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Mets' Zach Thornton impresses in second career start: 'We knew that was inside of him'

Zach Thornton took the mound for the Mets on Friday night for just the second time in his career, and it was awfully impressive.

Going up against the high-powered Phillies and with Zack Wheeler on the mound, Thornton held his own, allowing just one run across six innings while striking out seven batters. Although the Mets fell 2-1, Thornton was impressive. 

"You have to be pleased with the pitching tonight. Zach Thornton was really good," Mets interim manager Andy Green said after the game. "Talking about a young kid who gets a barreled up three consecutive times. Gets a mound visit, settles in and gives us six great innings....Thought he was great."

As Green alluded to, Thornton's night started off precariously. He allowed three straight hits and the Phillies to drive in a run, but retired the next three hitters (two on strikeouts) to escape further trouble. 

Green said that Thornton mixed his pitches effectively, speeding up hitters with his fastball, allowing his offspeed pitches to be more effective. He also liked the young left-hander's aggressive approach.

"He really attacked, went after aggressively, that’s what you’re looking for in a young guy," Green said. "We knew that was inside of him and who he is that he showed at every level. It’s good at this stage for everyone to see that from him."

"Got the nerves out in that first game, now I just go out there and compete," Thornton said of the difference between his first start and second. 

A big part of Thornton's night was the defense behind him. First baseman Jared Young grabbed a screamer hit down the line for the second out of the first to help the youngster get out of the inning. Young would catch a few other snares hit at him throughout the night and Francisco Lindor made a couple as well, all in support of Thornton, which helped settle him down.

"Let's me pitch freely in the zone knowing I got Francisco Lindor there at shortstop," Thornton said.

Thornton became just the fifth left-hander in franchise history to record at least seven strikeouts in one of their first two major league appearances (David Peterson, 2020). Friday was also just the third time this season a Mets pitcher threw six-plus innings, struck out, seven or more batters and allowed one or zero runs. 

So, did that start earn Thornton another go through the rotation? Green was non-committal, stating the organization had to figure out the pitching order since Christian Scott is to be activated for Saturday's start. A pitcher will need to be optioned to activate him, and Thornton could be the unlucky pitcher. 

Whichever direction the Mets choose to go with Thornton, Friday's start has instilled in the 24-year-old that he can pitch at this level. 

"Gives me the confidence that I can compete with the best out there and get anyone out," Thornton said of his performance. "I want to pitch in the big leagues for a long time and I think I can do that."

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Did Golden Knights Recoup Enough Value From Pavel Dorofeyev Trade?

The Vegas Golden Knights entered Friday without a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. They changed that before the San Jose Sharks selected Ivar Stenberg at 2nd overall.

Of course, they had to give something to get something. And the something they gave was

The Golden Knights sent 25-year-old Pavel Dorofeyev, a Restricted Free Agent and their two-time leading goalscorer, to the Big Apple in exchange for a first-round pick in 2026, a third-round pick in 2026, and a first-round pick in 2028.

The New York Rangers quickly signed Dorofeyev to a seven-year, $11 million contract. That’s a deal the Golden Knights were never going to agree to, as they currently have just $4,625,000 in salary cap space and only 13 skaters signed. They’ll gain another $8,800,000 in relief if they put Alex Pietrangelo on Season Ending LTIR, but that’s still a far cry from being able to afford giving Dorofeyev $77 million.

Dorofeyev was a rare home-grown talent, selected 79th overall by the Golden Knights in 2019. He broke into the NHL in 2023 and went on to lead the team in goals for two straight seasons, scoring 35 in 2024-25 and 37 in 2025-26.

In their pursuit of success, the Golden Knights have flipped almost every prospect or draft pick with value for players to help them win now. As a result, they’ve enjoyed unprecedented success over their nine-year history. But now, the cupboard is bare.

Because the Golden Knights weren’t going to write Dorofeyev the check he wanted, trading him was the only option. But did they get enough in return to justify losing their best goalscorer?

On one hand, the Golden Knights turned a third-round pick in 2019 into the 26th overall pick in the 2026 Draft. On paper, that’s an excellent return on investment, especially since just eight players drafted by Vegas went on to play at least 100 NHL games. Only four did so with the Golden Knights, and just one– Kaedan Korczak– is still with the organization.

On the other hand, for all their elite offensive talent, the Golden Knights don’t have many players who want to put the puck in the back of the net.

No Golden Knight has scored more goals over the past two seasons than Dorofeyev, who scored a total of 72. The next closest scorers were Tomáš Hertl with 56 and Jack Eichel with 55. After that, it’s a pretty steep drop-off— Mark Stone with 47, Ivan Barbashev with 46, and Brett Howden with 35. 

The Golden Knights made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final this year and were just two wins away from winning their second Stanley Cup in four years. And then, an old demon reared its ugly head, and the 2025-26 season ended the exact same way that the 2024-25 season did.

After scoring 13 goals through the first three games of the Stanley Cup Final, the Golden Knights scored just five goals over their final three games.

Dorofeyev scored the Golden Knights’ only two goals in Game 5, and they were shut out in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. For the second straight year, their season ended because they couldn’t score a single goal.

Can two first-round picks and a third-rounder replace Dorofeyev, who scored 37 regular-season goals and 12 in the postseason? Is the return enough to replace Dorofeyev and his 20 power-play goals during the 2025-26 season?

Only time will tell.

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RECAP: Sharks Make Waves During Day 1 of the 2026 NHL Draft

The San Jose Sharks had a night to remember on Friday to say the least. The Sharks entered the first day of the 2026 NHL Draft with three first-round draft picks, and left the event with three highly-touted prospects.

First, the Sharks selected forward Ivar Stenberg with the second overall pick. Stenberg will likely fill the hole left by the departing William Eklund for years to come, at a much lower cap hit for at least the first three seasons of his career.

BREAKING: Sharks Select Ivar Stenberg With Second Overall Pick in 2026 NHL DraftBREAKING: Sharks Select Ivar Stenberg With Second Overall Pick in 2026 NHL DraftAfter weeks of speculation regarding who Mike Grier and the San Jose Sharks would select with the second overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, we've finally got our answer.

The Sharks then took the stage once again for the ninth overall pick, this time they addressed a massive organizational need when they selected right-handed defenseman Keaton Verhoeff out of the University of North Dakota in the NCAA.

BREAKING: Sharks Select Keaton Verhoeff With the Ninth Overall Pick in the 2026 NHL DraftBREAKING: Sharks Select Keaton Verhoeff With the Ninth Overall Pick in the 2026 NHL DraftThe San Jose Sharks had no time to rest, as shortly after they selected Ivar Stenberg with the second overall pick, they were back on the clock with the ninth overall selection.

Finally, the Sharks traded up from the 27th overall pick to the 21st selection to take another right-handed defenseman, Ryan Lin out of the Western Hockey League.

LINSANITY: San Jose Sharks Trade Up to the 21st Overall Pick, Select Ryan LinLINSANITY: San Jose Sharks Trade Up to the 21st Overall Pick, Select Ryan LinThe San Jose Sharks have acquired the 21st overall pick from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for picks 27, 62, and 120 in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Both Stenberg and Verhoeff could be in consideration to play in the NHL as early as next season, although it's more likely that Verhoeff returns to North Dakota for a second collegiate season. As for Lin, he's committed to play under David Carle at the University of Denver during the 2026-27 season.

For many years it seems, the Sharks have been saying that the future is teal. Year after year, they continue adding so much high-end young talent that the statement appears to become more than just a marketing slogan, it's seemingly becoming the truth regarding the future of the NHL.

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Strikeouts Available Upon Request: Rays 6, Diamondbacks 1

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - JUNE 26: Junior Caminero #13 of the Tampa Bay Rays hits a home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of a baseball game at Tropicana Field on June 26, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Somewhere in another baseball universe, the Arizona Diamondbacks challenge a called ball, and it gets overturned as strike three. Junior Caminero walks back to the dugout, shaking his head, and Friday night’s game unfolds a little differently.

That is not the universe the Tampa Bay Rays played in on Friday night.

Instead of Diamondbacks catcher Gabriel Moreno challenging the pitch with two runners aboard in the first inning, Caminero got one more pitch, and he launched it over the centerfield wall for a three-run homer that immediately flipped the game in Tampa Bay’s favor.

No challenge. No strikeout. Three runs.

That is not the whole story of the Rays’ 6-1 win, but it is awfully hard to tell the story without starting there.

The Diamondbacks looked like they might be the ones setting the tone early. Nick Martinez got Ketel Marte to fly out in foul territory to start the game, with Jonny DeLuca making a running catch near the seats. A nice play, but also a bit of foreshadowing for the defense to come in the game.

Then Geraldo Perdomo homered to right center to put Arizona up 1-0. Corbin Carroll followed with a triple to center after the ball deflected away from DeLuca, and suddenly Martinez was trying to keep the first inning from getting away from him.

He did. Moreno popped out. Nolan Arenado popped out. Arizona had landed the first punch, but the Rays kept it to one run.

That mattered almost immediately.

Yandy Díaz opened the bottom of the first with a walk, because Yandy getting on base to start chaos is basically tradition at this point. Jonathan Aranda was hit by a pitch, bringing up Caminero with two on and nobody out.

His 20th homer of the season did not just flip the score. It flipped the whole feel of the night. The Rays went from trailing 1-0 to leading 3-1 in one swing.

From there, the game became less about constant offense and more about the Rays refusing to give the Diamondbacks a clean inning to get back into it. The Rays did not strikeout once, the first time they went a full game without a strikeout since June 15, 2013, against the Kansas City Royals.

They did not crush everything. They did not turn every ball in play into a rally. But they forced Arizona to defend every at-bat, and eventually that pressure helped extend the lead.

The bigger separator, though, was Tampa Bay’s defense. Arizona finished with eight hits, so this was not Martinez and the bullpen simply mowing everybody down. The Diamondbacks had opportunities, but the Rays had gloves that did not come from a two-day online sale.

In the fourth inning, Carroll singled, Moreno followed with another hit, and Arizona had runners on the corners with nobody out. This was a spot where a two-run lead can start feeling very flimsy, very quickly.

Instead, the Rays handled it. Arenado popped out in foul territory. Max Kepler then lined a ball toward third, and Caminero went up for a leaping grab that took away a RBI-swing and helped Martinez breathe. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. followed with a force out, and the threat was gone.

DeLuca added another strong defensive play in right in the fifth, running down a ball near the angled wall in the right field corner.

Tampa Bay missed a chance to add on in the sixth when Díaz doubled, and Caminero was intentionally walked. Arizona wanted no part of another big swing from Junior, which was understandable. Richie Palacios popped up, DeLuca flew out, and the Rays left two aboard.

A 3-1 lead was fine. It was also not enough to relax.

Mullins helped with that in the seventh. Leading off the inning, he drove a solo homer to right center, pushing the lead to 4-1 and giving the Rays the breathing room they had been chasing. Mullins had been quiet at the plate earlier, but all it takes is one swing for the rest to be forgotten.

Then the Rays kept going. Hunter Feduccia doubled with two outs, Díaz singled him home, and Aranda doubled in Díaz. A tight 3-1 game had become a 6-1 game, and suddenly the Diamondbacks were running out of innings.

Mullins added the defensive punctuation in the eighth. Perdomo reached to start the inning, and Carroll lined a ball to center that looked like it might start something. Mullins charged in, dove, and made the catch. One batter later, Moreno grounded into a double play started by Caminero and turned through Palacios to Aranda.

Caminero had the swing everyone will remember, the leaping grab that helped save the fourth, and a hand in the double play that helped erase Arizona’s last real push. If I weren’t out of tin foil, I’d make a hat and say that it feels scripted on the night the Rays celebrated Dominican Heritage Night.

Craig Kimbrel was doing 2026 Craig Kimbrel things and made the ninth a little wobbly with a walk and a wild pitch, because even a five-run lead needs a small stress test. But he got Gurriel on a foul tip strikeout and ended it when Pavin Smith lined out to Palacios.

An impressive win with big hits, no strikeouts, and incredible defense. The Rays will look to clinch the series when these two teams meet again tomorrow night, with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 pm.

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Cantillo’s curveball not enough for Cleveland, M’s win 3-1

CLEVELAND, OHIO - JUNE 26: Luis Castillo #58 of the Seattle Mariners throws a pitch during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on June 26, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Despite the Mariners winning this afternoon’s game against the Guardians, the big story was a standout performance from Cleveland’s starter, Joey Cantillo, and his newfound love of the curveball. The curveball’s fallen out of fashion in MLB lately. Just 8.2% of the pitches this season have been big benders, the second-lowest since 2008, despite the general rise of the secondary pitch and fade of the fastball. But there are exceptions to every trend, and Cantillo has decided to zig where the league has zagged, and all that movement left the Mariners flummoxed.

Here’s a little chart of Cantillo’s curveball usage leading up to today’s game:

Notice that big spike? That was Saturday’s game against the Astros, when he went eight innings, striking out nine against just one walk and one run allowed, on the back of a 45% curveball rate. Now here’s today’s game on that chart:

So on the one hand, you can forgive the Mariners for getting caught off guard. Prior to Saturday, Cantillo’s career high on the curveball was 33%, and he’d only pitched four games in which he used Uncle Charlie more than 30% of the time. The fact that the Mariners whiffed on the pitch more than half the time owes a lot to how dramatically Cantillo changed his game. I genuinely can’t remember the last time I saw a starting pitcher use his curve literally 50% of the time.

More troubling, though, was the Mariners’ inability to adjust. Even the second and third time through, they were still getting hammered by the 59-inch break. Take Dominic Canzone’s second at-bat. Cantillo threw five curveballs in a row, with Canzone whiffing twice and barely getting a piece of a third before finally giving Cantillo a sword on a fastball that Canzone obviously thought would be a curve. Seattle struck out on the curveball five times, with another four punchouts set up by it one way or another. The team only managed one hard hit off Cantillo’s curve, a 103-mph groundball off the bat of Julio Rodríguez, which ended the sixth and ended up being the final pitch Cantillo threw.

The Mariners did get to Cantillo once, a homecoming home run for Colt Emerson. In Colt’s first game in the ballpark he grew up coming to, he smashed a ball out of the park in front of all his friends and family. How did he do it? By laying off two curveballs and getting a changeup.

Colt doesn’t show as much emotion on the field as Cole Young, and the game state made the home run less consequential. But don’t let any of that fool you. This was just as special for him as Cole’s was in Pittsburgh.

And despite getting pretty well manhandled by Cantillo, the Mariners were in a fine position when he left the game because Luis Castillo put up six excellent innings of his own. In one way, it was vintage Castillo, mixing in all his pitches, and even getting four whiffs and several weak ground balls off his formerly premier cambio. In another way, it was hardly the Castillo of old, with just ten whiffs and four strikeouts. Still, I’m happy to celebrate a Castillo that rolls through a lineup on soft contact. No muss and no fuss isn’t as sexy as taking another team’s lunch money, but we could use a little less muss and fuss after Seattle’s last couple weeks. It’s good enough for today’s Sun Hat Award anyway.

The Mariners were able to win the game in the final three innings thanks to taking advantage of Cleveland’s mistakes. As soon as Cantillo left the game, Tim Herrin walked the first two Mariners he saw, Cal Raleigh and Dominic Canzone. And after some bad BABIP luck over the past month or so, the Mariners got a little good luck with Travis Bazzana bobbling J.P. Crawford’s groundball, allowing Cal to score. In the next inning, the Guardians once again let a free baserunner score when Colt Emerson walked and was driven in by Julio.

Those three runs were enough today, despite it being the 12th game in a row that the Mariners have scored three runs or fewer, because unlike Cleveland, Seattle’s bullpen locked down their starter’s good outing. Jose A. Ferrer, Gabe Speier, and Andrés Muñoz retired all nine batters they faced. Connor Donovan points out that over his last two outings, Muñoz has faced six left-handed batters out of six possible batters faced and struck out five of them. And remember that chart of Cantillo’s curveball usage? Let’s look at another one to close this out. It shows Gabe Speier’s fastball velocity over each month of his career.

That spike at the very end is only going to move higher because he averaged 97 mph again today. I’ll have more to say about that next week.

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Flyers Draft Big Defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii After Sharks Trade

With the 27th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers have selected massive defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii from the OHL London Knights.

After chatter about moving down in the draft, the Flyers finally did so, acquiring the 27th, 62nd, and 120th overall picks from the Sharks in exchange for their 21st overall pick.

With the 21st overall pick, the Sharks selected defenseman Ryan Lin.

Sokolovskii, 17, is widely regarded as the meanest, most physical player in the entire 2026 draft class, making him a perfect fit for a Flyers organization looking to get bigger, stronger, younger, and better on defense.

The Kazakh defender is a surprisingly strong skater for his 6-foot-7 size and will never hesitate to throw the body as hard as he can, as often as he can.

NHL Mock Draft: Flyers Projected to Make Massive Choice... LiterallyNHL Mock Draft: Flyers Projected to Make Massive Choice... LiterallyThe Philadelphia Flyers select the 2026 NHL Draft's most aggressive defender in the latest expert mock draft.

Of course, the Flyers have a deep history with the Knights, having drafted Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk in 2023, and they continue to draft from the OHL.

First-round picks Jett Luchanko (2024) and Jack Nesbitt (2025) also hail from the OHL, and Matvei Michkov is the Flyers' last first-rounder to come from outside one of the CHL's best leagues.

Sokolovskii was ranked 22nd overall by EliteProspects, and his physicality was graded an 8.0 out of 9.

"Undeniably the draft's meanest, most physical player with the potential to become so much more; a high-probability NHLer with top-four upside," their draft profile summary on Sokolovskii read.

Sokolovskii will have to improve his puck handling and passing skills, but he has the size, athleticism, and aggression that just can't be taught.

He is committed to the University of Maine for the 2027-28 season.

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Juan Soto didn't expect firing of Mets manager Carlos Mendoza: 'It sucks'

Juan Soto said he was surprised to learn about the Mets' firing of manager Carlos Mendoza on Friday morning.

"It sucks,” Soto said when asked about his emotions when he heard the news. “It’s tough to see for a guy like that. I was really close with him; I talked to him a lot.

“Then to see him go, it’s really tough.”

Soto, who signed with the Mets on a 15-year deal after Mendoza’s first season as skipper, said he was informed of the decision by a call from the team’s front office. Soto said he spoke with Mendoza to express his appreciation for what the former manager did for him in welcoming him to the clubhouse “in the best way.”

Despite the team’s poor start to the season, they fell to 34-48 with a 2-1 defeat to the Philadelphia Phillies in the first game with interim manager Andy Greenon the bench, Soto said he did not expect the club to make a move at manager.

“Not at all, not at all,” Soto said after Friday’s loss.

“It’s moves every day here. You see bullpen guys going up and down, trades, starters getting moved to the bullpen. You're always expecting those moves,” he continued. “But seeing Mendoza, it's just tough."

Soto said he didn’t think the team’s struggles were a result of players pressing in the hopes of rescuing the floundering season and saving the manager’s job.  

“It’s tough, it’s part of baseball,” Soto said of the team’s struggles despite the talent on the roster. “We just haven’t been coming through in big situations. That’s the way the game goes, you gotta come through in the right moment.”

In Friday’s game, Soto came close to a two-run home run in the bottom of the first, but Phillies center fielder Derek Hill made a tremendous leaping grab to bring the ball back from over the fence. 

“I think it was an unbelievable catch,” Soto said. “When you see the replays, you see how impressive it was. He didn’t even have any time; he just went straight to the wall and jumped. That was incredible.”

Soto finished 0-for-4 with a strikeout.

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Canucks Select Adam Novotný 24th-Overall At The 2026 NHL Entry Draft

The Vancouver Canucks have selected Adam Novotný 24th-overall at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. 

A 6-foot-1 winger, Novotný spent the 2025-26 season with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL, scoring 34 goals and 31 assists in 58 games played. The Czech winger also represented his country at the 2026 U-20 World Junior Championship, putting up three assists in seven games. 

Novotný has represented Czechia internationally a fair bit, also taking part in the 2025 U-20 World Junior Championship. During this tournament, he scored one goal in seven games played. At the 2025 U-18 World Junior Championship, he averaged over a point-per-game through five games. 

Earlier on in the draft, Vancouver selected Caleb Malhotra with the third-overall pick. This selection came after the Toronto Maple Leafs selected Gavin McKenna first-overall and the San Jose Sharks picked Ivar Stenberg second. Players selected before Novotný include Ryan Lin (21st, San Jose), Liam Ruck (22nd, Pittsburgh Penguins), and JP Hurlbert (23rd, Detroit Red Wings). 

Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Adam Novotny reacts beside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected with the twenty fourth pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the Vancouver Canucks at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Jun 26, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Adam Novotny reacts beside NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected with the twenty fourth pick in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by the Vancouver Canucks at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

The Hockey News' Ryan Kennedy had Novotný ranked 13th-overall in his final draft rankings, while fellow correspondent Tony Ferrari had him ranked 14th. 

The Canucks currently have eight more picks to make in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, starting with 33rd-overall in the second-round. 

Follow along with the Canucks’ 2026 NHL Entry Draft picks via our tracker: 

Vancouver Canucks 2026 NHL Entry Draft Selection TrackerVancouver Canucks 2026 NHL Entry Draft Selection TrackerA list with articles on all prospects the Vancouver Canucks select at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, updated throughout the draft.

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.

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Catch of the Year? Watch Phillies' OF Derek Hill rob Juan Soto of home run

In hindsight, Derek Hill won the game in the first inning, before most fans had settled into their seats at Citi Field Friday.

After a turbulent morning that included the Mets dismissing manager Carlos Mendoza, Juan Soto looked to turn things around in New York. He turned on a 96-mile-per-hour Zack Wheeler fastball and drove it deep to right center. It was 104 mph off the bat and looked like it was going to be a two-run homer.

Hill, however, had other ideas. The center fielder shaded toward the left side of second base and read it early, turned back and ran. Though he never really looked rushed, he flew back and at the track leapt. His elbow cleared the top of the fence and he brought back that potential home run ball.

Starter Zack Wheeler, who began his career with the Mets and hated their constant drama, watched and just laughed. He went on to make it stand up into a 2-1 win for the Phillies.

The Phillies went crazy. Brandon Marsh who had been running over for backup from right field, yanked off his cap and went over to congratulate Hill. Bryce Harper celebrated at first base and Alec Bohm just put his hands on top of his head and stared out in amazement.

It is already a contender for catch of the year.

Wheeler, meanwhile, went seven innings and gave up just one run and four hits, while striking out seven.

That is just the type of week Hill and the Phillies – and Mets – are having. Wednesday, down to their last out against the Nationals, Hill hit a go-ahead two-run homer in a 5-4 win. Thursday he had another in the ninth. The Phillies acquired him from the White Sox on June 11.

Friday he won the game in the first inning.

The Mets lost their seventh straight game.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Catch of the Year? Watch Phillies' OF Derek Hill rob Juan Soto of home run

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Friday Pride Night Orioles GIF Party

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JUNE 26: Gunnar Henderson #2 and Taylor Ward #3 of the Baltimore Orioles celebrate after a 3-1 victory against the Washington Nationals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on June 26, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images

It is Friday. The Orioles have returned home and beat the Nationals, 3-1. Trevor Rogers was good. Coby Mayo was also good! There were some shenanigans, but not enough to keep the Orioles from getting the win.

YOU KNOW WHAT MUST BE DONE

(GIFS!)

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The Hockey Show: Talking NHL Draft, Big Trades Including Brady Tkachuk To Florida, Mike Babcock Hired In Edmonton

The hockey world is focused on western New York as NHL Draft is taking place this weekend in Buffalo.

Never ones to miss out on a good time, The Hockey Show hosts Roy Bellamy and David Dwork made the trip north to take in all the fun and festivities.

On this week’s show, Roy and Dave got into all the latest NHL happenings, including a plethora of trades, including Bowen Byram going to Chicago, Simon Nemac heading to Calgary, William Eklund being sent to Ottawa and both Jordan Kyrou and Alex Tuch being dealt to Washington.

Of course, a big topic of discussion focused on what the Florida Panthers have been up to.

Earlier this week the Panthers acquired Brady Tkachuk from Ottawa and then on Thursday they traded for gritty forward Garnet Hathaway from Philadelphia while remaining quite active in the goalie markets, including veteran Sergei Bobrovsky and several other netminders.

Roy and Dave also discussed their thoughts on the top prospects going in the first round of the NHL Draft, the hiring of Mike Babcock in Edmonton and the Islanders signing Tony DeAngelo to a two-year extension.

You can check out the full show in the video below:

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NHL Draft: Penguins select Liam Ruck with the 22nd overall pick

BRANDON, CANADA - NOVEMBER 15: Liam Ruck #12 of the Medicine Hat Tigers skates during first period action against the Brandon Wheat Kings at Assiniboine Credit Union Place on November 15, 2025 in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/Getty Images) | Getty Images

With their first overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins selected forward Liam Ruck out of Medicine Hat of the WHL.

Scott Wheeler wrote of Ruck:

 He’s a right-shot winger who has good touch, a quick release, likes to go short side and can pick his spots in the net — with an eagerness to try as a volume shooter. His skating is below average, but I’d also say it’s the slightly better of the two and that his motor helps him compensate, though it does raise questions about his projectability up levels at his size for some. He finds ways to take pucks to scoring areas, but can also work and score closer to the boards. He keeps his feet moving off the puck and plays with energy on both offense and defense (including the PK), relying on his effort and instincts to consistently make things happen or get open for them.

Dobber Prospects:

Ruck is known as a two-way forward with a high motor and strong offensive instincts; he excels around the net and generates scoring chances with his aggressive style of play, thanks to his strong forecheck and strong positioning. One of his greatest assets is his shot; he has a quick release and is a threat in the slot.

Projected as a reliable, steady middle-six NHL player contributing on the penalty kill, and could develop as an asset on the power play as a net-front presence.

Corey Pronman:

Ruck is a dangerous scoring winger. He’s a very slick and intelligent player who creates a lot with the puck. His pure athletic tools don’t jump out: he’s not that big, and he’s a below-average skater. He does work hard, though, and gets to the hard areas to generate offense, earning his coach’s trust consistently. Ruck has a path to the league due to his great stick and brain.

Ruck is committed to the University of North Dakota for the start of the 2027-28 season.

It was an interesting night, San Jose just happened to trade up to pick 21, one before the Pens to take defenseman Ryan Lin. Did the Sharks know or suspect that Pittsburgh would have taken Lin? We might never know, but the timing of a move happening right before the Pittsburgh pick stands out a little bit.

In the end, the Pens stay on target to their prior tendencies with high picks by taking a productive, skillsy forward out of the WHL with their first pick this year. The big question now looks like whether or not the Penguins will attempt to keep the Ruck twins together by drafting Markus. That could be a target for the 39th overall pick that Pittsburgh has, but they made need to make a trade to move up a few spots in order to ensure they can keep the twin magic together.

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40-42 – Rangers play it back, hang on to beat Blue Jays 5-4

Jun 26, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Texas Rangers center fielder Wyatt Langford (36) falls over Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Andres Gimenez (0) after being tagged out trying to steal second base in the second inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The Texas Rangers scored five runs while the Toronto Blue Jays scored four runs.

Remember last night when the Rangers scored a bunch of runs early and then gently moseyed to a victory over the Blue Jays despite their lead shrinking to almost nothing late? Well, tonight’s game was pretty much the same deal.

The Rangers scored three runs in the top of the first off of 2025 friend Patrick Corbin as they enjoyed a rare trio of hits with RISP. A couple of innings later, Justin Foscue made it 5-0 with his fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot following a Jake Burger walk.

Irritatingly, the Rangers went hitless with RISP in their remaining nine opportunities as they couldn’t quite turn the game into a blowout. The well running dry at the plate would eventually lead to some late-innings heartburn again. Nevertheless, the early damage was already in the books and, luckily for Texas, they had Nathan Eovaldi on the mound and he was shoving.

The second most famous pitcher from Alvin, TX went seven innings and allowed zero runs on five hits and a walk with nine strikeouts. Toronto didn’t have their first hit until the fourth inning and only really threatened Eovaldi in his last couple of frames. The veteran erased a couple of rallies to maintain the five run lead.

The Rangers needed all five of ’em, too. Like last night, despite being staked to a big early lead, the Blue Jays flipped it on in the late innings and eventually put up a four-run frame in the eighth.

Starring down a potentially dubious outcome after leading by five runs early, Texas again turned to Jacob Latz for the save and he came through for the second consecutive one-run win for the Rangers in Toronto.

Player of the Game: Foscue drove in three of the five runs and his dinger was big, and Wyatt Langford continued his torrid June with three more hits and a stolen base while flying around on the bases, but it’s hard to argue against Eovaldi’s evening as he provided Texas with seven shutout frames to keep the mileage off a sputtering bullpen during this brutal stretch.

Up Next: Eyeing a third win in three tries to begin this series, the Rangers don’t yet have a pitcher listed for tomorrow’s game while Toronto will start RHP Dylan Cease.

The Saturday afternoon first pitch from Rogers Centre is scheduled for 2:07 pm CDT and will be back on the Rangers Sports Network.

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Red Wings Trade Goaltender Sebastian Cossa To Western Conference

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The Sebastian Cossa era with the Detroit Red Wings is officially over. 

The Red Wings traded him to the Utah Mammoth, and in return, are receiving the 23rd overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft. 

The trade gave the Red Wings a selection in the opening round of the Draft; they'd traded their first-round pick to the St. Louis Blues in March as part of the package to acquire defenseman Justin Faulk.

With the No. 23 pick, they selected forward J.P. Hurlbert, who led the WHL in scoring last season with the Kamloops Blazers and has committed to the University of Michigan. 

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Despite being chosen 15th overall by Detroit in the 2021 NHL Draft, Cossa has appeared in just one NHL game to date, making his lone appearance during the 2024-25 season in December, a 6-5 shootout win over the Buffalo Sabres. 

The young netminder turned in an outstanding 2025-26 campaign with the Grand Rapids Griffins, but as the season progressed, Michal Postava seized the starting role.

By the time the Calder Cup Playoffs arrived, Postava had earned the crease, leaving Cossa to serve as the backup throughout the entire postseason.

Cossa posted a record of 26-8-4 with a 2.33 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage in what would be his final season with the Griffins. A pending restricted free agent, Cossa was no longer waiver-eligible. 

Now, all indications point toward 2023 second round (41st overall) pick Trey Augustine as being Detroit's goaltender of the future. 

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