NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Trey Murphy III scored 34 points, Saddiq Bey made a tying 3-pointer, converted an offensive rebound into a dunk and hit two free throws in the final 1:04, and the New Orleans Pelicans edged the Brooklyn Nets 116-113 on Wednesday night.
Zion Williamson had 25 points for New Orleans, which won for just the second time in 13 games. Yves Missi contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds, nine on the offensive end to help the Pelicans finish with 33 second-chance points.
Egor Demin scored 17 points and hit five 3s, the last of them giving the Nets a 110-107 lead with 1:28 to go. Bey responded with his 3 to tie it as the shot clock was about to expire. His dunk came after he grabbed a long rebound on Murphy’s missed deep 3, and his free throws came with 5 seconds left after he was fouled intentionally.
Bey finished with 12 points.
Michael Porter Jr., who scored 20 points for the Nets, gained possession in the final seconds after a scramble for a loose ball near midcourt and let go a desperation heave that missed as the horn sounded.
Drake Powell had 16 points while Day’Ron Sharpe added 15 points and nine rebounds for Brooklyn, which lost for the eighth time in nine games.
Demin hit four of his first five 3-point shots and the Nets led by 12 early.
New Orleans chipped away and trailed just 55-54 after Williamson’s layup closed out the scoring in the first half. The game was tied at 87 through three quarters.
The Pelicans entered with an NBA-worst opponent shooting percentage of 50.5 in the fourth quarter. The Nets scored the first seven points of the final period on their first three shots, prompting New Orleans coach James Borrego to call a timeout.
New Orleans responded soon after with an 15-4 run, during which Murphy scored nine points and assisted on Karlo Matkovic’s dunk, setting up the tight finish.
Jordan Smith, a 29-year-old tennis coach from Sydney, has won the inaugural One Point Slam at the Australian Open and its A$1m prize on Wednesday, after upstaging a field that included Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff. It is Tennis Australia, however, which won the jackpot, after the new concept – despite its near three-hour duration, often confusing format and awkward exchanges between players – attracted a full house to Rod Laver Arena during opening week as organisers look at non‑traditional ways to attract fans to Melbourne Park
Dell Curry is more than just a father and the guy who likes to golf with his sons Stephen and Seth — he's an NBA legend in his own right.
Which is why the Hornets announced that on March 19, they will retire Curry's No. 30 jersey. Curry spent 10 seasons as a player with the Charlotte Hornets, won Sixth Man of the Year with the team, and has now spent the last 17 years as the team's color commentator.
On March 19th, No. 30 will be raised to the rafters.
Dell Curry’s lasting legacy as a player, broadcaster, and ambassador for more than 25 years with our organization will forever be honored and celebrated.
"When I first came to Charlotte in 1988, the city embraced my family and me in a way I never expected," Curry said in a statement. "I was blessed to join an organization that believed in me, play alongside teammates who would become life-long friends and compete in front of the most passionate fans in the NBA. I'm proud to continue being part of the Hornets organization and this community today. Having my jersey retired is an honor I never imagined, and I'm forever grateful to Rick and Gabe as well as the entire organization. Charlotte shaped so many meaningful moments in my life, and I'm humbled by this recognition."
This is part of an effort by Hornets Co-Chairmen/owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin to grow the connection between the team and community, and as part of that the franchise's history.
Dell Curry is a big part of that history. A 3-point sharpshooter, Curry was a key part of some of the best Hornets teams including three 50-plus win campaigns and four playoff appearances. Curry remains the team's all-time leader in games played (701), and is second in points (9,839), field goals made (3,951) and 3-point field goals (929).
For a younger generation of Hornets fans, he has always been the color analyst on the broadcasts.
The jersey retirement will happen during a halftime ceremony on March 19, when Charlotte hosts Orlando.
When the Trae Young to Washington trade went down, one of the big questions was how much Young would play for the Wizards this season. Washington has motivation not to be too good this season and Young is the kind of player who raises a team's floor (at least) and wins games.
Young will remain out with right MCL and quad injuries through the All-Star break in a month, at which point he will be re-evaluated, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.
It doesn't seem coincidental that this report comes out just as there were growing questions around the league about whether the Wizards were running afoul of the league's player participation policy. Those are the rules the league put in place a few years ago to make sure star players are on the court — and Young, an All-Star the past four years, qualifies. Young had already returned from an MCL issue, and quad injuries don't usually take very long to recover from.
The Hawks held Young out with that quad contusion prior to the trade, but the expectation was that, once traded, he would be instantly, almost miraculously healthy (as many other players have been in that situation over the years).
Except, the Wizards are not looking to win too much. Washington owes its first-round pick to New York, but it is top eight protected heading into what is expected to be a very good draft at the top. The Wizards currently have the fourth-worst record in the league, and, even if things go poorly with the lottery, they cannot lose their pick. Even if Washington enters the lottery with the fifth- or sixth-worst record, there is a greater than 96% chance it keeps the pick. However, get to the seventh-worst record or better and the Knicks suddenly start to feel a lot better. Young, as a guy who can just win a team games, can mess up their plans.
Injury or no, there have been "rumbles" that the Wizards might give Young a two-year contract extension, reports NBA insider Marc Stein at The Stein Line. Young has a player option for $48.9 million next season. If he is willing to waive it, the Wizards might offer him two years with more guaranteed money overall but less per season (two years, $70-$75 million). It's something to watch.
As is when Young will actually step on the court for the Wizards.
Francesco Pio Esposito was the hero for Inter, the substitute’s 78th-minute goal earning a 1-0 home win over lowly Lecce to boost their title hopes.
The Serie A leaders laboured against stubborn opposition before Esposito scored from a rebound with 12 minutes remaining. Inter move six points clear of Milan and Napoli with victory in what could be a major turning point in this season’s title race.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are in the middle of a retool. Due to this, they have many young players in their system who they are hoping will be big parts of their future.
Now, a handful of the Penguins' promising youngsters have earned some big praise.
In a recent article for The Athletic, Corey Pronman ranked the top NHL players and prospects who are under 23 years old. Five Penguins were featured on Pronman's rankings, as Benjamin Kindel (No. 18), Harrison Brunicke (No. 100), Will Horcoff (No. 105), Rutger McGroarty (No. 115), and Sergei Murashov (No. 136) all made the cut.
When noting that these five players are viewed as having good upside, it is not surprising in the slightest that they each have made Pronman's rankings. They each have the potential to be nice parts of the Penguins' roster in the future. In fact, Kindel is already cementing himself as just that, as the 18-year-old forward has recorded eight goals and 19 points in 42 games this season for Pittsburgh.
As for Brunicke, Horcoff, McGroarty, and Murashov, it is hard not to feel optimistic about their futures with the Penguins. Perhaps this group and Kindel could help make up Pittsburgh's future core later down the road.
As most Ottawa Senators fans are well aware, the 2020 NHL Draft has panned out quite well for their team. Of course, back then, the day belonged to the New York Rangers, who will host the Senators at MSG on Wednesday night.
After making the playoffs (or at least that weird COVID-induced qualifying round), the Rangers somehow won the 2020 draft lottery and the right to draft QMJHL superstar Alexis Lafreniere first overall.
Lafreniere was everybody's number one that year. The Senators had two lottery tickets, their own and San Jose's, so they had a good shot at number one. Sens fans had their fingers crossed, pleading with the hockey gods that the bingo balls would fall their way.
New Senators goalie James Reimer says he's pumped to get another opportunity in Ottawa.
But even though the Rangers finished 18th overall in the standings, with 17 more points than Ottawa, it was New York that defied their long odds to win the lottery. The Sens ended up "settling" for the third and fifth overall picks.
Now, five and a half years later, Sens fans are thankful for those unanswered 2020 prayers and that things worked out the way they did.
Lafreniere hasn't turned out to be the generational talent that everyone expected. In fact, given the chance, the Blueshirts would probably trade him without hesitation to Ottawa for either Tim Stützle or Jake Sanderson, the two players the Senators selected just minutes after Lafreniere was taken.
The late Alex Trebek made the Stutzle pick, not knowing the Sens were about to pull off a Daily Double.
Stützle has 46 points in 45 games for the Senators, while Jake Sanderson has 33 points and is now regarded as one of the very best defencemen in hockey. Meanwhile, Lafreniere has 24 points in 47 games in his sixth season as a Ranger.
Both Ottawa players are headed for the Olympics next month, while Lafreniere headed for the Rangers' third line on Monday. Head coach Mike Sullivan pulled him out of the top six for Monday's game against the Seattle Kraken, replacing him with a newer model: former Boston College star Gabriel Perreault, the club's 2023 first-rounder.
Sullivan, who's one win away from 500 victories in his head-coaching career, says he wants to see more from Lafreniere.
"Part of my job is trying to provide a pathway for players to thrive and succeed," Sullivan told the New York media on Monday morning. "Laf is an extremely talented player. He's a good player. We think he's capable of next-level play. We're trying to find a way to get him there, and that's part of this process that we're going through.
"Laf is another guy that cares a lot about what's going on here, and he also puts a lot of pressure on himself to contribute in a way that helps the team win. So we're trying to tweak the lineup in ways that we think give us the best chance to win and try to get the most out of certain guys."
Many Sens fans will recall how it was over 30 years ago when another QMJHL prospect named Alex was everybody's number one, a so-called can't-miss prospect. Instead, Alexandre Daigle had himself a good, average NHL career, nothing more. Lafreniere is having a very good career as well, and at 24, his story has only partially been written, but after five and a half seasons, we now have a pretty good sample size to judge his future trajectory.
But that's how it goes sometimes. And as long as the NHL is out here drafting unpredictable 18-year-olds, there are always going to be cases like these that turn draft lottery winners into losers... and vice versa.
Steve Warne The Hockey News Ottawa
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The Detroit Red Wings fulfilled their need for a 13th forward on their roster after sending down John Leonard to the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins when they summoned forward Sheldon Dries.
Dries, who has yet to appear in a single NHL game for the Red Wings this season, has since been returned back to Grand Rapids.
A native of Macomb, Michigan, Dries played four seasons for the Western Michigan Broncos and has over 100 games of NHL experience with the Colorado Avalanche and the Vancouver Canucks.
Dries, who signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Red Wings in July 2024, has contributed to the record-breaking success of the Griffins this season. He's appeared in 26 games and tallied 11 goals while adding 14 assists.
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The Philadelphia Flyers are set to face off against the Buffalo Sabres on Jan. 14. The Flyers will be looking to get back into the win column after losing each of their last three games.
The Flyers are certainly going up against a hot Sabres club, as Buffalo has won 13 out of their last 15 games. This included the Sabres defeating the Flyers by a 5-3 final score on Dec. 18.
However, ahead of their contest against the Sabres, the Flyers announced some good news. The Metropolitan Division club shared that defenseman Jamie Drysdale has been activated off injured reserve.
Drysdale has not played since receiving a dirty hit from Anaheim Ducks forward Ross Johnston on Jan. 6, which forced the Flyers blueliner to exit the game. Yet, with Drysdale now being activated off injured reserve, he is now available to play against Buffalo.
Drysdale being ready to return is excellent news for the Flyers, as he is a very important part of their blueline. The 23-year-old defenseman is in the middle of a solid year with Philadelphia, as he has posted three goals, 15 assists, 18 points, and a plus-1 rating in 41 games so far this season.
Left-hander Ranger Suárez and the Boston Red Sox agreed Wednesday to a $130 million, five-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced.
An All-Star in 2024, Suárez had spent his entire professional career with the Philadelphia Phillies after signing at age 16 in April 2012. The 30-year-old from Venezuela pitched out of the bullpen early on but has been a steady performer and mostly a reliable winner since moving into the rotation exclusively in 2022.
The deal is the first for a major league free agent for the Red Sox this season. It comes days after they were outbid for Alex Bregman by the Chicago Cubs, who gave the incumbent Boston third baseman a five-year, $175 million deal with a no-trade clause that the Red Sox wouldn’t offer.
Instead, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow bolstered the pitching staff with a lefty who doesn’t throw hard but limits home runs and keeps batters off balance by changing speeds and hitting the corners.
Suárez was 12-8 with a 3.20 ERA last season in 26 starts covering a career-high 157 1/3 innings, then became a free agent for the first time and turned down a $22,025,000 qualifying offer from Philadelphia in November.
His calling card is consistency. Suárez went 8-5 with a 1.36 ERA and four saves in 12 starts and 27 relief outings in 2021. He finished 10-7 with a 3.65 ERA over 29 starts and 155 1/3 innings the following season, then fell off to 4-6 with a 4.18 ERA across 22 starts in 2023, when he landed on the injured list for a left elbow strain and later for a right hamstring strain. But he bounced right back the next year, going 12-8 with a 3.46 ERA in 27 starts and 150 2/3 innings.
During that stretch, he was a big reason the Phillies made four straight playoff appearances from 2022-25, winning one National League pennant and back-to-back NL East titles the past two years.
Suárez has been outstanding on the mound in postseason play, too, going 4-1 with a 1.48 ERA and one save in eight starts and three relief appearances totaling 42 2/3 innings.
Overall in eight regular seasons in the majors, he is 53-37 with a 3.38 ERA, two shutouts and four saves in 187 games, including 119 starts. He has struck out 705 batters and walked 240 in 762 innings.
Back trouble has been an issue occasionally. Three times in the past four seasons Suárez spent time on the IL for lower back spasms, soreness or stiffness.
He joins a rotation projected to include left-hander Garrett Crochet, right-handers Sonny Gray and Brayan Bello and perhaps rookie Payton Tolle or Connelly Early.
Because Suárez turned down the qualifying offer, the Phillies get an additional draft pick after the fourth round of the amateur draft this July as compensation.
It took him a while to notch his first NHL goal, but since then, Berkly Catton has been on a tear, showing anyone who doubted he belonged in the NHL with the Seattle Kraken wrong.
In Catton’s 28th career NHL game, he finally notched his first career goal. He threw the monkey off his back and scored his second career goal in the same game. Since his first tally, the 20-year-old (turning 20 years old today) has scored four goals in his last four games.
Prior to scoring his first NHL goal, the belief was that Catton was doing a lot of things right on the ice, but it just wasn’t translating to production. His speed, skating, and creativity with the puck were evident every time he touched the ice, and the consensus was that a breakthrough was imminent.
We are now experiencing that breakthrough.
“Some of the other games, I thought I was even better than (I’ve been) in the games I’ve been scoring,” said Catton about his play as of late. “Sometimes that’s the way hockey works, and when they’re going in, they’re going in.”
Catton’s rookie totals now see him with four goals and nine points in 31 games. He’s played more so on the third line this year, averaging 12:58 of ice time. Catton’s strength is still something he needs to work on to become a high-end NHL player, but with the skillset he possesses, there’s no reason to believe that when that does come, he can be the Kraken’s top offensive threat.
“100 percent,” Catton said when asked about whether he’s improved on battling for pucks in front of the net and in the corners. “When you come in and those first couple games and those first couple months, it’s kind of an eye opener how strong guys are. How hard you have to compete, especially as maybe not the biggest guy on the ice, having to use your skating ability and edges.”
He’s been skating on a line with Shane Wright and Jared McCann recently, two offensievly gifted players but also two players with attentiveness to the defensive side of the game. They’ve helped Catton recently as much as he’s helped them.
The key for Catton is to keep the momentum going. The more he plays, the more he’ll learn, and right now, that’s all they can ask out of their rookie.
Additionally, Berkly Catton has not only burned a year on his entry-level contract but also accrued a season towards unrestricted free agency, having been on the NHL active roster for 40 games.
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The Sixers certainly did not begin their six-game homestand with their finest performance Wednesday night.
They fell to a 133-107 loss to the Cavs at Xfinity Mobile Arena, dropping to 22-17 on the season. Cleveland moved to 23-19.
Joel Embiid’s 20 points topped the Sixers. Paul George added 17.
Cavs star Donovan Mitchell tallied 35 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
Darius Garland had 20 points and seven assists. Evan Mobley posted 17 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and four blocks.
The Sixers remained at full strength to begin the evening. Cleveland was down Dean Wade (left knee contusion) and Max Strus (left foot fracture surgery).
The Cavs and Sixers will play the second game of their mini-series Friday night in Philadelphia. Here are observations on the Sixers’ blowout loss Wednesday:
Cavs surge ahead early
Garland swished a three-pointer for the game’s first basket and Cleveland made its first four field goals.
While the Sixers kept pace for a while and went up 10-9 on an Embiid top-of-the-key three, the Cavs pushed in front with a 10-0 run.
The Sixers were inferior early in both the turnover and rebounding departments. They conceded 11 second-chance points in a little over six minutes. As a team, the Sixers were often unable to match the Cavs’ physicality, track the ball and close out possessions.
Embiid slammed the ball down in frustration after being whistled for traveling on the perimeter. That turnover was Embiid’s fourth and the Sixers’ sixth. At that stage, the Cavs still had zero giveaways.
Small role for McCain
Embiid did reach 13,000 career points in the first quarter.
He watched from the sidelines early in the second as George took command of the Sixers’ offense. Though George drained two threes early in the second quarter, the Sixers still trailed by 14 points when Embiid subbed back in.
Searching for anything effective, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse tried out many of his bench options in the first half. Jared McCain was the 11th Sixer to see action, checking at the 6:16 mark of the second period.
McCain played just three minutes in the second quarter and missed a short baseline jumper on his only shot attempt. His next stint began around the midpoint of the fourth quarter with the Sixers down by 25 points. Though he’s played in 27 consecutive games, the second-year guard’s minutes have been minimal lately. The 21-year-old has had four straight outings under 10 minutes.
It’s a somewhat tricky situation for Nurse and the team to manage. The Sixers want McCain to gradually regain rhythm and confidence after returning from thumb and knee injuries. They also want to maximize their chances to win games and McCain has generally played well below the level he showed as an impressive rookie.
There’s pros and cons to whatever approach the Sixers choose from here. Playing McCain a handful of minutes per game does not appear to be a good long-term solution.
Sixers’ momentum short-lived
The game halted early in the third quarter when Dominick Barlow hit the floor hard and landed on his back after Mobley blocked his layup.
Once the action resumed, the Cavs extended their lead. Darius Garland’s layup gave Cleveland a 75-53 advantage, Nurse called timeout and the home fans booed.
The Sixers replied with a high-energy 10-0 run.
Jabari Walker provided ample hustle. Embiid dove into the stands in pursuit of a long rebound. A little later, Walker’s second steal led to a Tyrese Maxey fast-break layup that cut the Sixers’ deficit to 79-68.
Cleveland was soon back in control. The Sixers’ comeback ambitions were not helped by the fact that both members of their starting backcourt had inefficient games. Maxey and VJ Edgecombe combined for 23 points on 8-for-26 shooting.
The Ottawa Senators are in New York to face the Rangers on Wednesday night, trying to build on Tuesday’s 2-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.
The game will mark the official beginning of James Reimer's time in Ottawa, though it's not clear yet whether Reimer will start or back up against the Rangers. We do know that Hunter Shepard was sent back down to the AHL’s Belleville Senators on Wednesday morning, which leaves only Reimer and Leevi Merilainen on the NHL roster.
Merilainen played on Tuesday night in the victory over the Canucks and, if not for an awful, unforced giveaway by Dylan Cozens, he'd be savouring a shutout right now. But the last time the Sens tried to trot the young Finn out there in back-to-back games, he was part of an 8-2 shelling in Colorado.
James Reimer addresses the Ottawa media for the first time this week (Senators YouTube)
After previous stops in Toronto, San Jose, Florida, Carolina, Detroit, Buffalo, and Anaheim, this will be the eighth NHL jersey that Reimer has officially thrown on in his well-travelled career. He actually had two different stints in San Jose and also tried to return to Toronto back in the fall but didn't get a contract.
“I went to Toronto in case there was a need there, and it turned out there wasn’t something that would work out for both sides,” Reimer told the media this week. “But it was a good opportunity to go get some reps and work out.”
After that, Reimer went back home and kept his conditioning up by skating with some BCHL junior clubs.
Over the holidays, Reimer got an opportunity to play for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup, getting into two games. However, when the quarterfinals rolled around, Canada opted to go with former Carleton Place Canadian Connor Hughes.
Not long after he got home, opportunity knocked in Ottawa, which has a good young team but has struggled mightily in goal, especially since Linus Ullmark stepped away on a leave of absence over the holidays. So the 37-year-old signed a one-year contract with the Senators on Monday worth an AAV of $850,000. TSN's Darren Dreger reported yesterday that there's a chance Ullmark could be back as early as next week.
Since they played on Tuesday night, the Senators didn't skate on Wednesday morning, so we don't have any game day info yet from head coach Travis Green. But he seemed quite content with his club's performance versus the Canucks, so he's probably not going to change much against the Rangers, who've lost four in a row, including a 10-2 loss to Boston on Saturday.
The main question will be whether Green wants to push young Merilainen into a back-to-back or go with a rusty 37-year-old who just got here and hasn't played in nine months.
The latter option is certainly a much better storyline, especially since Ottawa's starter will be facing Jonathan Quick on Wednesday. If it's Reimer, this will go down as one of the oldest goalie matchups in Sens history because Quick is the league's oldest goalie at 39, and turns 40 next week. Reimer is now the third oldest at 37, while former Senator Cam Talbot stands second at 38.
The old-timers' meeting begins at 7:30 pm at MSG.
Steve Warne The Hockey News Ottawa
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With the 2025-26 NHL season just over the halfway mark, it's time to look back at the Colorado Avalanche's 2025 NHL Entry Draft selections and see how they are doing in their first season after being drafted. Prospects haven't been the best area for the Avalanche, as they've either been traded in the past couple of seasons to try to compete or lower-end prospects with a tough climb to make the roster.
Looking back at the 2025 draft, the Avalanche selected only three players: in the third, fourth, and seventh round; the rest of their picks were traded before the draft. Let's take a brief look at how they are doing this season and how they are helping their team in their respective league.
Round 3: Francesco Dell’Elce (D) UMass (NCAA)
Coming off his rookie season with UMass, where he finished with seven goals and 17 assists for 24 points, the Avalanche, with their first selection of the draft, took Dell’Elce in the third round, 77th overall in the draft. Coming in at 6-foot-1 and 181 pounds, he is a puck-moving defenseman who shoots left-handed with some sneaky, explosive skating. Here is what EliteProspects said in their 2024 NHL Draft Guide:
“Dell’Elce’s an offensive-minded left-shot defender with NHL-level mobility and a projectable shot. His vision under pressure is absurd, connecting on long-bomb outlets with forecheckers only feet away. He will even go as far as baiting forecheckers deeper into the defensive zone just to explode past them”
In his second season, he currently has three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 20 games. He is third on the team in points, first by a defenseman, fifth in goals, and fourth in assists. All three of his goals are game-winning goals and are tied for the most on the team.
He is also third on the team in blocks with 24. Currently playing with notable top prospect Vaclav Nestrasil (Blackhawks), who was selected 25th overall in Round 1 of the 2025 draft, he has helped UMass to a 10-10-0 record halfway through the season
Round 4: Linus Funck (D) London Knights (OHL)
The Avalanche go back-to-back with defensemen in the draft, but this time lean toward a more physical, two-way defenseman with Funck. Playing in Sweden pre-draft with Lulea HF J20 in the J20 Nationell league, Funck finished with five goals and 23 assists for 28 points as a 17-year-old.
He led all defensemen in points and ranked fifth on the team. Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 194 pounds, he shoots right. Although moving his game to North America might affect his scoring, his strong defensive skills and height should help him transition more smoothly without relying heavily on scoring. Here is what EliteProspects said in their 2024 NHL Draft Guide:
“Funck uses his reach to kill rushes on top of the blue line and creates breakups along the wall with his physical presence. He is also highly effective on retrievals, mostly through smart first-touch passes.”
Now in North America with the London Knights after he was signed to an OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement, he has three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 39 games, including one power play goal and two power play assists.
While the Knights might have lost a lot of talented prospects, including four of their five top point producers from last season in Sam Dickinson (Sharks), Denver Barkey (Flyers), Easton Cowen (Leafs), and William Nicholl (Oilers), the Knights are still off to a solid start to the season, sitting fifth in the Western Conference at 23-15-3-0 (49 points).
As the youngest player selected by the Avalanche in the draft, at 18 years old, turning 19 on May 10, Funck will have plenty of time to work on his game with the Knights, who have an excellent reputation for development programs in the CHL and getting him more comfortable in the North American style and gameplay.
Nolan Roed (C/LW), St. Cloud State University (NCAA)
With their final pick in the draft, the Avalanche go with a forward in Roed that shows a lot of skill that has room to grow and develop. Finishing his second season with the Tri-City Storm in the United States Hockey League (USHL), he finished with 27 goals and 33 assists for 60 points, leading the team in goals, assists, and points heading into the 2025 draft.
Taken with the 11th last pick of the draft is questionable considering his skills and intangibles he can bring to a team. A player who can play both Center and Left-Wing confidently and shows excellent skills as a playmaker while having great hands as a puckhandler, who can also shoot the puck pretty well. Even EliteProspects has a good breakdown on what you can expect from his game.
“In sustained pressure, Roed is a force. He’s constantly moving without possession, dipping behind defenders and popping into space for chances. With possession, he has both shooting and passing skill, amplified by his ability to get off the wall and build downhill speed. Interchanging with his defencemen, he gets all of his teammates involved as he controls the game.”
Unfortunately, a significant factor affecting his game and how it translates to the NHL level is his height of 5-foot-11. Coming in at 185 pounds isn’t bad. Still, when you have that height difference and face off against centers and a defenseman standing over 6-foot-4 and taller, unless you can find separation to get your shot off or beat defenders with your skill, it's going to be hard to get the same level of production.
In his first season at St. Cloud State University, he has two goals and nine assists for 11 points in 22 games. A league that translates very differently from the WHL, and with Roed, who just turned 20 past October 25, it's probably going to be one or two more years to really either show off how much his skill has grown or show growth in other areas of his game before he signs his ELC and plays with the Eagles.
The Colorado Avalanche prospect pool is suffering because of their recent success in the NHL. Very rarely will you see an NHL team compete for the Stanley Cup every season while having a top-ranked prospect pool. Three picks in the last draft show a bit of promise in each player. We shall see what the Avalanche do at the trade deadline, as they have seven draft picks, but two are in the fourth round, three in the fifth round, and three in the seventh round.
