Pirates head home with a split

The Portland Pirates kicked off the first round of the AHL playoffs this week with a road split in Providence. On Wednesday, Marek Zagrapan had a pair of goals and Jhonas Enroth made 28 saves as the Pirates shut out the Bruins, 3-0. Felix Schutz scored his first playoff goal, while Mark Mancari picked up two assists. Recent addition Dennis Persson did not dress for Portland. The Rundown: Zagrapan: 2G, +2, 5 SOG Schutz: 1G, +1 Mancari: 2A, +2 Gragnani: A, +3 Gerbe: 4 SOG Kennedy: 1 SOG Butler: 2 SOG Whitmore: even Turnbull: 2 SOG Kostka: 1 SOG Generous: 1 SOG Enroth: 28 saves, SO On Friday, the Pirates could only muster a Tyler Bouck wrister in the third period as the Bruins evened things up with a 2-1 in. Derek Whitmore drew an assist on Bouck's short-handed goal. Enroth made 38 saves to earn the game's #3 star. Mike Kostka dinged a leg in the loss, potentially paving the way for Matt Generous or Persson to re-enter the lineup for Sunday's game three. The Rundown: Whitmore: 1A, +1 Gragnani: +1, 2 SOG Gerbe: -1, 4 SOG Mancari: -1, 5 SOG Kennedy: -1 Butler: 2 SOG Zagrapan: -1 Schutz: 2 SOG Turnbull: 1 SOG Kostka: -1 Enroth: 38 saves

4/17 Recap: Allard points as series opens

In the QMJHL semifinals, J.S. Allard (+1) assisted on the game winning goal as Quebec bested Shawinigan, 4-2. The home ice victory gives the Remparts a 1-0 series lead in the best-of-seven. The 6'2 Allard has points in two straight after a six-game drought, and is sixth in team scoring with two goals and eight assist in 13 playoff games. Tyler Myers and the Kelowna Rockets will open their WHL Western Conference Final match up with the Vancouver Giants on Saturday.

Sabres sign Brennan and Schiestel

2007 second round picks T.J. Brennan and Drew Schiestel have come to terms on entry-level deals with the Sabres. I'll edit this post as more details become available, but the defensemen are practicing with Portland (AHL). More to come. EDIT" Three-year deals beginning in 2009-10.

Captain Alex named Crimson MVP

On Monday, defenseman Alex Biega was honored as Harvard's Most Valuable Player for the 2008-09 season. In addition, the junior was named next season's team captain.

Biega, who was an assistant captain this season, is the 116th captain of Harvard men’s hockey. It will be the seventh straight season that a defenseman has served as captain, including each of the past two seasons, when a forward and defenseman shared duties as co-captains. The Montreal native was named to the New England Division I All-Star team, All-Ivy League second team, All-ECAC Hockey third team and ECAC Hockey All-Academic team as a junior. He led the Crimson with 16 assists and ranked second on the team with 20 points this season, skating in power-play, shorthanded and even-strength situations. Biega has skated in all 98 of Harvard’s games since his arrival in Cambridge, registering 13 goals and 47 assists for 60 career points.

Chosen in the fifth round in 2006, the sub-six-footer will be part of a Fabulous Biega Boys trio next season in Cambridge, as senior Alex and junior Michael will welcome freshman Danny to the fold.

2009 NHL Draft Rankings from Central Scouting

NHL Central Scouting released their rankings for the 2009 draft on Tuesday. Buffalo will hold the 13th pick this June. Final Midterm Player Position League 1 1 Tavares, John Center London OHL 2 2 Duchene, Matt Center Brampton OHL 3 3 Kane, Evander Center Vancouver WHL 4 5 Schenn, Brayden Center Brandon WHL 5 4 Schroeder, Jordan Center U Of Minnesota WCHA 6 8 Moore, John Defenseman Chicago USHL 7 12 Glennie, Scott Right Wing Brandon WHL 8 6 Despres, Simon Defenseman Saint John QMJHL 9 7 Cowen, Jared Defenseman Spokane WHL 10 24 Kassian, Zack Right Wing Peterborough OHL 11 17 Kulikov, Dmitry Defenseman Drummondville QMJHL 12 10 Ashton, Carter Right Wing Lethbridge WHL 13 18 Leblanc, Louis Center Omaha USHL 14 14 Kreider, Chris Center Andover HIGH-MA 15 11 Kadri, Nazem Center London OHL 16 15 Ellis, Ryan Defenseman Windsor OHL 17 22 Elliott, Stefan Defenseman Saskatoon WHL 18 13 Ferraro, Landon Center Red Deer WHL 19 9 Holland, Peter Center Guelph OHL 20 19 Palmieri, Kyle Right Wing/Center USA U-18 USDP 21 20 Caron, Jordan Right Wing Rimouski QMJHL 22 16 Budish, Zach Right Wing Team South West MHSEL 23 36 Button, Ryan Defenseman Prince Albert WHL 24 25 Leddy, Nick Defenseman Eden Prairie HIGH-MN 25 38 De Haan, Calvin Defenseman Oshawa OHL 26 26 Paradis, Philippe Center Shawinigan QMJHL 27 23 Olsen, Dylan Defenseman Camrose AJHL 28 32 Shore, Drew Center USA U-18 USDP 29 52 Eakin, Cody Center Swift Current WHL 30 29 Brown, Chris Center USA U-18 USDP 31 58 Clark, Matthew Defenseman Brampton OHL 32 43 Werek, Ethan Center Kingston OHL 33 21 Morin, Jeremy Left Wing USA U-18 USDP 34 34 Chiasson, Alex Right Wing Des Moines USHL 35 45 Hanowski, Ben Left Wing/Right Wing Little Falls H.S. HIGH-MN 36 30 Roussel, Charles-Olivier Defenseman Shawinigan QMJHL 37 51 Howse, Ryan Left Wing Chilliwack WHL 38 31 Gelinas, Eric Defenseman Lewiston QMJHL 39 35 O'reilly, Ryan Center Erie OHL 40 63 Bennett, Mac Defenseman Hotchkiss School HIGH-CT 41 40 Helgeson, Seth Defenseman Sioux City USHL 42 79 Vincour, Tomas Center Edmonton WHL 43 33 Birkholz, Josh Right Wing Fargo USHL 44 48 Hutchings, Alex Left Wing Barrie OHL 45 42 Latta, Michael Center Guelph OHL 46 28 Lemieux, Gabriel Defenseman Shawinigan QMJHL 47 62 Blacker, Jesse Defenseman Windsor OHL 48 50 Beck, Taylor Left Wing Guelph OHL 49 61 Bourque, Ryan Center USA U-18 USDP 50 89 Costello, Jeff Left Wing Cedar Rapids USHL 51 73 Mcnabb, Brayden Defenseman Kootenay WHL 52 37 Barrie, Tyson Defenseman Kelowna WHL 53 57 Mattson, Danny Left Wing/Center Holy Angels HIGH-MN 54 47 Wrenn, William Defenseman USA U-18 USDP 55 54 Bubnick, Jimmy Center Kamloops WHL 56 65 Ryan, Kenny Right Wing USA U-18 USDP 57 55 Haula, Erik Left Wing Shat.St.Mary's HIGH-MN 58 71 Doherty, Taylor Defenseman Kingston OHL 59 49 Deslauriers, Nicolas Defenseman Rouyn-Noranda QMJHL 60 59 Samuelsson, Philip Defenseman Chicago USHL 61 64 Dumoulin, Brian Defenseman Jr. Monarchs EJHL 62 56 Fournier, Gleason Defenseman Rimouski QMJHL 63 112 Velischek, Alex Defenseman Delbarton HIGH-NJ 64 Knight, Corban Center Okotoks AJHL 65 108 Vey, Linden Right Wing Medicine Hat WHL 66 66 Wilson, Garrett Left Wing Owen Sound OHL 67 72 D'amigo, Jerry Right Wing USA U-18 USDP 68 53 Szwarz, Jordan Right Wing Saginaw OHL 69 84 Fallstrom, Alexander Right Wing Shat.St.Mary's HIGH-MN 70 153 Yadlowski, Brennan Defenseman Lethbridge WHL 71 75 Gallimore, Burke Right Wing Saskatoon WHL 72 76 Valek, David Right Wing USA U-18 USDP 73 27 Mappin, Cassidy Left Wing Red Deer WHL 74 78 Gilbert, David Center Quebec QMJHL 75 80 Pirri, Brandon Center Georgetown OJHL 76 81 Thompson, Blake Defenseman Sioux Falls USHL 77 69 Deblois, Derek Center Hotchkiss School HIGH-CT 78 68 Daugherty, Ryan Right Wing Omaha USHL 79 100 Chiarot, Ben Defenseman Guelph OHL 80 127 Peterson, Garrett Right Wing Lincoln USHL 81 135 Florek, Justin Left Wing Northern Mich. CCHA 82 82 Oliver, Nick Left Wing/Center Roseau High HIGH-MN 83 115 Melnychuk, Brodie Defenseman Brandon WHL 84 44 Koper, Levko Left Wing Spokane WHL 85 102 Froese, Byron Center Everett WHL 86 74 Goulet, Guillaume Right Wing Baie-Comeau QMJHL 87 146 Larkin, Thomas Defenseman Exeter HIGH-NH 88 107 Gerths, David Right Wing Lincoln USHL 89 158 Mckenzie, Curtis Left Wing Penticton BCHL 90 39 Hlinka, Michal Right Wing Chicoutimi QMJHL 91 41 Dillon, Brenden Defenseman Seattle WHL 92 132 Cizikas, Casey Center Mississauga St. Michael's OHL 93 156 Novotny, Stepan Right Wing Kelowna WHL 94 150 Tipoff, Matthew Right Wing Belleville OHL 95 166 Wey, Patrick Defenseman Waterloo USHL 96 Foucault, Kristopher Left Wing Calgary WHL 97 87 Ramage, John Defenseman USA U-18 USDP 98 85 Rempel, Brendan Defenseman USA U-18 USDP 99 Beattie, Kyle Center Jr. Monarchs EJHL 100 83 Lynch, Kevin Center USA U-18 USDP 101 Dowling, Justin Center Swift Current WHL 102 101 Bourque, Gabriel Left Wing Baie-Comeau QMJHL 103 147 Schaller, Tim Defenseman Jr. Huskies EJHL 104 164 Savard, David Defenseman Moncton QMJHL 105 114 Bezzo, Paul Defenseman Owen Sound OHL 106 124 Lefebvre, Phillipe Left Wing Drummondville QMJHL 107 98 Foligno, Marcus Left Wing Sudbury OHL 108 88 Krupp, Bjorn Defenseman Belleville OHL 109 154 Flaherty, Keegan Left Wing Fargo USHL 110 Valentine, Scott Defenseman Oshawa OHL 111 181 Rintoul, Hayden Defenseman Kootenay WHL 112 97 Festler, Jared Left Wing St. Cloud State WCHA 113 206 Price, Jeremy Defenseman Nepean CJHL 114 111 Lapic, Tyler Left Wing/Center New Prague HIGH-MN 115 165 Gedig, Curtis Defenseman Cowichan Valley BCHL 116 95 Randell, Tyler Right Wing Kitchener OHL 117 162 Kane, Cory Center Vernon BCHL 118 70 Lee, Anders Center Edina High HIGH-MN 119 46 Kivisto, Tommi Defenseman Red Deer WHL 120 170 Jensen, Nick Defenseman Green Bay USHL 121 Langlois, Jeremy Right Wing New Jersey Hitmen EJHL 122 96 Fine, Micheal Center Sault Ste. Marie OHL 123 130 Megan, Wade Center South Kent School HIGH-CT 124 160 Kudrna, Andrej Left Wing Vancouver WHL 125 94 Scott, Berkley Left Wing/Center Anoka High School HIGH-MN 126 198 Hughes, Kyle Left Wing/Center Salisbury HIGH-CT 127 60 Pacan, David Center Cumberland CJHL 128 Sorkin, Nick Left Wing Team Maryland Aaa MIDGET 129 133 Judson, Luke Right Wing Belleville OHL 130 Campanelli, Joseph Right Wing Westminster HIGH-CT 131 67 Nestrasil, Andrej Right Wing/Center Victoriaville QMJHL 132 77 Coetzee, Willie Right Wing Red Deer WHL 133 110 Duprey, Luke Defenseman Andover HIGH-MA 134 122 Labrie, Hubert Defenseman Gatineau QMJHL 135 210 Moffie, Lee Defenseman Waterloo USHL 136 120 Young, Gus Defenseman Nobles HIGH-MA 137 116 Sexton, Ben Center Nepean CJHL 138 113 Delisle, Daniel Left Wing/Center Totino Grace HIGH-MN 139 105 Tochkin, Kellan Right Wing Everett WHL 140 121 Mccarthy, Chris Left Wing USA U-18 USDP 141 187 Logue, Sean Left Wing South Shore EJHL 142 93 Bennett, Spencer Left Wing Surrey BCHL 143 Carrabino, Joe Defenseman Millbrook HIGH-NY 144 128 Tardy, Max Center Duluth East HIGH-MN 145 202 Goldberg, Jacob Left Wing Berkshire HIGH-MA 146 Walsh, Dustin Center Kingston OJHL 147 117 Bowman, Collin Defenseman Kelowna WHL 148 106 Mitchell, Garrett Right Wing Regina WHL 149 125 Lessard, Jonathan Left Wing Acadie-Bathurst QMJHL 150 149 Kozun, Brandon Right Wing Calgary WHL 151 Ponich, Brett Defenseman Portland WHL 152 197 Konan, Matthew Defenseman Medicine Hat WHL 153 199 Dumont, Gabriel Center Drummondville QMJHL 154 208 Escobedo, Sean Defenseman Sioux Falls USHL 155 175 Hostetter, Tyler Defenseman Erie OHL 156 109 Lee, Oleg Left Wing Fargo USHL 157 134 Archibald, Darren Left Wing Barrie OHL 158 167 Smith, Reilly Right Wing St. Michaels OJHL 159 192 Dion, Pier-Antoine Left Wing Montreal QMJHL 160 163 Taft, Charlie Right Wing Edina High HIGH-MN 161 142 Hourihan, Mark Left Wing/Right Wing Nobles HIGH-MA 162 185 Casavant, Benjamin Left Wing Pei QMJHL 163 178 Schmidt, Nate Defenseman St. Cloud Cathedral HIGH-MN 164 193 Herrington, Brooks Center Jr. Monarchs EJHL 165 157 Mullane, Patrick Left Wing Omaha USHL 166 168 Cichy, Michael Center Indiana USHL 167 182 Bloodoff, Evan Left Wing Kelowna WHL 168 201 Andreoff, Andy Center Oshawa OHL 169 Bigos, Kyle Defenseman Vernon BCHL 170 103 Gronvaldt, Simon Defenseman Kitchener OHL 171 205 Treais, A.J. Right Wing USA U-18 USDP 172 90 Varone, Philip Center London OHL 173 91 Curadi, Luke Defenseman Hartford ATLH 174 190 Populus, Mathieu Right Wing Chicoutimi QMJHL 175 191 Murray, Jordan Left Wing U. Of Wisconsin WCHA 176 131 Mayer, Jordan Center Mississauga St. Michael's OHL 177 Smith, Craig Center Waterloo USHL 178 144 Flemming, Brett Defenseman Mississauga St. Michael's OHL 179 118 Gotovets, Kirill Defenseman Shat.St.Mary's HIGH-MN 180 126 O'connor, Gabriel Defenseman Halifax QMJHL 181 123 Everson, Marshall Left Wing Edina High HIGH-MN 182 177 Clifford, Kyle Left Wing Barrie OHL 183 194 Schwartz, Rylan Center Notre Dame SJHL 184 92 Anthony, Steven Left Wing Saint John QMJHL 185 Cantin, Marc Defenseman Belleville OHL 186 141 Maclean, Brandon Right Wing Pei QMJHL 187 Boyer, Jeremy Center Seattle WHL 188 169 Jodoin, Simon Defenseman Moncton QMJHL 189 Maggio, Daniel Defenseman Sudbury OHL 190 179 Samuels-Thomas, Jordan Left Wing Waterloo USHL 191 143 Payerl, Adam Center Barrie OHL 192 Sol, Cody Defenseman Saginaw OHL 193 Brown, Matt Left Wing Moncton QMJHL 194 145 Gurianov, Georgiy Left Wing Walpole ATLH 195 Schmitz, Beau Defenseman Plymouth OHL 196 Boyd, Ronald (R.J.) Defenseman Cushing Academy HIGH-MA 197 171 Whitney, Steven Center Omaha USHL 198 151 Henrion, John Right Wing/Center USA U-18 USDP 199 99 Ulmer, Stefan Defenseman Spokane WHL 200 119 Mcleod, Wes Defenseman Prince George BCHL 201 Berkle, Adam Left Wing Northwood School HIGH-NY 202 Connauton, Kevin Defenseman Western Mich. CCHA 203 188 Krushelnyski, Alexander Left Wing Chicago USHL 204 204 Tam, Mikael Defenseman Quebec QMJHL 205 Knodel, Eric Defenseman Philadelphia Jr. B USMAAA 206 Connolly, Mike Center U. Minn-Duluth WCHA 207 174 Yetman, Brad Defenseman Rouyn-Noranda QMJHL 208 Agosta, Justin Defenseman Berkshire HIGH-MA 209 161 Wall, Alex Defenseman Montreal QMJHL 210 172 O'donoghue, Dan Left Wing Ny Bobcats ATLH GOALIES 1 8 Hackett, Matthew Goalie Plymouth OHL 2 4 Roy, Olivier Goalie Cape Breton QMJHL 3 1 Pasquale, Edward Goalie Saginaw OHL 4 3 Lee, Michael Goalie Fargo USHL 5 2 Stajcer, Scott Goalie Owen Sound OHL 6 9 Vazzano, Alex Goalie The Gunnery HIGH-CT 7 10 Zador, Michael Goalie Oshawa OHL 8 11 Maxwell, Brandon Goalie USA U-18 USDP 9 6 Kuemper, Darcy Goalie Red Deer WHL 10 5 Berube, Jean-Francois Goalie Montreal QMJHL 11 12 Lieuwen, Nathan Goalie Kootenay WHL 12 7 Morris, Cab Goalie Hotchkiss School HIGH-CT 13 18 Janus, Jaroslav Goalie Erie OHL 14 13 Di Salvo, Peter Goalie Barrie OHL 15 Cannata, Joe Goalie Merrimack H-EAST 16 19 St-Laurent, Karel Goalie Saint John QMJHL 17 Millan, Kieran Goalie Boston University H-EAST 18 15 Groenheyde, Jon Goalie Kamloops WHL 19 999 Knapp, Connor Goalie Miami U. CCHA 20 16 Perugini, Chris Goalie Ottawa OHL 21 17 Condon, Michael Goalie Belmont Hill HIGH-MA 22 Wyer, Jeff Goalie Reading HIGH-MA 23 Milner, Parker Goalie Waterloo USHL 24 Morrison, Adam Goalie Saskatoon WHL 25 22 Valiquette, Alain Goalie Sudbury OHL 26 Cadieux, Mathieu Goalie Cobourg OJHL 27 14 Boucher, Jean-Sebastien Goalie Val D'or QMJHL 28 26 Teglia, Jeff Goalie Omaha USHL 29 25 Racine, Steven Goalie Taft School HIGH-CT 30 20 Murray, Adam Goalie USA U-18 USDP European Rankings RANK NAME TEAM, LEAGUE 1 HEDMAN, VICTOR MODO, SWE 2 PAAJARVI-SVENSSON,MAGNUS TIMRA, SWE 3 JOSEFSON, JACOB DJURGARDEN, SWE 4 EKMAN-LARSSON, OLIVER LEKSAND, SWE 2 5 ERIXON, TIM SKELLEFTEA, SWE 6 RUNDBLAD, DAVID SKELLEFTEA, SWE 7 KLINGBERG,CARL FROLUNDA, SWE JUN 8 JOHANSSON, MARCUS FARJESTAD, SWE 9 ORLOV, DMITRI NOVOKUZNETSK, RUS 10 NATTINEN, JOONAS BLUES, FIN JUN 11 RAJALA, TONI ILVES, FIN JUN 12 SILFVERBERG, JAKOB BRYNAS, SWE JUN 13 PANIK, RICHARD TRINEC, CZE JUN 14 TATAR, TOMAS ZVOLEN, SVK 15 RODIN, ANTON BRYNAS, SWE JUN 16 VATANEN, SAMI JYP FIN JUN 17 BERTILSSON, SIMON BRYNAS, SWE JUN 18 AVTSYN, ALEXANDER DYNAMO, RUS 2 19 LANDER, ANTON TIMRA, SWE 20 BURDASOV, ANTON CHELJABINSK, RUS 2 21 URBOM, ALEXANDER DJURGARDEN SWE JUN 22 LINDSTROM, MATTIAS SKELLEFTEA, SWE JUN 23 BJORKLUND, HENRIK SKARE, SWE 3 24 ANDRONOV, SERGEI TOGLIATTI, RUS 25 CHVANOV, SERGEI CHEREPOVETS, RUS 2 26 CEHLIN, PATRIK DJURGARDEN, SWE JUN 27 KARLSSON, MARTIN LEKSAND, SWE JUN 28 NAKYVA, KRISTIAN BLUES, FIN JUN 29 DROZD, SERGEI DYNAMO MINSK, RUS 30 HORAK,ROMAN C.BUDEJOVICE, CZE JUN 31 HRIVIK, MAREK SVK U20, SVK 32 LUNDBERG, MARTIN SKELLEFTEA, SWE 33 THEGEL, HENRIK BRYNAS, SWE JUN 34 SOBCHENKO, DANIIL YAROSLAVL, RUS 2 35 ERIKSSON, HENRIK DJURGARDEN, SWE 36 DVURECHENSKY, NIKITA DYNAMO, RUS 2 37 RISSANEN, RASMUS KALPA, FIN JUN 38 BOCHAROV,STANISLAV ALMETYEVSK, RUS 2 39 KOROBOV, DMITRI DYNAMO MINSK, RUS 40 BLOMQVIST, SAMI BLUES, FIN JUN 41 JOHANSSON, JONATHAN FROLUNDA, SWE JUN 42 STASTNY, ANDREJ TRENCIN, SVK JUN 43 GUDAS, RADKO BEROUN, CZE 2 44 YASHIN, OLEG MYTISCHI, RUS 2 45 JORMAKKA, PEKKA JYP, FIN 46 STYRMAN, FREDRIK LULEA, SWE JUN 47 GRONDAHL, ANDREAS SODERTALJE, SWE JUN 48 ANDERSSON, PETER FROLUNDA, SWE JUN 49 DOLEZAL, ONDREJ PLZEN, CZE JUN 50 TORNBERG, JOHANNES LULEA, SWE JUN 51 KLOPOV, DMITRI NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUS 52 POLASEK, ADAM VITKOVICE, CZE JUN 53 KANA, JAN VITKOVICE, CZE JUN 54 SCHAEPPI, RETO GCK ZURICH, SUI 2 55 SUSLO, NIKOLAI GOMEL, BLR 56 KRUGER, MARKUS DJURGARDEN, SWE JUN 57 WEISS, DANIEL EISBAREN, GER 58 GUNNARSSON, FILIP FARJESTAD, SWE U18 59 EDMAN, NIKLAS FARJESTAD, SWE U18 60 MYLLARI, ANTON VASTERAS, SWE 2 61 ALMQVIST, ADAM HV 71, SWE JUN 62 LOF, SIMON BRYNAS, SWE JUN 63 BERGER, ALAIN BERN, SUI 64 PAKARINEN, IIRO KALPA, FIN JUN 65 KARJALAINEN, JONI HIFK, FIN JUN 66 SERGEYEV, ANDREI LENINOGORSK, RUS 2 67 FROIDEVAUX, ETIENNE BERN, SUI 68 HERMAN, RADIM C.BUDEJOVICE, CZE JUN 69 BERDYUKOV, GEORGI ST.PETERSBURG, RUS 2 70 GEERING, PATRICK ZURICH, SUI 71 BOZIC, DENNIS LINKOPING, SWE 72 SOLOVYEV, STANISLAV CHELJABINSK, RUS 2 73 SALLINEN, JERE BLUES, FIN JUN 74 SVEDBERG, VIKTOR ROGLE, SWE JUN 75 BRANDL, THOMAS LANDSHUT, GER 2 76 PUSCHNIK, KEVIN MANNHEIM, GER JUN 77 RAISOV, ASLAN ALMETYEVSK, RUS 2 78 EKLUND, PATRIK MORA, SWE 2 79 OLSSON, MARTIN HV 71, SWE JUN 80 STRITESKY, MATEJ MOST, CZE 2 81 BELOUSOV, GEORGY CHELJABINSK, RUS 2 82 JERABEK, JAKUB PLZEN, CZE JUN 83 FRISK, KRISTIAN HV 71, SWE JUN 84 PALAT, ONDREJ VITKOVICE, CZE JUN 85 ERONEN, TEEMU JOKERIT, FIN JUN 86 STOOP, LUKAS DAVOS, SUI 87 VALUYSKY, SEMEN TOGLIATTI, RUS 88 KOMARISTY, ALEXANDER ORSK, RUS 2 89 ZOTOV, PAVEL DYNAMO, RUS 2 90 RASK, JOONAS ILVES, FIN JUN 91 SCIARONI, GREGORY AMBRI, SUI 92 ACKERED, CARL DJURGARDEN, SWE JUN 93 SENKERIK, PETR ZLIN, CZE JUN 94 JABORNIK, HENRICH SKALICA, SVK JUN 95 BERGER, PASCAL BERN, SUI 96 LARSSON, EDDIE LINKOPING, SWE JUN 97 AALTONEN, MIKAEL TPS, FIN JUN 98 POLETIN, MICHAL SLAVIA, CZE JUN 99 LAZAREV, ANTON MYTISCHI, RUS 100 OLSSON, FILIP AIK, SWE JUN 101 CAMPERCHIOLI, LUCA ZURICH, SUI 102 MANELIUS, NICO JOKERIT, FIN JUN 103 VIDGREN, TONY LUKKO, FIN JUN 104 SISOVSKY, PETER MARTIN, SVK JUN 105 HAVLICEK, ONDREJ USTI NAD LABEN, CZE JUN 106 ORSAVA, JAKUB TRINEC, CZE JUN 107 LOEFFEL, ROMAIN NEUCHATEL, SUI 2 108 KAGARLITSKY, DIMITRI HC RYAZAN, RUS 2 109 BRAUN, LAURIN EISBAREN, GER JUN 110 KENTOS, JOZEF USTI NAD LABEN, CZE JUN 111 BARAEV, TIMUR ST.PETERSBURG, RUS 2 112 KLYUKIN, NIKITA YAROSLAVL, RUS 113 EKHOLM, MATIAS MORA, SWE 2 114 ERIXON, SEBASTIAN TIMRA, SWE 115 EKBOM, VIKTOR OSKARSHAMN, SWE 2 116 VISHNEVSKY, DIMITRI SPARTAK, RUS 117 CHERNOV, PAVEL MYTISCHI, RUS 2 118 DUGIN, YEGOR CHELJABINSK, RUS 2 119 HYVARINEN, VILLE KALPA, FIN JUN 120 SCHERWEY, TRISTAN NEUCHATEL, SUI 2 121 SALLINEN, TOMI BLUES, FIN 122 WANNSTROM, SEBASTIAN BRYNAS, SWE JUN 123 VIRKKUNEN, VALTTERI BLUES, FIN JUN 124 LAAKSONEN, JERE LUKKO, FIN JUN 125 TIMKIN, YEVGENI OMSK, RUS 126 EL-SAYED, MARC HEILBRONN, GER 3 127 KUCHIN, ANDREI CHEKHOV, RUS 128 SCHLAGENHAUF, ROMAN KLOTEN, SUI 129 KOROTKOV, VLADIMIR KRYLJA, RUS 2 130 PASHNIN, MIHAIL MECHEL, RUS 2 131 CARNING, CASPER FROLUNDA, SWE JUN 132 VLACH, ROMAN ZLIN, CZE 133 HURRI, JOONAS PELICANS, FIN JUN 134 BIELKE, DOMINIK EISBAREN, GER JUN 135 VALERKO, ARTEM MHC KRYLJA, RUS 3 136 POLOZOV, KIRILL UFA, RUS 2 137 KUMPULAINEN, JANNE JYP, FIN JUN 138 KARLSSON, LUDWIG LINKOPING, SWE JUN 139 FOLIN, CHRISTIAN FROLUNDA, SWE JUN 140 OSTRIZEK, DAVID TRINEC, CZE JUN 141 JORG, MAURO LUGANO, SUI 142 CEDERGREN, FREDRIK HV 71, SWE JUN 143 LILJEWALL, CHRISTOFFER ROGLE, SWE JUN 144 GRUDAKOV, ALEXANDER MHC KRYLJA, RUS 3 145 NIKONTSEV, ANATOLI TYUMEN, RUS 2 146 BLOMSTERWALL, SEBASTIAN FROLUNDA, SWE JUN 147 MONS, EVGENY CHEREPOVETS, RUS 148 ANDERSEN, HENRIK LEKSAND, SWE JUN 149 GUSTAFSSON, HAMPUS MALMO, SWE JUN 150 KOVAR, JAN PLZEN, CZE 151 HORAK, OLDRICH ZLIN, CZE JUN 152 KANIA, JAKUB TRINEC, CZE JUN 153 BURSTROM, NICLAS SKELLEFTEA, SWE JUN 154 MOSER, SIMON LANGNAU, SUI 155 WIESER, DINO DAVOS, SUI 156 JENSEN, JESPER RODOVRE, DEN 157 MAROSZ, ROSTISLAV TRINEC, CZE JUN 158 STAJNOCH, MARTIN SVK U20, SVK 159 MCGREGOR, RYAN GCK ZURICH, SUI JUN 160 OLSSON, ROBIN LULEA, SWE 161 AKOLZIN, PAVEL SPARTAK, RUS 2 162 STANO, TOMAS TRENCIN, SVK JUN 163 MIERITZ, MARK FROLUNDA, SWE JUN 164 BLOMQVIST, ANTON MALMO, SWE JUN 165 SVENDSEN, SEBASTIAN FROLUNDA, SWE JUN 166 DAMGAARD, RASMUS MALMO, SWE JUN 167 VASILYEV, ROMAN DYNAMO, RUS 2 168 TARASOV, DANIIL DYNAMO, RUS 2 169 MALINOVSKY, VLADIMIR MAGNITOGORSK, RUS 2 170 HORA, DANIEL LITVINOV, CZE JUN 171 RAIS, MATUS NITRA, SVK JUN 172 KARMENIEMI, LAURI HPK, FIN JUN 173 LEHTINEN, KAI BLUES, FIN JUN 174 NORMAN, JOHN DJURGARDEN, SWE JUN 175 DULAK, MARTIN NITRA, SVK JUN 176 CIGER, JAKUB MARTIN, SVK JUN 177 YEMELIN, SERGEI UFA, RUS 2 178 BIRYUKOV, IGOR CSKA, RUS 2 179 CHUDINOV, MAXIM CHEREPOVETS, RUS 180 BRODIN, DANIEL DJURGARDEN, SWE JUN 181 TOMMERNAS, HENRIK FROLUNDA, SWE JUN 182 MANKINEN, JESSE SAIPA, FIN JUN 183 MATUSHKIN, MAKSIM BJORKLOVEN, SWE JUN 184 MYTTYNEN, MATIAS ILVES, FIN JUN 185 ANDERSSON, PATRIK BRYNAS, SWE JUN 186 UHNAK, MARTIN SVK U20, SVK 187 ZHELEZNOV, MIKHAIL CSKA, RUS 2 188 RASMUSSEN, DENNIS VASTERAS, SWE JUN 189 ZANKOVETS, VLADISLAV ST.PETERSBURG, RUS 2 190 MATTILA, RISTO KARPAT, FIN JUN 191 TUMA, DAVID SPARTA, CZE JUN 192 ZIGERLI, MANUEL BASEL, SUI 2 193 RYSER, SVEN ZSC LIONS, SUI 2 194 ASPEQVIST, CHRISTOPHER DJURGARDEN, SWE JUN 195 KRISTOF, ANDREAS DJURGARDEN, SWE JUN 196 MAJDAN, JURAJ LITVINOV, CZE JUN 197 PICHNARCIK, MICHAL KOSICE, SVK JUN 198 POTAPOV, ALEXEI NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUS 199 KUZIN, YURI PERM, RUS 2 200 NOWAK, MARCO DUSSELDORF, GER

Allard advances in Q

J.S. Allard (+1) assisted on the Remparts' first goal (and eventual game winner) as Quebec pitched a second straight against Cape Breton, 3-0. The helper was Allard's first point of the series, and 9th of the postseason, while also contiributing at the dot by winning nine of 11 draws. The win gives the Rems a 4-3 series victory over the Eagles, and a date with Shawinigan in the QMJHL semifinals.

4/13 Recap: Remparts win; Allard alive

J.S. Allard registered a shot on goal as Quebec blanked Cape Breton 3-0 in game six of their QMJHL quarterfinal match-up. The two teams will decide the series Tuesday night in Quebec City. Centering top-liners Mikhail Stefanovich (TOR) and Dmitri Kugryshev (WAS) despite not registering a point all series, Allard won 40% of his draws while playing smart early on to help propel the Remparts into game seven. As part of Patrick Roy's shake-up, former Sabres prospect Benjamin Breault acquitted himself on the bottom line after an unfinished check allowed the Screaming Eagles to score a key goal on Friday.

4/12 Recap: Myers, Rockets advance

Tyler Myers looked human on Sunday, but it didn't matter as Kelowna earned a 6-2 win over Tri City to close out their 2nd round series with the Americans. The 6'7-3/4 defenseman was +1 with an assist in the game six victory, finishing the quarterfinal round with two goals, six helpers, a few good pops, and countless key defensive plays. His 13 points this playoff season currently rank second to the 15 put up thus far by Vancouver's Jonathon Blum (NAS). The Rockets move on to the Western Conference Final where they'll face the winner of Tuesday's game seven between Vancouver and defending champion Spokane.

Playoff bound Pirates win final tune-up

AHL Rookie of the Year Nathan Gerbe scored a pair of goals, his 29th and 30th of the year, as Portland closed its regular season with a 5-4 win over Manchester. Pirates rookie Matt Generous scored his first career goal in the win. Playing his fourth game since ending his NCAA run with St. Lawrence, the Chesire, CT native also received his first fighting major at 1:51 of the first period to miss the Gordie Howe Hat Trick by an assist. Tim Kennedy added two assists, while Felix Schutz, Marek Zagrapan, Marc-Andre Gragnani, and Mark Mancari all were credited with single helpers. The win gives the Pirates the #3 seed in the AHL Atlantic Division playoffs. Portland travels to #2 Providence on Wednesday for Game 1 of the best-of-seven series. The Rundown: Gerbe: 2G Generous: 1G Kennedy: 2A Zagrapan: 1A, 4 SOG Schutz: 1A, +1 Gragnani: 1A Mancari: 1A Kostka: +1 Turnbull: -1 Whitmore: -1

4/6-10 Recap: And then there was two

My apologies to those visiting over the past week for the lack of updates. After serving an unintentional five-day misconduct, let's jump back in with a capsule of the week's action that leaves just two players competing for the Memorial Cup. In Tuesday WHL play, Tyler Myers (-1) had a goal and two assists as Kelowna rolled over Tri-City, 7-2. The win put the Rockets behind 2-1 in their best-of-seven. The following night, Myers forced overtime with a power play goal then drew an assist on Jamie Benn's game winner as Kelowna evened the series with a 4-3 win. In Friday's game five, Myers (+1) had an assist as the Rockets defeated the Americans, 5-2. Myers has four goals and eight assists while pointing in seven of the Rockets' nine postseason games. With their #1 rearguard logging monster minutes, Kelowna will look to complete the comeback on Sunday. While Myers was helping dig the Rockets out of a 2-0 series hole, left wing Tyler Ennis and the Medicine Hat Tigers were getting dominated by an offensive-minded Brandon Wheat Kings in their quarterfinal match-up. On Wednesday, Ennis was -2 as the Tigers were blown-out by the Wheaties, 6-1. Brayden Schenn, 17, had a goal and an assist for the winners, and looks like a pivot that teams will trade up for come June. Facing a 3-0 series deficit, Ennis was -3 as the Tigers season came to an end on Friday with a 6-2 loss in Brandon. Ennis ends the playoff year as the second leading scorer, potting eight goals and 11 assists in 11 games. With many Tigers dealing with flu bugs and other dings, Ennis was rumored to be nursing an injury throughout the second round. It's now time to get the contract talks going as Ennis is done as a junior. ****** In the QMJHL this week, two prospects saw their junior careers end, while one other remains in the mix to advance in the final round. On Tuesday, J.S. Allard was -1 in Quebec's 3-2 win over Cape Breton. The Remparts halved the Screaming Eagles lead in the series to 2-1 with the W. The 6'2 forward posted two shots on goal as the Rems evened things up with a 5-2 victory on Wednesday. On Friday, Allard was -1 as the Remparts dropped a 3-2 decision to the Screaming Eagles. After pointing in every game of round one, the Alma, QC native has failed to hit the scoresheet while racking up a cumulative -5 in the series. Allard and the Rems will look to stave off elimination and force a game seven on Monday. With Allard's junior hopes still alive, two other Sabres prospects saw their seasons end over the course of the week. Hot in the first round, T.J. Brennan finished -3 on Tuesday as over-matched Montreal got pounded by Drummondville, 6-1. The win put the Volts comfortably ahead 3-0 in the series. On Wednesday, Brennan would go on to notch an assist in the Juniors 5-3 loss as the Volts earned the sweep. Entering the week locked in a 1-1 series tie, Paul Byron and Gatineau lost three straight games to see their season close in a quarterfinal loss to Shawinigan. On Tuesday, Byron had a goal and an assist as the 'Piques fell to the Cataractes, 6-3. The points extended the right wing's playoff scoring streak to eight games, and a total of 15 dating back to the final regular season contests. Wednesday saw the Ottawa native's streak end as the 5'9 Byron finished -2 in a 4-2 loss in Shawinigan. Byron came back on Friday to pot an assist, but Gatineau was overwhelmed in a 5-2 loss. A year after leading the QMJHL playoffs in goals (21) en route to a Memorial Cup appearance, the speedster ends his two-round postseason with two goals and 14 assists. ****** In the OHL, a pair of Sabres hopefuls concluded their 2008-09 campaigns as their respective clubs were bounced in the quarterfinal round. On Tuesday, Nick Crawford had an assist in Saginaw's 5-2 loss to London. The Knights dominated the Spirit to earn an easy sweep, forcing Crawford and his fellow blueliners into a hesitant posture throughout the four games. Heading back to the O in 2009-10, Crawford ends his postseason at -1 with a goal and four assists in eight contests. Also on Tuesday, Drew Schiestel was -2 as Niagara lost a 5-2 decision to Belleville on home ice. With the win, the Bulls skated away with a 3-1 series lead. On Thursday, Schiestel (-2) earned in an assist in what should be his final junior hockey game as the Dogs fell to the Bulls, 5-2. With the 4-1 series loss, Schiestel finished the playoffs with two goals and six assists and now awaits a contract. ****** On Thursday at the NCAA Frozen Four in Washington, DC, Drew MacKenzie scored his first collegiate goal as Vermont lost to Boston University 5-4 in the National Semifinal. Playing well defensively throughout, the Connecticut native pumped home a screen shot at 9:40 of the third period, but saw the game-tying goal bounce off him and into the Catamount net just three-and-half minutes later as victory started to slip out of UVM's hands. For more on the ups and downs of MacKenzie's night, check out this USCHO article.

The freshman defenseman was in line to be the hero for a Catamounts’ come-from-behind victory under the bright lights of college hockey’s biggest stage. His first collegiate goal, scored with just over a half a period remaining in the third, put Vermont ahead in a see-saw affair. However, things turned against him a short time later when he redirected a rebound past his own goaltender, igniting a BU rally that put the Terriers in the title game and had the Catamounts packing their locker room. “It went from being a high point to . . letting that one go in off my stick, obviously I’m disappointed, but there’s nothing I can do about it now,” MacKenzie said. “If I could take back that goal, I would. But it happened, so you can’t do anything.”