NHL | CollegeHockeyPlayers

07Mar

Mark Katic(71) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

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New York Islanders‘ 3rd round pick in 2007 (#62 overall), 3rd year defenseman Mark Katic(71) hasn’t exactly been the luckiest pro at shaking off injuries. He succumbed to a second surgery right before the season started to repair a shoulder that sidelined him from the last Isles’ regular season game of 2010/2011 on April 9 until March 4.

His return was with their AHL affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers, a team he has now played 112 games for scoring 7 goals and 37 assists.

In 11 NHL games he has no goals and an assist.

He’s in the final year of his 3-year entry level deal and having spent so much time and money on medical bills it would be no surprise to see him get a qualifying offer for another year or two.

He’s still only 22 years old and definitely has potential puck moving, play making capabilities in his style of play. If there’s a downside, it’s been a pretty horrible plus/minus, although those numbers were on very subpar teams.

How he responds to his first pro postseason play will probably be huge to see where he sits on the depth chart.

06Mar

Andreas Engqvist(22) Montreal Canadiens

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Undrafted 2nd year center Andreas Engqvist(22) has been recalled and reassigned 6 (and counting) times by Montreal Canadiens from their AHL affiliate Hamilton Bulldogs.

He’s back with the big club again but in 11 games this season he has still yet to register his first NHL point. He has played 14 total contests so far. In 44 AHL games with the Bulldogs he has 18 goals and 16 assists for a team leading 34 points.

At 6’4″ he is a rangy player but doesn’t carry the weight (197 lbs.) to match his height.

His current deal is a 3-year entry level contract. Look for him to bulk up in the offseason and likely qualify for another year with the Canadiens.

No doubt the 24-year old big man from Stockholm, Sweden has some skills. They’re just not on full display in North American style hockey yet. He is somewhat injury prone.

05Mar

Shawn Weller(23) Texas Stars

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5th year right wing Shawn Weller(23) found himself in the uncomfortable scenario of getting traded from the first place St. John’s IceCaps in the AHL Eastern Conference to Texas Stars, who sit in last place of the Western Conference.

It was a deal that enabled some room for the IceCaps to pick up one of the Stars players on reassignment as some teams rework their lineups as the Calder Cup Playoffs approach.

He already had AHL career highs in points (24) and assists (14) and was heading towards his best year for goals (10 in 41 games) in a season as well.

Originally an Ottawa Senators‘ 3rd round pick in the 2004 draft (#77 overall), the 25-year old has consistently shown improved skating and puck handling abilities to go along with his average-sized 6’2″ 205 lbs. frame that he uses all of on the ice.

The move may land him another NHL deal and could put him in a big league game before too long.

03Mar

Brock Trotter(9) St. John’s IceCaps

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25-year old undrafted 5th year center BrockTrotter(9) moves for a second time in the 2011/2012 season. He was acquired by Phoenix Coyotes at the beginning of the year in a three player and draft pick deal and sent to their AHL affiliate Portland Pirates.

In 35 games he has 12 goals and 19 assists but is a dismal -11 plus/minus.

He spent the 1st three years of his pro career signed with Montreal Canadiens to a three-year entry level contract. In the final year of that deal, he put up 36 goals and 41 goals in 75 games and went a mighty +33 on ice.

You can bet that he was looking for a one-way contract after that kind of season. Although in a pair of games with Montreal he didn’t register a point and went a -1.

For 2010/2011 he decided to sign in the KHL and played pretty well for Riga Dynamo but was offered a one-year, two-way contract with the Canadiens again and decided to return to North American hockey.

Now he has been reassigned in an AHL player swap by Phoenix to St. John’s Ice Caps for the remainder of the season and if healthy will play against his former teams before the end of the year and possibly in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

02Mar

Linden Vey(9) Manchester Monarchs

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Manchester Monarchs‘ rookie right wing Linden Vey(9) proved he could put up points almost at will in juniors and jumps to the pro ranks mostly retaining those abilities.

In 57 AHL games he has 17 goals and 19 assists with a steady +9 plus/minus and minimal penalty minutes.

He was originally a Los Angeles Kings 4th round pick in 2009 (#96 overall).

Listed at 6′ 187 lbs. he doesn’t seem quite that big but digs in every time he’s out on the ice.

For the month of February, he was chosen as the AHL Rookie Of The Month putting up 6 goals and 8 assists in 12 games.

His consistent play has to have him on the short list of prospective forward call-ups to the NHL, especially if the Kings start to slide out of the Stanley Cup playoff picture.

The 20-year old signed a 3-year entry level contract that takes him through the 2013/2014 season.

02Mar

Mike Connolly(18) Lake Erie Monsters

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Undrafted rookie forward Mike Connolly(18) found himself strung onto a multi-player deal between his former team, San Jose Sharks and his now current club, Colorado Avalanche at the trade deadline.

He will really be shuffled from one affiliate, Worcester Sharks to another, Lake Erie Monsters.

In 40 AHL games this season he’s put up some impressive numbers (10 goals, 20 assists and +4 plus/minus).

He’s another small-sized “power” forward at 5’9″ 180 lbs. that plays a tenacious style game, sees the ice well and gets into those open spaces for good bids on net.

He has yet to appear in an NHL regular season game but that should change.

01Mar

Keith Aulie(3) Tampa Bay Lightning

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Keith Aulie(3) is a monster of a 22-year old, 2nd year defenseman at 6’6″ 217 lbs.

He’s been in Toronto Maple Leafs‘ system from the start of his pro career and played in 57 NHL games (2 goals and 2 assists).

With their AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies, he’s skated in 64 games (3 goals, 7 assists).

All of that ain’t so bad but in 2011/2012 with the two teams, he has only 3 assists and is a -10 plus/minus.

He must have slipped pretty low on their depth chart because they dumped him at the trading deadline for prospect forward Carter Ashton.

Could be that they just needed more up front than on the blue line.

He will debut with his new team Tampa Bay Lightning in the upcoming weekend. The team needs to make sure it has defense that takes up a lot of space with their goaltending worries, as they stumble and surge, pushing for a playoff spot.

He was originally a Calgary Flames‘ 4th round draft pick in 2007 (#116 overall) but played most of his rookie season with Abbotsford Heat.

29Feb

Marc Cantin(27) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

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Undrafted, rookie defenseman Marc Cantin(27) gets dished by Boston Bruins in a deal that sent two youngsters to New York Islanders for a pair of veterans.

Signed to a 3-year entry level contract, he didn’t seem to find a spot with Providence Bruins and was reassigned to their ECHL affiliate Reading Royals on numerous occasions. This season he’s played 15 games with them and has a goal and 5 assists. For the P-Bruins he guarded the blue line in 19 contests but failed to register a point.

At 6’1″ 192 lbs. the Isles could have just got themselves a nice 21-year old prospect for practically nothing.

29Feb

Darryl Boyce(47) Columbus Blue Jackets

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Lost in the trade deadline shuffle: undrafted, 5th year center Darryl Boyce(47) didn’t survive going through waivers after being reassigned by Toronto Maple Leafs to their AHL affiliate Marlies, the only two pro teams he’s ever played for.

He was snapped up by Columbus Blue Jackets and skated in his 1st game with his new team on Tuesday night.

He had appeared in 64 NHL games with the Leafs 6 goals with 9 assists but goal scoring isn’t where he lives.

At 6′ 200 lbs. he’s not excessively large but he plays a big game out there and is a tireless agitator for all his opponents to have to deal with.

It will be interesting to see how he adapts to the change of scenery and where the Blue Jackets see him fitting into their lineup. Seeing him with Springfield Falcons before the end of the season wouldn’t surprise me.

He traded in his odd number 47 jersey he’d been wearing for 43, which is a bit of a thinker.

28Feb

Andrew Gordon(10) Vancouver Canucks

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Vancouver Canucks added more depth at forward position by acquiring 5th year right wing Andrew Gordon(10) from Anaheim Ducks and reassigned to Chicago Wolves before anything even settled.

He started the season playing 37 NHL games (2 goals, 3 assists) but was reassigned to their AHL affiliate Syracuse Crunch in mid-January and skated in 19 games (3 goals, 5 assists) with them up until his trade from an organization he wasn’t even with for a full season.

Originally drafted by Washington Capitals in the 7th round of 2004 (#191 overall) he spent his first 4 years as pro in their system, playing 12 NHL games with them (1 goal, 1 assist). He was mostly known as being one of the team leaders for Hershey Bears, where in 313 regular season and playoff games he put up 124 goals and 136 assists.

He won back-to-back Calder Cups with the Bears in 2009 and 2010.

In his rookie season, he even played some games in the ECHL with South Carolina Stingrays but overpowered the competition in that league with 8 goals and 6 assists in 11 games.