–Zenon Konopka will play tonight instead of Bobby Butler.

–The Hockey News power rankings are out with Ottawa 16th.

–Bobbykelly writes a overly positive article about Ottawa’s track record with college free agents under Murray.  Briefly, Jesse Winchester wasn’t signed to be a fourth liner, Bobby Butler has been a big disappointment this year, Stephane Da Costa isn’t ready for prime time, and Pat Cannone has been average.  They are all useful players in their way, but aren’t on the same scale of Murray’s Anaheim signings (Chris Kunitz etc), largely because the entire NHL now looks to the NCAA as a place to augment their organisations.

–Adrian Dater thinks 3-point games have lead to boring hockey down the stretch.  It’s an interesting point, but I think it’s only possible because officials allow more interference as the season winds down.  I also prefer exciting races down the stretch as opposed to playoff positions set earlier in the season.

–Joy Lindsay Tweets that Cole Schneider will make his debute tomorrow while Matt Puempel may play this weekend.

–Kurt Kleinendorst talked about Binghamton’s latest loss, “We got outmuscled. We weren’t as determined as we needed to be, and they started to take the game over. But don’t forget, it’s not easy playing three-in-three. It was only their second in two, and that’s probably what the difference was in the third period. Robin played well. I thought he gave us a chance to win, which is all we can ask of our goaltender. We spotted him a two-goal lead. It wasn’t enough. Our first periods are generally pretty darn strong. I think the prep work is right. I think we’re capable. It’s just that we don’t maintain it for 60 minutes, and that’s just the way it’s been all year long.”  I believe a lot of the problems Binghamton has late in games is because of their weak blueline–the reliable players wear down and mistakes happen.

–ZekeA, one of the best Binghamton posters, is writing up the year that was for the B-Sens in analyzing the performance of the individual players.  Here’s his view of the team’s forwards (for the blueliners go here):
Pat Cannone: at times he plays OK other times not that good. I think he deserves another yr, but at 25 will he improve all that much?
Mark Parrish: Solid pro he tries, has missed 25 games due to injury this yr. I doubt that Ottawa resigns him.
Jack Downing: Up from Elmira Jack has improved of late. Gives a pretty good effort. I say resign him to another AHL contract.
Andre Petersson: dam good skill set very good shot. + he works at times he does too much with the puck. Tougher than I thought Andre would be at 172 Lbs. He gets knocked on his ass all season long Andre keeps getting up & gets back in the play. Andre needs a summer in the Gym he has to get bigger & stronger.
Derek Grant: Derek has missed 26 games due to a shoulder injury. Derek had 14 games last yr + 7 in Calder Cup playoffs. Good size fair to good skill set, some say they should move him to center. Long pro season starting to take a toll on him, happens with 1st yr pros.
David Dziurzynski: I am a bit biased on “DD” as he is my dark horse prospect. DD is improving his all around game. He is checking much better DD is hitting not bone crunching but finishing his checks. DD is getting in front of the net. He is polishing his game now. I hope Ottawa calls him up for the playoffs as a black ace.
Corey Cowick: Corey is hot then cold sadly more nites cold than hot. Only way he is effective on the ice is if he busts his rear. Corey could use more speed and skill.
Stephane Da Costa: I expected a lot more from Stephane when he came down from Ottawa. Good skill set he could use a bit more speed & strenght. Last nite against the Pens he was invisible. I guess he is worth a contract next season.
Mike Hoffman: Mike has a very good skill set, he could use an extra step of speed to help him to get open, also Mike needs to get stronger. Can be dynamic at times other times he is like Jason up top giving the puck away.
Mike Bartlett: Mike gives you what he has honest hockey player. Mike is not a scorer never has been. He tries.
Wacey Hamilton: has struggled all yr as some 1st yr pros do. JOB [Jim O’Brien] also struggled his 1st yr in Binghamton. Wacey has shown just a bit of improvement of late. Not real skilled at this level Ottawa signed Wacey to replace Cody Bass. Wacey needs to get bigger and stronger and faster. For the game he plays he will have to get bigger and stronger at the AHL level. Lets see how he does next yr.
Francis Lessard: the enforcer his job is to protect the young skilled prospects. Francis does that just by being on the bench. Sadly he is the end of era in this game. I remember the 6 team NHL. The NAHL down here old East Coast Hockey League, bucket of blood where you had a goon an enforcer + 2 guys who liked to fight. Now that was real hockey, not what they play today. + I have always said a good fight never hurt a hockey game. Francis will not be resigned Darren Kramer will take his spot next yr.
Corey Locke: What can you say about Corey Locke when he is on a shear joy to watch. He is just so skilled so smooth. Corey can do magic on the ice. Will he be resigned I doubt it. Would I like him back sure all down here would.

March 20, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

–Paul MacLean points out the obvious problem with the powerplay, “We’ve got to shoot the puck and we’ve got to get it back. We seem to be stationary as opposed to moving the puck.”

–ESPN and TSN‘s power rankings are out with Ottawa 13th and 11th (Scott Burnside adds, “the Sens represent an interesting study as they have virtually locked up an unexpected playoff berth and have the ability to make life uncomfortable for whomever they face in the first round“).

-Binghamton blew a two goal lead to lose to Wilkes-Barre yesterday.  Robin Lehner made 33 saves in the loss, while Mark Parrish and Wacey Hamilton scored the goals.  Here’s the box score and Joy Lindsay‘s game summary.

–Jonatan Lindqvist writes a lengthy article about Jakob Silfverberg‘s road to success and the one thing it points out that helped separate him from other players was his desire to train.

–Joy also reports that Sens prospect Matt Puempel will join Binghamton when Peterborough’s season is over in the OHL.

-Elmira won 3-2 last night, with Brian Stewart picking up the win.  Florida also won, but Bobby Raymond went pointless.

-Prospect updates (their position in team scoring is noted in brackets, defence compared to defence); I’ve also indicated if the player’s scoring position has change (with a + for up, – for down, and = for unchanged).  All leagues have finished their regular seasons, so what follows are their final statistics for the year:
CHL
Mark Stone (RW, Brandon, WHL) 66-41-82-123 (1st)
Shane Prince (C/LW, Ottawa 67s, OHL) 57-43-47-90 (2nd)
Stefan Noesen (C/RW, Plymouth, OHL) 63-38-44-82 (1st)
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (RW, Chicoutimi, QMJHL) 46-32-33-65 (3rd) (injured)
Jakub Culek (C/LW, Rimouski, QMJHL) 55-13-27-40 (5th)
Darren Kramer (C/LW, Spokane, WHL) 71-21-19-40 (7th)
Matt Puempel (LW, Peterborough, OHL) 30-17-16-33 (6th)
Jordan Fransoo (D, Victoria, WHL) 71-3-18-21 (2nd)
SEL
Jakob Silfverberg (C/RW, Brynas) 49-24-30-54 (1st)
Mika Zibanejad (C/RW, Djurgarden) 26-5-8-13 (14th)
Fredrik Claesson (D, Djurgarden) 47-1-6-7 (t-5th)
Allsvenskan
Marcus Sorensen (RW, Boras) 29-8-9-17 (9th)
NCAA
Ryan Dzingel (C, CCHA-Ohio State) 33-7-17-24 (t-1st)
Max McCormick (LW, CCHA-Ohio State) 27-10-12-22 (t-3rd)
Chris Wideman (D, CCHA-Miami) 40-4-19-23 (1st)
Michael Sdao (D, ECAC-Princeton) 30-10-10-20 (1st)
Bryce Aneloski (D, WCHA-Nebraska-Omaha) 38-6-14-20 (1st)
Ben Blood (D, WCHA-North Dakota) 40-3-17-20 (1st)
Jeff Costello (LW, CCHA-Notre Dame) 28-5-7-12 (9th)
Brad Peltz (LW, ECAC-Yale) 9-1-0-1 (20th)

In a forthcoming article I’ll take a look at each players regular season and assess where they are as prospects.

March 19, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

–Daniel Alfredsson talked about the loss to the Leafs last night, “Toronto plays a different style than they did (under Ron Wilson). We probably could have done a better job getting more shots and more traffic in front. Overall, I thought we played a good game until we started taking some penalties.” Erik Karlsson stated the obvious about the team’s powerplay, “We’ve got to try and tune it a little bit and talk about what we can do differently. Right now our power play isn’t working.”  Paul MacLean added the final comment about game, “Every time we play them, it’s a back to back for us. I think that’s a factor, that’s all. Not a huge factor, but it makes you curious.”

–Robin Lehner gets the start this afternoon against Wilkes-Barre and Eric Gryba is expected to return to the lineup.

–Nichols writes that the Sens are one of 25 teams in pursuit of college FA Danny DeKeyser (the rumour itself is via The Team 1200‘s Shawn Simpson).  Nichols quotes his coach (former NHL coach Andy Murray), “He’s a really smart player. He’s a great leader, has a great stick,  plays with some physical bite and makes good decisions with the puck. My  feeling is, from my experience in the league, that he’s certainly  capable of being an NHLer. When that happens, I’m not sure, but he’s  capable.”

–Brian Costello writes about how the 2011 draft would re-drafted today, which is a lot of fun but completely pointless.  To re-visit a draft you really need to wait five years, so by the end of this season the 2007 draft can be fully re-assessed.

March 18, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

Playing their third game in four nights, tonight’s game was about as entertaining as watching paint dry.  Much like the Habs in the previous two games, the Leafs sat back all night (fronting their net) and the Sens had no answer for that.  Ben Bishop looked human, unable to keep his punchless team in the game in the third period.  The CBC broadcast was endlessly fond of shots of Randy Carlyle, which made for riveting television.  Here’s the box score.

First Period
The Sens dominated most of the play to start the period, establishing a good cycle.  Rob Klinkhammer had the best chance to score on a breakaway.  Ottawa continued its trend of ineffectiveness on the powerplay.  The weirdest part of the period was Sergei Gonchar fighting.
Second Period
The flow of play evened out and the Leafs broke the ice when Karlsson scored on his own net (the puck getting caught in Bishop‘s pads and went in).  The game entered goofy land when Neil and Grabovski were thrown out after a fight–the latter didn’t have his tie-down on, but I have no idea why Neil got the boot.  The Sens controlled play afterward, but struggled to get pucks to the net.
Third Period
The refs stepped in to help the Leafs with a terrible hooking call on Jim O’Brien (Kessel was holding O’Brien‘s stick) and the Leafs immediately scored on the 4-on-3.  The officials were clearly aware it was a terrible call because they made an immediate make-up call, with the Sens eventually getting a 5-on-3.  Barely able to generate a shot (although Spezza did kick the puck in), the Leafs salted the game away with their own 5-on-3 goal.  Greening was able to break the shutout before the game ended with a nice tip in front of Reimer.

Here’s a look at the goals:
1. Toronto, Connolly
Karlsson’s pass from behind the net hits the back of Bishop’s pads and goes in
2. Toronto, Kessel (pp)
Beats Bishop 5-hole through a screen
3. Toronto, Phaneuf (pp)
Beats Bishop with a one-timer on the short side
4. Greening (Kuba, O’Brien)

Top-performers: no one really stood out for the Sens tonight, who were clearly tired and out of sync.

Players Who Struggled:
Ben Bishop – you can make arguments for him on all three goals, but if he stops at least one of the two powerplay goals it’s a different game
Bobby Butler – he wasn’t terrible, but he was dressed to help provide offence and that didn’t happen

-Binghamton lost in overtime tonight, with Mike McKenna making 41-saves in the loss.  Andre Petersson, Pat Cannone, and Wacey Hamilton scored.  Mark Borowiecki was a team worst -2, while Petersson, Conboy, and Henningson were +1.  Here’s the box score and Joy Lindsay‘s game summary.

-Elmira beat Florida 3-1, with Bobby Raymond going pointless and Brian Stewart dressing as the backup.

March 17, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

Tonight the Ottawa Senators spent an eternity on the powerplay and were completely unable to adjust to Montreal’s PK.  As with the last game against the Habs, Montreal played rope-a-dope all night, but in the end the Sens were able to grind out the win and avoid the shootout.  Here’s the box score.

First Period
Montreal came out stronger, with the Sens struggling with the Habs speed down the wing.  The Sens gave up the game’s first goal short-handed as Plekanec‘s beat Bishop high from a long way out.  The Sens picked up their play after Neil fought Staubitz, establishing the forecheck.  Ottawa struggled to get shots to the net however and those that they did were stymied by Price (although Alfredsson and O’Brien both caught iron).
Second Period
The Sens opened the period on a lengthy 5-on-3 and after wasting some time with stationary passing Michalek hit the crossbar, but that was as close as they could get.  The Sens continued to be dominated on faceoffs.  Powerplays were evened out as the period wound on, with the Sens doing yeoman’s work on the PK while their PP got worse and worse (although Michalek did hit another crossbar).
Third Period
The Sens powerplay, if anything, got worse in the period–mistake prone and unable to generate quality chances.  Finally, the grinders score going to the net–Smith beats out an icing and throws the puck in front of the net which Greening bangs in.  With the game tied the Sens continued to have the puck most of the time, but struggled to create quality chances in the offensive zone.
OT
The Sens dominated overtime and won the game on a great pass from Alfredsson to Kuba who blew it by Price through a screen.

Here’s a look at the goals:
1. Montreal, Plekanec (sh)
A bad pass from Turris in the offensive zone goes the other way and Plekanec’s backs up Matt Gilroy and simply beats Bishop up high from a long way out
2. Greening (Smith, Condra)
Smith beats out an icing and his centering pass is banged in by Greening
3. Kuba (Alfredsson, Karlsson)

Top-performers:
Colin Greening – had a good ongoing battle with Subban (including a fight) and tied the game
Filip Kuba – struggled on the powerplay, but was solid defensively and scored the overtime winner

Players Who Struggled:
The Sens powerplay – were incapable to dealing with Montreal’s PK despite numerous opportunities

-Binghamton beat Albany tonight with Mike McKenna making 32 saves to earn the win.  Andre Petersson scored twice (including the winner) with Craig Schira and David Dziurzynski adding the others.  Tim Conboy finished +4.  Here’s the box score and Joy Lindsay‘s game summary.

March 16, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 4 Comments

–Kaspars Daugavins is scratched tonight, while Bobby Butler returns to the lineup after missing the last four games.  Ben Bishop will start.

–Daniel Alfredsson is the Sens Masterton nominee.  Many (including Alfredsson) thought this might be his final year, but with his strong play it seems more than likely he’ll be back next season.

–Michael Farber writes about the Sens acquisition of Ben Bishop, saying he might be the best trade deadline acquisition thus far.  Sens goaltending coach Rick Wamsley said, “He’s been down a few roads, had a few bumps. That might be able  to help him in his development.”  Farber writes both about his performance thus far with the Sens and what might happen down the road, including the thought that he might become trade bait himself next year if the Sens stick with the Anderson–Lehner plan going forward.

–Joy Lindsay Tweets that Mike McKenna will get the start for Binghamton tonight.

–ZekeA, one of the best Binghamton posters, is writing up the year that was for the B-Sens in analyzing the performance of the individual players.  Here’s his view of the team’s achyllis heel, it’s blueline:
Eric Gryba: Big defensive D-man 2nd yr pro. Takes care of his own end pretty good. Far from the fastest skater, can be physical. Has played a ton of minutes this yr too many in fact. Fatigue of all those minutes is showing up on Eric. He can make a good pass to get the puck out of his own end. Recently he has started to get some points.
Mark Borowiecki: 1st yr pro with 21 games Calder Cup playoffs under his belt. OK I like him has a flare for the game more defensive D-man. Can join the rush up ice a bit, physical OK at making 1st pass to clear the zone. Has played a ton of minutes this yr too many in fact. Fatigue of all those minutes is showing up on Mark also. As Eric and Mark play dam near 30 min a game if not more down here this yr. In my view Mark needs 40 more games down here next yr to round out his game a bit more then off to Ottawa he will go…
Patrick Wiercioch: 2nd yr pro Patrick has had a tough yr with that throat injury. An offensive D-man. Patrick would benefit from a summer of living in the Gym up in Ottawa to get bigger and stronger. Patrick needs to work on the defensive part of being a D-man. IF he does NOT do as JOB did 2 summers ago ,live in the Gym all summer & get stronger he will never be able to move up. It is up to Patrick to work his rear off this summer to add strenght + learn to play defence…. If not they might as well make him a forward or trade him.
Craig Schira: 3rd yr pro well Craig has fallen off this yr. His 1st yr I thought he showed some promise, but the last 2 yrs no. As Craig stats have fallen each yr. He is a #6 D-man at the AHL level. I would NOT resign him. Time to bring in more D-men to develop next yr. + there would not be any room for Craig down here next yr as other D-men will come in to develop…
Tim Conboy: Free agent signing by Ottawa. More of a defensive D-man. Has grit not the best skater. Tim has missed 18 games due to injuries this season. Some of the plays he makes I shake my head. I would not resign Tim for next season…..
Josh Godfrey: Well at best he is an 8th D-man at the AHL level.
Not included in ZekeA’s summary is Bobby Raymond (who played 38 games for Binghamton), but like Godfrey he is a marginal AHL-player.

-The OHL‘s Eastern Conference Coaches Poll has Sens prospect Shane Prince tied with Ivan Telegin as the fastest skater.

–Stefan G: Son is one of many wondering about Jakob Silfverberg‘s game and how it will translate to the NHL.  The only element of the article I’ll point to is the emphasis on his shot, which is something Tim Murray and the Sens brass talked about last summer when they were trying to keep him here.  When he was drafted Silfverberg was seen as a strong two-way player, with the only concern expressed by management being his skating.  With three years of development he’s stronger in all areas and I doubt the transition to the smaller ice is going to be a big one for him.  Silfverberg is not going to be asked to play in the top-six, so offensive expectations (particularly early) need to be tempered.  Depending on how far Brynas goes in the SEL playoffs, I’d expect him to either see a few games in Binghamton or else play with the Sens black aces in the post-season.

March 16, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

I wrote about European leagues back in January (link) with an eye on potential signings (prospects and veterans).  With the regular seasons completed in Europe, I thought I’d revisit the data focussing exclusively on younger players.  Players that are particularly intriguing are highlighted in bold.

Here’s a glance at the SEL (in terms of prospects I’ve also looked at the Allsvenskan, the Swedish second-tier pro league).

Richard Gynge, RW, AIK, 36-28-16-44 (undrafted 24-year old; 6th in league scoring)
John Norman, LW, Djurgarden, 55-4-13-17 (21-year old; #174 CSE 2009)
Niclas Burstrom, D, Skelleftea, 51-6-6-12 (20-year old undersized blueliner; #153 CSE 2009)
Nils Andersson, D, Vaxjo, 45-1-7-8 (20-year old defenseman; #72 CSE 2010)
Oscar Fantenberg, D, HV71, 37-3-4-7 (20-year old defenseman)
Frederik Styrman, D, Skelleftea, 19-1-3-4 (20-year old undersized blueliner; #46 CSE 2009)
Adam Pettersson, C/RW, Sundsvall (Allsvenskan), 52-10-19-29 (20-year old; #9 CSE 2010)
Alexander Hilmerson, C/RW, Mora (Allsvenskan), 52-18-11-29 (21-year old)
Victor Backman, LW/RW, Boras (Allsvenskan), 44-10-16-26 (20-year old; #39 CSE 2011)
Jesper B. Jensen, D, Rogle (Allsvenskan), 50-6-13-19 (20-year old; #84 CSE 2010)

The Finnish league (SM-Liiga) is the European league considered to be closest to the North Amerian-style of play.  The Mestis is the Finnish second-tier pro league.

Sakari Salminen, RW/LW, KalPa, 53-23-23-46 (undrafted 23-year old)
Jesse Mankinen, LW/RW, SaiPa, 58-16-13-29 (20-year old undersized winger; #182 CSE 2009)
Julius Junttila, LW/RW, Karpat, 56-13-15-28 (20-year old undersized winger; #41 CSE 2010)
Charles Bertrand, LW, Lukko, 54-11-11-22 (20-year old; #104 CSE 2010)
Juha-Pekka Pietila, D, Pelicans, 17-0-6-6 (20-year old blueliner with good size)
Olavi Vauhkonen, RW, Jokipojat (Mestis), 42-24-11-35 (big 22-year old; #159 CSE 2008)
Toni Jalo, C/LW, TuTo (Mestis), 45-5-30-35 (22-year old)
Samuli Virkkunen, C/RW, Sport (Mestis), 41-10-21-31 (21-year old)

The Swiss league (NLA) has been a steadily improving league and probably features more overall talent than the Finnish league, but plays the distinctively European-style of hockey.  The NLB is the second-tier pro league.

Damien Brunner, RW, Zug, 4525-35-60 (25-year old was never drafted; 1st in league scoring)
Simon Moser, LW/RW, Langnau, 50-18-16-34 (22-year old; #154 CSE 2009)
Ronalds Kenins, LW, ZSC, 47-6-12-18 (20-year old)
Anthony Huguenin, D, Biel, 50-0-15-15 (20-year old undersized blueliner)
Jeremie Kamerzin, D, Lausanne (NLB), 44-12-25-37 (23-year old blueliner)
Marco Pedretti, C/LW, Ajoie (NLB), 39-12-22-34 (20-year old)

The German league (DEL) is not a great development league, as it’s dominated by imports (typically former AHL-players).  Regardless, I think it’s the next best among the European leagues.  I haven’t included any players from the tier-two league (Bundesliga).

Daniel Pietta, LW, Krefeld, 52-17-30-47 (undrafted 25-year old, 10th in league scoring)
David Wolf, LW, Hamburg, 46-12-23-35 (big undrafted 22-year old)
Laurin Braun, RW, Eisbaren, 47-9-14-23 (20-year old undersized forward; #109 CSE 2009)

The Czech league (Extraliga) is not what it used to be, with most of their top-prospects playing in the CHL, but it’s still a professional and competitive league.

Jan Kovar, LW/C, HC Plzen, 52-18-33-51 (undrafted 21-year old, 7th in league scoring)

The Austrian league (Erste Bank Liga) is very similar to the DEL in being dominated by imports (former AHL-players primarily).

John Hughes, C, Olimpija, 50-21-47-68 (undrafted 24-year old, 1st in league scoring)
Istvan Sofron, RW, Szekesfehervar, 50-31-21-52 (undrafted 23-year old, 6th in league scoring)

The Slovakian league (Extraliga) has suffered even more than the Czech league since the break-up of Czechoslovakia, but still produces elite players.

Martin Bakos, LW, Bratislava, 53-13-22-35 (21-year old; #148 CSE 2008)
Michael Vandas, C, SKP, 36-10-23-33 (20-year old)
Andrej Stastny, C, Trencin, 50-11-18-29 (big 20-year old; #42 CSE 2009)

The Danish (AL-Bank Ligaen) and Norwegian (Get Ligaen) leagues are the only other ones (besides the KHL) which receive some attention.  Typically good prospects graduate to the Swedish junior leagues before putting themselves on the map, but it’s not always the case.  Keep in mind ECHL stars can dominate these leagues, so the caliber of talent is a step down.

Fredrik Killi Csisar, C, Valerenga, 44-16-35-51 (21-year old)
Mats Rosseli Olsen, LW, Valerenga, 35-17-30-47 (20-year old)
Andreas Martinsen, C/RW, Lillehammer, 45-17-26-43 (21-year old)

Finally there’s the KHL. One of the best league’s outside the NHL, high payrolls allow the league to retain many players who would otherwise play in North America.

Vadim Shipachyov, C, Severstal, 54-22-37-59 (undrafted 24-year old, 3rd in league scoring)

The highlighted players:
Richard Gynge, RW, AIK, 55-28-16-44 +12; DOB 1987, 6’1, 196 lbs
He lead his team in goals and was second in team scoring.  He lead the Swedish junior league in scoring (05-06) and was part of Sweden’s WJC (06-07).  This is his third season with AIK, which was promoted from the Allsvenskan two years ago.  His contract expires this year.  Elite Prospects writes, “A technically skilled player with a good scoring touch. Gynge is skilled offensively, but lacks some defensive skills. His skating could use some improvement as well.”  I have no idea when that description of Gynge was written, so keep that in mind.  Players his age are rarely signed and even more rarely have success, but Ville Leino is a comparable in that sense.
Vadim Shipachyov, C, Severstal, 54-22-37-59 +16; DOB 1987, 6’0, 178 lbs
He lead Severstal in scoring and has consistently been a top scorer for the team for the past three seasons.  He’s never played for Russia on an international level, limiting his exposure.  His contract extends through next season (it may or may not have an opt-out clause).  I suspect interest in Shipachyov will be limited due to the lack of a transfer agreement with the KHL.  He’s clearly talented enough to dominate in that league, so it would be a matter of him wanting to make the leap to come to North America.
Sakari Salminen, RW/LW, KalPa, 34-16-14-30 +12; DOB 1988, 5’11, 159 lbs
He leads the team in goals and is second in points.  He played in the WJC (07-08) and has been a full-time player in the SM-Liiga for the past five seasons.  His contract extends to 2013/14.  He was ranked #135 by Central Scouting in 2008.  Elite Prospects writes, “A talented, left-handed winger who skates well. Not very large or physical.”  I’m not sure how accurate his weight is, but clearly he couldn’t survive across the Atlantic without bulking up.
Simon Moser, LW/RW, Langnau, 50-18-16-34 -10; DOB 1989, 6’2, 207 lbs
He lead his team in goals and finished third in points.  He’s never represented Switzerland internationally, limiting his exposure.  His contract runs through 2013/14 and may or may not include an “out” clause.  He was ranked #154 by Central Scouting for the 2009 draft.  With his size I’d guess a lack of exposure is what kept anyone from taking a flyer on him.  The more time you spend studying the draft since it was reduced to seven rounds the more dependent on international events you realise scouts are when it comes to drafting out of Europe.
David Wolf, LW, Hamburg, 44-11-21-32 +12; DOB 1989, 6’3, 216 lbs
He finished fourth in points with Hamburg (first in points-per-game and tied for second in assists).  He played in the WJC (08-09) and was awarded one of the top-three players on his team.  His contract runs through 2012/13 and may or may not include an “out” clause.  With good size it might be his skating that’s kept him off the radar.  Results in the DEL aren’t a great indicator for the NHL (think of Marcel Mueller), but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone invites him to camp to at least assess what he can offer.

March 15, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 4 Comments

-Paul MacLean talked about last night’s game, “We’re happy to get a point on the road … but for the most part this team doesn’t bring out the best in us, for some reason. We have another opportunity on Friday to find a solution. We don’t seem to be able to skate the way we do when we’re successful, for whatever reason. We don’t skate very good against this team and we have to find a solution to that.”

-The Sens confirmed the signing of Cole Schneider to a two-year ELC.  Tim Murray talked about Schneider, “He’s a skilled left winger. He has good hands. He’s a tall kid, 6-2. Obviously has to get stronger, but … we saw him night after night at UConn, and he was the best player there. We just like his skill set, and we think he brings an offensive dimension to our team down the road. He’ll sign an ATO, go to Binghamton on Monday and start practicing Tuesday morning. And he signed a two-year entry-level contract starting in the 2012-2013 season. We had our guys identify him early in the year, and then we followed up on him a couple times in the last couple months here and watched him play a lot, and just liked what we saw.”  Schneider said, “It’s really hard to leave the guys on the team, but in the end I had to do what’s best for me.  Growing up, you dream of playing pro hockey and now I get to live that dream. The coaches really worked me hard this year.  They got after me more and helped me improve what I needed to improve defensively.  They helped me out with my all-around game really.  The coaches were a huge part of this.  Coming to UConn I never would have thought this was possible after two years, but they really helped me, probably more than they know.”

–Rob Klinkhammer‘s fifth NHL game triggers the condition of the trade with Chicago in which Ottawa gives up their 7th round pick in 2013.

–Bobby Raymond scored a goal in Florida’s 8-3 win last night.

–John Henkelman updates Senator prospect rankings on Hockey’s Future‘s site.  There’s no rationale provided for how the players were compared (presumably it’s based on performance, but it’s difficult to connect performance with the changes Henkelman made with his previous rankings).  Nevertheless, the list makes for  interesting food for thought.
1. Mika Zibanejad
2. Robin Lehner
3. Jakob Silfverberg
4. Stefan Noesen
5. Mark Stone
6. Mark Borowiecki
7. Stephane Da Costa
8. Patrick Wiercioch
9. Matt Puempel
10. Andre Petersson
11. Jim O’Brien
12. Shane Prince
13. Nikita Filatov
14. Derek Grant
15. Eric Gryba
16. Jean-Gabriel Pageau
17. Mike Hoffman
18. Fredrik Claesson
19. Ben Blood
20. David Dziurzynski

-Another college free agent possibility this year is Dutch national Nardo Nagtzaam, who just finished his freshman year at Mercyhurst University (37-11-19-30).  Jack Prince, the English national playing for the NAHL’s Texas Tornado’s (46-31-31-62) might draw some interest, although he’s more likely to go on to play in the NCAA before getting NHL interest.

March 15, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment