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Entries with the tag: Matt+Duchene
Duchene Off To A Slow Start
by Paul on 11/17/09 at 06:51 AM ET
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from Terry Frei of the Denver Post,
Twenty games into his rookie season, the highly touted Duchene is struggling, with two goals and seven assists. But that comes with a huge asterisk: his age. With a handful of exceptions, including one on his own roster, even the most gifted of Duchene’s hockey-playing contemporaries still are in major junior or NCAA hockey — dreaming of an NHL chance that might never come.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Colorado Avalanche | KK Hockey | Permalink
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Foote Opens His Home To Duchene
by Paul on 10/23/09 at 09:37 AM ET
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from Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post,
In his 18th NHL season, Avalanche captain Adam Foote finally brought back a gift from a road trip that really pleased his kids: Avs rookie Matt Duchene, who immediately became the household’s No. 1 scoring threat in mini-sticks hockey.
Hey, this new addition to the family is better than a puppy.
“We adopted one, eh?” said Foote, who recently acquired the prized 18-year-old draft pick to live with two sports-loving young boys whom he and his wife already had at the kitchen table.
How’s it working out so far?
Well, Foote came home after work and discovered his favorite cushy seat had been claimed by a teenager on the very first night Duchene moved in.
“He’s sitting in my spot on the couch, which I wasn’t too happy about,” Foote said with a chuckle. “But we’ll figure it out.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Colorado Avalanche | KK Hockey | Permalink
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Let Duchene Stay
by Paul on 09/23/09 at 08:06 AM ET
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from Adrian Dater of the Denver Post,
Let the kid play.
That’s what I’d do if my name was Joe Sacco or Greg Sherman or Pierre Lacroix or anybody else with decision-making abilities around the Avalanche.
The kid is Matt Duchene, and he should not be allowed to go back to junior hockey this season. The betting line is that Duchene, the third pick in this year’s NHL draft and only 18, will be an Av all season.
But you never know with the Avs. They’ve often taken the cautious path with players, including the return to junior of previous first-round picks Alex Tanguay and Wojtek Wolski.
Those Avs teams were different, however, in that they weren’t relying on younger players as much. They had superstar veterans, so they could take their time.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Colorado Avalanche | KK Hockey | Permalink
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Duchene Signs Entry Level Contract
by Paul on 07/16/09 at 11:29 AM ET
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DENVER – The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that it has signed first-round draft choice Matt Duchene to a three-year, entry-level contract.
“Matt is an integral part of our future,” said Avalanche General Manager Greg Sherman. “He is a very skilled, two-way player with a strong work ethic and great character. We’re excited to have him under contract and look forward to him participating in training camp this fall.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Colorado Avalanche | KK Hockey | Permalink
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Islanders Beat Writer Feels Duchene Will Be Taken #1
by Paul on 06/19/09 at 10:02 AM ET
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from Greg Logan of On the Islanders Beat at Newsday,
I don’t think the Islanders are putting up a smokescreen. I believe their interest in Brampton center Matt Duchene is real. At the beginning of the season, I think he was considered a cut below the top two. But as the season progressed and Duchene combined with Cody Hodgson, last year’s No. 10 pick, to lead Brampton to the Ontario Hockey League finals before losing to Windsor, I sensed the stealth pick might be making a run up a lot of draft boards.
Suddenly, Duchene’s comparables became “Steve Yzerman” and “Joe Sakic.” While the critiques of Tavares focus on his one-dimensional play and less than stellar skating ability, Duchene now is portrayed as the “most complete” player in the draft....
My gut feeling is that the Islanders will pick Matt Duchene and worry about the fallout from the fans later.
Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Islanders | KK Hockey | Permalink
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