Category Archives: Miami Alumni
RedHawks and Redskins Hockey Alumni
>Boyle Ranked Top Fantasy Defenseman
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For you fantasy hockey guru’s out there, Dan Boyle has been ranked the top defenseman to select on fantasy draft day. Here is the assessment of the former RedHawk blue liner:
What’s this? Brian Campbell is leaving for big money in Chicago? No problem! GM Doug Wilson brought in somebody even better. Personally, I can’t wait to watch this stud offensive defenseman light up the West in teal and black. A freak wrist injury marred his 2007-08, one season after he scored 20 goals for the first time and had career-highs in assists (43) and points (63). Since 2005-06, Boyle is tied for sixth among all defensemen in goals (39), 18 of those on the power play.
2007-08: 37 games, 4-21-25 (9-47-56 prorated for 82 games; with Tampa Bay) 2008-09 projection: 23-52-75
To see the rest of the defensemen, ranked 2-75, click click here.
>Hockey’s Future Features RedHawk Skaters
>Over on Hockey’s Future, they’re in the process of compiling each organization’s Top Twenty Prospects. Former RedHawks Jeff Zatkoff and Alec Martinez were ranked 12th and 15th, respectively in the LA Kings Top Twenty, while Freshman defenseman Will Weber was rated the 14th best prospect in the Columbus Blue Jackets franchise. Here are a few snippets from each:
Los Angeles Kings
12. Jeff Zatkoff, Goaltender
Jonathan Bernier is not the only goaltender in the Kings system with legitimate NHL starting potential. Zatkoff left college hockey early, signing an entry-level contract during the offseason. With Bernier and Jonathan Quick already in the system, it will be tough for Zatkoff to find significant playing time. But the Kings were high enough on Zatkoff to bring him into the already packed minor league system to begin his training under the watchful eyes of the Kings coaching staff. He does not have the future franchise goaltender tag that Bernier has, but can be a solid and steady No. 1 goaltender in the right situation. He will spend a couple of seasons in the minor leagues before he can be expected to see meaningful minutes in the NHL, whether with Los Angeles or with another organization. If both Bernier and Zatkoff develop to their full potential, the Kings will have a valuable trading chip in Zatkoff that they can use to fill any hole in their roster in future years. Or, if Bernier falters, Zatkoff is a good insurance policy to have..
You can read JZ’s profile analysis by clicking here.
15. Alec Martinez, Defenseman
With no graduations from these rankings, it stands to reason that most prospects would drop a couple of spots as new faces from the 2008 Entry Draft are added. But Martinez is one of the few prospects who actually moves up after an outstanding season with Miami University. He demonstrated enough skill and maturity last season to seriously be considered a viable candidate to join Los Angeles as early as this season. Martinez is a two-way defenseman with respectable enough skating ability to keep pace with the forwards at the NHL level. He does not have as high of a ceiling as the first three defensemen on this list, but like Harrold, can be serviceable enough at the NHL level. If he does not join Los Angeles to start the season, he will likely take the spot in Manchester vacated by Harrold’s promotion to the Kings.
This link showcases Alec’s prospect profile.
Columbus Blue Jackets
14. Will Weber, Defenseman
Weber has all the physical tools to become a very good NHL defenseman, but he is extremely raw. He has strong skating, has a good build for an NHL defenseman at 6’4, 205, and he has a good shot.
The big Michigan product had an up and down season last year with the Steel and did not stand out overall as one of the better defensemen on his team. He had a total of 18 points in 46 games. He is committed to play at Miami University and will need a few years there to mold himself into a premier quality, polished defenseman.
View Will’s profile, click here.
These really are very good reads. I strongly encourage you to check them out. I’ll have these permanently linked in the upper right corner of the page, for future reference.
>Monday Tidbits
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NHL.com has a great series of team by team previews for the upcoming 2008-2009 season. As you may expect, Nashville has a great bit about Ryan Jones. Enjoy!
Knowing that (Alexander Radulov’s NHL status), Predators Head Coach Barry Trotz said he’s banking on a pair of youngsters to make a significant jump into the top six, even though both Patric Hornqvist and Ryan Jones have yet to play a NHL game. As for Jones, who came to Nashville in a trade from Minnesota, Trotz said he has seen and heard enough to know he’s ready for the NHL.
“Talking to our scouts and scouts from other teams, everybody seems to think this guy is the most ready college player,” Trotz said. “We want to see him in the second hole, but if not he’ll play in a third- or fourth-line role.”
Jones, 24, recorded 147 points in 161 games over four seasons at Miami University.
If you’re interested in checking out any other of the “Miami alum” teams, you can follow these links:
Los Angeles Kings (Jeff Zatkoff, Alec Martinez)
>Cooper Signs With Marlies
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The Toronto Marlies have announced the signing of former RedHawk forward Joe Cooper. Here’s the excerpt from the official press release:
Cooper played five games with the Columbia Inferno last season, registering 12 penalty minutes. The 6’0, 200-pound defenceman skated in three games for Columbia in the 2008 ECHL playoffs and registered nine penalty minutes. The 23-year-old Toronto native was originally selected in the seventh round, 219th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.
Per club policy, terms were not disclosed.
At Miami, Cooper played in 145 games from 2003-2007, scoring 8 goals and 15 assists and serving as an alternate captain for a small part of his RedHawk career.
I must say I’m pleasantly surprised to see this move. I’ve always viewed Joe Cooper as an ECHL or CHL level talent. If he can draw some minutes with Toronto, then all the better things will be. It’s great for him to get some experience, especially at the AHL level. He’ll bring his tough nosed game to the Ricoh Coliseum night in and night out.
Congratulations Joe!
**On a side note, former UNO Maverick Juha Uotila was also signed by the Toronto Marlies.**
>Jones Featured on Preds TV
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Just a short feature put together by the Nashville Predators about the summer workouts. Some good video of and good sound from Ryan Jones here. Check it out!
>Jones In Nashville, Living With Jason Arnott
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Great article from The City Paper in Nashville about Ryan Jones coming in during the summer to work out and get to know some of the Predators players. Jonesy is apparently living with Jason Arnott and seems to really be fitting in.
Here’s an excerpt; a quote from Jones in the article:
“You are not likely to see me score many goals coming down the side. But, from what I hear, Nashville is looking for somebody who is willing to go to the net and score those garbage goals. I think I fit that profile really well.”
Check out the rest of the article by clicking here.
I for one, am thrilled for Ryan. It really seems that he has a legit shot to make this Nashville team. I’m sure Barry Trotz would rather him spend some time in Milwaukee, but Jones just seems like a natural fit with this Nashville team.
I’ll keep an eye on this story as camp begins in a few weeks.
>Zats and Tino to Play In Kings Rookie Game
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As a part of the rookie camps for each team, the Los Angeles Kings and the Phoenix Coyotes will square off for a series of two rookie games, beginning on September 16, 2008 and concluding the next day, on the 17th. Both games will be held at the Jobing.com Arena, the home barn of the Coyotes, and will feature top rookie prospects from both teams. As you might expect both Jeff Zatkoff (wearing jersey number 35) and Alec Martinez (wearing 53) are currently slated to participate in the exhibition series for the Kings.
On a side note, both Kevin Porter and Chad Kolarik will be participating for the Coyotes.
You can watch the first of these two games (again, September 16) on the web, by visiting the LA Kings Official Site. The game is scheduled to begin at 6pm PDT, so depending on where you live, the start time will be different. If you’re reading this in Oxford, you can point your browsers to the King’s page for the live broadcast at 9pm.
>Start the Memorizing…
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The 2008-2009 roster has been posted over at the official athletic website. A few notes:
– Justin Vaive will now wear #22, his dad Rick’s number from his days in the NHL
– Andy Miele will wear number 17 from now on.
– Two Miami players will wear their numbers for the first time in the program’s history. Trent Vogelhuber (13) and Connor Knapp (31) are wearing those jersey numbers for the first time.
Here are the new sweater numbers for the incoming freshman and the last Miami player to wear the number:
4- Will Weber (Brad Robbins, 2004-2008)
5- Cameron Schilling (Charley Fetzer, 2004-2008)
6- Chris Wideman (Jon Saunders, 2003-2005)
13- Trent Vogelhuber (First)
23- Alden Hirschfeld (Andy Greene, 2002-2006)
27- Matt Tomassoni (Justin Vaive, 2007-2008)
30- Cody Reichard (Nick Petraglia, 2001-2004)
31- Connor Knapp (First)
Personally, I don’t think number 17, in honor of Brian Savage, should ever be worn again after Miele leaves, especially since it has been…pseudo-retired. As for number 26, I don’t know about it being officially “retired,” but I think that it should be a year or two before it’s worn again. (Similar to what the Reds have done with numbers 11 and 14).
>Randy Robitaille Headed Overseas
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SF Sport is reporting tonight that MU alum Randy Robitaille has signed with Hockey Club Lugano. HC Lugano is based in Lugano, Switzerland and is one of the more successful hockey clubs in the Swiss National “A” League, having won seven national championships, the last of which, in 2006.
You can view the release from SF sport at this link.
I think, on all accounts, this was a good move for Randy. As we all know, he’s been well traveled in the NHL through his career and, obviously, wanted to continue playing hockey. Considering his age and skill-set in the NHL, this was an outstanding move for Randy, as I for one, would have been surprised if he were signed by a team here in North America.
You can view his team biography by clicking here.
Best of luck to Randy. Hopefully, he’ll find a few more good years with Lugano.
>Effinger Signs With Gladiators
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The Gwinnett Gladiators of the ECHL have announced, today, the signing of goaltender Charlie Effinger. You can view the press release here.
Charlie becomes the first goaltender signed by the Gladiators for the upcoming season. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound netminder posted a perfect 6-0-0 record during his senior season with the RedHawks. He finished the season with a 2.16 GAA and a .912 save percentage in 6 games while posting a 4-0-0 record during CCHA conference play.
Effinger had a career year during his sophomore season appearing in 19 games and ranking first in the CCHA in both goals-against average (1.83) and save percentage (.931). He was also ranked second nationally in both categories. During his sophomore season in 2005-06, Effinger was named the CCHA’s best goaltender and was named to the All-CCHA Second Team while he was honored as Miami’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Effinger became the first RedHawks netminder to earn all-CCHA honors since the 1996-97 season when Trevor Prior, who played for Gwinnett during the 2003-04 season, earned all-CCHA honors.
During his four-year collegiate career, Effinger appeared in 53 games with the RedHawks while posting a 32-12-4 record. He finished with a .912 save percentage and a 2.35 goals against average and two shutouts.
Gwinnett is the ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers.
Best of luck to Charlie!
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