Eric Staal

[LuvJeffKevEric928012]

Article on where he will play next year- with the Canes or with the Petes


http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=42000&catname=Local+Sports

[cmw00]

Thats a great article!!!

I was wondering in the "Practice" thread if there was any news on him. I'm am tickled red and black that he is working hard and keeping the lamps lit!

I'm pulling for him to make the canes!

[moonstomper]

Very good read indeed, I cant read enough about this guy.....

[Shell]

good read indeed.. this paragraph was surprising:

“They don’t know themselves really until they see Eric there,” Twohey said, “but the one issue that is a little troubling is they’re having trouble signing Josef Vasicek, their fourth line centre. If they don’t sign him, there is a spot there for Eric. If they do sign him, it would probably be a little tougher for Eric but we all know how good he is and he’s capable of finding a way even if they have four centres signed.”

(edited to add this is much less interesting now that I see we signed Joe)

[puckin_A]

my ticket rep said he looks to see Eric play for the Canes this year because it will more than likely be Ronnie's last year and they want Eric to play with Ronnie and learn what he can.

[lvscolencanes]

That makes sense. Also, sounds like he is pumped to make the team....guess we'll see at camp. I just think we are lucky to have him. Good attitude. LOVE IT!! :D
Cant wait to see Staal on the ice with a Canes jersey on.... :cool:

[AbNormal27]

I'm glad that everyone is excited about this kid. I was excited about him a LOOOOOOOOOOONG time ago. I saw him not last year, but at the end of the season before, playing here in London, and thought this kid was a gamer and something to watch. All last season I monitored his progression and when things began to go sour for the Canes and it looked like we may be in line to draft him (considering all the comparisons to #10), I began to get more excited that we might actually get to see him in the Sightless Eye. Now that he's here and showing that the scouts (and me?) weren't wrong, I hope he gets a least a chance to play for the Hurricanes (maybe being brought along like Joe Thornton was?).

Aaryn

[cmw00]

Apparently there is some type of rule concerning Rookies....

We can give him a contract and then only play him 9 games, and not have to pay his contract. But I don't know if that goes for staal, because he can't go to the minors he'd have to goto the OHL. and I don't know if he can just jump in the OHL because there some rules about all that also. So who knows I'm just thinking out loud lol...

I think after 10 games you loose your rookie status?

[AbNormal27]

I think after 10 games you loose your rookie status?

You lose your "rookie" status after your 25th NHL game. Staal, due to his age and contract status can go back to the OHL without having to go through a waiver process. Stay tuned.

Aaryn

[StormShaman]

A player who still has junior eligibility can be played for 10 games before he must either be signed by the big team (and kept on the big team for the rest of the season) or returned to his junior team.

The rookie rules are completely separate.

[hoosiercaniac]

I just hope we can sign Staal. Luckily, it sounds like he wants to play in the NHL real bad, so hopefully we don't run into any contract issues. I think he'll definitely suit up for us for at least a few games this year.

[cmw00]

Well most rookie contracts are fairly uncomplicated and easy to do. They are all basically the same except different bonuss, and most are 3 year deals.

So if we decide to sign Staal shouldn't be any problems at all!

[SouthernHockeyChick]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong here, but even if we sign him to a contract we can still send him back to the OHL later in the season if we want to. It's just that he can't play more than 10 games here without a contract. Sound right?

[cmw00]

I don't know the exact rule but, you can lend a player on your roster for the World Juniors (just after christmas), and then send him back to juniors afterwards. that's what washington did with steve eminger last year.

[Shell]

Sunday, September 7, 2003 12:00AM EDT
Staal ready to start
Hurricanes' top draft pick gets a chance to impress
By LUKE DECOCK, Staff Writer

OTTAWA -- After almost three months of anticipation and speculation, Eric Staal's quest to make the NHL began in earnest Saturday when he took the ice with the Carolina Hurricanes' other rookies and prospects for a two-hour practice.

Tonight, he'll play for the first time in a Carolina uniform when the Canes take on the Ottawa Senators in the Senators' rookie tournament at the Corel Centre.

After a busy, grueling August -- the Canes' prospect conditioning camp in Raleigh, a Team Canada evaluation camp in Calgary, training camp with his junior team in Peterborough, Ontario -- the first day of practice with the Canes was almost as much a relief as a moment to remember.

"I think it's pretty exciting," said the personable Staal, who won't turn 19 until Oct. 29.

"It's great to get things going. There have been lots of things leading up to this and it's good to be here."

The Canes took the 6-foot-3, 189-pound center with the second overall pick in June and immediately anointed the skilled playmaker the franchise's center of the future.

Whether that future is now, or when he's become more physically developed, will be determined over the next few weeks -- starting with Saturday's practice and tonight's game.

"It's really an evaluation process," Carolina general manager Jim Rutherford said. "We don't want to put him in a position where our expectations are higher than they should be or we push him too quickly. Whatever time frame his development is, if it's now and he's ready to take that big step that would be nice."

Staal isn't the only one with something to prove in rookie camp. The top-tier prospects are fighting to make it to the Canes' NHL training camp, but the odds are against them because the Canes plan a small camp this year.

Most likely, only two or three of this group of 21 will get that chance. Most of the drafted players are just looking to make a good impression and move up the organizational depth chart.

A few college and junior grads are looking for contracts, and there are a few junior players in camp who were passed over in the draft and signed tryout contracts.

The Canes have until October to decide if they want to sign them; otherwise, they go back in the draft.

So there's something on the line for everyone, but the most for Staal. His performance over the next three weeks could be worth millions of dollars.

A delegation from Staal's agent, Bobby Orr, is expected in Ottawa this week, but Rutherford said again Saturday that the Canes won't negotiate with Staal until it appears likely he'll make the team.

That probably puts off negotiations until at least Sept. 24, when the Canes plan to make most of their cuts and trim down to within a few players of fighting shape.

If Staal doesn't make the Canes, he'll go back to his junior team and Carolina would retain his rights until June 2005.

But he wants to play in the NHL, and the Canes want him there to learn from Ron Francis and Rod Brind'Amour.

Those are Carolina's big stars; this week, Staal will be one of the rookie tournament's big stars -- at least, he'll have to be if he's going to play in the NHL this season.

Noted
When the Senators hosted this tournament across the river in Hull, Quebec, it gained a reputation for rough stuff. With the tournament moving to the Corel Centre, that shouldn't be a problem. Any player who gets in more than one fight in a game is ejected and suspended for the next game. ...

Of the Carolina prospects invited, only defenseman Sean Curry and forward Troy Ferguson are missing. Curry, who played in the minors last season, is recovering from mononucleosis.

Ferguson, the son of Carolina scouting director Sheldon Ferguson, decided to return to Michigan State and apply to medical school. Free-agent tryout Jeremy Akeson was dropped because of an elbow injury.

Number to know
There are few spots open for Canes players to move up from rookie camp -- probably three at the most. Eric Staal and Cam Ward are all but certain to go to Raleigh, with maybe one spot more for someone who makes a case for himself. Most likely that would be defenseman Danny Richmond, the Canes' second-round pick in June. Damian Surma, Shay Stephenson, Chad LaRose and Brad Fast stand out among the other possibilities.

Spotlight on
CHAD LAROSE
RW * 5-10 * 173 * 21

Because of his slight frame, LaRose was passed over in the NHL draft three times. But there is no question about his scoring ability. LaRose was third in Canada last season with 61 goals and 57 assists for Plymouth of the Ontario Hockey League.

"My first year, people said I was playing in the shadow of Stephen Weiss and stuff so they passed me up," LaRose said. "Nobody took a chance on me. It didn't really bother me. It just meant I had to prove myself."

The Canes signed him as a free agent this summer, hoping his junior scoring skills will translate. He showed off some shifty moves Saturday.

"Maybe he'll be one of those guys who figures out a way to play at the NHL level," Carolina general manager Jim Rutherford said. "He certainly can score goals at the levels he has been at."

What's next
The Canes open the rookie tournament tonight against the host Senators, then play Montreal on Monday. The top team gets a bye to Wednesday's final, with the other two playing Tuesday.

[Shell]

NHL: Hurricanes bid adieu to TECO with answers
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
By ANDY KENT, ankent@naplesnews.com

ESTERO — The Carolina Hurricanes blew out of town Monday almost as quietly as they blew in five days ago.

Three NHL exhibition games later, the Hurricanes at least got the answer they were hoping for from the most intriguing question of training camp: Just how good is 18-year-old rookie forward Eric Staal?

Carolina selected the native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, with the second overall pick of June's draft, and management isn't afraid to talk about Staal opening the season in the NHL.

"Certainly at this point, if we are able to get a contract done for him, there's a very good chance he'll stay with us," said Hurricanes general manager Jim Rutherford before the team's final practice at TECO Arena. "He's a real skilled player but also a very smart player. As each day goes by he gets better and better and better. There are two keys — is he strong enough to play at this young age and can he keep up the tempo? He has very powerful legs and the tempo hasn't been a problem for him so far."

Staal made his pro debut last Saturday night at TECO in an ex hibition game against the Atlanta Thrashers. He scored two goals in Carolina's 4-1 victory, then came back and played a full game Sunday against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Tampa.

At 6-foot-3 and 189 pounds, Staal still is growing into his body but head coach Paul Maurice said he already has "NHL legs." Maurice said the most difficult test for a young hockey player of Staal's potential is making the transition from juniors to pro, and he didn't show any signs of difficulty with that Saturday and Sunday.

"It was nice to bury my chances for sure," Staal said of his two goals against Atlanta. "Anytime you're going into your first NHL exhibition game you just want to prove yourself and play well, so it was nice to be able to put those in."

Staal has the benefit of being able to learn from future Hall of Famer Ron Francis and solid veteran center Rod Brind'Amour, and he said he has been paying close attention to how they prepare for games and their work ethic on and off the ice.

As far as the expectations that come with being a first-round draft pick, Staal hasn't let it affect how he has approached training camp. He said he is just focused on showing what he can do on the ice.

[Guyute]

Staal has the benefit of being able to learn from future Hall of Famer Ron Francis and solid veteran center Rod Brind'Amour, and he said he has been paying close attention to how they prepare for games and their work ethic on and off the ice.

well.... he's definitely on the right track. couldn't ask for better mentors.

[moonstomper]

thats such great news! I really hope to see him in a canes uni Oct 9th!

[Shell]

Monday, September 29, 2003 12:00AM EDT
Canes @ camp

NOTED
Negotiations with the agents for 2003 draft picks Eric Staal and Danny Richmond will begin in earnest today.

Carolina general manager Jim Rutherford said he plans to speak with Staal's agents before meeting with Richmond's agents today in Toronto. Rutherford is in Ontario for a league meeting Tuesday.

Rutherford received a proposal from Staal's agents Friday on the heels of his two-goal game Thursday night.

"Each side has positioned themselves," Rutherford said. The Canes desperately want to sign Staal, the No. 2 overall draft pick, after the 18-year-old scored five goals in five preseason games.

Richmond's case is a different. The Canes haven't decided whether they want the 19-year-old defenseman in Lowell (AHL), where they can recall him to the NHL, or in junior hockey.

NUMBER TO KNOW

2

Preseason games remaining for the Canes before opening night Oct. 9.

Goalie Cam Ward, who has had an outstanding training camp, is all but certain to return to his junior team, Red Deer (Alberta) of the Western Hockey League, leaving three other cuts to get the roster down to 23.

SPOTLIGHT ON

PATRICK DESROCHERS

G * 6-4 * 205 * 23

In his first preseason appearance, DesRochers gave up six goals in a period and a half. In his second , he gave up three goals in two periods before settling down for a scoreless third.

He was handed the backup job before training camp, but that looked a bit uncertain heading into Friday's game.

But DesRochers was solid Friday, stopping 20 of 21 shots in a 5-1 win over the Atlanta Thrashers.

"I can smile now," he said -- he wasn't the only one. The last thing the Canes needed was a late-breaking controversy at a position they thought was settled.

"It's very similar to his time with us last year," Canes coach Paul Maurice said. "When he came in, he got better through two or three weeks of practice before he went in the game."

WHAT'S NEXT

The Canes returned to practice Sunday after a day off. Their next game is Friday at the Washington Capitals.

[cmw00]

Richmond's case is a different. The Canes haven't decided whether they want the 19-year-old defenseman in Lowell (AHL), where they can recall him to the NHL, or in junior hockey.

ok for a minute I was thinking they may have been wanting him to play in the NHL. I hope get goes to the AHL. I'm sure he'll be competeing for Malec for his spot on the depth chart.

I guess its all but offical that Staal is in the NHL. Shouldn't be a problem to get him signed. Rookie contracts are most all very similar and basic.

[nccanes]

Damn. The boy DOES need the cookies and brownies baked by fans....

Check out how slim he his in this photo from the golf thing yesterday:

http://www.carolinahurricanes.com/images/SecondImages/golf_03_big.jpg

[moonstomper]

maybe Staaly should take advice from the dude in the middle, on the bike...that guy is huge!

[Hellas1982]

that guy is high!!!!

[Shell]

From the Montreal Paper:
Staal to stay: Carolina coach Paul Maurice is a strong proponent of the Canadian junior team program, but he hasn't given any thought to releasing rookie star Eric Staal for the World Junior Championship this month in Helsinki.

"If he was a marginal player, it would be a consideration, but he has five goals and that's up there on this team," said Maurice, who went on to say he has been impressed by the 19-year-old rookie's maturity.

"We did a drill early in the camp, working against the trap. He saw it once and then did it perfectly," Maurice said .

"Another time, in our conditioning camp, he came down on a break with Ron Francis. He gave Francis a look and then took the shot. There was a confidence there without arrogance. The next time, he came down and gave Ron a perfect pass right on the tape."

Staal is the Hurricanes' fourth-leading scorer, with five goals and eight assists for 13 points.