Lake Erie Monsters | CollegeHockeyPlayers

18May

Karl Stollery(6) Colorado Avalanche

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Undrafted defenseman Karl Stollery(6) gets rewarded with a Colorado Avalanche one-year two-way NHL entry level deal after putting up solid numbers in his rookie season with affiliate Lake Erie Monsters, while under a minor league contract

In 72 AHL games he had 5 goals and 29 assists, first on the team at the d-spot in points and helpers, while maintaining a +11 rating with an active 119 shots of net.

He originally signed an ato with the team upon finishing up four years of college hockey at Merrimack and got right to the business of marking up the score sheet with a pair of goals and 5 assists in 9 games to finish out the regular season.

He led his Hockey East team in all sorts of categories, while holding down the captain’s spot in his final two years.

At 5’11” 180 lbs., the 25-year old could still use some added weight and muscle to his game but is already pretty impressive out there at his current size.

24Apr

Paul Carey(28) Lake Erie Monsters

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Colorado Avalanche 5th round pick in the 2007 draft (#135 overall), rookie center Paul Carey(28) is another player that quietly had himself a good first pro season.

He spent his entire debut campaign with minor league affiliate Lake Erie Monsters scoring 19 goals and 22 assists with a +2 rating on a team that sits just outside of the 2013 Calder Cup Playoff picture. He also played a couple of games at the end of 2012 when

The 24-year old was also a good point producer in college hockey with Boston College Eagles. He won a pair of NCAA titles in 2010 and 2012 with them, and even scored the gwg in the most recent win.

The 6’1″ 190 lbs. forward signed a two-year entry level deal through 2013/2014, when he’s set to become a restricted free agent.

He has yet to earn his first NHL recall but if he continues to put up the numbers, he can almost be assured his number will be called.

15Apr

Hunter Bishop (11)

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Undrafted, 2nd year left wing Hunter Bishop(11) signed with South Carolina Stingrays to begin 2012/2013 after an injury put him on the sidelines for all of the previous season.

It just so happened to be the final year of his 2-year entry level deal with Montreal Canadiens.

He became an unrestricted free agent at the end of the contract.

He put up great numbers: 2 goals and 3 assists in 9 games with minor league affiliate Hamilton Bulldogs, when he joined the team after leaving his college career at Ohio State University on the shelf.

Come Calder Cup Playoff time though, he was unable to duplicate the success scoring only one assist in 12 contests.

The 6′ 196 lbs. forward started his rookie season on the injured reserve list and was reassigned to Wheeling Nailers, when he was ready to return and duplicated his output on an ato in higher league just six months earlier.

He was recalled and stuck in the AHL through the entire campaign but was limited to only 4 goals and 4 assists in 34 games.

The 25-year old struck stats gold again in the ECHL with the Stingrays hitting the back of the net on 24 occasions and offering up 25 helpers in 48 games.

He finished the season as their leading scorer with a +13 rating.

He received a brief pair of call-ups to Lake Erie Monsters and Rochester Americans but was held scoreless.

It wasn’t until a couple of months ago that he found another home in the AHL with Manchester Monarchs.

He has been with the club for 21 games on a pto putting up 3 goals and 2 assists (another 5 point mark).

He meshes well with team chemistry and will likely play out the regular season, or return home to Alaska as his lower league team was bounced from the playoff picture in the first round.

He is likely to be on an AHL roster out of training camp in 2013/2014.

13Apr

Sami Aittokallio (30)

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Colorado Avalanche 4th round pick in the 2010 draft (#107 overall), Finnish rookie net minder Sami Aittokallio(30) got his first crack at an NHL start for a team that is out of the playoff picture in this lockout shortened season.

He performed well only allowing a pair of goals on 25 shots in two periods before having to be relieved in the third with muscle cramps he was suffering due to dehydration.

The Avalanche ended up losing the game 3-2 in the shootout.

In 26 appearances for AHL affliate Lake Erie Monsters, he has a 14-11-1 record with a 2.89 GAA and .903 SV%.

At 20-years old, the parent club believes he could be their starting goalie of the future, signing him to a 3-year entry level deal that runs through 2015.

The 6’1″ 180 lbs. backstop could be their answer between the pipes.

They need one as they ended up signing three goaltender prospects on one day in the offseason.

He performed nicely in the last couple of years as a teenager in Finland’s elite league, SM-liiga, so if he can stay on course he could be their guy.

09Apr

Brad Malone(42) Colorado Avalanche

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Colorado Avalanche 4th round pick in the 2007 draft (#105 overall), 2nd year center Brad Malone(42) notched his first NHL goal in 15 tries.

He is currently on his 2nd recall from their minor league affiliate Lake Erie Monsters, where he’s skated in 133 AHL games scoring 21 goals and 40 assists in regular and postseason play. He’s also a pretty lousy -20 overall plus/minus on a team barely above the .500 mark in 2012/2013. They were a much better team the previous season, just missing a playoff berth.

The 6’2″ 207 lbs. power forward was up for 9 games in his rookie campaign connecting for his first points in the show, a pair of assists.

He put up big numbers in his last two years of college hockey with University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux.

The 23-year old is in the final season of his two-year entry level deal and set to become a restricted free agent. It’s seems likely that he’ll be qualified for at least another season to continue his development.

24Mar

Calvin Pickard(31) Lake Erie Monsters

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Colorado Avalanche‘ 2nd round pick in the 2010 draft (#49 overall) rookie goaltender Calvin Pickard(31) has been a workhorse in net through his junior career and the pace didn’t slow in his first pro year.

In 40 games between the pipes for AHL affiliate Lake Erie Monsters so far this season, he has a 16-17-5 record and a 2.55 GAA and .916 SV%.

The 6’1″ 195 lbs. net minder has been recalled on a couple of occasions to take warm-ups and ride back-up but has yet to see any NHL action. That could change as the season plays itself out. He may get the nod if the Avalanche are out of the playoff hunt.

The soon-to-be 21-year old is signed through 2015 to a 3-year entry level deal, so has plenty of time to show the big club what he’s got.

02Mar

Cameron Gaunce(24) Lake Erie Monsters

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Colorado Avalanche 2nd round pick in the 2008 draft (#50 overall) defenseman Cameron Gaunce(24) is in the final season of his three-year entry level deal.

He played in 11 NHL games in his rookie campaign scoring a goal but that was the only crack at the show he’s received thus far.

Maybe he will get another recall in this shortened lockout season before his contract is up but it’s looking a bit doubtful.

The 6’1″ 203 lbs. stocky d-man produced career highs for minor league affiliate Lake Erie Monsters in his sophomore season with 75 AHL games played, 6 goals, 21 assists, 27 points and a +17 rating.

He’s far off the mark in the current campaign with only a goal and 1o assists in 52 contests and looks to end up with lows in all categories.

It’s a wonder if the Avalanche will give the still young 22-year old a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent for a fourth season in the system and simply look at 2012/2013 as a one where he lost some footing in his game but still has the potential to regain it.

01Mar

Dallas Jackson(2) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

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3rd year undrafted defenseman Dallas Jackson(2) just upped his pto to an spc with Bridgeport Sound Tigers, keeping him with the team through the remainder of the 2012/2013 season.

Although his numbers (two assists in 11 games) aren’t exactly stellar, he’s a fairly big presence in the defensive zone and with a -1 rating and only two penalty minutes shows accountability when he’s on the ice.

His numbers in juniors and in the last year and a half with Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL suggest that he can be an offensive-minded threat.

From 2011-2012, the 6’2″ 200 lbs. blue liner had 14 goals and 30 assists. He skated 9 games with them in his rookie campaign but registered zero points.

The 23-year old also played 3 games with the Sound Tigers last season and notched a +2 plus/minus in his short stint.

If he can continue to play impressively, there may be a full-time roster spot for him somewhere in the AHL next season.

23Feb

Evan Brophey (20)

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6th year right wing Evan Brophey(20) was an unrestricted free agent at the end of 2012 and with no offers and the NHL lockout looming had to find a home for the new season.

Originally a Chicago Blackhawks‘ 3rd round pick in the 2005 draft (#68 overall), he only appeared in one big league game with the team in 4 years and 3 last season with Colorado Avalanche. He has yet to convert for any points.

The 6’1″ 203 lbs. forward isn’t exactly a prolific scoring in the minors but in 407 regular season games he does have 67 goals and 94 assists.

Last season with Lake Erie Monsters, he matched a career high for points (39) and pocketed a best 18 goals, which led the squad in scoring.

Just as the 2012/2013 season started the 26-year old signed a pto with Portland Pirates. He was recently bumped up to an spc after 37 games (5 goals, 10 assists) to finish out the 2012/2013 campaign with them.

Even though he’s not exactly lighting it up as prolifically as he did last year, he’s still a gritty, invaluable player for the Pirates to have in the fold as they push towards the postseason.

12Feb

Thomas Pock(22) Lake Erie Monsters

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9th year undrafted Austrian-born defenseman Thomas Pock(22) has been on quite the journey in his playing career. He was a scoring stud in his final couple of seasons of college hockey that gained him the notice of New York Rangers, who plucked him fresh out of school and put him into action for 6 games to round out the 2003/2004 season. He managed a pair of goals and assists in the brief run.

The 6’1″ 210 lbs. blue liner played another 5 seasons in the Blueshirts‘ system but was unable to match the early offensive output in the higher league. The 2004/2005 lockout could have part of the blame sidetracking his development.

In the AHL he also struggled some to reignite that scoring touch but had a couple of really good seasons wrapped around his first full year in the NHL; maybe the pro blossoming was delayed.

He was once again going to be sent down to start his 6th campaign with the Rangers but their rivals across the river decided to give him a shot as part of their never-ending franchise rebuild process but he failed pretty miserably on a poorly performing New York Islanders‘ team.

With nowhere to go in the show, he turned his attention towards Sweden, first signing for a couple of seasons with Rapperswil of the NLA and then MODO.

He managed to kickstart his ability to land on the scoresheet to a degree and made the decision that it was time for another shot at the NHL. Colorado Avalanche took the bait and signed him for 2012/2013 to add some depth to their back line.

In 45 games with their AHL affiliate Lake Erie Monsters, he has 8 goals and 19 assists, while wearing the “A” for the team and helping the younger players with their game.

Very likely the now 31-year old will head back overseas to wrap up his playing career.