
LOS ANGELES — We take you back to Monday morning in Minnesota and Cole Perfetti, eager to shake a nine-game scoring slump, is the first Winnipeg Jets skater to hit the ice ahead of that night’s game against the Wild. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * LOS ANGELES — We take you back to Monday morning in Minnesota and Cole Perfetti, eager to shake a nine-game scoring slump, is the first Winnipeg Jets skater to hit the ice ahead of that night’s game against the Wild. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? LOS ANGELES — We take you back to Monday morning in Minnesota and Cole Perfetti, eager to shake a nine-game scoring slump, is the first Winnipeg Jets skater to hit the ice ahead of that night’s game against the Wild. The young forward is joined a few minutes later by veteran teammate Nino Niederreiter, and the pair are taking turns firing shots towards the net. John Woods / THE CANADIAN PRESS files Although it has been a while since Cole Perfetti has found the back of the net, the Jets forward is contributing to the team’s success in other ways. “Especially right now, when the puck’s not going in, I like to get out there and just work on a couple things shot wise,” Perfetti told the on Wednesday. “I just want to see the puck go in the net, and right now it’s just about getting extra reps doing that.” Practice makes perfect, right? In principle, sure, but on this day, one of Niederreiter’s pucks goes right off the crossbar and directly into the face of Perfetti, who crumples to the ice. “Luckily it hit me in the visor. That could have been bad,” Perfetti said. That little brush with disaster perfectly sums up the current state of things for Perfetti, whose drought extended to 10 games in a 4-1 victory over Minnesota. Everything that can go wrong right now seemingly is going wrong. Fast forward to Wednesday, when Perfetti was once again the first to take a twirl at Crypto.com Arena to get ready for a battle with the Los Angeles Kings. He was also the last to wrap his morning skate, aside from healthy scratches David Gustafsson and Dylan Coghlan, the injured Logan Stanley and backup goaltender Eric Comrie. Perfetti would have stayed even longer but his stick snapped in half as he tried a shot — a sign it was time to hit the showers. To be clear, you won’t get any “woe is me” stuff from Perfetti, who signed a two-year, US$6.5 million contract a few days after training camp began after the Jets balked at signing a long-term extension at this point in his career, clearly wanting to see a larger sample size before the decide the true worth of the 10th-overall pick from 2020. “I just want to see the puck go in the net.” In fact, Perfetti likes where parts of his game are, even if the puck doesn’t really want to play along. “It’s frustrating, but if you’re getting the chances, if you’re doing the right things... I’d be more worried if I wasn’t getting the chances and we weren’t as a line and knew we were doing something wrong,” said Perfetti. He cites the fact he’s hit several posts in recent games, not to mention being the victim of a robbery last Saturday night by Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros. “It’s going to come eventually,” said Perfetti, who skates with Vlad Namestnikov and Nikolaj Ehlers. “Once the dam breaks for me personally and for us as a line, I feel like it’s really going to start to come and we’ll start to see the puck go into the net, which will be great.” Of course, it helps that the Jets entered pay Wednesday with an NHL-best 18-4-0 record, which mean’s Perfetti’s personal power outage hasn’t impacted the team as a whole. “You can find other ways to contribute to a win,” said Perfetti, who has chipped in with four assists in the last 10 games and is now up to 15 points (4G, 11A) in 22 games to sit in a tie for seventh in team scoring. Lynne Sladky / The Associated Press Files Perfetti checks Florida Panthers' Evan Rodrigues into the boards during a game in Sunrise, Fla. “No, the puck’s not going in the net right now, but worry about my defensive game, worry about how we are playing when we are on the ice. Are we still attacking and not giving the other team any great looks? That’s what you have to do right now. Goals are going to come, and they’re going to come in waves. But right now, while the luck is not on your side, do all the other little things correct and help your team win that way.” Perfetti has been down this road before, including a career-long 23 game span last year in which he failed to light the lamp and had just two assists. That led to several stints as a healthy scratch and what he admits was a crisis in confidence which ultimately proved to be a painful but necessary lesson. “Going through it for the first time really ever last year, you learn a lot about how not to deal with it. I feel like I kind of let it eat me up,” Perfetti said. “Goals are going to come, and they’re going to come in waves. But right now, while the luck is not on your side, do all the other little things correct and help your team win that way.” “The more it went on and on, the more I pressed and the more it didn’t come and the worse I felt about it.” As a result, he’s taking a much different approach this time around, one he believes is translating into solid overall play. His coach, Scott Arniel, concurs. “His game isn’t all centred around just scoring goals and sometimes when it doesn’t go in, you have a tendency to get farther away from the net,” said Arniel. “He recognizes that when he gets inside more, he’ll get those looks. He’s had some Grade-A’s. Sooner or later, they’ll go in. He has other responsibilities. Hopefully he starts off and gets a crazy bounce or something or an empty-netter to go in and that just gets him going and feeling good again. But I’ve really liked his game. He’s playing really well without the puck.” Perhaps a dose of good karma will get the hockey gods on his side. Last Friday night in Pittsburgh, at the start of this season-long road six game road trip, Perfetti had a chance to score his fifth of the year on a breakaway bid with the Penguins having pulled Tristan Jarry for an extra attacker. Rather than shoot, he passed to teammate Kyle Connor who had joined him on what was a 2-on-0. Connor is the team’s leading scorer and certainly doesn’t need help in that department, but this gesture allowed him to record his first Gordie Howe hat track, having recorded an assist and a fight against Sidney Crosby earlier in the game. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. “I’d love the goal. Obviously want to see the puck go in the net myself right now,” said Perfetti. “But as soon as I got the puck, I knew I was getting it to him. That’s all I was thinking about, getting him his Gordie Howe.” Make no mistake: A little gesture like that goes a long way when it comes to team building. “Obviously everyone wants to score goals and that’s the main objective of the game,” said Perfetti. “But at the same time the more you press and put pressure on yourself, it’s just going to mount up and the more you do that, the less chances you’re going to score. Because now you’re gripping your stick when you do get a chance, or you’re beating yourself up if you miss a chance. Eventually it’s going to go. I’m just waiting for the game that it comes.” mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the before joining the in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. . Every piece of reporting Mike produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the ‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about , and . Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider . Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
GUANGZHOU, China, Dec. 21, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EHang Holdings Limited EH ("EHang" or the "Company"), the world's leading Urban Air Mobility ("UAM") technology platform company, today announced the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement with Chongqing Changan Automobile Co., Ltd., ("Changan Automobile"), a leading Chinese car manufacturer listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (ticker symbol:000625), in the presence of the Chongqing Municipal Government and representatives from various industry sectors. The parties will collaborate on the research and development, manufacturing, sales, and operation of flying car-related products, including electric vertical takeoff and landing ("eVTOL") aircraft and innovative flying cars. Leveraging EHang's strong product development capabilities in aerial vehicles and low-altitude flight management technology solutions and combining Changan Automobile's robust production and manufacturing foundation and rich market resources in the automotive sector, the parties will explore the establishment of a joint venture focused on future mobility ecosystem technologies. This cross-industry strategic partnership will further enrich and expand EHang's eVTOL product line, unlocking a vast potential market for flying cars targeting a broad C-end customer base. Zhao Wang, Chief Operating Officer of EHang and Xiaoyu Zhang, Executive Vice President of Changan Automobile sign a strategic cooperation agreement The signing ceremony was held at the planned site of the Changan Global Science and Art Center in Chongqing. Distinguished attendees included Henghua Hu, Deputy Secretary of the Chongqing Municipal Committee and Mayor of Chongqing, and Xiangdong Zheng, Vice Mayor of Chongqing, and management from Changan Automobile, including Huarong Zhu, Chairman; Jun Wang, President; and Benhong Tan, Chief Human Resources Officer. Also present were EHang's Huazhi Hu, Founder, Chairman, and CEO; Zhao Wang, Chief Operating Officer, and Conor Yang, Chief Financial Officer. Ceremony highlights included a flight of the EH216-S pilotless passenger-carrying eVTOL aircraft. The EH216-S pilotless eVTOL performs a flight demonstration at the signing ceremony, while the EH216-F and EH216-L pilotless eVTOLs are displayed on-site As one of China's top four automotive groups, Changan Automobile boasts strong capabilities in R&D, manufacturing infrastructure, supply chain, sales channel resources, and significant market influence in automobile market. EHang, as a pioneer in the global UAM sector, is leading the way in the R&D and design, mass production, certifications and large-scale safe operation for pilotless passenger-carrying eVTOL aircraft. Under this agreement, the two parties will leverage their respective strengths and resources to jointly develop flying cars and with cutting-edge technologies, future-oriented design, and market competitiveness. The collaboration covers R&D, production, market promotion, channel development, user experience and after-sales service, while integrating low-altitude economy applications to accelerate the commercialization of flying cars and EHang's pilotless eVTOL products. The signing ceremony of the strategic cooperation agreement between EHang and Changan Automobile The low-altitude economy represents a national strategic emerging industry and a new quality productive force. The 2024 Central Economic Work Conference clearly pointed out the importance of leading the development of new types of productive forces with technological innovation and carrying out large-scale application demonstrations of new technologies, products, and scenarios. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other departments in China have proposed to encourage the research and development of flying car technologies, product validation, and the exploration of commercial application scenarios, with a strong focus on developing unmanned, electric, and intelligent low-altitude equipment. As a new type of aircraft for the development of the low-altitude industry, eVTOLs have vast development potential. According to data by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the scale of China's low-altitude economy exceeded 500 billion yuan in 2023, and it is expected to reach 2 trillion yuan by 2030, with the market potentially growing to 3.5 trillion yuan by 2035. Earlier this year in September, the Chongqing Municipal Government Office issued the Action Plan for Promoting Low-Altitude Airspace Management Reform and High-Quality Development of the Low-Altitude Economy (2024–2027) . The plan aims to position Chongqing as an innovative benchmark city in low-altitude economy and supports intelligent automobile manufacturers in exploring eVTOL R&D and production. EHang and Changan Automobile are collaboratively aligning with the low-altitude economy development strategy, basing strategies upon Chongqing's favorable policies to accelerate the complementary integration of the automotive and low-altitude economy industry. The emergence of a new generation of low-altitude mobility products will introduce a higher-quality, more efficient, and environmental-friendly three-dimensional transportation solution designed to meet the challenges of Chongqing's complex mountainous terrain. This innovation will set a new benchmark for advancing the low-altitude economy. Huarong Zhu, Chairman of Changan Automobile, speaking at the strategic cooperation signing ceremony Huarong Zhu, Chairman of Changan Automobile, said: "The cooperation between Changan Automobile and EHang in the development of flying cars is of great significance, allowing both parties to leverage their respective strengths. Over the next five years, Changan Automobile plans to invest more than 20 billion yuan in the low-altitude economy sector to accelerate the development of the flying car industry. Over the next decade, we will invest more than 100 billion yuan to explore integrated mobility solutions across land, sea and air." Huazhi Hu, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of EHang, speaking at the strategic cooperation signing ceremony Huazhi Hu, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of EHang, stated: "During this rapid development stage of the low-altitude economy, EHang remains committed to collaborating with upstream and downstream partners to enhance the pilotless eVTOL industrial chain and its ecosystem. We look forward to more cross-industry cooperation with mature domestic automakers, leveraging each other's strengths and resources to create complementary and synergistic effects, continuously enriching and developing eVTOL product series that cater to diverse scenario demands and customers. This strategic partnership with Changan Automobile, aimed at jointly advancing the R&D, manufacturing, sales, and operation of next-generation flying cars product, will further enrich the ecosystem of the low-altitude economy and offer consumers more travel options." About EHang EHang EH is the world's leading urban air mobility ("UAM") technology platform company. Our mission is to enable safe, autonomous, and eco-friendly air mobility accessible to everyone. EHang provides customers in various industries with unmanned aerial vehicle ("UAV") systems and solutions: air mobility (including passenger transportation and logistics), smart city management, and aerial media solutions. EHang's flagship product EH216-S has obtained the world's first type certificate, production certificate and standard airworthiness certificate for pilotless eVTOL issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China. As the forerunner of cutting-edge UAV technologies and commercial solutions in the global UAM industry, EHang continues to explore the boundaries of the sky to make flying technologies benefit our life in smart cities. For more information, please visit www.ehang.com . About Changan Automobile Changan Automobile is one of the four major Chinese automobile groups, with 40 years of car manufacturing experience, we have 14 manufacturing bases and 34 plants worldwide. As a leading Chinese car manufacturer, CHANGAN Automobile has self-owned brands including CHANGAN UNI, CHANGAN NEVO, CHANGAN LCV, DEEPAL, AVATR, and joint venture brands including CHANGAN Ford, CHANGAN Mazda, and JMC. Changan Automobile has more than 18,000 engineers and technicians from 31 countries around the world, and has established R&D network of ten cities in six countries in Chongqing, Beijing, Shanghai, Dingzhou in Hebei, Hefei in Anhui, Turin in Italy, Yokohama in Japan, Birmingham in the UK, Detroit in the US and Munich in Germany. Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "aims," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "likely to" and similar statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about management's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to those relating to certifications, our expectations regarding demand for, and market acceptance of, our products and solutions and the commercialization of UAM services, our relationships with strategic partners, and current litigation and potential litigation involving us. Management has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While they believe these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward-looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond management's control. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause EHang's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Investor Contact: ir@ehang.com Media Contact: pr@ehang.com Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e078a45c-d232-4360-9ccd-f2c624229d3f https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7d1d7cca-a3c7-42da-bbd5-aee441cb9eb3 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8087df72-cd5f-4df3-8772-51fe658cf54f https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/32fcc1ba-ca7c-4c2b-9ffd-c491d718d62e https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8c31ca29-bc7e-48d9-bdbb-283d17141c43 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9d5bed0b-bb04-4526-acfb-0c09989d1a6c © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Deal on Elgin Marbles ‘still some distance’ away, says George OsborneThe Celtics have another game against the Bucks coming up, this time at 7:30 p.m. Friday at TD Garden. The C’s are already 2-0 against the Bucks this season after beating them at home in October then on the road in November. The C’s look like they should be near full strength for Friday’s game. They have three rotation players listed on the injury report as all are questionable: Jayson Tatum (right patella) , Kristaps Porzingis (injury management) and Al Horford (left big toe sprain). More Celtics content
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