Week two saw the start of the AHL and NCAA seasons for several Rangers prospects.
Johan Asplund, Goaltender – Timrå IK (SWE)
STATISTICS: 2GP 0-2-0 44/50 117Mins .880 3.08Asplund briefly won the starting job from Oksa at Timra, but was let down by the offense who provided no support in a 3-0 loss to Mora on Monday, and then gave up three goals in the third period to HV 71 on Thursday in a 4-3 loss that saw him benched for the final game of the week.
Zdenek Bahensky, Forward – Saskatoon (WHL)
STATISTICS: 2GP 1G 2A 2Pts 12PIM -2Last season Bahensky got off to a quick start offensively, but this year things have been a little harder to come by. The Blades have only played 4 games so far this season, which hasn’t helped things.
Ivan Baranka, Defense – Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)
STATISTICS: 1GP 1G 0A 1Pts 0PIM EvenThe young Slovak defenseman is expected to have a big season and he got off to a strong start with a power play goal to pull the Pack back to 3-2 at an important time in the game.
Dane Byers, Forward – Prince Albert Raiders (WHL)
STATISTICS: 4GP 2G 2A 4Pts 4PIM +1Byers had his four game point scoring streak to start the season, halted on Wednesday in a 3-0 loss to Kelowna, but bounced back with games against Tri-cities (3rd star) and Spokane (2nd star) on Friday and Saturday respectively.
Ryan Callahan, Forward – Guelph (OHL)
STATISTICS: 1GP 3G 0A 3Pts 2PIM +1For the past couple of weeks, Ryan Callahan has been attending training camp with the Hartford Wolf Pack. On Friday, the Guelph captain returned to his junior team and put up a natural hat trick, picking up the 1st star of the game along the way.
Marc-Andre Cliché, Forward – Lewiston Maineiacs (QMJHL)
STATISTICS: 2GP 2G 2A 4Pts 4PIM +1
The week got off to a pretty good start for Cliché who picked up 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists), 9 shots and the first star in a 6-3 victory over PEI. He was kept without a point in his second game this past week, but is off to a good start with nine points in six games.
Joey Crabb, Forward – Colorado College (WCHA)
STATISTICS: 2GP 0G 0A 0Pts 0PIM EvenNo points for Crabb in the two game Ice Breaker tournament this weekend, but the Tigers did win the tournament with wins over Union and Maine.
Nigel Dawes, Forward – Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)
STATISTICS: 1GP 0G 0A 0Pts 4PIM EvenTook a couple of minor penalties in the home opener, and managed to get 5 shots off on goal
Ivan Dornic Forward – Slovan Braitslava (SLK)
STATISTICS: Did not play
Not sure why Dornic has not been suiting up for Bratislava this past week
Brandon Dubinsky, Forward – Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
STATISTICS: 2GP 1G 2A 3Pts 2PIM +1
Prince George stopped Dubinsky’s scoring streak at three games, but he powered back into prominence with a 1 goal 2 assist effort in Saturday’s 5-4 victory over the Seattle Thunderbirds. Dubinsky picked up the second star of the game, and remains tied for 5th in the league in points, and 1st on his team with 10 points in just 5 games.
Brodie Dupont, Forward – Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
STATISTICS: 2GP 0G 0A 0Pts 2PIM -1
Calgary scored just 4 goals in two games this week, and Dupont didn’t feature in on any of them.
Fedor Fedorov, Forward – Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)
STATISTICS: 1GP 0G 2A 2Pts 0PIM -2He may not have been in Hartford for 24 hours, but Fedorov came to play and reportedly made a smart pass on the first Immonen goal. He finished the game with two assists and picked up the 2nd star of the game
Dalyn Flatt, Defense – Saskatoon (WHL)
STATISTICS: 2GP 0G 0A 0Pts 0PIM -1As you could expect, Flatt has produced little on offense so far this year, and the trend continued this week in the two games played by the Saskatoon Blades.
Jordan Foote, Forward – Michigan Tech (WCHA)
STATISTICS: 2GP 0G 0A 0Pts 0PIM -4Not a good start to the season for Jordan Foote. After missing most of last season due to injury, Foote was held pointless in both games and was an unimpressive -4 against Mercyhurst on Saturday.
Philipp Furrer, Defense – SC Bern (SWI)
STATISTICS: 3GP 0G 0A 0Pts 2PIM
It’s been a slow start to the season for Furrer, and he is still yet to record his first point.
Alexandre Giroux, Forward – Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)
STATISTICS: 1GP 0G 1A 1Pts 2PIM -2Registered a secondary assist on the game winning goal by Jarkko Immonen.
Ilja Gorokhov, Defense – Yaroslavl Lokomotiv (RUS)
STATISTICS: 3GP 1G 0A 1Pts 2PIM +2
Gorokhov continues to build on his +/- rating early in the season, and picked up his second goal of the year against Vityaz
Bruce Graham, Forward – Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)
STATISTICS: 1GP 0G 2A 2Pts 0PIM +1
The Wolf Pack signed Bruce Graham to a pro contract, and he picked up 2 assists in his pro debut with the Pack on Saturday.
Martin Grenier, Defense – Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)
STATISTICS: 1GP 0G 1A 1Pts 4PIM +1At least observer noted that Grenier looked particularly slow in the Pack’s first game of the year. Grenier is not one who is likely to benefit from the way the NHL is being policed today.
Sven Helfenstein, Forward – ZSC Lions (SWI)
STATISTICS: 3GP 3G 2A 5Pts 0PIMAfter a slow start, Helfenstein has strung together a four game goal scoring streak where he has registered 5 goals and 2 assists dating back to October 1st.
Dwight Helminen, Forward – Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)
STATISTICS: 1GP 0G 0A 0Pts 0PIM -1Played his usual high energy game as a third line center for the Pack in their opener.
Kim Hirschovits, Forward – HIFK (FNL)
STATISTICS: 3GP 0G 1A 1Pts 2PIMHirschovits returned to the HIFK line-up this week and played in all three games the club had on their schedule. He picked up an assist on the team’s only goal in a 2-1 loss to JYP Tuesday, but was held off the score sheet the following two games. Hirshovits has been playing on the third line.
Jarkko Immonen, Forward – Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)
STATISTICS: 1GP 2G 0A 2Pts 0PIM -1Made quite a debut scoring two power play goals, including the game winner with just 52 seconds remaining in regulation. Picked up the first star of the game, and was heavily involved according to those who watched the game.
Hugh Jessiman, Forward – Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)
STATISTICS: 1GP 0G 0A 0Pts 0PIM EvenSaw additional ice time after Chad Wiseman had a puck shot into his face. Jessiman did not manage to register a shot on goal, and will no doubt need to learn the pro game after leaving Dartmouth a year early.
Lauri Korpikoski, Forward – TPS (FNL)
STATISTICS: 3GP 0G 0A 0Pts 0PIMTPS has moved Korpikoski to their first line, but he has been unable to take advantage of the promotion. The young winger failed to register a point in three appearances this week, including in a 7-5 victory over KalPa.
Radoslav Kropac, Forward – Vitkovice Steel (CZE)
STATISTICS: 1GP 0G 0A 0Pts 0PIM -2He did manage return to the line-up for Vitkovice this week, but Kropac was a -2 in the game.
Aarto Laatikainen, Defense – Espoo Blues (FNL)
STATISTICS: 3GP 0G 1A 1Pts 0PIMLaatikainen added an assist this week, and has been playing on the third of the four defensive pairings that the Blues have been using.
Bryce Lampman, Defense – Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)
STATISTICS: 1GP 0G 0A 0Pts 2PIM -2Those who saw the game said that Lampman played steadily, despite his -2 +/- rating.
Jan Marek, Forward – Sparta Praha (CZE)
STATISTICS: 2GP 0G 1A 1Pts 4PIM +1Marek appears to be well and truly off of his hot streak. The slightly built forward did register one assist last Sunday against Zlin, but was kept pointless in Friday’s game against Plzen
Greg Moore, Forward – Maine (HE)
STATISTICS: 2GP 1G 2A 3Pts 0PIM -1Another solid start to the season for Greg Moore and the University of Maine Black Bears. The senior forward registered points in both games of the Ice Breaker tournament, including a power play goal in Saturday’s 3-2 overtime loss to Colorado College.
Jonathan Paiement, Defense – Lewiston Maineiacs (QMJHL)
STATISTICS: 1GP 0G 0A 0Pts 5PIM EvenPaiement finally returned to the Maineiacs this week after failing to stick with the Hartford Wolf Pack. The 20 year old defenseman returned for the latter game this week and got involved in a scrap that saw a number of players sent to the box from both Moncton and Lewiston.
Hannu Pikkarainen, Defense – HIFK (FNL)
STATISTICS: 3GP 0G 1A 1Pts 2PIMAnother point for Pikkarainen, which gives him 4 points now in 8 games. At this rate he’s looking at a modest improvement over last season’s breakout totals of 7 goals, 13 assists in 49 games.
Thomas Pöck, Defense – Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)
STATISTICS: 1GP 0G 0A 0Pts 0PIM EvenHe didn’t show up on the score sheet in the first game of the season, but the young Austrian defenseman did manage 4 shots on goal.
Roman Psurny, Forward – Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)
STATISTICS: 3GP 0G 2A 2Pts 0PIM EvenTo some extent, Roman was upstaged by his twin brother Michal this week. His sibling put up 2 goals and an assist and was selected as the second star of the game in Friday’s 4-3 loss to Brandon.
Tom Pyatt, Forward – Saginaw Spirit (OHL)
STATISTICS: 1GP 0G 1A 1Pts 2PIM EvenA quiet week for Tom Pyatt and the Saginaw Spirit, who played just the one game against Marc Staal and the Sudbury Wolves. Pyatt continued to add up the assists early in the season with his seventh in five games.
Martin Richter, Defense – Liberec (CZE)
STATISTICS: 3GP 0G 0A 0Pts 2PIM EvenNo points for Richter this week in the three games on the Liberec schedule
Joe Rullier, Defense – Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)
STATISTICS: 1GP 0G 1A 1Pts 0PIM EvenLast season Rullier was amongst the leaders on the Manchester Monarchs, but after being let go as a free agent, Rullier must have felt satisfied to contribute in the loss against his former team.
Ryan Russell, Forward – Kootenay Ice (WHL)
STATISTICS: 3GP 2G 3A 4Pts 2PIM +2
Russell is riding a four game point scoring streak, but was most impressive in Sunday’s 5-1 win over Brandon. The former team mate of Nigel Dawes put up a goal and two assists in the game and collected the 1st star of the game for his efforts.
Michael Sauer, Defense – Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
STATISTICS: 2GP 0G 0A 0Pts 0PIM +3He didn’t collect any points this week, but he did keep the +/- ratio ticking over. Sauer was a +2 in a 3-2 loss against Prince George on Sunday and followed that up with a +1 rating in a 5-4 victory over the division rival Seattle Thunderbirds.
Marc Staal, Defense – Sudbury Wolves (OHL)
STATISTICS: 3GP 2G 2A 4Pts 2PIM +3
Staal had a monster game Sunday in a 7-4 victory over Peterborough. The Wolves captain registered 2 goals, 2 assists and finished with a +3 rating, as well as picking up the 2nd star of the game.
Jake Taylor, Defense – Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)
STATISTICS: 1GP 0G 1A 1Pts 0PIM -1Picked up an unlikely assist on the power play…unlikely in that you don’t expect Taylor to be playing the power play.
Craig Weller, Forward – Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)
STATISTICS: 1GP 1G 0A 1Pts 0PIM +1Was reportedly in good form in Saturday’s opening night win. Scored a goal, and used his body well.
Chad Wiseman, Forward – Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL)
STATISTICS: 1GP 0G 0A 0Pts 0PIM EvenLeft Saturday’s game against the Monarch after taking a puck to the face. He was diagnosed with a fractured cheekbone and is set to have surgery to repair the break.
Injured Reserve
Greg Beller, Forward – Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
Beller suffered a broken collar bone before the season began and will be out 8-10 weeks
Trevor Koverko, Defense – Owen Sound Attack (OHL)
Is out 10-12 weeks with a shoulder injury.
Billy Ryan, Forward – University of Maine (NCAA)
The Bangor News is reporting today that Ryan will be hampered early by a broken bone in his foot. No word on how serious the injury is or whether he will miss the season openers this coming weekend.