About Stuart McDonald

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So far Stuart McDonald has created 27 blog entries.

Escape from Nashville – Mark Dekanich

By |2015-07-24T09:13:41-04:00September 10th, 2011|The Journey|

dekanich

 

Last season, Mark Dekanich was just another excellent goalie in the goaltending factory that is the Nashville Predators. For some reason the Predators seem to consistently produce excellent goaltenders. Tomas Vokoun (acquired through expansion), Chris Mason, Dan Ellis, Pekka Rinne and Anders Lindback have all thrived in the "Volunteer" State. Dekanich looked like he was another candidate to get lost in the Nashville shuffle, but Group six free agency allowed him to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. Group six free agency occurs for goalies when they have reached age 25, have 3 accrued years of professional experience, and whose contracts have expired, but have played fewer than 28 NHL games. Columbus signed Dekanich to a one-year, one-way, $575,000 contract on July 1st 2011, giving him a chance to prove himself in the NHL next season.

 

Prospects Update

By |2015-07-24T10:50:33-04:00October 25th, 2009|The Journey|

Demers

 

My Aunt Betty called me from Long Island and told me to write about Mike Del Zotto because he's so good. If my Aunt Betty knows about Mike Del Zotto then so does everyone in your pool and that is not why I'm here. I'm here to write about prospects that are off the radar and can give you an advantage in your pool. I'm here to tell you about prospects like Jason Demers and to tell you that he's the real deal.

 

DobberHockey Top 10 prospects – pre-season update

By |2015-07-24T10:51:25-04:00September 26th, 2009|The Journey|

Filatov

 

Taking nine players from the DobberHockey Top 10 Prospects list, and tossing in goalie Simeon Varlamov...let's take a look at how camp is progressing.


1) John Tavares - New York Islanders


He has only played two pre-season games but Tavares has a long way to go. He appears lost on the ice at times and although he clearly belongs in the NHL, he is not close to his upside as a first-line center. He has scored one routine assist in two games. It's very early but it looks like it's going to take some time for him to adapt. Expect a season similar to Steve Stamkos' rookie campaign. Tavares' Calder chances will depend on how quickly he adapts to the NHL game and how often he scores once he does. Tavares is handicapped terribly with an incredible lack of offensive support. Tavares should score at least 45 points.  

AHL to NHL: The Transition

By |2015-07-24T10:51:53-04:00September 5th, 2009|The Journey|

purcell

 

Over the last half decade most teams have developed a three season program for transitioning their AHL scoring stars to NHL top-six forwards. It's a fairly simple formula but it's amazingly consistent.

Once a player proves they can score at the AHL level, usually among the top-20 scorers, the team will sign the player to a two-way contract. This second, transition year gives teams a chance to get a better read on a player's development. It can mean anywhere between six to sixty NHL games, but almost always sees the player contribute in both leagues. The final year is the one-way contract year, where the player gets every opportunity to crack the top-six and produce in the NHL.

 

The Next Great American Defenseman.

By |2015-07-24T10:52:19-04:00August 15th, 2009|The Journey|

Carlson


The United States has made major inroads into hockey since the 1980 gold medal win at Lake Placid. Despite producing some talented players, they haven't produced at a level high enough to warrant much individual NHL hardware in most areas. Brett Hull won the Hart in 1991, Tom Barrasso won the Vezina in 1984 and John Vanbiesbrouck won the Vezina in 1986.

This lack of hardware doesn't apply to the Norris Trophy. Since Rod Langway won back-to-back Norris Trophies in 1983 and 1984, Americans have won the Norris seven times in 24 seasons. Led by Chris Chelios and Brian Leetch, the US has consistently produced elite level defensemen and has consistently captured the hardware to prove it.

Norris trophies aside, Americans have produced defensemen of quality since the early 80's. Another American, Mark Howe, was Norris runner-up three times. Both Gary Suter and Bryan Berard won Calder trophies.

 

Great Expectations

By |2015-07-24T10:52:39-04:00August 1st, 2009|The Journey|

Max Pacioretty

 

 

The Canadiens need prospect Max Pacioretty to thrive in order to compete this season. With a first line of Mike Cammalleri, Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta averaging 5'10, 185 pounds and a potential second line of Tomas Plekanec between Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn averaging 5'11, 195 pounds, the Montreal Canadiens badly need some size up front.

 

Under the Radar – Marc-Andre Gragnani

By |2015-07-24T10:53:00-04:00July 11th, 2009|The Journey|

Gragnani

 

The Buffalo Sabres have one of the deepest pipelines of skilled defensemen in the NHL. From NHL stalwarts, Henrik Tallinder, Toni Lydman, Nathan Paetsch and Andrej Sekera to prospects Chris Butler, Tyler Myers, T.J. Brennan, Drew Schiestel, Dennis Persson, Alex Biega and Vyateslav Buravchikov, the Sabres defensive depth is immense. Despite the abundant skill, none of these prospects has the offensive upside of Marc-Andre Gragnani.

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