Thrasher prospects and the 2009 WJC

If it's Christmas shopping season, that means the World Juniors is coming up. The Thrashers will have two, with an outside chance of three, prospects competing. That's a low number.

Team USA has announced a final roster (not a preliminary one). They don't have a camp right before the tournament to pick the team, so they dive right in. Zach Bogosian, John Albert and Vinny Saponari attended the August camp. But now Bogosian is both hurt and in the NHL, so he wasn't named to the team. Neither Albert nor Saponari made the cut. This is Albert's last year of eligibility, but Saponari can try again next year. The biggest surprise on that team was Blake Kessel, Phil's little brother. I saw him play in the USHL in his draft year and was not impressed whatsoever. He went on to be drafted in the 6th round by the Islanders. He's improved some and is at UNH now. His NCAA location had to have had a lot to do with his selection, because you can't tell me there aren't several Americans in the CHL who aren't better than him.

Nicklas Lasu has been named to the Sweden team, and Niclas Lucenius has been named to the preliminary Finland roster. He should make the roster with little problem, given the rest of the roster.

For Team Canada, Angelo Esposito was named to the 38-man camp roster. He's been cut from the team three times already. That's hard to do, because it means you were really really good really young, but didn't improve enough to later make the team. New Team Canada coach Pat Quinn has said he wants a hard-working gritty team. That does not describe Esposito, so he'll headed for the distinction of being cut four times. That's a record that may never be broken. You can chime in with a vote on whether or not he'll make the team in a poll at the upper right.

On a side note, it's trade deadline time in the QMJHL, and Esposito's name is back in the trade rumors this year. His Montreal Junior aren't doing that well, so they may deal Esposito. They are ninth in the Q, with a record of 16-14-1.

From the Telegraph-Journal:

"A lot will depend on whether Saint John and/or Montreal are buyers or sellers at the deadline," said Moncton Flyers midget AAA coach John DeCourcey. "(Saint John's) Alex Grant and Chris DiDomenico and (Montreal's) Angelo Esposito are all guys that could shift the balance of power."

And briefly on the 2009 entry draft, more on Evander Kane. I put our WHL writer up to asking Kane how he'd feel about being a role model for African-Americans if he was picked by Atlanta (who I noted earlier had interviewed him). When the piece came back, I realized that I had made two Canadians talk to each other about a place that neither had been to. The outcome was amusing. I added the clarification to the article that Atlanta is heavily African-American so that Canadians, even the ones asking and answering the questions, would understand.

I suppose Canadians see American movies set in big cities that have a lot of blacks and don't realize what regional variation there is to it. But of course there are parts of America that are whiter than Britney Spears' teeth. My school had one black girl in it -- and she was adopted. And my dad had a guy on his softball team who was black. It was quite exotic. Those were all the black people I knew until I went to college.

Anyway, here's the quote:

On being interviewed by the Atlanta Thrashers, where he would potentially become an important role model in the heavily African-American city…
“I did speak with Atlanta. And I suppose going to the United States, of course there are a lot of African Americans. But I would be happy to play anywhere in the NHL. If it were Atlanta, well yes, you’re correct on that note and I guess that’s all part of the job and I would be very happy doing it.”

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Contact to the head (head shots) already prohibited in NCAA hockey

There's been a lot of talk about head shots in hockey lately and I haven't seen anyone bring up the fact that the NCAA already has a rule against shots to the head. Maybe it's because most people writing about it aren't very familiar with college hockey.

From section 8 of the NCAA rulebook (page 62):

Contact to the Head
SECTION 8. A player shall not make contact with an opposing player’s
head or neck area in any manner.
PENALTY—Minor or major or disqualification at the discretion of the
referee. Contact to the head shall be assessed in front of the
infraction (i.e., contact to the head – elbow).
Note: The rules committee instructs officials to use a zero tolerance policy in
this area.

Does the rule actually eliminate head shots? No. At the OSU vs. MSU games this weekend, seven out of the 20 penalties involved contact to the head. But the penalty serves to discourage it.

The verbiage and enforcement of this rule in the NCAA could serve as a model for the NHL.
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Albert Q&A done and more

FYI, my Q&A with Albert is up at HF. The conversation was a little bit scattered, so I thought it would read best as a Q&A.



Soon I'll have what we're calling a "system audit," that goes over each position in the prospect pool. I waited to do it until after seeing Leveille and Albert in game action. At the same time, I'm chairing the Organizational Rankings Committee, which is probably the most important thing I do all year. If there are mistakes in it, it's my fault, so I'm going to make very sure that there aren't. That takes top priority. Oh and I have jury duty next week, which could cut into things. Yay.

Michael Farber recently came out with his 2008 Stealth List -- "five people in hockey whom you barely know but who truly make a difference." I pointed to it last year, and it's good again this time.
1. Patrick Sharp
2. Tim Burke
3. Barry Trotz
4. Alexander Burrows
5. Roland Melanson

Burrows, and guys like him, are why I go to ECHL games. Burrows played in the league and didn't stick out, yet he's now got himself an NHL career. At any given ECHL game, there's probably one guy who will go on to play in the NHL. It's just up to you to figure out which one.

In non-hockey news, the best thing I heard all day is that DHL is shutting down in the US. This financial crisis has a silver lining in putting a horrible company out of business. The driver who used to deliver to my office continually parked in handicapped spots and was a sociopath. Good riddance.
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MSU vs. OSU, part 2

Just briefly on the second game of the MSU/OSU series because I have to catch a plane.

John Albert (middle) during pre-game intros. I like this one. OSU has great ice, by the way.

Albert ready to jump off the bench. Again he made great passes, to wingers who didn't finish. I couldn't help but think his production would skyrocket if he had a better finisher on his line. Or was just on a better team generally. He wins faceoffs right to guys who then turnover the puck. He'll need more grit and hustle at higher levels.

While Albert often has the puck, Leveille almost never has it, which is a bit concerning as a center. He's up and down the ice, but not always involved in the play. On one goal against, one D was behind the net, one was in the corner, and he should have picked up the guy at the side of the net. He was nearby, but didn't defend him. It showed how he needs to work on defensive awareness. The one flash of skill in this game was going up the right wing, dipsy doodling around the D for a shot that went wide through the crease. I wanted to see him drop the shoulder and cut in like Marian Hossa, but he didn't. He probably doesn't have the man-strength of Hossa to do that.


The best player on the ice for either team was Jeff Petry, a second-round pick in 2006 of Edmonton. I found myself watching him just to see what he would do. Yes he made some mistakes, but clearly he'll play in the NHL. On the other hand I was not very impressed with Zac Dalpe, Carolina's second-rounder from this year. He just didn't do much. Tim Crowder, a Pittsburgh pick, is big and lumbers a bit but has some potential.
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Mullet stays as OSU sweeps

Ohio State's John Albert was going to shave his head, but as an intermediate step, went with a mullet. The team won both of its games against the Michigan State Spartans, so, well, the mullet stays. He was a good sport and let me take a picture of it.


I talked to him as he had his leg in a mechanical cold water treatment. OSU's training room is amazing. I think they share it with the basketball team, as they do the very nice arena.
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OSU vs. MSU, part 1

Looking for Jeff Lerg. (That's a short goalie joke).


Here's Thrashers first rounder Daultan Leveille on a face-off. He look fine. Once he gets a lot stronger on the puck and reads the play perfectly, he'll be a lot more effective. His skating is so effortless. It doesn't seem like he's trying that hard, and suddenly he's at his destination. MSU was shutout tonight. Leveille had two shots and was -2.

I don't have a shot of John Albert yet, but he played really well. He was money on faceoffs, first of all, won several cleanly back to his D. He quarterbacked the power play. Very patient with the puck. Made some great passes, though once or twice I thought he should just shoot and get the rebound. Good read of the play though.

I assume they put the band behind the opposing goalie on purpose to distract him.

The OSU band played the national anthem just the way I like it -- up-tempo and strong on the cymbal. I think that song should always have a cymbal part, and I add my own when there isn't one. Really.

You'll note the stands aren't very full. A security person I talked to said that when Michigan and Michigan State come to town, it's more full than usual -- 3000 instead of the usual 250. That's not a typo. One particular attendant to note, a Blue Jackets scout.

The band came onto the ice at intermission.

The drum major actually twirled the baton. I've never seen that. He was a real ham.


Band meets Zamboni. A near miss.

OSU's goaltender Dustin Carlson. He struck me as more than a little nutty. Even for a goalie. Look at those crazy eyes.
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Greetings from rainy Columbus

I'm in town to see Michigan State take on Ohio State, which means Thrashers prospects Daultan Leveille and John Albert against each other. I'm looking forward to the college atmosphere. I already saw a tuba player waiting to cross the street next to the arena. Awesome.

I guess I better get going. I have about a mile walk from my hotel to the arena, which seemed like a fine plan on paper, but less so in this weather.
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Albert's improvement already noticable at OSU

From The Lantern (Ohio State student newspaper):

"He's in the best shape of his life," said Ohio State Men's Hockey coach John Markell. "He's just flying out there. He's even better than the Johnny Albert of last year."

Last year's John Albert led the team in assists, with 17, as a freshman. If Markell's words prove prophetic, Albert's two-assist performance against York may serve as the prelude to a few gaudy stat lines for this year's version.

Lasu scores hat trick in Lake Placid

During yesterday's 7-3 winS against USA Team White at the 2008 USA National Junior Evaluation Camp, Swede Nicklas Lasu scored not only three goals, but also two assists. This now puts him among the point leaders in the games. He's fearless in crashing the net, and has been continuing to hit at the camp. Here's a good photo of him at the net yesterday.

John Albert was among the 53 US players invited to camp, but he did not make the roster for either Team Blue or Team White. He participated in the intrasquad scrimmages, but not the exhibition games against Finland and Sweden.

Zach Bogosian and Vinny Saponari (USA), and Niklas Lucenius (Finland) are also at the camp.

Albert, Bogosian, Saponari invited to Team USA camp

A little late on the pickup here due to the draft, but 2007 Thrashers draftee John Albert has been invited to Lake Placid for the World Junior team tryouts, along with 2008 picks Zach Bogosian and Vinny Saponari.

COLUMBUS, Ohio –John Albert, a rising sophomore forward on the Ohio State men’s hockey team, is one 53 players invited to attend the 2008 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp Aug. 1-9 in Lake Placid, N.Y. Participating players are candidates for the 2009 U.S. National Junior Team that will compete in the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior (Under-20) Championship Dec. 26, 2008-Jan. 5, 2009
in Ottawa, Ontario.

Here's the rest of the list because it's so incredibly hard to find on the USA Hockey website.

2008 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp

GOALTENDERS (5)
Name Ht (cm) Wt (kg) Birthdate S/C Hometown 2007-08 Team (League)
Mike Lee 6-1 (185) 185 (84) 10/5/90 L Roseau, Minn. Roseau (Minn.) High School
Brandon Maxwell 6-0 (183) 190 (86) 3/22/91 L Winter Park, Fla. U.S. National Under-17 Team
Thomas McCollum* 6-1 (185) 196 (89) 12/7/89 L Sanborn, N.Y. Guelph (OHL)
Jeremy Smith^* 6-0 (183) 175 (80) 4/13/89 L Brownstown, Mich. Plymouth (OHL)
Josh Unice* 5-11 (185) 185 (84) 6/24/89 L Holland, Ohio Kitchener (OHL)

DEFENSEMEN (18)
Jonathon Blum^* 6-1 (185) 185 (84) 1/30/89 R Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. Vancouver (WHL)
Zach Bogosian 6-2 (188) 200 (91) 7/15/90 R Massena, N.Y. Peterborough (OHL)
John Carlson 6-2 (188) 215 (98) 1/10/90 R Colonia, N.J. Indiana (USHL)
Colby Cohen 6-3 (190) 210 (95) 4/25/89 R Villanova, Pa. Boston University (HEA)
Ian Cole^* 6-1 (185) 217 (98) 2/21/89 L Ann Arbor, Mich. University of Notre Dame (CCHA)
Adam Comrie 6-4 (194) 201 (92) 7/31/90 R Ashburn, Va. Saginaw (OHL)
Tommy Cross 6-3 (190) 195 (88) 9/12/89 L Simsbury, Conn. Westminster School (Conn.)
Cade Fairchild^* 5-10 (178) 184 (83) 1/15/89 L Duluth, Minn. University of Minnesota (WCHA)
Cam Fowler 6-1 (185) 185 (84) 12/5/91 L Farmington Hills, Mich. U.S. National Under-17 Team
Jake Gardiner 6-2 (188) 175 (80) 7/4/90 L Deephaven, Minn. Minnetonka (Minn.) High School
Blake Kessel 6-2 (188) 204 (92) 4/13/89 R Madison, Wis. Waterloo (USHL)
Ryan McDonagh* 6-1 (185) 208 (94) 6/13/89 L Arden Hills, Minn. University of Wisconsin (WCHA)
Aaron Ness 5-10 (178) 170 (77) 5/18/90 L Roseau, Minn. Roseau (Minn.) High School
Nick Petrecki 6-3 (190) 215 (98) 7/11/89 L Clifton Park, N.Y. Boston College (HEA)
Teddy Ruth* 6-0 (183) 201 (91) 2/14/89 R Naperville, Ill. University of Notre Dame (CCHA)
Kevin Shattenkirk* 5-11 (180) 193 (87) 1/29/89 R New Rochelle, N.Y. Boston University (HEA)
Scooter Vaughan 6-0 (183) 195 (88) 4/8/89 R Placentia, Calif. University of Michigan (CCHA)
David Warsofsky 5-8 (172) 170 (77) 5/30/90 L Marshfield, Mass. U.S. National Under-18 Team

FORWARDS (30)
John Albert 5-11 (180) 180 (82) 1/19/89 L Concord, Ohio The Ohio State University (CCHA)
Ryan Bourque 5-7 (170) 170 (77) 1/3/91 L Boxford, Mass. U.S. National Under-17 Team
Drayson Bowman 6-1 (185) 195 (88) 3/8/89 L Littleton, Colo. Spokane (WHL)
Jack Connolly 5-8 (172) 165 (75) 8/15/89 L Duluth, Minn. Sioux Falls (USHL)
Robbie Czarnik 6-0 (183) 185 (84) 1/25/90 R Washington, Mich. U.S. National Under-18 Team
Justin Florek 6-4 (194) 195 (88) 5/18/90 L Marquette, Mich. U.S. National Under-18 Team
Jake Hansen 6-1 (185) 185 (84) 8/21/89 R White Bear Lake, Minn. Sioux Falls (USHL)
Jimmy Hayes* 6-3 (190) 205 (93) 11/21/89 R Dorchester, Mass. Lincoln Stars (USHL)
Mike Hoeffel 6-2 (188) 195 (88) 4/9/89 L North Oaks, Minn. University of Minnesota (WCHA)
AJ Jenks 6-2 (188) 210 (95) 6/27/90 L Wolverine Lake, Mich. Plymouth (OHL)
Tyler Johnson 5-9 (175) 175 (80) 7/29/90 L Spokane, Wash. Spokane (WHL)
Danny Kristo 5-11 (180) 175 (80) 6/18/90 R Eden Prairie, Minn. U.S. National Under-18 Team
Drew LeBlanc 5-11 (180) 185 (84) 6/29/89 L Hermantown, Minn. Chicago (USHL)
Colin Long 5-11 (180) 180 (82) 6/19/89 R Santa Ana, Calif. Kelowna (WHL)
Philip McRae 6-2 (188) 189 (86) 3/15/90 L Chesterfield, Mo. London (OHL)
Jeremy Morin 6-0 (183) 185 (84) 4/16/91 R Auburn, N.Y. U.S. National Under-17 Team
James O’Brien 6-2 (188) 190 (86) 1/29/89 R Maplewood, Minn. Seattle (WHL)
Kyle Palmieri 5-10 (178) 185 (84) 2/1/91 R Montvale, N.J. U.S. National Under-17 Team
Nick Palmieri 6-2 (188) 212 (96) 7/12/89 R Clinton, N.Y. Erie (OHL)
Aaron Palushaj* 6-0 (183) 185 (84) 9/7/89 R Northville, Mich. University of Michigan (CCHA)
Matt Rust^* 5-10 (178) 188 (85) 3/23/89 L Bloomfield Hills, Mich. University of Michigan (CCHA)
Vinny Saponari 6-0 (183) 185 (84) 2/15/90 R Powder Springs, Ga. U.S. National Under-18 Team
Jordan Schroeder^* 5-8 (172) 180 (82) 9/29/90 R Lakeville, Minn. U.S. National Under-18 Team
Eric Tangradi* 6-3 (191) 214 (97) 2/10/89 L Philadelphia, Pa. Belleville (OHL)
Corey Tropp 6-0 (183) 185 (84) 7/25/89 R Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. Michigan State University (CCHA)
James vanRiemsdyk^*%& 6-3 (191) 211 (95) 5/4/89 L Middletown, N.J. University of New Hampshire (HEA)
Mitch Wahl 6-0 (183) 190 (86) 1/22/90 R Seal Beach, Calif. Spokane (WHL)
Patrick White* 6-1 (185) 190 (86) 1/20/89 R Grand Rapids, Minn. University of Minnesota (WCHA)
Colin Wilson^* 6-1 (185) 210 (95) 10/20/89 L Greenwich, Conn. Boston University (HEA)
David Wohlberg 6-0 (183) 180 (82) 7/18/90 L South Lyon, Mich. U.S. National Under-18 Team


^2008 U.S. National Junior Team Member
*2007 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp Participant
%2007 U.S. National Junior Team Member
&2006 U.S. National Junior Evaluation Camp Participant

Possible small moves

Rumors often start by someone adding 2 and 2 together. Sometimes they add and get 4, sometimes they get 5. Here are a couple things I've added up in the last couple days. Maybe I added correctly, maybe not. I wouldn't post them if I didn't think there was something to it though.

1. Peter Mannino, a free agent goaltender out of DU, signed, or at the very least, invited to prospects camp. There's lots of info out there about Mannino, so Google to your heart's content (basic stats here). This makes a lot of sense. Right now the Thrashers goaltending depth chart is Lehtonen, Hedberg, Pavelec, Turple. If there are two injuries, as it stands right now the team would have to call up Turple, who has played only a handful of games in the AHL. That's a scary proposition. More depth is needed, and Mannino is a good choice. He's 24, he's played in pressure situations. The signing would be reminiscent of when they traded for and then signed Adam Berkhoel a few years ago, who was also a DU goalie. Other teams may be interested in Mannino as well.

2. Chad Painchaud being available. This isn't too surprising given what happened at the end of last year (sent home early from the Gladiators). His name is out there right now, but he could be traded or just reassigned to another team until his contract expires.

3. This last item isn't a rumor, since Jeff Pyle himself told it to me. He's looking at a couple goaltenders for the Gladiators next season: Morgan Cey (Brad Schell's cousin, and someone he looked into last summer too), and Charlie Effinger out of Miami of Ohio.
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Signing deadlines for prospects

It's fish or cut bait time on players drafted in 2006. I actually really like the June 1 deadline because it tidies things up. We get some closure on guys all across the league and it clears the decks for a new crop at the 2008 draft.

The NHL CBA states that players drafted out of Canadian juniors or Europe are subject to this deadline or they return to the draft. The wrench in the machine is this thing about the IIHF agreement falling apart. I blogged about it a few weeks ago. Previously the Russians had dropped out, causing the signing deadline for Russians to be extended indefinitely. It's unclear if the NHL is going to do the same for all European countries now. Extending it puts the power in the hands of NHL teams and takes leverage away from the players, so one would think so.

Note that it's the league a player is drafted out of that matters for these rules, not your country of nationality or current play. So Arturs Kulda is subject to rules on Russia, not the OHL, because he was drafted coming out of a Russian league.

Here are the Thrashers prospects in play right now. Two CHL guys have already been signed -- Holzapfel and Machacek.

June 1 - CHL and Europe (deadline fuzzy on Europeans)

Jonas Enlund - Finland
Juraj Gracik - Slovak
Arturs Kulda - Russia
Denis Loginov - Russia
Miikka Tuomainen - Finland
Andrei Zubarev - Russia

August 15 - NCAA graduating seniors

Rylan Kaip
Matt Siddall

I've been getting emails asking me who I think will and won't be signed. The only guys I expect to get a press release about in the next week are Kulda and Enlund. Zubarev would be a plus, but don't hold your breath. Gracik, Loginov and Tuomainen are not worthy of contracts.

On the two college graduating seniors, with an Aug. 15 deadline, I don't expect Siddall to be signed. Kaip, I have a feeling he'll end up with an affiliate next year. I think he's a solid, character player you want in the system, but his NHL upside is low. That's exactly the kind of guy you set up with Chicago or Gwinnett. Then if he overachieves, you haven't cut ties.

Sometimes guys who aren't signed by their drafting team within the window are reselected in the draft, but it seems like they rarely pan out. The Thrashers have been on both sides of that equation. Rob Zepp reentered the draft after being taken by the Thrashers in 1999, and Paul Flache was a redraft in 2002. Both of them played in Europe last year.

On a side note, in ECHL news, the Ducks announced an affiliation with the Bakersfield Condors, thus ending their relationship with the Augusta Lynx.

Kangas named Minnesota's MVP, third freshman in history

That's impressive, no matter how you look at it.

From Gophersports:

Kangas Becomes Third Freshman MVP in Men's Hockey History

Goaltender Alex Kangas was rewarded for his record-setting season as just the third freshman in University of Minnesota men’s hockey history to earn the team’s Most Valuable Player award at Saturday’s team awards banquet at Mariucci Arena.

Kangas joins forward Thomas Vanek in 2002-03 and goaltender Murray McLachlan in 1967-68 as the only first-year team MVP’s in Gopher history. The team has awarded an MVP, named after former player and coach John Mariucci, since 1955-56.

Kangas was also named the team’s Frank Pond Rookie of the Year and Tom Mohr Playoff MVP after setting single-season school records with a 1.98 goals against average and .930 save percentage.

Mike Vannelli was on hand to make awards presentations.

Frozen Four starts tonight

Tonight begins the 2008 Frozen Four. Set your DVRs for 6pm ET and again at 9pm. The only team with Thrasher prospects on it is North Dakota (Kaip and Kozek), but it's some good hockey that you should be watching. Some of these guys will be in the NHL next season.

Thursday, April 10

National Semifinals
• Boston College (23-11-8) vs. North Dakota (28-10-4) (ESPN2/ESPN360, 6 p.m. ET)

• Notre Dame (26-15-4) vs. Michigan (33-5-4) (ESPN2/ESPN360, 9 p.m. ET)

Friday, April 11
Skills competition
Hobey Baker Award Show (ESPNU, 6:30 p.m. ET)

Saturday, April 12
National final
ESPN, 7 p.m. ET

2008 NCAA tournament underway

Clarkson beat St. Cloud State in the opening game of the NCAA regionals to get the party started. At 2pm CT tomorrow, Thrashers prospects get going, with North Dakota taking on Princeton.

Apparently moustaches are the team-building exercise of the Fighting Sioux this year. Check out Rylan Kaip's at this link. The staches make him and Robbie Bina both look about 35 years old. Funny.

Tomorrow night at 7:30, Minnesota takes on Boston College. Here's what one of Alex Kangas' coaches said about him recently.

"I just think his consistency and the stability that he brings have been great and that's just what you want," (Assistant Coach Mike) Guentzel glowingly said of his young netminder. "Alex has been the epitome of that all year long. He came in after we played Jeff Frazee (NJ) for the first five or six games and immediately had a good impact right away in his first game. He's proven to be a very stable, solid guy. He's stopped the shots that he is supposed to stop, and every once in awhile he steals a goal from the opposition. I think that has really kind of generated some excitement from our guys and he's certainly been our most valuable player this year."

NCAA tourney for Thrashers prospects

At 11:30 this morning, the 16-team pool for the NCAA tournament was announced.

Goaltender Alex Kangas' Univ. of Minnesota Golden Gophers grabbed one of the 10 at-large bids will take on Boston College in the Northeast Regional in Worcester, Mass. BC will have the crowd behind them, so it could be a tough atmosphere for the Gophers. If they win, they would play Miami or Air Force. Probably Miami. Kangas was named the MVP of the WCHA Final Five. Here's a story on him published today in the Pioneer Press.

North Dakota (Rylan Kaip, Andrew Kozek, Michael Forney) won the WCHA and thus got one of four No. 1 seeds. They will play Princeton in the Midwest Regional in Madison, Wisconsin. Princeton has been hot lately, so this may be a tough one. If UND advances, they have to face either Denver or Wisconsin (likely Denver) and that won't be any easier. Denver is of course the team of freshman Jesse Martin, a Thrashers 2006 draft pick.

Defending champs Michigan State are a third seed in the West Regional and must face Colorado College. Here's the full bracket.

The Frozen Four will be held Apr. 10-12 in Denver, Colorado.

Thrashers prospects YouTube clips -- college

This is a series of posts I've been meaning to do for a while but things kept coming up. Below are some links to YouTube videos that highlight some Thrashers collegiate prospects. Other leagues will follow in a few days.

We begin with North Dakota's Rylan Kaip's January fight against Trevor Bruess (Minnesota State). Kaip is #17 in green. He almost strips Bruess -- that's one way to do it. And here he is penalty killing. If someone makes a YouTube video of you penalty killing, you know you're doing a good job at it. Or you have a lot of friends I guess.

Alex Kangas had his own run-in with Bruess, when Bruess recently scored a game-winner on him and the celebration almost mauled him. The officials rescue him.

Andrew Kozek is a goal scorer, so naturally there's video of him. Here are three goals: against Bemidji State, vs. DU, and vs. AK Anchorage. He's #10 in white. Dang T.J. Oshie is good.

Here's Jesse Martin with a scoring chance. He's #12 in red, taking the shot.

Matt Siddall was involved in a melee back in December, here you can see him wailing on Jordan Foote of MTU. Siddall succeeds in stripping him and Foote actually leaves the ice with no pads or sweater at all. This one is entertaining even if you don't know who the players are.

There's no individual videos of John Albert, but here's a CCHA All-Access program on OSU hockey. You see Albert on the bench, he's white No. 15. You definitely get an idea about his coach though.

Top NCAA hockey free agents 2008 --> NHL/AHL/ECHL

Lots of people are looking around for names of free agent (non-drafted) college players who are about to turn pro. This will be a running post -- names and information will be added over the next few weeks. I'm no expert on this, mind you, but I want to know this information and if you can't find what you're looking to read, write it yourself I guess. Did someone say that before? If not, I'll claim it. It sounds good.

Peter Mannino, G - Successful goaltender for DU, finishing his senior year. Here's a feature article on him to get you started.

Mike Radja, F - Senior forward for Univ. of New Hampshire. Here's some info on him. More interesting reading is the elevator cage match against UND's T.J. Oshie earlier this year that got him suspended. Nice.

Ryan Duncan, F -- Last year's Hobey Baker winner, a lot of people thought he'd turn pro last year, but he has a chance at a national championship with North Dakota so who would question that.

Bryan Marshall, F -- Senior forward out of UNO (That's Nebraska-Omaha, former home of Nashville's goaltender Dan Ellis). He finished third in points per game in the nation this year. Here's a story published just yesterday about him. He's been out with a knee injury but is nearly ready to return.

Mike Moore, D -- Princeton defender who can score and hit, majoring in mechanical and aerospace engineering. The guy doesn't mess around.

Mike Brennan, D -- Boston College. Here's his profile.

I'll add more names in a few days. More and more underclassmen are turning pro early, but it's harder to predict who will make the jump.

Here's one who might:
Michael-Lee Teslak, G -- Michigan Tech goalie. Here's his profile.
Edit: Teslak has joined the Flyers organization.

Jack Hillen, D -- He led defensemen nationwide in points per game with .95 as a senior with Colorado College. He's very good at golf, so a southern destination may be appealing. He looks kind of like Mark Popovic. Profile here.

Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, G -- He led the nation in GAA this year with a 1.65 playing for North Dakota. The downside: he's only 5'8. He'll get a chance to play pro, but his NHL potential is probably limited. Top-10 Hobey Baker Finalist this year.

Simon Lambert, F -- This senior out of RIT was named a Top-10 Hobey Baker Finalist this year. The team captain led the AHA in scoring, and his 51 points in 37 games are tied for third in the nation. (Edit to add: He signed with ECHL Victoria on Mar. 26).

David Leggio, G -- Senior out of Clarkson. Profile here.

Eric Ehn, F -- Profile with a photo of him in uniform -- Air Force uniform. He's only 5'9 and there's some question on whether he owes time to the Air Force on duty as well.

Brett Wilson, F -- Junior out of Princeton. Profile here. Looks more like a coach than a player.

Lee Jubinville, F -- Another junior out of Princeton. Jubinville is 5'10.

Playoff outlook for Thrashers prospects (NCAA, CHL, Europe)

I'll start with the CHL since it's more straightforward.

The WHL regular season ends this Sunday. Riley Holzapfel's Moose Jaw Warriors are 8th in the WHL's Eastern Conference, and will likely match up against Paul Postma's 1st place Calgary Hitmen in a seven-game playoff series. So one of the two of them would be done early, and I'd have to guess Holzapfel based on the standings. Joining the Chicago Wolves would give him a nice taste of pro hockey as he heads into next year though.

Spencer Machacek's Vancouver Giants are 2nd in the WHL's Western Conference. They of course went on to win the Memorial Cup last year. Angelo Esposito's Quebec Remparts are 4th in the QMJHL's Telus Division. Arturs Kulda's Peterborough Petes are 8th in the OHL's Eastern Conference. An early exit by them could have Kulda joining the Wolves. It's not unheard of for a player with junior eligibility remaining to play a few AHL games in the spring either (and then return to junior the next year), so Esposito could conceivably do that, but it's unlikely given Chicago's depth.

The NCAA is more of a mess. The regular season is done and we're now in conference championships. But what teams really want to do is be invited to the national tournament, a la basketball's March Madness. These invites are based on rankings -- strength of schedule and the like. Here's a link to USCHO.com's PairWise rankings and latest bracketology where they guess the match-ups. It gives you a good idea of who will be invited. The league champions each get an automatic bid, even the struggling CHA. The writer predicts that 7 WCHA teams -- generally agreed to be the strongest conference and the one where more NHL prospects play -- will make the tournament.

The WCHA's Univ. of North Dakota is tied for fourth in the pairwise rankings. UND is the team of three Thrashers prospects -- Rylan Kaip, Andrew Kozek and Michael Forney. They are a talented and gritty team -- the stuff that could take them all the way. They do indeed, as they say, put the fight in Fighting Sioux. Denver, ranked 6th, is home to freshman Jesse Martin. By the way, if anyone can explain to me why Denver goes by "DU," yet the official name of the school is University of Denver, do tell. Seems to me like it ought to be UD. And finally, for all its struggles, the Univ. of Minnesota is ranked 12th and will probably just make the tourney. Goaltender Alex Kangas is their starting goaltender as a freshman.

In the CCHA, John Albert and Ohio State finished next to last in the regular season standings and have already been put out of their misery. Last place was Western Michigan, a school you almost never hear about anymore. Matt Siddall is at Northern Michigan and they finished 6th in the CCHA.

In Europe, Jonas Enlund had a great start to his playoff career with Tappara Tampere in the Finnish league the other night -- he turned game 1 around and scored both goals in a 2-1 win vs. JypHT in the quarterfinals. Also in Finland, Miikka Tuomainen's team Lukko Rauma is out, losing in the "pre-playoffs." Andrei Zubarev is not playing at the moment but his Russian Super League team Kazan Ak Bars won the first round and is now playing CSKA in the quarterfinals. Kazan is one of the favorites for the league title.

Finally, I have to share something funny I read today:

. Vancouver comic Torben Rolfsen, on University of Moncton hockey player Josianne Bisaillon being suspended for an entire year after she punched a female linesman three times in the face: "Great; this totally screws up my Atlantic University Sports women's hockey fantasy league team.''

Another NCAA player turning pro midseason makes this a trend

A trend I've been following here on the blog is NCAA players jumping to the pros midseason. The latest NCAA player to turn pro this year was an unlikely one, Les Reaney of Niagara University. Here's a collegehockeynews.com article on it.

As if it wasn't enough that Kyle Okposo and Brock Trotter made unprecedented mid-season moves from college teams to NHL contracts, a player from Niagara of all places added to that list.

Last week, Les Reaney, the CHA Freshman of the Year two seasons ago, up and left to sign a pro deal with the [Springfield Falcons].

In Okposo's case, he was courted, controversially, by the team that once drafted him highly in the first round, the New York Islanders. In Trotter's case, he was actually dismissed from the university, forcing his hand.

But Les Reaney? After being a healthy scratch in two games leading up to his departure, he just decided to shop himself around and leave.

The article above, and many others, say he signed with Edmonton, but that's not really the case. He was signed by Edmonton's AHL affiliate, the Springfield Falcons. Edmonton loves to use the language that they sign guys to minor league deals, but that's not a transaction NHL teams can make. Reaney's not really good enough to get an NHL deal anyway. (Reaney has not yet played any pro games. One source said he was assigned to Stockton last week, but he's not on that roster as of now. A situation to watch.)

Kevin Quick was the third player to sign mid-season, having been kicked out of Michigan for committing fraud and identity theft, on a teammate no less. A Tampa pick, he was signed to a Norfolk contract. He's played just three games.

So, we have two players who were kicked out signing pro, and two players who left in good standing. It's nearly the end of the college hockey season, so that will probably be the end of it for this year, but again keep an eye on this trend and the NCAA's relationship with the NHL.