Calgary Flames forward Ryan Lomberg was suspended one game for leaving the bench on a legal line change for the sole purpose of starting an altercation, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Friday.
The one-game ban is in addition to his automatic one-game suspension which was previously issued for instigating in the final five minutes of regulation during Thursday's game against the Minnesota Wild.
Head coach Bill Peters was also been fined $10,000 for the incident.
Lomberg jumped Wild defenseman Matt Dumba after the blueliner delivered an open-ice hit on Mikael Backlund in the final minute of regulation.
It really is the most wonderful time of the year - and not just because the holidays are around the corner.
The top under-20 prospects will soon head to pre-tournament camps to prepare for representing their countries on the world stage. Fans will live and die with every shift. Prospects' stocks will rise or decline based on a handful of games.
Consider this your three-week world-junior warning. Are you ready?
Defenseman K’Andre Miller, selected 22nd overall by the Rangers in 2018, is killing his freshman year at the University of Wisconsin. Miller seized the team scoring lead Saturday, posting a four-point game (including the tying goal) against Penn State. Miller's got 15 points, including three goals, in 16 games, and was named the Big Ten's first star of the week Tuesday.
At only 18, Miller is a true freshman, which means he still has plenty of time to grow his game before turning pro. And he's only been a defenseman for about three years.
One of Miller's biggest assets is his skating - rare for a player of his size at 6-foot-4. He generates speed well and can lead the rush effectively. It'll serve him well in an NHL that prizes not just raw speed, but the ability to respond to and process the game at that top pace. Expect to see Miller on the preliminary USA roster for the World Junior Championship, and its final roster as well.
In the minors
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The Detroit Red Wings announced Wednesday they'll release Filip Zadina to the Czech Republic for the world juniors. Zadina has 15 points, including seven goals, in 22 games with the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins.
The Red Wings were smart to keep Zadina in the AHL, where he plays in the top six and features on one of the team's power-play units, rather than returning him to the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads. The Q's often seen as a "defense lite" league, where Zadina would have faced much easier competition; throwing him into the metaphorical fire sooner is better for his development and should prepare him for the rigors of the NHL more quickly.
The class of 2019
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Canada named two draft-eligible prospects to its preliminary world-juniors roster: potential first-rounder and A-rated skater Raphael Lavoie of the Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) and C-rated skater Brett Leason of the Prince Albert Raiders (WHL). Canada also invited forward Alexis Lafreniere of the Rimouski Oceanic (QMJHL), the projected top 2020 prospect.
The USA also named two draft-eligible players to its camp roster: projected 2019 first overall forward Jack Hughes and goaltender Spencer Knight.
Other notable draft-eligible prospects named to their nations' preliminary rosters include Lassi Thomson of the Kelowna Rockets (WHL), Kaapo Kakko for Finland, and Nils Hoglander for Sweden.
Around the CHL
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Bode Wilde signed his entry-level contract with the New York Islanders on Monday after a great start to the season with the Saginaw Spirit. Wilde has 22 points, including five goals, in 21 games.
Vancouver Canucks goaltending prospect Michael DiPietro was the centerpiece of a blockbuster OHL trade Tuesday. After three seasons with the Windsor Spitfires, DiPietro will backstop the Ottawa 67's, though he'll likely miss a few weeks of league action while playing for Canada.
In return, the Spitfires received the rights to Russian forward Egor Afanasyev, who currently plays for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL, and four second-round picks across the next five drafts. Windsor could get three more conditional picks if Afanasyev doesn't report. (Ottawa also received two draft picks.)
Elsewhere, defenseman Evan Bouchard has played well since the Edmonton Oilers returned him to London. His 15 points, including five goals, in 11 games make that immediately clear; go deeper, though, and Bouchard's been even better than that production suggests. According to Jeremy Crowe, data and video analyst for the Mississauga Steelheads, for every 60 minutes of Bouchard's even-strength ice time, the Knights have scored approximately 5.51 goals.
On campus
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Defenseman Adam Fox's terrific season at Harvard continues. The Carolina Hurricanes prospect has 20 points, including five goals, in 11 games. His numbers aren't necessarily even the most impressive part. Fox demonstrates an ability to read the ice, and to judge the time and space available to him, that some professional players don't even have. That's not even getting into his skating, which is one of the best aspects of his game. If Fox keeps up this level of play and Carolina can sign him this offseason, don't be surprised if he shows up on the Hurricanes' NHL roster next fall.
Mattias Samuelsson (BUF) is making his mark as a true freshman at Western Michigan University. He went straight to college at 18 rather than spending time playing elsewhere, and in top-pairing minutes on the Broncos, Samuelsson's showcased the preternatural poise and high hockey IQ that caught the eye of the Buffalo Sabres (and other teams). Samuelsson has six points, including three goals, in 14 games so far this season. He's also expected to be part of the USA's defense corps at the world juniors.
Penn State forward Evan Barratt (CHI) is tied with teammate Alex Limoges for the national NCAA scoring lead with 25 points. Barratt has 12 goals and recently recorded a hat trick against the University of Michigan.
Last Friday and Saturday, Boston University and Boston College played their annual home-and-home series (colloquially known as the Battle of Comm Ave). Saturday's game was the first scoreless tie in 279 meetings between the schools. BU goalie Jake Oettinger (DAL) recorded his 10th career shutout, while BC netminder Joseph Woll (TOR) posted his fourth.
Hannah Stuart keeps a close eye on both drafted and draft-eligible prospects and can usually be found trying to learn more about hockey analytics. She has previously written for FanRag Sports, The Hockey Writers, and Hooked On Hockey Magazine, and can also be found at High Heels and High Sticks. Find her on Twitter at @HockeyWthHannah.
Phil Kessel's name made headlines this week because the Pittsburgh Penguinsreportedly tested the trade market for the winger, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman on Wednesday.
Captain Sidney Crosby addressed those rumors following the Penguins' 6-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Thursday night.
“There’s always going to be talk,” Crosby told The Athletic's Josh Yohe. “And there’s always going to be some things said outside of this room, the kind of stuff that we don’t really have any control over. All I know is, we appreciate all the things he brings to this team.”
Kessel's name has surfaced in trade talks before. Last offseason, he was reportedly open to playing for the Arizona Coyotes, a team that former Penguins assistant coach Rick Tocchet leads behind the bench. There was also a reported rift this summer between Kessel and Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan.
Last month, Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford spoke candidly about possibly shaking up the roster if the team didn't improve. He made a couple deals, shipping out Carl Hagelin and Daniel Sprong in exchange for Tanner Pearson and Marcus Pettersson in two separate trades. Pittsburgh is now third in the Metro Division.
Kessel is on pace for a career-high 100 points after recording a personal-best 92 last season. His value to the Penguins is clear, and especially to Crosby, who skated on a line with Kessel during the club's win on Thursday. The two have rarely played together at 5-on-5, but they combined for seven points against the Isles.
“We definitely appreciate all the things he can do for us,” Crosby said. “Look at what he does, look at how much he produces, how dangerous he can be every night.”
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock believes William Nylander's first game of the season went as well as it could have, given the circumstances.
Nylander made his season debut Thursday night after ending his contract stalemate Saturday. He played just 12:29, but Babcock said he liked what he saw, and admitted the forward may have been thrown into the fire a little prematurely.
"I thought Willy was fine," Babcock said. "It was probably unfair for me - we had the bus thing that happened, we were supposed to practice together, we never even gave the guy a practice. We wanted to get him in. You've got two guys on that line, one coming back from injury (Auston Matthews) and one who hasn't played. In the end, we had an opportunity, we felt, to get going.
"We tried to get going. It has nothing to do with Willy, it has to do with me and trying to win the game, that's all ... I want him to play a ton, I just want to get him out there and get him going. Any time you've missed that amount of hockey, it's going to be hard for him."
After playing 10:22 through the first two periods, Nylander was limited to just 2:07 in the final frame, not seeing the ice for the final 11:37 of the third period and overtime.
Nylander said Babcock told him "nothing" about his minutes being cut in the third period. He said he heard Babcock say he would only play 10 minutes, so he didn't really get into it.
Nylander, for his part, was satisfied with his performance, all things considered.
"It felt OK, there's a lot of differences from practicing by yourself and with the team back home," Nylander said. "I started feeling better, legs were OK, so it felt like an OK first game."
The 22-year-old should finally get some practice reps in on Friday before the Maple Leafs ship out to Boston for a meeting with the Bruins on Saturday night.
"I can tell (you) Carolina - which really, really, really wanted to get in on Nylander and never really got that shot - they want a top-six forward ASAP, and they've got the surplus on defense to make it happen," TSN's Pierre LeBrun said on Thursday's edition of "Insider Trading."
The Hurricanes' forward depth has taken a hit due to injuries, with Jordan Staal being ruled out of Friday's game against the Anaheim Ducks due to a concussion and Micheal Ferland still dealing with a head injury of his own.
LeBrun reported back in September that the Hurricanes were among the teams that called the Toronto Maple Leafs about Nylander, but they were told the Leafs didn't want to trade him.
Nylander re-signed with Toronto last Saturday, inking a new six-year deal minutes before the 5 p.m. ET deadline to avoid being ineligible for the rest of the season.
Head coach Todd Reirden said Wilson is day to day and will travel with the team to Columbus, where they end their three-game road trip on Saturday.
Wilson sustained the injury during the second period of Tuesday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights when he was tagged with a blindside hit from Ryan Reaves.
Ryan Reaves takes Tom Wilson down with this blindside hit. Wilson assisted off the ice and Reaves given a 5 minute game misconduct.#CapsKnightspic.twitter.com/pK7xhipF7j
Reaves was handed a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct but did not receive a suspension.
The 24-year-old Capitals winger missed the first 16 games of the season while serving a suspension for a preseason hit on St. Louis Blues forward Oskar Sundqvist.
Wilson has recorded eight goals and six assists through 11 games this season.
Hanzal last suited up on Feb. 21 when he suffered a season-ending back injury. He underwent spinal fusion surgery in March.
He signed a three-year, $14.25-million contract with the Stars in July 2017, and tallied 10 points in 38 games during his first season in Dallas. He spent the first 10 years of his career with the Arizona Coyotes but was dealt to the Minnesota Wild at the 2017 trade deadline.
