The 2012 World Hockey Championships are starting to wind down with the quarter-final games all set. Team Canada finished first in the Helsinki group and they will now face Slovakia Thursday.  With Canada finishing first in the group, they can’t face the powerful Russians until the final which is Sunday May 20. The other match ups include: Finland vs. USA, Russia vs. Norway and Sweden vs. Czech Republic.

Four of the five Maple Leafs playing in the tournament have advanced with Mikhail Grabovski and Belarus being the only one to see their ...

There will be one Leafs prospect taking part in the 2012 Memorial Cup as Greg McKegg and the London Knights are OHL Champions. The Knights defeated the Niagara Ice Dogs in five games including winning the final four games of the series. Check out the highlights of the clinching win.

London will now join the Saint John Sea Dogs, Edmonton Oil Kings and the host Shawinigan Cataractes in the tournament which begins May 18. You can watch the entire tournament on Sportsnet. London plays their two round robin games on May ...

This is a big weekend for the CHL playoffs as the final two spots for the Memorial Cup could be determined. Tonight, Leafs prospect Greg McKegg and the London Knights could eliminate the Niagara Ice Dogs in the OHL final. You can watch the game on Sportsnet beginning at 7pm.

In the WHL, the Edmonton Oil Kings defeated Brad Ross and the Portland Winterhawks in Game 5 4-3 Thursday to take a 3-2 series lead. The last three games in the series have all been determined by 4-3 scores. The series ...

Suppose, just suppose, the Leafs had a line on a goalie.

Not a kid, this guy is 25-years-old. He won 40 of 73 games at a big-time US college. Goalie X succeeded everywhere he played. He would test through the ceiling in emotional intelligence.

Your candidate was a Hobey Baker finalist and played a dozen NHL games without incident. Size isn’t a problem; he is six-foot-two. Did I mention he was the best goalie in the American League this season?

Oh, yes. He’s 7-1 in the post-season with a .944 save percentage.

Ladies and ...

The CHL playoffs are nearing a close in all three leagues with Leafs prospect Greg McKegg and the London Knights in the OHL a win away from a berth in the 2012 Memorial Cup in Shawinigan, Quebec.

The Knights defeated Niagara 4-1 Wednesday despite being outshot 37-21. Check out the highlights.

McKegg was held off the scoresheet for the second consecutive game. He has just two points in the series so far and 11 total in 14 playoff games. The Knights can wrap up the series at home Friday (7:00 pm Sportsnet).

In the WHL, ...

There’s a saying in journalism: you don’t pull for the team, you pull for the story.

Sometimes, more often than you think, you pull for the guy.

So it is with former Leaf John Mitchell, whose faceoff win  led to the Rangers game-winning goal in Game 5 of their playoff with Washington.

You’d have to go a long way to find a kinder guy than John Mitchell, a kid from Oakville so universally liked that anyone who so much as walked by him would wish him well.

You might however find one in the ...

Twenty-one-year-old Nazem Kadri is a Marlie with 50 games of NHL experience.

They are an odd group, your Toronto Marlies.

They are young but play like veterans. The Marlies have won five of six American Hockey League playoff games.

Nazem Kadri is 21 years old. He has played 50 NHL games.

Jake Gardiner turns 22 on July 4th. He played 75 Leafs games this season.

Matt Frattin is 24. He played 57 NHL games and has scored 18 goals in 29 Marlie playoff and regular season games.

“We feel a part of something big,” said ...

It was a good night for Leafs prospect Greg McKegg and the London Knights as they took a 2-1 series lead over the Niagara Ice Dogs. McKegg was held scoreless but he was on the ice for the Knights opening goal. Check out the higlights of the game

The Leafs third round choice in 2010, McKegg has posted two points with a +2 rating in the series so far. For the playoffs, the St. Thomas, Ontario native has 11 points in 13 games.

Tuesday is a quiet day at the World Championships ...

It was a winning weekend for both Brad Ross and Greg McKegg as their junior teams rebounded from Game 1 losses.

McKegg and the London Knights evened the series with a 5-3 Game 2 win. McKegg recorded an assist and was a plus one giving him two points in the first two games of the series. He was injured during the last round but he has produced at just less than a point a game pace as he has 11 points in 12 playoff games this year. The two teams are ...

The 2012 World Hockey Championships in Finland/Sweden began Friday with five Maple Leafs set to represent their countries.

The players we will keep an eye on for you are Dion Phaneuf (Canada), Luke Schenn (Canada), Joey Crabb (USA), Mikhail Grabovski (Belarus) and Nikolai Kulemin (Russia).

Two players (Phaneuf and Grabovski) will be alternate captains for their countries.

For the first time fans will be able to stream every game from the tournament on their computer through Youtube. Check it out here 

Thursday saw the start of the respective OHL and WHL finals as two Leafs ...