#95

Biscuits and Breezers

    Welcome back to another blog of Biscuits and Breezers! In this blog we will be talking about Semyon Varlamov's contract extension with the Avalanche, the Blues' Sobotka will miss out on the Olympics, Team USA's captains were named, and Edmonton's Ben Scrivens' amazing 59 shot shut out. I think we will start with Vladimir Sobotka! Forward for the St. Louis Blues and previously Team Czech Republic, Vladimir Sobotka will unfortunately have to be cut from the Czech's Olympic roster due to a left leg injury. He will be re-evaluated in 4 weeks time but that means he will have to watch his fellow countrymen participating in Sochi without him. This is saddening because this would have been his first Olympic appearance and he would have been an important asset to the ever changing Czech line up. Since then Vladimir has been placed on injured reserve, hopefully he will get well soon!

#17 Vladimir Sobotka
(Credit to Google Images-tampa.cbslocal.com)

   The time has come and the captains for the Team USA Men's hockey team have been named. Zach Parise of the Minnesota Wild was given the "C" while Minnesota defenseman Ryan Suter and LA Kings forward Dustin Brown were each given the "A". Parise helped lead the Americans to the podium for the silver medal 4 years previously in Vancouver and is looking for another medal finish. Congratulations to the three of you! The leaders of the roster include Parise, Suter, Brown, New York's Ryan Callahan, and St. Louis forward David Backes, seeing that all of them are either captains or alternate captains of their respective teams. I can't wait to see the USA's performance in Russia and if they can improve on their game from 2010. Good luck boys!

Team USA in the 2010 Olympics
(Credit to Google Images-nydailynews.com)

 The last two things I want to hit the head on would be two contract extensions; 1 for the Colorado Avalanche and 1 for the Dallas Stars. The first one would be a brand new sparkling contract for the Avalanche's newsworthy goaltender Semyon Varlamov. It will keep him in the Mile High city until the 2018-2019 season (5 years) and is worth $29.5 million over that time period so roughly $5.9 million a year. Next we have forward Ryan Garbutt with a 3 year contract extension worth $5.4 mill. Congratulations to the both of you!

  Last but not least big shout out to Oilers' goalie Ben Scrivens for having a record-setting 59 shot shut out against San Jose! This is the largest shut out recorded in the expansion era beating out Phoenix's Mike Smith with a 54 save shut out set on April 3rd, 2012.

  Now we have come to the "Players of Today!" For the Junior pick we have Helena Bighorns forward Corbin Belling. For the Prospect player we have Sarnia Sting defenseman Anthony DeAngelo. For the European pick we have Anaheim Ducks right wing Jakob Silfverberg.

  Corbin is 6 ft 0 in, 180 lbs, and is from Des Moines, Iowa, USA. Currently he is the captain for the power house team the Helena Bighorns in the AWHL and has 24 goals in 21 games played, 12 assists, 36 TPs, a +/- of 29, 16 PIMs, 5 power play goals, 5 power play assists, 1 short handed goal, 1 short handed assist, and 3 game winning goals. I have watched Corbin play as a Bighorn for 2 seasons now and I am still impressed at what he can accomplish in shifts. Belling is in beast mode 24/7 and is an explosive force for Helena. His hits pack a wicked nasty punch and his slap shot can easily find the back of the net past an unsuspecting tendy. He is very fluid out on the ice and plays his well valued and gained ice time with finesse and ease. Belling makes every second count that he has during games and is behind his teammates 100% of the time. You will almost never meet some one as dedicated and loyal to his team after you either meet or see Corbin play. He brings his best game to the ice every night and would do anything for the team if it meant protecting his teammates and giving them an opportunity to achieve higher success. Combining quick skates, silky mitts, and an aggressive mentality with huge hits, a high hockey IQ, and unquestionable leadership qualities, Belling could be one of the poster boys for junior hockey along with fellow beauty Parker Olson who I should mention is one of the biggest gems out there. Without a doubt, Belling should be in the show seeing that, in my opinion, he could stand his ground fairly easy with some of the guys up there already! Good luck Corbin with the Bighorns and your future hockey career!

(Credit to Corbin Belling)

  Anthony is 5 ft 11 in, 168 lbs, and is from Sewell, New Jersey, USA. In the 2012-2013 season, he had 9 goals in 62 games played, 49 assists, 58 TPs, a +/- of -13 and 60 PIMs. He is one of the prospects for the 2014 NHL draft and is projected to go 28th overall in round 1 to the St. Louis Blues. Anthony is a quick skating, puck moving defenseman who is always there to rack up points for Sarnia. He is always in the right position to set up his team mates for a perfect play or a perfect goal. He can slip in and out of tricky situations with the puck in tow already aiming up the goal and sizing up his opponents. Anthony is always trying to see what new things he can do with the biscuits in terms of how it will work on the ice and how many different ways he can put it in the basket. He has quick feet, soft mitts, a wicked shot, and an ambition that could take him all the way to the top. Good luck Anthony with the Sting and your future hockey career! Hopefully we will see him picked early on in Philly this summer!

(Credit to Google Images-nhl.com)

  Jakob is 6 ft 1 in, 200 lbs, and is from Gavle, Sweden. He was drafted to the Ottawa Senators 39th overall in the 2nd round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and played there until a trade last season that brought Bobby Ryan, star of Anaheim, to the chilly Canadian city of Ottawa. In his final season with the Senators before heading down to California, he had 10 goals in 48 games played, 9 assists, 19 TPs, a +/- of 9, 12 PIMs, 2 power play goals, 1 short handed goal, 2 game winning goals, 134 shots on goal, and an S% of 7.5. Even though the stats might not show it, Jakob is a powerful driving force on a young and hopeful Anaheim roster. He is great with the puck and is always ready to help his teammates out. He works the boards extremely well and isn't afraid to get aggressive once in a while. He plays a clean and fair game which leads to gained respect and authority on the ice from many players. Silfverberg has quick skates, a high hockey IQ, and mentality always telling him to push forward. Good luck Jakob with the Ducks and your future NHL career!

(Credit to Google Images-sportsillustrated.cnn.com)

(Last thing before I sign off  I would like to mention something. I haven't been saying this lately but all

the pictures, videos, and stats/info are all credited to their various owners and teams, I usually find the pictures

on Google Images, videos on YouTube, and stats/info on various team websites or EliteProspects.

Just giving the credit where credit is due. Also reviews are written in my opinion.)

  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's always a great day for hockey and it's a lifestyle not just a sport!