Tuesday Tuesday

Tuesday was a bit busier than it normally is but only 2 New York Ranger prospects saw action while 2 others got their expected invitation. On the New York Islander side 1 got an invite while another remains out with an "upper body injury".

Kind of wish they had one of these when I was going to school but Roman Horak (NYR 2009 5th)'s Chilliwack Bruins held a "field trip" for 3000 Chilliwack area middle school children and took on the Swift Current Broncos in a game that saw a 10:30 AM start.

Horak did not do badly scoring a goal and adding an assist in a losing cause as his Bruins lost to the Broncos 5-4. The Bruins dug themselves into a 3-0 hole that they could not climb out of as they lost their 2nd straight and fell into the cellar of the WHL's very tight BC Division.

For Horak he scored on a nice cross crease feed from linemate Robin Soudek who set him up so nicely that Horak had a wide open net to score his 15th goal of the season at 16:21 of the second period as the Bruins were trying to comeback. The goal at the time brought Chilliwack to 4-3 but it was not enough.

Horak added his 19th assist on Chilliwack's final goal which came in the game's final minute with Chilliwack trailing by 2 but the Broncos prevented any other scoring chances. Horak remains 3rd among Ranger prospects with his 15-19-34.

Meanwhile up in Lethbridge, Dylan McIlrath (NYR 2010 1st) and his Moose Jaw Warriors dug themselves a 4-0 hole with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and really were never in it losing 7-4. It was an ugly effort by the Warriors as McIlrath was scoreless but a team high -3 with 2 PIMs.

McIlrath also did not make any friends with the Hurricanes as he crosschecked Hurricanes defenseman Mike Reddington after the final buzzer that could have led to some ugliness if the refs not moved in fast.

On the Islander side, Kirill Kabanov (2010 3rd) missed his 3rd straight game with what is being called an "upper body injury" as his Lewiston MAINEaics lost their 4th straight game 5-4 to the lowly Baie-Comeau Drakkar.  This one was bad as the Drakkar entered the game with a 3-21-4-4 record and teams thinking championships do not lose games like these.

Kabanov is reportedly going to return to the MAINEaics lineup on Friday.

Speaking of injuries, Daniel Maggio (NYR 2009 6th) missed his Guelph Storm's loss to the Kitchener Rangers 4-3. Maggio is out with an ankle injury has now missed 4 straight games and is his 2nd injury of the season to cost him multiple games.

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USA Hockey released the names of the 29 players invited to take part in the pre-World Under-20 camp and to nobody's surprise there was Chris Kreider (2009 1st) and Ryan Bourque (2009 3rd). The Ranger prospect duo are returning from last season's gold medal winning team and are expected to play big roles as Team USA looks to repeat as World Champions.

In a bit of a surprise, Islander 2010 1st rounder Brock Nelson also received an invite to the camp. Nelson who plays for North Dakota is a freshman who is 1-4-5 in 18 games so far this season. 

Congrats to all 3 prospects as they join 2 other Ranger as well as 2 other Islander prospects who are expected to be named to their National Teams.

Rangers

Chris Kreider USA

Ryan Bourque USA

Roman Horak Czech Republic

Jesper Fasth Sweden

Islanders

Nino Niederreiter (Switzerland)

Casey Cizikas (Canada)

Brock Nelson (USA)

(Images Horak/Chilliwack Bruins, Kreider/Dennis Pause) 

Screeching To a Halt

OK so you know how this is going to turn out right? One team has not lost in regulation in 18 games (10 straight wins) at the top of the world while the other team is winless in 7 games of their own with questions about how long their coach would keep his job.

New York Islander prospect Casey Cizikas (2009 4th) and his Mississauga St. Michael's Majors were taking on the Guelph Storm in what was expected to be another Major win. Instead the Storm ended their own winless streak and handed the Major's their first regulation loss since October 22nd. 6-5.

Cizikas saw his "star of the game" and goal scoring streaks end at 4 but his scoring streak is still alive thanks to an assist for Cizikas on the Major's 1st goal of the game. Cizikas is now 15-20-35 leading both his Majors and the Islander prospects in scoring.

The game also had this season's strange trend of goalie fights as we have the video here:



Dan Maggio (2006 6th) missed his 3rd straight game with his undisclosed upper body injury.

Ranger prospect Christian Thomas (2010 2nd) scored his prospect leading 21st goal assisted by Islander prospect Tony DeHart (2010 5th) but that was not enough as their Oshawa Generals were doubled up by the Windsor Spitfires 6-3 on Sunday.

Calvin De Haan (2009 1st) was the only member of the trio who did not score as the Generals saw the 3 game winning streak coming to a crashing halt. The trio combined for -4 in the loss.

Ryan Bourque (2009 3rd) had an assist on his Quebec Rempart's first goal of the game as it was all they really needed as the Remparts shut out the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles 4-0. As Bourque improved to 16-19-35 (2nd among NYR prospects), the storyline here was the defensive shutdown that Bourque and his teammates put on the Screaming Eagles.

The Remparts held the Screaming Eagles to just 11 shots for the entire game including a 1 shot 3rd period.

Ethan Werek (NYR 2009 2nd) was scoreless as his Kingston Frontenacs needed the shootout to earn the extra point as they won 6-5 over the division leaders the Ottawa 67's. The Frontenacs remain tied with the Oshawa Generals for 2nd place in the OHL's East Division.

Islander prospect Blake Kessel (2007 6th) had a goal as a part of 5th ranked New Hampshire had little trouble with Vermont 5-1. It was Kessel's 3rd goal of the season as New Hampshire used a 3 goal second period to win.

Kirill Kabanov (NYI 2010 3rd) missed his 2nd straight game due to an undisclosed injury that happened Friday night as his Lewiston MAINEaics lost their second straight this time 5-3 to the Montreal Junior. The only thing anyone really knows is that Kabanov was shaken up after a hit he received during the game against Moncton.

(Cizikas/Aaron Bell/OHL Images, Thomas/Oshawa, Bourque/Quebec)

Mr. Hobbs Goes To The Net

We call him the forgotten prospect as New York Ranger 2007 7th round pick Danny Hobbs has not really done enough at UMass/Amherst to merit serious consideration as an NHL prospect. When the Rangers selected Hobbs, Gordie Clark said at the time that "Hobbs played up to the level of competition".

Sadly that has not happened in the 3 seasons that Hobbs has been at UMass so it was a nice surprise to see Hobbs earn himself a first star in leading UMass/Amherst to a 5-2 win over rival UMass/Lowell on Saturday afternoon.

Hobbs had 2 goals in the win as UMass/Amherst extended their unbeaten streak to 4 games to improve on the season to 3-6-3. Earth shattering no but this is about being fair to someone who realistically is not going to make the Rangers but still tries.

Ryan Bourque also had 2 goals on Saturday as the hottest Ranger prospect continued his torrid streak. His story along with the rest of the Ranger prospect report is right here.

The New York Islander report highlights begin and end with Nino Niederreiter (2010 1st) as "El Nino" had a goal and assist in a losing effort as his Portland Winterhawks lost to the Spokane Chiefs 4-3.

It is something about playing the Spokane Chiefs that creates a hump that the Winterhawks have trouble overcoming. For the 2nd straight meeting, the Winterhawks lost to the Chiefs by digging themselves a hole they could not come out of.

The other 7 Islander prospects who were dress for Saturday night combined for a total of 1 assist which makes the Islander report really easy to write and found here.

(Images: Danny Hobbs/Dennis Pause, Nino Niederreiter/Portland Winterhawks)

Letting the Stars Come Out

The problem being a first round pick in the NHL (or any sport) is that the microscope you are under is more focused, the expectations are higher and the criticism is harsher. It is even harder if you are New York Ranger or New York Islander prospect even if the reasons are vastly different.

On Friday night, it was first rounders for both teams that took center stage in leading their teams to some very badly needed wins. First Ranger prospect Chris Kreider (2009 1st) had a career high 3 points (1-2-3) as his 3rd ranked Boston College Eagles whipped on 3rd ranked (and bitter rival) Boston University 9-5.

It was the start of a mostly good night Ranger prospects that included the return of 2010 1st rounder Dylan McIlrath of the Moose Jaw Warriors. The Ranger report is found right here as Ranger prospects got to enjoy wins over Islander prospects too.

On the Islander side when your team is in a slump having gone winless in their last 4 games then you look at your star players to step up their game to help the team overcome adversity. Nino Niederreiter (2010 1st) scored 2 goals while earning the game's first star while leading his Portland Winterhawks to a 5-1 win over the Tri-City Americans.

"El Nino" earned the game's first star for his efforts as Portland got back on the winning track. It may be very rough to be an Islander fan at the moment but if they let their prospects develop then there is actual hope for a promising future.

The rest of the Islander report also has Casey Cizikas earning his 4th straight star and that is right here.

(Kreider: Dennis Pause, Nino Niederreiter: Portland Winterhawks)

Tossing Some Teddy Bears

One of the coolest things about hockey is the Teddy Bear Toss. All over North America at this time of year, the Teddy Bear toss is used as a way help out those children in need.

The premise is simple when the home team scores their first goal of the game their fans get to throw teddy bears on the ice. In many cases it is the players who deliver the bears to kids in hospitals or in shelters.

Through out the years, for reasons we have never wanted to know, it always seemed that a New York Ranger prospect either scored or set up the teddy bear goal. Tonight the Oshawa Generals who held their teddy bear toss and New York Ranger prospect Christian Thomas (2010 2nd) who scored the Teddy Bear goal.

Thomas's 19th goal of the season at 4:34 of the 2nd period gave Oshawa General fans their reason to toss 3119 bears onto the ice and more importantly it gave the Generals a 1-0 lead in their game against Ethan Werek (NYR 2009 2nd)'s Kingston Frontenacs.

Werek was the center of attention in this game as he set up Nathan Moon for the tying goal on the power at 15:47 of the second period then somehow beat the clock to score his 15th goal of the season at 19:59 to give Kingston a 2-1 lead at the end of 2 period.

In the 3rd period, Oshawa tied the game at 2-2 and as regulation was ending Werek (from the General's side)  got away with a slash on New York Islander prospect Oshawa defenseman Calvin De Haan (2009 1st). De Haan was not injured but was held scoreless in the game.

Still in a game that featured 3 of the top prospects of the Rangers and Islanders, it was a 5th round pick who wound up being deciding the game as Tony DeHart (NYI 2010 5th) with just 28 seconds left in overtime set up the game winning goal for a 3-2 General win.

DeHart does not get the publicity but he has quietly improved to 2-12-14, +13 on the season. Thomas is now leading the Ranger prospects at 19-16-35 while Werek is 3rd at 15-14-29. With the win the Generals jumped past the Frontenacs for 2nd place in East Division.

In Brampton, Casey Cizikas (NYI 2009 4th) continues to show why he has been the Islander's best prospect as Cizikas was the 1st star of the game for the 2nd straight game thanks to his 4th game winning goal of the season (#14 on the season) and his 18th assist of the season leading his Mississauga St. Michael's Majors defeated the Brampton Battalion 3-2.

If there is any question as to which team is the best in the CHL then going 16-0-0-1 in your last 17 games like the Majors are makes a strong argument for you. Mississauga has not lost a game in regulation since October 22 as the OHL's number one offense (113 goals) is also the OHL's number one defense (60 goals allowed).

Jason Wilson (2010 5th) and his Niagara IceDogs extended their unbeaten streak to 4 games after defeating the Windsor Spitfires 5-3. Wilson was scoreless in the game as the IceDogs try to stay close to division leader Mississauga in the standings.

In Moncton, Kirill Kabanov (NYI 2010 3rd) returned to face his former team as his Lewiston MAINEaics
took on the the Moncton Wildcats. Yes Kabanov was scoreless, yes he was a -1 with 2 minors and yes his MAINEaics lost 4-3.

But here is the difference, Kabanov is a kid all of 18 and oh yes he has made some mistakes in his life but you know what last week when Kabanov's MAINEaics defeated it was the kid who acted like the adult saying the nice things.

Life is supposed to  be about 2nd chances and if Lewiston is willing to try to help Kabanov turn his life around then we are all for it. Lord knows how many mistakes as well as chances we have gotten so cross our fingers and hope that Kabanov sees the gifts he has.

Finally Islander prospect Blake Kessel (2007 6th) and his 5th ranked New Hampshire Wildcats had no problem with UMass-Lowell winning 3-0. Kessel was scoreless on 2 shots and a +1.

GAME ON

If you think the Rangers/Islanders rivalry is hard core then set your DVRs Friday night to CBS College Sports at 7:30 EDT/ 4:30 PDT as Islander 2008 2nd round pick Corey Trivino's 3rd ranked Boston University hosts Ranger prospect Chris Kreider (2009 1st)'s 8th ranked Boston College in game 1 of a weekend home and home.

Saturday the teams switch locales but CBS College Sports will bring that game live as well.

(Christian Thomas courtesy of Aaron Bell/OHL Images)

Mid Week Nightmare

Everyone knows that bad games will come so what you hope for is that they do not happen very often. Something hit the west coast on Wednesday night for the 2 prospects who saw action and it was not at all nice.

Roman Horak (2009 5th) had one really rough night as his Chilliwack Bruins  got spanked by the Saskatoon Blades at home 7-3. Horak was scoreless and a season high -4 for the game.

This one earns the "stinker" tag because the Bruins had several chances to get back into the game but could not make good on them. The Bruins went 1 for 7 on the power play which made matters worse for them as the Bruins.

So in less than a week, the Bruins go from whipping the Western Conference leading Portland Winterhawks 7-2 to tonight's loss to the Eastern Conference leading Blades. What can one take from this you ask?

Nothing cause it just shows how strange hockey can be at times.

Horak though got his invite for Czech Republic Under-20 selection camp in December which is no surprise as Horak was a member of last year's team. Maybe this year, the Czechs will use Horak better than they did.

In Portland, Islander prospect Nino Niederreiter (2010 1st) and his Portland Winterhawks are finding out the hard way, the danger of (a) looking too far ahead and (b) saying the wrong thing to the media. To set the stage for their story, the Winterhawks were featured on Thursday in an article in the Portland Tribune talking about the chance to win 60 games this season.

Of course the Winterhawks have not won a game since the article was published as the Winterhawks are now winless in their last 4 games (2 losses and 2 shootout losses) after the Hawks lost to the Kootenay Ice 5-3 at home.

The game started good for the Winterhawks as Niederreiter set up Brad Ross for a power play goal at 2:16 of the first period for a 1-0 lead. The lead lasted for 1:43 as the Ice tied it at th 3:56 mark; then took the lead for good 1:28 after that at 5:24.

The Winterhawks should be glad they were only trailing 3-2 after 1 but after the Ice added another goal in the 2nd period to make it a 4-2 lead. In the 3rd, the Winterhawks scored an early goal to make it a 4-3 game but the Winterhawks could not score the tying goal as the Ice finished them off with an empty netter for the final score.

Niederreiter also was invited to Switzerland's Under-20 camp but pretty sure he does not have to worry about not making the team.

Scott Stajcer (2009 5th) missed his 4th straight game due to his undisclosed nagging injury that was reportedly not that serious but he was being held out as a "precaution." Sorry if our sarcasm came out but we have our own reasons for it.

A Day in the Life

Jeff Blay of the Niagara IceDogs followed Ranger prospect Jason Wilson (2010 5th) around to get an idea as to what a day in the life of a prospect is like. It is an interesting read that can give you an insight as to the daily activities for a prospect and what they go though as they chase their dream of a chance at the NHL