Oilers call up Acrobello
Edmonton recalled Barons forward Mark Arcobello on Tuesday. Arcobello, 24, is expected to make his NHL debut Wednesday night when the Oilers host the Dallas Stars.
The Oilers need some scoring after veterans Shawn Horcoff and Eric Belanger suffered injuries. Arcobello has scored 39 points with Oklahoma City this season. In his third season with the Barons, Arcobello is among the club’s all-time leaders in goals (40), assists (60) and points (100).
Arcobello, who played at Yale, was the Barons representative in the American Hockey League All-Star Game, recording three assists, including the primary assist on the game-winning goal with 12 seconds left.
The Barons return to action Friday and Saturday when they host the Grand Rapids Griffins at the Cox Convention Center.
Paajarvi sent to OKC, Lander joins Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers, parent club of the Barons, have recalled Barons forward Anton Lander and assigned forward Magnus Paajarvi to Oklahoma City.
A 2009 first round draft pick out of Sweden, Paajarvi is expected to join the Barons for Friday’s game. Paajarvi has scored 45 points in 71 games the past two seasons with the Barons. Paajarvi didn’t score a point in five games with Edmonton this season but has scored 42 points in 126 NHL games.
Lander, Edmonton’s second-round pick in 2009, has scored 10 points in 39 games with the Barons, including three goals. Lander played four seasons in the Swedish Elite league before playing in North America.
Barons release Lafranchise
The Barons released defenseman Kane Lafranchise from his contract general manager Bill Scott announced on Thursday.
Lafranchise has played with the Alaska Aces in the ECHL and appeared in nine games with the Barons. Before turning pro, Lafranchise played three seasons at the University of Alaska-Anchorage.
Danis back with Barons
Edmonton placed goaltender Yann Danis on waivers and reassigned him to Oklahoma City. Danis was filling in as the Oilers backup until veteran Nikolai Khaibulin, coming off offseason hip shoulder, was ready.
In a separate transaction goalie Tyler Bunz was reassigned to Stockton in the ECHL.
The Barons still have three goaltenders on the roster after Edmonton claimed Niko Hovinen off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers and assigned him to Oklahoma City. Olivier Roy has been the Barons’ backup goaltender all season and primary starter when Danis was with Edmonton.
Danis is 13-12-3 with a 2.99 goals against average and 90.5 saves percentage. Last year he was the AHL goaltender of the year posting a 26-14-2 record with a 2.07 GAA.
Oklahoma native plays in AHL All-Star Game
Defenseman Matt Donovan, the first player born and raised in Oklahoma to play in an NHL game, played for the Eastern Conference Monday night in the American Hockey League All-Star Game in Providence, R.I.
Donovan, who played three games last season with the New York Islanders, didn’t record a point in the West’s 7-6 All-Star win but had two shots on goal.
Playing this season with Bridgeport, Donovan, 22, has scored 20 points, including six goals, in 40 games with the Sound Tigers, the Islanders’ Triple-A affiliate.
Barons pick up goaltender
The Edmonton Oilers, parent club for the Barons, claimed goaltender Niko Hovinen off waivers from the Philadelphia Flyers and assigned him to Oklahoma City.
Originally a fifth round draft pick of the Minnesota Wild in 2006, Hovinen played five seasons in Finland before playing for the Trenton Titans in the ECHL this season.
Hovinen, 24, posted a 4-6-3 record with a 3.14 goals against average and 88.9 save percentage with Trenton.
Barons add a veteran (Cheechoo)
The Oklahoma City Barons have signed 32-year-old right winger Jonathan Cheechoo, a former NHL All-Star who has played in 501 NHL games, the majority with the San Jose Sharks.
Cheechoo scored 305 points in the NHL, highlighted by a career high 93 points during the 2005-06 season when he scored a league-high 56 goals.
“He’s a guy who can score goals. That’s what we’re looking for,” said Barons coach Todd Nelson. “He’ll give us some added punch and brings experience as well. This is a guy who won the goal scoring race in the National Hockey League.”
Cheechoo, from Moose Factory, Ontario, was a second round pick by San Jose, the 29th overall pick in the 1998 draft. He played seven NHL seasons, all but one with the Sharks.
The past two seasons Cheechoo has played in the AHL.
Cheecho scored 56 points in 70 games last season with the Peoria Rivermen. Two years ago Cheechoo scored 47 points in 55 games with the Worcester Sharks.
“You can’t replace Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Taylor Hall, Teemu Hartikainen or Magnus Paajarvi but we want to try and fill in a little bit of that hole,” said Barons general manager Bill Scott. “He’s a good veteran player and a really good person. He’ll fit into our locker room well.”
Arcobello to play in AHL All-Star Game
Barons forward Mark Arcobello will participate in the American Hockey League All-Star Classic Jan. 27-28 in Providence, R.I.
With the four young Oilers stars returning to Edmonton following the lockout, Arcobello is the Barons leading scorer on the roster with 32 points, including 10 goals.
A key member on last year’s team that reached the Western Conference finals, Arcobello scored 43 points last season. In three years with the Barons Arcobello has scored 97 points, including 38 goals.
Arcobello was the only Barons player to make the Western Conference All-Star team.
Edmonton recalls Danis, sends three to OKC
The Oilers on Thursday recalled Barons goaltender Yann Danis to join training camp in Edmonton but reassigned three players to Oklahoma City — defensemen Colten Teubert and Taylor Fedun and forward Chris VandeVelde to Oklahoma City.
Danis joining the team late in camp could be a sign Nikolai Khabuibulin isn’t ready for the season opener on Sunday. Khabibulin spent part of the NHL lockout rehabbing an injury.
Danis is one of five Barons players that have two-way, entry-level contracts. Edmonton on Thursday waived forwards Dane Byers, Tanner House and VandeVelde and defenseman Alex Plante.
If no other NHL team claims Byers, House, VandeVelde or Plante they will remain in Oklahoma City and play for the Barons.
Oilers don’t waive Danis, (yet)
The Edmonton Oilers on Thursday waived forwards Dane Byers and Tanner House and defenseman Alex Plante but did not waive Barons goaltender Yann Danis.
The moves were made to clear the way for Byers, Plante and House to continue playing in Oklahoma City as long as no other NHL team claims them which is doubtful. None of the three are currently in Edmonton’s training camp.
The reasoning behind not waiving Danis could be the Oilers want to protect Danis a few more days in case either of Edmonton’s top two goalies — Devan Dubnyk or Nikolai Khabibulin — aren’t ready to start the season. Khabibulin spent part of the NHL lockout rehabbing an injury. Danis is not in Edmonton’s training camp.
Edmonton currently has five players on two-way, entry-level contracts. The other is forward Chris VandeVelde, who is in Edmonton’s camp but is expected to be placed on waivers and return to Oklahoma City.
