Florida Panthers‘ 4th round pick in the 2009 draft (#107 overall), 5th year left wing Garrett Wilson(28) was a late cut from training camp, being reassigned to new affiliate Portland Pirates a day before the 2015/2016 season started.
In 7 AHL games he had 4 assists before getting recalled.
The 6’2″ 199 lbs. forward has already eclipse his previous NHL game marks of 3 (2014) and 2 (2014/2015) with 4 appearances early in the current campaign.
Skating an average of 14 shifts per contest for just under 12 minutes of ice time he had 4 shots and a whopping 13 hits in one win and three losses, once in a shootout.
He also had :05 of power play time and came away with a +1 rating.
His best offensive production came last season with San Antonio Rampage putting up 23 goals and 38 points with 200 shots on net.
These numbers were definitely hinted at in 3 years of junior hockey for Owen Sound Attack, as he was close to a point-per-game player and won the 2011 OHL Championship as team captain before turning pro.
In his first two seasons he started in the ECHL with Cincinnati Cyclones spending most of his rookie year with the team before splitting time in his sophomore season in the higher league.
The 24-year old has been re-signed to a pair of one year extension and is set to reach his final restricted free agent status at the end of 2015/2016.
From the looks of it, he will be retained to continue in the only system he’s known.
Joining his third team in less than 3 months time, New York Islanders‘ 5th year left wing Taylor Beck(56) received his first NHL recall and skated 13 shifts for 8:56 of ice time with no points, three hits and no minuses in a 2-1 loss.
He played the full 2014/2015 season with draft team Nashville Predators, appearing in 62 games with 8 goals and 8 assists.
As a restricted free agent coming out of his only complete time in the big league, he denied the qualifying offer to keep him around and filed for salary arbitration.
The 6’2″ 203 lbs. forward was answered by the only squad he knew as they traded his rights off to Toronto Maple Leafs.
He almost made it with them to start 2015/2016 but he was dangled just as the season was taking shape in a deal for prospects that the Islanders saw merit in.
Through four campaigns of juniors with Guelph Storm he put up huge stats striking for 110 goals and 157 assists in 246 OHL games.
The 24-year old started the year on reassignment with affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers and had already put up 3 goals and 4 assists in 10 AHL games with a +8 rating.
He twice led his old club Milwaukee Admirals in assists with a pair of 30+ seasons.
If the parent club continues to sputter, he may find a path in if he can summon up some points.
Heading into his third season having just signed a nice 2-year extension to stay in the system, Anaheim Ducks‘ left wing Max Friberg(43) has once again played his way to a second recall.
He got into a single game right after Christmas last season and although didn’t make a mark on the score sheet, he threw a couple hits on the ice.
A bit of a late training camp reassignment this season after a strong showing, he makes his way back to the NHL for an encore show early.
The small, fast forward skated an increased 16 shifts for 10:12 minutes and using one of his talents, :46 of short-handed penalty kill.
His two games thus far have both been winning efforts, which can’t hurt.
In his first pair of AHL seasons he put up an identical 40 points, although in far fewer games last campaign and even added a couple more assists to his scoring highs.
He may get dispatched back to new affiliate San Diego Gulls soon and the soon to be 23-year old certainly will need to work hard to find his niche’ but it definitely can be done.
Chicago Blackhawks‘ 1st round pick in the 2013 draft (#30 overall) 2nd year right wing Ryan Hartman(38) received his first recall of 2015/2016 after getting off to a good start with affiliate Rockford IceHogs.
In 8 AHL games he has 3 goals and 2 assists with a +2 rating and looks to eclipse the marks he set in his rookie campaign (13-24-37), if he stays in the minors long enough.
Through 3 NHL games he got his first big league assist skating roughly 14 shifts and over 9 minutes in a win and two losses, one in overtime.
He also appeared in 5 games with the parent club last season without registering a point.
The native of the unlikely hockey hotbed Hilton Head, South Carolina played 4 years with the US National Development Team before joining Plymouth Whalers of the OHL, where he was over a point-per-game performer 2012-2014.
The 5’11” 191 lbs. isn’t the biggest guy out there and has to utilize his speed and good stick-handling abilities to create room out there, but also plays with a good amount of spunk accumulating 120 penalty minutes and 6 fighting majors in 2014/2015.
At still only 21-years old he was a 2-time World Juniors gold medal winner, so knows what it takes to get the job done.
He just needs a more extended opportunity, but was recently returned to the farm team.
Florida Panthers‘ 3rd round pick in the 2011 draft (#76 overall) 3rd year right wing Logan Shaw(48) received his first NHL recall.
In 5 games with new affiliate Portland Pirates the fairly sizable 6’3″ 202 lbs. forward has a pair of goals (both came in the home opener) on 19 shots with a -4 rating.
Last season he skated in a career high 69 AHL games for San Antonio Rampage putting in a personal best 13 goals and 12 assists with 125 shots on net, while maintaining a +3 plus/minus.
He also skated in 2 postseason contests with no points.
It’s maybe a bit unsure why he got the call-up as he wasnt’ even a later training camp cut, but his fairly large frame could have something to do with it.
In his big league debut he was out there for 12 shifts worth 10:49 of ice time, had 1 shot on net, 1 takeaway and 3 hits in a 3-1 loss.
Boston Bandits‘ Latvian-born forward Eduards Tralmaks(34) has seemingly made a pact with the devil (look at that crazy spiked tongue) to be in the Eastern (Junior) Hockey League‘s top five goals, assists and points early in the 2015/2016 season.
This is the now 18-year old’s third year with the team. He spent his first pair of campaigns playing in the under 18 league scoring more than a point per game and made 18 appearances in the Elite division in 2014/2015 with 5 goals and 6 assists.
The towering 6’2″ 187 lbs. pivot looks to make a huge splash this season and could easily move on to a Canadian junior league or accept an invitation to join an NCAA Division 1 squad sooner than later.
San Jose Sharks‘ 1st round pick in the 2014 draft (#27 overall), Russian-born rookie right wing Nicolay Goldobin(82) got his first NHL goal in his 2nd big league game.
Signed to a three-year entry level deal at the start of the 2014/2015 season he was sent to Finland’s Liiga to start his pro career playing for HIFK.
In 38 games he scored 11 goals and 10 assists but had a -9 rating.
At the conclusion of their postseason he was brought over to skate with affiliate Worcester Sharks, where he struck for 3 goals and 2 assists in 9 AHL contests with a -6 plus/minus. He also appeared in 4 Calder Cup Playoff match ups but didn’t register a point.
It wasn’t his first experience in North American hockey. He really grabbed the spotlight in two years (2012-2014) as leading scorer with Sarnia Sting amassing 68 goals and 97 assists in 135 OHL games but once again had a super-lowly -37.
The 20-year old started his first campaign on reassignment with new minor league club San Jose Barracuda.
He was a late cut from training camp and appeared in 4 games with no points and a -5 before getting his first recall.
The still small-ish 5’11” 185 lbs. forward looks to have a promising career but needs way more accountability as a two-way skater in his game or will be heading back home before long.
Ottawa Senators‘ 6th round pick in the 2011 draft (#171 overall) right wing Max McCormick(89) had a good pair of training camps kicking off his sophomore season in the organization.
He played his entire rookie year with affiliate Binghamton Senators.
In 62 AHL games he scored 10 goals and 10 assists with a +2 rating on a non-playoff team.
He had a single goal in 4 games on reassignment in the current campaign before receiving his first NHL recall.
The not so huge 5’11” 183 lbs. forward skated 16 shifts for 13:32 of total ice in his debut and had one shot on net, 5 hits, one takeaway and even played :12 of power play time in a 4-1 loss.
He’s known for a fairly combative style game and had one fight in preseason but dropped the mitts 11 times last year in the minors for 133 minutes in penalties.
Even early on in one year of USHL juniors with Sioux City Musketeers he was known for mixing it up regularly, while also marking up the score sheet (21 goals and 21 assists in 55 contests). He was a former 1st round pick in the league.
Once committed to Ohio State University, he dropped his pims considerably and concentrated on continuing to bolster his offensive numbers.
Before he left to turn pro three years later he was virtually a point-per-game guy with 88 points in 94 games.
Signed to a 2-year entry level deal, the now 23-year old may not stay up with the big club but there’s no time like the present to make a good impression.
It may be this year’s NHL feel good story.
To start his fourth pro season, deep draft pick Chris Wideman(45) made Ottawa Senators‘ 2015/2016 opening night roster.
In his third year with minor league affiliate Binghamton Senators he was voted outstanding AHL defenseman and posted career high numbers with 75 games, 17 goals, his 42 assists tied the same mark from the previous year and 61 points were all a new best, and led the league.
He also had a +9 rating and a pretty huge 229 shots on net with a slight uptick 116 minutes in penalties, including one fight.
It was the kind of year that earned him a second one-year extension to stay with the only club he’s known.
He came in ready, had a strong training camp and earned his spot.
So far in two NHL games he skated 18 shifts for 15 minutes of ice time.
He’s yet to register a point but has a +2 rating with 6 shots on net in a pair of losses, one in the shootout.
The now 25-year old blue liner may have not seen the last of the minors but it’s also a risk the parent team might not be willing to risk.
Vancouver Canucks‘ 1st round pick in the 2014 draft (#6 overall) rookie right wing Jake Virtanen(18) excelled in three years with Calgary Hitmen and decided to turn pro at the conclusion of the 2014/2015 season signing an ato with affiliate Utica Comets.
In 10 AHL playoff games he had one assist with a +2 rating that ended in the Calder Cup Finals.
The 19-year old is still eligible to play another campaign in juniors but made the parent clubs roster out of training camp and has appeared in his first four NHL games registering no points with a +1 plus/minus.
He’s skated an average of 10 shifts and around 9 minutes so far per contest.
At 6’1″ 208 lbs. he’s definitely got power forward size but seems to be still searching for his spots on the ice.
If he doesn’t pick up steam quickly, he may be returned for a final season of WHL to find the mojo that made him such a high selection.
