St. Louis Blues | CollegeHockeyPlayers

15Mar

Tyson Strachan(5) Hershey Bears

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Big 6’3″ 225 lbs. 7th year defenseman Tyson Strachan(5) has been signed to an NHL contract and played in big league games since his sophomore campaign.

He is currently under a one-year two-way deal with Washington Capitals and has one assist but has mostly been on reassignment with farm club Hershey Bears, where he serves as an assistant captain.

He’s never been exactly the biggest point production d-man scoring only one goal and 13 helpers in 132 big league contests.

His point totals are better in the minors.

This season in 49 AHL games he has a pair of markers with 15 assists, which could easily ascend to a career high by the end of 2013/2014.

He also has a remarkable +13 rating.

Through 264 games he’s potted 15 goals and 70 assists.

Originally a Carolina Hurricanes‘ 5th round pick in the 2003 draft (#137 overall).

He signed his first entry level deal with St. Louis Blues after attending Ohio State University and played in their organization for 4 years before moving on to Florida Panthers for a couple of seasons.

No doubt the 29-year old is an asset to any team he joins and will likely continue where he is or score another big league contract elsewhere, unless he decides to move his game overseas for more money.

09Mar

David Warsofsky(5) Providence Bruins

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Boston Bruins‘ 3rd year defenseman David Warsofsky(5) is in the final campaign of his entry level contract, putting up career high point marks and has a +10 rating in the AHL with minor league affiliate Providence Bruins.

The mini-sized 5’9″ 170 lbs. blue liner is also on the short list of d-men recalled for action with the parent club. For his lack of physical presence out there, he plays a smart, minimum risk style with an offensive upside. He’s been summoned up 3 times to date this season.

In 6 NHL games he scored his first big league goal and added an assist.

He was originally a St. Louis Blues‘ 4th round pick in 2008 (#95 overall) and rights traded in 2010 and signed in 2011 in time to finish the regular season with the farm team.

The still super-young 23-year old, having played three seasons at Boston University and basically grew up skating the Massachusetts hockey route to a pro career.

He’s a restricted free agent at the end of 2013/2014 but it would be like zero surprise to see Boston offer him a 2-year extension.

See related: 3/29-11

03Feb

T.J. Hensick(28) Hartford Wolf Pack

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

7th year veteran center T.J. Hensick(28) returns to North American hockey after a half season away in the SHL with MODO.

He was released by the team after under-producing on the score sheet.

Signed to an AHL contract by Abbotsford Heat but then claimed off waivers by Hartford Wolf Pack, his last two pro years were spent with Peoria Rivermen, under a 2-way contract with St. Louis Blues.

The 5’9″ 195 lbs. forward was originally a Colorado Avalanche 3rd round pick in the 2005 draft (#88 overall) and played three seasons with the team and in their system.

He’s played 112 NHL games scoring 12 goals and 24 assists, last appearing in the league in 2012 with the Blues.

The 28-year old has skated in 332 minor league games with impressive numbers: 103 goals and 246 assists, making him more than a point-per-game player.

He had impressive numbers through his college career at University Of Michigan, winning a national championship in 2005 and being named a Hobey Baker Award finalist in two of his four season.

Where he goes next year is up for grabs but his contributions with his new team are already being noticed.

19Sep

Carl Soderberg(34) Boston Bruins

Posted in NHL | Leave a comment

11th year pro, Swedish-born center/left wing Carl Soderberg(34) appears to be poised to finally join Boston Bruins‘ lineup for a full season.

He signed a 3-year deal during the team’s playoff run last season and appeared in a pair of games (with no points) on their way to the Stanley Cup Finals.

The big 6’3″ 218 lbs. forward was pretty much a point per game player in his last 8 seasons of action with Malmo of his home country’s 2nd tier league Allsvenskan and the last two in the SHL playing for Linköping.

Almost amazing, the Bruins maintained his playing rights in North America after making a trade for him in 2007. He was originally a St. Louis Blues‘ 2nd round draft pick in 2004 (#49 overall).

He was always rumored to be suiting up with the team sooner than it ultimately happened but was under contract, which kept him overseas and still on the radar.

At 27-years old is expected to be an elite contributor Boston‘s continuing success.

09Aug

Brennan Evans(44) Grand Rapids Griffins

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

11th year defenseman Brennan Evans(44) returns to 2013 Calder Cup Champions Grand Rapids Griffins for another season, signing a 1-year extension to stay with the team. They wasted no time to get him back into the fold.

He has played in a whopping 712 AHL games with 7 different clubs notching 14 goals, 93 assists and a highly accountable +23 rating often while under NHL contract but has never appeared in the big league.

The imposing 6’4″ 230 lbs. blue liner has yet to score over 20 points in a season but he’s been part of the triple digit penalty minutes club since his third year in the pros.

Almost ironically he put up better numbers in the postseason last year (2 goals, 6 assists in 24 contests) than he did in the entire 2012/2013.

At 31-years old, he will in all likelihood reach the elite group of skaters to play in 1000 AHL games but even if he comes up a bit short, he will always be able to look back on a great hockey career.

02Apr

Mark Cundari(15) Calgary Flames

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

3rd year undrafted defenseman Mark Cundari(15) was a key component in a trade deadline deal that saw him move from St. Louis Blues‘ system to Calgary Flames.

He was chosen to appear in the 2013 AHL All-Star Game, where he had one assist to help the Western Conference to a 7-6 win, in what has been his breakout campaign.

He’s appeared in 172 minor league contests scoring 10 goals and 59 assists, all with Peoria Rivermen.

The under-sized 5’9″ but solid as a rock, 200 lbs. agitator defenseman has yet to make his NHL debut but could net a recall from farm team, Abbotsford Heat before the current season wraps up.

He won back-to-back OHL and Memorial Cup titles in juniors with Windsor Spitfires.

The soon-to-be 23 year old is in the final season of his 3-year entry level deal and scheduled to become a restricted free agent as the end of 2012/2013.

As the Flames are rebuilding a more youthful future, he will undoubtedly be qualified with a contract extension.

09Mar

Ian Schultz(21) San Francisco Bulls

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Montreal Canadiens‘ 3rd year right wing prospect Ian Schultz(21) has been shuffled around a bit more than he likely planned this season.

After two campaigns with AHL affiliate Hamilton Bulldogs (6 goals and 17 assists in 60 games last season, all career highs), he failed to make the team out of training camp and was reassigned to ECHL affiliate Wheeling Nailers (13 games, 2 assists). He wasn’t alone either; it was a pretty big group of names. From there though he was moved again within the league to join Utah Grizzlies.

The 6’2″ 185 lbs. forward had better luck with that squad putting up 7 goals and 8 assists in 27 games but is better known for his fisticuffs than goal scoring strength.

He earned a short-lived recall to the Bulldogs that lasted only a couple of games before being returned.

Recently he was shuffled again in a minor league deal that the parent club allowed him to be traded to San Francisco Bulls for the remainder of the year.

The 23-year old was originally a St. Louis Blues‘ 3rd round pick in the 2008 draft (#87 overall) but was dished to the Canadiens as a minor piece of a bigger transaction before his skates ever hit officially hit the ice for the team.

His 3-year entry level deal expires at the end of the season and where he ends up from here is anyone’s guess.

27Feb

Bryan Helmer(40) Springfield Falcons

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

20th year, undrafted veteran defenseman Bryan Helmer(40) signed a contract to play with Springfield Falcons very late in the game, maybe waiting to see how the NHL lockout would unravel before making his move.

He has played an absolutely head-popping 1104 AHL games through 19 seasons and counting. He needs 1200 to catch the number two guy, so he may finally retire at 40-years old as the bronze medalist in the category. He has gold in the Calder Cup Playoff games played though with 158 and three Championship rings to his credit; two in 2009 and 2010 as captain of Hershey Bears and back in 1995 with Albany River Rats, his second year pro.

The solid 6’1″ 209 lbs. d-man has always been thought of as a good two-way player that isn’t afraid to jump up into the offensive action. He does have a pretty impressive 129 goals and 434 assists.

He’s played 146 NHL games (mostly from 1998 – 2004) with four different teams and as recently as 2009 with Washington Capitals. He has a modest 8 goals and 18 assists.

He’s like the ultimate team guy no doubt and we’d love to see him back somewhere for his 21st pro season.

22Feb

D.J. King(15) Ontario Reign

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

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.

05Feb

Jeff Taffe(20) Hershey Bears

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Hershey Bears‘ 11th year, veteran center was originally a St. Louis Blues‘ 1st round pick in the 2000 draft (#30 overall) but was traded before ever playing with the team.

He signed his first AHL only contract since the last lockout in 2004/2005, when he was a member of Utah Grizzlies for a partial campaign.

Despite only appearing in 180 NHL games, the almost 31-year old forward has managed appearances in each of his pro years. He has 21 goals and 25 assists to his credit, skating with 6 different teams.

In the minors though, he’s amassed a hearty 533 games, scoring 185 goals with 244 helpers.

At 6’3″ 209 lbs. he’s always a big presence to contend with in front of the net and is the consummate team guy.

What the future holds for him is anyone’s guess but with 9 strikes and 29 assists in 43 contests, he leads the Bears . in scoring.

He’s good to have around if a team needs some points and has five 20 goal seasons and 8 years of 20+ assists (with one year where he hit the 50 mark).

He was selected to appear in the 2013 AHL All-Star Game when a teammate was on call-up.