San Antonio Rampage | CollegeHockeyPlayers

20Dec

Jed Ortmeyer(22) Minnesota Wild

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33-year old undrafted 9th year vet wing Jed Ortmeyer(22) has skated in 311 NHL games counting his current call up to Minnesota Wild, a team he has been signed with for the last couple seasons mostly for his leadership with the younger guys on their AHL affiliate Houston Aeros.

In 4 games with the Wild in 2010/2011 he failed to register a point but he plays big and can’t really shut opposing players done.

Throughout his career he skated 3 years with New York Rangers to start, followed by a couple of seasons in Nashville Predators‘ system and then his career best full season with San Jose Sharks in 2009/2010 (8 goals, 11 assists) before ending up in Minnesota.

In his first NHL game of 2011/2012, he skated almost 12 minutes of ice time.

15Dec

Dane Byers(34) Columbus Blue Jackets

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6th year wing Dane Byers(34) received his first call-up to his new team Columbus Blue Jackets and played in his first NHL game in a couple of seasons.

He was originally a 2nd round pick in the 2004 draft (#48 overall) by New York Rangers. He played over 250 games in their system with their AHL affiliate, Hartford Wolf Pack and appeared in 6 games of two seasons with the Blueshirts scoring one goal.

Last season was an interesting one for him as he was involved in three minor league deals that had him go first to Springfield Falcons, then San Antonio Rampage to finish the year.

In the offseason, the Blue Jackets signed the unrestricted free agent to a one-year, tw0-way contract. He is the current team captain for Springfield and shows great leadership on the ice.

13Dec

Pierre Dagenais(26) Akwesasne Warriors

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14-year veteran wing Pierre Dagenais(26) has spent the last couple of seasons playing in the single A level Federal Hockey League with Akwesasne Warriors and even won the Commissioner’s Cup with the team, as the league’s best.

He’s the leading scoring so far this season with 28 goals and 20 assists in 17 games and a crazy +21 plus/minus.

He’s almost strictly a one-way player for the team and seemingly moves with incredible finesse at half speed out there and never takes the body against the opposing team’s player.

In 142 NHL games most notably with Montreal Canadiens, he put up 35 goals and 23 assists.

New Jersey Devils actually drafted him twice, once in 1996 (2nd round #47 overall) and again in 1998 (4th round #105 overall) and played for four years in their system. He is currently 33 years old.

10Dec

Chris Summers(5) Portland Pirates

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Phoenix Coyotes‘ 2006 1st round pick (#29 overall) defenseman Chris Summers(5) recently received his first playing time in his second call-up of the 2011/2012 season for a couple of NHL apprearances; he played 2 games with the team last season.

He fared better on this recall going a +1 with a shot on net.

He’s been since reassigned to their AHL affiliate Portland Pirates where he will continue to work on his game in just his second year pro.

In his rookie year with San Antonio Rampage, last year’s Coyotes‘ AHL affiliate, he put up 1 goal with 9 assists in 75 games.

Through 15 games this year he’s got a couple of assists but is a bit more impressive a +5.

Look for him to get another look this season.

04Dec

Dylan Reese(2) New York Islanders

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5th year defenseman (his 3rd in the Islanders‘ system) Dylan Reese(2) is making the most of his 1st NHL call up of the 2011/2012 season.

He potted a flutterer from the point in his 2nd game with the team, which also turned out to be a win for the team.

Originally a 7th round pick by New York Rangers in 2003 (#209 overall), the Isles is the only team he’s played in the NHL with. He has just under 300 games of AHL experience with Bridgeport Sound Tigers (his current team), Syracuse Crunch, San Antonio Rampage and Hartford Wolf Pack.

He does have the ability to be an offensive threat from the point.

26Nov

Dov Grumet-Morris(1) San Antonio Rampage

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It’s a bit of a wonder that 7th year pro goaltender Dov Grumet-Morris(1) didn’t sign with at least an AHL team in the offseason after posting solid numbers for Connecticut Whale in 22 games last season (13 wins against 5 losses, 2.12 GAA and .923 SV%).

But seemingly no one bit, until recently when the first team he tended net for in the league along his journeyman career would come calling once again.

San Antonio Rampage signed him to a standard player contract, a scenario he’s a bit unfamiliar with in his time spent with 10 different teams in North American hockey. Only his two seasons overseas had him on one team for the duration, but otherwise it’s been mostly pto’s for the former star goalie at Harvard University.

The Whale did eventually sign him to a contract last year but he was third wheel as soon as their starters were healthy. The Rampage are in a similar pickle.

He posted a 5-0 shutout in his first game. It’s a wonder that he has yet to appear in the NHL.

21Nov

Jordan Szwarz(12) Portland Pirates

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Rookie forward Jordan Szwarz(12) got that first professional hockey goal monkey off his back last week.

Phoenix Coyotes picked him in the 4th round of the 2009 draft (#97 overall).

He has played in 11 games for their AHL affiliate, Portland Pirates and has 3 points.

In juniors, he put up some very respectable numbers in the OHL for Saginaw Spirit (including a fantastic +33 plus/minus rating in 65 games) and was named their 2010/2011 team captain.

17Nov

Shaun Heshka(37) Peoria Rivermen

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6th year undrafted pro, defenseman Shaun Heshka(37) returned from one season overseas playing in Austria for Salzburg EC and signed a contract to play with Binghamton Senators for 2011/2012.

Only 10 games in, they have dished him to Peoria Riverman for future considerations (a bag of rocks), where he should join the team for tonight’s game vs. Lake Erie Monsters.

Originally signed by Vancouver Canucks to a 3-year entry level deal, he spent 3 seasons with Manitoba Moose without ever getting called up.

It wasn’t until the next season, where he signed a one-year contract with Phoenix Coyotes that he got into his first NHL action (8 games, no goals and 2 assists).

02Nov

David Aebischer(1) St. John’s IceCaps

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Here’s this year’s pro hockey thinker.

33-year old, Swiss-born 1997 Colorado Avalanche 6th round draft pick (#161 overall) David Aebischer(1) is back playing in a league he hasn’t played in for over a decade, the AHL.

He won the Stanley Cup in 2001. Sure he only played in one game, because some goalie named Patrick Roy happened to be the starter.

To his credit he has 214 games of NHL experience and posts a fairly impressive 2.52 GAA and .912 SV%.

During the last four seasons he has been playing net in his native Switzerland for the team he signed with the year of the lockout, HC Lugano.

In 2011/2012 seemingly out of nowhere, Winnipeg Jets offered him a training camp tryout and he was subsequently signed and reassigned to their AHL affiliate, St. John’s IceCaps.

Weirdo fact: he has an action figure of his goaltending likeness with the Avalanche.

22Oct

Manny Legace(30) Springfield Falcons

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18-year veteran goaltender started the 2011/2012 season on a training camp tryout invite from Vancouver Canucks. They released him in mid-September and from there he signed a pto with San Antonio Rampage, which lasted through one game of the AHL season.

His playing career has come full circle as he signed another pto. This time with the team he started his pro career with, Springfield Falcons. On Friday night, he appeared in his first game with the team since 1997.

Just how long this renewed relationship will last is tough to say but I would expect it to be a short return visit. In the 3-0 loss vs. WBS Penguins he looked to be in the zone and shaky sometimes on the same play.

At 38 years old and having backstopped 365 NHL games, won a Stanley Cup with Detroit Red Wings in 2002 and played in 6 different leagues (4 North American, 2 oversesas) it may be time for him to hang up the goalie skates.