AHL: Ehrhoff Twist

Doug Evinou caught a glimpse of some of the game’s top prospects in game two of the Cleveland Barons-Hamilton Bulldogs series at the Copps Coliseum. Doug provides insight on the likes of Christian Ehrhoff, Chris Higgins, Ron Hainsey, Alexander Perezhogin and more.

Nolan Schaefer (San Jose), G, Cleveland

Schaefer was the difference in game two, holding Cleveland in it despite being outshot 47-35 .. the 6-foot-1 Providence College product excelled in the Barons’ first round series win against the Toronto Roadrunners as well, and has continued his strong play against the powerhouse Bulldogs .. made a spectacular diving blocker save after turning the puck over and getting caught out of his net in the first period, denying a sure goal into the empty cage .. two of the goals on him were scored on beautiful tip where he stood no chance .. a stand-up goalie, his progress in his first professional season has to be very encouraging for the San Jose organization.

Christian Ehrhoff (San Jose), D, Cleveland

The German export is a fine skater who can carry the puck up the ice and man the point of the power play .. the Barons’ first goal was produced early in the second period when Ehrhoff let off a hard, low slap shot that was tipped perfectly by Tavis Hanson and behind Bulldogs’ goalie J.F. Damphousse .. recorded an assist on the Barons’ third goal, and then helped set up the overtime winner with another well-placed shot on goal that was deflected by Shane Joseph .. at 6-2” and 195lbs, Ehrhoff has the size and strength to handle opposition forwards physically .. the Barons’ blue line crew has played a tough-nosed style against the smaller Bulldog forwards; Ehrhoff has bought into the plan, playing with a new edge to his game .. a bit of a riverboat-gambler, Ehrhoff could still improve the timing of some of his offensive forays .. after splitting the 2003/04 season between San Jose and Cleveland, Ehrhoff should be ready for full-time NHL duty next season.

Doug Murray (San Jose), D, Cleveland

A sizeable blue liner who plays a steady defensive game, Murray’s hockey intelligence allows him to play in all situations .. recorded his second goal of the post-season by sneaking in from the point and burying a rebound off a Christian Erhoff slap shot early in the third period .. a punishing, nasty rearguard who is an absolutely massive 245lbs, Murray made the Bulldogs’ forwards pay the price for crashing the Barons’ net, and generally kept the sight lines clear in front of Schaefer .. Still needs to work on his foot speed and quickness, but his smarts and size will allow him to contribute in the NHL soon .. projects to be a solid depth defenseman for San Jose in the #5 or #6 spot.

Ron Hainsey (Montreal), D, Hamilton

Former 13th over-all pick in 2000 is easily one of the most talented players in the AHL .. a big, mobile body with bonafide power play quarterback potential .. at 6-3 and 200lbs, he has the size to play in the NHL .. his decision-making in the defensive zone is still inconsistent, and he doesn’t use his size as much as he should .. set up two first period power play goals by Chris Higgins with excellent stick and foot work on the point .. the first goal was created when Hainsey identified Higgins moving across the front of the net, and delivered a hard, pass along the ice that Higgins deflected past Schaefer .. the second goal displayed Hainsey’s excellent foot-work, as he stepped past a sliding Barons’ shot blocker along the blue line, and fed the puck to a wide-open Higgins who buried a wrister from the face-off circle .. got caught standing still at the blue line trying to fish the puck out of his skates after a hard pass from Phillipe Plante on the power play, and Barons forward Tavis Hanson chipped it past him to create a two-on-one situation that resulted in a Ryan Clowe short-handed goal in the first period to tie the game at 2 .. turned the puck over at his blue-line trying to toss a pass up the middle early in the second .. still only 23, Hainsey has plenty of time to work out the kinks in his game, and should be able to make an impact at the NHL level full-time as soon as next year.

Chris Higgins (Montreal), C, Hamilton

Higgins does not have the physical attributes that jump out at you, but by the end of the day, he impresses with his pure ability to play the game .. has an innate nose for the net, and an uncanny ability to create space for himself .. scored two first period goals by reading the developing play and getting to the right spots at the exact time that his teammates deliver him the puck .. not very big and a frequent target for the physical abuse being delivered by the Barons’ big blue liners .. took a beating during the game, but kept his composure, and fought through the traffic .. a huge presence on the power play .. had a game-low -3 rating, although none of the Barons’ goals were directly his fault .. need to work on improving his results in the face-off circle .. should be ready to make a serious push for work in Montreal next season.

Alexander Perezhogin (Montreal), LW, Hamilton

Tied the game late in the third period by deflecting a Marcel Hossa shot past Schaefer .. a tremendous, darting skater, Perezhogin created a lot of chances carrying the puck through the neutral zone and pressuring the Barons’ blue liners with speed .. play has improved immensely over the course of the season after a disappointing first couple of months in Hamilton .. has a deceptively quick release on his wrist shot .. prone to lapses in effort and concentration .. ended a Bulldogs’ power play in the third when he delivered a wildly-wayward pass to point man Patrick Traverse that missed him by 15 feet and skidded down the ice into Hamilton’s end .. his first AHL season has been mostly positive, but he might still need some seasoning before he is NHL-ready.