Sport-scan daily brief

Ryan Fitzgerald was 3 years old when the family moved to Nashville. His father’s expertise was particularly helpful during his formative years in the sport.

“I remember the days in Nashville when ‘Coach Steve’ would tell him to hang out at the blue line,’ ” Tom Fitzgerald recalled. “I would go, ‘No, no, no you don’t hang out by the blue line.’ He’d say ‘Dad, Coach Steve said I should hang out by the blue line.’ ‘Son, Coach Steve is a mechanic and I love that he’s volunteering his time. But you have to go back and get the puck.’ ”

These days no one questions Ryan Fitzgerald’s knowledge of the game. He is regarded as a skillful playmaker with good hockey sense and the ability to make players around him better.

After three years at Malden Catholic High School in Massachusetts, he gave up his senior season to play for the Valley Junior Warriors of the Eastern Junior Hockey League in 2012-13. Along the way this past season he also spent time with USA Hockey Junior Select Team and the U.S. Developmental Program.

He has committed to play at perennial college hockey power Boston College next season.

“The reason he went to play junior this year … had everything to do with preparation for him to go to Boston College and have the best opportunity to be successful,” Tom Fitzgerald said. “Truthfully, it was probably a very, very tough year for him. He bounced around. … He never really found a groove with his own team.”

Even so, he averaged better than a point per game (14 goals, 16 assists in 28 contests) for Valley, based in Lawrence, Mass., and was named the league’s rookie of the year.

The biggest knock against him, from a scouting perspective, is his size.

“He’s not the biggest kid but he’s got very good hockey sense,” Tom Fitzgerald said. “He’s got good skill. And he’s not afraid of the tough areas of the ice. He’s sub-6 feet, but he’s a hockey player. He can play wing, he can play center. … He’s got very good vision. I think the one thing he can do is he can make people around him better. I think if you would ask kids on his team, past teams ‘Who would you want to play with?’ I think, I would hope they’d realize playing with him would be a very good thing.”

Those, he stresses, are the opinions of a parent and not an NHL executive.

In recent weeks and months Tom Fitzgerald has been careful to separate the two. He says he has done nothing in terms of a formal evaluation of his son and has no plans to contribute to the discussion of that one player in the countdown to the draft.

Similarly, he plans to operate in a dual capacity during the draft, which is limited to one day this year because of changes to the calendar necessitated by the lockout that delayed the start of the regular season until January.

“What I’m going to do is I’m going to sit at my table for the first round,” Tom Fitzgerald said. “Then I’m going to move up with my family, and I’m going to be a proud dad. An anxious dad. A nerve-wracked dad. And I’m going to wait, like any other parent, for that moment when my son’s life will change forever.

“Now he enters the fraternity. It’s just an open door and it’s an opportunity for him, but he enters the fraternity.”

Nashville City Paper LOADED: 06.28.2013

682721 Nashville Predators

Predators' first-round pick to come from among top six

Thursday, June 27, 2013 at 9:32pm

By David Boclair

The Nashville Predators have the fourth overall selection for the 2013 NHL Draft, which takes place Sunday at New Jersey. A look at six of the top prospects, one of whom most likely will be Nashville’s choice, with comments from Predators chief amateur scout Jeff Kealty:

ALEXANDER BARKOV

Center, 6-3, 209, Tappara (Finland)

Of note: A two-time member of Finland’s World Junior Championship team, he is that country’s youngest player ever to score a goal in that tournament. His father was a professional hockey player and his mother was a player on Russia’s national basketball team.

Kealty says: “This guy is a guy that is an excellent two-way player. Very well-rounded. … A guy that can posses the puck and really contribute at both ends with his size and two-way game. Great vision. Great ability to make plays. He played in the Finnish Elite League at 17 years old. When you consider what he’s accomplished at that level, at that age – he scored a point a game this year – and you add that to the well-rounded game that he has, he’s a terrific prospect.”

JONATHAN DROUIN

Left wing, 5-11, 186, Halifax (QMJHL)

Of note: He was named the Quebec League’s Most Valuable Player, Best Professional Prospect and its personality of the year for 2012, 13, when he had 105 points (41 goals, 64 assists) in 49 games.

Kealty says: “He’s an electric offensive player. Terrific skills. Great puck skills. Creativity. … One of those guys that brings you out of your seat. He not only has the offensive skill to produce and make plays but he’s got some of that flare to him that a lot of the stars in the game have.”

SETH JONES

Defense, 6-4, 205, Portland (WHL)

Of note: The son of former NBA player Popeye Jones has been a member of three gold medal winning USA Hockey teams, including the 2013 World Junior Championship team, of which he was the youngest member. He was the WHL’s highest scoring defenseman.

Kealty says: “He’s pretty unanimously the top defenseman in the draft. This guy is 6-foot-4, an excellent skater. … He can skate the puck out of trouble and move the puck up ice. He can get involved at both ends. He’s a terrific athlete. … Obviously, he has the athletic genes. He is just a terrific player and with the upside that he has he’s only going to get better.”

ELIAS LINDHOLM

Center, 5-11, 192, Bynas (Sweden)

Of note: He is from a hockey family – his father played briefly in the NHL with Los Angeles and a cousin is a Red Wings prospect. He was a full-time player in the Swedish Elite League this season.

Kealty says: “A very good two-way player. Very good sense. Very good competitiveness. Makes plays at both ends. Has great vision. One of those guys that makes people around him better and with the two-way game that he has the competitiveness that he has, he’s a real versatile guys. For him to be competing at the level he is, in the Swedish Elite League, at 18 years old is very impressive.”

NATHAN MacKINNON

Center, 6-0, 182, Halifax (QMJHL)

Of note: He had a hat trick in Canada’s gold medal game victory at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and led the QMJHL with seven game-winning goals. He is from the same hometown as Pittsburgh Penguins great Sidney Crosby.

Kealty says: “This guy is an explosive talent, probably the best skater in the draft. A powerful lower body. Explosive. He can change the game on a dime with his skating because he can just explode away from people and can really make things happen in open ice. He’s one of those guys that is really driven and focused to score. You combine that with the skating and power he has and he’s a pretty dynamic player.”

VALERI NICHUSHKIN

Left wing, 6-4, 196, Chelyabinsk (Russia)

Of note: He scored the overtime winner against Canada in the bronze medal game at the World Junior Championships. It was his only goal of the tournament but was a showcase moment for his high-end skill.

Kealty says: “This guy is a massive, massive winger. A big wingspan. He’s a very good skater. He’s got power to him with the way that he can posses the puck and hold people off and take it to the net and make plays. He’s got a little of a Rick Nash type of game with that size and that wingspan.”

Nashville City Paper LOADED: 06.28.2013

682722 New Jersey Devils

Former Devils goalie Sean Burke excited about draft for son Brendan

Rich Chere/The Star-Ledger

on June 27, 2013 at 2:19 PM, updated June 27, 2013 at 3:10 PM

Sean Burke was the goaltender who started the Devils’ run of playoff success 25 years ago, ultimately paving an early path towards the franchise’s three Stanley Cups.

So he is excited about the fact that one of the top prospects for Sunday’s NHL entry draft, which will be held at Prudential Center, is his 18-year-old son, Brendan. Like his dad, Brendan is a lanky, 6-foot-3 goalie. He is ranked 13th among North American goalkeepers.

“I’m excited for him,” said Burke, now assistant to Phoenix Coyotes general manager Don Maloney and the team’s goalie coach. “He’s a good kid, he’s worked hard and he’s just getting better. I won’t say it’s ironic, but it’s pretty interesting the draft is in New Jersey, of all places.”

The Devils selected Burke 24th overall in the 1985 entry draft, 21 places after they made defenseman Craig Wolanin the third overall pick.

“I remember I had a lot more hair and I had a bad suit on,” Burke said. “It was in Toronto, so it was in my hometown. I remember my dad and my family being so excited. I was really nervous, not knowing where or if I was going to be drafted. Even though you’re told all these things, you still don’t know until you hear your name called.”

Burke, who led the Devils to their first playoff appearance in 1988 by going 10-1-0 in his 11 late-season starts, would play three more seasons for the team while compiling a 62-66-23 record and 3.66 goals-against average in 162 games.

A contract dispute with general manager Lou Lamoriello led to Burke being traded along with Eric Weinrich to the Hartford Whalers on Aug. 28, 1992, in a deal that would bring Bobby Holik and a 1993 draft pick that became Jay Pandolfo.

Although he played 17 NHL seasons with nine teams, Burke has come to appreciate his time in New Jersey.

“Oh, yeah, big time. I think I’ve appreciated way more as I’ve gotten older and (stopped playing) just what an incredible experience it was and how much I enjoyed playing here,” he said. “As you move along and you’re still playing, you can become cynical and look at the negative things about the places you’ve been and dwell on things that maybe didn’t go well or you think you weren’t treated a certain way. I have a tendency to look back and really appreciate the great things.

“It was great for me to break into the league the way it happened with that group of guys. I have so much respect for Lou Lamoriello and what he’s done. I don’t know if I would’ve said all those things when I was 25 or 26. Looking back on it now, even flying in yesterday, there’s the tradition and the history that I’ve had and the team has had here. It’s great. I was lucky.”

Will Brendan be as lucky? There will certainly be some pressure on him as the son of a successful NHL goalie (a three-time All-Star with 324 wins in 820 appearances), particularly if he is drafted by the Coyotes or Devils. Imagine playing for an organization in which your father and Martin Brodeur both played.

“I think for him it’s a little different than maybe for some other players,” Burke said. “He grew up playing all his hockey in Arizona. So he was out of any media hockey hotbed.

“The other thing with Brendan is he’s one of those kids that have been around the game forever and really has a respect and appreciation for the players and how hard it is. For him it’s more ‘this is what I want to do and I know how hard it is’ rather than pressure. He understands the work that needs to go into it. I think he knows it isn’t just 'my dad played, I like it and I’m going to play.' There is a long way to go before he ever gets a chance.”

Brendan was 24-5-1 with a 2.65 goals-against average and .908 save percentage for the Portland Winterhawks (WHL) last season. He is not only similar in build to his father, but also in style.

“Yes, good and bad,” the elder Burke said with a laugh. “He’s very similar in style. A lot of it is from him just watching. He was old enough when I was still playing to watch a lot of games. He naturally plays a style I think he watched me play.

“Kids his age now are better-coached from a younger age. They’re more technical. I remember back in my day it was more about just being a good athlete and competing. Young goalies now do that, but they’ve also been well-coached.”

Star Ledger LOADED: 06.28.2013

682723 New Jersey Devils

Devils have ties to at least three top NHL entry draft prospects

Rich Chere/The Star-Ledger on June 27, 2013 at 12:06 PM, updated June 27, 2013 at 3:11 PM

At least three top prospects for the upcoming NHL entry draft have ties to the Devils.

Brendan Burke, the 13th-ranked North American goalie, is the son of former Devils goaltender Sean Burke. The Devils drafted Sean with the 24th overall pick in 1985 and he led the team to the playoffs for the first time in 1988.

Brendan, 18, is 6-3, 175 pounds and went 24-5-1 with a 2.65 goals-against average and .908 save percentage for the Portland Winterhawks (WHL) last season.

Sean Burke played 17 seasons in the NHL with nine different clubs and is now assistant general manager and goalie coach for the Phoenix Coyotes. He played four seasons for the Devils and was 62-66-23 in 162 game with a 3.66 GAA. When he was drafted by the Devils he was 6-3, 180.

Adam Tambellini, the 42nd-ranked North American skater, is the son of former Devils center Steve Tambellini. Steve was on the team when it moved from Denver to New Jersey in 1982 and played one season for the Devils, scoring 43 points (25 goals, 18 assists) in 73 games.

Adam, 18, is a 6-2, 169-pound center who split time between the Vernon Vipers and Surrey Eagles of the BCHL last season. He scored a combined 66 points (36 goals, 30 assists) in 52 games before adding 18 points (10 goals, eight assists) in 127 playoff games for Surrey.

Peter Quenneville, the 130th-ranked North American skater, is the second cousin of former Devils defenseman Joel Quenneville. Bruins defenseman Jonny Boychuk is his uncle by marriage.

Joel, who has coached the Chicago Blackhawks to two Stanley Cup championships in four years, played one season for the Devils in 1982-83. He had 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) in 74 games.

Peter, 19, is a 5-11, 183-pound center who had 70 points (33 goals, 37 assists) in 63 games last season for the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL. He had nine points (six goals, three assists) in nine playoff games for Dubuque.

Ex-Devils assistant coach Matt Shaw recently was named GM and assistant coach of Dubuque.

Then there is Anthony Brodeur, the 18-year-old son of Devils goalie Martin Brodeur. The 5-11, 176-pound prospect will play for the Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL) next season and could be drafted on Sunday.

Other draft prospects with NHL ties:

Patrik Bartosak (No. 8-ranked North American Goalie)

His uncle, Radek Bonk, was drafted third overall in 1994 by the Senators and played 14 NHL seasons for Ottawa, Montreal and Nashville.

Tyler Bertuzzi (No. 207-ranked North American Skater)

His uncle, Todd, was selected 23rd overall in 1993 by the Islanders and has played 1,100 NHL games for the NY Islanders, Vancouver, Florida, Anaheim and Detroit.

Erik Bradford (No. 145-ranked North American Skater)

He is the younger cousin of Jamie McGinn, selected 36th overall in 2006 by the Sharks, and Tye McGinn, selected 119th overall in 2010 by the Flyers.

Andre Burakovsky (No. 6-ranked European Skater)

His father, Robert, was selected 217th overall in 1985 by the Rangers and played 23 games for Ottawa in 1993-94.

Cole Cassels (No. 120-ranked North American Skater)

His dad, Andrew, was selected 17th overall in 1987 by the Canadiens and played 1,015 NHL games for six teams (Montreal, Hartford, Calgary, Vancouver, Columbus and Washington).

Gregory Chase (No. 153-ranked North American Skater)

His uncle, Kelly, an undrafted forward, played 458 NHL games and amassed 2,017 penalty minutes for St. Louis, Hartford and Toronto.

Eric Comrie (No. 2-ranked North American Goalie)

His half-brothers, Mike and Paul, both played in the NHL. Mike, selected 91st overall in 1999 by the Oilers, recorded 365 points (168-197—365) in 589 games with Edmonton, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Ottawa, NY Islanders and Pittsburgh. Paul, selected 224th overall in 1997 by the Lightning, played four years at the University of Denver and 15 games for Edmonton in 1999-00.

Alex Coulombe (No. 68-ranked North American Skater)

His great-uncle, Claude Provost, won nine Stanley Cups with the Canadiens between 1955 and 1969 and the first-ever Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (awarded for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey) in 1968.

Max Domi (No. 19-ranked North American Skater)

His father, Tie, was selected 27th overall in 1988 by the Maple Leafs and played parts of six seasons with the NY Rangers and Winnipeg before playing his final 11 seasons with Toronto. He recorded 3,515 penalty minutes in 1,020 career NHL games.

Ryan Fitzgerald (No. 56-ranked North American Skater)

His father, Tom, suited up for seven NHL teams (NY Islanders, Florida, Colorado, Nashville, Chicago, Toronto and Boston) during an 18-season career and is now the assistant to the general manager of the Penguins.

Jackson Houck (No. 65-ranked North American Skater)

His father, Paul, was drafted 71st overall in 1981 by the Oilers and played four years at the University of Wisconsin (1980-1984) before competing in 16 games for the Minnesota North Stars.

Daniel LaFontaine (No. 195-ranked North American Skater)

His father, Pat, a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee (2003), was selected third overall in 1983 by the Islanders and went on to record 1,013 points (468-545—1013) in 865 games for the NY Islanders, Buffalo and NY Rangers.

Elias Lindholm (No. 3-ranked European Skater)

His father, Mikael, was selected 237th overall in 1987 by the Kings and played 18 games for Los Angeles during the 1989-90 season. His cousin, Detroit prospect Calle Jarnkrok, was drafted 51st overall in 2010.

Trent Lofthouse (No. 126-ranked North American Skater)

His father, Mark, was selected 21st overall in 1977 by the Capitals and played for Washington and Detroit.

Anthony Mantha (No. 10-ranked North American Skater)

His grandfather is four-time Stanley Cup champion Andre Pronovost – he played 556 games for Montreal, Boston, Detroit and Minnesota between the 1956-57 and 1967-68 seasons.

Kerby Rychel (No. 17-ranked North American Skater)

His father, Warren, was never drafted, but earned his way to the NHL through the now-defunct International Hockey League. He played for Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, Colorado and Anaheim – winning a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 1996 – and finished his NHL career with 1,422 penalty minutes in 406 games. He is now the part-owner and general manager of the Windsor Spitfires (OHL).

Ty Stanton (No. 78-ranked North American Skater)

His brother, Ryan, an undrafted defenseman, was signed by the Blackhawks in 2010 and competed in the American Hockey League for the Rockford Icehogs in 2012-13.

John Stevens (No. 182-ranked North American Skater)

His father, John, was selected 47th overall in 1984 by the Flyers and is currently an assistant coach with Los Angeles.

Jordan Subban (No. 55-ranked North American Skater)

His brother P.K., selected 43rd overall in 2007, completed his third NHL season with the Canadiens in 2012-13, winning the Norris Trophy as the League’s best defenseman. His brother Malcolm, a Belleville Bulls (OHL) goaltender and teammate, was selected 24th overall in 2012 by the Bruins.

Miles Wood (No. 138-ranked North American Skater)

His father, Randy, an undrafted forward, played 741 NHL games for the NY Islanders, Buffalo, Toronto and Dallas between 1986-87 and 1996-97.

Tyler Wood (No. 206-ranked North American Skater)

The older brother of Miles, his father, Randy, played 741 NHL games for the NY Islanders, Buffalo, Toronto and Dallas.

Star Ledger LOADED: 06.28.2013

682724 New Jersey Devils

Bettman says Devils' finances are stable

Friday, June 28, 2013

BY TOM GULITTI

NEW YORK – NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reiterated Thursday that the league remains confident in the Devils’ economic state and long-term future in New Jersey.

Contrary to reports last week, Bettman told The Record the team’s finances are "stable and we remain optimistic about the future of the franchise."

Bettman’s comment echoed one made by deputy commissioner Bill Daly last week.

That the Devils will remain in New Jersey is not in question. The makeup of the team’s ownership group is in transition, however, as new partners are being recruited to bring in additional capital after finances were strained by the lockout that truncated the 2012-13 NHL season to 48 games and missing the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

Jeff Vanderbeek completed a buyout of his former partners’ ownership shares in December to become sole owner of the Devils, but had already been working on bringing in new partners. The NHL has been helping with that process, which could be completed within the next week.

When the dust settles, Vanderbeek is expected to still be part of the ownership group, but possibly in a much smaller role.

Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello would not comment on the team’s financial state after Thursday’s NHL Board of Governors meeting in Manhattan. Lamoriello has been busy trying to re-sign several key potential unrestricted free agents before they are free to sign with other teams a week from today.

"We’ll do the best we can," Lamoriello said.

While Patrik Elias and David Clarkson remain unsigned, forward Dainius Zubrus has agreed to terms on a three-year deal for $3.1 million per season. The deal has yet to be signed, though, and it could take a few more days before it becomes official.

Lamoriello would not confirm that an agreement had been reached with Zubrus, saying, "Anything that isn’t signed yet is not done."

Bergen Record LOADED: 06.28.2013

682725 New Jersey Devils

Devils, Rangers prepare for marathon draft day

Thursday, June 27, 2013

BY TOM GULITTI

A successful playoffs and highly rated Stanley Cup Finals have turned the NHL owners’ lockout that delayed and shortened the 2012-13 regular season into a distant memory.

There still are some repercussions of the work stoppage, however, that are being felt. One is that the NHL Draft, to be held Sunday at Prudential Center, will be conducted in one day for the first time since 2006.

The NHL had been holding the first round of the draft in prime time with the remaining six rounds following the next day, but with less time after a Stanley Cup Finals that didn’t end until June 24, all seven rounds will be on one day.

"It stinks in a nutshell," said David Conte, the Devils executive vice president of hockey operations and director of scouting. "It takes a lot of the event status away. First of all, it’s starting at [3 p.m.], which is crazy. It’s going to be a long day."

The first round alone can take more than 3 1/2 hours as extra time is needed for all the pageantry — posing for photos, interviews, etc. — that goes along with each team’s selection. The remaining six rounds usually fly by, but still take about three more hours.

After missing the playoffs, the Devils won’t have to wait long to make their first pick at No. 9 in the first round. Teams usually utilize the night layover before the second round to reassess their draft boards, but won’t have the opportunity to do that this year.

"There’s no question it changes something," Devils president and general manager Lou Lamoriello said. "You don’t have an extra day in between to prepare. But it shouldn’t really change much because the first-round players, they’re going to be going anyway."

Rangers director of player personnel Gordie Clark doesn’t believe squeezing all seven rounds into one marathon day will have a major impact on how the draft — or any draft-day trades to move up or back in the order — will be completed.