The Sheet Blog: NHL to open office in Zurich – more games in Europe?
An interesting idea from former player agent Anton Thun came in over the weekend – with the NHL looking at adding an extra two games to the regular schedule, why not play them in Europe? Open the season in Stockholm, Helsinki, Prague, Mannheim, etc. with the entire league in action?
Or, if that’s too ambitious, maybe send a different conference every year? Thun believes there are a few different variations one can consider depending on what the NHL and NHLPA believe is important. Moreover, he feels this would allow the northern part of Europe feel a part of and important to the NHL.
I know it sounds like a massive undertaking, but there is major growth potential (and HRR) in Europe but the league has never fully captured it. A couple of games here and there is fun and fine, but if you really want to leave a deep, lasting impact in hockey-mad European cities, this is one way to do it.
The NHL is in the process of opening a new office in Zurich, Switzerland, and staffing is underway (LinkedIn job postings recently popped up). Could we be inching closer to the NHL doing something more significant across the Atlantic Ocean? Opening a new office does least indicate a consistent commitment to games in Europe, international hockey, and a desire to grow the league’s footprint there. Let’s see where it goes.
The latest on OHL expansion
As Elliotte Friedman reported this weekend, the Ontario Hockey League board voted to accept two USHL-based teams into their league – the Youngstown Phantoms and Muskegon Lumberjacks; however, USA Hockey will not approve the transfer.
I don’t believe this development was a surprise to the OHL. We’ll see where this goes now.
The OHL does have confidence in both ownership groups and that’s another thing to consider here – the OHL now has two new potential owners for U.S expansion, Murry Gunty who owns Youngstown and Muskegon’s owner Peter Herms. Interest in bringing these two under the OHL tent is high and even if the Youngstown and Muskegon transfers fail there are other markets the OHL has interest in.
It’s not exactly a secret that all three CHL leagues have plans to expand further into the U.S., and given how the player development landscape has changed, that makes plenty of sense. You can be sure the WHL and QMJHL are paying close attention to how this plays out since a positive outcome aids their expansion plans as well.
Noesen can’t stop
Nice to see New Jersey winger Stefan Noesen score his 15th goal of the season Saturday against the Penguins, a career-best at the age of 31.
Sure, it helps that he’s on one of the hottest lines in the league with Nico Hischier and Timo Meier, who boast some impressive numbers. According to Evolving Hockey, among lines with at least 100 minutes together, this group is second-best in the league in 5-on-5 expected goal share at 70.49 percent. The forechecker, the scorer, and the two-way genius; a great recipe for success. It’s a fun line to watch.
I exchanged texts with one of Noesen’s former teammates over the weekend, who told me his main issue years ago was he either played angrily or was bored, and the mental consistency was lacking. But he’s matured, and in an era where every player coming into the league wants the puck all the time Noesen doesn’t need it a lot to be effective. He’s a crafty player from the top of the circles down.
Askarov the Great
A great performance by San Jose netminder Yaroslav Askarov Saturday afternoon against the Edmonton Oilers. Thirty-nine saves, many of them jaw-droppers. I’ve always maintained it’s too much to ask a goalie to steal a game but every now and then a period is nice. The second was Askarov’s diamond heist, with the Russian netminder stopping all 23 shots he faced (Askarov had some divine intervention help him in the third until Mattias Ekholm tied it with 17 seconds remaining).
The Sharks are flat-out fun to watch this season. Macklin Celebrini does something to turn your head every night and is 35th among players with 300 minutes played in 5-on-5 goals-per-60 with 1.19 (already doing it at an elite rate and against tough competition as a top six guy).
Mikael Granlund is having a career season with 32 points in 34 games at the age of 32. Now, much of it is certainly helped by the other ‘Lunds’ on the line, William Eklund and Fabian Zetterlund, who boast goals above replacement or 3.5 and 3.4, respectively. Eklund, specifically, is becoming an elite passer in the league.
And Jake Walman has us all scratching our heads about that Detroit trade. He’s tied for fourth among defensemen with 300 minutes played in 5-on-5 points per 60 minutes with 1.66 while playing against the top competition every night.
Look, the Sharks lack depth, and there is still more pain ahead, but we’re really starting to see the beginning of something good here.
If you’re a Sharks fan you’re hoping every game is close, but you still lose enough to draft Erie Otters defender Matthew Schaefer.
Programming note – Grey Wyshynski and I will be doing a Christmas Eve edition of MvsW on The Sheet at 3ET on our Daily Faceoff YouTube channel, we’ll see how many ‘nogged up’ people are in the chat. Expect plenty of Emmet Otter references and music. After that, we hit the road as producer Zack Phillips and I head to Ottawa for a few days to do The Sheet from the World Junior Championship.
Also, wishing all our listeners, viewers, and Sheetheads in the chat all the best at this holiday season. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Health and happiness in 2025.