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The Vancouver Canucks have parted ways with Newell Brown, as the team announced updates to its coaching staff today.
Brad Shaw is the marquee name joining the Canucks bench, as the long-time NHL assistant coach joins Vancouver from Columbus, where he spent the past five seasons as John Tortorella’s assistant with the Blue Jackets.
The Canucks have also added Kyle Gustafson as an assistant/special assignment coach. Gustafson joins the Canucks from the Portland Winterhawks his hometown team that he has spent the past 18 years working for, which included time working with Green.
The Canucks also announced contract extensions for four coaches, including goaltending coach Ian Clark. Clark’s contract is a five-year deal, according to a report from David Quadrelli from Canucks Army, which matches the length of Thatcher Demko’s new contract.
Vasily Podkolzin is now a married man.
The 19-year-old Vancouver Canucks prospect announced the happy news on Instagram this morning, tagging his new bride Sasha Kotyatkina in a photo taken in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
“Briefly, I got married,” Podkolzin said. “I am so nervous, but everything is fine. I have parents, friends, my beautiful wife. The main part is ahead, everything is just beginning!
Podkolzin signed his first NHL contract with the Canucks last month, and is expected to move to Vancouver this summer. The Moscow native was picked 10th overall at the NHL Draft in 2019, which was held in Vancouver.
Vasily Podkolzin took a nasty hit to the head today, forcing him to leave his KHL game with an injury.
The 19-year-old Vancouver Canucks prospect took a shoulder to the head from 6-foot-2 former NHLer Jori Lehtera and was slow to get up. Podkolzin never saw the hit coming, as Lehtera caught him from the blindside, just after the young Russian spun away from another player after moving the puck.
This is bad.
Vasily Podkolzin takes a shoulder to the head and needed to be helped off the ice. I m no doctor, but that was a bad scene to watch him be carried off the ice by teammates and then they showed him being held up in the tunnel by the medical staff. pic.twitter.com/zwq7tS4UME
Comparing Alexis Lafrenière’s Start With New York Rangers to Kaapo Kakko’s
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All eyes were on Alexis Lafrenière when he made his long awaited NHL debut on Madison Square Garden ice almost three weeks ago, much in a similar way fans affixed their gaze to Kaapo Kakko back in October of 2019.
Given each player’s draft status Lafrenière No. 1 overall in 2020, Kakko No. 2 in 2019 it feels natural to look at the two and draw comparisons. Both are young players who have the potential to do amazing things for the franchise, although each projects to impact the team in different ways. Take a look at Adam’s past work for more in-depth details on each player, and what each projects to be.