NHL | CollegeHockeyPlayers

29Nov

Jeff Schultz(55) Manchester Monarchs

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Former Washington Capitals‘ 1st round pick in the 2004 draft, 8th year defenseman Jeff Schultz(55) is back in the AHL for the first time in half a dozen seasons.

For the last 7 seasons he skated all but one appearance in the NHL for 399 games scoring 11 goals and 64 assists with a mammoth +78 rating.

In 2009/2010 he was a league best +50 plus/minus.

The big big 6’6″ 225 lbs. blue liner was signed to a 4-year extension early into his restricted free agency status but was unable to sustain the numbers.

The Capitals decided to cut ties and elected to exercise their option to buy out the final season of his contract.

Soon afterwards, Los Angeles Kings stepped him offering him a one-way deal at just over the league minimum.

The 27-year old was a late cut, reassigned to minor league affiliate Manchester Monarchs, where in 21 games he has a goal and an assist and is a +1.

Chances are good that he’ll live to skate his 400th game in the show but what happens next season is a total crap shot.

27Nov

Mitch Callahan(15) Grand Rapid Griffins

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Detroit Red Wings‘ 6th round pick in the 2009 draft (#180 overall), 3rd year left wing Mitch Callahan(15) is picking up his game big with minor league affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins in the final year of his entry level deal.

In 19 AHL games he already has 8 goals, 4 assists and a smart +10 rating.

It’s almost as if he’s taking up where he left off in the 2013 postseason that ended with a Calder Cup Championship.

In 24 playoff contests he had 6 goals and 5 assists.

The 6′ 195 lbs. forward posted career highs last season with 11 goals, 9 assists and 20 points in 71 games. He looks to shatter that mark before the All-Star break.

Even though he didn’t exactly garner the highest selection spot in the draft, he did put up some impressive numbers in his final year of juniors before turning pro.

The 22-year old also won the WHL Championship with Kelowna Rockets as a rookie and placed 2nd in the subsequent Memorial Cup.

Almost ironically he made the team on a tryout, which would be even more amazing for him to eventually make his NHL debut. Plus, he was born and raised in California.

26Nov

Stefan Matteau(18) Albany Devils

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New Jersey Devils‘ 1st round pick in the 2012 draft (#29 overall), left wing Stefan Matteau(18) was given quite the opportunity to step right into the big league at age 18 after competing in only half a season in the QMJHL with Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.

Waiting for the lockout to thaw, he was invited to training camp with the chance to make the squad and did just that.

After 17 games, with his first pro goal and a pair of assists to his credit, it was decided to return him to his junior hockey team to play out the remainder of the season; although the situation went amiss and he ended up abruptly leaving the team during their playoff run.

His playing rights were traded to Rimouski Oceanic, but the 6’3″ 215 lbs. player was determined to turn pro and stick with the parent club or start his official rookie season with their minor league affilate Albany Devils.

The latter occurred when he was reassigned to the farm club to continue his development.

In 18 AHL games the built like a power forward has a conservative 3 goals and 4 assists, while seemingly still adjusting to the higher level of play.

Signed to a three-year entry level deal last season, the first campaign of the contract was accounted for in his somewhat tumultuous 2012/2013.

The big 19-year old will likely figure out pretty quickly what it’s going to take for him to jump to the next level permanently and become a fixture in the league but will probably need to pay attention to some good coaching and could use a great veteran mentor.

25Nov

Matt Beleskey(34) Anaheim Ducks

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Anaheim Ducks‘ 6th round pick in the 2006 draft (#112 overall), 6th year left wing Matt Beleskey(34) has skated the last couple of seasons exclusively in the NHL with the parent club but is no stranger to the minors.

He was recently reassigned to AHL affiliate Norfolk Admirals on a conditioning loan to rehab a broken thumb suffered at the start of the season, which was also when his brand new 2-year, one-way contract extension kicked in.

He’s appeared in 213 NHL games scoring 27 goals and 30 assists. His numbers in the lower league are similar but through only half the amount of games played.

The 6′ 200 lbs. forward spent only a few games down before being recalled but found the back of the net for a tally, which must have helped him some with his confidence, because as soon as he got back struck for his first goal of the new season and added a helper a couple of nights later.

He put up great numbers in his final season of junior hockey as captain with Belleville Bulls but is probably not expected to post 41 goals and 49 assists in 62 games anytime soon.

The 25-year old could use a breakout 20-point campaign to stay put in the show and could also be more accountable than his overall -23 rating. There’s little doubt he has the tools in his kit to stick.

23Nov

Anders Lee (9)

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New York Islanders‘ 6th round pick in the 2009 draft (#152 overall) left wing Anders Lee(9) played a pair of NHL games fresh off finishing up his third season at University Of Notre Dame that culminated in an NCAA (CCHA) Championship.

He scored his first big league goal and added an assist in his debut.

Also very close to a point per game player in college hockey, he scored 61 goals and 55 assists in 125 games with a monstrous +33 rating.

The rangy 6’3″ 225 lbs. forward was unable to find his roster spot with the parent club to start his rookie campaign and reassigned to minor league affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

In his first 16 AHL games he has a mighty 6 goals and 7 assists out of the gate.

One would have to think if a spot opens up on the Islanders‘ lineup due to injury, the just turned 21-year old has to be on a short list for a recall.

22Nov

Kevan Miller(28) Boston Bruins

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Boston Bruins‘ 3rd year, undrafted defenseman Kevan Miller(28) had himself a great training camp, played well in exhibition games and was one of the last blue liners put on waivers for reassignment to minor league affiliate Providence Bruins.

In 12 AHL games he has a goal and a pair of a assists with a -7 rating. which is odd because he’s a +20 plus/minus through 147 contests in the league.

Not exactly known as an offensive specialist, he has only 6 goals and a pretty tidy 37 assists

At 6’2″ 200 lbs. he’s pretty much known as a stay at home d-man with the ability to really inflict punishment on opponents and never backs down from dropping the mitts.

The 26-year old is only on a one-year contract extension after his two-year entry level deal was up, so he’s definitely looking to step it up.

In four years at University Of Vermont, he was team captain for his last two so brings leadership qualities to the table.

He received his first NHL recall on an emergency basis, so he wouldn’t be subjected to clearing waivers.

In his debut, he skated 21 shifts for 17:42 total ice (:36 on the penalty kill) and ended the shootout loss with a +1 rating. He also dished out a pair of hits, had play breakups and one takeaway; pretty nice.

21Nov

Brad Staubitz(16) Toronto Marlies

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Undrafted 9th year tough guy, right wing Brad Staubitz(16) has a one-way NHL deal for 2013/2014, but has been unable to find his spot on a roster. Signed to a 2-year contract with Anaheim Ducks, he was only played sparingly in the lockout shortened season and landed south with Norfolk Admirals to start the new campaign.

Disgruntled there after 7 AHL games, he was traded in hopes of finding a new start in Toronto Maple Leafs‘ organization but might have the same problem, few openings in the lineup and was reassigned to Toronto Marlies.

Never a player to mark up the score sheet with points, the 6’1″ 207 lbs. forward has never shied away from the rough stuff, amassing more than 100 penalty minutes in virtually every season and is strictly looked at as a fourth line energy source for a team.

It’s maybe a bit doubtful that the rugged winger will find another home in the show unless he reinvents his game some going into camp next season and catches the attention of a team in need of an enforcer.

20Nov

Brenden Kichton (8)

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Double draft pick (most recently Winnipeg Jets‘ 7th round in the 2013 draft, #190overall) rookie defenseman Brenden Kichton(8) was making a huge splash on the back line in his last few years of juniors with Spokane Chiefs.

He managed 240 assists in 202 WHL games, good enough for most helpers in the league from 2010-2012 and lead all d-men in points those years as well.

It’s surprising his number slipped so far down in the most recent draft, especially considering his offensive explosion.

He was originally taken by New York Islanders in the 5th round of 2011 (#127 overall) but failed to work out a contract with the team.

The 6′ 190 lbs. blue liner was also invited to join Detroit Red Wings‘ prospect camp in 2010.

He was reassigned to Winnipeg‘s minor league affiliate St. John’s IceCaps to start his debut campaign and has continued to effectively head man the puck for scoring chances.

In 17 AHL games he has 2 goals and 9 assists with a +5 rating.

Signed to a three-year entry level deal, the 21-year old looks to have a bright future ahead of him and will likely realize his first NHL recall this season.

19Nov

Yann Danis(34) Adirondack Phantoms

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Undrafted 10th year veteran goalie Yann Danis(34) has played NHL games in four of his five last seasons. He had one campaign on the interim in the KHL.

Signed to a 1-year two-way deal with Philadelphia Flyers, he’s splitting time between the pipes for their minor league affiliate Adirondack Phantoms and is an invaluable mentor to young prospects in the system.

He has 284 regular season games of AHL experience with a roughly 2.46 GAA and .913 SV%. He was named goaltender of the league in 2012 for his consistent play.

The 5’11” 182 lbs. net minder also has 53 NHL games, mostly in one run with New York Islanders but also appearances with Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and most recently for Edmonton Oilers.

His numbers in the show are a bit less impressive at 3.02 GAA and .891 SV% but they’ve mostly been when called in as the back-up.

The 32-year old will likely get his chance at another big league game and the trend will continue.

It will definitely be interesting to see where he lands for his 11th season in 2014/2015.

17Nov

Connor Murphy(28) Phoenix Coyotes

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Phoenix Coyotes‘ 1st round pick in the 2011 draft (#30 overall) defenseman Connor Murphy(28) received his first recall only 10 games into his rookie year with minor league affiliate Portland Pirates.

He had yet to produce a goal but did have 5 assists and a +3 rating on a team that was off to a shaky start.

The 6’3″ 190 lbs. never exactly put up big numbers in two campaigns of OHL junior hockey with Sarnia Sting or earlier in his development but possesses all the intangibles that made him a top prospect for the Coyotes.

He was quickly signed to a three year entry level deal that only officially kicked in at the start of this season.

In his NHL debut he scored his first big league goal, the eventual game-winner, skated 29 shifts for 22:32 total ice time (including 1:53 on the penalty kill), had one shot on net, 5 hits and ended the game with a +1. He was somewhat unceremoniously returned to the AHL on the next day to continue his upward progress.

The 20-year old wore number 5, which his dad Gord Murphy wore throughout his pro career.