Ontario Reign | CollegeHockeyPlayers

12Sep

Matt Tassone(26) Las Vegas Wranglers

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4th year center Matt Tassone(26) bounced around lots last season and somehow ultimately ended up skating in 5 Kelly Cup Playoff games with Elmira Jackals scoring three points, a pair of goals and an assist.

Making sense of his movement through the 2012/2013 campaign is a whole other deal.

Initially the 6′ 200 lbs. forward was signed to an AHL contract by Lake Erie Monsters but was either released or reassigned and inked with Wichita Thunder before moving on within the Central Hockey League to Arizona Sundogs and then getting recalled by the Monsters and signed to a pto, where he appeared in 13 games scoring his first and thus far only league tally.

He was originally a Dallas Stars‘ 6th round pick in the 2008 draft (#176 overall) but never came to terms with them and eventually bounced down to their farm club, Texas Stars. This lasted no time though, as they sent him to their ECHL affiliate Idaho Steelheads.

As a rookie he played 32 games generating 10 points but also suffered injuries that sidelined him for a good chunk of the year.

For his sophomore season he signed with Ontario Reign but was once again was challenged to stay healthy and eventually released before the end of the regular season.

Once again, for 2013/2014 he commits to another ECHL team, Las Vegas Wranglers.

The 23-year old seems poised for a breakout on the score sheet and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him join the 20/20 club or better.

19May

Vincent LoVerde(5) Manchester Monarchs

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Undrafted 2nd year defenseman Vincent LoVerde(5) had an unassumingly terrific sophomore season playing most of the campaign on a pair of pto’s with Manchester Monarchs.

He started 2012/2013 with Ontario Reign, the team he’d spent his entire rookie season playing for in the ECHL.

After an invite to Chicago Wolves‘ training camp he returned to the Reign roster, where he re-signed in the summer and was quick to produce, resulting in his first recall.

Through 51 AHL games he scored a pair of goals and added 11 assists, while posting a monster +17 on a team that fought tooth and nail for a Calder Cup playoff berth.

Look for him to score another invite to a triple A camp, if not sign a deal in the offseason to join a team for the entirety of 2013/2014.

22Feb

D.J. King(15) Ontario Reign

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9th year veteran left wing heavyweight, D.J. King(15) sure took his time figuring out what ice he was going to put his skates down on for the 2012/2013 season.

With less than a couple of months remaining, the 6’3″ 230 lbs. forward signed with the Ontario Reign of the ECHL.

He’s only ever played 5 games in the league in his sophomore season but has 118 NHL and 218 AHL games to his credit.

Originally a St. Louis Blues‘ 6th round pick in the 2002 draft (#190 overall), the 28-year old forward was without a contract after spending two years on a 1-way contract with Washington Capitals but played mostly with their minor league affiliate Hershey Bears.

He spent his first 6 seasons in the Blues‘ prospect system, managing to play one full campaign with the team in 2006/2007.

Known more for his brut strength on the ice than his power forward, point scoring capabilities he has easily always been the type of skater feared by opponents.

In his first game with the Reign, the 28-year old introduced himself with a first period fight and even got an assists in the 4-1 win.

31Oct

Jordan Hill(5) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

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Undrafted 3rd year Ontario Reign defenseman Jordan Hill(5) signed a pto with Bridgeport Sound Tigers to help their recently depleted blue line guards and in his debut at the end of the weekend scored his first AHL goal of the season in the team’s 5-2 loss.

In 58 games over the last two years with Manchester Monarchs he has a total of 2 goals.

The 6’2″ 195 lbs. d-man had only one assist in six ECHL games before his recall, so it’s not like he’s exactly known for lighting the lamp. Although he did have some decent totals in juniors.

He inked a one year deal to rejoin the Reign for 2012/2013, the team he started his pro career with before traveling back and forth between coasts on pto’s with Manchester.

The 23-year plays a feisty, gritty style but is too often on the minus side of the scoresheet. He needs to add more muscle into his game and better ability to move the puck from defense to offense.

We’ll see where this scoring surge goes but he could find himself hanging around in the AHL as he has league experience.

03Oct

Alex Hudson(12) Ontario Reign

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Undrafted “2nd year” center Alex Hudson(12) has to be smiling with the new deal for the 2012/2013 he signed: one-year with the seemingly ECHL stacked Ontario Reign. More than good, which it should be judging by the talent it’s signed in the offseason, but almost undoubtedly this will be a fun team to play with.

The 6′ 209 lbs. forward scored 2 goals and 7 assists through 20 games in his pre-rookie campaign with Bakersfield Condors and gained an AHL call-up to Manchester Monarchs, where he skated in 15 contests but failed to register a point.

He was actually a mid-season signing after getting kicked off the University Of Nebraska in the fourth and final year of his college career for team violations. No where to turn except ink a professional contract to play.

The 25-year old, in his first full campaign (rookie season), definitely has the potential to land himself in the 15 goal and 30 assist scoring territory. We’ll know more when they hit the ice.

24Sep

Chris Cloud(39) Ontario Reign

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Undrafted 4th season right wing Chris Cloud(39) re-signs with Ontario Reign to return to the ECHL team for a second straight season, a first in his pro career that’s taken him in on what continues to be an interesting journey.

He began with Wheeling Nailers but after only three appearances was released and quickly jumped to join Central Hockey League‘s Amarillo Gorillas for the remainder of his rookie campaign.

The feisty 5’11” 186 lbs. forward started his sophomore year inking a deal with Tulsa Oilers but was again waived by the team he started the season with only to be quickly picked up by another suitor, Bloomington Prairie Thunder (r.i.p.).

It wasn’t until 2011/2012 that he found a more permanent hockey residence, signing a one-year contract with the Reign, where he arguably enjoyed his best season matching career highs in goals, assists and points; and eclipsed his former penalty minute high mark by 50.

The then 23-soon-to-be 24 year old also earned a pair of AHL call-up with Manchester Monarchs that he put to good use in 10 games and 19 pims in a limited fourth line role.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see him in the Monarchs‘ forthcoming training camp.

11Jul

Geoff Walker(17) Colorado Avalanche

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Undrafted, 5th year right wing Geoff Walker(17) had himself a career year with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last season putting up career highs in goals, assists, points, penalty minutes and shots of goal (18 + 26 = 44, 114, 176).

It was his second campaign with the club that signed him to consecutive one-year AHL contracts after the 24-year old posted good numbers with Manchester Monarchs after being call-up from Ontario Reign the year before.

At 6’3″ 225 lbs. more than just being an imposing on-ice presence, his style of game is an unrelenting, digging attack that he puts on display every game.

For 2012/2013, he signed his first NHL contract (one-year, two-way) with Colorado Avalanche and could see an opportunity to get called up to the show.

We expect him to have a good training camp to make that decision to reassign him to their affiliate, Lake Erie Monsters a tough one.

10Jul

Patrick Mullen(14) Vancouver Canucks

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4th year, undrafted defenseman Patrick Mullen(14) tries his hand with a new team for 2012/2013, signing a one-year, two-way deal with Vancouver Canucks that will in all likelihood start him with their affiliate Chicago Wolves. He was an unrestricted free agent as of July 1.

He’s coming off his best AHL season yet with Manchester Monarchs that saw him put up more goals, assists and points in one year (13 + 28 – 41) than he did in his first two combined. Plus, he skated in 69 games, which eclipsed his previous high by a couple.

Initially signed to a 2-year entry level contract with Los Angeles Kings in 2009, the 5’10” 184 lbs. blue liner could still use some extra weight to throw around out there but has obviously spent some quality time improving his offensive capabilities.

It will be interesting to see what he does in a new conference and if he can score his first NHL call-up.

He is the son of three time Stanley Cup Champion and Hockey Hall Of Fame defenseman, Joe Mullen.

22Jun

Jean-Philippe Cote (24)

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Entering his 10th pro season, defenseman Jean-Phillipe Cote(24) becomes the first signing for Tampa Bay Lightning‘s brand new AHL affiliate Syracuse Crunch after winning the Calder Cup, his second, with Norfolk Admirals last season.

He inked a two-year minor league deal that will keep him in the system through 2014.

The 6’2″ 210 lbs. 30-year old started the year playing 10 games with Ontario Reign of the ECHL (his first appearance in the league) before signing a pto with the Admirals in mid-November that was bumped up to a standard player contract a month later.

Originally a Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 9th round pick in the 2000 draft (#265 overall), the big blue liner has appeared in 8 NHL games with Montreal Canadiens and won his first Calder Cup with Hamilton Bulldogs in 2007.

He spent his first 5 seasons with the team skating in 354 games with the team.

He may not be the most prolific scoring d-man but he’s accountable force out there and even put up career highs last season for assists (12), points (15) and plus/minus (+26) and postseason games played, so he’s a good guy to have on any team.

21Jun

Steven Tarasuk(27) Lausitzer Fuchse

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After only a couple of seasons of North American hockey, undrafted defenseman Steven Tarasuk(27) signs with German Ice Hockey tier 2 team Lausitzer Fuchse for 2012/2013.

The 5’10” 165 lbs. blue liner split time in 70 ECHL games last season with Ontario Reign and Idaho Steelheads putting up career highs in goals (8), assists (30) and points (38).

He was signed to an AHL contract with Bridgeport Sound Tigers after attending rookie camp with New York Islanders in his rookie season.

From there he was reassigned to Kalamazoo Wings, where he represented the team at the ECHL All-Star Classic and received a 3 game recall near the end of regular season.

He notched one assist.

At only 21 years old, he should fill out to a heavier playing weight and if he continues to affect the scoresheet, as he did in juniors, look for him to move up into higher levels of pro hockey in Europe and maybe even take a run at a full-time roster spot in the AHL.