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The dog at my homework.
My alarm didn't go off.
Your GTPD needed a break, and was getting sort of frustrated with working hard to stay up-to-date on prospect news and happenings, only to have nobody -- as in NO body -- bothering to make a comment, good, bad, or indifferent, about what was posted, week after week after week...
/pity party
So here's a very quick rundown of what's been happening in the world o' Blues prospects since the first if the year...
The Chicago Wolves have, well, sucked on ice for most of the calendar year, going from one of the top teams in the AHL's Western Conference to currently fighting tooth and nail for the eighth seed in the West.
Yesterday's 4-1 win in Oklahoma City was, as your GTPD noted on Facebook, the Wolves' first win in regulation time since a 4-1 home win vs. Milwaukee on March 1. Since January 1, the Wolves are just 14-13-2-1 for 31 points in 30 games.
HERE is a link to the AHL's "Playoff Primer," which is updated every day. As of today, the Wolves (63 GP, 31-25-6-1, 69 pts) are one point out of the eighth seed, currently held by the Adirondack Flames Stockton Heat.
It's not all doom and gloom for the Wolves, however. Recently-signed defenseman Colton Parayko scored his first AHL goal in yesterday's win over Oklahoma City Bakersfield, assisted by free agent signee Jake Doty, just up from Alaska of the ECHL to score his first AHL point. Ty Rattie also got off the schneid in OKC with a goal in Friday night's 2-1 OT win, and again in yesterday's triumph, his first tallies since Jan. 21.
Speaking of Alaska, there are just two Blues' prospects playing there now with Doty's callup to the Wolves. The feisty Ryan Tesink is back on the injured list, and has a 2-9-11 scoring line (minus-5, 39 PM) in 36 games played; his first pro goal on Oct. 24 was also his only game-winning goal of the season. Goalie Niklas Lundstrom has the most appearances (32) of any of the five goalies that have worn the Aces' colors this year, but he appears to have lost the starter's job to veteran Troy Redmann at this point. Lundstrom's numbers as a rookie are respectable (3.18 GAA, 89.2 save %, 15-15-1-1 record), but there is still a lot of work ahead before the young Swede can move up to the AHL on a full-time basis.
In the junior ranks, every team in each of the three major junior leagues (Ontario, Quebec, Western) that a Blues' prospect plays for, has made their league's playoffs, as have Sam Kurker's Sioux City Musketeers in the USHL. Stay tuned for more details on these races; the major junior playoffs kick off this weekend.
Also coming up this weekend is the NCAA tournament, in which North Dakota (Jordan Schmaltz, Austin Poganski) and Providence (Jake Walman) will be participating. Providence takes on Miami-Ohio on home ice at the Dunkin Donuts Center in providence on Friday, while number two seed North Dakota takes on Quinnipiac at Scheels Arena in Fargo, ND on Friday.