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Tiger Trauma
09-09-2006, 02:11 PM
I bolded the part about russel


Jackets Win Game One of Rookie Tournament
Nyholm scores twice; Knapp scores game winner; CBJ wins 4-2

Traverse City, Mich - Forward Robert Nyholm scored two goals, Phillipe Dupuis added a goal and an assist and former Buckeye Dan Knapp scored the game winner to lead the CBJ rookies to a 4-2 win over the Minnesota Wild rookies in the opening game of the Annual NHL Prospect Tournament.


"It was a good all around team effort," said Director of Amateur Scouting Paul Castron who is attending the tournament in Traverce City, Mich. "The first period the two teams kind of felt each other out.

"We won the game in the second period."

Nyholm scored his first of two goals in the game at 14:39 of the second period. The Wild would then tie the game, as Ryan Hamilton scored on the power play at 8:40. Dupuis and Knapp then scored for Columbus a two-minute span to close the second stanza with CBJ on top, 3-1. Nyholm completed the scoring in the third for CBJ, scoring off assists from Derek Dorsett and Dupuis with less than two minutes remaining.

Minnesota's A.J. Thelen would tack on a power-play goal in the closing seconds. Dan LaCosta started in net for the Jackets, stopping all 14 shots he faced, while 2006 third round pick Steve Mason relieved LaCosta surrendering two power-play goals in 28 minutes of action. Minnesota converted on 2-of-5 power plays, while the Jackets went 1-of-4 as the two teams each had 26 shots.

"Our defense was impressive, especially Kris Russell," Castron said. "Russell was the best player on the ice."

Russell assisted on the first goal of the game after stealing the puck and peppering a shot that Nyholm deflected into the net.

The Jackets wil return to the ice tomorrow for pracitive from 11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m, before facing the prospects of Central Division rival St. Louis at 7:30 p.m.

Tiger Trauma
09-09-2006, 09:24 PM
reading the hf message boards, sounds like Derek Dorsett clobbered Danny Irmen(not sure who he is) in a preseason tilt.

Tiger Trauma
09-09-2006, 10:10 PM
All eyes on Helm
Top prospect stands out in tournament-opening loss ...

By Sarah Lindenau - www.RedWingsCentral.com
September 8, 2006

Darren Helm drew plenty of attention on the opening day of the Detroit Red Wings' prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich.

The 6-foot, 182-pound Medicine Hat Tigers forward centered the Red Wings' top line on Friday night at Center Ice Arena, as the host team opened the annual tournament with a 4-3 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers.

"I was pretty nervous playing on the top line," said Helm afterward. "It seems like there were a few more eyes on me, but I felt I just had to go out there and skate and let things take care of themselves."

Helm's speed and tireless work ethic translated into several quality scoring chances, including one shot that he wired off the post.

Though the 19-year-old didn't register a point in the loss, he was often the most noticeable player on the ice playing alongside skilled Slovenian winger Jan Mursak, another bright spot for the Wings.

Mursak, selected in June's draft, is embarking on his first season in North America with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League.

Despite excellent chemistry between Helm and Mursak, neither youngster was able to net the equalizer in the third period after Atlanta's Brett Sterling scored what stood to be the winner 5:47 into the frame.

"It was a tough loss," said Helm. "(Atlanta) just got a couple of extra breaks, and I thought that was the difference in the game. We played a good team game. (There are) lots of new guys who haven't been to (a Red Wings' camp) before. It was a good game to get under the belt for the rest of camp."

Ryan Keller, Jamie Tardif and Kevin Undershute, all free-agent tryouts, scored in the loss. Defenseman Logan Pyett, drafted this summer, registered two assists, while Jimmy Howard stopped 29 shots in goal.

Helm was drafted in the fourth round of the 2005 draft after being unranked by Central Scouting. He responded last season with a huge campaign, piling up 41 goals and 38 assists for 79 points in 70 games to finish eighth in the Western Hockey League scoring race.

Now at his second NHL camp, Helm now has a chance to be a leader.

"I just (try to) lead by example," he said, of his approach. "I feel like I can be one of those guys who makes a couple of big hits or a (few) big plays down low to get the team going."

Helm is hoping to pick up momentum at training camp in the hopes of having another big year in Medicine Hat. Also on the horizon is the world junior championship in Sweden at Christmas. Helm is a strong candidate for a spot on the Canadian entry at the event.

"I don't like to think about that too much," said Helm. "It's just one more distraction to think about. The less distractions the better."

NOTES: Detroit did not name a captain for this year's tournament, instead going with three alternates: Jakub Kindl, Kyle Quincey and Ryan Oulahen … Stefan Liv and Jonathan Ericsson did not play as the two Swedes only arrived late Thursday night and hadn't had physicals … Ryan Oulahen left midway through the second period and did not return … Pyett flashed his excellent ability to create offense, but also showing he has some work to do in his own zone … Tryout David Jarram dropped the gloves only once, a draw with Scott Lehman. He and 6-foot-6 defenseman Boris Valabik of the Thrashers nearly came to blows on multiple occasions.

PLUS

Darren Helm: The speedy forward didn't score, but his leadership and work ethic was evident on each shift.

Jan Mursak: The Slovenian draft pick displayed shifty moves and was an offensive threat. He also showed he isn't afraid of physical play.

Jamie Tardif: The free-agent tryout showed he is willing to take punishment in front of the net. He was rewarded with a goal.

MINUS

Bretton Stamler: The big rearguard had trouble clearing the defensive zone, particularly in front of Howard.

Justin Donati. Another tryout, Donati showed flashes of his high skill, but he didn't show it on every shift. Consistency will help his contract chances.

Kyle Quincey: A veteran by tournament standards, Quincey had an uncharacteristic bad game against Atlanta.

Tiger Trauma
09-10-2006, 07:23 PM
Tod Button Interview - Part 2

Adam Peddle
August 8th, 2006

Peddle - Gord Baldwin and Matt Pelech are both huge defencemen who play a rugged stay-at-home type.� Watching Pelech he seems to have a lot of Robyn Regehr in him, having seen little of Baldwin what can you tell us about him, and why was one player a first rounder and one a 3rd rounder?� Some have said there is little separating the two at this point in their young careers.

Button - Matt and Gord were both players that as a group we liked. Obviously Matt was seen less than most kids his age his draft year due to injuries. But we felt that we had a good grasp on him through contacts and seeing him as an underage that we were willing to risk taking him with our 1st pick. We had no 2nd pick so either we take him there or we don't get him. As for Gord we identified him early as a player to watch but Medicine Hat had a good top 4 D and Gord didn't get a lot of ice time in some situations so we had to go back and watch them play more than we usually did because we liked him. As the year went on he showed steady improvement and a goalie on his team started to catch our eye as well. So with the lockout on and Medicine Hat an easy ride from Calgary we had many scouts and coaches and our GM get into see them play.� He was a player we weren't sure where he would get drafted but knew we liked him so we stepped up in the 3rd to take him.�

Tiger Trauma
09-12-2006, 01:00 AM
Russell's Game Winner Sends CBJ Rooks To Championship Game
CBJ Rookies to face Atlanta for ChampionshipTuesday at 6 p.m.

Traverse City, Mich - Defenseman Kris Russell scored the game-winner with less than seven minutes remaining and Phillipe Dupuis and rookie camp invite Oliver Labelle also scored to lead the CBJ rookies to a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars rookies in the third game of the Annual NHL Prospect Tournament.


"Russell was outstanding again," said Director of Amateur Scouting Paul Castron who is attending the tournament in Traverce City, Mich. "He has had a great tournament."

2006 Draft pick Steve Mason started in net for the CBJ rookies, surrendering just two goals.

"Steve Mason played excellent in the net," Castron said. "We did a great job of killing off penalties. It was a total team effort, everyone chipped in.

Dupuis scored his second goal of the tournament to put CBJ on the board. Labelle, who is a rookie camp invitee from Acadie-Bathurst of the QMJHL where he plays with CBJ prospect Petr Pohl, scored his first goal of the tournament.

Dallas, however, would knot the score at two apiece in the second period, setting up Russell's heroics.

The Jackets will play in the Championship game vs. Atlanta (3-0) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

Tiger Trauma
09-12-2006, 10:20 PM
I guess dorsett didnt injure a knuckle....or if he did he played through it
Dorsett Info Bolded
Jackets Win Second Straight Rookie Tourney Title
Five Different Jackets Tallied Goals in a 5-1 Win over Atlanta

Traverse City, Mich. - Five different Blue Jackets tallied goals to lead the CBJ rookies to a 5-1 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers rookies in the Championship game of the Annual NHL Prospect Tournament. The win gave Columbus back-to-back championships at the Prospect Tournament.


"We had one of the youngest teams in the tournament," said Director of Amateur Scouting Paul Castron, who attended the tournament in Traverce City, Mich. "It (winning back-to-back tournaments) is a complement to (Director of Scouting) Don Boyd and his staff for the job they do.

"Hopefully some of these guys will play in Columbus down the road."

Petr Pohl, Adam Pineault, Derek Dorsettand Philippe Dupuis scored to give Columbus an insurmountable 4-0 lead over Atlanta after two periods of play.

After a Thrashers score, Ben Wright lit the lamp to account for the final 5-1 count.

Dan LaCosta started in net for the Jackets, earning the win after surrendering just one goal in 60 minutes of play.

"Dan LaCosta was excellent tonight," Castron said. "We had a lot of early penalties and Danny really kept his team in the game with some key saves.

"We really had oustanding goaltending the entire tournament. The team gelled from the get-go and really played well the entire tournament."

Tiger Trauma
09-13-2006, 06:21 PM
From Redwingscentral.com
on thier last rookie camp game

PLUS
Cory Emmerton: The team’s best forward finished with three assists.

Justin Donati: Added two more assists in his push for a contract.

Darren Helm: Scored on a spectacular end-to-end rush and killed penalties.

Jeff May: Rarely shows up on the score-sheet, but is rock-solid defensively.

MINUS

Kevin Undershute: Finally scored, but has been inconsistent.

Bretton Stamler: A step slow on a pairing with Ericsson.

Shawn Matthias: Looked nervous, perhaps trying too hard to impress.

___________

Russel, and Dorsett has made the colombus main camp
Looks like baldwin and keetley have made flames main camp as well, as they havn't been released yet.


Havn't heard anything from phoenix regarding benfield, or schlemko

From the looks of things Helm will make main camp, but undershute may be sent back, as reports say he looks inconsistent at the red wings rookie camp.

Tiger Trauma
09-14-2006, 01:35 PM
Jordan Bendfield has made main camp with phoenix coyotes. It looks like schlemko has been sent back to the tigers, as he was not one of the players mentioned who have made main camp.

It looks like kevin undershute has made red wings main camp:)

Tiger Trauma
09-17-2006, 07:20 PM
Gord Baldwin has been sent back to the tigers on sunday.

Tiger Trauma
09-25-2006, 02:59 PM
Well just did my rounds on the nhl and hf boads.
Colombus cut 9 more players but russel wasn't one of them. The blue jackets still have 12 defenseman in camp. The talk there is they dont see russel making the team, but could possibly keep him as one of the last cuts to reward him with his awesome camp he has had!


The flames sent mCelhinny to omaha. Doesnt mean much however, as i assume the battle for backup within the flames organization might last untill the last day of preseason. If thats true keetley might not come back untill the beggining of october.

grainbear
09-25-2006, 05:11 PM
I can,t believe the Senators , they are going with 2 teams and alternating them for the first 6 exhibition games.Sounds like baseball . I find it unbelievable that it would take them that long to make sound decisions. Maybe that is their problem in the playoffs as well , with no one prepared to make decisions in management at the start of the season it is any wonder why they make such poor team decisons in the playoffs as players .

Tiger Trauma
09-26-2006, 03:33 PM
Columbus cut 8 more players today and again russel wasn't one of them

They have 9 d-men in camp left, including russel

Tiger9
09-27-2006, 04:22 PM
BLUELINERS LOOKING TO SECURE ROSTER SPOTS: The Jackets still have nine defensemen on their roster and will look to trim the roster to seven by opening night. Incumbents Bryan Berard, Adam Foote, Ron Hainsey, Rostislav Klesla and Duvie Westcott have all secured spots while free agent acquisition Anders Eriksson is the leading candidate for the sixth spot on the roster.

The suspension of Klesla for the first two games of the season, as well as Berard still recovering from back surgery has put a wrinkle into that plan, however. Youngsters Kris Russell, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and Aaron Johnson are competing for those minutes.

"It's up in the air right now," head coach Gerard Gallant said. "The young kid Russell is going to get another look. You have Tollefsen and Johnson still fighting for playing time and Eriksson also in the mix.

"We are going to see how things shake out after the exhibition game on Friday night and go from there."

KRIS NOT GETTING CROSSED OFF THE ROSTER: Defenseman Kris Russell, the Jackets' third pick, 67th overall in 2005, has put up quite the challenge to keep a roster spot when camp wraps up this weekend.

"I like the way he skates and the way he moves his feet, he is a skilled kid," Gallant said. "He is not a big guy by any means, but he skates very well and moves the puck very well. The new NHL gives him a chance to play."

Listed at 5-10, 167 lbs, Russell won the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as the WHL Defenseman of the Year and took home the Brad Hornung Trophy as the WHL's Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year in 2005-06, where he scored 14-33-47 in 55 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers.

"Coming into camp, you don't know what's going to happen," Russell said. "I just try and take it day by day. Every day has been a great experience and you just go with it.

Though challenging for a roster spot, Russell still has another year of junior eligibility left.

"Everyone wants to play in the NHL but Medicine Hat has been good to me," he said. "It is a good hockey town and if I had to go back, there would be nothing wrong with that. It would help my development in getting more minutes."