Hockey·ROUNDUP
Los Angeles Kings defenceman Drew Doughty sustained a fractured left ankle during NHL pre-season action versus the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday, the Daily Faceoff reported.
Sharks’ Celebrini, Smith and Canadiens’ Slafkovsky headline next generation of starsField Level Media
· Posted: Sep 26, 2024 2:01 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago
Kings defenceman Drew Doughty was injured during the first period of Wednesday night’s game following a collision along the boards with Golden Knights forward Tanner Pearson. (Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images/File)Los Angeles Kings defenceman Drew Doughty sustained a fractured left ankle during NHL pre-season action versus the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday, the Daily Faceoff reported.
Per the report, he is scheduled to undergo additional imaging to determine if there is other structural damage.
Doughty, 34, was injured during the first period following a collision along the boards with Golden Knights forward Tanner Pearson.
Doughty recorded 15 goals and 50 points while averaging 25 minutes 48 seconds of ice time in 82 regular-season games in the 2023-24 campaign.
A former Norris Trophy recipient as the NHL’s top defenceman, Doughty has collected 156 goals and 669 points in 1,177 regular-season contests since the Kings drafted him second overall in 2008.
Doughty is a two-time Stanley Cup winner and four-time all-star with Los Angeles.
Canadiens’ Slafkovsky not big on hypeJuraj Slafkovsky was drafted to the NHL first overall like Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid and Connor Bedard. The spotlight, however, has not been quite as bright or the hype train as strong for him in Montreal.
“I like it that way,” Slafkovsky said.
Regardless of the attention or lack thereof, Slafkovsky is on the vanguard of hockey’s next generation of stars, along with the likes of San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, Buffalo’s JJ Peterka and New Jersey’s Luke Hughes.
“It’s really cool to be a part of it, and I hope I will be a part of it,” Slafkovsky said two years after the Canadiens took him at No. 1 in 2022.
Newcomers like Celebrini, Smith, Philadelphia’s Matvei Michkov and even teammate Lane Hutson are front-runners in the race for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.
Macklin CelebriniThe most recent No. 1 pick does not have the so-called “generational talent” label like Crosby, McDavid or Bedard, but he still won the Hobey Baker Award last season at Boston University as the top college player in the country with 64 points in 38 games.
Will SmithRivals at Boston-area schools, Smith and Celebrini are now front and centre as the faces of San Jose’s rebuild.
Smith, the fourth pick in 2023. decided to turn pro after starring last season at Boston College, where he put up 71 points. He also helped the U.S. win world junior gold and played at the world championships.
Juraj SlafkovskyThe MVP of the 2022 Beijing Olympics without NHL players struggled in his rookie year. Last season, he quintupled his production with 20 goals and 50 points and said, “I’m ready to start where I finished.”
Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky, left, is on the vanguard of hockey’s next generation of stars, along with the likes of the Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, the Sabres’ JJ Peterka and Devils’ Luke Hughes. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images/File)JJ PeterkaA 2020 second-round pick of the Sabres, Peterka is older at 22 but could get a look on the first line this season after establishing himself as a full-time NHL player and scoring 28 goals.
The Germany-born forward is in a contract year looking to get the kind of guaranteed deal Slafkovsky and others have.
Quinton ByfieldThe six-foot-five, 220-pound power forward is expected to play centre after getting a five-year, $31.25-million US contract. He spent the summer working on his shot to be more of a threat from further away from the net and prefers center offensively and defensively.
Luke HughesA left shoulder injury from summer training could cause the Devils defenceman to miss the start of the season. That absence should not keep Hughes from building on a 47-point rookie year that left him third in Calder Trophy voting.
Matvei MichkovThe 19-year-old Russian winger is the new face of the Flyers with the weight of the franchise’s nearly five-decade Stanley Cup drought on his shoulders. Michkov was the seventh pick in 2023, with some teams concerned he might not be able to leave the KHL or was under-scouted given the war in Ukraine.
Lane HutsonA saucer pass from Hutson during an early training camp scrimmage that landed right on the stick blade of teammate Emil Heineman went viral in hockey circles. It’s just a taste of what the 20-year-old defenceman might be able to do when he gets used to life in the NHL, but he already has big expectations in Montreal.
With files from Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
