NHL: Player News and Rumors (Thread finished)

Penguins acquire Ekman from Sharks
Canadian Press
7/20/2006 7:04:27 PM

PITTSBURGH (CP) - The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired forward Nils Ekman and goaltender Patrick Ehelechner from the San Jose Sharks for a 2007 second-round draft pick, the team announced Thursday.

Ekman, 30, scored 21 goals and set career highs with 36 assists and 57 points in 77 games for the Sharks last season.

The six-foot, 185-pound winger has 136 points (54-82) in 230 career NHL games with the Sharks and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Ekman, a native of Sweden, was originally drafted by the Calgary Flames in the fifth round (107th overall) of the 1994 NHL draft.

Ehelechner, 21, split the 2005-06 season with Manheim and Duisburg of the German League. He appeared in 27 games and posted a 3.68 goals-against average.

He has appeared in 107 career games for the Ontario Hockey League's Sudbury Wolves, posting a 45-47-10 record with a 2.72 goals-against average and six shutouts.
 

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Penguins re-sign winger Armstrong
Canadian Press
7/21/2006 10:53:22 AM

PITTSBURGH (CP) - The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed Sidney Crosby's linemate. Forward Colby Armstrong has agreed to a $816,953 US, one-year deal.

Armstrong, 23, began the season in the AHL last year before being recalled in December. He made up for lost time once he was called up, putting up 40 points (16-24) in 47 games and led the Penguins with a plus-15 rating.

The native of Lloydminster, Sask., was drafted by the Penguins in the first round (21st overall) of the 2001 NHL entry draft.
 

Blue Jackets sign Pushor, Hauhtonen
TSN.ca Staff
7/21/2006 2:24:22 PM

The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed defenceman Jamie Pushor and centre Janne Hauhtonen to two-way National Hockey League - American Hockey League contracts.

As is club policy, terms were not disclosed.

Pushor, 33, is a veteran of 521 NHL games and has registered 14-46-60 and 648 penalty minutes with the Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Dallas Stars, Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings. He was originally selected by the Blue Jackets in the 2000 Expansion Draft, from the Dallas Stars and has notched 4-18-22 and 150 penalty minutes in 147 games with the club. In four appearances during the 2005-06 season, he tallied 1-2-3 with Columbus.

The Lethbridge, Alberta native has spent most of the past two seasons with the Syracuse Crunch, serving as the team's captain. He enjoyed the highest-scoring season of his pro career last year as he tallied 5-17-22 with 132 penalty minutes in 72 games. In 367 career AHL games, he has picked up 12-76-88 and 641 penalty minutes.

Detroit's second pick, 32nd overall, in the 1991 Entry Draft, Pushor spent five seasons in the Red Wings organization and was a member of the club's 1997 Stanley Cup championship team. He was a member of the Blue Jackets' inaugural season club and collected 3-10-13, 94 penalty minutes and was +7 in 75 games in 2000-01. He added 0-6-6 and 54 penalty minutes in 61 games with Columbus in 2001-02 before being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Mar. 15, 2002.

The 6-3, 205-pound Hauhtonen spent the 2005-06 season with HIFK Helsinki of the Finnish Elite League and set career highs in goals (19), assists (27), points (46) and plus/minus rating (+27) while adding 36 penalty minutes in 49 games.

A native of Pori, Finland, Hauhtonen has spent seven seasons with JYP HT Jyvaskyla and HIFK Helsinki in the Finnish Elite League, registering 47-91-138 with a cumulative plus/minus rating of +5 and 323 penalty minutes in 319 games. He has added 4-9-13 and 49 penalty minutes in 24 playoff games. He also played for Team Finland at the World Junior Championships in 1997 and picked up 0-1-1 and two penalty minutes in six games.
 

Oilers sign defenceman Gilbert
TSN.ca Staff
7/21/2006 2:27:55 PM

The Edmonton Oilers have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with defenceman Tom Gilbert.

The Bloomington, Minnesota native joins the Oilers following an outstanding four-year career with the University of Wisconsin Badgers.

Gilbert was a member of Wisconsin's NCAA championship team in 2005-06, scoring the winning goal in the Badgers' 2-1 victory over the Boston College Eagles in the Frozen Four championship final. An assistant captain in both his junior and senior years at Wisconsin, the 23-year-old blueliner was named to the NCAA Frozen Four all-tournament team and was also named a second team NCAA West All-American and was a WCHA first team all-conference selection.

Gilbert finished fourth in scoring on the Badgers in 2005-06 with 12-19-31 in 43 games with 32 penalty minutes. He was fourth in both goals and assists and led Wisconsin in plus/minus with a +28 rating. Six of his 12 goals were scored on the powerplay and he had three game winning goals.

The Badgers' team MVP in 2004-05, Gilbert scored 33-56-89 with 152 PIM in 162 career games with Wisconsin from 2002-03 to 2005-06.

Prior to attending Wisconsin, he played one season with the Chicago Steel of the USHL and two seasons of high school hockey in his hometown with Bloomington Jefferson High School. He was a finalist for Minnesota's Mr. Hockey and was named the male athlete of the year during his senior year in high school (2000-01).

Gilbert was obtained by the Oilers from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Tommy Salo and Edmonton's sixth round choice (Justin Mercier) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft on March 8, 2004. He was the Avalanche's fifth choice, 129th overall, in the 2002 Entry Draft.
 

Bruins sign Brookbank, York, Hoggan
TSN.ca Staff
7/21/2006 2:31:30 PM

The Boston Bruins have agreed to terms on contracts with defencemen Wade Brookbank and Jason York and left winger Jeff Hoggan.

All players were unrestricted free agents and, in keeping with club policy, terms of the contracts were not released.

Brookbank enters his eighth professional season. He was not drafted by an NHL team, playing his first two pro seasons with Oklahoma City/CHL and Orlando/IHL before signing with Ottawa as a free agent in July, 2001 and playing two seasons with Ottawa's AHL affiliates in Grand Rapids and Binghamton. He played for five teams in three organizations in 2003-04, including 29 NHL games in Nashville and Vancouver. He played the 2004-05 season with Vancouver's AHL affiliate in Manitoba before playing his first full NHL season in 2005-06 with the Canucks.

York will play his 15th professional season in 2006-07 and Boston becomes his fifth NHL organization. York played last season with Lugano in Switzerland with three goals and 17 assists for 20 points and 122 penalty minutes in 34 games. His NHL totals are 41 goals and 180 assists for 221 points with 589 penalty minutes in 708 career games.

Hoggan played three years of college hockey at the University of Nebraska-Omaha with 52-99=151 totals and 252 PIM in 117 career college games and earned CCHA First Team All-Star and NCAA West Second Team All-American honors in 2001-02. He signed as a free agent with St. Louis on August 2, 2005 and played his first full NHL season last year with the Blues with two goals and six assists for eight points and 34 penalty minutes in 52 games.
 

Capitals re-sign forward Clymer
TSN.ca Staff
7/21/2006 2:47:49 PM

The Washington Capitals have re-signed forward Ben Clymer to a three-year contract.

''We like the way Ben Clymer competes and admire the professionalism that he brings to our club,'' vice president and general manager George McPhee said. ''He's a valuable player who is well respected by his teammates and an important part of our future.''

Clymer had a career-high 16 goals in his first Capitals season in 2005-06, adding 17 assists for 33 points in 77 games. His 13 even-strength goals ranked third on the team, and seven of his 16 goals were the team's first of the game.

Clymer is entering his eighth year as a professional with experience playing both forward and defense. He has played 372 career NHL games, recording 45 goals and 109 points, and won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2003-04.
 

Hurricanes ink three prospects
TSN.ca Staff
7/21/2006 2:57:35 PM

The Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to terms with defenceman Tim Conboy and forwards Mike Angelidis and Scott Kelman.

Conboy agreed to a one-year contract that will pay him $500,000 at the NHL level and $95,000 at the AHL level. Angelidis agreed to a three-year entry-level contract that will pay him $450,000 at the NHL level in 2006-07 and $475,000 at the NHL level in 2007-08 and 2008-09. Kelman agreed to a one-year contract that will pay him $450,000 at the NHL level and $40,000 at the American Hockey League level.

''Tim brings size and toughness to our depth on the back end,'' Vice President and Assistant General Manager Jason Karmanos said. ''For a big man he is a very good skater. Mike had a very strong year as an over-age player in the OHL. He has good size, grit and character. Scott is a former first-round pick and adds depth to our organization down the middle.''

Conboy completed his second full professional season with the Cleveland Barons, American Hockey League affiliate of the San Jose Sharks, in 2005-06. He totaled six goals and 14 assists in 78 games for Cleveland, ranking third among Barons in penalty minutes.

Conboy was San Jose's sixth choice, 217th overall, in the seventh round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

Angelidis completed his fourth season with Owen Sound of the Ontario Hockey League in 2005-06 and ranked third in the OHL in goal-scoring with 53 goals. Angelidis, who will sign with Carolina as an undrafted free agent, ranked third on Owen Sound in points, first in goals and second in penalty minutes.

Kelman split last season between the AHL and the ECHL. The Winnipeg native scored six goals and registered nine assists in 24 AHL games with Manitoba, Hershey and Lowell in 2005-06, notching 13 points in his 19 games with Carolina's prospects in Lowell.
 

Capitals sign forward Vandermeer
TSN.ca Staff
7/21/2006 3:07:29 PM

The Washington Capitals have signed free agent left winger Pete Vandermeer.

In keeping with club policy, financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Vandermeer is entering his 11th professional season and is a veteran of 447 career American Hockey League games. Last season, as a member of the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs, Vandermeer recorded six goals and six assists in 67 games while accumulating 276 penalty minutes.

Vandermeer has posted four AHL seasons with 300-plus penalty minutes and has led three different leagues in penalty minutes in a season: the AHL (398 in 2003-04), the ECHL (457 in 1999-2000) and the United Hockey League (390 in 1998-99).
 

Ice Chips for Friday, July 21

> Canucks forward Brendan Morrison continues rehab from hip surgery that transpired in early May. Morrison has been off crutches for a month, and can move forward fairly well. However, he is having dificulty with side-to-side movement. He hopes to be ready for training camp, and he should be. - Vancouver Province

> Boston centre Alexei Zhamnov will not be back on the ice with the Bruins anytime soon due to his injured ankle. Zhamnov's career may be over as he has not recovered from a badly broken ankle. While he will not retire, he will be "a long-term injury exemption." This will give the Bruins some cap space, however that only kicks in once he has been out for 10 consecutive games. - Boston Globe

> Craig MacTavish was solidly behind the Oilers making a pitch for Eric Lindros as a free agent. Lindros, who signed in Dallas, represented himself in negotiations with Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe, while MacTavish was a strong backer of pursuing the Big E. - Edmonton Journal

> Peter Bondra is allegedly considering a return to Washington. It would a homecoming of sorts for Bondra, who played almost 14 years with the Caps. - Atlanta Journal-Constitution

> While one or more of the remaining four bidders for the Penguins considers upping their offer, two newspaper reports yesterday make it looks more and more like the team will be staying in town no matter who buys them or for what price. Some or all of the remaining bidders have been asked to or are considering whether they can or should increase the value of the offers they submitted early this month. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

> Leafs GM John Ferguson said he is interviewing candidates for the head coaching job with the Leafs' American Hockey League farm team, the Toronto Marlies. The candidates do not include Marlies assistant, Joe Paterson, although Ferguson said he wants him to be one of the assistant coaches. One candidate for the head coaching role could be Greg Gilbert, head coach of the Mississauga IceDogs of the OHL. - Globe And Mail

> Centre Matt Stajan is the lone Maple Leafs regular who remains unsigned, but general manager John Ferguson is confident that will be done soon. - Toronto Sun

> The Red Wings' (contract talks with) restricted free agent Johan Franzen are progressing. They are discussing a one- to four-year contract. The Swedish centre made $600,000 last season as a rookie. Negotiations continue with the Wings' other remaining free agent, forward Jason Williams, 25, but he's likely headed for a July 31 arbitration hearing in Toronto. - Detroit News

> Oilers general manager Kevin Lowe may yet sign free-agent defenceman Dick Tarnstrom as his power-play point guy. But he may also be eyeing free-agent winger Petr Sykora, who played last year in Anaheim and New York. His play has dropped off the last few years, but he would also be a good fit on the second power-player unit. - Edmonton Journal
 

Woohoo!!!

Oilers ink Stoll to two-year deal
TSN.ca Staff
7/21/2006 4:39:11 PM

The Edmonton Oilers and centre Jarret Stoll have come to an agreement on a two-year contract, avoiding an arbitration hearing scheduled for Monday, July 24th.

''We are pleased to have Jarret under contract for the next two years,'' said assistant general manager Scott Howson. ''He has emerged into a solid two-way player at an early stage in his career and we believe he will continue his development into a top forward in the NHL.''

Stoll is coming off a solid season with the Oilers that saw him finish third on the teams scoring list with a career-high 68 points. The 24-year-old native of Melville, Saskatchewan established single-season career-highs in goals, assists and points, netting 22 goals and 46 assists in 82 games.

One of only three Oilers to appear in all 82 games during the regular season, Stoll finished third on the team in goals and assists, was second in PPG (11) and game-winning goals (4), fourth in plus/minus (+4) and first in shots on goal (243).

A second round draft choice of the Oilers in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Stoll will be entering his third full season with the Oilers in 2006-07. In his first 164 career games with the Oilers he has scored 32-58-90 with 116 PIM.
 

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