NHL | CollegeHockeyPlayers

Category: NHL

11Nov

Brandon DeFazio(39) Vancouver Canucks

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Undrafted right wing Brandon DeFazio(39) has been consistently working hard on his game to move up to playing in the show.

In his first season he signed a one-year agreement to join Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and as a youngster put in a respectable 11 goals and 5 assists.

He was rewarded for his efforts with a one-year entry level contract with New York Islanders. He skated exclusively for their affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers and saw his point totals rise with another 11 goal season and an assist increase to 14 on a mostly very young, struggling squad.

The feisty 6’1″ 205 lbs. forward that looks slightly smaller than his measurements indicate was noticed by Vancouver Canucks and received another 1-year, 2-way deal.

He stuck with their AHL farm club Utica Comets for the entirety of 2013/2014 but kept escalating his scoring game, hitting the net for a career high 17 goals and 17 assists, 34 points in 76 games.

He’s also been good for over 100 penalty minutes for each of his pro campaigns.

The 26-year old was extended for another season and got right to work, scoring 4 goals to lead the team and adding another pair of tallies resulting in his first NHL recall.

He skated 10 shifts for 6:04 of total ice time with no other stats but it was a team shootout win, so he may stick at least temporarily with the club.

See related: 7/17-12

10Nov

Kevin Westgarth(15) Belfast Giants

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Undrafted 8th year right wing Kevin Westgarth(15) found no takers for his gritty game in the NHL so he has decided to join storied English hockey franchise Belfast Giants for the 2014/2015 campaign.

The exceedingly large 6’4″ 234 lbs. forward was invited to Edmonton Oilers‘ training camp before being released right before the start of the new season.

He last played a full year with Calgary Flames and seemed to enjoy it as a most productive landing spot in 2013/2014 scoring a career high 4 goals and 3 assists in 36 games.

His last stint four+ years ago in the AHL with Manchester Monarchs he showed signs of converting his fists into scoring chances landing 11 goals and 14 assists in 76 games.

The now 30-year old is off to a hot start getting a pair of goals in his first two appearances and of course, already has one fighting major penalty too.

He should be a point per game kind of player in this league.

It remains to be seen if good play away from home for a season will get anyone interested in paying for his services to return.

09Nov

Keith Kinkaid (1)

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Already playing in his fourth season, New Jersey Devils‘ goaltender prospect Keith Kinkaid(1) has been somewhat quietly developing his game with AHL affiliate Albany Devils, where he’s continued to get better and kept the parent club’s vision intact of bringing him up slowly.

He did get into one game in his sophomore campaign.

His team made the postseason for the first time in forever last year and even in a four game losing effort kept them in each game with a 2.26 GAA and .932 SV%.

The 6’2″ 190 lbs. net minder was originally signed to a 2-year entry level deal after a pair of dominating seasons with Union College and two campaigns in U.S. junior hockey, the 25-year old has been given qualifying offers twice to keep him in the system.

He started 2014/2015 on fire, posting a 4-0-2 record with a 1.95 GAA and .931 SV%.

Good enough for New Jersey to make the call officially dubbing him as back up net minder.

He was called into action immediately off the bench and accepted the loss on the one goal he had no chance of saving.

It’s almost a sure bet he’ll get his first NHL start in short order.

08Nov

Cedric Paquette (13)

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Tampa Bay Lightning 2nd year prospect center Cedric Paquette(13) is starting to click.

Starting his sophomore season where he’s familiar with AHL affiliate Syracuse Crunch he’s already put up a tidy 4 goals, 3 assists and a +8 rating in 5 games.

Plus, he’s been the recipient of a pair of recalls and just skated in his fifth game with the parent club.

Going scoreless in his first four games, he was a bit of a non-factor aside from a few shots on net and a fighting major in one contest.

He absolutely exploded for his first and second NHL goals in his next appearance but more importantly each time he’s in the lineup it’s been a team win.

The 6’1″ 198 lbs. forward will likely be making many trips between Florida and upper state New York as he’s free to move between the leagues on an offensively stacked squad.

If he keeps being a contributor though, he’s going to force them into another difficult roster decision, where this season they’ve already lost a big gun to waivers.

We saw it coming.

See related: 1/10-14

07Nov

Joe Morrow(45) Boston Bruins

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Boston Bruins‘ defenseman Joe Morrow(7) is technically only playing the second season of his entry level contract but is in his third pro year under contract with already with his third team.

Originally a Pittsburgh Penguins‘ 1st round pick in 2011 (#23 overall) he was traded late in his rookie campaign to Dallas Stars in a no relation deal for namesake veteran forward Brendan Morrow.

He finished out the regular calendar and 8 Calder Cup Playoff games with affiliate Texas Stars.

Before the former Portland Winterhawks‘ blue liner could even get an apartment in the Lone Star state, he once again found himself on the move as a minor add on in a blockbuster trade that had him heading east to Boston.

He spent his sophomore season (first of his contract) on reassignment to Providence Bruins taking up where he left off in 4 years of WHL junior hockey, handing a lot of pucks to scorers for assists.

The 6’1 206 lbs. d-man had 6 goals, 23 assists in 56 AHL games and 128 shots on net. He added another pair of tallies and 5 assists with a +7 rating in 10 postseason matchups.

The still only 21-year old picked up where he left off to start 2014/2015. In 5 games he has a goal and an assist but is an already outstanding +4.

With injuries running rampant for the parent club, he gets his first chance and completes the NHL appearances of the four players picked up in the swap that brought him to the team.

In three games, all wins, he has yet to record a point but is a +2 plus/minus, has 8 shots on the goal and averaged 24 shifts each outing with over 17 minutes time on ice.

See related: 10/21-12

06Nov

Brad Winchester(15) Norfolk Admirals

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Sizable 6’5″ 230 lbs. left wing Brad Winchester(15) signed his first minor league contract to play professional hockey in his 12th year of service.

The 33-year old inked late for a one year AHL deal with Norfolk Admirals. He was also invited to Anaheim Ducks‘ training camp to start ’14/’15 but was among the first to be released, despite having a strong showing.

He actually spent 19 regular season and 3 postseason games with them a few seasons ago amongst the many teams he’s skated for.

Originally an Edmonton Oilers‘ 2nd round pick in the 2000 draft (#35 overall), he played his first four years in their system including his first two stints with a pair of farm club Roadrunners, first Toronto then Edmonton.

It wasn’t until his fourth season that he became a regular in the show.

He’s appeared in 390 NHL games (mostly through three years with St. Louis Blues) scoring 37 goals, 31 assists and a monster -42 rating.

His last pair of campaigns have been exclusively in the minors and he seems fairly comfortable assuming the role of assistant captain.

He’s quite the poiny scorer in the league too at 96 goals and 81 assists in 319 games but still haunted by a horrible -32 plus/minus.

It remains to be seen if those on ice accountability numbers will improve but he’s off to a hot start with a first time reversed 3 goals and 4 assists in 9 games and a +1.

05Nov

Tobias Reider(9) Arizona Coyotes

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Arizona Coyotes‘ 2nd year German-born right wing Tobias Reider(9) was one of the final cuts from training camp heading into the 2014/2015 season.

He took it in stride and continued to pile up points with minor league affiliate Portland Pirates.

The maybe not blessed with huge size but speedy skating 5’11” 185 lbs. forward with plenty of hockey smarts struck for 28 goals and 20 assists in his rookie campaign, putting him 2nd on the team in tallies and third overall scoring.

He already has 4 goals and a pair of helpers in 9 AHL games this season, which was good enough for the parent club that’s struggling out of the gate to summon him for a hopeful burst of offense.

The still very young skater, who played a year of pro in DEL2 as a 16-17 year old, scored his first NHL goal, the game-winner in his debut, a high-scoring shootout at the OK carrol 6-5 victory and went a +2 plus/minus.

We predict that he’s just getting started, even if he’s called up and sent back down on numerous occasions.

See related: 12/6-13

04Nov

Brendon Nash(24) Bakersfield Condors

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Undrafted fifth year defenseman Brendon Nash(24) skated last season on an AHL contract with Hartford Wolf Pack.

He was in and out of the lineup appearing in only 30 games posting no goals and 11 assists with a -3 rating.

Originally signed to a 2-year entry level deal by Montreal Canadiens after a solid 4 seasons at Cornell University, where he won an NCAA (ECAC) Championship in his final campaign.

The 6’3″ 205 lbs. blue liner started his pro career with minor league affiliate Hamilton Bulldogs putting up pretty amazing numbers: 5 goals, 25 assists (team best) and a +22 plus/minus (league best as a rookie).

He also played in a pair of NHL games in his first year.

Unfortunately the big man on d missed his entire sophomore season after surgery to repair a shoulder injury suffered in preseason play.

That didn’t deter the parent club from offering him a one-year extension.

He continued his play with the farm team but seemed to be a small step off his game coming back from missing time on ice.

Traded mid-season to Florida Panthers in a minor transaction, he reported directly to San Antonio Rampage and picked up the pace.

In 27 games he tossed in another 5 tallies and 6 helpers.

At the end of 2012/2013 he was loaned to Charlotte Checkers for what turned out to be only a single game.

The 27-year old was invited to Oklahoma City Barons training camp but ultimately released before 2014/2015 began.

Three weeks later he decided it was time again to play some hockey, signing a one year agreement with Bakersfield Condors, ECHL affiliate of OKC.

No doubt if he’s able to regain his former game form, he’ll be in queue for a call-up.

03Nov

Jonathan Marchessault(18) Syracuse Crunch

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Despite basically exploding the score sheet (98 goals, 141 assists, 233 games) in four years in the QMJHL with Quebec Remparts, fourth year right wing Jonathan Marchessault(18) went undrafted, signing his first contract with Connecticut Whale.

Maybe his small stature at 5’9″ 177 lbs. kept the parent clubs away from selecting him but he was able to replicate what he did in juniors in his first pro season putting up 24 tallies and 40 helpers in 76 AHL games, which was best on the team for assists and had him tied for overall points.

For his sophomore campaign he was signed by Columbus Blue Jackets for a 3-year entry level deal on the first day of free agency going into his sophomore campaign.

He spent all but 2 NHL games with affiliate Springfield Falcons connecting for another 21 goals, 46 assists and 77 points, once again leading his team and was second with a phenomenal +20 rating.

Near the end of his second season in the Blue Jackets‘ system he was somewhat surprisingly traded in a mostly minor league transaction to Tampa Bay Lightning, where he was immediately sent to Syracuse Crunch.

Heading in the current hockey year, he had a strong camp going as one of the last cuts to be reassigned.

The 23-year old is off to a mightily quick start with 2 goals and 5 assists in 6 contests, earning him a one game call-up.

He has yet to record a point in the show but is still waiting for longer stint with the big club and that should happen if he continues on the pace he’s at.

See related: 11/3-11

31Oct

Tyler Kennedy(8) Worcester Sharks

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9th year veteran right wing Tyler Kennedy(8) was reassigned by San Jose Sharks to their farm team Worcester Sharks on a long-term conditioning loan after suffering a nagging upper body injury early in training camp.

He last played in the AHL in 2007 with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Originally a Pittsburgh Penguins‘ 4th round pick in the 2004 draft (#99 overall) he spent 7 years with the team posting career highs with 21 goals and 24 assists through 80 appearances in 2010-2011. He was a pretty nice playoff contributor, helping them to a Stanley Cup Championship in 2009.

The 5’11” 185 lbs. forward has skated 439 NHL games scoring 80 goals and 105 assists with a +22 rating.

His totals in the past pair of campaigns have faltered though and he was given a fairly lucrative two-year deal wooing him away quickly from his first turn as an unrestricted free agent.

He managed only 4 tallies and 13 helpers with a -10 plus/minus in 67 contests last season.

The 28-year old may be finding himself a bit on the cusp as to where he will fit in best unless he starts stepping it up quickly.

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