Toronto Maple Leafs | CollegeHockeyPlayers

19Apr

Brayden Irwin(29) Florida Everblades

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Undrafted, 3rd year giant-sized center Brayden Irwin(29) was released from his pto with Norfolk Admirals and returned to Florida Everblades to help them with another Kelly Cup run.

The 6’5″ 219 lbs. forward has seen action in 20 AHL games in 2012/2013 scoring 4 goals and adding 4 assists.

In 38 ECHL games, he’s struck for 14 goals and 15 assists. He also won last year’s championship with the team, registering 6 goals and 7 assists in 17 postseasons contests on the way to victory.

Originally signed to a 2-year entry level deal with Toronto Maple Leafs, he played his only pair of NHL games directly after wrapping up his collegiate career at University Of Vermont.

From there he skated 45 games with their minor league affiliate Toronto Marlies before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

The 26-year attended St. John’s IceCaps‘ training camp but was released and rejoined Florida for another campaign.

11Apr

Mark Owuya(1) Reading Royals

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Undrafted, 2nd year Swedish goaltender Mark Owuya(1) is in the final season of his 2-year entry level contract he signed with Toronto Maple Leafs in 2011.

He has played virtually an identical amount of games in both the AHL with minor league affiliate Toronto Marlies and ECHL affiliate Reading Royals. He was also in net for a half dozen games on reassignment with Las Vegas Wranglers this season.

At least in his sophomore campaign he didn’t spend as much time on the bus as he did in his rookie year, when he was recalled and sent down on 10 different occasions.

He was only reassigned half that much this season.

How a goalie is to get into any kind of a groove with that sort of schedule is a wonder but he’s the pro with the contract, so he adapts.

At 6’2″ 198 lbs. he certainly takes up a good part of the net and has a fairly smooth, somewhat unorthodox style that he makes work.

The 23-year old could easily slide back and play in the Swedish Elite League, Elitserien, where he was coming off back-to-back great seasons for Djurgarden and also won the league’s best SV%.

We’ll see.

16Mar

Nicolas Deschamps(9) Hershey Bears

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Originally an Anaheim Ducks‘ 2nd round pick in the 2008 draft (#38 overall), center Nicolas Deschamps(9) is in the last season of his 3-year entry level deal.

He was skating with AHL affiliate Syracuse Crunch, putting up good numbers (15 goals and 31 assists in 80 games) in his rookie campaign before his point production all but evaporated in the first half of his sophomore season.

The 6′ 173 lbs. forward was dished mid-year to Toronto Maple Leafs in a minor league transaction and was reassigned to the Marlies.

It was easily the change of scenery he needed because he finished the regular season with 7 goals and 23 assists in 40 games and added another 3 strikes and 9 helpers in a playoff run that went the distance to the Calder Cup Finals before falling.

The 23-year has been erratic at best in 2012/2013, barely marking up the scoresheet.

Realizing there’s still potential and really having nothing to lose, Washington Capitals become the latest suitors hoping he can kickstart that scoring touch and help Hershey Bears gain a more solid run in the postseason.

Chances are the low-risk gamble will put the fire back on his stick in the last 20 or so games that remain, but will it be enough?

28Jan

Garnet Exelby(2) Providence Bruins

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

11th year defenseman Garnet Exelby(2) signed a one-year two-way contract with Boston Bruins for the 2012/2013 season.

An Atlanta Thrashers‘ 8th round pick in 1999 (#217 overall) he has skated in 408 NHL games, mostly with his draft team but played one season patrolling the blue line for Toronto Maple Leafs.

His time as a Leaf was his last in the league. He was with Grand Rapids Griffins in 2011/2012 and Rockford Ice Hogs for the previous campaign. The now 31-year old was selected as team captain for both seasons in the AHL.

He has never been a big point-getter but is a good-sized presence in the defensive zone at 6’1″ 210 lbs., has always been fairly accountable on ice and never afraid to drop the mitts to protect a teammate.

In 19 games with Providence Bruins (he’s been hampered by injuries) he has a pair of goals. If the parent club suffers some injuries at the d-spot, the veteran could get a call-up but it’s a bit of a long shot maybe.

19Jan

Mike Mottau(3) Toronto Marlies

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Heading into 2012/2013 13th year defenseman Mike Mottau(3) was an unrestricted free agent with 313 NHL games to his credit.

Originally a New York Rangers‘ 7th round draft pick in 1997 (#182 overall) he has skated with 5 different teams, his hometown Boston Bruins‘ being the most recent he skated with last season. He was acquired in a trade deadline deal and wore a spoked “B” for 8 games, including 2 in the playoffs.

With a lockout looming, the 34-year old blue liner had a decision to make: either sign a deal with an AHL team or risk not playing for a full year and potentially wrapping up a nice, long career.

He chose the former and inked a pto to join San Antonio Rampage, making his first appearances in the league since 2007. In 16 games, he put up 7 assists and was a +5 plus/minus helping stabilize the team to jump back into the playoff picture.

Offered a chance to fight for a spot on Toronto Maple Leafs‘ roster in a shortened training camp the 6’ 193 lbs., 2000 Hobey Baker Award winner as the best player in college hockey, took it.

He had a strong enough showing that he was signed to a 1-year, two-way contract for the shortened season. Reassigned to their minor league affiliate Toronto Marlies, he played his first game with his new team notched an assist in the loss.

02Nov

Adam Mair(11) retired

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

12 year veteran center Adam Mair(11) has hung up his skates.

He’s played a total of 685 NHL regular season games scoring 38 goals and 76 assists, while racking up 829 penalty minutes.

Last year he was limited to 32 games for Springfield Falcons of the AHL because of an ankle injury, which required midseason surgery to repair, and also lost playing time to a 4-game suspension for a hit to the head.

The 33-year old forward probably thought it was going to be to difficult to sign a contract in yet another NHL lockout year (he sat idle during the first one in 2004/2005), so this was a good time to call it a career.

He’ll easily be remembered as a player for his 7 seasons in a Buffalo Sabres‘ uniform making sure opponents were held accountable.

His grit and determination will be missed but his path in hockey continues as he signed on to be the Director Of Player Development for Canisius College Golden Griffins in where else, downtown Buffalo.

24Oct

Tyler Brenner(16) Bakersfield Condors

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Toronto Maple Leafs undrafted 2nd year right wing Tyler Brennan(16) split time in his rookie season with both their AHL and ECHL affiliates Toronto Marlies and Reading Royals but also spent time on the sidelines as a healthy scratch and bitten by the injury bug.

He’s signed for a 2-year entry level deal and has shown he can put numbers up on the scoresheet (3 goals and 6 assists in 29 games over a season and an ato with the Marlies and the same totals in 20 games with the Royals). He also contributed very well in college at RIT playing Division I Atlantic Hockey and has some size at 6’2″ 200 lbs.

The 24-year old was just reassigned to Bakersfield Condors to start 2012/2013 after not appearing in the first 5 games of the AHL regular season. He should fit in well in California and will probably help them win more.

26Aug

Tyler Ruegsegger(7) Alaska Aces

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Originally a Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 6th round pick in the 2006 draft (#166 overall), center Tyler Ruegsegger(7) was suppose to figure in the team’s future plans based on his stats leading up to his selection and then later with his excellent play in the last year of his college career.

Somewhere along the line though something happened because he didn’t sign to start his rookie season until late October of 2010; and that was with Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL.

From there he gets traded to Alaska Aces, but in the final month of his first year the then 23-year old gets his first AHL called-up by Abbotsford Heat. scoring 1 goal and 4 assists in 12 games. He was returned to the Aces just in time to help them win the 2011 Kelly Cup.

In a surprising move for his second campaign, the 6′ 195 lbs. forward re-signed with the Aces to continue with the team for 2011/2012. Once again, he was recalled: first by Bridgeport Sound Tigers, then the Heat for a second run.

If he wasn’t accidentally clocked in the face by a one-timer in practice, it’s speculated that he could have played his first Calder Cup Playoff games or participated in another playoff run with the Aces.

For the upcoming 2012/2013 season, the now 25-year old re-signs for his third go with Alaska.

In 105 ECHL games he has 29 shots on goal into the net and assisted on another 25. Will this be his breakout year?

25Jul

Justin Pogge(1) Renon/Ritten

Posted in AHL, ECHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Heading into his 7th pro season former Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 3rd round pick in the 2004 draft (#90) Justin Pogge(1) splits for Renon/Ritten of the Italian Serie A league after 254 regular season AHL games.

The big 6’3″ 21o lbs. backstop has almost quietly always had a winning record and put up decent numbers for whatever minor league team he’s played with.

Last season with Portland Pirates he posted a 14-13 record with a .890 SV% and a 3.07 GAA, which was a bit higher than his average play in the league.

In 7 NHL games, all with Toronto Maple Leafs, he didn’t fare so well. He had an amazing season in his last of juniors.

He’s still only 26-years old and probably has a good amount of juice left in the container. A couple good years overseas and we may see him again.

14Jul

Korbinian Holzer(5) Toronto Maple Leafs

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 4th round pick in the 2006 draft (#111 overall) German-born defenseman Korbinian Holzer(5) recently signed a 1-way contract to make the full-time jump to the big league.

Apparently they liked what they saw of him last year, although so far his only two NHL games came in his rookie year.

He put up AHL career highs in assists and points with Toronto Marlies.

Although he pocketed only one goal, he had 19 assists for 20 points and was a +7 plus/minus on a team that made it all the way to the Calder Cup Finals. In 2010/2011 he was a +10.

As a 19-year old he played three seasons in the DEL for DEG Metro Stars after a pair of campaigns in Germany2 (DEL2) but finally came over on a two-year entry level deal.

Now at 24-years old the big 6’3″ 206 lbs. d-man is looking to step it up.