NHL draft pick | CollegeHockeyPlayers

31Oct

Danny Kristo(29) Hartford Wolf Pack

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Rookie right wing Danny Kristo(29) is off to a hot start with his pro career.

In 9 AHL games with Hartford Wolf Pack he already has 6 goals and 3 assists, which basically picks up where he left off at University Of North Dakota.

Through four years, he put up 68 goals and 93 assists in 157 games, good for just over a point-per-game.

He also was a part of three straight NCAA Championship teams, won a gold medal with USA at the World Juniors and on a personal level was a Hobey Baker Award finalist.

The 5’11” 185 lbs. forward was originally a Montreal Canadiens‘ 2nd round draft pick and played 9 games signed to an ato with their minor league affiliate Hamilton Bulldogs at the end of last season. He tallied three helpers in the stint.

He inked to a two-year entry level deal but at the start of free agency he found himself switching jerseys and headed to New York Rangers.

The 23-year old definitely has smooth hands for scoring and play-making and also possesses a bit of a grinder mentality to his game despite his smaller size.

He should realize his first NHL recall sooner than later and will probably stick as soon as he gets a chance.

25Oct

Derek Grant (57)

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Ottawa Senators‘ 4th round pick in the 2008 draft (#119 overall) center Derek Grant(57) scores his second NHL recall in as many years.

In a pair of appearances he has yet to hit the score sheet but does sport a +1 rating.

He spent 5 games with the parent club in 2012/2013 scoring no points while trying to assert his 6’3″ 206 lbs. presence.

In the final year of his three-year entry level contract with 140 AHL games with affiliate Binghamton Senators to his credit, he’s definitely looking to make an impact.

His 19 goals and 28 points in the minors last season established new career highs.

He already notched two tallies in three games with the B-Sens, which gained him enough notice to warrant a promotion to the parent club searching for more winning consistency.

The 23-year old could stand to add a bit more muscle on his frame and to his game to achieve true power forward status but has proven his effectiveness in the face-off circle, winning more than half his draws, which gives him some additional clout.

He changed his number this season so his “57” would be the same in both leagues.

See related: 4/19-11

24Oct

Derek Forbort(3) Manchester Monarchs

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Los Angeles Kings‘ 1st round pick in the 2010 draft (#15 overall) defenseman Derek Forbort(3) decided to ditch his fourth and final year of college hockey at University Of North Dakota and start his pro career, inking a 3-year entry level deal.

He signed an ato and skated in 6 regular season and 4 playoff games with minor league affiliate Manchester Monarchs, where he put up one assist.

After attending both prospect and official training camps with the parent club, the big 6’4″ 218 lbs. rejoins the Monarchs to begin his rookie season and in 8 AHL games already has his first goal and another helper with a +4 rating.

He was never quite known as a scorer, putting the puck in the net on a regular basis but has been effective with the outlet pass to get the play moving up ice for scoring chances and is known mostly for his shutdown defensive abilities.

The 21-year old also won back-to-back NCAA Championships, so knows what it takes to win, which was probably a factor in his top selection spot.

22Oct

Freddie Hamilton(12) San Jose Sharks

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San Jose Sharks‘ 5th round pick in the 2010 draft (#129 overall), center Freddie Hamilton(12) was one cut or two away from being on the team’s 2013/2014 opening night roster to start his sophomore season but was returned to minor league affiliate Worcester Sharks.

He played in all 76 AHL regular season games in his rookie campaign scoring a nifty 13 goals and 13 assists, while never looking out of place.

The sort of small-ish looking 6’1″ 195 lbs. forward always battles hard and looks to become a full-time fixture in the show as he continues to mature and excel.

After a couple of games with the baby Sharks and his first goal of the new season, he received his first game recall, helping the parent club keep their perfect record intact in a 1-0 shootout win.

In his NHL debut he skated 19 shifts for 12:54 minutes of total ice time. There’s every reason to believe the 21-year old will skate more games with the parent club this year.

In four seasons of junior hockey with Niagara IceDogs he was a point per game player.

He’s also the slightly older brother of Boston Bruins’ Dougie Hamilton.

21Oct

Rob Davison(3) Worcester Sharks

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13th year defenseman Rob Davison(3) comes full circle in his pro career signing a one-year, two-way deal with San Jose Sharks, the team that picked him in the 4th round of the 1998 draft (#98 overall).

He spent the last couple of seasons overseas playing mostly for EC Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian Hockey League.

The rock solid 6’3″ 215 lbs. blue liner has skated in 219 NHL games with the Sharks, New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks and New Jersey Devils.

His tour of the AHL has been a bit more well-traveled with stops that include games for Kentucky Thoroughblades, Cleveland Barons, Lowell and Albany Devils and this year he’s team captain of Worcester Sharks.

The 33-year old has never been the biggest point getter but guards his own zone with gusto and has topped the 200 penalty minute mark twice in his first pair of seasons and then put up over 100 pims before leaving North American hockey.

He’s a true leader that will likely find himself behind the bench in a coaching role once he decides he’s had enough ice time.

18Oct

Keven Veilleux(19) Gwinnett Gladiators

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5th year center Keven Veilleux(19) begins the 2013/2014 season in the ECHL with Gwinnett Gladiators on reassignment from the parent club (although not under contract) after attending both parent clubs, Phoenix Coyotes and Portland Pirates‘ training camps on invites.

The big 6’5″ 224 lbs. forward was originally a Pittsburgh Penguins‘ 2nd round pick in the 2007 draft (#51 overall) and signed to a three-year entry level deal but never skated with the team.

He was reassigned to their farm club, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, where he suffered season ending injuries on two occasions and only played one full campaign with them.

In that year he played like the power forward he’s projected to become, scoring 12 goals and 24 assists with 122 penalty minutes in 66 AHL games.

The still only 24-year old forward inked an NHL extension for another season but was sent further down the prospect chain to their double A affiliate Wheeling Nailers, where he continued to pick up his scoring pace but was also involved in a racial tirade that got his pro career in a lot of hot water.

It’s very probable that towering offensive presence will see more time in the higher league on a pto but where it goes from there is anyone’s guess, unless he steps it up.

13Oct

Mathieu Perreault(24) Anaheim Ducks

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After his first 5 pro seasons with Washington Capitals‘ organization, center Mathieu Perreault(24) was traded to Anaheim Ducks to help make space and fit its roster under the salary cap.

He started in the team’s system with minor league affiliate Hershey Bears and won consecutive Calder Cup Championships in 2009 and 2010.

The somewhat small-ish 5’10” 185 lbs. forward showed a knack for the net. In 166 AHL games he scored 38 goals and 97 assists in regular season play and added another 12 tallies and 21 helpers in 51 postseason contests. He also has an outrageous combined +62 rating.

He appeared in a decent amount of NHL games in his 2nd and 3rd seasons but became a regular in the league in the last two years.

His totals in the show are also good at 35 goals and 40 assists in 163 games and is a highly accountable +20 plus/minus.

The 25-year old was absolutely outstanding in three years of junior hockey with Acadie-Bathurst Titan putting together 93 goals and 195 assists in 194 games with an almost nutty +81 on ice.

Since the trade to the Ducks, he’s storming out of the gate in 2013/2014 with a pair of goals and 3 assists in 4 games and a +3.

11Oct

Aaron Johnson(44) New York Rangers

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11th year defenseman Aaron Johnson(44) signs a 1-year, 1-way contract with New York Rangers, his 7th NHL team.

He was made their affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack team captain to start the season and there could be similar thoughts like what Nashville Predators did when signing him to a one-year deal, ship him to their minor league affiliate, Milwaukee Admirals for the season. But the parent club’s slow out of the gate and may need to switch things up even further, which would open the door for the 30-year defenseman to get some more games in the show on his stat sheet.

He’s played 297 big league games scoring 17 times with 45 assists and a nifty little +1 rating.

In the AHL his numbers are sort of phantomly similar with 26 goals and 86 helpers but he has a -5 plus/minus.

The former Columbus Blue Jackets‘ 3rd round pick in the 2001 draft (#85 overall) still has some left in the tank.

A couple of seasons ago, back with the team that drafted him, he put up a career tying 3 goals and a high mark 13 assists.

We think it’s likely he gets to the 300 NHL game club this season.

05Oct

Lucas Lessio(38) Phoenix Coyotes

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Phoenix Coyotes‘ 2nd round pick in the 2011 draft (#56 overall) left wing Lucas Lessio(38) makes his NHL debut to start his rookie season.

He signed an ato to join their minor league affiliate Portland Pirates to start his pro career after three years in the OHL with Oshawa Generals.

In 5 AHL games he scored his first goal and assist and added another pair of helpers in 3 playoff contests.

The 6’1″ 206 lbs. forward was basically a point-per-game player in juniors racking up 80 goals and 70 assists in 167 games.

He’s signed to a 3-year entry level deal that keeps him with the team through the 2015/2016 season.

At only 20-years old he’s projected to become a top six, power forward in the league.

04Oct

Reilly Smith (18)

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2nd year right wing Reilly Smith(18) makes his 2013/2014 season debut on the opening night roster of his new team, Boston Bruins.

He was originally a Dallas Stars‘ 3rd round pick in the 2009 draft (#69 overall) and skated 38 NHL games in his rookie campaign on up and down recall with AHL affiliate Texas Stars. He put in 3 goals and 6 assists on the top level and added another 14 goals and 21 assists in 45 minor league games.

The 6′ 185 lbs. forward also skated in 3 NHL games after finishing up his playing career at Miami University. He was a point-per-game guy in college pocketing 66 goals and 56 helpers in 121 contests.

He’s signed to a 3-year entry level deal through the end of the current season but will easily get qualified.

The 22-year old now just needs to prove he should stay with the parent club.