Only Purcell, Greening remain at NHL camps
Bishop and Donaghey reassigned over the weekend; Noel injured in Chicago; Mercer scores in first game; Morrissey turns pro; Budgell off to Windy City
Only two Newfoundlanders — Teddy Purcell and Colin Greening of St. John’s — remain in NHL training camps with 10 days to go before the start of the 2017-18 season.
Two other St. John’s natives, Clark Bishop and Cody Donaghey, were reassigned from their NHL teams to the American Hockey League over the weekend. Bishop was sent from the Carolina Hurricanes to the Charlotte Checkers, while the Ottawa Senators sent the defenceman, Donaghey, to their new AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators.
Bishop is a second-year pro who split last season between Charlotte and ECHL Florida Everblades, while Donaghey is a rookie out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.
Of the two remaining in camps, Purcell has the best shot of cracking an NHL roster. The veteran is in the Boston Bruins’ camp on a professional tryout. Greening was re-signed to a one-year, free agent contract by the Leafs last summer, but he’s being pegged for the AHL’S Toronto Marlies, where he spent the entire 2016-17 season.
Greening, a 31-year-old veteran of 3-3 career NHL games, will be a veteran presence in the youthful Marlies’ lineup. Purcell played in the Bruins’ 5-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings Saturday night, finishing minus-one in 11:50 of icetime. He saw 3:27 on the power play. Nathan Noel is technically at the Chicago Blackhawks camp, but the rookie from St. John’s has yet to skate after injuring his knee at rookie camp. Once he’s cleared, Noel will be optioned to the AHL’S Rockford Icehogs.
Adam Pardy of Bonavista split the 2016-17 season between the AHL Milwaukee Admirals and the Nashville Predators. Like Purcell, he is an unrestricted free agent, but unlike Purcell, Pardy has not received any contract or tryout offers.
In other local hockey news:
Shayne Morrissey of St. John’s has signed with the Pensacola, Fla. Ice Flyers of the Southern Professional Hockey League. Morrissey played four seasons at NCAA Division III Neumann University outside Philadelphia, where he registered 40 goals and 68 assists for 108 points in 103 games. “Shayne is a very skilled hockey player who has produced at every level of hockey he has played at,” Ice Flyers coach Jeff Bes said on the team’s web site. “We are excited for him to continue his development in Pensacola.” … Adam Dawe of Gander has joined the United States Hockey League’s Sioux Falls Stampede. Dawe starred for the Notre Dame Hounds in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League last season, where he finished 10th in league scoring. Dawe was the Canadian Junior Hockey League’s rookie of the year. The diminutive forward, who is scoreless in three games with the Stampede, has committed to the University of Maine Black Bears, but will first spend a season in the USHL, a breeding ground for NCAA hockey players … Keeping with the NCAA, Alex Newhook of St. John’s, who has committed to the Boston College Eagles, has a goal and six assists in five games for the British Columbia Hockey League’s Victoria Grizzlies. Not a bad start considering Newhook is only 15 … And speaking of quick starts, Dawson Mercer of Bay Roberts scored a goal in his first Quebec Major Junior Hockey League game, a 4-2 Drummondville Voltigeurs loss to the Huskies Saturday night in Rouyn-noranda. Mercer, 15, was the Voltigeurs’ first pick, eighth overall, in the QMJHL midget draft last summer … Adam Dawe won’t be the only Newfoundlander playing in the USHL this season. Brett Budgell is St. John’s will be joining the Chicago Steel shortly. Budgell had long intended to play in the USHL, but visa problems led him to join the BCHL’S Chilliwack Chiefs. However, the visa obstacles have been overcome and Budgell is off to Chicago. Budgell was the 25th overall pick in the QMJHL draft by the Charlottetown Islanders last June … Goalie Evan Fitzpatrick, originally from Mount Pearl but now living in Lower Sackville, N.S., lost his first QMJHL start this season for the Sherbrooke Phoenix, a 5-4 setback to the Val d’or Foreurs Saturday. Fitzpatrick, who was reassigned to junior last week after attending his second NHL training camp with the St. Louis Blues, stopped 23 of 28 shots