University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers in the Pros: October
11/1/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
While the current Minnesota men's hockey team has gotten off to a 5-3-0 start, many former Gophers made impacts in the National Hockey League during the month of October, including several game-winning goals, multi-point games, and personal milestones...
Keith Ballard, Vancouver Canucks
Ballard played in his 400th NHL game in a 4-3 Canucks loss to Anaheim on October 13 and sustained a concussion two days later at Los Angeles. Ballard, one of Vancouver's key off-season acquisitions returns to the Canuck lineup tonight against New Jersey.
Alex Goligoski, Pittsburgh Penguins
The former Gopher defenseman began the season with a career-high seven-game scoring streak (3g-4a) that included a game-winning goal in overtime against the New York Islanders. His three goals tied him for second among NHL defenseman in October.
Erik Johnson, St. Louis Blues
The only Gopher to be taken first overall in the NHL Entry Draft (2006) had three points (1g-2a) in nine games in October. His lone goal came 50 seconds into overtime in a 1-0 victory against Pittsburgh on October 23. Johnson's St. Louis Blues have started fast with a 6-1-2 record.
Phil Kessel, Toronto Maple Leafs
The first Wisconsin-native to don a maroon and gold sweater leads the Maple Leafs in points (nine) and goals (seven). Kessel's seven goals rank him fourth in the NHL. Kessel recorded a game-winning goal against Ottawa on October 9 and lifted the Leafs past the Rangers with an overtime-winner six days later. He played his 300th NHL game against Florida on October 26 and scored Toronto's final goal in a 3-1 win. His sister, Amanda, leads the Minnesota women's hockey team with 11 points (4g-7a) in her first nine games as a Gopher.
Nick Leddy, Chicago Blackhawks
Leddy scored his first NHL goal in a 4-3 Blackhawks win against the Buffalo Sabres on October 11. The rookie defenseman was sent down to the Rockford of the AHL to get more playing time on October 17 and has recorded three points (1g-2a) in four games for the Ice Hogs.
Jordan Leopold, Buffalo Sabres
The last Gopher to win the Hobey Baker Award is off to a fast start in his new home in Buffalo, recording seven points (3g-4a) in 12 games for the Sabres. Leopold scored two goals in a 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers on October 9. Last Friday he notched a goal and later assisted on Derek Roy's game-tying goal with eight seconds left in regulation to help the Sabres salvage a point against Atlanta.
Paul Martin, Pittsburgh Penguins
Martin put up seven points (1g-6a) in October playing on Pittsburgh's top defensive pairing with Kris Letang. He recorded point in his first three games as a Penguin and had an empty-net goal and a game-winning assist in a 3-1 victory over his former team, the New Jersey Devils.
Kyle Okposo, New York Islanders
Okposo, one of the Islanders' assistant captains, missed the month of October after undergoing shoulder surgery.
Thomas Vanek, Buffalo Sabres
The co-owner of the third-highest freshman point total in Gopher history is tied for second on the Sabres in goals (four) and points (seven). Vanek beat Devils goalie Johan Hedburg twice in a 6-1 Sabres win on October 23 and put up a goal and an assist in a 6-3 loss to Philadelphia three days later.
Blake Wheeler, Boston Bruins
Wheeler recorded an assist for Boston in both games of a home-and-home sweep of the Washington Capitals. He has appeared in all eight games Boston has played this year and has helped the team to a 6-2-0 start.
Gophers in the AHL
Nick Leddy is only one of many former Gophers playing in the American Hockey League.
Jeff Frazee has backed the Albany Devils to a fast start, posting a 4-1-0 record with 1.83 goals against average and .932 save percentage in five games. The Rockford Ice Hogs, meanwhile, have been carried by former Gophers. Jeff Taffe leads all U of M AHLers with seven points (3g-4a) and Leddy and Ryan Potulny have three and six points, respectively, for the Chicago Blackhawks' AHL affiliate. Potulny was recalled to Chicago on Oct. 30.
Elsewhere in the AHL, Jim O'Brien has three goals and two assists in nine games for the Binghamton Senators and Jordan Schroeder has five assists for the Manitoba Moose. Mike Carman and Ryan Stoa have reunited in Lake Erie and have combined for four assists and nineteen games played for the Monsters. Derek Peltier (Peoria), Wyatt Smith (Providence), and Stu Bickel (Syracuse) also recorded a point apiece in October.
Jake Taylor (Oklahoma City), Chris Chucko (Abbotsford), Ryan Flynn (Milwaukee) and 2009-10 Minnesota Team MVP Tony Lucia (Worcester) each played in multiple games, but didn't record a point for their respective teams last month. Chucko was sidelined with an injury after the Heat's second game.
Other Gophers in the Pros
Some former Gophers are in the professional system, playing in the ECHL, including: David Fischer (Florida), R.J. Anderson (Elmira), P.J. Atherton (Victoria), Ben Gordon (Reading), and goaltender Kellen Briggs (Ontario). Gordon leads all Gophers in the ECHL with seven points (all assists).
Other former U of M players are playing in Europe. Evan Kaufmann (DEG Metro) and Barry Tallackson (Augsburg) are playing in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in Germany, Danny Irmen (Bolzano) and all-time Minnesota penalty minutes leader Matt DeMarchi (Asiago) are playing professionally in Italy's Serie A league and Erik Westrum (Ambri-Piotta) and Ben Clymer (Lugano) are playing in Switzerland.
Tallackson is second on Augsburg with 18 points (6g-12a) in 13 games while DeMarchi is tied for the Asiago lead for points by a defenseman with eight (2g-6a) and has 24 penalty minutes in 11 games. Clymer has not seen action yet in 2010-11.
Also playing overseas are Nick Angell, Andy Sertich, and Dan Welch. Angell (Novokuznetsk Metallurg) is playing in Russia in the Kontinental Hockey League and Andy Sertich is playing in Croatia for Medvescak. Dan Welch is skating for the Belfast Giants of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The Giants played the NHL's Boston Bruins in a pre-season exhibition in Ireland and took a second period lead before falling 5-1.
Sertich leads Medvescak defensemen in points with 10 (3g-7a) in 15 games and Welch has 15 points (4g-15a) in 16 games for the 14-1-2 Giants.
