To help alleviate the short-handed situation among the forward ranks, the Nashville Predators have called up Blake Geoffrion, the Hobey Baker Award-winning local product who has been tearing up the AHL lately, and Matt Halischuk, who impressed in a 4th-line role for a few weeks earlier this season. This, ahead of a back-to-back set this weekend in Dallas Saturday afternoon, followed by a home game against Columbus at 2:00 p.m. Sunday.
Make sure to check out Blake Geoffrion’s home-ice debut Sunday, and save money by taking the OTF Discount on Nashville Predators tickets!
This makes a good time to revisit a question I posited over the summer – does Blake Geoffrion boast the greatest pedigree in pro sports history?
The team’s press release follows after the jump…
Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has recalled forwards Blake Geoffrion (BLAYK JEHF-ree-ohn) and Matt Halischuk (mat HUH-lihs-chuhk) from Milwaukee (AHL).
Geoffrion, 23 (2/3/88), is the first Tennessee native to be selected in the NHL Entry Draft (56th overall, second round, in 2006) and this is his first career recall. He ranks second on the Admirals in points (11g-26a-37pts, 45gp) and earlier this month became the first AHLer in 16 years to be named League Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks.
The Brentwood native will become the first-ever fourth generation NHLer, following in the footsteps of Hockey Hall-of-Fame grandfather, Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion and great grandfather, Howie Morenz (a part of the Hall of Fame’s first induction class) and father, Danny, who was drafted eighth overall by the Canadiens in the 1978 Draft, and played for both Montreal and Winnipeg during his NHL career, as well as Quebec in the World Hockey Association. The University of Wisconsin product is in his first professional season after winning the 2010 Hobey Baker Award as college hockey’s most outstanding player last spring.
Halischuk, 22 (6/1/88), has played 11 games for Nashville this season – all since making his club debut on Jan. 16 at Chicago – posting three points (1g-2a) and a +1 rating while averaging 9:46 per game. The Toronto, Ont., native, acquired from New Jersey in the offseason, also has 23 points (11g-12a) in 37 games for the Admirals, including four (2g-2a) in his last three outings.