Union College | CollegeHockeyPlayers

26Jun

Troy Grosenick(1) San Jose Sharks

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San Jose Sharks‘ undrafted 2nd year goalie Troy Grosenick(1) is continuing his pattern of stepped up play in his sophomore campaign.

He’s in a four way tie for first place amongst AHL net minders with 7 victories in 10 starts.

The 6’1″ 185 lbs. backstop put up a very decent showing in his rookie season with affiliate Worcester Sharks.

In 35 games he had an 18-14 record with a team that mostly struggled to win and a 2.62 GAA and 2.62 SV% including a pair of shutouts and 6 shootout wins.

He was on pace to start 50+ contests in the minors for 2014/2015 but with the hot start and an injury sidelining the parent club’s backup goaltender, he earned his first recall and got his first big league start.

The 25-year old that always seems to be in exactly the right spot to make saves this season was stellar in his NHL initiation, shutting down the mostly abysmal Carolina Hurricanes‘ 45 shot offensive flurry and capturing the game’s first star award in the process, along with setting a new league record for most stops in a debut.

He may be making the coast-to-coast flight many times if he can maintain his game, which will be a good thing for a player that is set to become a restricted free agent.

Original story 11/18-14

After appearing in a new career high 20 AHL games posting 20 wins and making his stellar NHL debut, he nets a new 2-year contract that is one-way for 2016/2017.

The soon-to-be 26-year old will likely be given the workload of minutes with new affiliate San Jose Barracuda in the upcoming campaign but could easily challenge for the starter job in the 2nd year of his new deal.

07Apr

Daniel Carr(11) Hamilton Bulldogs

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Montreal Canadiens‘ undrafted rookie left wing Daniel Carr(11) plays a full on energy style that leaves it all on the ice after every shift.

The generously listed 6′ 189 lbs. forward won the 2014 NCAA Championship with underdog success story Union College and was leading scorer. He posted his college best 22 goals and 28 assists for 50 points in 38 games but in a deep field didn’t come away with a Hobey Baker nominee nod despite point-per-game efforts through four years of Division 1 school hockey and also winning three straight ECAC titles before taking it all.

He continues on a scoring tear as a first year pro. In 70 AHL games with affiliate Hamilton Bulldogs, he leads rookie scoring with 22 goals and has 12 assists for 34 points with a +13 rating on a team that scores as much as it’s scored upon.

The 23-year old signed a two-year entry level contract that keeps him in the system through next season. He’ll need to continue to prove his mettle but he definitely has it and could become a scary presence around the net in the show.

12Feb

Mat Bodie (2)

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New York Rangers‘ undrafted rookie defenseman Mat Bodie(2) was captain of the Union College team that won their first, a Cinderella Story style, 2014 NCAA Championship in his fourth and final season.

They did win back-to-back ECAC Championships in 2012 and 2013.

He slipped under the radar possibly due to where he was playing and even though his numbers have been good, his somewhat small 6′ 175 lbs. size may have been slightly prohibitive for other clubs to take the chance.

They were definitely missing a pretty smart playing blue liner that’s a sharp thinker on ice and can put up points, which is necessary because his physical game is definitely low impact.

He already seems to be out there as a player with more pro experience despite this being his first season. It’s likely it’s due to him already being 24-years old when he started.

Signed to only a one-year entry level deal, he was a bit of a late cut from training camp.

Reassigned to start with minor league affiliate Hartford Wolf Pack, he’s managed to get 3 goal, 14 assists and has a +1 rating in 48 AHL games with a squad that’s fighting for their playoff life.

The parent club will probably want to continue to watch this prospect develop.

He’s set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season and it would be a surprise to see them step away from a qualifying offer to stay put.

09Nov

Keith Kinkaid (1)

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Already playing in his fourth season, New Jersey Devils‘ goaltender prospect Keith Kinkaid(1) has been somewhat quietly developing his game with AHL affiliate Albany Devils, where he’s continued to get better and kept the parent club’s vision intact of bringing him up slowly.

He did get into one game in his sophomore campaign.

His team made the postseason for the first time in forever last year and even in a four game losing effort kept them in each game with a 2.26 GAA and .932 SV%.

The 6’2″ 190 lbs. net minder was originally signed to a 2-year entry level deal after a pair of dominating seasons with Union College and two campaigns in U.S. junior hockey, the 25-year old has been given qualifying offers twice to keep him in the system.

He started 2014/2015 on fire, posting a 4-0-2 record with a 1.95 GAA and .931 SV%.

Good enough for New Jersey to make the call officially dubbing him as back up net minder.

He was called into action immediately off the bench and accepted the loss on the one goal he had no chance of saving.

It’s almost a sure bet he’ll get his first NHL start in short order.

23Feb

Kelly Zajac(11) Albany Devils

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Albany Devils‘ undrafted 2nd year center Kelly Zajac(11) is making a statement on the score sheet in his sophomore season with the team.

After being sidelined for a majority of his rookie year with a nagging lower body injury, limiting him to only 14 games (2 goals, 2 assists), he returned for 2013/2014 healthy and ready to contribute.

Appearing in 46 AHL games, he’s easily posted career highs with 8 goals, 22 assists and a +5 rating on a squad that’s poised to make a playoff run for the first time in a long while.

The not exactly huge 5’11” 175 lbs. forward was a point-per-game guy in his last two campaigns of college hockey at Union, helping them win the 2012 NCAA (ECAC) Championship.

He’s only been signed to a pair of 1-year minor league contracts but is definitely making a bid to get noticed and move up.

The 25-year old spent parts of his first season in the ECHL with Trenton Titans, most of the time to likely get some games under his belt, and was able to produce at a rate of 6 goals and 10 assists in 15 contests in the lower league.

He may not be sure where he will end up under a deal for his next campaign but should be able to score a training camp invite to show the higher ups what he can do.

16Dec

Troy Grosenick(1) Worcester Sharks

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San Jose Sharks‘ undrafted rookie net minder Troy Grosenick(1) is off to a formidable start to his pro career.

Originally slated to be the back-up goalie with minor league affiliate Worcester Sharks, he’s stepped it up in each appearance to be on somewhat of a rotating start schedule.

In 9 AHL games he has a 5-3 record with a 2.01 GAA and .922 SV%. He also has one shutout and 3 shootout wins.

The 6’1″ 185 lbs. backstop had great success in a pair of seasons at Union College winning ECAC Championships both seasons with a league best GAA and SV% in his first year, along with being voted Goaltender Of The Year and was a Hobey Baker Award Finalist.

He’s initially signed a 1-year entry level deal at the end of 2012/2013 and a few months later that was quickly upped another two seasons with an extension, which will keep him in the system through 2015.

The 24-year old has surprised folks at every level and there’s enough reason to think he’ll continue the pattern.