Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of Oct. 14)

October 15, 2013November 22, 2013 MiHockey Staff

Welcome to another season of MiHockey’s Michi-gamer!

We take great pride in our homegrown talent. Whether they grew up in the Mitten or we welcomed them here for college or juniors, they are our own. They represent the best place in the world for hockey.

Every day, we’ll keep an eye on those players, and every morning, we will pick one Michi-gamer of the night – one Michigan player who stood out above the rest.

OCTOBER 18 – JUSTIN ABDELKADER

There was plenty of NHL action last night, but we’re going with the hometown kid on this one. Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader didn’t score last night, but without his passing skills, the Wings wouldn’t have knocked off the Avs. The Muskegon native sent a cross-ice pass through a crowd and put the puck right on Johan Franzen’s stick during the third period of last night’s game, surprising Colorado goaltender Semyon Varlamov, and allowing ‘The Mule’ to fire in the game-winner. It was a power-play strike for the Wings, and it was certainly a big goal – Detroit gave Colorado their first loss of the season. Abdelkader, a Michigan State alum, now has a goal and two assists in the early goings of the 2013-14 season.

More MiHockey articles on Abdelkader:

Red Wings reload, once again a favorite to challenge for Stanley Cup

Photos: Red Wings visit the Coast Guard station in Grand Haven

U.S. Olympic camp: Players, management talk about hockey in Michigan

OCTOBER 16 – RYAN KESLER

Ryan Kesler was the hero for the Vancouver Canucks last night, scoring twice – including the game-winner – in a 3-2 road victory for his club against the Philadelphia Flyers. Kesler’s first was lucky, to say the least, as all he had to do was tap it into an empty net. A Vancouver dump-in took a strange bounce, which meant that Philadelphia goaltender Steve Mason was left standing behind the net wondering where it went, while Kesler was the beneficiary. The Livonia native’s second goal, however, took a little more effort. Battling for position in front of the Philadelphia goal, Kesler was able to out-muscle Flyers defenseman Nicklas Grossman, get his stick on the rebound, and fire a shot past Mason. They were Kesler’s second and third goals of the season, and they were big ones for the Canucks. Kesler, a product of Honeybaked, the NTDP and Ohio State University, was named first star of the night for his efforts.

More MiHockey articles on Kesler:

Ryan Kesler talks about his upcoming season

Red Wings return to Joe Louis Arena for informal training sessions

MiHockey’s annual ’50 Most Influential People in Michigan Hockey’

OCTOBER 15 – REID BOUCHER

Reid Boucher is starting his first professional season, and he’s off to a strong start. The Grand Ledge native, skating for the Albany Devils of the AHL, recorded an assist last night in his team’s 4-1 win over the Adirondack Phantoms. Boucher, a NTDP product, now has a goal and an assist in three AHL games, along with seven shots on goal and a +2 rating. The 20-year-old forward, a fourth-round pick of the NHL Devils in 2011, recorded three goals and two assists in 11 AHL contests last year after the conclusion of his OHL season. Expect more points to come shortly; Boucher broke scoring records held by Steven Stamkos during his time with the Sarnia Sting. The Lansing Capitals product should be lighting the lamp in the NHL soon.

More MiHockey articles on Boucher:

Michi-gamer: Pride of the Mitten (Week of April 1)

Eight Michigan connections stay alive at U.S. Junior Evaluation Camp

OCTOBER 14 – VINCE TROCHECK

Vince Trocheck picked a good time to score his first professional hockey goals. The Little Caesars, Saginaw Spirit and Plymouth Whalers alum scored two third-period goals for his San Antonio Rampage yesterday, leading them to a 4-2 win. Trocheck, a standout on the World Junior team that captured gold in Russia, scored his goal as a professional 18 seconds into the third period with a snipe from the slot. His second, the icing on the cake for the Rampage, came on a backhander from the left circle. After all, Trocheck is no stranger to scoring goals – he recorded 50 last season during his time with the Spirit and Whalers. The third-round pick of the Florida Panthers should be getting his chance to score goals at the NHL level real soon, too.

More MiHockey articles on Trocheck: