2022 Spengler Cup: Top 10 former NHLers to watch
Think you know sports? PointsBet Canada is live in Ontario!
It’s back. Finally.
After the past two events were cancelled due to COVID-19, the Spengler Cup makes its long-awaited return to Davos, Switzerland next week. The Spengler is the oldest invitational hockey tournament, featuring hosts HC Davos, a Canadian team made up of players playing mainly in the AHL and Switzerland, and four other teams that get rotated in and out on an annual basis.
This year, Switzerland’s Ambri-Piotta, Czechia’s HC Sparta Praha, Finland’s HIFK and Sweden’s Orebro HK will fill out the six-team group. While the tournament doesn’t typically host a ton of big names in non-NHL lockout years, it;s still a tournament where the players take great pride in participating, and offers fans a chance to see players they likely haven’t followed in a few years.
So, to get you up to speed, here’s a look at 10 former NHLers to watch in Davos. Excluded are players who are currently on NHL deals but playing in the AHL:
Jhonas Enroth, G (Orebro)
Once considered the Buffalo Sabres’ goaltender of the future, Enroth mostly made his mark as a backup, bouncing between Buffalo, Dallas, Los Angeles and Toronto. But his tenure back in his native Sweden has been successful, with Enroth leading the SHL in save percentage (.923) and shutouts (six) en route to winning the league’s top goaltender award. This will be Enroth’s first Spengler Cup, and in comes amid a season that has seen him register a 14-7-0 record and a .908 save percentage as Orebro battles to stay in the top five in the points. At 34, Enroth is still kicking and performing, and he’ll be one of the goalies to watch.
Tyler Ennis, RW (Canada)
At 33, Ennis had some more juice in the can, but he’s having a blast playing in one of the most beautiful countries in the world instead. Ennis was a force during his prime, recording a handful of 40-plus point seasons and bringing speed and skill across the league. He missed the start of the NL season but has been playing at a point-per-game pace with Bern, so expect him to challenge for the scoring lead.
Brett Connolly, RW (Canada)
After struggling to come close to replicating his near-50-point mark in 2018-19, Connolly has had a successful season with HC Lugano this year. Connolly has a point-per-game through 26 games, displaying his skill and impressive wrist shot. Connolly, taken sixth overall by Tampa Bay in 2010, had a tremendous 2012 World Junior Championship appearance with Canada, his last run with Hockey Canada in international competition. While the 6-foot-3 forward struggled in his latter NHL days with Florida and Chicago, who knows what’s in store for his future? He’s 30, playing some decent hockey and a free agent at the end of the season.
Kristian Vesalainen, LW (HIFK)
At one point, Vesalainen – a first-round pick by Winnipeg in 2017 – looked like one of the better European NHL prospects. But after four years with the Jets, where he struggled to remain a full-time fixture, he went back to Europe, where he started the season with Malmo in the SHL while the Jets retained his rights. It didn’t work out in Sweden, and he returned to HIFK, where he has looked more comfortable. He’s been skating on Finland’s second line in recent weeks and should be one of the team’s more prominent scoring options in Davos.
Vladimír Sobotka, C (HC Sparta Praha)
At this point, Sobotka might be most famous for being part of the deal that sent Tage Thompson and Ryan O’Reilly changing homes in 2018. But before that, he had a serviceable career as a middle-six forward that brought energy and toughness to every shift. Nowadays, the 35-year-old is living live with Sparta Praha, where he’s on pace for a respectable, but slightly down offensive season in the Czech league. He enters the tournament fourth in team scoring, and he’ll be one of the team’s top forwards when they head to Switzerland.
Daniel Winnik, C (Canada)
Yes, Daniel Winnik is still in it, with the 37-year-old actually on pace for the best season of his Swiss-based career. He’s looking at a potential 55-point season, which would beat his previous best of 54 set last year, the same season in which he made his Olympic debut with Canada. The long-time NHL forward who spent time in Arizona, Colorado, San Jose, Anaheim, Toronto, Pittsburgh, Washington and Minnesota, won the Spengler in 2019, and his relentless work ethic and team-first attitude has made him a popular figure for the national team over the past few years.
Cody Eakin, C (Canada)
After not inking an NHL deal, Eakin decided to head to Switzerland, where he has made his mark with SCL Tigers. Eakin is one of the more offensively inclined forwards on the team, having broken the 40-point barrier twice in the NHL, but his last few years in Buffalo and Vegas were filled with struggles and injuries. Still, he’s one of the more experienced NHL alums in this tournament with 701 games to his credit.
David Desharnais, C (Canada)
Desharnais’ best days are behind him, but the 36-year-old had quite the career in the NHL. After ripping apart the AHL as an undrafted prospect, Desharnais had 60 points in his first full NHL season and played a big role for years in Montreal. He spent some time in Edmonton and the Big Apple before jetting over for Europe in 2018. Now he’s set for his second Spengler with Canada. He was also a decent energy forward at the 2022 Olympics, but and while he isn’t blowing apart the NL anymore, he’s still a solid player at 36.
Joakim Nordström, C/LW (HC Davos)
For a forward, Nordström’s NHL career lacked any real offensive success, but he did play 444 games over eight games with Chicago, Carolina, Boston and Calgary. This will be the Nordström’s first Spengler Cup after a good first half with Davos, a home that has allowed him to show off his offensive exploits on a more consistent basis.
Michal Řepík, RW (Sparta Praha)
Sparta Praha has a few notable names, including Dominik Simon and Michal Kempny. Both have been dealing with injuries, as has Řepík. He returned to the lineup just before leaving for Davos and should play on the top line. Řepík hasn’t been in the NHL for over a decade, but the 2007 second-round pick played 72 games with Florida from 2008-12. He seemed like a promising player, but he could never stick with the big club and did most of his damage in the AHL. Řepík has carved out a solid European career, highlighted by a pair of Olympic appearances with Czechia.
Other notables: Alex Formenton, LW (Ambri-Piotta), Riley Nash, C (AHL), Josef Korenar, G (Sparta Praha), Iiro Pakarinen, RW (HIFK), Colton Sceviour, RW (Canada)