AHL: Calder Cup Final

The Hershey Bears failed in their attempt to win back-to-back championships after falling in five games to the Hamilton Bulldogs who won their first Calder Cup. Despite losing their No. 1 goalie Jaroslav Halak to the World Championships, the Bulldogs were led by the goaltending heroics of Carey Price, winner of the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs. McKeen's reviews several Hamilton and Hershey players that made an impact.

Hamilton Bulldogs

Not since the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL) won a championship in 1999 have the streets of Hamilton poured to celebrate a champion. The Bulldogs defied the odds and achieved success by defeating four teams that all had better regular season records en route to winning the Calder Cup.

Carey Price (Mtl), G, Hamilton

Price made many key saves and stole games on the road en route to the Bulldogs first Calder Cup .. unbelievable season as he managed to win both a world junior gold and a Calder Cup in the same season .. long-legged and athletic, his down-low coverage is tremendous .. plays a very cool game and anticipates very well allowing him to make saves with ease .. his play in traffic is also very impressive, as he does not panic and plays his position .. has good recovery skills but can flop occasionally when pressure gets overwhelming .. his puckhandling skills need to be improved on the backhand side, as he tends to play the puck one way and turns his body as a result .. has to do a better job of scanning the ice better .. he does not move his head enough and will need to do that at the NHL level where one-timers and faster passes are the norm .. performed sensational and should be the No. 1 goalie for the Dogs next year, which should give him ample practise to work on developing little aspects of his game.

Maxim Lapierre (Mtl), LW, Hamilton

Provided clutch scoring with an element of grit that made him invaluable in tight, close scoring games including Game 5, where he factored in on all goals scoring a goal and an assist in the Cup clinching game .. takes on all challengers and will not back down .. defensively aware however, at times will make too wide of a turn and should learn to cut the ice slightly better .. aggressive nature makes him a very suitable checker and he has decent hands to finish in close .. is at his best when he plays a wrecking-ball style .. should be an integral part of the re-building Canadiens team eager to make the playoffs.

Mikhail Grabovski (Mtl), C, Hamilton

Certainly the Canadiens most electrifying prospect in terms of skill and speed .. he explodes with an uncanny burst of lower-body strength, which propels him into the offensive zone .. he has outstanding vision but at times, he is too eager to make the cute play and it usually results in a breakout the other way .. needs to be more selfish and shoot the puck when he is in the slot .. he may actually move faster than players may at this level and need NHL players to completely utilize his skill set however, he needs to be more decisive when the puck is in his possession .. his play is not unlike a young Maxim Afinogenov, as he has all the tools but needs to refine his sense.

Corey Locke (Mtl), C, Hamilton

The ultimate coming out party for Locke, as he led his team in playoff scoring with a solid 9 points ahead of his next teammate Kyle Chipchura .. employed on the PP and used his extra space wisely by spinning off the half boards and making a quick play in front .. very deceptive shot, he is a better passer yet, he can fool some goalies if they cheat and play the pass .. attempts to position himself better by the side of the net to be more opportunistic in burying rebounds .. not an overwhelming skater, he does show decent agility .. found a renewed commitment to defensive awareness, as he attempted to come back in his own end .. despite his offensive explosion, Locke seems destined to be lost in the depth chart of centres and would not cut it as a top-two centre for the Canadiens.

Kyle Chipchura (Mtl), C, Hamilton

No player stepped up more than Chipchura in the postseason, as he did everything imperative for team success .. he killed penalties, played the PP, won key draws and was an effective point producer in 5-on-5 situations .. struggles slightly with first two strides but has really made upgrades to his overall speed .. sees the ice well and his hockey sense is far more mature than his older peers are .. plays an effective neutral zone game, as he uses his size to close the gap and forces the opposition to surrender the puck with weak dump-ins .. a complete tornado of a player who attacks the puckcarrier with reckless abandonment and is relentless on the forecheck .. hard working, effective utility player displays healthy leadership abilities and the potential to play a strong third-line position.

Ryan O'Byrne (Mtl), D, Hamilton

Maintained a simple approach to his game and was trusted in late stages to preserve leads and exhibit defensive awareness .. improved on his overall agility and foot speed from the beginning of the season .. showed confidence carrying the puck but still played slightly tentative when rushing up the ice .. chipped in offensively with a game-winning goal in Game 4 of the opening round, his first goal of the season and played substantial minutes on the PP using his shot to garner assists from rebounds created in front .. his vast improvement in defensive down-low coverage showed a heightened dimension to his game and the experience he gained in his first pro season should serve him well, as he may have an NHL roster spot in the next two seasons.

Hershey Bears

For the second straight season the Hershey Bears made it to the Calder Cup final. While they enjoyed success last season, this year they were stopped by the formidable Hamilton Bulldogs. The future looks bright for the Capitals nonetheless, as many key prospects earned valuable experience playing at such a high level of competition.

Jeff Schultz (Her), D, Washington

First year pro split time between the Capitals and Hershey Bears .. gigantic rearguard failed to establish and develop an offensive dimension to his game, as his point totals were lackluster at both levels .. returned to the Bears and looked out of place during the finals, as he appeared sluggish and out of gas .. was constantly out of position and often beat by streaking forwards, as he did not make adjustments quickly and gave up the lane too often .. possesses decent agility for a player of his size but tends to lose his man down low, as upgrades to his foot work/speed are necessary .. lazy plays with the puck in his own zone resulted in him being pick pocketed on several occasions by faster forecheckers .. seems to struggle with the new rules as his play often bordered on clutch and grab .. received ample minutes and was trusted in many situations by coach Boudreau .. has potential due to size however, his game is very raw and he will need to use his size better to close off gaps and make timely stick checks.

Mike Green (Her), D, Washington

Has played two seasons in the AHL and made it to the final both times .. the ultra-smooth, skating defender plays his best when games matter most, as he led the Bears for the second straight season in defensive scoring in the playoffs .. carried the team on his back when it became evident that others had given up in the Calder Cup final .. effortless skater with two gears of separation who can control the play from the back end .. made pro-like moves with the puck when locating escape routes however, received little support from teammates establishing position and giving him good outlets thus, his efforts were usually thwarted .. very relaxed and calm approach to the game, capable of making healthy outlet passes to ignite a rush or he can just as easily explode out of the neutral zone and make a sensational dash up ice .. surprisingly plays with a heightened aggression and will stick an opponent or engage in a physical confrontation that bodes well for the type of game he plays, as it shows he refuses to get pushed around .. is the epitome of a late bloomer, as the Capitals have themselves a potential first-unit PP defender capable of playing 25-plus minutes as early as next season .. remains a cornerstone for this rebuilding franchise and will be a very productive offensive-minded defenseman, once he has the luxury of playing with better players.

Jakub Klepis (Her), RW, Washington

A highly skilled winger who suffers from not playing with intensity every shift .. has great hands and an even better shot however, too often he takes shifts off and has many lazy habits, especially on the backcheck .. very effective coming down the left side, as he is a right-handed shot and can hit the net with pinpoint accuracy by waiting until the last second for the goalie to drop his glove or make a move .. scored two identical goals on Carey Price using the same move/shot .. is very selective when he decides to go the net however, lacks the overall courage to finish opportunities in close .. scrappy, yet physically underdeveloped, he is quick to give a shove when the referee is within eyesight but does little in terms of toughness, a type of behavior that will not make him very endearing to the opposition .. ok along the boards however, is more dangerous at the top of the circle where he can use his shot .. has NHL stickhandling and puck skills however, he needs to work on his commitment level.

Chris Bourque (Her), LW, Washington

Diminutive forward exploded in the regular season posting 25 goals, more than tripling his production from his rookie season .. has a laser beam shot and a fast release .. he holds his hands high on the stick but gets surprisingly good velocity behind his shots .. he played the point on the PP in Game 3 but was removed from his duties and received considerably less icetime in Game 4 of the Calder Cup finals .. made many high-risk moves at the line, which resulted in him coming back too often for coach Boudreau's liking .. very shifty, he keeps the puck close to him, which allows him to easily get around players .. he can draw penalties, as the opposition usually has to haul him down to strip the puck from him .. at times, he can be careless with the puck and could hold onto it a little longer, surveying his options .. is not prone to surrendering the puck to a strong forecheck but will try to force things and extend passes .. his play is best served when he makes quick passes out of the zone and skates to open ice, as he receives passes rather well .. ok defensively, he is not very involved and does not engage at all physically but will stay with his man .. despite his shiftiness, he only has one gear of quickness .. he can get to loose pucks ok but he cannot blaze by the opposition .. the Capitals may choose not to rush him and that may be wise but his play is very similar to that of a Jason Pominville.

Tomas Fleischmann (Her), LW, Washington

Did not have a successful playoff statistically compared to last season when he led the Bears in scoring however, for the second straight season he led the way offensively despite an 11-point drop in production .. a smart and creative player who finds openings and creates chances, as he can get a strong forehand or backhand shot to the net .. is very crafty in the way he approaches the game, as he hangs in the weeds but always seems to have the puck on his stick, not unlike Michael Nylander, as he possesses many similar traits .. average speed, but it is his ability to find good positioning that leads to many quality chances .. not overly aggressive or physical, he has made slight improvements and will drive the net to score but does not do it with regularity .. a gifted playmaker with a strong future in the organization that should be able to produce healthy offensive totals in the NHL in two to three seasons.