LAS VEGAS — The Chicago Blackhawks had a busy two days of the NHL draft.

On Friday, they used the No. 2 pick on defenseman Artyom Levshunov and the No. 18 pick on center Sacha Boisvert. But they weren’t done, trading two second-round picks — Nos. 34 and 50 — to the Carolina Hurricanes to select winger Marek Vanacker at No. 27.

On ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Scott Fitzgerald and Chris Morehouse were hired nearly two years ago as part of the San Jose Sharks’ front office overhaul and as the leaders of the team’s scouting department, were given a clear mandate by new general manager Mike Grier.

“Let’s get some size in here, let’s get multiple picks, and let’s try to restock...Read more

LAS VEGAS — After sitting out the first round of the NHL draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins took a pair of prospects from the Canadian junior ranks in Saturday’s second round.

Their selection at 44th overall was Kamloops defenseman Harrison Brunicke, who was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, then moved to Calgary at the age of 2.

Brunicke, ...Read more

The Florida Panthers did not have a first-round pick in the 2024 NHL draft, but that doesn’t mean the Stanley Cup champions didn’t find a way to bolster the organization’s depth.

Florida still made six selections on Day 2 of the draft on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Here’s a quick look at the half-dozen of players the Panthers selected.

2 (...Read more

MIAMI — The story, as it unfolded, was hard to process.

Two strangers in their late 20s, bonded by the Florida Panthers and travel plans that had gone awry, somehow found themselves on a last-ditch effort to salvage their travel from South Florida to Western Canada for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final and to potentially see hockey history ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Golden Knights selected Tri-City left wing Trevor Connelly with the 19th overall pick in the first round of the NHL Draft at Sphere on Friday.

Connelly, a strong winger with playmaking ability, had 78 points in 52 games with the Storm last season.

“You draft in the first round you really want to walk away with some talent,�...Read more

BOSTON — The Bruins are expected to hunt for a centerman of the present when free agency opens on Monday. On Friday, they tabbed what they hope is a pivot of the future.

With the 25th pick at the NHL draft at the Sphere in Las Vegas, the B’s went big — very big — selecting 6-foot-7 Dean Letourneau out of St. Andrews College, a right-...Read more

SEATTLE — After taking forwards in the first rounds of their opening three NHL entry drafts, the Kraken on Friday didn’t change a thing by going with Spokane Chiefs centerman Berkly Catton with the No. 8 overall selection.

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Saskatchewan native had a dynamic second Western Hockey League season, scoring 54 goals and ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The San Jose Sharks selected what they hope will be another franchise cornerstone player with their second pick of Friday’s first round of the NHL draft, taking defenseman Sam Dickinson 11th overall at the Sphere just off the Las Vegas strip.

The Sharks took center Macklin Celebrini with the No. 1 overall pick to begin Friday’...Read more

LAS VEGAS — The Wild traded up a spot, from 13th to 12th, to add defenseman Zeev Buium during the first round of the NHL draft Friday night in Las Vegas.

They acquired No. 12 from Philadelphia in exchange for their 13th pick and a third-rounder in 2025.

Buium, who won a national championship with Denver at Xcel Energy Center in April, was ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Leading up to the start of the first round of the 2024 NHL draft, the Flyers did everything they could to move up from 12th overall.

As rumors swirled pertaining to the No. 4 pick owned by the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Ottawa Senators’ seventh pick, they were unable to find a willing trade partner. Instead, Flyers general ...Read more

DETROIT — The Red Wings made a bit of history Friday with their first-round pick in Las Vegas.

The Wings selected center Michael Brandsegg-Nygard with the 15th pick overall at the Sphere. Brandsegg-Nygard is the first Norwegian to ever be selected in the first round of the NHL entry draft.

Brandsegg-Nygard has a professional solid body ...Read more

ST. LOUIS — The Blues might have taken a risk, and now they’ll have to wait to see if the reward is realized.

With the 16th pick in the first round of Friday’s NHL draft, the Blues selected defenseman Adam Jiricek, the Czech defenseman who missed the last half of the season with a knee injury. Jiricek suffered the injury at the World ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — Macklin Celebrini never wanted to state the obvious, never wanted to come out and say he would be the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 NHL draft and that he would soon be a part of the San Jose Sharks organization.

“Trying not to get too ahead of ourselves for where I’m going to go,” Celebrini said earlier this week.

The...Read more

The Panthers celebrated their first Stanley Cup win in the most South Florida way imaginable. They took the world’s most famous trophy to the beach and dove into the waves.

Northerners may have scoffed at the Floridian celebration, but some did bring up a valid concern: Will the ocean’s salt water damage the iconic Cup?

Although the ...Read more

TAMPA, Fla. — With just three days remaining until captain Steven Stamkos can test free agency, general manager Julien BriseBois said Friday morning that he’s uncertain whether a deal can get done to keep the longtime face of the franchise in a Lightning sweater.

BriseBois said he had discussions with Stamkos’ representatives as recently ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — At one point during the 2023-24 season, Mikko Rantanen said Nathan MacKinnon deserved to be on the “Mount Rushmore” in Colorado Avalanche franchise history.

That was chiseled in granite Thursday night.

MacKinnon won the Hart Memorial Trophy and Ted Lindsay Award at the 2024 NHL Awards Show, collecting both NHL most valuable ...Read more

PITTSBURGH — The Baseball Hall of Fame remains the biggest joke among America's sports museums. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens are out, Bud Selig is in. That's all you need to know, though I could go on.

Hockey isn't nearly as bad, but it had another hold-my-beer moment Tuesday — the result of which is this: Alexander Mogilny remains out; ...Read more