AHL Report: Glass is Half Full

McKeen's chief correspondent David Burstyn looks at several players from the Binghamton Senators including goaltender Jeff Glass, as well as Carey Price and Kyle Chipchura who were recently sent down to the Hamilton Bulldogs for more seasoning after starting the season with the Montreal Canadiens.

Jeff Glass (Ott), G, Binghamton

Former WJC gold medalist (2005) has already won more games this year in half the amount of starts than in his rookie season .. his ability to square himself up to the shooter

makes him look bigger than he already is .. he virtually gives no net to shoot at .. at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, he does not move side-to-side overly well but his size bails him out .. he is a good skater and a very capable puck handler .. he likes to play the puck often and in most cases, makes an intelligent play with it .. he plays a hybrid style, going down when his crease gets crowded but standing up for the most part .. displays an active glove hand .. has difficulty with wraparounds or plays that expose his foot speed .. he is patient in terms of players on breakaways and does a good job of staying with the shooter and not committing the first move .. at times, his rebound control suffers .. it is not a consistent part of his game and he can juggle rather harmless shots at times .. appears to exude confidence, which allows his defenseman to push for more offensive chances knowing that he will bail them out .. is slowly making a case to be a solid backup in the NHL.

Brian Lee (Ott), D, Binghamton

First year AHL pro joins the baby Senators after a successful NHL pre-season in which he started in all games .. a swift and agile skater, he moves well in all directions, as he is very light on his feet .. he is still refining his overall puck skills, as his passes are not always accurate .. relies too much on his overall mobility, as he lacks a dimension of toughness .. can be drawn out of position especially down low, as he has a tendency to want to attack the puckcarrier, as opposed to letting the play unfold in front of him .. he can get confused with assignments and does not do a good job of adjusting his opposite wing when he and his defense partner are crossed up .. was employed on the PP, as he did show some flashes of offensive fortitude .. able to roll off guys and see the ice better when he was not pressured .. still maturing and finding his game .. he is a good two-way package but he needs more experience at the pro level, at least two more seasons before he could even think of making the jump.

Shawn Weller (Ott), LW, Binghamton

Slowly putting his skills together as he acclimatizes himself to the pro game .. he has good hockey sense but appears to struggle with his confidence, as he mishandled the puck on several occasions, often skating past it and rushing his decision making .. limited in terms of his hand skills at this stage and once again, his lack of confidence cripples his game considerably .. does not always see his options either .. was used mostly on the PK, a tactic most likely employed by the coaching staff to make him feel involved .. skating is ok .. his balance and overall quickness could be upgraded but within four strides, he is as fast as anyone he plays against .. he will need to recognize when to go, as he plays tentative, however, that can be chalked up to his lack of pro experience.

Justin Mapletoft (Ott), C, Binghamton

Signed as a free agent in the off-season after playing the past two years in Europe .. he only played 23 games last season and appeared to be trailing plays this year at the AHL level .. posted healthy offensive totals a few years back but is way behind in terms of offensive output this season .. his footwork needs serious revision .. he has heavy feet and there is no glide to his skating .. when he stops moving his feet, he literally stops .. he does not always do a good job of settling down pucks when they are on his blade .. he takes his eyes off the puck and as a result, over skates it or simply loses it .. he plays on both special teams .. he shows some offensive ability, as he owns a nice wristshot but is too erratic in terms of when he chooses to use it .. often, he will shoot when all his players have gained the line instead of finding a better passing option .. eagerly gets down blocking a shot .. effective in the neutral zone by managing to get his stick on most errant pucks .. has size and a solid overall presence, he just needs to find his groove again.

Ilya Zubov (Ott), C, Binghamton

Russian two-time silver medalist at the WJC joins the Senators in his debut pro season .. plays a very safe, error-free game .. he is a two-way centre that plays intelligent defense and has offensive ability .. most of the things he does are rough around the edges .. one of his main strengths is to draw guys to him and dish off with a nice feather pass .. he lacks explosiveness of any kind, as his foot speed and overall skating is awkward .. he will aggressively forecheck and move his feet to keep himself involved in the play .. he shelters the puck marvelously when he has it .. he has the strength to drive to the net, fend off the opposition and handle the puck all in one motion .. he has unique vision and makes many clever passes .. he makes others better with his decisions .. he is always around the puck looking to make a play .. still has to be reminded defensively to move his feet .. showing improvement in his overall game, which has resulted in a recent call up in light of Danny Heatley's injury.

Chaz Johnson (Ott), W, Binghamton

Recently called-up from the ECHL .. plays the game more like a linebacker than he does a hockey player .. constantly looking to drive people into the parking lot with his thundering hits .. he executes and places his hits well .. he is an extremely awkward skater .. his stride has a hop in it, yet somehow manages to garner healthy speed levels to finish his checks and play a staunch defensive game .. he can appear lost in the defensive zone, as he is not a smart player in terms of reading plays .. did not see much icetime in this close game, as he contributes very little other than placing a timely hit to ignite his teammates.

Alexander Nikulin (Ott), F, Binghamton

Posting impressive offensive totals, as he could be the team's most skilled player .. he has a very deceptive skill set and leaves you wanting more .. he does everything at a very casual pace, which paints the impression that he is not working or trying hard .. he applies himself but there is no urgency in his game .. there are elements of his game that make him a top prospect but there are also many holes too .. his finesse and hand skills are elite .. he uses his reach and quick stick to get around defenseman .. he will make a series of moves to get the defenseman to bite .. due to his swaying and slightly hunched-over-skating stride, he does not generate much high-end speed .. he lacks power in his stride and his lower body strength is an area of concern .. at times, he can show bursts of quick speed but he cannot sustain it long enough .. he over handles the puck at times and takes too long to get it off his blade often taking himself out of scoring positions .. continuing to improve but must play with more gusto to deserve a call-up, however, he is on the radar screen.

Nick Foligno (Ott), LW, Binghamton

Started the season with the Senators before being returned early in the new year to the AHL .. averaged just over eight minutes and a dozen shifts a game, (played 31) with the parent club .. a painfully slow skater whose speed and acceleration out of the blocks is crippled by a wayward skating motion .. uncanny hockey sense, he finds seems and is able to sneak behind defenders .. he still needs to battle through players and force his way into the zone or into position .. handles the puck well but lacks the speed to blow by defenders even though his quick hands often elude and trick the opposition .. he can make strong plays along the boards .. he understands his weakness and prefers to play a dump-and-chase game to disguise his lack of open-ice speed .. shows good resiliency along the boards .. played on both special teams .. has been producing admirably at the AHL since his return, as he is producing at a point-a-game clip .. too good for the AHL, not fast enough for the NHL but fortunately, he has time on his side.

Carey Price (Mtl), G, Hamilton

Posted a respectful 9-7-3 record before being demoted to the building that made him a star, Copps Coliseum .. last year's AHL playoff MVP returned for his first game back and looked shaky allowing two goals on 10 shots .. settled down nicely and shut the door down the rest of the way displaying his mental composure to stick it out and remain focused .. in the shots that beat him, he was a victim of going down too early, something Price rarely does, as he uses his big body to make saves .. rarely out of position, his technique is very simple but flawless .. very swift in his movements .. gives shooters very little to shoot at .. his positioning and backwards skating are paramount to his success .. he comes out at just the right moments to cut down an angle or stays deep in his net when facing shooters in close .. his rebound control was suspect this game .. confidence is a huge factor with goalies and Price is no different, he remains one of the best young goalies in the league and Montreal is wise to groom him slowly.

Kyle Chipchura (Mtl), C, Hamilton

Make no doubt about it, the speed and pace that Chipchura played at the NHL level has left him too good for the AHL .. his play was leaps and bounds ahead of his peers .. he did not blow by players, as speed has never been his game, yet his anticipation and overall on ice awareness now has a heightened degree to it .. he was everywhere on the ice, applying himself with the puck and as always, showing a committed effort to defense .. he knows when to back off from a play and is not as over zealous as he once was when he first broke into the league .. his NHL experience served him well in this regard .. at times, he holds onto the puck too long and needs to dump the puck in down low .. Chipchura handled the demotion like a true professional and continued to do what he does best, which is play a conscious two-way game .. he is future captain material in Montreal and will be another player cut from the same cloth as a Benoit Brunet.