Great new Moose article:
http://slam.canoe.ca...981687-sun.html
Ready to contribute
Impressive newcomers could make Moose debut against Marlies
By KEN WIEBE -- Sun Media
Daniel Rahimi doesn't look like a boy among men. (How many times have we heard that....)
Rahimi, a 19-year-old defenceman who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 213 pounds, was on the ice with the Manitoba Moose for the first time yesterday and sounded like someone who was ready to make his professional debut in North America.
"I'll jump in and do my best," said Rahimi, who recently completed his season with Bjokloven in Sweden's first division. "I'm a stay-at-home (defenceman), I like to play in a tight game and be physical."
Rahimi, the Vancouver Canucks third round (82nd overall) pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, could make his Moose debut this weekend against the Toronto Marlies during the final two games of the regular season.
Moose head coach Scott Arniel said a few things about Rahimi jumped out at him.
"I liked what I saw," said Arniel. "He does things with a purpose. When he passes the puck, he passes it hard. He's got a good shot and he has some poise. For his first day in here, he didn't look out of place."
Arniel said he wasn't sure about his lineup for this weekend, but you can expect that both Rahimi and skilled forward Michael Grabner will get into at least one of the two games.
MISSING IN ACTION: There were four notable absentees at Moose practice yesterday, defenceman Yannick Tremblay (back spasms), centre Brad Moran (general maintenance), right-winger Brandon Reid (illness) and defenceman Alex Edler, who was given the day off after being re-assigned by the parent Vancouver Canucks on Monday.
Edler played three games (two with Moose, one with Canucks) over three days last week to cap off a 14-day road trip.
ARNIEL ON KEANE: Arniel was happy to see the AHL recognize Moose captain Mike Keane as the Fred T. Hunt Award winner on Monday.
"The phrasing of the award, dedication and perseverance, those are the things Mike Keane has been for his whole career," said Arniel. "His conditioning, from training camp until now, is second-to-none. He looks after himself. He takes every game like its his last, he works his tail off in practice and he's been a good leader for us.
"He's been an inspiration for all of our young guys. He's very deserving."
FIGHT TO FINISH: Although most people believed it was a three-team race for the final two playoff spots in the Western Conference, technically there is a fourth still alive.
The Syracuse Crunch (77 points) are six points behind the Grand Rapids Griffins (83 points) with three games to go and hold the tie-breaker over the Griffins.
Grand Rapids has four games remaining, but three of them will come against the Hamilton Bulldogs.
Either the Iowa Stars (84 points, three games left) or the Peoria Rivermen (80 points, four games left) will secure the fourth spot in the West and the other could still qualify as a cross-over team for fourth place in the North.
Note: If Rahimi is 6-foot-3 and weighs 213 (Stats from Canuck training camp), so he could be even bigger now), he would be bigger then
Mitchell, Krajicek, Fitzpatrick,Sopel, & Bieksa.
This post has been edited by itzabreeze: 11 April 2007 - 11:06 AM