2013 Kelly Cup | CollegeHockeyPlayers

Tagged: 2013 Kelly Cup

15Jul

Shawn Boutin(26) Stockton Thunder

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Undrafted, 3rd year defenseman Shawn Boutin(26) re-signs on for another season with Western Conference Champions, Stockton Thunder.

In 69 ECHL games last year he had 13 assists but no goals. He took care of that in the Kelly Cup Playoffs though by registering a pair of markers (keep that puck) and 6 assists in 23 postseason contests.

The 5’11” 195 lbs. blue liner started his pro career with Arizona Sundogs in Central Hockey League, skated 54 games in his rookie campaign and had 2 goals and 4 assists.

He played 5 seasons in juniors with Val d’Or Foreurs and was fairly steady in his point production in the mid-teens but seems to rack up too many on ice minus numbers that has followed him.

The 23-year old also does show an uptick in his playoff hockey, so if he can even out his plus/minus, he’ll be one good, well-rounded d-man. We wouldn’t be surprised if he scored an AHL training camp invite or call-up.

03Jul

Tony DeHart(2) St. Charles Chill

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After a couple of seasons with the ECHL Stockton Thunder, including an appearance in the 2013 Kelly Cup Finals with the team, 3rd year defenseman Tony DeHart(2) is one of the first players to sign with the Central Hockey League expansion St. Charles Chill for the 2013/2014 season.

Originally a New York Islanders‘ fifth round pick in the 2010 draft (#125 overall), the 6’2″ 202 lbs. blue liner was never signed. Instead, he attended Montreal Canadiens‘ and AHL affiliate Hamilton Bulldogs‘ training camps on an invite before being released.

He signed his first contract with Stockton as a rookie and inked an extension to return for his sophomore campaign, where he had career highs in goals, assists and points finishing the 2012/2013 season with 5-20-25 marks.

Not being so much of a stranger to putting up points, he notched 40 assists in his fourth year in juniors with Oshawa Generals and has continued to increased the number of pucks he’s put on net for scoring chances.

Joining the St. Charles‘ squad brings the 23-year old back to his home state of Missouri. He was born less than a half hour away from their home arena. u

Chances are he’ll look to impress and put up points in an effort to move back up the pro hockey ladder.

05Jun

Riley Gill(30) Reading Royals

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3rd year undrafted goaltender Riley Gill(30) is likely used to being bounced around from team-to-team in his thus far short pro career.

By our count, he’s worn a minor league sweater for 8 different teams and played in games for 7.

He started with Kalamazoo Wings right after finishing up four years at University Of Michigan. He played a few regular season games and then appeared in four more in the playoffs, almost getting them past the opening round.

After that impressive performance, he was given a one-year deal.

The 6’1″ 211 lbs. net minder was recalled twice to the AHL and got in between the pipes for one game with Worcester Sharks and a pair with Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Both outings were less than impressive.

He signed an extension to continue with the K-Wings and spent virtually the entire year with the team, helping them all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals, but found himself without a contract for 2012/2013 as the NHL lockout was trickling down talent and few doors were open for the 28-year old.

Utah Grizzlies invited him to their training camp but he failed to catch on and ultimately dropped down, signing on to play with Louisiana IceGators of the SPHL.

As just about anyone would have predicted, he excelled in the lower league with most wins and shutouts before leaving the team a month prior to the end of the season. His play earned him Goaltender Of The Year honors.

He was recalled to join Reading Royals, where he stepped right into action, posting a 10-3-1 record with a 1.28 GAA and .952 SV% to go along with three shutouts in 14 games played.

He would continue the stellar play into the playoffs, where he would snatch the starting goalie spot in short order as he showed no signs of slowing down putting up a 13-3 record with a 1.91 GAA and .930 SV%, while adding another 4 shutouts.

For his efforts, he was named Kelly Cup Playoffs MVP as winning goaltender for the 2013 Championship team.

There’s a push to have him under contract for the 2013/2014 with parent club Washington Capitals but it remains to be seen if what materializes next for the journeyman backstop.

See related: 12/4-10

03Jun

Olivier Roy(38) Oklahoma City Barons

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Edmonton Oilers‘ 5th round pick in the 2009 draft (#133 overall), goaltender Olivier Roy(38) had himself a pretty sparkling sophomore season spending most of his time in the AHL with Oklahoma City Barons.

He started to get reassigned to the ECHL Stockton Thunder with more frequency towards the back third of the season and played in 22 Kelly Cup Playoff games backstopping them all the way to the Finals.

Injured during game 4, he had to sit on the sidelines for the last contest before his team bowed out but put up a very impressive streak 0f 7-2 with a 1.21 GAA and .961 SV% to propel his squad into the postseason.

Then his 12-7 mark helped push the team to the last round of the playoffs, beating a pair of teams with better regular season records.

Almost ironically the 6′ 180 lbs. backstop also played in 22 AHL games. He ended with a 9-9-1 mark and a 2.77 GAA and .902 SV%.

He turns 22-years old this summer and be on the final season of his 3-year entry level deal. His pretty impressive performance should net him a look between the pipes for the parent club in the upcoming campaign.

In the meantime though, he was reassigned back up to join the Barons‘ practice squad to continue to gain experience in their playoff push.

29May

Tyler Bunz(30) Stockton Thunder

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Edmonton Oilers‘ 5th round pick in the 2010 draft (#121 overall) rookie goaltender Tyler Bunz(30) stepped in for ECHL affiliate Stockton Thunder in the Kelly Cup Finals,when an injury took out the starter and helped extend the series to at least a fifth game before bowing out to the eventual winners, Reading Royals.

Signed to a three-year entry level deal he started his first season in AHL training camp with Oklahoma City Barons before being sent down to gain playing time with the glut of backstop prospects in the system. He also appeared in a couple Oilers‘ camps.

He appeared in 37 games posting a 16-16-2-2 record with a 3.35 GAA and .886 SV%. He also had one shutout. In one AHL game with OKC he didn’t fair nearly as well.

The 6’1″ 198 lbs. net minder was very impressive in his last two campaigns in junior hockey with Medicine Hat Tigers. He won more games than any other goalie in his team’s history and was named WHL best in his final year.

Even with the accolades, he may be assigned for another season in Stockton to continue bringing up his game.

The 21-year old may be off to a bit of a slow start in his pro career but that could all change in a hurry.

25May

Eric Hunter(15) Stockton Thunder

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Double draft pick, 2nd year center Eric Hunter(15) was the hero in game 4 with 2 tallies, including the game-winning goal, giving Stockton Thunder a heartbeat in the ECHL Kelly Cup Finals.

Originally a Chicago Blackhawks‘ 8th round pick in 2004 (#229 overall) he was never signed and went back into the pool only be selected again a couple of years later by New York Rangers in the 6th round (#174 overall). They also didn’t sign him.

After five seasons of junior hockey with Prince George Cougars, he elected to attend college in Canada and played for another four years with University Of Alberta.

He maintained a close to or more than a point per game production since his second campaign in juniors and upon completion of his higher education inked his first pro contract, a 1-year AHL deal with Lake Erie Monsters.

The very decently sized 6’1″ 194 lbs. center skated 75 games in 2011/2012 scoring 6 goals and 10 assists, although wasn’t retained by the team for another season.

Looking at a crowded hockey landscape due to the impending NHL lockout, he signed another one-year agreement to join Stockton. In 60 games, he was regaining that scoring touch with 17 goals and 22 assists.

He continues the pace in the postseason with 5 goals and 7 assists in 21 games, while holding a +4 rating.

He was also recalled by Oklahoma City Barons on 4 occasions putting up a goal in 11 contests. After attending training camp with the team, he was sent back to start the regular season but later added to the roster on an spc.

The 26-year old is likely in line for another AHL tour of duty for 2013/2014.

21May

Alex Berry(29) Reading Royals

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3rd year right wing Alex Berry(29) is stepping up the effort for Reading Royals in the 2013 Kelly Cup Playoffs, his second postseason run with the team. He was part of the disastrous meltdown that bounced them out of the Eastern Conference Finals after going up 3-0 in the series.

In 18 games, he has struck for 7 goals and 4 assists, including the game-winner that has the Royals up 2-0 in the Finals. But even more than marking up the score sheet nicely he’s looked to for leadership in the locker room and on the ice and plays exactly that kind of style.

Signed to a one-year contract with Hershey Bears, he was recalled and reassigned 7 times during 2012/2013.

In 19 AHL games he had a pair of goals and 2 assists; and 6 tallies and 10 helpers in 29 ECHL games.

He also spent 21 games on the injured reserved late in the campaign but that was nothing compared to breaking his arm so badly in Portland Pirates‘ training camp in 2011 that it required two seperate surgeries in order for him to make a comeback.

Originally a Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 5th round pick in the 2005 draft (#153 overall), he signed a two-year entry level deal that saw him play in 55 games with minor league affiliate Toronto Marlies before being traded before his sophomore season to Tampa Bay Lightning.

The big 6’3″ 209 lbs. forward did fairly well for their affiliate Norfolk Admirals but was not retained for another campaign by the parent club and became an unrestricted free agent heading into 2011/2012.

He’s has 157 AHL games to his credit and looks to be making a good argument for a one-year extension.

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