Hockey News Magazine

The Hot List: Draft risers

The time is nigh for drafting. Minnesota is just days away and every permutation of the order has been pondered. But who helped themselves the most during the second half of the year? For this week’s list, we look at the draft’s high-risers heading into the weekend and how they got there.

Z-Bad’s stock has soared throughout the season, particularly since his brand of power forward hockey has such an entertaining edge to it. He can hit, he can score and he did it all in Sweden’s best league against older competition. Even he’s a bit surprised that some are considering him a top-5 pick and buzz-worthy player. Along with his exciting game, Zibanejad comes from an interesting background. His father is Iranian, while his mother is Finnish. Alongside Sweden’s Jeremy Boyce-Rotevall and Finland’s Christopher Gibson, Z-Bad is part of a growing wave in Europe of top prospects who don’t fit the blonde Scandinavian stereotype, though it’s not something he puts a lot of thought into. Zibanejad certainly met all expectations himself this year.

Captaining the Swedish entry at the world under-18s propelled Klefbom upwards on draft lists and the fact he carries a 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame doesn’t hurt. He has a varied skill set and is quite mobile for his size, but the leadership qualities really shine.

He started the season playing Jr. A, but Sproul got a chance to shine in the Ontario League on a poor Soo team and did not disappoint. Big, mobile and talented, Sproul recorded 14 goals and 33 points in 61 games. Great hands and feet for a 6-foot-4 teenager.

It’s a sour year for draft eligible players still plying their trade in Russia, but Kucherov’s huge offensive splurge at the world under-18s alongside 2012 prospects Nail Yakupov and Mikhail Grigorenko will help his case. His 11 goals and 21 points in seven games led the tournament. A creative player with a quick shot and great stickhandling skills, Kucherov just needs to work on consistency.

The wave just keeps building for Oleksiak, the 6-foot-7, 240-pound beast on the blueline. As a freshman with the Huskies, he put up standout performances when his team needed them most and his skating ability is ahead of the curve for a player his size. Plus, he can be surly out there – good thing for opponents that fighting is heavily punished in the NCAA.

O'Fallon council denies increase in lateral ... - Newsmagazine Network

O’Fallon city officials denied a city staff recommendation to increase the coverage cap on the city’s lateral sewer repair program – a decision that means costs exceeding $7,500 will be a homeowner’s responsibility.

O’Fallon Public Works Director Steve Bender said the Public Works Commission recently took a closer look at the sewer lateral repair program because one person exceeded the cap of $7,500, but council members said one overage wasn’t enough to merit an increase in coverage.

Staff recommended raising the cap to $10,000, Bender said.

Last year, 57 homes took advantage of the lateral repair program, Bender said. There were 19 claims for lateral sewer line repairs in 2008, with about $11,000 in expenditures. In 2009 there were 14 claims approved. Through April of this year, the city completed 12 repairs, each averaging about $4,500.

Councilman Rick Lucas said several options were discussed when the plan was devised, but reminded Bender and the council that if someone went over the cap, the ordinance indicates they can appeal the decision and present extenuating circumstances.

Councilman John Haman said if a resident’s repair totals more than $7,500, it should be their own expense.

“I think it’s a good number now, with only one going over,” Haman said. “My recommendation would be to lower fees for residents if we have surplus funds.”

Last year, the city lowered fees for the program to $6.50 per property owner, compared to $20 charged since the program began in August 2008, a $13.50 reduction in fees. The fee appears on O’Fallon residential property tax bills sent by the St. Charles County Collector of Revenue.

The program began in late August 2008, and covers repairs to sewer lines that run from one’s home to the main pipe, which all homes on a street are connected to as well. Typically, one thinks of plumbing issues as being within the house, but in fact, homeowners without lateral insurance coverage are traditionally responsible for all plumbing pipes until they connect to the main line, Bender said.

This could include digging up the yard and fixing the pipe, then putting the yard back together. If it goes under the street to connect to the main on the other side of the street the resident would be responsible for fixing the street as well. Under the city’s lateral sewer insurance, repair of the lateral sewer line is completed and paid for by the city after a claim is filed.

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