Your 2012 Albany Devils, For Now At Least

Posted in

prospects

on

by

Heading into the lockout, the Devils assigned 24 players to Albany. Like other AHL rosters, the Albany Devils will be a little more stacked than in previous years, as teams like the NHL Devils assign their entry level contracts to the lower level.

As far as I can tell, the roster should look something like this:

Wingers: Mattias Tedenby, Mike Hoeffel, Mike Sislo, Bobby Butler, Harri Pesonen, J.S. Berube, Chad Wiseman, Harry Young, Matt Anderson, Kory Nagy, Joe Whitney*

Mattias Tedenby, Mike Hoeffel, Mike Sislo, Bobby Butler, Harri Pesonen, J.S. Berube, Chad Wiseman, Harry Young, Matt Anderson, Kory Nagy, Joe Whitney* Centers: Adam Henrique, Jacob Josefson, Steve Zalewski, David Wohlberg, Tim Sestito, Darcy Zajac

Adam Henrique, Jacob Josefson, Steve Zalewski, David Wohlberg, Tim Sestito, Darcy Zajac Defense: Adam Larsson, Eric Gelinas, Alex Urbom, Brandon Burlon, Jay Leach, Matt Corrente, Dan Kelly

Adam Larsson, Eric Gelinas, Alex Urbom, Brandon Burlon, Jay Leach, Matt Corrente, Dan Kelly Goaltenders: Keith Kinkaid, Jeff Frazee, Maxime Clermont, Scott Wedgewood

*I’m not 100% sure where Joe Whitney is signed, but he led Albany in 2011-12 scoring

I am probably missing a few players, but they aren’t the players that we really care about. The Devils have a number of very interesting players down there. The four NHL guys headline the group, and Eric Gelinas leads as the most promising prospect. Several, especially the goaltenders, will likely get bumped to whatever ECHL franchise the Lou finds to contract with for the season. It is unclear whether Kalamazoo remains an option again.

The Albany Devils will be strongest on the blue line. The Devils would be smart to guarantee Adam Larsson 22+ minutes per night, and prime spots on both the penalty kill and power play. After inconsistent play at the beginning of the season, he lost cheap cymbalta online most of his special teams time, despite having the skills to eventually star in both roles. Eric Gelinas will likely be his partner on the point, where he can showcase his booming shot that led to 16 goals last season. Alex Urbom and Brandon Burlon will also display their potential NHL-caliber skills.

Their strength at forward definitely lies up the middle. Henrique and Jacobson will join Steve Zalewksi, one of the team’s top scorers in 2011. Darcy Zajac may be the odd-man out, getting bumped back to the ECHL. The wing is a little weaker, but lots of interesting names will join Mattias Tedenby, most notable Bobby Butler and Harri Pesonen, who were signed by the Devils this offseason, and could have grabbed spots on the NHL Devils had the season started on time.

In goal, Jeff Frazee will continue on his replacement-level track, while Keith Kinkaid keeps himself in the picture as a dark horse NHL goalie. Clermont and Wedgewood are the clear losers, as they probably should be playing at the AHL level, instead of the ECHL.

It should definitely be an exciting team to watch. I can’t imagine that Adam Henrique will gain a lot out of playing in the AHL, but the other guys could use the development time. If the season starts after a short lockout, they’ll be booted up and ready to play.