Bill Thomas(29) Medvescak Zagreb

29-year old, undrafted 8th year right wing, Bill Thomas(29) has decided it’s time to leave North American pro hockey and joins Medvescak Zagreb of the KHL for 2013/2014.

He had been signed to a one-year, two-way contract with Colorado Avalanche for 2012/2013 but failed to receive a call-up in the lockout shortened season. It was the first time since he was on an AHL agreement for ’09/’10 with Springfield Falcons that he didn’t play in an NHL game.

He also left mid-season that year for the NLA in Switzerland but returned for the next campaign signing with Florida Panthers.

The unassuming 6’2″ 194 lbs. forward has played 87 contests in the show scoring 16 goals and 12 assists with three different teams.

He has 388 minor leagues games with 115 goals and 136 assists to his credit.

Seems like the right choice for the veteran player and chances are he will find his scoring touch.

See related: 12/29-10

Karl Stollery(6) Colorado Avalanche

Undrafted defenseman Karl Stollery(6) gets rewarded with a Colorado Avalanche one-year two-way NHL entry level deal after putting up solid numbers in his rookie season with minor league affiliate Lake Erie Monsters.

In 72 AHL games he had 5 goals and 29 assists, first on the team in points and helpers, while maintaining a +11 rating with an active 119 shots of net.

He originally signed an ato with the team upon finishing up four years of college hockey at Merrimack and got right to the business of marking up the score sheet with a pair of goals and 5 assists in 9 games to finish out the regular season. He led his Hockey East team in all sorts of categories, while holding down the captain’s spot for the team in his final two years.

At 5’11″ 180 lbs., the 25-year old could still use some added weight and muscle to his game but is already pretty impressive out there at his current size.

 

 

 

 

Paul Carey(28) Lake Erie Monsters

Colorado Avalanche 5th round pick in the 2007 draft (#135 overall), rookie center Paul Carey(28) is another player that quietly had himself a good first pro season.

He spent his entire debut campaign with minor league affiliate Lake Erie Monsters scoring 19 goals and 22 assists with a +2 rating on a team that sits just outside of the 2013 Calder Cup Playoff picture. He also played a couple of games at the end of 2012 when

The 24-year old was also a good point producer in college hockey with Boston College Eagles. He won a pair of NCAA titles in 2010 and 2012 with them, and even scored the gwg in the most recent win.

The 6’1″ 190 lbs. forward signed a two-year entry level deal through 2013/2014, when he’s set to become a restricted free agent.

He has yet to earn his first NHL recall but if he continues to put up the numbers, he can almost be assured his number will be called.

Sami Aittokallio(30) Colorado Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche 4th round pick in the 2010 draft (#107 overall), Finnish rookie net minder Sami Aittokallio(30) got his first crack at an NHL start for a team that is out of the playoff picture in this lockout shortened season.

 

He performed well only allowing a pair of goals on 25 shots in two periods before having to be relieved in the third with muscle cramps he was suffering due to dehydration. The Avalanche ended up losing the game 3-2 in the shootout.

In 26 appearances for AHL affliate Lake Erie Monsters, he has a 14-11-1 record with a 2.89 GAA and .903 SV%.

At 20-years old, the parent club believes he could be their starting goalie of the future, signing him to a 3-year entry level deal that runs through 2015.

The 6’1″ 180 lbs. backstop could be their answer between the pipes. They need one as they ended up signing three goaltender prospects on one day in the offseason.

He performed nicely in the last couple of years as a teenager in Finland’s elite league, SM-liiga, so if he can stay on course he could be their guy.

 

 

 

 

Brad Malone(42) Colorado Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche 4th round pick in the 2007 draft (#105 overall), 2nd year center Brad Malone(42) notched his first NHL goal in 15 tries.

He is currently on his 2nd recall from their minor league affiliate Lake Erie Monsters, where he’s skated in 133 AHL games scoring 21 goals and 40 assists in regular and postseason play. He’s also a pretty lousy -20 overall plus/minus on a team barely above the .500 mark in 2012/2013. They were a much better team the previous season, just missing a playoff berth.

The 6’2″ 207 lbs. power forward was up for 9 games in his rookie campaign connecting for his first points in the show, a pair of assists.

He put up big numbers in his last two years of college hockey with University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux.

The 23-year old is in the final season of his two-year entry level deal and set to become a restricted free agent. It’s seems likely that he’ll be qualified for at least another season to continue his development.

Calvin Pickard(31) Lake Erie Monsters

Colorado Avalanche‘ 2nd round pick in the 2010 draft (#49 overall) rookie goaltender Calvin Pickard(31) has been a workhorse in net through his junior career and the pace didn’t slow in his first pro year.

In 40 games between the pipes for AHL affiliate Lake Erie Monsters so far this season, he has a 16-17-5 record and a 2.55 GAA and .916 SV%.

The 6’1″ 195 lbs. net minder has been recalled on a couple of occasions to take warm-ups and ride back-up but has yet to see any NHL action. That could change as the season plays itself out. He may get the nod if the Avalanche are out of the playoff hunt.

The soon-to-be 21-year old is signed through 2015 to a 3-year entry level deal, so has plenty of time to show the big club what he’s got.

Cameron Gaunce(24) Lake Erie Monsters

Colorado Avalanche 2nd round pick in the 2008 draft (#50 overall) defenseman Cameron Gaunce(24) is in the final season of his three-year entry level deal.

He played in 11 NHL games in his rookie campaign scoring a goal but that was the only crack at the show he’s received thus far. Maybe he will get another recall in this shortened lockout season before his contract is up but it’s looking a bit doubtful.

The 6’1″ 203 lbs. stocky d-man produced career highs for minor league affiliate Lake Erie Monsters in his sophomore season with 75 AHL games played, 6 goals, 21 assists, 27 points and a +17 rating.

He’s far off the mark in the current campaign with only a goal and 1o assists in 52 contests and looks to end up with lows in all categories.

It’s a wonder if the Avalanche will give the still young 22-year old a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent for a fourth season in the system and simply look at 2012/2013 as a one where he lost some footing in his game but still has the potential to regain it.

Evan Brophey(20) Portland Pirates

6th year right wing Evan Brophey(20) was an unrestricted free agent at the end of 2012 and with no offers and the NHL lockout looming had to find a home for the new season.

Originally a Chicago Blackhawks‘ 3rd round pick in the 2005 draft (#68 overall), he only appeared in one big league game with the team in 4 years and 3 last season with Colorado Avalanche. He has yet to convert for any points.

The 6’1″ 203 lbs. forward isn’t exactly a prolific scoring in the minors but in 407 regular season games he does have 67 goals and 94 assists.

Last season with Lake Erie Monsters, he matched a career high for points (39) and pocketed a best 18 goals, which led the squad in scoring.

Just as the 2012/2013 season started the 26-year old signed a pto with Portland Pirates. He was recently bumped up to an spc after 37 games  (5 goals, 10 assists) to finish out the 2012/2013 campaign with them.

Even though he’s not exactly lighting it up as prolifically as he did last year, he’s still a gritty, invaluable player for the Pirates to have in the fold as they push towards the postseason.

 

 

 

Thomas Pock(22) Lake Erie Monsters

9th year undrafted Austrian-born defenseman Thomas Pock(22) has been on quite the journey in his playing career. He was a scoring stud in his final couple of seasons of college hockey that gained him the notice of New York Rangers, who plucked him fresh out of school and put him into action for 6 games to round out the 2003/2004 season. He managed a pair of goals and assists in the brief run.

The 6’1″ 210 lbs. blue liner played another 5 seasons in the Blueshirts‘ system but was unable to match the early offensive output in the higher league. The 2004/2005 lockout could have part of the blame sidetracking his development.

In the AHL he also struggled some to reignite that scoring touch but had a couple of really good seasons wrapped around his first full year in the NHL; maybe the pro blossoming was delayed.

He was once again going to be sent down to start his 6th campaign with the Rangers but their rivals across the river decided to give him a shot as part of their never-ending franchise rebuild process but he failed pretty miserably on a poorly performing New York Islanders‘ team.

With nowhere to go in the show, he turned his attention towards Sweden, first signing for a couple of seasons with Rapperswil of the NLA and then MODO.

He managed to kickstart his ability to land on the scoresheet to a degree and made the decision that it was time for another shot at the NHL. Colorado Avalanche took the bait and signed him for 2012/2013 to add some depth to their back line.

In 45 games with their AHL affiliate Lake Erie Monsters, he has 8 goals and 19 assists, while wearing the “A” for the team and helping the younger players with their game.

Very likely that the now 31-year old will head back overseas to wrap up his playing career.

David van der Gulick(7) Colorado Avalanche

7th year left wing David van der Gulik(7) has received NHL call-ups in his last three pro seasons through his current team of contract, Colorado Avalanche. He also played 6 games for Calgary Flames, who picked him deep in the 7th round of the 2002 draft (#206 overall).

In 38 games he’s managed to connect for a pair of goals and 9 assists and skated in a career high 25 big league contests last season.

Although not an overly large player, at 5’11″ 185 lbs. he has always managed to stay accountable on ice with a +7 rating.

He’s signed to a one-year, two-way deal, his third with the Avalanche; and at 29-years old his game continues to show improvement and there’s little reason to think that they will let him slide to another team anytime soon.

In 39 AHL games this season with affiliate Lake Erie Monsters he has 12 goals and 13 assists. He has 463 total regular season and playoff games to his credit, scoring 107 times and dishing 143 helpers.

He recently got his first recall of the lockout shortened campaign and once again had valuable contributions in the 3-1 despite playing only 7 minutes and 31 seconds. With injuries seemingly piling up, he could be in for an extended stay.