News & Notes From Around Pioneer Nation

It was a memorable night for DU Alum Tyler Bozak in his first NHL exhibition game for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bozak, shorthanded, turned a 1-on-2 rush into a breakaway. The University of Denver graduate split NHL defensemen Dennis Wideman and Matt Hunwick, flipped the puck past Hunwick, picked it up the other side, and deked goalie Dany Sabourin for a 1-0 lead.

Speaking of Bozak, if you have the NHL Network, tonight's Toronto Maple Leafs exhibition game against the Philadelphia Flyers will be on at 5 PM MST.

DU alum Don Mercier will be hosting a hockey show on Denver Sports Radio.com this season on Saturdays. He will focus on DU and the Av's. We'll post more details about the show as soon as they become available. Check out DenverSportsRadio.com

DU Alum Scott McConnell has been named the AHL Wilkes-Barre Penguins video coach. The grandson of former Pittsburgh Penguins & Wisconsin Badgers coach Bob Johnson, McConnell played hockey at the University of Denver and was a member of the 2004 National Championship team. His former teammates Connor James & Adam Berkhoel played for Wilkes-Barre last season. Wilkes-Barre is the AHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Former DU Captain J.P. Testwuide will play for the AHL Houston Aeros this season if all goes well. Testwuide, 24, posted 13 points (3-10=13) and 110 PIM during last season at the University of Denver. He then signed with the Aeros, scoring two points (1-1=2) and adding 14 PIM in 13 playoff games.The Aeros are the AHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild.

DU Alum Connor James Signs With German Team

(left) Connor James signed with a German team last week

DU alum Connor James signed with the German Hockey League team Ausgburg Panthers last week. James spent the last several seasons in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization playing for the Wilkes-Barre Penguins in the AHL.

James was originally drafted and signed by the LA Kings after graduating and winning a National Championship with the University of Denver in 2004.

DU Alum Kurt Overhardt Represents NHL Players

(above) DU Alum Kurt Overhardt is a sports agent for many NHL stars

University of Denver graduate Kurt Overhardt is a Denver-based NHL agent who represents some of the league's top players. His clients include Dallas Stars goalie Marty Turco and young forwards Kyle Turris of the Phoenix Coyotes and T.J. Hensick of the Avalanche.

Overhardt advises two Hobey Baker Award winners in former DU defenseman Matt Carle of the Philadelphia Flyers and center Brendan Morrison of the Anaheim Ducks, plus former Pioneers Wade Dubielewicz, Connor James, Ryan Dingle, Adrian Veideman, Glenn Fisher, Geoff Paukovich and J.D. Corbin. [read rest of article]

DU Alum Has Three Game Shutout Streak In AHL

(left) DU Alum Adam Berkhoel

from: WBSpenguins Website

WILKES-BARRE, PA – Adam Berkhoel is only nine games into his Penguins career, but has already written himself into the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton record books.

Berkheol became the first Penguins netminder to record three consecutive shutouts as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton posted a 3-0 win against the Syracuse Crunch on Wednesday night at the Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza. The victory upped the Pens record to 9-6-0-1 on the season, while Syracuse suffered just its fourth loss of the year, dropping to 12-4-0-1.

"I’ve been pretty fortunate. I’ve never had this happen before," said Berkhoel, who entered the season with just one AHL shutout to his credit. "Guys are keeping pucks to the outside and I’m seeing everything. Everything’s hitting me. So it’s just fortunate we’re getting wins and shutting them out when we’re doing it. It feels good.

"Right now I’ve got luck on my side. I don’t know what I did to deserve it. But first and foremost, get the win, and it’s a luxury to get a shutout along with it."

The shutout was also the fourth in Berkhoel’s last five starts, during which time he has stopped 155 of 158 shots (.981 save percentage), and posted a 0.60 goals against average.

“I played four years with him in college, so I kind of knew what kind of goalie he was,” said Connor James, who suited up alongside Berkhoel at the University of Denver, winning an NCAA title in 2004. “When he signed here, I was really happy, because I knew that he could win us games. He’s been playing great the last couple of games, I think people are really starting to notice how good he is.”

James hasn’t been playing too poorly, either. About 21 minutes after Ryan Stone opened the scoring at the start of the second period, James jumped on a loose puck in the neutral zone, then skated in alone against Dan LaCosta for his league-leading third shorthanded tally of the season.

“It hit my skate and bounced forward. I was going in and I kind of changed my mind at the very last second,” said James. “Maybe that messed with the goalie, because I didn’t know where I was going, so hopefully he didn’t either. It squeezed in and I was definitely happy to get it."

“That was a full team effort. Every player in the lineup did a lot of good things, and Adam was there to back them up when they did have quality scoring chances,” said Bylsma. “Right now he’s a big part of why we’re winning. When you keep it at zero, it’s pretty easy to win.”

Berkhoel Signs With AHL's Wilkes-Barre Scranton

(above) DU alum Adam Berkhoel joined the Pittsburgh Penguins organization today, signing with Wilkes-Barre/Scanton in the AHL

From: Our Sports Central.com

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed goaltenders Adam Berkhoel and Curtis Darling, it was announced on Friday by Pittsburgh Penguins Assistant General Manager Chuck Fletcher.

Berkhoel helped lead DU to the NCAA National Championship in 2004 backstopping a 1-0 victory over the University of Maine. His shutout was only the second shutout in national championship game history.

Berkhoel, 27, appeared in 31 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) last season, posting a 10-14-4 record with one shutout and a 2.93 goals against average. A former eighth round draft pick by the Chicago Blackhawks (240th overall in 2000), Berkhoel has appeared in nine NHL games during his four-year career (all with the Atlanta Thrashers), going 2-4-1 with a 3.80 goals against average.

The native of St. Paul, Minnesota has appeared in 49 AHL games with Grand Rapids, Rochester and Chicago, going 15-24-4, and 82 ECHL games with Gwinnett and Dayton, going 42-31-9. He spent four seasons at the University of Denver (2000-2004), posting 55-27-10 record with 10 shutouts and a 2.47 goals against average. He helped the Pioneers to an NCAA title in 2004.

Presumably Berkhoel will join fellow DU alum Connor James, who helped lead Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton to the AHL Calder Cup Finals last season.

Connor James Re-Signs with Pittsburgh

Connor James stays with the Penguins for one more year. Full story on the Penguins website.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed forward Connor James to a one-year entry-level contract, it was announced Thursday by Executive Vice President/General Manager Ray Shero.

Pittsburgh Penguins website

NHL Free Agent Signing Period Underway

Ryan Caldwell with the Phoenix Coyotes

Kevin Doell with the Atlanta Thrashers

Connor James with the Pittsburgh Penguins

Gabe Gauthier with the LA Kings

The NHL free agent signing period is just underway. Former DUers with 20007-08 NHL experience who are unrestricted free agents are Ryan Caldwell, Connor James and Kevin Doell. Gabe Gauthier is a restricted free agent who was given a qualifying offer by the Kings. Goalie Wade Dubielewicz has already signed with in the Russian Kontinental Hockey League with Ak-Bars Kazan. Adam Berkhoel, Mark Rycroft, Brett Skinner and Glenn Fisher are also free agents but they didn't log any time in the NHL last season. It is believed that Glenn Fisher has agreed to an AHL contract with the Edmonton organization. Below are the links to the TSN site to follow the signings and the official NHL free agent list.

TSN.ca

Official NHL Free Agent List

DU Alum Scores GWG To Keep AHL Series Alive

(above) Connor James goes "top shelf" to record the game winning goal as Wilkes Barre won 5-1 on Sunday night

From: Citizens Voice

DU Alum Connor James helped keep the Wilkes-Barre Penguins Calder Cup hopes alive with a goal in the Baby Pens 5-1 win over the Chicago Wolves and another DU Alum Kevin Doell.

Chicago leads the series 3-2 with Game 6 on Tuesday night. The Wolves had a 3-0 lead in this series with Wilkes-Barre winning games 4 and 5 to stay alive.

When discussing his team’s 5-1 loss in Game 5, Wolves coach John Anderson detailed the defensive breakdowns that led to second-period goals by Dave Gove and Connor James that gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead.

“(Gove’s goal) was a 3-on-3 and we went to pick up the trailer and went to the wrong guy and they banged it in. Great play,” Anderson said. “Then Connor James comes down about 2,000 mph, made a beautiful shot top shelf and changed the whole complexion.”

Denver Post: 6 Teams May Be Looking At Dineen

(above) Don't forget to vote for former DU player Kevin Dineen in the Denver Post Online Poll today. You could technically vote for Dineen more than once if you "cleared" the "cookies" in your web browser & then "refreshed" the Denver Post page, but you didn't hear that from us. :-)

From: Denver Post
by Adrian Dater

The competition really could be tough for the Avs in landing Todd McLellan and/or DU Alum Kevin Dineen as a coach. There are six other teams without a coach right now besides the Avs, and it’s pretty clear that some, if not all, are waiting for their respective teams’ seasons to end to get a chance to interview them.

Dineen’s Portland Pirates currently lead the AHL’s Eastern finals 3 games to 2, with Wilkes-Barre. DU Alums Ryan Dingle and Adrian Veideman play for the Pirates, while Connor James plays for Wilkes-Barre.

DU Alums Still Playing In Pro Hockey Playoffs

Thanks to the crack research staff (Duper) in the basement of LetsGoDU's World Headquarters in Denver, Colorado we've determined that the following DU alums still have a shot at winning league titles this season. We'll continue to cover their exploits until they are eliminated from the playoffs.

AHL Atlantic Division Finals
Portland Pirates vs. Providence Bruins
Portland
Ryan Dingle
Adrian Veideman
Providence
Brett Skinner

AHL East Division Final
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins vs. Philadelphia Phantoms
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Connor James

AHL North Division Final
Toronto Marlies vs. Syracuse Crunch
Syracuse
Mark Rycroft

AHL West Division Final
Chicago Wolves vs. Rockford Ice Hogs
Chicago
Kevin Doell
Rockford
Gavin Morgan

CHL Finals
Arizona Sundogs vs. Colorado Eagles
Colorado
Erik Adams

Overseas
Jussi Halme's club, Tappara, won the bronze medal in sm-liiga in Finland.

DU Alum Goes From Supermarket To NHL

(above) DU Alum Connor James is congratulated by teammates after scoring his first NHL goal

Video of Connor's First NHL Goal

From: Pittsburgh Post Gazette
by Dave Molinari

DU Alum Connor James scored his first NHL goal last night for the Pittsburgh Penguins after being called up from the AHL earlier in the day. His goal made it 4-1 Pittsburgh, with 3:02 left in the game.

The Penguins had summoned forwards Connor James and Nathan Smith from their minor-league team in Wilkes-Barre so they could field a 20-man lineup, but those two did not arrive until the middle of the second period.

Mind you, it was worth the trip for James, who scored his first career NHL goal just hours after getting his promotion to the NHL over a supermarket intercom.

Turns out his cell phone had broken earlier in the day and James, just back in northeast Pennsylvania after a brief stint with the Penguins, was grocery shopping when the team got word he was being recalled.

He was checking out steaks when Baby Penguins coach Todd Richards contacted the store and had James paged on the public-address system so he could tell him that he had 20 minutes to get ready for a trip to Long Island.

"It was kind of weird," James said.

Yeah, just a bit.

James and Smith were driven to the game by Baby Penguins executive Jeff Barrett but, because of heavy traffic and foul weather, didn't reach the arena until the first intermission, and did not make it onto the ice until the game was half over.

The Penguins defeated the New York Islanders, 4-2.

DU Players Waiting For Their Shot In The NHL

From: Rocky Mountain News
by Pat Rooney

(left) Gabe Gauthier was sent down yesterday by the LA Kings to the AHL Manchester Monarchs

Note: Part II of article published yesterday.

Former Pioneers who have received some time in the NHL and are playing for affiliates, awaiting recall:

* C Gabe Gauthier (Los Angeles Kings) - Scored the only goal in DU's 2004 national title-game victory. Appeared in five games with Kings last season and was recalled from Manchester Monarchs of the American Hockey League on Monday.

* D Ryan Caldwell (Phoenix Coyotes) - Captain of DU's 2004 national championship team appeared in two games with New York Islanders during 2005-06 season. Signed by Phoenix last summer, appeared in two games with Coyotes earlier this season and now plays for the Rampage, Phoenix's American Hockey League affiliate in San Antonio.

* LW Connor James (Pittsburgh Penguins) - Appeared in two games with Los Angeles during 2005-06 season and was signed by Pittsburgh in August 2006. Now with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL.

* G Adam Berkhoel (Detroit Red Wings) - Most Outstanding Player of 2004 Frozen Four is with third NHL franchise in four professional seasons. Appeared in nine games for Atlanta Thrashers in 2005-06 and now plays for Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL. Berkhoel is sharing time with Jimmy Howard, the former Maine goaltender Berkhoel bested in '04 title game.

* LW Mark Rycroft (Avalanche) - Veteran forward has posted 46 points in four NHL seasons and captains Avalanche's AHL affiliate in Lake Erie. Was joined this week by rookie J.D. Corbin, a native of Littleton who has scored one goal since his promotion.

DU Hockey Alums In The Pros - 2007

The Official "Mustards Last Stand" Pioneer Professional All-Hot Dog Team

Thanks to our resident Pionologist & LetsGoDU Statistician "Duper" (who can frequently be found working at Mustard's...Don't forget to ask for your LetsGoDU 10% Discount) we have updated statistics on all of the guys that we know of currently playing professional hockey all over the world. There are four alums currently playing in the NHL.

2006 Edition Of Pioneers In The Pros

Goaltenders

Team - League - GP - W - L - OT - GAA - S%

Wade Dubielewicz - NY Islanders - NHL - 3 - 1 - 1 - 5.08 - .836
Dubie was shelled in his first appearance, things have gotten better since.

Adam Berkhoel - Grand Rapids Griffins - AHL - 10 - 3 - 6 - 1 - 3.76 - .879
Berky splits time with 2004 NC game opponent Jimmy Howard

Glenn Fisher - Stockton Thunder - ECHL - 9 - 4 - 3 - 1 - 3.23 - .903
2 shutouts

Sinuhe Wallinheimo - JYP - sm-liiga (Finland) .923 S%
sm-liiga has changed their site, and, not reading Finnish, the only solid stat I can find is S% He is generally a top league goalie, but for a crappy team.


Skaters

Team - League - G - A - P - +/- - PM

Paul Stastny - Colorado Avalanche - NHL - 9 - 14 - 23 - +2 - 10 - 1pp - 2gw
Leads team in points and assists

Matt Carle - San Jose Sharks - NHL - 1 - 5 - 6 - -3 - 4 - 1pp
Carle just got a 4 yr extension

Matt Pettinger - Washington Capitals - NHL - 1 - 2 - 3 - -2 - 17 - 1pp - 1gw

Ryan Caldwell - San Antonio Rampage - AHL - 1 - 3 - 4 - +6 - 23 - 1sh
In 2 games with the NHL Phoenix Coyotes, Caldwell had 2 PM in about 12 minutes on ice.

Kevin Doell - Chicago Wolves - AHL - 1 - 4 - 5 - +4 - 26

Mark Rycroft - Lake Erie Monsters - AHL - 0 - 5 - 5 - E - 9

Gabe Gauthier - Manchester Monarchs - AHL - 7 - 16 - 23 - -1 - 21 - 6pp
Gabe is 3rd in the league in points

Aaron MacKenzie - Peoria Rivermen - AHL - 0 - 2 - 2 - -3 - 8

Brett Skinner - Providence Bruins - AHL - 1 - 7 - 8 - E - 8

Gavin Morgan - Rockford Ice Hogs - AHL - 0 - 2 - 2 - -2 - 7

Connor James - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins - AHL - 4 - 5 - 9 - +3 - 10

Ryan Dingle - Portland Pirates - AHL - 0 - 2 - 2 - -1 - 4 - 7 games
Augusta Lynx - ECHL - 2 - 8 - 10 - -7 - 10 - 1pp - 9 games
Dingle currently plays for Augusta

Adrian Veideman - Augusta Lynx - ECHL - 2 - 7 - 9 - -4 - 20

Kevin Ulanski - Elmira Jackals - ECHL - 4 - 8 - 12 - +2 - 10 - 2pp - 1sh

Luke Fulghum - Elmira Jackals - ECHL - 6 - 5 - 11 - -2 - 0 - 2pp - 1sh - 8 games
Stockton Thunder - ECHL - 1 - 1 - 2 - -1 0 - 1 pp - 5 games
Fulghum currently plays for Elmira

J. D. Corbin - Johnstown Chiefs - ECHL - 1 - 7 - 8 - -9 - 10 - 1pp

Geoff Paukovich - Stockton Thunder - ECHL - 4 - 3 - 7 - +1 - 12 - 1sh

Jon Foster - Wheeling Nailers - ECHL - 0 - 0 - 0 - -7 - 8

Erik Adams - Colorado Eagles - CHL - Has not played this season

James Patterson - Huntsville Havoc - SPHL - 5 - 5 - 10 - -1 - 2 - 4pp - 1gw

Jussi Halme - Tappara - sm-liiga - 0 - 2 - 2 - -5 - 14

Antti Laaksonen - Fribourg-Gotteron (Swi) - 8 - 6 - 14 - 28PM

An interesting note; While Duper can't seem to find him this year, Lukas Dora played in England last season.

Puck Swami's list of DU's most notable athletes all-time

Connor James Signs Minor League Contract
'04 Alum Re-signs With Penguins Organization

(left) Connor James will be staying in Pennsylvania

The Pittsburgh Penguins signed right-wing Connor James to a one-year contract.

James, 24, likely will play this season for the club's AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He spent this past season there and scored 12 goals to go with 32 points in 70 regular-season games. James was fourth on the club in scoring during the playoffs with eight points over 11 games.

"He is a hard-working, good-skating kid who was arguably our most consistent playoff performer in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton," assistant general manager Chuck Fletcher said. "He is a good penalty-killer, plus he chips in a bit offensively. He is a depth player."

James originally was signed as a free agent by the Penguins on Aug. 8, 2006. He was a ninth-round choice by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2002 entry draft.

DU Alums In The Pros - 2006

The Official "Mustards Last Stand" Pioneer Professional All-Hot Dog Team

USCHO poster & DU Superfan "Duper" has posted an updated list of former Pioneers currently playing professional hockey

NHL
Matt Carle - San Jose
Antti Laaksonen - Colorado
Mark Rycroft - Colorado
Paul Stastny - Colorado
Matt Pettinger - Washington

AHL
Ryan Caldwell - Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Wade Dublieweciz - Bridgeport
Kevin Doell - Chicago Wolves
Gabe Gauthier - Manchester Monarchs
Aaron MacKenzie - Peoria Rivermen
Brett Skinner - Portland Pirates
Adam Berkhoel - Rochester Americans
Connor James - Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

ECHL
Luke Fulghum - Columbia Inferno
Jon Foster - Wheeling Nailers

CHL
Erik Adams - Colorado Eagles

SPHL
James Patterson - Huntsville Havoc

UHL
Kevin Ulanski - Rockford Ice Hogs

Overseas
Sinuhe Wallinheimo - JYP - sm liiga (Finnish top league)
Jussi Halme - Sodertalje SK - Allsvenskan (Swedish 2nd league)
Gavin Morgan - Vienna-Austria
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List of Pioneers Who Played Professional Hockey

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Here's a link to Hockey Database's List of many Pioneer players who played professional hockey over the years with teams, statistics & leagues played in. Current players statistics will be a year old. Unfortunately, there appears to be several omissions.

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Puck Swami's list of DU's most notable athletes

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A complete list of DU players who have played professional hockey is avaliable in the DU Media Guide available in the Magness Arena Shop.