This is the first in a series of profiles on prospects expected to play for the Binghamton Senators.

Mike Hoffman, C/LW, Contract: 0.676/13 (RFA)
5-130 2009 (Murray), 6’0, Shoots L, YOB 1989, Kitchener, Ont
2008-09 QMJHL 62-52-42-94 86pim
2009-10 QMJHL 56-46-39-85 38pim
2010-11 AHL 74-7-18-25 16pim

Mike Hoffman was passed over in the 2008 draft after an average season in the QMJHL (62-24-24-48) split between Gatineau and Drummondville.  Bryan Murray selected him the following year in the 5th round after a breakout season playing with undrafted linemates Yannick Riendeau and Dany Masse under future NHL coach Guy Boucher.

The season after he was drafted saw him named MVP of the league while leading Saint John in scoring.  A team player, when interviewed Hoffman deflected his achievements to focus on the team, “Getting named league MVP, I’m honoured by that accomplishment but we’re in playoffs right now. Individual goals or success, you put that aside and only worry about the team and winning right now. After the season I might go back and look at that but right now we just want to go as far as we can in the playoffs” (www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/12059/latestarting_hoffman_now_out_in_front/).  In discussing his junior career, “I know I was a late bloomer. I didn’t get the chance there in the OHL and Gatineau. If you work hard and get the opportunity you can make stuff happen.”  Saint John associate coach and director of hockey operations Mike Kelly sees him as a sure-fire NHLer someday. “He’s one of the most skilled players I’ve ever been with as far as pure skill. He’s got an NHL shot and outstanding speed. I can’t think of anybody in junior hockey that has had that type of polish to their game. He’s got high, high-end speed, high, high-end skills and he understands his ability, knows how to use it and when to use it. There’s no doubt he’s going to be a pro. How long it takes to get to the National Hockey League will be the question. When he’s playing against men it will be a little different for him because he’s got to learn to play the pro game and get inside against bigger, stronger guys. I would expect anywhere around three years. Right now he’s got enough skill and speed to play there. It’s whether he can figure out the rest of it.”  Despite his accomplishments, there was little fanfare when he was signed.

Hoffman was dominant in the rookie tournament in the fall of 2010 (3-3-3-6), but made little impression at Senators camp.  Like most of his fellow rookies in Binghamton, he struggled to find his game at the pro level.  Hoffman was a healthy scratch on a few occasions throughout the season and struggled defensively (finishing the season -22).  However, his production was better in the second half (18 of his 25 points are from January onward).  He was scratched for the first four games of Binghamton’s series against Manchester, but was in the lineup the rest of the way and had a solid playoff (19-1-8-9, tied with Roman Wick for the second most points by a rookie).  He followed that up with a strong development camp and was included by management in their comments about who stood out (with Bryan Murray saying “he looks like he’s an NHL player now“, http://senators.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=568466).  In reaction to the positive feedback Hoffman said “I just want to be the best player I can. I need to put on weight and just keep getting better. As Coach [Kurt] Kleinendorst says, just try and get better every ice time” (http://senators.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=569478).

The organisation and the player both expect a step forward from Hoffman, whom Kleinendorst called the most talented player on the team last year.  While I think Hoffman is better at center, I believe he’ll play leftwing so as to fit into the team’s top six.  As for projections, I expect him to at double his totals from last year (if he stays healthy), so 50 points.

Hoffman‘s interview after being drafted: http://video.senators.nhl.com/videocenter/ console?id=44411
Interviewed after being named MVP of the QMJHL: www.youtube.com/user/ LHJMQMEDIA?blend=3&ob=5#p/u/0/b5S9Q5aaf4U
Hoffman interviewed at the end of development camp: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcK3RcJMQ-4
Scores an OT winner: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fS4p4BxsZk
His only fight in junior: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT9GdmGl9KI&playnext=1&list= PL5B2E73CEB595FA64

Next up is Patrick Wiercioch.

August 17, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

This is my ninth profile of a Senator rookie.

Louie Caporusso, C/LW, Contract: 0.565/13 (RFA)
3-90 2007 (Murray), 5’9, Shoots L, YOB 1989, Toronto, Ont
2008-09 NCAA 41-24-25-49 30pim
2009-10 NCAA 45-21-22-43 26pim
2010-11 NCAA 41-11-20-31 22pim

Bryan Murray drafted Caporusso in the 2007 draft, taking over the scouting staff and strategies of the just-fired John Muckler (Caporusso was ranked the 121st North American skater by Central Scouting).  Caporusso had completed his career with the St. Michael’s Buzzers with 50 points in 37 games.  He also was named the East Player of the Game honours in the CJAHL’s Top Prospects Game (he’d earned a Silver Medal for Team Canada East in 2006, more about his performance there can be found here: www.hockeycanada.ca/index.php/ci_id/25116/la_id/1/si_id/multiyear/hdr_agm).

Caporusso enjoyed an outstanding career with the Michigan Wolverines.  A plus player his whole career, he was among the team’s top scorers every season.  After his freshman year (2008) he was invited to Canada’s WJC evaluation camp, although he did not make the team.  In his sophomore year he was a finalist for the Hobey Baker award.  His junior year saw him win the team’s Perani Cup champion (the most three-star points in games), while as a senior he was an Academic All-Big Ten and the Wolverine winner of the Athletic Academic Achievement.

Nathan Sandals,  Managing Sports Editor at The Michigan Daily newspaper, was interviewed about Caporusso a few years ago (2008), had this to say: “He has centered the third line for most of the season. His role is as a playmaker. Louie has impressed onlookers this season with his ability to score timely goals, as evidenced by his game winner against Notre Dame in January with 20 seconds left.  Coach Berenson has been very impressed with Louie as he has been with the entire freshman class. Louie is one of Michigan’s best faceoff men and he has caught up to the speed of the college game very quickly. Louie missed six weeks in November and December with a knee injury but he came back and managed to score a goal on his first shift back. Louie‘s future at Michigan is certainly bright. He is an intelligent and friendly kid who has quickly been embraced by the coaches, his teammates and Michigan fans. Louie‘s role is as a playmaker on Michigan’s third line, which he centers. Louie is an offensive stalwart with a knack for timely goals, none bigger than his game-winner against Notre Dame in January, which was scored with twenty seconds left in the game. Louie has seen sometime on the power play and the coaches consider him one of the team’s best faceoff men” (sensarmy.blogspot.com/2008/03/scouting-report-louie-caporusso.html).

Steven Nesbitt, the Co-Managing Editor of the Michigan Daily, had this to say about Caporusso: “He was a pure, unrelenting goal scorer. He scored 24 goals as a sophomore to finish the season as a Hobey Baker finalist. His junior season was nearly a carbon copy, with 21 goals. But since then his focus shifted a bit, from being a goal scorer to a more defensive-minded forward. Still, Caporusso finished with 144 points in 160 games at Michigan. His speed isn’t quite as good as teammate Carl Hagelin (now with the Connecticut Whale), but Louie was usually the second-quickest on Michigan’s squad. His speed is certainly no liability. He’s very reliable on defense, has a nice, heavy shot, and he has showed great signs of scoring finesse. Good hockey smarts. As an aside, he’s great with the media. Louie’s the first guy to chime in with a quote of the day, and he’s the first guy you look for when the team steps off the ice. He’ll give it straight, and adds some of his personality.

“Perhaps Caporusso’s biggest point of criticism is that he’s a perennial second-half perfomer. He knows this, the team knows this. After his torrid 2008-09 campaign, Caporusso began his junior season with just 21 points (7 G, 14 A) in his first 30 games, but led the Wolverines’ charge to the final of the NCAA Regional by pouring in 22 points (14 G, 8 A) in Michigan’s last 15 games. His senior season was a similar story, although the year-end numbers weren’t quite as gaudy (11 G, 20 A). For Louie to even get a sniff at cracking the NHL roster for Ottawa, he needs to put together a full, consistent season. He’s not the flashiest player — won’t light up the score sheet night in and night out, necessarily — but he’s a very solid defensive center, and it won’t take long for his defensive game to catch up to upper-level hockey, he just needs to show he can be productive on offense in a steady manner. One really positive thing for Louie last season was his goal-assist ratio; sure, the goals were down, but he admitted that he was working harder to focus on defense and setting his teammates up. And it worked. Carl Hagelin and Chris Brown both saw their production increase when paired with Louie.

“…we tabbed Louie as a Devin Setoguchi-type player. While he might not have the same scoring streak as Setoguchi, he’s a tremendous passer, much like his teammate Matt Rust (Florida Panthers draft pick). Both are good skaters who really show up in big games. Just as Setoguchi seems to show up around playoff time for some of the team’s biggest goals, Caporusso will be the best player on the ice when his team needs it most. He’ll find the right spot to be in.  I don’t see the increased [pro] schedule messing Caporusso up at all. Granted, the college schedule consisted of just Friday, Saturday and Sunday games, but it still is a similar length to the pro season. Michigan played eight months of hockey last season, so you still need longevity even if you’re only playing 40-50 games. And the way Red Berenson runs his squad, they’re not getting too many off-days during the year. And for Caporusso in particular, he admittedly isn’t a great practice player. He told me once he sometimes wonders if coach will let him stay dressed for the game that weekend. It’s all in jest, of course, but Louie is very much a big-game player. While we mentioned his inconsistency earlier, the plus side of that is when the red-letter games arrived, so did Louie. His playoff performances at Michigan were what earned him a special place in town, and when the best competition faced off with Michigan, Louie was the key center on the top line. And looking at the schedule, Louie carried the Wolverines to some pretty great places.

“I’ll run the risk of being cliché and simply say that Caporusso is a winner. In four years at Michigan, the team lost the Regional opener (2010), lost the Regional final (2009) and reached the Frozen Four twice (2008, 2011).  Caporusso did just about everything for Red Berenson. As an assistant captain during the 2010-11 season, he centered the top line, was on the first PP unit, the second PK unit and was Berenson’s go-to centerman — along with Rust — on the defensive end of the ice. The numbers aren’t so high in Louie’s stats, but Red is very keen on keeping his centers out high to be ready to transition to the back-check and be the first forward back on defense. On offense, Caporusso was mainly used to dish the puck to the wings, minimizing his scoring chances that he might have taken earlier in his career. He spent a little time on the wing, but was happy to get back to center, saying he liked to be able to touch the puck more as a playmaker.  It’s all a progression, of course, and he’s made strides in many ways. He turned from a pure scorer into more of a set-up man who shows his scoring flair when it’s needed. The way he said it in March, he transitioned from just a prolific goal scorer to a more “complete player.” From what we’ve seen, he works well with his teammates, taking advice and criticism alike, and he was very excited to be signed by the Senators this spring. He should be ready to go.  I do think Caporusso has the skill set to make it at the NHL level. I think he could be a regular on probably a third line, maybe even second, where he can find some room to get his legs moving and make some plays on the open ice. He’s a steady enough performer that along with his strong defensive skill, he can really make some quick improvements and be a big part of an NHL team down the road. I’d keep my eye on this kid” the complete interview can be found here: senshot.com/2011/07/28/ prospect-profile-louie-caporusso).

There’s no question that Caporusso will start the year in Binghamton.  There’s lot’s of competition for him both as a center and a winger in the AHL, but I believe he’s more likely to play center than wing due to his size.  Being solid defensively helps and I anticipate he’ll play in the bottom six.  There’s no guarantee he’ll get powerplay time, but if he stays healthy and remains consistently in the lineup he should produce 20-25 points.

An interview with Caporusso from 2009: video.senators.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=45461
Caporusso talking about his Michigan experience: senators.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=555183
His profile on Hockey Futures (it’s dated, but has some analysis): www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/louie_caporusso
Scores the winner: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPcaPsAJdRM
Caporusso is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/caporusso89

The next (and last) rookie profile is Mika Zibanejad.

August 15, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 2 Comments

This is my eighth profile of a Senator rookie.

Pat Cannone, LW, Contract: 0.6/12 (RFA)
FA 2011 (Murray), 6’0, Shoots R, YOB 1986, Bayport, NY
2008-09 NCAA 41-11-24-35 16pim
2009-10 NCAA 44-14-17-31 22pim
2010-11 NCAA 39-14-23-37 25pim

Another undrafted NCAA signing by Bryan Murray, Pat Cannone spent four seasons with Miami University (where Sens prospect Chris Wideman plays) after graduating from the USHL’s Cedar Rapids Rough Riders.  Besides his ELC he also signed an ATO to join Binghamton, playing in a pair of games at the end of the season.  He did not make it into the playoff lineup, so his pro sample is negligible.

Cannone describes himself as a smart player who tries to make players around him better.  He wants “to be a smart, reliable player both offensively and defensively” (http://www.oxfordpress.com/oxford-sports/miami-university-redhawks/senior-forward-third-redhawk-to-sign-pro-deal-1129531.html).  In his senior year he received an All-CCHA Honourable Mention while serving as co-captain of the team.  The previous season he was named to the All-Midwest Regional team.  Cannone‘s name was not among the top-20 NCAA free agents listed by Red Line Report this year (Stephane Da Costa was their #1), but he had expectations that someone would sign him.

Vic Brotzman, who covers Miami for the Miami Redhawk Examiner had this to say about Cannone: “The Senators are getting a solid prospect with a lot of upside in Pat Cannone. He is big and durable (never missed a game during his collegiate career) and a great leader and playmaker. As a co-captain for the RedHawks, he was an offensive standout (at least 30 points in each of his four seasons, including 37 this year) on a team crowded with some very prolific scorers.  Cannone had the blessing/curse of playing all four of his years at Miami alongside classmates Andy Miele (2011 Hobey Baker Award winner, who led all D-1 scorers with 71 points) and Carter Camper (two-time Hobey Baker finalist, who leaves Miami as the second-highest points scorer in program history). If not for those two, Cannone might have scored even more than his 133 career points.  Miami’s head coach Enrico Blasi doesn’t have his team play a fast-and-loose style of hockey, opting instead for a (team of) bruisers with pinpoint passing skills, but Cannone does have decent speed when he has an opportunity to use it. He is coming from a program that prides itself not just on offense, but defense as well (the ‘Hawks were 4th in the nation this year on both sides of scoring the puck). Pat is rarely caught out of position, and isn’t afraid to use his body to save a goal in a pinch. He might need a little bit of polish in the AHL, but I have no doubt that he will be a regular contributor for Ottawa in a short span of time” (the interview can be found here: http://senshot.com/2011/07/09/prospect-profile-pat-cannone).

There’s no reason to doubt that Cannone will start the year in Binghamton.  I don’t see him cracking the team’s top-six, so will slide in to the third or fourth line.  As for production, top NCAA players typically do well in the AHL, but given that Cannone isn’t guaranteed special teams time I see him clocking in at 15-20 points.

Cannone is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/pistolpat20
His Miami profile: http://www.muredhawks.com/sports/m-hockey/mtt/ cannone_pat00.html
His senior speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wymYRqQXbDs

Louie Caporusso is my next rookie profile.

August 14, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

This is my seventh profile of a Senator rookie.

Wacey Hamilton, C, Contract: 0.9/14 (RFA)
FA 2011 (Murray), 5’10, Shoots L, YOB 1990, Cochrane, AB
2008-09 WHL 37-4-13-17 64pim (4 fights)
2009-10 WHL 67-24-47-71 100pim (2 fights)
2010-11 WHL 67-20-53-73 113pim (3 fights)

The captain of the Medicine Hat Tigers is coming off a career year where he finished third in scoring (finishing behind LA draft pick Linden Vey and Anaheim first-rounder Emerson Etem), Ottawa won the bidding war to sign Wacey Hamilton over as many as 10 other teams.  After signing Hamilton said, “There were other teams that offered sort of the same thing but we felt Ottawa was a really good fit. They are kind of rebuilding right now, so maybe there’s a bit more of an opportunity to get called up and make an impact at a younger age.  In the end my family and agent and I all felt it was the best fit.”  Tim Murray said the organisation projects him as a third-line center who can kill penalties (the6thsens.com/2011-articles/march/waceyhamiltonsigns 094994.html, the audio at the bottom).  Hamilton was draft-eligible in 2008, but as the 127th ranked North American by Central Scouting he went untouched.

Hamilton is an undersized energy player with some skill.  Darren Steinke (of the Medicine Hat News) had this to say: “Hamilton is strong in the faceoff circle and he is durable. During his career with the Medicine Hat Tigers, he became someone the team relied on, when the club needed to win a critical draw. Over the past two years, he has been extremely durable. He will play with all sorts to ailments to his body and not look out of place. The big thing he will need to work on to make the next level is consistency, and that is something that is a challenge to anyone coming out of junior. Over his past two seasons, Hamilton is as good of a two-way player as there is in major junior hockey. That said, the veterans in the professional ranks will exploit weaknesses or tendencies a junior never realized he had. The best way for Hamilton to overcome that problem is just go in there and play and not be afraid to fail. He has to learn from errors he makes, and that shouldn’t be a problem. As with all juniors, Hamilton will have to get physically stronger. There is a big difference between the body of a player that turns 21 in September compared to a seasoned 27-year-old NHL player.  Hamilton can be considered a power forward. He is pretty fearless and has no problem in battling in the hard areas in the corner or in front of the net to get a goal. He plays physical. Part of this goes to his leadership qualities too. As the Tigers captain, Hamilton always showed a pretty gritty work ethic, and the other players on the team see their captain selling out, so they fall in line quick.  Hamilton shouldn’t be pigeonholed as an offensive player. Besides collecting 144 points during his last two seasons with the Tigers, he was also a plus-44 in the plus-minus department. Besides playing the power play, he was also part of the Tigers penalty killing unit, and he was also always on the ice in the final minute of the third, when the Tabbies were closing out a game they led by one or two goals. It will be his defensive work that will likely land him a spot in the NHL one day.  I have covered the Tigers since September of 2004, and the team has had a lot of strong captains over that time. Out of that group of leaders, I would say Hamilton is the best captain the Tigers have had over that time. I hope that doesn’t get me in trouble, because I liked guys like Kris Russell, who is with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Brennan Bosch and Steve Marr, who were captains before Hamilton.  I always felt Hamilton had the best combination of being able to lead by example and say the right things to his teammates in the dressing room. Saying things in the dressing room doesn’t mean yelling out teammates, when things go wrong. He is good at sitting down and talking with struggling teammates to help build their confidence. Over the past two seasons, Hamilton was definitely the guys the other members of the Tigers pointed to as their leader. He was the Tigers captain for the past two seasons.”  His full interview can be found here: http://senshot.com/2011/07/16/prospect-profile-wacey-hamilton.

Hamilton will join Binghamton this year and when in the lineup will pivot the third or fourth line.  His best shot is to get Cody Bass‘ old spot centering the fourth line–both are gritty players, although Hamilton won’t fight as much.  While it’s possible Hamilton will see time in the NHL, specific players will have to go down to injury for that to happen.  In terms of his production in the AHL, assuming he stays healthy and plays a full season he should finish in the 15-20 point range.

Talking about signing with the Sens: http://video.senators.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=102013
Hamilton is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/36hambone
Highlight package: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhbH5iJ9xCU

Next up in NCAA free agent Pat Cannone.

August 13, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 2 Comments

This is my sixth profile of a Senator rookie.

Derek Grant, C/LW, Contract: 0.605/14 (RFA)
4-119 2008 (Murray), 6’3, Shoots L, YOB 1990, Abbotsford, BC
2008-09 BCHL 35-25-35-60 45pim
2009-10 NCAA 38-12-18-30 10pim
2010-11 NCAA 38-8-25-33 44pim
2010-11 AHL 14-1-5-6 0pim

The pick Bryan Murray acquired the previous year (trading away three late 2007 picks to Tampa), Derek Grant was selected ten picks after Andre Petersson and both signed ELC’s within a month of each other.  When Grant was drafted he was a big, lanky player coming off a strong rookie campaign in the BCHL where he finished second in scoring behind Taylor Stefishen (drafted by Nashville, but now playing in the CIS).  Central Scouting ranked him 40th among North American skaters, with one scout saying “He’s got so much potential ahead of him that he might be better than (Camrose center Joe) Colborne” (http://senators.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=480419).

The season after he was drafted Grant won a silver medal with Team Canada West and in the BCHL finished third in team scoring despite missing nearly half the season (he was on pace for 102 points).  Grant then moved on to Michigan State where he played on the top line (with Nick Sucharski and Corey Tropp) and finished with an Honourable Mention for the CCHA All-Rookie Team.  Prior to the season, TSN’s Shane Malloy said this about him, “Perhaps the best sleeper pick in the 2008 NHL draft was Derek Grant, who has played in relative obscurity with the Langley Chiefs in the BCHL. The 6-foot-3, 190 pound pivot has pretty decent overall hockey sense and dominated his peer group at that level. Over the past two seasons Grant posted 123 points in 92 games, scoring 49 goals and five game winners. His pucks skills are also good and he showed the ability to play in traffic while stickhandling or passing the puck. When it comes to skating, Grant gets off the mark pretty quickly and has the agility to maneuver around defenders. He could use some extra power in his stride and that will come once he adds strength to his core. His defensive game is slowly improving when it comes to protecting the puck along the wall and working well with his linemates. He still needs to make sure he keeps his feet moving while using his wingspan and stick to disrupt passing lanes. Grant is not a bang and crash style of player but he gets involved and will go to the dirty areas to score goals. Next season, Grant will attend Michigan State. Expect Ottawa to be patient with his development” (http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=278450).

In his sophomore and final NCAA season Grant lead his team in scoring, but decided to turn pro when it ended, signing not only his ELC but an ATO to play in Binghamton.  There are many reasons why he may have turned pro, but one comment (from The Cascade interview cited below) stuck out, “we had a really close team my freshman year of college“, implying that his sophomore team wasn’t as close.  Regardless, Grant joined Binghamton and was able to play quite a bit due to all the call-ups in Ottawa.  He was in the lineup for the entirety of the seven-game, first-round series against Manchester (scoring an OT winner), but did not dress afterward.

Grant has an edge in Binghamton because he’s played for Kleinendorst already.  He’ll likely play the wing and if given decent ice time should put up good numbers.  The return of Kaspars Daugavins (assuming he reports to Binghamton) hurts his ice time, but even if he’s a third liner he should at least match the numbers Erik Condra posted in his rookie year (38 points).  If he’s able to play on the second line, then he could push the 50-point ceiling.

You can follow Grant on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/dgrant27
An interview with Grant after signing: http://ufvcascade.ca/2011/04/11/interview-with-derek-grant/
Audio with Tim Murray about him (link at the bottom): http://www.the6thsens.com/2011-articles/march/derekgrant09949.html

Next up is Wacey Hamilton.

August 12, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 3 Comments

This is my fifth profile of a Senator rookie.

Andre Petersson, LW/RW, Contract: 0.73/14 (RFA)
4-109 2008 (Murray), 5’10, Shoots R, YOB 1990, Olofstrom, SWE
2008-09 SuperElit 36-24-31-55 28pim
2009-10 SEL 37-10-5-15 14pim
2010-11 SEL 31-8-4-12 18pim

According to Anders Forsberg, taking the diminutive Andre Petersson in the 2008 draft was “a gamble” (http://www.the6thsens.com/Page-35.html, scroll down to May 1st), although Red Line Report ranked him in the first round (26th, transcripts.usatoday.com/ Chats/transcript.aspx?c=1855, you have to scroll down a bit).  Coming into the draft Petersson put up 8 points in 6 games in the WJC-18 (tying Mattias Tedenby for the team lead) while finishing third in scoring on HV71’s junior team.

The following season Petersson lead HV71’s junior team in scoring and was third overall in the junior league (behind future Vancouver draft pick Anton Rodin and undrafted Henrik Thegel); he tied for fourth on Sweden’s WJC team.  The following season he became a permanent part of HV71’s men’s roster, posting good numbers with limited playing time on a veteran team (he was the second most productive young player on the team, behind Tedenby).  That year he lead Sweden in scoring at the WJC and there were rumours he might sign with the Senators at season’s end (see the link above), but much like Jakob Silfverberg this year he decided to stay in Europe for one more season.

This past season Petersson scored essentially at the same pace with the same limited ice time.  He’d been suffering from chronic back problems, exasperated by the team wanting him to continue skating.  He was loaned to Ottawa to receive proper medical attention and while here signed his ELC.  He wasn’t fully over the issues when attending the team’s development camp, but is expected to be fully healthy for this year’s training camp.

Petersson has consistently been described as a one-dimensional scorer anecdotally, but I haven’t been able to get my hands on a serious scouting report about him, so I take that with a grain of salt.  What he definitively has is great hands, great instincts, and a great shot.  There’s little question that he’ll spend the upcoming season in Binghamton, where (if he can stay healthy) he should put up good numbers (Niclas Bergfors is a good comparable; he was on pace for 50-points his rookie year).

His Hockey Futures page (it reads like it was cobbled together by different hands and is somewhat garbled, but still worth checking out): http://www.hockeysfuture.com/ prospects/andre_petersson
Scores a goal in the 2010 WJC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC-jc8hGfIY
Scores in the SEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/KrazyTea8?blend=24&ob=5#p/ u/16/sm2vAuAEXEw

Derek Grant is next.

August 11, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

This is my fourth profile of a Senator rookie.

Mark Borowiecki, D, Contract: 0.610/13 (RFA)
5-139 2008 (Murray), 6’2, Shoots L, YOB 1989, Kanata, Ont
2008-09 NCAA 33-1-1-2 24pim
2009-10 NCAA 35-8-11-19 55pim
2010-11 NCAA 31-3-8-11 67pim
2010-11 AHL 9-0-0-0 6pim

The Ottawa Senators have a long history of taking off-the-wall players and the 2008 draft, Bryan Murray’s first true draft, was no exception.  Murray went local in taking Kanata-boy and Smith Falls Bear Mark Borowiecki in the fifth round.  Borowiecki had been named the CJHL’s top defenceman and was committed to Clarkson in the NCAA (the Sens had him 67th on their list, http://senators.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=480551).

Borowiecki struggled with confidence in his rookie season at Clarkson (he still felt good about it, http://video.senators.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=45462), but in his sophomore campaign he earned the Mike Morrison Coaches’ Award for teamwork, hustle and dedication.  Head coach George Roll was a big fan, saying “His biggest asset is his competitiveness. As a coach, I know what I’m going to get game-in and game-out. He’s going to take penalties because of the way he plays, and that’s something you obviously want to limit. But his aggressiveness, to me, is what makes him an effective player. His skill set is good, his confidence grows … as I saw this year [2009-10] in his ability to rush the puck, and jump into the rush and quarterback our power play, and do all the things we needed him to do as a sophomore, which was a lot to ask.”

He continued to play well this past season and decided to leave college early, turning pro and missing his senior year.  With a ATO he joined the Binghamton Senators to help the team at the end of the season.  The expectation was that Borowiecki would sit out the playoffs, but an injury to Derek Smith in the first round against Manchester gave him the opportunity to play.  Once he was part of the lineup coach Kleinendorst couldn’t take him out.  Even when Binghamton began to get healthy, Borowiecki kept his spot, with Patrick Wiercioch sitting when Derek Smith returned to the lineup.

Coming into Ottawa’s Development Camp this summer, Borowiecki had a Calder Cup on his resume and a desire to impress management.  He succeeded, earning the hardest worker award at the camp (won by Eric Gryba the previous year) and being called an NHL player by Tim Murray (June 28th, www.facebook.com/ TEAM1200).  Borowiecki the project has become Borowiecki the player.

While the organisation says that Borowiecki has a shot to make the NHL roster, I don’t see it happening.  There are too many bodies in front of him, but he will play a key role in Binghamton this coming season.  Eric Gryba is his biggest competition for a call-up, given that they play a similar style of game (although Gryba fights more).  Borowiecki won’t put up big numbers in Binghamton, but he should help make life easier for Robin Lehner.  I think the big test for Borowiecki will be NHL training camp in 2012.

Mark Borowiecki (development camp day 3 as well as a segment where he’s the cameraman): video.senators.nhl.com/videocenter/console
Organisational comments: senators.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=568466&cmpid=rss-brodie
Brent Flahr’s comments (2009): http://video.senators.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=38279
Ottawa Citizen: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/hockey/ottawa-senators/%20Borowiecki+defying+odds+rapid+development+Senators/5047852/story.html
Faceoff.com: http://www.faceoff.com/hockey/teams/ottawa-senators/Borowiecki+ defying+odds+ rapid+development/5047852/story.html
Hockey Futures profile: http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospects/mark_borowiecki
Brian Sullivan’s profile: http://www.silversevensens.com/2010/5/11/1465809/a-look-at-senators-defence

Next up is Andre Petersson.

August 10, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

This is my third profile of a Senator rookie.

Stephane Da Costa, C, Contract: 1.325/12 (RFA)
FA 2011 (Murray), 5’11, Shoots R, YOB 1989, Paris, FR
2008-09 USHL 48-31-36-67 23pim (1 fight)
2009-10 NCAA 34-16-29-45 41pim
2010-11 NCAA 33-14-31-45 42pim

Stephane Da Costa‘s hockey career began in obscurity in the French junior system.  He left Amiens in the fall of 2006 to join the NAHL’s Texas Tornado’s.  The spring of 2007 was his draft eligible year and he was not going to impress scouts playing in France.  While he enjoyed a productive year with Texas, he was not drafted and the following year joined the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL.  Da Costa finished sixth in scoring and was passed over in the 2008 draft.  He broke out in his final year with Sioux City, leading the team in points and being named a USHL second all-star.  He committed to Merrimack College in the NCAA and it was at the college level that Da Costa began to make waves.

He was the NCAA rookie of the year and one of a number of hotly pursued college free agents (including Bobby Butler).  Da Costa decided to spend one more year at Merrimack and I have to reference Allan Muir’s SI article to perhaps explain the decision: “The question is whether he’s physically ready. He’s listed at 5-11, 180, but one scout who saw him recently said “he looks like McLovin” with his shirt off” (m.si.com/news/archive/archive/detail/2429977/full;jsessionid= 5B1B459D803D26474CBB5CECB64C7310.cnnsi2).

Da Costa lead Merrimack in scoring again, deciding to sign this year with Ottawa on a deal similar to Bobby Butler‘s (earning more money, but burning a year of RFA eligibility by playing a few games in the NHL).  As many as 20 NHL teams contacted Da Costa before he signed, with Minnesota, Philadelphia, and Florida believed to have the most interest (http://aol.sportingnews.com/nhl/story/2011-03-31/senators-snag-college-star-stephane-da-costa).  In his four NHL games Da Costa didn’t show much, but the sample size is essentially meaningless.  Ottawa fans received a longer look at him during the team’s Development Camp, but he did not stand out (no one in the organisation made specific comments about him except to say he would have a chance at camp).  Da Costa‘s need to bulk up is apparent.  Red Line Report‘s comments prior to his signing: “One thing we really like is the work he put in on his deficiencies. Improved his strength level and defensive play.  Still known mainly for his dynamic and creative offensive skills.  Despite dramatically increased focus from opposing checkers, has continued to show his deft passing skills with clean, crisp passes through seams.  Lacks strength and explosive straightaway speed, but has a special feel for the game and knack for sensing weak spots in coverage.  Puck skills are off the charts – can dangle and use his great change fo speeds to beat defenders.  Very patient with the puck and one of those guys who slows the game down.  Possess both a rocket slap shot and a great wrister.”

Despite the organisations claim that Da Costa can make the NHL roster, it’s difficult to see how.  His only shot would be to become the team’s second line center, but I think Mika Zibanejad has a better opportunity to do that and don’t believe he will accomplish that either.  What’s likely is that Da Costa will be sent down to Binghamton where he’ll play behind Corey Locke as the team’s second-line center.  He should do well at the AHL level–top-end NCAA players typically do–which should earn him a call-up or two during the year.  The real test for Da Costa and his place in the organisation will come when the season is over.

Dan Sallow’s scouting report (from 2010): http://dansallows.com/player-profile-stephane-da-costa/
Hockey Futures: www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/12872/ten_collegians_drawing_nhl_ free_agent_interest/ (the comments here are not included in his actual profile)
Interview while at Merrimack: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIENq2-_-aY
Runs a Danish player from behind and fights Mads Bodker: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzpHnH2Z88Q&feature=related

The next rookie I’ll look at is Mark Borowiecki.

August 9, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment