Category: NHL

13Feb

Drew Shore(36) Florida Panthers

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drew-shore-1

Florida Panthers‘ 2nd round pick in the 2009 draft (#44 overall), rookie center Drew Shore(36) is getting his opportunity to impress in both the minors with affiliate San Antonio Rampage and up in the show with the big club.

He notched his first NHL goal (not the prettiest of shots that’s ever made it inside the net) in his 10th game to go with the three helpers he already has.

For a player listed at 6’3″ 200 lbs., he deceptively looks a bit smaller than credited for and has the quick hands of a smaller-sized forward.

In 41 AHL games he’s scored 10 goals and 20 assists with a +4 rating on a team that is challenged to string together wins.

He was named to the lineup for the 2013 AHL All-Star Game and netted a goal and an assist to help the Western Conference to a 7-6 victory.

The 22-year old, who left his last year of college hockey to turn pro after a point per game production, is signed through 2015 and looks to already be paying dividends for the scouts that found him.

12Feb

Thomas Pock(22) Lake Erie Monsters

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9th year undrafted Austrian-born defenseman Thomas Pock(22) has been on quite the journey in his playing career. He was a scoring stud in his final couple of seasons of college hockey that gained him the notice of New York Rangers, who plucked him fresh out of school and put him into action for 6 games to round out the 2003/2004 season. He managed a pair of goals and assists in the brief run.

The 6’1″ 210 lbs. blue liner played another 5 seasons in the Blueshirts‘ system but was unable to match the early offensive output in the higher league. The 2004/2005 lockout could have part of the blame sidetracking his development.

In the AHL he also struggled some to reignite that scoring touch but had a couple of really good seasons wrapped around his first full year in the NHL; maybe the pro blossoming was delayed.

He was once again going to be sent down to start his 6th campaign with the Rangers but their rivals across the river decided to give him a shot as part of their never-ending franchise rebuild process but he failed pretty miserably on a poorly performing New York Islanders‘ team.

With nowhere to go in the show, he turned his attention towards Sweden, first signing for a couple of seasons with Rapperswil of the NLA and then MODO.

He managed to kickstart his ability to land on the scoresheet to a degree and made the decision that it was time for another shot at the NHL. Colorado Avalanche took the bait and signed him for 2012/2013 to add some depth to their back line.

In 45 games with their AHL affiliate Lake Erie Monsters, he has 8 goals and 19 assists, while wearing the “A” for the team and helping the younger players with their game.

Very likely the now 31-year old will head back overseas to wrap up his playing career.

10Feb

Scott Parse(20) Albany Devils

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Albany Devils‘ 6th year right wing Scott Parse(20) has somehow sat most of the team’s 44 games so far this season. He signed a one-year AHL deal as the 2012/2013 season was approaching.

In 13 games he has a low-end 1 goal and 2 assists, -7 rating, so he definitely needs to step it up. The 28-year old has recently been reinserted into the lineup.

He spent the first 5 years of his pro career in the Los Angeles Kings‘ prospect system. The 5’11” 188 lbs. forward was originally a Kings‘ 6th round pick in the 2004 draft (#174 overall).

He’s skated in 73 NHL games and has 14 goals and 16 assists, which are pretty decent numbers.

In his career year 2009/2010 he skated 59 games and scored 11 goals and 13 assists while going a +13 plus/minus. The effort earned him a 2-year extension.

Unfortunately from here injury problems settled in for his next couple of campaigns.

Ironically when he did play in early 2010, the first year of his new contract, he got a goal and 3 assists in 5 games. It would have easily put him on pace for a career year on the scoresheet.

The next season wasn’t much better; he only appeared in 9 games.

As an unrestricted free agent going into a year when the NHL was a wish away, he decided to get back to work and rejoined a league he has over 100 games experience in.

Scott Parse

 

09Feb

Jordan Hendry(6) Anaheim Ducks

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Anaheim Ducks‘ undrafted 7th year defenseman Jordan Hendry(6) has appeared in NHL games in 5 of his pro years. In 130 contests he has 4 goals and 9 assists, while maintaining a reliable +2 rating. He was also on the Chicago Blackhawks‘ 2010 Stanley Cup Championship team but left unsigned after his fifth season in the system.

As an unrestricted free agent, he agreed to a training camp tryout last year with Minnesota Wild and by all accounts had a good run during preseason. He reported to their AHL affiliate Houston Aeros on a pto but was ultimately released after only 10 games.

He then signed a deal to skate with Lugano of the NLA in Switzerland to finish out the season.

The 28-year returned for 2012/2013 when offered a 1-year 2-way deal with the Ducks.
He was on the NHL opening night roster but reassigned to Norfolk Admirals (his second go round with the team under his only two parent clubs), when he didn’t crack the lineup for a second appearance. In 31 AHL games, he had a pair of goals and assists before he was recently recalled.
The 6′ 194 lbs. blue liner skated 24 shifts and was on the ice for an average of 17 minutes in both wins. He’s easily a 5-6 depth guy on defense but fairly accountable and that won’t hurt his chances to continue making visits to the show.
Jordan Hendry1

08Feb

Petr Mzarek(34) Detroit Red Wings

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Detroit Red Wings‘ 5th round pick in the 2010 draft (#141 overall) rookie Czech net minder Petr Mzarek(34) got the nod for his 1st NHL start and absolutely commanded a 5-1 win over Division rivals St. Louis Blues.

Not bad for a goalie that started his still shiny new pro career in the ECHL with Toledo Walleye for a few games before being recalled to Grand Rapid Griffins.

He posted a 2-1 record with a 2.02 GAA and .944 SV% on a team that looks to be a Kelly Cup contender before receiving the start in his 2nd game back in the AHL and began winning, a lot, all the time.

His 16-7 in 25 games with a 2.26 GAA and .916 SV for the division leading squad is pretty dazzling.

These efforts earned him an invite to the 2013 AHL All-Star Game and was in net for the Western Conference late 3rd period victory.

It would almost be no surprise to see the 6’1″ 187 lbs. goaltender work his way into the mix of starters for the Wings going forward. He’s signed through 2015 on a three-year entry level contract.

The win was a nice early birthday present for the soon-to-be 21-year old Valentine’s Day baby backstop.

07Feb

Mark Arcobello(26) Oklahoma City Barons

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Edmonton Oilers‘ 3rd year, undrafted center Mark Arcobello(26) started his pro career on an AHL contract with Oklahoma City Barons.

He was reassigned to their ECHL affiliate Stockton Thunder at the beginning of the 2010/2011 season and things took shape pretty quickly, as he connected for 7 goals and 13 assists in 33 contests and was MVP at the All-Star Game.

The undersized 5’9″ 165 lbs. kept proving his critics wrong as he climbed up to the next rung and finished his rookie season with 11 goals and 11 assists in 26 games.

His consistent efforts paid off with the Oilers signing him to a 2-year entry level NHL contract. He stayed with their top farm team but was showing that despite his smaller stature he had a knack for the net, finishing his sophomore campaign with 17 goals, 26 assists and a nice +16 rating. He continued to strike through 14 Calder Cup Playoff match-ups adding another 13 points (5 goals and 8 assists) to his totals.

To start 2012/2013 as the lockout halted the highest league, he was teamed up with a #1 overall and 1st round draft picks to skate on a line with for the Barons.

The 24-year old further showed his skill set and looks to be on pace for career highs in goals, assists, points and got the nod as a Western Conference AHL All-Star Game starter.

He received his first NHL call-up and skated 19 shifts for 18:15 of total ice time in a overtime losing effort.

Despite being returned after only a 24-hour visit, it’s not looking like much of a stretch for him to find at the very least a part-time home in the show.

05Feb

Jeff Taffe(20) Hershey Bears

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Hershey Bears‘ 11th year, veteran center was originally a St. Louis Blues‘ 1st round pick in the 2000 draft (#30 overall) but was traded before ever playing with the team.

He signed his first AHL only contract since the last lockout in 2004/2005, when he was a member of Utah Grizzlies for a partial campaign.

Despite only appearing in 180 NHL games, the almost 31-year old forward has managed appearances in each of his pro years. He has 21 goals and 25 assists to his credit, skating with 6 different teams.

In the minors though, he’s amassed a hearty 533 games, scoring 185 goals with 244 helpers.

At 6’3″ 209 lbs. he’s always a big presence to contend with in front of the net and is the consummate team guy.

What the future holds for him is anyone’s guess but with 9 strikes and 29 assists in 43 contests, he leads the Bears . in scoring.

He’s good to have around if a team needs some points and has five 20 goal seasons and 8 years of 20+ assists (with one year where he hit the 50 mark).

He was selected to appear in the 2013 AHL All-Star Game when a teammate was on call-up.

Jeff Taffe

 

04Feb

David van der Gulick(7) Colorado Avalanche

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7th year left wing David van der Gulik(7) has received NHL call-ups in his last three pro seasons through his current team of contract, Colorado Avalanche. He also played 6 games for Calgary Flames, who picked him deep in the 7th round of the 2002 draft (#206 overall).

In 38 games he’s managed to connect for a pair of goals and 9 assists and skated in a career high 25 big league contests last season.

Although not an overly large player, at 5’11” 185 lbs. he has always managed to stay accountable on ice with a +7 rating.

He’s signed to a one-year, two-way deal, his third with the Avalanche; and at 29-years old his game continues to show improvement and there’s little reason to think that they will let him slide to another team anytime soon.

In 39 AHL games this season with affiliate Lake Erie Monsters he has 12 goals and 13 assists. He has 463 total regular season and playoff games to his credit, scoring 107 times and dishing 143 helpers.

He recently got his first recall of the lockout shortened campaign and once again had valuable contributions in the 3-1 despite playing only 7 minutes and 31 seconds. With injuries seemingly piling up, he could be in for an extended stay.

David Van der Gulik

01Feb

Nick Petrecki(29) San Jose Sharks

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San Jose Sharks‘ 4th year, former 1st round pick in the 2007 draft (#28 overall), defenseman Nick Petrecki(29) played his 1st NHL game earlier this week.

He skated 16 shifts for almost 12 minutes of ice time and didn’t register any other stats in his team’s 3-2 shootout win.

In 216 AHL games with Worcester Sharks he has 7 goals and 33 assists so he’s not overly blessed with offensive skills but at 6’3″ 225 lbs. there’s little doubt he’s a big presence on the blue line and his always triple digit penalty minutes in the minors and college hockey let’s folks know he not afraid to drop the mitts.

The 23-year old was signed to a three-year entry level deal and re-upped on his qualifying offer for another season. He’ll be a restricted free agent at the end of this campaign but it’s likely the Sharks‘ organization will continue to keep him around.

Nick Petrecki

 

 

31Jan

Graham Mink(29) Providence Bruins

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12th year, undrafted veteran right wing Graham Mink(29) took his time when considering who to join for the 2012/2013 season.

After the NHL lockout was over, the 33-year old signed a pto with Providence Bruins. In 8 games he has a goal and a pair of assists. He was recently given a standard player contract to finish out the year with the team.

In his AHL career, he’s played a whopping 694 games scoring 244 goals and adding another 252 assists. He has also won a Calder Cup in 2006 and 2009 with Hershey Bears, one of only 5 (now 6) clubs he has skated with.

At 6’3″ 220 lbs. no doubt he’s a big figure for defensemen to move from attacking the front of the net but just as important always brings strong leaderships qualities to the table and has captained a team or two in his pro career.

He’s played 7 big league games, all with Washington Capitals, the first team to sign him to an NHL contract and the one he’s played most of his minor league games as part of their system.

Graham MInk