NHL | CollegeHockeyPlayers

16Oct

Ryan Johansen(9) Springfield Falcons

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Columbus Blues Jackets‘ 1st round pick in the 2010 draft (#4 overall), center Ryan Johansen(9) is spending time playing in the AHL with their affiliate Springfield Falcons as the big club sits on the sidelines.

In a pair of home games over opening weekend he tallied his first ever goal in the league.

The 6’3″ 203 lbs. player scored a handy 9 goals and 12 assists in 67 NHL games in his rookie season with the Jackets.

At 20-years old playing games in the minors will only give him more playing and scoring confidence.

He already shows he has the skill set to achieve power forward status as he continues to grow into his game.

His entry level contract is a three-year deal through 2013/2014.

He tore up the scoring sheet in his only two seasons in juniors before deciding to turn pro.

Obviously being such a high draft pick, a lot will be expected of him but the future looks bright…

15Oct

Todd McLellan(coach) San Jose Sharks

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San Jose Sharks “5th year” bench boss Todd McLellan is probably going to be taking in a lot more of the team’s AHL affiliate in Worcester‘s games this season than he would have a chance to if this were a normal NHL season.

He was already spotted during their only preseason home game at Holy Cross recently keeping an eye on potential prospects.

In his four years as head coach he has always maintained a winning record, ended regular season as Pacific Division champs 3 times and taken the team to the Western Conference Finals on a pair of occasions.

He won a Stanley Cup with Detroit Red Wings in 2008 as an assistant coach before being hired the next season by San Jose. The 45-year old also won a Calder Cup Championship with Houston Aeros in 2003.

As a player he only skated pro for two years in the late 80’s. He was drafted by New York Islanders and played 5 games (1 goal, 1 assists) but appeared in over 100 games with Springfield Indians of the AHL.

14Oct

Kirill Kabanov(77) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

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20-year old Moscow-born, rookie left wing Kirill Kabanov(77) comes into the pro ranks with a lot of promise riding on his shoulders.

He was a 3rd round New York Islanders‘ pick in the 2010 draft (#65 overall) that has size (6’3″ 194 lbs.) and shown on every level thus far that he can definitely put the puck in the net or dish a sweet set up for a goal. And he’s even better in the playoffs. His contract is a three-year entry level deal without many bells or whistles, so this is a player that’s got something to prove.

We won’t know until the lockout gets settled if he starts the season in the NHL or stays where he’s already contributing now, with their AHL affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He had a pair of assists in the team’s opening game 6-4 win on the road and looks to be a strong skater that personifies power forward. He’ll just have to keep his head in the game.

13Oct

Kyle Jean(7) Connecticut Whale

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Undrafted New York Rangers‘ rookie prospect, center Kyle Jean(7) got his pro career off to a good start.

He scored his first goal on a penalty shot and added an assist in what was unfortunately a losing 6-4 effort by his team, Connecticut Whale on opening night of the 2012/2013 AHL season.

The 22-year old is signed to a 2-year entry level deal and with his 6’4″ 203 lbs. frame has the muscle to step right into plays and push opposing players around in pursuit of the puck.

He showed enough tenacity and grit to get the job done in preseason, so it was no surprise seeing him on the ice for the Whale’s first game of the year.

11Oct

Brett MacLean(39) Phoenix Coyotes

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This one is a real heartbreaker.

Phoenix Coyotes‘ 2nd round pick in the 2007 draft (#32 overall) left wing Brett MacLean(39) is forced to retire from pro hockey at 23-years old after sudden cardiac arrest that occurred during an offseason pick up game with friends in Owen Sound.

He was nothing short of a force on the AHL scoring sheet (264 games, 99 goals and 104 assists) and setting himself up for more of a permanent spot in the NHL.

The 6’2″ 197 lbs. forward skated in 13 games with the Coyotes a couple of seasons ago, scoring a pair of goals and adding an assist, and had 5 appearances when he was briefly picked up on waivers by Winnipeg Jets before being re-scooped by Phoenix and reassigned to their new AHL affiliate Portland Pirates last season, where he notched his fourth straight 20+ goal season with 25.

Great story announcing the news on the AHL site. Ironically this is a player that played the game with all heart and was starting to realize the dream after a lot of hard work in the minors.

10Oct

Mikael Tam(52) San Francisco Bulls

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Undrafted rookie defenseman Mikael Tam(52) earned himself an AHL contract with Worcester Sharks after a sharp training camp and lots of smart play in exhibition games.

He’ll start his pro career with ECHL affiliate San Francisco Bulls but look for him to put up numbers quickly as he did in his last couple of seasons at juniors.

The 5’10” 193 lbs. blue liner plays like a young Andrew Ference and definitely has much offensive upside, while maintaining accountability in the defensive zone.

The now 21-year old was the player on the receiving end of the cheapest hit in (juniors) hockey history in 2010 as given by Patrice Cormier. He was out for the remainder of that season, but came back strong and never refuses an invite to mix it up.

We see an NHL deal in his future.

08Oct

Anton Blomqvist(29) Evansville IceMen

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Columbus Blue Jackets‘ 6th round pick in the 2009 draft (#167 overall) giant Swedish defenseman Anton Blomqvist(29) is a thinker of a project for the team.

He’s huge at 6’6″ but only weighs 206 lbs., which seems awfully light in pro hockey for a guy that big.

Problem is he just doesn’t seem as engaged and attached to the play as he should be and rightfully needs to add way more muscle to his style.

In his rookie season with Springfield Falcons he skated in only 24 games due to suffering an early season concussion but also found himself to be a healthy scratch probably more often than he would have liked.

His entry level contract is only in its’ second season of a 3-year deal.

As the 2012/2013 season approaches the 22-year old was a training camp trim and gets reassigned to their ECHL affiliate Evansville IceMen.

This is big move (literally) because this guy needs playing time and some in-game coaching to develop into the type of player he could easily become. He has to put some points up too, as he managed a goose egg on the scoresheet last season.

07Oct

Paul Crowder(11) Wheeling Nailers

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4th year undrafted center Paul Crowder(11) started the season in Austria’s Erste Band Eishockey Liga with Znojmo Ovli HC but got injured half a dozen games into the season and was put on waivers.

No problem as the 27-year old returns for a third ECHL season with Wheeling Nailers, where he has found a home and a good deal of success in addition to being named team captain last season.

In 94 regular and postseason games, he struck for 31 goals and 50 assists and had just joined the team when they made their Kelly Cup run that took them to the Eastern Conference Final.

The 6’3″ 203 lbs. forward started his career signed to a one-year entry level deal with New York Rangers but played his entire rookie season in the AHL with Hartford Wolf Pack.

He failed to get a call-up in his sophomore year but was recalled by Manchester Monarchs for 5 games in last season.

He definitely has size to his advantage but even if he’s playing on an energy line should show more of a flare for scoring like he does in the lower league.

06Oct

Tony Lucia(12) Gwinnett Gladiators

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3rd year left wing Tony Lucia(12) signs a one-year ECHL contract to join Gwinnett Gladiators for the 2012/2013 season.

Originally a San Jose Sharks‘ 6th round pick in the 2005 draft (#193 overall), he wasn’t given a qualifying offer by the team after his 2-year entry level contract was up.

He spent his entire rookie season in the AHL with Worcester Sharks dealing with post concussion syndrome, limiting him to only a pair of games; and that even bled over to his 2nd season, although he did manage to appear in 46 games and scored a healthy 8 goals and 19 assists, while being a very accountable +8 plus/minus.

There’s was talk of Portland Pirates signing the 6′ 190 lbs. forward to an AHL deal as he was the only tryout player invited to their camp, but instead he inks with their ECHL affiliate and is probably on the short list for a recall.

05Oct

Jamie Tardif (9)

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6th year right wing Jamie Tardif(9) got the 2nd campaign of his tw0-way deal with Boston Bruins off to a productive start in AHL preseason.

He scored the first two goals, including the game-winner for Providence en route to a 4-1 win.

The 27-year old has appeared in 376 AHL regular season games posting 93 goals and 91 assists.

Originally a Calgary Flames‘ 4th round pick in the 2003 draft (#112 overall), he never signed with the team despite showing some impressive scoring skills in juniors.

The 6’ 207 lbs. forward started his pro career modestly, signing an ECHL deal with Toledo Storm but managed to skate for 3 different AHL teams in his rookie year on call-up.

From there, one of his suitors, Grand Rapid Griffins saw enough promise to sign him up for his full sophomore season.

Doing well in his first full run in the AHL, Detroit Red Wings offered him a 2-year entry level deal and he stuck with the Griffins for what amounted to 4 + years.

Although he has yet to appear in an NHL game, he possesses the ability to light the lamp and plays a gritty game, so there’s a small window he still has the ability to crawl through.

We’ll see if changing to number 9 from his long-standing 25 will give his game a psychological boost.

The pic is right after he flipped the puck up and in for his goal.