UND's Toews Goes Out In Style With NHL's Blackhawks After 16 Seasons

Jonathan Toews (North Dakota) has played his final game for the Chicago Blackhawks. The team captain and three-time Stanley Cup champion, who will not be offered a new contract by the Blackhawks, closed out his Chicago career with a goal in a 5-4 overtime loss to the visiting Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night at the United Center.

A Winnipeg native, Toews, 34, has been plagued by injury and illness the last two years, including COVID, and was limited to 53 games this year in which he tallied 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points. Drafted third overall by Chicago in 2006 following his freshman season at North Dakota, he made his NHL debut in 2007-08 and has spent his entire pro career with the Blackhawks, while also never playing a game in the minor leagues. 

In 1.067 career NHL regular-season games, Toews has tallied 372-511—883 points, to go along with 607 PIM. In 137 career Stanley Cup Playoff contests, he has notched 45-74—119 points and 84 PIM, while captaining Chicago to Stanley Cup titles in 2010, 2013 and 2015. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as NHL playoff MVP in 2010, and has also accumulated a total of six gold medals while representing Canada at the World Junior Championship, the World Championship, the Olympic Winter Games, and the World Cup of Hockey.

Toews played two NCAA seasons at UND, collecting 40-45—85 points and 32 PIM in 76 outings while leading the then-Fighting Sioux to back-to-back NCAA Frozen Four semifinal appearances, following two junior campaigns at Shattuck St. Mary's in Minnesota. It is not known at present if he will retire from playing, or try to continue his hockey career elsewhere.

Philadelphia defenseman Justin Braun (UMass), who skated for the Flyers, San Jose Sharks and New York Rangers in a 13-year NHL career that spanned from 2010 to 2023, definitively played his final NHL game on Thursday night in Chicago, announcing his retirement afterwards. Braun, 36, from Minneapolis, totaled 34-165—199 points and 317 PIM in 842 career NHL regular-season games, and added 3-13—16 points in 119 Stanley Cup Playoff outings. 

Drafted 201st overall by San Jose following his freshman year at UMass, where he helped the Minutemen to an NCAA tournament berth, Braun patrolled the blueline in Amherst from 2006 to 2010. He registered 23-64—87 points and 120 PIM in 150 career NCAA games, after prepping two junior seasons with Green Bay (USHL).

Paul Jerrard 1965-2023

University of Nebraska-Omaha assistant coach Paul Jerrard passed away earlier this week after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 57.

The Winnipeg native played on defense for Lake Superior State University from 1983 to 1987, notching 40 goals and 73 assists for 113 points to go with 199 penalty minutes for the Lakers over four seasons, before embarking on a 10-year professional career that included five NHL appearances, all with the Minnesota North Stars during the 1988-89 campaign.

Drafted 173rd overall by the New York Rangers in 1983 after starring for the Notre Dame (Sask.) Hounds, the 6-foot-1 Jerrard played in the now-defunct International Hockey League with Colorado/Denver, Kalamazoo, Albany, Milwaukee and Fort Wayne, totaling 73-139—212 points and 1,144 PIM in 503 IHL regular-season contests over eight years. He finished his playing career by skating two seasons with Hershey (AHL), helping the Bears to the 1997 Calder Cup championship.

Jerrard immediately entered the coaching ranks, and spent four of his first five years at his alma mater of LSSU. He also coached with Lowell, Hershey, Iowa, Texas and Utica in the AHL, and with Colorado, Dallas and Calgary in the NHL, all as an assistant, before joining Omaha for the 2018-19 NCAA campaign.

He is survived by his wife, Cheryl, and daughters Catherine and Meaghan.

UND's Zajac Skates in 900th NHL Game

Travis Zajac (North Dakota) played in his 900th career NHL regular-season game on Tuesday night as the New Jersey Devils fell to the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-3.

Zajac, 33, has played his entire NHL career with New Jersey, which drafted him 20th overall in 2004. In 900 career outings, he has recorded 180 goals and 316 assists for 496 points, to go along with 304 penalty minutes.

Prior to Tuesday's game, in which he recorded an assist, Zajac had also won over 7,800 faceoffs in his NHL career. A Winnipeg native, he has also posted 11-17—28 points in 57 Stanley Cup Playoff contests, and helped the Devils to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final against eventual NHL champion Los Angeles.

In two seasons with North Dakota, Zajac recorded 38-48—86 points in 91 outings, including 18 power-play goals. He also helped UND to consecutive NCAA Frozen Fours.

Former Hockey East Players Highlighted

Two former Hockey East players recently re-signed with their respective NHL teams, while another will have his jersey number retired next season.

Former NCAA forward Devin Shore (Maine) and goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell) have resigned with the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets, respectively, while Paul Kariya (Maine) will have his number retired by the Anaheim Ducks next season.

Shore played at Maine from 2012 to 2015, where he tallied 34 goals and 70 assists for 104 points for the Black Bears. A native of Ajax, Ont., he was a second-round draft choice of Dallas in 2012, and has compiled 24-41—65 points in all while playing the last two full NHL seasons for the Stars.

Hellebuyck, from Commerce, Mich., played at UML for two years (2013, 2014), and fashioned a 38-12-2 record with a 1.60 goals-against average, .946 save percentage and 12 shutouts in 53 outings. He also backstopped the River Hawks to two NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Frozen Four berth in 2013, and two Hockey East tournament titles. A finalist for the Vezina Trophy this past season as the NHL's best goaltender after fashioning a 44-11-9 record, he has gone 83-41-14 (2.55, .917) in 149 career appearances over the past three NHL campaigns.

Kariya, from Vancouver, became the first freshman to win the Hobey Baker Memorial award as the NCAA's best player in 1992-93 when he tallied 25-75--100 points and also helped Maine to its first-ever national title that year. After skating for the Canadian National Team in the 1994 Olympic Winter Games, he turned pro and went on to record 402-587—989 points in 989 NHL regular-season contests with Anaheim, Colorado, Nashville and St. Louis over 15 seasons before retiring in 2010.

A five-time 30-goal scorer with the Ducks, including a pair of 100-point seasons, Kariya added 16-23—39 points in 46 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, and helped the Ducks to within one win of the Stanley Cup in 2003. A two-time winner of the Lady Byng Trophy for gentlemanly play, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame last year.

Wheeler, Winnipeg Paste Penguins

Blake Wheeler (Minnesota) scored three of his team's five first-period goals, and added an assist as the Winnipeg Jets cruised to a 7-1 win over the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday at the MTS Centre in Manitoba.

Wheeler's goals were his second, third and fourth of the 2017-18 NHL campaign. He tallied a career-high 74 points last season, on 26 goals and 48 assists. Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell) stopped 31 of 32 Pittsburgh shots on Sunday as Winnipeg improved to 5-3-2 overall.

That's All, Folks

Congratulations to the 2011 Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins, who took home hockey's biggest prize for the first time in 39 years with their 4-0 victory in Vancouver in Game 7 on Wedenesday night.

And congrats also to Conn Smythe Trophy winner Tim Thomas (Vermont) and forward Rich Peverley (St. Lawrence) in getting their names inscribed on the Cup - they did both the ECAC and college hockey proud in the playoffs.

Also out on the ice at Rogers Arena following the deciding game clincher on June 15 was Steve Kampfer (Michigan), who played in 38 regular-season games for Boston this winter, while also on the Bruins roster was Matt Bartkowski (Ohio State). Blake Wheeler (Minnesota) and Mark Stuart (Colorado College) also toiled in Beantown this season, but were dispatched by the trade deadline to the Atlanta Thrashers, soon to be the Winnipeg Whatevers.

Now it's on to the NHL Awards, the Entry Draft - and waiting for those 2011-12 college and pro schedules to be finalized ...