Jrmie Poirier is the most skilled offensive defenceman in the 2020 NHL Draft. He brings some elite offensive talent to the table, but questions about his all-around game leave many wondering just where he will end up going in the Draft.

Birthplace: Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC, CanadaDate of birth: June 2, 2002Shoots: LeftPosition: DefenceHeight: 61Weight: 190 lbs.Team: Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL)

Poirier was the 8th overall pick in the 2018 QMJHL Entry Draft, taken six picks behind teammate William Villeneuve. Poirier was more confident with the puck in his second season leading to a much improved season that saw him lead all QMJHL defenders with 20 goals.

On top of leading the league in goals among defenders, he was a volume shooter from the blue line. He had an incredible 261 shots on the year which put him tied for fifth in the QMJHL (with Alexis Lafreniere), and 35 shots ahead of the closest blue-liner.

With Poiriers game, the good parts of his game are clear. He is considered to have among the best hands with the puck in the entire draft class. Not just among defenders, were talking overall. When he rushes the puck, he can go through traffic with ease and it is a major calling card of his game.

The offensive ability doesnt end there. His passing is considered elite, and his entire offensive skill is something that clears the rest of his counterparts. His vision allows him to find passing lanes, and like mentioned above he doesnt hesitate to use his shot. Hes among one of the best playmakers in the entire class, regardless of position.

His skating in a straight line is also something that scouts love. Its pretty much impossible for a defenceman to put up numbers like Poirier without the ability to rush the puck and create space for himself.

When players, especially defenders, have high point totals inflated by the power play, its actually the opposite for Poirier. Someone with his skill can obviously quarterback a power play but it isnt what drives his numbers. 15 of his 20 goals were scored at even strength, and he had 11 power play assists. There is nothing deceiving about his numbers.

With all the positive in Poiriers game, there are significant question marks as well. While his straight line skating is seen as elite, there are questions with his backwards skating and his ability to adjust technically. His footwork also leaves something to be desired for him to be considered as a top defence prospect in the class.

Despite all of the scoring he did at even strength, he still found himself -25 on the season. While there are a lot of factors that play into that, there are questions about his defensive toolkit. The footwork causes him to be beat in his own zone. There are some NHL scouts who feel that Poirier would be better off as a forward, which is not something you hear about a player with some first round potential.

There are some other red flags as well. Scouts have questions about his effort level. He was disciplined at times by his coaching staff, and while hes engaged in the offensive zone, the same cant be said consistently about his defensive play which is obviously an issue given his position. Some scouts say that his compete level in his own zone is even worse than his technical ability

His decision making and risk management is also seen as a potential issue at the next level. While he can rush the puck well and make great passes, sometimes he tries to beat too many players and leaves him and his team going in the other direction.

Elite Prospects: #26Future Considerations: #35Hockey Prospect: #98McKeens Hockey: #52McKenzie/TSN: #33NHL Central Scouting: #18 (North American skaters)

There is little consensus when it comes to Poirier, and a lot of that is how tolerant you are to the risk he provides as a prospect. Poirier was not a structured player at the Junior level, and his defensive play left a ton to be desired.

Hes obviously a young player, and while that doesnt excuse him, there is a feeling among scouts that maturity and a professional structure could be beneficial to him rounding out the edges of his game.

Players like Poirier with his skill level do not come around often. While you may not take a top pick on the defender, he is the ultimate home run swing in the top part of this draft. There is a ton of high risk in taking this player, but the potential reward is also sky high.

If you trust your development system, the risk can be minimized. Saint John isnt the best team, and it would be interesting to see what would happen with a team with more structure.

While you need to take the good with the bad with all prospects, you need to keep in mind that the offensive part of Poiriers game is elite. Teams that love that part of his game will be more tolerant to the development hell need. The base is there to build upon.

Poiriers rough edges may be enough to take him out of the top half of the first round, but there will be a point in the draft where his elite skill will win out on a teams draft board.

Link:
2020 NHL Draft: Jrmie Poirier would be a swing for the fences - Habs Eyes on the Prize

The Jasper Park & Recreation Board met Tuesday and:

Heard from Janessa Wagner, Jaspers recreation director, that the citys Older Americans Center is still closed. Leadership will discuss its options moving forward, but Wagner noted that opening up the center is not looking good for a good while, so they want to explore some other options about maybe trying to figure out some stuff for outside.

Heard that August was another busy month at Buffalo Trace Golf Course. The course brought in north of $80,000 more than $13,000 more than the course brought in during August 2019. On the year, the course has brought in almost $59,000 more than it did last year. More than 3,000 players came to the course in August.

Approved an add-on to the previously approved project that will see the transformation of the two Bohnert Park tennis courts into six pickleball courts. The additional work will be completed by Byers Incorporated DBA Tri-State Fence Company of Evansville, and will bring interior fences and an exterior fence to the courts at a cost of $19,403. Department leadership hopes to have the project completed this year.

Approved repairing or replacing aging playground equipment at Jaycee Park at a cost of up to $40,000. Department leadership also hopes that work is completed before 2021.

Approved seeking quotes for a utility vehicle that would be used at the Jasper Youth Sports Complex. The cost is estimated to be between $6,000 and $7,000.

Approved a Jasper Youth Sports Complex concession stand agreement.

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Meeting: Jasper Park & Recreation Board - The Herald

Wholl wear the Black-Eyed Susans this year? Photo by Allison Janezic.

With Preakness 145 less than a month away, the race, contested this year as the final leg of a Triple Crown that will take nearly four months from beginning to end, has the potential to be quite a clash.

Trainer Bob Baffert has said he plans to bring both Kentucky Derby winner Authentic and Shared Belief Stakes winner Thousand Words to Baltimore.

His two stars had distinctly different Kentucky Derby experiences. Authentic, under John Velazquez, led throughout in the Derby and then fended off heavy favorite Tiz the Law to give Baffert his sixth Derby triumph. Following the race, in the infield winners circle, he wheeled around, sending people scattering and knocking his trainer to the ground.

Thousand Words, on the other hand, had his tough to handle moment prior to the race, when he reared up and came down on his side. In the process, he broke assistant trainer Jimmy Barness hand, and he had to be scratched. Following the race, veterinarian Dr. Kathy Anderson said the horse was absolutely fine: cleared for service with not a scratch upon him, she said.

Runner-up Tiz the Law had entered the Derby with the aura of invincibility. He had won the first leg of the upside-down Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, with consummate ease and followed that up with a Travers score that proved the 1 miles of the Derby were well within his scope.

But by days end, hed suffered just the second loss of his career both, oddly enough, at Churchill Downs.

Now the question is whether hell post in Baltimore. Owner Jack Knowlton of Sackatoga has said hes enthusiastic about the race, but trainer Barclay Tagg has indicated hed prefer not to run in both the Preakness and the November 7 Breeders Cup Classic at Keeneland. How theyll square the circle remains to be seen.

Derby show horse Mr. Big News also is planning on a Baltimore sojourn. The Bret Calhoun trainee off at 46-1, longer odds than all but three other horses made a huge run to reach contention rounding the far turn before flattening out a bit in the lane. Still, he significantly outran his odds and, as the winner of the Oaklawn Stakes, already had his Preakness bid sewn up.

Three other horses whod been Derby hopeful but had been forced, for a variety of seemingly minor reasons, to scratch, also are eyeing the Preakness. Art Collector, the Ellis Park Derby winner, the lightly raced King Guillermo, and Finnick the Fierce all are considering the race.

Heres the full list of whos in, out, and on the fence:

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Preakness: Who's in, out, and on the fence - theracingbiz.com

As at the time of writing, the FT projects Biden to win 263 Electoral College votes. This is significant for a number of reasons.

Firstly, Biden falls short of the 270 votes needed to win. This is the first time since we have been tracking the polls that Biden falls short of the 270.

Secondly, the slide has been significant. Back on 5th August, the FT had projected Biden to win 308 Electoral College votes. This had then fallen to 298 and held steady at 298 through the summer.

In the current week, the FT had projected Biden to win 269 votes on Tuesday before falling to 263 votes.

If you take away the 60 Electoral College votes leaning in Bidens favor, that leaves 203 votes.

For the U.S President, the FT project a haul of 122 Electoral College votes. This was a recovery to the FT projection of 122 back on 5th August.

Trump still sits below the FTs 132 projection from 19th July, however.

With Biden projected to hold 203 solid votes, Trump is projected to hold just 77 solid votes, with 45 leaning.

This is also significant. Back on 5th August, the FT had projected Biden to have 194 sold votes and 114 leaning.

So, while Biden has seen his lead narrow, the number of solid votes have, in fact, risen.

For Trump, the number of solid votes had stood at 80 the last time he had a projected 122 haul, back on 5th August. 42 votes had been leaning in his favor at that time.

So, it is less convincing this time around despite the rise in projected votes.

At the time of writing, the FT had 153 states sitting on the fence. Classified as toss-up states, these are states where the difference in poll numbers between Biden and Trump is less than 5 percentage points.

Amongst the 8 states that fall within the toss-up category, there are a number of significant ones up for grabs

These are Texas (38 E.C votes), Florida (29 E.C votes), Ohio (18 E.C votes), Michigan (16 E.C votes), N. Carolina (15 E.C votes), and Arizona (11 E.C votes).

For U.S President Trump to take the 2020 Presidential Election, he would need 148 of the 153 E.C votes up for grabs. This is assuming of course that all of the 45 leaning Electoral College votes go in his favor.

For Joe Biden, he would need Maine-2 (1 E.C vote) and one other, assuming that all 60 leaning Electoral College votes go his way.

On face value, therefore, the odds remain heavily stacked in Bidens favor, in spite of the narrowing in the polls.

If we look at the key U.S states that tend to be election barometers:

Missouri continues to lean in favor of Trump and the Republicans, with Kansas also leaning in Trumps favor.

For Biden, Illinois, New Mexico, and Oregon remain solid blues, with New Hampshire and Pennsylvania leaning in favor of Biden. Of concern, however, will be the loss of Michigan that had leaned in Bidens favor and now sits on the fence.

So, as things stand, out of the swing states that include Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, only Pennsylvania sits with Biden.

The rest are on the fence and up for grabs

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Trump Narrows the Gap as Swing States Sit on the Fence - FX Empire

Residents in the Lakeside East district of River Islands that have homes that back up to the levee are about to have a whole lot more privacy.

In a special meeting last month, the Lathrop Planning Commission approved an architectural design change to the development that will allow for River Islands to install a 6-foot fence along the back of properties that abut the San Joaquin River levee the top three feet of which will be latticed to allow for better visibility.

The location and design of the fence was developed in coordination with River Islands, city staff, and Lathrop Police Services as way of incorporating Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design components (CPTED) such as the lattice that allows for visibility and surveillance along the trail.

The current plans call for the fence to be installed at the top of the slope of the levee which will give homeowners with properties adjacent to the levees which have been reinforced to provide even more than the 200-year flood protection mandated by the State of California a more pleasing aesthetic to their backyards and removing any dead space between the properties and fenced off areas.

The existing fence is already located at the bottom of the interior levee, but the change to the existing architectural agreement will move the fence to the top of the interior side of the levee giving homeowners more privacy while at the same time still allowing for them to see what is happening on the levee.

Everything between the recently-approved fence, when installed, and the home will be the responsibility of the homeowner to maintain.

The issue came to light when Lathrop city staff recently processed a residential development for Village S by Lennar Homes who had placed the fence in plans at the top of the levee as opposed to where it had been in previous developments along the same topography. When Lennar formally requested that the change be made, other entities such as the Stewart Tract Design Review Committee signed off on the change before it was forwarded to the planning commission for its consideration.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.

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Privacy fence receives OK for River Islands homes backing up to levee - Manteca Bulletin

Detectives are looking to identify this man, wanted in connection with an apparent theft at a Bossier City business.

Detectives with the Bossier City Police Departments Property Crimes Division say the burglary occurred at the Bayou Outdoor Supercenter at 1800 Barksdale Blvd in Bossier City.

On Aug. 25, 2020, an unknown suspect approached the business on foot, BCPD detectives said in a release. The unknown suspect gained entry into the business by jumping over barbwire fence.

Upon entering the business property, the unknown suspect began to wander around the property and randomly take possession of multiple hand and power tools used by the business, detectives added.

The total value of the tools taken was $2,876, authorities say.

Anyone with information can remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward by calling Bossier Crime Stoppers at 318-424-4100, or logging on to http://www.p3tips.com to submit a tip via the web.

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Man Jumps Fence, Steals a Couple Grand's Worth of Tools from Bossier Business - Bossier Now

Photo: Elizabeth Ruiz/KTSA News

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) A downtown landmark that is popular with newlyweds is getting a new address.but its just temporary and not too far from the old one.

A few years back, couples who tied the knot at the downtown Courthouse Wedding Chapel started going over to whats now known as the Love Lock Fence between the Kallison Walk Bridge and Market Street.

They place a lock on the fence then throw the key into the San Antonio River.

But city engineers have discovered some cracks and erosion under the walkway near the fence and it needs to be repaired.

So whats going to happen to the Love Lock Fence while the work is being done?

The city doesnt want to mess with tradition so theyre just going to move it around the corner to the Kallison Walk Bridge. Once the repairs are made the fence, locks and all, will be moved back to its original location.

The project starts September 8th and at this point there is no time table for its completion.

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San Antonio's "Love Lock Fence" will be moved next week - 550 KTSA

The driver of a truck that crashed into a FM 156 fence, a tree and residential property was charged with drunk driving early Wednesday morning, according to sheriffs and arrest reports.

Hopkins County Sheriffs Office deputies, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, Hopkins County and Arbala firefighters were dispatched at 12:21 a.m. Sept. 9 to FM 1567 west in Arbala, where a vehicle was reported to have struck a house.

Upon arrival, DPS troopers reported seeing a black truck with major damage in the front yard of a FM 1567 residence. The trooper reported the Chevrolet 1500 appeared to have been traveling eastbound. The driver reportedly went off the north side of the road, according to the DPS report. The truck after traveling through what was reported by deputies to be a flooded ditch, then a barbed wire fence. The front of the truck then struck a tree, according to DPS reports. Deputies reported the truck also appeared to have struck the house, but no major damage to the structure was reported, although DPS did not mention the vehicle striking the house in arrest reports.

The pickup driver, a 20-year-old Sulphur Springs man, reportedly admitted he was under the influence and was going to jail. The DPS trooper reported the man also claimed to have just had four beers.

The 20-year-old Sulphur Springs man was allegedly determined by the trooper to be intoxicated following administration of horizontal gaze nystagmus testing. He refused to perform any other field sobriety tests, however, claiming he knew he could not pass them.

The man was taken into custody for driving while intoxicated and transported to Hopkins County jail. He allegedly tested 0.146 and 0.145 on breath tests, well over the legal 0.08 limit. The 20-year-old Sulphur Springs man was booked into Hopkins County jail at 2:51 a.m. Sept. 9 on a Class B misdemeanor DWI charge, according to arrest reports.

The Hopkins County Sheriffs Office is located at 298 Rosemont St., Sulphur Springs, TX 75482. Non-emergency calls can be made to (903) 438-4040.

If you have an emergency, dial 9-1-1.

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Driver Of Truck That Crashed Into FM 1567 Fence, Tree, Residential Property Charged With Drunk Driving - KSST

Tim Bo Tim Pattison has faced many grizzly bears in his 45 years of hunting and picking up antlers around Big Sky. His foot was once in a sow grizzlys mouth after he climbed a tree to try to get away from her when she tried to pull him down.

We were picking up antlers. I heard one buddy yell, Bear! My one buddy was screaming. I tried to climb up in a tree and kicked her. She let me go. Shes probably still got a headache. It was a total adrenaline kick with heavy duty hiking boots, he said. I would probably be a bear turd if I were wearing tennis shoes.

The friend who provided the warning laid down. She went to him and bit his side.

He got 22 stitches, Pattison said.

He describes bear encounters as part of the job hazard of picking up antlers and hunting in the mountains. In all, he has been treed seven times by grizzly bears and had his hunting camps destroyed a few times.

Lance and Terry Thomas (also known as Bo Lance and Bo Terry) have had legendaryhunting camps in the area since 1980. Lance describes grizzly bear incidents ranging from comical to ingenius to terrifying.

Bear fences are often extended around hunting camps and put out thousands of volts, according to Lance.

The fence was up for three or four days. This bear touched his nose to that fence and Im not kidding he jumped 20 feet up in the air and ran as far as he could, he said.

Another time, his brother Terry shot an elk with a foot of snow on the ground. It was growing dark and he knew he would not have time to safely pack the elk out. So, he did the usual hunting procedure in such a situation hung the quarters up in a tree and went back the next day. One quarter was gone.

That bear must have chewed the rope, dropped the quarter, picked it up and walked off with it, Lance said. Five of us went back the next day, grabbed the three quarters real quick and got the hell out of there.

The brothers have lost a lot of elk to grizzly bears over the years.

After field dressing a kill and leaving for only a few minutes, they once returned to a grizzly devouring the hind quarters. They tried to get him away from their elk and he refused.

Im tellin you, those bears aint nothing to mess with, he said.

Gallatin County Sheriff s Search and Rescue (GCSSAR) Big Sky assisted a hunter on Sept. 7 who believes he accidentally trekked too close to a gut pile five miles out from Ousel Falls one that was fiercely defended by a grizzly sow with her cubs.

After sustaining injuries to his shoulder and hip, the hunter was able to call for help and walked out under his own power, with the assistance of a GCSSAR Big Sky volunteer, who supported him physically and emotionally down the trail to get him to a medic, GCSSAR Commander Scott Secor said. The message that we are really trying to send out is the awareness to be aware of your surroundings at all times. Around any corner could be an animal willing to defend its food source.

This is a time of year when an uptick in bear encounters is typically seen, according to Information Bureau Chief of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Greg Lemon.

The nature of archery hunting is in direct conflict with how to best handle yourself in grizzly bear country, he said. We tell recreationists to make noise, avoid a surprise encounter, but archery hunters are sneaking around the woods as part of hunting and are often making cow or bull elk sounds and that is risky in bear country.

Hunters need to have bear spray on them and be ready to use it not in their packs, but easily accessible. He shared Commander Secors thoughts on awareness.

Lemon stressed that all hunters, particularly archery hunters, need to be looking for tracks, rolled over rocks, scat, or torn-up logs. Ravens, crows, or magpies concentrated in an area are a big tip-off to a carcass. It can be incredibly easy to unknowingly stumble into a threatening situation this time of year.

If you werent out there when an animal was harvested, you might not know that you are in the space that would cause an attack that there is a carcass out there, he said. This time is always a little more dangerous for people out in the woods. There are going to be carcasses out in the woods as hunters are successful. This makes every piece of grizzly bear awareness that much more important, he reiterated.

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On the prowl - Lone Peak Lookout

A recent video of a baby swanstuck in a close-knitted fence has lately been doing the rounds on social media. In the video, a wildlife aid worker is seen helping the baby swan escape from the tight clutch of the grill while its father or male swan attacks the man mistaking him as a potential hazard. The video has been receiving a lot of positive response owing to the helping nature of the man in action. People have been pointing out through the video that some humans act as superheroes without making a fuss about it.

An adorable video of a cygnet and an animal rescuer has lately been going viral on social media. In the video, a senior man is seen making a successfulattempt atrescuinga baby swan who is stuck in the fence without having a way out. An internet user, by the name Buitengebieden, posted the video on Twitter, highlighting how the man rescued the helpless bird while the male swan, attacks the man not being aware of his intentions.

In the video, the rescuer is also seen speaking calmly with the furious male swan, in an attempt to calm him down while he gets the work done. He getsbaby swan out and releases it in the water while the protective male swan, usually called a cob, continues to aggressively flap its wings on the rescue worker. Mama swan is spotted away from the rescue operation, in the water, taking care of other baby swans. The caption of the post highlights that not all heroes wear a cape and some people simply indulge in simple acts of kindness. The Twitter handle has also mistakenthe furious swan as the mother, which was later corrected by one of the people in the comments section.

The original YouTube video was also shared in the comments section by one of the Twitteratis. In the original video, the name of the rescue worker has been mentioned as Simon Cowell, who is a part of the Wildlife Aid Foundation. In the video, Simon mentions that parent swans can get quite vicious in order to protect their cygnet. Have a look at the original video here.

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In the comments, a number of people have mentioned how heart-warming the little story is. They have also appreciated Simons way of dealing with the situation as itwas smart and quick. A few of the internet users find the video amusing as mama swan seems calm and composed while others speak highly of the sweet gesture. Have a look.

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Baby swan stuck in fence saved by a man; Twitter says not all superheroes wear capes - Republic World - Republic World