The AHL all-rookie team

by James Mirtle on Apr 1, 2009 3:11 PM CDT Comment 19 comments

The No. 1 reason I follow what's happening in the AHL is to see how up-and-coming prospects are faring. There's basically a direct link between how well players produce and play in the minors to how they'll do in the NHL.

The AHL announced its all-rookie team today, which is a good place to start if you're looking for NHL players of the future. Mattias Karlsson seems a lock to start in Ottawa next year, for one:

2008-09 AHL All-Rookie Team
Goal: Nathan Lawson, Bridgeport Sound Tigers (30gp, 18-9-2, 2.13gaa, .929sv%)
Defence: Mattias Karlsson, Binghamton Senators (67gp, 8+41=49pts.)
Defence: Yannick Weber, Hamilton Bulldogs (66gp, 14+27=41pts.)
Forward: Justin Abdelkader, Grand Rapids Griffins (71gp, 22+27=49pts.)
Forward: Nathan Gerbe, Portland Pirates (50gp, 26+24=50pts.)
Forward: Tim Kennedy, Portland Pirates (66gp, 16+43=59pts.)

A few of these guys saw time in the NHL this season, but none made a major impact.

Lawson's the oldest of the bunch at 25, and one of the more interesting stories. He played in the AJHL in Alberta two years before going undrafted and heading to Alaska-Anchorage of the NCAA for three more. He played exclusively in the ECHL last year, but has sparkling numbers for the Baby Isles after they ran through a bunch of their minor-league goalies.

Abdelkader and Kennedy, meanwhile, starred together for Michigan State. Abdelkader's one of Detroit's latest recruits, while Kennedy's in the Sabres system after originally being drafted by Washington. The Caps traded him for a sixth-rounder a month after drafting him.

Gerbe's the guy I'm rooting for. Anyone that's 5-foot-5 who makes an impact in pro hockey has my respect.

0 recs | Comment 19 comments | Add comment | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Weird

It’s weird that they made the picks already, considering there are still a number of games left on the schedule. Also, the Abdelkader pick seems curious… he’s 7th in rookie scoring and has played virtually the whole schedule (71 games). Ben Maxwell (2nd), Brad Marchand (3rd), David Desharnais (5th), and Mikko Lehtonen (6th) all have more points and a higher points per game rate than him, although only Lehtonen has more goals (25). Perhaps he’s a good defensive player or something, very possible being that he’s in Detroit’s system.

Anyways, thought I’d mention a pair of Bulldogs and Bruins. Oh yeah, and David Desharnais towers over your boy Gerbe at 5’6".

Hockey blogging can't get any flatter.

by saskhab on Apr 1, 2009 4:17 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Abdelkader is indeed very strong defensively – when he played in college at Michigan State, he was a relentless forechecker and a mainstay on the penalty kill. Strong, physical, hard-working player, decent speed and hands, hit like a truck.

"A vacuum is a hell of a lot better than some of the stuff that nature replaces it with." -- Tennessee Williams

by Baroque on Apr 1, 2009 6:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

State plays, or at least did a couple of years ago, the most ridiculously aggressive forecheck I’ve ever seen. It gave teams fits, at least the first time around. My father said that Michigan looked horrible against it the first time they played in 2006-07, and got steadily better over the course of their six meetings. By the end, he said, Michigan was picking it apart and taking advantage of the aggression. Apparently, State didn’t have anything else in their bag of tricks, and once you could beat the forecheck, they were in trouble.

by J. Michael Neal on Apr 1, 2009 8:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

ABDELKADER!!!!!

by IAmJoe on Apr 1, 2009 4:43 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

The funny thing is that all of the Muslims I’ve worked with pronounce that differently than he does. He goes by AB-del-KAY-der. I’ve always heard it ahb-DUL-kah-DEER.

by J. Michael Neal on Apr 1, 2009 8:21 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wow, that’s quite impressive from Gerbe. Putting up those numbers while undersized is one thing, but I didn’t even notice at first that he’s only played 50 games, 16 less than Kennedy and 21 less than Abdelkader.

by DarrenM on Apr 1, 2009 4:53 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah I recall he’s battled some sort of injury this year. Might be tough for him in the bigs, although some other small guys manage.

by James Mirtle on Apr 1, 2009 4:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Concussion

He suffered a concussion in his callup to Buffalo.

Shut up when you're talking to me!

by Afino on Apr 1, 2009 5:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

This is where I get snippy. Like all of the small forwards that have come out of Boston College (Gionta, for instance), Gerbe is a sneaky, dirty little ****. A lot of stick work.

by J. Michael Neal on Apr 1, 2009 8:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

It can be a survival tactic for those size of players. Big guys often get more space simply because they’re big. The smaller guys have to create that space for themselves so giving opponents that extra pause can give them more room or a little extra time. I’m not saying it’s fine, but they probably believe that they need to do it to survive. It certainly doesn’t win them any fans among opponents and opposing teams’(and sometimes their own team’s) fans.

by Bosc Ulrich on Apr 2, 2009 9:07 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Weber’s shot would be described by Danny Gallivan as “cannonading!”

by Robert L on Apr 1, 2009 5:27 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Gerbe

After watching him in the frozen four last year I was actualy hoping to see some big things out of him at the NHL level this year…

Blue and Gold (of Buffalo)

by Ebscer on Apr 1, 2009 5:44 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Buffalo will have a giant-killing line in a couple of years: Gerbe-Roy-Ennis. If they stand on each other’s shoulders, the one at the top will be able to go face-to-face with Chara.

The Islanders signed Lawson to an NHL contract earlier this month, by the way.

The Sens might have a Karlsson double act on their backline soon.

by bearhunter on Apr 1, 2009 11:56 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Err, last month

Last month, I mean. Lawson. Islanders. NHL contract.

by bearhunter on Apr 1, 2009 11:58 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Gerbe and Kennedy

Ugh. I’m a Sabres fan, and those two represent everything that is wrong with Regier as GM. I hope they turn out to be great, but I have my doubts.

Gerbe’s upside is what Brian Gionta is now (not what he was right after the lockout). A good, but not great player…a borderline impact guy. Problem is, Sabres fans see his size and they don’t think about him being the next Gionta or Audette (or any other smallish player that wasn’t a superstar in the league), they think he’ll be Fleury or St. Louis.

As for Kennedy, I don’t think he’ll ever amount to much in the NHL. He’s very soft…kind of a cross between Darren Turcotte and Marty Reasoner. Sorry I keep referencing people from Rochester, NY, but those are really the closest examples I can think of. If the Sabres are lucky, Kennedy is the next Craig Janney…and I don’t know if you could consider a team luck to have that.

Undersized or soft, sounds like almost every forward Buffalo has had for the last dozen years.

By the way, James, you should write an article or a blog about how it’s becoming increasingly dumb to draft college players these days. They rarely make much of an impact until they’re 23-24ish, and then are UFA eligible at 27.

It bothers the hell out of me the way Sabres fans talk up Gerbe (will be 22 when camp starts next year), and Kennedy (23), neither of which have an NHL goal to their credit, while a guy who gets ragged on as an underachiever like Jordan Staal already has a solid NHL career carved out. I know it’s partially based on his draft slot, but the guy has produced.

by Make a play Whitner on Apr 2, 2009 12:20 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Jonathan Toews? T.J. Oshie? Phil Kessel? Matt Hunwick? Drew Stafford? Mike Cammalleri? Paul Stastny? Matt Niskanen? Tom Gilbert? Andrew Cogliano? Keith Ballard? Ryan Suter? Travis Zajac? Zach Parise? Kyle Okposo? Matt Carle? Kyle Turris? Alex Goligoski? Joe Pavelski? David Backes? Ryan Kesler?

Wasted draft picks, all of them.

by J. Michael Neal on Apr 2, 2009 1:08 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

Game, set, match.

2008-2009 Colorado Avalanche: Dry Humping Mediocrity

by Mike @ MHH on Apr 2, 2009 1:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Based on that list, had he made the argument that you shouldn’t draft any college players except for those with Michigan or in the WCHA, he’d have a point.

by J. Michael Neal on Apr 2, 2009 5:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs