MALMO, SWEDEN - Mathew Dumba has been rooming with 17-year-old Aaron Ekblad during the World Junior Hockey Championship and has

Posted in IYH Forums by jokergreen0220 at 02:49, Feb 18 2017

MALMO, SWEDEN - Mathew Dumba has been rooming with 17-year-old Aaron Ekblad during the World Junior Hockey Championship and has noticed something about his younger teammate. Reto Berra Panthers Jersey . "He has the body of like a 35, 40-year-old. The guy shaves his chest every week. I cant believe it. Hes a man-child. Hes like, I dont know, just a huge human being. I call him Shrek," said Dumba while a bemused Ekblad stood a few metres away shaking his head. Dumba isnt the first person to notice that Ekblad, along with Kootenay Ice forward Sam Reinhart - a top contender to be the No. 1 pick in the next NHL draft, seems to be growing at a ridiculously fast rate. "The Shrek thing actually started with Boone Jenner when we were playing against the Oshawa Generals back in the day," explained Ekblad, a 6-foot-4, 216-pound defenceman, who plays for the Barrie Colts in the Ontario Hockey League. "A couple of the guys, [including] Michael Dal Colle, picked it up and a guy on my team, Brendan Lemieux, picked it up and some other guys started calling me that and it kind of caught on a little bit. "Im not sure I like it too much, though." Wait a second. Is Ekblad not a fan of Shrek, a 2001 movie named for the main character, a large green ogre voiced by Mike Myers? "No, I like Shrek," Ekblad says not missing a beat. "Im just not sure I look like him." The quick-witted Ekblad, the second of now four players granted exceptional status in the OHL allowing them to be drafted at age 15, thinks just as fast on the ice. Despite being the second-youngest player on Team Canada, he has been among the top minute munchers while playing alongside Pittsburgh Penguins 2012 first-round pick (eighth overall) Derrick Pouliot. Ekblad has learned a lot from the Portland Winterhawks blueliner. "Wow, poise, hes got so much poise and patience with the puck," Ekblad said. "He can hold onto the puck and just wait for the other guy to move and pull it back, pull it back ... paying attention thats what Ive learned: just be more patient and poised with the puck and things will work out." Being paired with Pouliot allowed Ekblad a chance to ease into an event normally dominated by 19-year-olds. "Hes so good with the puck and so poised with it that it kind of lets me play more of a defensive game," he said. "I can kind of support him and let him do his thing and Ill be behind him if he makes a mistake or something like that." But Ekblad would not be able to maintain his prominent role on Team Canada without an ability to adapt quickly. Head coach Brent Sutter has already shown the leash will be short with players regardless of age as 16-year-old Connor McDavid found out on Saturday. He was stapled to the bench after a pair of penalties in a loss to the Czech Republic and started the next game, Monday against Slovakia, as the 13th forward. "With young kids mistakes at this level are going to happen," said Sutter, "but Ekblad learns from it. Hes a sponge for the game. Thats what happens with an intelligent player: they pick things up quickly. You dont have to tell him twice. He gets it pretty quick." "If he does something a little off hell correct it right away," Pouliot said. "Thats what you have to do at this tournament and it shows how mature he is that hes able to make those switches on the fly." The latest tweak Ekblad has made has to do with the defensive side of his game. "I didnt block a shot in the Czech game, which was one of the things Ive been focusing on a lot since then," the Belle River, Ont. native said. "In the U.S. game I had quite a few blocks and tried to focus on making sure no pucks are getting through to the net." At Wednesdays practice, Ekblad and his teammates drew the ire of Sutter for a sloppy start to a drill. And Ekblad received the message loud and clear. "You can never be too precise. The takeaway was: lets get pucks on the stick. Lets do things right and things will work out for us." Ekblad has remained even-keeled even as Canada stumbled at times during the round robin. "Its been a roller-coaster of emotions throughout this entire tournament so far," he admits. Its also been a learning experience. "Ive just learned that at every level its going to get faster and faster and you have to be ready for it. You cant make the same mistakes twice. You have to just take in everything that happens out there and realize youre going to get better and learn things every day." Ekblad is relishing this opportunity, because he didnt think he was going to get it. Back in September he considered himself a longshot to make the squad after not being among the 35 players invited by Hockey Canada to a summer evaluation camp in Lake Placid, NY. And now here he is kibitzing with Dumba, who has been playing in the NHL this year with the Minnesota Wild. "Hes a good guy," said Ekblad. "Theres not much to say about him. He likes to just be a weird guy once in a while." "What?" Dumba, who was standing beside Ekblad in the interview area, exclaimed in mock horror. "What is this guy talking about? I cant even do these interviews." Both players laugh along with the assembled reporters. "Yeah," Ekblad says with a sigh, "we have a good time together." Reilly Smith Panthers Jersey Authentic .C. -- Tony Stewart will not race Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, the third Sprint Cup race hes skipped since his car struck and killed Kevin Ward Jr. Aaron Ekblad Panthers Jersey Authentic . The Philadelphia Eagles acquired running back Darren Sproles from the New Orleans Saints for a fifth-round draft pick on Tuesday. http://www.hockeypanthersauthority.com/jonathan-huberdeau-panthers-jersey-c-10/ . The Senators return from a lengthy layoff caused by Wednesdays attack on Parliament Hill to host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night. ALAMEDA, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders got some good news in free agency Thursday, one day after voiding top target Rodger Saffolds contract because of a bad shoulder. The Raiders signed defensive end Justin Tuck and linebacker LaMarr Woodley to two-year deals in an effort to bolster their pass rush. ESPN reported that Tuck will be paid $11 million and Woodleys deal is worth up to $12 million. The two pass rushers have combined for 117.5 career sacks, reached double figures in a season seven times and have won three Super Bowl titles in their careers. Tuck joins the Raiders following nine seasons with the New York Giants during which he helped the team win two Super Bowl titles. Tuck has made two Pro Bowls and has 60.5 career sacks, 20 forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries in 127 career games with New York. "Last week, I absolutely did not see it coming," Tuck said. "It wasnt necessarily on my radar at that point in time, but everything accelerated pretty quickly, and Im excited. I really am. I like the direction that this team is talking about going in, and I just want to be a part of it." Woodley, 29, had 57 sacks in seven seasons in Pittsburgh and helped the Steelers win it all following the 2008 season. Woodley struggled with injuries the past three seasons but was still an effective rusher when healthy. He ended last season on injured reserve with a calf injury and the Steelers released him because of his high salary. After averaging 11 sacks per season from 2008-11, Woodley has only nine sacks in 24 games the past two years. He did have eight quarterback hits and 24 hurries and was one of the most efficient pass rushers last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Woodley played linebacker in Pittsburghs 3-4 defence but is also able to play defensive end in Oaklands four-man front. The Raiders need help on their pass rush after losing last years leading sacker and most consistent defender, LaMarr Houston, to Chicago in free agency. The other three starting defensive linemen -- Pat Sims, Vance Walker and Jason Hunter -- are also free agents. Tuck, who turns 31 this month, was rated as the ninth best pass rushing defensive eend by Pro Football Focus last season when he had 11 sacks, 12 quarterback hits and 44 hurries. Keith Yandle Panthers Jersey. Oakland has not had a player reach double figures in sacks since Derrick Burgess and Warren Sapp both did it in 2006. "Everyone talks about once you turn 30, its all downhill," Tuck said. "I dont believe in that. I dont look at myself in that regard. I feel like I have a lot of great football left in me." The Raiders have now made three free-agent additions this week, having previously signed right tackle Austin Howard to a five-year, $30 million deal. Running back Darren McFadden also agreed to re-sign with the Raiders on a one-year deal worth up to $4 million. Saffold was expected to be in the mix before the Raiders were scared off because of a shoulder injury and voided the five-year, $42.5 million contract that included $21.5 million in guarantees. Howard and Saffold were supposed to help anchor a rebuilt offensive line but now Oakland still needs to look for a left tackle to replace the departed Jared Veldheer. "We were excited about maybe getting the chance to play together," Howard said. "But thats the way this business works. Hes a tremendous guy, a tremendous athlete. I believe he really would have fit in well here and we would have been really excited to play together. Thats how it goes. Its very unfortunate." Oakland was burned last off-season by the acquisition of two players with existing injuries. Quarterback Matt Flynn was acquired despite a shoulder injury and he lacked arm strength before being released early in the season. Oakland used a first-round pick on cornerback D.J. Hayden, who had a near-fatal heart injury in college. Hayden missed the entire off-season and was limited in training camp because of the injury and struggled his rookie year before a sports hernia injury sidelined him for the season in November. The Raiders could fill the left tackle void with last years second-round pick, Menelik Watson, who played sparingly as a rookie because of injuries, a draft pick or with a second-tier free agent after most of the top available left tackles have signed elsewhere. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '