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Tagged: Springfield Falcons

03Dec

Domenic Monardo(40) Springfield Falcons

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Undrafted 2nd year right wing Domenic Monardo(40) bounced around a bit before heading into his sophomore season.

He re-signed over the summer for another year with Reading Royals, where he spent his rookie campaign scoring an impressive 27 goals and 19 assists in 70 ECHL games but was never called-up.

The not incredibly large looking 5’11” 192 lbs. forward scored an invite to affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms training camp and was a late release.

He didn’t head start down the ladder though but instead received an offer to join Springfield Falcons‘ preseason.

He impressed enough in his second camp to grab a roster spot on the opening night roster and was signed to a pto.

In 17 AHL games, he’s scored 7 goals and a pair of assists with a +4 rating, good enough to earn an spc with the team for the 2014/2015 season.

At 26-years old this former Lake Superior State University captain could be turning into a difference maker.

02Dec

Kerby Rychel(52) Columbus Blue Jackets

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Columbus Blue Jackets‘ 1st round pick in the 2013 draft (#19 overall) rookie left wing Kerby Rychel(52) is wasting no time establishing his game in the top league.

He was one of the final cuts to be reassigned from training camp to affiliate Springfield Falcons. probably more to see where/how he was going to fit in with the parent club as he scored on his first ever shift in preseason and looked to stick.

The 6’1″ 215 lbs. forward was maybe a bit slow to start out of the gate with the farm team, but once he got on the scoreboard stayed consistent putting up 6 goals and 7 assists in 22 AHL games.

His efforts earned him the NHL recall everyone knew was coming and after his debut with no points, he got right to work posting three assists in his last pair of contests and has a +3 rating on a team that maybe just starting to string together wins.

There’s little doubt he knows how to connect with the back of the net, as he was a more than a point-per-game player in four seasons of junior hockey in the OHL and won the 2014 Championship with Guelph Storm. He also led the playoffs in assists and points.

At only 20 years old, he is quickly proving he’s a difference maker on the ice, even sticking up for himself in a couple of throw downs and may have seen the last of any bus trips in the minors.

He’s signed through 2017 on a three-year entry level deal.

17Nov

Anton Forsberg(35) Springfield Falcons

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Columbus Blue Jackets‘ deep 7th round pick in the 2011 draft (#188 overall) Swedish-born goalie Anton Forsberg(35) realized his first pair of NHL starts as a rookie.

He’s thus far absolutely shutting the door on the offense in a pair of AHL starts with affiliate Springfield Falcons.

He won both appearances posting a 1.50 GAA and a .953 SV% along with a getting his first shutout.

It was much the same when he first appeared with the farm club at the tail end of last season and kept a secure 1.13 GAA and .957 SV% in 4 times between the pipes. He also played in 2 Calder Cup Playoff games, running some respectable numbers.

The fairly sizable 6’3″ 195 lbs. fared less well in his two appearances with the big club.

He was credited for only one of the losses but got shellacked on the stat sheet with a dismal 5.32 GAA and .841 SV%. He did earn a third star award in one of the games for at least keeping his team competitive in one of the defeats.

As a teenager he already experienced pro hockey in his home country playing last season in net with MODO of the SHL. He also backstopped 14 games for them in 2011/2012, while still participating in juniors and incidentally won a gold medal at the WJC.

For his first official year of pro hockey he kept the crease clear for Sodertalje of tier two Allsvenskan.

Although he may have come out of the gate in the show less than spectacularly, the still very young 21-year old is best suited playing a good 30+ game schedule in the minors and given plenty of room to develop as he’s signed for a 3-year entry level deal through 2016.

See related: 5/4-2014

03Nov

Jonathan Marchessault(18) Syracuse Crunch

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Despite basically exploding the score sheet (98 goals, 141 assists, 233 games) in four years in the QMJHL with Quebec Remparts, fourth year right wing Jonathan Marchessault(18) went undrafted, signing his first contract with Connecticut Whale.

Maybe his small stature at 5’9″ 177 lbs. kept the parent clubs away from selecting him but he was able to replicate what he did in juniors in his first pro season putting up 24 tallies and 40 helpers in 76 AHL games, which was best on the team for assists and had him tied for overall points.

For his sophomore campaign he was signed by Columbus Blue Jackets for a 3-year entry level deal on the first day of free agency going into his sophomore campaign.

He spent all but 2 NHL games with affiliate Springfield Falcons connecting for another 21 goals, 46 assists and 77 points, once again leading his team and was second with a phenomenal +20 rating.

Near the end of his second season in the Blue Jackets‘ system he was somewhat surprisingly traded in a mostly minor league transaction to Tampa Bay Lightning, where he was immediately sent to Syracuse Crunch.

Heading in the current hockey year, he had a strong camp going as one of the last cuts to be reassigned.

The 23-year old is off to a mightily quick start with 2 goals and 5 assists in 6 contests, earning him a one game call-up.

He has yet to record a point in the show but is still waiting for longer stint with the big club and that should happen if he continues on the pace he’s at.

See related: 11/3-11

22Oct

Matt Taormina(20) Worcester Sharks

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Undrafted 6th year defenseman Matt Taormina(20) has definitely bounced around from team-to-team in the last few seasons.

For 2014/2015 he signs his first AHL contract joining Worcester Sharks, since turning pro with Lowell Devils in 2009.

As a rookie, coming of four seasons at Providence College, he had a hefty 40 helpers and 10 goals in 75 games.

The effort earned the small but accountable in his own end 5’10” 185 lbs. a two-year entry level deal with New Jersey Devils, where he spent the majority of the next two seasons.

An unrestricted free agent he tested the waters and signed for a year with Tampa Bay Lightning but found himself playing mostly with their minor league affiliate Syracuse Crunch. He was re-signed but once again was unable to crack the parent club’s roster, skating in only 7 NHL games with no points.

Then close to the trade deadline he was dealt in a farm team deal to Columbus Blue Jackets and reassigned to Springfield Falcons.

If the just turned 28-year old can find the scoring sheet like he did at the beginning of his career, he may find himself signing another big league contract.

See related: 12/17-11

09Oct

Spencer Machacek (17)

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After attending both Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies‘ training camps on invites, 7th year unrestricted free agent, veteran right wing Spencer Machacek(17) was having a hard time finding a new hockey home.

He was released from his tryout agreement with the AHL team just before the beginning of the new season but did manage to quickly find a landing spot overseas in the German elite league DEL with Augsburger Panther.

In a pair of games he already has his first point, an assist.

Since leaving Winnipeg Jets‘ organization, where he was originally an Atlanta Thrashers‘ 3rd round pick in the 2007 draft (#67 overall) and stayed with them until a late season trade sent him to Columbus Blue Jackets‘ affiliate Springfield Falcons.

Signed to a one-year extension as a restricted free agent, he once again was dealt in late season move and found himself skating with Pittsburgh Penguins‘ farm club, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

They did not offer the 6’1″ 201 lbs. forward a contract to stay on.

In his first four seasons he pretty much averaged 30 helpers in each of his campaigns.

He also dominated on the score sheet in 3 years of junior hockey with Vancouver Giants, where he won a WHL Championship and a Memorial Cup.

It would be surprising if the 26-year old doesn’t become a top scorer where he is.

We shall see.

04May

Nicklas Svedberg(1) & Anton Forsberg(35)

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A pair of Swedish goaltenders, Niklas Svedberg(1) and Anton Forsberg(35), called in to put out the first period 7 goal explosion in the deciding game 5 of the AHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between visiting, winning Providence Bruins and home team Springfield Falcons, exchange some home country good will in the handshake line to conclude the series.

The two starters allowed 4 and 3 goals in the opening stanza and yanked. Each back-up net minder let in the first shot they faced but that was all she wrote for the eventual winner.

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