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| | Tuesday, November 2 | |||||
Special to ESPN.com | ||||||
| Pro hockey is often a family affair, as the Sutters and Patricks and Conachers have proven. Brother acts are easy to identify. Cousin combinations, however, can be tougher, as in the case of Chris Chelios and Nick Tselios.
Tselios is a 20-year-old rookie defenseman with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the IHL, and he is one of the best prospects in minor-league hockey. Tselios was Carolina's first-round pick (22nd overall) in 1997 and at 6-foot-5, is expected to grow into the prototype of NHL defenseman.
Nick's side of the family kept the traditional spelling of the name. Chris is, indeed, an older cousin. Both grew up in the Chicago area, and Tselios says his cousin has been a major influence on him.
"I have really big memories of seeing him play in Olympics," Nick said. "And (I) saw him whenever he came to Chicago, when he was with Montreal. I've always looked up to him and tried to follow in his footsteps. He's more of a gritty player than I am, but I try to emulate him a lot, try to watch him to see how he plays."
Tselios played well at Carolina's training camp but got injured an in intra-squad game and did not play in any exhibitions. So, while getting sent to Cincinnati was a bit disappointing for him, it was not all that surprising.
"My skill levels are high enough to play in the NHL," Tselios said. "I have to work on strength, speed, quickness - things like that. (The IHL) is definitely a huge step up for me. I go from playing just with kids my own age to playing with guys who have played in the NHL, or are just one step away."
In his first 10 games as a pro, Tselios was 0-1-1 with a plus-4 for Cincinnati.
There are several former NHL players scattered throughout the lower minors -- the East Coast Hockey League, United League, Central League, Western Pro League and West Coast League -- but only a few with long-term NHL service. Goalie Daniel Berthiaume played 215 NHL games with five different teams and is with the Roanoke Express of the ECHL. His 1.33 GAA is third best in the ECHL. Scott Levins, who played in 124 NHL games, mostly with Ottawa, was unable to find work in the AHL or IHL over the summer and signed with the Quad Cities Mallards of the UHL. Chris Winnes is in the United League with Binghamton and Jeff Lazaro is a player-assistant for the New Orleans Brass of the ECHL. One of the most interesting veterans in the low minors is Kraig Nienhuis, who plays for the Port Huron Border Cats in the UHL. Nienhuis made his NHL debut for the Boston Bruins in 1984-85. He lives in Sarnia, Ontario, right across the St. Clair River in Canada, so Port Huron is a handy place to play. Nienhuis has said this will probably be his last season as a pro. Miscellaneous The IHL's Kansas City Blades have begun their annual "Fall Tour" as Kemper Arena hosts the American Royal Livestock Exposition. The Blades will be gone for nine games. They have not had a winning record on the trip since going 6-3 in 1993-94 when they played in Detroit on Devil's Night and won, 4-3, before a sellout crowd of 20,804 at the Palace in Auburn Hills. ... Fans driving through Ohio while the Cyclones are playing should find WSAI on the AM dial. Play-by-play John Wiedeman is the best hockey voice outside of the NHL, and better than many in the NHL. Bill Ballou covers professional hockey and baseball for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. | ALSO SEE NHL Power Rankings
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