Category Archives: Columnists

Bartnick: Same old, same old in Atlantic for 2025-26

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LOS ANGELES – The Atlantic Division once again hosts a two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion. It is once again a Florida franchise, the Florida Panthers. For years the Atlantic division was divided between the top 4 and the bottom 4. The top teams Florida, Tampa Bay,Toronto and Boston were the top teams. Detroit, Buffalo, Montreal and Ottawa were at the bottom. Every year we waited to see a bottom team to rise up and a top team to drop.

Last year was the year. Montreal and Ottawa rose and Boston fell.

This season the Atlantic is divided into 3 classes. The Stanley Cup contenders Florida, Tampa Bay and Toronto. The Middle class consists of Montreal ,Ottawa, Detroit and the Gavin McKenna lottery hopefuls Boston and Buffalo.

1. Florida Panthers – The 2 time defending Stanley Cup Champions Florida Panthers are returning almost the exact same team. Only replacing sixth defenseman Nate Schmidt with Petry and backup goalie Vitek Vanecek with Daniil Tarasov. They still have the best top 9 in the NHL led by their top center, captain and Selke winner Aleksander Barkov. Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe and Eeto Luostarian are lethal wingers. Centers Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell give the Big Cats the best center depth in the league. Florida’s heart and soul Matthew Tkachuk is out until 2026 but The Rat Brad Marchand will be there all year. The defense will have Seth Jones all year. The top pair of Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad are second only to Cale Makar and Devon Toews in Colorado. Hall of Famer Sergei Bobrovsky is in net. Many say Florida knows they will make the playoffs and won’t try to win the division. Paul Maurice’s team is just too good not to win the division. Tampa and Toronto have holes. Florida has none.

2. Tampa Bay Lightning – The Tampa Bay Lightning have an incredible top line. Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Jake Guentzel may all be in the Hall of Fame one day. Tampa doesn’t have the depth in lines 2-4 they did in their Championship years despite Brandon Hagel, Anthony Cirelli and Nick Paul still being there. Yanni Gourde returning and Pontus Holmberg coming down from Toronto help but GM Patrice Brisebois will need to add at the deadline. Victor Hedman is playing at near peak Victor Hedman on the blueline. Ryan McDonagh and Erik Cernak have lost a step. Never count team with Andrei Vasilevskiy in net, Jon Copper behind the bench and a lethal power play out of Stanley Cup contention. The Bolts take too many nights off as a team to win a division.

3. Toronto Maple Leafs – The Toronto Maple finally broke up the Big 4. Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares remain. The Leafs will miss Mitch Marner’s 100 plus point in the regular season but not his disappearing act in the playoffs. Matthew Knies is ready tto be a star power forward. The rest of the forwards will play the rough Craig Berube style hockey but will they score enough? The defense is also built to play the way the head coach wants but the Leafs still do not have a  number one defenseman. The Dynamic duo in net Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll will be missing Woll to begin the season as he deals with a personal matter.

4. Montreal Canadiens – The Montreal Canadiens made the playoffs last seasonbecause the franchise never misses the playoffs 4 years in a row. The Habs have high expectations. Their top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkofsky is talented enough to meet them. Russian scoring phenom Ivan Demidov will be with them all season. Hopefully former Swedish scoring phenom Partik Laine can stay healthy and be productive all season. Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher provide veteran grit. Calder trophy winning defenseman Lane Hutson will be joined by newly acquired  Noah Dobson. The pair gives Montreal a 1-2 on the right side of the blueline. Underrated Sam Montembeault is backed by the solid Kaapo Kakhonen in net. Head coach Martin St Louis will not let the Canadiens rest on last season’s accomplishments.

5. Ottawa Senators – The Ottawa Senators finally made the playoffs. The Canadien media has been waiting or begging for that to happen for years. Tim Stutzle is now a bona fide number 1 center. Brady Tkachuk is worthy of his last name. Drake Batherson, Fabian Zetterlund and Dylen Cozens give the Senators championship caliber top tier talent. The Senators depth unfortunately is not championship caliber. Chippy  doesn’t win playoff series. Jake Sanderson is outstanding. The rest of the blueline is adequate. Linus Ullmark is a good goaltender who needs consistency to be great.

6. Detroit Red Wings – The Detroit Red Wings have been waiting a long time to make a return to the playoffs. Unfortunately they will have to wait another year. Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat give the Red Wings formidable top tier scoring. Young Marco Kasper showed signs of becoming a top tier scorer. There is still gas in Hall of Famer Patrick Kane’s tank but not newly acquired James van Riemsdyck’s tank. The bottom 6 is the grittiest Detroit has had in a decade. Moe Seider a true number 1 defenseman. Simon Edvinsson has the makings of a top pair blueliner. The rest of the Wings backend is old and past their prime. Veteran John Gibson should stop Detroit’s disappointing carousel in net. There is a world in which Detroit makes the playoffs. Overly patient GM Steve Yzerman needs to make a couple bold moves as the Motor City residents are growing very impatient.

7. Boston Bruins – The Boston Bruins always made the playoffs because they played Bruins hockey. They always found a way to win. The players who perfected Bruins hockey Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Brad Marchand are all gone. David Pastrnak remains. Pasta is still in the handful of top wingers in the league. The rest of the forwards are 2nd liners at best on a playoff team. Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm are a great top defense pairt. Disappointing Nikita Zadorov needs a bounceback season. So does netminder Jeremy Swayman. Swayman never found his game after missing training camp due to a contract holdout. New head coach Marco Sturm has his work cut out for him.8. Buffalo Sabres – The Buffalo Sabres are the worst team in the Atlantic. Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch may put up good fantasy numbers but they will not be able to lead this group of forwards to relevance past Valentine’s Day. Rasmus Dahlin is an excellent defenseman. The rest of the blueline is overpaid and or on the trade block. Sabres goaltenders Ukko- Pekka Luukkkonen and Alex Lyon show flashes but are usually
siege. You gotta feel for head coach Lindy Ruff.

The Ice Wolves Den

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ALBUQUERQUE – Hello Ice Wolves fans and welcome to the Ice Wolves Den. Well, the wait is almost over. We are less than a week before both Ice Wolves squads  hit the ice to start the 2025-26 season. Recently the NA3HL Ice Wolves wrapped up their training camp with a trio of scrimmage games at the Outpost. Fans also got their first glimpse of new Head Coach Isaac Washburn.
With Darren Banks getting the call up to the Kenai River Brown Bears, the 3HL Ice Wolves needed a new coach, Coach Washburn was that man. He has a diverse background, “This is going to be year 14 of coaching for me, I spent 6 years in the ECHL with Kalamazoo as a video coach. Most recently I was in New Hampshire working at a hockey academy and I’ve coached high school and youth age groups.” Washburn said, “This was a great opportunity to get in with a well run, first class organization and work to advance players through the Junior and college ranks. I definitely have big shoes to fill, but for me I’ll come in and evaluate what’s worked. Right off the bat I have to build the foundation.”
At the conclusion of training camp, Coach Washburn is ready to implement what they started, “It’s going to be about building on the foundation we started in camp and hit the ground running as we get more dialed into the structure and system with the concepts of how we want our DNA built.” Washburn continued, “I’m going to lean on the veteran players like Jake Wenner and Cal Butler and work with them to make sure we’re building the right culture and making sure they’re setting the standards and the expectations on and off the ice and making sure they’re bringing the younger guys along with them.”
One thing that stood out, was the number of local players participating in training camp, something Coach Washburn was excited about, “It was great to be able to incorporate the local kids and get them involved. Having open and transparent conversations with many of them prior to training camp, alot of them were here for the experience but they also pushed our guys who were looking to make the team. It’s nice to be able to have those strong assets here locally.” Washburn said, “I think a lot of guys were what we expected and some of the guys were surprised by the pace and intensity at this level. Jake Wenner and Cal Butler both had a strong camp that set the tone and pace. Enzo Ramazzini was a work horse all weekend and he definitely turned some heads.”
NA3HL Ice Wolves open the season on the road this weekend in Amarillo against the expansion West Texas Wranglers. They’ll be on the road until the final week of October.
The NAHL Ice Wolves open the season this weekend at home taking on the always tough Amarillo Wranglers. Friday night they are giving away magnet schedules and mini sticks, Saturday is $1 hotdogs and Sunday a post game meet and greet. Friday and Saturday puck drop is 6:30 Sunday 2pm.
Photos Courtesy of Scott Adamson

Ice Wolves Den: A new season on the horizon

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Hello Ice Wolves fans and welcome to a special edition of the Ice Wolves Den, featuring the Acorn Cup.

I recently had the opportunity to work the Acorn Cup. If you’re unfamiliar with the Acorn Cup, it is the largest adult hockey tournament in New Mexico, 2025 was the fifth tournament.
Tournament Founder James Devine says everything started in 2021, as a way for friends to get together during Covid, “It started as a way for a larger group of us to play games together during Covid, while the leagues were shut down. There were about 60 of us consistently playing against each other and we wanted to have something more serious than a pick up game.” Devine said, “I organized a 6 team tournament and we got the opportunity to have those more serious games, more importantly the bragging rights! It was gonna be a one time thing, but the response was good and I had double the amount of teams and players interested and asking if they could play in year 2, so I got the idea to make it an annual event. “
Devine says naming the tournament was rather simple and the rapid growth was unexpected. “My team name inspired the name. We came up with the Salty Squirrels for another tournament we played in a few months earlier and when the idea of running a tournament was being discussed, I thought the Acorn Cup made a lot of sense with the squirrel team name. It stuck and actually rolled off the tongue well. It also opened the door to some fun trophy ideas that we’ve gotten to try out.” Devine continued, “I definitely didn’t expect it grow as fast as it did. When we started for year 3 and got teams form surrounding states, it was super exciting. We got to a point where we actually just rented the building for the weekend instead of asking for individual ice times. It also allowed us to create a more philanthropic aspect and help give back to the local hockey community. That part has been the most rewarding, the first 3 years I basically ran it at a loss or close to a breakeven. The last 2 years we’ve raised almost $6500 for the local youth hockey programs. I’m hoping to get over $10,000 for a 3 year total next year.”
James says the hockey family helped him transition to Albuquerque, “The hockey community in New Mexico is small but strong and almost all of my friends here are from that community. I moved to New Mexico by myself and without my hockey family it would have been a hard transition. I want more people to have the ability to experience the welcoming and wonderful people here. If I can help grow that community more, that’s super meaningful to me.”Backroads Guitars
One thing the Acorn Cup always signals is, it’s almost hockey season. Ice Wolves fans, the wait is almost over, training camp starts next week and opening night is September 12th. See you at the Outpost.
Photos courtesy of Scott Adamson

#PHNBookReview: Brady Brady and the Great Rink

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When the snowstorm Brady had been waiting for finally happens, he builds the ice rink of his dreams, but the snowstorms don’t stop, so every day he digs out the rink out of his love for hockey, and that dedication pays off.

“Brady Brady and the Great Rink” by Mary Shaw, illustrated by Chuck Temple is the second story in the anthology Our Game, which comprises hockey stories from several Canadian authors and illustrators.

As someone reading the series for the first time, it is useful to have the explanation for why Brady is called Brady Brady in the beginning pages of the book. The explanation relates to the main premise of the book, and the intro eases the reader into the story and world lore of Brady as a character. 

The premise of hockey obsession and waiting for a snowstorm translates into Brady’s motivation for creating and constantly maintaining the rink. It shows that he will not give up because hockey is something he cares so much about.

His family is also established to have distinct personalities. The reader understands what kind of people they are and what their roles in the story are immediately upon meeting them, which establishes a fun dynamic between them and Brady.

I read all the stories in this collection with my preschool-aged brother and upon seeing the cover of this book, he exclaimed, “this is the best!” which I took as a sign that it would be an engaging read, and it was. The art style is quirky and fits the atmosphere of the story very nicely, giving the characters expressive faces or fun details on the pages, which bring an element of realism to them.

The author made the story feel helpless at multiple points, from the work that needed to be put in to maintaining the rink to the repetition of restarting the next day. That helpless feeling brings stakes and intrigue to the overall story. 

The perseverance, determination, and generosity that Brady exhibits are admirable. I would recommend this story to extreme hockey lovers who would also spend days making a backyard hockey rink in the freezing cold.

Text and illustration copyright Brady Brady Inc.
Our Game! 5 Hockey Stories releases October 2025, pre-order your copy here.
Order Brady Brady and the Great Rink here.
Contact the columnist: raegen.prohockeynews@gmail.com

Mary Shaw developed Brady Brady while trying to get her hockey-obsessed five-year-old son to read. The bestselling series, which now includes 18 books, is a true Canadian success story. Mary Shaw lives in the Ottawa area. 

Chuck Temple began his career at the age of 18 when his first comic strip, Bernie on the Beat, went into syndication. He studied at both the University of Guelph and the Ontario College of Art, and cites Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes, as his favourite cartoonist. He also enjoys coaching and playing hockey. He lives in Kitchener, Ontario. 

The Ice Wolves Den

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ALBUQUERQUE – Hello Ice Wolves fans and welcome to a special summer edition of the Ice Wolves Den.
One thing I have learned about Junior Hockey over the last 2 seasons is the importance of host families. They are a vital part of the entire program and the Ice Wolves currently need host families. Host Family Coordinator Tina Tomlin explains, “We’re short some beds right now. I like to call them “beds” not homes because some families can host multiple players. So, currently we’re looking for 7 to 10 beds.” Tomlin said, “From my personal experience, you get the fulfillment of watching a player spend his youth getting to this moment, achieving their dream of playing college hockey. The ups and downs, the dedication. Seeing the struggle, but ultimately witnessing them reach that goal and knowing you played even a small part in it, there’s no better feeling.”
Tina and her husband Greg Bronson together are Host Family Coordinators, but they are also a host family and hosted former Ice Wolves goaltender Jackson Fuller and got to see him achieve his dream of playing Division 1 college hockey when he committed to Northern Michigan University. Greg explains the feeling for them when they got the news, “Jack was a really quiet guy and he had the biggest smile on his face. He wanted to wait until Tina got home to tell her in person. He’s a very calm young man, but he had the biggest smile. His reaction made our day. That moment made it all worth it.” Greg says, “Every player is different, there’s usually a transition period of about a week or so, then they just become part of your family. From sitting down for dinner together, or talking about things outside of hockey so they can disconnect a little, it gives them a safe space to be able to do that. Or talking to them about the Jets being better than the Wild. That’s a fun story, Jack is a huge Minnesota Wild fan and I’m a Winnipeg Jets fan. One day I changed the Wi-Fi to “Jets are better than Wild” so every time Jack logged in he had to see it.”
Tina says families with children shouldn’t worry, it can be a great experience for the children. “If you have kids who are into sports, you’re creating a big brother situation. It can show them the discipline of seeing the player waking up early and getting to practice on time every day. He eats healthy, it’s a really good young role model for young children.” Tina continues, “You do get a monthly stipend of $425 to help offset the expense. It’s not a ton of money, but through sponsors we try to get them other things like milk coupons, we host dinners to give them a break and there’s the road games to give them a break for a few days. Then there’s the teammates, your children get the chance to bond with the other players because it’s like your kids having their friends over. Your player may invite their teammates over and they end up playing with your children and creating this amazing bond together.”
Nicole Bazzano’s family hosts multiple players and it gives them a sense of community and helps build the sport, “You’re Helping the local community, and in New Mexico, you’re especially helping the local growing hockey community. These players can bring a positive impact to young children by seeing dedication and hard work. We get to be apart of a young man’s life as they work towards their hockey dreams. It’s a great opportunity to have an impact on their life but also add someone new to your family and have a life long relationship with them.” Bazzano continued, “Host families are vital because these players come from all over the world and it’s important to provide them a safe and supportive place to live while they are here. Without host families they would not have a grounded place to stay where they can get comfortable and focus on hockey.”
Even if you can’t host a player for the entire season, Nicole explains that they also need temporary homes. “Temp families are definitely needed. There are always players coming for tender visits throughout the season to meet and check out our organization, to see if it’s a right fit for both the player and the organization. It’s important to provide them a good host family also because it shows that the organization is dedicated to providing stable, supportive homes and to make the transition easy for them.” Bazzano said, “Something to consider is many of these players are still so young and have never left home before. So it can be hard to come to a new state you’ve never been to and live with someone you don’t know. The importance of making sure the player and host family are a good fit together is vital to making the organization and player successful. They do their best to match players based on needs and personalities to the right family that they can connect with because it’s so much more than just a place to live.”
If you are interested in becoming a host family, visit the Ice Wolves website at www.nmicewolves.com or www.3hlnmicewolves.com and click on the Host Family tab. If you’re not in the Albuquerque area but your town has a Junior Hockey team, reach out to your local team about becoming a host family.
Logo created by Sean Marion
Ice Wolves logo used with permission of the New Mexico Ice Wolves
Photos courtesy of Scott Adamson

Bartnick opines on the Male Leafs exit, and prognosticates on the final four

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We are now down to four.
Well over a decade ago I started making playoff predictions.  I was right most of the time.I don’t know whether it’s gotten more difficult or I got dumber. I will blame parity and an explosion of talent. There are just so many good hockey players and almost all of them would throw their grandmother from a moving train for the Stanley Cup. I will make more predictions at the end of this column.
Now for some thoughts.
The most pathetic aspect to the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 was their lack of fight. They didn’t push back at all. They accepted their fate. Max Domi was the only Leaf who had vinegar. It must be in his genes. His Game 5 crosscheck and Game 7 goal were the only times Toronto had a pulse in those games.
Hard to believe the Leafs were up 2-0 in the series and 3-0 in Game 3.
Mitch Marner lost tens of millions of dollars last week. Who cares what he does in the regular season.
Leafs Captain Auston Matthews said there were too many passengers. They were all passengers. There were no drivers. The Leafs were a driver-less car going over a cliff.
Florida Panther GM Bill Zito got the two best players at the deadline after Mikko Rantanen. Brad Marchand and Seth Jones were the best skaters on the ice in Game 7.
Sergei Bobrovsky showed once again why he’s lock for the Hall Of Fame.
Why did Craig Berube never split up Matthews and Marner?
The Washington Capitals and Alex Ovechkin looked worn out vs the Carolina Hurricanes. The All Time Goal record chase took its toll on the team. The Montreal Canadians also gave Washinghton more trouble than an 8th seed should to dispatch them.
I hope Rod Brind’Amour will accept getting beat this year by Florida. Remember 2 years ago when he lost the series in 4 but claimed it wasn’t a sweep.
Miro Heiskanen returning to Dallas gives the Stars another dimension. He can pair with Thomas Harley and give Dallas a  sublime top pair.Heiskanen and Harley can also be split up and one of them will be on the ice for ¾ of the game.
I’m usually not a fan of 11 forwards and 7 defensemen but double shifting Mikko Rantanen with either Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson or Roope Hintz and Mikhail Granlund gives Dallas two number one lines.
It’s Mikko Rantanen’s Conn Smythe to lose. Its been 25 years since we’ve seen one man put a franchise on his back like Rantanen did. In 1999 Jaromir Jagr’s Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New Jersey Devils. The Penguins franchise needed the next series home gates. Jagr literally saved the franchise.
Sergei Bobrovsky is in 2nd place.
Jake Oettinger should be the starting goalie for the USA in the Olympics. Matthew Tkachuk should be the Captain.
Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch is underrated. Outcoaching Jim Hiller of the Kings is easy but out coaching Vegas Knight coach Bruce Cassidy is impressive.
Connor McJesus received a lot of help from his apostles vs the Golden Knights. Who thought Evander Kane could pull a Nikita Kucherov. He missed the entire regular season and has played great in the playoffs.
I don’t think anyone on the Leafs roster has the mental toughness of Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner
Joel Quennville is in the perfect spot in Anaheim. It’s a great place to live and it’s out of the media spotlight. Anaheim has a talented young roster that needs guidance .
As a Penguin fan watching Mike Sullivan coach the long standing division  rival New York Rangers will be difficult. It’s like your girlfriend moved in across the street with a new guy who is better looking and makes more money than you.
Watching Sullivan coach the Rangers is difficult. Watching Rick Tocchet coach the Philadelphia Flyers is gut wrenching awful. The Flyers are the Penguins most hated rival and whoever is second is not even close. Tocchet won 3 Stanley Cups as a Penguin. One as a player and two as a coach. Tocchet became a Pittsburgher. . Tocchet returned home to Philly as one of the only two people loved in both cities. The other being the man who was traded to get him. The Wrecking Ball Hall of Famer Mark Recchi.

Whoever Kyle Dubas hires to replace Mike Sullivan needs to be from the NHL or AHL. A man who is used to coaching paid professionals. Not a college coach or even worse from juniors. College coaches rarely make a successful jump to the pros in any sport. Yelling at homesick teeneager in junior is not a skill set an NHL coach needs.

Use CodePHN15. OK, how much longer are you going to procrastinate? Father’s Day is coming up. WHy not get a chair with Joe Bartnick’s PHN logo on the seat back? Sure, it’s gonna scare some people, but Joe will always be close.

Final 4 Predictions.
Florida > Carolina
The Big Cats have 9 forwards that can score. Carolina has 4. Carolina goalie Freddie Anderson will be hurt sooner than later.
Dallas> Edmonton
It’s not wise to pick against Jesus and Leon but Dallas Head Coach Pete DeBoer does not lose Game 7s