THE BIG SHOW Calder Cup Finalists are among the many AHL players making their marks in the NHL this season.
Anyone wondering about the caliber of play in the American Hockey League should look at the talent that was on display during last year’s Calder Cup Finals between the Griffins and the Syracuse Crunch. Although technically not NHL rookies, exGriffins Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar and Joakim Andersson have all been valuable contributors in Detroit this season. Th ough mid-March, Nyquist was tied for the team lead with 16 goals while Tatar had lit the lamp 14 times. Andersson, with seven goals, was one of the the Red Wings’ top faceoff en, winning 51.5 percent of his draws. Among Detroit rookies, defenseman Danny DeKeyser was the top point-getter. In 49 games, the Western Michigan University product had four goals and 13 assists for 17 points and was a plus-6. The 24-year-old blueliner was averaging 21:09 of ice time, third on the team behind Niklas Kronwall (24:13) and Jonathan Ericsson (21:23). Luke Glendening was still looking for his fi st NHL goal after 39 games, but the Grand Rapidsborn and bred center was making a favorable
impression with his tenacious play, having chipped in four assists in the process. Riley Sheahan and Tomas Jurco, meanwhile, were making the most of their midseason callups, both ranking in the Top 40 in scoring among NHL rookies. University of Notre Dame product Sheahan had four goals and 10 assists in 25 games, while Slovakia-born Jurco had five goals and five assists in 26 games before being sidelined by broken ribs. Goaltender Petr Mrazek has appeared in eight NHL games this season, sporting a goals against average of 2.01, which is identical to his AHL number. His fi st start of the season was a 14-save shutout of the Edmonton Oilers. Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock has been impressed by the play of his rookies. “Are they going to have a good night every night?” Babcock said. “No, but they look like real good players and we’re playing them.” The Tampa Bay Lightning have been the benefic aries of the bounty of talent that was present in Syracuse last season. A total of seven Crunch players have played signifi ant roles
Danny DeKeyser uses his stick to slow Syrcause’s Richard Panik during Game 2 of the 2013 Calder Cup Finals. 58
Grand Rapids GRIFFINS • 2013 Calder Cup Champions