Tagged: Utah Grizzlies

12Apr

J.D. Watt(10) Ontario Reign

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4th year pro, right wing J.D. Watt(10) signed an AHL contract with Manchester Monarchs‘ for the 2011/2012 season after opting out of his one-year deal with Calgary Flames.

He was originally a Flames‘ 4th round pick in 2005 (#111 overall) and played 139 AHL games with their affiliates in Quad City then Abbotsford Heat before leaving.

Starting the season with the Monarchs‘ ECHL affiliate Ontario Reign he was recalled three times and played 19 games scoring a goal to go along with a pair of helpers.

He was most recently reassigned to the ECHL again to help out in the Reign‘s Kelly Cup Playoff push. They did get to game 5 before losing in that decisive matchup.

He will likely be recalled unless the Monarchs wait to see how their final weekend unfolds as they are in a battle for their playoff lives. The 24-year has been mostly a 4th line energy forward throughout his playing career.

02Feb

Joel Rechlicz(19) Washington Capitals

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Washington Capitals is in desperate need of adding some necessary roughness to their game and turn 5th year undrafted tough guy Joel Rechlicz(19) contract into an NHL deal and he’s immediately recalled from his AHL team, Hershey Bears. In 27 games he has 1 goal and 1 assist to go along with 184 penalty minutes, which pretty much equal career highs all around for him in a season.

In a pair of games for the Caps he’s played a minute and a half and 2:37 of ice time in each of the games with no fighting majors (yet). This season he leads the AHL in penalty minutes.

He did have 23 games of NHL experience with New York Islanders, a team he spent a couple of seasons with, first playing in the ECHL with Utah Grizzlies and AHL with Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

He has one assist to his scoring credit and 95 pims. At 6’4″ 220 lbs. he could convert himself into some sort of power forward but doesn’t have the most deft hand abilities, except for fighting. He’s very much a Dale Hunter, coach of the Capitals‘ style of player.

28Jan

Mitch Wahl(51) Utah Grizzlies

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After suffering a season ending concussion in his 2010/2011 rookie year, Calgary Flames‘ 2nd round pick in the 2008 draft (#48 overall), center Mitch Wahl(51) is starting it a bit slow to begin his second campaign in the pros.

After appearing in 6 games to start the season with ECHL Utah Grizzlies, where he put up 5 goals and two assists, he was recalled to Abbotsford Heat to find a spot in their lineup. He skated in 5 games with them but failed to get on the scoring sheet and was loaned by the Flames to Hamilton Bulldogs.

Recently recalled and reassigned once again to Utah, he picked up where he left off scoring a goal in his first game back.

With the Bulldogs, he had 2 goals and 3 assists in 22 games and went a +1 plus/minus.

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.

21Dec

Brett Motherwell(25) Chicago Express

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Undrafted 5th year defenseman Brett Motherwell(25) played his first full season in the AHL last year with Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

Unable to find the right deal in the offseason, he finally signed a deal in early December with Chicago Express of the ECHL to join them for 2011/2012.

It’s very likely that he’ll play some games in the AHL this season on call-up, possibly with the Express affiliate Springfield Falcons.

 

13Dec

Pierre Dagenais(26) Akwesasne Warriors

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14-year veteran wing Pierre Dagenais(26) has spent the last couple of seasons playing in the single A level Federal Hockey League with Akwesasne Warriors and even won the Commissioner’s Cup with the team, as the league’s best.

He’s the leading scoring so far this season with 28 goals and 20 assists in 17 games and a crazy +21 plus/minus.

He’s almost strictly a one-way player for the team and seemingly moves with incredible finesse at half speed out there and never takes the body against the opposing team’s player.

In 142 NHL games most notably with Montreal Canadiens, he put up 35 goals and 23 assists.

New Jersey Devils actually drafted him twice, once in 1996 (2nd round #47 overall) and again in 1998 (4th round #105 overall) and played for four years in their system. He is currently 33 years old.

25Nov

Micheal Haley(18) New York Islanders

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Micheal Haley(18) has spent his entire 5 year pro career in the New York Islanders‘ system.

Last season he appeared in 27 games registering 2 goals and an assist to go along with 85 penalty minutes. Of those minutes, his most famous had to be when he took on Pittsburgh Penguins‘ goaltender Brent Johnson.

He was reassigned to start the season with their AHL affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers, where he’s been a terror in over 200 games; but last year his scoring touch came back to life for the first time since his final year in juniors and rookie season to start his pro career with ECHL Utah Grizzlies.

He was recalled and played his first game of the season with the badly slumping Isles. He’s no doubt been summoned to give the team a much needed infusion of energy.

Every picture I have of him, he looks like he wants to start a fight, which he showing some restraint, waited to do until his 2nd game back.

02Sep

David Ling(21) HC Val Pusteria / Providence Bruins

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Veteran forward David Ling(21) enters his 17th year pro signing a contract to play with HC Val Pusteria (Wolves) of the Italian Hockey League.

He was originally drafted in 1993 by Quebec Nordiques in the 7th round (#179 overall) and has skated in 93 NHL games. For the last 5 or so seasons he’s played mostly overseas stopping back to skate in the AHL with Toronto Marlies ’07/’08 and last year with Providence Bruins.

At 36 years old, it seems like the little guy (a generous 5’10” 197lb) just won’t quit.

24Aug

Olivier Labelle(27) Rouen Dragons

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6th year pro Olivier Labelle(27) re-signs for 2011/2012 with Reading Royals, the ECHL team he spent 38 games with last season, plus 7 in the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

For the other half of the season he was signed to a pto with Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL.

Throughout his career he’s been mostly a AA player with the exception of his rookie season, when he played 74 games with Syracuse Crunch, putting up 11 goals, 20 assists and 153 pims. In the following 4 seasons, he played almost exclusively in the ECHL, until last year’s run with Bridgeport.