AHL: Moose Hunting

The Manitoba Moose endured a rough stretch from Dec. 20 through Jan. 6, losing 7 games of 8, including two shootout losses. However, the team received good news when goaltender Cory Schneider returned to them Jan. 5 to pick up on the 10-game winning streak he left off on before being recalled to Vancouver November 22 after Roberto Luongo went down with a groin injury. The 22-year-old Canuck prospect's winning streak ended at 13, but his dominance of the AHL statistical leaders among goalies did not, as he continued to bring his traveling goaltender clinic to all destinations in the AHL's Western Conference.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey had the opportunity to catch the Manitoba Moose on back-to-back nights and files notes on Cory Schneider (pictured) and other impressive Vancouver and Dallas prospects such as Mark Fistric, Alexandre Bolduc and Michael Grabner.

Cory Schneider (Van), G, Manitoba

Looked like a future NHL starting goaltender in these outings .. played with confidence in net and did not panic on rebounds or when the play was crashing the net .. butterfly goaltender who did a good job of tracking the puck and making the save in the chest and allowing no rebound .. very sharp glove hand and was able to track the puck well through crowds to do so .. did a very good job of reading the play and anticipating the play to help him stay square to the puck .. active in his lateral crease movements .. smooth, lateral crease movement and does not get lazy, even putting the pads down and sliding accordingly when own defensemen skate in front of him with the puck .. only real weakness was puckhandling .. rarely played the puck, as his passes lacked oomph, and typically just corralled the puck and let his defensemen take it .. only time Schneider didn't look confident was when he skated out to play the puck .. exceptional at doing the primary function of his job — stopping the puck .. had a 13-game AHL winning streak from Oct. 17 through Jan. 10 .. recalled by Vancouver Nov. 22 and played 8 games (355 minutes, 2-4-1 record, 3.38 goals-against average, and .877 save percentage) for Canucks before re-assigned Jan. 5 .. named starting goalie for Planet USA All-Stars for AHL All-Star Classic .. had played 18 games (1060 minutes), and had a 15-2-0 record, 2 shutouts, a 1.53 goals-against average, and a .941 save percentage for Manitoba as of Jan. 19.

Mark Fistric (Dal), D, Manitoba

Started the season in Dallas, but re-assigned to Manitoba Nov. 4 .. missed 10 games after Nov. 21 after opting for surgery on a nagging knee injury .. basically the same Mark Fistric that played for the Iowa Stars in 2007-08 .. plays a physical game and will step up to make open-ice hits, although lets the opportunity to do so come to him more than he used to .. lays out his hits at the blueline, in open ice, or along the boards with some force .. still lugs the puck in one-handed fashion, pushing the puck with one hand on his stick rather than handling it with two .. received a lot of time on the powerplay for the Moose in these outings, sometimes even double-shifting .. also a regular on the penalty kill, to no surprise .. still a bit awkward with the puck at the point, as his lateral movement with the puck is choppy and is just generally awkward-looking when fielding the puck off the boards at the point .. has decent speed (adequate for NHL purposes) and utilizes power over turnover .. able to get a shot off from the point quickly with little wind up .. generally, makes crisp, accurate passes but is not a natural powerplay quarterback .. NHL future is likely as a fifth or sixth defenseman that receives regular icetime at even strength, the penalty kill and a needed physical presence .. had 1 assist in 11 games for Dallas as of Jan. 19 .. had 5 assists in 24 games for Manitoba as of Jan. 19.

Alexandre Bolduc (Van), LW, Manitoba

Gone from ECHL in rookie season, to an AHL contract as late as last season, to a two-way NHL contract this season and appearances with Vancouver .. just a good all-around hockey player .. employs strides with long extension and has deceptive speed and quickness .. strides occasionally have a galloping nature .. has good cruising speed with the puck .. effective shielding the puck with his 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame and with his long reach .. a heads-up stickhandler with decent hands and who has some playmaking ability .. does a good job of triangulating himself around the net reading the play and plays as the big man in front on the powerplay .. has a decent wristshot and slapper .. puts in a good effort on the forecheck and backcheck .. finishes his checks, some with some force .. conscientious backchecker who strips opponents of the puck or prevents prime plays .. a danger to strip defensemen of the puck on the forecheck and quickly transition it into an offensive chance .. not amazing at any one aspect, but just solid all-around and would seem to have a future as a checking-line forward in the NHL that can play up on higher lines when needed .. missed the first five games of the AHL season due to injury .. had 6 goals and 11 assists in 31 games for Manitoba as of Jan. 19 .. had 1 assist in 5 games for Vancouver. Click the link for a recent interview with Alexandre Bolduc

Michael Grabner (Van), LW, Manitoba

Hands are still his strong suit .. soft hands for slick stickhandling in tight spaces and can roof a shot in game play from very close .. able to handle passes that many cannot .. makes crisp passes .. shot power another primary strength .. has a quick wristshot and a hard snapshot .. also has a nice backhand in his arsenal .. confident stickhandler who has a nose for the net .. despite how goals have consistently outnumbered assists in his career, he does have some creativity and playmaking .. puts in a decent effort on the forecheck, but rarely finishes his checks, even after showing the hustle to do so .. missed nine games beginning Dec. 19 after suffering a concussion and scored hat trick in his first game back .. obviously a skilled winger who needs to engage more physically, because he's putting himself in the right position to do so .. had 19 goals and 7 assists in 35 games as of Jan. 19 and led the Moose in goal-scoring.

Raymond Sawada (Dal), RW, Manitoba

Not playing nearly as big of a role with Manitoba as he did with Iowa after his senior season at Cornell in 2007-08 .. playing a third-line checking role, and obliges himself by going for big hits .. finishes a check in any zone when it presents itself and will come across the zone for a hit .. only saw a bit of time on the powerplay .. almost all notes taken involved hits .. definitely proving he can play a physical, checking-line role, but Dallas will probably be happy to have him back in their own system in Austin in 2009-10 to allow him to play the top-six role he played with Iowa to end 2007-08 .. missed eight games due a lower body injury in late November and early December .. had 3 goals and 11 assists in 35 games as of Jan. 19.

Daniel Rahimi (Van), D, Manitoba

Split 2007-08 between Manitoba and Victoria, but now trending toward NHL-capable .. makes crisp pass, after crisp pass .. not averse to making crisp board passes .. keeps a wide base backwards and stays fairly low to give himself a power position to engage physically .. lets his gaps shrink by the top of the faceoff circle, where he'll play the body .. uses his 6-foot-3, 213-pound frame to muscle opponents off the puck .. saw a little bit of powerplay time, but was a regular on the penalty kill .. possesses a decent slapper and snapper from the point .. appears to have the makings of an NHL defensive defenseman that plays a fairly physical game and reliably moves the puck .. had 1 goal and 4 assists in 36 games as of Jan. 19.

Shaun Heshka (Van), D, Manitoba

More of an offensive defenseman and takes a lot of shots from the point .. unfortunately, his shot power is only average at best .. makes short, crisp passes on the tape .. could afford to reduce the number of steps he takes to accelerate backwards .. saw some time on the Manitoba powerplay, but not the same time seen by Fistric and Maxime Fortunus .. scratched in the first of these two games .. in his third season out of major juniors, it's getting difficult to see Heshka developing into more than a top-four defenseman at the AHL level .. had 10 assists in 41 games as of Jan. 19.

Pierre-Cedric Labrie (Van), LW, Manitoba

Second-year pro on pace to improve offensive totals and plays a tenacious forechecking game .. has long legs and a long stride, but only moderate knee bend and bends over a lot at the hips .. despite imperfect skating form, he still has decent speed and adds hustle to be an effective F1 on the forecheck .. finishes his checks and does a good job to thrust into them .. 6-foot-2, 212-pounder able to lay out some big hits .. stickhandling needs a little work, as he mishandles the puck at times .. very capable of making crisp passes, though .. if Labrie plays in the NHL one day, it'll be as a physical fourth-liner .. missed 11 games in December and first half of January due to injury .. had 3 goals and 6 assists in 33 games as of Jan. 19.

Travis Ramsey (FA), D, Manitoba

Big, 6-foot-4, 211-pound blueliner on his way toward earning a two-way NHL contract .. keeps a wide base backwards and stays fairly low with good knee bend .. plays with some physicality and can separate opponents from the puck .. possesses decent puck skills .. makes crisp d-to-d passes to transition the puck or at the point .. has a nice slapper from the point that he keeps low for rebounds or deflections .. also possesses a crisp wristshot from the point .. when handling the puck, he skates a bit hunched over .. saw a little time on the Manitoba powerplay .. University of Maine product has split the season between Victoria and Manitoba, but definitely looks AHL-worthy .. had 4 assists in 13 games for the Moose as of Jan. 19 .. had 4 assists in 22 games for Victoria as of Jan. 15.