Kukla's Korner Hockey
2010/2011: European Players to Watch out for in North America
by Phil Davies on 09/07/10 at 11:50 AM ET
Comments (10)
Help me welcome Phil Davies to the stable of KK bloggers. Phil will be covering the international hockey scene for us.
Make sure to click his name in the byline to find out his background. As with all the KK bloggers, Phil will have his own blog sometime this month. - Paul
Although there are a number of European Players expected to make an impact in the NHL this year, I will be focusing on players, who, previous to their success in the 2010 Olympics and/or the 2010 World Championships, were flying under the radar as elite level prospects. However, for every Henrik Zetterberg, who first impressed North American hockey fans with his stellar play in the 2002 Olympics, there is a Fabian Brunnstrom, who has yet to pan out for the Dallas Stars.
Roman Wick
Switzerland
This 2004 draft pick of the Ottawa Senators, has an outside chance of securing a roster spot at some point this year. Although Wick is a smallish forward, who will probably spend the majority of his time with the Binghampton Senators, he does have a good set of hands, as evidenced by his five points in five games at the 2010 Olympics. However, Wick will need to play a more physical game if he hopes to land in the NHL long term.
Mats Zuccarello Aasen
Norway
Another smallish forward with good hands, Aesen logged plenty of minutes for Norway at the 2010 Olympic Games, while compiling 3 points in four games. Although undrafted, Aasen was able to land a contract with the New York Rangers, on the heels of his impressive international play and by leading the Swedish Elitserien League in scoring with 64 points in 55 games last year. The Rangers could use some scoring help, but Aasen will first need to bulk up his 170 lb frame.
Marcel Muller
Germany
This power forward caught the eye of Toronto Maple Leafs GM; Brian Burke, with his hulking size, strong forecheck and capable hands, which were on display at both the 2010 Olympics and the 2010 Worlds. Muller already plays an aggressive North America style under German National Team Coach Uwe Krupp, who favours a strong forechecking game over Germany’s previous trapping style. However, despite the lack of depth up front for the Leafs, Muller will most likely play the majority of the upcoming season with the Toronto Marlies, in order to gain more experience.
Severin Blindenbacher
Switzerland
Despite being drafted in 2001 by the Phoenix Coyotes, this longtime rearguard for the Swiss National Team, has yet to play in a single NHL game. However, his luck may soon change, as the Dallas Stars signed him to an entry level deal on the first day of free agency this year. Although Blindenbacher will most likely start the season with the Texas Stars, his strong skating and playmaking skills, may earn him a promotion, due to Dallas’ lack of offensively gifted defencemen
Filed in: NHL Teams, Non-NHL Hockey, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Comments
Welcome aboard Phil. Looking foward to your Euro coverage.
Posted by Lindas1st from New England on 09/07/10 at 01:35 PM ET
Howdy Phil. Welcome to KK. I have two questions for you.
1. Does your wife count this gig at KK as part of getting a “real job” or is it just your way of rebelling against her unreasonable demand? 
2. What do you know about what Igor Grigorenko is up to these days? We Wings fans had such high hopes for him. But, between his car accident and his apparent distaste for working his way up through the system, we never got to see what he could really do. Has he established himself as anything more than an average player in the KHL?
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids, MI on 09/07/10 at 01:49 PM ET
Does this mean we now get EIHL and DEL coverage?
I keed, I keed.
Maybe…
Posted by Primis on 09/07/10 at 02:31 PM ET
I’m so happy KK has added coverage of the Euro elite leagues. I’m really looking forward to reading about the Czech and Swedish leagues, in part or overall. A VERY BIG Welcome to the blogosphere!!
Posted by redxblack from Akron Ohio on 09/07/10 at 04:30 PM ET
Looking forward to the coverage.
But FYI - it’s just ‘Binghamton’. They are very touchy in my experience when you add the ‘P’.
I just call it ‘Bingo’ myself. Nobody seems to mind that.
Posted by Da lil Guy from Ottawa on 09/07/10 at 05:31 PM ET
Thanks a lot everyone!
I’m very excited about blogging for Kuklas Korner.
I will address your comments in my next blog this week.
I would also like to address the whole World Cup vs NHL Olympic participation soon and get some of your views as well.
Posted by Phil Davies from Ontario, Canada on 09/07/10 at 10:15 PM ET
I will address your comments in my next blog this week.
Hmmm. Looking at your profile, I see you’ve only been a KK member since Monday of this week. That must explain why you don’t get that we’re not big fans of “delayed gratification.” 
Posted by OlderThanChelios from Grand Rapids, MI on 09/08/10 at 01:24 AM ET
Well Grigorenko is an interesting case.
He put up 36 points in 55 games last year, which is decent by KHL standards, but yes, he has completely fallen off the radar as far as topflight prospects go. Injuries and lack of motivation seem to have got the best of him at this point. He may turn it around, but it will likely never be on this side of the pond.
Now as far as my new gig here, my wife is actually a writer so she has to be careful about what she says…lol!
As far as Binghamton, I made sure to get it right this time. A Leafs fan would never want to upset the Sens fans! 
redxBlack and Primis, I will certainly talk about the Swe, Cze and Ger leagues!
Thanks again everyone!
Posted by Phil Davies from Ontario, Canada on 09/08/10 at 11:27 PM ET
Welcome aboard, Phil. Looking forward to your writing.
Posted by SYF from the Flood on 09/12/10 at 10:01 PM ET
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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.
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Welcome, Phil. While we’ll leave the Russian literature talk to you, Malik, Andrew from Ann Arbor, and maybe Baroque, I look forward to your coverage of international players.
Posted by VooX from Behind the Bar in the Hasek Club Car on 09/07/10 at 12:27 PM ET