NHL | CollegeHockeyPlayers

08Jan

Dominik Uher(26) WBS Penguins

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Pittsburgh Penguins‘ 5th round pick in the 2011 draft (#144 overall), Czech Republic-born center Dominik Uher(26) has already surpassed his rookie season highs in assists and points and is one goal away from setting a new mark in goals as well.

In 31 AHL games with minor league affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins he has 4 goals and 7 assists for 11 points. Last season in 53 regular season contests he tallied 7 points total.

The 6’1″ 199 lbs. forward plays a feisty style of game out there and only really started to light the lamp before turning pro in his final season of junior hockey in the WHL with Spokane Chiefs, when he was a bit over a point-per-game guy.

Signed to a three-year entry level deal through the end of the 2015 campaign, the still very young 21-year old seems to be just hitting his stride.

It would be no shock to see him continue to increase his point totals and maybe get a look at his NHL game by the parent club.

07Jan

Chris Bruton(16) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

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Bridgeport Sound Tigers‘ 3rd year undrafted center Chris Bruton(16) was given a one-year, two-way NHL contract for 2013/2014 by New York Islanders to captain the young minor league affiliate squad.

Unfortunately he broke his hand early into the campaign and missed a month of action, leaving the team to field three assistants in his absence.

Upon his return, he has skated in 26 AHL games scoring a goal and an assist but is mostly counted on for his leadership and backing up his teammates when called upon.

He was team captain in his last season with Spokane Chiefs when they won both the Western Hockey League Championship and Memorial Cup. There was also an unfortunate incident that happened with the latter trophy.

At only 5’11” 205 lbs. he isn’t exactly the biggest guy out there but as his fighting record and time spent in the penalty box indicate, he welcomes any challenge.

One of those was after his junior career wrapped up, instead of turning pro immediately he decided to attend Acadia University.

After three years in school he signed his first contract with Alaska Aces after attending training camp with Peoria Rivermen but on his second loan to the club inked a deal in the higher league and re-signed for a 2012/2013.

The 26-year old definitely seems to be enjoying his time as mentor and could be headed for a nice coaching career once he’s ready to step off the ice.

06Jan

Eriah Hayes(18) San Jose Sharks

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San Jose Sharks‘ undrafted rookie right wing Eriah Hayes(18) somewhat unexpectedly receives his first recall.

He skated 15 shifts for 7:08 total ice time in his NHL debut with a pair of shots on net, 1 giveaway and went 33% on face-offs.

In 29 AHL games he’s tallied 5 goals and 3 assists with a -6 rating. Signed to an ato at the end of last season he played 7 contests and popped in 3 goals and an assist.

The 6’4″ 210 lbs. power-sized forward was a fairly prolific scorer in four years of college hockey at Minnesota State University.

He’s signed a two-year entry level contract through 2015 and definitely a player that could make an impact once he gets his pro game settled.

04Jan

Mike Sislo (19)

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New Jersey Devils‘ 3rd year, undrafted right wing Mike Sislo(19) is well on his way to career highs with minor league affiliate Albany Devils.

In 27 AHL games he already has 9 goals and 11 assists with a +8 rating. His previous bests are 13 tallies, 18 assists and 27 points in his rookie and sophomore campaigns.

His consistent play in the early going has earned him a first recall.

In his NHL debut he skated 16 shifts for 8:29 total ice time, had two shots on net and was 100% in the face off circle, on likely one fill-in draw; but still.

He was initially signed to a 2-year entry level deal and extended in the off-season for another spot in the prospect system.

The 5’11” 190 lbs. forward somewhat goes about playing his game almost quietly out there but he’s none too afraid to get right in the middle of the action to come up with the puck.

He was pretty much a point-per-game guy in his last three seasons of college hockey with University Of New Hampshire and was team captain in his senior year. Leadership.

The almost 26-year old could find his openings for scoring chances in the show but he’s going to have to dig hard with his ice time.

To be continued..

02Jan

Max Friberg(14) Norfolk Admirals

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Anaheim Ducks‘ 6th round pick in the 2011 draft (#143 overall), Swedish-born left wing Max Friberg(14) is off to a nice start in his rookie season.

In 33 games with minor league affiliate Norfolk Admirals he has 9 goals and 9 assists with a +8 rating.

Signed to a three-year entry level deal in the offseason, he continued to play in his home country’s pro league, SHL for one more campaign before joining the Admirals for 6 contests, scoring his first tally, at the end of 2012/2013.

Listed at 5’11” 195 lbs., those measurements seem a bit generous. His speedy skating style and stick-handling abilities is definitely more akin to a smaller sized player.

He won a gold medal at the under 20 World Junior Championships, finished as scoring leader and was selected to the All-Star Team.

It seems unlikely with all the depth in the prospect system that he earns a call-up this season but he could easily work his way up to fill a roster spot next year, which is also the final year of his deal.

31Dec

Adam Lowry(47) St. John’s IceCaps

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Winnipeg Jets‘ 3rd round pick in the 2011 draft (#66 overall) rookie center Adam Lowry(47) has all the size and skill set to become a power forward in the NHL but needs to prove his worth first with minor league affiliate St. John’s IceCaps before he gets his opportunity.

The 6’5″ 205 lbs. skater has 3 goals and 4 assists in 23 AHL games with a -3 rating but is always positioning himself in the middle of the action, using his extra large frame to control the puck.

He was awarded WHL Player Of The Year for 2012/2013, tallying 88 points (45 goals, 43 assists) with a +18 rating and 102 penalty minutes for a well-rounded campaign.

In four seasons of junior hockey with Swift Current Broncos, he was very nearly a point-per-game player and served as team captain in his final run.

The still very young 20-year old is signed to a three year entry level contract and may never quite get the point production expected of him but when he receives his recall he’ll likely never look back.

30Dec

Conor Allen(4) New York Rangers

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New York Rangers‘ undrafted rookie defenseman Conor Allen(4) had an impressive run in prospect then training camp and was one of the final blue liner cuts to be reassigned to minor league affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack.

Starting his pro career in the AHL he was there to continue the learning curve and develop. He did appear in one game with the team at the end of last season after concluding his third year of college hockey at UMass (Amherst) and signing a deal as an unrestricted free agent.

He’s been in the farm club’s lineup for all 29 games scoring 5 goals and 8 assists.

Hampered by injuries the Blueshirts rewarded him with his first recall and in his NHL debut the 6’2″ 210 lbs. d-man skated 22 shifts for 15:47 of total ice time, had two shots on net and ended the evening’s 4-3 win a -1 rating.

The 23-year old may get reassigned down again soon as the parent club’s roster gets healthy but no doubt this is just a brief look and there will be more to come.

He has a two-year entry level contract through 2015.

29Dec

Zach Trotman(37) Providence Bruins

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Boston Bruins‘ 7th round pick in the 2010 draft (#210 overall, the last selection) second year defenseman Zach Trotman(37) may have seemed like an unlikely call-up but a decimated blue line and his strong play with their farm club, Providence Bruins made him an easy choice for a look.

In 23 AHL games he has a goal and 7 assists with a very responsible +10 rating. He also had an impressive training camp with Boston and was one of the last cuts before the start of the 2013/2014 season.

The 6’4″ 202 lbs. d-man skated 20 shifts for 16:41 of total ice time in his NHL debut, including 3:06 on the power play. He had 3 shots on net and coughed up the puck once in the team’s 4-3 loss.

Signed to a 2-year entry level deal, it looks like the 23-year old will easily be qualified to stay in the prospect system for at least one more campaign, if not score himself another pair of seasons extension.

27Dec

Petr Straka (24)

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Czech Republic-born rookie right wing Petr Straka(24) was originally a Columbus Blue Jackets‘ 2nd round pick in the 2010 draft (#55 overall) but went unsigned until Philadelphia Flyers stepped in with a 3-year entry level deal for the 2009/2010 QMJHL Rookie Of The Year.

In four seasons of junior hockey he was a point-per-game producer (97-111-208 in 212 contests).

He attended a pair of Blue Jackets‘ training camps but they remained under-impressed allowing him to explore other options.

The seemingly smaller than he measures, 6’ 195 lbs. forward starts his first pro season with minor league affiliate Adirondack Phantoms, where in 28 AHL games he has put up 5 goals and 10 assists with a +1 rating on a team that’s just below the playoff bubble.

At just 21-years old, he looks to be a player that has all the promise to explode on the score sheet but for now he’s maybe playing his game a bit under the NHL radar.

26Dec

Kyle Beach (14)

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Chicago Blackhawks‘ 1st round pick in the 2008 draft (#11 overall), 4th year right wing Kyle Beach(14) finally saw his time expire in the team’s prospect system.

Unable to secure an NHL recall while playing with minor league affiliate Rockford IceHogs, he was still qualified for another season after his three-year entry deal was up.

The fairly big 6’3″ 210 lbs. player definitely has power forward size but seems to have a bit of unwillingness to use it where he is for anything more than getting it skirmishes with opponents.

In 175 AHL games he has 41 goals and 36 assists with 4 of those tallies coming in 7 contests in the current campaign.

He was a point-per-game guy though four WHL seasons, while always putting up close to 200 penalty minutes each year. He also concluded his junior hockey career with a +51 rating.

Traded to New York Rangers‘ organization and reassigned to their farm club, Hartford Wolf Pack, he has only notched one assist in 7 contests.

The still super-young 23-year old is only under contract through the end of the season and it’s possible his game will pick up to where it needs to be with the change of scenery, but he’s going to have to connect soon or his ice time may dry up.