AHL | CollegeHockeyPlayers

28Jan

John Kurtz(12) Norfolk Admirals

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Norfolk Admirals‘ undrafted 4th year, tough left wing John Kurtz(12) was rewarded last season with his first NHL contract from parent club Anaheim Ducks for his consistently edgy play in the minors with their affiliate clubs.

The 6’2″ 206 lbs. forward was further endorsed by the parent club as he received a one-year extension for 2014/2015.

He’s on pace this season to set AHL career highs in all categories, which may not put him tops on the team in scoring, but for a player that is looked to as protection for their more gifted scoring prospects it’s a nice increase.

Although he will likely spend the entire current campaign with the farm club, it appears he’s being readied for a recall to flex some muscle in the big league.

At only 24-years old he wears an “A” on his jersey serving as one of the alternate captains.

He was captain for his final pair of seasons in junior hockey with Sudbury Wolves, so proven leadership is an important part of his game.

27Jan

Mike Marcou(26) Greenville Road Warriors

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2nd year, undrafted defenseman Mike Marcou(26) signed a one-year two-way AHL deal with Hartford Wolf Pack for 2013/2014.

He had an outstanding rookie season with affiliate Greenville Road Warriors putting up 6 goals and 19 assists for 25 points, which led d-men; and had a team second-best +19 rating.

Reassigned to the ECHL to start his sophomore campaign, he is set to eclipse those first year marks, already scoring 6 goals and 14 assists at the half way point.

The somewhat bigger looking than his 5’11” 180 lbs. stats might suggest recently received his initial call-up and skated in a couple games before being returned. He also played in 2 contests with Oklahoma City Barons after his college career at UMass-Amherst finished up and was recalled once by San Antonio Rampage last season.

The 24-year old may still be looking for his first point in the higher league but in his short stint was a +2 plus/minus and looked to fit in nicely with team chemistry.

Given the opportunity there’s every reason to believe he will find a more permanent spot on a triple A roster.

16Jan

James Melindy(4) Portland Pirates

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Phoenix Coyotes‘ 3rd round pick in the 2012 draft (#88 overall) defenseman James Melindy(4) spent the start of his rookie season on the injured reserve list with minor league affiliate Portland Pirates.

Finally healthy enough at the turn of the new year he made it back into the lineup and through 14 AHL games he has his first pro marker but a -8 rating on a team that struggles at times.

At 6’3″ 187 lbs. he’s a pretty big, mostly stay-at-home style blue liner but he did show some offensive upside in his last couple campaigns of junior hockey with Moncton Wildcats before deciding to turn pro after his third year.

Signed to a three-year entry level deal through 2016, the recently just turned 20-year old is probably viewed by the parent club as a work in progress despite his pretty high selection but looks to have the ability to break out sooner than later and could get an NHL look as soon as next season.

14Jan

Ivan Telegin (22)

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After refusing to start his sophomore campaign with minor league affiliate St. John’s IceCaps, Winnipeg Jets‘ Russian-born left wing Ivan Telegin(22) is being loaned back to his native country to skate in the KHL with CSKA Moskva for the balance of the regular season.

Originally an Atlanta Thrashers‘ 4th round pick in the 2010 draft (#101 overall), he only managed to play in 34 AHL games in his rookie year due to concussion symptoms that dragged on into the off-season.

He posted 3 goals and 7 assists in his limited time on ice.

In his three seasons of OHL junior hockey with a pair of teams he was over a point-per-game player.

The fairly large 6’3″ 198 lbs. forward is signed to a three-year entry level deal through 2015 but may only lace up his skates again in North America if he’s traded.

For now it’s a wait and see process for the 21-year old’s future.

13Jan

Kristers Gudlevskis (35)

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Tampa Bay Lightning 5th round pick in the 2013 draft (#124 overall) Latvian goalie Kristers Gudlevskis(35) was reassigned to start his rookie season with ECHL affiliate Florida Everblades.

He was quickly recalled and has made the north-south trips already a few times in his first half year pro.

The still somewhat lanky 6’3″ 189 lbs. net minder had pretty stellar numbers in 11 games with the ‘Blades, where he went 7-4 with a 1.83 GAA and .928 SV%.

Currently up with Syracuse Crunch, he’s already appeared in 18 AHL games posting another winning mark of 10-5-2-2 with a 2.48 GAA and .910 SV%.

Signed to a three-year entry level deal through 2016, he played in a pair of KHL games last season with Dinamo Riga.

The 21-year was named CCM/AHL Player Of The Week for January 6-12 recording back-to-back weekend shutouts and a midweek victory.

He was also chosen to represent his country in the upcoming Sochi Olympics.

He’ll likely need to continue to prove himself on the way up.

11Jan

Mike Cornell(4) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

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Undrafted rookie defenseman Mike Cornell(4) spent five seasons in the Eastern (Junior) Hockey League starting as a high school age player before skating four years at University Of Maine. where he served as team captain in his final campaign.

He signed an ato out of college with Florida Everblades and appeared in 6 games dishing 4 helpers and also played in 13 Kelly Cup Playoff games, where he recorded 5 assists with a +8 rating through a pair of rounds before getting eliminated.

The not exactly huge out there 5’11” 190 lbs d-man plays a very physical game guarding the zone with his life pretty much.

To begin his first year pro he re-signed with the Everblades scoring his first goal and adding 5 assists in 12 ECHL games. He also owned a tidy +10 plus/minus.

Only a month into the season Bridgeport Sound Tigers came a-calling and signed him to a pto.

He fit right in to the team’s style pretty much from the get-go and before you know it he’s 26 AHL games in and inked an spc to stay.

The late starting 25-year old has two goals and 5 assists with a -5 on a young squad that struggles at times.

He also has a coach that’s been telling him to shoot the puck, because he’s already put 47 shots on net and that’s definitely added to his ability to connect on the score sheet.

This one gets a #nicesurprise.

10Jan

Cédric Paquette(17) Syracuse Crunch

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Tampa Bay Lightning 4th round pick in the 2012 draft (#101 overall) rookie center Cedric Paquette(17) has to be loving life since being a surprise selection and deciding to turn pro after only two seasons in juniors with Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.

On reassignment to minor league affiliate Syracuse Crunch, he’s being used in every possible game situation: 5-on-5, power plays and penalty kills.

The ice time is definitely paying off as he has 11 goals and 13 assists in 36 games with a +5 rating.

In his pair of campaigns in the QMJHL, he was easily a point-per-game player but also never shies away from the rough stuff as his penalty minutes indicate.

Signed to a three-year entry level deal through the 2016 season, the 20-year old is already paying dividends for the parent club that chose him on a hunch, and his future is looking quite bright.

08Jan

Dominik Uher(26) WBS Penguins

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Pittsburgh Penguins‘ 5th round pick in the 2011 draft (#144 overall), Czech Republic-born center Dominik Uher(26) has already surpassed his rookie season highs in assists and points and is one goal away from setting a new mark in goals as well.

In 31 AHL games with minor league affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins he has 4 goals and 7 assists for 11 points. Last season in 53 regular season contests he tallied 7 points total.

The 6’1″ 199 lbs. forward plays a feisty style of game out there and only really started to light the lamp before turning pro in his final season of junior hockey in the WHL with Spokane Chiefs, when he was a bit over a point-per-game guy.

Signed to a three-year entry level deal through the end of the 2015 campaign, the still very young 21-year old seems to be just hitting his stride.

It would be no shock to see him continue to increase his point totals and maybe get a look at his NHL game by the parent club.

07Jan

Chris Bruton(16) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

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Bridgeport Sound Tigers‘ 3rd year undrafted center Chris Bruton(16) was given a one-year, two-way NHL contract for 2013/2014 by New York Islanders to captain the young minor league affiliate squad.

Unfortunately he broke his hand early into the campaign and missed a month of action, leaving the team to field three assistants in his absence.

Upon his return, he has skated in 26 AHL games scoring a goal and an assist but is mostly counted on for his leadership and backing up his teammates when called upon.

He was team captain in his last season with Spokane Chiefs when they won both the Western Hockey League Championship and Memorial Cup. There was also an unfortunate incident that happened with the latter trophy.

At only 5’11” 205 lbs. he isn’t exactly the biggest guy out there but as his fighting record and time spent in the penalty box indicate, he welcomes any challenge.

One of those was after his junior career wrapped up, instead of turning pro immediately he decided to attend Acadia University.

After three years in school he signed his first contract with Alaska Aces after attending training camp with Peoria Rivermen but on his second loan to the club inked a deal in the higher league and re-signed for a 2012/2013.

The 26-year old definitely seems to be enjoying his time as mentor and could be headed for a nice coaching career once he’s ready to step off the ice.

06Jan

Eriah Hayes(18) San Jose Sharks

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San Jose Sharks‘ undrafted rookie right wing Eriah Hayes(18) somewhat unexpectedly receives his first recall.

He skated 15 shifts for 7:08 total ice time in his NHL debut with a pair of shots on net, 1 giveaway and went 33% on face-offs.

In 29 AHL games he’s tallied 5 goals and 3 assists with a -6 rating. Signed to an ato at the end of last season he played 7 contests and popped in 3 goals and an assist.

The 6’4″ 210 lbs. power-sized forward was a fairly prolific scorer in four years of college hockey at Minnesota State University.

He’s signed a two-year entry level contract through 2015 and definitely a player that could make an impact once he gets his pro game settled.