Whale first-year prospect defenseman Jyri Niemi(8), picked up in a rare trade between the Islanders and the Rangers, was converted to a forward for the game outside and scored himself his second goal of the season in the meantime.
Category: AHL
Connecticut Whale players, Justin Soryal(47), Devin DiDiomete(24) and Dale Weise(23) are literally “chilling” on the bench in the 3rd period of the Whale Bowl at Rentschler Field as the nighttime temperatures dip and the wind gusts pick up.
P-Bruins‘ veteran forward David Ling(21) needs to go south for some warmth during a stoppage in play at the Whale Bowl last Saturday night in East Hartford at Rentschler Field.
The temperature at game time had to be no more than 20 degrees and with the wind gusts up to 40mph, it was way too cold for everyone there who braved it for some outdoor pro hockey.
P-Bruins‘ netminder Nolan Schaefer(31) didn’t play but donned the old school Cheevers‘ mask for the occasion of the outdoor game in Hartford.
It was a nice touch nonetheless, especially considering Cheevers‘ spent many of his post-Stanley Cup years in goal for Cleveland Crusaders in the early days of the WHA.
Undrafted, Kirk MacDonald(10) has continued to improve his game as a pro. In his fourth year, he’s found a home with the Providence Bruins for the last two seasons and has proven his ability to play at the AAA level.
He’s probably on the last year of his entry level contract and this year Dale Weise(23) received his first call-up to the New York Rangers. He was drafted in the 4th round in 2008, #111 overall. In 10 games, he failed to register any points. In the AHL he’s a point per game player.
Islanders‘ tough guy call-up, Micheal Haley(18) will probably be most remembered as the player that fought goalie Brett Johnson of the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s a bit sad that his first NHL goal also came in that same game, which is a nice accomplishment for the pugilist. He was scoring with the Sound Tigers before getting called-up and he did score in juniors.
First year Providence Bruins‘ defenseman Colby Cohen(26), picked up in the trade with Colorado for Matt Hunwick, goes for some seniority status by offering up with Connecticut Whale vet, Kris Newbury(11).
Neither player seems like much of a fighter, although Newbury does seem to have high penalty minutes each season, so he must be some sort of a hot head out there.
former Harvard Crimson star goaltender, Dov Grumet-Morris(1) has played well at the AHL level but in his 6-year pro career has not had one team commit to him for a full season.
He’s currently enjoying a nice run with Connecticut Whale but as soon as Cameron Talbot(33) gets healthy again, he likely find himself back in the ECHL with Greenville Road Warriors.
Senators‘ first year goalie, 19-year old Robin Lehner(40) has already made half a dozen or so trips from Binghamton to up in Ottawa but probably doesn’t mind as he gains experience in the NHL with the bottom feeding team, this year. And he happens to be in net on NESN tonight looking for his second victory of the season vs. Boston Bruins.
