In his first press conference with the Toronto media this morning, new Maple Leaf forward James van Riemsdyk expressed excitement at the chance to play center for the Maple Leafs next season.
“It’s something that will be a good opportunity for me I think, I played a little bit in the past and when you can be a little more versatile as a player, I think it is always a good thing…...”
The 23 year old played mostly left wing in the USA Hockey National Development Program before being selected second overall by Philadelphia in 2007, but played center for his entire NCAA career at New Hampshire.
“I played my full two years up the middle in college, in Philly we had an abundance of centers there, so they didn’t really need me to do that ever.”
Van Riemsdyk indicated that he asked for some direction from coach Randy Carlyle as to what will be expected of him as a center under his system and will study up over the summer to be ready to face the challenge in training camp in September.
*******
Per the Mapleleafs.com website:
Detroit Red Wings® Executive Vice President and General Manager Ken Holland and Toronto Maple Leafs® Vice President of Hockey Operations Dave Poulin today announced preliminary rosters for the 2012 Maple Leafs vs. Red Wings Alumni Showdown™ on December 31 at Comerica Park™, part of the 2012 SiriusXM Hockeytown Winter Festival™. Holland also announced that due to overwhelming response from the Detroit and Toronto Alumni Associations, as well as the challenges each franchise faced in narrowing down a multitude of hockey legends on to one roster, fans will now be treated to two alumni games featuring close to 100 players from these two storied franchises for just one ticket price.
"When we began the process of determining who should be on the roster for the Red Wings® alumni team, it became very obvious, very quickly that we simply did not have enough room on one bench to hold enough of the many deserving players," said Holland. "When we contacted Toronto and asked them what they thought about the possibility of two games, they immediately breathed a sigh of relief as they were going through the exact same issues we were in trying to fit all these players on one team."
Detroit Red Wings® alumni members confirmed to appear in December's 2012 Maple Leafs vs. Red Wings Alumni Showdown™ include: 50-goal scorers Mickey Redmond and John Ogrodnick; Hall of Famers Luc Robitaille, Dino Ciccarelli, Chris Chelios, Larry Murphy and Mark Howe; all four members of 'The Grind Line' – Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby, Darren McCarty and Joe Kocur; Stanley Cup-winning goaltenders Chris Osgood and Mike Vernon; and Red Wings® legends Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay and Alex Delvecchio.
Members of the Toronto Maple Leafs® alumni scheduled to participate on New Year's Eve at Comerica Park™ include: Hockey Hall of Famer Darryl Sittler; 50-goal scorer Rick Vaive; fan favorites Darcy Tucker, Felix Potvin, Mike Palmateer and Kevin Maguire; Stanley Cup champions Dave Andreychuk and Doug Gilmour; rough and tumble winger Wendel Clark; 454- win goaltender Curtis Joseph; and Maple Leafs® legends Johnny Bower, Ron Ellis and Jim McKenny.
"As we promised you back in February, the addition of the 2012 SiriusXM Hockeytown Winter Festival™ will provide two weeks of exciting events for fans of all ages to celebrate the great sport of hockey in the city of Detroit," said Olympia Entertainment President and CEO Tom Wilson. "I'm pleased to announce that tickets to the Ontario Hockey League double-header, the American Hockey League matchup between the Grand Rapids Griffins and the Toronto Marlies and the 48th Annual Great Lakes Invitational will go on sale to the public on August 1. The 2012 Maple Leafs vs. Red Wings Alumni Showdown™, now a special two-game event for just one ticket, will go on sale to Red Wings® and Maple Leafs® season ticket holders on August 1, followed by a public on sale in mid-August."
In addition to the incredible slate of games scheduled to take place in late December at Comerica Park™, the 2012 SiriusXM Hockeytown Winter Festival™ lineup will also include an outdoor Red Wings practice that will be open to the public, local high school hockey games, youth hockey games and open skates, including a "Skate with Santa" throughout the two-week period leading up to the New Year. Fans can find complete information on all 2012 SiriusXM Hockeytown Winter Festival™ events at www.DetroitRedWings.com/2013WinterClassic. Additional player announcements for the 2012 Maple Leafs vs. Red Wings Alumni Showdown™ will be made in the coming weeks as both teams continue to confirm the participation of some of the all-time greats to ever don the sweaters of these two Original Six franchises.
"We are incredibly proud to be part of this great sports town and our organization is committed to making the 2013 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic® the best ever," added Wilson. "The announcements made today revealed some of the details about the 2012 SiriusXM Hockeytown Winter Festival™ and the exciting games to be played at Comerica Park™. We are confident that everyone will be able to join in this wonderful celebration of the great sport of hockey and the city of Detroit."
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