Michael Neal

Hometown:

Whitby Ontario

Currently Playing In:

Pro

Birthday:

1989-04-03
Position:

LW
Eligible for draft:

2007
Shoots:

Left
Drafted:

2007
Height:

6-2
Acquired:

5th round (149th overall), 2007
Weight:

187 lbs.
Prospect Talent Score
3.0

About Prospect Talent Score and Probability of Success»

Probability of Success
  • B

History

The younger brother of Stars prospect James Neal, Michael Neal possesses some of the same attributes as his older brother.

2006-07: He did not post great numbers in his second OHL season, scoring only four goals on his way to eight points in 52 games played. Part of the lack of production by Neal is a result of playing on a very talented and deep Belleville Bulls team.

2007-08: Missed the entire regular season with a knee injury.  Returned for the playoffs, but went pointless in seven games.

2008-09: Neal split time between the Belleville Bulls(OHL) and Sarnia Sting(OHL). He went pointless in 3 games with the Bulls, but scored 9 goals and added 12 assists in 63 games with Sarnia.

2009-10: Neal turned pro, splitting time with the Idaho Steelheads(ECHL) and Texas Stars(AHL). In 6 games with the Stars, Neal went pointless. In 57 games with Idaho, Neal scored 5 goals and added 10 assists.

2010-11: For the second straight season, Neal spent most of his time in the ECHL.  He tied his previous year’s total of 15 points in 2010-11.  He did notch his first career AHL point during his 16 games in the AHL – totaling three goals in all.  He was held scoreless in eight ECHL postseason games.

 

Talent Analysis

Neal is a physically imposing forward like his older brother, James.  His skating is above average for a player his size and he does his best work along the boards.  Plays a clean and fairly industrious game.  Craves physical play.  Has a tremendous off-ice work ethic and keeps himself in tiptop shape.  Doesn’t possess any sort of mesmerizing talent and is still very raw.  Lost a crucial year of development due to a knee injury that sidelined him for an entire season.  Will have to overcome a lot to be considered a legitimate NHL prospect.  Needs to find a niche and become exceptional at it in order to become a valuable asset to his team.

 

Future

Appears to be a fringe AHL player at this point and may spend another year in the ECHL while competing for AHL call-ups.

 

Swiss Hockey Prospect Report

by pbadmin
on

I am the newest addition to the staff here at Hockey’s Future. I hope you enjoy my stories as they will all be related to Swiss ice hockey.

I will bring you player profiles of all the players in the Swiss leagues. I’m also keeping my eye on the German DEL, as there are a lot of ex-NHLers.

In my first article you will find 4 player profiles.

Laurent Müller, C, ZSC Lions
CBS-Rank: not ranked
Born: 28th May 1978; 6’2”, 194lbs.
14G-17A-31P in 30 games; 20 PM; Plus-44, Minus-19, Total Plus-25;

Finally this season Laurent has let his talent shine. After a few disappointing seasons in Bern (only 12 points in three seasons), he is now playing in Zurich. He has now found the self-confidence he needs to be successful, and he is considered one of the best scorers on his team. In the last two weeks he scored two over-time goals, both in the last minute.

He wins a lot of face-offs and is not afraid to hit. Sometimes he is too involved in the play to skate back into his own zone, which the opponents use to create some goal scoring opportunities on occasion. Another note is that he is the team leader in the plus/minus stat on his team. Laurent is playing on Zurich’s better penalty killing unit, which indicates that his defensive skills aren’t that bad.

He works good in the offensive crease, and allows his teammates to get easy scoring opportunities. He can pass the puck in all ways, and is very creative (no look passes, long passes, etc…)
Read more»

Sabres’ Defensive Prospects Sarich and Grand-Pierre: Buffalo’s Dynamic Duo

by pbadmin
on

Some people may dispute that the Buffalo Sabres have the best defensive prospects in the game, but I think that they would have to concede that the young defensive players Sarich and Grand-Pierre that Buffalo has in the minors are among the best out there.

When you look at a list of their defensive prospects, the premier names that come up are Cory Sarich, Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre and Dimitri Kalinin. Some other names on the list are Henrik Tallinder, Brian Campbell and Luc Theoret. Even with the loss of Alexei Tezikov in a trade with the Capitals for Joe Juneau, the Sabres’ future defensive core looks strong. Sarich and Grand-Pierre have both seen limited time with the Sabres and have played well. They may have been kept in the lineup but Coach Lindy Ruff chose to opt for veteran smarts and leadership over the tough, solid play displayed by the young D-men. It’s hard to talk about Grand-Pierre and Sarich in the same context because, although they are both great talents and they are the Sabres top two defensive prospects, their styles of play are very different.
Read more»

Isles Sign Krog

by pbadmin
on

The Islanders have just added highly sought Jason Krog, winner of this years Hobey Baker award, to thier rich list of talented prospects. The Islanders beat out six other teams and signed Krog to a two year contract woth $2 million plus bonuses. Krog, 23, is expected to play in the NHL next season.

Jason had a stellar career at New Hampshire capped off by an historic senior season. Krog led the nation in scoring and became the first player since Paul Kariya to score 50 points in Hockey East play. Krog is a two-time All American, Hockey East Player of the Year, and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team as he he led his wildcats to the nation finals.

The 5’11″ 191 lbs Krog finshed his career as UNH’s all time assist leader and second in scoring with 94 goals, 144 assists and 238 points in 151 games. He is the only player to be in the top 3 in Hockey East scoring for three consecutive years. Jason is a strong swift skater with an accurate shot. He has tremendous vision and is an excellent passer.

Stars Longshot Prospects

by pbadmin
on

Below is a listing of what I feel are the Stars longshot prospects in the coming years. Most should be recognizable names, and yet a couple maybe totally new to you, but each has a few skills that make them interesting. (Please email me with any thoughts, questions, or comments.) The next article will include some brief comments on the Stars “other” prospects, potential ’99 draft picks, and random thoughts on the team’s state.

John Erskine-D 6-4 200lbs.

Ranked higher on the Star’s depth chart by many, but I feel that John’s future in the NHL is not with the Dallas organization. First reason being that the Stars play an attacking style that calls for pinching by the D-men, and thus requires a good bit of mobility to maintain proper positioning. This style is not conducive to John, as he is a relatively poor skater that thrives in a more “controlled” stay-at-home posture. Secondly, the Stars have a good collection of defensemen in the minors, all of which are more talented than he. On the other hand, he does have a huge body, an ability to really fight, and the work ethic to improve his game. While I could be wrong about his future, as Craig Ludwig is still hanging around, my feeling is that he is trade bait, and no more than a support player for another team.
LONDON ( OHL ) GP-57 G-8 A-12 PTS-20 PIM-208 +/- 21

Marty Flichel-RW 5-11 175lbs.
Read more»

Tyler Moss profile and the IHL Notebook

by pbadmin
on

Player: Tyler Moss
Birthdate: June 29, 1975
Hometown: Ottawa, Ontario
Height: 6′ 0″
Weight: 184 lbs
Position: Goalie

Tyler was acquired from the Calgary Flames. Tyler had a brief stint in St. Johns for the St. Johns Flames of the AHL where he played in 9 games and had a record of 2-5-1 with a 3.16 GAA and a .897 save %. Tyler also played 11 games up in Calgary with a 3-7-0 record and a 2.51 GAA. Last year Tyler won the Hap Holmes Memorial trophy for the lowest GAA in the AHL. He had the lowest GAA in the playoffs with a 2.91 GAA and help the Saint John Flames advance to the Calder Cup Final. Tyler was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. Read more»
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