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Call me a turncoat, but I really love the World Cup of Hockey. This time last year we were still weeks away from hockey, desperate for a chance to get revenge on the Flames for sending us packing in the first round of the 2015 playoffs. Fast forward a year, and we've already seen huge anticipation of seeing our young prospects in action; Loui Eriksson scoring for fun with the Sedins; Ryan Kesler being dealt with; and hockey goals galore.
So, what's the new from around the league?
- Sportsnet do a great job with their recaps from the WCoH prelim games. Find them for the latest games here:
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North America 7-4 Europe - those kids are looking incredible so far. Ekblad is so damn good.
- Sweden 6-3 Finland - Loui Eriksson scores twice, Sedins look happy, we're all happy.
- Czech Republic 2-1 Russia - unsigned Nikita Kucherov scores here. Hint: offer sheet that guy, now.
- Canada 5-2 USA - revenge for the favorites, and even Jay Bouwmeester scored.
- Would you trade Chris Tanev for Gabriel Landeskog? Or perhaps Patrick Marleau? I wouldn't trade Luca Sbisa for Marleau (okay, slight porkie there), but Landeskog? He's one of the few I would trade Tanev for. Yes, this rumor won't go away. [Digital Journal]
- LEAGUE BIAS ALERT: NHL.com ranks the upcoming season's biggest sleeper candidates for fantasy hockey, and Bo Horvat does not feature. Are we surprised at this point? [NHL]
- I've been saying this for ages: adding a healthy Brandon Sutter is essentially adding a 40+ point forward to the group. IMac gives you more. [Province]
- Kris Versteeg must drool in his sleep, just dreaming of playing with McDavid, RNH or Draisaitl. He pretty much admits it too. [The Score]
- Looking at the prospects around the league - it may be too early to be cocky, but our pool looks really healthy compared to a lot of other teams. Although I really don't see Juolevi sticking with the team. [Hockey Writers]
- In positive news, Denna Laing is on the road to recovery from her shocking injury. There's not a soul in the hockey world who doesn't want to see her make a full recovery. Her determination is astonishing. [NHL]
- NHL 17 is nearly out (I've been playing it through EA Access). Here's an unbiased review. [attackofthefanboy]
- More evidence against Evander Kane has been provided. I really can't see this ending well for anyone. [CBC]
- Let's end with more good news: Botch has written a really good piece on Ben Hutton. Botch should do more of this, and do less stirring. He can actually write. [Province]
Question of the day: Can you see Olli Juolevi making the team for the whole season, not just 9 games?