It's World Juniors time!

Off topic here but I just recently got the NHL Network as it is now available in SO-CAL through time warner. I must say that being a true hockey fan this is the best sports channel on tv. I can now get my ultimate fix of hockey every single day instead of 2 minutes of coverage on espn. Now I have NHL Network as well as this great blog. Anyone else have impressions of nhl network?

Nhl Network is great! I watch it all the time it drives the fiance a little nuts but, its great to see Hockey Night in Canada on Saturdays. You'll really get your fix with this channel also NHL on the Fly is great rather than sitting an hour to see two minutes of NHL Highlights on ESPN you can see good highlights of all the games for that day.

Hey Rich or anyone...are we the only NHL team with 4 players in WJC's?
Wow...captain of Canada's team 2 yrs in a row for Hickey. That is quite an accomplishment. Perhaps these are very good picks I guess. Something to be very proud of.

Does anyone know of links to watch the games that aren't on the NHL network? Rich, do you have any "correct URL's?"

stuck at work, but does anyone know the schedule on NHL network for the WJC games today?
I figure they are going to show the USA games, but I would rather see the games the Kings prospects are playing in. Heck of a patriot ha?

If you have Time Warner, you can order the NHLHD channel for a few bucks extra added on to your cable bill...It only takes a few minutes to update your digital cable box after you place the order. (It's best to call customer support to confirm how much it will coast to add the channel since Time Warner has different locations now)

I have mine set to Record since I am at work!

They will be showing all the games on Time Warner. (high def)

- Also, here are a few links you guys can check out if you are at work and bored....

http://www.thefourthperiod.com/wjhc/
http://puckpassion.wordpress.com/2008/12/17/2009-world-junior-championship-preview/

FYI, wanted to mention that in addition to Hickey wearing the C for Canada, Moller is the Captain for Sweden and Voinov is wearing an A for the Russians. So the Kings have some good leaders coming up for the future!

I'm at work and extrememly bored, so I thought I would give my almost mid season report card for the Kings.
I did say I'm bored..right? Feel free to critique or add your own:

Kopitar B+
Sully B+
Stoll B
Brown A
Calder C+
Zeus B+
Simmonds B+
Frolov B+
Ivanans D
Army C
Richardson F
Zeiler D
Boyle D
Purcell C
Lewis B
Moller B+

Doughty A
Quincey A
OD B
Greene A
Harrold B
Gauthier C+
Preissing F

Ersberg B+
Barbs F
Quick Inc.

The grades for Lewis/Purcell/Army/Richardson/Zeiler were a little tough to do because of the small body of work, so I jsut went on what I've seen. It was impossible to give Quick a grade based on 2 starts.

I would give Barbs a C... and Army B and Ivanans a C....

The NHL Network will televise live all the U.S. games at the 2009 World Junior Championships, as well as every game in the medal round.

The network will also televise all of Canada's preliminary-round games.

All games will be televised in high definition.

NHL Network US Game Schedule:

Fri, Dec 26 Germany-USA @ 3:30
Canada-Czech Republic @ 7:30

Sun, Dec 28 Kazakhstan-Canada @ 3:30
USA-Czech Republic @ 7:30

Mon, Dec 29 Germany-Canada @ 7:30

Tue, Dec 30 USA-Kazakhstan @ 7:30

Wed, Dec 31 Canada-USA @ 7:30

Fri, Jan 2 WJC Quarterfinal #1 @ 3:30
WJC Quarterfinal #2 @ 7:30

Sat, Jan 3 WJC Semifinal #1 @ 3:30
WJC Semifinal #2 @ 7:30

Mon, Jan 5 WJC Bronze Medal Game @ 3:30
WJC Gold Medal Game @ 7:30

When I first got NHL Network on DirecTV in November 2007, I was so impressed. Not only did they show highlights of all games (including the Kings/Coyotes games), no matter where the teams are in the standings, but they show everything. They don't just show the goals. They show the hits, the great saves, the fights, and everything.

They also show a lot of vintage games; on December 24, going with their theme of outdoor games leading up to the Winter Classic, they even showed the Kings/Rangers game from Caesar's Palace, the first Frozen Fury game. It was so great to see, especially since it was the first time.

For those who don't know, a couple rookies for the Rangers, the guys who scored both their goals in the 5-2 Kings win, went by the name of Tony Amonte and Doug Weight (Bob Miller called him Doug "Wright" after he scored his goal, then corrected himself). Of course, those two guys had pretty decent NHL careers, and it was nice to be able to see them play a game before they even played their first career NHL game.

In general my grades are a notch below Nykingfan's, but I pretty much agree with the relative rankings.

My only real differences are with Greene and Harrold. I like the way Greene blocks shots and works hard, but I don't think he's done enough to warrant an A grade. I would give Harrold a 'B' for his work over the last couple of weeks, but not for the entire season.

I'll go against the grain here and say that over the course of the season Labs has been closer to a C- than an F. Over the last couple of weeks his grade is definitely an F.

This is a great topic and I look forward to reading everyone else's comments as well. Even better, I'm hoping that Rich will give his own mid-year report.

Thnx for the links Harry. Interesting that the fourthperiod website carries a Kings-Bulin front page story..

http://www.thefourthperiod.com/

Milton Waddams said:

Does anyone know of links to watch the games that aren't on the NHL network? Rich, do you have any "correct URL's?"
December 26, 2008 9:57 AM

Milton, try www.myp2p.eu. No world juniors but NHL are there.

Nykingfan, this is always hard for me to evaluate, because playing to stats and playing to capability are two different things. For example I don't think Kopitar is even close to performing where he is capable of. I know he's learning the system and trying to be better defensively, but he has suffered greatly offensively and mentally up to this point. So I would grade him more in terns of a C or B-. On the other hand, Calder does exactly what is asked of him, and plays to his(somewhat limited) abilities each night, so to me, I give him the B to B+

O'Sull- still wildly inconsistent, but getting better. In my opinion, he's the player with the most upside, so I might hold him to higher standards. B-

What can you say about Brown? except A's across the board. He is truly a pleasure to watch and more importantly a class act.

Fro- who knew he would be the one who adapted the quickest to TM's style of play. One of the more consistent and solid players so far. B+ to A-

Stoll and Zues doing exactly what their suppose to be doing in a blue collar way. B to B+

Simmonds, Moller, Doughty, and Quincey all deserve high grades because they are far better than anyone expected them to be. B+ to A-

Ivan- D on skill, but you have to give him at least a C+ to B- on fulfilling his true role.

I wouldn't be that harsh on LaBarb. I'd say C-. I still don't want to see him again though.

I thought the USA was playing Germany? Looks like the 1970s-1990s Canucks to me.

Ah....Now we're going to have some fun....report cards. I'm going to probably be a little softer than Nykingsfan but....

Here are my rankings...I'm certain this will cause great debate:

Kopitar A - Doing all that's been asked of him and doing it well, quietly. Excellent passer. Started slowly like always but he's there now.

Sully A - Great hands, soft touch and now leadership as well? The future for LA looks bright!

Stoll B - Good grade for a solid, consistant performer every night. Much more of a physical presence than I thought he would be and can score too. Great pick-up.

Brown A - My favorite. What a leader, both on and off the ice, scorer, best hitter in the league. I see #23 hanging in the rafters of Staples someday....

Calder C+ - Decent play, goes to the net as well as anyone on the team. Not the best hands on the team, more of a grinder. No complaints.

Zeus B - I like Michael, simply for what he's done since having a very bad injury and coming back. He's been consistant practically every night. Zeus is out there in almost every critical situation, leads by example.

Simmonds C+ - A whole lot to learn but what he lacks in knowledge of the game, he makes up for with effort.

Frolov B - I'd grade Fro higher because he's played so well, yet I see so much untapped potental. Fro can be better still. TM - Please let Fro shoot in the shootouts!

Ivanans B - Don't anyone loose it. He's not a passer, he's not a scorer and he can't move the puck. He gets a B for what he's paid for and that's to be the King's physical presence on the ice. He's done his job well.

Army D - Time for Armstrong to consider a coaching position.

Richardson Inc - Who is this guy and why did DL trade for him?

Zeiler D - Agreed, physical yes and that's about it for John. We already have Ivanans so....

Boyle D - Disappointing. I really expected more out of Brian. I hope he comes back from Manchester the way Sully did, motivated.

Purcell D - More disappointment. Just hasn't done like we thought he would. More time in the AHL? I don't know.

Lewis Inc - Just haven't seen enough of Trevor but I like what I see so far.

Moller B - Good grade for such a young, enthusistic, energetic, skilled player. The Big O is going to be around a while, a long, long while.

Doughty A - Drew has done it all, is he really nineteen??? Skip the formalities and give him the Calder, now.

Quincey A- - The best pick-up by DL yet next to Doughty. He's been a litte flat the last couple of games but came back and played well against CBJ. Keep putting it on the net Kyle!

O'Donnell C+ - Slowing down some and I hope he's got enough gas in the tank to get him to the end of the season. He's been a great leader, teacher & example for the kids. Good stay at home defenseman.

Greene B+ - Does anyone not like the Lubo trade? Thought so....

Harrold C+ - Good upside to this young up and coming defenseman who's played well of late. The best is yet to come with Peter.

Gauthier D- - JMFJ, Hickey, Teubert, Voinov, Martinez, anyone? When are you coming home and how soon will you be here???

Preissing MIA - Where's he been?

Ersberg B+ - The Iceberg commeth and taketh. Erik has bought LA time with it's young goalies but, who knows? The way he's playing he may just be the No.1 LA has been looking for. This kid is good and is also going to get better. Enuf said.

Barbs F - Beuller, Beuller? Ferris Beuller anyone? Not ready for primetime, and probably never will be. He's had his chance(s), has been inconsistant and unreliable. Was one hellevua an AHL goalie....If DL can get a draft pick at the deadline or sooner, go for it.

Quick Inc - Not enough seen yet but I'd give him, Bernier, Taylor, Zatkoff, anyone a shot over Lababs.

Duckhunter, JonG...I enjoyed your comments, I think we're pretty close.

Ok....Let the great debate begin. See y'all tonight!

Whoa....2 captains and one assistant...that's gotta be a record!

From TSN's WJC Preview "Top 10 NHL Drafted Players To Watch."

"Colten Teubert - Team Canada - Defence, 18 - (Los Angeles Kings - 1st round, 13th overall 2008)

Reason to Watch: Teubert is simply fun to watch since he hovers on the edge and just goes out and plays old fashioned defence, which is a formula of body-checking and intimidation followed by more body-checking.

If you are looking for a throwback defensive defenceman that plays a mean tough defensive style who will intimidate and scare forwards, then Teubert is your guy. Overall he is a good skater who can recover defensively, and his quickness and agility are improving, which will help him keep pace with the speedy forwards. He has great strength and balance on his skates and is hard to move once planted in front of the net or shielding the puck. Being away from the puck is his bread and butter as he hustles and works hard to break to the right position and maintain gap control. He uses his wingspan and stick well to disrupt passing lanes and communicates really well with his defensive partner. On occasion he can get caught out of position being a little over zealous trying to make a thunderous hit, but he is learning to pick his spots better and maintain control. He is a one of, if not the most, mean and tough players in the entire draft, he intimidates with his body checks and is unrelenting in his punishment of opposing forwards. He could be a menace and a serious danger to forwards and they better keep their heads up or it's lights out.

Teubert is very tough to play against and hard to beat down low, and he can move and push players out of the slot and wear down forwards along the boards. He shields the puck extremely well and can handle hits from the forecheck without losing puck possession. At times Teubert will take some bad penalties but his teammates appreciate his toughness and sacrifice for the team since he blocks shots and gets his nose dirty."

Couldn't have wished for a better 2 paragraphs describing the upside of the future Kings Blueliner.

did you folks see the tavares goal from the other night? holy crap. he juggles the puck in the air with his stick before scoring. my god!

I'm watching the USA thump Germany right now. The Canadian kids play the Czechs at 4PM LA time on NHL Network. Then the Kings game to wrap up a triple header of hockey! :D

Russia beat Latvia 4-1 this morning. Voinov scored the first goal for the Russians on the power play. Good start for Kings prospects. :)

NHL.com has a nice little article on the World Juniors. The Blue have the most players in the tourney, with 6...

...and the Kings are second at 5... that's just awesome. And we would've had more if Drrreeeww and JMFJ hadn't made the transition so quickly.

BTW, if you don't have the NHL Network and want to watch the WJC: http://www.hockeywebcasts.com/

Russia beats Latvia 4-1

Vyacheslav Voinov scores a goal. I am pretty sure NHL Net said that he scored the first goal for the Russians.

http://www.tsn.ca/world_jrs/story/?id=260905&lid=headline&lpos=secStory_world_jrs

Anon,

I thought Alzner was the Captain of Team Canada at last year's WJC.

Pairs were:
Doughty - Alzner
Hickey - Schenn
??

Goon Squad you are correct. Alzner was the captain last year.

Moondoggie and duckhunter...hard to argue with either because you both have valid points.
Their most recent play had an effect on the grades I gave. You tend to forgive, more likely forget, the bad plays made earlier this year, unless they're still making them. LaBarbara's a perfect example of that. His play has been so bad lately, It gets harder to remember the St.Louis game.
Most of my grades had nothing to do with stats..I gave the Zeus line a B+. They've played together long enough and been so consistent that I gave them all the same grade.
I couldn't grade Kopitar on numbers because the guy was dealing with a new system..opposite of everything he's learned. One thing during his early season struggles..he never stopped working hard. His recent play would earn him an A+..same with Sully.
Dustin Brown's going to be remembered as one of the great Kings of all time.
On defense...I love Greene's play. He reminds me of Aaron Miller in his prime. He's just a tough, physical, stay at home defenseman. He takes some bad penalties, but he's been spectacular on the PK.
I can't say enough about the play of Doughty and Quincey. Our D is going to be set for many years to come..just look at what's coming down the pike.

I hope our PP coaches are watching how Canada got that 2nd goal. The Kings need to get more of the "down low" goals on our Power play.
The play wasn't there for a while, but the persistence in front of net paid off.
I'd really like to see Brown take the Tavares role, of course on the other side of the net, with Moller getting a chance to work down low with the puck, and a big body attracting attention in the middle - Frolov, Zoos, Ivan, Simmonds, Boyle, Kopi?

"Greatest Hockey Legends" blog has a nice run-down of WJC "stars."

http://www.greatesthockeylegends.com/2008/12/meet-wjc-stars.html

Here are the Kings' related bits:

"Colten Teubert: Big, tough, rugged. One of three key defencemen with the Regina who are used to playing big minutes. Aggressiveness sometimes results in his getting caught out of position."

"Thomas Hickey: Your prototypical offensive defenceman. Makes a great first pass. Skates well. A little undersized but that doesn't hamper him in today's game. Give him room and he'll lug it out. Pressure him and he'll make the pass."

"Oscar Moller, Sweden: I loved watching him play with Chilliwack. He had some real chemistry with Mark Santorelli. The thing about Moller is that he can score and make plays. So he really is something of a double threat. Will be interesting to see how he adapts in going from the NHL to this tournament."

"Oscar Moller is the only NHL player released by his team to play in the 2009 WJC."

Also, from the same WJC stars piece:

"Keith Aulie: Somewhat under-appreciated because of the forwards he has played behind on the Brandon Wheat Kings. But he's a horse back there. The simpler he keeps it the better off he is. Big, strong farm boy who saved his father's life when he fell through the ice on a dugout on their farm a couple of winters ago."

Nykf/Moond/Duckh/JonG/Quisp
Kopitar B+ A B- B B
POS B+ A B- B B
Stoll B B B+ B- B
Brown A A A A- A-
Calder C+ C+ B+ C B-
Handzus B+ B B+ B A-
Simnds B+ C+ A- B A-
Frolov B+ B A- B A-
Ivanans D B B- D- C
Armst C D C- C
Rchrdsn F I F I
Zeiler D D D- B
Boyle D D D- C-
Purcell C D C- B-
Lewis B I B- B+
Moller B+ B A- B A-
Moulson C+
Doughty A A A- A- A
Quincey A A- A- A- A+
SOD B C+ B- B+
Greene A B+ A- B+
Harrold B C+ B- B+
Gauthr C+ D- C B
Preiss F I F D
Ersberg B+ B+ B A-
JLB F F C- C- D
Quick I I I B+