Chicago Wolves | CollegeHockeyPlayers

19Nov

Josh Gratton(13) Manchester Monarchs

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Undrafted 12th year left wing Josh Gratton(13) spent the last four seasons playing mostly in the KHL with Barys Astana and Vityaz Podolsk. He only skated in 11 games last season.

Seeing only limited action in his last two seasons was possibly the impetus for him to return to North American pro hockey to see if at 32-years old he could earn himself a contract.

Invited to Manchester Monarchs‘ training camp, he proved himself worthy and was given a pto to start the 2014/2015 season.

13 games into the season he has one assist, a +1 rating, 36 penalty minutes and quickly accrued 6 fighting majors.

The 6’2″ 215 lbs. tough guy has skated in 247 AHL games scoring a modest 35 goals and 39 assists with an eye-popping 936 pims and dropped the gloves 102 times.

He’s also appeared in 86 NHL games for Arizona Coyotes and two stints with Philadelphia Flyers.

He won a Calder Cup Championship with Philadelphia Phantoms in the lockout year 2004/2005.

It remains to be seen whether or not he’s given an spc for this season but regardless, he’s making his presence felt.

11Oct

Joe Cannata(35) Utica Comets

Posted in NHL | Leave a comment

Vancouver Canucks‘ 6th round pick in the 2009 draft (#173 overall) goalie Joe Cannata(35) finds himself in a bit of a logjam to find any time between the pipes with their minor league affiliate Utica Comets.

The Massachusetts-born net minder is on a one-year contract extension with the parent club and will start down a notch on the pro ladder with Ontario Reign.

He’s played in the league before, appearing in 7 ECHL games in his rookie campaign.

The 6’1″ 200 lbs. backstop spent the entirety of 2013/2014 in the AHL posting a respectable 11-12 record with a 2.83 GAA and .907 SV% on a mostly shaky team.

He also played in 14 games with then farm team Chicago Wolves in his first year and had even slightly better numbers.

The 24-year old played four seasons at Merrimack College putting up stellar totals.

He’ll definitely have to work hard to get back on the radar.

02Oct

Mathieu Brodeur(6) Chicago Wolves

Posted in AHL | Leave a comment

Former Arizona Coyotes‘ 3rd round pick in the 2008 draft (#76 overall) biggie defenseman Mathieu Brodeur(6) was left unqualified going into a second restricted free agency after the one year extension on his three-year entry level deal was up.

At 6’6″ he’s certainly one very large man on the ice but weighing only 215 lbs. he still seems like he has some more room to completely fill out that frame.

His skating style is a bit awkward with all that size that maybe that’s an area a little more muscle would help.

He certainly fires a decent number of shots at net from the point but maybe he has let it fly even more.

In 176 AHL games the fifth year blue liner only has 8 goals and 30 assists, which ain’t half bad, all with minor league affiliate Portland Pirates.

The 24-year played most of his rookie season in the ECHL with Las Vegas Wranglers.

He signed his first contract after three campaigns in the QMJHL Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, where he had a some offensive prowess in the assist department with 25.

For 2014/2015, he signed a one-year deal to join Chicago Wolves.

He’s going to have to bring it.

30Sep

Jeremy Welsh(15) Chicago Wolves

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Undrafted center Jeremy Welsh(15) has already been with his share of teams as he enters his third professional season.

An unrestricted free agent heading into 2014/2015, his former team Vancouver Canucks decided to not re-sign the fairly large 6’3″ 208 lbs. Ontario, Canada native.

He originally inked a 1-year entry level deal with Carolina Hurricanes and skated his first NHL game after winning an ECAC Championship at Union College in his third and final season before turning pro.

The physical presence up front split his time in his rookie year up with the big club on numerous recalls but mostly with affiliate Charlotte Checkers, where he notched some decent numbers (14+12-26 in 69 AHL games).

His potential abilities led him to receive a two-year extension with the 2nd year being a one-way contract.

He was traded to Vancouver before the start of 2013/2014 and split his time with Utica Comets.

The 26-year old joined St. Louis Blues early in free agency on a 1-year, 2-way contract and was recently reassigned to affiliate Chicago Wolves.

He’ll easily be on the short list for a recall to prove his mettle once again but will need to show up big.

20May

Alexandre Grenier(28) Utica Comets

Posted in Profile | Leave a comment

Vancouver Canucks‘ 3rd round pick in the 2011 draft (#90 overall), rookie right wing Alexandre Grenier(28) had a good first year under a two-year entry level deal signed to start in the 2013/2014 season.

Playing on reassignment with their expansion affiliate Utica Comets, he managed to connect for a team third high ranking in goals, assists and points (17-22-39).

This was actually the hulking 6’4″ 200 lbs. forward second season as a pro.

After only a year and a half in the QMJHL, he decided it was time to take his game to the next level.

Signing with EC Salzburg of the Austria Elite League as players waited for the lockout to thaw, he gained some solid playing experience in 25 games overseas and joined Kalamazoo Wings to begin his quest to get make it to the NHL.

Wasting no time, he contributed 10 goals and 11 assists in 37 games before being recalled late in the season to Chicago Wolves.

Impressed by his skating, he would ink a contract at the conclusion of the regular season.

With a bit more muscle and weight on his full-sized frame, the 22-year old should compete for a spot on the parent’s club roster to start his sophomore campaign.

23Apr

Nicklas Jensen(17) Utica Comets

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Vancouver Canucks‘ 1st round pick in the 2011 draft (#29 overall) Danish-born rookie right wing Nicklas Jensen(17) is off and flying start in his first full season of North American pro hockey.

He suited up for 17 NHL games with the parent club, scoring 3 goals and 3 assists with a -1 rating on a team that struggled to find chemistry through most of 2013/2014.

In 54 AHL contests with affiliate Utica Comets, the sizable 6’3″ but skinny 186 lbs. forward produced a tidy 15 goals and 6 assists in his first season in the minors.

He started was signed as an 18-year old to a 3-year entry level contract but in the first of two-entry level slides went back to his junior club, Oshawa Generals and then started the next season in the SHL with AIK before joining their minor league team Chicago Wolves for the remainder of 2012/2013.

It’s unlikely he’ll return to the farm team for any more extended periods of time but if his numbers or play slips up in the show, he may find himself on reassignment as a wake-up call.

Odds are that he’ll stick and will be contributing big-time in his sophomore campaign.

03Apr

Cade Fairchild(2) Portland Pirates

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

3rd year defenseman Cade Fairchild(2) was picked up in an AHL trade deadline deal by Phoenix Coyotes for future considerations and reassigned to their farm club, Portland Pirates.

Originally a St. Louis Blues‘ 4th round pick in the 2007 draft, he skated mostly with their minor league affiliates apart from 5 NHL games in his rookie season (one assist).

In a somewhat surprisingly move he was also sent down to the ECHL for a pair of contests for Kalamazoo Wings near the beginning of the current season.

The slightly small-ish looking 5’11” 178 lbs. blue liner has appeared in 150 AHL contests scoring 10 goals and 55 assists with a massive +30 rating.

He dished out his fair share of helpers in four years at University Of Minnesota.

Tbe 25-year old is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the current campaign after signing a one-year extension.

It will be interesting to see where he ends up playing in 2014/2015, but I doubt anyone will be surprised if he decides to take his talents overseas.

22Dec

Akim Aliu(78) Hartford Wolf Pack

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

5th year right wing Akim Aliu(78) is a bit of an enigma.

Originally a Chicago Blackhawks‘ 2nd round pick in the 2007 draft (#56 overall), the rough and tough forward has only played in 7 NHL games while under contract with Calgary Flames, who picked up the last year of his entry level contract, then qualified him for another season.

In his first pair of big league games he notched a pair of goals and an assist but through his next five contests in last year’s lockout shortened season he failed to connect with the score sheet.

The 6’4″ 225 lbs. power forward spent most of his time with farm club Abbotsford Heat, where in 84 games he’s collected a sparse 14 goals and 11 assists with an unsettling -20 rating.

Through 214 AHL contests his point totals are surprisingly low.

It’s fairly well documented that the still young 24-year old has temper and attitude problems, which probably has a lot to do with his limited success.

He started the current campaign on a try-out contract with Hamilton Bulldogs but was released after 14 games.

Picked up a month later by a struggling Hartford Wolf Pack, in a pair of appearances he scored his first tally with the team, has one fight and unloaded 5 shots on net.

He seems to fit with the team pretty well but without a sizable increase of offense production, it seems unlikely he’ll be given an spc to stay through the regular season.

08Dec

Tim Miller(9) Springfield Falcons

Posted in AHL | Leave a comment

5th year, undrafted left wing Tim Miller(9) finds a new home in the minors after being traded from long-time team Chicago Wolves to Springfield Falcons for future considerations.

The Eastern Conference squad is likely hoping he can return to form from a couple of seasons ago when he notched 19 goals, 19 assists and was a +19 rating in 70 AHL games.

His numbers slipped dramatically in his next campaign and he was posting a goose egg when he was let go.

The 6′ 198 lbs. definitely plays a feisty power forward type game but seems to be more of a mucker than a play maker or goal scorer in the early going.

In 198 games in the league he has 34 goals and 34 assists (likes those consistent numbers) with an overall +12 plus/minus.

The 26-year old played a couple of half-seasons in the ECHL with Gwinnett Gladiators n the first two years of his pro career. He was just about a point-per-game guy there.

It would be no surprise to see him sign a deal in the lower league next year.

29Oct

Andrew Ebbett (25)

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

8th year undrafted left wing Andrew Ebbett(25) wasted no time in free agency signing a one-year, two-way deal to join Pittsburgh Penguins‘ system for a season.

In 8 AHL games with minor league affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins he already has a tidy 2 goals and 5 assists. He’s pretty much a point per game guy in the league at 78 goals and 165 assists in 254 games, now skating with his 6th team. He also owns a remarkable +32 rating.

He’s less prolific in the NHL scoring 25 tallies and 39 helpers in 191 games under contracts with 7 different teams but also has an accountable +3 plus/minus.

The small 5’9″ 174 lbs. forward is looked to for bursts of energy he brings to the table and that kind of spark plug often results in wins.

It will be interesting to see where the 30-year old ends up next but he can almost assuredly expect a recall to the parent club before the seasons out, which would give him NHL appearances in his last 7 seasons.