by Brendon Chelo || AHL On The Beat Archive Today’s hockey player has evolved from the one of years past. Joe Thornton, Chris Pronger, Zdeno Chara, Ryan Getzlaf, Milan Lucic – they all possess an advantageous commonality: size. At every level of the sport, size has become an increasingly important factor. Elite teams – whether […]
by Doug Plagens || AHL On The Beat Archive For the Colorado Avalanche, the 2009 NHL Entry Draft has the makings of a franchise nucleus-forming one-stop shop. Draft day was already a success by the time the Avalanche were off the clock early in the second round: after all, centers Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly […]
by Warren Kosel || AHL On The Beat Archive When Terry Pegula and the Buffalo Sabres acquired the Rochester Americans during the offseason, it marked a new era of Amerks hockey as a longtime relationship was rekindled with the reunion of the storied franchises. While the unification of the teams represents a new beginning, it […]
by Jason Karnosky || AHL On The Beat Archive June 27, 2011, marked a new era for the Milwaukee Admirals. It was on that Monday that Kirk Muller, formerly an assistant coach with the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League, was named the Admirals’ new head coach. Needless to say, Muller comes to the […]
by Kate Krenzer || AHL On The Beat Archive For the fans, players and coaches alike, the anticipation of opening weekend in Binghamton was like no other. With so much to look forward to — watching the championship banner rise to the rafters commemorating the team’s 2011 Calder Cup victory, welcoming new players and seeing […]
by Bruce Berlet || AHL On The Beat Archive Anticipation. Instincts. Timing. Guts. In some ways, blocking shots in hockey is even more dangerous than goaltending. Neither is for the faint of heart, but at least a goalie has plenty of padding and a facemask. But a willingness to sacrifice your body for your goalie […]
by Keegan Welsh || AHL On The Beat Archive A window of opportunity is granted to every player in the American Hockey League. The way that opportunity is valued, however, is at the discretion of the player. Enter Julien Brouillette, who signed a professional tryout with the Lake Erie Monsters on Dec. 14, 2010. Prior […]
by Jackie LaPenta || AHL On The Beat Archive The image at the end of the season of the winning team holding up their coveted championship trophy is not picture perfect when it comes to the sport of hockey. These athletes don’t fit the bill of what a champion looks like with the players more […]
by Kalen Qually || AHL On The Beat Archive Mario Bliznak’s first experience playing hockey overseas in Canada could have discouraged other impressionable 16-year-olds into rethinking their hockey playing dreams. Bliznak and his Slovakia teammates were thumped several times on their way to finishing eighth at the 2004 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge. “We didn’t do […]
by Benjamin Bean || AHL On The Beat Archive When the Peoria Rivermen broke camp in early October, a new head coach had a tough decision to make before his team took to the ice for its first game. Although the weather was just starting to cool off, Jared Bednar had his eye on playing […]
