Tagged: Kelly Cup

Chris-Langkow

Undrafted center Chris Langkow(54) started his fourth pro season much like he did the three previous campaigns, signed for a one-year minor league deal to play in the ECHL.

He posted career highs in scoring last season with 20 goals and 41 points, first with Reading Royals, who he signed with in the off-season and then traded to South Carolina Stingrays.

The 6’1″ 185 lbs. forward re-signed for another campaign with the Stingrays but after getting off to a fast start was loaned to Bridgeport Sound Tigers for the second time in his career and made it stick.

He was first with the team for most of the year in 2011/2012 but only appeared in 7 games scoring a goal and 4 assists before succumbing to injury and being returned to Alaska Aces some 4 months later.

He won the Kelly Cup with the Aces in his rookie season and was impressive throughout.

The 24-year old recently signed an spc to play out the remainder of the regular season in southern Connecticut.

His grinding 4th line style of play works well with the young Bridgeport team and with AHL career highs in games played (35), goals (2) and assists (7) he has the ability to dot the score sheet.

It would be no surprise to see him score a higher league contract out of the gate in 2014/2015. After all, he is a Langkow.

Original story: 2/9-14

He did manage to secure a deal to stay with Bridgeport Sound Tigers for 2014/2015 and played in a career high 69 AHL games scoring a best 8 goals but his assists and point production did tick down slightly from the previous campaign.

Heading into the new season the 6th year veteran somewhat surprisingly moves back into the ECHL signing with Elmira Jackals.

He should be invited to a higher league’s training camp and could impress enough with his spark plug style game to earn a spot, so we’ll see where the soon-to-be 26-year old ends up lacing up his skates.

chris-langkow2

After spending his 1st year of pro hockey playing in France, undrafted defenseman signed with the ECHL Florida Everblades in 2010/2011 to start his North American rookie campaign.

He skated in all 72 games with the ‘Blades and 4 postseason contests as well, scoring 9 goals and 26 assists, while going a big +26 plus/minus.

With his debut season completed, he received a bit of an unexpected call-up to join Binghamton Senators for the 2011 AHL Atlantic Division playoff series.

He played in 9 games through three more rounds leading up to the eventual Calder Cup win.

For the 2011/2012 season, he signed a one-year, two-way deal with the B-Sens and started the year by raising the championship banner to the rafters of Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.

The 5’10” 185 lbs. d-man split time between the two leagues, appearing in 38 AHL games and was eventually reassigned for the remainder of the season in late February to help the Everblades get into playoff position.

Well, two full seasons playing hockey in the top developmental leagues for the NHL and the 27-year old has captured both championships as Florida Everblades won their first ECHL Kelly Cup in the team’s 14-year existence by knocking off Las Vegas Wranglers.

Original story: 5/24-12

For the 2012/2013 season he would return to Florida Everblades but spent a majority of his time on loan to Charlotte Checkers and eventually ink an spc to finish out the year with the team, where he achieved a career high 4 goals and 14 assists in 44 AHL games.

He would next decide to go play across the pond for Iserlohn Roosters and found the bigger sheets of ice worked well for his game as he scored 7 goals and 20 assists.

He would switched allegiances in the league in the following season, signing with Adler Mannheim and won the DEL Championship.

For 2015/2016, the now 29-year old will spend his third year in the league and returns to Iserlohn Roosters.

michael-pelech

4th year center Michael Pelech(27) finally struck for his first tally in his fifth AHL recall, third this season.

The 6’3″ 203 lbs. power forward has been basically a point-per-game guy in the ECHL for his last couple of campaigns, including the current one, in which he has 13 goals and 33 assists in 50 contests with Cincinnati Cyclones.

Originally a Los Angeles Kings‘ 6th round pick in the 2009 draft (#156 overall), he spent his entire rookie year with Ontario Reign but signed to a one-year deal with affiliate Manchester Monarchs.

He started his sophomore season with the Monarchs but was reassigned once again after 5 games with no points.

His point production also slumped slightly in 2010/2011.

By the start of his third year, he needed to find a new home and inked a deal with Toledo Walleye.

It wasn’t too far into the season though before he was traded to Cincinnati, the team that he would find his scoring stride with.

He finished 2011/2012 with them popping in 16 goals and 44 assists in 60 games, and a career best +17 rating.

He also earned a one game call-up to Norfolk Admirals.

In a no-brainer move he re-signed with the Cyclones and continued on his point scoring streak through the new year, when he started get phone calls from AHL teams.

His first call was to join his older brother Matt’s team Worcester Sharks for four games.

He got his first point, an assist.

A couple weeks later he was summoned to Connecticut Whale but failed to connect and released.

It wasn’t until his current recall to Peoria Rivermen that he finally found the back of the net.

He has been with the team through 7 games.

The still only 23-year old could very easily play out the regular season where he is or once again get reassigned soon to start the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

Neither roster moves seems so bad, unless the Rivermen don’t make the playoffs and the Cyclones end in one round.

Montreal Canadiens‘ undrafted, 4th year, Czech/Swiss goaltender, Robert Mayer(29) only has the remainder of 2012/2013 on his three-year entry level contract and has announced before the season is even over that his opportunity to continue his pro career is better served by splitting the country for Switzerland’s NLA.

Seeing increasing less light to get any playing time in the NHL, the 23-year old signed a two-year deal with EHC Biel. He’s been recalled but only to be the backup goalie.

He’s played 81 games with Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL and posted so-so numbers on what have been so-so performing teams that has consistently failed to make the playoffs.

In his rookie season, almost exclusively skating in the ECHL with Cincinnati Cyclones, he produced good numbers, but when he got to the Kelly Cup Playoffs he literally shut the door going 6-0-1 with a 1.54 GAA and .938 SV% that included 3 shutouts. He was named co-MVP with his fellow net minder, who he split time throughout the postseason.

He may go “home” and come back a whole number kind of player. But we’ll see.

Robert Mayer

 

 

Undrafted 2nd year center Scott Pitt(44) won the ECHL Kelly Cup in rookie season with Florida Everblades, the team he joined fresh out of college at the end of the year before.

The 6′ 175 lbs. forward was a bit of a scoring machine popping in 22 goals and 36 assists in 63 games.

Going into the 2012/2013 season, he signed a deal with Greenville Road Warriors that led to a training camp invite from Connecticut Whale.

He actually played in their opening game but was released from his pto soon afterwards and sent back down.

In 10 games with the Road Warriors he’s at it again tallying 3 goals and 7 assists already.

What the 24-year lacks in overall size he definitely makes up for in the speed and getting into those open spaces on the ice department.

He played 6 games on recall with Charlotte Checkers last season, scoring 0 points but regardless of that expect him to get another crack at the Whale lineup as soon as the injury bug starts biting.

 

After viewing the first 8 Connecticut Whale 2012/2013 regular season games from the stands, defenseman Sebastien Piche(7) gets reassigned to help their ECHL affiliate Greenville Road Warriors.

Originally undrafted he was signed by Detroit Red Wings to a 3-year entry level deal but spent most of his playing time with either their AHL affiliate Grand Rapid Griffins or in the lower league with Toledo Walleye.

He somewhat luckily went from skating (or not) last season with the Griffins but was traded in a late transaction that sent him to Tampa Bay Lightning, where he was immediately sent all the way down to Florida Everblades for the remainder of the year; and his contract. He was given a qualifying offer at the end of the season.

The 6′ 202 lbs. blue liner played in all 18 Kelly Cup playoff games with the Everblades on their way to winning the Kelly Cup. He scored 2 goals and added 9 assists in postseason play.

He has the ability to connect with the scoresheet and looked pretty solid in the one preseason game we saw him take part in; and also put up numbers in juniors.

Maybe the 24-year is continue to work his game. He signed an AHL contract for 2012/2013 and bets are good he’ll receive a call-up quickly but will need to contribute.

 

Originally a Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 6th round pick in the 2006 draft (#166 overall), center Tyler Ruegsegger(7) was suppose to figure in the team’s future plans based on his stats leading up to his selection and then later with his excellent play in the last year of his college career.

Somewhere along the line though something happened because he didn’t sign to start his rookie season until late October of 2010; and that was with Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL.

From there he gets traded to Alaska Aces, but in the final month of his first year the then 23-year old gets his first AHL called-up by Abbotsford Heat. scoring 1 goal and 4 assists in 12 games. He was returned to the Aces just in time to help them win the 2011 Kelly Cup.

In a surprising move for his second campaign, the 6′ 195 lbs. forward re-signed with the Aces to continue with the team for 2011/2012. Once again, he was recalled: first by Bridgeport Sound Tigers, then the Heat for a second run.

If he wasn’t accidentally clocked in the face by a one-timer in practice, it’s speculated that he could have played his first Calder Cup Playoff games or participated in another playoff run with the Aces.

For the upcoming 2012/2013 season, the now 25-year old re-signs for his third go with Alaska.

In 105 ECHL games he has 29 shots on goal into the net and assisted on another 25. Will this be his breakout year?

28-year old right wing, Ryan Del Monte(16) joins the exodus from North American pro hockey to Europe (and beyond). He signed with Starbulls Rosenheim for next season after 4 years in the ECHL and AHL.

He played his first full season in the AHL last year, appearing in 52 games with Worcester Sharks scoring 5 goals and 14 assists for 19 points, all bests for the 6′ 190 lbs. forward in the league.

He won the Kelly Cup with Cincinnati Cyclones in 2010 and signed with the team in the next season before being traded to South Carolina Stingrays but spent the majority of it with Rochester Americans and the Sharks.

Although he was undrafted and has no appearances in the show, the NHL did a nice story on him a few years ago talking about the route he took from a couple of seasons in junior hockey to four years of college to earn a degree and then finally turning pro.

olivier-labelle31

6th year pro Olivier Labelle(27) re-signs for 2011/2012 with Reading Royals, the ECHL team he spent 38 games with last season, plus 7 in the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

For the other half of the season he was signed to a pto with Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL.

Throughout his career he’s been mostly a AA player with the exception of his rookie season, when he played 74 games with Syracuse Crunch, putting up 11 goals, 20 assists and 153 pims. In the following 4 seasons, he played almost exclusively in the ECHL, until last year’s run with Bridgeport.

 

 

Cedrick Desjardins(30) was left out of Tampa Bay‘s plans for the future after one year with the organization.

He had a great season with Norfolk Admirals in the AHL and won both his starts with the Lightning.

Colorado signed him for 2011/2012 and he’ll challenge for the starting job or could give Lake Erie a nice boost in net.

He won the ECHL Kelly Cup with Cincinnati Cyclones in 2008.