockey history documentary, said Subban should simply be known as “Norris” – as in Norris Trophy.

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Subban represented Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics, but Team Canada Head Coach Mike Babcock made it clear that he wasn’t a fan of Subban’s game. He played only 11 minutes – all in one game – during the entire Olympics.

Many Subban fans feel he’s disrespected by the Canadian hockey establishment – be it the Canadiens, Hockey Canada, or old-school hockey heads who think he’s too mouthy, too flashy, too…whatever.

After Montreal endured the hockey season from hell –  a 38-38-6 record, no playoff berth – the Canadian rapper Wasiu had had enough with the Subban bashing.

Earlier this month, Wasiu picked up the mic and dropped “P.K. Subban,” a sometimes-explicit tribute to the player he says is “putting the city on his back.”

“The Canadiens had a bad season and the local media pointed the finger at P.K.,” Wasiu wrote in an essay for Fader. “It’s funny though, because he’s the best player and we all know he isn’t the problem. Same way when there’s violence that occurs at a club or in general, the thinking is to go check on the black people first because they look like they ‘fit the description’ – even if they weren’t the ones to start any problems.”

Wasiu’s is the second rap homage to Subban and his skills. Toronto-based rapper/producer Saukrates contributed “Say I” in 2011 as part of a Nike ad campaign that featured Subban.

If P.K. was P.O.’d about being excluded from the World Cup of Hockey, he didn’t show it over the weekend. Hanging out with the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre Saturday, Subban told Canada’s Sportsnet “I just want to see Canada win gold. So, I’ll be there cheering just like everybody else.”

“It’s a selection process,” he added. “So either you get selected, or you don’t . All I can do is be a model citizen. I’m Canadian so I support my country and I support my team just like everybody else.”

Dallas Stars' Johnny Oduya.

Dallas Stars’ Johnny Oduya.

Another notable World Cup omission is Dallas Stars defenseman Johnny Oduya from Team Sweden’s roster.

Oduya, who won Stanley Cups with Chicago in 2013 and 2015, represented his country at the 2014 and 2010 Winter Olympics and the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championship.

Despite no Oduya and no Subban, there will still be players of color to watch at the World Cup tournament.

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Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien  will skate for Team USA. The Minneapolis-born big man – 6-foot-5, 260-pounds – with the booming slap shot finished third on the Jets in scoring in 2015-16 with 19 goals and 34 assists in 81 games.

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Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Seth Jones made the World Cup’s Team North America roster. The Texas-born Jones tallied 2 goals and 18 assists in 41 games for Columbus after being acquired from the Predators.

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Team Europe added Philadelphia Flyers left wing Pierre-Edourard Bellemare to its roster Friday. Bellemare, who is from France, had 7 goals and 7 assists in 74 games for the Flyers.

 

 

 

 

What a difference a year makes for diverse 2015 NHL draft class

26 Tuesday Apr 2016

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Almost a year ago, the National Hockey League celebrated a draft that was both deep in talent – Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel – and diversity.

With the 2016 draft rapidly approaching, we look back in this post and the next at the players of color who were selected in the 2015 NHL Draft in Sunrise, Fla., and how they performed in the 2015-16 season.

After a slow start to his freshman season, Boston University forward Jordan Greenway showed why the Minnesota Wild took him in the second round with the 50th overall pick in the draft.

He scored just two points in the first two months of the season for the Terriers. But the Canton, N.Y., native finished the season with 5 goals and 20 assists in 38 games. He performed well enough to be named Hockey East Rookie of the Week Feb. 5 and Feb. 15,  and a Hockey East Top Performer four times – Nov. 30, Dec. 7, Jan. 25, Feb. 22.

After a slow start, Boston University freshman Jordan Greenway, a Minnesota Wild 2015 second-round draft pick, found his scoring touch with the Terriers.

After a slow start, Boston University freshman Jordan Greenway, a Minnesota Wild 2015 second-round draft pick, found his scoring touch with the Terriers.

“He showed signs of coming on” around Thanksgiving, BU Head Coach Dave Quinn told College Hockey News in March. “He’s had a huge impact on a lot of our games. He’s a great athlete, very fluid and coordinated for a guy who is 6-5 (230) pounds, has really good skills. He has a playmaker’s mentality.”

Quinn told The Boston Globe in March that Greenway is “a freak athlete.”

“I joke all the time, if he was a football player, he would be a five-star tight end at Alabama or Notre Dame.”

But Greenway, 19, told the paper that the gridiron was the furthest thing on his mind, especially since he attended Shattuck St. Mary’s – a Minnesota prep school hockey factory attended by NHL stars like Sidney Crosby, Kyle Okposo, Jonathan Toews, and Nathan MacKinnon.

“I was a rink rat,” he told the newspaper. “I liked being at the rink so much, and using a stick and puck instead of a ball.”

Greenway will likely be at the First Niagara Center, home of the Buffalo Sabres, for the June 24-25 draft to watch his younger brother, defenseman James Greenway, get picked. He’s ranked 121st among 2016 North American draft prospects by NHL Central Scouting.

At  6-foot-4 and 210 pounds – the 18-year-old Greenway is a member of USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. He notched 5 goals and 20 assists in 64 games for a team that played against U.S. college, international, and United States Hockey League teams in 2015-16.

NHL 2015 draftee Oliver Kylington made his debut with the Calgary Flames in early April.

NHL 2015 draftee Oliver Kylington made his debut with the Calgary Flames in early April.

Swedish defenseman Oliver Kylington’s family was visiting him in California, where he was playing for the American  Hockey League’s Stockton Heat, in April when he got a called up by he Calgary Flames, the team that drafted him in the second round with the 60th overall pick.

“Are you coming?” Kylington asked his father, according to The Calgary Herald. “And he was, like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m going to make it to the game.'”

The 18-year-old Kylington played one game for the injury-riddled Flames and managed one shot on goal against the Wild. In Stockton, he appeared in 47 games, scoring 5 goals and 7 assists.

“I think it’s the first step to a big journey,” Kylington told The Calgary Herald after the call-up. “Right now, I don’t care where I got picked. I’m just thankful that Calgary picked me and that I’m here right now.”

Forward Keegan Kolesar's return to the Seattle Thunderbirds after the 2015 NHL Draft spelled bad news for Western Hockey League goalies (Photo/Brian Liesse/Seattle Thunderbirds.)

Forward Keegan Kolesar’s return to the Seattle Thunderbirds after the 2015 NHL Draft spelled bad news for Western Hockey League goalies (Photo/Brian Liesse/Seattle Thunderbirds.)

Seattle Thunderbirds right wing Keegan Kolesar was chosen by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the third round with 69th pick. After the Jackets training camp, Kolesar returned to his Western Hockey League major junior team.

Seattle's Keegan Kolesar (Photo/Brian Liesse/Seattle Thunderbirds).

Seattle’s Keegan Kolesar (Photo/Brian Liesse/Seattle Thunderbirds).

Too bad for opposing teams in the major junior league. Kolesar, 19, notched 30 goals and 31 assists in 64 games regular season games for Seattle this season and is proving to be a force in the WHL playoffs. In December, he signed a three-year entry level contract with the Blue Jackets.

“He’s big, fast, and strong,” Thunderbirds Head Coach Steve Konowalchuk told The Seattle Times of the 6-foot-1 and 220-pound Kolesar. “He can skate, he has the physical tools to be a force and the skill to score goals.”

Forward Erik Foley distinguished himself in his freshman year playing for Providence College.

Forward Erik Foley distinguished himself in his freshman year playing for Providence College.

Like Jordan Greenway, left wing Erik Foley went from sunny Florida’s 2015 draft to chilly New England for hockey. A former forward for the United States Hockey League’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, Foley was taken by the Winnipeg Jets in the third round with the 78th overall pick.

The 18-year-old played for Providence College, where he tallied 7 goals and 12 assists for the Friars. Foley won the team’s Rev. Herman Schneider, O.P.,  Award as the team’s most valuable freshman.

Mathieu Joseph was all smiles at the 2015 draft. Not only was he taken by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fourth round with the 120th pick, he was chosen by a team in a warm-weather state where he could work on his golf game.

Saint John Sea Dogs forward Mathieu Joseph confounded opposing QMJHL teams, scoring 33 goals in 2015-16.

Saint John Sea Dogs forward Mathieu Joseph confounded opposing QMJHL teams, scoring 33 goals in 2015-16.

But the links had to wait in 2015-16 as Joseph reported back to the St. John Sea Dogs, of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for more seasoning.  There, the 19-year-old right wing resumed his torrid scoring ways, potting  33 goals and 40 assists in 58 games regular season games.

“He’s got a good combo of size and speed,” Sea Dogs Head Coach Danny Flynn told TampaBayLightning.com in February. “He’s a dangerous forward.”

Unfortunately, Joseph’s 2015-16 post season ended prematurely in April when he suffered a serious cut to the calf muscle on his left leg, a wound that required surgery. He’ll miss two to three months because of the injury, Ice Dog officials said.

Defenseman Caleb Jones, son of Popeye, brother of Seth (Photo/Dayna Fjord/Portland Winterhawks).

Defenseman Caleb Jones, son of Popeye, brother of Seth (Photo/Dayna Fjord/Portland Winterhawks).

Defenseman Caleb Jones, the Edmonton Oilers’ 2015 fourth-round pick, is following in the skates of his older brother – Blue Jackets D-man Seth Jones –  and is rapidly making a name for himself in the process.

Like his big brother, the younger Jones is doing his major junior hockey apprenticeship with the WHL Portland Winterhawks. And he’s becoming a force in the WHL, just like his brother was before he was chosen fourth overall in the 2013 draft by the Nashville Predators.

 Born in Texas, Caleb Jones tallied 10 goals and 45 assists in 72 regular season games for Portland, was fifth overall in scoring among WHL rookies and 10th overall among the league’s defensemen in 2015-16.

Edmonton Oilers 2015 draftee Caleb Jones quickly established himself on the blue line for the WHL Portland Winterhawks in his rookie season(Photo/Dayna Fjord/Portland Winterhawks).

Edmonton Oilers 2015 draftee Caleb Jones quickly established himself on the blue line for the WHL Portland Winterhawks in his rookie season(Photo/Dayna Fjord/Portland Winterhawks).

Jones, the son of retired National Basketball Association player Popeye Jones, signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Oilers in early April and appeared in three games with the Bakersfield Condors, Edmonton’s American Hockey League farm team.

“In his first season in Portland, Caleb had the ability to impact the game by using his skating ability to lead the rush as well as defend against the rush,” Winterhawks Assistant General Manager Matt Bardsley said. “He has a great passion for the game and we are happy to see that he was rewarded with a contract from the Oilers organization.

To be continued

 

 

 

The diverse defensive class of 2013 is working its way up professional hockey’s ladder

12 Tuesday Jan 2016

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The 2013 National Hockey League Draft was as deep in talented defensemen as it was steeped in diversity.

And some defensemen from diverse backgrounds selected in that draft at New Jersey’s Prudential Center are beginning to make their mark in the professional game.

The Columbus Blue Jackets expect big things from defenseman Seth Jones.

The Columbus Blue Jackets expect big things from defenseman Seth Jones.

NHL scouts viewed Seth Jones, Darnell Nurse, Madison Bowey, Jordan Subban and Jonathan-Ismael Diaby as potential impact players in the pros.

Each player is chasing his dream for National Hockey League stardom, climbing professional hockey’s ladder at his own pace – or that dictated by the team that drafted him.

Jones, taken by the Nashville Predators with the fourth overall pick of the draft, hasn’t spent a day in the minor leagues. But after he spent more than two seasons in Music City, the Predators traded him last week to the Columbus Blue Jackets for talented but enigmatic center Ryan Johansen.

The swap from Nashville, currently sixth in the NHL’s Western Conference, to Columbus, dwelling in the NHL Eastern Conference cellar, wasn’t a knock on Jones’ play.

The Blue Jackets expect big things from the Texas-born son of former National Basketball Association forward Popeye Jones. In Nashville, Seth Jones was the student to defensive master Shea Weber.

In 40 games with the Predators, Jones tallied 1 goal and 10 assists and averaged 19:42 minutes on ice per game.

With Columbus, he’ll play more minutes and see more power play time and penalty-killing action under demanding Head Coach John Tortorella. He’ll go from being one of the guys on Nashville’s blue line to being The Man on the Blue Jackets back end.

“He’s going to get a lot bigger role with our team,”Blue Jackets General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen told reporters last week. “He’s 21 years old and he’s got the future ahead of him and a lot of room for growth and development. We believe he’s a good two-way defenseman that can add some offense to our game.”

Ironically, one of the last things Jones saw in Nashville was the player he was traded for as he and Johansen passed each other at the airport. Jones  expressed excitement about the new opportunity in Columbus.

“They made it pretty clear that they’re going to throw a little bit more at me than I’ve been used to getting,” Jones told reporters in Columbus. “I’m excited and ready to take on the challenge.”

Nurse believed he was NHL-ready from the moment he slipped on an Oilers jersey on draft day.  But the team’s brain trust thought otherwise and sent him back to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, his junior team in the Ontario Hockey League, for the 2013-14 season. He went back to the Soo again in 2014-15.

He was assigned to the Bakersfield Condors, the Olilers’ AHL affiliate, after this season’s

After being promoted from the AHL, Darnell Nurse is averaging 21 minutes per game.

After being promoted from the AHL, Darnell Nurse is averaging 21 minutes per game.

training camp and was called up to the parent club after some of its defensemen suffered injuries.

Since then, Nurse has tallied 2 goals and 5 assists while averaging 21 minutes of ice time per game in 34 games. He’s also added a little toughness to an offensively-talented but grit-challenged Oilers lineup. He’s amassed 19 penalty minutes, five of them coming from a fight against Milan Lucic, the Los Angeles Kings’ physically-imposing and feared veteran forward.

Some thought the bout was too much too soon for the rookie Nurse. He didn’t.

“My mum was like, ‘What are you doing?’ My dad said he was proud of me,” Nurse told  The Edmonton Journal. “This (fighting) is something I’m going to have to do the way I play.”

Madison Bowey is only a two-hour drive from where he hopes to eventually be: With the Washington Capitals.  The team took Bowey in the second round with the 53rd pick of the 2013 draft.

After he captained his Western Hockey League Kelowna Rockets to the MasterCard Memorial Cup Final  last season and teamed up with Nurse on the blue line to help a diverse Team Canada win the Gold Medal at the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship, the Capitals sent Bowey to the AHL’s  Hershey Bears.

He has 2 goals, 11 assists, and 24 penalty minutes in 33 games with the Bears.

“I think it’s been going pretty well,” Bowey told PennLive last month. “It’s a learning process and I’m learning a lot every day.”

Madison Bowey hopes to be an impact player with the AHL Hershey Bears - and eventually with the Washington Capitals (Photo/Courtesy JustSports Photography).

Madison Bowey hopes to be an impact player with the AHL Hershey Bears – and eventually with the Washington Capitals (Photo/Courtesy JustSports Photography).

Bears Head Coach Troy Mann agrees.

“From the bench as you watch him play, when he’s moving the puck and limiting his turnovers, he’s having a good game,” Mann told PennLive. “Like any young defenseman, there are nights where his gap control might not be as good as we need it to be, or his defensive-zone coverage. But I think he’s progressing the way we all thought he would. He’s a second-round pick that’s going to need some nurturing in the AHL for a couple seasons.”

Jordan Subban was chosen in the fourth-round of the 2013 draft by the Vancouver Canucks with the 115th pick. His older brother, Montreal Canadiens superstar defenseman P.K. Subban, declared before the draft that Jordan was a better, more cerebral blueliner than he is.

Like his big brother, Jordan is about offense from the back end. The 5-foot-9 defenseman notched 25 goals and 27 assists for the Ontario Hockey League’s Belleville Bulls last season.

Utica Comets defenseman Jordan Subban (left) doing what he does best - shooting (Photo/Lindsay A. Mogle/Utica Comets).

Utica Comets defenseman Jordan Subban (left) doing what he does best – shooting (Photo/Lindsay A. Mogle/Utica Comets).

He’s continuing his offensive ways in his first season with for the Utica Comets, the Canucks’ AHL farm team, where he has 5 goals and 14 assists in 29 games.

“The (AHL) is a little more skilled than I thought it was going to be,” Subban told Utica’s Observer-Dispatch in November.  “It was a bit of an adjustment. There are a lot of good players…I think I’ve taken a big step in my zone, but I still have work to do.”

Jonathan-Ismael Diaby will be the first to admit that he’s still very much a work in progress. At 6-foot-5 and 223 pounds, he’s described himself as “bigger, taller and slower” compared to other hockey players.

Nashville Predators 2013 draft pick Jonathan Diaby (left) working on improving his game with the AHL Milwaukee Admirals (Photo/Milwaukee Admirals).

Nashville Predators 2013 draft pick Jonathan Diaby (left) working on improving his game with the AHL Milwaukee Admirals (Photo/Milwaukee Admirals).

But the Predators love his size – a “monster,” one scout called him – and his ruggedness. Nashville took him in the third round with the 64th pick in the 2013 draft.

Since then,  the former Victoriaville Tigres defenseman has bounced between the Milwaukee Admirals, the Preds’ AHL affiliate, and Cincinnati Cyclones, Nashville’s ECHL farm team.

The son of a soccer player from the Ivory Coast, Diaby is scoreless in five AHL games this season but has 21 penalty minutes. He has 1 assist and 11 penalty minutes in 17 ECHL games.

“I just want to show more consistency and show that I’m more poised and more in control of the game,” Diaby told The Tennessean during the Predators’ training camp in September. “As a hockey player, you come to training camp, you want to make the team, but it’s a learning experience. I’ve still got a lot to learn and a lot to improve on. The AHL’s a great league.”

 

 

 

 

 

Diversity erupts at 2015 NHL Draft

29 Monday Jun 2015

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The 2015 NHL Draft will forever be considered one of the deepest drafts in league history in terms of talent. But it will also go down as one the richest drafts in terms of diversity.

Nine players of color were selected in the draft’s seven rounds. Yes,  Connor McDavid  had his name called by the Edmonton Oilers, and Jack Eichel’s by the Buffalo Sabres. But forward  Jordan Greenway also got the call. So did Bokondji Imama, a two-fisted winger whose family hails from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Ditto forward Andong Song, who carries the hockey aspirations of a nation on his New York Islanders jersey-clad shoulders.  Here’s a look at some of the players chosen:

Jordan Greenway is wild about playing for Minnesota Wild - after attending college.

Jordan Greenway is wild about playing for Minnesota Wild – after attending college.

Greenway, a forward with the USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program, was drafted in the second round by the Minnesota Wild, the 50th player selected overall.

The 6-foot-4 player from Potsdam, N.Y., tallied five goals and 15 assists in 23 games last season for the NTDP’s United States Hockey League entry and nine goals and 35 assists in 53 games for the U.S. National Under-18 squad.

“I’m fortunate enough just to be here in the draft,” Greenway 18, told reporters after donning a Wild jersey. “Being drafted here is great. Everyone dreams of being in the NHL Draft one day. It’s just unbelievable.”

Greenway won’t be a stranger in the Twin Cities. He played three seasons for Shattuck-St. Mary’s, a hockey power prep school about 57 miles south of St. Paul. But don’t look for Greenway in the NHL soon. He’s committed to playing hockey at Boston University this fall.

“I really like the city of Boston,” he said. “Playing college hockey or the (Ontario Hockey League) is a good route. For some people college hockey is a good route and for some people the OHL is a good route. I like school.”

Keegan Kolesar’s loss proved to be his gain at the draft. The Seattle Thunderbirds right wing was taken by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the third round with the 69th overall pick.

Kolesar worked hard to shed about 20 pounds off his 2013-14 playing weight. At 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, Kolesar scored 19 goals and 19 assists in 64 games for Seattle. He also was a regular visitor to the penalty box with 85 minutes.

Keegan Kolesar (right) lost weight and put up the points for Seattle last season (Photo/Brian Liesse/Seattle Thunderbirds).

Keegan Kolesar (right) lost weight and put up the points for Seattle last season (Photo/Brian Liesse/Seattle Thunderbirds).

“The weight loss and dedication I put into training and nutrition really helped,” Kolesar told The Winnipeg Sun. “I’m a power forward in the truest sense. I think I’m one of the better forecheckers in the (Canadian Hockey League). I like to fight and I have a knack for the net and offensive instincts. I play well in all three zones.”

The Winnipeg Jets nabbed left wing Erik Foley in the third round with the 78th pick in the draft. Foley grew up a Boston Bruins fan in Mansfield, Mass., but is looking forward to starting a pro career with the Jets in “a real hockey hotbed.”

Erik Foley meets the press after being drafted by the Winnipeg Jets.

Erik Foley meets the press after being drafted by the Winnipeg Jets.

Foley scored 27 goals and 27 assists in 55 games last season with the USHL’s Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. “I’m a power forward,” he said. “I like to use my body, use my shot.”

Foley’s stock rose in the days leading to the draft. One USHL coach told The Winnipeg Sun that Foley was “probably the toughest player in the USHL to play against.”

Foley won’t be playing with Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien soon. He’ll be in Rhode Island playing for the Providence Friars, the reigning NCAA Frozen Four champs, this fall.

Right wing Mathieu Joseph had been to Florida only once before attending the draft. Now he may be calling the Sunshine State home after the Tampa Bay Lightning chose him in the fourth round, the 120th overall pick.

Mathieu Joseph was all smiles after being drafted by Tampa Bay Lightning.

Mathieu Joseph was all smiles after being drafted by Tampa Bay Lightning.

A native of Chambly, Quebec, Joseph notched 21 goals and 21 assists in 59 games for the Saint Johns Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last season.

“I’m kind of a power forward with a little bit of skill, so I can bring some offense but I can play on the penalty kill, too,” he said. “I’m more of a guy who’s hard to play against. I’m always a guy who’s going to forecheck and backcheck and I’m always intense, I think that’s pretty much the type of hockey (Tampa Bay) is playing.”

Caleb Jones came along to watch his big brother Seth Jones on draft day 2013 in Newark, N.J. The Jones family waited anxiously until the highly prized defenseman was taken fourth overall by the Nashville Predators.

Last weekend was Caleb’s turn. The sturdy 18-year-old defenseman from theNTDP was drafted in the fourth round by the Oilers, the 117th pick overall.

“This was a little less nerve-wracking,” Caleb said.

At 6 foot and 194 pounds, Caleb is the smaller of the hockey-playing sons of Popeye

Defenseman Caleb Jones hopes to join big brother Seth Jones in the NHL/.

Defenseman Caleb Jones hopes to join big brother Seth Jones in the NHL/.

Jones, the former NBA player, but he may be the grittier of the two. “I’m a two-way defenseman,” he said. “I play a physical game, aggressive in the corners”

He had 8 points in 25 games last season with the NTDP, but also 28 penalty minutes against opposition in the USHL.
As Seth Jones did, on the way to becoming one of the up-and-coming elite NHL defensemen, Caleb will go play for the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League next season. His Big Brother Seth offered any advice?
“I didn’t have too much for him,” Seth told The Hockey Writers. “I’m not like some grizzled vet, but with the draft being this summer (for him), I just told him to take it one step at a time. It’s not about rankings or this and that. Just go play hockey. Play the way you know how to play and just don’t try to do too much. Just the little things.”
Another NHL draft, another stud defenseman drafted from the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets. Blue-liner Devante Stephens was tabbed by the Sabres in the fifth round with the 122nd pick. He follows in the Kelowna skates of Madison Bowey, a Washington Capitals prospect, Nashville Predators D-man Shea Weber, and the Chicago Blackhawks’ Duncan Keith.
Stephens had four goals and seven assists in 64 games for Kelowna. He had four assists in 17 WHL playoff games with the Rockets.
“He’s convinced he’ll be an NHL player,” Greg Royce, the Sabres director of amateur scouting, told The Olean Times Herald. “We’re convinced he’ll be an NHL player. I do believe he was a steal there.”
The Buffalo Sabres think they've found a jewel in Kelowna's Devante Stephens (Photo: Marissa Baecker/Kelowna Rockets)

The Buffalo Sabres think they’ve found a jewel in Kelowna’s Devante Stephens (Photo: Marissa Baecker/Kelowna Rockets)

 The Oilers added to its stockpile of young defensemen by taking Ethan Bear in the fifth round with the 124th player chosen overall.
Bear, 18, scored 13 goals and 25 assists for the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds last season. He also contributed a goal and an assist playing for Canada’s Under-18 team last season. The 5-foot-11 native of Regina, Sask., is Ochapowace First Nation.
Ethan Bear, left, joins a young Edmonton defensive corps that includes 2013 first-round pick Darnell Nurse (Photo/Brian Liesse/Seattle Thunderbirds)

Ethan Bear, left, joins a young Edmonton defensive corps that includes 2013 first-round pick Darnell Nurse (Photo/Brian Liesse/Seattle Thunderbirds)

“It’s amazing,” Bear said after the Oilers drafted him. “They’re a great organization. It’s been exciting this whole day, especially to get picked by Edmonton.”

Perhaps no sixth-round draft pick in NHL history has generated as much attention as defenseman Andong Song, who was taken by the Islanders over the weekend with the 172nd pick.

China's Andong Song made hockey history at the 2015 NHL Draft.

China’s Andong Song made hockey history at the 2015 NHL Draft.

Song is the first player in draft history born in China. He arrived at Sunrise’s BB&T Center with an entourage: His family and a television crew from China’s CCTV that followed his every move.

“Hopefully what I want to do is rally people behind me,” the 18-year-old Beijing-born player said. “Not focus on myself but do something good for Chinese hockey.”

Hockey in China could surely use a boost. A country with over 1.3 billion people, China has only 610 hockey players – 118 men, 308 juniors, 184 females – according to IIHF figures. The nation has only 58 indoor ice skating rinks and 43 outdoor facilities.

Song’s selection prompted the IIHF to put a list of Asian hockey milestones on its website. Song admits that he feels “a lot of pressure from people back home” to help put hockey on the map.

“Good pressure,” he added. “That’ll motivate me to become a better player and hopefully I’ll make them proud.”

A 6-foot, 165-pound blue-liner, Song played last season for New Jersey’s Lawrenceville School. He tallied 3 goals and 7 assists in 26 games.  He’ll play next season for Philips Academy, a top prep school in Andover, Mass. He hopes to catch the attention of an NCAA Division I hockey school.

Song has international hockey experience. He twice played for China in the International Ice Hockey Federation’s Division B World Under-18 championship and captained the team that played in the 2015 tournament in Novi Sad, Serbia. He had two assists in five tourney games.

“When I started playing (in China) there weren’t a lot of people,” he said. “There wasn’t much support for the game. Last year when I went back, it had been eight years since I’d seen Chinese hockey and it was tremendous how far it’s grown. I’m sure they’ll keep trying to catch up to Europe and North America and Russia. There’s still a gap between them, but I’m sure if we focus on hockey we can catch up.”

Lightning draftee Bokondji Imama apparently has a game as tough as his name.

Lightning draftee Bokondji Imama apparently has a game as tough as his name.

Bokondji Imama could one day have the most distinctive name in the NHL.

The Montreal native, a solid 6-foot-1, 214 pound left wing for the QMJHL’s St. John’s Sea Dogs, realized his dream when the Lightning selected him with the 180th overall pick in the sixth round.

Imama had three goals and six assists in 23 games for the Sea Dogs, but he also had 48 penalty minutes. According to the website hockeyfights.com, Imama had 15 in the 2014-15 regular season and two during the preseason.

Imama’s father, also named Bokondji, and mother were born in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bokondji grew up as a typical kid in Montreal, playing hockey on outdoor rinks. But he loved all sports, and played rugged games with his father. The training turned him into a physical player.

“I’m a physical player who likes to stick up for his teammates,” he said, “but I can play the game, too.”

It’s conceivable that you might see Imama in the NHL someday protecting Lightning sniper Steven Stamkos and Tampa’s other young scorers.

The Color of Hockey’s Lew Serviss contributed mightily to this post.

Caleb Jones, Seth Jones’s “little” brother, is drafted by the Edmonton Oilers

27 Saturday Jun 2015

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Caleb Jones came along to watch his big brother Seth Jones on draft day in 2013 in Newark, N.J. The Jones family waited anxiously until the highly prized prospect was taken fourth overall by the Nashville Predators.

Color of Hockey’s Lew Serviss wrote this report.