The Edmonton Oilers have re-signed restricted free agent Chris VandeVelde to a one year, two-way contract. VandeVelde had turned down the Oilers' qualifying offer, but he has impressed the Edmonton staff enough in training camps, AHL action, and call-ups to earn the new contract. The Edmonton Journal offered its take on the signing of the former Sioux centerman, and below is the updated status of this summer's former Sioux NHL free agents:
The New York Islanders blog Lighthouse Hockey decided to revisit the Islander's decision to pass on Zach Parise in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. New York had the 15th pick in the draft, and Parise ended up going 17th to the New Jersey Devils. And for what it's worth, after sharing this article via Twitter earlier today, I followed it up with a Tweet stating that "Matt Greene has a pretty decent NHL career going for him as well." That, of course, was in reference to the portion of the article that states, "The only other player to have any sort of career in the NHL from that Dakota team was Brandon Bochenski, who played 152 games and is in Europe now." Brad Schlossman then added that David Hale had a solid NHL career (7 seasons, 327 games) and Matt Jones saw action in 106 NHL games.
Below is the weekly recap of former and future Sioux:
Brad Malone (Lake Erie-AHL) and Chay Genoway (Houston-AHL) each scored their first goals as professionals last Friday night. Malone's goal came in a 2-1 Monster victory over the Toronto Marlies, while Genoway's helped the Aeros defeat San Antonio 4-2. Genoway had a big week in total as he recorded five points (1G, 4A) in three games, helping the team to a 2-0-1 record over the weekend.
Corey Fienhage had a goal and an assist for Gwinnett (ECHL) as the Gladiators went 2-1 during the week.
A trio of former Sioux had a nice weekend for the Colorado Eagles (ECHL). Aaron Schneekloth (1G, 2A) and Jake Marto (0G, 3A) each had three points while Michael Forney added two assists in helping the Eagles to a 2-1 weekend record.
Like many of the goals he scored as a Sioux, Darcy Zajac scored the gritty game winner in the Albany Devils (AHL) 3-2 victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs Saturday night.
Jason Blake hopes to be a fast healer as he recuperates from the tendon injury he suffered to his left wrist. If cancer can't keep him out of the lineup, expect Blake to make a complete recovery for the Anaheim Ducks.
Detroit's Mike Commodore has been cleared to play after sitting out the past month with a knee injury. Though the Red Wings defensemen have played well during the early stages of the season, expect Commodore to see the ice soon.
Matt Frattin, who has played well for Toronto but has been unable to score, was assigned to the Leaf's AHL affiliate. Expect him to be back with the Leafs later this season as he rediscovers his scoring touch.
The Mayor's Manor caught up with Matt Greene to see what he's learned thus far about this year's LA Kings squad. That's a heckuva gash on his forehead that wound up requiring 54 stitches.
Jack Rowe (Cedar Rapids-USHL) has yet to play this season as he recovers from offseason surgery, but he has begun practicing with the RoughRiders. Hopefully he will be on the ice Veteran's Day weekend when CR visits Fargo to take on the Force. That's an off week for North Dakota so it would be a great opportunity to see the Sioux recruit in action.
Luke Johnson (Lincoln-USHL) sat out last weekend as one of several Lincoln Stars players dealing with injuries. No word thus far in regard to the extent of the injury. Johnson is off to a tremendous start, having notched at least one point in each of his six games.
A trio of former Sioux are part of the Colorado Eagles move to the ECHL. The Sioux contingent is comprised of Michael Forney, Jake Marto and Aaron Schneekloth. Marto and Schneekloth have been defensive partners in the preseason, and Forney has been playing on the Eagles' top line.
David Toews has been loaned from Rockford (AHL) to their ECHL affiliate, the Toledo Walleye. I don't know what it is, but something tells me there's something mighty fishy about that transaction...
TJ Oshie and Jason Blake both made a recent list of the 15 Slickest Shootout Goals. Ya gotta love the ol' spin-o-rama.
In addition to the Maine series, there's a ton of action involving former and future Sioux this weekend. Look for all the highlights and summaries in the Week 2 Recap.
And we'll leave you with Zach Parise's shootout goal from New Jersey's victory over Los Angeles last night. His slick backhand made a goalie named Quick look anything but. Check it out:
NHL free agency fires up Friday, and several former Sioux find themselves in search of new contracts. Drew Stafford and Chris Porter have already signed new deals, and below is a list of the other former Sioux who played in the NHL last season and will be looking to sign new deals this summer:
Oshie recently received a qualifying offer from St. Louis, which prevents him from becoming an UFA, while the New Jersey Devils have filed for arbitration in their effort to get Parise signed long-term without risking losing him to an offer sheet it might not be able to match. It will also be interesting to
see where Jason Gregoire signs, and if any other former Sioux are able to make there way into the NHL.
McKeen's Hockey published an interview with incoming recruit Rocco Grimaldi about a week before
the NHL Draft, and when asked about next year's outlook at North Dakota Grimaldi replied:
"I expect to be a big part of it, to be a big contributor, and I expect to win. I really do expect to win. That's just the mental attitude that I have. We're going to be a pretty young team, but we're going to be a pretty dang good, solid, skilled team. I think we'll do really well. Obviously, I want to win in the end. That's our goal and hopefully I'll be a big part of that and be able to help along the way."
I love his positive outlook, the expectations he has of himself, and the expectations he has of the
team. Here's the full interview.
The USHL put together some short highlight reels of some it's NHL Draft prospects, including
Grimaldi and fellow incoming recruit Colten St. Clair:
