Just being a second-round pick doesn’t necessarily guarantee you a shot at the NHL, and that’s what William Wrenn has had to come to grips with this offseason. After bouncing around the minor leagues for several years, the former San Jose Sharks’ pick will head to the KHL for a new chapter in his career.
Wrenn played last season with the Toronto Marlies, his fifth straight in the minor leagues since coming out of the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. Before that it was the University of Denver where he played just two seasons, beginning an interesting journey after being selected 43rd-overall. With Dinamo Riga next year, the 26-year old defenseman will try to prove that there’s more to his game.
- Sidney Crosby turned 30 years old today, finishing the first part of his career with 1,027 regular season points and three Stanley Cups. Crosby has eight years remaining on his current contract meaning it may be his last one, and interestingly the Penguins will get quite the discount in a few years. Crosby is due just $9MM total in the last three seasons, making him affordable even if his play does decline rapidly in his mid-thirties.
- After prevailing on Sunday in their first game at the Sochi Open, players for Team Canada will continue their audition for the Olympic roster with a game against Russia today. Former Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Jesse Blacker scored the winner yesterday, and Justin Peters earned the shutout. The full roster for the Canadian squad can be found here.
I know a lot of people are disappointed that the NHL isn’t Olympic bound this coming year but I’m actually looking forward to it. The Spengler Cup is one of my favourite hockey tournaments and one of the main reasons I like it so much is because you get these unheralded players playing on a big stage and showing that there is more than just the NHL to play in. I remember when I was a kid, Sportsnet and The Score(old Canadian sports station) used to show European hockey on Friday and Saturday nights and would cover the the Elitserian, SM-Liiga and the old RSL(Russian Super League) as well as showcasing the Swiss, German, Czech and Slovakian leagues from time to time. It was because of this that I was able to watch guys like Hnat Domenichelli, Glen Metropolit, Stacy Roest, Tony Hrkac, Micki DuPont and other various Canadian Spengler Cup champs.
I don’t ever remember those sports stations showing those games. Have you got dementia?
This was about 15 years ago(maybe even longer). They were on tape delay so they’d show a full game in like an hour and a half with no intermission breaks and they were obviously never in prime time but aired at around midnight to 1 am. They only did it for a few years.