Summer Roundup
It's only about a month or so until preseason practices begin for the 2010-11 season which makes this a good time to take a look at what's gone on over the past month or so with Clarkson hockey players past, present and future.
*Clarkson has added one more incoming freshman this season in 6-foot, 170 pound forward Jarrett Burton from Echo Bay, Ontario. He played in 55 games last season for the OJHL's Kingston Voyageurs and finished with 20 goals and 46 assists.
*Willie Mitchell has been given clearance by doctors to resume his career after suffering a concussion last season and is now looking for a team. He's been linked to both the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, Vancouver Canucks and Washington Capitals as potential new homes.
*Last year's leading scorer for Clarkson, Matt Beca, has agreed to terms with the American Hockey League's Charlotte Checkers on a two-way contact. He scored 20 goals in his final season with Clarkson. One of Beca's rookie teammates will be former SLU forward Mike McKenzie.
*Potsdam native Craig Conroy will be returning to the Calgary Flames after signing a new deal, though his spot with the NHL squad is not guaranteed and it's possible he could play in the AHL if he doesn't make the team in training camp.
*Goalie Kyle McNulty will be returning to the Mississippi RiverKings of the Central Hockey League, where he finished last season after a trade from the Arizona Sundogs.
*Another former Clarkson goalie, David Leggio, will have a chance to earn a spot on the roster of his hometown team, the NHL's Buffalo Sabres. Leggio spent last year in Finland. His likely first destination will be the Sabres' AHL affiliate in Portland, Maine.
*Forward Mike Sullivan will remain in Germany after signing a contract with the Deggendorf Fire.
*Defenseman Phil Paquet is returning to the ECHL's Florida Everblades, where he was a teammate of his former Clarkson classmate Shea Guthrie, who also has resigned with the squad.
*Forward Steve Zalewski, who made his NHL debut last season, has re-signed with the NHL's San Jose Sharks. He also saw time with the Sharks' AHL affiliate in Worcester, Mass.
*Forward Todd White, who spent last year with the Atlanta Thrashers, returns closer to his Ottawa-area home after being traded to the New York Rangers.
*Forward Chris D'Alvise, who played for Stockton of the ECHL last year, will be moving to Europe after signing with Italy's HC Bolzano.
*Forward Shawn Weller, a linemate of D'Alvise's in the ECHL All-Star game last year, has signed with the AHL's Manitoba Moose.
*Defenseman Grant Clitsome, who made his NHL debut last season, has signed another contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Clitsome played most of the season with the team's AHL affiliate in Syracuse.
*Former Clarkson forward Matt Syroczynski, who ended his career at the University of Vermont, announced his retirement, as did former Golden Knight Chris Bahen.
*Forward Nick Dodge, a former two-year captain at Clarkson, has re-signed with the Carolina Hurricanes organization.
*Brownville native Tim Marks, a forward, ended last season with the AHL's Norfolk Admirals and has re-signed with the squad for this season.
*And, lastly, three of Clarkson's ECAC Hockey rivals lost underclassmen of note over the summer. Cornell's Riley Nash signed with the Carolina Hurricanes, Harvard's Louis Leblanc with the Montreal Canadiens and Rensselaer's Jerry D'Amigo with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
I have started a twitter account for both Clarkson and other local sports items. You can follow me @CapCareyWDT
