All Hockey Canada-sanctioned activities, including national championships, have been canceled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the organization announced Thursday.

The championships affected include the Telus Cup, Esso Cup, Centennial Cup, and other minor-league events throughout Canada.

"Without question, this is an unprecedented period of difficulty for the sports world," Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney said. "The health and safety of all participants in sport, including players, coaches, staff, officials, fans, family, volunteers, and the general public, is of the utmost importance to Hockey Canada."

The decision comes after the NHL, AHL, and CHL opted Thursday to postpone their seasons amid rising virus concerns.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins signed college free agent Drew O'Connor to a two-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Tuesday.

O'Connor, who has played the last two seasons at Dartmouth College, was named the NCAA Ivy-League Player of the Year this campaign. He recorded a team-leading 21 goals and 33 points in 31 games this season.

"Drew is a powerful skater with good hands, which helped him have a very good year at Dartmouth," Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said. "We are very happy Drew has joined the Penguins as we feel he can help our NHL club sooner rather than later."

The 21-year-old will report to the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on an amateur tryout contract for the remainder of the season.

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Future Hall of Fame baseball player Larry Walker will fulfill his dream of being an NHL goaltender on Sunday.

The Colorado Avalanche will make Walker their honorary emergency goaltender on Sunday when they take on the Vegas Golden Knights, the team announced Tuesday. Walker will also be presented with a gift ahead of his upcoming Hall of Fame induction prior to the opening faceoff.

Walker, 53, grew up in the Greater Vancouver Area of British Columbia and played goaltender until the age of 16 before switching his focus to baseball, according to The Denver Post's Kyle Newman.

"Being Canadian, you're born into this world with a stick in your hand and skates on your feet," Walker said. "So that's how I was as a kid. You played hockey, and that's all that really mattered."

Walker became only the second Canadian-born player to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame, joining Fergie Jenkins, who was inducted in 1991.

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Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Phil Myers will miss approximately four weeks due to a fractured patella on his right knee, the team announced Tuesday.

Myers has appeared in 50 games with the Flyers this season, recording four goals and 12 assists, while averaging 17:06 of ice time.

The 23-year-old was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Flyers in 2015. He spent two campaigns playing with the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms before making his NHL debut last season, appearing in 21 contests.

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The San Jose Sharks signed defenseman Radim Simek to a four-year extension, the team announced Monday. The deal is reportedly worth $9 million, according to CapFriendly.

Simek is in the final season of a two-year, $1.35-million contract he signed with the Sharks in 2018 after playing for the AHL's San Jose Barracuda in 2017-18. Simek spent five years playing in the Czech Republic before coming to North America.

"Radim has been an integral piece of our team defense for the last two seasons," general manager Doug Wilson said. "His style of play blends a sound defensive game, coupled with a heavy physical ingredient and good puck-moving skills."

The 27-year-old has appeared in 47 games with the Sharks this season, recording two goals, seven assists, 91 hits, and averaging 17:08 in ice time.

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Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce underwent right-shoulder surgery and is expected to be sidelined for the next four-to-six months, the team announced Thursday.

The 25-year-old was one of Carolina's key defenders this season, scoring four goals and adding 14 assists in 61 games while averaging 21:53 of ice time. He's in the second campaign of a six-year, $24.15-million contract signed in 2017.

Injuries are piling up on the club's blue line. After losing Dougie Hamilton to a fractured fibula in January, the team acquired defensemen Brady Skjei and Sami Vatanen at the trade deadline to bolster its defense corps. Vatanen, who hasn't played since Feb. 1 due to a leg injury, suffered a setback in practice on Thursday and is looking at missing even more time, head coach Rod Brind'Amour said, according to The Athletic's Sara Civian.

The Hurricanes currently sit three points behind the New York Islanders for the second wild-card spot in the East.

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New Jersey Devils defenseman Will Butcher underwent surgery to repair ruptured thumb ligaments from an injury he sustained Feb. 18, according to Devils reporter Amanda Stein. He is expected to make a full recovery in three-to-four months.

Butcher finishes this season with four goals and 17 assists in 56 games. He recorded four goals and 26 assists in 78 contests last season, and five goals and 39 assists in 81 games the season before.

The 25-year-old inked a three-year, $11.2-million contract with the Devils last summer. His injury timeline puts him on track to be ready for training camp in September.

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Only a few years removed from being perennial Stanley Cup contenders, the Los Angeles Kings and defenseman Drew Doughty find themselves at the bottom of the league's standings for the second consecutive season.

Doughty said he's trying to keep a positive attitude while the club toils through the rebuilding process.

"It's very hard, but it's the position I'm in, and I gotta try to stay positive every day, as hard as it is," Doughty said Wednesday, per TSN. "Coming to the rink, trying to have fun, trying to help guys get better and help myself get better - it's a difficult process. But like I said, I'm in the position I'm in so I have to make the best of it and just try to get better every day, both as a team and individually."

Doughty seemed slightly underwhelmed when asked if his team is beginning to turn a corner.

"I mean, yeah, 'cause we got a lot of picks, I guess, so (I'm) happy to see all that, get some prospects," Doughty said. "I guess a little bit. We've had flashes of seeing it getting better and then we go into a hole and get worse for a little bit so we need to stay consistent with it and keep running with it."

"I'm getting there," Doughty added when pressed by a reporter if he's satisfied with the team's trajectory. "We're getting better, no doubt about it. ... We're going to have some good, young talent on this team and we need to build the team back up."

Doughty, 30, has been a member of the Kings since being taken second overall in the 2008 draft. He helped the club take home two Stanley Cup victories in 2012 and 2014, and he also took home the Norris Trophy in 2016.

The Kings shipped out a number of veteran players this season, including Alec Martinez and Tyler Toffoli, to load up on draft picks. They currently hold eight selections over the first four rounds of the 2020 draft and seven picks across the first four rounds in 2021.

Doughty has appeared in 915 games with the Kings over his career, recording 117 goals and 382 assists. He's in the first year of an eight-year, $88-million contract extension that he signed in 2018.

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Things could escalate quickly, as the Los Angeles Kings hope some star power will help them come lottery day.

The Kings are in talks with actor Will Ferrell about being their representative at the draft lottery in April, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, who adds it's unclear if it can happen.

Ferrell called the play-by-play for a period of a Kings game last season as his character, Ron Burgundy, from the movie "Anchorman." He's also a part-owner of MLS club LAFC.

The Kings have the league's second-worst record as of Tuesday night, which would give the club a 13.5% chance of earning the first overall pick.

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Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar is day-to-day with an upper-body injury and was left out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Detroit Red Wings, according to The Athletic's Ryan S. Clark.

It is unclear when Makar suffered the injury. He appeared in Colorado's last game Saturday, logging 24:28 of ice time.

The rookie blue-liner has recorded 12 goals and 35 assists in 56 games with the Avalanche this season. He already missed eight contests earlier in the campaign due to an upper-body injury.

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