MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF

Quebec Remparts rookie Ryan Bourque knows it’s a shadow he will never escape. “Obviously, there’s going to be extra attention with my last name, but I don’t look at it as pressure,” said the left winger, whose father is Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque. “If I can achieve half the things that my dad did, I will be happy with my career.” Bourque, 18, a third round pick of the New York Rangers in 2009 (80th overall), spent the past two seasons with the U.S. national team development program. He’s a small, speedy forward blessed with offensive skills. “The extra attention that comes with my family name is always going to be there,” he said. “I’ve learned to use it as a positive because I do have my father…

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Toronto

ROOKIE REPORT While it appears several rookie forwards — Viktor Stalberg, Tyler Bozak, Christian Hanson — will get chances to audition, the only Maple Leafs freshman likely to have a big impact this season is goalie Jonas Gustavsson. GM Brian Burke racked up some air miles when he travelled to Sweden to convince Gustavsson, 25, to sign. When Burke’s diligence paid off in July, many saw it as a big piece of the club’s future. But the future is now, as it didn’t take long for Gustavsson to wrest the No. 1 role from Vesa Toskala. The lanky rookie was in goal for the Leafs’ lone win in their first 13 games and his quickness in the crease led to some eye-opening saves his first few starts.…

NEW KNIGHT ANOTHER GEM

London Knights GM Mark Hunter has lost track of the miles he puts on his pickup truck scouting. But a trip to Sylvania, Ohio last season to see a goalie was worth the gas. He watched Michael Houser of Wexford, Pa., with the Des Moines Buccaneers of the United States League try out for the U.S. under-18 team. Hunter invited the then 16-year-old to visit London in the summer; the free agent signed. Houser is proving to be a steady backup to Michael Hutchinson, a 19-year-old Boston Bruins prospect acquired from Barrie in the off-season. “He (Hunter) must have liked what he saw and I know I liked what I saw,” said Houser, who won five in a row, including over Memorial Cup-champion Windsor, before his streak ended in a…