OHL | CollegeHockeyPlayers

09Apr

Andrey Pedan(3) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

Posted in AHL, ECHL | Leave a comment

New York Islanders‘ 3rd round pick in the 2011 draft (#63 overall), extra large 6’4″ 215 lbs. Russian-born defenseman Andrey Pedan(3) missed a good portion of his rookie season with minor league affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers due to an upper body injury that put him on the sidelines for almost three months.

Appearing in only 25 AHL games, he still was able to connect for 5 goals and 5 assists while playing a punishing shutdown style in his own zone.

His -1 rating is also nicely accountable on a team with a league second worst goal differential.

He’s been in the parent club’s training camps ever since he was selected but returned to junior hockey as a teenager, where he skated a few seasons with Guelph Storm before signing his three-year entry level deal.

No doubt this is a player that has been widely scouted, as he was a first round grab in both the 2010 KHL and OHL drafts.

He obviously decided to try his skates on North American ice for a shot at the NHL.

The 20-year old may return to the farm club for a full year of development in 2014/2015, but could very well be on the short list for a recall, especially if he continues to display more of his offense-minded upside.

08Apr

Maxim Kitsyn(48) Ontario Reign

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Los Angeles Kings‘ 6th round pick in the 2010 draft (#158 overall) Russian-born left wing Maxim Kitsyn(48) had a bit of a struggling first half of his rookie season, finding himself in an out of the lineup with AHL affiliate Manchester Monarchs.

His 3 goals and 1 assist in 20 contests wasn’t enough to crack a tough roster of skaters that have mostly been together in the prospect system for awhile.

The sturdy 6’2″ 192 lbs. forward already has five seasons, 110 games of KHL experience to his credit. He put together 10 goals and 9 assists, playing in the league since he was 16-years old.

He also spent the latter half of 2010/2011 playing in the OHL with Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors and parts of seasons in the Russian tier two league and juniors in his home country.

He was almost routinely a point-per-game guy in these levels of hockey.

Reassigned to double A affiliate Ontario Reign, he has managed to produce at a similar clip.

In 31 ECHL games he’s potted a handy 13 goals and 15 assists with an amazing +15 rating and has unloaded 100 shots on the net.

The 22-year old signed a three-year entry level contract and is definitely the exact kind of big frame offensive-minded player they call up to the NHL and sticks.

He can easily bring his game up to another level but will have to want it bad to get the look.

10Mar

Charles Sarault(17) Norfolk Admirals

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Anaheim Ducks‘ undrafted rookie center Charles Sarault(17) is having himself a decent first year on a Norfolk Admirals‘ team that’s stocked with talent both young and old.

In 40 AHL games he has 6 goals and 7 assists with a -5 rating on a team that’s 13 games over .500 but only has a +10 goals for/against differential.

The 5’11” 181 lbs. forward played in 11 contests with the team after his overage junior season was completed, notching 6 assists.

He led the OHL in assists for his last two campaigns with the Sarnia Sting, putting up a phenomenal 67 then 86 helpers.

Signed to a three-year entry level deal that keeps him in the system through 2015/2016, the 22-year old has plenty of time to develop but there’s no time like the present to start impressing.

The only knock on his play that can easily be spotted is the number of shots he puts on the cage, which should easily be double what he has.

07Feb

Brandon Alderson(19) Adirondack Phantoms

Posted in AHL, ECHL | Leave a comment

Philadelphia Flyers‘ undrafted rookie right wing Brandon Alderson(19) is the type of player that could sneak a call up to the NHL and make it stick for a long career.

At 6’4″ 200 lbs. he comes to the table with power forward size that should keep growing with age.

The 22-year old has never exactly put up amazing numbers, although he was a point-per-game guy in his fourth season of junior hockey in the OHL with Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

Pretty much strictly a fourth line player for minor league affiliate Adirondack Phantoms, he’s been able to connect for 6 goals and 4 assists in 41 AHL games.

He’s a big guy that can create space on the ice, who with a little offensive coaching could become a sleeper success.

Signed to a three-year entry level deal through 2016, he has some time to develop.

04Feb

Luke Judson(7) Idaho Steelheads

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Underdrafted rookie right wing Luke Judson(7) first popped up on the radar with an invite to San Jose Sharks‘ 2013 development camp. The team had been scouting him for the last few seasons as he served as captain for OHL Belleville Bulls.

He next appeared in Worcester Sharks‘ training camp before being released.

He joined San Francisco Bulls of the ECHL, the team he signed his first pro contract with over the summer.

The 6′ 200 lbs. forward took a bit of an odd route before inking his deal, deciding to first play a season of college hockey at Lakehead University.

Not the most prolific scorer, he did show an ability to connect with decent frequency through juniors and year at school.

The 23-year old only scored 4 goals through his first 31 games with a struggling SF squad and was probably relieved when they ceased operations.

He recently agreed to terms with Idaho Steelheads and the move will likely help him regain his scoring touch.

14Jan

Ivan Telegin (22)

Posted in AHL | Leave a comment

After refusing to start his sophomore campaign with minor league affiliate St. John’s IceCaps, Winnipeg Jets‘ Russian-born left wing Ivan Telegin(22) is being loaned back to his native country to skate in the KHL with CSKA Moskva for the balance of the regular season.

Originally an Atlanta Thrashers‘ 4th round pick in the 2010 draft (#101 overall), he only managed to play in 34 AHL games in his rookie year due to concussion symptoms that dragged on into the off-season.

He posted 3 goals and 7 assists in his limited time on ice.

In his three seasons of OHL junior hockey with a pair of teams he was over a point-per-game player.

The fairly large 6’3″ 198 lbs. forward is signed to a three-year entry level deal through 2015 but may only lace up his skates again in North America if he’s traded.

For now it’s a wait and see process for the 21-year old’s future.

09Dec

Greg McKegg(39) Toronto Marlies

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 3rd round pick in the 2010 draft (#62 overall) center Greg McKegg(9) enters his sophomore season seemingly ready to outdistance his rookie year scoring with minor league affiliate Toronto Marlies by a nice distance.

In 18 AHL games he has 5 goals and 5 assist, which puts him on pace for a 20-20 campaign.

He had 8 goals and 15 assists in 61 games with a +4 rating in his first season. He added another 3 goals and 3 assists in 9 Calder Cup Playoff match-ups.

The 21-year old is signed for a 3-year entry level deal that runs through the end of 2015.

He put up very amazing stats in 4 years of OHL junior hockey, mostly with Erie Otters but last with London Knights, where he won the league championship. He has 125 goals and 145 assists in 262 games.

The 6′ 191 lbs. forward may just be starting to find his space in the pros.

06Dec

Tobias Rieder(9) Portland Pirates

Posted in AHL, NHL | 1 Comment

Originally an Edmonton Oilers‘ 4th round pick in the 2011 draft (#114 overall) German-born right wing Tobias Rieder(9) was traded in a prospects’ deal to Phoenix Coyotes and quickly signed to a 3-year entry level contract.

He starts his pro career on reassignment to AHL affiliate Portland Pirates, where he’s making things happen in short order on the score sheet with 6 goals and a pair of assists in 11 games. He got sidelined with a lower body injury suffered in the debut but also scored his first two tallies.

The not so huge 5’11” 190 lbs. forward is always squarely in the middle of the play and usually comes out on the other end with a puck and a scoring chance.

At only 20-years old, he’s already played one campaign professionally in the Germany2 league for his hometown EV Landshut and did pretty well scoring 10 goals, 13 assists in 45 games as a teenager.

After that he left for three years of junior hockey in the OHL with Kitchener Rangers and amassed 231 points in 205 regular season and playoff games.

There’s little doubt he is a player that can make the jump up to the NHL. It’s just a matter of being given an opening, which looks likely to happen for him as a rookie.

05Dec

Reid Boucher(14) New Jersey Devils

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

New Jersey Devils‘ 4th round pick in the 2011 draft (#99 overall) left wing Reid Boucher(14) has been an impact player at 5’11” 195 lbs. ever since turning pro for the end of the 2012/2013 regular season with minor league affiliate Albany Devils.

He managed to skate in 11 AHL games and put together 3 goals and a pair of assists in his debut.

To start his rookie season he’s already struck for 10 goals and 8 assists in only 21 match-ups with a +4 rating.

The 20-year old only played a couple of campaigns in the OHL with Sarnia Sting; he scored 62 goals and 33 assists in 68 games last season, but already had two years in American junior USHL under his belt to give him a start.

He is American-born: Lansing, MI.

Signed to a three-year entry level deal, it would be easy to see him make the jump permanently into the NHL quickly. He possesses that kind of determination out there.

His efforts have earned him a first recall from the farm team on 12/4. He made his debut skating 19 shifts for 12:30 of ice time, including :57 on the power play no less. That was likely earned as he had his first point, an assist in the game and subsequently was chosen as the first shooter in the shootout and scored.

He was also credited with 2 shots and ended the 4-3 shootout loss a +2 plus/minus.

We see a bright future.

01Dec

Seth Griffith(17) Providence Bruins

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Boston Bruins‘ 5th round pick in the 2012 draft (#131 overall) rookie right wing Seth Griffith(15) is making his mark early in his pro career with the parent club’s minor league affiliate Providence Bruins.

In 15 AHL games, the small but stocky 5’9″ 192 lbs. forward already has half a dozen tallies and 5 assists with a +1 rating.

He’s basically taking up where he left after winning consecutive OHL titles in junior hockey with London Knights as the top scoring player in his position. He was a more than point-per-game skater in three plus seasons striking for 102 goals and 129 assists in 207 games.

Signed to a three-year entry level deal, the 20-year old may have to wait for a recall past his first season (mostly due to the depth they have up front), but if he continues to hit his mark on the score sheet he will likely move higher on the depth chart and score his chance.