Yesterday the Blue Jackets announced they have signed two players to pro tryout contracts: James Sheppard and Antti Pihlstrom.
It’s a little curious as to why the team would bring in forwards when the team pretty much has its 12 guys set. We have to remember these are not official contracts, so they can be cancelled at any time by either the team or the player. There is nothing wrong with bringing in competition especially for some of the younger guys on the team. You can’t to just hand them roster spots. And who knows maybe Pihlstrom or Sheppard play well and team manages to find lightning in a bottle. These are no risk moves.
Pihlstrom is a 30 year old left winger who spent the last four seasons playing in the KHL for the Ufa Salavat Yulayev. He played one season in the NHL back in 2008-09 with the Nashville Predators. He scored two goals and five assists in 53 games. He then spent three seasons in Finland in SM-Liiga and another season playing the SHL.
His best season in Europe came in 2010-11 when he scored 30 goals and had 23 assists in 59 games for Jyp HT Jyvaskyla of the SM-Liiga. However he was not able to bring that scoring touch with him when he jumped to the KHL. He has shown improvement every season but has yet to crack even 30 points.
I don’t know much else about Pihlstrom so I've turned to
eliteprospects.com which provides a scouting report on him:
A fast skater, Pihlstrom can really fly out there. He plays with a lot of energy and grit. Despite his modest size, he can deliver some huge hits. Also owns good scoring ability, as he always goes to the net. At times, though, his hands don't operate at the same level as his feet. His smallish frame isn't the ultimate body for his style of play.
From that report it sounds like he plays the style of hockey the Blue Jackets want. The front office has looked for those energy and gritty type of guys like Boone, Dubinsky, Hartnell, etc. and Pihlstrom looks to be cut from that same cloth.
Best case scenario he has a great camp and earns himself a contract. At that point I would imagine he heads to the AHL and could be a potential call up if anyone is ineffective or gets injured.
Sheppard is the real interesting player here. At 27 years old he is already a veteran of 394 NHL games. He broke into the league as a 20 year old with the Minnesota Wild. He spent three seasons in Minnesota, never living up to the hype of being the ninth overall pick in the 2006 draft. He failed to reach even 25 points in a season when with the Wild. He hooked on with the Sharks after that, where he spent the last three seasons before being traded to the New York Rangers at the deadline. He played 14 games with the Rangers and another 13 in the post season.
He was predominately used as a third liner averaging 12.3 minutes per game at even strength. His scoring numbers are about what you would expect from a third line guy. He had 18 points in 71 games between the Sharks and Rangers.
The Edmonton Journal wrote a
great piece on Sheppard when he was traded. The last paragraph of that article sums up Sheppard’s game nicely:
If I had to pick one phrase to sum up the games I watched, it would be “meat and potatoes.” He’s an honest, bottom-six centre who does the kind of things that coaches have always valued from players in that position.
He is another player who plays the Blue Jackets style of hockey. He's a fine defensive player and one that I think would fit nicely on the fourth line. He would be a real nice depth piece for the team, someone who could step in and play in the bottom six when necessary. Having NHL players as depth is something not talked about much but it definitely has value. It gives the team flexibly if a younger guy struggles or needs some more time in the AHL.
I think he would be a solid addition to the team and would be a good player to have around as the 13th forward.
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