Week in Review - Allen Player Announcements, Roster Update, Conversation With Coach Martinson, Wade MacLeod Needs Help, Where Top Scorers for Every ECHL Team Will Play in 2018-19

The Allen Americans continued the march to the 2018-19 ECHL season with three more player announcements last week, Zach Pochiro, Dalton Thrower and Josh Thrower. Here are the video announcements and press releases if you haven't already seen them.


PLAYER SIGNINGS

Zach Pochiro press release: https://allenamericans.com/americans-sign-forward-zach-pochiro-for-second-stint-in-allen/

Dalton & Josh Thrower press release: https://allenamericans.com/double-the-fun-as-the-thrower-brothers-return/

ROSTER

The announced Allen roster is now up to 14 players. Here is the current roster:

Goalie
Jeremy Brodeur

Defensemen
Josh Atkinson
Joel Chouinard
Mike Gunn
Miles Liberati
Dalton Thrower
Josh Thrower

Forwards
Chad Butcher
J.C. Campagna
Matt Foget
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Zach Pochiro
Braylon Shmyr
Kevin Sundher


- The plan is for two more player announcements this week, one tomorrow (Tuesday) and the other most likely on Thursday. If you live in Allen and follow the City Council, on the agenda for the  Council meeting tomorrow night (#4 on the agenda) is an item that says, "Presentation Regarding the Allen Americans Professional Hockey Team" so wonder what that is all about. 


COACHES CORNER

-  Coach Martinson underwent shoulder replacement surgery last Monday and as you might imagine is already antsy to get going with his rehab. When I talked to him late last week he said everything went well and he was running errands the day after surgery. He has already been back to the AEC but is mostly working from home. He has to keep the shoulder immobile for the first two weeks before rehab starts.


- Despite his shoulder surgery, Martinson still plans to attend the NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan (September 7-11) where he will be able to meet more of the Minnesota Wild staff and watch the prospects including a couple that should be playing in Allen. The eight team tournament field consists of prospects from the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues.


- Martinson's recruiting at this point is mostly staying in touch with player/agents who are trying to get AHL deals and are not ready to sign ECHL contracts.


- There will be a minimum of five Allen players going to the Iowa Wild training camp hoping to do well enough to get a contract offer.


- The official announcement of two home preseason games should happen this week. Because of the short training camp the only option for weekend preseason games is the weekend of October 5th. Stay tuned for specifics (date, time, etc).


- Based on history and knowing the ECHL season will start on October 12, here is what I think will be the key dates:

September 27 - Training camp rosters due to league office
September 28 - Training camp opens

October 10 - Opening day rosters due to league office
October 12- 31st ECHL regular season begins (Allen starts on the road in Kansas City)



OTHER COMMENTS

- Biscuit went above and beyond the call of duty to publicize that Allen Americans single game tickets are now on sale. Check out this video:

 

- The ECHL has put together a list of the top 30 players in their 30 year history and are doing a countdown, 10 players at a time. Former Allen Americans Riley Gill and Matt Register were in the first group of the countdown (21-30). Here is the second group (11-20) video. There are no Allen Americans in this group but as you watch take note of the scoring from players that played in the 1990's when offensive hockey was at its peak. It will be interesting to see who is in the top 10 when it is released. Chad Costello will be in that group for sure. Here is the 11-20 video:

- Former Allen forward, Wade MacLeod, is about to undergo his fourth brain surgery in the last five years. He had surgery just two months ago but the tumor has returned. Here are the details from a gofundme account that has been setup to help Wade and his family. If you would like to donate here is the link: https://www.gofundme.com/wade039s-treatment-fund

We would like to start by telling you about this incredible young man, Wade MacLeod and his beautiful young family.

Wade is 31 years old and has spent his entire life dreaming of being a husband, and father while playing in the NHL.  This dream almost came true 5 years ago, but while playing for Springfield Falcons in the AHL, Wade suffered a grand mal seizure on the ice, which led to the discovery of the first tumor.   Wade returned to the game a year later, after undergoing  brain surgery to remove the tumor.  Following surgery, Wade lost the ability of speech and spent 3 months undergoing speech therapy.   His dream of being a husband and father has come true with a beautiful wife, Karly and 11 month old baby girl, sweet Ava James.  Wade’s courage and unwavering determination to be a loving husband and father and still play the game he loves so much has been an inspiration to us all.  Since then, Wade’s tumor has relentlessly grown back 3 times.  Each time, Wade returned to the game but his dream of playing in the NHL was over.

Wade was going to return to playing hockey in Dresden, Germany, this August.  That dream was dashed as our dear friend Wade MacLeod is now preparing to have his 4th brain surgery in less than 5 years.

He has a Grade 3 Glioblastoma tumor and it has come back, once again, with a vengeance, after going through surgery only 2 months ago!

What this means for Wade and his family, is that they have to incur all prescription costs that he will have to take his entire  lifetime as well as any treatments outside of his basic medical services plan, which is weighing heavily on their finances and they will not be able to sustain the strain with no income.

 Wade’s recovery would be so much easier without the financial strain as he is no longer able to provide for his family.

Thank-you for taking time to read this and consider funding to this cause.



DID YOU KNOW: Last week I researched for a Twitter account (@ECHLStats) where the 2017-18 leading scorer for all 27 ECHL teams will be playing for the 2018-19 season. Atlanta had two players tie for the team lead in scoring so there were a total of 28 teams leaders. Here is the status of the leading scorer for each ECHL team.

8 - re-signed with their ECHL team (Adirondack, Allen, Brampton, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Utah, Wichita and Worcester)

7 - signed overseas (Atlanta, Florida, Fort Wayne, Kalamazoo, Manchester, Norfolk, Orlando)

6 - remain unsigned (Atlanta, Greenville, Idaho, Indy, Jacksonville)

4 - signed with a different ECHL team (Rapid City, Toledo, Wheeling, Quad City)

2 - signed AHL deals (Colorado, Tulsa)

1 - retired (Reading)

   

Allen Americans Week in Review - Three Player Announcements, Roster Update, Martinson Goes Under the Knife, Former Players News & More

The Allen Americans picked up the pace of player announcements this week as they added three players to the roster. Here are the details in case you missed any of the announcements. The Americans have been using 10 year sponsors and season ticket holders to make video announcements of newly signed players. Here are the videos plus the press releases for Miles Liberati, Jeremy Brodeur and Kevin Sundher.


PLAYER SIGNINGS

Miles Liberati -  Here is the press release on Liberati: https://allenamericans.com/americans-sign-former-nhl-3rd-round-draft-pick-kevin-sundher/

Jeremy Brodeur - Here is the press release on Brodeur: https://allenamericans.com/americans-bring-back-popular-goalie-jeremy-brodeur/

Kevin Sundher - Here is the press release on Sundher: https://allenamericans.com/americans-sign-former-nhl-3rd-round-draft-pick-kevin-sundher-2/

- Kevin Sundher is a 6'0" 185 pound, 26 year old, left shot forward who will be starting his seventh professional season. He is another of a long list of players coach Steve Martinson has recruited that played their junior careers in the Western Hockey League (WHL). In his last three seasons in the WHL (2009-12), Sundher had 212 points (75G, 137G) in 200 games. He was drafted in the third round (75th overall) in the 2010 NHL draft by the Buffalo Sabres.  If you look at scouting reports from his draft year they all mention skating as his strength with descriptions such as speedy, quick and smooth skating. He attended the NHL combine in his draft year which boosted his standings in the draft as he finished in the top ten in seven of the physical tests at the combine.

Kevin has had a difficult time transferring his junior success to the pro game. Over his six year pro career he has averaged just 39 games per season, six goals and 15 points. He has played in 139 AHL games and accounted for 43 points (14G, 29A). He played in Europe last season (Czech Republic & Norway).

Coach Martinson has said many times if a player is a consistent scorer in juniors, especially in the tough WHL, he can replicate that in the ECHL. With Sundher's skating ability and the Allen Americans offensive minded system he may thrive this season.


COACH'S CORNER

- It was a busy week for coach Martinson as he made the trek from his summer home in Illinois back to Allen. As promised on his Facebook Live session he did bring his recently acquired pontoon boat with him to Texas.

- It was a hectic week for Steve and Michelle Martinson. On Tuesday they put their 17 year old son Logan on a plane to Langley, British Columbia where he will play junior hockey with the Langley Rivermen (BCHL) this season.

- The pontoon boat will be in storage for a while because coach Martinson will undergo shoulder replacement surgery on Monday which will limit what he can do for a couple of months. He has put off getting his shoulder fixed and anyone that knows him can attest to how much of a problem it has become the last few years. Even shaking hands causes pain and forget raising his hand above his head. You never know, after getting his right shoulder replaced he might be back in fighting shape again, haha.

- Martinson is busy putting the final pieces of the roster together. He is talking to some high end players/agents and it still has be determined what players will be assigned to Allen by the Wild. The expectation is a goalie, a couple of defensemen and a couple of forwards could be assigned to Allen by the Wild. Who the assigned to Allen won't be determined until the Wild training camp, which will start the end of September, is completed. One thing is clear, there will be a lot of competition for roster spots in Allen this season. Martinson has said this will be the most competitive training camp since he has been in Allen.


ROSTER

The announced Allen roster is now up to 11 players with plans for two more announcements next week, one on Tuesday and the other most likely on Thursday. Here is the current roster:

Goalie
Jeremy Brodeur

Defensemen
Josh Atkinson
Joel Chouinard
Mike Gunn
Miles Liberati

Forwards
Chad Butcher
J.C. Campagna
Matt Foget
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Braylon Shmyr
Kevin Sundher


FORMER PLAYERS

-  Forward Marcus Basara, who had two stints with Allen last season, has signed to play in England with the Manchester Storm. Basara joins two other former Americans in Manchester. Defensemen Dallas Ehrhardt (played in Allen in 2013-14) and Harrison Ruopp (played in Allen 2016-17).


- Earlier this week, defenseman Rick Pinkston, who played in Allen from 2015-17 and was part of the 2016 Kelly Cup championship team, signed with the Fife Flyers (Scotland). Here is the press release, "Flyers in the Pink with Rick"  https://eliteleague.co.uk/2018/08/13/flyers-in-the-pink-with-rick/


- Here is an interview with former Allen captain Jamie Schaafsma who is about to start his 15th pro season, his fourth in Fort Wayne. Jamie is 35 and talks about his training regimen and how it has changed, his family, the Komets loss in the playoffs last season, prospects for the upcoming season, his most memorable achievement (hint it is Allen related) and his desire to get into coaching after his playing days are over. https://www.echl.com/veteran-voice-jamie-schaafsma-fort-wayne-komets  


DID YOU KNOW: I came across this article at prohockeyrumors.com that starts out with this sentence, "No one likes to see former NHL players and prospects reduced to signing ECHL contracts to continue their pro careers, but as the off-season wears on, opportunities are drying up and more players are forced to make the difficult drop-off from a two-way big league contract to a one-way "AA" contract."  Young goaltender Adam Carlson (just signed with Rapid City) and veteran forward Pierre-Cedric Labrie (just signed with Wichita) are two examples but have very different situations. Check out their stories: https://www.prohockeyrumors.com/2018/08/adam-carlson-pierre-cedric-labrie-sign-echl-contracts.html

Weekly Update - Allen Announces Two More Players, Players Announced by All ECHL Teams, Interview With Commissioner-Elect Ryan Crelin, Garrett Clarke's Blog, Who Played in 74 Regular Season Games Last Season

The Allen Americans made two player announcements this week (J.C. Campagna & Josh Atkinson) to bring the roster up to eight players. Here is the list

Defensemen
Joel Chouinard
Mike Gunn
Josh Atkinson

Forwards
Chad Butcher
J.C. Campagna
Matt Foget
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Braylon Shmyr


J.C. Campagna - On Wednesday the Americans announced that J.C. Campagna has re-signed and will join the team for the second year. Campagna played in 13 regular season games for Allen at the end of last season and had nine points (5G, 4A). J.C played in all seven playoff games in Allen's first round loss to Idaho, scored two goals including the game winning goal in game three. "I am super excited to be back in Allen," said Campagna. "Coach Martinson reached out to me after the season to ask if I wanted to come back to Texas, and it was a no brainer! Last year we didn't have the finish we wanted, but I can guarantee the returning players will use that as motivation to get the Kelly Cup back to Allen this season." Here is the complete press release issued by the Americans:  https://allenamericans.com/jc-campagna-returns/

Allen signs defenseman Josh Atkinson

Josh Atkinson - On Friday the Allen Americans announced the signing of Josh Atkinson, a 6'0" 195 pound left shot defenseman who turned pro in 2016. Josh is from Spruce Grove, Alberta which is a suburb just west of Edmonton. Stu Barnes, who finished his long NHL career with the Dallas Stars and was an assistant with the team as well as hall of fame goalie Grant Fuhr were born in Spruce Grove.

Atkinson attended the University of Alaska (Fairbanks) and in his four year collegiate career never missed a game. His degree is in accounting and he was selected to the WCHA all-academic team three times.

After finishing his collegiate career (2016) Josh signed with the Atlanta Gladiators. As a rookie in 2016-17 he had 50 points (10G, 40A) in 66 games with Atlanta. Last season Atkinson signed an AHL deal with San Antonio but spent the entire season in Atlanta. His playing time was limited (32 games) due to injuries.

Here are the highlights from an Atlanta game in 2017 when they beat Adirondack 4-3 in overtime. Josh was the #1 star of the game with two goals and an assist including the game winner in overtime.

 

- In December of 2016, his rookie season in Atlanta, Josh Atkinson was interviewed by the local paper in a get to know you Q & A. Here is that interview: http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/sports/professional/gladiators/getting-to-know-josh-atkinson/article_98babfbe-a46a-58fd-a105-de4a90c4eba9.html


- Here is the press release issued by the Allen Americans on the Josh Atkinson signing: https://allenamericans.com/americans-welcome-new-defenseman/



- 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.

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


- If you add up all of the numbers there have been about 270 players announced 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 few weeks.


- Matt Harding from Team Sin Bin recently interviewed ECHL Commissioner-elect Ryan Crelin about a wide range of topics including his background, the three pillars of the ECHL, expansion, ticket prices, stability of markets, losing star players to Europe, length of season, playoff format, affiliations and much more. The interview runs 35 minutes but covers a  lot of ground and is well worth a listen:  https://thesinbin.net/hockey-talk-podcast-episode-10-echl-commissioner-elect-ryan-crelin/


- Garrett Clarke recently posted the second installment of his blog and as he promised it is open and honest. This installment is about his early amateur days. Clarke has signed to play in Romania for the upcoming season. http://garrettclarke.blogspot.com/2018/08/decisions-decisions.html



DID YOU KNOW: I often talk about what I think is an underappreciated statistic and that is players that play in every game during the season. That usually means playing in all 72 games on their team's schedule. However, because of the timing of trades a player can play in more than 72 games in a season. In 2017-18 there were 17 players in the ECHL that played in 72 games. However, one player appeared in 74 games to lead the league. That player was Tanner Eberle, who played in 11 games for Allen before being traded to Jacksonville where he played in 63 games. Tanner has signed with the Sheffield Steelers (England) for the 2018-19 season.  

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

 

Steve Martinson's Facebook Live Comments, Former Allen Player Signings, Worst NHL Tape Job Video, Allen Players Moving Up the All Time Games Played List, Allen Alumni Game & More

 - I have had a lot of questions from those not able to watch the recent Facebook Live event with Stave Martinson so I thought a recap would be helpful. The main topic was to announce the new affiliation with the Wild but there were many more worthwhile nuggets from coach Martinson. Here are a few highlights:

- Tom Kurvers, the assistant general manager of the Minnesota Wild is a friend of mine since our playing days. It is a unique situation that will be beneficial. I expect we will be able to get a lot of guys into Iowa's training camp and a couple of players into the Wild's prospect tournament in Traverse City. I am really excited by this affiliation and think it will be a great opportunity for our players to move up.

- Right now we are looking at four or five players being assigned to Allen from Iowa including a goalie that will be a depth goalie for them but has been a top goalie in our league and has AHL experience. The number could increase over the next couple of months depending on who the Wild sign.

- This is just a one year deal with the Wild but I expect this to go on for a long time. Most affiliations are year to year. We are excited about working with them and they are excited to be working with us.

- We have signed a lot of players from last year but some have been told they have to come in under certain conditions. I have made it clear to some of the returning players they have to change some things and they have to do that early or they won't be here very long. There is a short window to prove you are serious about your career and show me hockey is your top priority. I expect this to be the most competitive training camp since I have been in Allen.

- We are way ahead of where we have been in the past with good young players because we added rookies at the end of last season. Couple that with the guys I expect to get from the Wild, guys we have coming back and new guys I am close to signing we should have a powerhouse.

- There are some players from the Colorado Eagles who are now free agents because the Eagles have moved to the AHL. There is a possibility a couple of those guys ending up with us but we will have to wait and see.

- There will be a couple of exhibition/preseason games in Allen.

-  Josh Thrower may play at right wing this season.



FORMER PLAYERS

- If you haven't been keeping track of the former Allen Americans who have signed with new teams for next season here is a partial list from the last few weeks:

Alex Guptill - signed in England with the Nottingham Panthers
Jared Bethune - headed to college at Queen's University
Peter MacArthur - signed with the Adirondack Thunder
Gordie Ballhorn - headed to college at the University of Saskatchewan
Stephon Williams - signed in Slovakia with HC Banksa Bystrica
Vincent Arseneau - signed with Utica Comets (AHL) but Allen retains his ECHL rights
Alexandre Carrier - signed with the Atlanta Gladiators
Bryan Moore - signed with the Grand Rapids Griffins (AHL) 
Jaynen Rissling - from the Indy Fuel to the Nottingham Panthers (England)
Chris Crane - from the Orlando Solar Bears to the Norfolk Admirals
Daniel Leavens - from the Wichita Thunder to the Toledo Walleye
Corbin Baldwin - from the Idaho Steelheads to the Guildford Flames (England)
Jake Hildebrand - from the Tulsa Oilers to the Kalamazoo Wings
Tanner Eberle - from the Jacksonville IceMen to the Sheffield Steelers (England)
Harrison Ruopp - did not play professionally to the Manchester Storm (England)
Josh Brittain - from Banksa Bystrica (Slovakia) to Deggendorfer SC (Germany)
Joel Rumpel - from the Utah Grizzlies to to the Glasgow Clan (Scotland)



OTHER COMMENTS

- Now that Allen has ended their affiliation with San Jose the Sharks, options for an ECHL affiliate are limited. Here is article from Fear the Fin that lays out options for San Jose but also covers the entire NHL affiliation status with ECHL teams. A good read: https://www.fearthefin.com/2018/7/24/17599268/san-jose-sharks-new-echl-affiliate


- Here is a video about the NHL player's with the worst tape job on their sticks. This will be a good topic for a blog post about the Americans this season. Dallas Stars' Jamie Benn, among others, gets some shade thrown their way on how they tape their stick. Check it out:

- There is little doubt one of the most anticipated events of the upcoming season will be the first ever Allen Americans alumni game and the events that will surround it. There hasn't been much information about this 10th anniversary event but it got me to thinking what criteria you would use to pick the best players to ever put on the Allen Americans famous red sweater. Games played is certainly important as are points but how much weight should be given to championships, leadership, community involvement, awards, attitude, locker room impact etc. Erik Adams, former Allen defenseman and assistant coach has been named ambassador for the alumni game and other special events surrounding the game. Before training camp starts I will interview Erik to get more details on what will surely be a highlight of the season.


- I saw on social media the Costello family headed to Germany (Krefeld) this week to prepare for the upcoming hockey season. Chad joins Greger Hanson who signed with the Krefeld Pinguine at the end of last season. According to the website eliteprospects.com there was a rumor back in April that Jack Combs would also be signing with Krefeld but nothing has been announced since. It would be interesting to follow these three former Allen Americans as they try and help turn around the Krefeld Pinguine who finished last in the 14 team league last season.


- After the Joel Chouinard "Life After Hockey" story was posted on Thursday (http://allenamericansblog.blogspot.com/2018/07/joel-chouinard-shares-his-approach-to.html) I had a couple of readers ask how they can contact Joel to talk to him about their financial future. Here is his contact info:

DID YOU KNOW: If Joel Chouinard, David Makowski, Mike Gunn and Spencer Asuchak return to the Allen Americans (Chouinard and Gunn have already been announced) they could all end the season in the top ten all time for games played with Allen. Asuchak needs just 17 games to be #1 all time which is currently held by Tyler Ludwig (247 games). Gunn could get as high as #4, Makowski #5 and Chouinard #6. 

Joel Chouinard Shares His Approach to Life After Hockey - A Blueprint From the Captain

Joel & Courtney are expecting their first child, a boy, in November

 As recruitment for the 2018-19 hockey season is in full swing, Allen coach and general manager Steve Martinson has a very big tool kit at his disposal when talking to players about why playing for the Allen Americans is a good move for their career. I want to talk about just one of these tools in depth, preparing for a post hockey career, and share the story of Allen captain Joel Chouinard. But first here is my version of the recruiting pitch coach Martinson might make to a player he is recruiting.


-  Allen has never missed the playoffs in my six years as coach and we have won four championships. You can count on many additional weeks of pay as Allen makes a deep playoff run along with a couple of extra months of lodging and playoff bonuses. This can total $10,000 - $15,000 more in compensation for a player over a team that does not make the playoffs. 

- You will play in an upbeat, aggressive offensive system in Allen that is also dedicated to defensive hockey. Points you score in the ECHL won't keep you in the American Hockey League (AHL) but points will get you noticed. You have to be able to play without the puck and you have to understand the game and that is what we will help you with in Allen. With our system you will have plenty of opportunity to get points. We won't handcuff you in the third period with a lead. We will take less risks but we will keep our foot on the gas. If you want to play in a system where you can score a lot of points come to Allen.

- You will play in a great facility in the nine year old Allen Event Center which is surrounded by shopping and restaurants.  

- You will play for a team that has a history of moving young players to the AHL. Our goal is to see you progress in your hockey career.

- You will be able to develop your skating technique by working with skating coach Luke Chilcott who also works with AHL and NHL teams.

- While playing in the Dallas Metroplex you have access to whatever interests you may have including the Stars, Cowboys, Mavericks and Rangers. Playing where you have a major international airport makes it easier for you, your friends and family to travel in and out of DFW and for players to get to AHL cities quickly if called up.

- You will live in a place where you can play golf year around. Average high temperature during the hockey season is 79 in October, 66 in November, 57 in December, 55 in January, 61 in February, 69 in March, 77 in April and 84 in May. It is a great place to live whether your are single or married.

- If you like to fish there are plenty of opportunities within 30 minutes of your apartment. Fishing is excellent.

- One of the biggest detriments in recruiting in the past was that it was well known Allen traveled by bus more than other teams and players would bring that up as a problem. With new ownership Martinson can now tell players the team will be flying more and they have a newer, better bus when they do drive. One of the bigger obstacles has been overcome. 

- You will be helped with whatever your post hockey career interests are through our intern program and other corporate contacts. You will be able to develop business contacts while you are still playing that will be useful after you retire. The DFW metroplex is a great place to build a post career network whether you are planning on retiring in the area or just building your resume for your post career. DFW is the corporate headquarters to 22 Fortune 500 companies and 42 Fortune 1000 compamies. 

- It is this last point I would like to explore in more detail through the eyes of Allen Americans captain, Joel Chouinard. 


LIFE AFTER HOCKEY

I had the chance to sit down with Allen Americans captain Joel Chouinard to talk about preparing for a post career while still playing professional hockey. Joel had dreams of playing in the NHL and gave his all to that dream after being drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the sixth round of the 2008 NHL draft. While he was chasing his NHL dream Joel was keenly aware of the importance of an education. After all, his entire family has advanced degrees. His dad is a retired neuropsychologist, his mom was a school principal and his brother is in his last year of a Master's program in Economics at McGill University.

Joel started our discussion about preparing for a post hockey career with this comment, "I started thinking about my post hockey career when I still had playing in the NHL as my primary goal. The NHL is not my goal anymore. I gave it a good shot, I gave it every thing I had and I have no regrets."

Joel started taking classes the first year he turned professional (2011) through the University of Athabasca and is now just nine credits short of a Bachelor's degree in Management which he plans to complete during the upcoming season.

It is uncertain how long Joel will continue to play hockey. He is really comfortable where he is at. He loves playing for the Allen Americans and has no interest in going anywhere else. Chouinard admits he loves hockey more than anything and he will never be ready to retire and could play until he is forty and still love it. As he said, "Sure the traveling sucks but being out there playing on a Saturday night before a crowd of 5000 can't be beat so I know I am never going to be ready to retire but I want to have a plan to make it a lot easier transition when that day arrives."

Back in 2016 Joel read a story published on the website "The Players' Tribune" that was written by former NHL player Brandon Crombeen about life after hockey. Crombeen used his own experience to lay out a five point plan for life after hockey while still playing. His five points were:

1. Determine what interests you outside of playing hockey.
2. Once you have identified your interest, get some substance behind it.
3. Add depth to the experience you have.
4. Believe you can be successful outside hockey.
5. Don't forget about your hockey career.

Here is the complete Crombeen story: https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/brandon-crombeen-nhl-advice

Joel used this article as a road map to continue his education, make contacts in the community, network with professionals, ask questions and pick a field that interests him. Last year Joel contacted New York Life Insurance Company and got life and health insurance licenses in November. Throughout the season he was taking classes, studying and getting ready so when the season ended he could start his "other" work. Joel has been working hard this summer trying to meet as many people as possible to develop his business. He has been working mainly with people from the big Allen Americans' family, whether families or business owners.

You may wonder what are the similarities between professional hockey and working for New York Life. Here is how Chouinard describes it, "I have heard it so many times that professional athletes tend to do very well in this industry because it is a lot about work ethic and not quitting. It is very difficult at first because you have to build your own book of business. But athletes tend to persevere and reap the rewards later down the road."

When I asked Joel why people should choose him over other financial professionals he responded, "I tell them three things. First, I love to help people. As a captain you have to care for all of your teammates and deal with every situation, good or bad and help them achieve their goals. Second, I am fortunate to work for a very reputable company that offers unbelievable support to their agents. We have access to CPA's, attorneys, consultants and financial professionals who have a lot of experience in this industry and are only a phone call away. My job is to make sure my clients' concerns are heard and reach out to my team, so we can put together some recommendations. This transitions to my third point. I love working as a team because I have my whole life through hockey. This means that I do not want you to choose me over somebody else, I simply want to be another resource to you and your team of financial professionals. I have learned that working as a team is a lot more beneficial than working alone.


The reason Joel wanted to share his journey is to encourage other athletes to start working on their post career while they are still playing. Education, internships, networking, shadowing, talking to people in your field of interest in the summer will set you up when your career is over. His message to others is start now preparing for the future and the transition will be much easier when the time comes.


Steve Martinson has always been supportive of players working on their post career aspirations while they are still playing. Martinson became a certified financial advisor after his playing days were over but did not get certified until he had retired. Martinson told me, "Joel Chouinard is our captain because he is always prepared and goes about things in the right way. I am totally supportive of the initiative he has taken to finish his degree and become a licensed agent with New York Life while he is still playing hockey. He is a great example for others."


 

Joel G. Chouinard - Licensed Agent with New York Life

The Knowns, the Unknowns, the Educated Guesses on the 2018-19 Allen Americans Roster

It is that time of year when the Allen Americans can't announce the roster for the 2018-19 season quick enough and many fans are getting antsy about what is to come. With the announcement on Saturday that the Americans new affiliate will be the Minnesota Wild (NHL) and Iowa Wild (AHL) another piece of the puzzle has fallen into place.

I thought today I would take a crack at what is known and unknown about the 2018-19 roster and make some educated guesses about the players from last season that might return, who will be the new players added to the roster and who may be assigned to Allen by the Wild.


ALREADY SIGNED

Joel Chouinard - the captain and anchor of the defense returns for his third season in Allen. He has never missed a game since joining the Americans in 2016-17. It has been quite the summer for the Chouinard family. Joel and his wife (Courtney) got a puppy (goldendoodle named Harley), bought a house, announced they are expecting their first child (a boy) in November and Joel started working as an agent for New York Life. Tune in tomorrow for a story about Joel's approach to life after hockey.

Casey Pierro-Zabotel - the team leader in points (69) and #2 in assists (50) in the ECHL returns for his third season in Allen. A two time Kelly Cup champion (Allen & Colorado), Casey is a player/assistant coach and also has not missed a game in the last two seasons.

Mike Gunn - Mike returns for his third season in Allen and the popular defenseman has improved every season.

Chad Butcher - Chad is a right shot forward who is a playmaker with great skating skills. In his last year of junior hockey (2016-17) in the Western Hockey League (WHL) Chad had 103 points (27G, 76A) in 68 games. Chad is from Kamloops, British Columbia, the same home town as Spencer Asuchak and Casey Pierro-Zabotel. Not sure if there will ever be a "Kamloops Connection" line this year but the three do train together in the off season.


DEFINITELY NOT RETURNING

Here are some players from last season that will not return as they have already signed elsewhere:

Alex Guptill - signed in England with the Nottingham Panthers
Jared Bethune - headed to college at Queen's University
Peter MacArthur - signed with the Adirondack Thunder
Gordie Ballhorn - headed to college at the University of Saskatchewan
Stephon Williams - signed in Slovakia with HC Banksa Bystrica
Vincent Arseneau - signed with Utica Comets (AHL) but Allen retains his ECHL rights
Alexandre Carrier - signed with the Atlanta Gladiators


THE VETERANS

This gets a little more tricky because there is no way to know what has happened with the veterans. Keep in mind there are just four veteran spots available on the roster. Chouinard and Pierro-Zabotel have already been announced. Spencer Asuchak, Thomas Frazee and Tristan King are all veterans with Spencer reaching vet status (over 260 games) for the first time. My guess is Asuchak and Frazee take the last two vet spots and King will move on. Tristan was injured in the first game he played for Allen last season and missed the rest of the playoffs.


THE QUALIFYING OFFERS

If you track the qualifying offers given by the Americans you can make some educated guesses as to players that are already signed but not announced. This is a tried and true method based on past seasons. It goes something like this. The Americans can give qualifying offers to up to eight players from last season to retain their rights and the qualifying offer must be made by June 30. If a player has already been signed you don't need to give them a qualifying offer. Allen only used seven of their eight qualifying offers so you can assume any player from last season not on the qualified list has been signed. That list would include:

Josh Thrower
Miles Liberati
Zach Pochiro
Matt Foget
J.C. Campagna
Braylon Shmyr

Of the seven players on the qualified list there are two (Eric Roy & Dalton Thrower) that could sign with Allen. The other five (Arseneau, Archambault, Guptill, Ballhorn, Lessard) will play in other leagues but Allen retains their ECHL rights for this season.


THE AHL CONTRACTED PLAYERS

David Makowski, Spencer Asuchak, Bryan Moore and Jake Patterson were all on AHL contracts last season and are free agents that can sign anywhere. If you listened to coach Martinson's Facebook Live session on Saturday (it is still available on the Allen Americans Facebook page and worth a listen) he mentioned David Makowski is going to camp with Iowa so it looks like he will be returning. You have to assume Asuchak will be back. Moore and Patterson I am sure are looking for AHL deals so their return is unknown and less likely in my opinion.


PLAYERS ASSIGNED BY IOWA

Coach Martinson mentioned on Saturday he will get a goalie assigned by the Wild who is a proven player. He also expects to get some players assigned that the Wild will sign in the next couple of months. Other possibilities from Iowa are players still on their roster that spent time with their affiliate (Rapid City) last season. Here are those players:

Gustav Bouramman - a 6'0" 187 pound right shot defenseman from Sweden played 54 games with Rapid City and had 28 points (5G, 23A). Gustav was drafted in the 7th round of the 2015 NHL draft by the Minnesota Wild.

Dante Salituro - a 5'8" 176 pound right shot right wing/center played 53 games in Rapid City and had 48 points (23G, 25A). Salituro was acquired by the Wild in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets in June of 2017. He was selected for the ECHL all-star game last season.

Pavel Jenys - a 6'3" 218 pound left shot center played 48 games in Rapid City and had 35 points (17G, 18A). Pavel is from the Czech Republic and was drafted in the 7th round of the 2014 NHL draft by the Minnesota Wild.

Chase Lang - a  6'1" 194 pound right shot center/right wing played 18 games in Rapid City and had 10 points (4G, 6A). He was drafted in the 6th round of the 2014 NHL draft by the Minnesota Wild.


NEW PLAYERS

This may be the most important and exciting category and the one I know the least about but coach Martinson did give everyone a few hints in the Facebook live event on Saturday.

Martinson has signed a couple of defensemen (one played for Richard Matvichuk) that will be attending the NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, MI from September 7-11. The eight team field consists of prospects from the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues.

Martinson also mentioned he could pursue some of the free agents from the Colorado Eagles. With the Eagles moving to the AHL next season there will be a lot of free agents. There are many players from the two time Kelly Cup champions that have not been signed to AHL deals. Matt Register, Colin Bowman, Ryan Olsen, Gabriel Verpaelst and Jake Marto are a few of the names that are free agents and have not been signed according to eliteprospects.com.

There will be several new players that are not on anyone's (except Martinson) radar screen and they may be the most significant signings of the summer. Will just have to wait until they are announced.


GOALIES

Per coach Martinson, Allen will get one goalie assigned by the Wild. According to the website eliteprospects.com the Wild have four goalies under contract.  The NHL club has Devan Dubnyk as their top goalie with Alex Stalock as the backup. The AHL club shows two goalies on their roster, Andrew Hammond and Kaapo Kahkonen. The goalie that will be assigned to Allen would most likely be the next goalie that is announced.

Neither Jake Patterson or Jeremy Brodeur have signed a contract for next season according to eliteprospects.com so they may very well be in the mix for Allen. The question is will Martinson bring two or three goalies to camp. Since Patterson was under AHL contracted (Milwaukee) last season he is probably looking for another AHL deal. Seems more likely that Brodeur would be back in Allen as the backup to the Wild assigned goalie.

There have been many questions and comments about the status of Riley Gill with the Americans. Even though I have not discussed this with the Americans or Riley Gill there is no doubt in my mind that Gill has played his last game for the Allen Americans. Last season was a difficult one for the future Hall of Famer who was injured in his second start of the season and was out for the year. Whether Riley retires or signs elsewhere his place in ECHL history is cemented as the winningest playoff goalie ever to go along with three Kelly Cups.



DID YOU KNOW: Allen's new affiliation with the Wild could be called the Interstate 35 affiliation. The Iowa Wild play in Des Moines which is 675 miles straight up Interstate 35 from Allen. The Minnesota Wild play in St. Paul which is 250 miles straight up Interstate 35 from Des Moines. I have made this trip many times over the years heading back to Minnesota for hunting and fishing trips and the directions are very easy, get on interstate 35 and go north for 925 miles.