Habs AHL/ECHL Update 12-9

The Hamilton Bulldogs continue to play some good hockey, and the Habs AHL prospects are a major part of the teams success. Currently Hamilton sits in first place in their division, as rookie coach Doug Jarvis juggles a lineup of veterans and inexperienced rookies, and so far the team has been impressive for the most part.

Tomas Plekanec- C, Has slowed down his scoring pace somewhat, but still sees a lot of ice time in all situations, playing on the second line mostly. He’s been solid in his own end, while showing signs of some chippy play at times, something he didn’t show much of last season.

Josef Balej- RW, Has taken over the lead as the top scorer for the Habs AHL prospects. Playing on the top line with Hossa and Gratton, Balej has racked up the points and has been a real force in both ends of the ice. In two games, Balej was able to pick up six points as he exploded offensively, feeding off the confidence coach Jarvis has in him, as Jarvis will play him in any situation, including on the PK which he hasn’t played much of in the past.

Francois Beauchemin- LD, After a somewhat slow start to the season, perhaps due to the let down of not getting a crack at the NHL, after being one of the top defensemen in the AHL last year, Beauchemin has picked it up lately in all areas of the ice. With Ron Hainsey being switched in place of Mike Komisarek, the pair have played well together, while creating offense with good outlet passes and several shots on goal. Beauchemin who was a minus player early on this season, has turned it around, and is one of the top +/- prospects now, while he’s also generating a lot of shots on a consistent basis.

Chris Higgins- C/LW, Has been producing on offense, while being a clutch player scoring some big goals in the early stages of his rookie season. Both Higgins and Balej are tied for the team lead with three game winning goals apiece, a great sign considering Higgins has played less then 25 games as a professional hockey player. He continues to shoot the puck, and currently he sits third in scoring for the Habs AHL prospects, while also showing a great deal of discipline taking only one minor penalty so far this season.

Alex Perezhogin- RW, The season hasn’t gone exactly as well as Perezhogin would have liked, as he seems to struggle with the smaller ice surface at times, but has shown flashes of great skill at times. He plays mostly on the 2^nd line, and has been able to show off his quick release, but the points haven’t been there as often as one would think he would want. With the addition of fellow countryman Alex Svitov, hopefully this helps Perezhogin overcome his lack of understanding the English language.

Ron Hainsey- RD, After being sent down to Hamilton, Hainsey has taken the demotion in stride, playing some very good hockey in hopes of being recalled again. He’s been paired with Beauchemin, and the two have made an effective pairing, as Hainsey has been solid in his own end, while helping the team with his quick passing and shooting.

Jonathan Ferland– RW, Has not seen a lot of ice time, but when he does, he plays a physical game in the corners, and drives to the net hard. Points have been hard to come by lately for him, but as long as he continues to work hard along the boards, drive to the net, and play a physical game, he will get on the scoresheet more often as he posses some soft hands around the net.

Duncan Milroy– RW, With the limited ice time Milroy has seen, he was still able to get his first professional point, but I’m sure he’d like to start getting a lot more, as he’s had some chances, but hasn’t been able to bury them as he did in his junior days.

Marcel Hossa- LW, After being demoted again, Hossa took a spot on the top line, and has been able to get some good scoring chances, as he hopefully is able to find the confidence he once had.