Showing posts with label gogulla. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gogulla. Show all posts

Monday, September 6, 2010

9/5 recap: Shipley to the shelf

SabresProspects has learned that 6'2, 205-pound center Steven Shipley of the Owen Sound Attack could miss the remainder of the pre-season after breaking a finger in the first week of training camp. It's a tough start for the Sabres 2010 fourth round pick after reporting a day behind schedule. We'll keep tabs on the injury as details become available. The Attack opened their exhibition schedule without Shipley on Sunday, defeating Barrie by a 6-3 count.

In the WHL, Riley Boychuk suited up for Portland's third game in three nights, registering a slashing minor and a couple shots on goal as the Winterhawks lost a 3-2 shootout to Spokane. The 'Hawks will continue their pre-season next weekend with games against Everett and Kootenay.

Mark Pysyk was given the night off as Edmonton dropped a 3-2 decision to Medicine Hat. After reassigning a trio of 15-year olds, the Oil Kings will correct some mistakes in preparation for next weekend's exhibition set with Prince George.

Gregg Sutch did not play as Mississauga opened their exhibition season with a 5-3 win over the QMJHL's Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. Sutch, 6'2, 190 pounds, has spent the first week of split squad scrimmages skating on a line with Casey Czikas (NYI) and Justin Shugg (CAR). The Majors will next play at Owen Sound on Thursday.

Lastly Phillip Gogulla's return to the Cologne Sharks has started well, as the 2005 second rounder has a goal and two assists through the team's first two games. Gogulla is joined this season in Cologne by ex-Sabres Mike Card and Adam Dennis. Card is +2 for the Sharks while Dennis opened the season with a shutout.

Monday, May 24, 2010

One and done: Gogulla gallops back to Germany

After just one season of North American hockey, Philip Gogulla will be leaving the Portland Pirates and heading back to the DEL to play a sixth season for the Cologne Sharks.

Those close to the situation will say this is no surprise. The 2005 second round pick (48th overall) was unhappy and perhaps a little homesick in his first extended period away from Europe. The first red flag came when he reacted poorly to the rigors of prospect camp two summers ago. There was never any sense that playing in the NHL was his "dream gig".

The 6'2, 198 pound forward appeared in 76 games for the Pirates in 2009-10, finishing sixth in team scoring with 15 goals and 20 assists. Like many pro rookies, he had his good games and bad ones. When a load of teammates were called up to the big club following Portland's first round playoff loss, Gogulla (and fellow German Felix Schutz) flew to Cologne to play in the IIHF World Championships. Gogulla posted one goal and six shots on net in seven of Germany's nine tourney games.

And so the beat goes on when it comes to the Sabres history with European draft picks.

Moving on, Gogulla's departure puts the heat on the Sabres to get a deal gone with 2007 third rounder Corey Tropp. After a 20-goal junior year, the Michigan State forward is primed to begin his professional career in Portland. There was already a spot open, and now there is 35 points to replace with the loss of Gogulla.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Odds & Ends: Southorn talking; Tropp on the way?

With 2008 draft pick Jordon Southorn recently finishing his fourth QMJHL season, The Guardian is reporting that player agent Don Meehan is talking to the Sabres about a pro deal.

Southorn said his agent, Don Meehan, is talking with the Buffalo Sabres, the team that drafted him in the fourth round (104th overall) of the 2008 draft, about a three-year, entry-level contract. At the maximum, it can be worth over $825,000 a year.


Enter the Sabres blueline pipeline, where the system is rich with numbers. With Dennis Persson (one year), T.J. Brennan (two), and Drew Schiestel (two) having term remaining on their first contracts, and Nick Crawford recently added to the fold, it is thought that decisions on Portland defenders Matt Generous and Mike Kostka will play a role in what shakes out with Southorn and recent Harvard grad, Alex Biega.

The 5'11 Biega, who served as the Crimson captain this past season, moves well and plays a smart game, but the Sabres have to decide if he has enough juice to produce on the power play while providing consistent even-strength support. In 131 NCAA games in Cambridge, the Montreal native collected 15 goals and 55 assists with a net +1 rating.

Southorn, on the other hand, is waiting and working a summer job after an up-and-down season that saw a shift in his approach.

Southorn, who turns 20 today, had a solid 2009-10, if not bumpy one.
A pre-season suspension by the Rocket, his second in two seasons, cancelled Buffalo’s plans to bring him to its training camp.
But Southorn focused on his job, finished with a team-high plus-five plus-minus and fourth in hits with 86, and left the offence to itself (four goals, 19 assists, 67 games).
He was down 18 points in scoring from 2008-09, but up 18 points in his plus-minus ratio.
“I think my game changed this year. I was always the offensive guy. My plus-minus was up in the plusses,” he said. “My defensive game got much better. That’s what I was proud of.”
New head coach Eric Lavigne, hired in early October to replace the fired Guy Chouinard, stressed defensive zone coverage and it worked.


Southorn isn't a poor depth option by any stretch, but I was surprised to hear that discussions are taking place because there aren't that many jobs to go around in an organization that doesn't use an ECHL affiliate.

The Sabres have five blueliners under contract (Butler, Rivet, Sekera, Montador, Myers) entering 2010-11, with the expectation that RFAs Marc-Andre Gragnani and Mike Weber will be tendered. There is also the potential for UFA back-up plans like a Dennis Seidenberg and perhaps a Dan Hamhuis to be in place in the event that one of both of Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman sign elsewhere.

If you look at the depth chart, I already have Brayden McNabb penciled in to assume Dennis Persson's AHL slot beginning in 2011-12. I'll stop short of calling Persson a lame duck this early, but he will be entering the final year of his deal with the expectation of taking a huge developmental step on the Pirates blueline.

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After signing forward Luke Adam to an entry-level contract at the end of his junior season, the Sabres still have decisions to make with some forwards in the coming weeks.

It's becoming more of a certainty that Michigan State RW Corey Tropp will follow in the footsteps of past collegians Chris Butler, Nathan Gerbe, and Tim Kennedy by leaving school after his junior season to sign with the Sabres. The CCHA program has already lost juniors Jeff Petry (EDM) and Andrew Rowe (PHI) to the pro ranks this offseason, making Tropp's departure a no-brainer given the Sabres depth needs. The 6'0 winger led the Spartans this past season with 20 goals and 42 points, and with MSU bench boss Rick Comley not having a consistent track record for developing pro bodies, it may be in both parties best interests to shift the development cycle to the AHL.

With the Sabres short on forwards, it seems that Jacob Lagacé will ultimately get a look as well despite his disappointing finish with Cape Breton. The fifth-round pick in 2008, Lagacé scored five goals in 25 games with the Eagles after having 30 in 35 with Chicoutimi at the time of the deal.

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In other forward 'stuff', former first-rounder Marek Zagrapan has had his two-year KHL contract with Severstal terminated after one season. After a quick start in his return to European ice, the former Sagueneen/Amerk/Pirate found it tough to earn consistent time and ultimately became a non-factor down the stretch. It remains to be seen where Zagrapan will land moving forward, but the Sabres will continue to retain his NHL rights while the sting of another first round disappointment subsides.

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Speaking of Sabres European prospects, Felix Schutz made noise on the international stage when he scored the overtime winner as Germany shocked Team USA to win the opening game of the 2010 IIHF World Championships. It was a nice touch for Schutz after a tough second half in Portland that saw the tweener limited in ice time while being left off the Pirates clear day roster.

Schutz has two goals through three games for Germany, while fellow Sabres prospect Philip Gogulla has yet to record a point.

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When the University of North Dakota began stockpiling defensive recruits like Derek Forbort and Dillon Simpson, we began to think long and hard about the impact it would all have on Sabres 2008 third-rounder, Corey Fienhage. When Fienhage was sat late in the year in favor of forward-turned-defenseman Matt Davidson, those thoughts intensified.

When we reported that Fienhage was placed on the protected list by the WHL's Kamloops Blazers, the writing was seemingly being scribbled on the proverbial wall.

But when Fighting Sioux junior Chay Genoway announced that he would be returning to the team in 2010-11, the message on the wall stated that Fienhage was outsy.

Nothing is official, but whispers around Grand Forks are suggesting that Fienhage is as good as gone (along with Isles prospect David Toews). Fienhage needs to play, and since he didn't get in the lineup last season until Genoway suffered a concussion, it isn't too difficult to connect the dots.

My question is where does Fienhage go? If he opts for the WHL, his window to earn a deal is cut down to one season. Another option has him seeking a scholarship elsewhere, thus sending him to the USHL for a season of Jr. A to retain his NCAA eligibility, and in turn allow the Sabres to keep his rights for a longer term.

Fienhage is rugged and tough, and I would be eager to watch his game translate to the WHL. However, Fienhage is just 20 and needs consistent reps after playing a scant 39 games over two seasons with the Sioux. Couple that with the fact that the Sabres blueline prospect cupboard is already crowded, and I fully expect the Sabres to advise him to somehow stay in school.

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While we're at it, might as well make official what we already knew. Mark Adams, the Sabres fifth round pick last summer, will be enrolling at Providence College this fall. The right-hander will join Vermont junior defenseman Drew MacKenzie in the competitive Hockey East.

Adams, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound defenseman, was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the fifth round (134th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He played three seasons at Malden Catholic High School before spending one season with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League. While with Chicago, Adams played in 53 games and recorded four goals and 10 assists for 14 points during the 2009-10 season.


After a minor shoulder injury in the first half, "Roo" got his game clicking as the Steel's year wound down. Adams has good wheels that he'll need to use to limit stick infractions as he steps up a level of competition.

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Lastly, if you're not doing so already, try to follow SabresProspects on Twitter. I'll be in Los Angeles for the draft and will be using it to communicate throughout the entire week. This space will be updated as well, of course, but that feed should be more lively.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Gogulla going to Vancouver

Portland Pirates rookie forward Philip Gogulla has been named to Team Germany for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The 6'2 Gogulla has five goals, 16 points, and a +5 through the first 31 games of his North American career after posting 127 points in five seasons with Cologne of the DEL.

Veteran Buffalo Sabres forward Jochen Hecht was a noticeable omission by DEB head coach, Uwe Krupp.

Germany's Olympic roster includes six NHLers -- goaltender Thomas Greiss (San Jose), defensemen Christian Ehrhoff (Vancouver), Dennis Seidenberg (Florida) and Alexander Sulzer (Nashville), and forwards Marcel Goc (Nashville) and Marco Sturm (Boston). Winger Philip Gogulla, a Buffalo prospect who has yet to make his NHL debut, was chosen from Portland of the American Hockey League. In his first season of North American hockey, the 22-year-old Gogulla has 5 goals and 16 points in 31 games.

The remaining 16 skater all play in Germany's top professional league, the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.

Veteran center Jochen Hecht of Buffalo was surprisingly left off Krupp's roster, as was Atlanta defenseman Christoph Schubert. Both were included on a reserve list. Hecht has a long international resume and participated in the 1998 and 2002 Games. He was also selected to play in 2006 in Torino, Italy but suffered an injury in his last NHL game before the Olympic break and was unable to play. In eight Olympic games, Hecht has 2 goals and an assist.

This season with Buffalo, Hecht has only 6 goals and 15 points in 39 games and is eighth on the team in scoring.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Schiestel, Genny key as Pirates take three

Drew Schiestel and Matt Generous scored their first professional goals, and Felix Schutz scored his first goal of the season and added an assist as Portland defeated Norfolk, 4-2.

Schutz, returning after missing six games with a concussion (deemed a shoulder by most reports), got the Pirates on the board with a backhander to make it 1-1 in the opening period. Generous lit the lamp with a point shot in the second period before fellow rookie Schiestel scored from the high slot just :42 later as Portland pulled away.

Paul Byron, Nathan Gerbe, and Philip Gogulla added assists for the Pirates, while J.P. Lamoureux stopped 23 shots to secure the club's third straight win. The former Hobey Baker finalist started four games in five nights ahead of Jhonas Enroth, finishing the stretch 3-1.

The Rundown:
Schutz: 1G, 1A
Schiestel: 1G, +2
Generous: 1G
Byron: 1A, +1
Gerbe: 1A, -1, 6 SOG
Gogulla: 1A
Kostka: +1
Weber: +1
Brennan: even
Persson: even
Ennis: -2

Friday, November 13, 2009

Pirates halt hot Amerks in HSBC

The Portland Pirates sailed into HSBC Arena on Thursday to defeat the Rochester Americans, 6-3. The victory snaps a two-game skid for the Pirates while ending the Americans 11-game win streak. Mark Mancari, Philip Gogulla, and Cody McCormick each had a goal and an assist to lead the Pirates . Buzzing between Gogulla and Mancari from the first drop of the puck, Tyler Ennis picked up a pair of assists to fuel Portland’s effort. Ennis set-up a Mancari one-time laser to open scoring late in the period. He later shifted inside to create a tic-tac-toe passing play that was finished off by Gogulla to put the Pirates ahead for good at 12:56 of the second period. Rookie center Paul Byron also showed his quickness and offensive skills, scoring a short-handed goal at 4:43 of the second period to open Portland’s four-goal floodgate. The fleeting Byron spent most of his shifts between vets McCormick and Jeff Cowan. In a shuffling blueline, rookie T.J. Brennan spent most of his time with veteran Joe DiPenta. Drew Schiestel saw PK time with DiPenta, but played shifts with Mike Kostka. At one point, it appeared that Dennis Persson skated a shift at forward. Matt Generous and Mike Weber were a steady pair however. Weber was a +3 but did make one poor decision on a cross-ice pas in his own zone that was very similar to plays made in the pre-season. Jhonas Enroth, who was sent down by Buffalo earlier in the day, kicked aside 23 saves to earn his fourth win of the season. Enroth will need to remain sharp if the 6-10 Pirates are to gain ground in the standings. Nathan Gerbe (concussion), Marc-Andre Gragnani (leg), and Felix Schutz (shoulder) did not play for Portland. The Rundown: Mancari: 1G, 1A Gogulla: 1G, 1A, +1 Byron: 1G, 1 SOG Ennis: 2A Weber: +3 Brennan: even Schiestel: even Generous: +1 Turnbull: 1A Enroth: 23 saves, W