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The Nashville Predators announced Monday they had signed forward Joey Willis to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Signed, sealed, delivered ✍️
We've signed forward Joey Willis to a three-year, entry-level contract.
Full details » https://t.co/htZbpTYAzO pic.twitter.com/wQ0rgc4cEh
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) March 3, 2025
The 19-year-old Willis has 21 goals and 23 assists for 44 points in 38 games with the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Saginaw Spirit and Kingston Frontenacs this season. In 172 career OHL regular-season games, Willis has 50 goals and 88 assists for 138 points.
In 28 career OHL playoff games, Willis has eight goals and nine assists for 17 points. He helped the Spirit win the Memorial Cup last spring, defeating the London Knights in the championship game.
Willis was also a part of the 2025 U.S. World Junior Championship squad, recording two assists in two games.
Taken in the fourth round by the Predators in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, the Elmhurst, Ill., native was part of the Chicago Mission AAA youth hockey system before declaring for the OHL and joining the Spirit.
The Frontenacs are 35-16-5-3 with 78 points, tied for second in the Eastern Conference.
It’s been a difficult 2024-25 campaign for the Predators. Now 3-7-0 in their last 10, Nashville’s overall record is 21-32-7 with 49 points, second-last in the Central Division and the third-worst record in the NHL.
Offseason acquisitions Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos have been underwhelming, with Marchessault scoring 18 goals and 45 points this season, while Stamkos has 17 goals and 33 points, numbers that will likely be the lowest of his career over a full season.
Filip Forsberg leads the team in all offensive categories with 22 goals and 32 assists for 54 points, and captain Roman Josi has nine goals and 29 assists for 38 points.
Ryan O’Reilly, whose name has been mentioned in trade talks ahead of this Friday’s NHL Trade Deadline, has 14 goals and 22 assists for 36 points. The 34-year-old has two more seasons left on his contract with an annual average value (AAV) of $4.5 million.
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Chicago Blackhawks reportedly set to trade 25-year-old goaltender to Stars rival, Edmonton Oilers
Oilers 'Might be Moving a Guy Out,' Says Closest Insider
“The Oilers already got a lot of forwards right now at this time,” Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer said this week. He added, “They might be moving a guy out.” The Oilers lost several forwards this summer, either via free agency or through trades. The team attempted to replace the departures with Andrew Mangiapane, Ike Howard, Matt Savoie, and Curtis Lazar. While analysts wonder if the team is still another top-six forward (and maybe a goaltender) away from punching their ticket back to the Stanley Cup Final, another forward might have to go before one is added. Who Is on the Short List to Still Leave Edmonton? With Adam Henrique potentially pushed to the fourth line behind Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, his $3 million cap hit is a luxury—especially with cheaper options like Curtis Lazar and Noah Philp available. However, Henrique holds a no-movement clause, which complicates any potential deal. Speculation is that Henrique was already asked about his no-trade clause and declined to waive it. If he won’t budge, Mattias Janmark becomes a logical trade candidate. The 32-year-old struggled offensively and carries a $1.45 million cap hit without trade protection. The only other player who lacks trade protection is Kasperi Kapanen. It seems unlikely that he would be traded, given that the Oilers gave him a new deal this summer. Kapanen was signed for $1.3 million after joining the Oilers via a waiver pickup last season and playing better than expected. Another trade will be difficult to pull off, but moving out a depth forward could clear cap space and open a spot for a younger player. That has become a priority this offseason.
WNBA All-Star Game ratings paint a troubling picture
WNBA players sent a message to the league with T-shirts they wore ahead of the All-Star Game on Saturday night, but the ratings for the game did not exactly strengthen their stance. Prior to the All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., Caitlin Clark and other players warmed up in shirts that said “Pay us what you owe us” across the front. The message had to do with the current state of collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the WNBA and WNBA Player’s Association. Unfortunately for the players, the television ratings for the game were not very good. Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports reported on Tuesday that the WNBA All-Star Game drew 2.19 million viewers on ABC, which was down roughly 36% from a year ago. Last year’s game featured the WNBA All-Stars against the Team USA squad that was preparing to compete in the Summer Olympics in Paris. The dip in ratings is likely another example of the type of impact Clark has had on the WNBA. Although she was a team captain for this year’s All-Star Game, Clark did not play due to a groin injury. Clark played in last year’s game for the All-Star side, as she did not make the Team USA Olympic roster. Many fans were outraged that she was snubbed from the Olympic team, which added an element of intrigue to the All-Star Game. There is no way of knowing for certain whether more fans would have watched the All-Star Game on Saturday night had Clark played. It is a safe guess, however, especially when you look at some recent trends for the league.
Hall of Famer believes this AFC QB will win Super Bowl first
Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Moon just made headlines during a recent appearance on "Up Adams," where he gave his take on one of the NFL’s most debated questions. When asked which star quarterback will win a Super Bowl first, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen or Joe Burrow, Moon without any hesitation went with Jackson. “We have Josh Allen, MVP, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, they wrecked the league last year… Which one of those three do you think has the best shot to get one this year?” Kay Adams asked. Moon responded, “I think Lamar.” Moon’s reasoning for this take was not due to stats or accolades, because both have great numbers and awards, rather Moon was focused on the surrounding cast around Jackson. While he was complimentary of Allen and the team around him, he emphasized that the Ravens had a strong secondary, incredible running back and solid wideouts that could allow them to be a serious threat to win it all. It is easy to see why Moon made his opinion clear and without hesitation. Jackson is one of the top quarterbacks in the league, with four Pro Bowl nods, three All-Pro selections and two MVP awards. He is the best dual-threat quarterback in the world, and now with an incredible roster around him, Jackson has become much scarier. However, pressure is mounting on the superstar QB, and Moon did make the case for Allen to also potentially win first. “Josh Allen, they’ll be right there too. I think it depends on who plays who in the playoffs … You have to go through playing both Kansas City and Baltimore if you’re Buffalo, and same thing if you’re the Ravens, you gotta play both of those to get to the Super Bowl … But if you only have to play one of them, that would be great.” Allen is also regarded as one of the league’s best QBs too, and Moon's argument has a lot of merit to it. Both Buffalo and Baltimore are flooded with talented pieces that are hungry to make that Super Bowl run. It could come down to matchups come playoff time. If one squad has an easier route to the AFC Championship game, then it might be the one who ultimately comes out on top. As for Burrow, Moon did not mention him in the conversation, but clearly it was not meant to be a slight on him as a player. Rather, for obvious reasons, it seems that Moon might have Baltimore and Buffalo as overall rosters in a higher tier from Cincinnati. Ultimately however, time will tell who breaks first. But if Moon is correct, Jackson might finally be able to silence his critics, and make his mark on NFL history.
Raiders Sign Former First Round Wide Receiver
The Raiders continue to fill out their roster with veterans after they announced that in addition to Jamal Adams and JT Woods, the team is also signing 2015 first-round pick Phillip Dorsett, per NFL Insider Tom Pelissero. Dorsett, drafted by the Indianapolis Colts out of the University of Miami, has played nine NFL seasons, winning Super Bowl LIII with the New England Patriots. Dorsett had a brief run with the Raiders, lasting the 2023 offseason, before he was released in late August. He never played an official snap for the franchise. Dorsett and Pete Carroll know each other from their stints in Seattle. Dorsett was a member of the Seahawks in 2020 but never played a game due to a season-ending foot injury. He would then re-join the Seahawks from September 2021 to November 2021 as a member of the practice squad. Since leaving the Patriots in 2019, Dorsett has failed to find any long-term home with his longest stretch coming when he played in 18 games for the Houston Texans from the end of the 2021 season through the 2022 season. In the past seven seasons, Dorsett has only played in 23 total games, making 27 catches for 364 yards and a touchdown. Dorsett was out of football last season. These additions will help the Raiders determine who are the cream of the crop as Carroll laid down his expectations for training camp. "We want to make sure we pick up where we left off," stated Carroll. "And so, we're going to go back and make sure that we capture all of the installation that we did and the kind of the mode that we are in and the mentality that we're in, and then move from there. I don't want to take any steps back in that regard." "So we'll go back to what we installed. And then my expectations are about as high as they can get. There's no limit. We're going for it. I want to see how far we can take our club, and we're going to do it one step at a time. We're just going to see how good we can be, and that's going to be all phases. Put this team together in a really balanced fashion, where we have what we can count on both sides of the football and in the kicking game, and then play to our strengths. And there's a lot of information we have to gather still. We haven't been in pads at all, so the game hasn't even begun yet. So that's why camp is so crucial, and particularly in a first-time camp, you got to find out a lot of information about our guys." Join us on X (formerly Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and Instagram @HondoSr so you never miss another story on the Raiders offense in 2025! We invite you to interact with us when you check out our Facebook page, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE right this second!
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