Tagged: Tampa Bay Lightning

19Jan

Trevor Smith(23) Tampa Bay Lightning

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5th year undrafted winger Trevor Smith(23) has played in 7 NHL games (all with New York Islanders) but that was back in the 2008/2009 season.

He’s bounced around the AHL with a couple of teams since then but signed a one-year, two-way contract in the offseason to join Tampa Bay Lightning‘s prospect system.

As the team’s assistant captain, he’s having himself a heck of a first half of the season with their affiliate, Norfolk Admirals. In 39 games, he leads the team in points posting 16 goals and 28 assists and is an outstanding +17 plus/minus.

This play has earned him his 1st recall in three seasons and some more ice time in an NHL game, where he hopes to add to his one goal and no assists scoring.

16Jan

Pierre-Cedric Labrie(20) Tampa Bay Lightning

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5th year undrafted forward Pierre-Cedric Labrie(20) has been finding his scoring touch in the 2nd season of a standard player contract he signed in December 2010 with Norfolk Admirals.

He was initially signed to a pto to start the year with the team.

In 29 AHL games this season he is on pace for career scoring highs with 6 goals and 13 assists and a +17 plus/minus.

Through 2010/2011 he put up 7 goals and 19 assists in 64 games with an impressive +14 mark.

He’s impressed the brass with Tampa Bay Lightning enough that they signed him to a two-year, two-way NHL contract last month and he was recalled in earlier this month for his first action in the show.

So far, he has only played limited minutes in 3 games (all losses) averaging less than 5 minutes a game but already has a first big league fight on his stat sheet.

An argument could be made that December is his best month, as it’s the month he celebrates his birthday and when signed his last two major contracts.

30Dec

JT Wyman(15) Tampa Bay Lightning

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Give that man the puck (or two).

Signed by Tampa Bay Lightning on the first day of free agency to a one-year two-way deal, right wing JT Wyman(15) not only scored his first NHL goal but also got a helper in the same game against the team that drafted him.

Originally a Montreal Canadiens‘ 4th round pick in the 2004 draft (#100 overall), he played 3 years in their system, mostly with Hamilton Bulldogs but skated in 3 NHL games with them, registering 0 points.

In 29 AHL games with Norfolk Admirals this season he has 6 goals and 6 assists in 29 games and on a good team is a +10 plus/minus.

 

23Dec

Antero Niittymaki(1) Worcester Sharks

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San Jose Sharks sent 10-year veteran goaltender, Antero Niittymaki(1) down to their AHL affiliate in Worcester for a conditioning stint after starting the season with the team on injury reserve.

He last saw action in the league in 2005 as the Calder Cup winning goalie for Philadelphia Phantoms, where he won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as playoff MVP.

He played 161 games over 5 years for the Flyers, the team that originally picked him in the 6th round of the 1998 draft (#168 overall) before getting signing with Tampa Bay Lightning for a season. In 2010 he inked a two-year deal with San Jose, but has been hindered by the injury bug.

At 31-years old, it’s very doubtful they will re-sign him for a third year and he will probably end up playing in his home country of Finland to round out his pro career.

14Dec

Paul Szczechura (38)

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5th year, undrafted center Paul Szczechura(33) is making a strong argument for himself to stay with Buffalo Sabres in the NHL for the remainder of the season.

He was signed by the team before the start of the 2011/2012 season to a one-year, two-way deal and has already been recalled from Rochester Americans three times.

In 5 games, he’s already notched one goal and had three helpers.

He spent most of the last four years in the Tampa Bay Lightning system playing 83 games (9 goals, 7 assists), but failed to get called-up last season, even though he had his most productive year with AHL affiliate Norfolk Admirals (79 games, 22 goals and 30 assists).

Not exactly the biggest guy out there (5’11” 190 lbs.) he’s accountable every shift on the ice.

He easily has one of the hardest looking names in all of pro hockey to pronounce, but it’s actually pretty easy: Shea-hura.

26Nov

Dana Tyrell(42) Tampa Bay Lightning

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Tampa Bay Lightning‘s 2nd round pick in the 2007 draft (#47 overall) center Dana Tyrell(42) spent the entire 2010/2011 season with the parent club after skating with their AHL affiliate, Norfolk Admirals in his rookie year.

In 78 games with the Lightning, he put up 6 goals and 9 assists. While playing for Norfolk in his first season, he 9 goals and 27 assists in 74 games.

At the start of 2011/2012 he was reassigned to the AHL after a poor training camp, getting beat out for a position on the opening night roster by Prince George Cougars‘ pick Brett Connolly.

He received his first call-up and will have to prove himself again. He’s said to be reuniting with his old playing partners, Nate Thompson and Adam Hall for what was dubbed the “DNA” line.

He is in the last year of his 3-year entry level contract.

11/28: Just like that Tyrell gets re-upped by the Lightning for two more years on a one-way contract through 2014.

08Nov

Cory Conacher(89) Norfolk Admirals

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Cory Conacher is small (5’8″ 175 lbs.), undrafted and has flown under the radar for the most part.

He signed an AHL contract with Norfolk very soon after the summer free agency period began.

Tampa Bay Lightning was smart and invited him to training camp, where he scored an NHL preseason goal in his first game and impressed the management folks in St. Petersburg.

In 12 games with the Admirals, he’s already put up 4 goals and 10 assists in 12 games.

Straight out of college last year, he joined three teams on ato’s (Rochester, Cincinnati of the ECHL and Milwaukee) and lit the lamp mightily registering 13 points (9 goals, 4 assists) in 10 games.

On a side note, the 21-year old pro also plays and lives with Type 1 diabetes.

Great story about that here.

04Nov

Carter Ashton (18)

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Tampa Bay Lightning think a lot of rookie wing Carter Ashton(18).

He was chosen #29 overall in the 1st round of the 2009 draft.

He’s off to a quick start with their AHL affiliate Norfolk Admirals putting up 13 points (9 goals, 4 assists) in 10 games.

For the first month of the season he was named Reebok/AHL Rookie of the Month.

Last Friday night in Providence he didn’t fare so well in the fisticuffs with Bruins‘ Zach McKelvie.

Oddly enough though he did get the Admirals‘ first goal and was picked as the game’s #1 star.

02Oct

Ty Wishart(15) Bridgeport Sound Tigers

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No surprise former San Jose Sharks‘ 2006 1st round draft pick (#16 overall) defenseman Ty Wishart(15) was recently reassigned from New York Islanders‘ training camp to the team’s AHL affiliate, Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Picked up in a trade last season from Tampa Bay, he played 20 games in the NHL (1 goal, 4 assists) and 20 in the AHL (0 goals, 9 assists) with the Sound Tigers.

The large-framed d-man (6’4″ 218 lbs.) seems to be still growing into his game. He mostly looked out of place in preseason games, so this is no surprise.

There’s still tons of potential here. He’s only 23 years old but he’s going to have to show it soon or his third team in 5 years pro or find himself playing in some league like the KHL.