Nicastro cut, Kolosov snubbed
Written by Kyle Kujawa   
Wednesday, 23 December 2009 13:05

A quick prospect note before the Blackhawks game today, as both of these players were mentioned in my recent prospect rankings, but both suffered some disappointment today.

Max Nicastro was the final cut (that's a .doc file) on the blueline for the United States WJC club. Disappointment, but a good run. Nicastro was not on the summer evaluation list of roughtly 20 defensemen, but he played his way on after a strong start with Boston University this season. He made the final eight, but was let go after yesterday's exhibition against the Czech Republic. Brian Lashoff ended up making the team, and like Nicastro he was not originally on the summer roster. Lashoff has an opportunity to have a huge tournament, as he was partnered in the exhibition games with the consensus #1 defenseman for the 2010 draft, Cam Fowler.. soon to be known as Farmington Hills-native Cam Fowler, once Ken Daniels gets a hold of him.

Lashoff gives Detroit two guaranteed prospects at the WJC. Tomas Tatar is going to star for Slovakia, who just lost to the CIS's University of Saskatchewan yesterday (not too uncommon, it's a u-20 team against a team of 20-25 year olds). Andrej Nestrasil is still at the Czech Republic's camp -- unsure of his chances at making the roster. Expect some kind of team-by-team preview as rosters are finalized. The tournament starts on December 26, with the US taking on Slovakia right off the bat.

Also, Belarus was the first country to release an Olympic roster, and the Griffins' Sergei Kolosov was not on the roster as many expected. Belarus named eight defensemen, including two players younger than Kolosov. There are four NHLers on the roster, but most of the team comes from the KHL, so maybe Belarus just overlooked Kolosov because of his level of competition. A shame, because he's performed well for them in past international competition.

Sidenote: Hello old friend? Dave Lewis is Belarus' assistant coach for the Olympics. I was wondering where he'd been lately.



Digg! Reddit! Facebook! Technorati! StumbleUpon! BallHype: hype it up!
Comments (2)add comment

Keith B said:

...
Shame about Nicastro and Kolosov. I don't think Kolosov not making it has anything to do with playing in the AHL since he had played in the KHL previously.

The fact that Lashoff is playing a top line is a great sign. He seems to have really progressed (according to the little I know about him) this past year.

Why would Belarus want Lewis? And why would they hire Frazer in the past? Are there zero good Belarus coaches? Is it just me that thinks national teams should be coached by people from that country?
 
December 23, 2009
Votes: +0

KyleKujawa said:

...
Kolosov didn't actually play in the KHL, he played for the team in Belarus that moved into the KHL, but before they actually moved. So his level of competition has been limited to USHL, BHL, AHL, and a world Championship. Tough to say if he's ready to go against the world's best. Tough to say that about anyone on Belarus' roster, though.

Either way, the NHL.com article on the team reported that Dave Lewis himself (!) is going to scout Kolosov over the next few weeks and then determine closer to February if he should be on the team. So it's not over yet.

Good question on Lewis though -- I've always wondered that. Obviously these guys are better coaches hockey-wise as they've played/coached/worked with some of the best. Who doesn't want Scotty Bowman's assistant of 20 years? But the language barrier has always confused me. I'm sure there's assistants to translate, that must be the case because I've met Dave Lewis and he doesn't strike me as a guy who's going to know a lot of Russian.
 
December 23, 2009
Votes: +0

Write comment

busy
< Prev   Next >
 

Babcock's Death Stare on Twitter

BDS Poll

Who is the most underrated prospect in Detroit's top ten?
 

Search BDS

About Bloguin

Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics.

Advertisers

The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.

Bloggers Wanted

The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.

The Bloguin Login

The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!