Austin Watson – London Knights — The Knights are playing in the OHL finals this week.  After joining the Knights mid-season, Watson was over a point per game with his new team (11g, 24a, 29 games), and the offense has continued in the playoffs to the tune of 8 goals and 6 assists in 14 games.  Watson never got to play under coach Dale Hunter, as he was traded after Hunter moved up to the Capitals….but has had the distinction of being coached by Knight’s assistant coach Dylan Hunter….one of his teammates last season during Watson’s brief time in Milwaukee.

Josh Shalla – Saginaw Spirit — Shall finished the regular season 17th in the league in scoring, with 40 goals and 36 assists in 53 games.  And he should have dominated at that level as a 20 year old in that league.  He was one of the last guys cut from Admirals training camp last September, and I was kind of hoping he’d get a chance to play in the playoffs this year with us.  He went pointless in only 12 games this season.  He had a 10 game point streak in January and 9 game point streak in February.  In 14 of those 19 games, he had multiple points.  Will the offense translate to the pro level?  We’ll see.  Here are some highlights from a 4-point game he had this season.

Anthony Bitetto – Northeastern University (AKA:  David Poile’s Alma Mater) — He was a 6th round pick of the Predators in the 2010 draft, and has played two years at Northeastern since.  The 6’2 defenseman led all D-men on his team in scoring in both of the seasons he played there, netting four goals and eleven assists this past year.  Assistant Coach of NU Albie O’Connell said prior to his freshman year “He was arguably one of the best defensemen in the USHL last season. Anthony is extremely tough and he sees the ice well. His game is well-balanced and his bomb from the point will be a welcomed addition.”  In the USHL, he played for the Indiana Ice and won a championship with them.  Here’s an interview from his time there….and that Lawn-Guyland accent will be a nice compliment to all the Canadian accents…..even if he is a (gasp) YANKEES FAN!