Alumni in the Pros - September 2007

. . .
On the blue line, Wilson said he wants to "make sure our defense doesn't lose any traction" without Hannan, whose 22:49 average ice time was the most of any Shark last season.

"We will have Craig Rivet for the entire year," the coach added, noting that he also needs to see that "the younger guys who did well last year show improvement."

Although competition ultimately will determine who fills the vacant top-six defensive slot - the first five are Rivet, Kyle McLaren, Christian Ehrhoff, Matt Carle and Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Wilson indicated he was looking a little more closely at one player in particular.

"I'm expecting Dougie Murray to step it up," the coach said. "It's time for him to get it right all the time."

Still, under the "no limitations" philosophy of the two Wilsons, Sharks followers also have come to expect the unexpected. Unheralded forward Nils Ekman made the starting lineup in 2003; last year, Vlasic cracked the roster at 19.

Who could end up being this year's training-camp surprise?
. . .

Al DeFlorio
Lake Erie of the AHL.

DeltaOne81

Al DeFlorio
Lake Erie of the AHL.

What what what? Man that league's hard to keep up with.

Jacob '06
Matt Moulson picks up a goal and an assist in the first preseason game of the NHL season. I'm going to be at their next game on Saturday so i guess i'll break out my Cornell jersey to show my support.

Rita

DeltaOne81

Al DeFlorio
Lake Erie of the AHL.

What what what? Man that league's hard to keep up with.

Are the home games actually played on Lake Erie? Or are the games rotated among the states and one province that border Lake Erie? What is the team nickname... Lake Effect?

Just questions to ponder in the remaining few days of the interminably long off-season.

ITHACA, N.Y. -- With preseason camps for the National Hockey League opening this week, 10 former Big Red players have been invited to the practice with the top clubs. The 10 players for Cornell are the second-most among ECAC Hockey teams, just one behind Clarkson's 11...

David Harding
The Athletics web site [cornellbigred.com] reviews the NHL preseason camps:

ITHACA, N.Y. -- With preseason camps for the National Hockey League opening this week, 10 former Big Red players have been invited to the practice with the top clubs. The 10 players for Cornell are the second-most among ECAC Hockey teams, just one behind Clarkson's 11...

Gleed
O'Byrne
Iggulden
Murray
LeNeveu
McKee
Hynes
Moulson
Pokulok
Bitz

[Ryan] O'Byrne made a successful transition from the collegiate ranks to the AHL last season. In fact, his play was so impressive that there was much talk that the 6'5 blueliner would break camp with the Habs this season.

While that may be the case, recent acquisitions, including the arrival of Habs retread Patrice Brisebois, somewhat call that assumption into question. But what O'Byrne brings to the table is something the Habs desperately need on the point - size.

With the departure of Sheldon Souray, who despite his size never played overly big, the club is slight on the blue line. O'Byrne blends imposing size with defensive responsibility in an attractive package that should find him in the NHL sooner rather than later.

The product of Cornell University won't win any speed records, nor will he invoke memories of Doug Harvey's offensive talents, but he is expected to be an effective crease-clearer who has shown an ability to make the smart first pass out of the zone.

[Mike] Iggulden has overcome some injuries in college and also being limited to a defensive forward while there. This experience has probably benefitted him in that he now has the two-way awareness needed of third and fourth line NHL hockey players. In order to play in the NHL, Iggulden will have to continue to hone his offensive skills, but these are largely skills he didn't get to use a lot in college. His upside is that of a third or fourth line NHL forward. In order to fit in more to the third or fourth line role he's likely to fill, he may need to become more physical, especially if he cracks the NHL as a wing. At the least, he can make a responsible two-way emergency recall as is.

Building the team from the back end out, the Coyotes currently don’t have a prospect in the running for the netminder position. David LeNeveu, no longer a prospect per HF criteria, is still in the mix, but he’s going to face stiff competition from David Aebischer, Alex Auld and last season's incumbent netminder, Mikael Tellqvist. Josh Tordjman will be at camp, but expect him to take over or split the starting role in San Antonio.

Sasha Pokulok is one of the feel-good stories of camp as he is finally returning from what could have been career-ending post-concussion syndrome. He was barely able to train last season due to incredible headaches but has shown up early to training camp to compete and prove he is healthy, even participating in full contract scrimmages without side effects. At around 6'4, 220 lbs. he has the physical tools to have a successful career as long as he can stay healthy.

Josh '99
Ditto Moulson in LA, though if he keeps scoring in preseason games he could change that.

Josh '99
Lenny played about half of Phoenix's preseason game last night. Judging from the numbers, it wasn't a great performance. 2 goals allowed on 10 shots, including an SHG in overtime.

Jacob '06
O'byrne is getting a decent amount of playing time for the Canadiens today and some people on HFboards are saying good things about him. I think he will probably end up getting stuck as the 7/8 defenseman though.

Josh '99

Jacob '06
O'byrne is getting a decent amount of playing time for the Canadiens today and some people on HFboards are saying good things about him. I think he will probably end up getting stuck as the 7/8 defenseman though.

Seems like he's getting a HUGE amount of ice time (Yahoo says 27:52 already with the game not yet over), but he's -2 and has taken a penalty.

San Jose Sharks: Patrick Marleau will make his two wingers useful in fantasy. We just don't know who they are yet. Ryane Clowe overachieved last season, while Steve Bernier played himself out of the top six. What about some young guys like Devin Setoguchi or Mike Iggulden? This is a battle to watch.

Jacob '06
Moulson got sent back down to Manchester today. His problem is that he probably has to make the top 2 lines as a scorer because he doesn't have the physical play to play the 3rd or 4th line.

nr53
Iggulden sent down to Worcester as of today.

Link

Josh '99
I don't see any mention of Gleed any more recently than December 2006. The comments at that point were favorable, though, so I'd guess he'll be with Hamilton (Montreal's AHL affiliate) this coming season.

Al DeFlorio

Josh '99
I don't see any mention of Gleed any more recently than December 2006. The comments at that point were favorable, though, so I'd guess he'll be with Hamilton (Montreal's AHL affiliate) this coming season.

Montreal assigned Gleed to Hamilton yesterday--along with Danis and a bunch of others. O'Byrne not on the "assigned" list.

It would appear that four players are vying for the two or three spaces that are available on the back end of the blueline. [Roman] Hamrlik, Mike Komisarek (1st round, 2001), Andrei Markov (6th round, 1998), and Francis Bouillon have the first four spots locked up, while the aforementioned [Mark] Streit will probably serve as the eighth defenseman. That said, it would appear that [Mathieu] Dandenault, [Patrice] Brisebois, Ryan O’Byrne (3rd round, 2003) and Josh Gorges are left to battle it out for the last blue line spots.

Before the acquisition of Brisebois, the general consensus amongst Montreal watchers was that the 6’5 O’Byrne would make the jump to the NHL to provide the Habs back end with a little extra beef. The product of Cornell University acquitted himself nicely during his first professional season. He started off slow, but by the end of the year was a rock on the Bulldogs’ blue line. Not known for his offense, O’Byrne did show an aptitude for making the smart first pass, and actually ended the season with a dozen assists to his name. Most importantly, he has the size that the club lost with Souray’s departure – but, unlike Souray, he’s shown more willingness to actually use it.

cth95
P.J. Stock's show on the Team 990 AM out of Montreal discussed O'Byrne and one other player (I'd remember it if I heard it) vying for possibly the last defensive spot on the Canadiens. They played a good interview with O'Byrne in which he discussed hoping he makes the team but realizing he will have to earn any minutes he gets and that he will not be able to take it for granted. He came across as very professional and well-spoken.

There are some benefits to spending two days-per-week working along the Canadian border.