SASKATOON - Kale Kessy hopes to one day provide the grit the

Chiro Rambo Geregistreerd op: 09 Apr 2019 Berichten: 240

SASKATOON - Kale Kessy hopes to one day provide the grit the Edmonton Oilers have been missing from their lineup in recent years. Luke Kunin Jersey .Kessy tried to show what he can do playing left wing for the Oilers in 5-0 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday in pre-season action.He rocked Blackhawks defenceman David Rundblad to the ice in the second period, which drew a lot of cheers from the 10,303 onlookers in attendance at Saskatoons Credit Union Centre, and a couple more crowd-pleasing hits followed from the second-year pro.I just have to play my role, said Kessy. I just have to keep it simple and finish my checks.Kale has had a good training camp, said Oilers coach Dallas Eakins. He is a kid that worked extremely hard this summer on his strength, his conditioning, his speed...He has worked a ton on his skating, and he has come a long, long way, and he has moved himself up the depth chart. We like the way he fights for every shift, and he is just trying to stay another day right now.Scott Darling made 26 saves to earn the shutout in goal for the Blackhawks.Garrett Ross and Teuvo Teravainen scored 54 seconds apart in the second period to give Chicago (2-2) a 3-0 lead. Bryan Bickel scored in the first period, while Andrew Shaw and Kris Versteeg rounded out the scoring for the Blackhawks in the third.Richard Backman made 17 stops in goal for the Oilers (2-2).Kessy knows the Oilers arent looking at him for his offensive ability. Last season, he collected two goals, four assists and 88 penalty minutes playing 54 games with the Oklahoma City Barons in the American Hockey League.The six-foot-three, 212-pound grinder spent most of his four seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Medicine Hat Tigers and often found himself watching because of league discipline. The Tigers traded him to the Vancouver Giants early in the 2012-13 season after he received a 12-game suspension for a head hit he delivered to Lethbridge Hurricanes defenceman Ryan Pilon.It was Kessys seventh suspension of his major junior career, which also turned out to be his last suspension at that level as he found his balance with his physical play.The power forward was later dealt to the Kamloops Blazers during that final major junior campaign, as the Blazers were loading up for a long playoff run.In his overage season, Kessy piled up a 106 penalty minutes in 60 games, which marked the fourth year in a row he eclipsed the century mark for penalty minutes in a season. He also, finally, showed an offensive touch in that season, posting 21 goals and 22 assists.For the moment, Kessy is trying to extend his stay as long as possible with Edmonton. He knows he has to focus on what he can control to convince the teams management to keep him on their NHL roster.It is up to the brass to decide, said Kessy. I just have to go out every day and work hard every day like I can. Everything else will take care of itself. Marcus Foligno Jersey . On Friday night, after a long rain delay, he was scratched from his scheduled start. Jason Zucker Jersey . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers (4) – He had a strong game Sunday; was very good in tight with big saves on Crosby, Malkin and Neal in-crease. http://www.authenticwildpro.com/Joel-eriksson-ek-wild-jersey/ . The Incheon-based tea, of the Korea Baseball Organization said the deal for the 35-year-old Scott included a $50,000 signing bonus. Scott reached the major leagues with Houston in 2005 and hit 23 homers or more for Baltimore each year from 2008-10.SACRAMENTO - Regardless of how the rest of the campaign shakes out, when its all said and done December 8 will be a date that jumps out as a turning point, not only for the Raptors but for Rudy Gay himself. Its been two seasons in one for both parties and neither will look back on the first 18 games fondly. "I think I took the fall for a lot of things," said Gay, reflecting on his short time in Toronto ahead of Wednesdays game against his former club. "But its happened before and itll happen again." Rightly or wrongly, Gay has and will continue to shoulder most of the blame for Torontos 6-12 start, the same way his exodus will be credited for the teams remarkable turnaround. Theres no avoiding it. In Toronto, Gay was the offence, more or less. He was taking more shots than ever before, shooting the lowest percentages of his career and as a result the team was losing. The numbers are pretty conclusive, the Raptors are a better team without him on the roster. However, Gay has also taken off since the trade to Sacramento, which goes to show you that finding the right fit - although its easier said than done - can make a big difference. "I think here theres just more space [in the offence]," said Gay, who is averaging more points and taking fewer shots with the Kings. "Obviously with the kind of season Kyle (Lowry) is having and with DeMar (DeRozan) sometimes it would be a little cluttered out there, especially at the guard position. Here theres just more space for me to do what I do." Gay has shot 50 per cent or better in 17 of his 25 games with the Kings after doing so in one of 18 contests to begin the season in Toronto. Overall, hes hitting 53 per cent of his field goal attempts since the trade, having shot 39 per cent before it. "It just wasnt working up there for whatever reason," said Kings first-year head coach Mike Malone. "But when we made the acquisition we looked at Rudy as a complete player and his whole history, including his years in Memphis and you see how efficient and effective hes been for us." He credits most of that improvement to a system thats more conducive to his style of play, a system that revolves around dominant centre DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins is one of just three NBA players averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds this season. The attention he attracts in the paint has created space for Gay to operate on the perimeter. "You look at Torontos roster and no disrespect to Jonas (Valanciunas) or Amir (Johnson) but they dont have a true low-post presence," Malone said. "When Rudy was in Memphis he had two [frontcourt] guys that he could play with in Marc (Gasol) and Zach (Randolph) and we just thought the idea of putting him on the perimeter with the inside presence of [Cousins] could really allow him to showcase his abilities. Eric Staal Jersey. ." "So it is a fit and guys have to compliment each other and thats what putting together a roster is all about," he continued. "Up there, for whatever reason, DeMar and Rudy on the court maybe wasnt a mesh, maybe [there] wasnt enough shots to go around. Im not sure what it was but all I can tell you is that the games that weve had Rudy hes been a great fit." The marriage between Gay and the Raptors, which lasted less than a full year, was flawed from the outset. He and DeRozan had repetitive skill sets that clashed on the court, restricting Lowry from playing to his strengths and stunting the growth of Valanciunas. Dwane Casey tried his best to fit square pegs into round holes until the inevitable split up freed his team and their most expensive player. The pieces just didnt fit. Though his pre-trade numbers may suggest otherwise, Gay never threw in the towel or lost hope that they would figure it out. "I think we had a chance to be a really good team," he said, two months removed from the deal. "I mean obviously theyre a really good team now but I still dont feel we had a lot of time to build and become a big threat in the East." Without Gay the Raptors have a record of 20-10, third best in the Eastern Conference behind only Indiana and Miami. They have recorded 20 or more assists in 24 of those 30 games, averaging 22.9 per contest, ninth-best over that stretch after ranking last in that category before the trade (averaging 17.3). They have gone from the 19th ranked three-point shooting team (34 per cent) to the fifth best (38 per cent) and find themselves in the top 10 in both offensive (10th) and defensive (fifth) efficiency since Dec. 8. "I think the trade helped both of us," Gay said. "Im here, I have more room and they have a solid bench. [Theres] no hard feelings. I love the fact that those guys are winning." Meanwhile, Gays reprisal hasnt translated to team success in Sacramento, at least not yet. The Kings are 11-19 since the trade, tied for the worst record in the West overall. Theyre last in the NBA in assists since Gays arrival but its been their defence, among the worst in the league, that has held them back more than anything else. Yet with Gay on board, paired with a young core of Cousins and breakout point guard Isaiah Thomas, the Kings are optimistic about the future. They have reason to be. "We couldnt be happier with Rudy and hes shown that hes much more than just a scorer," Malone said. "Hes proven to everybody that he can be a very efficient player so thats been a bonus." ' ' '