NHL | CollegeHockeyPlayers

24Mar

Calvin Pickard(31) Lake Erie Monsters

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Colorado Avalanche‘ 2nd round pick in the 2010 draft (#49 overall) rookie goaltender Calvin Pickard(31) has been a workhorse in net through his junior career and the pace didn’t slow in his first pro year.

In 40 games between the pipes for AHL affiliate Lake Erie Monsters so far this season, he has a 16-17-5 record and a 2.55 GAA and .916 SV%.

The 6’1″ 195 lbs. net minder has been recalled on a couple of occasions to take warm-ups and ride back-up but has yet to see any NHL action. That could change as the season plays itself out. He may get the nod if the Avalanche are out of the playoff hunt.

The soon-to-be 21-year old is signed through 2015 to a 3-year entry level deal, so has plenty of time to show the big club what he’s got.

23Mar

Gustav Nyquist(13) Detroit Red Wings

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Detroit Red Wings‘ 4th round pick in the 2008 draft (#121 overall), 2nd year Swedish right wing Gustav Nyquist(13) knew the route from minor league affiliate Grand Rapid Griffins‘ Van Andel Arena to Joe Louis pretty well by the end of the season.

In 18 NHL games he scored a goal and 6 assists, while in 56 AHL contests he tallied 22 goals and 36 assists.

The back-and-forth bus trips (or drives) are looking to be the norm again in his sophomore campaign.

The small-ish 5’11” 185 lbs. forward has a goal and an assist already in 5 games but knows consistency is the key to keep him with the big club and to ultimately gain a contract extension.

In the AHL he has set career highs in all categories, with 23 goals and 37 assists in 58 games already eclipsing last year’s marks. He is basically a point-per-game guy that leads the scoring race in the league and was chosen to appear in the 2013 All-Star Game.

He’s in the final season of his 2-year entry level deal and scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of 2012/2013.

There’s little doubt he will score a qualifying offer but much is expected of the 23-year old moving ahead.

For a European, he took the somewhat odd route to pro hockey by playing for a U.S. college team, where he was their leading scorer and left his last year to sign a deal.

22Mar

William Wrenn(45) Texas Stars

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San Jose Sharks‘ 2nd round pick in the 2009 draft (#43 overall) rookie defenseman William Wrenn(45) was never signed by the team for his first pro season. Even though he attended minor league affiliate Worcester Sharks‘ training camp and didn’t make their opening night roster, he wasn’t simply reassigned to their ECHL team, San Francisco Bulls.

Instead, in all likelihood with the blessing of the parent club, he signed a deal to join him home town team in the league, Alaska Aces.

His first AHL recall was to Worcester Sharks, where he appeared in three games before being sent back and continuing to do well with 5 goals and 16 assists in 51 games playing for what is always an elite squad. He was also chosen to play in the All-Star Game.

A month later the 6’1 210 lbs. d-man received another call-up. This time inking a pto with the Western Conference leading Texas Stars.

It’s been a good fit for the 22-year old, as he’s skated in 12 games and scored 2 goals and 2 assists. He’s also been firing the puck on the net a ton, got into a couple of scraps and even had a three-game point streaking working for him.

Is San Jose taking notice? They are reporting news on him, so probably are.

20Mar

Mike Lee(31) Gwinnett Gladiators

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Phoenix Coyotes‘ 3rd round pick in the 2009 draft (#91 overall), rookie goaltender Mike Lee(31) has been reassigned and recalled to ECHL and AHL affiliates nine times in his first pro season, which is seemingly a lot but in turn he has received much playing time in both leagues.

He impressively won his first five starts in net for Portland Pirates before coming back down to earth posting a 6-3 mark with a 2.76 GAA and .915 SV% in 10 games until recently being sent back down, where barring any further injuries he’ll likely stay to finish out the year.

The 6’1″ 190 lbs. net minder started the season with Gwinnett Gladiators. He has a record of 14-11-1 with a 2.23 GAA and .916 SV%, has been Goaltender Of The Week on two occasions and made an appearance in the league All-Star Game.

No doubt the future is bright between the pipes for the Coyotes‘ prospects, as the top five goalie in the league will now compete with his former back-up for the starting job heading into the ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs, making them one tough team to beat.

The 22-year old signed a 3-year NHL entry level deal, which keeps him in the system through 2015.

19Mar

Adam Huxley(32) Las Vegas Wranglers

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After playing 8 games on a pto with Bridgeport Sound Tigers to fill-in their tough guy role, 9th year right wing Adam Huxley(32) was just released and rejoins Las Vegas Wranglers, as they ready for another Kelly Cup Playoff run.

He has spent his entire pro career in the ECHL playing exclusively for Western Conference teams. He’s played in 479 games in the league with 45 goals and 63 assists to his credit, along with 1863 pims. He regularly eclipsed the 200-minute mark in 6 seasons of play.

The 6′ 200 lbs. forward has also appeared in 31 AHL games with three different teams scoring one assist and always putting up a healthy amount of time in the sin bin.

Hockeyfights credits him with 178 regular season bouts but there’s none listed for his rookie season, when he amassed his career high almost 300 penalty minutes. He also has two NHL preseason fights.

Where the 29-year old decides to sign for his 10th campaign will be interesting to see. It always is for the pro whose playing style is akin to a stick of dynamite.

18Mar

Harri Pesonen(18) New Jersey Devils

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New Jersey Devils‘ undrafted Finnish rookie left wing Harri Pesonen(18) made his NHL debut over the weekend, a 2-1 loss.

He skated 13 shifts for 8:32 total ice time and was credited for one hit.

In 53 AHL games with minor league affiliate Albany Devils, the 5’11” 198 lbs. forward has scored 11 times and added 15 assists, while maintaining a 0 plus/minus.

Folks are hot on him to succeed in the show. He’s already played four seasons of pro hockey in Finland’s elite league, SM-liiga for JYP and put up some decent numbers.

In a very interesting move, the Devils have only signed the 24-year old to a one-year two-way deal with a signing bonus, which makes this recall seem more like an audition for an extension.

There’s only upside for the organization to continue to pursue more time to him to develop.

16Mar

Nicolas Deschamps(9) Hershey Bears

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Originally an Anaheim Ducks‘ 2nd round pick in the 2008 draft (#38 overall), center Nicolas Deschamps(9) is in the last season of his 3-year entry level deal.

He was skating with AHL affiliate Syracuse Crunch, putting up good numbers (15 goals and 31 assists in 80 games) in his rookie campaign before his point production all but evaporated in the first half of his sophomore season.

The 6′ 173 lbs. forward was dished mid-year to Toronto Maple Leafs in a minor league transaction and was reassigned to the Marlies.

It was easily the change of scenery he needed because he finished the regular season with 7 goals and 23 assists in 40 games and added another 3 strikes and 9 helpers in a playoff run that went the distance to the Calder Cup Finals before falling.

The 23-year has been erratic at best in 2012/2013, barely marking up the scoresheet.

Realizing there’s still potential and really having nothing to lose, Washington Capitals become the latest suitors hoping he can kickstart that scoring touch and help Hershey Bears gain a more solid run in the postseason.

Chances are the low-risk gamble will put the fire back on his stick in the last 20 or so games that remain, but will it be enough?

15Mar

Marcel Noebels (29)

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Philadelphia Flyers‘ 4th round pick in the 2011 draft (#118 overall), German-born center Marcel Noebels(29) started his pro career in the ECHL with affiliate Trenton Titans.

He went to work right away scoring 11 goals and adding 19 assists in 31 games, was voted rookie of the month for December and picked to appear in the All-Star Game.

The 6’3″ 193 lbs. forward was unavailable to play though, as he was recalled to Adirondack Phantoms at the start of 2013 to continue scoring.

He’s not exactly there but has 7 goals and 6 assists in 25 games, which is still awfully good for your North American pro hockey debut.

His numbers in juniors were that of a point per game guy.

The 21-year old (as of March 14: Happy Birthday!) is signed to a 3-year entry level deal, keeping him in the system through 2015.

At the pace the Flyers are going this lockout shortened season, he may be worth a look in their lineup to see if he can give them some goal scoring punch over physical play, which they might have too much of on the current roster.

14Mar

Cameron Schilling (6)

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Washington Capitals‘ undrafted rookie defenseman Cameron Schilling(6) was recalled for his first NHL action.

He skated 11 shifts for a conservative 11:58 total ice time in the team’s 4-0 smack down.

In 54 AHL games with affiliate Hershey Bears, he has 6 goals and 8 assists with a +7 rating, playing in all types of game situations. He also appeared in 7 regular season (no points) and 4 Calder Cup Playoff games (2 goals) signed to an ato at the conclusion of his college playing career.

The 6’2″ 205 lbs. blue liner is signed through 2014 on a two-year entry level deal.

Although not selected, the 24-year old came as a highly touted defensive specialist with the potential to contribute points on the scoresheet.

It’s unlikely that he’ll spend much more than this season in the minors.

13Mar

Darian Dziurzynski(26) Arizona Coyotes

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Phoenix Coyotes have officially signed their 5th round pick in the 2011 draft (#141 overall), rookie left wing Darian Dziurzynski(26) to a two-year entry level contract after his feisty play for minor league affiliate Portland Pirates.

He was initially reassigned at the start of the season but signed to an AHL contract only.

In 43 games he has 6 goals and 4 assists with 69 penalty minutes and a -5 rating.

The 6’1″ 204 lbs. forward is a pesky presence on the ice. He seems smaller than that but that’s probably because he’s crouched, skating towards the play so much when he’s out there.

It would be easy to see the soon-to-be 22 year old score some NHL ice time as a fourth line energy skater.

His brother is David, who has appeared his first 10 big league games with Ottawa Senators this season.