Bloom to blossom with Habs farm team

Sept. 22, 2009

CINCINNATI, Ohio - The Cincinnati Cyclones, an East Coast Hockey League affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, have signed former McGill Redmen forward Sam Bloom and assigned him to a tryout with Hamilton, the AHL farm team of the Habs.

He will play with the Bulldogs in Scotland, where they are holding a training camp, Sept. 22-28. The 'Dogs will compete for the Gardiner Cup against the AHL's Toronto Marlies and the United Kingdom Elite League's Edinburgh Capitals and Belfast Giants.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound centre from Toronto is the second Redmen player from last year's OUA Eastern Conference champions to sign a pro pact.

Bloom, a 23-year-old who graduated with a commerce degree last June, finished second in the team scoring race last season with 16 goals and 44 points in 39 games overall, earning OUA second-team all-star honours. Over his four seasons with the Redmen, he posted a 48-84-132 record in 149 contests with 253 penalty minutes. He was a part of the 2007-08 McGill club that captured the school's first Queen's Cup league championship in 62 years.

Bloom is one of 47 former McGill players since 1983 to have gone on to a professional hockey career and among 10 ex-Redmen currently playing in the pro ranks. The others include Mathieu Darche (Hamilton, AHL), David Urquhart (Hartford, AHL), Kevin Desfossés (Corpus Christi, CHL), David Burgess (Germany), Doug Orr (Germany), Benoit Martin (France), Dan Jacob (Serbia), Chris Churchill-Smith (Serbia) and Murray Cobb (Serbia).

Four other former Redmen players are currently coaching in pro hockey, including Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings and Jamie Kompon, an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings, plus Guy Boucher and Martin Raymond, head ccoach and assistant coach, respectively, with the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs.