Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 8th year defenseman Andrew Campbell(48) had only a minor league contract, signed a couple of days after free agency, as he headed into 2015/2016 after playing 33 NHL games with Arizona Coyotes in the previous campaign.
Sure, he only had one assist to his credit with a -13 rating on a super young under-performing but he’s mostly a big 6’4″ 206 lbs. punishing blue liner to play against so getting points isn’t exactly his forte.
Invited to the Leafs‘ camp he had a stellar showing earning himself a two-year two-way deal and he was only reassigned right before the start of the new season.
He took over captain’s duties for Toronto Marlies and has been guiding this team from the get-go to a league best record and his +39 plus/minus is tops.
The large d-man is also affecting the score sheet nicely with a career best 9 goals and 23 points in 65 AHL games.
Not having to worry about free agency again heading into 2016/2017 it will be interesting to see if the 28-year old will finally be able to establish himself in the big league.
Arizona Coyotes‘ 7th year defenseman Alex Grant(47) is having a career year with affiliate Springfield Falcons scoring a career high 11 goals, 29 assists for 40 points in 66 AHL games and an eye-popping 171 shots on net.
He gets rewarded with his first big league game in a couple seasons skating 22 shifts for 14:08 of total ice including :35 on the penalty kill and power play.
The big d-man was also accessed a five minute fighting major, had 2 shots and 1 hit.
He’s only appeared in three total games. His debut coming late in 2013 with Anaheim Ducks and he scored his first NHL goal. Then on the next night he would tally his second.
Almost oddly enough though, that was his only taste of the show as he would get traded to Ottawa Senators at the deadline, dispatched to the minors and even signed to a one-year extension but no given another chance to prove his game.
Maybe it’s all just starting to pull together for the 27-year old but we’re perplexed as to why no one has taken a chance on this very sizable 6’4″ blue liner with an absolute bomb of a shot from the point.
Signed only through the end of the season, it’ tough to predict whether he stays or he heads to like an SHL for his next step.
Chicago Blackhawks‘ 16th year veteran goaltender Michael Leighton(49) set the AHL career record for shutouts recently this season with his 46th through 406 games.
He signed a 1-year 2-way deal with his 1999 draft team (round 6 #165 overall) after his only season away from North America tending the cage for Donbass Donetsk of the KHL putting up outstanding numbers with a 1.74 GAA and .933 SV% in 42 contests.
Reassigned to be the #1 goalie for affiliate Rockford IceHogs he backstopped a good team into the Calder Cup Playoffs.
The 6’3″ 200 lbs. net minder was re-signed to a one-year extension by the parent club and has been doing it again with the farm club. He gets rewarded with his first NHL time since 2012/2013 for Philadelphia Flyers.
Through 2 periods of relief he would back stop 16 of 17 shots putting up phenomenal 1.54 GAA and .941 SV%, which in our minds should give him some more time, especially now with a playoff berth already in hand.
He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent for like the billionth time and will turn 35-years old soon, so it remains to be seen if he gets retained for a third straight year but we’re betting his chances are good.
Montreal Canadiens‘ 5th round pick in the 2011 draft (#138 overall) 2nd year defenseman Darren Dietz(44) is filling in one of the holes at the blue line due to a string of injuries to the parent club regulars.
In 8 games he has his first pair of NHL assists and 6 penalty minutes, while usually skating fairly limited minutes.
The 6’1″ 201 lbs. d-man also looks to insert himself right into the action and effect plays, much like he did through 3 seasons of juniors with the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL.
He averaged over 30 assists in his final two campaigns and over 40 points from all three years.
He’s putting up ok numbers in the minors and has virtually matching goals and assists in the AHL (4-12-16) in the last two seasons, currently for St. John’s IceCaps, but if he ever goes back down should edge that total up slightly for career bests in all categories.
The 22-year old is on a three-year entry level deal and set to become a restricted free agent at the end of 2015/2016. It would be easy to think he’ll be given a qualifying offer to continue.
Calgary Flames‘ 2nd year center Hunter Shinkaruk(49) was traded close to the deadline to his hometown team for a new start despite doing pretty well with draft team Vancouver Canucks‘ affiliate Utica Comets.
Originally a 1st round pick in 2013 (#24 overall), he upped his totals from his rookie year by a huge margin in significantly less AHL games.
In 59 appearances he already has a crazy good 29 goals and 23 assists.
His scoring pace is very much in line with his 4 years of juniors skating for Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL, where he was more than a point-per-game performer.
After 14 games in the minors with Stockton Heat, the not huge but feisty 5’10” 181 lbs. forward gets a first chance with his new team to show what he can do in the big league.
The 21-year old answers playing a huge 22 shifts for 14:45 total ice time including 1:45 on the power play and gets rewarded with his first NHL point, an assist on the man advantage.
This is a young player that has a bright future, especially how hard he competes and how well he sees the ice.
Fourth year center Alden Hirschfeld(32) had the scare of his life succumbing to a seizure during a Grand Rapids Griffins‘ AHL game on January 8 of this year.
He was sitting on the bench but still, very scary stuff and we’re so glad he’s ok.
A couple of months later, just recently he just had what basically amounted to brain surgery to correct the problem and in his words hopes to be back on the ice, as doctors said it would be six months of recovery.
Pretty crazy right there.
We would love to see this happen but regardless, he’s got a whole great life ahead of him.
The 6′ 203 lbs. power forward has pretty much played the last three seasons in the Griffins‘ system, if not with them on reassignment to ECHL affiliate Toledo Walleye.
He even had a career high 14 goals in only 27 games with 14 assists for 26 points. He was easily on par for record scoring numbers had he been bumped down again.
CTW wishes him only good things moving forward for his family and pro career.
Undrafted 2nd year center Derek Arnold(14) plays his rookie season overseas with Lillehammer of Norway’s GET-ligaen with great results on the score sheet.
He scored 21 goals and 24 assists through 45 games with a +16 rating.
This was after 4 years at U-Mass/Lowell, where he won the 2013 NCAA/ECAC Championship.
The small 5’8″ 165 lbs. forward also played two years with Waterloo Blackhawks of the USHL and put together a point-per-game campaign in 2009/2010 getting 20 goals and 39 assists in 59 games.
As a Massachusetts native he would come back for 2015/2016 signing a one-year deal with close to home Manchester Monarchs of the ECHL.
He’s had a successful return with a healthy 16 goals and 14 assists in 42 games with a +4 plus/minus and 3 loans to AHL clubs.
In his first two recalls with Portland Pirates (4 appearances) and Ontario Reign (5 games) he would not be able to connect for points.
It would be his third and most recent visit to the higher league created the best opportunity, and in his debut with Charlotte Checkers got a goal and an assist in a 6-2 drubbing.
The 26-year old may not be blessed with the most size but plays an effective tight checking style and knows how to open up space for scoring chances.
We’ll see where pro hockey takes him next.
Los Angeles Kings‘ 2nd year center Nic Dowd(67) has been continuing to work hard on his game in his sophomore season on reassignment to new affiliate Ontario Reign.
In 57 AHL games he’s already eclipsed his totals as a rookie with 13 goals, 34 assists (team 1st) for 47 points with a +12 rating and 139 shots on net in 20 less appearances.
He finished his first season with a 2015 Calder Cup Championship and anther 6 goals and 7 assists in 19 postseason match ups.
The soon-to-be 26-year old forward has received his first NHL recall and appeared in 3 games thus far recording no points but is a +2 plus/minus despite a pair of losses.
He’s also been pretty active in other departments on the score sheet playing power play time and short-handed situations with 3 shots, 3 hits, 2 takeaways and 2 giveaways and at least 50% on the face off dot.
Set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the current campaign, the deep draft selection should be retained with a qualifying offer to continue his upward progress.
Bridgeport Sound Tigers‘ undrafted 2nd year center Connor Jones(83) is gushing blood from we believe his nose but didn’t see what occurred to cause the tidal wave of red to pour out of his face during a recent Friday night match up against Connecticut rivals Hartford Wolf Pack at the XL Center.
The small 5’9″ 176 lbs. former Quinnipiac University scorer is having a very similar season to last year’s rookie campaign with Oklahoma City Barons, where he had 4 goals and 6 assists in 41 AHL games.
He was originally signed by Missouri Mavericks, but loaned to the Sound Tigers for training camp and never came back.
He’d ultimately signed an spc couple months in.
Though 42 games he has 4 goals and 4 assists so far skating an energy line role and no one will ever accuse him of taking time off when he’s out of the ice.
The 24-year old has a twin brother Kellen Jones, who has been up with Utica Comets since the beginning of the month.
Bridgeport Sound Tigers‘ undrafted 2nd year center Connor Jones(83) is gushing blood from we believe his nose but didn’t see what occurred to cause the tidal wave of red to pour out of his face during a recent Friday night match up against Connecticut rivals Hartford Wolf Pack at the XL Center.
The small 5’9″ 176 lbs. former Quinnipiac University scorer is having a very similar season to last year’s rookie campaign with Oklahoma City Barons, where he had 4 goals and 6 assists in 41 AHL games.
He was originally signed by Missouri Mavericks, but loaned to the Sound Tigers for training camp and never came back.
He’d ultimately signed an spc couple months in.
Though 42 games he has 4 goals and 4 assists so far skating an energy line role and no one will ever accuse him of taking time off when he’s out of the ice.
The 24-year old has a twin brother Kellen Jones, who has been up with Utica Comets since the beginning of the month.
