FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Xavier Edmonds scored a career-high 26 points and his six unanswered points down the stretch lifted TCU over Kansas State 84-82 on Saturday.
Edmonds made the tying and go-ahead free throws for an 83-82 lead with six seconds left, capping a rally from a five-point deficit in the final minute and a half. He had two free throws with 1:10 remaining and his dunk with 35 seconds left had made it a one-point game.
An alley-oop dunk by Khamari McGriff gave Kansas State an 82-77 lead with 1 1/2 minutes to go. The Wildcats, who did not score again, had turnovers on their three remaining possessions.
Micah Robinson made one of two free throws with two seconds left for the final margin.
Edmonds made nine of 10 shots, seven of 13 free throws and grabbed 10 rebounds for his fifth consecutive double-double. Robinson scored 16 points, David Punch 14 and Jayden Pierre 10 for the Horned Frogs (14-9, 4-6 Big 12).
PJ Haggerty scored 30, Marcus Johnson 15, Nate Johnson 13 with 11 rebounds, and David Castillo 11 for K-State (10-13, 1-10).
Marcus Johnson connected on his first four 3-point attempts and the Wildcats jumped out to a 29-14 lead. Later in the half, TCU rallied with a 15-2 run and K-State led 46-42 at halftime.
Eight consecutive points from Haggerty turned a three-point K-State lead into a 64-53 advantage eight minutes into the second half. The Wildcats still had a double-digit lead — 78-68 — with 5 1/2 minutes remaining.
TCU has a four-game winning streak in the series.
Up next
TCU: The Horned Frogs host No. 7 Iowa State on Tuesday.
Kansas State: The Wildcats return home to play Cincinnati on Wednesday.
PEORIA, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 26: An aerial view of the Peoria Sports Complex on February 26, 2021 in Peoria, Arizona. The Peoria Sports Complex is the MLB spring training home for the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Ariz. will be very busy beginning Feb. 10 as the San Diego Padres begin their 2026 season with pitchers and catchers reporting for physicals before their first workouts on Feb. 11.
The next day, Feb. 12, is the report date for all Padres players who will be participating in the World Baseball Classic. With the addition of three more relievers this past week, the group now totals eight players/pitchers who will be leaving the team early and reporting to their respective WBC teams. Those Padres are:
Manny Machado – Dominican Republic team
Fernando Tatis Jr. – Dominican Republic team
Xander Bogaerts – Netherlands team
Yuki Matsui – Japanese team
Mason Miller – USA team
Wandy Peralta – Dominican Republic team
Ron Marinaccio – Italian team
Alek Jacob – Italian team
There will also be three minor league participants, as well as special assistant Mark Loretta who was named as the third base coach for the Israel team.
RHP Carlton Loewen – Canadian team
LHP Miguel Cienfuegos – Panama team
RHP Josh Mallitz – Israel team
The rest of the team is due to report for their first workout on Feb. 15. Jake Cronenworth stated at Padres FanFest on Jan. 31 that he had heard from many teammates who intended to report early to have more time together due to the WBC.
WBC/MLB exhibitions scheduled
There will be exhibition games played between MLB and WBC teams on March 3 and 4 before the WBC officially begins. The Padres will play Team Great Britain on March 4 at 12:10 p.m. PST in Peoria. There will be 28 games played over the two days at various locations.
The first official WBC games start in the Tokyo Dome on March 4 and 5 with other locations beginning March 6. Team USA plays its first game in Houston, Texas versus Brazil on March 6.
Media access on Feb. 10
Media availability for manager Craig Stammen will be Feb. 10 at 8 a.m. PST with coaches Steven Souza (hitting) and Randy Knorr (bench coach) following Stammen. The clubhouse will be open for media on Wednesday.
Spring Breakout games return
MLB will once again hold Spring Breakout games during Spring Training for teams to showcase their top prospects. Those games will take place March 19-22 with a 16-game schedule. The Padres prospects plays the Chicago Cubs prospects on Saturday, March 21 at 6 p.m. PST. Those rosters will be announced after minor league players arrive in camp.
Spring Training schedule
The Padres play their first Spring Training game on March 20 at 12:10 p.m. PST versus the Seattle Mariners in the yearly charity game played at Peoria Sports Complex. They will then play 30 games (split squad included) and finish on March 23. There are no exhibition games this year after they leave Peoria and return to San Diego. The home opener is March 26 versus the Detroit Tigers at Petco Park.
There are currently 38 players on the 40-man roster with the reported signing of Miguel Andujar not yet official. When that player is added to the roster, the Padres will have one spot available and then will have to make a roster move to add any other players.
Non-roster invites
The organization recently announced 28 players invited to Spring Training who are not on the roster. Those players (NRI’s) include 13 players who were recently added to the organization. There are 13 pitchers, four catchers, seven infielders and four outfielders in the group. It includes the Padres No. 1 prospect Ethan Salas who missed most of the 2025 season due to a stress fracture in his lower back. Following is the full list of NRI:
RHRP Francis Pena and RHSP Triston McKenzie as well as LHSP Marco Gonzales have the best chances to make big impressions from the group of pitchers. There are others who could be taking a step forward but those three have gotten the most mentions.
Catchers Ethan Salas and Blake Hunt should be followed closely. Hunt is presumably in competition for the backup catching job and was originally drafted by the Padres in 2017. He is a defense-first catcher who was most recently in the Seattle Mariners organization, playing in 25 games for the Mariners.
This will be a pivotal year for Salas, he needs to re-establish himself as a highly regarded prospect after struggling in 2024 and missing most of last season.
The Padres signed infielder Jose Miranda to a minor league deal. Entering his year-28 season, Miranda played in 12 games for Minnesota last season with a .417 OPS. He had a .569 OPS in Triple-A in the Twins organization. He is a candidate for a bounce-back year.
The Padres’ most advanced first base prospect, Romeo Sanabria, gets his first Spring Training invite at 24 years old. He needs to take a step forward this season to be considered an MLB player.
Infielder Marcos Castañon appeared to make advances last season and might stand out this spring.
Outfielders Carlos Rodriguez and Nick Schnell could be auditioning as depth pieces for the Padres. Schnell is 26 and Rodriguez is 25, both are left-handed hitters.
New roster additions
Padres fans should also keep an eye on the two new additions to the 40-man roster from the minor league prospect list. Both righty reliever Garrett Hawkins and right-handed starter Miguel Mendez are likely to show well in Spring Training but probably need a little more seasoning in the minor leagues to begin the season.
Mendez would benefit from added bulk to improve stamina and durability. He took a major step forward with command last year.
Hawkins was a standout with his dominant performance last year but was newly returned to baseball after Tommy John surgery. He has the potential to be a dominant late-inning reliever if he continues progressing on his current path.
I am still waiting for a couple more additions to the team from general manager A.J. Preller. The next few weeks should be an exciting time for Padres fans as we near the 2026 season and enjoy the WBC and spring games as we wait.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Matas Vokietaitis scored 27 points, and Texas scored the last 14 points of the game to beat Mississippi 79-68 on Saturday for the Longhorns' third straight win.
Jordan Pope converted a four-point play to give Texas a 69-68 lead with 2:43 to play. Dailyn Swain's three-point play made it 72-68, and Simeon Wilcher hit a 3-pointer with 41 seconds left before the Longhorns closed it from the free-throw line.
Vokietaitis shot 9 of 11 from the floor and 9 of 12 at the free-throw line, and was a point shy of matching a career high. Tramon Mark added 19 points and Pope finished with 13 for Texas (15-9, 6-5 Southeastern Conference), which led by as many as 18 points in the first half.
Eduardo Klafke scored 16 points for Ole Miss (11-12, 3-7). Kezza Giffa made 10 of 12 free throws and finished with 10 points. The Rebels have lost five straight.
Camden Heide's 3-pointer sparked a 16-0 run that gave the Longhorns a 29-11 lead with about seven minutes left in the first half. Mark scored nine points and Vokietaitis chipped in four during the stretch.
Ole Miss closed the first half with a 9-4 surge to cut the deficit to 37-25 at the break. The Rebels shot 27% overall and missed 10 of their 12 3-point attempts.
BOSTON (AP) — Malik Reneau had 23 points, Shelton Henderson and Tre Donaldson scored big buckets down the stretch, and Miami defeated Boston College 74-68 on Saturday.
Miami led 50-40 with about 12 minutes left in the game, but the Hurricanes managed only seven points in the next 6 1/2 minutes. Donald Hand Jr.'s jumper gave the Eagles a 58-57 lead with 5 1/2 minutes remaining for the Eagles' only lead since it was 10-9.
Henderson's layup put the Hurricanes back ahead 20 seconds later and Donaldson scored nine points in the final 4 1/2 minutes to wrap up the win.
Henderson scored 19 points and Donaldson had 14 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for Miami (18-5, 7-3 ACC).
Hand, who made four 3-pointers, scored 20 points before fouling out with under three minutes remaining. Boden Kapke had 18 points and 11 rebounds and Fred Payne scored 11 points for Boston College (9-14, 2-8).
Reneau scored 13 of Miami's first 24 points and the Hurricanes led 24-19 with about seven minutes to go in the first half. The lead reached 29-19 before Payne scored six straight points to kick-start a BC rally and the Eagles got within 34-33 at the half.
Boston College was whistled for 31 fouls to 11 for Miami. At the free-throw line, the Hurricanes made only 13 of their 25 attempts and the Eagles made 7 of 10.
Up next
Miami: The Hurricanes host No. 14 North Carolina on Tuesday.
Boston College: The Eagles host Stanford on Wednesday in the middle game of three straight at home.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Kierra Wheeler scored 17 points and Sydney Shaw added 16 for No. 20 West Virginia in a 87-68 win over Arizona on Saturday.
Wheeler added six rebounds and shot 8 of 11 from the field. Shaw shot 6 of 10 overall and was 4 of 7 beyond the arc. Jordan Harris added 14 points. Gia Cooke 13 and Celia Riviere scored 10 off the bench for West Virginia (20-5, 10-3 Big 12).
Tanyuel Welch led Arizona (11-12, 2-10) with 17 points. Daniah Trammell added 15.
The Mountaineers jumped ahead with a 13-0 run that spanned the first and second quarters and went into halftime up 50-26. A 9-0 run in the third quarter gave West Virginia its largest lead at 74-40.
Arizona finished the game with a 11-0 run, keeping West Virginia scoreless for the final 3:15.
A sparkling unbeaten 84 from India captain Suryakumar Yadav and three wickets from late call-up Mohammed Siraj in Mumbai helped India avoid a shock defeat to the United States as they opened their defence of the T20 World Cup.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Jaron Pierre Jr. and Boopie Miller combined to score 41 points as SMU rolled 86-67 past Pittsburgh on Saturday.
Pierre Jr. scored 21 on 8 of 11 shooting with five rebounds for the Mustangs (16-7, 5-5 Atlantic Coast Conference). Miller had 20 to go with nine assists and three steals. Samet Yigitoglu scored 15 to go with eight rebounds.
SMU, which leads the ACC in scoring offense (86.5 points per game entering the contest), shot 57% from the field (32 of 56) and 43% from behind the arc (9 of 21). The Panthers (9-15, 2-9) shot just 36% and 24% from deep.
The Mustangs held a slim, 34-32 lead at halftime, but opened the second half on a 24-9 run, building their lead to as much as 24. Pierre had 14 in the second half, making all five of attempts, while Miller had 11.
The Mustangs also held a 44-26 advantage on points in the paint, and a 25-9 edge on fast break points.
The Panthers were led by Cameron Corhen's 15 points. Barry Dunning Jr. added 12 points and seven rebounds.
ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - SEPTEMBER 15: Matthew Liberatore #52 of the St. Louis Cardinals pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Busch Stadium on September 15, 2025 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images) | Getty Images
While I believe that many are very satisfied with what Chaim Bloom has accomplished with his many roster moves during the offseason, we’re about to begin the 2026 season with some fear and trepidation about how competitive or not the St. Louis Cardinals will be. Knowing what we know now, what do you think the St. Louis Cardinals win-loss record will be for 2026?
Before I share my guess, let’s look at what the latest professional projections say about the 2026 St. Louis Cardinals team. According to a share a week and a half ago by Fangraphs, the latest ZiPS projections say the St. Louis Cardinals will finish 4th in the National League Central with a record of 77-85 only 3 games ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates. FanDuel and other Vegas odds say the St. Louis Cardinals are only a 70 to 71 win team. Bernie Miklasz shared what several other betting sites were predicting, but this was a week and a half ago and all of these predictions were posted before the Brendan Donovan trade.
I have a difficult time separating my emotions from my mind when it comes to trying to nail down what the St. Louis Cardinals 2026 record will be. My heart is thrilled that the team has finally stopped settling for mediocrity and made big changes to insure the St. Louis Cardinals will be perennial serious contenders at some point in the future, but my mind has to realistically accept the fact that we’re not built to win this year. My prediction is a 76-86 St. Louis Cardinals team that will be fortunate to finish above the Pittsburgh Pirates. I think that will look optimistic once the new projections are done post-Brendan Donovan trade, but I’m overall bullish on this team.
I do think there is a scenario (albeit an unlikely one) where the St. Louis Cardinals surprise everyone and become a .500 or better team this season, but that involves a lot of daydreaming. If Jordan Walker and Nolan Gorman both wake up and live up to their potential, this could get interesting. JJ Wetherholt would need to have the type of season where he’s a legitimate rookie of the year candidate. We would need Michael McGreevy and Matthew Liberatore to go next level and the Cardinals bullpen to become something it doesn’t appear to be on paper. This daydream also requires Masyn Winn to remain fully healthy and add impressive offensive pop to his gold glove defense. Alec Burleson and Ivan Herrera would also need to backup strong 2025 showings and remain healthy. If all of those elements line up, the St. Louis Cardinals could be much more than the predictions say they will be in 2026, but I think it’s best to embrace what looks like our reality for the next couple of years and that’s not what my heart hopes will happen.
We can revisit this once the St. Louis Cardinals break camp after Spring Training, but as of today, what is your guess of what the St. Louis Cardinals win-loss record will be in 2026 and how do you think they’ll rank in the National League Central?
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu scored 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting, and No. 22 Maryland pulled away down the stretch for a 78-60 win over Nebraska on Saturday.
Oluchi Okananwa scored nine of the Terrapins’ 15 first-quarter points, and Maryland (19-6, 7-6 Big Ten) led 45-28 at halftime after a 30-17 second quarter.
Nebraska closed within 50-33 early in the third, but Maryland answered with Addi Mack’s layup off a steal and a Yarden Garzon 3-pointer to stretch the margin back to 52-33. The Terrapins won the third 25-18 and pushed the lead past 30 on a Rainey Welson 3 with 5:09 left in the period.
Okananwa had 14 points and four steals, Garzon scored 11 points with six assists and Kyndal Walker added 13 off the bench. Welson finished with 13 points, a career high.
Ozzy-Momodu added nine rebounds, and Maryland finished with a 44-22 advantage in points in the paint. The Terrapins shot 50% from the field, outrebounded Nebraska 39-26 and forced 22 turnovers.
Logan Nissley led Nebraska (16-8, 5-8) with a career-high 22 points, including 13 by halftime, and hit six 3-pointers for her first 20-point game. Britt Prince made her 54th straight free throw in the third quarter, a Nebraska school record.
Since returning to the Detroit Red Wings as general manager in 2019, Steve Yzerman has assembled one of the top prospect pools in the National Hockey League.
His first-round selections in the 2019 (Moritz Seider) and 2020 (Lucas Raymond) NHL Drafts have emerged as two of the best players in their respective draft classes and have become foundational building blocks for the organization.
Selecting with the 13th overall pick in 2025, Yzerman selected forward Carter Bear of the Western Hockey League’s Everett Silvertips. Bear, who led the Silvertips with 40 goals and 82 points last season, continues to display the scoring touch that fans in Hockeytown hope that he'll eventually have in the Winged Wheel.
Bear recorded a hat trick in Everett’s recent 6–3 victory over the Kamloops Blazers, boosting his season totals to 23 goals and 48 points in 35 games.
Bear was signed by Yzerman to a three-year, entry-level contract shortly after being drafted, and he participated in Detroit's Development Camp in late June.
"A very intelligent hockey player, extremely competitive," Yzerman said of Bear in June. "At the junior level, he really can score. We think all of his game translates to the NHL as well."
Yzerman also expressed optimism that it wouldn't take long for Bear to endear himself to Red Wings fans when his NHL career eventually begins.
"I think our fan base will really take to him when the time comes that he is playing for the Red Wings, because he competes hard, and he’s a really good person. We are very excited about this pick. "
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In a lengthy interview with Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, Montreal Canadiens’ president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton discussed a lot of topics. Still, one was particularly interesting: the organization’s approach to the trade deadline.
While on the ice, the team has shown plenty of signs of progress despite being the youngest outfit in the league and overcoming subpar goaltending and numerous injuries, the Habs’ brass remains realistic. As Engels writes, Gorton and his partner in crime, Kent Hughes, are not under the illusion that adding a player or two at the trade deadline would launch their window of opportunities; they are not there yet.
This realistic, prudent approach is exactly why Geoff Molson made the right move by hiring the duo, and it stands in stark contrast to Marc Bergevin's past approach. Year after year, we heard the former GM say that once you get in the playoffs, anything can happen, and year after year, he went out to get some complementary pieces at the deadline.
It doesn’t mean they won’t be active at all. Gorton acknowledges that Hughes has his finger on the pulse and checks reported availabilities, adding that the duo spends a lot of time analyzing its next move. If they do make moves, they won’t be just for the now; the duo always has its objective of making the Canadiens a perennial contender at the forefront of their minds, as it should be.
Like the coach they’ve hired, Gorton and Hughes are very much of the “what’s next?” approach, and they’re not leaving anything to chance. Their recent moves have shown how they are thinking. They signed Alexandre Texier to a one-year contract initially, but extended his contract by two more years after he demonstrated his potential. They identified an issue with their penalty kill and a need for a left-shot center, so they went out and got Phillip Danault, without sacrificing too many assets, and it’s a good stop-gap option with another year on the contract of the soon-to-be 33-year-old.
The trade deadline may not be very exciting for Canadiens’ fans, but as the saying goes, good things come to those who wait, and Montreal is already seeing some of those good things, but the best is yet to come.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (AP) — Grace VanSlooten recorded her fifth double-double of the season, Jalyn Brown scored 16 points and Rashunda Jones added 14 in No. 12 Michigan State’s come-from-behind 81-70 win over Penn State on Saturday afternoon.
VanSlooten was the leading scorer for the Spartans (20-4, 9-4 Big Ten), with 20 points and 14 rebounds. She shot 9 of 18 from the field. Kennedy Blair added 12 points.
Kiyomi McMiller scored a career-high 37 points for Penn State (8-16, 1-12) on 16 of 33 shooting. She was 3 of 4 from beyond the arc and 2 of 4 from the free throw line. Freshman Tea Cleante added 10 points for the Nittany Lions.
The Nittany Lions took their largest lead of the game in the second quarter, up 45-29 off a 6-0 run. The Spartans scored the final two buckets of the half to cut the deficit to 45-33. After the break, Michigan State went on a 16-0 run to close out the third quarter and take a 54-52 lead, holding Penn State scoreless for over six minutes.
McMiller scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, but Michigan State led by double digits over the final three minutes.
Michigan State’s 16-point comeback is its largest since 2005, when the Spartans beat Tennessee 68-64 to advance to the national championship.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Jayden Stone scored 22 points, Mark Mitchell added 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Missouri took down South Carolina, 78-59 on Saturday.
Stone was an efficient 7-for-9 shooting from the field (3 for 4 from deep), and Mitchell went 7 for 11 (1 for 2 from deep) for the Tigers (16-7, 6-4 Southeastern Conference). Mizzou was 25-for-54 shooting from the field overall.
T.O. Barrett added 14 points and seven rebounds, but struggled shooting (4 for 12).
The Tigers did not trail for the entire game, taking their first lead 37 seconds into the contest. They led 34-30 at halftime, and a 10-3 run to start the second half pushed their lead to double-digits.
Stone hit a 3-pointer with 7:17 remaining to start an 8-0 run that gave Mizzou a comfortable 15-point lead.
Meechie Johnson scored 13 points for the Gamecocks (11-13, 2-9), but was just 2-for-13 shooting from the field and 1 for 7 from beyond the arc. Kobe Knox and Elijah Strong each added 12 points, and Eli Ellis had 11.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Lamar Wilkerson made two free throws with 2.8 seconds left in overtime to lift Indiana to a 78-77 victory over Wisconsin on Saturday.
Wilkerson finished with 25 points, Sam Alexis added 19, Tucker DeVries 16 and Conor Enright 11 for Indiana (16-8, 7-6 Big Ten).
Nolan Winter had a career-high 26 points plus 12 rebounds to lead the Badgers (16-7, 8-4). Nick Boyd added 20 points, including five 3-pointers, and John Blackwell had 16 of his 18 points in the second half.
Wilkerson shot 1 for 7 in overtime but scored all six of Indiana's points in the extra period, four in the final 30 seconds after the Badgers had taken a 77-74 lead.
Wilkerson's bucket with 30 seconds left ended a 10-minute field-goal drought for the Hoosiers. Boyd was called for an offensive foul with 15.1 seconds left and Blackwell fouled Wilkerson as the latter tried to find an opening to the hoop. After Wilkerson's free throws, Braeden Carrington’s half-court heave wasn’t close.
Wilkerson finished 1 of 8 from the arc but made all eight of his free throws that came in the final minute of regulation and overtime.
Indiana led all of regulation until Blackwell hit a jumper for a 69-68 lead with 1:48 remaining. Winter followed with a 3-pointer but Wilkerson sank four free throws to tie the game at 72 and Blackwell missed a short jumper at the buzzer.
Indiana led by as many as 13 in the second half and were up 66-59 after an Alexis bucket with 5 1/2 minutes to go but then didn't a get another field goal until Wilkerson's bucket in overtime.
In a season filled with disappointment, it’s the ideal set of players who have provided the most positivity for the Vancouver Canucks; their rookies. Given the fact that this franchise’s future will likely be driven by a big chunk of these players, this can mean nothing but good things. If positive things keep going the way they have been for these Vancouver rookies, then the Canucks will be in good hands throughout the long-term future.
Linus Karlsson Has Been One Of The Biggest Surprises For The Canucks This Season
No Canuck has more 5-on-5 points than Linus Karlsson, who has scored nine goals and 11 assists in those situations. Despite bouncing around throughout Vancouver’s lineup this season, the forward has been one of the Canucks’ most consistent point producers, tallying a total of 11 goals and 13 assists. Karlsson’s play this season earned him a two-year contract extension, which he signed in January, as well as some looks on Vancouver’s first-unit power play. The forward is one who works his hardest and does what he needs to in order to find success at the NHL level.
Tom Willander Is Playing Himself Into A Future Top-4 Role
When Tom Willander made his NHL debut on October 28, many believed it’d be a one-off, and that he’d be back with the Abbotsford Canucks soon after. This isn’t a slight to Willander, but rather in consideration to his young professional career that only started this season. However, Willander has impressed so much that he’s played himself into a solid spot in Vancouver’s D-core, even serving as the quarterback on their first-unit power play for an extended period of time. While it was never a question in the first place, if anything, Willander’s play this season has only solidified the fact that he needs to be part of Vancouver’s future moving forward.
Liam Öhgren Sets The Canucks’ Pace
The Canucks received a valuable package of prospects and future potential when they traded Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild back in December. While Marco Rossi and Zeev Buium may have initially been the most noted names returning in the deal, Liam Öhgren has since proven himself as a big piece in this blockbuster deal. The forward’s no-quit motor and high-energy style of play has made him a mainstay in the lineup. The fact he’s been solid defensively doesn’t hurt, either. With connections throughout the organization and a positive first-impression, Öhgren’s first 26 games as a Canuck have gone excellently.
Jan 23, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Linus Karlsson (94) and defenseman Tom Willander (5) celebrate Karlsson’s goal against the New Jersey Devils in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Zeev Buium Has Shown The Potential To Become Vancouver’s Next Star On The Blueline
Buium’s time with the Canucks has been filled with promise. Offensively, the defenceman has shown great potential and has even been given a good chunk of power play minutes to try and elevate that. While the defensive side of his game could still use some work, this isn’t a bad thing. After all, Buium only just turned 20 at the start of December and is still in the midst of his first NHL season. If there’s any time for him to be making mistakes, it’s now. With more NHL playing time, Buium will be able to apply his experience towards fixing past mistakes — something that will ultimately impact his play for the better in the long run.
Jonathan Lekkerimäki Is Flashing His Goal-Scoring Skill
Jonathan Lekkerimäki got his first taste of NHL action last season, playing in 24 games and scoring three goals and three assists. Since then, it’s clear he took his experiences in the NHL and AHL and applied them to his game. A 10-goal run in 16 games with the Abbotsford Canucks brought Lekkerimäki back up to the NHL this season, where he’s played with the confidence and shot of a top-six sniper in the making. While it’s unclear how long he could be with the Canucks for this season, Lekkerimäki’s goal-scoring efforts have shown lots of promise for the future.
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