Hard to replace Prucha
Role players such as Nieminen, Hollweg will get chance to impress

BY STEVE ZIPAY
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
February 7, 2006

GREENBURGH, N.Y. - With only three games remaining before players scatter for the Olympics, the Rangers likely will stand pat and not dip into the minors to replace forward Petr Prucha, the Czech rookie who injured his right knee Saturday against the Flyers.

Although Rangers brass has discussed summoning a young forward such as Nigel Dawes, Colby Genoway, Jarkko Immonen, Alexandre Giroux or Dwight Helminen from the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack before tomorrow's home game against the Ottawa Senators, coach Tom Renney seems ready to juggle the current roster. 

"We've got guys here who've been slugging it out and have been sat out the last number of games who may not provide the same kind of offense that Petr is capable of, but can still influence our game to the end that we have team success anyway," Renney said, referring to Ryan Hollweg and Ville Nieminen. "We have to have that kind of faith in these people or they shouldn't be here."

Prucha, who scored 25 goals and will miss three to four weeks with a Grade 2 sprain of the MCL in his right knee, was at the Madison Square Garden Training Center yesterday for treatment but wasn't available for interviews.

"Three to four weeks gives us a chance at four," said Renney, who feared worse before the MRI results and hopes to have Prucha back in early March. "It's an emotional roller-coaster for him. He's never had this type of injury, so first, the fact that he's hurt and that it interrupts his Olympic experience, it's pretty tough for him."

During practice yesterday, Hollweg (2-2-4 in 31 games), who has not dressed for the last five games, was back on the left side of the HMO line, centered by Dominic Moore. Jed Ortmeyer and Colton Orr alternated on the right side.

Nieminen (5-11-16 in 44 games) was on the left side of the third line with center Jason Ward and Marcel Hossa, who scored a goal Saturday. Nieminen, 28, was a healthy scratch for the last two games as Orr was inserted for extra muscle.

"Ryan's a young player [22 years old], I love his competitiveness, I love his burning desire to get back in the lineup and make a difference," Renney said. "Hoss is another young player [24] that we have to make sure we expose to this game. Nemo brings things to our team that when he's on, can really help us."

Nieminen dealt for draft pick

ATLANTA -- Ten days after winning a silver medal in Turin with Team Finland, Ville Nieminen is no longer a Ranger.

In what appears to be a roster-clearing move for another deadline deal, presumably involving a defenseman, Nieminen was sent to San Jose for a third-round draft pick.

Nieminen, 28, who was signed as a free agent last Aug. 4, was en route to California by the time the Rangers arrived at Philips Arena to face the Thrashers.

The left wing had five goals and 12 assists in 48 games this season, but was scratched 10 times when the coaching staff felt his play was undisciplined. He did not dress Monday night for the Hurricanes game and after practice on Tuesday in Greenburgh Nieminen joked to reporters that he had already been traded.

The Sharks will be Nieminen's sixth NHL team. He spent his first five seasons with Colorado, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Calgary. He won a Stanley Cup ring in 2001 with the Avalanche and went to the Finals with the Flames in 2003-04.

The San Jose Sharks acquired some help for the playoff run Wednesday afternoon when they obtained Ville Nieminen from the New York Rangers in exchange for a 2006 third round selection.

Nieminen, a six-foot-one, 210-pound left wing, has played for Colorado, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Calgary and the Rangers. The Tampere, Finland native won a Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2001 and reached with Finals with the Flames in 2004.

In 48 contests with New York, Nieminen has posted five goals, 12 assists, is a +10 and has made a name for himself as one of the better defensive forwards in the NHL.

“Ville is an energy player who is gritty and hard to play against,” said Wilson. “He has provided a spark on every team he’s played on and plays big in important games, whether it’s the Olympics or the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He’s a player you hate to play against but love to have on your team.”

Nieminen has represented Finland internationally in the Olympics (2006, 2002), World Cup of Hockey (2004) and at the World Junior Championships (1997). At the recently concluded 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Nieminen helped Finland win a silver medal.

While San Jose’s penalty killing has improved as of late, Nieminen will be a plus to the unit.

“He comes from a top-five penalty killing team,” said Wilson.

Nieminen is under contract for the 2006-07 season with a salary reported by the NHLPA to be $700,000.

“I’ve been looking at him for a while,” said Wilson. “We considered signing him this summer.”

He has some familiarity with the Sharks roster, having not only faced them in the 2004 Western Conference Finals, but he was a classmate of Vesa Toskala growing up in Finland and was a Stanley Cup teammate with Scott Parker in Colorado.

Nieminen is expected to arrive in San Jose Wednesday evening and be in the lineup tomorrow night against Edmonton. Wilson hopes that the trade will provide an infusion of energy for his club during the drive for the postseason.

“Sometimes you need a spark to get going,” said Wilson. “Ville is that type of spark.”

Nieminen was originally selected in the third round (78th overall) by Colorado in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. During his career, Nieminen has posted 108 points (44 goals, 64 assists) in 319 NHL games.

Nieminen has played in 47 NHL playoff games, collecting 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists).

Sharks acquire Nieminen from Rangers for third-round pick 

By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
March 8, 2006 

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- The struggling San Jose Sharks acquired left wing Ville Nieminen from the New York Rangers on Wednesday for a third-round pick in the upcoming draft. 

Nieminen, a key member of Finland's silver medal-winning team at the Turin Olympics, has five goals and 12 assists in 48 games with the Rangers this season. San Jose general manager Doug Wilson hopes the agitating forward will provide the Sharks with some of the tenacity they've lacked in a disappointing season.

"He brings grit, and he gets very involved in the game," Wilson said. "You saw what he did at the Olympics with Finland, and he plays very well in the playoffs. He just has that energy that you need. Every team that he goes to, he makes them better." 

Nieminen is joining his sixth team in the last five NHL seasons. He also has played for Calgary, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Colorado, which drafted him in the third round in 1997. 

The Rangers could have made the deal as a prelude to another move, clearing Nieminen's salary off the books. Nieminen is under contract through next season. 

Nieminen will be in uniform for the Sharks' home game against Edmonton on Thursday night. San Jose completed a discouraging, winless road trip Tuesday in Anaheim when captain Patrick Marleau put the puck into his own net during overtime of a 5-4 loss. 

The Sharks are in 11th place in the Western Conference, eight points behind the Oilers for the final playoff spot. 

"I like our team, and I believe in our team a lot," Wilson said. "I think we're all frustrated that we haven't performed up to our capabilities. I also know that sometimes you need some type of spark to get you going. Ville is that type of spark type of player." 

Nieminen spent the 2003-04 season with the Calgary Flames, facing the Sharks in the Western Conference finals. He attended school in his hometown of Tampere, Finland, with close friend Vesa Toskala, the Sharks' longtime backup goalie.

TSN - March 10, 2006

By adding Ville Nieminen, and only Ville Nieminen, the Sharks are going to count on young forward Milan Michalek and Steve Bernier to provide second-line scoring, but bringing in Nieminen could really pay off in the postseason; if the Sharks get there.

March 10, 2006

Scott Burnside's instant analysis: Funny, this is the kind of deal the Rangers used to make, but in reverse. The Sharks are a long-shot to make the playoffs, but by adding Nieminen, they bring in a player who won a Cup in Colorado in 2001 and went to the seventh game of the 2004 Cup final with the Flames. (The spirited agitator also may well be the best quote in hockey.) The Rangers continue to behave like a franchise with a plan -- they peeled off a fringe player and added a draft pick while looking toward a long playoff run. If the Sharks squeeze into the playoffs, this is a win-win deal.

March 10, 2006

Acquired Wednesday from the New York Rangers for a third-round pick, left wing Ville Nieminen opened the game on a line with Alyn McCauley and Scott Parker, but midway through the second period he displaced Nils Ekman on the line with Joe Thornton and Cheechoo for a few shifts.

Nieminen and McCauley also formed the opening forward tandem on the Sharks' first penalty-kill of the night.

Nieminen drew a reaction from the fans about five minutes into the second period when he skated across the ice to dump Ryan Smyth.

``I really enjoyed playing in this atmosphere and this rink,'' said Nieminen, who has also played with Calgary, Chicago and Colorado. ``I always liked the Western Conference. It's a little bit like coming home.''

Toskala and Nieminen, both 28, have known each other since they were 15, first as soccer teammates, then as hockey rivals.

``He's hard to play against,'' Tosakla said. ``He's really annoying on the ice if you're on the opposite side, but good to have if you're on the same team.''

March 12, 2006
www.mercurynews.com

Tim Kawakami's Talking Points: 7. Ville Nieminen, energizes Sharks: They're 2-0 since the deal, and opponents are about 0-10 in shoulder-to-shoulder collisions.

Newest Shark already a hit

By Victor Chi
Mercury News
Posted on Sat, Mar. 11, 2006

Ville Nieminen had some shopping to do Friday after his first practice with the Sharks. In Atlanta for a one-game trip with the New York Rangers when the Sharks acquired him, Nieminen hopped a plane to the Bay Area without pit-stopping at home.

``I don't have any of my stuff,'' Nieminen said. ``Just one suit.''

Based on his first game, Nieminen should be a fine fit with the Sharks. He formed an effective penalty-killing tandem with Alyn McCauley and landed five hits, the most among the club's forwards in a 5-2 victory over Edmonton.

``He was excellent,'' Coach Ron Wilson said. ``He did all the things that we hoped he'd bring us. He did a great job killing penalties and had that one shift where he hit everything in sight. He got the crowd going and really sparked our bench.''

Nieminen's debut was also Scott Parker's first game since Dec. 23.

Parker, who has been limited to four games because of concussion problems, logged more than seven minutes of ice time and emerged without a setback.

``I definitely think we're on the right track now,'' Parker said. ``Full steam ahead.''

With Nieminen and Parker, the Sharks added two abrasive players to the lineup, which compensated for the absence of Mark Smith, the club leader with 81 penalty minutes.

Smith could return for today's matinee against the Nashville Predators as he skated on a line with Scott Thornton and Parker at practice Friday.

``Smitty got banged into the boards and was kind of stiff, so that's why he didn't play,'' Wilson said. ``We'll see how he feels.''

If Smith returns, Grant Stevenson would probably be scratched, based on Friday's practice configurations. Stevenson has zero goals and two assists in the past 16 games.

Sharks have playoff bite, now they just have to get in

By Terry Frei
Special to ESPN.com
Apr. 8, 2006

The Sharks have benefited from goalie Vesa Toskala's recovery from his groin injury, and even the acquisition of well-traveled Finn Ville Nieminen from the Rangers at the deadline has helped. That gave Toskala a pal on the roster (he and Nieminen have been friends since they were kids) and gave the team a big boost on the penalty-killing unit.

Nieminen delivers goal against Stars again

By Victor Chi
Apr. 4, 2006

DALLAS - Ville Nieminen has scored twice since the Sharks acquired him last month. Both have come against Dallas. Both have been huge goals.

In the Sharks' 3-2 overtime victory Monday, Nieminen gave them their first lead when he converted a short-handed breakaway midway through the third period.

``On a breakaway, it's a big advantage if you have full speed,'' Nieminen said.

After Tom Preissing's pass sprung him into the clear, Nieminen faked to his backhand, then pumped a forehand shot past goalie Marty Turco.

``This was a hell of a game for us,'' Nieminen said. ``In the first period, we were looking for it a little bit. In the second and third, we stepped to the plate and we deserved to win tonight.''

On the scoring sequence, Alyn McCauley worked the puck off the boards near the corner in the Sharks' zone to Preissing.

``I couldn't really hear him calling, but he was pretty wide open,'' Preissing said of Nieminen. ``I had enough time that I was able to look. It wasn't the greatest pass; he did a pretty good job of handling the pass. It was more his post-goal celebration that had everyone wondering what he was trying to do. I thought he was going to take a couple laps.''

Nieminen's other goal against the Stars helped the Sharks get a point in a shootout loss in which San Jose had trailed 2-0.