Former Bulldogs in Pro Hockey

This is my first attempt this season at listing former UMD men's hockey players currently in pro hockey.

I may have missed a few guys. Please send me an email or comment on this post if you know of any omissions.

Nick Anderson, Pontebba (Italy), 13 GP 1-4-5

Rob Bordson, Trenton (ECHL), 7 GP 1-4-5

Andrew Carroll, Hershey (AHL), 9 GP 0-1-1

Mike Connolly, Worcester (AHL), 7 GP 5-6-11

Justin Faulk, Charlotte (AHL), 6 GP 1-4-5; Carolina Hurricanes, 3 GP 0-0-0

Justin Fontaine, Houston (AHL), 10 GP 3-3-6

Jordan Fulton, Stockton (ECHL), 6 GP 0-2-2

Jason Garrison, Florida Panthers, 12 GP 5-1-6

Travis Gawryletz, Karlovy Vary HC (Czech Republic), 4 GP 0-1-1; Ontario Reign (ECHL), 2 GP 0-0-0

Michael Gergen, Bakersfield (ECHL), 8 GP 1-1-2

Tim Hambly, Ingolstadt (Germany), 16 GP 2-3-5

Chad Huttel, Sheffield (England), 12 GP 1-3-4

Matt McKnight, Lausitzer Foxes (Germany), 11 GP 5-4-9

Josh Meyers, Bolzano (Italy), 13 GP 2-8-10

Mike Montgomery, Ontario (ECHL), 5 GP 0-0-0

Matt Niskanen, Pittsburgh Penguins, 14 GP 1-3-4

Evan Oberg, San Antonio (AHL), 4 GP 0-0-0

Trent Palm, Chicago (ECHL), 4 GP 0-0-0

Jay Rosehill, Toronto Maple Leafs, 4 GP 0-0-0

Kyle Schmidt, Lillehammer IK (Norway), 9 GP 1-3-4

MacGregor Sharp, Bolzano (Italy), 13 GP 8-4-12

Tim Stapleton, Winnipeg Jets, 8 GP 0-2-2

Former Bulldogs Moved on Deadline Day

The last week has been newsworthy for former UMD Bulldogs playing pro hockey.

On Feb. 21, Matt Niskanen was dealt from the Dallas Stars to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins have given Niskanen plenty of ice time so far, though he'll have to play well to keep it, given the number of guys they have banged up.

The bulk of the activity came on Monday.

Former UMD sniper MacGregor Sharp was dealt from the Anaheim Ducks to the Vancouver Canucks. Sharp has 33 points in 96 career AHL games, and was scoreless in eight appearances last season with the Ducks.

He will report to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.

Evan Oberg -- who played two years at UMD from 2007-2009 before turning pro -- was dealt by Vancouver to the Florida organization. Oberg has four NHL games under his belt, including two this season, but he will report to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. He has seven goals and 11 points in 38 AHL games this season.

Oberg is the second former UMD defenseman to make his home in the Florida Panthers organization. Jason Garrison is in his third professional season, and his first full NHL season. In 53 games, Garrison has three goals and 11 points, but his role is likely to increase, now that Florida has traded half their defensemen. Included in their fire sale were captain Bryan McCabe and power play quarterback Dennis Wideman. Garrison should get some power play time to go along with the more than 23 minutes per game he's already on the ice for.

Meanwhile, the San Jose Sharks have signed goalie Antti Niemi to a four-year contract extension. This is likely bad news for former UMD All-American goalie Alex Stalock, who is recovering from a serious injury to his left leg that required surgery. Stalock was having a good second season in the AHL -- and had picked up his first NHL win in a brief call-up -- before he was injured.

Now, one has to wonder what Al's future in the organization is, because $3.8 million per year goalies usually don't sit on the bench for very long.

As for other former UMD players currently in the NHL, Mason Raymond has ten goals and 31 points in 52 games for the Vancouver Canucks. Tim Stapleton has one goal and two points in 26 games for the Atlanta Thrashers. Also, Jay Rosehill -- who would have set all sorts of records for sin-bin time had he played four years of college hockey -- has one goal and two points in 18 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs. A defenseman for most of his career, Rosehill plays forward now, and brings the kind of truculence Brian Burke likes.

Alex Stalock Dazzles in Worcester

This is a couple days old, and was found thanks to my boy Kevin Pates, but I thought I'd post it.

Former UMD goalie Alex Stalock had a fantastic rookie season in Worcester last year, leading the American Hockey League team to the playoffs and setting a league rookie record for wins by a goalie.

This season didn't start all that great for Stalock, with his record hovering around .500 and his save percentage below .900 for a while.

Not so much now. Stalock's save percentage is up to .905, and he's got 13 wins heading into Worcester's next game, which is Friday at Connecticut.

Part of that resurgence is due to this save against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Sunday.



UMD fans have seen this before. It's still cool to watch. Great to see Al doing well in the pros.

Report: Former Bulldog Meyers Gets Deal With Flames

Via RWD comes this news on a former Bulldog defenseman.

Fiona Quick of Minnesota Hockey Journal says Josh Meyers has signed a two-year, two-way deal with the Calgary Flames. He has ten points in 32 games so far for the Abbotsford (B.C.) Heat of the American Hockey League. That franchise took over this year as Calgary's primary AHL affiliate.

Meyers played four years with the Bulldogs, rarely missing a game after a freak practice accident left him sidelined with a broken wrist during his freshman season. He finished his UMD career with 30 goals and 73 points, including ten goals and 28 points as a senior, when he served as a tri-captain with Andrew Carroll and Matt Greer.

If the report ends up true, this deal makes good sense. It provides Meyers with the security of a multi-year deal, something graduated college players-turned-NHL free agents don't often get. It's a small investment for the Flames so they can see what Meyers can do. It also would signal that Meyers might not be that far away from getting a shot in the NHL.

It's good to see such a growing number of former UMD players playing hockey professionally, both in North America and overseas. Kevin Pates' solid tracking of these athletes shows four former Bulldogs have seen time in the NHL this season. Matt Niskanen and Mason Raymond lead the way in experience at that level, with Raymond staring down the barrel of a multi-million dollar contract very soon, thanks to already having set career highs in goals, assists, and points.

Andrew Carroll Gets A Call

Former UMD Bulldog Andrew Carroll left behind quite a legacy. He was rarely seen in a UMD uniform without the letter "C" or "A" on the front of his jersey. Leadership skills like his are not common at any level of hockey, and his tenacity on the ice masked the obvious skill that helped get him recruited in the first place.

Since leaving UMD, Carroll has hooked up with the ECHL's Charlotte Checkers. After an impressive start to his season there, he has received an opportunity to move up in the hockey world.

Wolf Pack general manager Jim Schoenfeld announced today that the team has signed forward Andrew Carroll to a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement.

Carroll, a rookie out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, comes to the Wolf Pack from the team’s ECHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. In 16 games with the Checkers, the 6-0, 200-pound native of Shoreview, MN scored eight goals, good for a tie for third on the Charlotte club, and added four assists for 12 points, along with 30 penalty minutes.

It's hard not to root for a guy like Carroll, who was known as the quintessential "first one on the ice, last one off" guy at UMD. He was also insanely popular off the ice, and no one will ever forget the emotions he showed on the ice both during his last game at the DECC and after Miami eliminated UMD from the NCAA Tournament last year.

Here's hoping "Ace" finds even more success in the AHL!

(Tap of the stick to Donna for the tip!)

Stalock Popular in Worcester

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- During his three years at UMD, goalie Alex Stalock brought a lot of emotions from Bulldog fans. For the most part, he made them very happy by keeping the puck out of the net, and for helping lead UMD to the NCAA quarterfinals last year.

Shutouts on back-to-back nights at the Final Five -- while allowing one goal over three games -- probably didn't hurt.

He also infuriated fans at times by not controlling his emotions very well, and by wandering to play pucks they would rather he had left alone, no matter the end result.

In the end, though, Stalock was an impact player for UMD, just like everyone involved in his recruitment thought he would be.

He's now moved on to the Sharks organization, and he's off to a great start there.

(You can follow the stats for Stalock and all other former UMD Bulldogs in pro hockey by clicking here.)

In fact, it seems they like him a good deal in Worcester, home of the Sharks' AHL affiliate.

Stalock has posted superb numbers so far, with a save percentage over .920 and his goals against under 2.00. His coach is pleased.

“Right away,” Sommer said, “you could see what a good athlete he was, and that he had a real competitive nature, too — one of those guys who hates getting beat, even in practice. Most goalies are competitive, but they don’t all show it. He’s like (Evgeni Nabokov) — you can really see it.”

... Stalock’s competitiveness is obvious just from his body language during a game. He’s also easy to notice because he likes handling the puck, and does it well, something no Sharks goaltender up until now has been able to do. Greiss, Dimitri Patzold and Taylor Dakers were all scary trying to play the puck, but Stalock is evolving into a third defenseman.

“I’ve never coached a goalie who plays the puck as well as he does,” Sommer said. “I’ve seen some, but never coached one.”

High praise for a young goalie. It has to be a good sign for Stalock that he's already considered the top goalie in the AHL, as the Sharks have quite the glut of goalies in their system. Stalock could be setting himself up for an NHL opportunity quicker than most of us thought.