Lake Erie Monsters | CollegeHockeyPlayers

04Feb

David van der Gulick(7) Colorado Avalanche

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7th year left wing David van der Gulik(7) has received NHL call-ups in his last three pro seasons through his current team of contract, Colorado Avalanche. He also played 6 games for Calgary Flames, who picked him deep in the 7th round of the 2002 draft (#206 overall).

In 38 games he’s managed to connect for a pair of goals and 9 assists and skated in a career high 25 big league contests last season.

Although not an overly large player, at 5’11” 185 lbs. he has always managed to stay accountable on ice with a +7 rating.

He’s signed to a one-year, two-way deal, his third with the Avalanche; and at 29-years old his game continues to show improvement and there’s little reason to think that they will let him slide to another team anytime soon.

In 39 AHL games this season with affiliate Lake Erie Monsters he has 12 goals and 13 assists. He has 463 total regular season and playoff games to his credit, scoring 107 times and dishing 143 helpers.

He recently got his first recall of the lockout shortened campaign and once again had valuable contributions in the 3-1 despite playing only 7 minutes and 31 seconds. With injuries seemingly piling up, he could be in for an extended stay.

25Jan

Andrew Agozzino(11) Lake Erie Monsters

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Lake Erie Monsters‘ undrafted rookie left wing Andrew Agozzino(11) signed a one-year AHL contract with the team to start his pro career.

He’s quickly put up 13 goals and 22 assists in 42 games, which ties him for the team lead in scoring.

He is also a big +15 plus/minus.

At 5’9″ 185 lbs., he’s fairly unassuming out there but obviously sees the ice well and can get the puck to another player for a scoring situation or put the biscuit in the basket on his own.

The under-sized forward consistently put up points in the OHL and was Niagara IceDogs‘ team captain in his last two and a half seasons (one as an over-ager).

He also led them in scoring for three straight campaigns.

The 21-year old did attend a St. Louis Blues‘ prospect camp and suited up for their minor league affiliate Peoria Rivermen at the end of 2010 but that situation failed to go any further.

He was also invited to a Tampa Bay Lightning development camp.

Look for him to score an NHL deal (likely of the two-way variety), maybe not with parent club Colorado Avalanche, but he should latch on with some big league club, especially if he continues to tear up the scoresheet.

He was chosen to participate in the upcoming AHL All-Star Game.

23Jan

Mike Sgarbossa(43) Lake Erie Monsters

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Undrafted Colorado Avalanche rookie center Mike Sgarbossa(43) is going to someday (maybe really soon) play in the NHL.

The promising pivot was originally acquired in a 6-player trade with San Jose Sharks before he ever took to the ice as a pro.

For now though, he’ll continue to put up points in the AHL with their minor league affiliate Lake Erie Monsters. The 5’11” 180 lbs forward (knock on his size?) has 14 goals and 18 assists in 36 games, tying him for first on the team.

In his last two seasons in juniors, he was virtually a two-point per game guy.

The almost 21-year old is signed with the ‘lanche through 2015 so there’s time to develop but his game might just be ready now.

20Jan

Brian Sutherby(14) Lake Erie Monsters

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12th year former Washington Capitals‘ 1st round pick in the 2000 draft (#26 overall) center Brian Sutherby(14) started the season on a pto with St. John’s IceCaps but was released after being a healthy scratch from the first two games.

Two and a half months later, the 30-year forward signs a standard player contract with Lake Erie Monsters.

A veteran of 460 NHL games with Anaheim Ducks and Dallas Stars and the Capitals, he’s quite literally under-scored where he should be with only 41 goals and 49 assists.

An unrestricted free agent last season, he signed a minor league deal with San Antonio Rampage but failed to produce as they would have liked and was released. He spent the rest of the year sidelined with back ailments. In 85 AHL games he’s scored 13 goals and 31 assists.

At 6’2″ 209 lbs. he’s built like a power forward and skates like one.

Despite having no points in 5 games with the Monsters, he really seems to fit into this team pretty well, making sure that if he has yet to quite hit the scoresheet yet, he’s still a big pest to play against.

14Jan

Patrick Rissmiller(28) Worcester Sharks

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Heading into the 2012/2013, undrafted 11th year left wing Patrick Rissmiller(28) found himself in somewhat unchartered territory: without a contract to play.

He was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with Colorado Avalanche for last season but for the first time in awhile failed to receive a big league call-up from their minor league affiliate Lake Erie Monsters.

The 6’4″ 220 lbs. power forward has skated in 192 NHL games scoring 18 goals and 28 assists including two full seasons with San Jose Sharks, where he also appeared in 30 postseason match-ups.

In the AHL, he has played a phenomenal 524 games, lit the lamp 125 times and dished out 227 helpers but a disturbing trend to his game is also a combined -40 plus/minus.

Signing a pto halfway through the season with Worcester Sharks, the 34-year old Massachusetts’ native comes full circle as he spent his college playing time at Holy Cross and started his pro career in 2002 with then San Jose farm team Cleveland Barons.

The hope is that he comes alive with some hometown cooking.

01Jan

Kevin Porter(12) Rochester Americans

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5th year, unrestricted free agent center Kevin Porter(12) signed a two-year deal with Buffalo Sabres in early July. In its first season, the deal is a two-way contract but for the second year it pays him NHL money even if he’s put on waivers and reassigned to their AHL affiliate, Rochester Americans.

Due to the lockout in the big league, the 6″ 190 lbs. forward was loaned to the Amerks to start his first campaign with the organization, his first time playing in the league since late-ish 2010. He was named team captain at the beginning of the season.

The 26-year old won the Hobey Baker Award in 2008 for being the best player in college hockey and was originally a Phoenix Coyotes‘ 4th round in the 2004 draft (#119 overall).

He spent his rookie season splitting time between the Coyotes and San Antonio Rampage before being dished at the trade deadline to Colorado Avalanche, where he had a career 2010/2011 run before seeing his ice time all but evaporate, limiting his games played to just 35 the following year.

In the AHL, he’s always been a nearly point-per-game player and this season is no different, as he’s scored 9 times with 14 assists in 31 games.

He’ll have to find a role with a team to step up permanently and could very well do it.

28Dec

Hugh Jessiman(19) Binghamton Senators

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8th year, former New York Rangers‘ 1st round pick in the 2003 draft (#12 overall), gigantic right winger Hugh Jessiman(19) signed a one-year, two-way deal with Ottawa Senators for the 2012/2013 season.

He (and every other eligible player) was reassigned to their AHL affiliate Binghamton Senators to start the new campaign.

The 6’5″ 233 lbs. mammoth has only ever skated in a pair of NHL games a couple of seasons ago with Florida Panthers.

He’s played 455 AHL regular season games with 7 different teams and last season posted a career high 27 goals and 44 points with Lake Erie Monsters and Abbotsford Heat.

By all accounts he should be a power forward that is impossible to move from the front of the net and a consistent 20+ goals, 20+ helpers forward.

In 25 games so far this season the 28-year old has 6 goals and 4 assists.

15Dec

Mike Brennan(27) Worcester Sharks

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5th year, undrafted defenseman Mike Brennan(27) signed his first ECHL contract with last year’s Kelly Cup Champs Florida Everblades to start 2012/2013.

He’s a career AHL player having appeared in 288 regular season games with a few different teams but did sign a 2-year entry level deal with Chicago Blackhawks.

After 9 contests with the ‘Blades and some rough stuff, which the 6′ 205 lbs. d-man has never shied away from, he was signed to a pto with Worcester Sharks to fill in for an injury depleted blue line. He played his college hockey at BC, so in a sense it was a homecoming.

The 26-year old has definitely not ever been looked to for his goal scoring ability and has mostly been seriously on the minus side on ice.

But in 6 games with a grisly Worcester team, he already has three assists, is skating at a +2 plus/minus and fitting in nicely with the team chemistry, meaning his already dropped the mitts at least once.

He may have just found himself a home for pro hockey in a league he’s more familiar with in this NHL lockout season.

08Nov

Ryan Stoa (21)

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4th year center Ryan Stoa(21) was originally a Colorado Avalanche 2nd round draft pick in 2005 (#34 overall) and stayed in their system for 3 seasons, first under a 2-year entry level deal and one-year extension.

He’s played in 37 NHL games over his first two years scoring 4 goals and 3 assists but skated the full 2011/2012 season with their affiliate Lake Erie Monsters.

The rugged 6’3″ 200 lbs. forward has played in 177 AHL regular season contests connecting for 55 goals and 54 assists.

He leads the young team in overall tallies.

Going into the offseason, the 25-year old faced his first unrestricted free agent status but was quickly scooped by Washington Capitals and signed to a one-year, two-way contract.

Reporting to Hershey Bears, he has struck for 3 goals and an assist in 9 games with a -2 rating.

That does seem to be the one hindrance to his play as he’s on the ice for more goals against than he probably should be and does seem to eat up a lot of minutes.

23Oct

Julien Brouillette (29)

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Undrafted 5th year defenseman Julien Brouillette(29) started his pro career in the ECHL but has played the last two seasons exclusively with AHL teams.

He had career highs for games played, goals, assists, points and penalty minutes (74-7-14-21-24) last season in the league with Hershey Bears, who he was signed with for the season.

The small-ish 5’11” 185 lbs. blue liner re-upped with the club for 2012/2013 but was a healthy scratch for the first contest and reassigned to their new ECHL affiliate Reading Royals midweek for a game to get in some playing time.

He was inserted into the lineup for their second road contest and scored his first of the new campaign but sat for the home opener the next night.

The soon-to-be 26-year old will likely always be the type of player that needs to earn his spot.