#45

Biscuits and Breezers

      Welcome back to another blog of Biscuits and Breezers! In this blog we will be talking about Val-d'Or Foreurs very talented up and coming prospect Anthony Mantha and Minnesota Wild goalie Josh Harding being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. But starting off on a more happier note, let's talk about Anthony Mantha! There was recently an article posted on NHL.com about him and I found it very interesting. He is not just a very talented hockey player, he is very intelligent as well. Apparently, after every year he is continuously raising his game to the next level. Could he be the next generation of fantastic players like Crosby, Ovechkin, or the Staal brothers? Maybe! Anthony would join the "Generation Y" players so to speak. The fresh new faces of the NHL and the future representation of the greatest sport on this Earth. He is a very very talented player. In his stats he has currently 45 TPs in 31 games played with 25 goals and 20 assists. Well, his grandfather is Andre Pronovost. Andre was a player in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens when they had their powerhouse players in the late 1950's. Anthony is also a big player too. Standing at 6 ft 4 in and weighing in at 190 lbs, he has some bulk going for him. I hope to see a game of this kid and how he plays because it sounds that there is a ton of talent going for him and he uses it extremely. Hopefully in the future I will before an NHL team snatches him up. In your junior and minor years that is when the talent shows the most because that goal is always being weighted above your head as a player. To make it to the show. Good luck Anthony and I hope to see you play soon!

    The next thing I want to talk about is a little more serious then some star player. Feeling a bit odd Minnesota Wild goalie Josh Harding decided to go get checked out by the doctors. The news that came next changed his life forever. He was diagnosed with an immune and nervous system attacking disease known as Multiple Sclerosis. At only 28 years old and a whole NHL career ahead of him, this must have been devastating to find out. He recently signed a 3 year $5.7 million contract with the Wild this summer, has the whole organization behind him. The players are supporting him to the best of their abilities. Josh is not letting this diagnosis affect him in any way though. He is making it a positive goal to try to strive the best he can with this and help other people diagnosed MS as well in the fight together. This is what we need to see more of in the NHL, ESPN, and just plainly pro sports in general. Players taking a negative thing and turning it around so that they can help the community that has supported them the whole way. I am personally going right along with Josh and I am going to support him the whole way. Way to be strong and I hope you see this because I want you to know how many people are backing you on this. I know all my viewers are and definitely tons of people around the world are. Keep fighting and live life to the fullest! All though there is no known cure for Multiple Sclerosis, there are treatments that will try to restore function after an attack.

      Before I get to the 2nd winners of the players contest I want to mention a very talented player I have recently contacted this week. Tyler Lloyd of the Junior A Arizona Red Hawks to be exact. Tyler is from 6 ft 2 in, 195 lbs, and is from Flint, Michigan, USA. Tyler is a very talented player from the WSHL who has 4 assists and 0 goals in 6 games played, 4 TPs, 33 PIMs, and a +/- of 6. Tyler is a very talented clean cut defenseman who uses his size and agility to keep the blue line sharp and to not let the puck pass by him. His skills are in his soft hands, his great on-ice vision, and his skating styles. Tyler's skates are quick and get him to where he needs to be. I think that the defensemen are some of the most important players on the team and  he proves my point. He puts the team before himself always and will defend them until the end of every shift. Tyler is a game player and a shift changer. He definitely tries to make every shift to the best of his abilities and all of his strength. All in all he is a great defenseman and I hope that someone notices him soon because he would be a great addition to any team and gives his all to any team he plays on. Keep up the great work Tyler!

         Now we can get to the "Players of Today" segment! As promised I have the 2nd winners from the players competition and here they are! For the Junior winner we have Dells Ducks forward Brady Hefner. For the College winner we have Lake Forest College forward Cody Blom. For the Goalie winner we have Helena Bighorns/Corpus Christi IceRays goaltender Jett Salinas. For the European winner we have Vaxjo J20 Lakers Center Mikael Johansson.

        Let's get started with the winners shall we? I think we will start off with the Junior player. Brady is 5 ft 11 in, 188 lbs, and is from Billings, Montana, USA. Playing for the Dells Ducks in the MNJHL, he currently has 9 goals in 18 games played, 6 assists, 15 TPs, 6 power play goals, 6 PIMs, and .83 average points. Brady is a very good forward with great game mentality and great communication with his fellow players. He makes the necessary connections to score goals and knows exactly when to do that. He plays the game like it is programmed into his human nature. I think that Brady tries his very best on every shift and puts out all his effort for his coaches and his team. He is one of those players that makes the bus rides home enjoyable even after a horrible loss and even better after a great win. Brady really enjoys being out on the ice and you can tell every time he steps on. I think another part to his success in playing with his brother Bradley. This puts a huge impact on his playing style because it gives him a leg to stand on and someone he can rely on. I always enjoy watching these two play because they light up when they are on the ice. I hope that Brady moves up soon because he has great potential and he should apply to a team that needs it. Please check this guy out because his sharp skills and great on-ice vision are great for any team! Good luck Brady with the Ducks and your future hockey career!

      Next off we have the College pick. Cody is 5 ft 11 in, 179 lbs, and is from Butte, Montana, USA. He is currently playing for Lake Forest College for the 2012-2013 season. Now, I couldn't find any stats for this season, but I do have the stats for his 2011-2012 season with the Helena Bighorns/ Bozeman Ice Dogs in the AWHL. He got traded half way through the season to Helena. But during his stay in Bozeman he had 8 goals in 28 games played, 20 assists, 28 TPs, 66 PIMs, and a +/- of -9. Then when he got traded to Helena he had 12 goals in 21 games played, 12 assists, 24 TPs, 8 PIMs, and a +/- of 20. I think the main difference with his points was because he was with a way more supportive team than Bozeman ever was. Helena has always had a thing going that they are a very strong team during and after the seasons.  Playing at Lake Forest, Cody tore his PCL (Posterior Cruciate Ligament) the first week of practice but has made a full recovery and should be back playing now. He is a very good player who, unlike others, plays the game for himself. Yes he is for the boys but he does make sure he gets the necessary points seen fit for a particular game. I like this quality about Cody very much because it shows that he is a strong leader, independent, and can hold his own. This is very important for a player because you won't always be able to depend on your team mates whether it is due to injury, penalty, or just for the fact that you can't depend on them. He is making the transition from juniors to college very nicely and is taking more a mature approach to things. You can tell when he plays and off the ice. Good luck Cody with Lake Forest and with your future hockey career!

       Now we have the Goalie winner! Jett Salinas is 6 ft 0 in, 170 lbs, and is from Los Angeles, California, USA. He is playing for the Helena Bighorns now instead of the Corpus Christi IceRays in the NAHL because certain contract and team "issues" did not work out unfortunately. But he is back now playing with a team full of guys extremely excited to have him back and town that loves him. In the 2011-2012 season with Helena he had 1.63 goals against average, 21 games played, and and save percentage of .936. In the 2012-2013 season with Corpus he had 6 games played, 3.64 goals against average, and a save percentage of .882. Now playing with Helena he has 0 goals against average and a 1.00 save percentage. This makes very much sense that the Bighorns are 17-0-1 currently. If you guys have been with me since the very beginning you will remember that Jett was my very first interview starting out as a new blogger barely even known. I have to give a lot thanks to this guy because he really helped me get my career started. Jett has amazing glove catches, pad blocks, and is very attentive in the cage. He still has INCREDIBLE flow even voted by Gongshow. Gongshow flow of the month for September right here. This guy is great on and off the ice and just has an amazing connection with every one. If you are in a room with him you can always tell that he brightens the mood. This guy is great and needs to be set to the right team. He is always loving the game for what it is worth and loves to play period. He is great in the cage because knows the right moves to do, where to go outside the crease, and where to send the puck. It is very hard describe him in words because he is just that much of a great player. There should be more people on the ice like him. Thanks for everything Jett and keep rocking it out there! Go buy a Helena Bighorns ticket if you can and watch him because you will be just as awe struck as I am. How do you think the Bighorns are 17-0-1? One word. Goalie. Good luck Jett with the Bighorns and your future hockey career!

       Last, but certainly not least, we have the European pick. Mikael is 6 ft 3 in, 209 lbs, and is from Vaxjo, Sweden. During the 2011-2012 season with the Vaxjo J20 team he had 6 goals in 34 games played, 12 assists, 18 TPs, 27 PIMs, and a +/- of 5. Currently he has 9 goals in 18 games played, 5 assists, 14 TPs, 8 PIMs, and a +/- of -10. Mikael has played on Sweden's U16 team for the International junior tournaments and he will play on the U18 team for Sweden in this year's International junior tournaments. Mikael is a very good player that always has his eye on the puck. He is a very big dominate player who, once he zones in on his target, won't let go until his goal is achieved whether it is making a huge check, stealing the puck from another player, or sniping a goal. He has very good hand-eye coordination and that helps out a lot also. Another key thing in Mikael's success is his intimidation factor. I mean you have some guys 5 ft 7 or 5 ft 8 at 180 lbs, while this guy is 6 ft 3 and is over 200 lbs. I think this helps him out a lot on shifts because if you have intimidation going for you, there is nothing that can stop you. He is also chalk full of talent. Mikael has great saucer passes, checks, dangles, on-ice vision, communication, playing style, skating style, rushing, and (to cut it short) his mentality to the game. He works the boards only when it is needed, plows through opponents on breakaways and really packs a punch in his shots. I mean he just rips those things through the air if they were feathers. On fire. On a cloud. Mikael makes the hardest things seems so simple and the easy things look like bantam playing. I am really telling you, this guy has everything a player should have! Yes, he is a little rough on the edges and has room to improve, but hey that is a good thing! That means he has time to learn and possibly to expand his game to the next level or two. Hopefully he will get to play in the states soon because if he does I think that will give him a great opportunity to get noticed and move up to a tier 2 team or an NCAA team. Come play in the states Mikael! Anyway...Good luck Mikael with the Lakers and your future hockey career!

     Thanks for reading another blog of Biscuits and Breezers! Every blog will be filled with updated hockey news, player reviews, and much more! Until next time remember, don't get your breezers in a bunch because hockey is always around the corner. Remember, it is always a great day for hockey and it's a lifestyle not just a sport! Let's go get 2000 more views please!