Hockey link roundup: June 23

A little bit to cover on Draft Week:

• ICYMI, Dominik Hasek was elected to the 2014 Hockey Hall of Fame class on Monday. Hasek is the 17th person with Indianapolis ties to be chosen for the Hall of Fame. 
• The NHL Draft is this weekend. Five players with Indiana Ice ties -- Josh Jacobs, Ryan Mantha, Blake Siebenaler, Rinat Valiev and Mitch Slattery -- are projected to be picked. Check out profiles of each. A few mock drafts from the NHL Bleacher Report, The Hockey Writers & The Hockey News. Looking ahead, there's a lot of scout comments about several USHL prospects (including Jacobs & Slattery) at OTB.
• Also, an update on Jeff Brown, the Indiana Ice's championship coach, going to Ottawa.

Ryan Huska with the Ice.

Former Indianapolis Ice captain Ryan Huska is moving up the coaching ladder. The longtime coach of the WHL's Kelowna Rockets, Huska was named as the head coach of the AHL's Adirondack Flames on Monday. They are the top affiliate of the Calgary Flames, and are based in Glens Falls, NY (the Flames' ECHL affiliate is the Kelly Cup champion Alaska Aces). Huska's boss in Calgary, Brad Treliving, is also a former IHL Ice player, although their tenures did not coincide. Treliving was also the president of the Central Hockey League when the Indianapolis Ice played there.

In other former Ice player news, Bruce Cassidy is mentioned as a possibility for the Boston Bruins' coaching vacancy (scroll down the article to catch it). He is currently the head coach of the AHL Providence Bruins, and his development work has been heavily praised. Cassidy played for, and later coached, the IHL's Indianapolis Ice. He also has been the Washington Capitals' head coach. 

There are also a couple new NHL head coaches: Gerard Gallant in Florida, Willie Desjardins in Vancouver. And, as of yet, nobody in Pittsburgh.

Indiana native Mike Emrick describes for SI his call (and subsequent 110 seconds of silence) of the Kings' Stanley Cup championship moment, as well as a brief interview with the broadcasting legend. 

If you need to know when your favorite NHL team is playing, the 2014-15 schedule is out. It opens Wednesday, Oct. 8, and will conclude on Saturday, April 11.

The ECHL meetings took place over the weekend. This link has a small recap, but expect a few changes to be announced soon. Among the notables, a voice that might be familiar to Central Indiana fans, Fort Wayne's Bob Chase, was named Broadcaster of the Year. The 88-year-old is on his seventh decade as the Komets' broadcaster

Looks as if @ECHL will have a new divisional alignment and playoff format next season. Expect it to be announced in the next week or so.
— Barry Schickling (@DoubleSMedia) June 23, 2014

Players/coaches with Indy ties in the playoffs

As the playoffs begin, here is an update on players with Central Indiana ties -- either former Indianapolis players/coaches or those who were born and/or raised in Central Indiana -- who are participating in various professional league postseasons.

Ice's Jacobs, Mantha among CSS top 150

Two current Indiana Ice players and three more with ties to the franchise were rated in the final NHL Central Scouting Service pre-draft rankings for the 2014 NHL Draft. The rankings list the top players eligible for the NHL Draft -- generally 1996 birth-year players.

The full CSS list is here

Defenseman Josh Jacobs is ranked 43rd on the CSS list among North American skaters -- which would project him to be picked somewhere between the second and fourth rounds. Jacobs, who stands 6-2, 193 pounds, has been a member of the Ice for two years. He has five goals and 18 assists this season, posting a +36 rating that was second to defensive partner Austin Kosack among USHL defensemen. A right shot from Shelby Twp., Mich., Jacobs is committed to Michigan State University. Jacobs is the seventh-highest rated USHL player (and the second-highest rated from a team other than the USNDTP -- Green Bay's Nick Schmaltz is ranked 19th. The highest-rated USHL player is forward Alex Tuch of Team USA, ranked 12th among North American skaters).

Ice Defenseman Ryan Mantha ranks 149th on the list. The 6-5, 225-pound rearguard joined the team halfway through the season in a trade with Sioux City. A physical, big defender, he has two goals, nine points and a +11 rating in 24 games with the Ice. In two USHL seasons, he has played 103 games, with four goals and 22 points. Mantha is a right-shot defender from Clarkston, Mich.

Mitch Slattery is an affiliate list player who played one game with the Ice this season. He's a 6-0, 185-pound left wing from Hill-Murray High School in Minnesota.

Among former Ice players, defenseman Blake Siebenaler is rated 55th among North American skaters. The Fort Wayne native played 11 games for the Ice in 2012-13 before moving to Niagara of the Ontario Hockey League this year.  He has six goals and 30 points for the IceDogs this season. Siebenaler stands 6-1, 192.

Defenseman Rinat Valiev ranks 83rd on the CSS list among North American skaters. He had six goals and seven assists in 36 games for the Ice in 2012-13. This year, he had five goals and 23 assists to go along with a +27 rating for the Western Hockey League's Kootenay Ice. He's a 6-1, 190-pound left-shot defenseman from Russia. 

Three current members of the Ice roster have already been drafted -- right wing Sam Kurker was taken in the second round of the 2012 draft by the St. Louis Blues, forward Aidan Muir was taken in the fourth round of the 2013 draft by the Edmonton Oilers, and center Brian Pinho was taken in the sixth round of the 2013 draft by the Washington Capitals.

Indiana Ice in the NHL Draft 
Round/pick: Player (drafted team) (years w/Ice) (current team)
2013
2R/33: Adam Erne (Tampa Bay) (2010-11) (AHL-Syracuse)
4R/113: Aidan Muir (Edmonton) (2013-14) (USHL-Ice)
6R/174: Brian Pinho (Washington) (2013-14) (USHL-Ice)
20122R/56: Sam Kurker (St. Louis) (2013-14) (USHL-Ice)
2R/59: Cristoval "Boo" Nieves (NY Rangers) (2011-12) (NCAA-Michigan)
3R/75: Jon Gillies (Calgary) (2010-12) (NCAA-Providence)
5R/136: Robbie Baillargeon (Ottawa) (2011-13) (NCAA-Boston U.)
2011
3R/62: Samu Perhonen (Edmonton) (2013-14)
3R/75: Blake Coleman (New Jersey) (2009-11) (NCAA-Miami)
4R/101: Brian Ferlin (Boston) (2009-11) (NCAA-Cornell)
5R/133: Sean Kuraly (San Jose) (2009-12) (NCAA-Miami)
2010
3R/86: Stanislav Galiev (Washington) (2008-09) (AHL-Hershey)
6R/168: Anthony Bitetto (Nashville) (2008-10) (AHL-Milwaukee)
6R/180: Nick Mattson (Chicago) (2009-11) (NCAA-North Dakota)
7R/183: R.J. Boyd (Florida) (2011-12)
2009
7R/198: Nic Dowd (Los Angeles) (2009-10) (AHL-Manchester)
7R/199: Mike Cichy (Montreal) (2008-09) (NCAA-Western Michigan)
20081R/27: John Carlson (Washington) (2007-08) (NHL-Washington)
3R/81: Corey Fienhage (Buffalo) (2007-08) (ECHL-Orlando)
7R/183: Garrett Roe (Los Angeles) (2004-07) (Austria-Salzburg)
2007
4R/108: Brett Bruneteau (Washington) (2007-08)
4R/120: Ben Blood (Ottawa) (2007-08) (AHL-Binghamton)
5R/135: Paul Carey (Colorado) (2007-08) (NHL-Colorado)
6R/153: Scott Darling (Phoenix) (2007-08) (AHL-Milwaukee)
2006
5R/135: Alex Kangas (Atlanta) (2006-07) (ECHL-Alaska)
6R/157: Brent Gwidt (Washington) (2006-09) (ECHL-Utah)
2004
3R/85: Brian Gifford (Pittsburgh) (2004-05)
7R/218: Sergei Kukushkin (Dallas) (2004-05)

Non-drafted Ice NHL players
Torey Krug (Boston) (2008-09)
Cameron Schilling (Washington) (2007-08)
Joel Rechlicz (NY Islanders) (2005-06)

New CSS rankings out

Ice goaltender Jon Gillies was ranked fourth among North American goaltenders and forward Robbie Baillargeon was ranked 43rd among North American skaters in today's latest incarnation of the NHL's Central Scouting Service rankings.

Gillies has established himself as one of the USHL's top goaltenders. The Northeastern commit leads the USHL in wins and is among the tops in save percentage and goals against average. He is also the Ice's all-time shutout leader.

Baillargeon is in his first year with the ice, and is a strong playmaker who has piled up points playing on several different lines this year.

The two are the only two Ice players ranked out of several USHL players.

The full rankings are here

Blashill adjusting to NHL life

The Kalamazoo Gazette caught up with former Ice coach Jeff Blashill, who is now an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings.

Blashill is working with a busy schedule, and oversees the NHL's fifth-best power play.

Read the story here.

Today in history: November 3

November 3 in Indianapolis hockey history

1948: Terry Sawchuk’s first shutout as a Capital comes in a 0-0 tie at St. Louis. He would post another shutout the next night in a 5-0 win over Springfield. 

1992: The only NHL regular-season game to be played in Indiana takes place at Market Square Arena. 8,792 watch the Washington Capitals defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1. The game was part of a two-season experiment by the NHL with neutral-site games. It would be the only such game played in Indianapolis. Keith Jones had a goal and two assists for Washington. Stephane Matteau scored Chicago’s only goal. Ex-Ice players Jim Waite, Dave Christian, Stu Grimson, Adam Bennett, Rob Brown, Mike Hudson and Frantisek Kucera all played for Chicago in that game. 

Birthday

Paul McInnis: Left wing for the Ice in 1999-2000, going scoreless in five games. He played spot duty in a handful of pro seasons from 1994-2000. A native of Burlington, Ont., he is 42. 

Ferlin featured in NEHJ

Kirk Luedeke, who might be one of the preeminent American experts on the NHL draft, catches up with Brian Ferlin in today's New England Hockey Journal post.

The Bruins are going through their week-long development camp, which will conclude Monday.

Says Bruins' assistant GM Don Sweeney of Ferlin: "He's got good speed, he's got good size, he's got good skills, he'll understand now in terms of how to utilize those even better as he plays with better players and moves forward. We're excited. I think he's a nice project and a nice piece to have to continue to go work with and then see where he takes it."

Ferlin, one of three Ice players drafted this year, is headed to Cornell University this fall.

Blashill to Red Wings

Jeff Blashill with the Ice
in 2009 (linked from USHL.com)

It's taken just two seasons for Jeff Blashill to jump from the USHL to the National Hockey League. 


Blashill, the Indiana Ice coach/GM from 2008-10 who won a championship the first year, has been hired as a Detroit Red Wings assistant coach today. He spent the 2010-11 season at Western Michigan University, where he led the team to its first winning season in nine years and first NCAA Tournament appearance in 15 years. 


In a statement released by Western Michigan, Blashill said “Today is a very emotional day for me. I am extremely excited for the opportunity to pursue a lifelong dream to coach in the NHL with the best organization in sports; the Detroit Red Wings. However, it is with extreme sadness that I step down as head coach of the Western Michigan Bronco hockey team. WMU is an extremely special place with special attributes. I am certain that with the commitment the university is making to hockey, that Bronco hockey will continue on its current path of becoming an elite program nationally. My goal when I became head coach was to bring the program to national prominence and I am totally convinced that will happen very soon, regardless of my leaving.”

Also, check out Graham Couch's coverage in the Kalamazoo Gazette. Blashill had just signed a five-year contract after his first-year success at WMU.

Before entering coaching in 1999 at his alma mater, Ferris State, Blashill also played three years in the USHL for the Des Moines Buccaneers. His coach in Des Moines was Bob Ferguson, who would later coach the Indianapolis Ice in the IHL.

While with the Ice, Blashill coached NHL draft picks Anthony Bitetto, Nic Dowd, Nick Mattson, Blake Coleman, Brian Ferlin, Stanislav Galiev, Mike Cichy, Brent Gwidt and Brett Bennett.

You can also link to a 2009 Q&A with Blashill on USHL.com.

Jeff Blashill's coaching resume: 
2011-12: Detroit Red Wings (NHL) assistant coach to Mike Babcock
2010-11: Western Michigan University (NCAA) 19-13-10 (1st winning season since 2002, first NCAA Tournament since 1996).
2010-11: Indiana Ice (USHL) 33-24-3 (advanced to 2nd round of playoffs, playoff record 4-5)
2009-10: Indiana Ice (USHL) 39-19-2 (Won Clark Cup, playoff record 9-4)
2002-08: Miamia University (NCAA) assistant coach to Enrico Blasi (four NCAA apperances)
1999-2002: Ferris State University (NCAA) assistant coach to Bob Daniels
1994-1998: Player at Ferris State University (NCAA)
1991-1994: Player for Des Moines Buccaneeers (USHL)