Archive for the ‘Hockey Prospects’ Category

Exactly one year to the day after Robbie Bina scored on Minnesota from 170 feet, Evan Trupp scored one of the most amazing goals that we’ve ever seen.

The following video shows a failed clearing attempt by Minnesota where North Dakota defensman, Robbie Bina, returns the puck deep in the Minnesota zone.  Subsequently, at 2:23 of overtime, Trupp batted a saucer pass from behind the net out of mid-air and past the Gopher goaltender to win the game.

What is possibly more amazing is that the forward line North Dakota had on the ice consisted of all freshman.  With UND’s rich history of sending players to the NHL, there is little doubt that at least on of these freshman forwards will be joining the ranks in the near future.

St. Louis Gametime’s Brad Lee Submits:

It seems like it was just last week that we were hopeful and excited about seeing the debut of 2007 first-round pick David Perron in a regular season game. Hey wait a second, it was last week. And we’re still waiting.

Perron, 19, has spent his first two games in the NHL wearing a tie while watching from the press box. With the home opener Wednesday night, we don’t expect the rookie to lace up his formerly white skates and risk getting caught up in all the hoopla.

And of course the next game is the first Friday night game of the year and we don’t see Perron getting the call then–too much excitement/liquor in the building that night especially for such a fragile young guy. Next week the Blues play at Chicago, the first division road game. Nope, too risky there, plus there’s the ghost of Bill Wirtz to deal with. Oct. 23, the Ducks are here at the DrinkScotch Center. Pronger could hit him harder than a carton of Pall Malls and stunt his growth.

See what we’re getting at?

Perron can play in nine games without burning a year off his contract and bringing arbitration/free agency a season closer. We understand that because of his age the only choice besides keeping him on the NHL roster is sending him back to his junior team where he won’t have adequate competition or professional training and coaching (minimum age in the AHL is 20).

But isn’t it a little risky to keep a kid dangling at the bottom of the roster and parked in the press box every night? How legitimate is this nine-game tryout?

Shouldn’t a 19-year-old be playing as much as possible even if it’s against lesser competition?

Isn’t there a player in Peoria or a free agent who could benefit by being on the NHL roster, practicing with the team and fighting for ice time?

Hopefully the Perron Experiment can get underway shortly and the team makes a decision about him for the season. Otherwise, we’re afraid the team will do more harm than good for his development and his chances of being a legitimate contributor on the St. Louis Blues.

Boston College goaltender Cory Schneider announced that he will skip his senior season with the Eagles to sign with the Vancouver Canucks, according to BC head coach Jerry York.

Northern Michigan forward Mike Santorelli has signed with the Nashville Predators, and will forgo his senior season with the Wildcats.

The Ottawa Senators snagged two underclassmen from the college ranks this week in Michigan State junior Jim McKenzie and 2005 first-round pick Brian Lee out of North Dakota. Lee, a sophomore defenseman, went ninth overall in 2005 and the native of Fargo, N.D., also set career highs in assists (24), points (26) and penalty minutes (69) with the Fighting Sioux.

Milan Lucic of the Vancouver Giants won the Most Valuable Player at this year’s Mastercard Memorial Cup in Vancouver. The hometown Lucic helped the host Giants win their first ever Memorial Cup at home in this past weekend.

In the final game versus the Medicine Hat Tigers, Lucic came out flying and delivered three consecutive bone jarring hits to the Tigers in one shift, finishing it off with a victory in a fight versus Medicine Hat’s Josh Bendfeld.

While Vancouver controlled the game from the outset, I would suggest that, during that one shift, Lucic tipped the scales for the Giants who never looked back after that.

Lucic, a Bruins second round pick, is certainly big enough to play in the National Hockey League. At six-feet three and 220lbs, Lucic has a power forward presence with the upside to be a second line player in the NHL. Playing an “in your face” style, Lucic will likely be asked to hone the finer skills of his game in order to make the jump to the next level. However, a memorial cup MVP trophy certainly won’t hurt his chances of cracking the Bruins’ line-up come fall.

Not only is Lucic a bonafide prospect on the ice, he also has also displayed quality leadership skills, earning the respect of his teammates.

“There’s something to be said for a guy who will drop the gloves, who will score, who will do all the little things in a game,” said Kendall McArdle. “He’s really a leader of our team.”

I’m looking forward to seeing Lucic in a Bruins jersey next season, at least for a couple of games.

If you want to get a head start on your Milan Lucic hockey collection, head over to eBay now for deals on Milan Lucic Collectibles.

How could I not profile this Washington Capitals prospect with a great hockey name like Oskar Osala!

I can just about imagine the chill in the arena when he scores a goal and the announcer bellows his name  with an elongated “Oooooooosala” to finish it off.

The 6′4″- 215lb winger was drafted 97th overall by the Capitals in 2006.  The Finland native is currently a member of the Mississauga IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League.

Osala notched 44 points in 54 regular season games for the IceDogs in the 2006-2007 season and added another 4 points in the Dogs’ 5 playoff games.

I’m not sure when or even if we will see Osala lacing up for the Capitals, but with a great name like that you can be sure he’ll garner some attention from the media booth!

Edmonton Oilers Prospect, and star centre of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Rob Schremp underwent successful surgery today to repair the medial collateral ligament of his left knee.

Schremp, a 5’11”, 200-pound offensive weapon from Syracuse, New York suffered a tear to the ligament on April 13th in an American Hockey League regular season game while with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

The surgery was performed by Dr. David C. Reid, the Oilers’ Team Medical Chief of Staff, at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital in Edmonton.

Following the surgery, Schremp will undergo six to eight weeks of rehabilitation work prior to returning to training for the upcoming 2007-08 National Hockey League season.

The Oilers are going to need some offensive punch with the loss of Ryan Smyth at the trade deadline. The organization has high hopes for Schremp and pending the outcome of the rehabilitation, the Oilers may be on the prowl for some scoring power this summer.

Source: Oilers