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Category: NHL

23Jul

Triston Grant(23) Grand Rapids Griffins

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9th year right wing Triston Grant(23) won a Calder Cup Championship with Grand Rapids Griffins in 2013 and re-signs to start the title defense.

Last season he played in a career high 75 games with a best +15. He’s always good for 10-15 points and triple digit penalty minutes. Almost ironically his best point scoring season was also he’s first over 200 pims.

He had 17 fighting majors in 2012/2013, which almost surprisingly doesn’t even land him in the top ten of the category.

The 6’1″ 218 lbs. forward was originally a Philadelphia Flyers‘ 9th round pick in 2004 (#286 overall) and has skated in 11 NHL games registering one assist and three fights.

He’s appeared in 510 AHL games posting 54 goals and 57 assists with 1462 minutes in the box and a strong combined +32 rating.

At 29-years old, he still seems to have plenty of gas left in the tank and has helped every team he’s played for with lots of hard on ice work and determination.

Original story: 8/12-13

He would increase his point totals from the previous season in far less games to 6 goals and 10 assists, while getting into far less scraps, but unfortunately the team that won the league title last year was a quick exit from the 2014 playoffs.

Heading into 2014/2015, he decided to return to Milwaukee Admirals on an AHL contract and ended up having his best campaign yet scoring a new high 13 goals and 26 points with a career tying 13 assists.

For his 11th pro season the 31-year old elected to go back to Grand Rapid Griffins signing for 2015/2016 very early into free agency like the decision was a no-brainer.

21Jul

Brian Dumoulin(8) Pittsburgh Penguins

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Originally a Carolina Hurricanes‘ 2nd round pick in the 2009 draft (#51 overall), rookie defenseman Brian Dumoulin(8) signed a three-year entry level contract with the team but was traded to Pittsburgh Penguins in the Jordan Staal in a draft day deal.

The 6’3″ 210 lbs. blue liner won an NCAA Championship last season with BC Eagles before deciding to turn pro after three years.

With no NHL in sight at the start of his rookie season, he was reassigned with every eligible player to their AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barres/Scranton Penguins. In 31 games he has a pair of goals and 7 assists.

For a big guy d-man he did show an offensive upside at the college level and would be quite the asset if he can parlay that talent consistently in the big leagues.

It’s quite possible that he’ll get a quick look at Penguins‘ training camp when it starts up next weekend.

Original story: 1/9-15

His first year would finish with a nice 6 goals and 18 assists but a not so great -11 rating. He continued to improve in his Calder Cup Playoff debut getting 2 goals and 6 assists in 15 contests.

In his sophomore campaign his minor league totals fell very slightly but he played 20 less games, while scoring his first recall and making his first 6 appearances with the parent club. He would get his first point, an assist in his second game.

Upon his return to the Baby Pens he would come up with a new personal best 3 goals and 9 assists in 17 postseason match-ups.

A late training camp cut to start 2014/2015 he was summoned fairly early for 8 games and got his first NHL goal before being sent back putting up AHL career high 29 assists, 33 points and a crazy good +25 plus/minus.

His sturdy, steady play earned him a spot on the Stanley Cup Playoff roster, where he skated all 5 first round games with no points and a +1 rating.

Once again returning to the farm team to help them with their postseason push he notched three assists in 6 games bowing out in the second round.

Pittsburgh has given him a 2-year extension and it looks like the soon-to-be 24-year old will be playing his first full season in the show.

20Jul

Adam Clendening(44) Vancouver Canucks

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Chicago Blackhawks‘ 3rd year defenseman Adam Clendening(6) tied for second in AHL assists with 47 and his 12 goals placed him alone at the number two spot in the 2013/2014 season.

As a rookie he actually led the league in the helpers category with 37.

These numbers only continued the tear he was on in his pair of campaigns at Boston University, where he amassed 50 assists in 77 games.

The bigger than he seems 5’11” 190 lbs. blue liner is in the third and final season of his 3-year entry level contract and had yet to realize his dream of a recall with the big club.

But that all changed recently as he was summoned to play his first game in the show.

The 22-year old made it count scoring his first NHL goal on his first shot on net

He’s currently holding his place on the team roster and added an assist (of course) in his second appearance.

He has now been a part of 4 games skating an average of 18 shifts for 13 and a half minutes of ice time with the Blackhawks and could very well stick.

Original story: 11/25-14

Almost humorously he is sent back down less than a week later and gets traded to Vancouver Canucks a month and a half after that.

He would stay with the NHL team for the next two months skating in a total of 17 games scoring a pair of assists.

At the end of March, he was reassigned to join affiliate Utica Comets for their playoff push.

In 11 AHL games he contributed a goal and 4 assists with a +4 rating and once the Calder Cup Playoffs arrived he was a shutdown machine with a +7 plus/minus and also chipped in 3 goals and 5 assists in 23 games that took the team all the way to the Finals.

The restricted free agent signed a new deal for one-year with his new squad for 2015/2016 and is expected to compete hard for a permanent spot on the parent club. He’s easily earned his way.

See related: 4/14-13

19Jul

Justin Hodgman(12) St. Louis Blues

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Undrafted sixth year center Justin Hodgman(12) had already won two IHL Turner Cup Championships with Fort Wayne Komets while he was still playing in the OHL with Erie Otters.

He was also named MVP in both those seasons with a combined 14 goals and 12 assists in 24 playoff games.

These scoring totals were much in line with his last three seasons of juniors, where he averaged a point-per-game.

In his rookie year he was even allowed while under contract with Toronto Marlies to be released back to the Komets to play for their third straight title.

From there he played a full season for the Marlies, despite a brief 3 ECHL game stint with Reading Royals.

His point totals were even half decent at 12 goals and 17 assists in 42 AHL games with a +7 rating.

But by the next season he split for Europe and agreed for a year with Pelicans of Liiga in Finland.

The 6’1″ 203 lbs. forward continued to climb the hockey ladder spending his next pair of campaigns in the KHL mostly with Metallurg Magnitogorsk.

For 2014/2015 he decided to return home and seek out a deal closer to home.

Arizona Coyotes unceremoniously signed him to a one-year, two-way contract.

He was on the opening night roster after a fantastic training camp in which he netted a team high 4 preseason goals.

Although very much pleasantly surprised by his efforts, he sat the first two games as a healthy scratch before being reassigned to minor league affiliate Portland Pirates.

He played three games at the beginning of their season, recording no points.

Recalled quickly due to an injury, he made his NHL debut count, scoring the game-tying goal on his only shot on net, skated 16 shifts for 11:27 total time on ice with 2 penalty minutes.

The 26-year old has made quite the journey through 3 minor leagues and 2 pro leagues overseas to finally get his opportunity in the show.

Original story: 10/28-14

After his first year back in North America post 3 seasons overseas and his 1st NHL goal, the recently turned 27-year old signs for 2015/2016 with St. Louis Blues on another two-way deal.

He skated in 5 games with Arizona Coyotes on two recalls and played in a new AHL high 62 games with a new best 24 assists and 35 points.

He just may make the parent club out of training camp, but even if he heads to start the season with affiliate Chicago Wolves he’ll likely be one of the first from the farm club to get summoned.

18Jul

Gilbert Brule(7) Medvescak Zagreb

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In late November he re-signed with Arizona Coyotes and was recalled after posting 7 goals and 5 assists in 11 games with Portland.

He skated 3 NHL games but failed to connect for any points and was set to be reassigned back down.

Not wanting to spend any more time in the minors he decided not to report and he was released by the team for breach of contract.

Unable to find another suitor he would sit for the remainder of 2013/2014.

For 2014/2015 he would sign a 1-year deal with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. In 44 KHL games he went on to score 10 goals and 5 assists.

It was rumored he was set to leave for the league a year earlier but decided to stay in North America.

The now 28-year old will spend his second season in the KHL but switch it up to skate with Medvescak Zagreb.

17Jul

Luke Witkowski (53)

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Tampa Bay Lightning 6th round pick in the 2008 draft (#160 overall) brutish defenseman Luke Witkowski(82) survives over 200 penalty minutes through a complete 76 game AHL regular season schedule to receive his first recall to the parent club from affiliate Syracuse Crunch.

At 6’3″ 213 lbs. he’s certainly a bit of a wide body protecting his zone and delivering crushing checks to opposing team members.

He definitely showed an affinity for the rough stuff in 2 years of USHL American junior hockey but was making smarter decisions to avoid the penalty box once he arrived at Western Michigan University.

He was made team captain in his senior year after winning the 2012 NCAA (CCHA) Championship as a junior, where he wore an “A”.

The 24-year old may only be filling in for a spot due to a starter’s injury but could easily carve out more time protecting teammates with some hard-nosed play.

Original story: 10/20-14

He was in and out of the lineup for his first recall but managed to stick around for a good six weeks before being sent back to the minors in early March and getting his second call-up at the end of the same month that would stick until the end of the regular season.

It ended up equaling his first 16 NHL games for 2014/2015.

He had no points and a 0 rating, while inflicting pain on any opposing forward that happened to roam into his zone.

He returned once again to Syracuse Crunch and played three Calder Cup Playoff games with 1 assist before exiting in the first round.

The now 25-year old signs on for another season on a two-way deal but you can bet he’s going to make it difficult for them to send him back to the farm.

15Jul

Brian McGrattan(22) Anaheim Ducks

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For his 14th pro season Brian McGrattan(22) signed a one-year two-way deal with Anaheim Ducks and could find himself playing a decent amount of NHL for the first time in a couple of campaigns to protect all the players in that deep pool of talent in California.

He’ll turn 34-years old before the new season starts.

The huge force, who’s obviously in great shape and last had 11 fights playing for Calgary Flames in 2013/2014, just keeps on ticking.

Original story below 3/15-15:

Calgary Flames‘ 13th year right wing Brian McGrattan(22) was reassigned to the minors for the first time in a couple of seasons, joining affiliate Adirondack Flames .

He last played six games on a conditioning loan with Milwaukee Admirals while under contract to Nashville Predators but returned to Calgary (he spent 2009/2010 with the team) via trade.

The larger than life 6’4″ 240 lbs. rugged forward skated only 8 games (no points) with the parent club and was listed as a healthy scratch all too often, so the parent club ultimately decided it was best to see if some more ice time could get him back into the lineup on what had become a much speedier squad.

In 2013/2014, he achieved career highs for games played (76), goals (4) and assists (4) while keeping the peace on ice.

The big man was originally a Los Angeles Kings‘ 4th round pick in the 1999 draft (#104 overall) but first signed with Ottawa Senators, who he spent his first six seasons with, scoring his first NHL goal.

After a trade to then Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, he bounced around from team-to-team on one-year deals and even spent the full 2010/2011 with a pair of farm clubs.

A veteran of 278 AHL games he has the record for the most penalty minutes and fighting majors in one season (2004/2005) with Binghamton Senators, when he drop the mitts 39 times and recorded 551 minutes in the sin bin.

The 33-year old enforcer has skated in 317 big league contests but is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

He may either decide to take his game overseas for a year as he’s yet to explore the landscape outside of North America or hang up those skates and continue to help players with substance abuse problems, an issue of close importance to him.

See related: 11/1-10, 1/19-11, 2/17-11, 9/18-11,

14Jul

Oliver Lauridsen (7)

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The big Dane d-man Oliver Lauridsen(7) played out the 2013 regular season in the NHL scoring 2 goals and 1 assist in 15 games with a 0 rating on a team that missed the playoffs.

He was given a two-year extension in the offseason but played 63 AHL games without garnering a call-up even though he recorded a season high 10 assists and 11 points; and also got into 9 dust-ups flexing some ruggedness and took his penalty totals up to 167 minutes.

In 2014/2015 he managed to skate in a career high 75 games for new farm team Lehigh Valley Phantoms scoring a new best 4 goals and again threw down the gloves 9 times and had 152 pims but only got into one game with the Flyers as he was past by other blue liners on the big club’s depth chart.

The 26-year old was an unrestricted free agent heading into the new season and heads overseas signing for 2015/2016 with Frolunda Indians of the SHL.

He’ll probably elevate his game to a whole other level.

13Jul

Jamie Devane(24) Milwaukee Admirals

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Toronto Maple Leafs quickly added a couple of seasons extension to rugged left wing Jamie Devane(24) 3-year entry level deal keeping him with the team through 2016.

The 6’4″ 220 lbs. presence made his first NHL appearance early in 2013, playing a couple contests registering no points before being returned to AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies.

He put up career highs in almost every category in his 2nd pro campaign but maybe most noteworthy was an additional 100+ penalty minutes he added to his stats.

The 23-year old has definitely shown the ability to help his squad on the score sheet, as he did in his final pair of OHL seasons with Plymouth Whalers but may be looked at on the pro level more for his toughness factor.

As a big guy on ice he should use his stature to become more of a power forward force and could use a little extra coaching to keep putting more pucks on the net. He was credited with only 33 shots on goal in 2013/2014.

Original story: 9/28-14

His game slid in 2014/2015 with only 2 assists in 39 games and with a month left in the regular season he was all done for the season due to a hip injury that required surgery.

Seems like it could have been nagging him for sometime before he was put on the injured list.

With a year left on his current deal he was traded to Nashville Predators for 2015/2016 and will probably start with affiliate Milwaukee Admirals but could easily get recalled and contribute nicely on the Western Conference squad.

11Jul

Matt Mangene(26) Texas Stars

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Undrafted center Matt Mangene(57) entered his third pro season with a bit of uncertainty where he would skate next.

He chose to take the one-year option with Florida Everblades of the ECHL for 2014/2015.

The 5’11” 190 lbs. forward was originally on a 2-year entry level deal with Philadelphia Flyers but was a minor Adirondack Phantoms‘ piece of a late season trade that shuffled him to New York Islanders‘ system, reporting exclusively to Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Set to become a restricted free agent in need of a new deal, he was left unqualified.

He appeared in more AHL games last season than he had in his rookie campaign but ended up with less points and a little more feist in his game.

The 25-year has shown flashes of scoring prowess in the past, especially in his final year at University Of Maine and early in Northeastern US Junior Hockey.

It’s a good bet the 25-year old will start putting up points on the score sheet once again in a league he’s familiar with from 20 games played (1-10-11) with Trenton Titans and Stockton Thunder but will it be enough to earn him a recall?

Original story: 9/27-14

After scoring 4 goals and 13 assists in 27 ECHL games, the converted defenseman was loaned after a couple of months in the lower league to Texas Stars and never left.

Six weeks in he was given an standard player contract.

As a blue liner he scored 2 goals and set new AHL career highs with 15 assists and 17 points in 36 games, while firing a 60 shorts on net from the point.

For 2015/2016 the now 26-year old signs a new deal to continue with Texas and will need to continue the hard work but is likely see his totals increase again.

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