Tagged: San Francisco Bulls

Collin Bowman

Undrafted 2nd year defenseman Collin Bowman(20) had a strong rookie season with home state team Colorado Eagles.

In 69 ECHL games he scored 11 goals and 23 assists (tied for first in points), while adding another pair of tallies and 3 helpers in 6 Kelly Cup Playoff contests. He also had over 100 penalty minutes in his first year.

Traded in the off-season to San Francisco Bulls, the 6’3″ 215 lbs. blue liner quickly signed a 2-way AHL contract with Worcester Sharks and appeared in their training camp before being reassigned back down to start his sophomore campaign.

He didn’t exactly put up the same kind of numbers with his offensively challenged new squad and recently had his playing rights swapped (with the blessing from the parent club) to Bakersfield Condors.

The younger brother of Carolina Hurricanes’ Drayson Bowman has skated 3 times with his new team and although he’s only bolstered his 2nd year totals by an assist, he has been a part of a pair of victories and one shootout loss on their current 4-game unbeaten streak.

Given the opportunity in the higher league, the 22-year old has all the qualities of becoming an impact player as he continues to develop.

He was a member of the 2009 WHL Championship Kelowna Rockets.

Original story: 1/20-14

His sophomore season with Bakersfield would end with point totals slightly under his first campaign but in extended postseason play he scored a pair of goals and added 5 assists in 16 games through to the Western Conference Finals before an exit.

For 2014/2015, he decided to go back to a familiar place, returning to Colorado.

In 20 less regular season games (48) than his initial two seasons he achieved new high marks for goals with 15 goals and 38 points and for a blue liner had a monstrous +28 rating. He would also raise his fight total to 6 after no battles the previous year and 5 in 2012/2013.

The low game total was only because he was loaned to Iowa Wild for the last two months and would appear in 21 AHL games getting 2 tallies, 6 helpers and remarkably kept his game at a 0 plus/minus on the last place squad.

As the 24-year old enters his 4th season he’ll keep it close to home and skate his third year with Colorado Eagles.

It would be a surprise to see the All-Star d-man play the full tilt in the ECHL without another extended call-up.

Tommy Grant4th year undrafted left wing Tommy Grant(17) decided to take his game overseas to Denmark, joining Aalborg Pirates after tearing it up for a season under contract with Idaho Steelheads.

In 64 ECHL games he had 23 goals and 27 assists.

It wasn’t his first time skating in the league either. While under contract with San Jose Sharks he was double reassigned to San Francisco Bulls where he had one tally and four helpers in 5 contests.

The pretty big 6’2″ 194 lbs. forward was initially property of New York Rangers playing exclusively for their minor league affiliate the then Connecticut Whale, once again Hartford Wolf Pack.

He was signed to a 2-year entry level deal after three outstanding seasons of college hockey at University Of Alaska-Anchorage and joined the team at the completion of school for 7 regular season games (3 assists) and 8 Calder Cup Playoff matchups (1-1-2).

He had decent enough campaigns with the team too, scoring 9 goals and 9 assists in 34 AHL games before getting dealt.

When he reported to Worcester Sharks all the air seems to be let out of the tires. Maybe he potentially realized the time on his 2-year entry level was up and he’d be looking for a new place to play for his third year.

He seems to be fitting in kind of nicely in his new surroundings as he’s credited with a pair of goals and 1 assist in 4 games.

tyler-beskorowany-1

4th year goaltender Tyler Beskorowany(1) signed an ECHL contract with San Francisco Bulls to start his first campaign as an unrestricted free agent.

In 32 games he kept an uneven team competitive with a 14-13 mark but was shelled with pucks each night and didn’t have the best GAA or SV% stats to show for it.

He was originally a Dallas Stars‘ 2nd round pick in the 2008 draft (#59 overall) and signed a 3-year entry level deal through 2012/2013 but was not qualified.

The big 6’5″ 295 lbs. net minder excelled pretty well as a rookie with AHL affiliate Texas Stars in a split season with Idaho Steelheads, where he put up similar, slightly better numbers with a winning record.

He wasn’t as lucky in his sophomore year and maybe even shouldered some of the blame for the team’s 2nd to last worst placing.

For the final run of his terms, he slipped on the depth chart and was relegated to the Pacific Northwest. He seemed to take the move in stride, playing pretty well and backstopping the Steelheads into a second Kelly Cup Playoff round.

He was probably relieved when the Bulls‘ management decided to close up shop on a financially busted second season, leaving him once again free to find another cage to call home.

In stepped Orlando Solar Bears and in 2 games he’s got two victories with a 1.50 GAA and .940 SV%.

A needy St. John’s IceCaps noticed that and a month ago signed him to a pto. He’s only been between the pipes once, and although he won the game was victimized for 5 goals on 36 shots.

He started the 2013/2014 season in training camp with Worcester Sharks before being released.

Depending upon how deep his current club can go in the postseason, it seems doubtful the 23-year old Sudbury, Ontario native will stick with North America after this year.

Luke Judson

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.

yanni-gourde

Small 2nd year left wing Yanni Gourde(18) somewhat surprisingly signs for one-year with ECHL Kalamazoo Wings after spending his entire rookie season under an AHL contract with Worcester Sharks.

In 54 games the 5’9″ 170 lbs. forward scored 8 goals with 6 assists adding to his first pro goal and a pair of helpers he posted at the end of the previous year signed with the team to an ato.

He did get reassigned for a brief spell with affiliate San Francisco Bulls and lit the lamp for 4 goals and 6 assists in 8 games.

The young 21-year old will probably continue on a tear through the lower league and it would not be surprising to see him get called up somewhere for the long-term.

In four years of junior hockey with Victoriaville Tigres he was a 1.11 point per game guy in 199 games and won the most valuable player and scoring titles in his final campaign.

See related: 4/17-12

Thomas Heemskerk

3rd year undrafted goalie Thomas Heemskerk(33) was left unqualified by San Jose Sharks and became an unrestricted free agent after his three-year entry level contract was up.

He spent two years in their prospect system skating mostly for their ECHL affiliates Stockton Thunder and San Francisco Bulls with some sprinkles of ice time with Worcester Sharks. In 6 AHL games he posted a 1.97 GAA and .926 SV%.

The 6’1″ 190 lbs. net minder also received one recall to the NHL to serve as a back-up and practice with the team.

Although only appearing in a fraction of the games, his SV% was better than his junior hockey league best in 2009/2010 with Everett Silvertips.  had a 91-58-19 record in four years of WHL with a 2.81 GAA and .910 SV%.

His marks in the ECHL were less good. In 63 contests his GAA was 3.19 and had a .899 SV%.

For 2013/2014, he almost surprisingly signs a one-year deal with Quad City Mallards of Central Hockey League.

The still very young 23-year old goaltender should score a recall or two in the upcoming season that might elevate him back up into a higher level of pro hockey.

 

marek-viedensky

San Jose Sharks‘ 7th round pick in the 2009 draft (#189 overall), 3rd year Slovakian-born center Marek Viedensky(25) signs his qualifying offer to stick with the team’s prospect system for another season, despite going through some rough stretches of injury and healthy scratches in last year’s overpopulated AHL talent pool.

Even reassignment to ECHL affiliate San Francisco Bulls on a couple of occasions, where he was a point per game player (8 goals, 12 assists), and only appearing in a quarter of the games he did in his rookie campaign, the 6’3″ 195 lbs. emerging power forward was still able to put up 4 goals and a pair of assists in 14 contests while maintaining a +4 rating.

Those totals were not far off what he achieved in his first season.

He will soon turn 23-years old prior to the start of 2013/2014 and should be able to have a breakout campaign with Worcester Sharks, like he did in his final run in juniors with Saskatoon Blades.

He struck for 36 goals and 52 assists in 63 games in 2010/2011, which was also the start of his 3-year entry level deal.

When given the green light and 100% on his game he really seems to be an emerging prospect who could become an NHL regular in years to come.

un-just-about everything except signed, 31-year old Slovakian right wing Peter Sivak(24) scored his first AHL goal in his first game over the weekend.

After 11 seasons of playing pro hockey in his native country, mostly in the Slovakian league but also a couple of years with HL Zlin of the Czech Extraliga, he makes the switch after a campaign where he put up his best pro numbers.

The 5’11” 189 lbs. forward was the first ever signing by the newly established ECHL franchise San Franciso Bulls over this past summer.

He’s been a sniper at this level of North American pro hockey with 33 goals and 23 assists, first on the team in scoring, and another career high points at 56. He may stay at this mark, because it’s doubtful that Worcester Sharks will release him, if he can stay hot. He seems to look right at home out there.

Peter Sivak

San Jose Sharks‘ 2nd round pick in the 2009 draft (#43 overall) rookie defenseman William Wrenn(45) was never signed by the team for his first pro season. Even though he attended minor league affiliate Worcester Sharks‘ training camp and didn’t make their opening night roster, he wasn’t simply reassigned to their ECHL team, San Francisco Bulls.

Instead, in all likelihood with the blessing of the parent club, he signed a deal to join him home town team in the league, Alaska Aces.

His first AHL recall was to Worcester Sharks, where he appeared in three games before being sent back and continuing to do well with 5 goals and 16 assists in 51 games playing for what is always an elite squad. He was also chosen to play in the All-Star Game.

A month later the 6’1 210 lbs. d-man received another call-up. This time inking a pto with the Western Conference leading Texas Stars.

It’s been a good fit for the 22-year old, as he’s skated in 12 games and scored 2 goals and 2 assists. He’s also been firing the puck on the net a ton, got into a couple of scraps and even had a three-game point streaking working for him.

Is San Jose taking notice? They are reporting news on him, so probably are.

William Wrenn

 

 

Undrafted rookie defenseman Sacha Guimond(39) received two AHL call-ups from ECHL teams (so far) this season for a total of 6 games; first a pair with Worcester Sharks and later he joined Norfolk Admirals in four appearances.

He failed to put up any points but at least for the Admirals he was pressed into all types of situations and looked pretty effective and comfortable in a 2-1 overtime loss we saw.

The 6’2″ 185 lbs. blue liner did go a +1 plus/minus. The team had a 3-0 record and shootout loss with him in the lineup and he seemed to fit in with the team mix pretty well. Maybe no room for him on their roster now, so he returned to Gwinnett Gladiators, where he’s a point per game d-man with 5 goals and 13 assists in 18 games.

His first year pro numbers with San Francisco Bulls, where he started 2012/2013 were also good. In 33 games he put up 7 goals and 18 assists. He also currently leads all defensemen in league scoring by a considerable margin.

The soon-to-be 23-year old should at the very least be invited to an AHL camp next season, where he could easily stick and continue his upward progress.

Sacha Guimond