NHL expansion and franchise relocation to fresh precincts have "resulted in creating hockey incubators" in parts of the U.S. "not normally associated with ice," according to Matt Higgins of the N.Y. TIMES. The Maple Leafs "are expected to use the No. 1 pick to select" C Auston Matthews from Scottsdale, Ariz., at Friday's draft at the First Niagara Center. Soon after, "another club will call" D Jakob Chychrun of Boca Raton, Fla. Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello said, “It’s the result of expansion, whether it be expansion to the Florida area, expansion to the West Coast -- Los Angeles, San Jose or Arizona.” He added, "It’s the result and exposure of different leagues and organizations that have developed, and also the job that USA Hockey has done with the program.” Higgins notes as the NHL "has expanded and relocated to the West and the South, there has been a resulting uptick in players from those formerly remote outposts." The Coyotes and Panthers, among others, "have had financial and attendance difficulties, but their areas have produced top prospects in one generation, showing another way expansion has helped grow the game." USA Hockey "reached record membership" in '14-15, "the latest period for which figures are available." Although membership "continues to edge upward in hockey hotbeds like Minnesota and Massachusetts, some of the fastest growth has come from the Sun Belt, including 7,329 registered players in Arizona." Although "only a fraction of the 26,383 players in California, and slightly more than half those in Florida, the figure represents" a 37% increase in registration from '03, when Matthews, "inspired by the NHL team in town, began playing hockey in the Phoenix area." He said, “It was the Coyotes, for sure" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/24).
A BIT TOO EARLY: In Toronto, Kevin McGran notes the redesigned Leafs jersey "was supposed to make its debut Friday night at the NHL draft, donned by the team’s first overall pick." But observers "spotted the centennial edition look on Thursday, when the team accidentally posted it on the in-house app." Screenshots "soon found their way to Twitter, while embarrassed team officials got the folks that run the app to take the picture offline." The jersey features "one thick white band" that "circles the waist of the blue jersey." There "does not appear to be a shoulder patch, and there is no number on the front -- common on other teams" (TORONTO STAR, 6/24).
ROAD WORK: ESPN.com's Tal Pinchevsky noted a multipart online video project called "The Road" follows "many of this year's top draft-eligible hockey players as they wind their way" to this weekend's draft. Conceptualized and "produced by the apparel company Gongshow Gear, the Road is also produced by sports agency Octagon, and each of the young players profiled in the series is an Octagon client." It is a "first-of-its-kind look at the whirlwind process leading up to the draft." But it is "also an innovative approach to bringing attention to Octagon's youngest clients, whose rookie salaries are dictated in part by their draft position" (ESPN.com, 6/23).
