2nd year Boston Bruins defenseman, Matt Bartkowski(43) impressed enough at training camp to score himself a spot in the lineup on opening night. He appeared in 6 games for them last season
Originally picked by Florida in the 7th round of the 2008 draft (#190 overall), he played most of his rookie season in the AHL with Providence appearing in 69 games picking up 5 goals and 18 assists. Only real downside was his -18 plus/minus.
Still looking to add the right measure of toughness to their starting lineup on opening night, Vancouver Canucks claims forward Dale Weise(23) off waivers from New York Rangers. He was impressive in training camp for the Blueshirts but was one of a few odd-men out when it came down to the final cuts. It’s doubtful the Rangers thought they would lose the big guy (6’2″ 206 lbs.) on his first trip through the wire post his 3-year entry level deal.
He needs to stay healthy (had issues last year) but could be an effective fourth line agitator with the ability to put the puck in the net from time-to-time.
Connecticut Whale will miss this guy.
Washington Capitals‘ 2003 8th round pick (#249 overall) center Andrew Joudrey(24) will skate for only his second pro team going into his fifth year pro.
Former captain for Hershey Bears, he signed a two-year, two-way deal with Columbus and will be a leader for their AHL affiliate, Springfield Falcons.
Late last month he played his first preseason game at New England Sports Center in Marlborough, MA vs. Providence Bruins after being reassigned from Blue Jackets‘ training camp..
No surprise former San Jose Sharks‘ 2006 1st round draft pick (#16 overall) defenseman Ty Wishart(15) was recently reassigned from New York Islanders‘ training camp to the team’s AHL affiliate, Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Picked up in a trade last season from Tampa Bay, he played 20 games in the NHL (1 goal, 4 assists) and 20 in the AHL (0 goals, 9 assists) with the Sound Tigers.
The large-framed d-man (6’4″ 218 lbs.) seems to be still growing into his game. He mostly looked out of place in preseason games, so this is no surprise.
There’s still tons of potential here. He’s only 23 years old but he’s going to have to show it soon or his third team in 5 years pro or find himself playing in some league like the KHL.
2005 7th round Ottawa Senators draft pick (#204 overall) Colin Greening(15) has to be viewed as somewhat of a diamond in the rough find by their scouts, considering how low he was drafted.
In the off-season he signed himself a three-year, one-way deal before his one-year entry level contract ran out and now is being hyped as a sizable pick-up for the Sens.
Last season in his rookie year he appeared in 24 NHL games (6 goals, 7 assists) and 59 with Binghamton in the AHL (15 goals, 25 assists), plus another 23 Calder Cup Playoff games (1 goal, 4 assists) en route to winning it. That totals a pretty outstanding 106 games played in the 2010/2011 season.
The future for Ottawa is looking brighter. He also recently got to play a preseason game in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where he was born.
Boston Bruins‘ 1st round pick in the 2007 draft (#8 overall) center Zach Hamill(52) had to clear waivers before being reassigned to the AHL Providence Bruins. He’s on the fourth year of his entry level contract.
Usually players can go up and down between leagues for the first three years, which was the case with him. But this season since he’s already had three full campaigns in the AHL (due to a late birthday and initial contract signing), he has to clear waivers each time he’s called up and sent back down.
The Bruins have a lot of depth at the center position, so this may be his last season in the system.
Boston Bruins‘ 2nd round draft pick in the 2011 draft (#40 overall), the new Russian Rocket, Alexander Khokhlachev(76) was very impressive through all three training camps before recently being returned to his junior team, Windsor Spitfires of the OHL for his second season.
In one game back with them he’s already potted 1 goal and an assist. Last season he was over a point per game player averaging a little over a goal and an assist a contest.
He’s listed as being 5’10” 183 lbs. but they must be dipping him in heavy paint before weighing him, because he looks a lot smaller. He does have wheels and abilities and only just turned 18 a couple of weeks ago (Sept. 9, 1993).
Boston Bruins released defenseman Dougie Hamilton(53), their 2011 1st round draft pick back to his junior team, Niagara IceDogs of the OHL for the upcoming season.
He participated in all three camps (prospects, rookie and the main camp) with the team showing some sharp skating and both defensive and offensive abilities.
He’s a giant at 6’5″ but still needs to fill out his 193 lbs. frame to a playing weight in the 220 lbs. range for maximum effectiveness.
I have him pegged to be a punisher on defense much like Chris Pronger is.
5th year defenseman Dylan Reese(2) looks to become a full-time NHL player after splitting time with New York Islanders and their AHL affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers the last couple seasons.
He scored the Isles first two goals in their preseason game against the Bruins on 9/23 (a 6-3 loss) and looked good offensively but less stable in the defensive zone.
It’s almost certain that he’ll be making a few car trips between Long Island and Connecticut again in 2011/2012.
Originally drafted by New York Rangers in the 7th round of the 2003 draft (#209 overall), he only skated 10 games with Hartford Wolf Pack at the end of his college career with Harvard Crimson but never signed with the team.
In what could have been his rookie season last year, Los Angeles Kings‘ 1st round pick in the 2009 draft (#5 overall) Brayden Schenn(11) was on a bit of a roller coaster ride starting the season with the NHL team for 8 games before getting demoted to the AHL where he scored 4 goals, 3 assists in 7 contests and then ultimately sent back to his junior team in the Western Hockey League to play out the rest of 2010/2011.
He returned to the Manchester Monarchs to help them in the Calder Cup Playoffs after finishing up his final season in juniors.
In the offseason, he was dished by Los Angeles to Philadelphia Flyers as part of a deal that got the Kings Mike Richards.
It looks likely that he’ll crack the Flyers‘ lineup on opening night but he’ll have to produce with consistency to stay there or it could be a few car rides between Philly and Adirondack in 2011/2012.