If Murray goes, list of possible replacements for LA Kings

When a tweet appears from a Hall of Fame hockey writer saying 'Kings may be preparing to fire Terry Murray as coach,' you click the link.

And according to a report filed with the LA Times by Helene Elliott and Lisa Dillman here late last night, that may be the course of action in progress at the moment.

Murray's Kings are one game above .500 and have lost four games in a row.

They're in Boston today, preparing for tomorrow night's game with the defending Stanley Cup Champion Bruins. Currently, it's not known if Murray will be behind the bench for that match-up.

If a move is made this week though, here's a quick look at some of the names that may replace him - starting with five known commodities (NHL and AHL coaches), followed by the five leading candidates from junior hockey and wrapping up with five candidates you may hear about - but aren't likely to get the gig.

NHL and AHL Coaches:

John Stevens - LA Kings assistant coach - he may be the short-term solution while a replacement is secured...however, he isn't considered to be a finalist for the job...Stevens is said to coach the same (or very similar) system to Murray and his results while leading the Flyers were mixed

Randy Carlyle - former Anaheim Ducks coach - he's available, due to recently being fired from the Kings Pacific Division rival...supposedly, his players tuned him out a long time ago and he is thought to be extremely hard on players (which may not be such a bad thing for the Kings right now)...his familiarity with the division could be a plus, but according to the Times' article, the 'Kings are not thought to be interested in Carlyle'

Craig MacTavish - another former NHL head coach (Edmonton), he's now coaching Chicago's AHL team...if there is one other team the Kings are most often linked to besides the Flyers, it's the Oilers...so, Mac T has that going for him...he knows several of the current Kings from their days in Edmonton...also another coach thought to be extremely hard on his players and not well liked

Is Kansas City more of a hockey town than Los Angeles?

On the surface, you might not think of Kansas City as a hockey town. Instead, your sports mind probably first takes you to baseball's Royals or football's Chiefs.

But, eight miles down the road from the home stadiums of those two teams, a pair of NHL hockey clubs will square off in a sold out arena - setting a pre-season attendance record for games held in non-NHL cities.

Get out your time machine though, because today's New Jersey Devils were once the Colorado Rockies and before that, they began as the Kansas City Scouts.

The city was awarded an NHL franchise in 1972. Two years later they began play in Kemper Arena, along with the Kings. No, not the LA Kings, but the NBA's Kansas City Kings - who had been the Cincinnati Royals for decades prior, but changed their name to the Kings, so not to be confused with the local baseball team.

Speaking of the LA Kings, remember those two dismal stretches last season when the team was struggling to win games? That pales in comparison to what the Scouts went through in their second season.  First, they went winless in 16 games coming out of the Christmas break. They finally won a game, then began another downward spiral - finding a way to go twenty-seven games without a win down the stretch and finished 1-35-8 in their final forty games.

They didn't make the playoffs that year. Just sayin'.

The Scouts weren't the area's first hockey team though.

Kansas City's pro hockey history began in 1928, with the Pla-Mors of the American Hockey Association.

High / Low with Terry Murray... on players cut from roster

Schumacher in rookie game (photo: CIKIRI)

Just before game time last night, the Kings released the names of 11 players who had been cut from their list of 60+ players in camp.

Eight of them were camp invitees and the other three were former LA draft picks - Christopher Gibson, Michael Schumacher and Jordan Weal.

Interestingly, the latter group will be heading to three different junior hockey leagues - Gibson to the QMJHL, Schumacher the OHL and Weal goes back to Regina in the WHL.

After the first round of practice today, I asked coach Terry Murray for some highs and lows that each experienced in camp this month.

The normally positive, or at least even-keeled, Murray actually had some pointed criticism of Gibson. Apparently, the five goals he gave up in the third period last week vs. a team of Phoenix Coyotes prospects left a lasting impression...

Murray on Gibson - "Clearly (after) the game that he played, he has a lot of improvement that's needed. First of all, he has to be able to handle his emotions. You're going to be put under the spotlight as a pro player. So, get used to it kid. You have to find a way to get into a game where all your management and coaches are fans are watching and have high expectations of a second round pick. So, you have to get through that and then you take it from there. Working on your game never goes away. He left here with a lot of information from our goalie staff and they'll follow up with him in junior and keep pushing his game along."

LA Kings Prospect Report - Close to The End

The college hockey season is over, junior hockey wraps up this weekend and the AHL isn't far behind.

That's right - the playoffs are almost here.

Most junior teams have a pair of games left this weekend and nearly all of the Kings top prospects in the CHL are poised for great playoff runs, as detailed below.

Also making the rounds recently is The Hockey News 'Future Watch' special edition, which crowns Brayden Schenn as the number one pro prospect.

Other Kings in the top 75 were Andrei Loktionov (#39), Derek Forbort (49), Tyler Toffoli (51) and Viatcheslav Voynov at (54).

Here's a quick run down on those five and a few other notes on the CHL and NCAA playoffs...

Schenn - has posted incredible numbers since being acquired by his hometown team, the Saskatoon Blades, at the trading deadline (20 goals and 29 assists for 49 points in 25 games). Regardless of the outcome in their final games this weekend, the Blades will end the regular season with the best record in the WHL. Thus, they're heavy favorites to win the league championship and move on to the CHL's Memorial Cup.

Special Seasons Continue for LA Kings Prospects

Over the past few seasons the Kings have been blessed with stellar performances from several of their prospects playing junior hockey.

Andrei Loktionov won a Memorial Cup in 2009, Thomas Hickey captained Team Canada at the World Junior Championships, Brandon Kozun was the CHL's Top Scorer and Martin Jones the WHL's Top Goaltender - just to name a few.

This year, the club has already had a representative on all three medal winning teams at the World Junior Championships (Maxim Kitsyn/Russia gold, Brayden Schenn/Canada silver and Derek Forbort/USA bronze).

And things are heating up in all three of the CHL circuits, the WHL, OHL and QMJHL.

In fact, it's not inconceivable that the Kings will have representatives on all four teams that make the Memorial Cup Tournament (comprised of the three league champions and the host city).

Kitsyn is now playing for the OHL's Mississauga St. Michael's Majors. They're hosting the tournament, so he's in.

Here's an update on three of the other leading candidates:

Kings Junior Prospects Square Off, plus Schenn

Over the last few years there has been a steady stream of encouraging news coming from the Kings prospects playing in junior hockey. They've had players win medals for their national teams at the World Junior Championships - including gold, silver and bronze this year - as well as made waves in the CHL.

Right now, they're sitting pretty with the leading goal scorers in the WHL (Linden Vey) and OHL (Tyler Toffoli), two of the three circuits making up the Canadian junior league.

A few weeks ago their top two prospects in the OHL, Toffoli and Russian sensation Maxim Kitsyn, faced off (recap here).

Last night it was time for two of their WHL prospects to do the same - plus Brayden Schenn had a memorable game.

Vey (4th round, 2009) and his Medicine Hat Tigers traveled to Regina to take on Jordan Weal (3rd rd, 2010) and the Pats. Weal finished last season with the third most points in the WHL, trailing only fellow Kings prospect Brandon Kozun and Jordan Eberle.

He's having another strong season and added a goal and two assists (and was a plus-2) in this game. However, the Tigers won 4-3. Vey increased his totals with another goal and assist as well. That gives him a league-best 81 points (32g, 49a) in 45 games.

Meanwhile, it wouldn't be a WHL report without some news on Schenn...

Prospect Update and DVR Alert

Let's take a quick trip around the North American rinks and see what's going on with some of the Kings prospects...

NCAA / College Hockey

- Derek Forbort (D, 2010 first round pick), fresh off winning the bronze medal with Team USA at the World Junior Championships in Buffalo on Wednesday, returns to the line-up tonight for the North Dakota Fighting Sioux. They're game with Robert Morris University will be televised nationally on FCS (DirecTV channel 617) at 5:30pm PST (replayed tomorrow morning on the NHL Network).  Saturday night's game will be on channel  623.

- Kevin Gravel (D, 2010 fifth round) is having a tough freshman year at St Cloud State, as his team is near the bottom of their conference (WCHA). However, next month they'll get a rematch with Forbort and the Sioux on home ice, after dropping a pair at UND this past November. In 18 games played he has two assists and is a minus-6.

Super Series - WHL Report with Linden Vey

When you're hot, you're hot.

And Kings prospect Linden Vey is more than warm right now. His November already includes back-to-back Player of the Week honors from his junior team, the Medicine Hat Tigers. Plus, he was named the WHL Player of the Game in the just completed Subway Super Series.

His scored a goal in the second game of the WHL vs. Russia portion of series (Russia had previously played a pair of games against both the QMJHL and OHL). That meant four of the five Kings prospects had goals in the tournament. Of course, that excludes their sixth prospect (goalie JF Berube) for obvious reasons - as in, he was busy guarding his own net, not trying to score in the other one.

Vey, a 6-foot right wing taken in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Draft, came into the series following a four point night for Medicine Hat (1g, 3a) - which topped his three point effort the game before (1g, 2a).

As hot as he was though, it was the cold that almost kept him from playing against Russia this week. In the interview below he tells us all about what happened and provides some thoughts on a few other Kings prospects, his play so far this year and the upcoming World Junior Championships...

MM:  This was your second time playing in the tournament. Overall, how would you compare last year's experience to this year - better, worse or just different?

Super Series - OHL Recap with Tyler Toffoli

Prospects, prospects, prospects! They're everywhere to be seen in the Subway Super Series - both recently selected and soon to be drafted players.

The annual tournament began back in 2003 and features a team of Russian junior level all stars traveling throughout Canada to play two games each against the QMJHL, OHL and WHL. The event also serves as an evaluation for the management team assigned to prepare Canada's roster for the upcoming World Junior Championships.

Last night, the middle portion of the series - two games vs. the OHL - concluded with another win for the host country. After picking up a 4-0 victory on Thursday, they capped things off with a 2-1 shootout win last night. The sweep runs their record to a perfect 16-0 vs. the Russians all-time.

Prior to becoming NHL players, Drew Doughty and Wayne Simmonds had represented the OHL in the Super Series.  This year, that responsibility fell to Ottawa 67's forward Tyler Toffoli, the Kings second round selection at this past June's NHL Entry Draft.

On the other side of the ice was Russia's Maxim Kitsyn, another 2010 Kings draft pick.

Last week we posted interviews with Kings prospects Nic Deslauriers and JF Bérubé, who represented the QMJHL in the opening two games. 

Now, let's see what Toffoli has to say about the OHL's pair of games versus Russia...

MM:  This was your second time playing in the tournament.  Last year you had two goals in two games and you picked up an assist in the game last Thursday.  Aside from the statistics, how was this year different for you and how would you rate your performance versus last year?

Super Series Game 2 Preview w/ JF Berube

The Subway Super Series is part international spectacle - highlighted by the play of All-Star teams from the CHL and Russian junior leagues - and part evaluation tournament for Team Canada's World Junior Championship roster.

Game one of the six-game series took place Tuesday night, with Russia winning 5-4. Things will resume later today with the final game against the QMJHL, then things move on to the OHL on Thursday. They'll conclude with a two game series vs. the WHL next week.

As reported previously, a total of six Kings prospects will be competing in this series. Defenseman Nic Deslauriers (drafted in the third round, 2009) and goaltender JF Berube (fourth round, 2009) are part of the Quebec team.  While, forward Maxim Kitsyn (sixth round, 2010) is skating for Russia.

In the opening game Kitsyn had two goals, one assist and finished with a plus-2 rating.  Deslauriers had a goal and was plus-one.

Deslauriers filed a game report with us yesterday.  Now, we're back with comments from Berube, who played the second half of the first game - stopping 14 of the 16 shots he faced.

MM:  Game one was your first experience in the Super Series.  Overall, how did you enjoy it and was it what you thought it would be?

Super Series Game 1 Report w/ Nic Deslauriers

The road to this winter's World Junior Championships continues, as the Subway Super Series is now underway.

For the past seven years Russia has sent over a team of junior level all-stars to play a six-game series against the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). It's a pretty straight forward tournament, with two games each against the QMJHL, OHL and WHL.

Besides the international aspect of the event, it also serves as a key component to Team Canada's evaluation process for their final roster that will be assembled prior to the World Junior Championships in late December.

As reported previously, several Kings prospects will be competing in this series over the next two weeks - including three players in the opening pair of games.  Defenseman Nic Deslauriers (drafted in the third round, 2009) and goaltender JF Berube (fourth round, 2009) are part of the Quebec team.  While, forward Maxim Kitsyn (sixth round, 2010) is skating for Russia.

Overall, the CHL had won 36 of 42 games since it began in 2003, including a clean sweep last fall.  More specifically, entering play yesterday the QMJHL had a record of 9-5 against the visiting Russians.

In game one last night, Team Russia prevailed 5-4.  Their goaltender, Dmitry Shikin, made 36 saves including 16 in the third period.

Deslauriers was kind enough to check in with MayorsManor this morning and filed the following game report...

Kings Prospects - the new Subway Five

When the rosters were announced this week for the upcoming Subway Super Series, you could say the Kings went a perfect 5-0 with their top junior prospects (sorry Robbie Czarnik fans).

For those unfamiliar with the format, over the past seven years Russia has sent over an All-Star team to play two games each against similar teams from the three junior leagues that make up the CHL. Outside of the World Junior Championships, this has become the premier junior hockey tournament of the year.

Nearly every major (young) star in the NHL with a Canadian junior hockey background has previously participated - from Sidney Crosby, John Tavares and Steven Stamkos upfront to Dion Phaneuf and Brent Seabrook on the blueline.

To further illustrate the talent that's been included over the years, almost every player Dean Lombardi (as GM of the Kings) has selected from the CHL in the first three rounds of the NHL Draft either already have played or are about to play in the tournament. That list includes names like Drew Doughty, Brayden Schenn, Jonathan Bernier, Wayne Simmonds and Thomas Hickey.

This year, the five Kings draft picks selected to play are:

Draft 2010 - Interview with Cam Fowler

He'll be the first American player taken at the draft tomorrow night at Staples Center.  He's expected to go very early in the first round, perhaps even third overall.

If you guessed Cam Fowler, the 6'1" defenseman from Northville, MI, you're correct.

Although he was born in Canada (Windsor, Ontario), he moved to Michigan before his second birthday and has represented the United States in international competition - even though he technically has dual-citizenship.

Having already won a gold medal with Team USA at the World Junior Championships in January, then picking up a Memorial Cup Championship with the OHL's Windsor Spitfires last month, the high point - call it the hat trick of happiness, if you will - should come tomorrow night around 5pm Pacific Time when one NHL team stands at the podium and says "We're proud to announce the selection of Cam Fowler."

What would a trip to LA be without a conversation with The Mayor though?  Well, Cam didn't want to find out.  So, we chatted earlier this afternoon and here's what he had to say:

Tomorrow is a big day for you.  What are you do you doing to keep the nerves from getting the best of you...and what are you going to do tonight to try to get a little sleep?

Actually, I couldn't sleep very well last night.  So, I'm a little concerned about tonight.  I'm like a little kid the night before school starts.  Doing things like this (the clinic at TSC with youth hockey players) is helping take my mind off of things for the time being.

Draft 2010 - Interview with Stephen Silas

For their 18th birthday most kids like to have a party, spend it with some friends, maybe some family...or go to a local establishment, wink-wink.

Not many spend it sitting in a half-empty NHL arena waiting to hear their name called.

That's exactly what Stephen Silas will be doing this Saturday though. The 6'1" defenseman is ranked #60 by NHL Central Scouting, so he'll probably end up as a mid-round pick in this year's NHL Entry Draft.

His junior coach, George Burnett of the Belleville Bulls, says “Stephen is a smart player who possesses quick feet and a good stick. He is extremely competitive and has excellent vision.”

Although he mans the blue-line in the OHL, his earliest memory as a player was scoring a hat trick. More recently, with the draft quickly approaching, he's been focused on improving his game and preparing his body for the next level.

Throughout the process, it's the off-ice responsibilities that can be a tedious process for some players...with all the interviews and the testing.

So, that seemed to be the perfect place to start when The Mayor spoke with Stephen...

It was reported that one of the questions you were asked at the NHL Combine was "At a party, are you the guy upstairs with your girlfriend or the one sitting on the couch?"  And you said that question caught you off guard., so how did you end up answering it?

Last Kid Standing

And we're down to one.

Although the Kings made an early exit from the playoffs this season, nearly all of their top prospects were making significant playoff runs...until about 48 hours ago. Friday night it was the CHL scoring champion, Brandon Kozun and his goaltender Martin Jones calling it a season. Last night it was Bernier, Hickey, Voynov, Clifford, Holloway, etc. when the Manchester Monarchs were defeated in the AHL Eastern Conference Finals by the Hershey Bears.

So, who's left? None other than last year's number one draft pick.  The kid the Kings picked fifth overall.  Brayden Schenn.  His Brandon Wheat Kings were an unlikely pick to be playing in the CHL Memorial Cup finals later today...yet, after finally knocking off the Calgary Hitmen on Friday night (in a game where Schenn had three assists), here they are...just one win away from the Cup.

Today's final will be shown on the NHL Network at 4pm PST.  You should go out of your way to watch the game.  The semi-final was one of the best hockey games of the year - and this is in a year that included a great World Jr tournament and several incredible Olympic games.  The host crowd in Brandon was wild and boisterous throughout the game...while the action on the ice matched it...a back an forth affair that had you on the edge of your seat the entire game.

The defending champion Windsor Spitfires may prove to be too tough for the Cinderella Wheat Kings...but, that won't stop the home town crowd from trying to will their team to the Championship.

Oh, and did I mention that the likely #1 pick at next month's draft, Taylor Hall, plays for Windsor?

If you haven't watched any of the Memorial Cup action yet, here's something that should catch your eye...for all the negative press the hockey world gets for their generally antiquated presentations of games on TV, the CHL has come up with a rather novel idea...letting viewers at home listen in while the on-ice official talks with the off-ice officials about disputed goals.  This is pure genius.  Can you imagine if the NFL let fans listen in when the referee went into that little black box during the instant replay stoppages?

Kings season ticket holder and avid hockey fan, movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer, was recently on NHL Live radio and provided a myriad of ideas to improve the game presentations on television.  My favorite may have been the overhead camera, ala the NFL.  I previously reported (via twitter) the Dallas Stars were going to test something similar a few months ago.  Wonder how that turned out, never heard anything more.

Along the same lines...Kings television analyst Jim Fox provided his own idea earlier this season on ways to bring the game closer to the fans...he suggested having the NHL actually explain why a player is suspended or not suspended, using video tutorials. Great idea.  Letting fans listen to the referee is similar, only it's in real time. Love it!


Anyway...plenty of story lines to follow at the Memorial Cup...including an important one for Kings fans...Schenn is looking to go out with a bang, as he's hoping to make the jump from junior hockey to the Kings roster next season.  As such, he's hoping to bring home some hardware today!

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119

CHL Prospects Game wrap-up

Last night was another showcase event for players looking to be drafted by an NHL team this June in Los Angeles. The CHL - comprised of all three major Canadian junior leagues - put on their annual Prospects Game in Windsor, Ontario.

Nearly all of the players on both rosters are ranked in the top 100 by the NHL's Central Scouting, including the top three ranked North American players: LW Taylor Hall (first), C Tyler Seguin (second) and D Cam Fowler (third).

Another guy on the roster was the kid that should be called 'number one with a bullet' the way his stock is rising, Swiss superstar-to-be Nino Nierderreiter. He had another strong game, netting one of the two goals for Team Orr (Bobby Orr).

You can catch Nino on TV again this Friday. He'll be playing for his regular junior team, the Portland Winterhawks, when they host the Everrett Silvertips (Oscar Moller's old team). The game can be seen on FoxSports Northwest (channel 687 on DirecTV).

Team Cherry (Don Cherry) won the game with four goals from Ryan Spooner (ranked #38), Emerson Etem, Jordan Weal (ranked #45) and Louis-Marc Aubry (ranked #89)

Although Hall was held to just an assist in the game, he was named player of the game for Cherry.

Jeff Skinner (ranked #47) scored the other goal for Team Orr and was voted his team's player of the game. He also won the breakaway contest in the prior night's Skills Competition.

"It's just an honour to play for Bobby Orr and it was a great game," Skinner said. "It was a tough one to lose but I think our team battled hard and it was a lot of fun."

Seguin ended the night with zero points and a minus-2 rating. Fowler, also held pointless, was a much better plus 4 in the game.

Click here to see the official game story and game sheet.

Click here to see the current player rankings by the NHL's Central Scouting Bureau.

The draft will be here before you know it. Read up!

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119

2010 DRAFT: More Prospects on TV Today

The 2010 NHL Draft is headed to Los Angeles this June. To get ready, all 30 NHL teams will have scouts at the CHL Prospects Game in Windsor, Ontario tonight.

Luckily for you, you can watch the game on the NHL Network at 4pm PST. Get a good look at some of the players that will be taken in the first round of this year's NHL Draft.

Case in point - all 16 Canadian Junior players that were selected in the first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft played in last year's game. Alumni of this game include first overall picks John Tavares, Chris Phillips, Joe Thornton, Vincent Lecavalier, Rick Nash, Marc-Andre Fleury, Patrick Kane, and Steven Stamkos. Like the World Junior Championships, this is a must-see event for scouts and draft-heads.

Last night they held a skills competition to showcase some of the guys that will play in today's Prospects Game. Swiss superstar-to-be Nino Nierderreiter (expected to be a first round pick) had the highlight goal of the skills event - click here to see the video.

The above goal earned Niederreiter a perfect 10 score from three of the judges in the Skills Competition - Windsor Spitfires defenseman and 2009 first-round Entry Draft pick Ryan Ellis; former NHL player (including with the LA Kings) and Windsor GM/owner Warren Rychel; and Rogers SportsNet's Rob Faulds. The toughest judge was former NHL enforcer and Windsor native Bob Probert, who gave Niederreiter a 9.

The CHL Top Prospects Game will feature two teams full of future NHL Draft picks, all taken from the three CHL leagues. The teams are coached by Don Cherry and Bobby Orr and are thus called Team Cherry and Team Orr.

Team Orr won last night's skills competition, topping Team Cherry by a 23-17 margin.

The 20-man rosters were selected by NHL General Managers along with NHL Central Scouting and include 18 players from the Ontario Hockey League, 13 players from the Western Hockey League, and nine players from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Windsor Spitfires (OHL) players LW Taylor Hall (ranked first) and D Cam Fowler (ranked third) will suit up for Team Cherry and C Tyler Seguin (ranked second) from the OHL's Plymouth Whalers will play for Team Orr.

Click here to view the full rosters for the CHL Top Prospects Game.

Watch the game later this afternoon and form your own opinions on who should be taken first overall. See who you think looks like an NHL star in the making. Playing scout and GM can be fun. Just remember, these are kids...and their future upside is highly debatable, even by the guys that do this for a living.

Enjoy.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119

note: some information in the above article was taken from the NHL.com coverage of the Prospects Game

The other Subway Series

No, we're not talking New York baseball.

On Monday the Kings and Ducks announced this year's Freeway Face-Off Series would be sponsored by Subway - you know, the sandwich people.

Well, before you get all hyped up and go order a foot long combo to help support the people supporting the NHL, take note of this...Subway was also the title sponsor of a huge hockey tournament that just wrapped up last week.

For the seventh consecutive year, the Subway Super Series was played throughout Canada, with a team of Russian players challenging various Canadian Junior All-Star teams. Don't worry, I'm not writing an article all about Subway, its actually about the Kings many prospects that participated in the tournament this year.

When the six-game event kicked off with a pair of games in the QMJHL area, defenseman Nicolas Deslauriers (Kings third round pick in 2009) was the only LA prospect on either side of the ice. He was held pointless, however his team won both games. This kid looked extremely well rounded in the September rookie camp here in SoCal and expect to hear his name quite a bit in the years to come.

A few days later things moved over to the OHL. Unfortunately, the Kings second round pick from this year - Kyle Clifford (who, coincidentally was the MVP of the Kings rookie camp this year, which you can read all about by clicking HERE) was not available due to an injury. No other Kings draft picks cracked the line-up. Didn't matter much though, as the Russians lost both games again.

Then, last week, when the final two games were staged over in the WHL, the Canadian roster was littered with Kings prospects. In fact, all three Kings selections from this past June's draft that came from the WHL were selected to play - Brayden Schenn (#5 overall, first round), Linden Vey (4th round) and Brandon Kozun (6th round). Additionally, 'Mr. Nasty' Colten Teubert (#13 overall, 1st round '08) captained the team for game one, while undrafted goaltending prospect Martin Jones started game two.

Quick game summaries:
Wed 11/25 - Schenn and Vey both had an assist. WHL won 2-1.

Thurs 11/26 - Vey goal, Kozun assist, Jones win (only gave up two goals). WHL won 4-2.

Of course, Schenn wasn't available to play for the WHL squad on Thursday because he was making his NHL debut for the Kings in Vancouver.

Final comments on Teubert... As noted in some of my previous articles on this kid, he's been somewhat of a loose cannon (click HERE to read notes from August when he took out his own teammates in practice!). However, upon closer examination of his stats, perhaps he's finally learning to control his emotions and play a more intelligent defensive game. Last year he played 60 games with the Regina Pats and had 37 points (12g, 25a), with 136 penalty minutes (almost identical to his 135 from the season before). So far this year, in 27 games his offense is on pace to be at the same level (currently, 20 points: 6g & 14 a). It's his PIM that have taken a dramatic notch down. With only 46 PIM so far, he's on pace for about 102...or a 25% decline. Nice.

So, now that we know who some of the stars were for the north of the border Subway Series...who's going to steal the headlines tonight when Subway presents game one of the Freeway Faceoff Series between the Ducks and Kings?

Man, all this writing is making me hungry.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/Mayor119
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor

RELATED ARTICLES:

Click to read interviews on MayorsManor.com with...

Brandon Kozun
Colten Teubert
Kyle Clifford
Nic Deslauriers

.