AHL: From Minsk to Montreal

Belorussian forward Mikhail Grabovski has gone from Junost Minsk, to impressing in the Russian Super League, and now to decimating the AHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs. Starting the year with the Montreal Canadiens, Grabovski's exploits in the AHL, following an ankle injury, have earned him recall to Le Habs, on the same roster as fellow Belorussians and former Bulldogs Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn. McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey recently had the opportunity to catch the Hamilton Bulldogs in action and enters notes on Mikhail Grabovski (pictured) and Jaroslav Halak, who was also recently called up to the big club, as well as several other Bulldogs who are making an impact this season such as Kyle Chipchura and Matt D'Agostini.

Kyle Chipchura (Mtl), C, Hamilton Bulldogs

A strong contender to be a third-line NHL center for years to come .. uses his 6-foot-2, 205-pound frame well in shielding the puck and controlling it along the boards .. adept at cycling the puck and has the offensive awareness to make things happen with centering passes, skating it off the half boards, or shooting it himself .. puts in a good effort on the forecheck and can pressure opponents into mistakes or outright strip the puck from the opponent .. active on the penalty kill .. takes important faceoffs late in the game.

Mikhail Grabovski (Mtl), C, Hamilton Bulldogs

A smooth skater with long strides who has deceptive speed .. does have some quickness and acceleration to the puck .. patient with the puck and has good vision and can find the open man with a crisp, accurate pass .. 5-foot-11, 183-pound forward will engage physically to get the puck or try and split the defense, but is not a physical player .. admits he needs to work on his defensive game and faceoffs at the NHL level .. a player that thrives on icetime and who has difficulty with fourth-line minutes and without offensively talented linemates .. has proven he can decimate the AHL and now needs to be challenged at the NHL level full time. Click the link for a recent interview with Mikhail Grabovski

Jaroslav Halak (Mtl), G, Hamilton Bulldogs

Calm, collected netminder is almost never caught scrambling .. tracks the puck well and allows little in the way of rebounds .. stays compact and does not allow many holes for shooters to look at .. has good lateral movement across the crease and can get across quickly but remains composed .. has the athletic ability to make big saves, but relies on positioning and is no flopper .. size is no issue with the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Halak, because of his positioning .. has a good glove hand when needed, although many shots just hit him in the chest .. also decent in handling the puck .. solid all-around netminder who is certainly NHL worthy.

Matt D'Agostini (Mtl), RW, Hamilton Bulldogs

Only listed at 6-foot-0, 195 pounds, but controls the puck along the boards and down low as if he were larger .. stickhandling and ability to protect puck makes him effective at cycling the puck and he can also make things happen around the net .. remains poised with the puck, even if he's been tripped .. has a very hard wristshot .. needs to make sure he doesn't reduce his own angle too much on odd-man breaks, because he has the shot to score from further out .. makes crisp, accurate passes and can get them through traffic .. puts in a decent effort on the forecheck and the backcheck.

Corey Locke (Mtl), C/LW, Hamilton Bulldogs

Has patience with the puck and can hang onto it and buy time with his stickhandling .. skilled playmaker does a good job to lead teammates with passes to where they will be or where they should be going .. responsible on the forecheck and does his best to steer the play toward the boards, where larger teammates can lay the body .. also useful in manning the point in his own zone and generating offense by intercepting passes and blocking shots out of the zone .. at 5-foot-9, 171 pounds, size is an issue and he does not have the speed or battle of, say, Iowa's Chris Conner to overcome his size deficiency .. his abilities with open ice may make him better suited for a six-figure career in elite European leagues.

Marvin Degon (Mtl), D, Hamilton Bulldogs

Solid two-way defenseman .. is able to take pucks off the boards well and quickly take hard, low wristshots from the point .. has a hard slapper from the point, too, which he keeps low .. has no difficulty fielding passes at the point while skating backwards and taking shots .. makes crisp, accurate passes .. adept at clearing the puck high off the glass or making bank passes .. plays with some physicality and can angle opponents and rub them out with some force .. backwards skating when angling opponents to the boards is awkward in that his legs almost appear rubbery, but the results are solid .. willing to drop the gloves when challenged .. plays bigger than his listed 5-foot-11, 185 pounds.

Mathieu Carle (Mtl), D, Hamilton Bulldogs

Has some work to do .. a bit upright in his backwards acceleration and backwards skating and has questionable speed backwards .. appeared to try and keep a low gap, although he'll have to improve his speed and acceleration backwards for this to pay off and not get beat wide or split .. must reduce tendency to run around in his own zone .. forward skating stride is a bit choppy .. does make crisp, accurate passes.

Duncan Milroy (Mtl), RW, Hamilton Bulldogs

Has some history of scoring from major juniors and during Hamilton's successful 2006-07 season, but appears more likely to be a defensive forward in the NHL at this point .. conscientious forechecker and backchecker .. helps his defensemen angle opponents to the boards on the backcheck .. puts in a good effort on the penalty kill and pressures the points and often forces the puck out or intercepts passes .. does not quit on the play and will do what he can, even if he's on his stomach .. appears to have what it takes to be a fourth-line NHLer with decent skill.

Janne Lahti (Mtl), LW, Hamilton Bulldogs

Big Finn has the potential to become third- or fourth-line power forward at the NHL level .. 6-foot-2, 206-pound forward is difficult for opponents to clear from in front of the net .. plays with some physicality along the boards, finishing his checks and rubbing out opponents in the neutral zone .. appears sluggish at times, but does have decent speed .. could use better acceleration in his first few steps .. shows some offensive awareness down low or in pulling up at over the blueline to buy time for teammates and make passes .. offensive production has virtually disappeared since mid-January.

Jonathan Ferland (Mtl), RW, Hamilton Bulldogs

Big winger who can use his size to cycle the puck well .. also a consistent presence in front of the opponent's net .. puts in a good two-way effort .. forechecks intelligently and can make it difficult for the opponent to break out the puck .. also works hard on the backcheck and in helping in his defensive zone .. fringe NHLer who will probably be a career minor leaguer at the AAA and AA level (toward the end of his career), but good to have in the system.

Andrew Archer (Mtl), D, Hamilton Bulldogs

Potential seventh or eighth defenseman in the NHL if he corrects some skating flaws and uses his big 6-foot-4, 217-pound frame more .. reliable defensively in that he'll block shots, do the leg drags to block shots or passes, and can make the poke checks .. able to play with some physicality and has to be careful about not accidentally elbowing smaller opponents, but could become an intimidating physical presence at the AHL level with more intensity .. has a decent shot from the point .. somewhat vertical in his initial crossovers when accelerating backwards and they are also somewhat choppy, which is not a favorable combination.

Jean-Philippe Cote (Mtl), D, Hamilton Bulldogs

Big defenseman who plays that way .. able to lay out big hits down low and in the corners and can send opponents to the ice when they attempt to check him .. has a fairly hard point shot that he keeps low .. passes have decent accuracy and crispness .. defensive defenseman is a fringe NHLer but would likely be a reliable emergency recall.