UMD Players Past, Present, and Future at NHL Camps

Summer means a lot of downtime for hockey broadcasters. I've already taken a vacation and spent a lot of time at work watching old WWF YouTube videos working.

For hockey players, it's a good time to get some conditioning work in, as well as seeing where you stack up when it comes time to step to the next level.

A number of current and former UMD players are participating in NHL prospect development camps this month. These events do not affect college eligibility, unless you're Nick Leddy, who wowed the Blackhawks at a summer camp after his so-so freshman year at Minnesota to the point where he got signed practically on the spot.

Some players are at the camp of the team that drafted them. Others are free agents and are hoping to get a look for now or the future.

The list, via the good folks at College Hockey News, is as follows:

Current or future players
Sophomore defenseman Andy Welinski, Anaheim
Freshman forward Alex Iafallo, Buffalo
Senior forward Joe Basaraba, Florida
Freshman defenseman Carson Soucy, Minnesota
Sophomore forward Tony Cameranesi, Toronto
Freshman forward Dominic Toninato, Toronto
Committed (2014) defenseman Blake Heinrich, Washington
Junior forward Caleb Herbert, Washington

Former players
Defenseman Chris Casto, Boston
Goalie Kenny Reiter, NY Islanders
Forward Travis Oleksuk, San Jose
Defenseman Drew Olson, Tampa Bay

Meanwhile, former UMD All American goalie Alex Stalock re-signed with the San Jose Sharks on Friday, as NHL free agency opened. The move came after last season's San Jose backup goalie, Thomas Greiss, inked a deal with Phoenix. Stalock will compete with Harri Sateri to back up Antti Niemi for the Sharks this fall. Indications from reports in San Jose are that Stalock is expected to win this battle and start the season in the NHL. He has appeared in three NHL games over the course of his pro career, but has yet to make a start.