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Senators NCAA prospects update

Written by: Paul Bradley on 02/01/2007 Subscribe to HF's RSS Feed

Brian Elliott, G - Wisconsin Badgers – Senior – 6’3” – 190 lbs (9th round 2003)

Elliott is at a disadvantage playing goal for a team that cannot produce many goals. Elliott’s record of 8-13-1 is deceiving. Even with a sub .500 record, Elliott is still playing very well. He has posted a 2.26 GAA and an excellent save percentage of .920. However it is difficult to win games when his team is scoring just 2.23 goals a game.

Playing on a much better team last year he posted a 27-5-3 record with eight shutouts. So far this season Elliott has three shutouts, bringing his career total to 14.

The Badgers are 11-13-2 this season and remain unranked. Last season Elliott was much decorated. He was a top 3 finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial award, RBK/ACHA First-Team West All-American, NCAA Midwest Regional Most Outstanding Player, Frozen Four All Tournament Team. He also led the nation in winning percentage (.814), GAA (1.55), save percentage (.938), and shutouts (8).

Elliott, 21, is in his final year with the Badgers.

Brian Lee, D - North Dakota Fighting Sioux – sophomore – 6’3” – 190 lbs (1st round 2005)

The current top ranked prospect for the Ottawa Senators posted an impressive freshman campaign with four goals and 23 assists in 43 games. He has followed that up by collecting one goal and 14 assists in 24 games this season.

Lee continues to develop his skills while helping the Fighting Sioux to a 15-11-2 record and a ranking of No. 15 in the nation.

A member of Team USA at the World Junior Championships, in Sweden, the 19-year-old helped Team USA defeat Sweden for the bronze medal. 
 

Shawn Weller, LW - Clarkson Golden Knights – Junior – 6’1” – 200 lbs (77th pick 2004 draft)

Following a solid sophomore season in which Weller posted 14 goals and 10 assists in 37 games, he is continuing his solid play for Clarkson this season, averaging just under a point per game. Clarkson is ranked No. 10 in the country and also hold the longest unbeaten streak in the nation. Weller is third on his team with 23 points in 24 games.

He is a physical, energetic power forward who uses his size to his advantage. His size and physical play have translated into a lot of power-play time, where he spends most of the time in front of the net. Of his 10 goals this season, four of them have come on the power play.

As well as putting up good numbers, Weller continues to be a very physical presence in the Knights line-up. After posting a total of 175 minutes in penalties in his first two seasons, he is second on the team this season with 44 minutes.

Weller, 20, is a native of South Glens Falls, NY.

 

Colin Greening, C – Cornell Big Red – Freshman – 6’2” – 195 lbs (7th round 2005)

A freshman on a .500 hockey team, Greening is off to a decent start with Cornell. The 9-7-3 Big Red have welcomed the addition of the former British Columbia Hockey League standout. In 19 games he has tallied 4 goals, and 5 assists, to go along with 22 minutes in penalties.  

At 6’2 the physical Greening has found himself with some chances to play on the power play. Of the four goals he has tallied so far this season, two have been with the man advantage. On a team that is ranked 49th in the nation in power-play conversion, he should find himself with a chance to impact the Big Red’s special teams.

Greening, 20, is a native of St. John’s NF.

 

Matt McIlvane, C - Ohio State Buckeyes – Junior – 6’0” – 212 lbs (8th round 2004)

A junior on a struggling Buckeyes team, McIlvane is continuing to get better each year. After posting only one goal in his freshman year, and just three in his sophomore season, he has managed to find the back of the net 6 times through 25 games this season. McIlvane is a specialist on the power play and killing penalties. Of his six goals, only two have come at even strength.

A grinding, physical power forward, McIlvane manages to play with tenacity while staying out of the penalty box. He posted a career high in penalty minutes last year with only 15, and so far this year he has only collected 10.

A two-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and an Academic All-Big Ten choice, not only is he a hard worker in the classroom, he is hard working on the ice. He’s a solid two-way player, who is also a great face-off specialist. With 16 games left he should eclipse his career high in points scored.

A native of Naperville, Illinois, McIlvane is 21. 

Jim McKenzie, RW - Michigan State Spartans – Junior – 6’2” – 205 lbs (5th round 2004)

Playing on the eighth-ranked team in the country, the 16-8-1 Spartans are loaded with talented forwards, five of whom have been drafted. McKenzie sits tied for fifth on this talented squad with 6 goals, 11 assists, for 17 points. He has continued at approximately the same pace as his freshman and sophomore seasons, in which he scored 11 goals in each campaign.  

Expected to make a big impact on special teams, the large winger, who can make things happen in front of the net, has produced three of his team’s 28 power-play goals. The consistent power forward is on pace to equal his total in penalty minutes from last year of 84.  

A native of Woodbury, Minnesota, McKenzie, 23, has earned two varsity letters in two years at Michigan State.


Erik Condra, RW – Notre Dame Fighting Irish – sophomore – 6’0” – 197 lbs (7th round 2006) 

Just a sophomore, Condra is probably the highest-potential forward prospect that the Senators have in the NCAA. After a freshman year in which he posted 34 points in 36 games, he is scoring at a clip of 1.25 points per game and is ranked sixth in the CCHA in total points. Through 28 games he has 11 goals, 24 assists and 35 points.

A well-rounded and smart player who sees time on both the power play and penalty-killing units, Condra has three power-play goals to go along with one shorthanded goal. Condra is also a clutch performer with four game-winning goals already this season.  

The 21-5-2 Fighting Irish are ranked No. 2 in the nation, behind only the New Hampshire Wildcats. Condra is once again leading all scorers on his team, and is a huge factor in Notre Dame’s success this season.

Condra, 20, a native of Livonia, Michigan, was the first freshman to lead the Fighting Irish in points in ten years. 
 

Joe Cooper, RW - Miami RedHawks – Senior – 6’1” – 210 lbs (7th round 2004)

Following a career high 10 points on three goals and seven assists in his junior season, Cooper has struggled to find the net this season. Through 26 games he has just one goal and one assist, to go along with 48 minutes in penalties. 

Named alternate captain on a RedHawks team that is 18-9-3 and ranked ninth in the nation, Cooper continues to provide a physical presence for his hockey club. He is on pace to set a new career high in penalty minutes.

This is Cooper’s last season for the RedHawks. A native of Toronto, Ontario, he is 21.

  

Eric Gryba, D - Boston University Terriers – freshman – 6’3” – 215 lbs (3rd round 2006)  

The big-bodied freshman of the Terriers has been quiet offensively so far this season. He has only one point so far and that point was a game-winning goal. Gryba is leading his team in penalty minutes with 56.

A well-rounded defenseman, he can move the puck well, has a hard shot and can also be very physical on defense. He should continue to improve and as he does his ice time will grow. 

The Terriers are 13-5-7 so far this season and are ranked sixth in the nation. With three drafted senior defensemen ahead of him, his ice time should go up remarkably next season.

Gryba, 18, is a native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Tim Cook, D - Michigan Wolverines – Senior – 6’4” - 215 lbs (5th round 2003)

Cook, a defensive defenseman, has huge size and he always makes things difficult on the opposition. He plays a physical style and manages to stay out of the penalty box. In 23 games this season he has four assists and only eight penalty minutes.  

He is a great skater for his size and with such a talented defense corps, with the likes of Jack Johnson (CAR) and Matt Hunwick (BOS), he has been moved to forward for 12 of the 23 games this season.

The Wolverines are 19-9-0 and are ranked 10th in the nation and continue to climb up the ranking chart.  

Cook, 22, a native of Montclair, New Jersey, is in his final season with the Wolverines.

Copyright 2007 Hockey’s Future.  Do not reprint or otherwise duplicate without permission of the editorial staff.


Copyright 2007 Hockey’s Future. Do not reprint or otherwise duplicate without permission of the editorial staff.

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