The PuckPedia Hockey Show Episode 40: Quinn Hughes to the New Jersey Devils?! ft. Rachel Herzog

PuckPedia Cap Central 6/10: Larkin Trade Request + McCarron Extension

Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media! X: @PuckPedia  IG: @PuckPedia  Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet Responsibly Theme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The PuckPedia Hockey Show Episode 43: Inside the Ducks' Rebuild & the Future of Hockey Content ft. Alexis Downie

Episode 43 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show features a very special guest, Alexis Downie, host and content producer for the Anaheim Ducks, covering everything from DuckStream to the TV pregame show to in-arena reporting on the jumbotron. We start by diving into Alexis's background: growing up in Youngstown, Ohio as a Pittsburgh Penguins fan, attending Michigan State where she worked with the hockey team all four years, interning with USA Hockey, and spending a pivotal summer at NBC Sports Washington during the year the Capitals won the Stanley Cup (3:00). From there she moved to Chicago, built an NHL digital show at Stadium from the ground up, freelanced for the Chicago Steel, and ultimately landed her role with the Ducks four years ago (5:30). We then talk about the DuckStream platform and Victory Plus, how the Ducks are using their twenty-four-seven audio and streaming network to reach fans both inside and outside the market, and why Alexis believes this model could be the future of sports broadcasting (12:30). We get into what it's like working on the content side of an NHL team, balancing journalistic integrity with being an in-house media member, and how Pat Verbeek and the Ducks organization have given Alexis more free rein than she expected to ask the tough questions (15:30). We then dive into the Ducks' season: their first playoff appearance since 2018, beating the Oilers in the first round four games to two before falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round (18:30). We talk about how young players like Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Beckett Sennecke, Jackson Lacombe, and Lucas Dostal all made huge strides under head coach Joel Quenneville. We get into the Ducks' offseason and the priority of locking up Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier, the UFA situations of Jacob Trouba, Radko Gudas, and Leo Carlsson, and the intrigue around players like Mason McTavish and Dylan Larkin's trade request from Detroit (23:00). We also discuss how NHL players are increasingly trying to control their own destinies, waving no-movement clauses and emulating the NBA model. We wrap up with the Coolbet question of the week: which player surprised Alexis most with their personality and content presence (32:00)? She points to Former Duck Ryan Strome and Leo Carlsson as two standouts from her time with the organization! Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media! X: @PuckPedia  IG: @PuckPedia  Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet Responsibly Theme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

PuckPedia Cap Central 6/4: Silayev ELC + Draft Rights Expiring

For Episode 21 of PuckPedia Cap Central, Keith Kavanaugh and Hart Levine dive into the pressing topics of the NHL salary cap world. They kick things off with the PuckPedia and Nation Network partnership announcement and touch on the Stanley Cup Playoffs with Vegas leading the Final (1:30). Then they get into Anton Silayev's entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils and break down how ELC structures and performance bonuses work under the new CBA (7:00). They move on to performance bonus candidates for the upcoming season, covering the three categories of eligible players and some big names to watch heading into July 1st (10:00). Then they talk about which NHL draft rights are expiring ahead of the Buffalo draft and walk through the rules that determine whether players re-enter the draft or become UFAs (17:30). They wrap up with a walkthrough of the PuckPedia Draft Tracker, the go-to tool for following every pick live in Buffalo (21:30). Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media! X: @PuckPedia  IG: @PuckPedia  Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet Responsibly Theme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The PuckPedia Hockey Show Episode 42: Inside the Mind of an NHL Super Agent ft. Allain Roy

Episode 42 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show features a very special guest, Allain Roy, president and CEO of Roy Sports Group, joining from the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo. We start by honoring the passing of Claude Lemieux, who transitioned from his legendary playing career into the agency world with 4Sports Hockey (2:00). Allain shares his thoughts on what his loss means to the hockey and agency community and the importance of mental health awareness across all levels of the game. Then we get into Allain's background: growing up in French-speaking New Brunswick, leaving home at sixteen for prep school, playing goal at Harvard where he won a national championship in 1989, being drafted by the Winnipeg Jets, and representing Canada at the 1994 Olympics alongside Paul Kariya and Petr Nedved (3:30). After playing overseas in Finland and Austria, Allain found his way back to hockey by purchasing a small agency from Mel Bridgman in 2000, rebranding it as Roy Sports Group in 2015, and has since grown the roster to nearly ninety NHL contracted players and over 250 prospects worldwide. We dive into the current UFA market and how thin it is this offseason, and why higher return expectations from both sides could mean the big trades people are anticipating may not actually happen (9:30). We talk through the Josh Doan deal in detail, how new Buffalo GM Jarmo Kekalainen made it a priority to lock down a core character piece right away, and how the rising salary cap creates a constant tension for players deciding between security now and waiting for a potentially bigger deal down the road (14:00). We get into the Nico Hischier extension situation with the New Jersey Devils and what conversations with a new management group look like when one of the league's best two-way centers is extension-eligible (17:00). We then talk about how NIL and the new NCAA rules have turned player recruitment into the Wild West, and what the potential five-year rule could mean for the pipeline from junior and college hockey into the NHL (20:30). We wrap up with the Coolbet question of the week: what does Roy Sports Group do to differentiate itself from larger agencies like CAA and Newport, and what is the pitch to both up-and-coming players and veterans looking for something different (24:30)? Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media! X: @PuckPedia  IG: @PuckPedia  Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet Responsibly Theme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The PuckPedia Hockey Show Episode 41: The NHL Offseason Is About to Get Wild ft. Steve Werier

Episode 41 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show features a very special recurring guest, Steve Werier, former assistant general manager of the Florida Panthers and a friend of the program. We kick things off with a quick look at the playoff picture (0:00). Steve breaks down what Carolina has built from top to bottom and why it shouldn't surprise anyone, while Colorado's struggles against Vegas are dissected with injuries and the Olympic break both playing a role. Then we pivot to the coaching and management carousel that has dominated the offseason conversation (6:00). Steve gives his perspective on what went wrong in Vancouver and why the front office structure, not just the personnel, was at the heart of their issues, and what new GM Ryan Johnson can do differently. We then discuss the Edmonton Oilers and their precarious situation with the Bruce Cassidy coaching pursuit (20:00), what happens if Vegas doesn't grant permission, and what the window really looks like for a team built around McDavid and Draisaitl. We move on to the New Jersey Devils and their new general manager, the decision to keep Sheldon Keefe behind the bench, and what a healthy roster could look like next season (26:00). Then we get into the Nashville Predators and their long-running GM search, the potential domino effect if Chris McFarland leaves Colorado, and the broader landscape of progressive young hockey operations minds across the league (29:00). We wrap up with the Coolbet question of the week: with a rising salary cap and new analytical minds in front offices, will we finally see offer sheets used aggressively this offseason and which players could be targets (34:00)? Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media! X: @PuckPedia  IG: @PuckPedia  Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet Responsibly Theme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.