ECHL | CollegeHockeyPlayers

Category: ECHL

03Jul

Jason Bacashihua (35)

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In his 10th season, veteran goaltender Jason Bacashihua(35) was originally a 1st round draft pick in 2001 for Dallas Stars (#26 overall) but they never played a game in net for them.

After a couple of not so successful seasons with their AHL team, Utah Grizzlies he was traded to St. Louis Blues and tended goal for Worcester IceCats for a season and Peoria Rivermen before getting his chance in the NHL.

He didn’t exactly step up at the opportunity and his stock dropped causing him to get traded to Colorado Avalanche for a bag of rocks.

Two calendars years later he signs a one-year deal with the always fantastic Hershey Bears and posted his first winning record since 2005/2006.

From here he starts his vagabond journey signing another deal and a great year for him later with Colorado. He backstops their AHL affiliate Lake Erie Monsters with a winning record and career highs in GAA 2.29 and SV% .917 and he’s on a roll at 28-years old.

He signed another one-year deal with Philadelphia Flyers but has and probably will only play with Adirondack Phantoms in the AHL. But once again, he’s winning more games than losing with decent GAA and SV%.

Original story: 1/24-12

After three seasons tending net in DEL for Straubing Tigers playing 137 games with a 2.80 GAA and a .911 SV% the soon-to-be 33 year old has decided to switch things up and moves on to Slovak Extraliga joining HC Banska Bystrica for 2015/2016.

It will be his 14th professional season.

03Jul

James Livingston(28) EC Dornbirner Bulldogs

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Originally a St. Louis Blues‘ 3rd round pick in the 2008 draft (#70 overall), 3rd year right wing James Livingston(26) signed a 3-year entry level deal by San Jose Sharks and played with their minor league affiliate Worcester Sharks for the past 2 and a half years.

He was recently picked up by Los Angeles Kings‘ organization at the trade deadline for a future draft pick, giving him a new start.

The 6’1″ 210 lbs. always hard-skating digger is already making an impression with his new squad he’s already very familiar with from playing games against in the AHL, Manchester Monarchs.

In his first outing he got into a scrap late in the first period. In his second skate (on his birthday) he posted the game-winning goal and an insurance marker raising his yearly totals closer to modest career highs, which he should surpass.

At his current pace, it seems like a good prospect for the restricted free agent to get a qualifying offer to stay where he is for a complete season look.

The 24-year old has yet to appear in an NHL game but with some more hard work could be a great fourth line grinder to start.

Original story: 3/12-14

For the final year of his initial contract, he ended the season posting career high totals: 8 goals and 15 assists in 67 games but it wasn’t enough to gain interest from another club.

He would decide to take a step back and sign for a season with Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL posting a handy 13 goals and 21 assists.

Surveying the landscape the now 25-year old has decided to pursue pro hockey elsewhere and agreed to play in Austria’s Erste Bank Eishockey Liga with EC Dornbirner Bulldogs.

He should be able to increase his point totals overseas and may find renewed energy in his game.

03Jul

Chad Costello(13) Allen Americans

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4th year pro, undrafted forward Chad Costello(38) was lighting up the ECHL with Colorado Eagles before Springfield Falcons called him up to the AHL.

At the time of his promotion, he led the league in scoring with 16 goals and 32 assists in 30 games.

In four games, signed to a pto with the Falcons playing limited ice time, he failed to register any points before being released.

He wasted no time picking up where he left off in the lower league, as he exploded for a hat trick and added an assist in his first game back with the Eagles.

Despite missing a couple weeks of play, he still leads the ECHL in scoring by eight points.

He’s not exactly the biggest guy out there at 5’9″ 170 lbs but has worked hard and earned his way up through the ranks. He started as a rookie in the ill-fated IHL before moving on to a couple of seasons in the Central Hockey League and this season at age 25 to the ECHL for 2011/2012.

Original story: 1/13-12

Heading into his 8th season after finishing off an unreal first year with Allen Americans that saw him claim his first ECHL scoring title with a mind-boggling 125 points, including a fifth all-time 84 assists and tied for league second 41 goals with a +43 rating, he will stay put and look to win another title.

He was also named to the first team All-Star squad and won the 2015 Championship. He wound up scoring 9 goals and 19 assists in 25 postseason contests and fired an absolutely crazy 234 shots on net in a complete 72-game schedule.

This all came after an injury-plagued 2013/2014 that saw him play in only 14 games first for St. Charles Chill, then Ontario Reign.

He stayed on for two stints with Colorado Eagles but was recalled and signed by Bridgeport Sound Tigers for most of his second campaign only rejoining the team for its short playoff bid.

His totals of 3 tallies and 9 helpers in 21 AHL games showed he could compete in the higher level of hockey. He also got his first 4 assists on recall with Worcester Sharks in late 2011/2012.

At 28-years old he’s likely not going to be slowing down his scoring touch any time soon but it remains to be seen if he will score another recall considering his veteran status.

We could easily see him finishing out his career in a few years over in Europe and still putting up big numbers.

03Jul

Reid McNeill (3)

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Pittsburgh Penguins‘ 6th round pick in the 2010 draft (#170 overall) defenseman Reid McNeill(3) plays an almost unassumingly solid stay-at-home style.

He’s in the final season of his three-year entry level deal, signed after skating a few campaigns of junior hockey in the OHL.

The towering 6’4″ 215 lbs. d-man has never put up much on the score sheet but is showing an increasing upward tick to his penalty minutes and fighting majors.

He was credited with throwing down the gloves 11 times in 55 AHL games last season.

All that time in the box has yet to sour his accountability on the ice either, as he’s currently holding a +12 rating.

The young 22-year old is definitely being looked as an up-and-comer working his way up from his rookie season start in the ECHL with Wheeling Nailers.

Now that he’s become a fixture on the blue line for minor league affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins it still may take a bit more seasoning until he finds a spot on the parent club’s roster.

Original story: 10/24-14

Following a career season with high marks of 2 goals and 5 assists for 7 points, the big stay-at-home d-man re-signs for two more years to stay in the prospect system.

His shutdown style game could score the recently turned 23-year old a first NHL recall on a parent club that may be looking for some help in their own zone.

02Jul

Jeremy Smith(30) Providence Bruins

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Boston Bruins‘ 6th year goalie Jeremy Smith(30) is definitely a good guy to be counted on in net as their affiliate Providence Bruins readies for a playoff run.

The one-time Nashville Predators‘ 2nd round pick in the 2007 draft (#54 overall) played through 4 seasons in their prospect system mostly winning games for the farm team Milwaukee Admirals.

In his rookie season he was further reassigned playing the whole season minus one game in ECHL with Cincinnati Cyclones He won the 2010 Kelly Cup Championship and was named c0-MVP.

He was also a member of the 2006/2007 Plymouth Whalers‘ team that won the OHL Championship.

The not exactly huge 6′ 178 lbs. net minder is having a career year. In 39 AHL games he posted a 22-11-5 record with a 2.05 GAA and .933 SV%. and three shutouts putting him at 5th on the league’s top goaltender list.

Signed only to a one-year deal, if the 26-year old pushes his team deep into the Calder Cup playoffs, it would be almost a no-brainer to re-sign him for at least another.

And who knows, maybe one of these call-ups will actually turn into his first NHL appearance.

Original story: 4/17-15

In 3 postseason contests he went 1-2 with a once again stellar 1.96 GAA and .931 SV%, which was good enough to get Providence Bruins to a deciding game 5 before bowing out in the first round.

Boston Bruins made sure he wasn’t going anywhere after his deal expired re-upping quickly in free agency with the net minder for a second year on another two-way deal.

He could easily find himself with the back-up job for the big club in the forthcoming season, as for the at least the time being there is a spot wide open and up for grabs.

He has easily earned the opportunity.

02Jul

Evan Trupp(13) Chicago Wolves

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Undrafted 5th year center Evan Trupp(13) followed up one career year in 2013/2014 with Alaska Aces of the ECHL with another in 2014/2015 skating for Worcester Sharks of the AHL.

He won the 2014 Kelly Cup Championship in the first year, when he scored 17 goals and 33 assists for 50 points with a +16 rating and then added another 6 goals and 8 assists with a +7 rating in 21 postseason games.

His efforts gained him a contract in the higher league and the generously 5’10” listed 175 lbs. power mini forward got right to work.

In 72 games he would net 16 goals and 24 assists for 40 points with a +6 rating and uploaded 172 shots on net.

This was not his first encounter with the league. He was loaned in 2014 to Abbotsford Heat on a pair of occasions, ended up playing 17 games and scoring his first goal and 6 assists.

Through 4 years of college hockey with University Of North Dakota he showed a steady increase finding the back of the net and in his senior year had 17 goals and 24 assists in 44 games en route to his school’s 2nd straight NCAA/WCHA Championship.

For 2015/2016, the 27-year old signed a deal to skate for Chicago Wolves and will likely also find himself in St. Louis Blues‘ training camp to start but more importantly should find new heights in his game.

30Jun

Tom Kuhnhackl (14)

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Pittsburgh Penguins‘ 4th round pick in the 2010 draft (#110 overall) German-born right wing Tom Kuhnhackl(14) signs on for another season after his 3-year entry deal was up.

He experienced his most productive scoring marks in 2014/2015 playing for affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins reaching 12 goals and 18 assists for 30 points with a +10 rating in 72 AHL games.

The 6’2″ 196 lbs. forward would add another pair of assists in 8 Calder Cup Playoff games.

He took an interesting route to pro hockey in North America.

Following two seasons for hometown team EV Landshut of DEL2 as a 16 and 17-year old scoring 23 goals and 19 assists, he would go on to play a pair of seasons in the OHL after being a first round selection of Windsor Spitfires.

He would leave to ink his first contract after putting up a point-per-game production in juniors.

His rookie campaign 2012/2013 didn’t last long as he separated a shoulder that required season ending surgery.

It seemed like it took him a bit to get restarted in his second year.

After spending the first half of 2013/2014 with the Baby Pens (8-2-10) he found himself on a short string headed back and forth to Wheeling Nailers.

He proved his game was easily above the lower league’s level connecting for 7 goals and 7 assists with a +10 plus/minus in 16 ECHL games and then uncorked another 6 tallies in 10 Kelly Cup postseason match-ups.

2015/2016 will be the his 6th year and the 23-year old power forward will likely see increased point production as he fires the puck on the net with good frequency and plays a crash and bang style that should get him continued results.

28Jun

Jeremy Langlois(20) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

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Undrafted rookie right wing Jeremy Langlois(20) signed a one-year two-way minor league contract with Springfield Falcons and started the season with the team, but had been mostly skating on reassignment with affiliate Evansville IceMen, where he put up some big numbers.

In 49 ECHL games he retains the team’s leading scorer stats with 16 goals and 36 assists, while taking a second most shots on net at 174 before a recent trade relocated him to Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

He’s obviously enjoying his time with his new squad. In 7 AHL games he’s struck for a pair of goals and assists, whereas in 5 contests on recall with his previous club he was unable to find the score sheet skating mostly fourth line minutes.

The 6′ 173 lbs. forward put together some good numbers in 4 years at Quinnipiac University and went to the NCAA Finals losing to the geographically nearby, eventual winners Yale.

As an 18-year old he won a Championship, leading scorer title and was named league MVP with New Jersey Hitmen of the EJHL before heading off to college.

Now 23, he was invited to attend Columbus Blue Jackets‘ training camps to begin his first pro season and from his continued solid play he looks like a shoe-in to score another tryout, quite possibly with the parent club where he’ll finish out the year, New York Islanders.

Original story: 3/30-14

After 7 games with Bridgeport (2-2-4) he was reassigned to affiliate Stockton Thunder.

He finished out the regular season scoring 8 points in 7 ECHL games to solidify his spot on the league’s all rookie team, but really took it to the next level in the 3 Kelly Cup Playoff games the team played. He would get an astounding 4 goals and 5 assists with a +4 rating.

His effective play in the upper system caught the attention of rival Worcester Sharks, who inked him to a standard player contract for 2014/2015.

He set career highs in his first full AHL season skating 42 regular season games with 16 goals (tied for 2nd on the team) and 10 assists.

If hadn’t broken his foot, he would have done even better but missed the second half of the season not returning until the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Impressed with what they saw and the effectiveness of his play, San Jose Sharks stepped in offering the 25-year old a 1-year entry level contract for 2015/2016.

He may start with new affiliate San Jose Barracuda but if he comes out of the gate quickly could see his first NHL action.

28Jun

Riley Wetmore(19) Dundee Stars

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Undrafted 2nd year center Riley Wetmore(19) signs another one-year minor league contract with AHL Northeast Division rivals, Springfield Falcons.

He spent most of his rookie season under a similar deal with Bridgeport Sound Tigers, skating in 38 games posting 3 goals and 8 assists.

The first year player was also reassigned on a couple of occasions to continue work on his pro game with affiliate Stockton Thunder. He notched a pair of tallies and 3 helpers in 15 ECHL contests and added another goal and assist in 9 postseason games.

Maybe not exactly huge numbers in the lower league but there’s a bit of a tenacious attacker style of game the 6′ 195 lbs. forward brings to his game that may start equaling more chances.

He comes from a great college hockey pedigree in the making, playing all four seasons at University Of Lowell and being named team captain in his junior year.

The 25-year old is off to a nice start for his sophomore campaign. He notched a pair of goals including the game-tying goal late in his AHL preseason debut, a 4-3 OT loss.

If he stays hot to start 2014/2015, he could easily run up 10-10-20 numbers.

Original story: 10/4-14

He only managed to appear in one game with Springfield (no points) before being reassigned to affiliate Kalamazoo Wings.

He scored a pair of goals and 7 assists in 23 ECHL games before it was decided to shift him to Elmira Jackals where he finished scoring 4 goals and 12 assists with a -12 rating.

His second season would end with 6 goals, 19 assists in 59 games.

Potentially not wanting to accept the demotion to double A hockey, the soon-to-be 26-year old will head overseas to put the skates on for Dundee Stars of the EIHL.

It seems almost certain that he’ll regain that scoring touch he had in college and continue to move up the European ladder.

27Jun

Kyle Bigos(4) Edinburgh Capitals

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Extra large 6’5″ 240 lbs. 3rd year defenseman Kyle Bigos(4) will jump ship to sign for a season with Edinburgh Capitals of the EIHL.

The former San Jose Sharks‘ prospect is coming off a hard fought ECHL Kelly Cup Playoff battle skating for Ontario Reign that ended in the West Conference Finals.

He had a strong showing of two assists in 19 games with a +7 rating after completing his first full season scoring a goal and career high 12 assists for his second total of 13 points in two years pro.

He was originally an Edmonton Oilers 4th round pick in the 2009 draft (#99 overall) but only signed his first contract in 2013 with Worcester Sharks of the AHL after 4 years of Merrimack College hockey.

Most of his games have been played in the lower league, first on reassignment to one time affiliate San Francisco Bulls and then when they closed up shop off to Ontario for the second half of the Upland, CA native’s rookie year.

Never a player to put up big numbers the 26-year old gets an average of a two shots on net per game and you got to think that when he arrives overseas the points could start coming.

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