The Hawks are all in

   As of today the Chicago Blackhawks are all in on their quest to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. This is feat that hasn't been accomplished since '97-'98 when the Detroit Red Wings did so, and it hasn't been done since the salary cap has been in place. By adding Andrew Ladd, Jay Harrison, Christian Ehrhoff, Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann, they have addressed any and all needs that may have been alluding them before. The Additions of Harrison and Ehrhoff add depth to a defensive core that in all honesty needed some help, Harrison will be a strong veteran presence as well as a sense of stability simply because he tends not to make risky plays. Ehrhoff will also bring a veteran presence but will be more of a puck mover and second option on the powerplay. Overall these moves allow them to take some pressure of Keith, Seabrook, and Hjalmarsson. Next come the big moves up front, the addition of Andrew Ladd is brilliant in the fact that he has not only played for this organization before but won a cup with them, a former captain and at time dominating power forward, Ladd will be a welcome addition of any line but my guess is he will suit up alongside Towes and Hossa on the top unit. Next we get Weise who will most likely fill either a third or fourth line roll, which is great because he is exactly the type of player the Hawks needed to add if they want to compete with the likes of the Kings come playoff time. Both Weise and Ladd will bring a big physical presence to the line up that will be a welcome addition. Next we get the wild card in all of this, Tomas Fleischmann, a guy who at times in his NHL career had looked utterly brilliant (See his time will Colorado and Florida) and at other times had been lack lustre (see his time with the Ducks) So depending on which Fleischmann shows up to the Hawks roster this can be a steal or a bust, but if I had to put my money on it, I'd bet Fleischmann returns to form with a brilliant Hawks team and becomes and instrumental part in what I believe to be another incredible chase for the Stanley Cup. At least those are my thoughts, what are yours? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to follow.

What is happening to hockey in Canada?

     Hockey is Canada's game. Or is it? The game that has been our trademark for so many years seems to be dwindling in our great nation, but why? Is it that people simply can't afford to put their kids on the ice? Perhaps its a loss in interest from the younger population? I personally don't believe it to be either of the these things, I believe it all begins with coaching and the lack of development we give kids, that combined with the political aspect of minor and junior hockey in Canada and you've got a losing formula for years to come. But how do we fix this problem? Is there truly one great answer to solve everything? The simple answer is no, there isn't one way to fix this problem, but I believe there are simple steps we can take to ensure that hockey remains Canada's game. The easiest way to fix this problem would be to have non parent coaches in minor hockey, the hard part of this is that who is going to coach then, when you have parent coaches the team seems to get picked more on who's parents are friends with who rather than who is the most skilled player. This is a big problem as it should be the best and hardest working players who make the team, not who you know but what yo can do should get you a spot on any team. Also if a parent is going to coach his or hers, sons of daughters team it shouldn't be an automatic that their child gets the most ice time and is first line centre, they should have to earn their spot just like everyone else on the team and if that means player third line wing and watching your child have to grind their way through the season than so be it, not only will it help make them a better person it will help make them a better player. The next easy step would be to focus more on development and less on certain plays. If the average team is given 50 minutes to practice and is anywhere below the bantam age group the game plan for practice should be simple, 15 minutes of power skating, 10 minutes of passing, 10 minutes of shooting and finally 15 minutes of a passing and shooting drill. Players would become more well rounded, they would be better skaters and wouldn't be passing the pucks behind their team mates. This would also address the problem of players not being able to shoot the puck. The next thing would be to teach these players that about the basics ie: protect the house, don't turn the puck over in the red zone and things such as that. Overall I believe these to be small but easy steps to improve hockey in Canada, at least those are my thoughts, what are yours?

Something has got to give for those Oilers

    Tonight a team that for the last five years has been labelled as a young up and coming group faced yet another loss in what is shaping up to be another horrible year for the Edmonton Oilers. A team with so much young talent and so many number one overall picks should surely sit higher in the standings. Having drafted the likes of Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Nail Yakupov and Connor McDavid first overall, along with high picks in Eberle, Nurse and Drasisaitl. Surly this team should at the very least have offensive flair, but you'd be wrong in assuming that. After watching the game tonight the only members of the Oilers team that stood out to me were Taylor Hall and Connor McDavid, the team looks flat. Is it time to make a major trade? Should the Oilers still be preaching patients? Maybe the answers lies not in the fault of the players but in the management staff who assembled this team, I personally believe it goes back to one crucial decision that has now cost them up to this point, lets have a look. If the Oilers has drafter Tyler Seguin back in 2010 instead of Taylor Hall there would have been no need to draft RNH the next year because they would already have had their #1 centre so they could have made the safe choice and taken Landeskog, who as we all know is a dependable two way winger. Next they wouldn't have had to take the player who so far is turning into a bit of a flop in Nail Yakupov and instead addressed a need and taken a very reliable defenceman in Ryan Murray who could have been there top man for years to come. These simple choices could have changed the whole dynamic for this team, they would be a more responsible team in there own end and would have a bigger offensive zone presence because of being able to move the puck better. Now by no means do I think this Oilers team will turn into a total bust as players like Hall, Eberle, McDavid, Nurse and Drasisaital are all turning into very good NHL players, but the question still remains as to what to do with the leftovers in RNH, Yakupov and Shultz, if it were me in Edmonton I would trade them while the value is high and reap the rewards. At least those are my thoughts, what are yours? Let me know in the comments below.

The Stanley Cup race

  Is it to early to already pick Stanley Cup favourites? Maybe but I like to make bold predictions and at this point in the regular season I think you can separate the teams into four separate categories, Cup contenders, mid range contenders, playoff pushers and out of the picture. Each of these categories could make drastic changes come the trade deadline but at this point in the season here is where I see every team and why the contenders aren't pretenders. We will start with out of the picture, these are the teams who have little to no shot at the playoffs these teams include the: Leafs, Oilers, Blue Jackets, Sabres, Jets and Flames. Seeing as all these teams are a long shot from the playoffs baring some miracle at the end of the season these teams are most likely going to draft in the top ten and retool for next year. the next group are the playoff pushers the teams that are close and could make a late season push but are not necessarily true contenders these teams include the: Cancuks, Wild, Coyotes, Avalanche, Senators, Canadians, Flyers and Hurricanes. This is the group that has maybe the biggest group as these are the teams that for the most part have cap space and can make a move at the trade deadline to make a true playoff push for the possible number eight seed. Our next group are the mid range contenders, these are the teams that will most likely make the playoffs and could be a surprise upset against the true contenders but for the most part are a move or two away from being cup contenders, these teams include the: Predators, Sharks, Ducks, Penguins, Lightning, Devils, Islanders, Bruins, Panthers, and Red Wings. These are all very capable and good hockey teams and any of them are capable of creating and upset and marching to the cup finals but for the most part are a move of two away from being in the elite category which are the cup contenders which include the: Kings, Blues, Blackhawks, Stars, Rangers, and Capitals  these are the teams that have been proving themselves all season and will continue to do so through the playoffs but which of these teams are my picks for the cup finals well that's easy. Out of the East I think the clear cut choice is the Washington Capitals, for the first time since Alex Ovechkin has been a part of the team they are legitimate, with the likes of Backstrom, Holtby, Kuznetsov and Carlson to back up possibly the deepest Capitals team ever. They finally have scoring from more than just the first line and a defence that is one of the deepest in the league, on top of that this is a team that has one of the best goalies in the entire league, which as we all know can make a huge difference. When it comes to my pick out of the west I believe the L.A Kings will return to glory this year, the team is just as deep as they were for either of their previous two cup wins and has made some very good additions in Lucic, Schenn and Lecavalier. These players add a combination of size and veteran leadership with Lecavalier and Lucic both having won Stanley Cups in the past. Overall I think this will be an exciting regular season and playoffs, and if I had to pick a team today who I think will win the Stanley Cup I would look no further than the L.A Kings.

  Who do you think will be in the cup finals? Let me know in the comments below and be sure to follow!

What is Hockey Thoughts?

   Hello everyone, my name is Mitchell Underwood and I am a young aspiring hockey writer who had decided to start my own blog to get my name out there and start letting people hear my opinions. Hockey thoughts is basically going to be my perspective on the world of hockey, such topics as my opinion on the state of hockey in Canada, top prospect, and NHL analysis will be some of the few areas I will cover on this blog. You can expect anywhere from 1-3 posts a week depending on my schedule and any recent news in the world of hockey! I hope you enjoy my views of the hockey world and always be sure to share, follow and comment on the page!