NHL draft pick | CollegeHockeyPlayers

26Jun

Joakim Andersson(18) Detroit Red Wings

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Detroit Red Wings‘ 3rd round pick in the 2007 draft (#88 overall), Swedish-born center Joakim Andersson(18) has been given a qualifying offer to stay in the team’s prospect system for a fourth season.

He originally signed a 3-year entry level deal that is up as of July 1 and is coming off a career year in the system, playing 38 NHL games, scoring 3 goals and 5 assists during the shortened lockout season and adding another tally and 5 helpers in 14 playoff games.

The 6’2″ 205 lbs. forward was reassigned to their minor league affiliate Grand Rapid Griffins as soon as they were eliminated, rejoining a team the 24-year old had already skated in 189 AHL games with, including 36 to start 2012/2013. He had 10 goals and 17 assists in his most recent campaign and 38 goals and 63 assists total.

As a Griffin once again, he put up another 3 goals and 5 assists on the way to a Calder Cup Championship ring.

Might very well be the last the lower league sees of this guy.

24Jun

Andy Andreoff(12) Manchester Monarchs

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Tough as nails Los Angeles Kings‘ 3rd round pick in the 2011 draft (#80 overall), left wing Andy Andreoff(12) had a good rookie season with 13 goals and 13 assists in 69 games for AHL affiliate Manchester Monarchs.

He also accrued a healthy 111 penalty minutes and at 6’1″ 217 lbs. was always a hard-nosed customer when challenged.

He also seemed to take his game to the next level come playoff hockey time, as he has connected for a pair of goals and three assists in 8 postseason contests over a couple of Calder Cup Playoff rounds.

The 22-year old signed a three-year entry level deal that kicked in while he was still playing in juniors with Oshawa Generals and is set to become a restricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2013/2014 campaign.

He has yet to receive his first official NHL recall but joined the parent club as part of the “black aces” practice squad for the last couple of playoff runs, including the Kings’ 2012 Stanley Cup win.

Bets are on that he scores that recall in the upcoming season.

19Jun

Tomas Tatar(27) Grand Rapids Griffins

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Detroit Red Wings‘ 2nd round pick in the 2009 draft (#60 overall), Slovakian-born left wing Tomas Tatar(27) was awarded the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player in the 2013 AHL Calder Cup Playoffs for his part in Grand Rapid Griffins‘ championship win.

His 16 goals were a postseason best and he finished tied for second in scoring with 21 points.

He started the lockout season back home with SHK 37 Piestany until he was returned to the AHL to keep him closer to the parent club.

He pocketed a swift 5 goals and 5 assists before he returned.

Within the first couple of weeks of the NHL reconvening the small-ish 5’10” 185 lbs. forward was recalled and playing consistently in the show.

In 18 games in the shortened season, he proved his abilities to compete with 4 goals and 3 assists before being sent back down.

He was recalled and reassigned numerous times as a rookie but never appeared in a game until his sophomore season, when he notched a first big league goal in 9 appearances.

The still only 22-year old with four years of North American pro hockey playing experience has another campaign left on his 3-year entry level deal (two seasons of slides due to his young age) and will likely find himself with a full-time role in the show for 2013/2014.

13Jun

Jan Mursak (39)

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Detroit Red Wings‘ 5th year, 6th round pick in the 2006 draft (#182 overall), Slovenian-born right wing Jan Mursak(39) has already made it public knowledge of his intentions next season to join Amur Khabarovsk of the KHL, reportedly to return to playing on the bigger sheets of ice.

He didn’t let that stand in the way of scoring the winning goal in game three of the 2013 Calder Cup Finals to help his current team, AHL affiliate Grand Rapid Griffins, to a sweep-ready 3-0 series lead.

The 25-year old is set to become an unrestricted free agent after signing a two-year, one-way extension as his entry level contract was up.

He has 46 games of NHL experience to his credit scoring a pair of goals and assists.

In 213 contests in the minors, he’s registered 43 goals and 60 assists with a huge +41 rating.

Almost ironically he started the lockout season back in his country skating for Olimpija Ljubljana in Erste Bank Eishockey Liga, where he logged 30 games, connecting for a career high 48 points and 29 helpers.

If he continues to excel overseas, there could be some room for him to return to North American pro hockey, but it remains to be seen if his heart keeps him closer to home.

09Jun

Riley Sheahan(19) Grand Rapid Griffins

Posted in NHL | Leave a comment

Detroit Red Wings‘ 1st round pick in the 2010 draft (#21 overall), rookie center Riley Sheahan(19) got the winning goal for their minor league affiliate Grand Rapid Griffins in game 1 of the AHL Calder Cup Finals.

In 20 postseason contest he has 3 goals and 9 assists with a +6 rating. He appeared in all 72 regular season games and showed excellent point production with 16 markers and 20 helpers.

He’s appeared in a pair of games (one last season after finishing up 3 years at Notre Dame and one this year) with the parent club but has yet to hit the score sheet.

The 6’2″ 212 lbs. forward was never much of a scorer in college hockey but with a fairly large frame at only 21-years old he is definitely a prospect with potential.

07Jun

Tomas Kubalik(19) HC Lev Praha

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

3rd year, Czech Republic-born right wing Tomas Kubalik(19) was originally a Columbus Blue Jackets‘ 5th round pick in the 2008 draft (#135 overall), signed to a three-year entry level deal.

He was playing in his third season with their AHL team, Springfield Falcons, where in the last couple seasons his point production had slipped to a level that was equal to the totals of his rookie campaign.

Although part of that story can be attributed to the injury bug that seemed to follow him.

Reports suggested the 6’3″ 220 lbs. skater with all the attributes of a power forward wanted out of town, because he wasn’t get a fair shot with the parent club.

In 12 NHL games over a couple of seasons he had one goal and three assists with a -6 rating.

He was involved in a late season trade of minor league players with Winnipeg Jets that had him reassigned to their affiliate St. John’s IceCaps for the remainder of his contract.

He only connected for 3 assists in 10 games, which resulted in at least a couple of games as a healthy scratch.

The 23-year old, who has been playing pro hockey since he was 16, was set to become a restricted free agent but decided it’s time to take his game back overseas, signing a 1-year deal to join HC Lev Praha of the KHL.

One has to think if he is able to connect there, he may be invited back for another go at the North American style game.

06Jun

Chris Wideman (6) Binghamton Senators

Posted in Profile | Leave a comment

Ottawa Senators‘ 4th round pick in the 2009 draft (#100 overall), defenseman Chris Wideman(6) started his pro career in the ECHL with affiliate Elmira Jackals.

It only took him less than a few weeks and games (posting 4 assists) to earn his first recall to Binghamton Senators in the AHL.

Other than one reassignment for an overnight and a game, in which he got his fifth helper, he was back up with the B-Sens for the remainder of his rookie season and playoffs.

In 60 games, the 5’10” 185 lbs. blue liner (those numbers seem a tad inflated) scored a pair of goals and 16 assists with a +8 rating. He added a goal and 2 assists in three Calder Cup Playoff contests, tying him for the lead in postseason scoring, while he was second on the team for assists in the regular season.

The 23-year old signed a two-year entry level deal that makes him a restricted free agent at the end of the upcoming season.

He may seem small out there but he plays responsibly and showed the potential to have an offensive upside in his first campaign and throughout four years at Miami University.

Despite the abundance of good defensive specialists in the system, it would be no surprise to see him score an NHL recall.

03Jun

Olivier Roy(38) Oklahoma City Barons

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Edmonton Oilers‘ 5th round pick in the 2009 draft (#133 overall), goaltender Olivier Roy(38) had himself a pretty sparkling sophomore season spending most of his time in the AHL with Oklahoma City Barons.

He started to get reassigned to the ECHL Stockton Thunder with more frequency towards the back third of the season and played in 22 Kelly Cup Playoff games backstopping them all the way to the Finals.

Injured during game 4, he had to sit on the sidelines for the last contest before his team bowed out but put up a very impressive streak 0f 7-2 with a 1.21 GAA and .961 SV% to propel his squad into the postseason.

Then his 12-7 mark helped push the team to the last round of the playoffs, beating a pair of teams with better regular season records.

Almost ironically the 6′ 180 lbs. backstop also played in 22 AHL games. He ended with a 9-9-1 mark and a 2.77 GAA and .902 SV%.

He turns 22-years old this summer and be on the final season of his 3-year entry level deal. His pretty impressive performance should net him a look between the pipes for the parent club in the upcoming campaign.

In the meantime though, he was reassigned back up to join the Barons‘ practice squad to continue to gain experience in their playoff push.

29May

Tyler Bunz(30) Stockton Thunder

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Edmonton Oilers‘ 5th round pick in the 2010 draft (#121 overall) rookie goaltender Tyler Bunz(30) stepped in for ECHL affiliate Stockton Thunder in the Kelly Cup Finals,when an injury took out the starter and helped extend the series to at least a fifth game before bowing out to the eventual winners, Reading Royals.

Signed to a three-year entry level deal he started his first season in AHL training camp with Oklahoma City Barons before being sent down to gain playing time with the glut of backstop prospects in the system. He also appeared in a couple Oilers‘ camps.

He appeared in 37 games posting a 16-16-2-2 record with a 3.35 GAA and .886 SV%. He also had one shutout. In one AHL game with OKC he didn’t fair nearly as well.

The 6’1″ 198 lbs. net minder was very impressive in his last two campaigns in junior hockey with Medicine Hat Tigers. He won more games than any other goalie in his team’s history and was named WHL best in his final year.

Even with the accolades, he may be assigned for another season in Stockton to continue bringing up his game.

The 21-year old may be off to a bit of a slow start in his pro career but that could all change in a hurry.

25May

Eric Hunter(15) Stockton Thunder

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Double draft pick, 2nd year center Eric Hunter(15) was the hero in game 4 with 2 tallies, including the game-winning goal, giving Stockton Thunder a heartbeat in the ECHL Kelly Cup Finals.

Originally a Chicago Blackhawks‘ 8th round pick in 2004 (#229 overall) he was never signed and went back into the pool only be selected again a couple of years later by New York Rangers in the 6th round (#174 overall). They also didn’t sign him.

After five seasons of junior hockey with Prince George Cougars, he elected to attend college in Canada and played for another four years with University Of Alberta.

He maintained a close to or more than a point per game production since his second campaign in juniors and upon completion of his higher education inked his first pro contract, a 1-year AHL deal with Lake Erie Monsters.

The very decently sized 6’1″ 194 lbs. center skated 75 games in 2011/2012 scoring 6 goals and 10 assists, although wasn’t retained by the team for another season.

Looking at a crowded hockey landscape due to the impending NHL lockout, he signed another one-year agreement to join Stockton. In 60 games, he was regaining that scoring touch with 17 goals and 22 assists.

He continues the pace in the postseason with 5 goals and 7 assists in 21 games, while holding a +4 rating.

He was also recalled by Oklahoma City Barons on 4 occasions putting up a goal in 11 contests. After attending training camp with the team, he was sent back to start the regular season but later added to the roster on an spc.

The 26-year old is likely in line for another AHL tour of duty for 2013/2014.