Category: Sports News

Another piece in the NHL head coaching puzzle has been placed, as former Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet will be joining the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers announced on Wednesday that Tocchet will be the 25th head coach in franchise history.  

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The Flyers had been rumoured to be interested in Tocchet even before the coach announced he would not be returning to the Canucks. Around this time, Tocchet’s agent, Steve Mountain, made note of how they had not had any discussions with Philadelphia regarding a possible deal. Other teams that were rumoured to be on Tocchet’s radar were the Boston Bruins and Seattle Kraken. During an interview on the 100% Hockey with Miller & Shannon Podcast, Canucks President of Hockey Operations, Jim Rutherford, explained that part of Tocchet’s reason for departing was wanting to be closer to family back on the east coast. 

“During this process it became clear that Rick was the absolute right coach to lead our team. He has enjoyed the highest level of success both as a player and coach. Rick’s ability to teach and understand his players, combined with his passion for winning, brings out the best in young players at different stages of their development and has earned the respect and confidence of highly talented All-Stars and veteran players alike,” said Flyers GM Daniel Briere regarding the hire. 

History between Philadelphia and Tocchet extends decades. The coach was drafted 121st overall by the Flyers back in 1983 and spent eight seasons in a row with them before ending up with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Nearly a decade after his departure, Tocchet was traded back to the Flyers by the Arizona Coyotes, spending two more seasons with them before retiring from playing in 2002. He was inducted into the Flyers’ Hall of Fame in 2021. 

Tocchet’s most recent coaching stint was with Vancouver. Despite joining the Canucks in January 2023, rumours of Tocchet being Vancouver’s bench boss emerged weeks — if not months before — due to some blunt assessments from Canucks management. Shortly after Tocchet was brought in, Vancouver’s captain at the time, Bo Horvat, was dealt to the New York Islanders. 

Because of this, fans weren’t sure what to expect from the Canucks come 2023–24. However, following a dominant 8–1 victory against the Edmonton Oilers to open the season, Vancouver surged to the top of the Pacific Division and took down the Nashville Predators in six games during the first round of playoffs. They took the Oilers to seven games in the second round, but ultimately couldn’t surpass them. Their 50-win season helped Tocchet win his first Jack Adams Award. 

Tocchet will join a room full of youth in Philadelphia. 2023 seventh-round draft pick Matvei Michkov is going into his sophomore NHL season, while 2020 first-round pick Tyson Foerster will play in his third full season. Other young players on the Flyers include defender Jamie Drysdale and forwards Jakob Pelletier and Bobby Brink. 

Earlier today, Tocchet’s replacement was also announced, as his former assistant coach with the Canucks, Adam Foote, was named the 22nd head coach in franchise history. 

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The New York Islanders division rival Philadelphia Flyers have hired Rick Tocchet as their head coach:

🔶 WELCOME HOME, TOCC! 🔶

We’re proud to announce that Rick Tocchet has been named the 25th head coach in franchise history. https://t.co/pY0ljNFtoq

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) May 14, 2025

Tocchet, 61, left the Vancouver Canucks bench this summer after three seasons as their head coach, citing a desire to be on the East Coast, closer to family. 

The Ontario native was drafted by the Flyers in the sixth round (No. 121) of the 1983 NHL Draft, playing his first eight seasons in Philadelphia. He returned to the City of Brotherly Love for the final three seasons of his career (1999-2002)

The Flyers fired John Tortorella on March 27. 

They become the second team in the Metropolitan Divsion to hire a new coach, with the New York Rangers firing Peter Laviolette and hiring former Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan in his place. 

The Penguins are currently the only team in the Metro without a head coach. 

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The Los Angeles Kings named Ken Holland the 10th GM in franchise history on Wednesday. 

Next season will be the Hockey Hall of Famer’s 27th campaign as an NHL GM as the Kings look to take the next step.

“As we did our due diligence, we identified Ken as the absolute best option and acted decisively to make him our general manager,” team president Luc Robitaille said in a news release.

“His track record of success is undeniable, and after our conversations with him, we were clearly convinced he was the right person for us at this time. He has the experience to lead us on the proper path that will help us win now and compete for the Stanley Cup.”

Holland replaces Rob Blake, who mutually agreed with the team to part ways on May 5. Blake was the GM of the Kings for eight seasons and VP of hockey operations since 2013-14.

Holland was formerly the GM and president of hockey operations of the Edmonton Oilers and served them for five seasons before stepping down after last season. Stan Bowman replaced Holland, who became a hockey operations consultant for the NHL in November 2024.

Holland took the Oilers to the 2024 Stanley Cup final, where the Florida Panthers defeated them in seven games.

The Kings will look for some of that playoff success, as they’ve been bounced in the first round for four straight seasons by Holland’s former team. 

Screen Shots: Is Former Red Wings And Oilers GM Ken Holland The Right Fit For The Kings?Welcome, once again, to Screen Shots, a regular TheHockeyNews.com series in which your humble senior digital correspondent tackles a few different hockey topics and breaks them down in a handful of short paragraphs. Let’s get right down to business.

Holland spent most of his time as a GM with the Detroit Red Wings, lasting 22 seasons and winning three Cups. 

He’s been a GM for 2,061 games in total, the fifth-most in NHL history. In that span, he earned a 1,145-644-200 record and 72 ties.

Holland has been an executive for Team Canada on several occasions. He was an assistant GM for Canada four times: the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, the 2014 and 2010 Olympics and the 2005 World Championship. In 2006, he earned the GM role for Canada at the World Championship.

The Hockey Hall of Fame inducted Holland as a builder in the Class of 2020 for his expertise in team development and building a strong foundation for his clubs.

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If you can’t beat them, hire them.

That’s apparently the conclusion the Kings came to in their search for a general manager because they chose Ken Holland, the architect of an Edmonton Oilers team that knocked the Kings out of the Stanley Cup playoffs in the first round in each of the last four seasons.

Holland, 69, will replace Rob Blake, who stepped down last week. The Kings made the playoffs five times in eight seasons under Blake, a former Hall of Fame defenseman, but lost in the first round each time. The team hasn’t won a playoff series since the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, a record 11-year drought for the franchise.

“As we did our due diligence, we identified Ken as the absolute best option and acted decisively to make him our general manager,” Kings president Luc Robitaille said in a statement Wednesday. “His track record of success is undeniable and after our conversations with him, we were clearly convinced he was the right person for us at this time.

Read more:Luc Robitaille expects Jim Hiller to return as Kings' coach

"He has the experience to lead us on the proper path that will help us win now and compete for the Stanley Cup.”

Holland is also a Hall of Famer, having been inducted in 2020 as a builder following three Stanley Cup victories in 22 years as president and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings. He also won 10 division titles and four Presidents Trophies in Detroit, where the Red Wings won more regular-season and postseason games than any other team during his tenure.

Holland is the fifth-winningest general manager in NHL history with an all-time record of 1,145-644-272 over 26 seasons with the Red Wings and Oilers. He also served on several management staffs for Hockey Canada, winning gold medals in the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

He joined the Oilers as president of hockey operations and general manager in 2019, guiding the team to five consecutive playoff berths, two Western Conference finals and last year’s Stanley Cup final, where it lost to the Florida Panthers in seven games. Among his best moves in Edmonton were the free-agent acquisitions of Zach Hyman, Evander Kane and Corey Perry and the trade that brought Mattias Ekholm in Edmonton at the 2023 deadline.

Holland left the team when his contract expired last June.

Blake told the Kings last winter he was considering stepping down after this season, giving the team ample time to search for a replacement. According to media reports, Robitaille had narrowed the number of candidates to three last week before meeting with Holland.

Read more:Kings general manager Rob Blake steps down in wake of latest playoff ouster

One of Holland’s first chores as general manager could be deciding the fate of coach Jim Hiller. Hiller’s team tied franchise records for wins (48) and points (105), and set one for home wins (31) in his first full season as head coach. That allowed the Kings to place second in the Pacific Division, its highest finish since 2016, and claim the home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

Once there Hiller was outcoached, with Edmonton rallying from a 2-0 deficit to win the best-of-seven series in six games.

Hiller has two more years remaining on his contract, but Robitaille said the new general manager would have the option of bringing in his own coach. Hiller served as an assistant coach for one season in Detroit during Holland’s time with the Red Wings.

Holland was also linked to the New York Islanders’ open general manager job this spring, but the British Columbia native still has a home in the province and wanted to remain on the West Coast.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

With the 2024-25 season gone and the San Jose Sharks having shifted their focus onto the 2025 NHL Entry Draft and the 2025-26 campaign, it sounds like they are closing in on a new contract with one of their pending free-agent defenders.

According to a report from @TheRGMedia, the #SJSharks are closing in on Shakir Mukhamadullin's next contract. The 23-year-old's ELC finished after this season. Read more on @SharksHKYDigest.⤵️https://t.co/KTzP4hAS6B

— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) May 14, 2025

Shakir Mukhamadullin, who is 23 years old, is a pending restricted free agent (RFA) and had a $894,167 cap hit, according to PuckPedia. This season with the Sharks, he scored two goals and added seven assists for nine points through 30 games. 

In the American Hockey League (AHL) with the San Jose Barracuda, he had nine assists in 21 games. 

Contract details haven't been revealed or reported yet, but it sounds like the two sides are close to finding an even ground and agreeing to extend his contract.

Poturalski, Gushchin Want NHL Shot Next Season, May Not Be With SharksIn a recent article published by Sheng Peng with San Jose Hockey Now, it seems as though two members of the San Jose Sharks' organization want to play in the NHL next season, but may not get that shot with the Sharks. Sharks Prospect Carson Wetsch Flipped In Blockbuster WHL TradeThe 2025 WHL Prospects Draft has now come and gone, and while there weren't many surprises or much news to report from those couple of days, there was one massive trade that caught some attention. Should The Sharks Trade Their Second Overall Pick?With reports swirling that the San Jose Sharks are open to trading their second overall pick, the question turns to: should they trade it?

Antti Raanta is finally going home. On Monday, Liiga club Lukko, located in Raanta’s hometown of Rauma, on Finland’s west coast, announced that the 36-year-old goaltender had signed a one-year contract.

“There’s a little boyish enthusiasm, Raanta smiled in a press conference. “Of course, I feel a little nervous about returning home, but at the same time I’m really excited and have found some peace – now I know where I’m going and I’ll have the opportunity to play in Rauma again.”

“It’s a great thing that Antti is coming home,” said Lukko sports director Kalle Sahlsted. “‘Ana’ has, of course, had a great career so far and now he was quite mature and a return to Lukko was possible. We strongly believe that he will be one of the top players in the league next season.”

Sahlstedt continued, “The best thing about this is that we get a boy from our own village back home.”

Raanta had considered signing with Lukko last year summer when he decided to end his NHL career and return to play in Europe. However, he learned that, according to Finnish tax laws, if he signed a professional contract in Finland in 2024, he would be taxed by the Finnish government for all of his income during that calendar year, which included a half-season’s NHL salary and proceeds from the sale of his house in North Carolina.

Instead, he played in Switzerland for Genève-Servette, where he posted a goals-against average of 2.74, a save percentage of .902 and one shutout in 24 National League games. He also played in five Champions Hockey League games, where he backstopped his team to the semifinals with a goals-against average of 1.80, a save percentage of .944 and two shutouts. Raanta was one of the pan-European competition’s five MVP finalists.

Antti Raanta Won’t Return To Geneva – Finland Next? Antti Raanta’s first season back in Europe after ending his NHL career had its ups and downs.

Raanta grew up and turned pro with Lukko until 2011. He also played two Liiga seasons for Ässät before going to North America in 2013. Over the next 11 seasons, he played 277 NHL regular-season games and 24 playoff games for the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Arizona Coyotes and Carolina Hurricanes.

Last season, Lukko finished first in the Liiga standings and was eliminated in the semifinals by SaiPa Lappeenranta.

“We’ve got a chance to win here,” said Raanta. “The team here has been built in such a way that we are very close to that ultimate goal and a championship. I have also heard a lot of good things about the entire organization and how things are handled here.”

Raanta is one of eight players that Lukko has under contract for next season. Among the others is Canadian defenseman Éric Gélinas, who signed a one-year contract extension in March.

Ex-NHL D-Man Will Return To Finnish Team Next YearCanadian defenseman Éric Gélinas, 33, has agreed to a one-year contract extension with Lukko Rauma, the Finnish Liiga club announced on Monday.

The Philadelphia Flyers all but officially hired Rick Tocchet as their next head coach Wednesday, much to the chagrin of their loyal but increasingly impatient fanbase.

Tocchet, a former Flyers player, is not guaranteed to succeed in this role given the circumstances. He's not guaranteed to fail, either.

But playing both sides of the fence is boring and typically not insightful. All we have to do is look to the past to get a sense of what Tocchet is up against, both on and off the ice, and whether he's level to the task of breaking the mold.

The 61-year-old is the reigning Jack Adams Award winner, having guided his old Vancouver Canucks to a 50-23-9 finish last season in addition to pushing the Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers to seven games in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs - without starting goalie Thatcher Demko.

This is all great, but all the things that made Tocchet a success in 2023-24 made him a failure in 2024-25.

Demko struggled to get healthy and stay healthy, and the Canucks' team save percentage dropped from 90.56% in all situations to 88.58%. The Flyers' team save percentage in 2024-25 was 87.2%, for reference.

Another thing to consider is the pure gulf in talent between the Canucks and Flyers, which is the one thing Tocchet will have to manage the most day in and day out.

When Tocchet guided the Canucks to the playoffs last season, Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, and Brock Boeser all scored upwards of 34 goals. Five Canucks scored 20 or more goals, four Canucks scored 70 or more points, and six Canucks scored 47 or more points.

Pettersson, Miller, and Quinn Hughes each went for 89 points or more, as well. Miller was the only one to go for more than 100 (102).

The last time the Flyers had even one player score 80 points was when former captain Claude Giroux racked up 85 in 82 games in the 2018-19 season.

Giroux also scored 102 points in 82 games in the 2017-18 season, which was the last time the Flyers had multiple 30-goal-scorers in a season (Giroux and Sean Couturier). Jake Voracek added 85 points that year, and the up-and-coming Shayne Gostisbehere had posted 65 of his own.

Do the Flyers have any of these things to help Tocchet succeed in the present day? The long answer, above, is no. And the short answer is no.

By extension, Tocchet's job with the Flyers, after reportedly signing for five years and a total of $25 million, is to develop and coach the young players the organization does have up to that level.

There will be significant emphasis placed on reversing the regression that took place in Philadelphia leading up to John Tortorella's unceremonious departure from the club on March 27.

Tocchet himself was a victim of regression just this year, and the past does not lend itself kindly to his future success, either.

In 2009-10, his first full season as an NHL head coach, Tocchet guided a 19-year-old Steven Stamkos to a 51-goal, 95-point campaign, and Martin St. Louis scored 94 points of his own.

Despite this, Tocchet's Tampa Bay Lightning finished 23rd in the NHL in goals, and he was replaced by Guy Boucher the following season.

In Boucher's first season post-Tocchet, the Lightning finished second in the Southeast Division, made the playoffs, finished seventh in the NHL in goals, and lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins in seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Boucher did this with largely the same group of players he inherited from Tocchet, which included Stamkos, St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, Victor Hedman, Steve Downie, Teddy Purcell, Ryan Malone, and Mike Smith.

In his next coaching gig, Tocchet was at the helm of the Arizona Coyotes, tasked with developing players like Clayton Keller, Conor Garland, Max Domi, Dylan Strome, Jakob Chychrun, Lawson Crouse, Barrett Hayton, and Nick Schmaltz between the 2017-18 and 2020-21 seasons.

Domi played one season under Tocchet, 2017-18, scoring just nine goals and 45 points before being traded to Montreal for Alex Galchenyuk and scoring 28 goals and 72 points the following year.

Keller had just one season with 50 or more points under Tocchet in Arizona. Schmaltz had a combined 21 goals and 77 points in parts of two seasons under Tocchet before breaking out with a career-high 23 goals and 59 points in 2021-22 after Tocchet was dismissed.

And so the pattern goes.

But, one player who did have one of his best seasons under Tocchet was Chychrun, who scored a career-high 18 goals and 41 points in 56 games in 2020-21. Those personal bests stood until this season, when he scored 20 goals and 47 points with the Washington Capitals, albeit in 74 games.

This might bode well for young Flyers defensemen like Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, and Emil Andrae, but there is understandably some grave concern regarding the future of the organization's forwards under Tocchet.

In four seasons in Arizona, Tocchet's Coyotes never finished higher than 22nd in the NHL in goals scored.

When Tocchet took over for Bruce Boudreau in Vancouver, Pettersson exploded for 102 points by the end of the year, and Miller and Hughes were close behind with 82 and 76 points, respectively.

Former Flyers forward Andrei Kuzmenko had potted 39 goals and 74 points, and former Canucks captain Bo Horvat had scored 31 goals and was averaging more than a point per game before getting traded.

Even then, the Canucks failed to make the playoffs after a slow start under Boudreau and finished outside the top-10 in goals scored.

The following year, Kuzmenko was run out of town after scoring just eight goals and 21 points in 43 games, quickly finding himself in Tocchet's doghouse while struggling with some defensive assignments. But that's not his game, and Tocchet wanted him to be a different player.

This is not the only such concerning example of this with a high-octane offensive player, either.

As recently as March of this year, Tocchet admitted to trying to "re-program" Elias Pettersson, even after the star Swede scored 102 points under his watch just over a year prior.

“You've got to play north hockey. Regroup hockey, taking the puck back, won’t win in the NHL," Tocchet had said. “I think sometimes Petey likes to regroup, slow the game down. I’m not sure how many years ago doing that might’ve worked, but now you have to play a more north style, and we’re just trying to re-program his brain when it comes to that, and he’s buying into that. That’s why I think he’s getting better at that, but there is another level for us and our team.”

Pettersson, of course, scored only 45 points last season, marking easily the worst full season of his NHL career from an offensive standpoint.

And, speaking of Pettersson, another mark against Tocchet is the widely-reported rift between the former and J.T. Miller, which culminated in Miller's trade to the New York Rangers on Jan. 31.

It was a problem when Boudreau arrived in Vancouver, and it was a problem when Tocchet arrived in Vancouver.

But it only boiled over under Tocchet's watch, and the Canucks failed to address it before first setting half their season on fire.

Tocchet never chose sides and always publicly endorsed both players, but at the end of the day, he's the leader of the team.

In lieu of an official announcement, Tocchet is now the leader of the Flyers, and he's got a lot of work to do to erase the negative sentiment around him.

There are positives from each of his stints as an NHL head coach, but Tocchet has struggled to put together the elusive end product that lacks significant blemishes.

With a long-term deal apparently agreed, perhaps the Flyers are willing to give Tocchet the time he needs to prove himself.

When it comes to securing a head-coaching job with the Vancouver Canucks, a vote of confidence from Quinn Hughes goes a long way.

On Wednesday, the Canucks announced they chose Adam Foote to be the franchise’s 22nd coach. Local reporter Rick Dhaliwal added that Foote’s deal is for three years.

It’s a promotion for Foote, who joined the Canucks staff as an assistant when Rick Tocchet came on board in January 2023. His contract was up this spring, and when Tocchet decided to move on, it was widely assumed that Foote would join him at his next job. 

But in the end, Foote beat out a field that included AHL bench bosses Manny Malhotra of Vancouver’s farm team, the Abbotsford Canucks, and Marco Sturm of the Ontario Reign. This is Foote’s first NHL head-coaching position.

While the Canucks are going through a good deal of organizational upheaval, a promotion from within on the coaching side delivers a degree of stability. 

It may also be the team’s best path toward achieving its most important near-term objective – keeping Hughes happy and getting him signed to a long-term contract extension rather than seeing him want to leave as unrestricted free agency approaches in 2027.

At 25, Hughes is already arguably the greatest player in Canucks franchise history. He was also a big Tocchet fan – and that admiration extended to Foote, who has been responsible for the team’s defense.

“I believe that with Rick and Footy (Tocchet and Foote) and the way they coach and structuring how we are defensively, if we add another player or two and have some guys within our group play better next year than they did this past season, I think we can be a really, really successful team,” Hughes told Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre late in the season. “We're very structured, we don't give up much, we have maybe the best goalie tandem in the league, and we have a great D-corps and others that are coming that will help us.”

When Tocchet and Foote arrived in Vancouver, the Canucks had given up 3.96 goals a game during the first 46 games of the 2022-23 season, under coach Bruce Boudreau. They were surrendering 32.2 shots per game, and their penalty kill had a grim 65.9 percent success rate. 

The Canucks got their goals against down to 2.70 in the 2023-24 season, while giving up 28.6 shots a game. This year, that number dropped to 26.8, and the penalty kill climbed to 82.6 percent, while their goals against sat at 3.06.

Those numbers came despite significant injuries on the blueline. 

Hughes was limited to 68 games. His regular partner, Filip Hronek, played 61. Tyler Myers played 71, and Derek Forbort played 54. 

The Canucks strengthened their defense by acquiring Marcus Pettersson in the aftermath of the J.T. Miller trade, and rookie Elias ‘Junior’ Pettersson quickly established himself as a reliable, physical option after he made his NHL debut in January. 

With Kevin Lankinen also helping to stabilize the team in net during Thatcher Demko’s injury issues, the Canucks are strong on the back end. 

Foote’s promotion suggests the organization feels he deserves credit for that turnaround.

“He has worked extremely hard the past few years, gaining our players’ respect and trust for his strong communication and honest, straightforward opinion,” Canucks GM Patrik Allvin said in Wednesday’s media release. “He knows this group better than anyone else we interviewed and has inside knowledge and understanding of what it will take to get us back to where we want to be. 

“Adam brings structure, accountability, and a detailed-orientated approach to his coaching, a process that will send a clear message to our group about the way we want to compete, practise and play hockey.”

The Canucks Have A Big Problem If Their Youngsters Weren't As Prepared To Compete As J.T. MillerAfter the Vancouver Canucks cratered their season, fans sought answers from those responsible for it. 

A Toronto native, Foote was a second-round draft pick of the Quebec Nordiques in 1989. He played 1,154 NHL games over 19 seasons with the Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche and Columbus Blue Jackets. His hard-nosed defensive style helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 1996 and 2001.

Now 53, Foote began his post-playing career as a development consultant with the Avalanche, then spent 1.5 seasons as the head coach of the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets. 

The Canucks will introduce Foote officially to the media on Thursday at 2 p.m. ET.

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The Chicago Blackhawks have a lot of bright prospects in the system. Some of them played pro in 2024-25, and more played in other leagues around the world. 

One of those top prospects is Artyom Levshunov, who Chicago selected second overall in the 2024 NHL Draft. He spent most of the year with the Rockford IceHogs of the AHL before making his NHL debut in the back half of the season. 

Once he made his debut in the NHL, he didn't go back down to Rockford until the regular season was over. In the Calder Cup Playoffs, Levshunov was a top defenseman on the team who played in all situations. 

His shining moment of the season was his overtime winner in game one of the playoffs against the Chicago Wolves. He took steps offensively while continuing to work on his defensive game. 

Over the weekend, the IceHogs were eliminated by the Milwaukee Admirals in overtime of a winner-take-all game five. It was a great run for the young team loaded with talent. 

When the team held a final media session on Tuesday, Levshunov was very passionate about his love for hockey. 

"I can't sleep without hockey," Levshunov said with a smile. He fully admits that he doesn't know what to do when he isn't playing the game he loves. Skating, training, and working out are part of his off-season plans. He will spend the summer working on all of this in Florida. 

It is one thing to have a ton of talent. It is another to take that talent and combine it with the motivation needed to be a great player. 

As far as his first year pro, Levshunov was outstanding. Learning how to play defense at these levels is an incredibly difficult challenge. His development curve was what it needed to be in year one. For beginning the year injured, he found a way to make it work. 

Next season, it is likely that Levshunov spends the entire year in the NHL. He didn't look out of place in 2024-25 so another summer of work should help him turn the corner to become a consistant contributor.

Will he be the team's number one in the long term? Sam Rinzel and Alex Vlasic are in the mix with him as well, which is a great problem to have. 

With the positive vibes that Levshunov brings to the table, he will find himself playing meaningful minutes on a much better team. This "hockey obsessed" attitude will help him reach that goal of becoming a big-time player. 

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