The Albany River Rats had a dreadful season. They were eliminated from playoff contention almost a month before the end of the regular season, and finished with a league-low 62 points (21-39-11-9). The River Rats were shut out a record 13 times, and allowed 257 goals while only scoring 182. Eight players on the River Rats roster can count this season as their AHL rookie year, and while it’s safe to say none of them had a great and memorable first year, they all made progress in most areas.

Forwards

Finnish import Tuomas Pihlman may not have put up as many points as he would have liked to, but the offensive numbers do not do justice to his contribution to the team. The hardworking and versatile 21-year-old winger was one of the River Rats best penalty killers, he played well on the power play, and he was also used in all forward positions at some point during the season. Pihlman made his NHL debut for the Devils against the Washington Capitals on New Year’s Day, 2004, and played one more game before being returned to the River Rats. Pihlman recorded his first AHL goal October 13, 2003, vs. Craig Anderson of the Norfolk Admirals.

Russian right winger Aleksander Suglobov missed a large part of the season due to a wrist injury he suffered during his first NHL game in January. Before his injury, the 22-year-old Suglobov averaged almost a point per game, and despite missing over two months, his 11 goals still lead all River Rats prospects. The highly skilled winger also led all AHL rookies in shooting percentage (.172), and was chosen as the River Rats representative to the AHL all-star game. Suglobov’s first AHL goal came in his very first AHL game: October 11, 2003, vs. David LeNeveu of the Springfield Falcons.

Former first-round draft pick center Adrian Foster had an up-and-down season. The 22-year-old Alberta native played more games than in the previous two seasons combined, but still missed a fair amount of time due to injuries. Foster probably would have put up better numbers had he not been played part of the season as a checking-line center, a role that limited his offensive potential. When he was allowed to play in a more offensive role, he recorded several multi-point games, including a three-point night (2 goals, 1 assist) in the season finale.

Feisty Finnish winger Ilkka Pikkarainen found himself in the penalty box more often than on the scoreboard. Collecting 118 penalty minutes, most of them minor penalties, Pikkarainen clearly is not the most disciplined player. At the same time his tenacity and in-your-face style is quite effective at bringing opposing goaltenders off their game. Pikkarainen did not record his first AHL goal until January 28, 2004, vs. AHL all-star Wade Dubielewicz of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He will turn 23 next week.

Canadian winger Ahren Nittel struggled for most of the season, but finally came into his own right under new head coach Robbie Ftorek. Ftorek often asked the young 20-year-old winger to play center, a role the OHL graduate filled quite admirably. Nittel set an AHL season record when he put an astonishing 13 shots on goal in a game against Syracuse in March. The Ontario native waited even longer than Pikkarainen to finally collect his first AHL goal: February 28, 2004, vs. Alex Auld of the Manitoba Moose.

Defensemen

Minnesota native Matt DeMarchi registered the last goal of the River Rats season; an empty-net goal with about 30 seconds left in the final game. The physical blueliner had a respectable first year: he missed a number of games due to injuries, and he finished with the worst plus/minus rating of all rookies, but he also chipped in more offensively than expected. DeMarchi had one game-winning goal, and recorded his first AHL goal November 30, 2003, vs. Hannu Toivonen of the Providence Bruins.  He turns 23 in May.

Manitoba native Phil Cole played in almost every game since being recalled from Cincinnati of the ECHL. Cole, who is by no means a fighting heavyweight, collected numerous fighting majors while defending his teammates.  The 21-year-old defensive defenseman also played a solid game, and finished as a -3, which is impressive considering the other defensemen on the team averaged a -14. Cole recorded his first AHL goal on March 27, 2004, vs. Andy Chiodo of the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins.

Former Montreal Canadiens draftpick Tyler Hanchuck was an off-season free agent signing. Hanchuck did not get a lot of icetime because the River Rats had eight defensemen on their roster for most of the year. The 22-year-old former Sarnia captain still put up good numbers for a defensive defenseman, but was the only rookie not to record a goal.

Notes: Towards the end of the season, the Devils signed former draft pick right wing Aaron Voros and assigned him to Albany. The 22-year-old played 9 games, registering 2 goals and 1 assist along with 14 penalty minutes. The River Rats also offered tryout contracts to Devils draft pick right wing Kenny Magowan, also 22, out of Boston University (5 games, no points), and free agent Andy Burnes, a 22-year-old defenseman out of the University of Michigan (2 games, no points).