Read yesterday that defenseman Thomas Pock, jettisoned by the Rangers, found a home with the Islanders.
Also did some roster checking and found out that Doug Janik has landed a spot on the Blackhawks roster.
The funny thing about all that is, both guys pretty much had a direct route to the NHL from college while the former Hobey Baker Award winner Mike Mottau is just finally carving a niche for himself at age 30, eight years from the end of his collegiate career.
Sure, Pock is on his second team in four years and Janik is with his third organization in six, but they hadn't had to endure years in the minors, rumors about their playing style and attitude, multiple trades and a last-ditch effort to save a career with a club that prides itself on defense.
I saw a ton of hockey during my undergrad years at Boston College in the late 90's, as Hockey East rose to be recognized along with the WCHA as one of the top conferences in the sport.
Janik, while solid for Shawn Walsh and Tim Whitehead. never impressed me at all with the University of Maine. Pock, the Austrian who was converted from wing to defense, was a "star" with some abysmal UMass-Amherst teams.
Meanwhile, Mottau had the misfortune of being drafted by the New York Rangers and signed with them upon his 2000 graduation, leaving behind a spectacular four-year tenure on the Heights which unfortunately ended with a finals loss to powerhouse North Dakota.
Lost amid a club which intended to squeeze life out of all its veterans, he stewed in Hartford for years while only seeing 19 games over two years with the Blueshirts. In 2002, he was dealt to Calgary and briefly appeared before being shipped to Anaheim and spending the next year in the AHL with Cincinnati.
After stints with Worcester, Peoria and Lowell, Mottau finally got the call up to New Jersey last season. In 76 games, he posted a very quiet four goals and 17 points.
It looks like he'll make the Devils again this year, but in the meantime Pock has garnered a reputation as an able puck-carrier while Janik is lauded as a bone-crushing fifth defenseman.
As of right now, New Jersey has three former BC Eagles on its roster: Mottau, backup goaltender Scott Clemmensen and star forward Brian Gionta. It kills me to have to wish unspeakable things on them while rooting for my hometown Flyers.
Sometimes the NHL isn't fair, and the paths that lead to the ultimate goal take one down the path not wished for. Nonetheless, this might be Mottau's golden chance to recapture the spark and show his team and the rest of the league why he won college's top prize.
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