ANAHEIM, Calif. - After Hilary Knight skated with the Anaheim Ducks, the two-time U.S. Olympian emerged confident she can play hockey with anybody in the world.Knight practiced with the Ducks on Friday as part of her work to raise the profile of womens hockey. The skilled forward is thought to be the first non-goalie to practice with an NHL team, and everybody in Anaheim thought Knight fit in perfectly.Im one of those women who just like to push boundaries, Knight said. Ive got a frame and stature that can blend in sometimes with some of the guys, and its a great opportunity to go out there and skate with them.Indeed, the 5-foot-10 Knights speed and size allowed her to blend in seamlessly with the two-time Pacific Division champion Ducks. Her whip-quick wrist shot impressed Anaheim coach Bruce Boudreau, who has never watched a womens hockey game live.I was really pleasantly surprised at her skill, Boudreau said. Once she got over the jitters, I think she was really good. Id be pretty nervous if I walked into an NHL room and had to practice with them, and I thought she handled it really well.Knight joined the Ducks for the first 25 minutes of their workout, going through skating and passing drills, and she returned later for 20 minutes of shooting. Knight also dropped in as a guest coach for a Ducks-affiliated womens team on another rink in the training complex.The day was a dream fulfilled for Knight, one of the worlds elite players. She won an NCAA title during a decorated four-year career at Wisconsin, and she has Olympic silver medals from Vancouver and Sochi, where the U.S. team lost twice to Canada in the gold-medal game.She is clearly the best player in the world right now, said Ducks defenceman Ben Lovejoy, an avid fan of womens hockey along with his wife. In her element against her peers, she is clearly dominant. ... She truly did fit in. You really had to try on the ice to find her, because she wasnt out of place at all. She was snapping pucks right on the tape. Precise passing. She put it on the money every time.Lovejoy and Knight both grew up in New Hampshire, and Knight lived in Lovejoys hometown for several years. They discussed their roots on the ice, and Knight also had in-depth conversations with Boudreau, centre Nate Thompson, captain Ryan Getzlaf and fellow U.S. Olympian Ryan Kesler.I was just trying to pick their brains, Knight said. I was like a sponge out there: OK, what can I learn? Watching Ryan Kesler, how does he shoot? Getzlaf was teaching me things about the sticks. All of them were really friendly, and Im just so fortunate to have this opportunity. I was like, OK, dont smile too much.Knights shot didnt look out of place among the Ducks, even if the targets are smaller when 6-foot-4 Frederik Andersen and 6-foot-3 John Gibson are the puck-stoppers.Goalies here are huge, Knight said with a laugh. I knew they were tall, but theres no holes in that net.The Ducks approached Knight last month about participating in practice, and she eagerly agreed. She hopes the publicity benefits the IIHF World Girls Ice Hockey Weekend next week, when thousands of girls will get a free chance to play hockey at rinks across the world.Womens hockey is fairly robust in North America, which dominates the sport on the international level. Olympic officials periodically express public worry about the slower growth of the game in Europe, where Sweden and Finland were the top teams until Switzerland grabbed bronze medals in Sochi.I want to grow the sport, and this is a step in doing that, Knight said. I want to get another invite in the future.Knight is stepping into the skates of pioneers including goalie Manon Rheaume, who signed with Tampa Bay in 1992 and played in exhibition games for the Lightning. Hayley Wickenheiser, Canadas five-time Olympian, played with a mens pro team in Finland in 2003, while U.S. defenceman Angela Ruggiero became the first woman to play in a North American mens pro league with the CHLs Tulsa Oilers in 2005.For her next feat, Knight would love to play in an NHL exhibition game. Boudreau and Lovejoy wont be surprised if it happens someday, although most NHL teams are winding up their preseason schedules in the next few days.That would be huge, Knight said. Hopefully someday Ill get that opportunity. China Jerseys Reviews . The question is how many minutes will be available to them and can any of their defence or goaltending provide value? Top Picks: Following a down year in 2011-2012, Matt Duchene rebounded with his highest points-per-game (0. 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The win gave Thailand fifth place at the Asian Cup and the last of the continents qualifying spots for the 2015 Womens World Cup in Canada.Division: Atlantic GM: Peter Chiarelli Head Coach: Claude Julien 2013-14: 54-19-9 (1st in Atlantic) Playoffs: Lost in Second round Goals For: 258 (3rd) Goals Against: 171 (2nd) PP: 21.7% (3rd) PK: 83.6% (8th) That Was Then: The Boston Bruins had one of their best regular seasons in franchise history in 2013-2014, winning the Presidents Trophy with 117 points. They scored a ton, played great defensively, hit everything they could see and were the best home team in the league - recording 31 wins at TD Garden. Jarome Iginla had a great year in his one and only season in Beantown, scoring 30 goals which tied him for the team lead with Patrice Bergeron. Pesky forward Brad Marchand had another solid campaign while Zdeno Chara was a rock on the blue line, scoring 17 goals and 23 assists with a plus-25 rating. Youngsters Reilly Smith and Torey Krug performed very well in their first full seasons, tallying 51 and 40 points respectively. Loui Eriksson, who came over in the Tyler Seguin deal with the Dallas Stars, struggled in his first year with the Bruins. He suffered a concussion in January and scored just 10 goals over 61 games. Maybe the biggest performance came from the man between the pipes. Tuukka Rask signed a new eight-year, $56 million contract prior to last season and was worth every penny in 2013-14. The 27-year-old posted a 36-15-6 record with a 2.04 goals against average and a .930 save percentage. He also led the league with seven shutouts. All that success was quickly forgotten, though, as Boston was ousted on home ice in Game 7 of the second round by their hated rivals the Montreal Canadiens. The Bruins had a 3-2 series lead heading into Game 6 at the Bell Centre but were shut out. Two nights later, they gave a disappointing effort in a game they never seemed to be in and were finished. To make matters worse, gritty power forward Milan Lucic reportedly threatened the Habs Dale Weise and Alexei Emelin during the post-series handshakes. Not a great ending for a team that was vying for redemption after a heartbreaking loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2013 Stanley Cup Final. The Bs also dealt with some injuries down the stretch, most notably the loss of shutdown defenceman Dennis Seidenberg who missed the final 44 games of the regular season and the entire playoffs with a torn ACL and MCL. Boston could have used Seidenbergs defensive prowess against Montreal. Depth forward Chris Kelly missed the postseason with a herniated disc while Lucic played through a bad wrist. Another reason for Bostons early exit was their sudden inability to score. They had the third-most goals during the regular season, but struggled against the Habs, only averaging 2.2 goals per game in the series. David Krejci was the teams leading point-getter last season, but failed to score a goal in the playoffs. The same goes for Marchand, while Bergeron only had three. Scott Cullens Analytics Bruins 2013-14 Stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 2.55 1.75 8.0 .944 52.2% .675 21-41 2.90 2.71 7.4 .933 53.9% .690 42-62 3.29 2.33 9.9 .937 56.8% .725 63-82 3.05 1.90 8.7 .944 54.0% .800 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: A shutdown defence, with outstanding goaltending, got the Bruins off to a good start. Games 21-41: Percentages dipped, but countered by improved possession stats. Goal differential was relatively close due to a couple of lopsided losses to Detroit and Vancouver. Games 42-62: Really started steamrolling in the second half, with killer possession numbers, led by Bergeron, Marchand and Smith. Games 63-82: Dominant down the stretch, with two regulation losses in the last 23 games. Key 2014 Additions: D Steve Eminger, RW Matt Fraser, LW Ville Leino (tryout) Key 2014 Subtractions: RW Jarome Iginla, G Chad Johnson,, D Andrej Meszaros, LW Shawn Thornton This Is Now: Strapped by the cap, the Boston Bruins did next to nothing significant this off-season.dddddddddddd But make no mistake, the Bruins are top of the line contenders for the Stanley Cup again in 2014-15. General manager Peter Chiarelli couldnt add a piece in free agency even if he wanted to, as Boston simply does not have the salary space. According to Capgeek, the club is nearly $1 million over the ceiling as it stands and thats without factoring in Krug or Smith who are unsigned restricted free agents. Theres been plenty of speculation that the club could trade one of their NHL-caliber blueliners to make room. The Bruins lost Iginla to the Colorado Avalanche, parted ways with tough guy Shawn Thornton (to the Florida Panthers) and reliable backup goalie Chad Johnson went to the New York Islanders. These losses are concerning, but shouldnt be devastating. With the absence of Iginla, the Bruins now likely look to Eriksson to help fill the void. He had a down year last season, but that can certainly be attributed to new adjustments and dealing with concussion symptoms. When healthy, Eriksson can put the puck in the net at a very rapid rate. Over four seasons from 2008-2012, the left winger scored no fewer than 26 goals and 63 points. Boston hopes the Eriksson of old is back this year. The Bs were able to give Rask plenty of rest last year because they had a solid backup in Johnson. Rask appeared in 58 games during the regular season and was ready for the playoffs. That might not be the case this time as theyll likely have to depend on Niklas Svedberg to fill in for the odd start. The 24-year-old has only played in only one career game, a victory with the Bruins last season. Time will tell if Svedberg, the AHLs top goalie just two seasons ago, can fill that role. The healthy returns of Seidenberg and Kelly should pay dividends for Boston, who could have used them against the Habs. DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Brad Marchand Patrice Bergeron Reilly Smith Milan Lucic David Krejci Loui Eriksson Chris Kelly Carl Soderberg Ryan Spooner Dan Paille Gregory Campbell Jordan Caron Matt Fraser Alexander Khokhlachev Justin Florek Anthony Camara David Pastrnak Seth Griffith Defence Left Right Zdeno Chara Johnny Boychuk Dennis Seidenberg Dougie Hamilton Torey Krug Adam McQuaid Matt Bartkowski Kevan Miller David Warsofsky Zach Trotman Goaltenders Tuukka Rask Niklas Svedberg Malcolm Subban Craigs List TSN Director of Scouting Craig Buttons Top Prospect: David Pastrnak is a very gifted offensive player. He possesses all of the elements necessary to contribute offence in the NHL. Hes very smart and anticipates opportunity where he can threaten. He also has very good quickness in his skating and is capable of beating out defenders to space. And with his quick hands he can get a shot off quickly or make a deft pass in traffic. He has lots of confidence in his skill and competes to make a difference in the game. Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch - Loui Eriksson The most notable piece acquired in the Tyler Seguin trade last year, Eriksson endured a rough first season with the Bruins, suffering multiple concussions and finishing with 37 points in 61 games, his lowest points per game since 2007-2008. Not so coincidentally, Erikssons 16:32 average time on ice per game was also his lowest since 2007-2008. With a fresh start to this season, though, there is an opportunity for Eriksson to return to a regular top-six role, likely starting the year alongside Milan Lucic and David Krejci. If that combination works, the always-responsible Eriksson should recapture some of his offensive flair. ' ' '