Last Week in Las Vegas Sports (Apr 19 - 25)

#5 Las Vegas Aces draft results

The WNBA draft took place on April 17th, and while the Las Vegas Aces already had a plethora of weapons at their disposal, they also made sure to add some depth to their all-star roster. This started in the first round when the Aces selected Iliana Rupert, who is coming to play basketball all the way from France. She will be playing as a backup center behind Liz Camabge.

"We wanted players that would come in and not bust our chemistry, that could come in and accept their roles and compete hard and earn their minutes," head coach Bill Laimbeer said. "We re positioned now for the near term and the long term."

The Aces also drafted Destiny Stocum two picks later,  another great addition to the team.  Finally, the Aces selected Kionna Jeter, who was ranked as one of the best prospects in the entire draft.

#4 Las Vegas Golden Knights clinch playoff spot with win over San Jose Sharks

The Las Vegas Golden Knights became the first team to clinch a spot in the postseason last week after beating the Sharks 5-2 on Tuesday. This accomplishment marks the fourth time that the Golden Knights have been in the playoffs, and might be their best chance of winning an elusive Stanley Cup Final trophy. Not only is that evident by the goalie combination they have in Marc Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner, but also from all the firepower the team has at their disposal.

"It's an accomplishment in this league; 31 teams to make the playoffs," said Peter DeBoer, who has led two teams to Stanley Cup Final appearances during his coaching career. "What this franchise has done so far is unheard of. I don't know if you'll ever see that again out of an expansion team."

#3 Mike Maycock comments on Henry Ruggs III future with the Raiders

Henry Ruggs III had a subpar rookie season with the Las Vegas Raiders, leaving some to wonder if he'll last long with the organization. In fact, between only managing over 500 yards, getting injured early in the season, and only bringing in one touchdown in his first season, many thought he would already be on his way out. Fortunately for the young superstar, team owner Mike Mayock recently expressed faith in him and cornerback Damon Arnette.

I m excited about both of them. I don t think there s any question in our building,  Mayock said Thursday. Henry s got to get stronger. Damon s got to get stronger. They re both spending an awful lot of time this offseason both with the strength and also the conditioning aspects. In my mind, we re going to see different guys."

#2 Mark Davis's controversial tweet

Jon Gruden has been the subject of quite a few gaffes over the course of his career, but nothing comes close to what he posted on Twitter one day after the Derek Chauvin trial concluded. He posted a photo on Twitter with the caption "I can breathe." which some took as a way to mock George Floyd, who died last year after a police officer, Derek Chavin nealed on his neck for nine minutes. Chavin was eventually charged with three crimes including second-degree murder and manslaughter.

"He could ve said anything else, Titans star wide receiver AJ Brown tweeted  This is not a sigh of relief. That wasn t justice, it was accountability. This is so disrespectful!

However, Mark Davis claims he found the phrase after watching Georg Floyd's brother, Philonese Floyd, saying he could breathe again after the trial. Davis wanted to show his support. Even Floyd's brother defended Davis' tweet.

#1 Robin Lehner calls out NHL over Covid -19 policy

It's no secret that Robin Lehner is one of the best goalies in the NHL today, but he's also becoming pretty vocal about pandemic protocols. The Las Vegas goalie went on an 11-minute tirade during a press conference about the NHL's restrictions. Lehner claims that the league promised players they could participate in small gatherings after getting the vaccine became available but are now changing course on the matter.

"Nobody from the league has communicated to any player or club that any of our COVID protocols would be 'relaxed' for any player once he is vaccinated," a league spokesman said of Lehner's comment. Still, it's impossible to know what's happening behind the scenes.