NHL draft pick | CollegeHockeyPlayers

06Nov

Keven Veilleux(44) Wheeling Nailers

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Few players have been bitten by the injury bug more than Pittsburgh Penguins‘ 2nd round pick in the 2007 draft (#51 overall), right wing Keven Vellieux(44).

He’s only skated almost one complete season over the course of a 3-year pro career in 2010/2011 with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. But even then, skating in 66 games he missed over a dozen contests.

The 6’5″ 218 lbs. forward did put up some decently impressive numbers potting 12 goals and 24 assists, while going a +17 plus/minus on what was a very good team that year, and added another 4 points in the postseason.

2011/2012 however got scrapped entirely due to a blown out knee in preseason play that required surgery setting him back yet another full campaign, when he was diligently looking to continue to prove himself.

Penguins‘ brass still have hopes for the 23-year old though as they qualified him for another go in 2012/2013.

Still not full recovered from his injury 9 match-ups into the new season, he has been reassigned to ECHL affiliate Wheeling Nailers for the first time to get his game on. He should light the lamp and pound some fists consistently in the lower league quickly leading him back up to the AHL.

04Nov

Alex Burmistrov(8) St. John’s IceCaps

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Atlanta Thrashers‘ 1st round pick in the 2010 draft (#8 overall), Russian-born center Alex Burmistrov(8) starts the final season of his 3-year entry level deal with Winnipeg Jets‘ AHL affiliate St. John’s IceCaps, while the NHL ponders playing at all.

He already has 150 games of experience in the show scoring 19 goals and 29 assists, including career highs in games played, goals, assists, points, penalty minutes and shots on net in 2011/2012.

The rather lightweight-looking 6′ 175 lbs., just turned 21-year old forward has the entire skill set he needs to compete on the top level and is already starting to gel in the AHL with a goal and 5 assists in 10 contests.

There’s little doubt he could add some muscle to his stick-handling assets but he may be just quick enough to continue to elude opponents and put up points at an elite pace.

02Nov

Adam Mair(11) retired

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12 year veteran center Adam Mair(11) has hung up his skates.

He’s played a total of 685 NHL regular season games scoring 38 goals and 76 assists, while racking up 829 penalty minutes.

Last year he was limited to 32 games for Springfield Falcons of the AHL because of an ankle injury, which required midseason surgery to repair, and also lost playing time to a 4-game suspension for a hit to the head.

The 33-year old forward probably thought it was going to be to difficult to sign a contract in yet another NHL lockout year (he sat idle during the first one in 2004/2005), so this was a good time to call it a career.

He’ll easily be remembered as a player for his 7 seasons in a Buffalo Sabres‘ uniform making sure opponents were held accountable.

His grit and determination will be missed but his path in hockey continues as he signed on to be the Director Of Player Development for Canisius College Golden Griffins in where else, downtown Buffalo.

01Nov

Zemgus Girgensons(28) Rochester Americans

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Talk about a sprint to get your career started, Buffalo Sabres‘ 1st round pick in this year’s draft (#14 overall), Latvian center Zemgus Girgensons(28) goes from his second season of scoring a point per game in the USHL, American junior hockey to the pros.

He had committed to attend University of Vermont next year but he excelled so well in prospect camp that the higher ups were thinking he might be ready to step right into the game and signed him to a 3-year entry level deal.

With the NHL on lockdown, he lacks the chance to make the big club out of training camp and starts his rookie season in the AHL with their close-by affiliate Rochester Americans.

At only 18 years old this is somewhat unprecedented. There’s no doubt that he possesses the size, 6’1″ 198 lbs. to compete and he’s known for playing a battler style of hockey.

Some of that seemed to be on display during the Amerks recent visit to the Glens Falls Civic Center in their 6-2 pounding of Adirondack Phantoms but they might be pushing this one along a bit fast.

He has 2 assists in 8 games and is a -1 plus/minus.

He seems like a really bright kid so there’s no doubt he’s going to be playing pro hockey for a long time and is now, but will he continue to this season?

30Oct

Mika Zibanejad (93)

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Ottawa Senators‘ 1st round pick in the 2011 draft (#6 overall) Swedish-born center, Mika Zibanejad(93) started his pro career at age 18 in the NHL last season but was returned to Djurgardens of the Elite League to finish out the year.

In 26 games, the youngster posted 5 goals and 13 assists.

He’s listed at 6’1″ 200 lbs. but doesn’t play a very big and aggressive game.

He’s easily more of a scoring and playmaking finesse skater.

Now 19 years old, to officially start his pro career while the show sits idle, Ottawa has reassigned him to play in the AHL with Binghamton.

He’s appeared in 7 contests and has dished a pair of helpers but has yet to tally one of his own.

More time in the gym as the season progresses and this kid will be a threat.

29Oct

Nick Petersen (8)

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Originally a Pittsburgh Penguins‘ 4th round pick in the 2009 draft (#121 overall), right wing Nick Petersen(8) was bought out the final year of his 3-year entry level contract by the team.

He appeared in a career high 52 AHL games with their farm team, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins scoring a best 11 goals and 16 assists, 27 points with a +15 plus/minus.

The kind of lanky 6’2″ 185 lbs. forward started his pro career in the ECHL with Wheeling Nailers, where he lit the lamp with ease clocking in at just shy of a 1.5 points per game player and was reassigned and recalled from on a couple of occasions during his rookie season.

There were some minor rumors floating that he was a difficult player in the system.

He signed a training camp tryout agreement with Houston Aeros to start the third campaign of his pro career and although he failed to make the opening night roster, he was kept on and sent to their affiliate Orlando Solar Bears.

In 6 ECHL games he has 6 goals and 8 assists with a +4 rating and has been quickly called-up to Houston.

Turns out he was a healthy scratch for one game and sent back.

When he gets his chance, you can pretty much bet he’ll produced on the scoresheet.

Nice black eye in the pic, right?

27Oct

Chris Kreider(20) Connecticut Whale

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New York Rangers‘ 1st round pick in the 2009 draft (#19 overall) left wing Chris Kreider(20) probably didn’t expect to be starting his rookie season in the AHL with Connecticut Whale after stepping into the Blueshirts’ Stanley Cup playoffs lineup for 18 games earning 5 goals and 2 assists on the stat sheet.

That doesn’t even take into consideration his Boston College Eagles winning a second national title in his senior year or the point per game effort he posted during the regular season to help them gain that glory.

We’re also leaving out the fact that his first goals during the playoffs were game-winners, a first by any player and he had the most goals by any skater joining a team before appearing in a single contest during regular season.

But that’s what a lockout can manifest for a young player more keen to be kept in close range of the big club to watch his development. Thank the CBA for those two-way entry level deals.

In 4 games with the Whale he only has a pair of assists on a team that’s surprisingly clawing for wins early in the 2012/2013 season.

Maybe he’s not quite giving it his full guns in the minors but if the NHL standoff continues look for him to regain the spark and start pressing for more scoring chances.

26Oct

Brian O’Hanley(38) San Antonio Rampage

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5th year defenseman Brian O’Hanley(38) was originally a San Jose Sharks‘ 9th round pick in the 2003 draft (#267 overall) and bounced his way around from ECHL to the AHL in pretty much each of his pro seasons, although he continues to call Cincinnati Cyclones his home base having played games with the team in every year, including one full season, 2009-2010; the only time he ever skated for a single club in a campaign.

He appeared in AHL career highs last season with 44 games scoring 4 goals and 7 assists, most of them with his real hometown team, Worcester Sharks. He was born in one hour away Quincy, MA and played his college hockey at Boston College.

At 5’11” 191 lbs. he isn’t the biggest of the blue liners out there but plays the puck pretty well and is accountable for his space on the ice.

Heading into the new season he signed a training camp tryout with San Antonio Rampage and stuck but was reassigned, yes, once again to Cincinnati to start the season. And he did scoring 2 goals and adding 2 assists in 3 games earning him his first call-up.

The 27-year old should be able to flourish with all the talent in the upper league.

25Oct

Evan Bloodoff (25)

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Phoenix Coyotes‘ 6th round pick in the 2009 draft (#157 overall) left wing Evan Bloodoff(25) never signed a deal with the team but upon being reassigned to their affiliate Portland Pirates out of training camp inked a two-year AHL contract that started in 2011/2012.

In 48 games last year, he hit the scoresheet for 6 goals a pair of assists, while going a shaky -10 plus/minus.

The 5’11” 205 lbs. forward was also a healthy scratch for way more games that he would have liked to have been in the stands for.

He skated in only one game so far for the Pirates in 2012/2013 and has been reassigned for the first time in his short pro career to get some more playing time in the ECHL with their affiliate Gwinnett Gladiators.

He should get some quality ice time down there which should help his game.

22Oct

Adam Henrique(14) Albany Devils

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This one gets slotted in the “can you believe this is happening?” file. But regardless, is still too cool.

2nd year center Adam Henrique(14) is back skating with Albany Devils, the first pro emblem he wore on his chest, as the NHL, where he well-excelled in his rookie season, waits.

He’s picked up an assistant captain letter on his jersey since his last time with the A-Devils and a whole lot of gusto to his game. Despite going the first couple of dates without a point, he fixed that with a goal in the team’s first road contest, a 4-0 win.

On a side note, he now wears the same no. 14 that he does with the big club.

See related posts: 5/26-12, 10/24-11, 8/27-11