Barrie Colts | CollegeHockeyPlayers

20Sep

Alex Hutchings(11) Gwinnett Gladiators

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4th year left wing Alex Hutchings(11) will put on the skates for Gwinnett Gladiators in 2013/2014.

Originally a Tampa Bay Lightning 4th round pick in 2009 (#93 overall), he was signed to a 3-year entry level deal but spent most of his playing time in the ECHL with affiliate Florida Everblades than he did in the AHL with Syracuse Crunch or Norfolk Admirals.

In the last two campaigns in the league, the 5’10” 178 lbs. forward recorded almost a point-per-game with 26 goals and 32 assists in 63 games.

He set similar marks in four seasons of junior hockey in the OHL with Barrie Colts, where he exploded for 111 goals and 97 assists.

At only 22-years old, he’ll likely continue to occupy the score sheet in the lower league and will likely receive a call-up or two but will have to contribute more to stay put.

31Jul

Nikolai Prokhorkin(17) CSKA Moskva

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Los Angeles Kings‘ 4th round pick in the 2012 draft (#121 overall), Russian left wing Nikolai Prokhorkin(17) bounced around a lot and never really playing any amount of games last season (rookie?) but will pretty much stay put in the KHL to skate with CSKA Moskva for a fourth straight campaign.

He’s still only 19 years old and has skated in 35 games since 2010 – 2011 scoring 3 goals and 2 assists. He legitimately took that up to the next level with 3 goals and an assist in 9 playoff games.

The 6’2″ 183 lbs. forward also played in 8 AHL games with Manchester Monarchs at the start of 2012/2013 but only managed one assist.

It was said that he signed a three-year entry level deal but there’s no confirmation of that on the parent club’s Capgeek and ultimately was revealed he was actually still under contract in his home country.

There was also a thought that he would go play for Barrie Colts in the OHL but that idea was squashed as his abilities were already well above playing junior hockey level. He was originally a 1st round pick by London Knights but had his rights traded.

Regardless, they should continue to keep an eye on his while they still can.

20Jul

Nick Crawford(20) Buffalo Sabres

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Buffalo Sabres‘ 6th round pick in the 2008 draft (#164 overall), restricted free agent defenseman Nick Crawford(20) re-signs to rejoin the team’s prospect system for a fourth season.

He has yet to earn an NHL call-up but has skated in 199 games for AHL affiliates Rochester Americans and Portland Pirates scoring 18 goals and 54 assists.

The 6’1″ 192 lbs. blue liner has shown the ability to be a play maker throughout his playing career, especially in his last two seasons of OHL junior hockey with Saginaw Spirit and Barrie Colts and his first year as a pro.

The 23-year old is fairly steady on ice but will need to step up those appearances on the score sheet to continue to find his spot on the minor league roster and keep the eyes of the suits on his game.

22Jan

Mark Schiefele(42) Winnipeg Jets

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19-year old Winnipeg Jets‘ 1st round pick in the 2011 draft (#7 overall) center Mark Schiefele(42) initially started his pro career last season but was returned to his junior club Barrie Colts after 7 games. In the brief stint, he did manage to pot his first NHL goal.

After the end of the season OHL season for his team, he joined AHL affiliate St. John’s IceCaps for their deep bid at the Calder Cup. That bid ended at the Eastern Conference Finals.

In 10 postseason match-ups he had one helper to add to his pro scoring stats.

Starting the 2012/2013 campaign, he continued his development in juniors, where he is a more than a point per game player.

As soon as the lockout ended, the 6’2″ 184 lbs. forward was ushered to Jets‘ shortened training camp and once again impressed enough to be on the opening night roster with the big club.

In two games he has yet to reach the scoresheet but will likely stick at this level or be reassigned to help the slumping IceCaps.