Sport-scan daily brief

Pominville used to be an avid golfer. It was his escape from the rink in the summer, something he could do without his ultra-competitive instincts kicking in. But because he is busy with the kids during the offseason, he plays 18 holes once or twice a week. And that high-70s, low-80s score he used to shoot?

"That's gone up," he said with a laugh.

That's fine, though. Golf is still fun for him. Occasionally, he'll hit a wayward shot and get mad. Then he reminds himself why he's on the links: to relax. No sense in being a sore loser out there.

That's best saved for the ice.

Pioneer Press LOADED: 06.28.2013

682716 Minnesota Wild

Charley Walters: Minnesota Timberwolves have some shopping to do

Pioneer Press

Posted: 06/27/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT

Updated: 06/27/2013 09:05:02 PM CDT

With the NBA draft complete, next for the Timberwolves is the free-agent market, which opens Monday.

Wolves owner Glen Taylor said this week, a couple days before the draft, that the extent of his team's involvement in free agency would depend on how well it did in the draft.

Regardless, though, the Wolves, who are $16 million under the league's salary cap, plan to shop in free agency.

"We do have a plan in case the draft doesn't go exactly as we want," Taylor said. "We have some players that would be our priority to go after in free agency."

With Georgia shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope going to the Detroit Pistons with the No. 8 overall pick Thursday evening, the draft obviously didn't go exactly the way the Wolves hoped.

The Wolves want to re-sign restricted free agents Nikola Pekovic and Chase Budinger.

Former Mr. Basketball Minnesota Royce White, who was the Houston Rockets' first-round draft pick last year (No. 16 overall) and was paid $1.65 million while missing the NBA season because of anxiety issues, will play for the Rockets' summer league team in Orlando, Fla., beginning July 7. White, 22, is guaranteed $1.7 million next season from the Rockets.

Recently promoted starter Kyle Gibson, the Twins' 2009 first-round draft pick who makes his major league debut for Minnesota on Saturday afternoon against Kansas City at Target Field, was a popular player among teammates at Class AAA Rochester.

"When

we told him he was going up, every guy in this locker room clapped, stood up and got in line to shake his hand," Rochester manager Gene Glynn said Thursday. "That tells you what kind of teammate he is."

For Glynn's Red Wings, Gibson was 7-5 with a 3.01 earned-run average in 15 starts, striking out 79 in 92 2/3 innings. The 25-year-old right-hander missed most of 2012 recovering from ligament replacement surgery.

"I don't have any doubt about his arm because he pitched so well here," Glynn said. "He has been consistent. He was ahead (in counts) so often, which is really a good sign for a guy ready to take the next step. He's challenging people, and he believes in his stuff."

The Twins, by the way, have seen a spike in ticket sales for Gibson's debut, which could attract a crowd approaching 38,000.

Attendance for the four-game series against the New York Yankees that begins Monday could total 140,000.

By qualifying this week to play in the PGA Championship in August, Jeff Sorenson, teaching pro at Columbia Golf Course in Minneapolis, also qualified for the U.S. 10-player PGA Cup team that will compete against Great Britain and Ireland in England in September. The PGA Cup is similar to Ryder Cup competition.

Paul Goetz is the new boys basketball coach at Eastview High and Nick Tibesar the new boys basketball coach at Wayzata, Mr. Basketball Minnesota director Ken Lien reports.

Jordyn Alt, daughter of former Kansas City Chiefs star John Alt and in incoming senior at Cretin-Derham Hall, has committed to a basketball tender from the University of Denver.

On Saturday at Target Field, at the game against Kansas City, the Twins will feature former player, manager and broadcaster Frank Quilici at "Donor Day." Quilici, 74, received a kidney transplant in May 2012 from the wife of a longtime friend and is an advocate for organ donations.

The 1973 Minnesota high school boys hockey champion Hibbing team is staging a 40-year reunion this weekend in Hibbing.

A total of 209 Americans played in the NHL this season, or 23 percent of the league's 921 players, according to Wild curator Roger Godin.

The New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils had the most, with players 10 each. The Wild had nine: Zach Parise, Ryan Suter, Matt Cullen, Charlie Coyle, Tom Gilbert, Jason Zucker, Mike Rupp, Nate Prosser and Jake Dowell.

DON'T PRINT THAT

Puzzling: Why the Timberwolves didn't move up two draft picks, to No. 7, to take shooting guard Ben McLemore of Kansas. Or to No. 8 to take shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope of Georgia.

MVP running back Adrian Peterson of the Vikings told cbsSports.com that during a game against Detroit last season, a Lions linebacker asked him if he used performance-enhancing drugs to make such an miraculous recovery from major knee surgery.

"Whatever you were juicing on, let me know. I need it," the linebacker said.

Responded Peterson, "Man, it's a lot of prayer. The juice of God."

Considering the Vikings' daunting schedule, which includes Pittsburgh in London, at Baltimore and Seattle and the Giants, plus playing the Packers twice, at this juncture it looks like a 9-7 regular season.

The Twins rank fourth in the major leagues in fewest walks allowed but last in opponent batting average, quality starts and strikeouts.

The Twins also are tied for fourth in fewest errors and are No. 1 in fewest double plays hit into.

OVERHEARD

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, asked if his team can afford to pursue expensive free agents: "We'll have to afford them. I guess we would find out."

Pioneer Press LOADED: 06.28.2013

682717 Montreal Canadiens

Bergevin faces extra heat going into second draft as Canadiens' GM

BILL BEACON

MONTREAL — The Canadian Press

Published Thursday, Jun. 27 2013, 4:52 PM EDT

Last updated Thursday, Jun. 27 2013, 4:54 PM EDT

Holding the third overall draft pick made things relatively simple for Marc Bergevin a year ago at his first NHL draft as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens.

This time may be trickier, as Bergevin and his staff go into Sunday’s draft holding the 25th overall pick. However, having six picks in the first three rounds could make it interesting.

Halifax Mooseheads centre Nathan MacKinnon, left, Portland Winterhawks defenceman Seth Jones, centre, and Halifax Mooseheads left winger Jonathan Drouin pose for a photograph for the media in Saskatoon, Sask. on Thursday, May 16, 2013. The three players have been listed by NHL Central Scouting as potential first round selections in their Final Rankings for the 2013 NHL Draft.

Andrew Shaw of the Chicago Blackhawks celebrates with the Stanley Cup in the locker room after his team defeated the Boston Bruins in Game 6 of their NHL Stanley Cup Finals hockey series in Boston, Massachusetts June 24, 2013

“Last year we only had two picks before ours and we had a good idea of what we were going to do,” said Bergevin, who selected forward Alex Galchenyuk. “This year, it’s completely different.”

And this time there is unexpected extra pressure on Bergevin in the form of centre Vincent Lecavalier.

Montreal fans are pushing hard for the Canadiens to sign Lecavalier, who entered the unrestricted free agent market on Thursday when the Tampa Bay Lightning announced they were buying out 33-year-old’s hefty contract.

The Canadiens have not had a French-Canadian star in many years, and Lecavalier would fit that bill. They also want to get bigger up front, and Lecavalier is 6-foot-4. And, with 20 players signed and $9-million in salary cap space open, they should be able to afford him.

Even Mathieu Darche, a former Canadien and Lightning, urged Bergevin on his blog for RDS to sign the slick centre who scored 52 goals in 2006-07.

The temptation to make a play for his former teammate in Tampa would have to be enormous, even if it seems to go against Bergevin’s philosophy.

Only a week ago, Bergevin said he was leery of using free agency for anything but acquiring role players to fill gaps in the roster, as he did last summer with Brandon Prust and Colby Armstrong.

“To me, free agency is a tool, but it’s not a way to make your team a top team,” he said. “It’s overplayed. You have to be really careful with free agency.”

He does not rule out making a deal to move up in the draft, however. The Canadiens have three second round picks, including the 34th and 36th overall from previous deals, as well as their own 55th pick. They also draft 71st and 86th overall in the third round.

“I can say we’re always looking to improve our position, but there’s a price to pay,” he said.

“You don’t build a team through free agency or trades, you build it through the draft. And you need to be patient with these guys. Look at the teams that have success, like Chicago. The core of their players, most of them came through the draft. And it took years for them to become the elite team they are now. It’s not a secret recipe, how to build a hockey team.”

He gave no indication on what sort of players he and scouting director Trevor Timmins are looking for.

After his smaller-than-average team was eliminated in the first round of playoffs by Ottawa, he said he would like more “balance” between big and small players. So they may look for some bigger bodies.

The organization is also thin on goalies, having not drafted one since they took Petteri Simla 211th overall in 2009. They have selected only two since they got Carey Price fifth overall in 2005.

So they may be tempted by Halifax Mooseheads goalie Zach Fucale.

There are a handful of other prospects from Quebec who may be available if that is a consideration, including defenceman Samuel Morin and forwards Laurent Dauphin, Anthony Mantha and perhaps Frederik Gauthier.

The flashy Jonathan Drouin, expected to go in the top five, is likely out of their reach. Bergevin said it would take more than offering a first and second round pick to move up that high.

“It’s not just to draft the players available, but to draft the players you like,” he said. “If you can move up and get that player, and it comes at a price you feel is not too steep, then I will do that.”

What he has to offer is other draft picks.

“Especially in the early second (round),” he said. “The 34th and 36th. Those are really good picks. They’re appealing picks.”

Montreal has its best collection of picks since it had five in the top 73 in 2007. That year, they got Ryan McDonagh (now a New York Ranger) 12th, Max Pacioretty 22nd, Norris Trophy winner P.K. Subban 43rd and defenceman Yannick Weber 73rd.

Their off-season moves so far include buying out rearguard Tomas Kaberle and signing depth defenceman Davis Drewiske to a new deal.

Globe And Mail LOADED: 06.28.2013

682718 Montreal Canadiens

Bergevin faces extra heat going into second draft as Canadiens general manager

By Bill Beacon, The Canadian Press June 27, 2013

MONTREAL - Holding the third overall draft pick made things relatively simple for Marc Bergevin a year ago at his first NHL draft as general manager of the Montreal Canadiens.

This time may be trickier, as Bergevin and his staff go into Sunday's draft holding the 25th overall pick. However, having six picks in the first three rounds could make it interesting.

"Last year we only had two picks before ours and we had a good idea of what we were going to do," said Bergevin, who selected forward Alex Galchenyuk. "This year, it's completely different."

And this time there is unexpected extra pressure on Bergevin in the form of centre Vincent Lecavalier.

Montreal fans are pushing hard for the Canadiens to sign Lecavalier, who entered the unrestricted free agent market on Thursday when the Tampa Bay Lightning announced they were buying out 33-year-old's hefty contract.

The Canadiens have not had a French-Canadian star in many years, and Lecavalier would fit that bill. They also want to get bigger up front, and Lecavalier is six-foot-four. And, with 20 players signed and $9 million in salary cap space open, they should be able to afford him.

Even Mathieu Darche, a former Canadien and Lightning, urged Bergevin on his blog for RDS to sign the slick centre who scored 52 goals in 2006-07.

The temptation to make a play for his former teammate in Tampa would have to be enormous, even if it seems to go against Bergevin's philosophy.

Only a week ago, Bergevin said he was leery of using free agency for anything but acquiring role players to fill gaps in the roster, as he did last summer with Brandon Prust and Colby Armstrong.

"To me, free agency is a tool, but it's not a way to make your team a top team," he said. "It's overplayed. You have to be really careful with free agency."

He does not rule out making a deal to move up in the draft, however. The Canadiens have three second round picks, including the 34th and 36th overall from previous deals, as well as their own 55th pick. They also draft 71st and 86th overall in the third round.

"I can say we're always looking to improve our position, but there's a price to pay," he said.

"You don't build a team through free agency or trades, you build it through the draft. And you need to be patient with these guys. Look at the teams that have success, like Chicago. The core of their players, most of them came through the draft. And it took years for them to become the elite team they are now. It's not a secret recipe, how to build a hockey team."

He gave no indication on what sort of players he and scouting director Trevor Timmins are looking for.

After his smaller-than-average team was eliminated in the first round of playoffs by Ottawa, he said he would like more "balance" between big and small players. So they may look for some bigger bodies.

The organization is also thin on goalies, having not drafted one since they took Petteri Simla 211th overall in 2009. They have selected only two since they got Carey Price fifth overall in 2005.

So they may be tempted by Halifax Mooseheads goalie Zach Fucale.

There are a handful of other prospects from Quebec who may be available if that is a consideration, including defenceman Samuel Morin and forwards Laurent Dauphin, Anthony Mantha and perhaps Frederik Gauthier.

The flashy Jonathan Drouin, expected to go in the top five, is likely out of their reach. Bergevin said it would take more than offering a first and second round pick to move up that high.

"It's not just to draft the players available, but to draft the players you like," he said. "If you can move up and get that player, and it comes at a price you feel is not too steep, then I will do that."

What he has to offer is other draft picks.

"Especially in the early second (round)," he said. "The 34th and 36th. Those are really good picks. They're appealing picks."

Montreal has its best collection of picks since it had five in the top 73 in 2007. That year, they got Ryan McDonagh (now a New York Ranger) 12th, Max Pacioretty 22nd, Norris Trophy winner P.K. Subban 43rd and defenceman Yannick Weber 73rd.

Their off-season moves so far include buying out rearguard Tomas Kaberle and signing depth defenceman Davis Drewiske to a new deal.

Montreal Gazette LOADED: 06.28.2013

682719 Nashville Predators

Should Predators pick Seth Jones if he's available?

Jun. 27, 2013 5:43 PM

Josh Cooper

SETH JONES

Position: Defense

Age: 18

Birthplace: Plano, Texas

Team: Portland Winterhawks (Western Hockey League)

Numbers: 61 games, 14 goals, 42 assists 56 points, plus-46 with the Winterhawks

The Nashville Predators are known for drafting and developing defensemen, taking five in the first round.

Blueliners picked by Nashville have been finalists for the Norris Trophy — given to the NHL’s best defenseman — three times. This defense-out formula has worked well for Nashville, which despite a disastrous 2013, has made the playoffs seven of the last nine seasons.

But Nashville is forward starved. Moments after the Predators were awarded the No. 4 pick at the NHL draft lottery, general manager David Poile said Nashville would want to get a forward in Sunday’s draft.

What if defenseman Seth Jones, the consensus top prospect, is available at No. 4? The Colorado Avalanche, who hold the No. 1 pick, have been adamant in saying they won’t take Jones. The next two teams in the draft order — Florida and Tampa — could also use forwards.

If you’re the Predators, do you take Jones?

“Absolutely, 100 percent. 110 percent,” Poile said without hesitation. “I think he’s the best player in the draft.”

The case for

At 6-foot-4, 206 pounds, Jones has the size, skating, shooting and passing ability to chip in both offensively and shut down opponents defensively. Such qualities are rare in most draft prospects. Nashville captain Shea Weber has a similar skill set, and he has the second-richest contract in the NHL.

“He’s the whole package,” Poile said. “He’s size, he has great skating, he has offensive abilities. I certainly think he’s going to be an aggressive player. He can be a Norris Trophy winner, and that’s not to say the other guys couldn’t be equally as good, but that’s how I would have him — as the best player in the draft.”

Jones has leadership qualities as well. Last season he said his Team USA world junior squad was the best in the tournament, and then backed it up with a gold medal.

By all accounts, Jones is NHL-ready and would fill an immediate hole on the Predators’ second defense pair. Poile would not have to address such need in his offseason retooling and could focus on acquiring the elusive first-line forward.

Off the ice, Jones would be a marketing dream in the Nashville area. His father, former NBA player Popeye Jones, is from Dresden and played college basketball at Murray State.

Jones would also bring publicity to the Predators and the Nashville market because of this back story. Jones is American and learned to play hockey in the Dallas and Denver areas, and he has been on the national media radar for several years.

The Predators have had few players in their history with that type of hype and publicity.

The case against

The Predators need a forward who brings game-changing talent. If Jones is available, there will still be several dynamic forwards around, possibly including Aleksander Barkov, Valeri Nichushkin and Elias Lindholm.

Nashville’s need for strong offensive forwards was never more evident than in the 2010 and 2011 playoffs.

In 2010, Nashville’s team defense approach kept the Chicago Blackhawks scrambling in the first round. But in Game 5, forward Patrick Kane — the 2007 No. 1 overall pick — tied the contest with 13.6 seconds left, and forward Marian Hossa — another former first-round pick — won the game in overtime. The Predators lost to the Blackhawks in six games.

In 2011, Vancouver forward Ryan Kesler had 11 points in six games to help beat the Predators in the second round. Kesler was a first-round pick in 2003.

A strong performance by a top forward can change a series, and the Predators have never drafted or developed a forward who has scored more than 63 points for them in a single season.

Defensemen are also trickier to develop. Since 1980, defensemen drafted No. 1 overall include Roman Hamrlik, Bryan Berard, Ed Jovanovksi, Chris Phillips and Erik Johnson.

Johnson, who is on his second squad and has never made an All-Star team, went ahead of forward Jonathan Toews (third overall to Chicago) in 2006. Toews just captained the Blackhawks to his second Stanley Cup with the team.

Chris Pronger (2000) is the last defenseman to win the Hart Trophy, given to the league’s MVP, since Bobby Orr won three straight from 1970-72.

Tennessean LOADED: 06.28.2013

682720 Nashville Predators

Longtime Predator will watch son chase same NHL dream in Sunday’s draft

Thursday, June 27, 2013 at 9:05pm

By David Boclair

Kerry Fitzgerald spent a lot of time in recent weeks going through family photos and videos, which she used to create a graduation present for her son Ryan. It did not take long for her and her husband to notice a certain consistency.

“In 80 percent of the pictures he has a hockey stick in his hands,” Tom Fitzgerald said. “I would say, maybe 20 percent of them were of him in a baseball uniform — from Nashville, and that was because of how much time we spent there in the summer.”

However limited the local hockey calendar was in 1998, when Tom Fitzgerald was named the Nashville Predators’ first captain and brought along his family, it still provided enough impetus to point the oldest of the couple’s four boys in the same direction as their father.

Ryan Fitzgerald, whose first experience with organized hockey was in Middle Tennessee, will be among those selected Sunday when the NHL conducts its 2013 entry draft. The NHL’s Central Scouting Service has him listed No. 56 among North American skaters (a drop of 10 spots from the mid-term rankings), and most projections have the 5-foot-10, 168-pound center as a third-round selection.

“He’s more of a skill player than I was,” Tom Fitzgerald said. “I was more of a bullish player — when I was his age I would just power through people and that led into the physical aspect of my game. There’s some similarities but probably more differences. He’s a smarter player than I was. He can hit and he does a very good job away from the puck.”

Predators general manager David Poile has made no secret over the years of his willingness to capitalize on public relations opportunities in the draft. That was at least part of the motivation in 2001, when he traded up and used the first pick of the fourth round on Jordin Tootoo, the first player of Inuit descent ever selected and — later — to play in the NHL. It was no different 2006 when Nashville used a second-round pick on Blake Geoffrion, a local product whose family had a rich NHL heritage.

This year Nashville has the third pick of the third round (64th overall) and three choices in the fourth round (Nos. 95, 99 and 112 overall), and it certainly would be newsworthy if they selected the son of the man who was the face of the franchise in its formative years.

“My wife and I have mentioned it from time to time lately,” Tom Fitzgerald said. “If one of my old teams drafted him, how weird would that be?”

Weird, perhaps. There are plenty of options, though.

Before he signed with the Predators as a free agent on July 6, 1998, Fitzgerald, who was the 17th overall selection in 1986, played for the New York Islanders, Florida Panthers and Colorado Avalanche. He was dealt to the Chicago Blackhawks near the 2001-02 trade deadline and later played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins.

Of his 1,097 career contests, 307 were in a Nashville uniform.

He retired in 2006 and remained in the game, mostly as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins front office. Currently, he is an assistant general manager under former Nashville assistant GM Ray Shero.

“This is all I’ve ever known,” he said. “I’ve been doing it professionally since I was 20, and spent 18 years as a player. I’ll be 45 in August. It’s something that I love, I have a passion for and it’s probably the thing I know best.

“With [Ryan], I just think it was one of those things. … We lived it and he probably just thought of it as ‘this is life’ not a sport.”