AHL Farm Report: Eaves, Platt Out Good

Timing, they say, is everything. Just ask Binghamton Senators rookie forward Patrick Eaves.

Drafted in the first round, 29th overall by Ottawa in 2003, Eaves almost signed on with the Senators last year before ultimately returning to Boston College for his junior season. Wise move for such a young kid.

As it turned out, Binghamton was loaded with talent last season thanks to the NHL lockout. With players like Jason Spezza, Antoine Vermette, Brandon Bochenski and Chris Kelly pacing the B-Sens lineup, Eaves might have found icetime scarce had he decided to make the jump to the pros.

Instead, he returned to the BC Eagles and enjoyed his best campaign yet with 19 goals and 29 assists in 36 games.

Eaves did decide to turn pro this past summer and is already a major cog in Binghamton's machine. He skates in every situation for the Senators, a fact that has him quite pleased.

"I am learning the game in all different situations," stated Eaves. "It is good to get a lot of playing time under my belt and get some confidence."

One role that Eaves has been handed is playing the point on the power play, which he's done quite a bit of in the past.

"I may have made it look new tonight," joked Eaves, whose back-to- back miscues lead to a pair of odd-man breaks for the opponent. "That is where I played on the power play last year so I am comfortable there. There were just a couple of bad bounces tonight."

All in all, it was quite an eventful first week as a professional as Eaves made his regular season AHL debut in Binghamton's 4-3 overtime loss to the defending Calder Cup Champion Philadelphia Phantoms on opening night.

Then just three days later, he made his NHL debut with Ottawa, having been summoned to replace injured center Mike Fisher, and played 11 minutes and 25 seconds in a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.

Big Things in Small Packages

Size matters? Not in today's pro hockey where the new rules package puts more of a premium on speed.

A prime example of this new generation of player is undrafted Syracuse Crunch forward Geoff Platt. The rookie from Ontario has enjoyed quite a ride since joining the professional ranks.

After recording 45 goals and 34 assists in 79 games last season with the OHL's Erie Otters, Platt received an invite to the Columbus Blue Jackets' rookie camp held in Traverse City, Michigan. Platt turned heads by scoring seven goals in four games and earned a two-way deal between the AHL and the ECHL from Syracuse.

The speedy forward didn't stop there. He also led the Crunch in preseason scoring with three goals and five assists in four games, and then potted a goal in each of the Crunch's first three regular season contests.

"I may not have envisioned having this much success this early," said a smiling Platt. "But I did envision myself at this level because you have to give yourself high expectations, but to have this much success this early on you just kind of hope the train keeps rolling."

Besides his scoring touch, Platt has also impressed with his aggressive play despite a lack of stature.

"I am only 5-9 so I have to get my nose in the action and get it pretty deep quickly or else I become a perimeter player," stated Platt.

"Also, by getting inside, I can kind of elude some hits, get underneath some checks and find spaces that maybe the bigger players can't."

Platt also adheres to the old adage that you can't score unless you shoot, and won't hesitate to fire from anywhere.

"That is the general rule and the more pucks you put at the net, the better chance you are going to have to score," said Platt. "Whether it is from behind the net, side of the net, in front of the net, anywhere. I am throwing the puck at the net."

Prospect Watch

Albany rookies Barry Tallackson and David Clarkson both got off to strong starts for the Rats. Tallackson, out of the University of Minnesota, had a goal and an assist in his first American League game while Clarkson, the former Kitchener Ranger standout, recorded points in his first two professional games ... Cleveland Baron rookies Mike Iggulden and Steve Bernier also burst out of the gates quickly this season with two goals and two assists in the Barons first four games. Those types of numbers may have been expected from Bernier, who averaged close to 38 goals a season in four years with Moncton. Iggulden, however, only reached double digits in goals once in four seasons at Cornell University ... Carolina prospect Andrew Ladd, held pointless in his AHL debut, came back the next game and notched the game-winner in Lowell's 3-2 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack ... Florida Panthers farmhand Anthony Stewart has impressed early on in Rochester. The hulking Stewart potted two goals and added three helpers in his first four games for the Amerks ... Former Mississauga Ice Dog Patrick O'Sullivan also notched his first AHL goal and added an assist in two games with the Houston Aeros ... Jiri Hudler, Detroit's second round selection in 2002, has been a dominating force early on for Grand Rapids. Hudler, the current player of the week in the AHL, register 10 points (6g, 4a) in four games for the Griffins.