WINNIPEG —  It has oft been stated: Getting to the top is easy; it’s staying there that’s hard. Well, don’t tell that to any of the Jewish minor leaguers of the past two decades who have come close, but cannot be included as established National Hockey League players. Today, that list includes only a handful of Jewish skaters, Mike Cammalleri, Mathieu Schneider, Jeff Halpern and Eric Nystrom.

The just-missed-list includes former Ontario Hockey League scoring leader forward Todd Simon, who played a few games with the Sabres and Doug Friedman a winger-enforcer with the Oilers who had, as they say, a cup of coffee with Edmonton. American Hockey League skaters Eric Himelfarb, Jeff Dessner, Bubba Berenzweig and goalie David Littman were more than decent but not good enough. Joining them on the outside looking in were East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) players Aaron Israel and Andy Silverman, plus goalie Aaron Vicker in the Central Hockey League.

The Montreal Canadiens wasted little time when on the first day of free agency on July 1 they inked Richmond Hill, Ont. free agent forward Cammalleri to a five-year $30 million (all figures US) pact. This after Cammalleri registered a career-high total of 39 goals and 43 assists with the Calgary Flames.

The son of a Jewish mother, Adele Gelbard, and a Sicilian father, Cammalleri also played for the L.A. Kings. The now 27-year-old media darling, who is five-foot-nine and tips the scales at 185 pounds has, for good reason, been branded as a shoot-first, pass-second sniper who uses his assets of positioning and speed to find the open ice to get off a one-time shot. He can play both wings too.

Playing with Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez, the trio has been labeled the “Smurf line.” In Cammalleri’s first game of the regular season he set up a pair of goals in a 4-3 win over the Leafs.

On the last day of August the Canucks added loads of experience on defence by signing 40-year-old Mathieu Schneider to a one-year pact. The Montreal native, months before he had become an unrestricted free agent, told his lawyer he didn’t want to go anywhere but Vancouver and signed for what would be by today’s standards a paltry $1.55 million. The sole holdup was that the son of a Jewish dad had to pass his physical due to arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder.

There were as many as six inquiries regarding Mathieu’s availability and he could have demanded more money; instead he chose the city that would make his family most happy.

A power-play specialist, the one-time 44th overall pick in the 1987 NHL entry draft joins his ninth team as he heads into his 20th campaign. He split last year between Atlanta and Montreal, recording a combined total of nine goals and 23 assists in 67 games.

Schneider is also a veteran of international competition, having represented the United States in two Olympic Games and two World Cups, winning the latter in 1996. The five-foot-11 195-pound Schneider won the Stanley Cup with Montreal in 1993 and appeared in two NHL All Star games.

Jeff Halpern managed only seven goals and nine assists in 52 games last season after missing the first 30 because of knee surgery. Now 33, Halpern played six seasons with the Washington Capitals, who signed him as a free agent in 1999, followed by a year in Dallas before arriving in Tampa Bay.

The six-foot and 200-pound native of Potomac, Md. specializes as a penalty killer and forechecker on the third or fourth line. The son of Jewish parents who lost his mom about five years ago in a flaming car crash in Florida, has amassed 122 goals and 175 assists in 649 games, despite being a defensive forward.

Eric Nystrom, 26, may not be as talented as his dad, Bob, who won four Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders, but his skill set is somewhat similar. Eric hung around the minors perhaps a little longer than he’d hoped, but he has finally arrived as an energetic, scrappy player with loads of perseverance. He is now a full-time NHLer who leads by example. The six-foot-one 197-pound winger, whose mom is Jewish, had five goals and five assists in 76 games last season. While scoring is not his forte, he keeps opposition skaters honest.

Two young studs that are just on the cusp and ready to make it to the big time are defenceman Colby Cohen, 20, a six-foot-three 215-pound junior at Boston University who was a second round pick of the Colorado Avalanche, and New York Islanders’ winger Trevor Smith, 24, a centre and left-winger. Smith, a native of Vancouver, was the Islanders’ last cut only three days before the opening of the regular season. He was sent down to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League (AHL) where last season he had impressive numbers, scoring 32 goals and adding 32 helpers. He will soon be recalled; bet on it.

Last year Smith, who is six-foot-one and 195 pounds, was called up due to team injuries. In his fifth appearance in seven games he scored his first NHL goal versus Calgary.

Cohen became prominent when last winter he scored the overtime winner that capped BU’s stunning comeback in the championship game. He was selected the most outstanding player of the NCAA Frozen Four Finals and also named to the All-Tournament team.

The Albany River Rats of the AHL have signed Winnipegger Jacob Micflickier, a forward who starred in college with the University of New Hampshire Wildcats. Last season in the ECHL with the Everblades of Florida, Micflickier scored 10 goals and had 14 assists in only 10 games and then moved up to Rochester of the AHL where he potted four goals and added 12 assists in 39 games.

Other minor pros to watch for are Oren Eizenman (ECHL Stockton Thunder), Adam Henrich (AHL Springfield Falcons), goalies Josh Tordjman (AHL San Antonio Rampage) and Robert Gherson.