SPORT-SCAN DAILY BRIEF NHL 11/21/2020 Arizona Coyotes 1196124 Arizona Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson, back in town, learns from near-trade Buffalo Sabres 1196125 Sabres prospect Jack Quinn's Journey from first cut to first round Colorado Avalanche 1196126 Avs Mailbag: When will top prospect Bo Byram get his NHL call-up? Detroit Red Wings 1196127 Red Wings’ pick Kyle Aucoin aims to follow in NHL father’s footsteps Montreal Canadiens 1196128 Canadiens fan survey, version 2.0: An explosion of offseason optimism New York Islanders 1196129 New Coliseum leaseholder gets break on rent New York Rangers 1196130 An inside look at why the NY Rangers took a chance on fourth-round goalie Dylan Garand Ottawa Senators 1196131 The Ottawa Senators sign second-round pick Egor Sokolov to a three-year entry-level deal 1196132 GARRIOCH: An inside look at Tim Stuetzle reveals he's a young man determined to succeed Pittsburgh Penguins 1196133 Former Penguins forward, coach, executive Ken Schinkel dies at 87 San Jose Sharks 1196134 San Jose Sharks’ president says message about exiting SAP Center “was heard loud and clear” St Louis Blues 1196135 In the heart of Bruins country, Springfield (Mass.) ready to embrace Blues 1196136 Q&A with Jordan Binnington: Justin Bieber shootout, No. 1 fear and Kyle Clifford Tampa Bay Lightning 1196137 Lightning fan survey 2.0: How Nikita Kucherov and Jon Cooper changed perceptions Toronto Maple Leafs 1196138 Mikko Lehtonen was part of Finland’s gold-medal team at the 2019 world hockey championship. 1196139 Losing, boozing and fear of flying: How Rick Vaive lost his Joy for hockey with the Maple Leafs 1196140 Maple Leafs' Lehtonen heading to Toronto after point-a-game pace in KHL 1196141 Maple Leafs prospect report: Updates on Kral, Brazeau and players in KHL Vancouver Canucks 1196146 Nate Schmidt is an elite puck mover. But will his defence help the Canucks? Washington Capitals 1196142 Emily Engel-Natzke’s dad was her ‘biggest fan.’ He died of covid-19 before her hockey triumph. 1196143 Capitals prospect report: What is the NHL potential of the team's prospects? 1196144 Report: Caps and Penguins may play in different divisions 1196145 How Backstrom helped Lundqvist's family adJust to DC Websites 1196147 The Athletic / Inside the lives of five NHL prospects who fled North America for Europe 1196148 Sportsnet.ca / PulJuJarvi's maturation in Finland bodes well for return to Oilers 1196149 Sportsnet.ca / Thoughts on what looks like the plan for a 2020-21 NHL season 1196150 Sportsnet.ca / Former pros Mitchell and Lenes helping propel hockey's skill revolution 1196151 Sportsnet.ca / How positivity carried Jets' Al Pritchard through his battle with cancer 1196152 TSN.CA / Keefe reflects on one year behind Leafs bench SPORT-SCAN, INC. 941-284-4129 1196124 Arizona Coyotes Ekman-Larsson echoed teammates who've expressed their satisfaction with the Coyotes' offseason moves. One new Coyote is a friend of his, center and countryman Johan Larsson. Arizona Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson, back in town, learns "He's a hard-working guy and I think he's underrated a little bit for what from near-trade he does," Ekman-Larsson said. "I would rather have him on my team than playing against him." Jose M. Romero Arizona Republic LOADED: 11.21.2020 A fan holds a sign for Arizona Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman- Larsson (23) against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 19, 2019 in Glendale, Ariz. The Jet lag is dissipating for Arizona Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman- Larsson, back in the desert after spending quality (but socially distant) time with family in his native Sweden, and by Monday he hopes to Join the group of his teammates working out at Gila River Arena. That he is back in town signals the obvious — Ekman-Larsson remains a Coyote, less than two months after trade talks involving him heated up before ultimately going nowhere. "I'm really glad that I'm a Coyote," he said. "That's why I signed my eight years here (contract extension). This is where I want to be and this is where I want to win. I really believe that we can do that if we keep doing the right things. But yeah, with everything going on in the world and this on top of that, the offseason had been really tough. I think I learned a lot, too, from that." Among the lessons the two-time all-star defenseman learned: Thinking of himself a little more, as opposed to his nature of putting others first, isn't a bad thing. "I also get that it's a business side of things, and that's how it works," Ekman-Larsson said. "I hope that's one of the reasons why I'm the captain of this club, because I do think about other people and my teammates. That's something I grew up doing and it's who I am as a person." Hearing his name in trade talk and then being willing to waive his no- move contract clause for two teams, Vancouver and Boston, led to speculation that his relationship with the team and new general manager Bill Armstrong was strained, and that if Ekman-Larsson wasn't dealt, it would be a tense situation between the two. The two did communicate throughout, and in the end there was no offer enticing enough to get Armstrong to make a deal. Ekman-Larsson defended Armstrong, who was hired in mid-September just a couple of weeks before the NHL draft and free agency. "He got in at a tough time, needed to make some decisions and stuff like that," Ekman-Larsson said. "But we've had some good conversations so far and I'm looking forward to getting to know him better. It's been good, but at the same time, it's easier to talk face to face than over the phone or Skype of Facetime. I don't think it's going to be a problem putting that behind, not from me at least. That's all I can talk about." Coyotes center and alternate captain Derek Stepan said a situation like the one Ekman-Larsson faced can be difficult to overcome. But he's spoken with his teammate often, and feels Ekman-Larsson has handled it well. "There's a lot of information that got out that kind of stirred the pot a little bit," Stepan said. "So I do think that the situation is a little bit easier to handle, because Bill and 'O' and Tock (head coach Rick Tocchet), they kind of know how everything unfolded. "'O' is so excited to be here and he loves our group and he's ready to be the leader that he is and be the elite defenseman that he is and just play some hockey," Stepan added. Tingsryd, a small town in southern Sweden, remains home. Ekman- Larsson got to live in his newly built house while there for a couple of months, but his second home is undoubtedly in the Valley. He's been a Coyote for 10 seasons and is only 29 years old, the fourth captain in 24 seasons of Arizona Coyotes hockey. Back in Arizona with seven seasons left on his contract, and out of the cold and rain in Sweden, Ekman-Larsson is getting his COVID tests — he has one more to pass - and is soon to take the ice with the group of teammates already at work. 1196125 Buffalo Sabres “I was always a bad skater when I was younger,” said Quinn. “From there, I think my skating has gotten better every year. It was a weak point in my game and the reason I couldn’t make AAA growing up. I think teams dismissed me because I was a very, very average skater.” Sabres prospect Jack Quinn's Journey from first cut to first round Quinn began to attend weekly power-skating clinics led by Malloy, who deployed the same curriculum used during his time with the Sabres. The two worked together to address Quinn’s propensity to skate upright, a Lance Lysowski Nov 20, 2020 Updated 10 hrs ago common issue among young players that prevents proper acceleration and power. Quinn often attended back-to-back sessions and spent 30 minutes every night performing muscle-memory exercises in his family’s The Sabres chose Jack Quinn with the No. 8 overall pick of the NHL draft basement. The latter was designed to train Quinn to be lower in his in October. skating stride. Jack Quinn can’t recall the exact moment he had enough. Quinn scored 28 goals in that minor-midget season for the Kanata Lasers Under-18, and he was selected in the second round, 39th overall, by the There was the sinking feeling of being among the first cuts during his first 67’s in the OHL draft. Yet, for all Quinn accomplished that season, AAA tryout in maJor pee-wee hockey. Then came the shame of attending questions lingered about his ability to produce at the next level. the same high school as friends who made the AAA bantam team, while Quinn was told he wasn’t a strong enough skater. “Not many people were talking about him during his first year in AAA,” recalled André Tourigny, coach of the 67’s and Canada’s team for world “I knew that I needed to do more,” said Quinn, now 19 and a recent first- juniors. “Quickly he started to rack up points. His hockey sense was round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres. “It was a good lesson for me to unbelievable.