Cincinnati Cyclones | CollegeHockeyPlayers

26Oct

Brian O’Hanley(38) San Antonio Rampage

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5th year defenseman Brian O’Hanley(38) was originally a San Jose Sharks‘ 9th round pick in the 2003 draft (#267 overall) and bounced his way around from ECHL to the AHL in pretty much each of his pro seasons, although he continues to call Cincinnati Cyclones his home base having played games with the team in every year, including one full season, 2009-2010; the only time he ever skated for a single club in a campaign.

He appeared in AHL career highs last season with 44 games scoring 4 goals and 7 assists, most of them with his real hometown team, Worcester Sharks. He was born in one hour away Quincy, MA and played his college hockey at Boston College.

At 5’11” 191 lbs. he isn’t the biggest of the blue liners out there but plays the puck pretty well and is accountable for his space on the ice.

Heading into the new season he signed a training camp tryout with San Antonio Rampage and stuck but was reassigned, yes, once again to Cincinnati to start the season. And he did scoring 2 goals and adding 2 assists in 3 games earning him his first call-up.

The 27-year old should be able to flourish with all the talent in the upper league.

18Oct

Francois Bouchard(61) Cincinnati Cyclones

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5th year Washington Capitals‘ 2nd round pick in the 2006 draft (#35 overall), center Francois Bouchard(27) found himself at the start of the season without a contract in what’s maybe been a bit of a tricky year for more than a few players to get work playing pro hockey.

After his initial 3-year entry level deal was up, he signed on for one more campaign in the Capitals‘ prospect system but was bounced from his time with Hershey Bears (where he won back-to-back Calder Cups in 2009 & 2010) to New York Rangers‘ AHL affiliate Connecticut Whale and uneventfully finished out the term of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent.

For the first time in his career he signs a minor league deal to play in the ECHL with Cincinnati Cyclones for 2012/2013.

It just maybe a smart move as he needs to reenergize that scoring touch he showed in his second year, when he popped in 21 and assisted on another 31 in 74 games played and was a crazy good +21 plus/minus.

If he starts to ignite and the NHL unfreezes the lockout, expect him to move back up the ladder.

22Jul

Cullen Eddy(20) Philadelphia Flyers

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Undrafted, 3rd year defenseman Cullen Eddy(20) proves that hard work and determination can pay off. After a couple of seasons signed to a pair of two-way AHL contracts with Adirondack Phantoms, he moves up a notch with a two-year, two-way NHL contract with Philadelphia Flyers.

He had career highs last season with 54 games played, 2 goals and 13 assists to go along with 130 penalty minutes, which ranked him second on the team. He also had a dismal -13 plus/minus, which he’ll need to work on.

The 23-year old, 6′ 195 lbs. blue liner was born right down the street from Broad Street and played his college hockey in PA too.

There’s little doubt that he will continue to develop his game in the AHL but with a couple of strong training camps could be eyed as a potential fill-in as the Flyers rebuild their defense.

16Jul

Jimmy Bonneau(43) Worcester Sharks

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Big and tough guy Jimmy Bonneau(43) signed up for another season to keep the opposing players honest for Worcester Sharks, a job he handled with ease for the team in 2011/2012.

Going into his 8th pro year, the 6’3″ 220 lbs. left wing inked an AHL standard player contract to return.

He isn’t exactly looked to for goal scoring but put in a modest pair of pucks in the net, while dishing out 3 assists. His penalty minutes were up there for 54 games played at 168, which tied him for team lead in the category and was the leader in fighting majors with 22. Worcester led the entire league in fights (120).

Originally a Montreal Canadiens‘ 8th round pick in the 2003 draft (#241 overall), he skated mostly with their ECHL affiliate Cincinnati Cyclones before bouncing around the AHL with a few clubs, including another trip back to Hamilton Bulldogs.

For the time being though, he’s found a home in Central MA.

07Jul

Mark Dekanich(1) St. John’s IceCaps

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5th year goalie Mark Dekanich(1) has always posted a winning record since turning pro in 2008.

He was originally a 5th round pick in the 2006 draft (#146 overall) by Nashville Predators and tended net in their system, mostly with AHL affiliate Milwaukee Admirals for his first three seasons.

In 2011/2012, his first and only season with Columbus Blue Jackets, a series of high ankle sprains and a groin injury limited his availability to only 5 regular season games with Springfield Falcons.

The 6’2″ 192 lbs. 26-year goaltender is still looked at as a potential NHL backstop (he’s appeared in one game) and Winnipeg Jets think that could be the case as they signed him to a one-year, two-way contract for the upcoming year.

Most likely he’ll compete for the St. John’s IceCaps‘ starting job.

01Jul

Ryan Del Monte(16) Starbulls Rosenheim

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28-year old right wing, Ryan Del Monte(16) joins the exodus from North American pro hockey to Europe (and beyond). He signed with Starbulls Rosenheim for next season after 4 years in the ECHL and AHL.

He played his first full season in the AHL last year, appearing in 52 games with Worcester Sharks scoring 5 goals and 14 assists for 19 points, all bests for the 6′ 190 lbs. forward in the league.

He won the Kelly Cup with Cincinnati Cyclones in 2010 and signed with the team in the next season before being traded to South Carolina Stingrays but spent the majority of it with Rochester Americans and the Sharks.

Although he was undrafted and has no appearances in the show, the NHL did a nice story on him a few years ago talking about the route he took from a couple of seasons in junior hockey to four years of college to earn a degree and then finally turning pro.

23Jun

Marc Cheverie(30) Pittsburgh Penguins

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2nd year goaltender Marc Cheverie(30) has split his first couple of seasons between ECHL and AHL teams with most of his appearances in the former.

In 2011/2012, he posted his best numbers yet with Gwinnett Gladiators winning 10 games, 4 losses and a 2.71 GAA and .910 SV% on a team that should have gone much further in the Kelly Cup Playoffs than their first round exit.

He was involved in a draft day Pittsburgh Penguins‘ trade with Phoenix Coyotes that could land him the job as a back-up for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and/or maybe continue in AA hockey with their affiliate Wheeling Nailers.

The 25-year backstop is decently sized at 6’2″ 185 lbs. and should continue to improve his game, making him a nice pick-up for the Pens‘ system.

He was originally a Florida Panthers‘ 7th round pick in 2006 (#193 overall).

28Mar

Frederic St. Denis(32) Montreal Canadiens

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Undrafted 4th year defenseman Frederic St. Denis(32) is getting his chances to play in the NHL with the only team he’s ever been signed with, Montreal Canadiens.

In 11 games he picked up his 1st NHL goal and just got his first assist to go with it. He’s also been an accountable zero plus/minus.

He’s played 196 AHL games with Hamilton Bulldogs scoring 12 goals and 53 assists on what has always been a good team with the exception of this season, where it’s just so-so.

It will be interesting to see if Montreal re-ups with him for a 5th campaign as they look to rebuild.

11Feb

Kevin Henderson(47) Milwaukee Admirals

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After his two-year entry level contract with San Jose Sharks was up last season, undrafted left wing Kevin Henderson(47) found himself without any takers for 2011/2012.

He played two full seasons with Worcester Sharks with his scoring totals improving over the second year of his deal but not quite enough for them to offer him another shot.

Now past the leagues All-Star breaks, he finally signed a deal to play with Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL. After all of two games played with them, he instantly gets loaned and signs a pto with their AHL affiliate Milwaukee Admirals.

How long he sticks probably depends on how quick is to make his mark on the scoring sheet.

The 3rd year pro is fairly big at 6’03” 210 lbs. but needs to put a little more Lucic into his game.

09Jan

Ryan Russell(20) Columbus Blue Jackets

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5th year New York Rangers 2005 7th round pick (#211 overall) center Ryan Russell(20) played his 1st NHL regular season games over the weekend on call-up from Springfield Falcons by his new team Columbus Blue Jackets.

When he couldn’t come to terms with the Rangers on a contract he signed to a two-year entry deal and then another one year, two-way deal with Montreal Canadiens but spent time only with their AHL affiliate Hamilton Bulldogs before he was traded in the offseason to start 2011/2012.

In 2 games with the Blue Jackets (a win and a loss), he’s skated an average of 12 minutes of ice time including a good amount on the pk. He’s played 30 games in the AHL and has 9 goals and 6 assists while maintaining an even plus/minus.

His twin brother Kris Russell plays defense for St. Louis Blues. He was a Blue Jackets‘ player up until mid-November, when he was traded. They did play in the preseason together though.