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Orange County Register

NHL draft: Connor Bedard, as expected, taken first by Blackhawks

June 29, 2023

By JOHN WAWROW AP Hockey Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Chicago Blackhawks selected Connor Bedard with the first pick in the NHL draft on Wednesday night, kick-starting a hopeful new era with a highly skilled offensive forward who has drawn comparisons to Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby.

Bedard became the second No. 1 pick in Blackhawks history, joining Patrick Kane, who went first overall in 2007 and helped form the core of a team that won three Stanley Cups from 2010 to 2015.

Though Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson declined to reveal who he would take first since winning the draft lottery in May, Bedard was considered Chicago’s target all along among a prospect class filled with talented forwards.

“It’s incredible. I couldn’t be happier,” Bedard said.

His debut could very well be against Crosby on the NHL’s opening night on Oct. 10, when Chicago is scheduled to play at Pittsburgh.

“I got to make it first, but that would be unreal. He’s a big idol of mine,” Bedard said.

The less predictable portion of the draft began with the Ducks selecting Swedish forward Leo Carlsson, who was regarded as the top European skater. With the third pick, the Columbus Blue Jackets took Michigan forward Adam Fantilli, who became the third freshman to win college hockey’s top award, the Hobey Baker Trophy.

The first American player off the board went fourth, when the San Jose Sharks selected USA Hockey Development Program forward Will Smith, who is from Boston and has committed to playing at Boston College next season.

Defenseman David Reinbacher, from Austria, went to Montreal at No. 5, but he had to wait a few extra seconds to hear his name called. Announcing the pick, Canadiens goalie Carey Price stopped after saying “David,” apparently forgetting the player’s last name. GM Kent Hughes came to the rescue and said: “We planned it that way. It’s David Reinbacher.”

The Arizona Coyotes went with what was considered an off-the-board pick by selecting Russian defenseman Dmitriy Simashev a year after drafting five defensemen. They passed over forward Matvei Michkov, who has captivated draft watchers because the offensively skilled player is under contract to play in his native Russia through the 2025-26 season.

The Philadelphia Flyers ended Michkov’s wait with the seventh pick.

A large contingent of Blackhawks fans were in attendance, with an exceptionally loud cheer going up during the pre-draft roll call of teams when it came Chicago’s turn. They cheered even louder, followed by chants of “Let’s go Hawks!” when Bedard took the stage and pulled on a No. 98 jersey, which he’s worn for much of his career.

“We’ll see. We’ll let him figure that out,” Davidson said, when asked about his expectations for Bedard. “He’s a pretty special player, a very special person. We’ll let him determine how special that first season is.”

Weeks shy of his 18th birthday, Bedard has spent much of the past two years projected as this year’s top draft prospect. From North Vancouver, British Columbia, Bedard has done nothing to give pause to the high projections after posting 100-point seasons in back-to-back years with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League.

His 71 goals in 57 games last season were the most by a WHL player in 24 years, and his 143 points were the most since 1995-96. At just under 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, Bedard is considered a generational prospect, much like McDavid, who was selected first in 2015 and this week was named the league’s MVP for the third time.

The Blackhawks have already begun refitting their roster to help Bedard’s development by acquiring veterans Taylor Hall (the first pick in the 2010 draft) and Nick Foligno in a trade with Boston this week.

Davidson spent much of the past year tearing his roster down, dating to last year’s draft when the Blackhawks stockpiled picks by trading Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach on consecutive days. The overhaul continued when Chicago traded Kane to the New York Rangers in February and closed the year by parting ways with longtime captain Jonathan Toews.

More to come on this story.

Orange County Register

Long Beach man accused of killing ex-girlfriend in Aliso Viejo spa bombing once again on trial

June 29, 2023

A Long Beach man accused of building a homemade bomb that killed his ex-girlfriend, injured two other women and obliterated an Aliso Viejo day spa is once again on trial, less than a year after a different jury was unable to decide whether he was guilty of using a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death.

As Stephen Beal’s second trial got underway on Wednesday morning at the federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, the opposing attorneys once again painted contrasting portraits of Beal as either a jilted lover turned deadly bomber or an innocent man whose hobby quickly made him the target of investigators who were under pressure to solve the high-profile killing of 48-year-old Ildiko Krajnyak.

A Hungarian-native who came to the United States in the 90s, Krajnyak spent years working in the beauty industry before saving up enough money to open her own day spa. On May 15, 2018, Krajnyak was opening a small cardboard box while chatting with a mother and daughter who had just gotten facials at the salon for an upcoming family wedding when the package suddenly exploded. The daughter would later recall a deafening “boom,” a flash of “hot light” and a “massive wave of heat and pressure” that knocked her off her feet, followed by the darkness of a room enveloped with black smoke.

The daughter was able to find her mother in the debris, but Krajnyak was immediately killed in the blast. The force of the explosion “vaporized” the portions of Krajnyak’s body closest to the package, while tearing apart half the structure that housed the spa, collapsing the ceiling and leaving body parts and rubble around the surrounding area.

“A bomb went off,” Assistant United States Attorney Annamartine Salick told jurors in her opening statement. “Ildiko’s spa was destroyed, the business Ildiko poured her heart and soul into, gone in an instant… Ildiko was found in pieces.”

It would take weeks of painstaking work by specialized federal law enforcement teams aided by technicians at the FBI crime lab in Quantico, Virgina to fully process the remnants of the spa. But Beal — who had both personal and business ties to Krajnyak — quickly emerged as the prime suspect in the bombing.

The two had a “tumultuous” dating relationship after meeting online in 2016, and were co-owners of the spa. Beal also had more than 130 pounds of what law enforcement officials would describe as “explosives precursors” at his home, which he said was for his model-rocket hobby.

Prosecutors have described Beal, now 64, as the only person with the means, motive and opportunity to kill Krajnyak. He had learned that Krajnyak was with another man during a recent trip to Hungary, prosecutors said, had used his chemical and electronics experience to craft the bomb and his keys to the spa and knowledge of when Krajnyak was out of the country in order to plant the explosive package at the business.

“The defendant became an expert in mixing highly-volatile explosive chemicals and building electric circuits and fusing systems,” Salick said. “The defendant knew how to make things explode. And he used those skills — over decades of making rockets and pyrotechnics — to build the bomb that exploded on May 15.”

Investigators would later find receipts and surveillance footage they say show Beal purchasing a battery that appears to match the one believed to have served as a power source for the bomb, as well as a box that one of the women who survived the explosion identified as looking like the package that held the explosives.

Beal’s attorney, Meghan Blanco, denied that Beal had any involvement in the bomb or Krajnyak’s death. The defense attorney said it was Beal himself who contacted investigators the day of the explosion, and who allowed them to search his Long Beach home where the chemicals cited by authorities were discovered. Beal’s attorneys noted the containers holding the chemicals were covered in dust, since Beal had stopped pursing his model-rocket hobby when his children grew up and left his home.

“They turned immediately to Stephen Beal, who made himself a suspect in the case,” Blanco said “Now, Mr. Beal didn’t make himself a suspect because he had done anything wrong or because he had done anything guilty or illegal. Mr. Beal made himself a suspect because he reached out to law enforcement. He called them. He invited them over to his house”

The defense attorney argued that investigators ignored other potential suspects. She told jurors that an electrician who was working as a maintenance man at the building where the spa was located had sent unwanted and “uncomfortable” texts to Krajnyak, that the owner of the building — who has since died — had taken out an insurance policy months earlier that covered the building in the event of a bombing and that a married former lover of Krajnyak’s had military experience and a wife who had repeatedly confronted Krajnyak over her affair with the husband.

Last August, Beal’s first trial ended with the jury split 9 to 3 in favor of his guilt, leading U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton to declare a mistrial. Speaking to attorneys outside the courtroom, one of the jurors said she voted not guilty after agreeing with the defense that investigators had shown “tunnel vision” by focusing on Beal.

Beal’s current trial is expected to last six weeks, slightly shorter than his two-month-long initial trial.

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Orange County Register

Angels GM Perry Minasian says David Fletcher was recalled because he ‘looked like Fletch’

June 29, 2023

ANAHEIM — After Perry Minasian recalled David Fletcher from his 75-day exile to Triple-A, the Angels’ general manager said he had seen what he wanted to see from the infielder.

“He looked like Fletch,” Minasian said this week. “The way he was moving around. The way he was swinging the bat, using the entire field. He made some adjustments. I thought he looked more and more like the old Fletch.”

All of that came as a surprise to Fletcher, who shrugged off questions about why he went down and what he had to do to return.

“I didn’t change anything,” Fletcher said on Wednesday.

Fletcher, who was recalled on Saturday, said he tried to keep a good attitude during his stay with Salt Lake.

“Honestly, I was just focusing on where I was,” Fletcher said. “I had a lot of good teammates there and a good environment. I honestly can say I was focused on where I was, and whatever happened I’d deal with it when it happened. I’m pretty good at just being in the present.”

Fletcher, 29, was sent to Triple-A and outrighted off the 40-man roster in April, despite his five-year, $26 million contract.

The Angels were looking for more offense and better defense when they called up Zach Neto from Double-A. Fletcher had been at his best from 2018-20, when he hit .292 with a .732 OPS. In 2021, he was hitting .309 with a .726 OPS through Aug. 7, but then he finished the season hitting .161 over the final 51 games. Last season was a wash because of injuries, including surgery to repair a sports hernia. Then he only got 16 at-bats in eight games before the Angels pulled the plug this season.

Fletcher hit .303 with a .909 OPS in 43 games at Triple-A. He might have been recalled when Neto injured his oblique on June 14, but that was just two days after Fletcher’s 60-year-old father died. He had not been sick, so the loss was unexpected.

“He had a personal thing that happened or he would have been up earlier,” Minasian said.

Fletcher missed a week on the bereavement list, then he played for a few days at Salt Lake before finally getting the call.

The Angels won three of the first four games he played. He contributed a homer and four hits to their 25-1 rout of the Colorado Rockies on Saturday in Denver, and he made a key defensive play in Tuesday’s win against the Chicago White Sox. Playing shortstop, Fletcher dove to his right and threw to third to get a force.

“He’s somebody that we need,” Minasian said. “We need him to be a good player and help us win games.”

OHTANI UPDATE

Shohei Ohtani, who came out of Tuesday’s start with a broken fingernail on his middle finger, is still scheduled to make his next start on Monday in San Diego, which would be his normal schedule.

Manager Phil Nevin said the Angels could push him back a day or two “just to make sure. That’s not even on our radar yet. I think he’s going to be OK for that start.”

Whenever Ohtani starts in San Diego, that would be his final start before the All-Star break. If he then starts the first game after the break, he would have 10 days rest between starts.

NOTES

Third baseman Anthony Rendon (bruised wrist) continues to make progress toward a return. Nevin said the Angels began discussing on Wednesday whether Rendon will have a rehab assignment or just face minor league pitchers at Angel Stadium. “We think it’s close,” Nevin said. …

Neto (strained oblique) said he hoped to begin baseball activity on Friday, but Nevin said that might have been too optimistic. “He might have gotten a little bit ahead of himself,” Nevin said. “I know he’s excited to get out there and he feels good, but with this injury you got to be sure because a setback with this injury is usually another month.” …

Right-hander Ben Joyce (ulnar neuritis) has thrown three days in a row. Nevin said the Angels have to “dial him back a little bit before he ramps,” but he added that “the ramp-up will be pretty quick now that he’s feeling better.” …

Outfielder Mickey Moniak was not in the lineup, even though the Angels were facing a right-hander on Wednesday. Nevin said Moniak’s hip was still “a little sore and I wanted to give him a day.” Moniak was hurt on Saturday. He played through the injury on Monday and Tuesday. “He can play through it, but it’s better to get out in front of it,” Nevin said. …

Nevin said he’s not planning on a strict platoon with left-handed hitting first baseman Mike Moustakas. “He’s always hit lefties his whole career,” Nevin said. “I could see him starting against a lefty here and there.” Moustakas had an .805 OPS against lefties and a .796 OPS against lefties going into Wednesday’s game. …

Right-handers Chris Devenski and Sam Bachman went to Children’s Hospital of Orange County on Tuesday, and then both players shaved their heads as a show of support for kids undergoing cancer treatments. “Just to show them that we’re thinking of them,” Devenski said. Devenski also had the kids sign his arm, and he pitched on Tuesday night with the names written on his arm. “We were signing stuff for them, and I wanted to do something for them to make them feel special, because they are special as well,” Devenski said. …

The Angels had a celebration for infielder Eduardo Escobar after Tuesday’s game. Escobar had passed his test to earn his United States citizenship earlier on Tuesday. “It was a special moment for him,” Nevin said. “It was fun. A welcome not just to our country, but to our team.”

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Orange County Register

NHL draft: Ducks select Leo Carlsson with No. 2 overall pick

June 29, 2023

The Ducks turned to Sweden in hopes of fast-tracking their rebuilding process, selecting talented center Leo Carlsson of Orebro HK with the No. 2 pick at the NHL draft on Wednesday in Nashville.

It is the fifth time since 2011 that the Ducks have taken a Swedish player with their first draft choice as Carlsson joined center Isac Lundestrom (No. 23) in 2018, defenseman Jacob Larsson (No. 27) in 2015, defenseman Hampus Lindholm (No. 6) in 2012 and forward Rickard Rakell (No. 30) in 2011.

“It feels unreal,” Carlsson said in an interview with Sportsnet. “I don’t know what to say right now. I have so many feelings now.”

This was the Ducks’ highest draft choice since they selected Bobby Ryan at No. 2, behind Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby, in 2005.

Like that year, there was no mystery, however, concerning the No. 1 draft pick.

It’s been a foregone conclusion that Connor Bedard, who had 72 goals and 143 points this past season for the Regina Pats of the WHL, would go first to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Bedard has long been considered the most anticipated draft-eligible player since Connor McDavid went first to the Edmonton Oilers in 2015.

For the Ducks, who finished last overall this past season, the drafting of Carlsson could serve as a turning point. Draft experts have said that, for instance, the likes of Carlsson or Canadian forward Adam Fantilli could have been candidates to go first overall last year.

Fantilli was an appealing option, having won the Hobey Baker award after a sensational freshman season at the University of Michigan. He went to the Columbus Blue Jackets with the No. 3 pick.

Ducks general manager Pat Verbeek was asked what tipped the scales in Carlsson’s favor.

“We’re really excited about his creativity, his hockey sense,” Verbeek said to Sportsnet. “There’s a potential for him to really be a dominant player at both ends of the ice. We liked him – especially seeing him at the World Championships – play center. It became a tipping point for him.”

More to come on this story.

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Orange County Register

LAX police officer arrested after allegedly touching woman, brandishing gun at Long Beach bar

June 29, 2023

A police officer for the Los Angeles International Airport was arrested on Sunday, June 25 in Long Beach after authorities said he repeatedly touched a woman’s arm at a restaurant before brandishing a gun at her, then fired the gun at the ground in a nearby neighborhood.

Police said Roberto Mosquera, 47, began touching the woman’s arm while they were sitting next to each other at a restaurant in the 6300 block of East Pacific Coast Highway just before 1 a.m.

“When the victim expressed that she did not want to be touched, the suspect displayed a firearm and then put it back into his waistband,” Long Beach police said in a statement. “The suspect left the scene.”

Less than 20 minutes later, police were called to the 7100 block of Marina Pacifica Drive, a private street in an apartment complex overlooking Alamitos Bay just a few hundred feet from the restaurant, after someone reported hearing gunshots.

When officers got there, they found Mosquera, who was armed with a gun, as well as strike marks from bullets on the ground and several casings.

Police said Mosquera matched the details a witness at the restaurant gave of the man who brandished the gun at the woman, and they arrested him. He posted $25,000 bail later that day and was released, according to sheriff’s booking records.

A Long Beach police spokeswoman confirmed Mosquera is an officer for the Los Angeles Airport Police Division, which patrols LAX. The Airport Police did not return a request for comment on Mosquera’s arrest.

Long Beach police said they had forwarded the case to the Long Beach City Prosecutor’s Office.

Mosquera has not been charged yet. Long Beach City Prosecutor Douglas Haubert said his office had received the case Wednesday, and that it was under review.

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Orange County Register

Fatboy Slim will headline Pershing Square in Downtown Los Angeles in September

June 29, 2023

Fatboy Slim, the moniker of English DJ and producer Norman Cook, announced a headlining show in Pershing Square in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, Sept. 23.

Fans can register by 8 a.m. Thursday, June 29 for the presale code to secure their tickets before they go on sale to the general public at thisisframework.com. Registrants will receive an email with a link to purchase tickets. The presale begins promptly at 10 a.m. on June 29.

The show is produced by Los Angeles-based underground experience curators This is Framework, which often partners with fellow Los Angeles promoters Goldenvoice to bring more intimate EDM shows to places like the Shrine Expo Hall, as well as throw their own parties in unique environments such as Exposition Park and Union Station.

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