Emery gets his star; Ducks sign prospect.

Ray Emery may be the latest goalie to be part of Randy Carlyle’s “1 and 1-A” platoon, but for now he’s the NHL’s second star of the week.

From the league’s official press release:

Emery continued his successful
comeback from hip surgery by posting a 2-0-0 record, 0.99 goals-against
average and .968 save percentage last week, helping the Ducks (40-27-5)
jump to eighth
place in the Western Conference playoff race. Emery stopped 61 of 63
shots, beginning with a 30-save performance in a 2-1 victory over the
St. Louis Blues Mar. 16 — his first NHL start in over a year. He also
recorded 31 saves in backstopping Anaheim to a
2-1 overtime win over the Los Angeles Kings Mar. 19. Emery’s start vs.
St. Louis was his first in the NHL since Feb. 1, 2010 as a member of the
Philadelphia Flyers. He underwent season-ending hip surgery a month
later and became a free agent at the end of
the season. Emery signed with Anaheim on Feb. 7, was recalled from AHL
Syracuse Mar. 7 and made his 2010-11 NHL debut in a relief appearance on
Mar. 13 vs. Phoenix.

Emery played well in Syracuse, too, so his success at the NHL level hasn’t exactly come out of nowhere. Most importantly, he hasn’t had any physical setbacks. The question now is, what becomes of Emery and Dan Ellis once Jonas Hiller is healthy? It’s a good problem to have.

The Ducks also signed free-agent forward Rick Schofield, a rookie fresh off his senior season with Lake Superior State, to a one-year, entry-level deal. The 23-year-old from Pickering, Ontario, led the Lakers with 17 goals and 18 assists in 39 games last season. He tallied 51 goals and 53 assists in 144 games over his four-year career.

Schofield, who has previously attended the Chicago Blackhawks and New
York Rangers’ prospect camps, is listed as 6-foot-2 and 198 pounds.
According to hockeysfuture.com, he’s got a knack for winning faceoffs:

Schofield is a centerman with size (6’2/198 lbs) that is blessed with
great hands and can be a dominating force every time he’s on the ice. He
balances great playmaking ability with equally good finishing ability.
Schofield is also quite good on draws, having won over 60 percent of
them this season. One aspect about Schofield that makes him so
intriguing is how well he is able to utilize his great vision and the
aggressiveness that he brings to his game to create and finish plays.
This is particularly evident in his play around the net. He is a very
good skater with long, smooth strides and transitions quite well. One of
Schofield’s best attributes is his powerful shot. He shoots often and
can fire the puck with authority.

This entry was posted in Anaheim Ducks/NHL and tagged , by J.P. Hoornstra. Bookmark the permalink.

About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.

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