July 2010 Archives

The Ducks have signed first-round draft pick Cam Fowler to a three-year, entry-level contract.

The 18-year-old will make $810,000 in base salary each year, plus a $270,000 signing bonus spread out over the three years. He joins No. 1 overall pick Taylor Hall (Edmonton) as the only players to sign with the clubs who drafted them in June.

By signing Fowler so soon, the Ducks appear eager to give the defenseman a shot at making the NHL club in his first professional season. Fowler had an impressive rookie conditioning camp, albeit against NHL rookies, prospects and minor-leaguers. Now he'll have a chance to see if his skills translate to the Ducks' main training camp in September.

On paper, there is room for Fowler on the blue line. Lubomir Visnovsky, Toni Lydman and Sheldon Brookbank are all signed to one-way contracts. Luca Sbisa and unsigned RFA James Wisniewski are expected to join them in Anaheim, leaving two roster spots open if Randy Carlyle decides to keep seven defensemen. The Ducks would like to add another top-four blueliner via trade, but it's not certain they'll be able to do so.

To make the NHL roster out of training camp, Fowler would have to buck history. The list of Anaheim draft picks who went straight to the NHL in their draft year is a short one: Steve Rucchin and Oleg Tverdovsky in 1994-95, Chad Kilger in 1995-96, and (then-26-year-old) Niclas Havelid in 1999-2000.

Add to the fact that Carlyle, a former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman, has a notoriously short leash on young defensemen, and the chips are stacked against Fowler.

At least today he is one step closer.

The Ducks have identified their new ECHL affiliate, agreeing to an affiliation with the Elmira (N.Y.) Jackals. Elmira is two hours south of Syrcause, making it the closest ECHL team to the Ducks' AHL affiliate.

"We are thrilled to be entering into a formal affiliation agreement with Elmira," Ducks GM Bob Murray said in a statement. "With ideal proximity to Syracuse and a premier facility in First Arena, Elmira will be a key partner in the development of our young players."

Under head coach Malcolm Cameron, the Jackals scored a league-leading 275 goals last season and captured the East Division championship with a 37-26-9 record.

The Jackals will play three games in Southern California this season, visiting the Ontario Reign on February 11, 12 and 13 at Citizens Business Bank Arena.

Check out this nice feature in today's Calgary Herald catching up with Logan MacMillan. The forward, who was recently traded to the Flames, thanked the Ducks organization for sending him home following his DUI arrest in January:

"Anaheim did me a favour," MacMillan, 21, said on Monday at the Flames' prospect development camp at Pengrowth Saddledome.

"I got a lot of things sorted out and taken care of. I'm back on the right track. I just took some time off. Kind of gave my head a rest. I went back and spent time with family and friends. They were always there for me. They helped out big time."

Thanks to that help, MacMillan says he's ready to launch another push for NHL employment.

Shawn Weller never saw time in an Anaheim Ducks uniform, but he played an important role in the organization last season.

The 24-year-old left wing, who had spent most of his first two pro seasons with the Ottawa Senators' AHL team, accepted an assignment to the ECHL to begin last season, when the Ducks didn't have their own AHL affiliate. Weller also took on the role of team captain with the Bakersfield Condors, scoring 18 goals and 46 points in 42 games.

On Monday, the Manitoba Moose announced they signed Weller to an AHL contract. The Ducks originally acquired the left wing from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Jason Bailey, their third-round pick in 2005. He finished last season in the AHL with the Abbotsford Heat.

Players on AHL contracts are eligible to play for any NHL team.

The Ducks would like to add an established top-four defenseman, either through free agency or through trade, and the consensus from the rumor mill is that Kevin Bieksa is the top target.

However, there are other options.

The Toronto Maple Leafs' Tomas Kaberle is a more talented offensive player but has a less appealing cap hit than Bieksa ($4.25 million to $3.75 million). Judging by the depth in their system, the Ducks probably can't cobble together the most enticing trade package for Leafs general manager Brian Burke, who has been shopping Kaberle for months without an offer to his liking.

Former 20-goal scorer Sheldon Souray has requested a trade out of Edmonton, and is reportedly willing to waive his no-trade clause for the Ducks. But is Anaheim willing to risk trading prospects for a 34-year-old defenseman with limited defensive skills and a $5.4 million cap hit the next two seasons?

Philadelphia has a glut of defensemen, but you wonder who would be the odd man out in a trade -- rising 25-year-old stud Matt Carle? Kimmo Timmonen, who is clearly on the downside of his career at 35 and brings a $6.3 cap hit for the next three seasons? Braydon Coburn?

So back to Bieksa. The Province reports that Ducks GM Bob Murray is past the stage of "kicking the tires" for the 29-year-old defenseman, who offers a blend of offense, defense, size (6-1, 206) and toughness. The only problem is that Canucks defenseman Sami Salo suffered a torn achilles tendon while playing something called "floor hockey" in Finland, and is out indefinitely.

Does that mean Bieksa is off the market? If Salo goes on long-term injury reserve, the Canucks would still pay his actual salary, but his salary-cap hit would come off the books and temporarily put them back under the cap ceiling, according to capgeek.com. They would still have eight NHL defensemen under contract, but maybe the price for Bieksa just got higher.

Maybe Murray turns his attention to one of the other options.

Stay tuned.

Since severing ties with the Bakersfield Condors, the Ducks have been searching for an ECHL affiliate closer to AHL affiliate Syracuse. According to reports out of Florida and New York, the Florida Everblades and Elmira Jackals are the leading candidates.

The Naples-based Everblades recently severed ties with the Florida Panthers. Elmira is already affiliated with the Ottawa Senators, but dual affiliations are not uncommon and no ECHL city is closer to Syracuse.

Coincidentally, the Jackals' new head coach, Malcolm Cameron, spent the last two seasons coaching the Everblades.

A.J. Perry, the 23-year-old younger brother of Ducks forward Corey Perry, has signed an AHL contract with the Syracuse Crunch.

Perry spent last year with the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies and scored 30 goals and 78 points (sixth in the league) in 67 games. He was named an all-star for the ECHL's National Conference and had an assist in the game, which was played at Ontario's Citizens Business Bank Arena.

Where the brothers are similar in scoring touch, they differ in size. A.J. is 5-foot-11, 195 pounds and doesn't play as physical a game as Corey, who stands 6-3 and 209 pounds. A.J. has 12 games of experience in the AHL with the San Antonio Rampage in 2008-09, when he notched a goal and two assists. He spent most of that year, his first as a pro, in the Central Hockey League, scoring 23 goals in 45 games for the Arizona Sundogs.

The Crunch also announced the signing of forward John Mitchell, who just finished a four-year career at the University of Wisconsin.

Danny Syvret, a defenseman who captained Corey Perry's London Knights squad to the 2005 Memorial Cup championship, has signed with the Ducks. Sportsnet.ca. First reported the signing Tuesday; the team confirmed the announcement Wednesday. Syvret will make $600,000 in the NHL and $105,000 in the minors.

A 5-foot-11, 203-pound blueliner with a knack for offense, Syvret's pro career has not picked up where his junior career left off. In his final season with the Knights (2004-05), he had 23 goals and 69 points in 62 games. Syvret has been a productive point producer in the American Hockey League since he was drafted in the third round (81st overall) by the Edmonton Oilers in 2005, and his point-per-game totals have increased each season at the AHL level. In 76 games for the Philadelphia Phantoms', then the Flyers' AHL affiliate, Syvret had 12 goals and 57 points in 2008-09. In 15 games with AHL Adirondack last year, he had five goals and 13 points.

But Syvret has had trouble sticking at the NHL level, with just two goals and five points in 49 games spread over parts of four seasons. If he joins the Ducks, Syvret would figure to be in competition with Brendan Mikkelson, Brett Festerling, Luca Sbisa -- and possibly Cam Fowler -- for one of the final NHL roster spots. The Ducks only have three defensemen (Lubomir Visnovsky, Toni Lydman, Sheldon Brookbank) signed to one-way NHL contracts, with another (James Wisniewski) scheduled for an arbitration hearing August 3.

Anaheim is still seeking a top-four defenseman with some experience. Syvret is not that defenseman, though the Syracuse Crunch, the Ducks' new AHL affiliate, would certainly benefit from his addition. Judging by his participation in the recent Special Olympics ceremonies in London, he seems to be a good guy, too.

Ducks prospects Cam Fowler, Emerson Etem and Kyle Palmieri have been invited to take part in the 2010 USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp, July 30 through Aug. 7 in Lake Placid, N.Y.

A total of 44 players were invited to the camp, which will serve as an audition for U.S. National Junior Team that will take part in the IIHF World Junior Championship, Dec. 26, 2010-Jan. 5, 2011, in Buffalo.

Both Fowler and Palmieri were members of last year's USA World Junior team, which took home the gold medal after defeating Canada 6-5 in overtime.

The Ducks have traded minor-league defenseman Matt McCue to the New York Rangers for forward prospect Tomas Zaborsky.

The 22-year-old Zaborsky, a native of Slovakia, has yet to reach the NHL since being drafted by the Rangers in the fifth round of the 2006 draft. In 43 games for Assat Pori of the Finnish Elite League, Zaborsky had nine goals, 26 points and 67 penalty minutes. Zaborsky split his first professional season between the AHL (goal, three points in eight games) and the ECHL (14 goals, 28 points in 47 games) in 2008-09.

The Ducks signed McCue as a free-agent forward out of the Western Hockey League and attempted to convert him to the blue line as a professional. Known more as a fighter than a scorer, McCue had two assists and 68 penalty minutes in 19 games with ECHL affiliate Bakersfield last season. In 10 games with the AHL's Manitoba Moose, he had one goal and 24 penalty minutes.

Depending on how you look at it, the Ducks either retained a reliable depth defenseman, or beefed up their blue line by 20 percent, on Thursday.

Either way, the fact is that Brendan Mikkelson accepted the Ducks' qualifying offer and signed a one-year contract that will pay $687,000 in the NHL or $62,500 in the minors. The smooth-skating 23-year-old had two assists and 14 penalty minutes in 28 games last season for the Ducks.

Mikkelson was drafted 31st overall by the Ducks in 2005 and has spent most of his three professional seasons at the American Hockey League level [career stats here]. He would likely begin next season with Anaheim's AHL affiliate, the Syrcause Crunch - but only if the Ducks can find two more qualified NHL defenseman between now and the beginning of the season.

Mikkelson joins Lubomir Visnovsky, Toni Lydman, Sheldon Brookbank and Brett Festerling as the only NHL defensemen currently under contract. The Ducks have also qualified restricted free-agent defenseman James Wisniewski and have prospect Luca Sbisa ready to turn pro, either in the NHL or AHL.

A dateline out of Prague followed by Brian Salcido's name, as well as this rough translation (thanks to The NHL Arena) is adequate indication that the defenseman has signed in the Czech Extraliga.

Salcido was a fifth-round draft pick by the Ducks in 2005. A consistent offensive-minded defenseman at the American Hockey League, Salcido's defensive shortcomings were enough to keep him from landing a job in Anaheim. In four professional seasons, the Hermosa Beach native appeared in two games with the Ducks in February 2009, recording one assist.

The 25-year-old was re-signed for a year after his entry-level deal expired in 2009, and became an unrestricted free agent July 1. Last season, when the Ducks didn't have their own AHL affiliate, he recorded eight goals and 18 points in 68 regular-season games for the Manitoba Moose. He also had one assist in six playoff games for the Moose.

HC Sparta Prague plays in the highest league in the Czech Republic, which the IIHF recently rated the third-strongest league in Europe.

Cam Fowler is taking notes.

For the 12th overall pick in the recent NHL Entry Draft, the coolest aspect of the Ducks' rookie conditioning camp has been watching a pair of players with NHL experience, Dan Sexton and Nick Bonino. Not watching how they skate, pass, or shoot, but "seeing how they carry themselves, how they're professional in the way that they act."

"I think it's cool for me as a young guy just to be around those guys and see what it's like," Fowler said. "It's just being respectful to everybody, carrying yourself professionally whether it's picking weights up in the locker room or gathering up some money to help the trainers out. They always seem to be one step ahead of things to help us young guys out."

In three intrasquad scrimmages this week, Fowler has been among the players who are a step ahead of everyone else -- more mentally than physically, but sometimes both.

Aaron Voros certainly stands in contrast to the majority of forwards who have joined the Ducks in the Bob Murray era, guys like Jason Blake, Joffrey Lupul, Saku Koivu, Dan Sexton and Kyle Chipchura. In that group at least, there isn't a natural fighter among them.

Voros, who was acquired Friday from the New York Rangers along with prospect Ryan Hillier for defenseman Steve Eminger, knows what got him to the NHL.

"The reason I'm in the league obviously is because I play a physical game," he said.

The Ducks have traded defenseman Steve Eminger to the New York Rangers for left wing Aaron Voros and minor-league forward Ryan Hillier.

A grinder with two-way skills, Voros was underutilized in New York by the admission of Rangers head coach John Tortorella. In 41 games last season, he had three goals, seven points and 89 penalty minutes. In 2008-09, Voros set career highs with eight goals, 16 points and 122 penalty minutes in 54 games.

The 29-year-old has one year and $900,000 remaining on his current contract, and gives the Ducks a salary-cap hit of $1 million - a net savings on Eminger ($1.5 million salary/$1.25 million cap hit).

Eminger was inconsistent in his lone season in Anaheim - sometimes a healthy scratch, other times worthy of top-four minutes. He wound up with four goals and 16 points in 63 games despite a slow start (one assist through 23 games).

Hillier, 22, played only 26 games last season between the Rangers' AHL and ECHL affiliates. A 2006 third-round draft pick by the Rangers, Hiller has "a good combination of speed and skill, plays with a lot of energy, and shines when the puck is on his stick" according to the scouting report on HockeysFuture.com.

With the departure of Eminger, the Ducks have just four NHL defensemen under contract for next season: Lubomir Visnovsky, Toni Lydman, Sheldon Brookbank and Brett Festerling. Voros adds depth at left wing to a picture that already includes Joffrey Lupul, Matt Beleskey and Jason Blake - not to mention restricted free agent Bobby Ryan. The Ducks have also qualified restricted free-agent defensemen James Wisniewski and Brendan Mikkelson.

There may come a time when Emerson Etem is critiqued and lauded just like any other Ducks player by the denizens at Honda Center. He probably can't wait for the moment.

Two weeks ago the 18-year-old from Long Beach was not received like any other Duck, not even like any other first-round draft pick, at the annual entry draft. His cheering section numbered in the triple digits, larger than anyone else's, and his booing section at Staples Center (Kings fans, most likely) was still larger. You could say it comes with the territory - a cliché that works on a few levels in Etem's case.

Thursday, he was standing on the bridge between the past and the future.

The Ducks have placed forward Ryan Carter on waivers, a team spokesperson has confirmed. The other 29 NHL teams have the opportunity to claim him, based on the reverse order of finish, and Carter could have a new home announced at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

The move also raises some questions for the Ducks.

The game didn't count, but the first impression surely did.

Kyle Palmieri scored three impressive goals Tuesday night in an intrasquad scrimmage at the Ducks' prospects conditioning camp. The scrimmage, which consisted of two 30-minute periods of four-on-four hockey, ended in a 4-4 tie.

For many of the fans in attendance at Anaheim Ice, it was their first chance to watch Palmieri play hockey. For Palmieri, who last made headlines when he was arrested in April, it was exactly the debut he needed.

"It was good to get back into a competitive game," the 19-year-old said. "We're all trying to impress the people upstairs. At the same time, we're having fun and trying to get to know some people."

As expected, Ducks defenseman James Wisniewski filed for salary arbitration on Monday, the final day for qualified players to file.

Wisniewski, 26, had three goals and 30 points in 69 games last season while averaging 24:20 time on ice.

It's unknown what the Ducks have offered, or what Wisniewski is seeking. Ducks general manager Bob Murray has said he expected the case would go to arbitration. Of course, that's what Murray said last year too, when Wisniewski was seeking a multi-year deal. They nearly went to arbitration before coming to terms on a one-year, $2.75 million contract.

At the time, Wisniewski relented because he realized Murray "want(s) to see me play a season of injury-free hockey. Hopefully after that, I can become a Duck for a long time."

For the most part, Wisniewski accomplished his goal. He only missed three games due to injury - a separated shoulder in October - but suspensions of two and eight games cost him another 10 games total.

The Ducks' haven't gone to arbitration with any player since Ruslan Salei in 2003.

Goaltender Joey MacDonald, whom the Ducks acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs last season for a 2011 draft pick, has signed with his former employer, the Detroit Red Wings.

MacDonald, 30, did not make an appearance in Anaheim after the Ducks obtained his rights prior to the trade deadline in February. He became an unrestricted free agent Thursday.

Following through on his pledge to bolster the Ducks' minor-league system, general manager Bob Murray signed center Trevor Smith to a one-year contract Friday. The 25-year-old is likely to start the season as a member of the Syracuse Crunch.

Smith, 25, appeared in a career-high 77 games last year with the AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He notched 21 goals and 47 points with a plus-5 rating and 73 penalty minutes last season, ranking second on the team in goals, third in scoring and tied for third in assists. The 6-foot, 195-pound center also added three points and two PIM in five Calder Cup Playoff games. In seven NHL games, all with the New York Islanders, Smith has one goal and no assists.

The Ducks were down one veteran minor-leaguer when they decided not to qualify restricted free-agent forward Shawn Weller.

On Wednesday night, the day before Saku Koivu was set to become an unrestricted free agent, Ducks general manager Bob Murray thought that Koivu was a goner.

The 35-year-old center admitted today that he had other offers from other teams, but "the package and everything that Anaheim had to offer was by far the best option for me and my family on the hockey side, and off the ice.

"It wasn't financially the best offer, but for us it was the best fit," Koivu said.

Time will tell just how critical his decision was. It could be huge.

The Ducks have invited 31 prospects to the team's annual prospect summer conditioning camp from July 5-11 at Anaheim Ice. The camp will include both on-ice and off-ice workouts, as well as three scrimmages open to the public on Tuesday, July 6, Thursday, July 8 and Saturday, July 10, with each beginning at 6 p.m. The camp roster includes 2010 draft picks Cam Fowler, Emerson Etem, Devante Smith-Pelly, Tim Heed, Kevin Lind, Chris Wagner and Brett Perlini, as well as many other recent draftees. According to the official release from the team,

The seven-day camp focuses on both the on- and off-ice development of the organization's top young prospects. In addition to on-ice scrimmage sessions, each player will participate in strength and conditioning drills that allow coaches and management to closely evaluate the progress of each athlete. Along with daily weight and aerobic training, each player will also receive a personally tailored nutritional recommendation and be tested for strength thresholds, range of movement and aerobic capacity.

The complete roster:

The Ducks have signed unrestricted free agent Saku Koivu to a 2-year extension worth $2.5 per year, keeping the center in Anaheim at a slight pay cut. Koivu, who turns 36 in November, joined the Ducks in 2009 on a one-year, $3.25 million contract.

Ducks general manager Bob Murray said that he believes that right wing Teemu Selänne is still contemplating retirement, and the Koivu signing was not tied in his mind to Selänne's decision. But the two Finns share the same agent, Don Baizley, and Koivu's return certainly won't dissuade Selänne from coming back.

Murray said that addressing Selänne is his next priority before making another foray into the free-agent market. Earlier Thursday, the Ducks signed free agent defenseman Toni Lydman.

The Ducks have signed free agent Toni Lydman for three years, reportedly worth $3 million per season.

The former Buffalo Sabres defenseman is known for his shot-blocking skill and physical defensive play. Lydman stands 6-foot-1 and ranked second on the Sabres with 98 blocked shots in 67 games last season. He was the Sabres' leader in ice time and blocked shots in the playoffs.

Lydman, who spends his summers in his native Finland, told the Buffalo News that the Sabres offered only a two-year contract.

"It was the term," Lydman said by phone from Finland. "I would have liked to stay, but two years was their offer, and Anaheim offered three years, so that was the biggest thing."

Lydman also had four goals and 20 points in 67 games and was a plus-10 last season, when he made $3.15 million. He also played for the bronze-medal-winning Team Finland at the Winter Olympics in February, and the silver-winning Suomi in 2006. 

In nine seasons with Buffalo and Calgary, Lydman has 33 goals, 198 points and 451 penalty minutes. He is also a veteran of 46 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, earning three goals, 11 points points and 40 PIM.

Lydman is the Ducks' first signing on a quiet day in Anaheim, but a busy day around the league. Free-agent defensemen Paul Martin (Pittsburgh), Sergei Gonchar (Ottawa) and Zbynek Michalek (Pittsburgh) all found new homes before the Ducks signed Lydman.

Join me (and a bunch of other hockey writers from around the country) NOW for a live chat as the NHL free-agent signings unfold: