12/30 Recap: Armia scores; forwards produce

In Friday World Junior Championship action, Joel Armia scored his third of the tournament as Finland racked up the goals in 10-1 blowout of Denmark. Armia worked along the boards to help the Finns to their first mark (clip #1) before later burying a backhand with the game getting out of hand. The 6'3 wing now has three goals in three tourney games. Finland completes pool play on Saturday versus the Czechs.



In the QMJHL, Cedrick Henley scored a pair of goals and an assist as Val-d'Or nearly completed a third period comeback in a 6-5 loss to Rouyn-Noranda. The power forward project now has eight goals and 21 points in 28 games. The three-point night was the second of his season and third of his QMJHL career.

Kevin Sundher scored a goal and two assists as Victoria was edged by Portland, 7-6. The six-footer, who is tied for 4th in WHL scoring with 60 points (22+38), has gathered 12 of those over his current nine-game point streak.



Dan Catenacci scored the lone Attack goal, his 20th of the year, as Owen Sound lost to Kitchener, 3-1. Catenacci, who marked to give the Attack a 1-0 lead at 12:54 of the opening frame, has five points (4+1) in four games against the Rangers this season.



Jerome Gauthier-Leduc notched an assist as Rimouski earned a 3-0 shutout of Quebec. The QMJHL's leading defensive point-getter and 10th leading scorer overall (20+32), Leduc closes December with five goals and seven assists in nine outings.

Steven Shipley (-1) saw his career-best six-game point streak come to an end in Niagara's 6-5 shootout win over Mississauga. The IceDogs coughed up leads of 4-0 and 5-2 before finally icing the win in the tiebreaker.

Colin Jacobs did not score as Seattle downed Moose Jaw, 2-0. Still finding his legs after a lengthy recovery from a shoulder injury, Jacobs has gone without a point in his last three games.

Nathan Lieuwen was given the night off as Kootenay lost in the shootout to Spokane, 3-2. The 6'5 netminder got off to a hot start in 2011-12 but is likely looking forward to flipping the calendar after going 2-5 with a 3.56 goals against average and .876 save percentage in the month of December.

In the college ranks, Drew MacKenzie notched an assist to up his point streak to four games as Vermont defeated Ferris State, 4-2. After getting held off the scoresheet in his first two games, the 6'2 lefty has collected points in 10 of his last 14 for the lowly Catamounts.

Christian Isackson (+1) recorded four shots on goal while centering Zach Budish and Nick Larson as Minnesota rolled over Niagara, 5-1. The Gophers, playing without world junior participants Nick Bjugstad and Kyle Rau, outshot the Purple Eagles by a 43-21 margin.

Justin Jokinen picked up an assist as Minnesota State skated to a 3-3 exhibition tie with the U.S. U18 squad. The 6'3 senior has scored two goals in 20 games this season for the Mavericks.

Brad Eidsness served as backup as North Dakota and Harvard played to a 4-4 tie. With Aaron Dell allowing four goals on 18 shots, perhaps Eidsness gets tabbed for Saturday's rematch after a solid showing before the break.

***

In Friday night AHL action, Rochester packed it in with over 9,700 fans but the Amerks came up short with a 5-4 loss to division rival Hamilton. The Amerks got goals form Mark Voakes, Phil Varone, Derek Whitmore, and Paul Szczechura before Bulldogs forward Mitch Wahl broke a 4-4 tie on the power play at 7:44 of the third period.

The Rundown:
Brennan: A, +1, 7 SOG
Foligno: A, 4 SOG
Schiestel: A
Lagace: 1 SOG
Biega: 4 SOG
Persson: -1
Szydlowski: -1
Crawford: 1 SOG

Sabres sign Leduc

The Sabres announced on Friday that they have agreed to terms with Jerome Gauthier-Leduc (2010, 3rd round) on a three-year entry-level contract. An offensive-minded defenseman, Leduc currently leads all Canadian junior rearguards with 20 goals and 51 points through 35 games. (The second highest goal total to date is just 12, owned by 17-year old Ryan Pulock of the WHL's Brandon Wheat Kings.)

From the Sabres release:

“Jerome has continued to improve as a player since we selected him [in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft],” Regier said. “His play in Rimouski this season demonstrates the offensive abilities that he possesses.”

Gauthier-Leduc (6’1”, 188 lbs., 7/30/92) currently ranks 12th among all QMJHL skaters with 51 points (20+31) in 35 games. Gauthier-Leduc’s 51 points give him a wide lead in scoring among QMJHL defensemen – 14 more than the next closest blueliner. His nine power play goals tie him for sixth among QMJHL skaters.

In June, Gauthier-Leduc was invited to Team Canada’s National Junior Team Development Camp. He followed that up by opening the 2011-12 season on a 12-game point streak, during which he recorded 26 points (11+15). In the midst of that streak, Gauthier-Leduc scored a goal in eight consecutive games, breaking the 31-year-old QMJHL record for defensemen set in the 1970-80 season by Gaston Therrien.

A deadly right-handed shooter, Leduc's offensive skill set adds to the same side of the blueline addressed by the Sabres in recent years with the development of fellow righthanders Tyler Myers and Mark Pysyk. View the playlist below to check out the number of goals he has scored via point blasts this year:



The Leduc signing means that the Sabres have now inked their first four picks from the 2010 draft (Pysyk - 23rd, Leduc - 68th, Sundher - 75th, M. MacKenzie - 83rd).

12/29 Recap: Defenders score; Pysyk steady

Alex Lepkowski scored his fourth goal of the year Thursday as Barrie earned a 4-3 shootout win over Brampton. The 6'4 defender has seven points in 22 games this season. Entering the year, he had seven points in 92 career OHL tilts. Colts forward Gregg Sutch did not play after being scratched with a head injury.

Nathan Lieuwen made 21 saves as Kootenay stumbled to a 4-2 loss at Red Deer. Despite winning just two of his last eight starts, the 6'5 netminder remains among WHL leaders with a 2.18 goals against average (2nd) and .923 save percentage (3rd).

At the Catamount Cup, Drew MacKenzie scored late on the power play as host Vermont continued their disappointing year with a 5-3 loss to Lake Superior State. The senior defenseman has five goals through his first 15 games. Last year, MacKenzie scored five times in 34 contests.



At the 2012 World Junior Championship, Mark Pysyk (+1, 1 SOG) was unable to get in on the scoring as Canada blew past Denmark, 10-2. Through three tourney games, Pysyk is +4 with three shots on goal while being one of two Canadian skaters who has yet to record a point in the tourney (Jamie Oleksiak the other).

12/28 Recap: Leduc gets 20th; Lagace leads Amerks

Jerome Gauthier-Leduc scored his 20th goal of the year Wednesday as Rimouski lost to Chicoutimi, 6-4. Leduc's 20 goals tie his previous career best set in 2009-10, while his 51 points in 35 games continues to lead all QMJHL rearguards. Rimouski will welcome Quebec to town on Friday.

Gregg Sutch cashed a power play one-timer just 1:28 in but Barrie could not hold on in a 4-2 loss to Sudbury. Sutch now has seven goals and 15 points in 34 games. Barrie defenseman Alex Lepkowski finished the night at -2. The Colts, playing without forwards Mark Scheifele and Tanner Pearson who are away with Team Canada, will host Brampton on Thursday.

Cedrick Henley tested out his recently healed thumb by logging his third fighting major of the year in Val-d'Or's 5-3 loss to Gatineau. Henley, who also earned an instigator and misconduct on the play, will look for his first point since November 18th on Friday when the Foreurs host Rouyn-Noranda.



Steven Shipley picked up a power play assist in his old barn as Niagara edged Owen Sound, 2-1. The helper gives the 6'3 forward a new career high with points in six straight games. Shipley scored 39 goals and 102 points with the Attack from 2008-2010. Dan Catenacci assisted on the lone Attack tally to give him 41 points on the year. The IceDogs move on to face Mississauga on Friday. The Attack will travel to Kitchener.





Kevin Sundher notched two assists to extend his season-high point streak to eight games as Victoria was doubled by Portland, 6-3. Sundher, who has 19 multi-point efforts this season, has amassed 21 goals and 57 points in 36 games. The Royals will look to avenge the loss when the clubs play it back on Friday.





Colin Jacobs was -1 with a shootout miss as Seattle lost to Everett, 4-3. Jacobs now has two goals, an assist, and a -4 rating in seven games since returning from shoulder surgery. Seattle will host Moose Jaw on Friday.

***

At the World Junior Championship, Mark Pysyk was +1 as Canada pitched a 5-0 shutout over the Czech Republic. The steady defender saw time with Nathan Beaulieu and Jamie Oleksiak on the Nats bottom pair. Canada will to keep their winning streak in tact on Friday against Denmark.

***

In AHL play, the Amerks rode a two-goal night from Jacob Lagace to their second straight win over the Barons, 4-3 in a shootout. Lagace added a mark in the shootout, while Jonathan Parker and T.J. Brennan (winner) also scored in the deciding frame to ice the victory.

Brennan also scored in regulation to give him six goals on the year and a six-game point streak heading into Friday's tilt with Hamilton.

Marcus Foligno and Phil Varone each contributed a pair of assists for the Amerks (15-12-4-1).





The Rundown:
Lagace: 2G, SHO G, 5 SOG, +3
Brennan: G, SHO GWG, 5 SOG
Foligno: 2A, +3
Parker: SHO G
Schiestel: A, +2
Biega: A, -1, 2 SOG
Crawford: even
Boychuk: 4 PIM
Szydlowski: -1
Persson: +2

Armia shines as Finns win

Joel Armia scored two goals including the game winner Wednesday and added an assist as Finland shook off a loss in their World Junior Championship opener with a 4-1 victory over Team USA. The win was the Finns first over the Americans in six years at the U20 tourney.

Armia (#10) was excellent in keying the Finnish offense. After a scoreless first, the 6'3 wing absorbed a hit to advance the puck deep, went to the front of the net, and won a battle below the goal line against two USA defenders to assist on Finland's first goal just 81 seconds into the middle frame.

After USA tied the game in the early third, Armia would show deadly transition skills by accepting a pass and gaining enough separation to break in and score the game winner while using his left knee to thwart off the backcheck.

The big wing capped his performance with an insurance marker at 16:27 by jamming a loose puck underneath John Gibson and into the American net. Armia started the play with a nice effort on the boards to free up the puck before drifting to the net and tapping in the area pass. 



Armia, who now has two goals, an assist, two shots on goal, and a +3 rating through the first two tourney games, will look to continue his offensive stacking on Friday when the Finns take on Denmark.

Schiestel's OT mark seals Amerks win

Drew Schiestel scored on the power play at 3:21 of overtime Tuesday as the Amerks earned a 4-3 win over the AHL's top club, the Oklahoma City Barons. The blast from the point, Schiestel's second goal of the year, added to an earlier assist for his first multi-point game of the season.



Paul Szczechura paced the Amerks with two goals and an assist in his first game back from Buffalo, while Alex Biega scored his third of the season. Biega, who has collected all three of his marks in the last eight games, equals his out from a season ago when he scored 18 points as an AHL rookie with the Portland Pirates.

The Rundown:
Schiestel: GWG, A
Biega: G, +1, 2 SOG
Fienhage: A, +1
Boychuk: +1
Lagace: +1
Parker: 2 SOG
Persson: -1, 2 SOG
Foligno: -1
Crawford: -1
Szydlowski: -1

The Amerks (14-12-4-1) and Barons will play it back on Wednesday.

12/27 Recap: Jacobs nips Tips in shootout

In Tuesday night WHL action, Colin Jacobs broke a deadlocked game with the only goal in the shootout as Seattle edged Everett, 2-1. Jacobs now has two shootout winners through his first six games of the year since returning from a shoulder injury. The teams will complete the home-and-home Wednesday in Everett.





In the QMJHL, Jerome Gauthier-Leduc finished -2 with a shootout miss as Rimouski defeated the CHL's #3 ranked Quebec Remparts by a 4-3 score. The Oceanic will face Chicoutimi on Wednesday before rematching with the Remparts Friday in Rimouski.

Cedrick Henley recorded a shot on goal and five hits in his first game back from injury as Val-d'Or roughed up Rouyn-Noranda, 8-3. The 6'5 power forward had missed the previous eight games with a broken thumb. Les Foreurs travel to Gatineau on Wednesday.

Nathan Lieuwen was given a night off as Kootenay Lethbridge. The 6'5 should return to the nets on Thursday when the ICE takes on Red Deer.

In exhibition action, Drew MacKenzie logged a -1 as Vermont was blown out by the Russian Red Stars, 6-1. The game was a necessary post-break tune-up for Vermont, who opens the Catamount Cup Thursday against Ferris State. RIT and Lake Superior State will square off in the opposite contest.

Sabres Prospects 2011-12 Top 10 goals at the break

First rounders quiet as Canada rolls Finland

Mark Pysyk finished +2 with two shots on goal Monday as Canada opened the 2012 World Junior Championship with an 8-1 pounding of Finland. The Sabres other prospect playing in the tournament, 2011 first-rounder Joel Armia, logged a disappointing -3 for the Finns.

Pysyk, who was paired with Jamie Oleksiak on Canada's third pair, found himself in an awkward position between the shooter and his own net when Alexander Ruuttu (son of former Sabres forward Christian) scored at 1:21 of the second to halve Canada's lead to 2-1. Aside from that, the 2010 first-rounder was steady in his own zone and made good decisions to support the play up ice.

Armia, who finished without a shot on net, showed flashes of the skill that make him the Sabres' most intriguing offensive prospect but for the most part was ineffective getting things going on Finland's #2 offensive unit. It was good to see him coming back hard late in the game (he prevented Canada from getting a ninth goal with a nice backcheck on Boone Jenner with five minutes to play), but there's no doubt that Sabres scouts want to see him competing harder for loose pucks at even strength as the tourney progresses.

Canada will next square off with the Czechs on Wednesday. Things won't get any easier for the Finns, who will look for their first tournament win by taking on a USA squad that scored 11 goals in their opening night win over Denmark.

Baker's dozen thoughts at the break

It's Christmas Day across the world. While eagerly awaiting the puckdrop for the World Junior Championship and for schedules to resume in the CHL and NCAA ranks, please enjoy some mid-season thoughts. A Baker's Dozen, if you will....

1) Lost in all the 2011 injury madness is the fact that Drew MacIntyre, who stopped 17 of 18 shots over 43-minutes of action in two November appearances, is now the Sabres all-time franchise leader in goals against average (1.40) and save percentage (.944) for goalies who have faced a minimum of one shot on goal while wearing blue and gold.

2) By the way, the injury epidemic hasn’t been limited to just the top club. From the CHL and NCAA ranks alone, Mark Pysyk, Kevin Sundher, Steven Shipley, Alex Lepkowski, Drew MacKenzie, Cedrick Henley, Mark Adams, and Colin Jacobs have all missed time with various dings. The total is roughly 50-man games for the bunch, but when packaged with previous hurts to Paul Szczechura, Drew Schiestel, Dennis Persson, T.J. Brennan, Jon Parker, and Mike Ryan in Rochester and it’s easy to see that the injury bug is a top-to-bottom issue.

3) There are two clear observations you can make about Derek Whitmore – he has seen a lot of hockey, and he likes to shoot.  The 27-year old rookie,  who scored 70 goals in a four-year career at Bowling Green and another 70 in 272 AHL games, has shown solid awareness in his brief term with the Sabres while doing a good job making himself available in the offensive end. Now if folks in Webster could just get his name right...

4) Vermont senior Drew MacKenzie may be one of the better two-way defensemen in Hockey East, but his chances of getting an entry-level deal by the Sabres could still be slim unless some trades are made. Tyler Myers, Robyn Regehr, Christian Ehrhoff, Mike Weber, Andrej Sekera, Jordan Leopold, Mark Pysyk, Brayden McNabb, Matt MacKenzie, Nick Crawford, and Joe Finley are all under contract for next year. Marc-Andre Gragnani, T.J. Brennan, Drew Schiestel, Dennis Persson, and Alex Biega are restricted free agents, while Rimouski ace Jerome Gauthier-Leduc will need to be signed by June 1^st.

5) Along with MacKenzie and Leduc, the Sabres will also face contract decisions this summer on Shipley, Henley, Justin Jokinen, Gregg Sutch, Brad Eidsness, and Connor Knapp. There’s a lot on the line in the second half for some of these players, including Henley, who barring a gigantic spike in production could make for a “developmental project” signing. Project in the sense that he could be inked yet still be assigned another year of QMJHL duty as a 20-year old after seeing the bulk of his 2010-11 campaign washed out due to wrist surgery.

6) After getting four points through his first four games, Amerks rookie forward Jonathan Parker has failed to get a point in his last 17 contests. Granted a hand injury caused him to miss three games, but a player brought in because of his shooting ability needs to have more than 18 shots on goal through his first 21 professional games.

7) Maybe there is something to Shipley needing to be “the man” wherever he plays. After asking out of Owen Sound a year ago because he didn’t want to play second fiddle to Joey Hishon, Shipley was mired in mediocrity in Niagara for a season-and-a-half until recently when four teammates (Ryan Strome, Freddie and Dougie Hamilton, Mark Visentin) left for the 2012 World Juniors. In their absence thus far, the 2010 fourth rounder has collected goals in four straight games, points in five straight (5+6), and a +4 rating. He’ll play at least three more games on the Dogs top line while his teammates skate with Team Canada.

8) I know a few people who were upset when the Sabres didn’t offer a contract to Andrew Orpik (2005, 7^th round) when he completed his years at Boston College. After two years of drifting between the AHL and the coast league, Orpik hung up his skates this season after receiving a job offer he couldn’t refuse back in Beantown.

9) My guess is that the Sabres knew on November 1^st that they needed to lock Sundher up to an early bird signing. It was on that date in 2010 that they inked ‘09 first-rounder Zack Kassian after watching him stack seven goals and 20 points through his first 11 games in Windsor. Through October of this season, Sundher had amassed an equally impressive 11 goals and 32 points (17 games).  

10) The Sabres did not have a single prospect hit either of the 30-goal and 80-point plateaus last year. This year it looks they could have three who hit both – Sundher, Leduc, and Daniel Catenacci.

11) Leduc currently leads all CHL defensemen with 19 goals and 50 points. His next closest competitor, Dougie Hamilton of the OHL’s Niagara IceDogs, checks in with 12 goals and 45 points. Leduc is fleet of foot and can pound the puck, but his own-zone abilities weren’t enough to make it past the initial cuts for Team Canada.

12) Catenacci, who enters the break with 19 goals and 40 points, is worth some special second half attention due to his previous body of work.  The speedy center shot out of the gates a season ago with 18 goals and 45 points at the holiday break, but scored just 23 points in 30 games after January 1^st.

13) Assuming Joel Armia plays out the final year of his contract with SM-liiga’s Assat Pori, he’ll be 20-years of age when the Sabres can look to get him over to North America.  Scanning the list of Finland’s all-time great forwards in relation to their age when making the jump, you can see why the Sabres don’t need to bring him over as a teenager: Jari Kurri (20), Olli Jokinen (20), Saku Koivu (21), Mikko Koivu (21), Teemu Selanne (22), Jere Lehtinen (22). I'm ok with a 2013-14 arrival.

Wishing you and yours a safe and joyous holiday season. Thank you for making SabresProspects part of your hockey news routine!