Mikhail Grigorenko is floating on Cloud 9 right now. Having just scorched the QMJHL for 29 goals and 21 assists in 30 games played in Quebec, the Russian Rifle is at home in mother Russia right now. He’s participating in Team Russia’s World Junior Championships preliminary training camp. Grigo is a mortal lock to play the #1 centre position on Russia’s top line. Tough job feeding Christmas cookies and chocolates to Nail Yakupov. Someone’s gotta do it. Thing is, Grigo may the the hottest centre in the wokey universe right now, junior or otherwise. This kid continues to re-define himself with each passing game he plays.
Which leads me to this thought:
What if the NHL lockout were to end on December 15? Would the Sabres mandate that Grigorenko pack his hockey gear and high-tail it to Buffalo?
Its food for thought because it’s looking, and sounding, like the NHL owners and players will be meeting in an undisclosed location on Wednesday 12/12/12. Should a new collective bargaining agreement come to fruition this week, the onus will be on the players to get themselves back to their respective NHL cities to participate in training camp. Many players are skating in their NHL cities right now, waiting for the call, as is the case in Buffalo, where a handful of players including Thomas Vanek, Steve Ott, Drew Stafford, Robyn Regehr, Jordan Leopold, Matt Ellis, and Cody McCormick are playing shinny to stay in shape. These guys would be ready to roll. Pominville, Myers, Ehrhoff, Sekera, Sulzer, and Weber would have to bid adieu to their short-term rental hosts and make their way back east to Buffalo.
When NHL GMs and coaches hastily sound the air horn to inform their respective players to the beginning of training camp, will ALL of the players answer the call? Veterans AND top prospects? It’ll be akin to when the street lights went on when we were playing road hockey as kids. When the lights went on, it was an unwritten cue for all kids to scurry home for supper. Case in point, young studs like Ryan Nugent Hopkins for Team Canada. The Edmonton Oilers reserve the right to dispatch their top prospect back from international play to fulfill his obligation to his pro squad. One assumes that the Oilers and the WJC brass keep in constant communication concerning the NHL lockout, and the effects that it may have on this year’s World Junior Championships. Worst case scenario: lockout ends, RNH leaves Canada camp to fly back home to Alberta home from Russia to attend his pro training camp. Send the kid a plane ticket. Easy enough, right?
But will things be so turn-key for the Russian studs, Mikhail Grigorenko and Nail Yakupov?
Ufa, Russia will play host to the WJC’s which will begin on Boxing Day. This tournament has become as big in Canada and abroad as the NCAA March Madness event in terms of its high profile and popularity. The NHL Network began broadcasting the WJC games live in the U.S. a few years ago, and now the love affair with junior hockey has taken hold of the U.S, where fans from Buffalo to Phoenix to Tampa to Boston can watch the best NHL prospects in the world compete for world supremacy. Ufa has waited patiently for its shot to host the WJCs, as Buffalo and Ottawa have hosted the event the past two seasons. Now, its Russia’s turn to puff out their collective chest and to rightly brag about its own international hockey prowess.
They’ve waited their turn, now centre stage is theirs for a 14 day period, beginning on 12/26/12. I’m thinking that there may be a lot of hand-wringing, anxiety, depression, and high blood pressure on the part of Team Russia and its organizations if/when the Sabres and Oilers come calling for their respective top prospects.
Would the Buffalo Sabres mandate that Grigorenko leave his home country’s WJC team in order to attend his first NHL training camp? Albeit truncated, Grigorenko, and other NHL-bound juniors will be asked to drop what they are doing and to head immediately to their respective NHL cities to participate in an abridged edition of training camp. Then, the 48-50 game regular season will begin immediately upon completion of camp. Grigorenko figures prominently in Buffalo’s post-lockout plans because they are compromised due to injuries down the middle of their lineup right now. Cody Hodgson’s broken hand hasn’t healed according to plan, and he’ll likely need another week before he resumes playing games in Rochester. CoHo hasn’t played a game since November 2. Two weeks ago, Tyler Ennis suffered an upper body injury while playing with the SCL Tigers in the Swiss league. Mum’s the word on the Ennis injury right now. Buffalo centre prospects Luke Adam and Kevin Sundher have been dealing with injuries as well. The onus will be on Grigo to play meaningful minutes in Buffalo once the lockout ends.
It will be interesting to see what transpires in the days to come.
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Congrats to Sabres all around great guy,Jochen Hecht.
#55 has signed a two year deal to play for Adler Mannheim, his hometown squad.
Jason Pominville has been playing with Mannheim since early this month. NHLers Marcel Goc and Dennis Seidenberg are also playing with the Eagles, that is until th elockout ends.
"Once all the formal things are clarified, I carry back the Mannheim jersey," the 35-year-old said Monday against Hockey News and the Mannheimer Morgen . from Mannheim, who is currently without a contract in the NHL, is on Wednesday with the Eagles train and accumulate, according to the club managers are likely to next Sunday against ERC Ingolstadt.
Hecht is signed through the rest of this season, or, until and NHL squad comes calling.
"I will finally play hockey," said Hecht, who suffered two concussion in Buffalo last season.
Hecht will travel solo to Germany at first because his kids are enrolled in their schools and hockey leagues in Buffalo. Over Christmas break, Hecht plans to return to Mannheim for a few days with his family.
Jochen has been skating at the Northtowns Center with the locked out Sabres.
I wish him great health and the best of success!
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