Ultra-smooth Amerks puck mover, T.J. Brennan, has earned himself AHL Player of The Week Honors.
In three games last week, Brennan recorded one goal and five assists for six points for the Americans.
On Wednesday night, Brennan had five points in a wild 7-6 overtime victory over Lake Erie, tying an AHL season high and establishing a new personal best. All four of Brennan’s assists on the night came on game-tying goals, erasing deficits of 1-0, 2-1, 5-4 and 6-5. He also scored a power-play goal in the first period, his third point of that stanza. On Friday, Brennan registered another assist to help Rochester to a 4-1 win over Lake Erie in Buffalo, and on Saturday, Brennan took a game-high six shots on goal in the Amerks’ 2-1 loss to Binghamton.
Brennan, a second-round draft choice (31st overall) by the Buffalo Sabres in 2009, finished the week ranking second among all AHL defensemen with 12 goals and 29 points (tied) in 30 games for Rochester this season.
The 23-year-old native of Willingboro, N.J., has 49 goals and 72 assists for 121 points in 219 career AHL games with Rochester and Portland, and also shows one goal in 11 NHL contests with the Sabres.
Here are TJ's highlights from his monster game against Lake Erie:
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Here's my take on Brennan:
Speaking about stud prospects looking to transition th the NHL after the lockout ends, what does the near future hold for Amerks rear guard, T.J. Brennan? He of 29 points (12 goals) in 29 games played in Rochester.
Brennan's play in the offensive zone has been white hot since the Amerks season began in October.
Brennan is currently ranked #10 in the overall AHL scoring race. Just ahead of him on the scoring leaders list are some guys named Taylor Hall, Nino Niederreiter, Brayden Schenn, and Jordan Eberle to name a few. Were it not for NHLers playing in the AHL during this work stoppage, Brennan may be ranked higher in the scoring race.
Brennan currently ranks #2 among all AHL goal scorers and point getters. Edmonton D prospect stud, Justin Schults, leads all AHL defenders with 16 goals and 26 assists in 30 games.
In most NHL organizations, Brennan would be positioned as a team's top one or two prospects. He's served his four year apprenticeship admirably and respectfully in Buffalo. He's relying less on talent and his monstrous slap shot these days, and he's relying on the coching that Ron Rolston has provided to him. Brennan is a complete four tool Dman today. That wasn't the case three years ago. He skates very well, he's physical, he can score/distribute, and he plays special teams like a pro. His deadly clapper is all the rage in the AHL right now. The Willingboro, New Jersey native has done everything he can to convince Sabres management to give him a regular job in the top six D group in Buffalo. The only problem is, there are no jobs available for Brennan at this time, or in the foreseeable future. The Sabres blue line is a crowded house right now with Tyler Myers, Christian Ehrhoff, Reggie Sekera, Jordan Leopold, Robyn Regehr, Mike Weber, Brayden McNabb, and newcomer Adam Pardy (traded to Buffalo with Steve Ott for Derek Roy July '12) all vying for ice time.
Right now, Brennan is Buffalo's #9 D man. In an NHL market like Edmonton, Carolina, NY Islanders, New Jersey he'd be considered among the team's top six NHL blue liners.
Personally, I can't see Ruff and Regier off loading a veteran right in order to create a roster spot for Brennan. What I can see is a possible trade in order to create a spot for Brennan. No, I'm not suggesting a blockbuster. Myers, Ehrhoff, Leopold, Regehr, Sulzer, Weber, Pardy and McNabb are not going anywhere. Rookie Mark Pysyk is a top organizational prospect who has hit a wall of late in Rochester, having been scratched for two games last week, however, he will be an outstanding pro D. Team USA's Jake McCabe is a stud on Buffalo's radar screen, as is Jermome Leduc-Gauthier. Joe Finley will be called upon to provide fisticuffs, when needed vs. Boston, Ottawa, and Toronto.
You see, the Sabres/Amerks blue line is like the Don Valley Parking Lot during rush hour.
What I'm suggesting is that the Sabres may trade Reggie Sekera in order to create a roster spot for their home grown talent in Brennan. At age 23, Brennan has a ton more upside than Sekera does.The sabres selected Brennan 31st overall in the 2007 NHL entry draft because they were looking for Brian Campbell's successor. They wanted a puck moving D, who could thrive in a unit of five and join the rush. They identified Brennan as just that guy. Ironically, they targeted Reggie Sekera (71st overall 2004 NHL entry draft) for the same reasons. Both Brennan and Sekera are very similar in skill and physical stature. Brennan is 6'1, 215lbs. Sekera stands 6 feet tall and weighs 200 pounds. Each are fluid, strong skaters.
Brennan is 23. Sekera is 26.
Some would argue that its a law of diminishing returns with Sekera. We've seen the best that he has to offer. Have we seen his ceiling, or, does he still have more to give? Sekera, when healthy and motivated is a game changer. Conversely, when Sekera is dinged or unfocused, he can be an enigma to his coaches and his fans. Reggie has all the skill in the world, as evidenced by his superior play at the World Championships last season for his native Slovakia when he stole the offensive show awat from some NHL heavy hitters. Sekera has even outplayed fellow Slovak D monster Zdeno Chara at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Sekera has proven his worth as an NHL player. I'm a big fan of his offense, however, I'm not a huge supporter of Reggie's D-zone coverage at time. He tends to wander and get caught out of position. When he gambles and wins, its magical. However, when he gambles and loses, it fills the air with a malodorous air.
Ladies and gentleman, I submit to you that a proposition that sees the Sabres moving Sekera to make way for the younger, more productive, and defensively buttoned-up Brennan.
Sekera will earn $2.75 million for the next three season. He's an attractive cap hit for many teams in the NHL. Sekera's contract is considered a value right now by most NHL standards. He's locked in to a team-friendly cap number for a long term. He has the type of contract that NHL GMs crave in the trade market, just like Derek Roy's six year, $24 million deal from years back.
During this klockout, while Brennan has been scorching the AHL, Sekera has been playing for KHL Bratislava, where he scored 3 goals and added 9 assists in 23 games played. Personally, I thought for sure that Sekera would be tearing apart the KHL during this lockout due to the larger ice surface (200' by 100', instead of NHL standard 200' by 85'). Sekera's been good, not great. Brennan's been great, not good, while playing against locked out NHLers and top pro prospects in the ultra-competitive AHL.
Now that I've told you why I'd trade Sekera, you are likely wondering where I would trade him, right?
My first phone call would be to Steve Tambellini in Edmonton. I would make a Reggie Sekera for Sam Gagner trade offer.
Gagner is a hybrid centreman who has tremendous success of special teams. He'll earn $3.2 million this seaosn, then he'll become UFA in July 2013. The Sabres are in need in depth down the middle of the lineup. Gagner can play the pivot and the wing.
The Oilers are stacked up front with the likes of Hall, Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins, Yakupov, and Hemske, however, who do they have on their backend leading their breakout?
Justin Schultz, a rookie will likely be in their top pairing and he'll thrive there just like he is right now with AHL Oklahoma City. However, Ryan Whitney, Latislav Smid, Theo Peckham, Nick Schuktz and Jeff Petry don't exactly play world-class hockey the way that the Oiler superstar kids do. The Oilers need a veteran puck mover with vision and passing ability to lead their breakout and to tutor Schultz in the nuances of the NHL game. I submit that Sekera is the perfect man for this job. With the group of forwards that the Oilers have, Sekera can easily pile up 50-60 points a season
Remember this key point when considering my proposal:
When the lockout ends in the next ten days, the Sabres will have to expose Brennan to waivers in order send him back to Rochester. Brennan signed an AHL contract earlier this season in order to avoid being exposed to waivers. The Sabres could gamble and send Brennan through waivers and hope that none of the 29 other teams claim him off waivers. Or, they can make a proactive move to insure that they will retain one of their most valuable assets for years to come.
Brennan becomes UFA in July. He's earning $550,000 this season in Rochester. His stock is sky rocketing in value with every point he collects this season. The Sabres should do everything in their power as an organization to prevent Brennan from leaving.
Review my proposal and let me know what you would do if you were Darcy Regier.
Speaking of gifted Sabres prospect D, Congrats to USA captain Jake McCabe. He and his young Americans are on their way to the WJC quarter finals. McCabe and his USA boys spnaked the Slovaks 9-3 on New Years Eve day to earn entry into the next round.
McCabe scored a beauty back hander goal en route to the USA romp over Slovakia.
Thanks, IIHF and TSN
USA will play the Czech Republic in the quarter finals on January 2.
What the Hell was Valeri Nichushkin thinking? Talk about a major brain cramp! Call it youthful enthusiasm. Call it ignorance. I call it dumb.
The kid let his emotions get the better of him, and his careless actions had a debilitating effect on his team's strategy to attack the Canadians from he opening puck drop.
thanks, sportexpress
The flow and pace of the game was frantic for the first ten minutes with both teams trading chances. End-to-end action at a speed metal pace made me dizzy. Then, the buzz kill came and the ice tilted dramatically towards Canada when one player took the game into his own hands,
Nichushkin prison shanked Canada D Tyler Wotherspoon from behind into the boards at 111:44 of the first period of this grudge match. Nichushkin was given a five minute major and a game misconduct for his stupidity. Canada then erupted for two PPGs on the major penalty in the first. Canada added another in the second, and added an empty netter in the third to beat Russia 4-1 and claim the semi-final bye from Group B.
It was a great team effort by the Canadians, Russia will now play in the quarter-finals on January 2 against Switzerland.
Canada drew first blood on the scoreboard soon after Russia drew first blood on the ice.
Canada’s power play then went to work, firing several good shots on Sabres super prospect, Andrei Makarov. Niagara Ice Dog D, Dougie Hamilton’s one-timer from the point beat Makarov high cheese at 14:04. Less than two minutes later, Canada extended its lead when Mark Schiefele scored his PPG.
Less than two minutes, Schiefele gave back his goal. He lost the puck in front of his own goal, and it rolled right onto Nikita Kuckerov’s stick. He wired a hard shot that beat Malcolm Subban and brought the game within reach.
Canada's discipline killed Russia. nathan MacKinnon took both of Canada's minor penalties. Steve Spott and his coaches stressed the importance of keepingthe Russia PP off the ice. Mission accomplished. In the end, Vanada played a clean game, and made Russia's PK pay for the dumb penalty to Nichushkin.
Canada threw 48 shots at Makarov, who made 45 saves. Makarov made 41 saves in the 2-1 Russia win over USA. His 45 save performance vs. Canada was all the more impressive, as Russia could only muster 22 shots on PK Subban. Canada's D limited Grigorenko, Yakupov, and the Russian forwards to one and done shots. Canada controlled all rebounds and denied second chance opportunities.
Makarov is my player of the game.
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Here are the match-ups for the WJCs:
Canada and Sweden won their groups with four victories in four games to earn a bye and advance directly to the semi-finals.
In a tight race on the last day, the Czech Republic and Switzerland made it to the quarter-finals from Group A at the expense of Finland. Russia and the United States are the other teams from Group B to advance to the quarter-finals.
After a one-day break on New Year's Day, the quarter-finals will be played at Ufa Arena on January 2nd.
The Czech Republic will play the United States in the early game, and the winner will face Canada in the early semi-final the day later.
Russia will play Switzerland in the quarter-finals, and the winner will play against reigning champion Sweden in the late semi-final game on January 3rd.
Quarter-Finals (at Ufa Arena)
January 2nd- Czech Republic vs. USA
January 2- Russia vs. Switzerland
Semi-Finals (at Ufa Arena)
January 3rd- Canada vs. CZE/USA
January 3rd- Sweden vs. RUS/SUI
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Not gonna lie. I had a tough time sleeping last night. No, I'm not an insomniac. Ive been daydreaming about today's Russia-v-Canada brawl for the pat two days and find it hard to focus on anything else. These two teams have played dramatic games on New Year's Eve in the recent past. Today Canada and Russia are renewing their six decade rivalry. Welcome to this epic grudge match. The winner gets a bye into the semi-finals and two days off, while the loser has to play January 2 in the quarter-finals.
This marks only the second time that the teams have played on New Year’s Eve. Fifteen years ago, Maxim Afinogenov scored in overtime to give the Russians a 2-1 win in the quarter-finals of the 1998 U20.
This game is going to be a war, as both teams have a passionate dislike for one another, after having played one another 10 times since August.
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Props to Sabres stud, Joel Armia. He already has a two goal in Finland's grudge match vs. Sweden in Ufa today.
Armia has scored two PPGs, however, his Finns lost 7-4 to Sweden. No medal round for Finland.
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