Sam Carrick The Leaf

The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed 20 year old Centerman Sam Carrick to a 3 year Entry Level Contract on April 4th.

Sam Carrick has just finished his 4th season with the Brampton Battalion of the OHL. During his rookie season with the club, Carrick scored a low 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points, 47 penalty minutes and -2 in 61 games played. He would then jump to 21 goals, 21 assists for 42 point, 96 penalty minutes and 0 +/- in 66 games during his sophomore season. The following season Carrick would keep at pace with his sophomore season recording 16 goals, 23 assists for 39 points, 74 penalty minutes and -15 in 59 games. In his final season with the Battalion, Carrick would finally start to prove himself recording 37 goals, 30 assists for 67 points, 104 penalty minutes and +9 in 68 games.

Carrick is a strong skating with a noticeably big body (6-foot, 207 pounds). Carrick is fearless, ready to fight any player of any size when needed. His great two-way puts him above his peers and will be or do anything his team needs to win. In that sense he is much like a younger Danius Zubrus. Carrick's issue however is consistency. While he tries to do so much he starts to lose them all entirely. If he can work on simplifying what he does he will become a strong player. Reminds me of an old Native American Proberb; "If you chase two rabbits, you will lose them both".

The Leaf's 5th round draft choice in 2010 (144th overall) will most likely have to work hard through the system to become a leaf. Lots of years proving his worth in the Marlies.

Leafs signing rating: B-, truly an underrated prospect who should help Leaf depth in the future.

Connor Knapp for 2

The Buffalo Sabres have signed goaltender Connor Knapp to a 2 year Entry Level Contract on April 3rd.

Knapp almost stood on his head while playing for Miami

Knapp has played 4 seasons for Miami University (Ohio). During his rookie season Knapp had a record of 13-5-3, 2.09 Goals Against Average, 0.904 Save Percentage and 2 Shutouts in 23 games. Knapp would get hotter in his Sophomore season having a 10-4-4 record, 1.97 GAA, 0.921 SV%, and 4 Shutouts in 20 games. In his 3rd season with Miami Knapp would have a lower record, but still a strong record with 8-5-4, 2.03 GAA, 0.909 SV%, and 2 Shutouts in 17 games. It was this season however that really made him shine. In his last year with Miami Knapp had a record of 15-8-0, 1.69 GAA, 0.933 SV% and 5 Shutouts in 24 games.

Knapp is characterized as a positional goaltender. Known for his good size of 6-foot-5, 215 pounds and his ability to use it. However Knapp doesn't  however have the quickness that most teams would be looking for in a goaltender. He was considered a "work in progress" when he was drafted in the 6th round, 164th overall by the Buffalo Sabres. Being 21 years old, Knapp has lots of time to work on his quickness and to expand on other aspects for his goaltending career.

Sabres signing rating: C+, prospect with promise but is indeed a "work in progress"

London Knights vs Saginaw Spirit - Round 2, Game 1

Okay, so in the Knights first-round series, I went to game 1, did a recap and intended on doing a recap of every game in the series for you lovely people. That didn't happen. I ended up doing just one other game in the series, game 4, the deciding game. The second round series I will totally (maybe) do every game! I did go to game 1 between the London Knights and the Saginaw Spirit in the second round playoffs series, so here's the recap!

London was coming off their round 1 sweep of the Windsor Spitfires, while the 5th seed Saginaw Spirit beat the 4th place Sarnia Sting in 6 games to advance to the second round.

The first game of this series was held in London at the John Labatt Centre in front of 9,000 fans even. Puck drop was at 7 and if you showed up late, you missed a good start.

Saginaw and London both showed up earlier in this one, trading chances with neither team taking full command of the tempo. London's Michael Houser and Saginaw's Jake Pateron both made some key stops early. Saginaw went high blocker on Houser early, looking to get one by him, but his blocker hand was sharp.  Paterson had to face some scrambles in the slot but he was solid on these plays. London was the first to reach the scoresheet on a great transitional play. Jared Knight chipped it off the boards to Max Domi, who dropped it for the pinching defenseman Jarred Tinordi who wired a wrist shot top shelf on Paterson.

Eric Locke opened the scoring for Saginaw
going high glove hand on Michael Houser

Saginaw drew a penalty shortly after and went to work on the powerplay. Defenseman Brandon Archibald moved the puck up to Garret Ross who brought it over the blue line, where it sort of got knocked away and bounced into the slot to an on-rushing Eric Locke who was left unchecked in the slot and blasted a wrist shot high glove side on Michael Houser.

The last about seven minutes was pretty back and forth and the game slowed down until 3 minutes left. The Rupert brothers and Austin Watson got a good cycle going that resulted in Matt Rupert putting in his first of the playoffs to the give the Knights the 2-1 edge and Saginaw got physical from there. Both teams laid the body in the final two minutes but the Knights would bring their lead into the intermission.

The second period picked up where the second period left off, physically. The two teams came right back at each other after the intermission (which features some 9-13 girls synchronized figure skating that was actually really good) and it remained scoreless for much of the period. They exchanged powerplay chances, but neither were able to capitalize, with the opposing team's penalty kill playing very well. In the last third of the period, Justin Kea tackled the Knight's player and sent London to the powerplay. The Knights worked the ensuing powerplay very well, and Greg McKegg danced out of the corner and fired one five-hole on Paterson, increasing the Knights' lead to 2, and that was all for the second period. The two teams played very competitively with each other and kept it close, with the shots being 22-19 London after two periods.

Austin Watson scored twice in the third on route
to being the game's first star

Early on in the third, the Knights were given a penalty that many of the fans found questionable, and let the referees know about it. London killed off this powerplay and shortly after were awarded with their own. Austin Watson managed to poke one home in front right before being ploughed into the ice. This gave the Knights a 4-1 cushion with about 13 minutes left.

With just under 11 minutes remaining, Saginaw came down on a rush, and Brad Walch fired a slapshot right by Michael Houser's glove hand from the slot. This could be a thing to watch for in this series, both goals that beat Houser were glove side, after Saginaw initially tried to beat him on the blocker side. He will likely work on this in practice, as he looked very displeased with himself after the second goal.

Austin Watson would add an empty-netter for the nets, giving him his second goal of the game and the Knights' a 5-2 lead, and that's how it would finish.

How do you think this series will end? Let us know down below!

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Dan Catenacci Gets An ELC

On April 3rd Dan Catenacci recieved a three year Entry Level Contract

18 year old Catenacci has played 3 years in the OHL as a Sault Ste. Marie Greyhound 2 of those years as well as the Owen sound for the remaining. Prior to the OHL Catenacci played a year in the OMJHL for the Villanova Knights.

During his stint in the OMJHL in 2008-09, Catenacci scored 1 goal and recited no assists in his 2 games to go with 4 penalty minutes. The following year Catenacci would join the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds recording 10 goals and 20 assists for 30 points, 68 penalty minutes and a -6 in 65 games. In his sophomore season with the club in 2010-11, Catenacci would step his game up scoring 26 goals with 45 assists for 71 goals in 67 games along with 117 penalty minutes and a -5 +/- rating.

Then the centerman came out of the blue to request a trade.

And his request was answered as he was dealt to the Owen Sound attack in August of 2011 for Andrew Fritsch and a 2nd round draft pick.

Catenacci played for the Attack and continued to play well as he scored 33 goals and 39 assists for 72 points, 114 penalty minutes and a +/- rating of +11.

This 5-foot-10, 185 pound centerman was drafted in the 3rd round, 77th overall by the Buffalo Sabres. Catenacci has great speed and quick hands. His downside is his small size. He will have to hope that his speed can help him overcome that.

Buffalo signing rating: B-, talented C, will have to see if size will be an issue

Matej Stransky For 3 Years

On Monday, April 2nd the Dallas Stars signed Matej Stransky to a three-year Entry Level Contract.

Stransky

18 year old Stransky has just finished his 2nd year playing for the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL. During his rookie season with the Blades, Stransky recorded 14 goals and 12 assists for 26 points in 71 games along with 53 penalty minutes and a +/- rating of +13. This season was his sophomore season with the Blades. In this season Steansky stepped it up recoding 39 goals and 42 assists for 81 points in 70 games with 75 penalty minutes and a +/- rating of +6. In his two seasons in the WHL, Matej Stransky made the playoffs both times. During the playoffs in his rookie year, Stransky got 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points and 8 penalty minutes in 10 games. During this years playoffs, Stransky appears to have slowed down getting only 1 goal and 1 assist, 2 penalty minutes in 4 games.

At 6-foot-3, 201 pounds Stransky is big and he likes to use this size to help sheiks the puck which makes up for the speed that he lacks. Stransky however has a quick and accurate wrist shot that deserves attention. Stransky's playing mold is normally compared to Jaromir Jagr's playing style.

The Czech RW was drafted in the 6th round, 165th overall by the Stars.

Stars signing rating: B-, decent prospect with upside, expecting to need more developing time

This Week in the KHL: April 4 2012

This past week has seen some shocking news comingout of the KHL's Gagarin Cup playoffs. First off, Metallurg Magnitogorsk'sgoalie coach went AWOL after the club was knocked out. Now there has been amassive upset that is not as random as people may think. Could perhaps beanother upset as well. The finals should be incredible once the Eastfinal wraps up.

Western Conference,

(1) SKA St.Petersburg vs (3) Dynamo Moscow

(Dynamo wins 4 - 0)

Dynamo Moscow was able to continue their incredibleplayoff run by sweeping SKA. Moscow has now won 12 of 14 playoff games as theycruise into the championship series. They didn't just beat SKA they literallydemolished them. Outscoring them 16 - 7 over the four games, Moscow was lockedin and seems to be unbeatable. Forwards Mikhail Anisin and Konstantin Gorovikovlead the way for Dynamo. Anisin leads the playoffs with 13 goals and Gorovikovleads in assists with 9. Dynamo goalie Alexander Yeryomenko was incrediblethroughout the series posting a 1.75 GAA.

Dynamo's Mikhail Anisin

This was a disappointing result for SKA, but it istheir own fault to a certain extent. They should never have allowed a 3goallead to be destroyed in a single period in game one. Winning at home is anecessity when it comes to playoff hockey. SKA was not able to grab a win athome, which dug far to deep a hole to climb out of on the road. Putting 22shots on net in game four was a weak effort for them; after all you have toshoot to score. Interestingly enough, SKA forward Vladimir Tarasenko, clubleader in playoff goals, didn't put a shot on net in game four.

Hats off to Dynamo Moscow on an incredible series!

Eastern Conference,

(1) Traktor Chelyabinsk vs (2) Avangard Omsk Region

(Avangard leads series 3 - 1)

Another sunning upset in the making, Avangardclearly did their homework for this series. They have completely shutdown theTraktor offence in this series. Traktor has only been able to score once in thelast two games and Avangard has taken full advantage of that. Offense winsgames but defense wins championships, is very true for Omsk. Basing theirsuccess on a combination of goalie Karri Ramo and solid defense is paying off.Ramo ranks third in playoff GAA with 1.57. Avangard forward Roman Cervenka isthe team leader in goals and has only scored once in the series. The strategicplay of Omsk has been very impressive.

Traktor's Vladimir Antipov has a team leading 7 playoff goals,
he hasn't scored in the series.

Traktor needs a change of strategy if they are tofight off elimination in game five. They are playing good hockey on the whole,but they need to find a way through a top notch defense. Forward EvgenyKuznetsov has been on a tear since returning. As good as he is, he can'tcontinuously break through such a strong defense as well as a goalie. They canwin if they get bodies in front of the net and open up a shooting gallery onRamo. Luckily enough for Traktor, game five is in their building, huge make orbreak home game. Game time is 8am EST on Friday.

Avangard has earned a pat on the back!

Nelson Signed

The New York Islanders have signed 2010 draft pick Brock Nelson to a three-year Entry Level Contract.

Nelson (20) has played two seasons for The University of Dakota in the WCHA. In his rookie year Nelson collected 8 goals and 13 assists for 21 points in 42 games. This year, his Sophomore year, Nelson has finished his season with 28 goals, 19 assists for 47 points in 42 games. Nelson lead his University of Dakota team this season for points. 

This 6-foot-4, 192 pound forward isn't all size either. He has great speed to compliment his skating ability and has a powerful shot. Many have projected a 2nd or 3rd line role for him, but also say that he has some great offensive upsides and no clear weaknesses. Nelson is considered to be the top prospect coming out of Minnesota currently and is considered to be New York's 4th best prospect behind Strome, Niederreiter, and De Haan. 

Nelson, a 1st round, 30th overall pick, will join his Uncle as a pro hockey player within his family. His Uncle, Dave Christian played in the NHL as well was a member of the 1980 US Olympic Miracle team.

New York signing rating: B, locked up a great prospect for 3 years.

Pacific Division Update: April 1 2012

Place/Team	Games Played	WINS	LOSSES	OTL	Points	ROW	GF	GA	DIFF	HOME	AWAY	S/O	L10	Streak
1. Los Angeles Kings	79	39	27	13	91	33	185	170	+15	21-14-4	18-13-9	6-8	7-2-1	OT 1
2. Phoenix Coyotes	79	39	27	13	91	33	206	202	+4	21-13-6	18-14-7	6-10	5-2-3	WON 2
3. San Jose Sharks	79	40	29	10	90	32	214	201	+13	25-12-3	15-17-7	8-5	6-4-0	WON 1
4. Dallas Stars	79	42	32	5	89	35	207	212	-5	22-14-3	20-18-2	7-4	4-6-0	LOST 2
5. Anaheim Ducks	78	33	34	11	77	30	194	217	-23	21-17-2	12-17-9	3-6	4-5-1	LOST 1

The standings have been shuffled yet again in the Pacific Division. The Los Angeles Kings continue their impressive run as they narrow in on a playoff spot. The most important piece of information in the standings is wins. The Dallas Stars have the most wins meaning that if there is a tie, Dallas will win. Should be very interesting to see who will capture the division and how many teams from the division will get in.

15 Points

Little Joe - San Jose Sharks forward Joe Pavelski has 8 points in his last 10 games. The Sharks need this kind of performance if they are going to stay in a playoff spot. 

Logan Couture 

Player of the Month - The Brocade "Sharks Player of the Month" for the month of March is forward Joe Thornton. He put up 13 points in 16 games to help put the Sharks in a position to win the division title. 

Signed - The Sharks have signed University of Minnesota-Duluth centre Travis Oleksuk to an entry-level contract. He recorded 53 points in 41 games this year for the Bulldogs. 

Finalist - Dallas Stars prospect Austin Smith has been announced as a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. The award for being the top player in college hockey has a good chance of going to Smith who lead the nation with 36 goals. 

Kari Lehtonen

NHL 13 - Stars forwards Loui Eriksson and Jamie Benn have been selected to represent the team in the cover vote for NHL 13. The bracket system has Benn against Eriksson in the first round. 

Stepping Up - Goaltender Kari Lehtonen has had a breakthrough season for the Stars. With a .923 SV%, he has helped the team to within two points of the division title.

Confident - Overconfidence may be an issue in Phoenix. When going to their website, they are offering playoff tickets with a massive advertisement. Would be a shame if they failed to make it in the final three games. 

Coyotes Team Awards - 

• Team MVP - Goalie Mike Smith
• Leading Scorer - Forward Ray Whitney 
• Fan vote, hardest working player - Forward Shane Doan
• Man of the Year for dedication to the community - Goalie Jason LaBarbera 

1000th - Coyotes forward Ray Whitney recorded his 1000th career point against Anaheim on Saturday night. Whitney had a goal and an assist as Phoenix got a big 4 - 0 win. 

Juniors - Ducks prospects Emerson Etem and John Gibson are playing phenomenal for their junior teams. Etem had 12 points in the Medicine Hat Tigers sweep of the Saskatoon Blades in Western Hockey League playoff action. Kitchener Rangers goalie John Gibson is ranked second in the Ontario Hockey League with a .943 SV% for the playoffs. 

Recalled - The Ducks have recalled defenseman Mat Clarke from the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League. 

Eliminated - Anaheim has been mathematically eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

No Go Los Angeles Kings forward Jeff Carter has missed two consecutive games with an ankle injury. He may not return until the playoffs, provided that the Kings can make the push to the postseason without him. 

Rolling - The Kings are 7-2-1 over their last 10 games, which is a great time to be getting hot. If this play continues, they will make the playoffs and give their an opponent a battle. 

Decent - Claiming 5 points out of a possible 8 was a good road trip for the Kings. Road points are crucial and they managed to pick up a couple. 

Divisional Games:

1. San Jose @ Dallas - Tuesday, April 3            
2. San Jose @ Los Angeles - Thursday, April 5
3. Los Angeles @ San Jose - Saturday, April 7

What to Watch:

Sharks - Three crucial divisional games to end the year

Emerson Etem - On fire right now, get excited Ducks fans

John Gibson - Solid in the Kitchener net so far

Los Angeles - Having a great run

Prediction: Stars win the division, Kings grab 7 and the Coyotes will take 8. The Sharks have a tall order this week that I honestly don't believe they can fill.