Nashville Predators | CollegeHockeyPlayers

10Mar

Victor Bartley(64) Nashville Predators

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Nashville Predators‘ undrafted 4th year defenseman Victor Bartley(64) signed a two-year, two-way contract to join the team after spending a successful season overseas with Rögle of Allsvenskan, the second tier Swedish pro league.

He started his career after his fifth season in juniors, playing as an overage skater, in the ECHL with Utah Grizzlies.

His numbers in the league were good enough to get him an All-Star Game nod and subsequent call-up to the AHL by Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

He unfortunately suffered an injury that put a stop to his rookie campaign.

Returning to North American hockey he appeared in all 76 games in 2011/2012 with Milwaukee Admirals scoring 9 goals and 30 assists while going +12 plus/minus.

The 6′ 203 lbs. blue liner picked up pretty much where he left off on the scoresheet in the current season notching 7 goals and 19 assists in 54 contests. He also was chosen to represent at the 2013 AHL All-Star Game.

His consistent play has earned him a first recall and in his NHL debut.

He skated 23 shifts for 19:15 total ice time, third most on the team in a 6-0 blasting of Edmonton Oilers.

At the end of the season the 25-year old becomes a restricted free agent.

He’s likely a no-brainer to be signed for another one or two-year extension.

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.

06Dec

Kelsey Wilson(11) Nottingham Panthers

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After starting 2012/2013 on a training camp invite from Providence Bruins, undrafted 7th year veteran left wing Kelsey Wilson(11) was released by the team before the regular season got underway.

From there he bounced from coast-to-coast in the ECHL with San Francisco Bulls then Trenton Titans, his first appearances in the league, before finally settling on a contract overseas to join Nottingham Panthers of the EIHL.

He’s skated in 395 total AHL games (mostly with Milwaukee Admirals), while signed to a somewhat undocumented 3-year entry level deal with Nashville Predators. After his contract was up he left North American hockey for a year to play in Austria, where he won the Erste Band Liga with EC Salzburg.

Upon returning he accepted his qualifying offer to rejoin the Preds‘ organization and was once again reassigned to their affiliate, Milwaukee. But his point production seemed to have ticked down a notch until the postseason, where he struck for almost a point-per-game.

In 2011/2012, the feisty 6’1″ 209 lbs. forward played the full campaign with eventual Calder Cup finalists Toronto Marlies although he appeared in only one playoff game.

At 26-years old, he’s likely still got plenty left in the tank and will probably do well with his abilities in the English pro league but will need to find it from within if he wants to climb back up the ranks in North America.

12Nov

Ryan Parent(3) Norfolk Admirals

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6th year, former 1st round draft pick of Nashville Predators in 2005 (#18 overall) defenseman Ryan Parent(3) has over 100 games of NHL experience but none since a couple of seasons ago, 4 games with Vancouver Canucks despite signing a two-year one-way contract with the team.

He spent all of 2011/2012 that he was healthy enough to play for with their new AHL affiliate Chicago Wolves but only managed to be 22 of a 76-game season.

Ironically he finished the season with a goal and 5 assists, which would have put him on pace for career highs on the scoresheet.

He also have a goal and 6 assists in the NHL.

As an unrestricted free agent approaching 2012/2013, he signed a pto with Norfolk Admirals a couple of weeks into the season.

The 6’2″ 205 lbs. d-man has one assist in 6 games but is a -5 plus/minus.

Admirals must like having the 25-year old on their team though, because they inked him to an spc. Still, it looks to be a smart move on their part.

03Sep

Fight Card: Mike Moore(8) vs. Micheal Haley(18)

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Former Worcester Sharks‘ captain/defenseman Mike Moore(8) and former Bridgeport Sound Tigers‘ left wing Micheal Haley(18) had an axe to grind all season mixing it up on a number of occasions when the two teams met during the 2011/2012 season. The sluggers match up fairly well at roughly the same size and weight.

They won’t get to see much of one another next year though as both players have signed contracts that will see them play in different conferences.

Moore will likely be guarding the blue line for Milwaukee Admirals, while Haley moves up the highway joining Connecticut Whale.

Both could see some time in the NHL with affiliates Nashville Predators and New York Rangers, which could reopen the can of worms.

25Aug

Brodie Dupont(9) HC Valpellice Bulldogs

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Facing unrestricted free agency status, 6th year left wing Brodie Dupont(9) jumps ship after one dismal season with Milwaukee Admirals to skate with HC Valpellice Bulldogs of Italy pro hockey for 2012/2013.

The 6’2″ 210 lbs. forward was originally a New York Rangers 3rd round pick in the 2005 draft (#66 overall) but skated only one NHL contest with the team. He appeared in 297 AHL games with their affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack/Connecticut Whale scoring 58 goals and 90 assists before being traded as an rfa to Nashville Predators at the start of 2011 free agency.

The 25-year old is a big man on ice but seems to lack the aggressive follow through punch that would make him a more effective power forward. Maybe the time overseas will help his overall game.

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.

03May

Andreas Thuresson(55) Connecticut Whale

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Unlikely hero #1: 5th year Connecticut Whale right wing Andreas Thuresson(55) scores the overtime winning goal at 2:53 in game 1 of the Calder Cup Eastern Conference Semi-Finals vs. the red-hot Norfolk Admirals to take the series lead 1-0 on enemy ice.

Originally a 5th round pick by Nashville Predators in the 2007 draft (##144 overall) the Swedish-born 6’1″ 211 lbs. forward has played 277 regular season games with their AHL affiliate Milwaukee Admirals scoring 53 goals and 65 assists.

He has also appeared in 25 NHL games over a couple of seasons and put a goal and a pair of assists up on the scoresheet.

A peek at his postseason stats of 8 goals and 11 assists in 37 games suggests he’s more than capable of coming through with that big point when it counts.

He was traded to New York Rangers on the day after free agency began and signed to a one-year, two-way contract. We think they’ll issue him a qualifying offer for another season.

26Mar

Ben Guite(28) Worcester Sharks

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12th year veteran center, Worcester Sharks‘ Ben Guite(28) has missed a majority of 2011/2012 due to complications from a concussion he sustained early in the AHL season.

He recently returned to the team and is contributing in their push toward the Calder Cup Playoffs.

In 15 games this year he has 2 goals and 7 assists but despite not being a prolific goal scorer, he’s look to for his leadership and playing intensity on the ice.

He’s appeared in 175 NHL games (all but seven of them with Colorado Avalanche from 2006 – 2009) scoring 19 goals and 26 assists.

In 574 AHL games he has 101 goals and 172 assists.

He was originally picked by Montreal Canadiens in the 7th round of 1997 draft (#172 overall). The 33-year old signed a one-year, two-way deal with San Jose Sharks in the offseason.

20Dec

Jed Ortmeyer(22) Minnesota Wild

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33-year old undrafted 9th year vet wing Jed Ortmeyer(22) has skated in 311 NHL games counting his current call up to Minnesota Wild, a team he has been signed with for the last couple seasons mostly for his leadership with the younger guys on their AHL affiliate Houston Aeros.

In 4 games with the Wild in 2010/2011 he failed to register a point but he plays big and can’t really shut opposing players done.

Throughout his career he skated 3 years with New York Rangers to start, followed by a couple of seasons in Nashville Predators‘ system and then his career best full season with San Jose Sharks in 2009/2010 (8 goals, 11 assists) before ending up in Minnesota.

In his first NHL game of 2011/2012, he skated almost 12 minutes of ice time.