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When the Dallas Stars drafted center Radek Faksa 13th overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft there were some who said he was close to NHL-level competency right then and there, but a bit of a down season exacerbated by multiple injuries cooled talk on Faksa and his rank among Stars prospects took a dip last year.
At Stars Inside Edge, Mr. Stepneski details Faksa's year and speaks with Les Jackson about his overall development, including this road map to the rest of the young man's summer and fall...
"He'll spend the summer here with us (training), go to Traverse City (for the NHL Prospects Tournament), go to training camp and then go back to Kitchener, which is good because that's where he should be," said Jackson. "He's going to get a lot of ice there, he and the coach have a good relationship and I suspect he will take a big step next year." [Stars Inside Edge]
Also detailed is his time with the Texas Stars to end the 2012-2013 season, where it's said his unfamiliarity with the systems there limited his effectiveness.
Read the whole report by Mark at Stars Inside Edge.
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The mighty Wysh at Puck Daddy names his top-ten goaltenders in the NHL and Kari Lehtonen is not among them, naturally. He is, however, listed in the "snubs" category, and Greg says Kari's only problem is health - So it's still fairly complimentary. [Puck Daddy]
In case you missed it, the Texas Tornado will leave Frisco to become the "Lone Star Brahmas" of North Richland Hills [DMN]
A statistical expert has determined that the Edmonton Oilers were the worst team in hockey last year. The Edmonton Journal discusses, a little defensively. [Edmonton Journal]
Joe Pavelski re-upped in San Jose because he "believes the Sharks can win a Stanley Cup". No details on the time frame his belief covers. Assuming it's when Thornton and Marleau are gone ;) The deal is $6 million per for five years. [Pro Hockey Talk]
SI.com has a "top 12 hockey commercials" list. The "Verizon Maternity Ward" commercial's inclusion invalidates the entire thing. [SI.com]
Kevin Allen at USA Today has 10 predictions for the upcoming season, including that the Jets will be bad and that Sidney Crosby will be good (like put up 125 points good). Bold on one count. Not so much on the other. [USA Today]
Kukla's has the worst of the worst NHL players last year by raw CORSI. The list is dominated by Maple Leafs and Oilers, and also includes Steve Ott. Context is key in using numbers like that, and it's clear the overall quality of the team has a major effect. [Kuklas Korner]