Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Knightfall" data-source="post: 3069286" data-attributes="member: 2012">Wild expecting offence from their defenceAssociated Press9/17/2006 12:43:01 AMMINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Minnesota Wild have always put defence first, but with the trio of Keith Carney, Kim Johnsson and Petteri Nummelin joining the club, the defence is expected to contribute more offensively this season.Carney is known as a tough, stay-at-home defenceman who can play a lot of minutes; Johnsson is a strong puck handler who can lead a team's transition and quarterback the power play; and Nummelin brings experience and scoring punch from Europe."This might be the best squad we've ever had defensively and offensively. What we might have been lacking in the past, our all-around game defensively is going to be better," goaltender Manny Fernandez said after Saturday's practice at Parade Ice Garden.Last year, the Wild ranked 23rd in scoring from the blue-line. So in the off-season, president/general manager Doug Risebrough said the team looked for "smart hockey players that can play both ways."It looks like that's what they got.Carney, 36, finished with two goals and 16 assists last year, appearing in 61 games for Anaheim and 18 with Vancouver. Entering his 15th season, Carney has 200 career points, including 40 goals in 877 NHL games.Johnsson, 30, was named the Philadelphia Flyers most outstanding defenceman in 2003-04. He also was the top scoring defenceman for Philadelphia the two prior years. Last year, he scored 25 points in 47 games before post-concussion symptoms kept him off the ice."I've been good since May. It feels good to be out there and be among the guys again," he said.Nummelin, 33, has spent the past five years in the Swiss League, amassing 232 points in 199 games, including 45 in 38 games last season. The five-foot-10 Nummelin, who played on the Finnish Olympic team, may be considered small, but Risebrough said he's got a strong shot and sees the ice extremely well."We need guys that can bring the puck out and make good plays and good first passes," said Fernandez. "I'm not saying that the guys we had here couldn't do that, but now we've got offensive-minded defenceman, or one-step ahead guys, that can see a lot of the play offensively and know the right place to be at the right time. Hopefully, that gets us out of our zone quicker."The Wild hope that a quicker transition game can use the speed of a Marian Gaborik or Pavol Demitra to result in better scoring chances."I don't think we'll win 7-6, but we need to start winning the one-goal games and I think we've made the right steps towards doing that," said defenceman Brent Burns. Minnesota lost 28 one-goal games last season.The threesome may also be a group that younger players, such as Burns and Kurtis Foster, can look to for advice."I've been fortunate to play with some great players and have learned from some very good defenceman. I just hope that through my play and some of my experience I can help out any way I can," Carney said.Burns could benefit the most from his newest teammates. After splitting last year between forward and defence, he entered camp knowing he would play on the blue-line."I've been playing with Carney for two days and it doesn't look like he has to work hard. He doesn't panic ever, he's just so smart and knows the game so well and he reads the play well. Johnsson is so good offensively with the puck," he said. "It's good to watch those two guys to learn the tendencies of their games and incorporate them into mine."Minnesota opens the pre-season against Detroit at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Xcel Energy Center.</blockquote>

Verification