Friday, August 3, 2018

Weekly Update - Braylon Shmyr & Matt Foget Return, Players Announced by All 27 ECHL Teams, Iowa Wild GM Tom Kurvers, Shaping the Sharks, Quotable Quotes

The Allen Americans announced yesterday that rookies Braylon Shmyr and Matt Foget have re-signed for the upcoming season. The best description of their return was from an Allen fan, "The water bugs are back, super exciting players to watch." Here is the press released issued by the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-sign-two-as-shmyr-and-foget-return/


- Allen has now announced the signing of six players (Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Joel Chouinard, Mike Gunn, Chad Butcher, Braylon Shmyr & Matt Foget) and fans are anxious to know the rest of the roster since coach Martinson has said he has around 15 players signed. Teams take different approaches to announcing players. Obviously there is a marketing aspect to when and how many players are announced. Some coaches don't want players announced too early because it might impact recruiting when prospective players see who is already signed.


-  Up until yesterday when they announced Shmyr and Foget, Allen was close to the bottom of the list of number of players announced. Here is the complete list of players announced by each ECHL team. It is important to remember the number of players announced is not the same as players signed. This list is changing daily but these are the numbers of players announced by each ECHL team as of this morning according to the website eliteprospects.com.

17 - Maine Mariners
15 - Fort Wayne Komets
14 - South Carolina Stingrays
12 - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
11 - Norfolk Admirals
10 - Idaho Steelheads
10 - Kansas City Mavericks
9 - Brampton Beast
9 - Orlando Solar Bears
9 - Tulsa Oilers
9 - Wichita Thunder
8 - Utah Grizzlies
8 - Wheeling  Nailers
8- Worcester Railers
8 - Atlanta Gladiators
8 - Indy Fuel
8 - Manchester Monarchs
8 - Reading Royals
7 - Adirondack Thunder
7 - Rapid City Rush
7 - Toledo Walleye
6 - Allen Americans
5 - Florida Everblades
4 - Cincinnati Cyclones
4 - Jacksonville Icemen
4 - Kalamazoo Wings
2 - Newfoundland Growlers 


- If you add up all of the numbers there have been about 225 player announcements thus far around the ECHL. When the season starts the total players on ECHL rosters will be over 800. There will be a lot of announcements over the next eight weeks.


- Here is a story about Tom Kurvers who is the assistant general manager of the Minnesota Wild. In that role he is also the general manager of the Iowa Wild. Coach Martinson has known Kurvers for many years (they both grew up in Minnesota). They have been working closely since Allen became the Wild's ECHL affiliate. https://www.iowawild.com/news/detail/experience-is-key-for-kurvers-as-new-iowa-wild-gm#new_tab



- Here is part of a series the San Jose Sharks produced about "Shaping the Sharks" which I found worth watching:




- I came across these in my social media feeds this week. Good advice for everyone.

"I think I am past trying to prove people wrong. I am just trying to live up to my own expectations. If you are not motivated, you are never going to get to where you want to go." ----- 2018 NHL Hall of Fame inductee Martin St. Louis

Warren Buffet's four simple rules:
1. Sleep: Proper rest allows your body to reset. Sleep well and wake up early.
2. Self education is key: Read an hour a day minimum.
3. Stay healthy: Eat clean and workout.
4. Work ethic: Never compare yourself to anyone. Work harder than you did yesterday.

"Take it one moment at a time. Don't sail too high or sink too low. Learn to be good at handling failure. Be the first one to the ball park and the last one to leave. Work hard, don't complain, be a great teammate. Ask other people about themselves, you never know what you might learn. Above all treat people with respect. The best compliment any baseball player can receive is that he is a good teammate. It is a reflection of all of the things not listed on the back of a baseball card. It is the focus, the attitude, the openness and the way an individual picks you up on Monday and calls you out on Tuesday. In short it is about accountability, reliability and commitment." ----- 2018 MLB Hall of Fame inductee Jim Thome



DID YOU KNOW:  Here is how the Allen Americans' roster looked one year ago:

- The official Allen roster (players signed & announced) now stands at seven with the announcement this week that Miles Liberati has re-signed. Here is the current roster:

Riley Gill - goalie
Joel Chouinard - defense
Mike Gunn - defense
Eric Roy - defense
Tanner Eberle - forward
Jonathan Lessard - forward
Miles Liberati -defense

 

1 comment: