Bakersfield Condors | CollegeHockeyPlayers

25Dec

Matt Pope (27)

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For a few moments it looked like 4th year, undrafted forward Matt Pope(27) was making some waves and there might have been some under the breath mutterings of him being someone to look at in Vancouver Canucks‘ prospect system.

His 2nd full pro season was spent with their AHL affiliate Manitoba Moose but he was signed to a two-way NHL contract.

That came about after he signed a pto with the Moose at the end of his rookie season and joined the team for their Calder Cup run (12 games, 3 goals, 3 assists).

In that season with Manitoba he didn’t exactly live up to expectations and fell off the depth chart quickly.

From there he played a season with San Antonio Rampage but that came up short and going into his 4th pro season signed a deal a month before training camp with South Carolina Stingrays.

They just so happen to be the ECHL affiliate of Hershey Bears and on two call-ups he’s starting to gain some traction scoring 3 goals and 2 assists in 10 games.

24Dec

Stu Bickel(4) New York Rangers

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Sometimes there’s a player that might not look like much in the AHL. He’s undrafted and almost completely falling under the radar. But then out of nowhere, that player gets his shot to play in the NHL. And he explodes.

4th year defenseman Stu Bickell(4) fits that description perfectly.

In 27 games with Connecticut Whale this season, he has a goal and 3 assists.

After his first three games with New York Rangers, he has four assists and a 3 game point streak going. He’s also a +4 plus/minus and has one fighting major and two roughing penalties to his credit.

Who knew? Obviously Rangers’ scouts did because they traded for him with Anaheim Ducks last season and re-signed him to a one-year, two-way contract.

He did have a strong training camp and accompanied the team to Europe to start the season but didn’t appear in any games before getting reassigned.

26Oct

Matt Campanale(20) Bakersfield Condors

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Undrafted rookie defenseman Matt Campanale(20) played his first NHL almost immediately after finishing his college career at UNH. He was signed and called up by New York Islanders on an emergency basis after only a couple of games with their AHL affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers and then sent back for the weekend to finish up the season in Connecticut.

Odd that he wasn’t signed by anyone for the 2011/2012 season and ended up inking a deal with the ECHL Bakersfield Condors. Ever more odd, is that he was originally signed by Chicago Express but traded before the season even started. As if it could get stranger, the Express were touting him to “bolster” the team’s blue line in their press release when they signed him. More twists, his NHL player page is a bit cryptic with no picture but he has stats. He was assessed a 2 minute penalty.

In two games this season, he posted his first professional hockey goal. So now he has one point.

He’ll get called up to the AHL before too long.

11/25: He signs a pto with Binghamton Senators.

C

03Oct

Mark Voakes(27) Rochester Americans

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Heading into his third pro season, winger Mark Voakes(27) signs himself an AHL contract for the 2011/2012 season with Rochester Americans after signing a pto late last year with Portland Pirates, the now former affiliate of Buffalo Sabres, and posting some impressive numbers (6 goals, 5 assists in 18 games and 3 goalsand 5 assists in 10 playoff games). He spent the entire early season in the ECHL with Greenville Road Warriors putting up good totals there too (60 games, 17 goals and 37 assists).

AHL News carried a good story about his pro career and him being a bit of a late bloomer.

One thing is for certain, in the games he skated that I was in attendance for, this guy’s got some skills. If he does get sent down again, it would be to Gwinnett Gladiators, where 2008 draft pick Corey Fienhage will likely start the year with a contract.

02Oct

Joe Loprieno(3) Bakersfield Condors

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After two seasons with Worcester Sharks, undrafted defenseman found himself looking for a new team for 2011/2012.

He recently signed a contract to play in the ECHL with the seemingly stacked Bakersfield Condors.

He was invited to Chicago Wolves‘ training camp but was cut when they received reinforcements from their new parent club, Vancouver Canucks.

Last year the big defenseman (6’3″ 220 lbs.) found himself playing a few games at the forward position and not too surprisingly it yielded his first professional hockey goals. The trend to put him up front will probably continue with the Condors. And it’s also likely that he’ll receive a call-up or two in the upcoming season.

12Sep

Joel Martin(49) Herlev Hornets

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9th year pro goalie Joel Martin(49) has bounced around many different North American leagues and teams in his career but for the first time he’s looking elsewhere, overseas to continue.

For the 2011/2012 season he signed with Herlev Hornets of AL-Bank Ligaen (Danish Pro Hockey League).

Last season, the 28-year old netminder appeared in a career high AHL games (18 with Bridgeport Sound Tigers).

He also played in 29 games with Odessa Jackalopes of the Central Hockey League and was called-up as an emergency back-up for one game with New York Islanders.