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Articles by Derek Felska
BHS: 2023-2024 Hammer Made Player of the Year Finalists
Player: Hagen Burrows Team: Minnetonka Year: Senior College commitment: Denver Now in his third season with the Minnetonka varsity program after a standout year with the Skippers’ Bantam AA team, Burrows is a primary distributor for arguably one of the most talented boys’ high school hockey teams in recent memory. The Denver commit has 18 goals and 52 points this season, his second 50-point campaign in as many years with the Skippers.
Rink of Fire: Season 9, Episode 7
Rink of Fire: Season 9, Episode 7 Share Coon Rapids head coach, Aaron Frach, and La Crescent- Hokah forward, Wyatt Farrell. (00:00)Cold (3:36)Intro (11:49)News (28:30)AA Rankings (33:19)A Rankings (36:26)Aaron Frach (1:02:25)Games of the Past (1:34:38)Wyatt Farrell (1:48:05)Future Games/Picks NCAAM: Bullet Points (Jan. 11) Catch up on how Minnesota's Division I men's hockey programs did over the weekend. 10:00 with Tony Scott (Jan.
GHS: Games of the Week (Dec. 27-29)
December 27: Rosemount vs. Crookston (1:00 PM) Gradens Arena - Warroad Holiday Tournament This is a game you don't see too often as southeast metro Rosemount treks up to Gardens Arena to take on Crookston in the opening round of the Warroad Holiday Tournament. YHH discussed Crookston's bold schedule on their most recent episode of Her Ice. Rosemount is coming off a 3-2 loss to Albert Lea.
BHS: Games of the Week (Feb. 14-18)
BHS: Games of the Week (Feb. 14-18) Share From Hallock to St. Paul's Highland Park neighborhood, here are this week's top BHS matchups. Tag(s): Home News High School Archive Peter Odney 2022-2023 Share
BHS: Games of the Week (Feb. 7-10)
BHS: Games of the Week (Feb. 7-10) Share From Stillwater to Monticello, here are this week's top BHS matchups. Tag(s): Home News High School Archive Peter Odney 2022-2023 Share
GHS: Games of the Week (Jan. 24-28)
GHS: Games of the Week (Jan. 24-28) Share From Moose Lake to Hockey Day Minnesota, here are this week's top GHS matchups. Tag(s): Home News Girls High School Archive Peter Odney 2022-2023 Share
BHS: Games of the Week (Jan. 10-13)
BHS: Games of the Week (Jan. 10-13) Share From Warroad to Northfield, here are this week's top BHS matchups. BHS Games of the Week (Jan. 10-13) Her Ice: Season 5, Episode 9 Peter & Tony discuss Top 10 A & AA, preview Team USA for the IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championships, review games of the past, and make some pick 'ems. Read More Tag(s): Home News High School Archive Peter Odney 2022-2023 Share
BHS: Games of the Week (Dec. 20-22)
BHS: Games of the Week (Dec. 20-22) Share From Stillwater to Hutchinson, here are this week's top BHS matchups. BHS Games of the Week (Dec. 20-22) 10:00 with Tony Scott - Dec. 20 Tony & Peter recap the past week of boys' and girls' games. They also preview the upcoming weeks, including the Edina Invitational and Danglefest, and make picks. Read More Her Ice: Season 5, Episode 8 Peter & Tony rank the top 10 for A & AA, including a riveting game of girls' hockey trivia.
Hockey is for Everybody - Justin Brown
Hockey is for Everybody - Justin Brown Share St. Louis Park native Justin Brown joins the pod to talk about his hockey path, his role in the Armed Forces and serving his country Tag(s): Home News Video/Podcasts Archive Hockey Podcast 2022-2023 Share
GHS: Games of the Week (Dec. 13-15)
GHS: Games of the Week (Dec. 13-15) Share From Moorhead to South St. Paul, here are this week's top GHS matchups. Tag(s): Home News Girls High School Archive Peter Odney 2022-2023 Share
BHS: Games of the Week (Dec. 6-Dec. 8)
BHS: Games of the Week (Dec. 6-Dec. 8) Share Rogers hosts Andover is marquee Northwst Suburban Conference matchup. Tag(s): Home News High School Archive Peter Odney 2022-2023 Share
GHS: Games of the Week (Nov. 29-Dec. 1)
GHS: Games of the Week (Nov. 29-Dec. 1) Share From Bemidji to Mankato, here are this week's top GHS matchups. Tag(s): Home News Girls High School Archive Peter Odney 2022-2023 Share
GHS: Games of the Weekend (Nov. 25-26)
GHS: Games of the Weekend (Nov. 25-26) Share From the Iron Range to the southern Minnesota prairie, here are this week's top GHS matchups. Her Ice: Season 5, Episode 4 Colleges that could support a thriving Division I women's hockey program, The Best Thing We Saw Last Night, Pick 'Em Review with Producer Kayla, scores/notes from Tuesday night, UPSET SPECIALS Read More Tag(s): Home News Girls High School Archive Peter Odney 2022-2023 Share
Pod: Hockey is for Everybody - Zech Thomas
Pod: Hockey is for Everybody - Zech Thomas Share Stick manufacturer Zech Thomas tells his story to Kendal and Anthony Tag(s): Home News Video/Podcasts Archive Hockey Podcast 2022-2023 Share
Minnesota Wild Fans Speak: 2022-23 Pre-Season Edition, Part 3 of 3
Meteorologists do their best to predict the weather and most of the time they probably get it right but since its a job based on predictions they sometimes get it wrong. Probability and variables are a double-edged sword. At times they can make you look like a genius and at others they can betray you. However, predictions are something fans love to engage in.
Minnesota Wild Fans Speak: 2022-23 Pre-Season Edition, Part 2 of 3
Hey brother, can you spare a dime might be the way the Minnesota Wild feel as they begin their 3-year self-imposed cap crunch due to the twin buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. $12.7 million this season and then $14.7 million the next two seasons after that. Belt tightening and most likely uneventful activity in free agency are something Wild fans should expect moving forward. Minnesota’s ‘cap crunch’ is the focus of our next two questions of this 3-part series.
Minnesota Wild Fans Speak: 2022-23 Pre-Season Edition, Part 1 of 3
Baseball season is in full swing and heading towards the playoffs, football is just starting to get rolling which is a reminder to hockey fans that their season is just around the corner. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman once said, “Hockey fans are special,” and he’s 100% correct, hockey fans are a different breed and even though they still may be enjoying the pleasant outdoor weather they can’t wait to get back to the rink.
A Slap Shot Frozen in Time by Dan Whenesota is a must-read for Minnesota hockey fans
Robert F. Kennedy once said, “Only those who dare to fail greatly can achieve greatly.” Founded in 1971 by Dennis Murphy and Gary Davidson, the World Hockey Association was an upstart challenger to the National Hockey League’s dominance of professional hockey in North America.
Minnesota Wild trades Cam Talbot to the Ottawa Senators for Filip Gustavsson
“Nobody puts Baby in the corner”, was an infamous movie line from the film Dirty Dancing. One could argue, the line could’ve been used to describe how the Minnesota Wild handled Cam Talbot at beginning of the 2022 NHL Playoffs. At least if you asked his wife who aired her frustration over Twitter. Whether as an organization or as a coaching decision, the move created a rift. Publicly, Talbot admitted he was disappointed.
2022 Minnesota Development Camp Roster Announced and other news
Movie lines are great pop culture reference points, because they can convey a feeling in an instant. “Very pretty general, but can they fight?” is a line from the classic World War II film, the Dirty Dozen. Fighting will probably not be a part of the team’s near future but watching them be put through their paces will be. Recently drafted players will join Minnesota’s other prospects at prospect camp this week. For team brass and for fans this will be their first look at some of these players.
Day Two of the 2022 NHL Draft for the Minnesota Wild features plenty of skill and hustle
For draft junkies like myself, the first round is the easy part. People have scoured the lists, reading and researching the players who probably heard their named called on Thursday night. Day 2 of the NHL draft is where everyone goes back to school, to learn about players you’ve probably never heard or read about. These are the players where NHL scouts put in the mileage and long hours viewing and evaluating players in far off locations. This is the payoff of that hard work.
Minnesota Wild select Liam Ohgren and Danila Yurov in 1st Round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft
Any draft for any sports professional league is usually pretty revealing about how fans feel about their team. Love it or hate it, fans will endorse or criticize the moves made by their team. They want their teams to ‘do something’ and then hope to be pleasantly surprised. Drafts are also great for cliches and buzz words. Count how many times you hear words or phrases like upside, great motor, off the charts and see what you come up with.
2022 Minnesota Wild Draft Preview: Sleepers and Steals
In the summer of 2021, the Minnesota Wild did something unprecedented, they signed Kirill Kaprizov, who had just 55 games of NHL experience to a 5-year, at $9 million dollars per season. No player had ever received such an incredible raise after having played so few NHL games. However, that’s what happens when a 5th round pick (135th overall) in 2015 emerges as the franchise’s first true superstar.
2022 Minnesota Wild Draft Preview: Goaltenders
Colorado’s 3-2 victory to seal their 3rd Stanley Cup in franchise history on Sunday may have stung a bit for Minnesota Wild fans. Why? Not just because they are a team in Central division that looks to be set for many years and the Wild’s record of futility in the post-season. Darcy Kuemper, a former 6th round pick (161st Overall) in 2009 by the Wild was at the very least good enough to help the Avalanche earn a Stanley Cup.
2022 Minnesota Wild Draft Preview: Defenseman
A week after the Minnesota Wild concluded their season in a six-game playoff series loss to Saint Louis, team general manager Bill Guerin was on KFAN discussing the team with Dan Barriero. In the spirited exchange, Guerin sounded off on a number of subjects including defending alternate captain Matt Dumba when asked by Barriero if Wild fans should expect to see him traded this summer. Guerin was emphatic in his defense saying, “Why is it always Dumba, Dumba’s played a lot of minutes for us.
2022 Minnesota Wild Draft Preview: Forwards
Have a great summer. It was the repeated message you wrote in school yearbooks as a kid. NHL fans hope their respective team’s have a great summer in free agency and the Entry Draft which is about a month away. Some may call it the ‘off-season’ but its really prime time for NHL teams’ scouting departments. A time where they take all of that analytic data, anecdotes from scouts and coaches and try to select the players that will become the cornerstones of a team’s future.
2022 NHL Central Scouting Movement Tracker
Minnesota’s Game 6 loss to Saint Louis Blues in the Western Conference Quarterfinals compels Wild fans like me to shift our focus to the 2022 NHL Entry draft. As a self-described ‘draft junkie’ it starts with the release of the NHL Central Scouting’s Final rankings. For those of you who are not familiar with this list, it is a listing of North American and European skaters and goaltenders with two annual assessments over the course of season for draft eligible players.
Blues End the Minnesota Wild's Season in an all too familiar way, a series autopsy
True crime shows are popular these days. People are allowed to exercise some deductive reasoning or they just enjoy the lurid details. Hockey fans can be much the same way as they attempt to rationalize or summarize why their favorite team failed in the playoffs. Minnesota sports fans have had plenty of practice playing the role of a post-season detective. Strike that, a playoff coroner is probably a more apt description.
Game #4: Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis Blues 5/8/22 @ 3:30PM at Enterprise Center
Minnesota leads the series 2-1 Minnesota Wild 3.67 Goals For Per Game (8th in the NHL) 2.33 Goals Against Per Game (7th in the NHL) 15.4% Power Play (10th in the NHL) 71.4% Penalty Kill (12th in the NHL) Top 5 Scorers: 1. #97 Kirill Kaprizov ~ 4G 1A = 5pts 2. #14 Joel Eriksson Ek ~ 3G 2A = 5pts 3. #38 Ryan Hartman ~ 0G 4A = 4pts 4. #36 Mats Zuccarello ~ 1G 2A = 3pts 5. #25 Jonas Brodin ~ 1G 2A = 3pts Top 3 PIM’s: 1. #17 Marcus Foligno ~ 14 PIM’s 2. #22 Kevin Fiala ~ 8 PIM’s 3.
Game #2 Preview: Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis Blues 5/4/22 @ 8:30PM CST at Xcel Energy Center
Blues lead series 1-0 Minnesota Wild 0.0 Goals For Per Game (16th in the NHL) 4.00 Goals Against Per Game (13th in the NHL) 0% Power Play (16th in the NHL) 66.7% Penalty Kill (13th in the NHL) Top 5 Scorers: What scoring?!?? Top 3 PIM’s: 1. #17 Marcus Foligno ~ 14 PIM’s 2. #22 Kevin Fiala ~ 6 PIM’s 3. #18 Jordan Greenway ~ 4 PIM’s Top Goaltenders: 1. #33 Cam Talbot N/A 2.
2022 NHL Playoffs Preview: Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis Blues
Series is at 0-0 Minnesota Wild (53-22-7) 113pts 2nd in the Central 3.72 Goals For Per Game (5th in the NHL) 3.04 Goals Against Per Game (16th in the NHL) 20.5% Power Play (18th in the NHL) 76.1% Penalty Kill (25th in the NHL) Top 5 Scorers: 1. #97 Kirill Kaprizov ~ 47G 61A = 108pts 2. #22 Kevin Fiala ~ 33G 52A = 85pts 3. #36 Mats Zuccarello ~ 24G 55A = 79pts 4. #38 Ryan Hartman ~ 34G 31A = 65pts 5. #14 Joel Eriksson Ek ~ 26G 23A = 49pts Top 3 PIM’s: 1. #21 Brandon Duhaime ~ 122 PIM’s 2.
Minnesota Secures home ice advantage in 4-1 Victory in Regular Season Finale Against Colorado
Just 58 seconds into the game, Jordan Greenway would gather up a puck from behind the Colorado Avalanche goal and beat Pavel Francouz short side and from there the Minnesota Wild were not looking back as the cruised to a 4-1 victory. Toss in the Vegas Golden Knights 7-4 rout of Saint Louis in Saint Louis and the Minnesota Wild definitively secured home ice advantage in their future playoff series against the Blues.
Kulikov Delivers in 5-4 Overtime Thriller Against Nashville
Ryan Hartman raised over $38,000 dollars for Children’s Hospital in Minnesota after his infamous ‘bird’ he gave Edmonton’s Evander Kane that drew a mix of praise and a crowd funding effort to help pay for his subsequent $4,250 fine from the NHL. Perhaps fans should consider chipping in a few bucks to pay a tattoo artist to ink “Stay out of the penalty box” to every single Minnesota Wild player and coach.
Spurgeon Scores Twice to Lift Wild to 5-4 Overtime Victory Against San Jose
I’ve heard it said that character is revealed with how someone behaves when they feel no one is watching. Did the Minnesota Wild feel no one was going to be watching them tonight, even though it was a home game in front of a sellout crowd? Seems unlikely. On the surface, a 5-4 come-from-behind overtime victory is very much ‘on brand’ for the Minnesota Wild this season, but if you just look at the score I think you miss the real story.
Wild with Six Unanswered Goals in 6-3 Victory Over Los Angeles
Surprises can be fun. Raise your hand if you expected the Minnesota Wild to respond with six unanswered goals to earn a 6-3 victory over Los Angeles? If you have your hand raised you either are the second coming of Nostradamus or a liar. Adversity reveals character. Dean Evason‘s squad revealed a whole lot of character by battling back and keeping the Kings in the rear view mirror with good defense and continuing to frustrate Los Angeles with a suffocating forecheck.
Early Goals Carry Wild to 5-1 Rout Over Washington
Being a long-time Minnesota sports fan is a practice in patience as well as restraint. Call it pessimism or keeping a healthy level of emotional detachment so you don’t experience the hollow feeling of disappointment when those teams fail to win the big game. Even with the moves the Minnesota Wild made at the trade deadline, I think some fans tried to temper their expectations. I was one of them and I think there is plenty of history to indicate that probably is a good idea. Yet its getting tougher.
Wild Win 3-2 Overtime Thriller Against Colorado To Cap Off An Eventful Week | Wild
To all Minnesota Wild fans out there, was this the best week during the regular season in franchise history? Seriously, it started out with their team making plenty of notable splashes at the NHL trade deadline and then winning three games in overtime including Sunday’s 3-2 overtime thriller against Central Division-leading Colorado. First let’s talk about tonight’s game against Colorado.
Minnesota Wild Add Marc-Andre Fleury and others in NHL Trade Deadline Day Blitz | Wild
Trade deadline day is a time of excitement and anxiety for players, teams and fan bases all across the NHL landscape. For players it means having that fear your phone will suddenly ring or if a coach pulls you aside. You can imagine your heart skipping a beat as you attempt to brace yourself for what is coming next. Fans may wait with nervous anticipation, but for the most part they have it pretty easy.
Minnesota Wild Hold On To Earn 3-1 Victory Over Chicago | Wild
Almost 20 years ago, I remember coaching a 9th grade football game where my team won 44-0. As a coach I should’ve been ecstatic right? Nope, we had 250 yards in penalties in that game and so instead of a rah rah speech congratulating our team on a rout, we instead were chewing our kids out over their lack of discipline. With a 44-0 score that stern lecture probably fell on deaf ears.
Minnesota Wild Trades Nico Sturm to Colorado for Tyson Jost | Wild
During the first day of training camp on September 22nd, 2021, Minnesota Wild General Manager Bill Guerin addressed the team. Guerin called on team captain Jared Spurgeon, asking “what’s it all about” who said, “Hard work and having fun.” Minnesota’s GM snapped back, “fuck that, its about fucking winning” to a beaming smile by Spurgeon and many members of the team.
Porous Penalty Kill Spoils Mikko Koivu's Jersey Retirement in Wild's 6-2 loss to Nashville | Wild
Narratives can be powerful things. Especially when they get repeated over and over. Why? Because people begin to believe them, even if they may be false or exaggerate the truth. Case in point, the jersey retirement ceremony for Mikko Koivu on Sunday prior to the Minnesota Wild’s game against the Nashville Predators. Jersey retirement is normally reserved for players who were Hall of Famers or considered to be the best at their position. There is a myth of greatness about the Turku, Finland-native.
Ugly 6-3 Loss To Dallas at home caps off a rough week for the Minnesota Wild | Wild
When I was a kid, I remember when my dad got a foam ‘purple’ brick for Christmas from one of his co-workers. It was so you could ‘throw a brick’ at the TV whenever the Minnesota Vikings choked. I wonder if the Hockey Lodge will start selling green foam bricks to Minnesota Wild fans? I’d bet they’d sell out.
2022 Minnesota Boys State Hockey Tournament Preview | Wild
A major reason Minnesota calls itself the ‘State of Hockey’ is because of the state’s proud tradition of celebrating the game at all levels. As popular as the Minnesota Wild are these days, and as popular college hockey has been neither holds a candle to the power of the Minnesota Boys State High School Hockey Tournament. Simply called ‘The Tourney’, it is the best tournament of its kind in the world. 16 teams from Class A and Class AA all hope to achieve the same goal.
Minnesota Wild's 7-3 Loss To Calgary Extends Losing Streak to 3 Games | Wild
The Minnesota Wild will probably be glad to be out of Canada after a rough 4-game road trip that saw them come away 1 victory and 3 regulation losses to Ottawa, Toronto and Calgary. Defensive breakdowns became a theme which has the team soul searching and asking questions about their goaltending. No, we’re not talking about Kaapo Kahkonen here.
7-3 Rout of Edmonton Helps Give Minnesota a Bright Spot After a Rough Week | Wild
It’s not about how you start but how you finish is a common cliche used in sports. I’m not entirely sure that applies to what was a bit of a roller coaster of a week for the Minnesota Wild where they went 2-2 with wins over the Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers but ugly losses to Winnipeg and Florida. So its a wash. In the losses, the effort was uninspired and Minnesota did not show a lot of compete for loose pucks and mistakes made in their own zone ended up in the back of their own net.
Minnesota Wild Outlasts Carolina in 3-2 Thriller | Wild
Roller coasters are normally good fun, but when its meant to be a metaphor of your emotions it may not be the most comfortable ride. That certainly was the case this week with the Minnesota Wild, where they looked lethargic and out of sync in a sad 3-0 loss to Winnipeg early in the week to then having one of their best efforts of the season in an exciting 3-2 thriller against the Carolina Hurricanes. What happened?
Owen Nei takes his victory lap
Owen Nei is not supposed to be here. Owen Nei is not supposed to be on the ice or the baseball field. Owen Nei is not supposed to be crashing the net, leading the backcheck, shagging fly balls, or fielding grounders. From the ultrasound technician that first alerted Owen's parents to his medical condition known as aqueductal stenosis, to the doctors that can't sign off on him playing full-contact Bantam hockey, Owen has no shortage of people that he's proved wrong.
BHS Podcast: Week 6
BHS Hockey Podcast - Week 6, Presented by the Red and Black League
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