NHL | CollegeHockeyPlayers

26May

Adam Henrique(17) New Jersey Devils

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New Jersey Devils‘ center Adam Henrique(17) is a front-runner for the rookie of the year Calder Trophy but seeing as how it’s only based on regular season performance he still has some healthy competition for that nod.

In the postseason, he has now scored two absolutely phenomenally huge OT goals to advance his team into further rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

His most recent sending New York Rangers out onto the golf course for the summer and lifting the unlikely Devils into the Finals for the first time in 9 years, when they last won it in 2003. Last season they failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1996.

Going into the final season of his entry level deal, his play in 2011/2012 screams multi-year extension and it’s highly doubtful he’ll be seeing an AHL arena again (like he did for a 3 game spell last October when he got off to a slow start) unless it’s on a short reconditioning stint or at the end of the 22-year old stud’s career.

Related posts: 10/24/11 and 8/27/11.

25May

Derek Meech(7) St. John’s IceCaps

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post #1000

If 8th year veteran defenseman Derek Meech(7) had any luck this season, it most definitely would have been bad.

What was finally reported as a knee problem that sidelined him in late October after only a couple of games with Winnipeg Jets. He finally returned to finish up the season for 6 games with their AHL affiliate St. John’s IceCaps.

He signed a one-year two-way deal with Winnipeg after 7 seasons with Detroit Red Wings and Grand Rapid Griffins. The 5’11” 196 lbs. blue liner was originally picked in the 7th round of the 2002 draft (#229 overall).

The 28-year old has played 126 NHL and 427 AHL regular and postseason games.

In 15 Calder Cup Playoff games, ending a pretty enchanted first season for the IceCaps, he had 4 goals and 5 assists to help them all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals before bowing out to the number team in the regular season, Norfolk Admirals.

We lay bets the Jets will re-sign the Winnipeg native soon for another season.

24May

Mike Murphy(31) Spartak Moscow

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23-year old goaltender Mike Murphy(31) leaves restricted free agency on the table with Carolina Hurricanes for what would have been his fourth year in the system and looks to Russia to play with Spartak Moscow in the KHL.

The news was initially heard via his @MichaelMurphy31 twitter.

He played 96 regular season games with their AHL affiliates Charlotte Checkers and Albany River Rats and put up respectable numbers but it was his work in the 2011 Calder Cup Playoffs getting them into the Eastern Conference Finals that cemented his status as a true prospect.

He got his first NHL nod in net this season and despite not letting in a goal in a pair of appearances was saddled with the loss in one of the games because he was the goalie of record after the Hurricanes pulled him for the extra skater and let up an empty-netter but then surged back late with two goals of their own, still losing the game by one. Tough break there.

The 5’11” 165 lbs. netminder will likely do well over there but we may not have seen the last of him in North American hockey.

23May

Nicolas Blanchard(26) Carolina Hurricanes

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6th year Carolina Hurricanes‘ 6th round pick in the 2005 draft (#192 overall) left wing Nicolas Blanchard(26) signed a two-year, two-way extension with the team through the end of the 2014 season.

He has only played for their AHL affiliates first in Albany and most recently with Charlotte Checkers without an NHL appearance as of yet.

That should change this season as the Hurricanes might be looking to bring the 6’3″ 205 lbs. forward into the big leagues to throw some of that size around to protect some of their scorers.

The 24-year old has skated in 378 regular and postseason AHL games scoring a total of 52 goals and 61 assists and 990 penalty minutes.

He’s definitely more known for his fighting abilities but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him pop 10 in the net if he got his chance at the show for a full year.

22May

Matt Lashoff(21) Toronto Marlies

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Former Boston Bruins‘ 1st round pick in the 2005 draft (#22 overall) defenseman Matt Lashoff(21) missed all but 9 regular season games in October with his team of the past two years, Toronto Marlies.

He scored a goal and added 4 assists in that short time frame before suffering an acl injury that required surgery and what looked like the remainder of 2011/2012 on the sidelines.

The 6th year blue liner thought differently and put a stake in the ice to make it back for the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Goal achieved.

The 6’2″ 205 lbs. d-man played his first game in 191 days in the Western Conference Semi-Finals but then sat out for the opening couple of contests of the Western Conference Finals before he got back into action for game 3.

In it he notched a pair of assists helping the Marlies claim a 2-1 series lead.

With play like that, he’s going to be tough to sit.

He has 74 NHL games experience (1 goals, 15 assists) with three different teams.

He’s only signed through this season, so it will be interesting to see if Toronto Maple Leafs can work out an offer to keep him around.

The 25-year old is also a fairly competent musician. You can listen to clips from some of his tunes on his reverbnation site. He’s also a fun guy to follow on Twitter @MattLashoff

20May

Richard Panik(14) Norfolk Admirals

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Tampa Bay Lightning 2nd round pick in the 2009 draft (#52 overall), Slovakian-born right wing Richard Panik(14) wasn’t exactly a shoe-in for a roster spot on their AHL affiliate Norfolk Admirals at the beginning of his rookie season but has managed to find his niche when called upon.

In 64 games he produced a very reasonable 19 goals and 22 assists.

In the Calder Cup Playoffs though, the 21-year old has been all about being in the middle of the action and it’s paying off with key goals. He has 3 in 12 postseason contests including the overtime game-winner of the Semi-Finals that got the Norfolk into the Conference Finals.

The 6’2″ 215 lbs. forward still has 2 years left on his 3-year entry level deal and chances are he’ll keep improving his game and quite possibly find his path to the net with increasing frequency.

19May

Pavel Valentenko(25) Avangard Omsk

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Connecticut Whale defenseman Pavel Valentenko(25) heads back home to Russia giving up his restricted free agency status with New York Rangers and signed a two-year deal with Avangard Omsk of the KHL. This team went to the Garagin Cup Finals last season and lost to Dynamo Moscow in 7 games.

He was originally picked by Montreal Canadiens in the 5th round of the 2006 draft (#139 overall) and played his rookie season with Hamilton Bulldogs before getting traded to the Rangers.

The 24-year old d-man has yet to appear in an NHL game and he may have slid on their depth chart, which may point to good reason for his departure.

In two seasons with Connecticut Whale, he scored 10 goals and 31 assists in 154 regular and postseason games. He had an especially good feed in game 4 of the Calder Cup Semi-Finals in what was his last AHL win.

The one stat that really sticks out for the 6’2″ 202 lbs. blue liner is his +39 plus/minus, a huge feat for a player that eats up all those minutes in his own zone. It’s kind of a wonder why he never got a look.

18May

Jesse Joensuu(6) Team Finland

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Soon to be 5th year pro left wing Jesse Joensuu(6) was originally picked in the 2nd round of the 2006 draft (#60 overall) by New York Islanders.

He played for three seasons, 186 regular and postseason games with their AHL affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers putting up 46 goals and 77 assists.

The towering 6’4″ 207 lbs. was projected to be a power forward but he plays more of a finesse style of hockey than a physical one despite his large-sized frame.

In 60 NHL games, all with the Isles, he has a somewhat disappointing 8 goals and 5 assists. His first big league goal came in his first game, which got him off to a good start.

For 2011/2012 he decided to leave his restricted free agent status on the table and play in the Swedish Elite League and play for HV71, where the 24-year old seemed to prosper some with 19 goals, 16 assists in 50 games.

What could be his greatest marker in his career so far though, just recently happened at the IIHF World Championship as his home country’s Team Finland advanced into the semifinals round after he got the game-wimmer with 8.8 seconds left in regulation. In the process, he knocked Team USA out of the medal round.

Will he return to North American hockey? Maybe after this feat of heroics but not for 2012/2013 as he’s already listed on the roster for HV71.

17May

Michael Del Zotto(2) New York Rangers

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Last season New York Rangers sent 1st round pick in the 2008 draft defenseman Michael Del Zotto(2) down to the AHL for an 11 game wake up call scare with Connecticut Whale.

His stats had fallen off his rookie season totals significantly.

In this, his third pro season he is returning to his scoring stud ways finishing up the year with career highs in virtually every stat on the sheet.

Currently fighting for their playoff lives in the Eastern Conference Finals, he has put up numbers that leave him only one point shy of the league’s top scoring defenseman in the postseason, his teammate Dan Girardi. The 6′ 195 lbs. blue liner did score the game-winner game 7 of the Semi-Finals to get them to this round.

This being the final season of his 3-year entry level deal, it’s been interesting quiet in regards to any reports of a new contract.

16May

Oskars Bartulis(37) Adirondack Phantoms

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Adirondack Phantoms‘ Latvian-born defenseman Oskars Bartulis(37) will be heading into his 6th campaign as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers’ organization at the start of the 2012/2013 season.

He originally signed a 3-year entry level deal with the team in 2006 and was extended another 3 seasons in 2009. He’s appeared in 66 NHL games registering 1 goal and assists.

With only one more year left on his deal and him being a bit injury prone he might need an amazing training camp to get back on the Flyers‘ radar for a recall. He was originally a 3rd round pick in the 2005 draft (#91 overall).

He skated in only 36 AHL games last season, but the still young 25-year old 6’2″ 185 lbs. blue liner in all likelihood has much potential left in the tank.

Recently he played defense with his Latvian team at the 2012 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship and was said to be having fun and playing well, despite a one-game suspension.