ECHL | CollegeHockeyPlayers

16Dec

Matt Konan(6) Adirondack Phantoms

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Undrafted, rookie defenseman Matt Konan(6) looks to have all the attributes of a player that will one day make it full-time onto an NHL roster. Philadelphia Flyers think so too, as they signed the big-boy (6’4″ 190 lbs.), able puck-moving blue liner to a three-year entry level contract through the 2014/2015 season.

The 21-year old started with their farm team, Adirondack Phantoms but was left off the roster as he was rehabbing a sports hernia that occurred over the summer.

He was sent down to “get his feet wet” and score some ice time in the ECHL with Trenton Titans and appeared in 5 games with the team notching his first pro point: an assist.

Called up as the AHL team kept losing d-men to injuries and illness, he stepped right in and was a difference maker.

After being featured in five games in the upper league, contributing a pair of assists, the first year player shows no signs of giving up his spot.

15Dec

Mike Brennan(27) Worcester Sharks

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5th year, undrafted defenseman Mike Brennan(27) signed his first ECHL contract with last year’s Kelly Cup Champs Florida Everblades to start 2012/2013.

He’s a career AHL player having appeared in 288 regular season games with a few different teams but did sign a 2-year entry level deal with Chicago Blackhawks.

After 9 contests with the ‘Blades and some rough stuff, which the 6′ 205 lbs. d-man has never shied away from, he was signed to a pto with Worcester Sharks to fill in for an injury depleted blue line. He played his college hockey at BC, so in a sense it was a homecoming.

The 26-year old has definitely not ever been looked to for his goal scoring ability and has mostly been seriously on the minus side on ice.

But in 6 games with a grisly Worcester team, he already has three assists, is skating at a +2 plus/minus and fitting in nicely with the team chemistry, meaning his already dropped the mitts at least once.

He may have just found himself a home for pro hockey in a league he’s more familiar with in this NHL lockout season.

14Dec

Peter Delmas(39) Wheeling Nailers

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Montreal Canadiens‘ goalie prospect Peter Delmas(39) started his third season in the AHL with Hamilton Bulldogs but only has a handful of games played to his credit with the team. He was signed to a three-year entry level deal after his rookie season, so he’s good until 2014.

He’s mostly been tending net for ECHL affiliate Wheeling Nailers, where he’s put up some strong numbers and took the team to the Eastern Conference Finals a couple of seasons ago.

The still very young 22-year old net minder was recently reassigned once again to rejoin the Nailers for what becomes a three-peat with West Virginia club. He has thus far sputtered in 3 Bulldogs‘ appearances in 2012/2013 going 0-2 with a 3.49 GAA and .865 SV%.

At 6’3″ 190 lbs. he’s the perfect size to tend and somewhat ironically he never had the best numbers in juniors but has shown those flashes and will have to display more of it in to play in the higher league, as there’s already two top goalies filling those spots this NHL lockout season.

13Dec

Jason Missiaen(31) Greenville Road Warriors

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New York Rangers‘ goalie prospect Jason Missiaen(31) is signed to a three-year entry level deal through next season.

He played exclusively in the ECHL with affiliate Greenville Road Warriors in his rookie campaign putting up respectable numbers with a couple of visits north to Connecticut Whale on recall but no game minutes.

To start 2012/2013 the mammoth 6’8″ 220 lbs. goaltender was a natural fit for an AHL job and what do you know got the nod in net on opening night. He would eventually get yanked at the start of the third after letting up 5 goals on a 38 shot barrage.

The 22-year old big man in the crease has gotten off to a soft start in his sophomore season posting a 2-3 record, which isn’t horrible but his 4.94 GAA and .850 SV% could definitely use some work.

And work he will likely get as he was recently reassigned back to Greenville to fine-tune his shot-blocking confidence.

He’s got the size and the skills but still looks to be figuring out how to move that frame into position quicker to stop more shots.

He was originally a Montreal Canadiens‘ 4th round pick in the 2008 draft (#116 overall) but was never signed.

11Dec

Patrick Wellar(33) Hershey Bears

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9th year veteran defenseman has skated in his last five seasons with Hershey Bears or their ECHL affiliate.

He was originally a Washington Capitals‘ 3rd round pick in the 2002 draft (#77 overall) but didn’t start playing within their organization until 2009. He has yet to sign an NHL contract with any team.

The 29-year old d-man won the Kelly Cup with South Carolina Stingrays in 2009 and Calder Cup in 2010 with Hershey as he split time during both seasons playing games for each team.

He’s a big presence out on the ice at 6’3″ 231 lbs. but could utilize all his size a bit more effectively knocking down opposing players that dare to stand around in front of his net putting condiments on their sandwich as they wait for scoring chances.

For the first time in a couple of seasons he was sent down to skate 18 games with new affiliate Reading Royals before recently getting called back up.

It would be little surprise to see him get his name on the Kelly Cup a second time, as the Royals have the kind of team that could very well go the distance.

He’s played a career 282 AHL regular and postseason contests and 360 in the ECHL.

06Dec

Kelsey Wilson(11) Nottingham Panthers

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After starting 2012/2013 on a training camp invite from Providence Bruins, undrafted 7th year veteran left wing Kelsey Wilson(11) was released by the team before the regular season got underway.

From there he bounced from coast-to-coast in the ECHL with San Francisco Bulls then Trenton Titans, his first appearances in the league, before finally settling on a contract overseas to join Nottingham Panthers of the EIHL.

He’s skated in 395 total AHL games (mostly with Milwaukee Admirals), while signed to a somewhat undocumented 3-year entry level deal with Nashville Predators. After his contract was up he left North American hockey for a year to play in Austria, where he won the Erste Band Liga with EC Salzburg.

Upon returning he accepted his qualifying offer to rejoin the Preds‘ organization and was once again reassigned to their affiliate, Milwaukee. But his point production seemed to have ticked down a notch until the postseason, where he struck for almost a point-per-game.

In 2011/2012, the feisty 6’1″ 209 lbs. forward played the full campaign with eventual Calder Cup finalists Toronto Marlies although he appeared in only one playoff game.

At 26-years old, he’s likely still got plenty left in the tank and will probably do well with his abilities in the English pro league but will need to find it from within if he wants to climb back up the ranks in North America.

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.

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.

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.

22Nov

Shayne Wiebe(24) Connecticut Whale

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Undrafted rookie center Shayne Wiebe(24) signed an AHL contract last season with St. John’s IceCaps after participating in Winnipeg Jets‘ training camp.

12 games and 4 assists into the 2011/2012 season and he worked out a release to pursue his education and skated the rest of the year with University of New Brunswick. He was basically a point per game player.

2012 rolls in and he’s back at the pro level in training camp with Connecticut Whale, a team he played one game with signed to an ato after his career in junior hockey was up.

The 5’10” 190 lbs. forward started the season with the team but only under a pto.

After one game he was reassigned to their ECHL affiliate Greenville Road Warriors and in 12 games has socked away 7 goals and 5 assists with a +7 plus/minus.

The performance earns the 22-year a recall and another pto with the Whale. Let’s see if the former captain of Brandon Wheat Kings can make it stick.