former players

[UND95]

Here is an article I came across while surfing about Hrkac

http://www.theahl.com/AHL/OnTheBeat/2004/12/08/773752.html

[fargosioux]

Bochenski - 2G, 1A, including GWG in OT over Syracuse

[redwing77]

Bochenski - 2G, 1A, including GWG in OT over Syracuse

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Karl can't win every game... Good job Bo! Just wish it had been Leclaire you lit up!

[schmidtdoggydog]

From this week's minnesota hockey journal:

Former UND and Wild defenseman Travis Roche is ranked as the second best defenseman in the AHL, statistically, this season. He has 7 goals and 15 assists in 27 games for the Chicago Wolves. He also has a league-best +13 rating amongst defensemen and that's good enough for third in the league overall.

[schmidtdoggydog]

Parise article:

A surprising treat

NHL lockout lets Rats fans see start of something big

By MATT GRAVES, Staff writer

First published: Wednesday, December 22, 2004

ALBANY -- Fans of the Albany River Rats can thank the National Hockey League lockout for at least one residual benefit -- the otherwise lost opportunity to see Zach Parise perform in a setting he likely would never have known.

New Jersey's first-round draft choice in 2003 almost certainly would be playing this season with the Devils, but instead has given Capital Region fans an extended tour of the vast hockey skills that convinced him to leave college after a distinguished two-year stint at North Dakota.

Parise, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound center and son of former NHL grinder J.P. Parise, acknowledges some disappointment about a lost chance to make the Devils' roster, but said he regards a season in the American League as a bonus in his professional development.

"I think it's worked out for the best to get adjusted to the lifestyle and the style of play," said the 20-year-old Parise, the league's top rookie scorer. "It's not the NHL, but it's still a lot tougher than what I would be playing in college. It's a good way to kind of ease into things, and then when things get resolved it may be a different story. Players from here will be going up there, but until that happens, this is a good place for me to be."

Parise's father is the director of hockey at Shattuck-St. Mary's Prep School in Minnesota, where Zach put up Wayne Gretzky-like numbers (340 points in 146 games over two seasons). J.P. Parise said he talks to his son nearly every day and tries to keep him focused despite the River Rats' recent struggles.

"I tell him that in a perfect world of hockey, your team is winning and you're making a contribution," said J.P. Parise, who played 14 years in the NHL. "One of them is missing right now, and it's tough for him to deal with that. I just tell him to play smart, keep working hard and making plays."

River Rats defenseman David Hale, Parise's college teammate when he was a junior and Parise was a freshman, knows what it takes to play in the NHL without any AHL experience. He and fellow defenseman Paul Martin both joined the Devils as first-year pros last season. Hale and rookie Aaron Voros room with Parise.

"I think the type of player he is on the ice surprises some players due to the fact that -- let's face it -- he's a smaller guy, but his aggressiveness makes up for that," Hale said. "I'm not surprised. He's got the type of character that I'm sure whatever he does and wherever he goes, he's going to excel."

Hale said he was thrilled that Devils GM Lou Lamoriello kept him after camp last season, but that he sees the benefit of AHL experience.

"I never got a chance to kind of ease into it," Hale said. "He's playing here against guys who have played in the NHL and he's playing against guys who could play in the NHL, so I think it's a good stepping stone for him."

Dean McAmmond, the most experienced NHL veteran on the Rats' roster, has played on lines and special teams with Parise.

"When I first got here, I heard he was a great player," said McAmmond, 31, who's traded checks with some of the best players of his generation. "He had a lot of billing to live up to, but I think he's done fine. He's definitely got skills and he's got a good sense of the game as far as adapting to systems. His work ethic is excellent. On the ice he's tenacious, on the puck a lot. He plays physical, not scared, and he's only 5-11, maybe 185. He's not afraid to go in the corners and battle. I have no doubt that he can play up there, whether it's today or tomorrow."

Parise, feared by collegiate opponents for his speed and ability to find goal-ready teammates on the ice, logged 67 assists in 76 collegiate games. He became an international star when he was named most valuable player in the 2004 World Junior Championships. He had five goals and six assists in six games to lead the U.S. team to the title.

"I've always been more of a set-up guy than a goal-scorer," said Parise, a Minneapolis native whose brother, Jordie, is North Dakota's goalie. "I've had a little cold streak lately (one goal in his past 10 games). I've been hitting a lot of posts, but that all balances out at the end of the year. I've always had more assists than goals, so I'm not worried one bit about that. The goals will come."

Parise has five goals and leads the Rats in scoring with 22 points.

"He's progressing very well," coach Robbie Ftorek said. "He's got some things he's got to learn to adapt to from the college game to this game, and he works at it. I think sometimes it's not happening as quickly as he wants it to so it can be a little frustrating, but that's part of the process. We're not winning the way he's used to winning. He realizes that it's going to come, and he's really doing fine."

"The game is starting to slow down a lot for me, I've noticed in the last few games," said Parise, who had four assists in a game Dec. 8 against Providence. "I'm seeing things a lot better on the ice, a little more clearly. As the season goes on, I think it's going to keep going up more for me. I've been happy with the progress lately."

Parise is far more skilled than his father was, but they share the same hard-working ethic and desire.

"Zach has much better hands and vision than I ever had," said J.P. Parise, who laughed when asked to compare father and son. "I stayed in the NHL because I was a hard worker. I tell Zach that one thing you can control is being the hardest worker on the team."

Ftorek compares Zach Parise with a former River Rat who's gone on to a successful career in the NHL.

"He's a Stevie Sullivan type -- excitement all the time, gives you 100 percent effort all the time," said Ftorek, who had Sullivan on his Calder Cup championship team in 1994-95. "You know every time he gets out there something can happen, and that's excitement."

Ftorek also said the AHL experience should help Parise.

"I think it's a great thing for him because it's more difficult to play here" than in the NHL, Ftorek said. "I'd like him to stop and start a little bit more, be more patient with the puck, but he's going to be a heck of a player. It's a great thing for him to learn this part of the game."

And a bonus for River Rats fans to see it.

[redwing77]

From this week's minnesota hockey journal:

Former UND and Wild defenseman Travis Roche is ranked as the second best defenseman in the AHL, statistically, this season.  He has 7 goals and 15 assists in 27 games for the Chicago Wolves.  He also has a league-best +13 rating amongst defensemen and that's good enough for third in the league overall.

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Sorry Wild fans, but I hope Tavis comes back in the NHL (if and when it starts up again) and severely puts the hurting on the Wild.

In any case, my Roche's success be burned in the retinas of the wretched that call themselves the Minnesota Wild.

No, the Wild are not my favorite team. In fact, I consider them one of the trifecta from hell with the other two being St. Louis and Colorado.

[sagard]

[redwing77]

[schmidtdoggydog]

From hockeysfuture.com. Bo ranked as the Sens 6th best prospect, all positions considered.

Brandon Bochenski (LW)

[redwing77]

From hockeysfuture.com.  Bo ranked as the Sens 6th best prospect, all positions considered.

Brandon Bochenski (LW)

[ScottM]

Here's a little ink off Yahoo about Parise and Vanek.

Zach Parise, the son of 1972 Summit Series player J.P. Parise, is the leading point-getter among AHL rookies with 26 (5-21) for the Albany River Rats.

Parise, 20, was New Jersey's first pick, 17th overall, in the 2003 NHL entry draft out of the University of North Dakota.

"Zach has great energy, he's a great skater and he sees the ice very well," says coach Robbie Ftorek. "He just has to be a little more patient.

"The college game is fast and quick, and I find Zach forcing some things instead of taking his time."

More than a few NHL teams are going to regret passing on this five-foot-11 digger. Parise's attitude is top-notch, says Ftorek.

"He's been doing very, very well but he can do better, and we're sure that he will," adds Ftorek.

-

Thomas Vanek is the leading rookie goal scorer with 15 for the Rochester Americans.

Vanek, 20, was Buffalo's first pick, fifth overall, in the 2003 draft. The six-foot-two left-winger from Austria starred at the University of Minnesota.

-

Rochester is the AHL's hottest team with seven consecutive wins and a 19-3-1-2 record since Nov. 1.

[NorthDakotaHockey]

There must not be any Krispy Kreme outlets in Rochester.

Never did like Vanek. Unless he has had a huge

change in heart and focus, here's saying that

he'll never make it in the NHL unless, of course,

the owners bust the union.

[redwing77]

There must not be any  Krispy Kreme outlets in Rochester.

Never did like Vanek.  Unless he has had a huge

change in heart and focus, here's saying that

he'll never make it in the  NHL unless, of course,

the owners bust the union.

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Actually, I think Vanek did have a huge change of heart. Why? Because the Rochester coach had the cohones to do something even Lucia didn't have the guts to do: Benching Vanek. Vanek was benched and, since then, he has scored 14 goals apparently.

I still dislike Vanek, but I never really had a problem with him while on offense.

[redwing77]

Maybe this is my disgust for the Wild organization speaking but listen to this:

Travis Roche's 7G 16A 23P is only good for 5th on Chicago in points...

The neat thing is that it would only be good enough on Houston TO LEAD THE TEAM IN POINTS!

HA!

I'm sure the Wild front office isn't losing any sleep over this, but it sure makes me feel good.

Oh yeah, Houston is good enough for 4th place right now... Chicago is only first place.

:sigh: That being said... GO TRAVIS!

In other news, Karl's W-L record isn't so hot (6-8-2) but he has played in 2 more games than LeClaire. Not a ringing endorsement, but at least he's doing alright.

Wish I could say the same for Panzer. Not nearly having the offensive year this year at 3-2-5 in 21 games. Is/Has he been injured or has he just not been seeing too much of the ice?

Zach is doing good as usual and Bo isn't doing too shabby either.

Meanwhile Lee Goren's 16-14-30 in 31 games is good enough for third best on Manitoba.

Jeff Ulmer is 5th in points on Hershey.

Nick Naumenko hasn't seen a lot of action. 10 games where he is 1-4-5.

Ryan Bayda is a very distant 6th place on Lowell in points scored. In fact, he'd better watch out, because Mike Commodore is only 4 points behind him!

Tony Hrkac is doing alright at 7th on Milwaukee in points scored.

Honorable Metion: Jason Ulmer has a goal and an assist for Portland through 28 games. Bryan Lundbohm has only played 6 games for Grand Rapids/Milwaukee and hasn't scored a point yet.

That's all for now. I'll work on the ECHL tommorrow.

All of this comes from ESPN.com

[PCM]

Wish I could say the same for Panzer.  Not nearly having the offensive year this year at 3-2-5 in 21 games.  Is/Has he been injured or has he just not been seeing too much of the ice?

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Jeff Panzer had a knee injury similar to Brady Murray's and was out for three weeks or so.

[redwing77]

Ok. Here's the ECHL Update:

Jason Notermann is doing VERY well. He is currently second on Atlantic City in points scored. He would be third if Derek Edwardson hadn't been taken off the roster (I think called up to the AHL).

Not a Sioux, but GF Native Jake Moreland is doing exceptionally well for Atlantic City as well. 18-4 with a 2.17 GAA and a .933 Save%

Chris Leinweber hasn't played much (8 games) and hasn't scored a point with Johnstown. He has a -2 +/- as well.

Kevin Spiewak is 8th on South Carolina with 5g-4a-9p in 17 games. He is also a -1 +/-

David Lundbohm and Tim O'Connell are 7th and 8th respectively in points scored for the Florida Everblades. David is a +2 and Tim a +12 in +/-

Apparently, that's the extent of Sioux players currently in the ECHL.

I admit that I do miss a few players here and there, like I didn't notice DeFauw's name in either the AHL or ECHL. Did he go overseas?

[schmidtdoggydog]

like I didn't notice DeFauw's name in either the AHL or ECHL.  Did he go overseas?

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Last I heard, yes!

[redwing77]

Just for kicks I looked up the Central Hockey League (hey, I'm bored) and brought up their top scorers stats page. Here's what I've found:

Bryan Lundbohm, who plays for Ft. Worth, is tied for 19th in the CHL with 30 points.

Aaron Schneekloth has 14 points, all assists for New Mexico.

Chad Mazurak has 8 points for the Wichita Thunder

And that's it.

[dagies]

Ok.  Here's the ECHL Update:

Jason Notermann is doing VERY well.  He is currently second on Atlantic City in points scored.  He would be third if Derek Edwardson hadn't been taken off the roster (I think called up to the AHL).

Not a Sioux, but GF Native Jake Moreland is doing exceptionally well for Atlantic City as well.  18-4 with a 2.17 GAA and a .933 Save%

Chris Leinweber hasn't played much (8 games) and hasn't scored a point with Johnstown.  He has a -2 +/- as well.

Kevin Spiewak is 8th on South Carolina with 5g-4a-9p in 17 games.  He is also a -1 +/-

David Lundbohm and Tim O'Connell are 7th and 8th respectively in points scored for the Florida Everblades.  David is a +2 and Tim a +12 in +/-

Apparently, that's the extent of Sioux players currently in the ECHL. 

I admit that I do miss a few players here and there, like I didn't notice DeFauw's name in either the AHL or ECHL.  Did he go overseas?

Spiewak had an injured foot and missed several games. Not sure if he's back on the ice yet or not.

[jbvollmer]

Just for kicks I looked up the Central Hockey League (hey, I'm bored) and brought up their top scorers stats page. 

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Not bored..... just starved for hockey. When I was in Toronto in November, the paper stated that the A hockey teams in cities like London are drawing 9-10K per night. Same here in STL. The River Otters are pulling in probably double of what they did last year. Hell, my son's PeeWee team attendence numbers are even up

One other note: The players aren't fairing much better. My son had Barrett Jackman on the ice with him tonight, working with the his team's defensemen. Jackman and my son's coach(s) are friends, so Barrett has been coming out and helping once in a while (he doesn't have much else going on right now). Plus Al McInnis is coaching his son's AAA team, former Blues tough-guys Tony Twist and Todd Ewen are coaching their son's PeeWee teams as well.

Former Sioux goalie Aaron Vickar helped our association out during tryouts this year as well (plus he brought in his championship ring for all to see!!!) All of these guys are very approachable at the rink and truly care about the future of hockey.

More reasons why hockey players are the best guys in professional sports

[Smoggy]

Just watched Panzer score a goal for the Crunch. The commentators talked about how Dean probably was the driving force to getting him in the organization. They also talked about how Panzer is quite good despite his size.

The game is on DirecTV channel 637 for those with sports pack.

[CVCL]

Spiewak had an injured foot and missed several games. Not sure if he's back on the ice yet or not.

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[AZSIOUX]

AHL.. jan 11th

jeff panzer scores only goal in 1-0 win for syracuse vs cleveland

brandon bochenski had 1 goal and 1 assist for binghamton in 4-2 win over phila.

jeff ulmer had 1 assist for ershey in 3-2 win over norfolk

jan 10th

lee goren had 1 goal and 1 assist for manitoba in a 6-3 win over san antonio.

lee goren is 21st in the AHL in scoring with 34 points

zach parise and brandon bochenski are tied for the rookie scoring lead in the AHL with 28 points each. thomas vanek is in 3rd with 25 points

[defensivend]

Here's a good article on Tim O'Connell I thought his stats were interesting.

Date : 1/12/2005

Subject : O

[AZSIOUX]

FRI JAN 14TH AHL....

brandon bochenski (bing) 1 goal, 1 assist in binghamton 4-3 win over wilkes- scranton

jef panzer 2 assists for syracuse in 6-4 loss to cleveland, karl goehring (syr) takes the loss stopping 23 of 28 shots

tony hrkac (milw) 2 goals in 5-2 win over chicago. travis roche (chic) 1 goal in loss.

BOCHENSKI 30 POINTS - PARISE 28 POINTS IN ROOKIE SCORING RACE. BOCHENSKI HAS PLAYED 1 MORE GAME THEN PARISE....