BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Already an accomplished roller hockey player growing up in Grand Cayman, Jaxon Cover laughed at the memory of his introduction to ice hockey and how he literally fell head over skate blades for the sport.
Cover was 8 when he attended a summer camp in Toronto during his family’s annual trip north to see relatives.
“One time, I tried to do a roller hockey stop where you twist your ankles. So I kind of just blew a tire and fell over and landed on my back,” he said. “They’re great memories and I do chuckle because since that moment to now I feel I’ve made amazing progress.”
Indeed he has, in a journey that's taken Cover from the Caribbean to Canada and potentially beyond: Some five years since playing in his first competitive ice hockey game, the 18-year-old is regarded as one of the more intriguing prospects in the NHL draft in Buffalo this weekend.
Ranked 29th overall on NHL Central Scouting’s list of North American skaters, Cover is a good bet to be a second- or third-round selection on Saturday. And because of his untapped potential, some projections have him pegged going late in the first round on Friday.
“Every game this year, he made you notice him,” central scouting chief Dan Marr said, assessing Cover’s rookie season with the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights.
“He did the small things, the little things that make scouts notice him,” Marr added. “So he might have been a hidden secret going into the season. He’s not now.”
Simply being in the mix was enough for Cover while attending the pre-draft scouting combine earlier this month.
“If you told me I’d be here maybe even two years ago, I wouldn’t believe you,” he said. “I’m really proud of myself just seeing how far I’ve come.”
Shortly after being in born in Miami, his family returned to its roots in Grand Cayman, where Cover was a multisport athlete and especially drawn to roller hockey on an island that has one rink.
Putting on blades for the first time at 3, he quickly began playing against older competition. Some five year later, Cover earned MVP honors competing in two age divisions at the 2016 North American roller hockey championships.
His introduction to ice hockey wouldn’t come until 2020, when he and his older brother were sent to attend St. Andrew’s College, a private school north of Toronto. By his second year, he caught the attention of St. Andrew's coach David Manning during an under-16 team tryout while skating alongside much more established players.
“In quick order, you could see his elusiveness, his skill in tight, his puck control,” Manning recalled. “He still had trouble understanding when to pass and when to move, but his individual skill was undeniable.”
Manning said Cover used free time during the pandemic his first year to develop his skills at the rink.
Though his offensive talent and vision translated to ice hockey, the biggest challenge was getting accustomed to the nuances of skating, including making sharp stops and starts. In roller hockey, players tend to glide during their entire shift.
By April 2024, Cover was selected by London in the fourth round of the OHL's draft of 16-year-old prospects. He had two assists in three games with London two years ago. Last season, he had a team-leading 20 goals and finished second with 52 points in 67 games.
“We’ve had lots of great players, and this is certainly the most uncanny story of them all,” Manning said of Cover. “He’s got a great shot. He’s creative and elusive, there’s no doubt about that. So I’m sure the NHL teams are really curious as to after five years of hockey where he can get to.”
Cover said he interviewed with 25 of the NHL's 32 teams, many of them intrigued by his story. He intends to play in London this season, and has made a commitment to play at Penn State in two years.
As for his potential, Cover is focused only on improving.
“I feel like I’m only scraping the surface,” Cover said. “And I’m really excited to see how next season goes, and just how much I progress again.”
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL
Ontario Hockey League forward Jaxon Cover addresses reporters at the NHL scouting combine in Buffalo, NY on June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/John Wawrow)
Ontario Hockey League forward Jaxon Cover addresses reporters at the NHL scouting combine in Buffalo, NY on June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/John Wawrow)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Deniz Undav has three goals and two assists in 69 minutes at the World Cup, averaging a goal contribution every 13.8 minutes for a rate topping Lionel Messi (37.4), Kylian Mbappé (48.8) and Erling Haaland (51.2).
And the 29-year-old striker still hasn't earned a place in Germany's starting lineup.
“If I weren’t happy, if I weren't content, I wouldn’t be here,” he said during a news conference Wednesday ahead of Germany's group stage finale against Ecuador. “I accept the role.”
Germany is bouncing back from consecutive group stage eliminations after winning its fourth title in 2014. Die Mannschaft has clinched Group E and will start the knockout phase against a third-place team, possibly Paraguay or Australia, on Monday at Foxborough, Massachusetts.
While Germany is seeking its 12th straight victory, which would tie the team record set in 1979-80, Ecuador has one point and likely needs a victory to have a chance reach the knockout rounds.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann said he planned only forced lineup changes. Defender Nico Schlotterbeck will miss the rest of the tournament after tearing a left ankle ligament against Ivory Coast on Saturday, and left back Nathaniel Brown is out because of an adductor problem. Antonio Rüdiger and David Raum are likely to take their places.
“We want to prepare ourselves for the knockout phase,” Nagelsmann said. “We all say that Deniz really would deserve to be in the starting lineup but we have an idea and we talked about it with Deniz and other players and tomorrow we will do the rotations that are necessary.”
Undav played for Havelse, Braunschweig and Meppen in Germany’s lower tiers from 2017-20, then joined Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium’s second tier and helped the club win promotion. He debuted with Brighton in England’s Premier League for the 2022-23 season and switched to Stuttgart for 2023-24.
Coming off his third season with Stuttgart, Undav was second in the Bundesliga with 19 goals last season and trailed only Harry Kane’s 36. He made his Germany debut in March 2024 and has nine goals in 11 international appearances — just three of them starts.
He entered in the 64th minute of the opening 7-1 win over Curaçao and had a goal and two assists, then came on in the 60th minute against Ivory Coast and scored twice as Die Mannschaft rallied for a 2-1 victory.
Undav was happy to have his name alongside the sport's top stars in the scoring lists.
“Messi, he was my favorite player and what he can still do at the age of 38, 39 is really great," Undav said. “I enjoy his matches. He only runs about 7 to 8 kilometers (4 to 5 miles) but what he does with the ball is amazing.”
Nagelsmann apologized this spring for comments he made after Undav entered at the start of the second half in a March friendly against Ghana and scored a tiebreaking 88th-minute goal. Nagelsmann said Undav didn’t have the necessary stamina to be a starter and scored because his legs were fresh.
"Whether I’m in the starting lineup or later, it doesn’t matter,” Undav said, seated next to his coach. “It’s important that the team wins. And I joined from the bench twice and we won the game. I’m very happy about that.”
Nagelsmann also plans to stay with 40-year-old goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who returned to the national team for the World Cup after a two-year absence, displacing Oliver Baumann. Nagelsmann said goalkeeper coach Andreas Kronenberg spoke with Baumann about the decision.
"Oliver really understood," Nagelsmann said. “I understand completely from the human side and if we only approached it that way it would be obvious, but we have to look at the large picture. It’s not always pleasant to make these decisions but those decisions have to be made.”
Adidas, the German team's equipment supplier, ran out of the letter V for a short time because of the popularity among fans wanting the jerseys of Undaz, Kai Havertz and Aleksandar Pavlovic. Supply has since been restocked.
“My friends, my family already have a jersey. I really didn’t have to order anything new,” Undav said. “I'm very honored by it.”
Ecuador entered with a 19-game unbeaten streak before giving up a 90th-minute goal in an opening 1-0 loss to Ivory Coast. John Yeboah and Alan Minda hit crossbar in first half against the Elephants and outshot Curaçao 28-10 in a 0-0 draw, stymied by Eloy Room's 15 saves
"I am convinced that we have a chance to meet our goals," Ecuador coach Sebastián Beccacece said. “We'll have the taste of happiness if we win and the taste of sorrow if we don’t and that’s life for you."
Ecuador's coach said his family was confronted by an angry supporter after Saturday's game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
“I talked to my wife, my daughters. They told me what happened. I haven’t seen it,” he said. “The first thing I asked was whether anything serious had happened. They said no. Nothing. And at the end of the day, I interpret this as a fan feeling hurt because of the results and then a daughter defending her father. I think anyone should be able to express themselves without reaching this level of confrontation.”
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer takes part in the warm up ahead of the World Cup Group E soccer match between Germany and Ivory Coast in Toronto, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Germany's Deniz Undav (26) celebrates after scoring their second goal during the World Cup Group E soccer match between Germany and Ivory Coast in Toronto, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Germany's Deniz Undav (26) celebrates after scoring their second goal during the World Cup Group E soccer match between Germany and Ivory Coast in Toronto, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Germany's Deniz Undav celebrates after scoring their second goal during the World Cup Group E soccer match between Germany and Ivory Coast in Toronto, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
