Showing posts with label Jake Gardiner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jake Gardiner. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Jake Gardiner signs Five-Year Contract Extension with the Leafs



Matt Frattin's Maple Leaf teammate Jake Gardiner just inked a five-year, 20.25 million dollar contract.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Four former WCHA's players received votes for the Calder Trophy

The Calder Memorial Trophy that Bure won in hi...
The Calder Memorial Trophy that Bure won in his rookie season (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Four former WCHA players received votes for the Calder Cup Trophy to goes to the NHL's top rookie of the year in the NHL, two of the players that received votes were former Wisconsin Badgers.

012 Calder Trophy Voting Pts. (1st-2nd-3rd-4th-5th)
1. Gabriel Landeskog, COL 1,383 (116-29-4-0-0)
2. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, EDM 1,001 (26-83-22-16-2)
3. Adam Henrique, Devils, 620 (3-19-59-50-12)
4. Matt Read, PHI 546 (3-17-45-51-19)
5. Carl Hagelin, NYR 88 (0-0-5-9-36)
6. Jake Gardiner, TOR 70 (0-0-4-8-26)
7. Justin Faulk, CAR 62 (0-1-4-6-17)

8. Cody Hodgson, BUF 49 (0-0-2-7-18)
9. Sean Couturier, PHI 37 (1-0-3-1-9)
10. Slava Voynov, L.A. 10 (0-0-1-1-2)
11. Jared Cowen, OTT 4 (0-0-0-0-4)
12. Marc-Andre Gragnani, VAN 1 (0-0-0-0-1)
Adam Larsson, N.J. 1 (0-0-0-0-1)
Andrew Shaw, CHI 1 (0-0-0-0-1)
Craig Smith, NSH 1 (0-0-0-0-1)
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Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Where is Justin Schultz going?


The million dollar question or should I say the $925,000.00 question - where is former Wisconsin Badger Justin Schultz going on or after July first during free agency signing period.

Schultz it going to be one of the more sought after free agents after July first - he will be able to take advantage of the same loop hole that Blake Wheeler did to sign with what ever team that he wants to. It will also be interesting to see if that loop hole is in the next CBA. Teams that lose their draft choices to other teams will get nothing in return.

Apparently, the Anaheim Ducks aren't all that pleased with Schultz's decision to shop his services to the best fit. I can't say that I blame them because Schultz has an awesome upside.
Stu Hackel, SI.COM --- That might be a new name for you, but he’s a University of Wisconsin star defenseman who was drafted by the Ducks in 2008 before he started his college career. He broke in as a freshman on a Badgers team that already boasted Ryan McDonagh, Jake Gardiner and Brendan Smith. (“I don’t know how anybody scored on them,” Ferraro remarked, adding that Schultz is thought to be better than Gardiner, but not as good as McDonagh.) But Schultz has never signed with Anaheim and if he doesn’t by July 1 – it’s been clear for a while that he won’t — he, too, becomes a UFA. Projected as a top-two defenseman and an excellent puck mover, he’s coming off a great junior year and he found the hole in the CBA that allows him to choose the team that best fits him the way Blake Wheeler did when he signed with the Bruins a few years ago. Whoever gets Schultz will be getting a very good prospect and won’t be trading anyone or using a draft pick to secure him.
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Friday, May 25, 2012

Wisconsin's Justin Schultz moving on

None of us in the college hockey world are probably very shocked by this announcement. Personally, I really enjoyed watching Justin Schultz play three season at the University of Wisconsin and he could have signed a professional contract after last season, it was admirable that he choose to come back and play a third season with the Wisconsin Badgers.

For everything Wisconsin Badgers check out Chuck Schwartz.
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Thursday, May 17, 2012

Frattin's goal against OKC


s/t to @BrittsLyfe for posting this on Twitter... Check out this goal by Toronto Marlies forward Matt Frattin. Frattin's team the Toronto Marlies ended up beating  former Fighting Sioux alumni Chris Vandevelde and Taylor Chorney's team the Oklahoma City Barons.

I am sure this goal by Frattin looks familiar to Fighting Sioux hockey fans who watched the power forward  score a bunch of goals that looked a lot like this one. Notice the goalie also didn't see the puck until it was past him and in the net.

College Hockey well represented

The more I looked around the Leafs official web sight, the more I realized college hockey's contribution to this game and the Toronto Marlies. If you look at the box score from this game you will see that college hockey was well represented - three former WCHA players scored three of the five goals for the Marlies in tonight's game, Jake Gardiner (UW), Matt Frattin (UND) and Joe Colborne (DU).

Also, former RPI forward Jerry D'Amigo leads the Marlies in points for the Calder Cup playoffs.

The starting goalie for the Marlies is former Cornell Star Ben Scrivens who has started every games for the Marlies during the playoffs and was up for a while with the Maple Leafs during the regular season.
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Sunday, April 15, 2012

Is Justin Schultz coming back to Wisconsin for a fourth season?

Badgers Herald.com
Here is some interesting speculation by the New York Post's Larry Brooks. As a hockey fan, I would actually love the opportunity to watch another season of Justin Schultz who was hands down the best defenseman in the WCHA, if not the country last season and in my opinion, should have been in the Hobey Hat Trick. For some reason the voters left him out of the mix.
Larry Brooks, New York Post --- Ryan McDonagh told Slap Shots he spoke a couple of weeks ago to one-time Wisconsin teammate Justin Schultz, the junior defenseman selected 43rd overall by the Ducks in 2008 who can become an unrestricted free agent this summer if he so chooses.

“But he was smart enough not to tip his hand to me,” said McDonagh, who raved about the 21-year-old’s skating ability and skill, likening Schultz to Toronto’s Jake Gardiner.

Schultz cannot be signed until July 1, but he can become a free agent and start the negotiating process by mid-June — it’s the Blake Wheeler model — after giving notice to Anaheim.

There has been some speculation the defenseman might opt to return to the Badgers for his senior season because of the possibility of a lockout that would necessarily mean a start to his pro career in the AHL, but it’s expected he will indeed hit the open market after deciding not to sign with the Ducks last month, when doing so would have burned the first year of his Entry Level Contract.
Edit: I guess we can always dream right, Badgers guru Chuck Schwartz assures me that Schultz is not coming back and that he will might pursue the Blake Wheeler option.  
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Friday, December 23, 2011

Crabb from Bozak


I thought this was a nice give and go from two former college hockey players. Joey Crabb is a former Colorado College Tiger and Tyler Bozak is a former Denver Pioneer. The Toronto Maple Leafs are a fun team to watch and resemble a WCHA all-star team with Phil Kessel, Matt Frattin, Joey Crabb, Tyler Bozak, Jake Gardiner, Jay Rosehill dotting their roster. Former Denver Pioneer Joe Colborne has also played 9 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs as well.
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Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Matt Frattin's shootout goal against the Jets.


Former Fighting Sioux forward Matt Frattin scored on one of his patented snapshots in third round of the shootout to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 4-3 win shootout win over the visiting Winnipeg Jets. Frattin played 13:58 during tonight's game. Leafs forward Nazem Kadri who just recently returned from MCL injury was actually sent to the Toronto Marlies in stead of Matt Frattin.
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Tuesday, October 04, 2011

Tuesday Links...

sportsnet.ca photo
With the start of hockey there are all kinds of news stories.

It looks like former Fighting Sioux forward Matt Frattin and former Badger defenseman Jake Gardiner have made the Toronto Maple Leafs out of training camp. So congrats to Matt Frattin and Jake Gardiner.
Mike Brophy; Sportsnet.ca --- Frattin's story has been told and told again. He was sent home from the University of North Dakota and had his scholarship revoked because of some teenage pranks, but returned to the team, at his own expense, and became one of the best college players in the nation. He was a cut above the rest of the pack at rookie camp and didn't skip a beat when he joined the Toronto veterans. Frattin also had five points, including two goals, in the pre-season.

He said he really wasn't overly surprised that he made the varsity squad.

"Well, maybe a little bit," he said. "We have a bunch of guys out and Clarke MacArthur is suspended. I got put into his role s hopefully I'll play on that line for the first two games. Every game you get opportunities and you just have to build from there. You have to take advantage of them. Coming to practice today I had no clue what to expect. We did a workout and the next thing I know I'm on a line with Nikolai Kulemin and Mikhail Gabovski. I had a great practice today and I feel good."
There are still tickets available for this weekend's Ice Breaker tourney. [Fighting Sioux]

College Hockey INC has a preview to this weekend's Ice Breaker Tournament. [College Hockey Inc]

Speaking of College Hockey Inc they have revamped their web page. [College Hockey Inc]

The Minnesota Golden Gophers head hockey coach Don Lucia seems to think that the Minnesota Gophers are going to be able to wear down their opponents this season. [Roman Empire]

Chris Peters from the USA of Hockey breaks down the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to the Hockey East move. [USA of Hockey]
The Irish would have helped legitimize the NCHC a little bit more. At the very least it would have made the move to leave the WCHA seem smart as opposed to selfish. It leaves the rest of us questioning whether or not the schools that left for the NCHC significantly improved their situations by leaving the WCHA.

The WCHA could have done much more to keep these schools from leaving, no question. A failure of leadership and foresight might have killed the WCHA as we know it. There are still many questions to be answered, and with the NCHC failing to gain one of the richest athletic departments in college sports, the answers may be harder to come by.
Again the WCHA bloggers/website preseason poll was conducted and the Fighting Sioux were picked to finish third in this season's poll. [Goon's World], [A tradition of Excellence]
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Thursday, September 15, 2011

Burke on Frattin - “He’s going to get a good look in camp.”

With the new season comes new chance for former Fighting Sioux hockey players to get their shot at playing in the NHL, this season former Fighting Sioux power forward Matt Frattin is making an early impression and has a decent chance of making the NHL out of the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp.
Kevin McGran; The Star --- One of few players who may actually get some ice time with the Leafs this year is Matt Frattin, easily the best player on the ice Tuesday night. The puck followed him around, it seemed. He scored the Leafs’ first goal, on a fine feed from defenceman Jake Gardiner.

It was a power-play goal with Frattin — a forward — playing the point.

“He clearly showed some of what he can do and I think he still has more to give,” Eakins said of Frattin. “We used him in all situations. We had him on the point on the power play, up front on the power play, 5-on-5, 4-on-4, penalty killing and he wasn’t falling away. It looks like he’s fairly fit as well.”

At 23, Frattin was one of the older players at the four-team tournament. It was expected he would dominate and he did. GM Brian Burke was impressed.

“I think he’s a good player,” Burke said of Frattin. “He’s going to get a good look in camp.”
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Saturday, September 10, 2011

Frattin talks about playing college hockey...


Toronto Maple Leafs prospects Matt Frattin and Jake Gardiner explain the benefits of playing US Division I College Hockey. Listening to these two young players talk about hockey and the more I think about it; if you're one of these hockey players that is a bit of a late bloomer; maybe you don't develop as fast as other players, Division I college Hockey would probably be a better option than Major Juniors. Not everyone is going to be like Sidney Crosby and play one or two years in Major Juniors before making the jump to the professional ranks.

The reality is that if you’re good enough to play hockey after you college hockey days are over, more than likely than not you're going to start out in the ECHL or the AHL and then “maybe” transition to fighting for a spot on the third or fourth line on an NHL club, if you’re lucky. Very few players are going to play in the NHL and the college education gives players an option to fall back on after they are done playing hockey.

Here is an awesome story on former Fighting Sioux forward Matt Frattin and how he has learned from his past mistakes. Apparently Frattin has a "decent chance" of making the Leafs out of training camp as well.
TORONTO — The rookie wants to be a role model.

He wants young people to know his story and how it changed him, made him a better hockey player and — ultimately — a responsible adult. Wants them to know that as a sophomore at the University of North Dakota, he made foolish decisions that resulted in him being kicked off the hockey team and working a blue-collar construction job.

And how it made Matt Frattin who he is today.

“It was a life experience that I kind of needed to happen,” says the Toronto Maple Leafs prospect, who is among those competing at a four-team rookie tournament in Oshawa, Ont., this weekend. “I wasn’t really living my life as though I wanted to be a professional. I was more a college kid. It happens. But it was probably good that I got caught in a couple of situations and it changed the way I am today.”
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