It's a Canadian Game

We are now into the third week of the season and already some teams have already been turning heads and make splashes around the league. The San Jose Sharks have come flying out of the gate having gone 6-0-0 to start the season and taking over the number one spot in the NHL Power Rankings. In Colorado the Avalanche are off to a 6-0-0 start with their new bench boss Patrick Roy at the helm. Meanwhile, the Calgary Flames, despite the overwhelming doubt heading into this season, have put up a very solid 3-1-2 record, not losing their first game in regulation until game 6. Now there are many different factors that can be attributed to the early success of these three teams, but one thing that each has greatly benefited from is the play from some of their rookies. So, in saying this let’s take a look at some of the rookies from these squads and see what they have done to help give their teams an early edge. In San Jose one man has stolen the show and arguably set the hockey world ablaze and that is 19 year old Czech sensation Tomas Hertl. Hertl, San Jose’s first round pick in 2012 (17th overall) has quickly made a name for himself. Through his first six games he has amassed an incredible 7 goals and 9 points. Hertl’s 7 goals to date are the most in the NHL. Hertl’s greatest accomplishment was easily his performance against the New York Rangers when he put up 4 goals including his highlight reel fourth goal where he was able to put his stick between his legs and go top shelf on Martin Biron. Hertl has quickly become a fan favourite amongst Sharks fans and already has defensemen around the league keeping a close eye. Although Hertl did garner a lot of criticism for what some believe to be “showboating” on his fourth goal against the Rangers, the fact of the matter is this kid has tremendous skill and a nose for the net and is in no doubt a big reason for the Sharks red hot start. Hertl's Fourth Goal Against the New York Rangers http://youtu.be/yMw4nksG7UQ In Colorado the Avalanche are off to a perfect 6-0-0 and though a lot of this success can be attributed to the new systems brought in by new head coach Patrick Roy and the unbelievable play of goaltender Semyon Varlamov another is the exceptional play of 2013 first overall draft pick Nathan MacKinnon. It’s hard to be surprised when the number one overall draft pick puts up big numbers, but in MacKinnon’s case there was a lot of skepticism as to where he would be taken in the draft this spring. It was until his stellar play in the Memorial Cup for the eventual winners the Halifax Mooseheads that MacKinnon put a stamp on that number one spot. However, going into this season after the draft the hype around MacKinnon seemed to die down. Well MacKinnon has been in the lineup for the Avs in every game so far this year and in 6 games MacKinnon has put up 7 points including 6 assists, good enough for most on the team. What may be more impressive than the numbers MacKinnon has put up is the way he has composed himself on the ice. MacKinnon, as he did in junior, looks to be one of the fastest players on the ice. For an 18 year old rookie to come into the NHL in his first season and not look out of place just goes to show how truly skilled this young man is. There may have been a lot of skepticism as to who this year’s numbers one draft pick should have been, but so far MacKinnon is proving the Avalanche made the right choice. Last year the Calgary Flames saw their worst finish in over a decade and with franchise cornerstones Jarome Iginla and Miika Kiprusoff now out of the picture many, myself included, gave very little hope for the Flames to make the postseason. However, after six games and a solid 8 points in the standings the Flames have shown they still have a bit of fight in them. One player who has had a real spark for the Flames has been rookie Sean Monahan. Monahan who was the Flames first round pick in 2013 has started his first NHL season with 5 points in his first 6 games for the Flames. In fact Monahan recorded a point in each of his first 5 games in the league, the first player to do this since Jonathan Toews did it back in 2005. Though Monahan is in just his first season in the NHL he may be relied on to provide a large portion of the offense this season for the Flames. Coming into the season the Flames highest point producers were Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak who each only put up a mediocre 32 points in 48 games. The Flames clearly lack what many would consider a top 3 forward and with this absent from their lineup it will be up to players such as Monahan to pick up the slack. Monahan proved in junior with the Ottawa 67’s who finished last season with a 16-46 record that even on a struggling team he can still put up a lot of points and provide offense. Despite his team’s terrible record Monahan still recorded 78 points in 58 games. So, for Monahan it seems that Calgary might be a familiar setting for the skilled forward. Follow me on Twitter: @Craig_Hagerman

If you haven't seen this or never heard about the crazy life that Bobby Ryan had before he made it to the NHL then take the 25 minutes to watch this incredible documentary. This is an amazing story that until a few minutes ago I had never heard before. I recommend this video to everyone not just sports or hockey fans. http://www.sportsnet.ca/magazine/searching-for-bobby-ryan/

Yea I have nothing against Reimer and before the season started when every analyst said Bernier already had the reigns I felt Reimer had the edge having had a great year and a great last season. However, from what I have seen Bernier's technique as ^you mentioned seems better and I feel now you ride the guy who is playing well. If Bernier has a good game tonight I think it will be hard for him not to play on Thursday as well.

Saturday night Leaf fans saw the boys in blue and white pull off a very impressive comeback win in the battle of Ontario in their tilt against the Ottawa Senators. What the fans may also have seen is a glimpse as to how the team may look for a very large portion of the season. This may have been the game that saw Jonathan Bernier steal the net from James Reimer. On Saturday night Reimer got the start in net against the Senators having had quite a track record against their Ontario rivals where he had put up an impressive 8-1-1 record in his previous contests against the Sens. Unfortunately for Reimer, after giving up 4 goals on 21 shots (including the final two coming within a span of just 15 seconds of one another) Jonathan Bernier saw his first action at the Air Canada Centre. To say that this change in goal was the turning point in the game would be a complete understatement. The Maple Leafs were able to tie the game at 4 at the 2:52 mark of the third period and from there Bernier kicked out every puck that came his way. The Leafs would take the game in a shootout with goals by Leafs’ Raymond and Bozak, while Bernier turned away shots by Milan Michalek and Jason Spezza. The first two games of the season saw Reimer and Bernier split the decisions and after both tenders were named first star in their respected games it seemed as though the controversy about who might be the Leafs starting goalie this season was just getting started. However, after the events that took place on Saturday it seems as though Leafs nation might be singing a different tune. After Bernier made a miraculous glove save the crowd could be heard chanting “Bernier! Bernier! Bernier!” making it quite clear who their faith was now in. Many more of these type of saves followed during the game including a sprawling pad save on Sens Captain Jason Spezza with just over a minute left to play in the game. This save in particular was one that stopped what looked to be a sure goal and helped to send the game to overtime. To start the season it was made clear by management that starts would be shared amongst both goalies until one faulted or one seemed to rise above the other. Going by the schedule laid out it was already expected that Bernier would be starting Tuesday night when the Colorado Avalanche come to town. After the performance that Bernier put up on Saturday stopping all 15 shots he faced, it seems even more clear that Bernier will get the start and one must think that if he puts up another great performance that it will be hard for Carlyle to pull the hot net-minder from the net. Through Bernier’s first game and the action he saw Saturday he has amassed an astounding 0.974% save percentage and 0.64 goals against average, allowing just one goal against on 47 shots. Bernier has also proved his value in shootouts going perfect Saturday while also stopping Flyer’s forward Wayne Simmonds on a penalty shot last Wednesday. Historically this has been a part of the game that Reimer has never been very strong at. Despite just giving up 4 goals in the contest it seemed, especially after one puck went by him, that Reimer got flustered and lost his composure. Reimer has had a tendency to scramble for pucks often leaving him out of position and in desperation to make a save (as was seen on Jared Cowen’s second period goal). Bernier on the other hand has looked to be much more calm and composed in the net and because of this always seems to be in the right position and ready to face his shooters. Something that maybe Reimer needs to look at in his game if he wants to steal the net back. It is obviously too early to assume that Bernier has stolen the starting role completely from Reimer especially after just one game in which Reimer slipped up. However, it is hard to look past the great play of Bernier. Reimer will likely see another opportunity for him to claim the position that prior to this season had his name on it. In saying that if Reimer doesn’t step up his play it looks as though Bernier may achieve exactly what he came to do in Toronto. Leaf fans there might be a new sheriff in town. Follow me on Twitter @Craig_Hagerman