Vancouver Canucks | CollegeHockeyPlayers

11Nov

Brandon DeFazio(39) Vancouver Canucks

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Undrafted right wing Brandon DeFazio(39) has been consistently working hard on his game to move up to playing in the show.

In his first season he signed a one-year agreement to join Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and as a youngster put in a respectable 11 goals and 5 assists.

He was rewarded for his efforts with a one-year entry level contract with New York Islanders. He skated exclusively for their affiliate Bridgeport Sound Tigers and saw his point totals rise with another 11 goal season and an assist increase to 14 on a mostly very young, struggling squad.

The feisty 6’1″ 205 lbs. forward that looks slightly smaller than his measurements indicate was noticed by Vancouver Canucks and received another 1-year, 2-way deal.

He stuck with their AHL farm club Utica Comets for the entirety of 2013/2014 but kept escalating his scoring game, hitting the net for a career high 17 goals and 17 assists, 34 points in 76 games.

He’s also been good for over 100 penalty minutes for each of his pro campaigns.

The 26-year old was extended for another season and got right to work, scoring 4 goals to lead the team and adding another pair of tallies resulting in his first NHL recall.

He skated 10 shifts for 6:04 of total ice time with no other stats but it was a team shootout win, so he may stick at least temporarily with the club.

See related: 7/17-12

11Oct

Joe Cannata(35) Utica Comets

Posted in NHL | Leave a comment

Vancouver Canucks‘ 6th round pick in the 2009 draft (#173 overall) goalie Joe Cannata(35) finds himself in a bit of a logjam to find any time between the pipes with their minor league affiliate Utica Comets.

The Massachusetts-born net minder is on a one-year contract extension with the parent club and will start down a notch on the pro ladder with Ontario Reign.

He’s played in the league before, appearing in 7 ECHL games in his rookie campaign.

The 6’1″ 200 lbs. backstop spent the entirety of 2013/2014 in the AHL posting a respectable 11-12 record with a 2.83 GAA and .907 SV% on a mostly shaky team.

He also played in 14 games with then farm team Chicago Wolves in his first year and had even slightly better numbers.

The 24-year old played four seasons at Merrimack College putting up stellar totals.

He’ll definitely have to work hard to get back on the radar.

30Sep

Jeremy Welsh(15) Chicago Wolves

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Undrafted center Jeremy Welsh(15) has already been with his share of teams as he enters his third professional season.

An unrestricted free agent heading into 2014/2015, his former team Vancouver Canucks decided to not re-sign the fairly large 6’3″ 208 lbs. Ontario, Canada native.

He originally inked a 1-year entry level deal with Carolina Hurricanes and skated his first NHL game after winning an ECAC Championship at Union College in his third and final season before turning pro.

The physical presence up front split his time in his rookie year up with the big club on numerous recalls but mostly with affiliate Charlotte Checkers, where he notched some decent numbers (14+12-26 in 69 AHL games).

His potential abilities led him to receive a two-year extension with the 2nd year being a one-way contract.

He was traded to Vancouver before the start of 2013/2014 and split his time with Utica Comets.

The 26-year old joined St. Louis Blues early in free agency on a 1-year, 2-way contract and was recently reassigned to affiliate Chicago Wolves.

He’ll easily be on the short list for a recall to prove his mettle once again but will need to show up big.

20May

Alexandre Grenier(28) Utica Comets

Posted in Profile | Leave a comment

Vancouver Canucks‘ 3rd round pick in the 2011 draft (#90 overall), rookie right wing Alexandre Grenier(28) had a good first year under a two-year entry level deal signed to start in the 2013/2014 season.

Playing on reassignment with their expansion affiliate Utica Comets, he managed to connect for a team third high ranking in goals, assists and points (17-22-39).

This was actually the hulking 6’4″ 200 lbs. forward second season as a pro.

After only a year and a half in the QMJHL, he decided it was time to take his game to the next level.

Signing with EC Salzburg of the Austria Elite League as players waited for the lockout to thaw, he gained some solid playing experience in 25 games overseas and joined Kalamazoo Wings to begin his quest to get make it to the NHL.

Wasting no time, he contributed 10 goals and 11 assists in 37 games before being recalled late in the season to Chicago Wolves.

Impressed by his skating, he would ink a contract at the conclusion of the regular season.

With a bit more muscle and weight on his full-sized frame, the 22-year old should compete for a spot on the parent’s club roster to start his sophomore campaign.

15May

Pascal Pelletier(23) Utica Comets

Posted in AHL | Leave a comment

Undrafted 10th year center Pascal Pelletier(23) returned to North American hockey signing a one-year two-way deal with Vancouver Canucks for 2013/2014.

He spent the last three seasons in the Swiss elite league NLA, skating games for SCL Tigers, putting up close to point-per-game numbers.

The strong skating, stocky 5’11” 196 lbs. forward was reassigned to expansion team Utica Comets and set a new career high assists with 40 in 69 AHL games.

His 62 points were also second highest of his pro career.

He appeared in 3 games with the parent club but failed to hit the score sheet.

He’s played 16 total NHL games but has not registered a point.

23Apr

Nicklas Jensen(17) Utica Comets

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

Vancouver Canucks‘ 1st round pick in the 2011 draft (#29 overall) Danish-born rookie right wing Nicklas Jensen(17) is off and flying start in his first full season of North American pro hockey.

He suited up for 17 NHL games with the parent club, scoring 3 goals and 3 assists with a -1 rating on a team that struggled to find chemistry through most of 2013/2014.

In 54 AHL contests with affiliate Utica Comets, the sizable 6’3″ but skinny 186 lbs. forward produced a tidy 15 goals and 6 assists in his first season in the minors.

He started was signed as an 18-year old to a 3-year entry level contract but in the first of two-entry level slides went back to his junior club, Oshawa Generals and then started the next season in the SHL with AIK before joining their minor league team Chicago Wolves for the remainder of 2012/2013.

It’s unlikely he’ll return to the farm team for any more extended periods of time but if his numbers or play slips up in the show, he may find himself on reassignment as a wake-up call.

Odds are that he’ll stick and will be contributing big-time in his sophomore campaign.

19Apr

Utica Comets vs. Toronto Marlies handshake

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

A site never seen to conclude a regular season game: both squads line up to shake hands at the conclusion of the second to last game of the regular season, a 3-2 battle in which the home team Utica Comets won a contest over AHL Western Conference rivals Toronto Marlies that had little meaning in the standings.

Tough to recall what started this gentlemanly gesture, but it’s believed two opposing friends came together to exchange some good will and it escalated into plenty of fuzzy feelings to go around.

29Oct

Andrew Ebbett (25)

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

8th year undrafted left wing Andrew Ebbett(25) wasted no time in free agency signing a one-year, two-way deal to join Pittsburgh Penguins‘ system for a season.

In 8 AHL games with minor league affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins he already has a tidy 2 goals and 5 assists. He’s pretty much a point per game guy in the league at 78 goals and 165 assists in 254 games, now skating with his 6th team. He also owns a remarkable +32 rating.

He’s less prolific in the NHL scoring 25 tallies and 39 helpers in 191 games under contracts with 7 different teams but also has an accountable +3 plus/minus.

The small 5’9″ 174 lbs. forward is looked to for bursts of energy he brings to the table and that kind of spark plug often results in wins.

It will be interesting to see where the 30-year old ends up next but he can almost assuredly expect a recall to the parent club before the seasons out, which would give him NHL appearances in his last 7 seasons.

21Oct

Rob Davison(3) Worcester Sharks

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

13th year defenseman Rob Davison(3) comes full circle in his pro career signing a one-year, two-way deal with San Jose Sharks, the team that picked him in the 4th round of the 1998 draft (#98 overall).

He spent the last couple of seasons overseas playing mostly for EC Red Bull Salzburg in the Austrian Hockey League.

The rock solid 6’3″ 215 lbs. blue liner has skated in 219 NHL games with the Sharks, New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks and New Jersey Devils.

His tour of the AHL has been a bit more well-traveled with stops that include games for Kentucky Thoroughblades, Cleveland Barons, Lowell and Albany Devils and this year he’s team captain of Worcester Sharks.

The 33-year old has never been the biggest point getter but guards his own zone with gusto and has topped the 200 penalty minute mark twice in his first pair of seasons and then put up over 100 pims before leaving North American hockey.

He’s a true leader that will likely find himself behind the bench in a coaching role once he decides he’s had enough ice time.

27Mar

Derek Joslin(36) Worcester Sharks

Posted in AHL, NHL | Leave a comment

6th year defenseman Derek Joslin(36) has just seen his pro career come full circle.

He is back with the team he started with, Worcester Sharks, when the parent clubs swapped minor league defensemen in a late season move that saw Vancouver Canucks return him to the AHL Eastern Conference from Chicago Wolves.

He is still signed with the Canucks but set to become a restricted free agent.

The 26-year old inked a one-year, two-way deal early in free agency with the team after Carolina Hurricanes bought out the final season of his 1-way contract.

He has 114 NHL contests to his credit with 4 goals and 12 assists and spent the entire last two seasons in the league, skating games in the show since 2008-2009 season.

The solid as a rock blue liner has yet to score a recall in the lockout shortened 2013 campaign but now that appears doubtful.

In 262 career AHL games, he’s scored 29 times and added 84 assists but currently sitting at a sort of dismal overall -16 plus/minus.

The 6’1″ 210 lbs. d-man was originally a San Jose Sharks‘ 5th round pick in the 2005 draft (#149 overall).