In my very first blog post for The Hockey Podcast Network, I am choosing not to write about the Tampa Bay Lightning's current playoff run. Rather, I would love to introduce some names to be on the lookout for in the coming years within Tampa's system.

When you are in the midst of prime championship contending years, you will find that your teams prospect cupboard is often a bit barren. As we have seen with out Lightning, many first round picks have been moved in the process to win the Cup in 2020 and in the process to defend that championship currently in 2021. A price has to be paid when you are in a "win-now", and that price is usually prime draft capital.

Nevertheless, here are some names worth keeping an eye on as a Lightning fan. *Note - this list will not include any prospect that became an NHL regular this year such as Cal Foote or Ross Colton.

1. Samuel Walker, Forward - University of Minnesota (NCAA)
Sammy Walker is a name that many Lightning and NCAA fans might already know. A 7th round pick in 2017 out of Edina High School in Minnesota, Walker captained one of his home state colleges, the University of Minnesota, this past season where he scored 13 goals and 16 assists through 31 games and finishing second on the team in scoring. He is a dynamic scoring forward who has always had a knack for putting up points, never finishing below 26 points in his three collegiate seasons. Walker's good skating skills combined with smooth hands help him overcome his smaller stature, being sub-six foot and roughly 170 pounds. I expect Sammy to return to Minnesota for his senior season before turning pro full time.

2. Taylor Raddysh, Forward - Syracuse Crunch (AHL)
Raddysh is an older prospect with three seasons of pro hockey already under his belt. When Taylor was drafted in the 2nd round in 2016, it was expected that he would soon become a full time NHL power forward with a scoring touch. This, however, has not been the case. Raddysh has taken his time developing after an underwhelming final junior hockey season and disappointing second pro hockey season. 2021 seems to be the year, however, where Raddysh has been able to put the pieces together. Though he is 23 and has yet to play an NHL game, Raddysh is a member of the Black Aces for Tampa this year after finishing with 12 goals and 17 assists in 27 games with Syracuse. It seems that he has been able to put together the offensive side of his game and will look to translate that into a full time NHL role next season.

3. Antoine Morand, Forward - Syracuse Crunch (AHL)
Antoine Morand holds one big difference from the rest of the names on this list: Tampa Bay did not draft him. Rather, he was acquired in the Volkov trade earlier this year. For anybody unfamiliar with Morand, use this as your introduction. Antoine Morand is a former 2017 2nd round pick out of the QMJHL by the Anaheim Ducks. After being drafted, Morand failed to improve his production in the Q, following up a 74 point draft year with 76 and 70 point seasons. These numbers still do indicate a good player, but the lack of growth was concerning. Regardless, Anaheim signs him and gives him the opportunity to develop in San Diego, but seemingly to no avail. It took a change of scenery and arriving in Syracuse to help spark some on Morand's offense. After only scoring 6 points in 21 games for San Diego, Morand arrived in Syracuse and produced 5 goals and 7 assists in 19 games. Antoine Morand's is regarded as a two-way forward who has been gifted with great offensive tools. For whatever reason, he has struggled using those tools correctly and must continue to develop his skillset in order to become that legitimate middle-six center he was expected to be.

4. Jack Thompson, Defenseman - Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
The Ontario Hockey League was unable to play games this year, so 2020 3rd round pick Jack Thompson instead had to take a detour in Sweden before inking his first NHL deal and joining Syracuse to end the season. A former guest of the Bolts Broadcast, Thompson is an instinctive two-way defenseman with solid size and an offensive upside to his game. Last season as a 17 year old in the OHL, Thompson scored 13 goals and 19 assists from the backend through 63 games. He followed that up this season by being a point-per-game in all of the leagues he played in - 18 through 18 in Sweden (with 9 goals) and his first North American pro hockey assist in his lone game with Syracuse this year. Thompson is somebody who will return to Sudbury next season and likely will need some development time in the AHL before he can make the jump to the NHL.

5. Eamon Powell, Defenseman - Boston College (NCAA)
Eamon Powell was one of my mid-to-late round targets in the 2020 NHL draft, and Tampa was lucky enough to snatch him up in the 4th round. Though he is a slightly smaller defenseman at 5'11" and 170 pounds, Powell approaches the game a way that every coach loves. He is incredibly confident with the puck and possesses great skating skills, but he also plays hard and never is one to shy away from the physical side of the game. Powell impressed as a true freshman at BC this year, scoring 2 goals and 12 assists through 24 games. As he continues to refine his game in the college ranks, Powell has a legitimate chance to fight for a spot on Team USA for the 2022 U20 World Junior Championships. Eamon Powell likely will be an NHL defenseman one day with true top four defenseman potential. Add him to the list of draft day values for Tampa over the years.

6.  Hugo Alnefelt, Goalie - HV71 (SHL)
The final name on this list is at a position where Tampa seems to be pretty solidified at the top. With Vasilevskiy being the best goalie in the world, 2019 3rd round pick Hugo Alnefelt is in no rush to become an NHL goalie. Alnefelt has been one of the best young goalies in Sweden for a few years. Playing 10 games over the last two World Junior Championships as well as 40 games over the last two Swedish Hockey League seasons, Hugo has showcased high-end athletic ability combined with technicality and size that you love to see in goalie prospects. As a 19 year old playing on one of the worst teams in the Swedish league, Hugo produced  a 5-16 record with a 3.16 goals against average and .904 save percentage. It is common to see at these levels of hockey a stat line like this in elite talents. Goalies whose true talent lives in the 3.00 or worse GAA often have a sub .900 SV%. When the save percentage directly contradicts the goals against, there is high optimism in the talent. Hugo will likely split duties in Syracuse next season after signing his ELC in May. Hopefully playing on a better team with more talent in front of him will help better develop the tools he already possesses.

The game show SWEEPING THE NATION is back! Judge Joey, with your host, St. Mary's Hockey Legend: Joey Nadeau. 

As always, Joey facilitates a debate of epic proportion between Isha & The StateofHoppy. Every week, on The Sota Pod Podcast Judge Joey gives us his verdict, on various topics in the world of Hockey. However, his opinion means nothing compared to those of the listeners. So please chime-in on Facebook & Twitter! 

Isha: 2011 Boston Bruins (Winning the Stanley Cup against the Vancouver Canucks)
Hoppy: 2021 Montreal Canadiens (Advancing to the Second Round beating the Toronto Maple Leafs)

On Episode 161 of The Sota Pod, Joey Nadeau is back to facilitate Judge Joey Season Two #1. Let us know who YOUR best come back playoff team is and vote on who won this round of Judge Joey! This week, Judge Joey asks the boys: What team had the best NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs' in History? 

All that and MORE so be sure to Subscribe

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Former Minnesota Wild center Eric Staal and the Montreal Canadiens are on a heater wining seven straight games, knocking off the Toronto Maple Leafs, and sweeping the Winnipeg Jets in the process. 

Former Minnesota center Eric Staal and the rest of the Montreal Canadiens' veteran players are in full "super saiyan mode right now" as our friend the Bayou Benders said on The Sota Pod. In addition to Staal, the likes of Carey Prince, Corey Perry, Shea Weber, Ben Chiarot, and Jeff Petry are all playing like they are in their 20s. Montreal's young guns are also oozing confidence and equally contributing to the success of the Habs. A team who just swept the Winnipeg Jets, who just last week swept Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

​Minnesota Wild Twitter is swooning over the American rookie Cole Caufield. He is completely buying-in to the Montreal Canadiens' system and taking advantage of every opportunity he is given, much like his young peers in the lineup. However the most underappreciated young player is Alexander Romanov. The strong-skating defenseman possesses unbelievable hockey sense, and some size. He is no doubt going to be a star in the NHL. Stylistically, Romanov plays a Jonas Brodin-esque game. 

Speaking of underappreciated...How about Kevin Fiala? Minnesota Wild Twitter thinks Joel Eriksson Ek is a more valuable piece to the roster! Isha posed the following question on Episode 159 of The Sota Pod, and the results have triggered the boys! Stay-tuned for the next few Podcast episodes as Isha and Hoppy dive into this topic further citing various comments on the poll question on Twitter.

On Episode 160 of The Sota Pod, the Bayou Benders of the Habs Nightly Podcast joins the boys ALL episode! They first dive into the #HoppyHour, making the rounds of what is on tap. Benders gives his take on the Mark Scheifele suspension and talks about his team's unlikely success this post-season. In the last segment, Isha asks Benders and Hoppy to chose their favorite "Tim Peel's Hot Mic of the Week! 

All that and MORE so be sure to Subscribe

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BYE BYE Toronto Maple Leafs! 

Though Minnesota Wild fans believe they have it rough with early playoff exits...Nothing compares to the suffering fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs' have endured for 16 seasons. The Leafs have not played in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs since the Big Irish man himself, the late Pat Quinn coached the team back in 2004.

The Montreal Canadiens continue on the ol Stan Rogers' "Northwest Passage" right up to Manitoba to play the Jets! The Beer Bets between Isha & Hoppy on The Sota Pod Podcast while the 2021 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs progress will be appointment-listening! 

In Episode 159 of The Sota Pod, Joey Nadeau joins the boys to chime-in on Isha and Hoppy's Beer Bets. The boys' also talk about the NHL Draft Lottery results. Isha reminds everyone (all episode) about how happy the Toronto Maple Leafs' early playoff exist makes him. Finally, the hard question Minnesota Wild fans do not want to even think about yet was posed: Will the Wild make the 2022 NHL playoffs in 2022 in the stacked Central Division?

All that and MORE so be sure to Subscribe

REMINDER:
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Make sure you follow The Hockey Podcast Network on Twitter @hockeypodnet as well as your favorite host @TheSotaPod.

Show:
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Host: @VISportsTalk & @stateofhoppy

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The Draft Lottery! It's the moment we've been waiting for all year. For teams at the bottom of the standings the Draft Lottery is an opportunity to salvage a poor season with a high draft pick. For other teams the pain of falling in the Draft Lottery can be something felt years after the draft picks are made. This year the San Jose Sharks stayed put at the 7th overall pick. The 7th overall pick is something Sharks fans should be excited for and we're going to tell you why on this episode of the Stick Hungry Podcast. 

Who do you think the Sharks should draft? Comment below!

​- Listen to the podcast on any podcast app!

The Minnesota Wild's season comes to an end. But it was not without a respectable performance in Game Seven. 

In textbook Minnesota sports fashion, the Minnesota Wild are eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, overall it was a positive season. The Wild solidified themselves as the third best team in their division, saw development in their young players, and thrived under coach Dean Evason's system, which brought them success in the latter parts of 2019-2020. 
​
Also, Cam Talbot was spectacular all year. 

​Now the focus is on the roster & the NHL Entry Draft!

Who stays? Who is traded? Who is selected in the Seattle Kraken NHL expansion draft? All these questions and more will be addressed in The Sota Pod podcast episodes moving forward!

In Episode 158 of The Sota Pod, Isha is convinced Kirill Kaprizov is a KGB Agent. He & Hoppy are then joined by Karlo, AKA Sumdood88 of LockedOn VGK and the Weekly Knightly Podcast to put a bow on the Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild series. The boys also talk about the NHL Playoffs, Isha getting spat on while cycling, and feature a sizzling "Tim Peel's Hot Mic of the Week"! 

Make sure you follow The Hockey Podcast Network on Twitter @hockeypodnet as well as your favorite host @TheSotaPod.

Show:
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Host: @VISportsTalk & @stateofhoppy

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The San Jose Sharks are clearly in a position of weakness when it comes to organizational depth. With the off-season upon us there are a few options that General Manager Doug Wilson can explore to address this teams depth issues. Dylan Keyzer & Nick Flohr discuss potential free agent options for the Sharks this off-season on Episode 50 - Season 2 of The Stick hungry Podcast. Dylan & Nick focus their attention on the third line Center position as well as the Goaltending position. Some notable free agents include: Linus Ullmark, Alex Wennberg, Mark Jankowski, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Chris Driedger and more!

Which free agents do you think the Sharks should sign?

- @stickhungrypod

What a WILD ride! 

After a quiet first few games from the Minnesota Wild's offensive stars in Kevin Fiala & Kirill Kaprizov, the boys are back! Though defensively the Minnesota Wild have been solid all series, their star players were unable to solve Marc Andre Fleury in the first few games. However, they cracked the code in game 6 to force a game 7 with tremendous help from goaltender Cam Talbot who earned a shut-out in the Wild's victory.

​With Selke-deserving two-way forward Joel Eriksson Ek healthy after a scary collision with a goal post late in game 6, the Minnesota Wild have all the tools to get past the Vegas Golden Knights tonight and advance to the second round where the Colorado Avalanche await them! 

In Episode 157 of The Sota Pod (POST-GAME SHOW edition) Josh Leddy of Back Channel Brewing joins Hoppy to talk about the Wild and Vegas series, as well as The New York Islanders defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins, and other NHL news and notes! 

Make sure you follow The Hockey Podcast Network on Twitter @hockeypodnet as well as your favorite host @TheSotaPod.

Show:
The Sota Pod Twitter: @TheSotaPod
Host: @VISportsTalk & @stateofhoppy

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Join hosts Jim Tatti of TSN & Rick Cole of the "50 Years Ago In Hockey" podcast for this episode of Dynasty By Decade presented by Draftkings.com. Jim & Rick discuss the four Stanley Cups for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1960's. Join us throughout the playoffs for new episodes of Dynasty By Decade Presented by Draft Kings

​Download the Draft Kings app now and use promo code THPN for exclusive sign-up offers!

56 games later and the 2020-2021 season is over for the San Jose Sharks. This season didn't turn out how we'd hoped, but maybe it turned out how we expected. With a final record of 21-28-7 the Sharks we're never a true contender for the playoffs while never playing poor enough to be at the bottom of the league. On episode 49 - season 2 of the Stick hungry Podcast, Nick Flohr and Dylan keyzer discuss their positives which include Evander Kane, John Leonard and Alex Barabanov and negatives from the Sharks season which included the likes of Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns, Martin Jones and more. What were your positives & negatives from this season?

​Follow The Stick Hungry Podcast on twitter @stickhungrypod