Tagged: Albany River Rats

16Dec

Drayson Bowman(27) Carolina Hurricanes

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3rd year Carolina Hurricanes‘ prospect, wing Drayson Bowman(27) doubled his NHL career goal scoring numbers and games played in the 2011/2012 season in one night on his most recent call-up from the AHL Charlotte Checkers.

He now has 4 goals and 1 assist in 36 games played.  In 23 games with the impressive Checkers he’s a +6 with 8 goals and 6 assists in 23 games.

He’s in the last year of his entry level draft contract. He’ll likely sign an extension, as he’s a good fit in the Hurricanes‘ style of game.

 

 

13Dec

Pierre Dagenais(26) Akwesasne Warriors

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14-year veteran wing Pierre Dagenais(26) has spent the last couple of seasons playing in the single A level Federal Hockey League with Akwesasne Warriors and even won the Commissioner’s Cup with the team, as the league’s best.

He’s the leading scoring so far this season with 28 goals and 20 assists in 17 games and a crazy +21 plus/minus.

He’s almost strictly a one-way player for the team and seemingly moves with incredible finesse at half speed out there and never takes the body against the opposing team’s player.

In 142 NHL games most notably with Montreal Canadiens, he put up 35 goals and 23 assists.

New Jersey Devils actually drafted him twice, once in 1996 (2nd round #47 overall) and again in 1998 (4th round #105 overall) and played for four years in their system. He is currently 33 years old.

12Dec

Benn Olson(33) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

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Get that man the puck.

Undrafted 5th year defenseman Benn Olson(33) is known more for his fighting abilities than he is for scoring touch but got his first AHL goal (in 74 games played) over the weekend.

The 6’4″ 215 lbs. pro has amassed a healthy 277 penalty minutes in the league and 300+ pims with Florida Everblades and Cincinnati Cyclones in the ECHL.

This was his first season, where he was signed to a one-way AHL deal and looks to be making the best of the opportunity with Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He skated in 17 games with the team last year and obviously made an impression.

09Dec

Mike Murphy(31) Carolina Hurricanes

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Carolina Hurricanes‘ 6th round pick in 2008 (#165 overall) goaltender Mike Murphy(31) earned his first recall in his third season in their system.

No doubt he probably wasn’t expecting to be called into action late in the team’s 7-6 loss. He played 8 minutes 37 seconds and had 2 shots (and saves) on net. He also somehow suffered the strike against his record.

He’s played well for their AHL affiliate Charlotte Checkers last season (and in the playoffs) and is off to a nice start with them this year.

Ironic that the two goalies that were called up this week to play their first NHL games (on the spot) wear the number 31 on their AHL teams. Matt Hackett keeps the number with the Wild but Murphy switches it up to 70.

07Dec

Keith Aucoin(11) Hershey Bears

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It didn’t take long for Hershey Bears‘ 11th year veteran center Keith Aucoin(11) to be named Reebok/AHL Player Of The Week.

He’s the league leading scorer with 6 goals and 30 assists but had a particularly productive four-game stretch where he put in another couple of goals and 6 helpers to help the team win 3 of the 4.

Originally undrafted, he has played in the Washington Capitals‘ system for the last four seasons, winning back-to-back Calder Cups with the Bears.

In 78 NHL games, he’s put up 8 goals and 18 assists but in the AHL he has scored the most points of any American born player.

07Nov

Mark Flood(8) Winnipeg Jets

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7th year defenseman Mark Flood(8) scored his first NHL goal with Winnipeg Jets, the team that signed him at the end of last year. He skated last season with Manitoba Moose, who were the old tenant of the MTS Centre.

It was only his 7th NHL game in a career that has seen ice time in 317 AHL games. He was called up after 11 games with St. John’s IceCaps, where he put up a goal and 6 assists in 11 games and is a respectable +4. In 3 games with the Jets he’s put up a couple of points.

He was originally drafted by Montreal Canadiens in the 6th round of the 2003 draft (#188 overall).

No doubt about it, I need to find a better picture of him, but he’s off to the left in this shot (a little out of focus).

11/9: Flood scores his 2nd NHL goal in his 4th game with the Jets.

05Nov

Matt Schepke(45) Reading Royals

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3rd year wing Matt Schepke(45) has skated mostly in the ECHL in his pro career and this year is not much different than the last two as he signed a deal in the offseason to join Reading Royals‘ stacked squad in hopes of capturing the Kelly Cup Championship that’s eluded the team, especially in 2010 and 2011 playoffs.

On call up he’s played in 6 AHL games with 3 different teams but has yet to put up any points on the scoresheet.

He scored the first goal in Greenville Road Warriors history and was a part of the Michigan State University Spartans‘ team that won the NCAA Championship in 2007.

Last year he played a career high 4 games at the end of the regular season with Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

19Sep

Johnny Boychuk(55) Boston / Providence Bruins

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One-time Providence Bruins‘ defenseman, Johnny Boychuk(55) is the first player to step on the TD Garden ice for Group B at the 2nd day of training camp.

He was originally drafted by Colorado Avalanche in the 2nd round of the 2002 draft (#61 overall). He only suited up for one game with them before being traded to Boston in 2008.

He played for four seasons with AHL affiliates of Colorado in Hershey, Lowell, Albany and Lake Erie before making his way to the NHL full-time a couple of seasons ago.

There’s no sign that he’ll ever go back.

17Sep

Mike Vernace(7) Tampa Bay Lightning / Norfolk Admirals

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I love stories like this one.  6th year pro, defenseman Mike Vernace(7) was a San Jose Sharks 7th round draft pick in 2004 (#201 overall) but never signed with the team. He eventually signed a one-year two-way deal with Colorado Avalanche and started his rookie season with Central Hockey League‘s Arizona Sundogs before moving up to the AHL with Albany River Rats.

He spent another couple of seasons in the Avalanche system and even got his first 12 NHL games under his belt in 2008-2009.

He wasn’t resigned for at the end of 2009 and signed with Atlanta Thrashers but didn’t appear in the NHL, although he played for two different AHL teams, first Chicago Wolves, then Hamilton Bulldogs, where he got his first playoff experience

Last year he signed a free agent deal with Tampa Bay Lightning, played 10 more games in the NHL and got an assist, his first point in the show.

In 2011/2012 he’ll be back for his second season in the Lightning system.

 

 

11Sep

Zack Fitzgerald (14)

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Hamilton Bulldogs inked grizzly 7th year veteran defenseman Zack Fitzgerald(14) to an AHL contract for 2011/2012.

He led the league in penalty minutes with 311 in ’09/’10.

He’ll no doubt be called upon to protect some of the younger prospects in the Canadiens‘ system.

In the 2007/2008 season he did get a 1 game wink in an NHL game when he was signed by the Canucks for a couple of seasons.

The last two years he’s been signed with Carolina Hurricanes.

Fitzgerald was a 3rd round pick in 2003 (#88 overall) by St. Louis and played for two years with their minor league affiliates in Peoria and Alaska.