SAN JOSE—Adam Helewka was born and raised in Burnaby, British Columbia, just outside of Vancouver. He spent his youth hockey years in both cities (mostly the former), up until grade 10 where he played for a boarding school in Saskatchewan called Notre Dame. When he reached grade 12, Helewka left home for the first time to play for the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL, with whom he would spend four years.
In his third season with Spokane, Helewka notched 40 goals and 43 assists for a total of 87 points. This has been his greatest accomplishment to date.
During Helewka’s final season in the WHL, he was drafted by San Jose in the 4th round (106th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft.
One of the most significant things Helewka has learned since joining the professional hockey leagues has been, he says, accountability. He discovered the importance of self care and maintaining good overall health.
Helewka, 22, devoted is summer to getting healthier. He focused on cardiovascular training while making substantial dietary changes, emphasizing real food and the consumption of carbohydrates only as needed (post-workout). At the beginning of the season, Helewka noted that these lifestyle shifts yielded great results; he felt far more energized and much stronger than before.
“I feel like I am a completely different player,” Helewka said in a post-game interview on October 18. “It helped me get in better shape and become a lot faster.”
So far this season, Helewka has demonstrated said speed both physically and mentally. The latter is mostly represented by his solid hand-eye coordination and quick decision making skills on the ice. Physically, he is great at making smooth passes which lead to goals (or, simply put, providing assists) and taking care of the defensive zone, exemplifying a two-way playing style.
“Right from when I got drafted, [it has been] a dream come true. [San Jose] is a great franchise, all the way from the general manager down to the equipment trainers. Great people, great staff, it’s been very fun so far.”
Helewka was a staunch follower of the Detroit Red Wings growing up and garnered much of his inspiration from center Pavel Datsyuk, a 14-year NHL veteran.
Another random fact: Helewka’s favorite movie is Stepbrothers. Back home, he and his friends enjoy quoting humorous movies.
SAN JOSE—Antoine Bibeau grew up in Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada. Most children around him began playing hockey at a very early age, in which he took part. One of his greatest influences growing up was former Montreal Canadiens (Bibeau’s favorite team as a child) and Colorado Avalanche goaltender Patrick Roy, who won a Stanley Cup with Colorado in 1996 and 2001, during Bibeau’s single-digit age years.
The 23 year-old goaltender stands at 6 feet 3 inches and weighs 213 pounds. His maternal great-uncle played as a goaltender for the Quebec Nordiques of the NHL, who, he believes, served as another net minding inspiration for him.
Beginning in 2009, Bibeau played five seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for the Trois-Rivières Draveurs, Lewiston MAINEiacs, Prince Edward Island Rockets, Charlottetown Islanders, and the Val d’Or Foreurs. It was not until he arrived in Prince Edward Island that he learned to speak English (his native language is French).
“It was pretty bad,” Bibeau said of his English-speaking skills at the time. Thankfully, with the help of his girlfriend and hockey coaches (who were always giving commands in English), Bibeau picked up the language thoroughly.
In 2014, Bibeau helped the Val-d’Or Foreurs advance to the QMJHL championship, where they won the President’s Cup. Following the 2013-2014 season, he was awarded the Guy Lafleur Trophy as the QMJHL Most Valuable Player and the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as the Memorial Cup’s Most Outstanding Goaltender. Bibeau was also admitted to the CHL Memorial Cup All-Star team.
Bibeau was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs 172nd overall in 2013. The following year, he began playing for their American Hockey League affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. In 32 games with the Marlies in 2016-2017, he notched a 13-14-5 record, a .894 save percentage, a 3.08 GAA, and three shutouts, for which he tied 12th amongst all AHL goalies. Since the start of his AHL career in 2014, he has attained a 56-33-11 record, a .906 save percentage, a 2.79 GAA, and 10 shutouts.
He was called up to two Maple Leafs games during the 2016-2017 season, making his NHL debut on December 11, 2016. In these two games, he cultivated a 1-1-0 record, a .927 save percentage, and a 1.99 goals against average (GAA). Bibeau described his NHL appearances with Toronto as one of the milestones of his net minding career, from major junior all the way up to the pros.
San Jose signed Bibeau to a one-year deal when the free agency market opened on July 1, 2017. Like many non locals, Bibeau has been enjoying the sunny Bay Area weather since his arrival just before the start of the preseason.
SAN JOSE—Growing up in a family of hockey players, one would have expected Nick DeSimone to take up the sport at some point. After years of being influenced by his father, a former player, and watching his older brother, Phil, on the ice, DeSimone decided to follow along. His parents supported his then-new found love.
The 6 feet 2 inch, 195-pound defenseman, 22, hails from East Amherst, New York and was a staunch supporter of the Buffalo Sabres growing up. He played three years of college hockey at Union College in Schenectady, New York, which, he noted, was a dream come true for him prior to signing with San Jose; the latter feat, he says, has been greatest milestone in his athletic career thus far.
Before his collegiate-level stint, DeSimone spent one year with the Connecticut Oilers (EJHL) and one with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres (OJHL), the latter in which he put up 51 points in 52 games (how’s that for a solid season of two-way plays?).
Since entering the professional leagues, DeSimone says he has learned to “be smarter” on the ice.
“It’s kind of a chess match,” he describes. “College was more of a run-and-gun, pros are more strategic.”
Today, DeSimone credits notable NHL defensemen Brent Burns, Drew Doughty, and Erik Karlsson as his primary influences; all three have been awarded the James Norris Memorial Trophy.
DeSimone is one of the top AHL prospects for the Sharks. He has yet to make his NHL debut, though he was called up to one Sharks preseason game against Anaheim. From September’s Prospect Showcase to the present, he has showed some solid two-way skills, though as the season progresses his chances of earning a spot on the Sharks roster will become more detectable.
Off the ice, DeSimone, like most East Coast natives who relocate to California, is enjoying the sunny, snow-free weather of the Bay Area.
commentators Charlie O. Mallonee and Vasu Vaddiparty
Your Quarterback just went under the knife and now you need a new QB – who should you choose?
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Are there any Tight Ends out there that worth grabbing for this weekend?
Need a defense? Vasu has some suggestions!
Fantasy Football Emergency is here to help you salvage your season and get you into the playoffs!
SAN JOSE—The Barracuda came back from two consecutive losses (on October 13 and 14) tonight after a 5-2 win against the Stockton Heat, their second victory over the team this season.
Stockton forward Andrew Mangiapane scored the first goal of the game, almost 18 minutes into the first period. San Jose’s Brandon Mashinter retaliated by scoring less than two minutes later with only 22 seconds remaining.
Mashinter, left winger and AHL veteran, was paired on the offensive line with center John McCarthy and right winger Filip Sandberg, who scored the final goal of the game with just under four minutes remaining. Mashinter provided an assist for Sandberg’s goal.
“You could see today [Mashinter had] a lot of great plays,” Sandberg said after the match. “This was the first game I played with him, but I thought it was really fun. [There was] a lot of hard work out there. On [my] goal, we had a good forward check and he gave it to me, and I just shot it into the goal. “[Mashinter is] a really nice player to have on your team.”
McCarthy, another AHL veteran, added that the trio’s confidence built as the game progressed.
Forwards Danny O’Regan, Adam Helewka, and Rudolfs Balcers played in harmony as O’Regan notched two goals (he now has a total of four between both games against Stockton this year). Helewka and Balcers assisted each one.
“I feel more confident,” Helewka said. “Playing with Danny O’Regan always helps, he is a great player. [O’Regan and Balcers] are two highly skilled players; they find you in open ice.”
O’Regan referred to his two goals as “beneficiary” plays from Helewka and Balcers (an AHL first-timer).
“[Helewka] is very creative, a creative guy and skilled,” O’Regan said. “I like the way he plays; I played with him a lot last year and I think we go well together.”
The Barracuda got swooped by the Grand Rapids Griffins 7-4 in the home opener, and Stockton had beat them 4-0 prior to tonight’s match. This feat seemingly had Coach Roy Sommer thinking about how the evening would end.
“I knew we had to play better than we did over the weekend,” Sommer said. “We’re still not there yet, we still have a lot to do on our own end; it is not where it should be. Look at the two goals [Stockton] scored, point blankers. I don’t think we gave them two of those all year [last season], so we’ve got to get better on our own end… we’re leaving on a good note.”
Ben DuBose of Sports Talk 790 Houston and Locked on Rockets Podcast previews the Houston Rockets for Kings fans.
CP3 moves past Curry Photo: USA Today
How are James Harden and Chris Paul working out as a backcourt team so far in the preseason?
With Harden and CP3 on the floor together does that change the pace of play for the Rockets?
How does local favorite Ryan Anderson look so far in the preseason?
Now that the roster is set – are there any surprises?
Is there any worry about a let down on Wednesday in Sacramento after the hype and energy that will be expended in the Bay Area versus the Golden State Warriors?
Get the insiders view of the Kings first opponent of the 2017-18 season in just 20 minutes of fast paced questions and answers. Be ready for opening night by knowing more about the Rockets and what to watch for as they play the Kings.
Sports fans the story should be the game in Oakland and the loss by the Kings to the Warriors, but this reporter has to ask why was the game shown in the Bay Area and not in Sacramento and the Valley? Frankly this this reporter is still scratching his head trying to figure out why the rabid Kings fans were not able to watch their team take on the best team in the NBA even if it was a preseason game.
The majority of Kings fans will not be able to see the Warriors play their beloved Kings in person this season. They would love to see their team in action against the NBA’s best anytime they have the opportunity to see it happen. So why did Bay Area fans have the opportunity to watch the game while Sacramento fans had to depend on the radio broadcast and internet feeds? There really is not a logical answer. One would think advertisers would have been thrilled to support a broadcast that featured the Kings versus the NBA’s best.
The Kings held their own in this game
Sacramento trailed just 54-51 at halftime. They were still hanging in there trailing by just three – 84-81 at the end of three quarters. Ultimately, the Warriors were just too strong coming down the stretch as they outscored the Kings 33-25 in the final frame to take the game 117-106.
This game featured 12 lead changes and was tied seven times. The longest point run was a 7-0 run.
Top scorers
David Stockton – who was just added to the Kings roster – was their leading scorer with 23 points. Stephen Curry led the Warriors in scoring with 18 points in just a little over 18 minutes of playing time.
Top rebounders
The Warriors Jordan Bell was the leading rebounder in the game with 11. Skal Labissiere was the Kings top man off the glass grabbing eight rebounds.
Assists leaders
David Stockton of Sacramento was the games top assists leader with eight. Klay Thompson was the man for Golden State dishing out six dimes.
Team stats
The Warriors outrebounded the Kings 47-40. Golden State grabbed 21 offensive rebounds to Sacramento’s 13. The Kings controlled the defensive boards 27-26.
GSW dished 34 dimes to the Kings 27.
The Kings made six steals to the Warriors four thefts.
Golden State blocked four shots while Sacramento blocked just two shots.
The Kings turned the ball over 16 times while the Warriors turned it over just 12 times.
3-point shooting: Sacramento 10-for-22 45.5-percent; Golden State 15-for-33 45.5-percent.
Remember this was a preseason game
No matter how exciting this game was fans cannot forget this was a preseason game. It was in no way representative of what a regular season game between these two teams will be like. That is not to say the regular season games will not be competitive and exciting, but they will be different than the game on Friday night.
The countdown to the regular season is on
The regular season will begin on Wednesday when the Houston Rockets visit the Golden 1 Center to take on the Kings in game one of the 2017-18 season for Sacramento.
Jed Lowrie loads up to hit a two-run double Photo Jordan Chapin Sports Radio Service
by Charlie O. Mallonee and Jordan Chapin
Oakland – The Athletics have now won seven games in a row after sweeping a three-game series from the Wild Card contending Texas Rangers. The A’s completed the sweep with an 8-1 win on Sunday in front of 18,706 fans at the Coliseum on “Hecho en Oakland” Day.
This was also the second consecutive series sweep for the Athletics who took a three-game series from the Tigers in Detroit to wrap up a nine-game road trip. Oakland has now won seven consecutive games. That is their longest winning streak of the season.
The Athletics (72-83) have won 14 games in September – the most in any month this year.
Warning!
Many experts will tell you not to fall in love with “September baseball”. There is some great wisdom in that statement. Rosters have been expanded. Players may be playing over their heads as they try to impress the front offices. Some veterans are just going through the motions. It is not a true barometer of what is going to happen in the future.
In the case of the Athletics, two very important things have happened in September that are worth noting for the future:
This young Oakland roster has learned to win on the road. The A’s have been tough at home all season but have been terrible away from the Coliseum. This newly constituted roster of “young guns” has taken on the challenge from Bob Melvin and learned how to win on the road. That is a lesson that can carry over into April of next year.
The Athletics also became a team that plays their division opponents tough. The A’s swept a four-game series from the Astros in September. Now they have swept the Rangers. Taking care of business with the teams in your division is the key to becoming competitive and moving toward becoming a playoff contender.
Pitching was a real key for the A’s
Jharel Cotton started the game for Oakland. He had to be scratched from his scheduled started start in Detroit due a strained groin. He showed no signs of having any problems with that issue during the game on Sunday.
Cotton threw his fastball at speeds of up to 95 mph and then would stop-down the change-up by as much as 15 mph. The Rangers hitters were just completely off-balance.
Cotton worked 5.0 – innings allowing no runs on just one hit. He walked one Texas batter while striking out six. Cotton threw 77 pitches (51 strikes).
Cotton set the side down in order in the third, fourth and fifth innings.
After the game, Cotton had nothing but compliments for the way his teammates played in the game.
Cotton is now 9-10 on the season and has the most wins for any rookie pitcher in the American League.
It was revealed after the game that Cotton experienced some tightness in his throwing elbow and that is why he did not continue after the fifth inning. He appeared to be fine in the clubhouse after the game.
Oakland exploded for five runs in the fifth, two in the sixth and added one in the eighth
The Athletics insured the win for Cotton by posting five runs off Texas starter Martin Perez (12-12) in the home half of the fifth inning. Catcher Josh Phegley led the inning off with a base hit and eventually eight batters would come to the plate.
The big hit of the inning came off the bat of Khris – yes you can call me “Krush” – Davis who hit his 41st home run of the year off Perez. It was a two-run shot that hit off the concrete wall just under the windows of the suites in straightaway center field.
Khris Davis at the plate against the Rangers Photo by Jordan Chapin Sports Radio Service
Athletics in the batter’s box
As a team: 8 runs on 10 hits, six men left on base, 5-for-13 with Runners In Scoring Position
Phegley 2-for-3 with a double (11) and an RBI (10)
Chapman 2-for-5 including two doubles (21) and two RBI (36)
Khris Davis also recorded his 105th RBI
Oakland relief pitching
The relievers did not have a perfect outing as all four were not able to post “Goose Eggs” in the run column. Simon Castro – who worked 1.2-innings of relief – did give up one run on a solo home run to Normar Mazara (20). That was the only run the Rangers would score.
Daniel Coulombe, Santiago Casilla and Liam Hendriks combined to work 2.1-innings of scoreless relief for the A’s and preserve the victory.
A’s manager Bob Melvin was pleased with his team after the game
Melvin also spoke about team goals, the health of Matt Olson and Bruce Maxwell’s kneeling.
Melvin talked about group goals for his team. Updated the health of Matt Olson. He also talked about Bruce Maxwell & his kneeling.#Athleticspic.twitter.com/Fo8lTMGpjt
There has not been much mention of the Rangers in this article because for all intensive purposes their season came to an end today. They came into this weekend series still contending for a potential spot as a Wild Card team in the American League Playoffs. After the loss on Sunday, the Rangers are 5.5 games behind the Twins for the second Wild Card slot with seven games remaining to play.
The Rangers final seven games are all home games. They have a three-game series with the Astros that begins on Monday and a four-game series with the A’s that begins on Thursday.
The Twins are on a four-game winning streak.
Up next
The A’s begin their final three-game home series of the season on Monday night with Seattle Mariners. RHP Daniel Gossett (4-9,5.38) will start for Oakland while Seattle will send “King” Felix Hernandez (5-5,4.57) to the hill.
Los Angeles Angels’ Danny Espinosa (3) celebrates with Jefry Marte (19) after hitting a three-run home run off Oakland Athletics’ Ryan Dull during the ninth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, April 4, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
By Matt Harrington
The Oakland Athletics dropped a 7-6 decision to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in game two of a four-game series Tuesday.
The A’s scored the first run of the game as Ryon Healy homered on a fly ball to center in the bottom of the first inning.
The Angels answered with three runs in the top of the second inning. Martin Maldonado hit a two-run single to Matt Joyce. Both Jefry Marte and Cameron Maybin scored on Maldonado’s single. Yunel Escobar followed with a single on a sharp ground ball, scoring Andrelton Simmons.
“It was unbelievable,” Matt Shoemaker told MLB.com when asked about Maldonado’s laser throw. “When he threw out Davis, I just crouched down and heard ‘Whoosh!’ That’s nice to have.”
Jed Lowrie made it a one-run game in the bottom of the second inning. He homered on a line drive to right center.
Fast forward to the top of the fifth inning when Mike Trout extended the Angels’ lead to 4-2 with an RBI triple to Khris Davis, scoring Kole Calhoun.
The A’s made it a one-run game once again in the bottom of the seventh inning. Yonder Alonso singled on a sharp ground ball to Calhoun, scoring Lowrie. The A’s then took a 6-4 lead when Rajai Davis tripled to outfielder Danny Espinosa, which was deflected by Marte. Davis, Alonso and Marcus Semien all scored on Espinosa’s throwing error.
However, the A’s lead was short-lived. In the top of the ninth inning, Espinosa homered on a fly ball to right center, scoring Marte and Andrelton Simmons. The A’s comeback fell short as the Angels took game two with a 7-6 win. Shoemaker settled for a no-decision in his first start since taking a liner to his head on Sept. 4. The 30-year-old held the A’s to two runs in five innings.
A’s left-hander Sean Manaea allowed four runs on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts over six innings.
Notes
Lowrie fell a triple short of the cycle. He’s 5-for-8 in this series. He almost got his fourth hit in the eighth inning, but Calhoun robbed him with an outstanding diving catch, covering 57 feet in 3.9 seconds.
A’s manager told MLB.com: “He (Jed Lowrie) had a great night…That last one, if it gets by him, he’s probably got himself a cycle. Calhoun made a great play, and those are the type of plays that show up in a game like that when it ends up being a one-run game.”
Up Next
Both teams face each other again in Game 3 Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. on NCSA and FSW.
Angels right-hander Garrett Richards will start. Richards missed most of 2016 after being diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament. However, he received an injection of his stem cells in his damaged elbow to avoid Tommy John surgery.
A’sright-hander Jharel Cotton will appear on the mound. Cotton will make his sixth career start. He went 2-0 with a 2.15 ERA and .185 opponents average in five starts with the A’s last September.
“48” – that is the most import number the Sacramento Kings have to drill into their minds right now. They need to learn that a NBA basketball last for 48 minutes and that means as a team the Kings need to play hard for 48 minutes.
The Kings did not play hard for all 48 minutes in the game at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday night and Sacramento lost to the Knicks 106-98. This was an unusual game in the sense it was lost in the first half and almost redeemed in the second half, but that is exactly how so many games in the NBA are lost.
Shots would not fall for the Kings in the first half
The Kings shot just 28.6-percent (14-49) in the first half. The term is often used that “the basket had a lid on it”. Well in the first of the game on Sunday for Sacramento, the basket had a lid on it. The Kings were not taking bad shots . The Knicks were not playing great defense. Literally, the ball would not fall through the hoop. The Kings went 9-for-26 in the paint.
The Knicks did not shoot the lights out of the Garden. They shot 42.3-percent (22-for-52) in the first half of the game. New York shot just 36.7-percent in the first quarter.
As the teams headed to the locker rooms at the half, the Kings were lucky to trailing by just 14 points, 55-41.
The Kings came alive in the third quarter
Carmelo Anthony and Rudy Gay photo: NBAE
The third quarter began like the second quarter ended. The Knicks kept pouring it on behind the scoring of Porzingis and Anthony and opened up a 20-point lead with 7:59 left to play in the period. At that point, the Kings began to turn the game around.
Starting with a Rudy Gay 25-foot 3-point basket at the 7:02 mark, the Kings began to cut into the Knicks lead. Led by Cousins’ 11 points and Gay’s 10 points the Kings cut the New York lead to one point with 48-seconds remaining in the quarter. At the end of three quarters, New York led the game 81-77.
The Kings came close in the fourth quarter but could not close the deal
The Knicks behind the play of Prozingis opened the lead back up to eight points. Cousins kept the Kings close and Sacramento cut the New York lead down to two points with help of strong play from Gay, Collison and Cauley-Stein.
Carmelo Anthony and Brandon Jennings took over from there adding to the Knicks lead and the Kings were unable to respond. Sacramento had spent so much energy working their way back into the game – they did not have enough left in the tank to fight back overcome the Knicks lead.
The Knicks won the game 106-98.
Cousins was the star of the game again for Sacramento (7-13)
The big center recorded his 10th double-double with 36 points and 12 rebounds. He also had four assists and three blocked shots. Cousins was 9-for-30 shooting from the field
Rudy Gay scored 22 points shooting 7-for-18 and grabbing nine rebounds
Darren Collison put up 13 points and dished out six assists
Kosta Koufos scored only two points but he pulled down 11 rebounds that included five offensive rebounds
Willie Cauley-Stein played 23 minutes scoring nine points and hauling in four rebounds. Coach Dave Joerger said Cauley-Stein’s length on defense matched up well against Prozingis
The Kings shot just 32.3-percent (31-96) as team for the game
Willie Cauley-Stein at the Garden photo: NBAE
The usual suspects came through for the Knicks (11-9)
The Knicks had four players score in double figures while shooting 44.3-percent (39-for-88) from the floor. NYK also shot 37.9-percent (11-for-29) from 3-point range
Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose each scored 20 points in the game. Rose continues to look more like the Rose of old all the time
Brandon Jennings put up 19 points with 4-of-5 his scores being 3-point baskets. He was also a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line
Kristaps Porzingis started the game slowly but finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds
Up next on the schedule
The Kings wrap up their five game road trip on Wednesday night in Dallas with what has become a must win game over the terrible Mavericks. A win would let the Kings finish the road trip 2-3.
The Knicks also hit the road and visit South Beach to take on the Heat on Tuesday night.
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