In case you didnrsquot know starting Dec

With big bodies like Hayes in the future, winning battles along the boards and better defensive zone coverage will assure that the puck gets out more often than not.One of the questions that all fans have of whichever team they root for is how should the management develop the young players in their system.When you talk about guys like John Tavares, Victor Hedman, and Steven Stamkos, they come straight from the draft and step right into the NHL. Other players that aren’t drafted as high like Hayes usually end up back with their junior team if eligible, college team or down on the farm.Having covered the AHL last year with the Toronto Marlies and if you have followed or watched any AHL games, you know as well as I do that the energy level, speed and roughness of the game isn’t far off from the NHL. Last year Luke Schenn went straight to the NHL and played big minutes, this year he’s seeing less ice-time and hasn’t been great.Now fans and media are wondering if Schenn should have been sent down to the minors instead and been given some more time. Nazim Kadri was sent back to the juniors, though some think he could have stepped right in right away and contributed having been the best player in the preseason.Sometimes the development process doesn’t work as in the case of recently shipped out Jiri Tlusty, who was traded to Carolina for Philippe Paradis a first round 24th overall draft pick still in the minors with Shawinigan of the QMJHL.Tlusty wasn’t a product of Brian Burke’s drafting but of John Fergusson Junior, and now Paradis can be brought along under the watchful eye of the new regime.Toronto fans want to see some youth and with the early season woes I don’t blame them, now they are 6-2-2 in their last ten and are rounding into form.Hopefully the young guys like Bozak, Stalberg, Hayes, and Kadri are handled properly and come out of the system that Toronto’s management believes in with flying colours and eventually become pillars of the Blue and White for years to come.In case you didn’t know, starting Dec. 5 Gabe Morency (formally of The Score ) will be launching his new website. Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter, my B/R counterpart, and I will be throwing down our Podcast “Get The Puck Out ” every Saturday from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. We’ll be giving you our opinion and taking your calls on the hottest topics in the hockey world.The Live Podcast will be broadcast in studio from down town Toronto featuring some betting analysis, fantasy advice, trivia, team/player updates, and more puck talk than you can imagine Be sure to call in and let your opinion be known The inaugural show is set for Dec 12.

Don’t miss it, puckheads! You can catch Morency and “Get The Puck Out” at , the site launches Dec 5. . LONDON, Jan 7 (Reuters) - European shares ended lower,snapping their six day winning streak, as a weak U.S. David Buik, partner at BGC Partners, said: "There are threefactors influencing Europe today. Sentiment haschanged and profit takers have come in," he added U.S. private employers shed 693,000 jobs in December, upsharply from the revised 476,000 jobs lost in November and farmore than economists estimated, a report by a private employmentservice said ID:nL7200802 The U.S.

Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonallyadjusted index of mortgage application activity fell to itslowest reading since December 2000. ID:nN22359627 Energy stocks were the biggest losers on the index as crudeCLc1 fell back 7.6 percent. BP (BP.L) lost 5.8 percent as theoil major was dogged by rumours it told analysts earning wouldbe lower than expected BP denied the rumours. ID:nL7373850 BG Group (BG.L), Royal Dutch Shell (RDSb.L) and Total(TOTF.PA) were down between 4.25-5.1 percent Miners were in the doldrums as metal prices retreated.

Anglo American (AAL.L), BHP Billiton (BLT.L), EurasianNatural Resources (ENRC.L) and Rio Tinto (RIO.L) were down4.9-5.95 percent.(Reporting by Joanne Frearson) (; 44 207 542 2773, ReutersMessaging:) Stocks Global Markets. The season started out as a disaster for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Long losing streaks, terrible play both offensively and defensively, and fans crying out for the team to call up players from the Marlies to add some life to a pathetic looking roster.And as the losing continued and the veterans on the team continued to struggle, fans wondered if the season was lost right from the beginning.But then something strange happened.After a dismal five-game losing streak, and the playoffs looking more out of reach by the day, something clicked within the team and the veterans started to step up their game.The Leafs have won six of their last nine games, including three of their last four, as they find themselves sitting a mere five points out of a playoff spot a blessing, considering where the team has been.So, instead of Brian Burke sticking to his promise of sending struggling players down to the minors to send a stern message, he has been able to watch his players claw their way back to pack, without the help of Leafs future players.In fact, the current members of the team are playing so well, when the Leafs called up Christian Hanson to fill in for an injured John Mitchell, he looked slow and out of place.He was subsequently sent back down after six games, tough luck for him, but a positive for the Leafs, who finally are making it tough for a rookie to bump their way onto the lineup; something that was a rather easy call early in the season.Yes, a large part of the success of the team is thanks to young-gun Phil Kessel, but don't think for a second that he's been the only member of the club who has taken charge.Niklas Hagman, the team's leading scorer with 14 goals, has been scoring threat every time he steps on the ice and is on pace for a career year in goals. His effort was never in question, but now that he has begun capitalizing on his opportunities, he has become quite the offensive weapon.And yes, even Jason Blake, the man who scores on about three percent of his shots, has started to play better, doubling his goal total to a whopping four tallies, but looking like he's found his ability to finish, for now anyway.It doesn't end with the forwards either, because for the most part the veterans on the blue line have looked like the complete opposite from their terrible play at the beginning of the season, forgetting the beat-down in Boston, of course.Francois Beauchemin has been a stud lately, single-handedly responsible for stopping the opposition's superstars at times, as well as being more selective when deciding when to pinch, rather than doing it every time and getting caught out of position.Tomas Kaberle, who has been the team's point-leader since the year began (now with 28 points), has continued his great offensive play, and though his toughness is always in question, there is no one better to quarterback the team or get the puck out of the zone.Ian White, who leads the team with an impressive plus nine, has continually gotten better as the season has progressed. Over the past two weeks especially, he is proving that when his contract runs out at the end of this season, he is deserving of a major pay-raise; something the Leafs should have no problem giving him.Credit must be given to Ron Wilson and the rest of the coaching staff as well, who must have tried everything in the book at season's start to try and get this team to play well, but they stuck with it and persevered and it has paid off.Whatever they have done lately is working, but one thing is for sure; not giving up on their veterans was a wise choice, and one that is paying off now.It is clear that the team is playing well, which is key with six of their next eight games at home, a place they have struggled mightily this season. If they plan on having meaningful games late in the season, these games before Christmas are vital. FORT WORTH, Texas(Business Wire)D.R Horton, Inc.