TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – Former Erie Otters Shawn Szydlowski and Phil Varone had an assist apiece in the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 win against the New York Rangers in the championship game of the NHL Prospects Tournament at Center Ice Arena on Wednesday.

Varone finished the four-game tournament tied for second on the team with four points (two goals, two assists). Szydlowski had a goal and two points overall.

The Sabres haven’t announced their training camp roster. Former Otters forward Andrew Yogan, who appeared to be injured earlier in the tournament, didn’t play for the second straight game.

Otters overage defenseman David Shields has been invited to camp with the St. Louis Blues, which begins Friday in St. Louis Mills, Mo. Shields had no points and a minus-2 rating in the Blues’ 4-3 OT win against the Columbus Blue Jackets in the third-place game. He finished the tournament with no points and a minus-1 rating.

Otters OA goaltender Ramis Sadikov was the backup in the Detroit Red Wings’ 4-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes in the seventh-place game. He had an 0-1-0 record, 4.00 goals-against average and .846 save percentage in one game. The Red Wings haven’t announced their camp roster.

Former Mercyhurst College standout forward Scott Pitt had no points and a minus-2 rating against the Red Wings. He finished tied for the team lead with two points (one goal, one assist), but didn’t receive an invitation to main camp.

Greg McKegg (Contributed/Toronto Maple Leafs)

OSHAWA, Ontario – Erie Otters forwards Greg McKegg and Sondre Olden scored a goal apiece in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators on the final day of the 2011 Rookie Tournament at General Motors Centre.

Then according to mapleleafs.nhl.com, they joined former Otters winger David Broll in earning invitations to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ main camp, which begins Friday in Toronto and is headlined by the preseason opener Sept. 19 against the Senators.

McKegg finished the tournament tied for the team lead with four points (two goals, two assists).

At Traverse City, Mich., former Otters center Phil Varone scored his second goal in the NHL Prospects Tournament in the Buffalo Sabres’ 5-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday at Center Ice Arena. Former Otters teammate Shawn Szydlowski had no points for the Sabres.

Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov didn’t play for the Red Wings. The Sabres face the New York Rangers today at 7 p.m. in the championship game. The game can be seen on NHL Network and Madison Square Garden Network.

But Varone and Szydlowski might not face former Otters teammate Andrew Yogan, who didn’t play in a 4-3 double-overtime loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. While I watched the broadcast of the Rangers’ win Sunday against the Dallas Stars, it appeared Yogan was injured while crashing into the boards.

Meanwhile, former Mercyhurst College standout Scott Pitt had a goal, assist and a plus-2 rating for the Hurricanes against the Rangers on Tuesday. Otters defenseman David Shields, who’s expected to begin his professional career this season, had no points and a plus-1 rating in the St. Louis Blues’ 6-1 win against the Stars.

- Victor Fernandes

Greg McKegg (Contributed/Toronto Maple Leafs)

OSHAWA, Ontario – Erie Otters captain Greg McKegg had a goal and two assists to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 5-1 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2011 Rookie Tournament at General Motors Centre on Sunday.

Otters teammate Sondre Olden didn’t record a point for the Leafs. Former Otters winger David Broll was injured in the game, according to the team’s website. The Leafs face the Ottawa Senators on Monday at 7 p.m.

At Traverse City, Mich., Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov allowed four goals on 26 shots in the Detroit Red Wings’ 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild in the NHL Prospects Tournament at Center Ice Arena.

Former Otters Shawn Szydlowski (goal) and Phil Varone (assist) led the Buffalo Sabres to a 6-3 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Former Otter Andrew Yogan scored a goal in the New York Rangers’ 6-2 win against the Dallas Stars.

Overage defenseman David Shields, who’s expected to begin his pro career this season, had no points in the St. Louis Blues’ 2-1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes. Former Mercyhurst College standout Scott Pitt had no points and a minus-2 rating for the Hurricanes.

Tuesday’s schedule is N.Y. Rangers vs. Carolina at 3 p.m.; St. Louis vs. Dallas at 3:30 p.m.; Minnesota vs. Columbus, 6:30 p.m.; and Buffalo vs. Detroit, 7 p.m.

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – Former Erie Otters center Phil Varone scored in the Buffalo Sabres’ 6-3 win against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday at the NHL Prospects Tournament. Former teammate Shawn Szydlowski had no points and four shots on goal for the Sabres.

In other tournament action, David Shields, an overage defenseman with the Otters who’s expected to start his professional career this season, had no points and a plus-1 rating in the St. Louis Blues’ 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers. Former Otters forward Andrew Yogan, who was traded to Peterborough last month, had no points and a minus-1 rating for the Rangers.

Otters overage goaltender Ramis Sadikov didn’t play for the Detroit Red Wings in a 7-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Former Mercyhurst College standout Sc0tt Pitt had a minus-2 rating and one shot on goal in the Carolina Hurricanes’ 8-2 loss to the Dallas Stars.

Here is Sunday’s tournament schedule:

Columbus vs. Buffalo, 2:30 p.m.

Carolina vs. St. Louis, 3 p.m.

Dallas vs. N.Y. Rangers, 6 p.m. (Live on NHL Network, replay on NHL Network at 9 p.m.)

Detroit vs. Minnesota, 6:30 p.m.

Here’s the rest of the tournament schedule:

Tuesday

Dallas vs. St. Louis, 3 p.m.

N.Y. Rangers vs. Carolina, 3:30 p.m. (Live on NHL Network, replay on NHL Network at 7 p.m.)

Columbus vs. Minnesota, 6:30 p.m.

Detroit vs. Buffalo, 7 p.m.

Wednesday

7th-place game, 3 p.m.

5th-place game, 3:30 p.m.

3rd-place game, 6:30 p.m.

Championship game, 7 p.m.

The Buffalo Sabres have added another former Erie Otter into their organization.

Shawn Szydlowski has signed a NHL entry-level contract with the Sabres. He will report to the AHL’s Portland Pirates, where he rejoins Mark Jeanneret, the Otters’ former play-by-play broadcaster and media relations director. He’s the Pirates’ play-by-play voice and director of communications and team services.

The Sabres already have former Otters Brad Boyes, Tim Connolly and Steve Montador on the roster.

Szydlowski, 20, an undrafted free-agent forward, set career highs with 41 goals, 37 assists and 78 points in his final season with the Otters. He finished his four-year career ranked fifth in franchise history with 94 goals and sixth in points with 197. Szydlowski attended an Ottawa Senators’ rookie camp before this season. The Pirates played at the Providence Bruins on Friday night.

He joins three current and former Otters – forwards Anthony Luciani (Florida Panthers) and Greg McKegg (Toronto Maple Leafs) and defenseman David Shields (St. Louis Blues) – to earn deals the past few weeks. Defenseman Tyler Hostetter signed with the Philadelphia Flyers before the 2009-10 season.

In other Otters’ news, Otters forward Andrew Yogan has signed an amateur tryout contract with the Connecticut Whale, the New York Rangers’ AHL affiliate. Yogan trained with the club during his rehabilitation from shoulder surgery. The Whale faced the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Friday.

Yogan, the Rangers’ fourth-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, had three goals and four points in 10 games this season. He has 55 goals and 108 points in 174 OHL games with the Otters and Spitfires.

Luciani, who was assigned to the AHL’s Rochester Americans, was expected to make his professional debut on Friday night against the Binghamton Senators. He could face McKegg Saturday night, when Rochester meets the Toronto Marlies in Toronto. The Peoria Rivermen (Shields) and Adirondack Phantoms (Hostetter) faced the Chicago Wolves and Manchester Monarchs on Friday night.

- Victor Fernandes

The Windsor Spitfires have taken command of their series with the Erie Otters.

The Spitfires exploded for seven goals on 42 shots in a 7-4 win against the Otters in Game 4 of their best-of-seven quarterfinal series, played in front of 3,316 at Tullio Arena on Wednesday night.

The Spitfires, which lead 3-1 in the series, can eliminate the Otters with a win in Game 5 on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. at WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario. Seven Spitfires contributed multiple points in the win.

Tom Kuhnhackl led the way with two goals and two assists. Alexander Khokhlachev (two goals, assist) and Jake Carrick (goal, two assists) had three points apiece. David Shields had two points for the Otters.

The shootout many expected from two of the OHL’s top offenses finally erupted in the first period.

The teams scored five goals on 15 shots, with the Spitfires building a 3-2 lead. Windsor scored on their first two shots to chase Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov from the game for the second straight outing.

Kuhnhackl, who left Game 3 early on Monday with an apparent leg injury, beat Sadikov for a 1-0 lead 1:27 into the opening period. Khokhlachev scored from in front at the 3:52 mark.

Tyler Hostetter scored less than five minutes later to slice the Otters’ deficit to 2-1, only to have Stephen Johnston score on the power play against rookie backup Chris Festarini with 7:06 left in the period to regain the Spitfires’ two-goal lead. Windsor scored its first three goals on four shots.

Then with 4:15 left in the period, Shields slipped a shot past Spitfires goaltender Jack Campbell to send the Otters into the first intermission trailing 3-2. The Otters scored twice on nine shots.

But Zack Kassian’s first goal of the series 47 seconds into the second period, which handed the Spitfires a 4-2 lead, forced Otters coach Robbie Ftorek to send Sadikov back into the game.

Greg McKegg pulled the Otters within a goal again at 4-3, as he fired a rebound of Shawn Szydlowski’s shot off the post past Campbell 4:56 into the period. But McKegg’s goaltender interference penalty led to Kuhnhackl’s power-play score – his second goal of the game and series – that extended the Spitfires’ lead to 5-3 with 11:27 left in the period. Carrick scored five minutes later for a 6-3 lead.

The Spitfires scored those six goals on 18 shots. The Otters moved within 6-4 at the 5:01 mark of the third period, as Mike Cazzola poked in a rebound late in a 5-on-3 opportunity. But Khokhlachev scored his second goal of the night less than 2 minutes later to extend Windsor’s lead to 7-4. Windsor outshot the Otters 22-7 in the third to finish with a 48-26 advantage.

- Victor Fernandes

Series schedule

No. 4 Windsor vs. No. 5 Erie

Game 1 – Erie 2, Windsor 1

Game 2 – Windsor 4, Erie 3 (2OT)

Game 3 – Windsor 6, Erie 2

Game 4 – Windsor 7, Erie 4

Game 5 – Friday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.

Game 6 – Sunday at Erie, 4:30 p.m.*

Game 7 – Tuesday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.*

Windsor leads series 3-1

* If necessary

SUMMARY

Spitfires 7, Otters 4

Windsor  3  3  1  —  7

Erie  2  1  1  —  4

1^st Period — 1. Windsor, Tom Kuhnhackl 1 (Duininck), 1:27. 2. Windsor, Alexander Khokhlachev 1 (Robertson, Kuhnhackl), 3:52. 3. Erie, Tyler Hostetter 1 (Festarini), 8:27. 4. Windsor, Stephen Johnston 3 (Kassian, Duininck), 12:54 (pp). 5. Erie, David Shields 1 (Luciani, Holden), 15:45. Penalties — Rychel (W) tripping, 4:11; Cook (E) checking from behind, 12:16; Carrick (W) hooking, 14:08; Thompson (E) tripping, 15:31.

2^nd Period — 6. Windsor, Zack Kassian 1 (Ryan, Johnston), :47. 7. Erie, Greg McKegg 2 (Szydlowski, Shields), 4:56. 8. Windsor, Kuhnhackl 2 (Carrick, Khokhlachev), 8:33 (pp). 9. Windsor, Jake Carrick 3 (Kuhnhackl), 13:34. Penalties — McKegg (E) goaltender interference, 8:24; Kassian (W) roughing, 15:51.

3^rd Period — 10. Erie, Mike Cazzola 3 (Szydlowski, Varone), 5:01 (pp). 11. Windsor, Khokhlachev 2 (Carrick, Robertson), 6:50. Penalties — Luciani (E) 4-min. roughing, 2:04; Khokhlachev (W) roughing, 2:04; Robertson (W) roughing, 2:04; Varone (E) slashing, 2:04; Ellis (E) slashing, 3:04; Johnston (W) tripping, 4:21; Carnevale (W) holding, 9:37; Luciani (E) roughing, 13:09; Szydlowski (E) slashing, 14:44; Kassian (W) roughing, 14:44; Crisp (E) slashing, 17:00.

Shots on goal — Windsor, 9-17-22—42; Erie, 6-13-7—26.

Goaltenders — Windsor, Jack Campbell 3-1-0 (26 shots, 22 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 1-2-1 (37shots, 32 saves), Chris Festarini (11 shots, 9 saves).

Power plays — Windsor (2-6), Erie (1-6).

Referees — Craig Spada, Mike Cairns. Linesmen — Darryl Wolfe, Matthew Traub.

Attendance — 3,316.

Three stars

* Tom Kuhnhackl, Spitfires (2 goals, 2 assists) ** Alexander Khokhlachev, Spitfires (2 goals, assist) *** Mike Cazzola, Otters (goal)

David Shields knew the June 1 signing deadline would arrive soon.

Yet the Erie Otters defenseman still didn’t have a contract offer from the NHL’s St. Louis Blues.

“I was worrying about if I was going to get one,” he said. Now he doesn’t have to worry anymore.

Shields, 20, has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Blues, which selected him in the sixth round (No. 168 overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Teams have until June 1 to sign their 2009 picks.

Shields, who joins defenseman Tyler Hostetter (Philadelphia Flyers) as the Otters’ signed players, said he hopes to begin his full-time professional career with the AHL’s Adirondack Phantoms next season.

“I would love to make that step up next year,” he said. “I’m definitely hoping for the best for that.”

Shields learned of contract negotiations last week. He signed the contract on Tuesday.

“Luckily (the contract) came early and relieved a lot of stress,” Shields said. “A lot of stress is off my shoulders now. I’m just glad I don’t have to worry about signing until June now.”

Shields has six goals, 27 points and a plus-29 rating in 61 games this season. He has 15 goals, 67 points and a plus-39 rating in 250 career OHL games. “That was a great moment,” he said of signing.

- Victor Fernandes

The Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League are proud to announce that defenseman David Shields has signed an entry-level contract with the National Hockey League’s St. Louis Blues.

Shields is in his fourth season with the Otters. The native of Buffalo, N.Y. has been a steady and durable presence on the Erie blue line, missing just 22 games out of a possible 272 games in four seasons.

Shortly before the end of the season, Shields was voted by Ontario Hockey League coaches as the best defensive defenseman in the Western Conference. A sixth-round pick of the Blues in 2009, Shields has gathered a +63 rating over the last three seasons.

Shields joins defenseman Tyler Hostetter as the two Otters signed to professional contracts. Hostetter signed with the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers before the start of the 2009-10 regular season. Phil Varone (San Jose), Greg McKegg (Toronto) and Andrew Yogan (New York Rangers) all have rights owned by NHL teams. Shields will remain with the Otters for the remainder of the postseason run.

- From Erie Otters news release

SARNIA, Ontario – The Erie Otters needed one more goal to regain fourth in the Western Conference.

Brett Appio made it happen, as his goal with 8 minutes, 47 seconds left in the third period snapped a tie and handed the Otters a critical 7-6 win in front of 4,110 at RBC Centre on Thursday night.

With their season-high, seventh straight win, the Otters (39-26-1-1) moved into a tie with Windsor for fourth place, a spot that guarantees home-ice advantage in the first round of the OHL playoffs.

The Otters also secured a first-round series with the Spitfires. Windsor lost 5-0 at home to Saginaw on Thursday, leaving the Spitfires and Otters with 80 points apiece.

Windsor has a game in hand on the Otters, which complete the regular season tonight in Saginaw. The Spitfires travel to Sault Ste. Marie tonight and to Saginaw on Saturday. Sixth-place Plymouth (76 points), which didn’t play Thursday, plays at Kitchener tonight and hosts Guelph on Saturday.

Sarnia (24-35-5-2) made the Otters work hard for their latest win.

The Otters trailed 2-1 midway through the first period before scoring five unanswered goals in a 16½-minute span of the first and second periods to build a 6-2 lead. But the Sting rallied to tie the score at 6 with four straight goals, capped by Nail Yakupov’s power-play goal 8:28 into the third.

Yet Appio’s unassisted goal snapped the tie less than three minutes later. Appio has 12 goals in 54 games this season, one more than he scored in 114 games the past three seasons.

Shawn Szydlowski led the Otters with two goals – his 40^th and 41^st of the season – and an assist.

Brett Cook, David Shields, Phil Varone and Connor Crisp also scored for the Otters. Anthony Luciani and Mike Cazzola had two assists apiece. Ramis Sadikov earned the win despite allowing six goals on 32 shots. Rookies Yakupov (goal, four assists) and Alex Galchenyuk (three goals, assist) led the Sting with a combined four goals and nine points.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Otters 7, Sting 6

Erie  4  2  1  —  7

Sarnia  2  1  3  —  6

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Connor Crisp 5 (McDonnell), 6:09. 2. Sarnia, Alex Galchenyuk 29 (Yakupov, Peters), 8:04. 3. Sarnia, Joe Rogalski 7 (Galchenyuk, Yakupov), 9:14. 4. Erie, David Shields 6 (Luciani), 9:27. 5. Erie, Phil Varone 32 (Luciani, Thompson), 12:08. 6. Erie, Shawn Szydlowski 40 (Cazzola), 16:37 (sh). Penalties — Appio (E) high sticking, 8:22; Hottot (S) slashing, 8:22; Crisp (E) holding, 15:10; Flemington (S) hooking, 18:36.

2^nd Period — 7. Erie, Brett Cook 8 (Hostetter, Szydlowski), :34 (pp), 8. Erie, Szydlowski 41 (McKegg, Cazzola), 5:52. 9. Galchenyuk 30 (Yakupov), 7:54. Penalties — Holden (E) hooking, 11:00; Ritchie (S) hooking, 11:57; Flemington (S) hooking, 14:52; McDonnell (E) unsportsmanlike conduct, 18:51; Yakupov (S) high sticking, 18:51.

3^rd Period — 10. Sarnia, Galchenyuk 31 (Yakupov, Peters), 3:47. 11. Sarnia, Brett Ritchie 21 (Flemington, Chiarlitti), 4:36. 12. Sarnia, Nail Yakupov 48 (Kerbashian, Chiarlitti), 8:28 (pp). 13., Erie, Brett Appio 12 (unassisted), 11:13. Penalties — Varone (E) roughing, 1:14; Yakupov (S) roughing, 1:14; Luciani (E) holding, 6:37; Yogan (E) roughing, 6:37; Flemington (S) roughing, 6:37; Szydlowski (E) roughing, 11:43; Flemington (S) roughing, 11:43; Hottot (S) interference, 11:43; Yogan (E) cross checking, 14:25.

Shots on goal — Erie, 14-9-9—32; Sarnia, 8-12-12—32.

Goaltenders — Erie, Ramis Sadikov 35-17-11 (32 shots, 26 saves); Sarnia, Troy Passingham 17-15-3-2 (32 shots, 25 saves).

Power plays — Erie (1-5), Sarnia (1-5).

Referees — Ryan Hutchison, Joe Monette. Linesmen — Glenn Anderson, Matt Prozaki.

Attendance — 4,110.

Three stars

* Nail Yakupov, Sting (goal, 4 assists) ** Alex Galchenyuk, Sting (3 goals, assist) *** Shawn Szydlowski, Otters (2 goals, assist)

The Erie Otters‘ David Shields was voted the Western Conference’s best defensive defenseman in a vote by the conference’s coaches, which was released today. Otters captain Greg McKegg finished second for the most dangerous in the goal area and third for best shot.

Here are the top finishers in each category:

Most Underrated Player

Tyler Carroll, Guelph Storm (28)

Jordan Szwarz, Saginaw Spirit (22)

Michael Catenacci, Kitchener Rangers tied Stephen Sanza, London Knights (11)
Most Improved Player

Jason Akeson, Kitchener Rangers (19)

Andrew Fritsch, Owen Sound Attack (18)

Stefan Noesen, Plymouth Whalers (16)

Smartest Player

Ryan Ellis, Windsor Spitfires (36) – finished second in votes in 2009-10 and first in votes in 2008-09

Ryan Murphy, Kitchener Rangers (31)

Joey Hishon, Owen Sound Attack (17)

Hardest Worker

Garrett Wilson, Owen Sound Attack (32) – finished first in votes in 2009-10

Jordan Szwarz, Saginaw Spirit (17) – finished third in votes in 2009-10

Tyler Carroll, Guelph Storm (15)

Best Playmaker

Joey Hishon, Owen Sound Attack (23) – finished third in votes in 2009-10 and first in votes in 2008-09

Ryan Ellis, Windsor Spitfires (22)

Jason Akeson, Kitchener Rangers (19)

Most Dangerous in the Goal Area

Nail Yakupov, Sarnia Sting (33)

Greg McKegg, Erie Otters (32)

Josh Shalla, Saginaw Spirit (11)

Best Skater

Ryan Murphy, Kitchener Rangers (37)

Kale Kerbashian, Sarnia Sting (21)

Daniel Catenacci, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (10)

Best Shot

Nail Yakupov, Sarnia Sting (24)

Taylor Beck, Guelph Storm (20)

Greg McKegg, Erie Otters (14)

Hardest Shot

Ryan Ellis, Windsor Spitfires (28) – finished second in votes in 2009-10 and first in votes in 2008-09

Nail Yakupov, Sarnia Sting (16)

Jesse Blacker, Owen Sound Attack (9)

Best Stickhandler

Joey Hishon, Owen Sound Attack (27) – finished first in votes in 2008-09

Michael Latta, Guelph Storm tied Ryan Murphy, Kitchener Rangers (13) – Latta finished third in votes in 2009-10

Best on Face-Offs

Michael Latta, Guelph Storm (27)

Vincent Trocheck, Saginaw Spirit (14)

Mitchell Heard, Plymouth Whalers tied Kenny Ryan, Windsor Spitfires (11)

Best Body Checker

Anthony Camara, Saginaw Spirit (30)
Gabriel Landeskog, Kitchener Rangers (17)
Mike Halmo, Owen Sound Attack (16) – finished second in votes in 2009-10

Best Defensive Forward

Tyler Carroll, Guelph Storm (31)

Jordan Szwarz, Saginaw Spirit (16)

Stephen Sanza, London Knights tied Garrett Wilson, Owen Sound Attack (9)

Best Penalty Killer

Tyler Brown, Plymouth Whalers (26)

Matt Tipoff, Kitchener Rangers (16)

Ryan Ellis, Windsor Spitfires (15)

Best Offensive Defenceman

Ryan Ellis, Windsor Spitfires (43) – finished first in votes in both 2009-10 and 2008-09

Ryan Murphy, Kitchener Rangers (31)

Ryan O’Connor, Saginaw Spirit (5)

Best Defensive Defenceman

David Shields, Erie Otters (22)

Dalton Prout, Saginaw Spirit (20) – finished second in Eastern Conference votes in 2009-10

Matt Stanisz, Owen Sound Attack (18)