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Tagged: Elmira Jackals

30Jul

Yannick Tifu(10) Reading Royals

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8th year, undrafted veteran center Yannick Tifu(10) captured his first Kelly Cup Championship as team captain with Reading Royals after 400 regular and 57 postseason ECHL games.

He was only ever close to grabbing a title back in 2007, when he was a first year player in the league and went to the Finals with Dayton Bombers.

The 28-year old forward has spent 7 seasons with 7 different ECHL teams and scored over 500 points (170 goals and 342 assists) with an astonishing +62 rating. He was the leading scorer in the 2013 playoffs with 25 points.

Although he has appeared in 81 AHL contests, he’s never had any luck sticking despite putting up decent numbers with 9 goals and 23 assists and signing a one-year deal with Binghamton Senators in 2010.

He ended up skating most of that season with their affiliate, Elmira Jackals.

He’s not the biggest skater at 5’11” 203 lbs. but easily effective enough to get the job done quite well.

Chances are he’ll re-sign for a third season in Reading but it could also be time for him to earn some better money by moving his game to some European ice.

Original story: 5/28-13

After winning the ECHL title he went on to re-sign with Reading Royals to resume as team captain.

He didn’t have as stellar a season and for the first time playing in the league failed to be a point-per-game guy and was a quick exit with the team from the playoffs.

Quite possibly he felt that was an indicator, so he signed for the first time in his pro career to play hockey in another country.

Not quite sure why he chose France but he once again upped his average and had plenty of success with Les Ducs d’Angers scoring 14 goals and 21 assists in 26 games and added another 7 points (3-4) in 10 playoff contests.

For his 11th season, he will turn 31-years old when it starts, he returns to North America signing for 2015/2016 with Brampton Beast.

We’ll see how he fares on the score sheet with this still developing 2nd year group. You can just about bet he’ll be pegged to captain the young squad though.

And you know you’ve had a long career when 5 of the teams you’ve played for don’t exist anymore.

13Jun

Colton Yellow Horn(17) Orli Znojmo

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5th year, undrafted left wing Colton Yellow Horn(17) took a good season and a half to settle where he was going to play to start his pro career after a highly successful run in the WHL with Tri-City Americans, which he left as the leading goal scorer in his final year.

He headed for Austria but lasted less than a dozen games before returning to North America, signing with Elmira Jackals. He finished out his rookie season and started his sophomore campaign with the team but was traded to Stockton Thunder after only two games.

His time with the Thunder only last a couple more games than he did overseas and he was off to the Central Hockey League to try his hands with Allen Americans.

The small 5’9″ but wide 190 lbs. forward played for the next two years with Allen leading them in scoring with 88 points in 2010/2011 and was a combined +24 plus/minus.

Having basically accomplished everything he could in the lower double A league, the 25-year old stepped up and signed a one year deal with Ontario Reign of the ECHL.

In 48 games, he currently sits atop the scoring leaders with 58 points (36 goals and 22 assists) but that will have to wait as he received his first AHL call-up and signed a pto with Manchester Monarchs.

In his debut, he notched an assist in a 3-2 losing effort but more importantly looks like he can play in the league and have an impact at this level.

He may be pint-sized in relation to other players but he’s wide like Sergei Samsonov was during his lengthy playing career.

Original story: 2/11-13

He managed to finish the season in the AHL skating in 28 games and he even appeared in four playoff contests scoring 6 goals 12 assists with a +5 rating and added a goal and an assist in the postseason.

After having a career year, he decided to head back to where it started signing a year deal in Erste Bank Liga Austria with Szekesfehervar.

No doubt he would hit the score sheet often to the tune of 20 goals and 23 assists in 43 games.

In another move that had folks wondering, for 2013/2014 he went to play for Nippon Paper Cranes of the Asia League.

The 28-year old continues to make interesting decisions where to lace up his skates as he returns to Austria once again to play for Orli Znojmo.

12Jun

Louie Caporusso(11) Iserlohn Roosters

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3rd year left wing Louie Caporusso(11) signs a one-year contract with 2013 Kelly Cup Champions‘ Reading Royals for 2013/2014.

He was originally an Ottawa Senators‘ 3rd round pick in the 2007 draft (#90 overall) and played a couple of seasons with minor league affiliates Binghamton Senators and Elmira Jackals.

In 36 AHL games he scored a single goal with 5 assists, which isn’t that amazing but in 70 ECHL match-ups he’s a point-per-game guy at 35 goals and 42 assists with a +20 rating. He continued on that scoring tear in 6 playoff games, getting a pair of tallies and 6 helpers.

The small looking 5’10” 200 lbs. forward was also a sniper in four years of NCAA hockey at University Of Michigan posting 68 goals and 76 assists in 160 games with an outstanding +48 plus/minus.

At still only 24 years old the former Hobey Baker Award finalist will be added to an already deep talent pool and definitely help the Royals defend their title in the upcoming campaign.

Original story: 8/16-13

After attending a week of Worcester Sharks‘ training camp, he reported back to Reading to start the season and once again was putting up lots of points (7-21-28 in 24 games) before deciding halfway through to split overseas and skate the remainder of the campaign with Augsburger Panther of DEL, where he continued on a similar tear.

He resigned with the team for another year and although his production slipped slightly he was still connecting with the net on a regular basis finishing 2014/2015 with 15 goals, 23 assists in 47 games.

For his 5th pro season, he signs on with the enemy, agreeing to play for Iserlohn Roosters and at only 25-years old he’s probably still just getting started.

04Apr

Wacey Hamilton(36) Binghamton Senators

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Ottawa Senators‘ 3rd year undrafted center Wacey Hamilton(36) is putting up some career high AHL marks with farm team Binghamton Senators.

Although maybe not the biggest numbers at 13 assists and 15 points, they do show a fairly good increase, doubling what he had in two campaigns for helpers and achieving almost the same in the overall category.

The not exactly huge 5’11” 185 lbs. forward achieved over point-per-game status in his final two runs with Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL (he was team captain in 2010/2011) but continues to look for that scoring touch as a pro, while playing a mostly checking line role.

He is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the current season upon completion of his 3-year entry level deal.

The parent club may take a bit of a while before qualifying the 23-year old to see if more can delevop or could release him to seek playing time elsewhere.

Regardless, this is a player that needs to ignite more fire in his game to elevate it.

27Mar

Dustin Gazley(10) Hershey Bears

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3rd year undrafted mini-right wing Dustin Gazley(10) is getting an opportunity with Hershey Bears, putting up some impressive numbers for a player that’s only 5’9″ and weighs in at a light 154 lbs.

He signed a one-year two-way deal in the off-season but started the season with affiliate Reading Royals, where he stayed through the first three months of 2013/2014 putting together 8 goals and 10 assists in 25 games.

These numbers were a bit off the mark from what he’d produced previously in a pair of ECHL campaigns under contract with Elmira Jackals.

As a rookie, he led the league in assists (60) and points (85), which easily earned him the Rookie Of The Year, John A. Daley Trophy.

Signed to rejoin Elmira for a 2nd run, he picked up where he left off, finding the back of the net 14 times and dishing out 35 more helpers in just 37 games.

He was loaned to Binghamton Senators and stuck through the remainder of the regular season, connecting for 4 goals and 5 assists in 29 contests.

The 25-year old forward received a bit of a late Christmas present when he was recalled but achieved basically the same feat from the previous year, staying put for what appears to be the rest of the season.

In an AHL career high 31 games, he’s notched an 8 best goals and will pass his assist total of 5 with one more.

He’s free to explore options for 2014/2015 but it seems like a good bet that he’ll be invited to return to Chocolatetown and help them regain the glory that’s been an integral part of the team history.

19Feb

Buddy Robinson(10) Binghamton Senators

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Ottawa Senators‘ undrafted, big 6’5″ 225 lbs. right wing Buddy Robinson(10) is doing nicely for himself in his rookie season with minor league affiliate Binghamton Senators.

In 43 AHL games he has 8 goals and 9 assists with a +10 rating. He was said to have a good training camp with the parent club.

Signed to a three-year entry level deal he’ll be in the system through 2016 after spending two seasons at Lake Superior State University.

He also skated a pair of successful campaigns in the OPJHL with Hamilton Red Wings. that got him a scholarship to go the academic route.

Never exactly a big point scorer on his way to turning pro or even the type of player to mix it up with his extra large-sized frame, there’s easily hope that with some good coaching he can add some nice increases to his game.

He’s been reassigned down once for a single contest with Elmira Jackals of the ECHL.

The 22-year old started out quickly with four points (2 goals, 2 assists) in 6 games signed to an ato at the end of last season and even found himself in the lineup for a couple Calder Cup Playoff games.

We call this one another work in progress.

01Jan

Matt Lowry(17) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

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2nd year undrafted center Matt Lowry(17) signed a pto to join Bridgeport Sound Tigers after tearing it up in the early season with Evansville IceMen.

He posted 7 goals and 8 assists in 19 ECHL games with a +9 rating.

The feisty 6′ 190 lbs. forward originally an invite to Ottawa Senators‘ training camp in 2009, went down the ladder with Binghamton Senators after three seasons in the WHL, where he put up decent numbers (47-113-160 in 207 games) but was mostly reassigned to play with affiliate Elmira Jackals.

After his rookie season he decided to jump at an opportunity to enroll under a full free scholarship to attend University Of Manitoba.

At the conclusion of his third school year he signed an ato with Greenville Road Warriors. In 9 games he scored a goal and 3 assists but had no points in the playoffs.

The 25-year old has only 1 assist in 10 games with the Sound Tigers but the team has run an impressive 4-6 record with lineup stocked full of call-ups.

10Oct

Jack Downing(80) South Carolina Stingrays

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3rd year undrafted right wing Jack Downing(80) starts the 2013/2014 season much like he did in his first couple of years, in the ECHL on reassignment. He joins South Carolina Stingrays.

He was in both Boston and Providence training camps. Signed to a 1-year deal with P-Bruins, he was an invite to the parent club’s camp.

Despite beginning his campaigns in the lower league, he’s played in more AHL games with Binghamton Senators in two seasons than he did with their affiliate Elmira Jackals.

The fairly big 6’3″ 200 lbs. forward has almost a point-per-game average in the ECHL but has only half the success in the AHL.

At 24-years old he still has plenty to prove to move up more permanently.

13Sep

Andrew Rowe(6) Hartford Wolf Pack

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After virtually exploding on the score sheet in a full season of lower league play, undrafted 4th year winger Andrew Rowe(6) scores himself an AHL contract with Hartford Wolf Pack for 2013/2014.

In 66 ECHL games, he led Elmira Jackals in goals, assists and points (28-43-71) with a +5 rating. He even managed to put an exclamation mark on his stats in the postseason with 4 goals and 4 assists in 6 games.

The 6’2″ somewhat light 181 lbs. forward also received a two-week, 5 game recall to Norfolk Admirals.

He put up 15 goals and 8 assists over two seasons with Adirondack Phantoms as a part of Philadelphia Flyers‘ prospect system, where he was signed to a 2-year entry level deal.

The 25-year old also spent a few spells with Greenville Road Warriors in his first pair of pro seasons.

They just happen to be the affiliate of Hartford. No doubt, he’ll be looking to raise his game with his new team to avoid any more time down south.

15Aug

Nick Schaus(28) Stavanger Oilers

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4th year undrafted defenseman Nick Schaus(28) leaves North American pro hockey for Stavanger Oilers of GET-ligaen in Norway.

Initially signed to a one-year entry level deal by San Jose Sharks he played in 92 regular and postseason games with their farm team, Worcester Sharks (4 goals, 21 assists).

He was left unqualified for his sophomore campaign but quickly picked up an AHL deal with Syracuse Crunch, where he also spent some time in the ECHL with affiliate Elmira Jackals.

The small-ish 5’11” 200 lbs. blue liner continued with Anaheim Ducks‘ minor league squads for 2012/2013 signing a one-year contract with new affiliate Norfolk Admirals but found less space on the roster in a lockout shortened NHL season and spent more slightly more time with Fort Wayne Komets putting up some impressive numbers (5 goals, 17 assists in 26 games).

All’s well though as the 27-year will likely excel overseas.

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