offtopic » Warren Foegele carried his Charlotte

Checkers bag out of the visiting locker room and insisted he hadn’t yet earned an upgrade.Foegele needs a new bag now because he beat the odds and made the Carolina Hurricanes‘ opening night roster with an impressive preseason. Only reigning Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid and last year’s rookie of the year Mathew Barzal had more preseason assists than Foegele Boston Bruins Hoodies Authentic , the top surprise player to make an NHL team out of training camp.“I just came to camp, just put my head down and tried to work hard and tried to make good plays,” Foegele said. “I’m a hard-working player and I think I can fit anywhere in the lineup. I think I can grind, I think I can make plays, but I think the work ethic is what I really take a lot of pride in and that’s what I try to show.”With seven points in eight preseason games — only nine players around the league had more — Foegele beat out other forwards on one-way contracts to make Carolina’s roster. He’s a Rod Brind’Amour kind of player because the coach said Foegele is always around the play and “even if he doesn’t produce points or whatever, you just feel like he wins his shifts.”Foegele was at his best against the defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals when he forced turnovers and set up a pair of goals. The late-blooming 22-year-old who went from the University of New Hampshire to the Ontario Hockey League to the American Hockey League doesn’t stand out with his skill but can do a little bit of everything.“He really can skate and also he can score some goals,” Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho said. “He’s not just a grinder. I think he can really make some plays, too.”Foegele will get that chance this season.Here are some other players who surprised by making NHL season-opening rosters:MIKHAIL VOROBYEV, FLYERSThe 6-foot-2, 194-pound Russian center didn’t just challenge for a spot with Philadelphia. General manager Ron Hextall said the 2015 fourth-round pick broke down the door and forced the organization’s hand.Vorobyev led the Flyers with seven preseason points and has stood out since Day One of training camp.“It’s what you’re looking for with your young players: Come in and make an impact, and he did Boston Bruins Hats Authentic ,” Hextall said. “He’s a real good two-way player. He’s not a young guy that you’re afraid to put him out there because of the defensive side of the puck.”MATHIEU JOSEPH, LIGHTNINGAn injury to forward Tyler Johnson opened up a role for Joseph on Tampa Bay’s third line and second power-play unit. Joseph’s quickness is his most noticeable attribute, and he made the Lighting in large part because he led them in preseason scoring with eight points on four goals and four assists.“Speed is probably the big thing,” coach Jon Cooper told reporters Monday. “What we really liked in the preseason: He was finishing a lot.”DILLON DUBE, FLAMESIt would have been very easy for Calgary to keep Curtis Lazar, but GM Brad Treliving knew Dube would play for the Flames someday. The 20-year-old made sure it was now.Dube had four goals in the preseason and could open the season on the third line with Derek Ryan and free agent signing James Neal, giving him an opportunity to put up plenty of points when the games count.JESPERI KOTKANIEMI, CANADIENSIt’s no surprise the top two picks from June’s draft, Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and Carolina forward Andrei Svechnikov, are in the NHL right away. So maybe it shouldn’t be a shock about Kotkaniemi, but Montreal seemed to take him third as a long-range investment.Instead Custom Boston Bruins Jerseys , the Finnish center was one of the Canadiens‘ best players in exhibition action and never looked out of place. In an organization short on big centers, Kotkaniemi is a welcome addition right away. OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — It was a night of firsts for the Washington Capitals on Saturday.Tom Wilson scored, Tyler Lewington and Madison Bowey each got their first career goals and the Capitals beat the short-handed Ottawa Senators 3-2.Lewington and Bowey are the first Capitals defensemen to get their first goals in the same game. Lewington also had a Gordie Howe hat trick with an assist and a fight against Zack Smith in his second NHL game.“The first game I was definitely nervous, and this game I was still a little nervous but the guys have been great making me feel comfortable,” Lewington said. “I wasn’t really thinking of (the Gordie Howe hat trick). It just kind of happened, but it’s kind of cool. I’ve only had one other one back in junior. I don’t know if I’ll ever get another one.”The Capitals have won four straight, and the Senators have dropped four in a row. Pheonix Copley made 31 saves for Washington.The Senators were without top defenseman Thomas Chabot and fellow blue-liner Christian Jaros following injuries Friday in a 6-3 loss to the New York Islanders. Jaros broke a finger, and Chabot was placed on injured reserve with an upper body injury following a hit from Islanders forward Matt Murray in the second period. Both players are expected to miss 3 to 4 weeks.The Senators had goaltender Marcus Hogberg making his first NHL appearance. Hogberg made 21 saves, and Colin White and Mark Stone scored for the Senators, who are last in the Eastern Conference.“It was as tough … for him coming in but he gave us a chance www.officialsabres.com , and we had a chance to the very end so he did his job,” Senators coach Guy Boucher said of Hogberg.Stone scored at 16:30 of the third period, creating a white-knuckle finish.“The boys played really well in front of me and helped me see some pucks and it’s nice to have it done,” said Hogberg, who has split time between the AHL and ECHL the past two seasons.Lewington assisted on the game’s opening goal by Wilson at 7:12 of the first period for the first point of his career and whistled a shot past Hogberg at 16:00 for his first NHL goal.Late in the second period, he got his first fighting major in a bout with Smith.Bowey gave the Capitals a 3-0 lead just 61 seconds into the second period when he skated in from the point and beat Hogberg with a shot from the top of the faceoff circle.“I’m happy it went in, obviously. It’s been a long time and it definitely felt great. It turned out to be a big goal for us and I’m happy we got the two points,” Bowey said. “To see (Lewington) score and get the Gordie Howe hat trick is really special.”The Senators got one back when White was credited with a goal at 4:22 of the second after a Washington challenge for goaltender interference was dismissed.Senators rookie Brady Tkachuk earned an assist on that goal but just 33 seconds later was knocked to the ice by a hit to the head from Bowey. Tkachuk immediately jumped to his feet and received an instigator minor, fighting major and misconduct for going after Bowey. He drew a loud cheer from the home crowd when he left the penalty box three minutes into the third.NOTES: The Capitals have won the past four meetings between the two teams. … Saturday was the second of three meetings between teams this season. The Capitals were 4-0 winners in Ottawa on Dec. 22 and they meet again in Washington on Feb. 26. … The Senators recalled Ds Stefan Elliott and Christian Wolanin from Belleville of the AHL on Saturday.UP NEXTCapitals: Host Nashville on Monday.Senators: Play at Columbus on Monday night.