April 2010 Archives

Not much new today regarding the situation of Ducks prospect Kyle Palmieri, but the St. Catherines Standard relays some interesting contents of a conversation with the father of Notre Dame teammate Riley Sheahan.

Sheahan, who was arrested along with Palmieri on Sunday in South Bend, Ind., "would be eligible for a pre-trial diversion program that would require him to complete 40 hours of community service and stay out of trouble with the law for a year, after which charges would not be filed."

Ducks assistant general manager David McNab said that "the organization has definitely looked into [Palmieri's arrest], is on top of it, and has talked to the player." McNab declined further comment because he hasn't personally spoken to Palmieri.

Free-agent forward Brian Lebler became the first Syracuse Crunch player to sign with the AHL club under the affiliation agreement with the Ducks.

The Ducks would like him to become more than just a trivia answer, of course. At 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds, he possesses NHL size. A natural checking-liner, Lebler's offense evolved during a four-year career at the University of Michigan. The Pentincton, B.C. native finished third on the Wolverines with 14 goals as a senior in 2009-10. Lebler also had 10 assists and 59 penalty minutes in 42 games.

In 145 games over four seasons at Michigan  from 2006-10, Lebler compiled 33 goals, 26 assists and 216 penalty minutes. His father, Ed, played hockey at Wisconsin and won an NCAA Championship in 1981.

The status of Ducks prospect Kyle Palmieri, who was booked Sunday for resisting arrest and minor consumption, is still in limbo. According to the South Bend Tribune, Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson is out of town for various meetings and was not able to comment on what will happen to the freshman hockey player.

Palmieri was taken by the Ducks with the 26th overall pick in the 2009 draft.

The news was better for prospect Nicolas Deschamps, whose Moncton Wildcats are set to begin a best-of-seven series against the Saint John Sea Dogs on Friday for the QMJHL championship.

Deschamps, a second-round pick by the Ducks in 2008, finished second in the QMJHL in scoring (39 goals, 96 points) in the regular season.

Ducks prospect Kyle Palmieri has been arrested in South Bend, Indiana, according to the South Bend Tribune.

Citing police reports, the Tribune reports that the 19-year-old Palmieri was arrested after South Bend police officers spotted he and Notre Dame teammate Riley Sheahan standing in the bed of a moving pickup truck about 2:30 a.m.:

Police say Palmieri attempted to run away from an officer, which led to a struggle between the two that included the freshman hockey player grabbing at the officer's Taser. Police said a test showed he had a 0.10 percent blood-alcohol level. He has been charged with two counts of resisting arrest and minor consumption.

A team spokesperson passes along that Ducks right wing Mike Brown had surgery on Friday to repair a torn abdominal muscle, the result of "wear and tear." The surgery was performed by Dr. William Meyers in Philadelphia. Recovery time is expected to be four-to-six weeks.

Brown, 24, had six goals and an assist in 75 games for the Ducks this season, mostly as a fourth-line winger, and did not miss any games due to injury. He also amassed 106 penalty minutes.

The Bakersfield Condors, the Ducks' ECHL affiliate, saw its season come to an end Saturday with a 7-4 loss to Stockton in Game 5 of their Kelly Cup playoff series.

Timo Pielmeier allowed six goals on 33 shots in the loss and finished the playoffs with a 1-2-1 record, 3.39 goals-against average and .892 save percentage in four games. Jean-Phillippe Levasseur went 3-2-1, 2.61 GAA and .914 save percentage.

Kyle Calder, who had two assists Saturday, led the Condors with five goals and 10 points in 10 playoff games. MacGregor Sharp had a goal Saturday to bring his totals to three goals and eight points in 10 games. Ducks prospects Maxime Macenauer, Stu Bickel and Eric Regan also suited up for the Condors in the playoffs (team stats here).

I've never been to a bad parade in Anaheim, and certainly Scott Niedermayer didn't intend to call out the Ducks' Stanley Cup procession when interviewed by the Canadian Press today.

Still, especially with the Ducks out of the playoffs this year, this one has to sting a little:

Niedermayer, the Canadian men's hockey captain whose Anaheim Ducks failed to make the NHL playoffs, has been taking part in the festivities over the past week.

"That's the best parade I've ever been a part of," said the multiple Stanley Cup winner who took part in rallies following cup wins in Anaheim and New Jersey.

From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

Junior wing Rob Bordson, who recently signed with the NHL's Anaheim Ducks, was named the Most Improved Player. He went from zero points in 15 games as a sophomore to 12 goals and 28 assists for 40 points last season.

From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

Junior wing Rob Bordson, who recently signed with the NHL's Anaheim Ducks, was named the Most Improved Player. He went from zero points in 15 games as a sophomore to 12 goals and 28 assists for 40 points last season.

Former Duck Ilya Bryzgalov, along with New Jersey's Martin Brodeur and Buffalo's Ryan Miller, is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy.

In his second season as the Coyotes' starter, Bryzgalov was second in the league in shutouts (8), third in wins (42), sixth in goals-against average (2.29), seventh in starts (69) and eighth in both shots faced (1,961) and saves (1,805). His season included a shutout streak of 137 minutes and 46 seconds which spanned parts of three games from October 12-15. He also bobs his head and sings "What is Love?" from "A Night at the Roxbury."

Bryz was the backup to Jean-Sebastien Giguere for parts of four seasons until Jonas Hiller arrived in Anaheim. His rise to prominence in Phoenix, along with today's announcement that he was among the top three in Vezina voting by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, has led to many retellings of the story of his exodus from Anaheim.

For those wondering how the Ducks could have let Bryzgalov leave for free, here is what we wrote when he was placed on waivers in November, 2007 ...

Former Duck Ilya Bryzgalov, along with New Jersey's Martin Brodeur and Buffalo's Ryan Miller, is a finalist for the Vezina Trophy.

In his second season as the Coyotes' starter, Bryzgalov was second in the league in shutouts (8), third in wins (42), sixth in goals-against average (2.29), seventh in starts (69) and eighth in both shots faced (1,961) and saves (1,805). His season included a shutout streak of 137 minutes and 46 seconds which spanned parts of three games from October 12-15. He also bobs his head and sings "What is Love?" from "A Night at the Roxbury."

Bryz was the backup to Jean-Sebastien Giguere for parts of four seasons until Jonas Hiller arrived in Anaheim. His rise to prominence in Phoenix, along with today's announcement that he was among the top three in Vezina voting by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, has led to many retellings of the story of his exodus from Anaheim.

For those wondering how the Ducks could have let Bryzgalov leave for free, here is what we wrote when he was placed on waivers in November, 2007 ...

Ducks right wing Corey Perry was among the 15 players chosen Friday to compete for Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships, which will be held May 7-23 in Cologne and Mannheim, Germany.

Perry was the lone player chosen from the Canadian Olympic squad that won the gold medal in February.

Consider this a belated, Ducks-related, American Hockey League playoff update.

Since the Ducks do not have an AHL affiliate this year, tracking their prospects' postseason progress is a more haphazard endeavor than usual. Three (Dan Sexton, Brian Salcido and Mat Clark) are with the Manitoba Moose, who tonight lost Game 1 of their seven-game series against the Hamilton Bulldogs. Needless to say, each was held scoreless.

On Wednesday, defenseman Nathan Oystrick had two assists in the Chicago Wolves' 6-5 win over the Milwaukee Admirals in Game 1 of their series. Shawn Weller, playing for the Abbotsford Heat, contributed the second of three goals in a 3-2 win over the Rochester Americans. Heat defenseman Mark Mitera was held scoreless.

The Ducks' ECHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, begin play in the second round of the Kelly Cup playoffs tomorrow against the Stockton Thunder. Kyle Calder, MacGregor Sharp, Ryan Donally, Maxime Macenauer, Matt McCue, Eric Regan, Stu Bickel, Timo Pielmeier and J-P Levasseur are all competing in the series for Bakersfield.

Ducks forward Ryan Carter has been named to the U.S. National Team that will compete at this summer's IIHF World Championships. The 26-year-old native of White Bear Lake, Minnesota has never represented the U.S. in international play. He matched his career highs of four goals and nine points this season in 38 games playing mostly a reserve role for the Ducks.

The preliminary U.S. roster, which includes 12 NHL players, can be downloaded here.

The Ducks will pick 12th when the NHL Entry Draft comes to Staples Center in June, according to the draft order announced Tuesday. The Edmonton Oilers posted the worst record in the NHL this season and drew the first pick, followed by the Boston Bruins (via Toronto), Florida Panthers, Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, Atlanta Thrashers, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, Ducks, Phoenix Coyotes (via Calgary) and St. Louis Blues. The order of the final 16 selections will be determined in the playoffs.

So what should the Ducks do with the pick? Keep in mind, they also will receive the Philadelphia Flyers' first-round pick that was obtained in the Chris Pronger trade, a pick that will be determined based on the Flyers' playoff finish.

Here's a sampling of players drafted 12th the past decade: Calvin De Haan (Islanders, 2009); Tyler Myers (Buffalo, 2008); Ryan McDonagh (Montreal, 2007); Bryan Little (Atlanta, 2006); Marc Staal (Rangers, 2005); A.J. Thelen (Minnesota, 2004); Hugh Jessiman (Rangers, 2003); Steve Eminger (Washington, 2002); Dan Hamhuis (Nashville, 2001); Alexei Smirnov (Ducks, 2000).

The list includes one great player (Myers), some solid players (Little, Staal and Hamhuis) some disappointments (Eminger, Smirnov) two players who have never made the NHL (Jessiman, Thelen) and two more who are too young to judge (De Haan, McDonagh). Marian Hossa was a 12th overall pick. So was Alex Tanguay. Historically, the 10-15th range has included two or three busts on average.

So what would you do with the pick?

For all the injuries that mount over the course of an 82-game season, the most painful time period for an NHL player seems to be the day after the season is over - when all sorts of injuries are revealed by players who kept their bumps and bruises under wraps like state secrets.

Of those that came to light Monday, the worst belonged to center Ryan Getzlaf and defenseman Aaron Ward.

At least one Duck will experience playoff hockey this season.

After the Ducks cleaned out of Honda Center and headed home for the off-season today, winger Dan Sexton was en route to Winnipeg to help the AHL's Manitoba Moose with their Calder Cup playoff run.

The 22-year-old played in 13 games with the Moose earlier this season, scoring five goals and 12 points. In 41 games with the Ducks, he recorded nine goals and 19 points.

Ryan Carter scored twice, five other players scored one goal - including the 606th of Teemu Selanne's career - turning Fan Appreciation Night into a one-sided rout in the Ducks' final game of the season.

Selanne stayed on the ice when the final horn sounded, then led a lap around the ice as the Ducks saluted the fans. Afterwards, he was asked on the ice about his future plans.

"I was always hoping that I wasn't playing so well, and the decision (to retire) would be easier," said Selanne, who scored on a second-period power play goal. "I just feel great still. There's a lot of time to rest now. We have a great team here. Let's see what happens."

Selanne, 39, finished his 17th season with 27 goals in 54 games - a ratio of 0.5 goals per game that ranks eighth in the NHL. His 14 power-play goals tied for third in the league. In 1,186 career games, Selanne ranks 17th in all-time goals (606), 56th in all-time assists (654) and 35th in all-time points (1,260).

Jonas Hiller made 49 saves over 65 minutes, and Bobby Ryan scored a pair of goals, but Mike Modano stole the show in the Stars' shootout win.

Modano, who has spent his entire 20-year career with the Dallas organization, electrified the crowd by scoring the game-tying goal with 1:47 left in regulation of what could be his final game at American Airlines Center. He scored again in the second shootout round against Hiller, then Jere Lehtinen sealed it with a goal in the third round.

Ryan's team-leading 33rd and 34th goals of the season allowed the Ducks to salvage a point on a night when they were outshot 51-19. His second goal, a sharp-angled power-play tally, gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead at 15:16 of the third period.

With several veterans remaining home, Randy Carlyle went with his youngest lineup of the season. Nick Bonino, Nathan Oystrick, Brendan Mikkelson, Brett Festerling and Dan Sexton got long looks while Ryan Getzlaf (ankle) and Lubomir Visnovsky (hand), as well as healthy scratches Scott Niedermayer, Saku Koivu, Teemu Selanne and Todd Marchant were held behind.

The Ducks have recalled defenseman Brendan Mikkelson from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League and reassigned goaltender Joey MacDonald to the Marlies.

Jonas Hiller, who has missed five games with back spasms, is making the trip to Dallas for tomorrow's game against the Stars and could turn Curtis McElhinney into a backup again. Center Ryan Getzlaf (sprained ankle) did not make the Ducks' road trip.

The 22-year-old Mikkelson has two assists in 25 games spanning three stints with the Ducks this season. He was originally recalled from Toronto on Oct. 11 and again on Feb. 25 and Mar. 23. MacDonald, 30, did not appear in a game for the Ducks during his only time with the team. He was originally acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a seventh-round pick in the June draft.

Passing this along from a team spokesperson:

Ducks defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky suffered a right hand fracture during the third period of last night's loss to the Kings and will miss the final three games of the 2009-10 regular season. He will have surgery to repair the hand on Friday. The surgery will be performed at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles by Dr. Steve Shin. Recovery time will be six weeks.

The Anaheim chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association has nominated Teemu Selanne for the Masterton Trophy.

The trophy is awarded in honor of Bill Masterton, who died of an on-ice injury in 1968, to the NHL player "who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey."

This season, Selanne has overcome fractures in his jaw and hand to score 24 goals, joining an elite group of 18 players with 600 career NHL goals. He surpassed boyhood idol Jari Kurri for sole possession of 17th place on the all-time list with his 602nd career goal on Friday.

It's all over for the Ducks.

Their three remaining games were rendered meaningless about a minute before Anze Kopitar's third-round shootout goal closed the books on this one. The Colorado Avalanche defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-3, also in a shootout, knocking the Ducks, St. Louis Blues and Calgary Flames out of playoff contention with one devastating blow.

1. Several minor-league prospects changed addresses Monday, when the Ducks assigned goaltender Jean-Philippe Levasseur, defenseman Stu Bickel and center MacGregor Sharp to the ECHL affiliate Bakersfield. Also joining the Condors for the postseason is Kyle Calder, an NHL veteran who has split this season between Anaheim, the AHL's Toronto Marlies, and the Condors.

"I got a text message (from Calder) -- he wants to win a championship," Bakersfield coach Marty Raymond told the Bakersfield Californian. "So I'm pretty pleased with that and that's usually contagious with the rest of the team."

2. According to the Edmonton Journal, Finnish free agent goalie Jussi Rynnas has met with the Oilers and Stars about possibly coming to the NHL, and also has the Ducks, Flyers and Canadiens on his list. The Journal reports that Rynnas told Stars management he would have a decision in "about three weeks."

3. The NHL schedule tonight is stacked, with 11 games involving 22 teams. The only two that matter to the Ducks are their own game against the Kings (obviously), and the Colorado Avalanche's 7 p.m. game against the Vancouver Canucks. If Colorado wins, or Anaheim loses in regulation, the Ducks are eliminated from the playoffs. If Anaheim loses in overtime or a shootout, they need the Avalanche to lose in regulation to avoid elimination.

The Ducks' last-ditch playoff bid hit a snag Sunday night, when the Colorado Avalanche pulled out a 5-4 overtime victory against visiting San Jose.

With four games left in the regular season, the eighth-place Avs now have 91 points in the standings, six more than the Ducks. Anaheim needs to gain seven or eight points in its final four games, and hope that Colorado does not earn more than two of eight points. They would also have to pass the Calgary Flames, who lost to the Chicago Blackhawks, 4-1 on Sunday.

The Ducks have won eight of their last 11 games after beating the Kings 2-1 in a shootout Saturday. Their chances of making the playoffs increased to 0.9 percent when Chicago beat Calgary on Sunday morning, but fell to 0.7 percent after Colorado's win.

Saku Koivu has perfected the 6-on-4, third-period, game-tying goal.

On Saturday, he also found the perfect shootout move.

A late power-play goal by Koivu sent the Ducks into overtime for the second straight night. But unlike after Friday's shootout loss to Vancouver, Anaheim was in a celebratory mood after Koivu lifted a forehand past Jonathan Quick in the third shootout round against the Kings.

Ultimately, this game will probably be remembered for Teemu Selanne's continued march up the NHL record books. He scored a pair of goals, the 602nd and 603rd of his career, moving him past Jari Kurri into sole possession of 17th place on the all-time list.

The Ducks are burning up the transaction wires. Shortly after announcing the recall of Joey MacDonald (and a day after promoting Nathan Oystrick), Anaheim made another nod toward its future by signing 2009 first-round draft pick Peter Holland to a three-year entry level contract.

The 19-year-old center just completed his third season with Guelph of the Ontario Hockey League, notching career highs of 30 goals and 80 points in 59 games. Holland (career statistics) ranked second on the Storm in both assists and points, third in power play goals (9) and fourth in goals. The 6-2, 187-pound center also appeared in five OHL playoff contests, scoring three goals and eight points, before Guelph was eliminated by London in five games (4-1).

The Ducks also announced that defenseman Brendan Mikkelson has bent sent back to Toronto of the American Hockey League, presumably so they can get a look at Oystrick tonight against the Vancouver Canucks.

Joey MacDonald has been recalled from the AHL and Jean-Phillippe Levasseur has been sent back. The goalie swap occurs in the midst of three consecutive wins by erstwhile backup Curtis McElhinney, who has played every minute since Jonas Hiller came down with back spasms prior to Monday's game against the Colorado Avalanche.

MacDonald was 14-19-7 with a 3.18 goals-against average and an .893 save percentage in 36 games with the Toronto Marlies this season. He also appeared in six games for the Toronto Maple Leafs (1-4-0, 3.20, .892), who received a seventh-round draft pick in 2011 from the Ducks in exchange for the 30-year-old goalie.

Levasseur returns to the San Antonio Rampage after not making an appearance as McElhinney's backup the last two games.

Defenseman Nathan Oystrick has been recalled from the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves. The 27-year-old has appeared in 53 career NHL games but none for the Ducks since he was acquired from the Atlanta Thrashers for Evgeny Artyukhin on March 1.
 
The 6-foot, 205-pound defenseman has seven goals and 23 points with a plus-5 rating and 96 penalty minutes in 43 games for the Wolves this year.

A native of Regina, Saskatchewan, Oystrick has appeared in four AHL seasons with Chicago, collecting 37 goals, 114 points, a plus-30 rating and 317 PIM in 205 career games. He has also added three goals and 17 points in 39 AHL playoff games, helping lead the Wolves to the 2008 Calder Cup.

Teemu Selanne scored the 601st goal of his career, and Jason Blake recorded five points - a goal and four assists - becoming the first Ducks player to do so since Corey Perry in Oct. 2008.

Selanne scored on a vintage goal, finishing a neutral zone breakaway with a wrister past Craig Anderson at 2:34 of the third period. Two days after Jari Kurri flew to Anaheim from Finland to recognize Selanne's 600th career goal, Selanne matched Kurri at 17th on the career goal-scoring list.

Here's the video of the (latest) historic goal by Selanne, with apologies for the Avalanche announcers, who make no mention of the history in the moment: