Rumors swirl as Schiestel sits

Drew Schiestel is out of the IceDogs lineup for tonight's game with Owen Sound. Also sitting are forwards Matt Piva and Andrew Merrett. The trio is not known to be injured. Rumors surfaced last week that first-place Windsor (19-2) was looking to load up early, as their chances of winning the OHL look obviously solid. Many thought that the puck-moving Schiestel was on their list of wanted defensemen. The trade would be an excellent opportunity for the 2007 second rounder. The Dogs (6-8-3) have struggled all season, and the potential of playing for the Memorial Cup would be a nice way to cap a junior career. The Dogs received good news (on paper) Thursday when they learned that the St. Louis Blues were returning defenseman Alex Pietrangelo to the OHL. However, it remains to be seen whether or not the re-building Dogs will look to keep his services, or deal him to a contender for a nice return.

10/8-9 Recap: Ennis nets first multi-point night

My apologies for lacking a timely Wednesday update. I was eagerly awaiting the riveting NHL opening night performance by Def Leppard. Come on, Gary. In a humpday WHL contest, Tyler Ennis scored a goal and an assist as Medicine Hat defeated Edmonton, 5-4. The 5'9 forward scored his second goal of the season early on the power play, then later added an assist to fuel the Tigers third period comeback effort. Currently with five points over seven games, Ennis is going to bust out sooner or later to elevate his sub-1.00 point-per-game status. Wednesday evening also saw three QMJHL games relative to Sabres prospects. Defenseman Jordon Southorn (-1) had an assist as PEI was doubled-up on the road by Saint John, 6-3. The Rocket were out-shot (34-29) and out-hit (25-12) while going an abysmal 0/10 on the power play. The Rocket continues its road ways with visits to Baie-Comeau on Friday and Chicoutimi on Saturday. Paul Byron failed to register a point in Gatineau's 2-1 win over Val d'Or. Continuing to be a controlling presence at the dot, the 5'9 Byron won 12 of his 18 faceoffs. Les Olympiques will battle Rimouski on Sunday. Already in Rimouski, Luke Adam was -1 as Montreal got blanked by the 'Nics, 4-0. Long bus trips can often work against teams as they try to get their legs going, and such was the case with the Juniors on Wednesday. T.J. Brennan did not dress for Montreal. Tonight was relatively quiet, with just two games on the slate before a hectic weekend kicks off. Dennis Persson again piled up the minutes with a healthy 20:17 of time in Timra's 5-2 loss to SSK. The loss was the fourth in a row for the sliding Eagles. In the OHL, Drew Schiestel (-3) had an assist in Niagara's 5-3 loss to Kitchener. Schiestel drew the primary assist on Andrew Agozzino's goal with 1:29 to play to cut the Rangers lead to 4-3. Moments later while still on the power play, the Dogs surrendered a short-handed goal to land themselves a fourth straight loss. It was a shaky night for the Dogs blueline, and there's no end in sight with Alex Pietrangelo sticking with St. Louis for at least the nine game limit. Checking in with the KHL, Vjacheslav Buravchikov now has a goal, an assist, and 4 PIM in 13 games with Kazan. After jumping out to a +5, the 6'1 defenseman has gone -6 over his last four games.

4/6 Recap: Late touchdown sinks Amerks

The forgettable season for the Rochester Americans endured another head-shaking blemish yesterday with a 10-3 loss to Syracuse. Dylan Hunter notched his 20th goal in defeat. The Rundown: Hunter - goal, -1 Mancari - assist, -1 Funk - assist, -3 Kaleta - fight with Derek Dorsett MacArthur - 5 SOG, -1 Gragnani - 1 SOG, -2 Zagrapan - 1 SOG, -3 Whitmore - -4 In another Sunday contest, Drew Schiestel was -1 as Niagara fell to Oshawa, 4-1. The Generals rode a two-goal first period en route to taking a 2-1 series lead over the Dogs. Adding insult to the pain of defeat for Niagara is the indefinite loss of defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. Projected as a top-five pick in the June draft, Pietrangelo sits in a St. Catharines hospital diagnosed with mononucleosis and fluid in his abdomen due to a small tear in his spleen. Schiestel and the rest of the Dogs D will have to step it up a notch when play resumes Tuesday night.

3/9 Recap: Byron flyin' at right time

In a key QMJHL match-up, Paul Byron (+4) scored a goal and three assists in Gatineau's 6-1 trouncing of top-ranked Baie-Comeau. The four-point effort gives the explosive center 27 points in his last 14 games. Five days after Byron's 11-game point streak came to an end, Drakkar center Benjamin Breault extended his run to nine games (10-9-19) with an assist in the loss. T.J. Brennan (+1) continued his solid run by scoring the only Fog Devils goal in a 3-1 loss to Lewiston. The goal was Brennan's 16th of the season, with four of those coming on his current five-game point streak. 2007 5th round pick J.S. Allard had a shot on goal in the St. John's loss. Drew Schiestel notched an assist and helped control the game late in Niagara's 4-3 shootout victory over Oshawa. The comeback victory by the Dogs was teeming with OHL talent, as three of the top-four league scorers (#2 Brett MacLean and #3 John Tavares of Oshawa, and #4 Luca Caputi of Niagara) joined Schiestel in action, along with highly ranked 2007 defensive hopefuls Alex Pietrangelo and Michael Del Zotto. The assist gives Schiestel points in his last six games (1-5-6), raising his season sums to seven goals and 29 assists. Brad Eidsness made 31 saves, but Okotoks couldn't get it going in 5-1 loss to Drumheller. The loss puts the Oilers in a 1-0 hole in their AJHL second round series with the Dragons. In the final weekend of DEL play, Ingolstadt's Felix Schutz registered two shots on goal in a 4-2 win over Frankfurt. The victory coupled with a Krefeld loss puts Ingolstadt in the tenth and final playoff spot. The DEL Rookie of the Year, Schutz compiled 12 goals and 13 assists in his first season back in Europe after two QMJHL campaigns. Philip Gogulla was +1 as Cologne closed their regular season with a 4-1 win over the Metro Stars. Entering the postseason, the 2005 2nd round pick has 11 goals and 33 assists for the third-place Sharks. Last season, Gogulla scored eight goals and 21 total points. Dylan Hunter tied the game in the third, but the Amerks couldn't make it to a shootout in a 3-2 overtime loss to Houston. Adam Dennis made 29 saves, while Marek Zagrapan, Marc Mancari, and Mike Weber were all credited with assists. Combos of note: MacArthur-Zagrapan-(Globke) Gragnani-(Brine)-Hunter Funk-Weber The Rundown Hunter- goal, +1, 4 SOG Zagrapan - assist, +1 Mancari - assist, +1 Weber - assist, +2, 4 PIM Gragnani +1 MacArthur - 0-0-0 0 0 E Funk -1 Dennis - 29 saves Keep it here as we'll have updates following a pair of deciding games in college tourney action featuring St. Lawrence defenseman Matt Generous and BGSU's Nick Eno. For now, the update looks like it'll be limited to just Generous, as Bowling Green coach Scott Paluch has given the nod to Jimmy Spratt in the Falcons net after Eno gave up four goals on 24 shots in last night's loss.

News and Notes: Rough week for Weber

It's been a rough week for Amerks defenseman Mike Weber. First, he returns to the lineup on Sunday after a two game suspension, only to carry his physical play into penalty box, costing his team two goals against.

"He just wanted to make an impact in his return," Cunneyworth said. "We want him physical and playing the body, but not that way."

Then, he gets a call on Tuesday afternoon with news that his good friend Mickey Renaud had collapsed and died. Weber and Renaud were teammates last season in Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League.

"He was like a little brother to me," said Weber, a rookie defenseman for the Rochester Americans. Renaud, the son of former Amerks defenseman Mark Renaud, was captain of the Ontario Hockey League's Windsor Spitfires and Weber's teammate the past two seasons. He was drafted in the fifth round, 143rd overall, by the Calgary Flames in June. "You find yourself asking, 'Why?'" Weber said following practice on Tuesday. "He was my workout partner. Here's a healthy, 19-year-old kid, getting ready to sign a contract with Calgary, and he's gone in a second." Weber has asked for permission to attend Renaud's funeral and could miss Friday's home game against the Binghamton Senators. The Amerks are home tonight to play the Albany River Rats at 7:05 p.m. "It's all business (tonight)," Weber said. "He's a hockey player so he'd want me to play. He should have been right here in my shoes next season, playing his first pro season.

USCHO is running an article about Bowling Green's goalie tandem of Freshman Nick Eno (2007, 7th round), and junior Jimmy Spratt (CAL). It's a pretty unique situation for a NCAA club to have two NHL draftees between the pipes. NHLers in waiting, Eno and Spratt have created a formidable duo in net

Eno, on the other hand, probably couldn't wait to escape his doomed fate with an Eastern Junior Hockey League team called the Green Mountain Glades. He finished his lone year in juniors with nine wins in 25 starts. "Last year [in juniors], we didn't have the best team, so there were a few times when I'd see 40 or 50 shots a night," Eno said. Even with that amount of pucks flying at him some nights, Nick Eno ranked in the top 10 in save percentage and goals against average in the EJHL last winter. Thus, when Eno started out 4-0 with the Falcons in 2007, and has now continued to a 10-6 mark with two weekends to go, it surely is a refresher for the freshman goalie.

As expected, some suspensions were handed out after the melee at the end of the second period of Saturday's DU-UND contest. Chris Butler wasn't penalized in the fracas, but there's still a nice shot of him looking for a piece of the action in the Denver Post. The Niagara IceDogs recently held an open skate with the public that also featured a skills competition. Sabres 2007 second-rounder Drew Schiestel took home first place in the puck relay portion of the event. 2008 draftniks get out your clipboard: Alex Pietrangelo's slap shot clocked in at 96 MPH. Finally, don't look now, but Nathan Gerbe has some company in the national points-per-game race. Senior Ryan Cruthers of Robert Morris picked up three points at Bemidji over the weekend to tie him with the Sabres 2005 pick at 1.52 ppg. Michigan's Kevin Porter is right behind at 1.5 ppg. Gerbe will need to keep pace as #7 Boston College has a key home-and-home battle with #3 New Hampshire this weekend.

1/27 Recap: Gogulla goes off, Schiestel solid

It's always a Super Sunday here at SabresProspects.com. Cologne's Philip Gogulla erupted for three assists tonight in the Sharks 5-4 overtime win over Struabing. The three-point night marked his highest output since starting the year with a two goal, one assist performance against Hamburg back in September. The 6'2 left wing signed a contract with the Sabres prior to training camp, but returned to the DEL where his 31 points are third-best on the league's third place team. Gogulla's frequent linemate in IIHF play, Felix Schutz of Ingolstadt, was -1 in a 6-0 shutout loss to Mannheim. The Sabres 4th round pick in 2006, Schutz has just six points in his last 21 games after starting the year with 12 through his first 14. He hasn't recorded a multi-point night in over three months. A neck injury once again sidelined 2006 first-round pick Dennis Persson as Nykopings fell to Vaxjos, 3-1. He should be ready to resume play within the week. In a North American tilt featuring a pair of top-ranked 2008 draft prospects, Drew Schiestel assisted on the game winning goal and was a game-best +3 in Niagara's 3-1 win over Sarnia. Currently rated the #1 North American by Central Scouting Bureau, dynamic Sting center Steven Stamkos was held off the scoresheet for 54:00 before setting up his team's lone goal. To date, the Unionville, ON native has 34 goals and 65 points in 40 games. Schiestel's touted teammate, 6'4, 210-pound defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, demonstrated the strength and ability that's put him top-5 in most 2008 mocks. In the Q, T.J. Brennan assisted on the first two Fog Devil goals in their 4-3 win at PEI. Playing the left side, the New Jersey product also contributed a game-high six shots on goal to spark the visitors. J.S. Allard was -1 for St. John's in the win. Benjamin Breault was quiet offensively as Baie-Comeau continued to roll in their 3-2 shootout win over Victoriaville.

1/24 Recap: Enroth sits again; Eidsness heads into break on top

The Sabres won a road game last night. Life is good. Jhonas Enroth has done nothing wrong, but he clearly has lost the starting job to Bjorn Bjurling in the SSK crease. After missing time after the World Juniors due to illness, it was thought that a healthy Enroth would get the nod against Djurgarden on Thursday. That wasn't the case, as Enroth watched his counterpart make 27 saves in a 3-2 overtime loss. In Enroth's defense, Bjurling has been exceptional over the past month. His save percentage is half a point better than Enroth's while facing 310 more shots in just seven more games played. Brad Eidsness made 25 saves in Okotoks' 2-1 home-ice decision over Canmore. Eidsness will now head north to Grand Prairie for the Rogers AJHL All-Star Weekend leading the league in wins (21), goals against average (2.01), and save percentage (.938). The wins are great and a GAA close to the promised land of sub-2.00 is worthy of praise, but the truest junior level goalie statistic is save percentage. Eidsness' sparkling number in that category is indicative of superb concentration and reflexes. Drew Schiestel picked up an assist as Niagara exploded for 59 shots on goal in their 8-3 win over the Otters. The swift skating Hamilton native is 7th on his team in scoring, ranking second among defensemen to 2008 lottery hopeful, Alex Pietrangelo. After an adjustment period to start the year, Schiestel is a safe bet to ascend the prospect rankings when the new list is released in mid-February. Bored over NHL All-Star weekend? Check here for updates on the 27 games involving Sabres prospects from Friday through Sunday.