May 17, 2016

By Dan Colleran

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – While eight former Irish players suited up for National Hockey League teams this season, many former Notre Dame hockey players had successful seasons across North America and Europe.

Highlights from this past season included Mark Van Guilder (Ritten Renon/Italy-A) and Dan Kissel (Stavanger Oilers/Norwegian First Division) capturing league championships. Van Guilder had the added distinction of being Serie A’s leading scorer during Renon’s run to the championship.

T.J. Tynan

T.J. Tynan (Lake Erie/AHL), Sam Herr (Ontario/AHL) and Patrick Gaul (Carolina/ECHL) remain involved in pursuit of the Calder Cup (AHL) and Kelly Cup (ECHL), respectively.

To read more about Notre Dame’s alums in the National Hockey League, including Ian Cole, Bryan Rust and Erik Condra’s continued involvement in the Stanley Cup Playoff, click here.

Here’s and updated look at Notre Dame’s hockey alums outside of the NHL:

IN THE AHL

Robbie Russo (2011-15): Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL)

• Stats: 71 GP, 5 goals, 34 assists, 39 points, 42 PIM, +40
• Playoffs: Russo and the Griffins swept the Milwaukee Admirals (4-0) to advance to the Central Division Final. In the Central Division Final, Lake Erie edged past the Griffins in six games, including overtime wins in game one and game six. In nine playoff games, Russo scored a goal and added four assists for five points.
• Notes: In his first professional season, Russo racked up several awards including being named a Second Team AHL All-Star as well as being named to the AHL’s All-Rookie Team. His +40 rating led the league.

T.J. Tynan (2010-14): Lake Erie Monsters (AHL)

• Stats: 76 GP, 6 goals, 40 assists, 46 points, 38 PIM, +7
• Playoffs: Tynan and the Monsters swept Rockford in the Central Division Semifinals to advance to the Central Division Finals against Russo and the Griffins. The Monsters then downed the Griffins in a closely contested series (4-2) to advance to a Western Conference Final series against the Ontario Reign, which is slated to begin on May 21. In nine playoff games he has recorded three assists.
• Notes: Tynan’s 40 assists ranked first on Lake Erie and tied for 12th in the AHL. This season marks his second full professional season and he has led Columbus’ AHL affiliate in points in each of those two seasons (13-35-48 with Springfield in 2014-15).

Vince Hinostroza (2013-15): Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) & Rockford IceHogs (AHL)

• AHL Stats: 66 GP, 18 goals, 33 assists, 51 points, 24 PIM, +7
• NHL Stats: 7 GP, 6 PIM
• Playoffs: Hinostroza and the IceHogs made it to the Central Division Semifinals but were swept by Tynan and Lake Erie.
• Notes: Hinostroza made his NHL debut early in the 2015-16 season and went on to play seven games for Chicago. He spent the majority of the season with Rockford, where he was selected as the team’s Rookie of the Year. He’s now competing with Team USA at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship in Russia. He is the 12th former Notre Dame player named to the U.S. National Team and the first since Kyle Palmieri in 2012 (Helsinki, Finland).

Evan Rankin (2004-08): Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL), St. John’s IceCaps (AHL), Utica Comets (AHL) & Toledo Walleye (ECHL)

• AHL Stats: 30 GP, 1 goal, 6 assists, 7 points, 8 PIM
• ECHL Stats: 29 GP, 18 goals, 11 assists, 29 points, 14 PIM, +13
• Playoffs: Rankin and the Walleye fell to the Reading Royals in the first round of the playoffs in a seven game series. Rankin had two goals and an assist for three points.
• Notes: On April 2, 2016 Rankin posted five goals against Cincinnati in a 7-3 Walleye win. He is now the Toledo’s career leader with 83 goals and ranks second on the Walleye career points list (159).

• In addition, 2015-16 seniors Steven Fogarty (Hartford Wolf Pack: 3 GP, 0-1-1), Mario Lucia (Iowa Wild: 9 GP, 2-2-4) and Sam Herr (Ontario: 5 GP, 1-0-1) also made their professional debuts at the AHL level following the conclusion of the 2015-16 season.

• Herr has remained with Ontario for the Calder Cup playoffs (3 GP, 0-0-0). The Reign will now play Tynan and the Lake Erie in the Western Conference Final. Herr and Tynan played together for the Irish during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.

IN THE KHL

Calle Ridderwall (2007-11): Novosibirsk Sibir (KHL)

• Stats: 57 GP, 7 goals, 20 assists, 27 points, 12 PIM, +9
• Playoffs: Ridderwall skated in 10 playoff games for Novosibirsk Sibir, scoring two goals and adding an assist. In an opening round series, Sibir advanced past Admiral (4-1) before falling to Metallurg Mg (4-1).
• Notes: After spending the 2014-15 season with HV71 Jonkoping of the Swedish Elite League (Swe-1), Ridderwall, a native of Stockholm, Sweden, returned for a second stint in the KHL this past season. He previously spent the 2013-14 season with the KHL’s Prague Lev. Ridderwall has also played in the AHL (2011-12) and the DEL (German Ice Hockey League in 2012-13).

IN THE ITALY-A (Italy Serie A)

Mark Van Guilder (2004-08): Ritten Renon (Italy-A)

• Stats: 42 GP, 18 goals, 39 assists, 57 points, 32 PIM
• Playoffs: Van Guilder was an offensive force in the playoffs, netting 12 goals and adding 11 assists for 23 points in 14 games to help lead Ritten Renon to the Serie A Championship, including a championship-series win over Val Pusteria HC (4-2). His 23 points led all playoff scorers.
• Notes: The 2015-16 season marked Van Guilder’s first in Italy after playing the previous seven seasons in the ECHL, AHL and NHL, with the majority of that time being spent with the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL). An alternate captain with Ritten Renon, Van Guilder has now captured CCHA (2007), Kelly Cup (2010) and Serie A (2016) championships in his career.

IN THE GET-LIGAEN (Norway)

Dan Kissel (2006-10): Stavanger Oilers (GET – First Division)

• Stats: 37 GP, 15 goals, 33 assists, 48 points, 12 PIM, +28
• Playoffs: Kissel helped Stavanger to a fifth consecutive championship in his fourth season with the team. In 13 playoff games in 2015-16, Kissel scored five goals and added an assist for six points. Stavanger also won the regular-season championship in 2016.
• Notes: In each of his four seasons with Stavanger, Kissel has recorded at least 48 points as the team has won the championship. In 169 career games with Stavanger, he has 83 goals and 136 assists for 219 points (1.30 ppg). He’s also a combined +109 in his four seasons with Stavanger.

IN THE ECHL

Austin Wuthrich (2011-15): Toledo Walleye (ECHL)

• Stats: 53 GP, 15 goals, 13 assists, 28 points, 31 PIM, +7
• Playoffs: Wuthrich and the Walleye made it to the first round of the ECHL playoffs, but fell to the Reading Royals in a seven game series. Wuthrich played in two playoff games.
• Notes: In his first professional season, Wuthrich ranked sixth on the team with 15 goals. For most of the season, he was a teammate with fellow Notre Dame alum Evan Rankin (Rankin and Wuthrich did not play together at Notre Dame).

Shayne Taker (2010-14): Utah Grizzlies (ECHL) & San Diego (AHL)

• ECHL Stats: 60 GP, 2 goals, 19 assists, 21 points, 70 PIM
• AHL Stats: 3 GP, +1
• Playoffs: Taker and the Grizzlies made it to the Western Conference Semifinals after posting a 4-2 first round series win over the Colorado Eagles. In the Western Conference Semifinals, Utah was swept by Fort Wayne. Taker played in 10 playoff games and notched three assists to go along with a +3 rating.
• Notes: Playing his second full season in the professional ranks, Taker spent the majority of the season in the ECHL with an AHL stint mixed in for the second consecutive season. A defenseman, he increased his ECHL point total by six over his rookie season and made his first appearance in the ECHL playoffs.

Steve Summerhays (2010-14): Alaska Aces (ECHL) & Missouri Mavericks (ECHL)

• Alaska Stats: 14 GP, 4-7-1, 3.74 GAA, .869 Sv.%
• Missouri Stats: 8 GP, 4-3-1, 2.05 GAA, .921 Sv.%, 1 Shutout, 1 Assist
• Playoffs: After sweeping Quad City, Missouri was knocked out of he playoffs in the Western Conference Semifinals by the Allen Americans, 4-2. Summerhays did not appear in the playoffs.
• Notes: After missing the 2014-15 season with an injury, Summerhays played his first professional season in 2015-16. He began the season with Alaska before being traded to Missouri in February.

Peter Schneider (2011-15): Indy Fuel (ECHL)

• Stats: 64 GP, 16 goals, 21 assists, 37 points, 33 PIM
• Notes: In his first professional season, Schneider ranked third on the Fuel with 37 points and put a team-high 200 shots on goal. His 16 goals tied for second on the team.

Christiaan Minella (2006-10): Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL)

• Stats: 71 GP, 14 goals, 8 assists, 22 points
• Playoffs: Minella and the Cyclones lost an opening round, seven-game series to the Fort Wayne Komets. Minella had two goals and two assists for four points in the seven-game series.
• Notes: Minella completed his sixth professional season in 2015-16 and his second in a row with Cincinnati (third overall). His 14 goals marked a career-high total and he was also Cincinnati’s nominee for the 2016 ECHL Community Service Award.

Patrick Gaul (2008-12): South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL)

• Stats: 49 GP, 7 goals, 13 assists, 20 points, 12 PIM, +7
• Playoffs: Gaul and the Stingrays are currently playing the Wheeling Nailers in the Eastern Conference Final (the series is tied, 1-1). The Stingrays downed the Kalamazoo Wings in the first round (4-1) and then advanced past the Adirondack Thunder (4-3) in the Eastern Conference Semifinal. Gaul has played in three playoff games and notched two assists.
• Notes: Gaul is in his fourth season with the Stingrays. He missed two months of the 2015-16 season due to a broken jaw, sustained while blocking a shot in November.

IN THE DEUTSCHE EISHOCKEY LEAGUE (German Elite League [DEL])

Tim Wallace (2002-06): Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams (DEL)

• Stats: 45 GP, 4 goals, 13 assists, 17 points, 34 PIM
• Playoffs: Wallace and the Grizzly Adams had a bye to the quarterfinals, where they defeated Düsseldorfer EG, 4-1. Wolfsburg then downed Thomas Sabo in the semifinal (4-2) before ultimately falling to in the championship series to EHC Red Bull München (4-0). In six playoff games, Wallace recorded two assists.
• Notes: A veteran of 101 games in the National Hockey League, Wallace recently completed his first season in the German Elite League after playing the previous three seasons in the Swedish Elite League (Swe-1) with Orebro HK and Brynas IF Gavle.

Yan Stastny (2001-03): Schwenninger Wild Wings (DEL)

• Stats: 38 GP, 10 goals, 10 assists, 20 points, 10 PIM
• Notes: A veteran of 91 career games in the National Hockey League, Stastny played his first season with Schwenninger in 2015-16. It was his sixth career season in the DEL after two previous stints with the Nuermberg Ice Tigers (2003-05 and 2011-14). A 2002 draft pick of the Boston Bruins, he has played in the NHL, AHL, KHL, Swedish Elite and German Elite leagues.

IN THE ELITE ICE HOCKEY LEAGUE (United Kingdom [EIHL])

David Brown (2003-07): Fife Flyers (EIHL)

• Stats: 62 GP, 30-31-1, 3.02 GAA, .894 Sv.%, 5 Shutout
• Playoffs: After finishing sixth in the regular season, Brown and the Flyers reached the playoff final weekend but fell to Nottingham in the semifinals by a score of 4-1. In four playoff games, Brown posted a 3.24 GAA.
• Notes: A 2007 All-American and Hobey Baker Finalist with the Irish, Brown completed his second consecutive season on the EIHL and his first with Fife. His 3.02 GAA ranked sixth in the league, as did his .894 save percentage. His five shutouts were the most in the league.

— ND —

Dan Colleran, associate athletics communications director at the University of Notre Dame, has been a part of Fighting Irish Media since August 2015 and coordinates all media and publicity efforts surrounding the Notre Dame hockey and men’s golf programs. A native of Walpole, Massachusetts, Colleran spent the previous three years working with the men’s hockey and soccer programs at Providence College. Colleran also spent two years as an Assistant Executive Director of Communications & Championships at the Ivy League and is a graduate of Providence College (’06 & ’08G).