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04Feb

Matt Lashoff(5) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

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9th year defenseman Matt Lashoff(5) came home from one year in Switzerland’s top league, NLA, one in Sweden’s SHL and part of this season with Metallurg Novokuznetsk of the KHL.

His best showing was a few years ago with ZSC of the Swiss Elite League, where he got a goal and 9 assists but easily short of what was expected when he came across the pond.

The former Boston Bruins‘ 1st round pick in the 2005 draft (#22 overall) has only played 74 NHL games (for three teams: Tampa Bay Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs being the other two) scoring one goal and 15 assists, which is decently offense-minded but he’s also owns a -15 rating.

In 5 AHL seasons the 6’2: 205 lbs. blue liner has always been a 20+ point scorer and even had a pair of campaigns with 30+ numbers.

He had 47 points in 56 OHL games in 2006, his 3rd and final year with Kitchener Rangers before turning pro.

The only 28-year old signed a standard contract to join Bridgeport Sound Tigers and give the young squad some more veteran leadership.

He’s only appeared in two games thus far with one assist and a -2 but if given the opportunity could likely contribute on a regular basis with the team and help them into a Calder Cup berth.

26Jan

Yanni Gourde(37) Syracuse Crunch

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Undrafted 3rd year left wing Yanni Gourde(37) is poised to set new career highs in all scoring categories this season.

He’s already eclipsed his goals total from last year with 15 in 41 AHL games with Syracuse Crunch, while holding a +14 rating.

It’s very likely that the small 5’9″ 168 lbs. forward will also reach new bests for points and assists in his first full year as a Tampa Bay Lightning prospect.

He was signed to a two-year two-way entry level contract after putting up point-per-game numbers on a pto with Worcester Sharks after being loaned from Kalamazoo Wings.

He had 15 goals and 19 assists in 30 ECHL at the time of his recall.

Looking for an NHL deal, it didn’t materialize with their parent club San Jose Sharks, so he smartly went elsewhere and found it.

23Jan

Cory Conacher(89) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

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Undrafted, 4th year left wing Cory Conacher(89) has been on a bumpy ride with four different teams since signing his first NHL contract before the lockout shortened season with Tampa Bay Lightning.

He inked his initial 2-year 2-way entry level deal after winning the 2012 Calder Cup with then affiliate Norfolk Adrmirals, being named AHL rookie of the year, playoff MVP and putting up more assists than any other first year player during the regular season and in the playoffs.

Although he is most definitely under-sized at 5’8″ 179 lbs., he was merely following up a celebrated run at Canisius College, where he recorded all-time highs for goals, points and game-winning tallies and an incredibe first run with three teams in two different leagues he recorded 8 goals and 4 assists in 10 games but was held to only an assist in seven postseason contests.

He jumped out quickly when the big league got back under way 9 goals and 15 assists in 35 games but ultimately he was expendable when the parent club needed goal tending and found himself traded off to Ottawa Senators at the deadline.

He played his only full slate of regular season games in 2013/2014 but fell short of expectations with 4 goals and 16 assists in 60 games.

Ultimately he was to be reassigned back down but the horrible Buffalo Sabres picked him up on waivers.

He skated with them for the remaining 17 games and got himself a nifty 3 goals and 3 assists but was a woeful -7 plus/minus.

Heading into his second unrestricted free agency, first since he signed a minor league contract to start his pro career, he didn’t have to wait long as New York Islanders saw something they liked and swooped right in on opening day getting him to agree to a one-year two-way deal.

It looked like he’d come out strong but through 15 games faltered on a roster filled with lots of bigger, younger studs with only a goal and a pair of assists.

The 24-year was waived and sent to farm team Bridgeport Sound Tigers, where he’s settled in quickly hitting the back of the net 4 times and dishing 11 helpers in 15 games.

He be a free agent at the end of this year and it’s looking like the small forward might have better luck taking his game across the pond.

See related: 11/8-11

02Jan

Nikita Nestorov(89) Tampa Bay Lightning

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Tampa Bay Lightning 5th round pick in the 2011 draft (#141 overall), Russian-born 2nd year defenseman Nikita Nestorov(89) earned his first recall.

He is well on his way to posting career high totals in his sophomore campaign with affiliate Syracuse Crunch scoring 3 goals and 11 assists for 14 points with a +4 rating, but the stat that seems to jump off the sheet is an average of two shots on net in each of 32 AHL games.

Before turning pro in North America, he already had a full season and a few contests under his belt in the KHL with Traktor Chelyabinsk while also still playing juniors in his home country.

In 45 games he somewhat surprisingly only recorded one assist.

The sturdy 5’11” 199 lbs. blue liner was a standout in WJC competitions winning a pair of bronze and a silver medal while also helping his team on the score sheet.

In his NHL debut he skated 17 shifts for 15:02 total ice time with one giveaway and a couple of takeaways.

The 21-year old also left the 5-1 victory with a +1 rating.

He’s filling in a spot due to an injury but with continued aggressive, smart play could find himself getting a longer look.

He is signed to a three-year entry level deal through the 2015/2016 season.

17Dec

Andrei Vasilevskiy (88)

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Tampa Bay Lightning 1st round pick in the 2012 draft (#19 overall) Russian-born rookie goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy(88) was quick to sign a handsome three-year entry level deal to try his hand at the NHL after two seasons as a teenage backstop for Salavat Yulaev Ufa.

The 6’3″ 207 lbs. net minder put up almost exact numbers through 36 games with 2.21 GAA and .923 SV% and has won medals playing for his country the last five seasons.

He’s putting up some equally impressive numbers through 14 starts in the AHL with affiliate Syracuse Crunch.

His record of 8-3-3 with a 2.34 GAA and .918 SV% is helping a team that was dead last a year ago into second place in the Eastern Conference.

Going on a hunch, the only 20-year old was recalled after the parent club’s starter went down with injury and was pegged to get the nod for his debut.

He was also coming off a weekend run of games with the Crunch, where he was chosen as the league’s player of the week.

He managed to stopped 23 of 24 shots for his first big league win 3-1.

It would be no surprise to see him get another chance right away as he is a highly touted prospect.

30Nov

Ryan Malone(6) Hartford Wolf Pack

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12th year veteran left wing Ryan Malone(6) has played a whopping 647 NHL games with only three teams throughout his lengthy pro career.

He was a Pittsburgh Penguins‘ 4th round pick in the 1999 draft (#115 overall) and spent his first 4 years, minus the 2004/2005 lockout, with the team, where he reached the 20/20 scorer three times.

The big 6’4″ 224 lbs. forward went on to sign a lucrative 6-year deal with Tampa Bay Lightning and once again averaged the 20/20 mark through his first four seasons in south Florida.

A few seasons ago though, his numbers started to tank.

This led the Lightning to rethink their contract and eventually moved to buy out the remaining two seasons of his agreement.

After a summer of uncertainty as a freshly released unrestricted free agent, the 35-year old signed a one-year, two-way contract for virtual pennies to see if he could fill in some offensive spots lost by New York Rangers after their run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

He was on the opening night roster and was almost reassigned once until an injury kept him up. Failing to connect, he was eventually put on waivers and reassigned to minor league affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack.

It was his first time in the AHL since playing 3 games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins fresh out of four years of college at St. Cloud University.

He’s appeared in 5 contests thus far recording a pair of assists in one game on a veteran heavy squad that may require him to sit out more often than not.

08Nov

Cedric Paquette (13)

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Tampa Bay Lightning 2nd year prospect center Cedric Paquette(13) is starting to click.

Starting his sophomore season where he’s familiar with AHL affiliate Syracuse Crunch he’s already put up a tidy 4 goals, 3 assists and a +8 rating in 5 games.

Plus, he’s been the recipient of a pair of recalls and just skated in his fifth game with the parent club.

Going scoreless in his first four games, he was a bit of a non-factor aside from a few shots on net and a fighting major in one contest.

He absolutely exploded for his first and second NHL goals in his next appearance but more importantly each time he’s in the lineup it’s been a team win.

The 6’1″ 198 lbs. forward will likely be making many trips between Florida and upper state New York as he’s free to move between the leagues on an offensively stacked squad.

If he keeps being a contributor though, he’s going to force them into another difficult roster decision, where this season they’ve already lost a big gun to waivers.

We saw it coming.

See related: 1/10-14

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

23Oct

Jonathan Drouin(27) Tampa Bay Lightning

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Tampa Bay Lightning 1st round pick in the 2013 draft (#3 overall) left wing Jonathan Drouin(27) played a pair of AHL games for minor league affiliate Syracuse Crunch after breaking his thumb early in training camp workouts and getting reassigned to start his pro career.

He scored the game-winning goal in his debut and added a pair of assists the next night. He also had a +4 rating.

That was all the parent club needed to see before he was recalled to the NHL.

He was scheduled to be a healthy scratch after a long day of travel but was inserted into the lineup and skating 22 shifts for 16:01 of total ice time with a -1 in a 3-2 loss.

The next night he added to his totals, recorded his first big league point, an assist and came away with a +1 in an overtime victory.

At only 5’11” 186 lbs. he is thought of as the whole package.

He recorded over 100 points in his last two seasons of the QMJHL with Halifax Mooseheads, where he won a Memorial Cup and league championship in his second season.

The 19-year is poised to have an outstanding rookie campaign on a team stacked with offensive talent.

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

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