NHL | CollegeHockeyPlayers

11Oct

Joe Cannata(35) Utica Comets

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Vancouver Canucks‘ 6th round pick in the 2009 draft (#173 overall) goalie Joe Cannata(35) finds himself in a bit of a logjam to find any time between the pipes with their minor league affiliate Utica Comets.

The Massachusetts-born net minder is on a one-year contract extension with the parent club and will start down a notch on the pro ladder with Ontario Reign.

He’s played in the league before, appearing in 7 ECHL games in his rookie campaign.

The 6’1″ 200 lbs. backstop spent the entirety of 2013/2014 in the AHL posting a respectable 11-12 record with a 2.83 GAA and .907 SV% on a mostly shaky team.

He also played in 14 games with then farm team Chicago Wolves in his first year and had even slightly better numbers.

The 24-year old played four seasons at Merrimack College putting up stellar totals.

He’ll definitely have to work hard to get back on the radar.

09Oct

Spencer Machacek (17)

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After attending both Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies‘ training camps on invites, 7th year unrestricted free agent, veteran right wing Spencer Machacek(17) was having a hard time finding a new hockey home.

He was released from his tryout agreement with the AHL team just before the beginning of the new season but did manage to quickly find a landing spot overseas in the German elite league DEL with Augsburger Panther.

In a pair of games he already has his first point, an assist.

Since leaving Winnipeg Jets‘ organization, where he was originally an Atlanta Thrashers‘ 3rd round pick in the 2007 draft (#67 overall) and stayed with them until a late season trade sent him to Columbus Blue Jackets‘ affiliate Springfield Falcons.

Signed to a one-year extension as a restricted free agent, he once again was dealt in late season move and found himself skating with Pittsburgh Penguins‘ farm club, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

They did not offer the 6’1″ 201 lbs. forward a contract to stay on.

In his first four seasons he pretty much averaged 30 helpers in each of his campaigns.

He also dominated on the score sheet in 3 years of junior hockey with Vancouver Giants, where he won a WHL Championship and a Memorial Cup.

It would be surprising if the 26-year old doesn’t become a top scorer where he is.

We shall see.

06Oct

Andrew Yogan(6) San Antonio Rampage

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New York Rangers‘ 4th round pick in the 2010 draft (#100 overall), center Andrew Yogan(6) was quickly falling off the depth chart with the parent club and found himself reassigned down the pro hockey ladder to their ECHL affiliate Greenville Road Warriors through his two years in the system.

The big-ish 6’3″ 203 lbs. power forward excelled fairly big in the lower league performing at nearly a point-per-game level through 31 games and recording 7 goals and 11 assists in 17 Kelly Cup Playoff contests.

After a quick start on his first ato with AHL farm club Connecticut Whale, where he notched a quick pair of goals in his debut and added an assist in another, his totals slumped upon signing his 3-year entry level deal.

He played 5 seasons of juniors in the OHL showing he could connect with the score sheet on a regular basis.

The 22-year old was recently involved in a minor trade that sends him back home down south to Florida Panthers.

He’ll start 2014/2015 with San Antonio Rampage to see if he can find that spark in his game that got folks talking about his potential as the first player ever drafted from the Sunshine State.

05Oct

Tommy Grant(17) Aalborg Pirates

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4th year undrafted left wing Tommy Grant(17) decided to take his game overseas to Denmark, joining Aalborg Pirates after tearing it up for a season under contract with Idaho Steelheads.

In 64 ECHL games he had 23 goals and 27 assists.

It wasn’t his first time skating in the league either. While under contract with San Jose Sharks he was double reassigned to San Francisco Bulls where he had one tally and four helpers in 5 contests.

The pretty big 6’2″ 194 lbs. forward was initially property of New York Rangers playing exclusively for their minor league affiliate the then Connecticut Whale, once again Hartford Wolf Pack.

He was signed to a 2-year entry level deal after three outstanding seasons of college hockey at University Of Alaska-Anchorage and joined the team at the completion of school for 7 regular season games (3 assists) and 8 Calder Cup Playoff matchups (1-1-2).

He had decent enough campaigns with the team too, scoring 9 goals and 9 assists in 34 AHL games before getting dealt.

When he reported to Worcester Sharks all the air seems to be let out of the tires. Maybe he potentially realized the time on his 2-year entry level was up and he’d be looking for a new place to play for his third year.

He seems to be fitting in kind of nicely in his new surroundings as he’s credited with a pair of goals and 1 assist in 4 games.

01Oct

Louis-Marc Aubry(22) Grand Rapids Griffins

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Detroit Red Wings‘ 3rd round pick in the 2010 draft (#81 overall) center Louis-Marc Aubry(22) has to be happy that his first pro season was on an entry level slide and the first year of his three-year entry level deal didn’t actually kick in until his second campaign 2012/2013, playing for minor league affiliate Grand Rapid Griffins.

He won a Calder Cup with the team that season and even skated in 14 postseason match ups with one assist and a +3 rating.

In the middle of last year the 6’4″ 213 lbs. forward found himself on reassignment south, playing 19 games for Toledo Walleye of the ECHL.

He managed to assert himself right away, striking for 7 goals and 8 assists.

But there’s no time like the present for the still young 22-year old to start using that large frame in front of the net and hammering more shots at the opposing net minder.

His numbers have been diminishing, along with his ice time, so he needs to step it up in the AHL or his next deal could be of the one-year variety in the lower league.

30Sep

Jeremy Welsh(15) Chicago Wolves

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Undrafted center Jeremy Welsh(15) has already been with his share of teams as he enters his third professional season.

An unrestricted free agent heading into 2014/2015, his former team Vancouver Canucks decided to not re-sign the fairly large 6’3″ 208 lbs. Ontario, Canada native.

He originally inked a 1-year entry level deal with Carolina Hurricanes and skated his first NHL game after winning an ECAC Championship at Union College in his third and final season before turning pro.

The physical presence up front split his time in his rookie year up with the big club on numerous recalls but mostly with affiliate Charlotte Checkers, where he notched some decent numbers (14+12-26 in 69 AHL games).

His potential abilities led him to receive a two-year extension with the 2nd year being a one-way contract.

He was traded to Vancouver before the start of 2013/2014 and split his time with Utica Comets.

The 26-year old joined St. Louis Blues early in free agency on a 1-year, 2-way contract and was recently reassigned to affiliate Chicago Wolves.

He’ll easily be on the short list for a recall to prove his mettle once again but will need to show up big.

29Sep

Kevin Gravel(57) Manchester Monarchs

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Los Angeles Kings‘ 5th round pick in the 2010 draft (#148 overall) defenseman Kevin Gravel(57) will start his rookie season under a one-year minor league contract, executed by the parent club, with Manchester Monarchs.

He signed an ato to join the team at the conclusion of his four-year stint at St. Cloud University, where in 5 AHL games he registered no points but got some necessary early experience.

At 6’4″ 200 lbs. he’s a large presence on the blue line and plays a relatively sturdy, stay at home style, although he has shown an ability to move the puck around for scoring opportunities as he did in his final pair of college hockey campaigns.

The 22-year old could definitely add another dimension to his game with some coaching to fire the puck on net with more frequency.

It remains to be seen if that will develop but for now he’ll continue to work on his strong, shut down play.

26Sep

Robbie Czarnik (27)

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4th year center Robert Czarnik(27) was originally a Los Angeles Kings‘ 3rd round pick in the 2008 draft (#63 overall).

He played for 2.5 seasons with their minor league affiliate Manchester Monarchs before being swapped to Montreal Canadiens, where he was mostly a healthy scratch with Hamilton Bulldogs.

The 6’1″ 188 lbs. was never able to get on the score sheet regularly putting up a sparing 13 goals and 21 assists in 135 AHL games.

He had better fortunes through a year and a half in college at University Of Michigan before deciding to leave for two seasons of junior hockey with Plymouth Whalers.

In his final campaign he made a big jump in point production hitting the back of the net 33 times and helping out on another 44 through only 61 OHL games. From there he decided to turn pro.

Left to fend for himself without a qualifying offer after his 3-year entry level contract was up, the free agent signed on to skate the inaugural season of Indy Fuel.

The 24-year old certainly is hoping that his game can have a resurgence in the ECHL to potentially climb back up the ladder or head overseas for a better opportunity.

25Sep

David Wohlberg(25) Albany Devils

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New Jersey Devils‘ 6th round pick in the 2008 draft (#172 overall) center David Wohlberg(25) became a restricted free agent when his two-year entry level deal expired at the end of last season.

Instead of leaving him unqualified, the team offered him a minor league contract for 2014/2015 to stay in the prospect system.

He’s in training camp with the parent club again but will soon report to affiliate Albany Devils to start his third pro season.

The 6’1″ 200 lbs. forward has yet to light the lamp through 104 AHL games scoring only 10 goals and 12 assists.

He seems to be struggling to find the scoring touch he possessed in four years at University Of Michigan, where he was good for 56 tallies and 55 helpers in 162 contests.

It will help the 24-year old to be used in more of a prominent role on the squad but he’ll certainly have to earn it using his size and skating ability from a mostly delegated third/fourth line spot on the roster.

23Sep

Tyler Brown(18) Greenville Road Warriors

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After his three year entry level contract was up, Philadelphia Flyers‘ undrafted center Tyler Brown(18) became an unrestricted free agent as he wasn’t qualified with an offer.

With his fourth season was approaching the 6’2″ 198 lbs. forward signed a one-year deal for 2014/2015 to skate for Greenville Road Warriors of the ECHL.

He was never really able to connect on a regular basis in his three campaigns with minor league affiliate Adirondack Phantoms putting up only 14 goals and 18 assists in 182 AHL games.

Totals from his final year of junior hockey with OHL Plymouth Whalers were almost double what he was able to put up as a pro and likely earned him his big league deal.

The still young 24-year old could blow up again as a scoring threat in the lower league and will probably be on the radar for a recall as he has the experience.

He’s been invited to Hartford Wolf Pack training camp.