Category: Sports News

Pittsburgh Penguins' new assistant coach Mike Stothers almost missed the call - literally - to discuss what is now his position on head coach Dan Muse's staff.

While celebrating his 40th wedding anniversary with his wife at their lakeside house in Owen Sound, Ontario, Stothers didn't have his phone on him.

"I didn't have my phone with me all day long," Stothers said. "And, usually, you know... you always have your phone around."

He continued: "I came back late at night, and I looked at my phone, and I went, 'Oh my god, who's this?' Then, I looked, and I'm like, 'Oh, man... he's probably moved on,' because I hadn't responded."

Stothers may have missed the initial calls, but he was eventually able to get in touch with Muse and have good conversations about the potential opportunity to join Pittsburgh's staff. 

"Your staff has to be kind of like your roster," Stothers said. "Everybody has a role, and then, there's a fit. So, it seemed to just move along very, very well from there, and then, they offered me the opportunity. They said, 'Do you want some time to think about it?' And I said, 'No.' I said, 'I haven't stopped thinking about it since the first time you reached out.'

He had plenty of experience travelling to Pittsburgh as a player. Stothers spent most of his professional hockey career in the AHL between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Toronto Maple Leafs organizations. Drafted 21st overall by the Flyers in 1980, he played in 30 NHL games spread across five different seasons, registering two career assists. In 671 career AHL games - mostly played with the Hershey Bears - Stothers racked up 1,843 penalty minutes. 

Penguins Add Mike Stothers As Assistant Coach To Fill Out 2025-26 StaffAfter two long months, the Pittsburgh Penguins' quest to bring on a new coaching staff for the 2025-26 season is finally complete.

His familiarity with the city of Pittsburgh - and the connection he felt to city when he visited as a player - made the decision to accept the job easy for him.

"There was no hesitation," Stothers said. "I was so excited to be a part of Pittsburgh because, when I was with the Flyers - and don't start throwing stuff at me because I was with the Flyers - even as a visiting team coming in, you just knew a city, right? You just have a good feel for it, like that would be a good place to play or that would be a good place to work. So, it just seemed to fall into place."

And Stothers brings plenty of coaching experience to the Penguins' staff. He started his coaching career with the Bears in 1991-92 as a player-assistant, and he remained there for three years before moving on to the Philadelphia Phantoms, and - eventually - to the Flyers, as an assistant from 2000-02.

His first head coaching gig came with the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL in 2002-03, where he remained for five seasons. From there, he rotated between gigs as a head coach in the AHL and WHL and as an NHL assistant for the now-defunct Atlanta Thrashers in 2010-11, and - most recently - his stint with the Anaheim Ducks from 2021-23. 

He is prepared to helm the defense and penalty kill, which could both use some improvement. But - echoing the sentiment of Muse on Friday - Stothers expects it to be a team effort, especially with Muse's and Nick Bonino's experience with PK units.

"I think it's going to be a collaboration between the three of us, to be honest with you," Stothers said. "There are no right answers, there's no '100 percent' way of doing things.... Everything's well-researched. Everybody does their pre-scouts and everything else. So, it's like a chess match, it really is."

Ducks assistant Mike Stothers diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma of the lymph nodeAnaheim Ducks assistant coach Mike Stothers announced Saturday he has been diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma of the lymph node, an advanced form of skin cancer.

Stothers took more than a year away from hockey after being diagnosed with Stage 3 Melanoma of the Lymph Node while with the Ducks, needing ample time to recover both physically and mentally. While he was grateful for that time off, he missed being around hockey and being behind the bench. 

And he can't wait to get right back into the swing of things with the Penguins' organization, especially having previous connections to fellow assistants Todd Nelson and Rich Clune as well as forward Boko Imama, who Stothers said he has a "special relationship with."

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Feature image credit: Kelsey Surmacz - The Hockey News 

The New York Rangers have re-signed forward Brendan Brisson to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 in the NHL, $100,000 in the minors, and contains a guaranteed salary of $125,000. 

Brisson was selected by the Golden Knights in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft.

After spending most of his time with the Vegas’ American Hockey League affiliate the Henderson Silver Knights, he was traded to the New York Rangers in March in a deal that centered around Reilly Smith. 

The 23-year-old played 16 games for the Hartford Wolf Pack, recording two goals, four assists, and six points. 

Brisson has played in 24 total NHL games, tallying two goals, six assists, and eight points while averaging 11:25 minutes.

We finally got to see some scrimmages between the top Pittsburgh Penguins prospects during development camp on Sunday, and they didn’t disappoint. Several players, including one from yesterday’s session, had solid days and will look to make an even bigger impact during Monday’s tournament. 

Defensive prospect Harrison Brunicke has been the talk of the camp since it started on Thursday, and he continued to make an impact on Sunday. His skating was once again flawless, and he showcased his excellent reach when defending against scoring opportunities during 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 drills. He even scored a seeing-eye goal from the point at the end of Sunday’s session. 

Harrison Brunicke doing Harrison Brunicke things pic.twitter.com/HqMt4ZmvgM

— Hunter (@HunterHodies) July 6, 2025

After the session concluded, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach Kirk MacDonald spoke glowingly about Brunicke, having had the opportunity to coach him for 10 games at the end of the 2024-25 season and two in the playoffs. 

“Huge. Honestly, it was. Credit to him, he figured it out quick,” MacDonald said. “Came in initially and in junior habits, where you can just skate by people and hold on to the puck for a long time; I thought he did a really good job. Last couple of regular season games and the playoff stint, he was moving pucks quick, jumping into the rush, the goal he scored in the playoffs was outstanding.” 

“I thought his ability to kill plays, again, the less he does in certain areas, the more he accomplishes. I mean that by just making a really good first pass and then activating and jumping in the rush. We want our D to be aggressive and try to create offense, but it doesn’t mean necessarily having to skate through everybody. I think once he kinda recognized that, he was a little more patient with his game. The offense came to him. He did a great job.”

If Brunicke keeps it up and has another great training camp and preseason, there’s a chance he will get the nine-game tryout to open the 2025-26 season. He was extremely close to earning the tryout last year before being sent back to the WHL.

Will Horcoff made his presence felt during Saturday’s practice, specifically thanks to his release, which he showcased during Sunday’s drills and scrimmages. His wrist shot was almost unstoppable every time he had the puck on his stick, and he was also excellent around the net-front areas. For someone who is 6’5”, he is a relatively nimble skater. He’s super happy with the way his development camp has gone so far. 

“It’s going great,” Horcoff said. “Today was the first game day, so that was fun. Good competitive atmosphere. Looking forward to the 4-on-4 tomorrow.”

He’s in a great spot at Michigan and could be primed for a breakout season in 2025-26 after compiling four goals and 10 points in 18 games for the program last year. 

Cruz Lucius took a step forward on Sunday after being a bit quieter to start development camp. He was all over the ice and brought a physical element to this game along the boards and up by the point. He got several quality scoring chances and scored a couple of really nice goals, including a one-timer by the goal line, during some drills.

Lucius is back to full health after a shoulder injury kept him out for a good chunk of the 2024-25 season. He scored his first goal with Arizona State back in February and finished the season with two goals and 10 points in 19 games. He’s feeling good going into Monday’s tournament. 

“Yeah, I feel really good,” Lucius said. “I think throughout the start coming back, I had some ups and downs, but I think the training I’ve been doing in the summer, whether it’s skates or working out, I’ve been feeling back to myself now.”

Other miscellaneous thoughts:

Defenseman Quinn Beauchesne was selected by the Penguins in the fifth round of the 2025 NHL Draft and showcased his skating ability on Sunday. He moved well and created space each time he had the puck. Both are things to monitor going into Monday’s tournament. He spent the 2024-25 season with the OHL’s Guelph Storm and finished with six goals and 24 points in 49 games.

Forward Jordan Charron was another one of the Penguins’ fifth-round picks and had some impressive edgework during drills. He also had a nice snipe before the full scrimmage got underway. Charron was picked 154th overall and spent the 2024-25 season with the Soo Greyhounds, compiling 10 goals and 21 points in 48 games. 

Defenseman Charlie Trethewey was one of three players the Penguins selected in the third round of this year’s draft, bringing his strong release to Sunday’s drills and scrimmages. It’s also all over his 24-25 tape with the U.S. National U18 team. He will spend the 25-26 season at Boston University. 

Development camp from the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex will conclude with a tournament on Monday at Noon ET. It will be free and open to the public. 

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Feature image credit:  Hunter Hodies - The Hockey News 

The St. Louis Blues are staying busy.

According to PuckPedia, the Blues have re-signed goalie prospect Vadim Zherenko to a one-year, two-way contract for the 2025-26 season. 

The #STLBlues signed 24 y/o RFA G Vadim Zherenko to a 1 year two-way contract

NHL: $775K
Minors: $125K

Rep'd by Renat Mamashev https://t.co/8xg7XFJSeK

— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) July 7, 2025

Zherenko, 24, was selected by the Blues with the 208th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. After developing his game overseas, Zherenko has spent each of the last three seasons with the Blues' AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. Now, with this new one-year deal, he will continue to be a key part of the Thunderbirds' crease. 

Zherenko posted a 12-17-5 record, a .897 save percentage, and a 3.44 goals-against average in 32 games this past season with Springfield. This is after he had a .904 save percentage and a 3.49 goals-against average in 29 games with the Thunderbirds in 2023-24. 

Overall, with this move, Zherenko will continue to be a depth option in the Blues organization. It will be interesting to see if he can take a big step forward next season from here. 

Blues Made Great Move Signing Ex-Canucks ForwardThe St. Louis Blues have had a busy off-season. One of their most notable moves was signing forward Pius Suter to a two-year contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $4.13 million.

Photo Credit: © Jon Durr-Imagn Images  

The National Hockey League's free agent frenzy officially began on July 1, and Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman snagged a veteran forward with a nose for the net. 

James van Riemsdyk, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft (one spot behind his now-current teammate Patrick Kane) by the Philadelphia Flyers, joined the Red Wings with a one-year contract worth $1 million. 

He also has the chance to earn another $750,000 in performance bonuses. 

During his introductory video press conference, van Riemsdyk revealed that he had been close to signing with the Red Wings during one of his earlier excursions into unrestricted free agency. 

"Kind of funny, back a few years ago it seemed like it was a team that was interested in bringing me aboard," said van Riemsdyk. "Going through the free-agency process, when they started showing some interest, it seemed like a good fit. The trajectory of the team, they're trying to make a push and the playoffs next year, all the history of being an Original Six place. 

A veteran of 1,082 career NHL games, van Riemsdyk has made a living by being an effective net-front presence, a role that he's not only accustomed to but has grown into over the years. 

“I feel like the more I’ve done it, the more natural it seems to become," he said. "And like I mentioned before, especially down the stretch and into the playoffs, it seems like that’s where you need to go to have the success and score the goals. So I think that’s ultimately why it’s for me, just an attractive place to be on the ice."

Perhaps the most effective net-front presence in recent NHL history was former Red Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom, who made life a living nightmare for opposition goaltenders by routinely taking up residency at the edge of the crease. 

van Riemsdyk, who scored 16 goals as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets last season, acknowledged that he used to pay close attention to how Holmstrom parked himself at the front of the net. 

"That was a guy over the years I watched and kind of how he went about his craft and pulled different things from him," van Riemsdyk said.

After starting his NHL career with the Flyers, van Riemsdyk was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2012, with whom he would play the next six seasons before eventually returning to the Flyers in free agency in 2018; he also played a season with the Boston Bruins.

Having skated in 1,082 career NHL games, van Riemsdyk has scored 327 goals and 338 assists, while adding another 21 goals and 15 assists in 82 career playoff games. 

The Vegas Golden Knights have handed out contracts to restricted free agents Cole Schwindt, Raphael Lavoie and Jonas Rondbjerg.

The trio of forwards were all extended qualifying offers on Jun. 30 by the Golden Knights, and just a week later, they've agreed to one-year contracts. 

Schwindt completed his first season with the Golden Knights, playing 42 games before it was cut short due to an injury. The 24-year-old returned for one game before the conclusion of the season, but didn't play in any playoff games. In the regular season, Schwindt scored one goal and eight points. 

Although he had played just seven career NHL games before joining the Golden Knights, Schwindt quickly carved out a role on the fourth line and gained the trust of HC Bruce Cassidy. As it looks, Schwindt will likely serve as an extra forward to start the season, ready to step into the lineup if any Golden Knights forwards sustain injuries. 

Lavoie had an interesting pre-season, being placed and claimed off waivers by the Golden Knights and the Edmonton Oilers. When he finally settled in Vegas, Lavoie skated in nine NHL games, failing to record a point. With the Henderson Silver Knights, the 24-year-old scored 17 goals and 27 points in 42 games. 

Lavoie has a strong shot and a 6-foot-4 frame that allows him to once again move from the AHL to the NHL quite easily, utilizing his two-way contract. Lavoie will likely become a Group-6 UFA when the season ends. 

✍️ The Vegas Golden Knights have agreed to terms with Cole Schwindt, Jonas Rondbjerg and Raphael Lavoie on one-year contracts! #VegasBornhttps://t.co/BLm5AhLYB5

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) July 6, 2025

Rondbjerg, too, signed a two-way contract with the Golden Knights and will continue to serve as one of the first call-ups from the Silver Knights when the team runs into injury issues. The 26-year-old played in 13 games this season, failing to record any points. In the AHL, Rondbjerg recorded 11 goals and 26 points in 53 games. 

With the three contracts being signed, the remaining RFAs the Golden Knights have to conduct business with are Alexander Holtz and Lukas Cormier.

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Golden Knights Extend Qualifying Offers To Five PlayersThe Vegas Golden Knights have extended qualifying offers to five players, maintaining their restricted free-agent rights. The five players include Lukas Cormier, Alexander Holtz, Raphael Lavoie, Jonas Rondbjerg and Cole Schwindt. 

If you asked all 32 NHL general managers at the draft whether they prefer to select based on positional need or simply take the best player available, most would say, “If all things are equal, we'll select the best player.”

Steve Staios would probably tell you he tried to do that in his first two drafts as Ottawa Senators GM, but at the same time, he didn't exactly ignore his current wish list either.

In 2024, size mattered. The three defensemen the Sens selected averaged 6-foot-5, while the three forwards averaged 6-foot-3. This year, the key theme was more help for the blue line on the right side.

The Senators used the 23rd overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to select University of Wisconsin defenseman Logan Hensler, marking the second consecutive year Staios has used his first-rounder on a right-shot defenseman, after selecting Carter Yakemchuk seventh overall in 2024.

Hensler will probably head back to school, and Yakemchuk will likely start in Belleville, but both are considered key pieces for the future.

And just in case going back-to-back with another high-end right-shot D prospect wasn't enough to confirm the theme, Ottawa doubled down and acquired 24-year-old Jordan Spence from the Los Angeles Kings during the draft in exchange for third- and sixth-round picks.

The organization also re-signed 2019 first-rounder Lassi Thomson, who will return to North America after leading Malmö of the SHL in scoring last season. 

Even before all of that, the Senators still had the same three right-shot defensemen they went to war with in this spring's playoffs: Nick Jensen, Artem Zub, and Nik Matinpalo.

It's been well-chronicled that Jensen is a bit of a wild card for this fall. He’s recovering from reported hip surgery in May, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be ready to start the season. He’ll also be 35 years old.

Zub is a similar player to Jensen, but he’s also missed significant time over the past three seasons, playing only 54 games last year. As for Matinpalo, he's still establishing himself as an NHLer, but showed some encouraging signs of growth last year and didn't look out of place in the playoffs.

It’s often said that you can never have too many good right-shot defensemen, but Ottawa must be getting close.

The organizational depth chart on the right side now includes Jensen, Zub, Spence, Matinpalo, Yakemchuk, Thomson, and Maxence Guenette. Unless Hensler plays out of his mind in pre-season, he'll be headed back to school.

That’s a substantial group, the deepest Ottawa has had in some time.

I’d still rank Jensen at the top, assuming he’s healthy and hasn't lost a step. That's an optimistic assumption, I realize. He and Zub are similar players in many ways – neither is flashy, neither is overly offensive-minded, but both take care of business while letting Jake Sanderson or Thomas Chabot drive the offense from the back end.

Because of his age and recent surgery, there are questions about whether Jensen can still be a top-four next season, and whether he even wants to stay in Ottawa beyond that. If both answers are no, that changes the game. But until then, I still rank him as Ottawa’s best right-shot defender right now. 

Some believe Jordan Spence might push for a top-four role. The Senators obviously like him, but the new Kings GM, Ken Holland, did not. The Kings didn't see him playing in their top six every night next season and gave him up for only a third and a sixth-round pick. Typically, with everyone in the league looking for top-four right-shot defenseman, you'd think the cost would have been much higher. And then the Kings effectively replaced Spence on the roster with Cody Ceci.

For those reasons, and barring injuries, I’m not ready to slot Spence into Ottawa’s top four just yet.

Matinpalo is my seven right now, but since he's bigger and more physical, which the Sens generally prefer, he could easily push for the same job he held for most of last season.

Then there’s Yakemchuk and Hensler. Yakemchuk nearly made the team last season, so he'll get some NHL looks if injuries strike. But Ottawa would be wise to keep him in Belleville for a few months to see how he fares against grown men for the first time. It’s clear that the Senators have big plans for him, but there’s no harm in a bit of patience. Hensler is all but certain to return to Wisconsin for another year of development.

I do wonder which of the two first-rounders will be the better long-term player. I haven’t seen enough games from either to say definitively, but it’s notable that last winter Hensler made Team USA’s World Junior squad at 18 and won a gold medal. Meanwhile, the older Yakemchuk, whose numbers tumbled last season, wasn’t invited to the pre-tournament evaluation camp for a Canadian team that failed to make the semifinals.

Lassi Thomson might have the most to lose in all of this. After a fine year in Sweden, he probably saw the current depth chart and the injury concerns and thought he had a chance to compete for an NHL job. But now he finds himself behind the newly-acquired Spence. That can’t be a great feeling, but maybe he'll surprise people at camp. If nothing else, Thomson will make Belleville's back end a lot stronger, heading into group 6 unrestricted free agency next summer.

All of this raises the question: Do the Senators now have the right mix on the right side to make a deep playoff run? That remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: They've upgraded, and they finally have some solid depth. And that matters, because hockey is still a violent game where every team needs a "next man up" mentality.

This season, Staios can think about the next man up and not lose sleep over it.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News/Ottawa
Image Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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