The Air Canada Centre, home of the National Hockey League‘s Toronto Maple Leafs, will host the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game event, set for Jan. 18-19, 2011. Find out more by clicking the link.
The Canadian Hockey League officially unveiled new league and team websites on Thursday.
Click on the links to find out more and to check out the Erie Otters‘ website.
The Erie Otters have five players that will spend the next two weeks at NHL camps – defensemen Tyler Hostetter (Philadelphia Flyers) and David Shields (St. Louis Blues) and forwards Greg McKegg (Toronto Maple Leafs) , Shawn Szydlowski (Ottawa Senators) and Andrew Yogan (New York Rangers).
McKegg and Szydlowski, an undrafted free-agent invite by the Senators, will play in the Maple Leafs Prospects Tournament, set for Saturday through Tuesday at John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario. Shields and Yogan will play in the NHL Prospects Tournament, set for Saturday through Wednesday at Center Ice Arena in Traverse City, Mich.
Hostetter, who signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Flyers last September, and Shields will experience their second camps.
Former Erie Otter Michael Liambas has received an invitation to rookie camp from the NHL‘s Toronto Maple Leafs.
Read more by clicking the link.
Check out new features in EA Sports NHL 11 and other news by clicking on the link.
The Erie Otters made two more cuts on Tuesday: forwards Erik Robichaud and Ralph Cuddemi. That leaves the club with 28 players on the roster.
FORWARDS (16)
Brett Appio
David Broll
Luke Cairns
Michael Cazzola
Jordan Coccimiglio
Connor Crisp
Jeremy Gottzmann
Anthony Luciani
Chris Marchese
Macaulay McDonnell
Greg McKegg
Scott Mitchell
Matthew Paton
Shawn Szydlowski
Timofey Tankeev
Andrew Yogan
DEFENSEMEN (10)
Evan Accettura
Brady Austin
Brett Cook
Mitch Gaulton
Kris Grant
Derek Holden
Adam Pelech
Mark Gazdic
Tyler Hostetter
David Shields
GOALTENDERS (2)
Chris Festarini
Ramis Sadikov
Goaltending prospect Adam Wood, who won consecutive starts in an emergency role for the Erie Otters last season, headlined the list of 10 players cut from training camp following Friday’s workouts.
That leaves the club with 30 players entering Saturday’s 5 p.m. preseason opener against the Niagara IceDogs at Tullio Arena.
Six prospects from the 2010 OHL Priority Selection – defenseman Nathan Glass and forwards Connor Brown, Drake Caggiula, Mitchell Eisenberg and Brandon Johnston and Jesse Schwartz. The other cuts were forwards from the 2009 draft – Johnny McGuire, Mitchell McIntosh and Matthew Wildman.
- Victor Fernandes
The Erie Otters drafted Brady Austin in the 2009 OHL Priority Selection as a defenseman.
But he finished the 2009-10 season at forward.
Austin’s versatility led to increased ice time. Yet, defense remained his first choice. “I talked to the coaches and said that’s what I want to play this year,” Austin said before Thursday’s scrimmage at Tullio Arena. “That’s what I focused on all summer with my skating coach.”
Now he will get his wish. Sherry Bassin, Otters managing partner and general manager, said Austin will return to defense for the 2010-11 season. He has defense this week at training camp.
Austin joins five defensemen in the rotation – Brett Cook, Mitch Gaulton, Derek Holden, Tyler Hostetter and David Shields – who have at least two full seasons of OHL experience. Bassin said the team will carry eight defensemen to start of the regular season. That leaves two open spots for players such as Adam Pelech, a 2010 second-round pick, and Evan Accettura.
* Looking sharp: The Otters have formed an expanded partnership with United Way, headlined by United Way Night on Oct. 16 at Tullio Arena, club officials announced at a news conference on Wednesday. The Otters will face the Ottawa 67′s wearing special gray sweaters, pants and socks with red, white and blue trim. The words “LIVE UNITED” appear on the lower back of the sweater.
Proceeds from ticket and jersey sales will benefit the United Way’s 2010 Campaign.
“Together, united, we can inspire hope and create opportunities for a better tomorrow,” R.J. Zonna, United Way of Erie County’s senior vice president, said in a prepared statement.
The Otters will have a second specialty jersey night on Feb. 5 against the Windsor Spitfires to celebrate the 15-year-old franchise’s 1,000th game. The design will be unveiled at a later date, along with the list of Otters’ alumni attending the game.
* A different Gazdic: Mark Gazdic has worn his older brother Luke‘s Texas Stars helmet during training camp this week. “It feels cool,” said the younger Gazdic, who was able to wear it since Luke, who’s in the Dallas Stars‘ organization, will attend NHL training camp later this month.
But don’t expect him to play like his brother, the Otters’ former physical winger. There are few similarities between their styles. Mark, a defenseman and the Otters’ 10th-round pick in the 2009 OHL draft, prefers a finesse approach, since he’s smaller (6 feet, 170 pounds) than Luke, who’s listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 228 pounds.
“I’m more agile and I make good plays,” he said. Mark will play a physical game, as he proved in separate fights against fellow 2009 pick Johnny McGuire on Wednesday and veteran Brett Appio on Thursday. In contrast, Luke was one of the OHL’s most feared fighters.
“It’s not my style of game,” Mark said.
* Memorable experience: Goaltender Adam Wood experienced it all in his two-game trial by fire with the Otters last season.
On New Year’s Eve in St. Catharines, Ontario, the night then-No. 1 goaltender Jaroslav Janus signed with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, Wood learned he would start in his first OHL game 20 minutes before facing the Niagara IceDogs. He stopped 33-of-40 shots in an 8-7 win. Two nights later, he allowed five goals on 24 shots in his home debut against the Guelph Storm. Yet he still earned a 7-5 win. In all, Wood, a 2009 eighth-round pick, had a 2-0-0-0, record 6.00 goals-against average and .813 save percentage.
Now he’s ready for more. “I feel like I’m ready for more experience this year, more confidence,” Wood said. “I feel I can do it.”
Wood joins veteran Ramis Sadikov and 2009 fifth-round choice Chris Festarini as the remaining goaltenders in camp.
* News and notes: Bassin made no cuts following Thursday’s workouts, leaving the roster at 40 players. More cuts will be made on Friday. … Accettura left the ice during Thursday’s scrimmage with an apparent injury, but it wasn’t considered serious.
- Victor Fernandes
Check out this update from the Detroit Free Press on Riley Sheahan, the Erie Otters‘ fourth-round pick in the 2007 OHL Priority Selection.
Four Mercyhurst College women’s hockey players – two-time Olympic ice hockey gold medalist Meghan Agosta, 2010 Patty Kazmaier award winner Vicki Bendus, All-American Jesse Scanzano, College Hockey America all-star selection Bailey Bram and starting goaltender Hillary Pattenden – will be at Jerry Uht Park on Monday to sign autographs and greet fans from noon until 2 p.m. The Lakers will host the 2011 NCAA Division I Women’s Frozen Four next door at Tullio Arena on March 18-20, 2011.
- From Mercyhurst College news release
