AHL | CollegeHockeyPlayers

04Dec

Riku Helenius(31) Syracuse Crunch

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Tampa Bay Lightning 1st round pick in the 2006 draft (#15 overall), Finnish goaltender Riku Helenius(31) has already had quite the ride through North American pro leagues and Europe in his 5-year playing career.

In his rookie campaign he saw 7 minutes of NHL game action, 25 appearances in the AHL with then affiliate Norfolk Admirals and 11 contests with three different ECHL teams.

Entering his sophomore season he started with Norfolk but after a dozen games was reassigned to the top league in Sweden, where he stayed through the next year while still under he 3-year entry level contract.

For 2011/2012 the decision was made for him to join JYP Jyvaskyla in his home country’s SM-liiga, where he won the National Championship with the team and posted his most impressive numbers yet over the course of the regular season and in the playoffs.

The now 24-year old, 6’3″ 211 lbs. netminder was wooed back to the United States to compete for a job in the show. But due to the NHL lockout the first season of that 2-year deal (the 2nd is a one-way contract) may be spent entirely with the Lightning‘s new minor league affiliate, Syracuse Crunch. The same team that won the 2012 Calder Cup as Norfolk Admirals.

In 8 AHL starts, he’s off to an ok start with a 5-2 record on a very good team but has a not so great 3.04 GAA and .878 SV%. He may heat up as the 2012/2013 rolls on but he’s already mixed it up in a goalie fight early in his time back.

03Dec

Oliver Ekman-Larsson(23)

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Phoenix Coyotes‘ 1st round pick in the 2009 (#6 overall), Swedish-born defenseman, Oliver Ekman-Larsson(23) is in the final season of his three year entry level deal.

He played the full 82-game slate last season in the NHL picking up career highs in goals, assists and points (13-19-32) and added another goal and three assists in an outstanding playoff effort.

In his rookie season he did ride the plane a bit on the up and down reassignments between the Coyotes and then affiliate San Antonio Rampage but started his first campaign in the show and did fairly well in 63 combined games in both leagues.

At 6’2″ 190 lbs. he doesn’t seem like the biggest threat out there physically but is unafraid to throw his body around when needed, although he’s definitely looked at as more of a scoring, puck-moving blue liner that can fire it into the back of the net as good as he can sending that first pass up the ice to rushing forwards or feeding a skater in the offensive zone for a goal.

In 13 AHL games with Portland Pirates on reassignment as the NHL continues to figure out how to move forward, he’s easily a point per game player with 5 goals and 8 assists, and is a nice +5 plus/minus.

He’s still only 21-years old and it should be a no-brainer for Phoenix to extend his contract for at least a couple more seasons.

02Dec

Brett Connolly(28) Syracuse Crunch

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Tampa Bay Lightning 1st round pick in the 2010 draft (#6 overall), right wing Brett Connolly(28) skated the entirety of his rookie campaign as a 19-year old in the NHL. He picked up 4 goals and 11 assists in 68 games but was a bit of a lowly -9 plus/minus.

Signed to a three-year entry level deal that extends through 2014, the 6’2 200 lbs. forward finds himself playing his first games in the minors with new affiliate Syracuse Crunch, which adds even more depth to the team that won the Calder Cup Championship (as Norfolk Admirals) last season.

He’s off to a quick start, already racking up 7 goals and 10 assists in 18 contests, while the Crunch continue the pace that brought them to the top of the league and see them tied for first place in the Eastern Conference.

There’s little doubt of his tough playing style that opens up room for scoring chances, which he’ll bury 9 times out of 10, and on the farm he’s a bit of a skater on another level and has the disposition that is more mature than his years on earth.

01Dec

Eric O’Dell(14) St. John’s IceCaps

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St. John’s IceCaps‘ 2nd year center Eric O’Dell(14) is in the final season of his 3-year entry level deal he signed with parent club, Winnipeg Jets (technically Atlanta Thrashers, who picked him up in a trade at the end of 2010/2011, their curtain closer).

In 13 appearances this season he’s notched 4 goals and 4 assists but like last season he has also found himself on the wrong side of being a healthy scratch on too many occasions. Admittedly though, they did have an uncanny amount of depth on that 2011/2012 squad, which is probably why they went to the Conference Finals.

The one-time Anaheim Ducks‘ 2nd round pick in the 2008 draft (#39 overall) managed only 39 games but struck for 12 goals, which was 9th in scoring, and added 10 assists while skating a +6 game.

It’s a bit of a wonder why the 6’ 195 lbs. forward isn’t in the lineup on a regular basis. It will be interesting to see what the Jets have in mind after this season when he hits restricted free agent status.

30Nov

Mark Pysyk(13) Rochester Americans

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Buffalo Sabres‘ 1st round pick in the 2010 draft (#23 overall), defenseman Mark Pysyk(13) is making a seamless transition from junior hockey into the pros. He’s participated in three prospect and two training camps already.

The 20-year old starts his rookie season with their AHL affiliate Rochester Americans and has 1 goal and 6 assists in 17 games and is a +2 plus/minus on a team that is still better on paper than they are on the ice.

He was captain of Edmonton Oil Kings taking his hometown team to a WHL championship last season.

At 6’1 193 lbs. it’s not like he’s an oversized blue liner but is considered a good play-maker and is also accountable in his own end.

He’s really the type of player that has leadership written all over him but we’ll see how his game and on-ice identity develop.

29Nov

Curt Gogol (13)

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Undrafted 2nd year left wing Curt Gogol(13) is signed to a three-year entry level deal with San Jose Sharks that keeps him in the prospect system through 2015.

He’s not exactly a scoring leader but uses every speck of his 6’1″ 190 lbs. frame to put himself square in the middle of the action at all times.

In 53 AHL games with Worcester Sharks in his rookie season he scored 6 goals and 4 assists while amassing 167 penalty minutes with 19 fights, 2nd on the team.

The 21-year old has appeared in 14 games in 2012/2013 and is on pace to record a career high in goals with 3 already having reached the back of the net; and his three fights to his credit is maybe a bit off last year’s mark but with 65 minutes in penalties accrued that side of the number may show an increase.

His style is that of the pest but he’s a pretty well-rounded skater that may just find his way to the show playing a similar role to Andrew Desjardins on the NHL Sharks.

Got to love how he wears the number 13 too.

28Nov

Beau Bennett(13) WBS Penguins

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Pittsburgh Penguins‘ 1st round pick in the 2010 draft (#20 overall), left wing Beau Bennett(13) decided to turn pro after only a couple of years of college hockey, signing a three year entry level deal that keeps him with the organization through 2015.

The 21-year old has on his first two levels shown to be prolific on the scoresheet and in 18 AHL games to start his rookie season, he’s already struck for 4 goals and 9 assists.

At 6’1″ 195 lbs. the forward already has size and works it to gain position for scoring chances.

He might just be the first player ever to be born in Gardena, CA to play in the NHL. We’re projected that obviously.

27Nov

Mark Visentin(29) Portland Pirates

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Phoenix Coyotes‘ 1st round pick in the 2010 draft (#27 overall), goalie Mark Visentin(29) was a force in net in his last two seasons in juniors. Of his many accomplishments: he posted a 2011/2012 league best 1.99 GAA in 42 games and had 10 shutouts, establishing a new OHL record. The netminder also helped his team to the playoff finals, which was the furthest Niagara IceDogs had ever been in the postseason and even scored a goal for himself. Ironically it was the previous season he was named goaltender of the year.

The 20-year old has appeared in a few Desert Dogs‘ prospect camps and was in-line to participate another NHL training camp until everything was put on hold.

He, along with every other eligible player, was reassigned to start his pro career in the AHL with their affiliate Portland Pirates.

The young 6’2″ 205 lbs. goaltender has struggled a bit out of the gate in the minors but seems like a very centered personality that should ultimately help the farm team excel as the season wears on.

26Nov

J.T. Brown(23) Syracuse Crunch

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Undrafted rookie right wing J.T. Brown(23) signed a 2-year entry level deal with Tampa Bay Lightning that runs through the current 2012/2013 season but started last year while he was still playing college hockey for Minnesota-Duluth.

Reason being is that upon finishing up his second stint at UMD, he decided to turn pro, inked a contract and immediately skated in five games with the Lightning to conclude the regular season. In those contests he managed an assist and was a nice +2 plus/minus playing an average of 13 minutes per game.

The 5’10” 177 lbs. forward had been literally a point per game guy in college and American junior hockey as he was coming up the ranks.

Over the weekend he just about doubled his point totals in the AHL (4 goals, 6 assists) with Syracuse Crunch, scoring his first hat trick and getting a helper in one contest.

Some had him pegged to start his first full season in the NHL but as we know….

24Nov

Gabe Guentzel(10) Fort Wayne Komets

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Undrafted defenseman Gabe Guentzel(10) started his rookie season 2012/2013 under contract with Norfolk Admirals of the AHL and has played in 6 of a dozen games so far. He has an assist but is also a dismal -8 plus/minus on a .500 record team.

He was recently reassigned to their ECHL affiliate Fort Wayne Komets, where in his first game on Thanksgiving night he potted his first and assisted on another in the win. Not a bad start in the lower league for the 6′ 187 lbs. d-man.

The 24-year old could stay in the midwest for awhile but look for him to get called back up if he keeps hitting the scoresheet.

He skated in 12 regular season games at the end of 2011/2012 with Syracuse Crunch, the old affiliate of Anaheim Ducks, on an ato after finishing his college career; and appeared in another 4 postseason contests.

So, even though he’s not signed with the Ducks officially, he’s fully on their radar and participated as a free agent in prospect camp with the team.