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.

Alex Stalock For The Win

I'm pretty sure I don't have to litter this space with superlatives about former UMD goalie Alex Stalock. You've probably read them from me already.

The one-time WCHA superstar hadn't seen the light of the NHL day since turning pro after the 2008-2009 season. He set the AHL rookie record for wins by a goalie last year, helping the Worcester Sharks to the second round of the AHL playoffs.

This year, the Sharks are floundering around the playoff cutoff, just like their NHL parent Sharks are. With Antero Niittymaki still injured, Stalock was brought back to San Jose for Tuesday's game against Phoenix. This time, his destiny wasn't to sit and watch as Antti Niemi got a win.

Instead, Stalock got the call about midway through the game, as the Sharks were lifelessly trailing 3-0 and in desperate need of a spark.

Stalock would give them that spark. Here is the game highlight video from NHL.com.



Stalock didn't have to make any highlight-reel saves among his nine stops, but he kept Phoenix off the board, allowing the Sharks to come back.

Not a bad debut. Zero goals allowed, and your first NHL win. Stalock talked about the game with the Sharks website.

“You don’t have time to get the nerves going,” Stalock said. “You just get thrown right in there. You’re just watching the game. You’re not in it at all. It’s a shock (to go in like that), especially when it’s your first one.”

In a way, though, it probably wasn't a bad thing for Stalock, who had his parents in the stands. He's such a fiery competitor that there's a chance he benefited from not having all day to think about his NHL debut. It just happened.

Meanwhile, his impact is still felt in Duluth. Fourth-year junior Kenny Reiter spent two years with Stalock at UMD, and he learned from the former All-American.

"Obviously, his ability to play the puck, I think that's really important in today's game," Reiter said Tuesday. "I tried to take a few things away from him with that. But for the most part, just his compete level, and just to see how much he wants to win every game, night in and night out."

The Sharks play Wednesday at Anaheim. No word on who will start in net.

Alex Stalock Gets the Call

Finally.

After toiling in Worcester of the AHL for more than season and a half, former UMD Bulldog Alex Stalock has been called up to the NHL.

Here is the release from the San Jose Sharks, who announced the move officially on Tuesday.

San Jose Sharks Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Wilson announced today that the club has recalled goaltender Alex Stalock from the Worcester Sharks, the team’s top development affiliate.

Stalock, 23, has posted a 17-17-4 record with a 2.65 goals against average and a .907 save percentage with Worcester this season.  In 2009-10, Stalock set an AHL rookie record by recording 39 wins, played in the 2010 AHL All-Star Game and was named to the AHL All-Rookie Team.

The 6-foot, 185-pound native of St. Paul, Minnesota was selected by San Jose in the fourth round (112th overall) of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

In a related move, the Sharks reassigned goaltender J.P. Anderson to Mississauga (OHL).  Anderson dressed in one game on Jan. 22 vs. Minnesota, but did not appear in the contest.

Stalock should be in Los Angeles Wednesday for the Sharks' final game before the All-Star break. What happens after the break is up to the lower body of goalie Antero Niittymaki, who was hurt last Thursday.

Antero Niittymaki on Injured Reserve; Stalock Time?

The San Jose Sharks have placed goalie Antero Niittymaki on injured reserve.

Word is that he was injured (lower body, no specifics in yet) during Thursday's morning skate in Vancouver, where the Sharks played the Canucks on Thursday.

The Sharks didn't have time to bring anyone up from the minors or sign a free agent, so they plucked a goalie in from the University of British Columbia on an amateur tryout.

A player on injured reserve has to sit out at least seven days, so San Jose has to find another goalie to at least back up Antti Niemi while Niittymaki is out.

Could this be former UMD Bulldog star Alex Stalock's shot?

Stalock is the No. 1 goalie at AHL Worcester, and he has yet to see any time in the NHL. He set the rookie record for wins by a goalie last year, and he has been playing well after a relatively slow start to this season.

Certainly, Bulldog fans are rooting for this outcome. We'll keep you posted.

NOTE: The Sharks told FanHouse colleague A.J. Perez that they wouldn't make a decision until Friday morning at the earliest. The team's next game is Saturday night at home against Minnesota.

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.