Steve Martinson has added another defenseman to the roster, just announcing the signing of Andre Anania. Here is the press release from the Allen Americans:
The roster now consists of one goalie, nine defensemen, and nine forwards.
Goalies
- #33 Marco Costantini
Defensemen
- #86 Andre Anania
- #22 Anthony Costantini
- #21 Jackson Decker
- #28 Troy Murray
- #43 Matt Register
- #6 Braidan Simmons-Fischer
- #44 Kevin Spinozzi
- #2 Quinn Warmuth
- #9 Hudson Wilson
Forwards
- #26 Spencer Asuchak
- #18 Harrison Blaisdell
- #11 Thomas Caron
- #91 Michael Gildon
- #7 Colton Hargrove
- #76 Malik Johnson
- #77 Brad Morrison
- #8 Carter Savoie
- #29 Brayden Watts
PLAYER PROFILE - ANDRE ANANIA
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| Andre Anania |
- Andre Anania is a 23-year-old, 6'1", 193-pound, left-shot defenseman from Richmond Hill, Ontario. He was the 4th round draft pick (#100 overall) of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2020 NHL draft. He played his junior hockey in the OHL with the Sudbury Wolves. In 180 games in Sudbury had 87 points (21G, 66A) and 189 penalty minutes. In his final season in Sudbury (2023-24), he notched a career high 41 points (10G, 31A) and set a franchise record with a plus/minus of +49.
Andre was honored with several team awards in 2023-24:
- Players' Player Award (voted by his teammates for character and effort
- Top Defenseman
- Top Plus/Minus Player
Here are some quotes from various scouting reports about Anania's style of play:
- Quiet, responsible, and efficient defender whose effectiveness lies in consistency and positioning rather than flashy plays.
- Excels in man coverage, body contact, and penalty killing duties, showing a willingness to block shots and absorb traffic without hesitation.
- He is very mature and reliable, precisely because he makes the right play so consistently.
After Anania finished his junior career, he signed a two-way (AHL-ECHL) deal with the Charlotte Checkers. He attended the Florida Panthers "NHL Rookie Showcase" a year ago. He spent his rookie season assigned to Savannah, the ECHL affiliate of Florida/Charlotte. In 51 games, he had 11 points (4G, 7A) and 40 penalty minutes. His offense picked up toward the end of the season. In the final two months of the season, he tallied 9 points (4G, 5A) in 17 games. When I asked Martinson about Anania's rookie season in Savannah, he told me it is hard to assess without knowing the system he was playing in and who he was playing with. Martinson reminded me of what he has said many times in the past: if a player has done it before, he can do it again. Remember, in 2023-24, Anania had 41 points in 60 games and was +49. No other player on his team was more than +20. His +49 was the fourth-best plus/minus in the entire Ontario Hockey League.
Anania is a defenseman who will fit well in Martinson's style of play. He is responsible defensively, can carry the puck, will make a good first pass, and will jump into the play in the offensive zone.
Andre is another one of the players Martinson has signed as a depth player for Belleville. The Senators are aware of Anania from his OHL career and talked to him about the opportunity in Belleville if he does well in Allen. He will be attending training camp with Belleville.
It is always fun to hear a player talk about themselves. Here is a young (17) Andre Anania in a 2019 get to know you video.
OTHER COMMENTS
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| Ted Hosterman |
- It was sad to hear that a good friend and super long-time Allen fan, Ted Hosterman, passed away Tuesday night after suffering a cardiac arrest. It has been a difficult summer for the Hosterman family, as Ted's wife, Sharon, passed away in July.
I always looked forward to running into Ted at the hockey games to get his thoughts, good and bad, on how the team was playing and what improvements were needed. I took a couple of road trips to Tulsa with Ted and some of his hockey friends, and they were always a great time.
Ted has always been a big supporter of the blog, posting positive comments to counteract some of the negative ones. And he always posted with his name attached to the comment, never anonymously. I checked the last time Ted commented, and it was just two blogs ago, when the new affiliation was announced. It was typical Ted, as his comments always made me feel good about writing the blog, "Barry, the information and insights you share give us fans and insiders' perspective not available to fans of other teams. Hats off to you and Coach Martinson for sharing!!!"
Unless you are a long-time reader of the blog, you won't remember that Ted, along with Mary Betz, used ti write the blog for me when I went on trips during the hockey season. Ted used to specialize in interviewing players and doing player profiles. I went back and read the player profiles he did on Casey Pierro-Zabotel and Zack Hall. What great work he did.
It is always tough to find the right words to tell how much a friend will be missed. The news of Ted's passing was heartbreaking, but I know he will live on in our hearts, and we will be talking about him as long as I am roaming the concourse of the CUTX Event Center.
The Americans are planning a "moment of loudness" for Ted on opening night.
- Steve Martinson will be in Allen next week, and the Americans are setting up a Q&A session for Season Ticket Members at Kelly's. The Q&A will take place on Monday (September 8) at 3:00 pm. If you have attended one of these sessions in the past, you know they are both informative and entertaining. If you have never attended one, it is a not to be missed event. Come loaded with your questions. If you are too afraid to ask your question, give it to me and I will ask it for you.
The Americans will be sending an email to all Season Ticket Members with this information sometime today. If you don't receive it, make sure to call the Allen American front office to make sure you are on the list.
DID YOU KNOW: This is my ECHL Stats post from two days ago. The players on the Allen 2025-26 roster with the most goals since 2019-20 are Brayden Watts (79) and Spencer Asuchak (78).
Thanks for another informative post Barry! Ted was also a big supporter of the Allen Americans Fan Club. He served as an invaluable asset in growing the club during my 5 year tenure as president. Because of his contributions, we were able to grow the club & support the team like never before. I had the chance to chat with him over the phone before he passed, talking of ways the club might once again be a part of the team. As usual, he said he was all in & ready to go. I will miss his contagious smile & having him ask me how I doing was at every game, while we'd share insights on how the team was doing. A dedicated fan & kind friend always with something positive to say. He will definitely be missed is an understatement.
ReplyDeleteRIP Ted.
ReplyDeleteRIP Ted. You were a great one. Keep watching from above.
ReplyDeleteC'mon Allen.
ReplyDeleteI'll be picking a kid up at school.
If you view them as the future of the club (which you should), 4pm works better.
11am - kids miss out and people work.
3pm - kids are being picked up and people work.
Just saying...
RIP Ted.
Those of us working can't make it, because we're working. How about 6 pm? It's better if you want to drum up enthusiasm & excitement.
DeleteAt least better for you huh?
DeleteBetter for me too!
Delete11am and 3pm works for Heritage Ranch. No one else for the most part.
I raised this issue with Jonny Mydra, and I was remiss in not mentioning that he shared with me that the Americans plan on having numerous opportunities to interact with Coach Martinson throughout the season, and he will make sure they are scheduled at various times, so everyone has a chance to attend, no matter what their schedule is. Sorry for the omission.
Delete👍🏻
Deleteexcellent. As it should be. Nice work by JM and the staff. Some people its easier mid day, some its easier after work. Have a handful of these in the coming month or two and move the start times around so everyone can have a chance or two to ask Marty their questions. Can't wait for this season baby!
DeleteDoes signing all these Athens players hurt us? Seems like their trade value might not be there if changes need to be made.
ReplyDeleteIf you remember, Coach Martinson shared in an earlier blog, because he has signed so many top end players, the salary cap dictates him having a lot of players at the lower end of the play scale. The advantage of signing players from Athens is Martinson knows what they bring to the table, plus they are considered rookies in the ECHL even though they have professional experience. Finally, we will have to wait and see what the final roster looks like at the end of training camp. Training camp will be very competitive.
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