Allen Americans Weekly Update, Current Roster, Team for Sale, Greger Hanson Retires, Free Agent Players From the Past and More

There has been a lot happening around the Allen Americans and the ECHL both past and present so thought today would be a good day to cover a laundry list for those of you that don't follow on a day to day basis. Here goes:

- I received all kinds of feedback from the story I wrote last week about Jack Gulati selling the Allen Americans. If you haven't read that story here is the link: https://allenamericansblog.blogspot.com/2019/07/owner-jack-gulati-confirms-allen.html

I would emphasize the following from my conversation with owner Jack Gulati for the story:

The Americans are stable and profitable. Jack's reason for selling the team is because of health issues with his family.

If the team isn't sold prior to the start of the season Jack will remove the franchise from sale to focus on competing in the 2019-20 season.

There is no risk of the team leaving Allen.


- The number of player announcements around the ECHL has accelerated with almost 60 players announced in the last 10 days. The total is now over 140 ranging from 14 by Maine, 11 by Fort Wayne to three teams that have not announced any player signings (Brampton, Jacksonville, Kalamazoo). Brampton just filled their coaching vacancy (Spiros Anastas). The majority of teams have announced between five and nine players.


- The Americans official roster now stands at five players with the announcement last week that Braylon Shmyr has re-signed. Here is the Shmyr press release: https://allenamericans.com/americans-bring-back-forward-braylon-shmyr/

1. Spencer Asuchak
2. Ben Owen
3. Mike Hedden
4. Jacob Doty
5. Braylon Shmyr


- I had the chance to check in with coach Steve Martinson who is still at home in Rockford before returning to Allen next month. He has been very busy recruiting players he will sign and also working with Iowa on depth guys they will sign who will spend time in Allen. There are some old and new names being recruited that if successful will be very exciting for Allen fans.


- One player from the past that was rumored to be in the mix for Allen that won't return is Dyson Stevenson. It was announced earlier this week that Dyson has signed with the Utica Comets (AHL) where one of his teammates will be Vincent Arseneau. Being a depth guy for Utica, look for Dyson to spend most of the season in Kalamazoo, the ECHL affiliate for Utica. Here is a story written by blogger Cory Hergott which includes a section about Stevenson which says in part, "He has picked up 639 penalty minutes in 279 ECHL games, so I see Stevenson playing in Kalamazoo until someone like Vincent Arseneau gets dinged up in Utica."  https://canucksarmy.com/2019/07/23/utica-comets-add-depth-with-the-signings-of-defencemen-matt-petgrave-aaron-thow-along-with-forwards-dyson-stevenson-tanner-sorenson/


- Riley Bourbonnais has signed with the Odense Bulldogs in the top league in Denmark. Odense is the third largest city in Denmark with a population of about 200,000. Because Riley was given a qualifying offer by coach Martinson the Allen Americans will retain his ECHL rights for the upcoming season. 


- Greger Hanson's wife, Andrea, posted on social media, "After eight years of living the hockey life we are finally settling down! Greger and I are so excited to call Scottsdale our new home."

Hanson played four seasons in Allen and won three championships. Even though he is only 12th in regular season games played (195) he is tied for first in goals (98), fourth in points (225) and fourth in assists all-time.

Where Greger really excelled was in the playoffs. Between 2014-15 and 2016-17 Greger Hanson was #1 in the entire ECHL in playoff goals (30), #2 in points (60) and #4 in assists. In 59 ECHL playoff games, Hanson averaged 1.017 points per game with 30 goals and 30 assists. In addition to winning two Kelly Cups with Allen, Greger was the Kelly Cup MVP in the 2015 playoffs. Clearly one of the all-time greats in Allen Americans history.


- Richard Matvichuk, who was assistant coach in Allen for their first two championships has been hired as the Director of Hockey for the Burnaby Winter Club in Burnaby, British Columbia. Here is a press release: http://www.csshl.ca/leagues/newsletter.cfm?clientID=4542&leagueID=15269


- The Iowa Wild have announced that they have hired Alex Tanguay as an assistant coach. Tanguay played 15 seasons in the NHL and played in over 1000 games. He has been working as an analyst for the NHL Network. Here is the press release from the Wild with more detail:  https://www.iowawild.com/news/detail/iowa-wild-announces-alex-tanguay-as-assistant-coach



DID YOU KNOW:  Here is a list of Allen players from past seasons who are free agents. This is just a partial list with names I hear from fans they would like to see return to Allen. All but four are still available so if one of your favorites is on this list you can keep hoping.

Chad Costello - signed with Krefeld (Germany)
Jamie Schaafsma
Matt Register
Dyson Stevenson - signed with Utica (AHL)
Colby MacAuley
Greger Hanson - Retired
Gary Steffes
Bryan Moore - signed with Cleveland (AHL)
Olivier Archambault
Riley Gill
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Dante Salituro
      

Owner Jack Gulati Confirms Allen Americans Up for Sale With Hope of Attracting Local Investors

Allen Americans owner, Jack Gulati has confirmed to me that the team is for sale. When Jack bought the Americans in 2017 his commitment was that  the team would stay in Allen and he would have a more fan friendly operation. Gulati became a familiar face to fans as he greeted them on the concourse before every game he attended.

Jack Gulati engaging Allen fans

When I contacted Jack this past January after he agreed to sell the other ECHL team he owned (Reading Royals) and asked him what that meant for Allen he said, "I am pleased that I was able to consummate the deal with the current owners of the Reading Royals Arena, where the team has played since 2001. This will have a very positive impact not only for the Reading Royals but as well for the Allen Americans. With the completion of this transaction it will allow me more time to visit with our great fans in Allen and to help the team grow. I am pleased and I hope all of the loyal fans of the Allen Americans will also be pleased that I will be able to see them more often."


Needless to say it was a surprise to hear the Allen Americans were for sale after what fans thought would be many years of stability. The team seemed to have everything going in a positive direction. Gulati negotiated a new five year lease with the City of Allen and the relationship between the city and the team is better than ever. All of the financials from season tickets to groups sales to corporate sponsorships improved each season to a point where the team is now profitable.


So why is the team for sale? The answer to why Jack Gulati is selling the team is very straightforward. He is dealing with some health issues in his family and he has decided as an absentee owner it is better for him and the team to try and find local investors to purchase the Americans. When I talked to Gulati he strongly emphasized the team will stay in Allen. Jack also told me if he doesn't get the team sold by the beginning of the upcoming season he will not sell during the season.


The Allen Americans have so much going as a franchise:

- The largest and most affluent market in the ECHL.
-  A great facility in the Allen Event Center in the middle of premier shopping, dining and entertainment in The Village at Allen and Fairview Town Center.
- DFW is home to 24 Fortune 500 companies and 43 Fortune 1000 companies.
- The on ice product, under the leadership of coach Steve Martinson, who has won 10 championships in 23 years of coaching, struggled last season but won four straight championships from 2013-2016. Martinson has won over 1000 professional games, one of only three coaches to accomplish that feat.


I know there is a lot that goes into the sale of a hockey team but my hope is a local businessman or group will see that the Allen franchise is on the upswing financially, Steve Martinson will recruit a competitive team for the 2019-20 season and the potential of this franchise is outstanding. Local ownership would be great for the ECHL, the Allen Americans and the fans. Only time will tell.     
 

Allen Americans Roster Update, Recruitment Progress, Fan Club Update, Former Player News, ECHL Stats & Information, Coaching Changes & More

The ECHL recruiting process is in full swing with player signing announcements becoming more frequent day by day. There is, however, a long way to go before training camps open the end of September. Thus far around the ECHL 86 player signings have been announced ranging from 10 by Maine, six by South Carolina and Worcester to four teams that have not announced any player signings (Brampton, Jacksonville, Kalamazoo, Tulsa). The majority of teams have announced between two and five players.


- On opening day there will be around 575 players on ECHL rosters so with 86 signed thus far that represents just 15% of opening day rosters. There has been a recent trend of more NHL/AHL contracted players being assigned to ECHL teams and that will impact how many players ECHL teams will sign. In my opinion you will see 8-10 contracted players on most ECHL teams (including Allen) when the season starts. Some of this can be attributed to the new rule adopted by the ECHL Board of Governors (BOG) about the number of games contracted players must play in the AHL to qualify for the ECHL playoffs. Here is that new rule:

The BOG reduced from 10 to five the number of games a veteran player on a NHL or AHL one way or two way contract must play in the AHL during the regular season to be eligible to play in the ECHL playoffs. This may give more opportunity for ECHL veterans to be signed to AHL deals and play the five games in the AHL to qualify for the ECHL playoffs.

For players that are not veterans who are on AHL deals there is no longer a minimum number of AHL games they need to play to be eligible for the ECHL playoffs. The old rules required five games in the AHL. This rule change should mean more depth players signed to AHL deals that may not play in any AHL games but will still be eligible for ECHL playoffs.


- The Allen Americans announced on Saturday that forward Jake Doty will be returning for the 2019-20 season. Doty led the Americans with 13 fighting majors last season and he didn't play his first game until November 21.


- The Americans official roster now stands at four players:

Spencer Asuchak
Ben Owen
Mike Hedden
Jacob Doty


- The Iowa Wild announced last week that they had signed four players. Three of them were defensemen that spent time in Allen last season. Alex Breton led all Allen defensemen in goals and assists despite being loaned to the AHL at the end of February for the remainder of the season. Jack Sadek and Nick Boka played briefly in Allen after completing their college careers. While any of these players could make the Iowa roster in training camp it is likely they will spent significant time in Allen this season. A fourth defenseman, Stepan Falkovsky, is also under contract with the Wild and spent the majority of last season in the ECHL (Allen & Manchester). He could also see time with Allen next season. Here is the Iowa press release. https://www.iowawild.com/news/detail/iowa-wild-signs-four-players-to-spc-contracts


- It is getting to the time of the off season when players looking for AHL deals or opportunities in Europe will start making decisions about where they will play next season. Some great players still in the mix for all ECHL teams.


- The Allen Americans Fan Club asked me to post the following information:

"The Allen Americans Fan Club is excited about the upcoming hockey season. A new Board of Directors was elected in July. Returning this year are Greg Simpson who will now be the President of the Fan Club, Beth Turner will be Vice President; Debra Chisolm, Treasurer; Ted Hosterman, member at Large and Teresa Taylor, Secretary. The new board has been passionately working in alignment with the Allen Americans and they have some exciting things planned to support the players. If you are interested in joining and having fun with other passionate Allen Americans Fans this is the year to join the fan club. The one question that is always asked is how much of a commitment is needed to be a Fan Club Member and the answer is to simply engage how you see fit as a fan club member. Reach out to the fan club at fanclub@allenamericans.com and one of the Board Members will be happy to answer any questions and/or send you a membership application."


- About a year ago I started a Twitter page (@ECHLStats) where I post stats and information that I find interesting and hope other ECHL fans do as well. During the summer I also started to post this information on the Allen Americans Blog Facebook page. Last week I decided to set up a separate  page on Facebook called "ECHL Stats & Information" where I will post this leaguewide information. If you are on Facebook, please go to this new "ECHL Stats & Information" page and "Like" the page.


- I will call this the social section about former Allen players. Happy birthday to Dyson Stevenson who turns 26 today. Congrats to Joel and Alexandra Rumpel who got married this weekend. Congrats to Trevor Hendrikx and his wife Laura who just announced they are expecting their first child in January.


- The 2019 World Roller Games were just completed in Barcelona, Spain. More than 4000 athletes competed in events including Alpine, Roller Freestyle, Downhill, Dance, Roller Derby, Rink Hockey and Speed just to name a few. Former Allen Americans forward Jack Combs was a member of the USA rink hockey team that won the World Championship beating the Czech Republic 3-0 in the championship game.


- Check out this story from the Hockey News, "There's a New Hockey Factory in Minnesota - And It's a Middle School" https://thehockeynews.com/news/article/theres-a-new-hockey-factory-in-minnesota-and-its-a-middle-school


- Idaho head coach Neil Graham has been appointed as an assistant coach of the AHL Texas Stars. Idaho then promoted assistant coach, Everett Sheen to head coach of the Steelheads. Here are the details.
 
Neil Graham promoted to Texas Stars: https://www.idahosteelheads.com/en/articles/head-coach-neil-graham-appointed-as-texas-stars-assistant-coach

Everett Sheen promoted to Idaho's head coach: https://www.idahosteelheads.com/en/articles/steelheads-name-everett-sheen-as-franchise-s-eighth-head-coach



DID YOU KNOW: In Allen's first championship in 2013, a dramatic overtime goal in game seven by Todd Robinson is etched in everyone's mind but just as important was the game tying goal by defenseman Trevor Hendrikx with 2:19 left in regulation. It was Trevor's only shot of the game.  

 

      

Vacation Reflections, Spencer Asuchak and Ben Owen Return, Qualified List, Leading Goal Scorers Head to Europe, Players From the Past and More

We just returned from a river cruise in France on the Seine River sailing from Paris to the English Channel. Without a doubt the highlight of the trip was visiting Normandy. My dad was in World War II and I was in the First Infantry Division in Vietnam. The Big Red One played a major role on D-Day, June 6, 1944, leaping from their landing craft into the choppy waters off Omaha Beach. You can read about and see photos of what happened that day and the days, weeks and months that followed but too see it first hand, walk through the various battlefields, gives you a different perspective and makes you realize why they are called the greatest generation.


Because of my connection to the First Infantry Division I was asked, along with two other veterans, to place a wreath at the memorial at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial on behalf of the 120 people in our tour group. Another member of our group brought his bagpipes and kilt and played Amazing Grace. Then everyone sang the National Anthem. Needless to say there was not a dry eye in our entire group.


- I had a chance to catch up with coach Steve Martinson yesterday and as you can imagine he has been very busy with the off season recruiting process. While the Americans have officially announced just two player signings (Spencer Auschak and Ben Owen) other players have been signed but not announced.


- The signing of Asuchak and Owen are special for different reasons. Asuchak has played in 385 games (regular season and playoffs) for the Americans which is 77 more than any other player in Allen history. Spencer will be playing in his seventh season in Allen, no other player has played more than five seasons. Allen is his second home. For Ben Owen, Allen is literally his home having grown up playing and working at the Allen Community rink. Ben is at the opposite end of the games played list for the Americans as he has played in just six games.

Here is the Asuchak press release: https://allenamericans.com/americans-welcome-back-longest-tenured-player/

Here is the Owen press release: https://allenamericans.com/americans-add-local-defenseman-ben-owen/


- Qualifying offers are given to a maximum of eight players to retain their rights for next season. Players that are already signed do not have to be given qualifying offers. The qualifying offers had to be given by midnight on Sunday and coach Martinson qualified the maximum of eight players. Here is the list:

Zach Pochiro
Braylon Shmyr
Chad Butcher
Alex Breton
Riley Bourbonnais
Josh Atkinson
Dalton Thrower
Mike Gunn

Keep in mind players from last season that are not on this qualified list are either signed and not announced or they are now free agents. Most of them are now free agents and won't be returning for next season.

Zach Pochiro has signed to play in Denmark next season so he was qualified to retain his rights should he return from Europe prior to the February 15th deadline for signing players returning from Europe.

Shmyr, Breton, Bourbonnais and Atkinson all spent time in the AHL last season and are waiting to get AHL deals (if they haven't already been signed by an AHL team). If they get signed by Iowa they will likely spend time in Allen. If they don't get AHL deals their only option would be to look overseas or sign with Allen.


- Zach Pochiro is one of many ECHL players that led their team in goals last season that have made the jump to Europe for the 2019-20 season. Zach will be playing for the Esbjerg Energy. Esbjerg is a seaport city (population about 115,000) on the western coast of Denmark on the North Sea. One of Zach's teammates will be former Allen defenseman Travis Brown.


- I posted this on my @EchlStats Twitter and on Facebook which shows how many top goal scorers have signed in Europe:

How hard is it for ECHL teams to keep their top goal scorer? Already, ten teams have lost their leading goal scorer from 2018-19 to Europe and it is still early. This doesn’t include leading point scorers and players that get AHL deals. Here is a list of players that led their team in goals last season that are heading overseas for the 2019-20 season:

John Shalla - Indy to Romania
Zach Pochiro - Allen to Denmark
Josh MacDonald - Reading to Denmark
Caleb Herbert - Utah to Austria
Steve McParland - Idaho to Italy
Ben Duffy - Norfolk to Germany
Mike Szmatula - Adirondack to Poland
Wacey Rabbit - Jacksonville to Romania
Chris Collins - Kalamazoo to Austria
Grant Besse - South Carolina to Germany


- Eric Roy, who is fourth all time in regular season scoring (101 points) and third all time in playoff scoring (28 points) for Allen defensemen has signed to play in Romania next season.


- The ECHL Board of Governors (BOG) recently approved a couple of rule changes for the 2019-20 season in addition to video replay which they announced earlier. The most visible change is extending 3-on-3 overtime from five minutes to seven minutes before going to a shootout. The other change is more subtle but could have a much bigger impact. The BOG reduced from 10 to five the number of games a veteran player on a NHL or AHL one way or two way contract must play in the AHL during the regular season to be eligible to play in the ECHL playoffs. This may give more opportunity for ECHL veterans to be signed to AHL deals and play the five games in the AHL to qualify for the ECHL playoffs.


- For players that are not veterans who are on AHL deals there is no longer a minimum number of AHL games they need to play to be eligible for the ECHL playoffs. The old rules required five games in the AHL but there were two exceptions. This rule change should mean more depth players signed to AHL deals that may not get any AHL games but will still be eligible for ECHL playoffs. Clearly the trend has been more and more AHL/NHL contracted players being assigned to ECHL teams. The Americans as well as most ECHL teams could have 10 or more contracted player assigned next season. The new relaxed rules will allow all of them to be eligible for the ECHL playoffs.



DID YOU KNOW: Here is a partial list of former Allen Americans and players from last season that are free agents or could become free agents because they are veterans or are coming off NHL deals who have not been signed for 2019-20. Since most of us live in the past I know fans often talk about the return of these players. For various reasons it is a long shot for most these players to be on the 2019-20 Allen roster but you can always hope that one or two just might come through. There are 13 Allen championship rings represented in this group.

Jamie Schaafsma
Matt Register
Dyson Stevenson
Colby MacAuley
Greger Hanson
Gary Steffes
Bryan Moore
Riley Gill
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Dante Salituro
     

 
    

Allen Americans Update, ECHL Overseas Exodus in Full Swing, Jamie Schaafsma Moves On, John Snowden Hometown Hero and More

- We are off to Europe today for a river cruise (Seine) and visit to Normandy so wanted to provide an update on a variety of topics. Here goes:


- Steve Martinson had a Q & A with fans at the Team Store yesterday and brought everyone up to date on his recruiting efforts for next season. He is hard at work identifying players from a variety of sources including those that could come from the Wild, re-signing players from last season, players that are free agents around the ECHL and players coming off NHL/AHL deals. As usual fans that attended the Q & A in person got some off the record tidbits.


- The Allen Americans released their 2019-20 schedule this week. Here is a link that shows the schedule in calendar format. https://allenamericans.com/schedule/


- I will do a deep dive on the schedule as the season gets closer but it is noteworthy the Americans will play only eight different teams at home and 32 of 36 homes games are against division opponents. Norfolk, who finished sixth in the South Division last season will visit Allen on November 8 & 9. Kalamazoo, who finished fourth in the Central Division last season will visit Allen on January 10 &11. Here are the number of home games the Americans will play against Mountain Division teams:

7 - Wichita
6 - Tulsa
6 - Rapid City
6 - Idaho
4 - Utah
3 - Kansas City


- Allen will play 11 different teams on the road. In addition to the six Mountain Division foes the Americans will visit Cincinnati on November 12 & 14. From December 13-18 Allen will play two games in Adirondack and one each in Brampton and Worcester.


- Yesterday (June 15th) all ECHL teams had to submit their season ending roster of no more than 20 players. It should reveal more players that will not return to Allen next season. Since Allen had only 20 players on their protected list (submitted earlier) you will know any player on the protected list not on the season ending list will not be back in Allen. As a reminder, here is Allen's protected list which totals 20 players. The season ending rosters should be released in the next day or two.

Goalie
Lukas Hafner

Defensemen
Alex Breton
Ben Owen
David Makowski
Joel Chouinard
Duggie Lagrone
Josh Atkinson
Dalton Thrower
Mike Gunn
Curt Gogol

Forwards
Zach Pochiro
Braylon Shmyr
Riley Bourbonnais
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Thomas Frazee
Spencer Asuchak
Jacob Doty
Gary Steffes
Chad Butcher
Alex Guptill



- Today is the first day to sign players for the 2019-20 season. You might look for an announcement of a player signing this week but my guess is the process might be a bit slower this season than in the past.


- If you track AHL transactions you have noticed teams have started to announce player signings for next season. Many teams wait until after the NHL draft (June 21-22) to sign players for their AHL teams. I haven't seen any announcements from the Iowa Wild but my understanding is they have signed several players that will likely spend time in Allen next season. Remember, coach Martinson expects a lot more contracted players from the Wild organization next season and he has been involved in the process.


- The recruiting process for players coming off AHL/NHL deals that are free agents is now in full swing. There a many familiar names out there who are free agents. Vincent Arseneau is not one of them as he re-signed with Utica (AHL) last week.


- The annual exodus of players from the ECHL to Europe is going strong.  Utah's leading scorer, Caleb Herbert, is heading to Austria. Fort Wayne's leading scorer, Justin Hodgeman, will be a teammate of Chad Costello in Germany. Idaho's leading scorer, Steve McParland will play in Italy.  Fort Wayne's long time defenseman/tough guy Cody Sol will play in Slovakia. Ben Duffy, who was in training camp with Allen and was Norfolk's leading scorer, signed in Germany. Former Allen defenseman Travis Brown will play in Denmark next season. Christophe Lalancette, who played briefly in Allen last season has signed to play in Slovakia. There will be many more players signing overseas in the next month.


- Johnny McInnis, who played 23 games in Allen last season, has announced his retirement from pro hockey.


- I am sure most of you have seen the statement Jamie Schaafsma put out this week announcing he will not be returning to Fort Wayne next season (see below). The 36 year old has played in Fort Wayne the last four seasons and was captain of the team from day one. He has been a player/coach the last three seasons and this season was named MVP of the team. Fort Wayne recently named a new coach and the team is going in the proverbial "different direction." Jamie was noncommittal when asked if he will play again next season but did say he has been contacted by several teams since he announced he was not returning to Fort Wayne. Here is a story written by Justin Cohn with the details:  http://www.journalgazette.net/blog/ice-chips/20190612/delving-deeper-into-ks-schaafsma-breakup 

- Jamie Schaafsma is a great leader on and off the ice and also a great family man. When he was the captain in Allen he help start the intern program with the Allen fire department that still exists today. He has all of the certifications to become a fireman. Whether he plays again next season, takes a coaching job, becomes a fireman or pursues something else outside of hockey he will be successful. Best of luck to Jamie, Nicole and their four children.

Fireman Interns left to right, Ian Schultz, Kevin Young, Chad Costello & Jamie Schaafsma

- You know you have made it big when your hometown newspaper writes a feature story about your accomplishment. Such is the case with John Snowden coaching the Newfoundland Growlers to the Kelly Cup. John's hometown of Snohomish, Washington is a mere 4284 miles from St. John's, Newfoundland. A great read: https://www.heraldnet.com/sports/how-a-snohomish-product-won-a-pro-hockey-title-in-newfoundland/ 



DID YOU KNOW: Jamie Schaafsma made the championship finals in seven straight seasons playing for four different teams. He won a championship in Italy but will always be remembered for winning three straight championships with the Allen Americans. Jamie was the playoff MVP when Allen won their second CHL championship in 2014.  

Allen Americans Update - Protected List, Steve Martinson's Roster Comments, Kelly Cup Update, The Missing Kelly Cup, Patrick J. Kelly and More

After a drive of 1358 miles (one way) for a week of fishing in Ontario on an isolated lake off the famous Red Lake Road and the long trek back to Allen it is time for an Allen Americans update. The fishing trip was great as any time you can spend all day in a pristine environment with the sites and sounds of nature it is good for the soul. For the record our group of five caught 355 walleyes over the week along with some small-mouth bass, northern pike, muskie, perch and crappie. While each fisherman can only take four walleyes home we managed to eat around 120 walleyes using four different recipes. I hope I don't get to go on this fishing trip next year as it would mean a deep playoff run for the Allen Americans.


- You may have seen the Allen Americans protected list that was released yesterday. As a reminder there are three roster related lists that will be issued in June.

June 1st - Protected List (unlimited number of players)
June 15 - Season-Ending Roster (max 20 players)
June 30 - Qualifying Offers (max eight players)

Allen's protected list is more telling by who was not included. Since there is no down side to putting players on the list as there in no limit on the number of players that are included those that were omitted were given a clear message they will not be back in Allen. Here is Allen's protected list which totals 20 players.

Goalie
Lukas Hafner

Defensemen
Alex Breton
Ben Owen
David Makowski
Joel Chouinard
Duggie Lagrone
Josh Atkinson
Dalton Thrower
Mike Gunn
Curt Gogol

Forwards
Zach Pochiro
Braylon Shmyr
Riley Bourbonnais
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Thomas Frazee
Spencer Asuchak
Jacob Doty
Gary Steffes
Chad Butcher
Alex Guptill


- Here are the protected lists for all ECHL teams:  https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/6/echl-announces-2019-protected-lists


- Players on AHL/NHL deals cannot be protected (Josh Thrower, Chase Lang, Dante Salituro). The players that could have been protected by coach Martinson but were not are now free agents. Those players include:

Adam Miller
Alex Ranger
Mitch Maloney
Malcolm Gould
Kevin Sundher
Etienne Boutet


- Of the 20 players on the protected list the next step is making the season ending list which will come out on June 15. While all of the players on the protected list could be on the season ending list because it can have a max of 20 players I expect there will be less than 20 players on the season ending list when it is released. The bottom line is many of the players on the protected list will not return next season.


- I had a chance to sit down with coach Martinson yesterday and he shared the following about the recruiting process for the 2019-20 season.

The discussion with the Wild about the players that will be assigned to Allen have gone very well. There will be significantly more players under contract with the Wild assigned to the Americans than last season. While Martinson did not mention a number I could see as many as 10 AHL contracted players in Allen next season.

Coach Martinson has been working with the Wild identifying players that could be recruited as depth players for Iowa and top players for Allen. The Wild will then offer two way contracts to these players.

Martinson has not started talking to the Allen veterans from last season and won't start this process until he has a better idea of who will get assigned to the Americans by the Wild. He will then fill in the gaps using the four veteran slots he has available for the final roster.

 It is too early to talk to players coming of AHL deals but that will be another source of recruitment later in the summer.

With Manchester folding all of their non AHL/NHL contracted players became free agents and can sign with any ECHL team when signing begins on June 16th. Manchester has some good young players that will be highly recruited by coaches across the ECHL. Another potential recruiting source for coach Martinson.


- If you haven't been following Allen defenseman Josh Atkinson since the end of the Americans season he has been on quite a ride. Josh was loaned to the Chicago Wolves and played in their last regular season game. He is on Chicago's playoff roster and played in the first playoff game against Grand Rapids. He is still with the team as they are now in the finals of the Calder Cup. While it is unlikely Josh will get in another game unless there are injuries he could become a Calder Cup champion. Chicago is facing Charlotte in the finals and the series is tied 1-1with the next three games in Chicago. Hopefully Atkinson will get an AHL deal for next season.


- Other players from last season that could get AHL deals include Alex Breton, Riley Bourbonnais, Braylon Shmyr and Dante Salituro. Hopefully Iowa would be interested in some of these players and they could be assigned to Allen. Last season Breton spent time with Belleville and Springfield, Bourbonnais was with Iowa and Shmyr spent time with Springfield and San Antonio. Salituro is coming off a three year NHL deal with the Minnesota Wild. All of these players are free agents as it pertains to the AHL and can sign with any team.


- Another unknown is which players from the 2018-19 roster are pursuing deals in Europe. There is little doubt that some of them will head overseas. Etienne Boutet, Alex Ranger and C.J. Motte have already signed to play in Europe next season. More will follow.


- Newfoundland has a chance tonight to win the Kelly Cup. After taking a 3-1 series lead before losing game five in Toledo the Growlers have two chances to get the fourth win at home. The Newfoundland Growlers are the story of the playoffs. A first year team affiliated with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies, the Growlers had their head coach (Ryane Clowe) step down in January for medical reasons. Assistant coach John Snowden, who played in Allen, was named the new head coach. Newfoundland won the North Division easily but struggled at the end of the regular season losing nine of their last 14 games. The Growlers won the first round of the playoffs against Brampton 4-2 but three of the wins came in overtime. Newfoundland improved each round and by the time they took on the favored Florida Everblades in the Eastern Conference Finals they were playing their best hockey. Newfoundland went to Florida to start the series and beat the Everblades twice and the series was essentially decided. It ended up going five games but the Growlers were dominate. Now in the finals, Newfoundland has a 3-2 series lead over Toledo and the odds of the Growlers winning the Kelly Cup are about 80% depending on the data you use. In NHL history, according to the website whowins.com, in the finals the team with a 3-2 lead wins game six about 60% of the time and wins the series 80% of the time.


- I know this is old news at this point but I couldn't help but notice all of the information on social media pertaining to the Colorado Eagles refusal to return the Kelly Cup to the ECHL. Apparently there is some dispute over the exit fees charged to the Eagles for leaving the ECHL for the AHL. The league was forced to create a new Kelly Cup that will be presented to Newfoundland or Toldeo. Since the Cup is presented to the ECHL champion by Mr Kelly who was the first commissioner of the ECHL and is going strong at 83 years of age it is disrespectful to Patrick Kelly and poor form by Colorado to not give up the trophy over some financial squabbles. C'MON MAN!



DID YOU KNOW:  From the start of the ECHL in 1988-89 to 1995-96 the playoff champion was awarded the Riley Cup. Beginning in the 1996-97 season the Patrick J. Kelly Cup is awarded to the ECHL champion. Named in recognition of Patrick J. Kelly, one of the founding fathers of the league and the ECHL Commissioner for the first eight seasons before being named Commissioner Emeritus in 1996. Kelly just celebrated his 66th season in hockey. It is interesting that it is the Colorado Eagles that are refusing to return the Kelly Cup as Kelly was the coach of the Colorado Rockies (NHL) in 1977-78 and is the only coach to lead the Rockies to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The franchise was moved to Colorado from Kansas City (Scouts) after being in Kansas City from 1974-76. The Rockies were in Colorado from 1976-82 and were then moved to New Jersey where they became the New Jersey Devils.

Walleye Are My Favorite, Kelly Cup Playoffs, Off-Season Transactions, Wichita Hires Coach and More

I am about to head to Canada (Ontario) on my annual fishing trip where for a week we will be off the grid and the daily agenda is very simple. Sleep, eat, fish, eat, nap, fish, eat and repeat. I am the camp cook and I have four different recipes for all of the walleye we will catch from fried Walleye, to Parmesan broiled walleye to tented baked walleye with vegetables to a seafood chowder with walleye, clams and shrimp for the cold rainy days. You can only bring four walleye each back home but you can eat 20 per day (four walleye times five fishermen) so lots of fish meals.


- The Kelly Cup finals won't be set until tomorrow (Wednesday) night when Tulsa and Toledo meet in game seven of the Western Conference finals. The Oilers went into a sold out (7542) Huntington Center last night and beat the Walleye 4-2 to force a game seven which will be in Tulsa. There have been just two seven game series in the 2019 Kelly Cup playoffs with both involving Tulsa. In the opening round the Oilers beat Kansas City in game seven (at home) after falling behind in the series 3-2. Can Tulsa use home ice advantage to advance to the Kelly Cup finals and bring a fifth straight championship to the Mountain Division?


- Awaiting in the wings are the Newfoundland Growlers who clinched the Eastern Conference championship on Saturday. It is already a given that Newfoundland will have home ice advantage in the Kelly Cup finals because they finished #3 during the regular season and are the highest ranked team remaining. Games one and two of the finals will be in Newfoundland on Saturday and Sunday. It will be the classic case of rest or rust as the Growlers will go a week between games while the winner of Tulsa vs Toledo will go from one series to the next.  


- Cincinnati and Florida dominated during the regular season. Cincinnati finished with 110 points which was 16 points more than third place Newfoundland and Florida finished the regular season with 106 points, 12 more than the Growlers. The fact that Cincinnati and Florida didn't make it to the Kelly Cup finals is not a huge surprise but the way they lost was a big surprise. Cincinnati lost to Toledo 4-1 in the Central Division Finals and Florida lost the Newfoundland 4-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals.


- The Newfoundland Growlers are the story of the playoffs. A first year team affiliated with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Marlies, the Growlers had their head coach (Ryane Clowe) step down in January for medical reasons. Assistant coach John Snowden was named the new head coach. Newfoundland won the North Division easily but struggled at the end of the regular season losing nine of their last 14 games. The Growlers won the first round of the playoffs against Brampton 4-2 but three of the wins came in overtime. Newfoundland improved each round and by the time they took on the favored Florida Everblades in the Eastern Conference Finals they were playing their best hockey. Newfoundland went to Florida to start the series and beat the Everblades twice and the series was essentially decided. It ended up going five games but the Growlers were dominate. Here are a few examples:

In their four wins against Florida the Growlers outscored the Everblades 16-1.

In 79 playoff games so far there has been nine shutouts, the last three have been by Newfoundland's Micheal Garteig against Florida who was #2 in the ECHL in the regular season averaging 3.83 goals per game.

Newfoundland was very disciplined in the series allowing only eight power play opportunities to Florida and the Everblades scored only one power play goal. Florida allowed 22 power plays to the Growlers that resulted in five power play goals.

Growler forward Zach O'Brien had his second hat trick of the playoffs in game four against the Everblades. There have been five hat tricks in the playoffs so far and Zach has two of them. He is tied for the lead in playoffs in goals (14) and is second in points (24). O'Brien leads the playoffs in game winning goals with five. By the way the ECHL record for most goals in one playoff year is 17.


- The Kelly Cup finals will be unique no matter who joins Newfoundland. The Growlers are a first year franchise and you have to go back to 1990 to find the last time that has happened. The Greensboro Monarchs won the 1990 ECHL championship (Riley Cup) as a first year franchise beating the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds 4-1.


- If Tulsa makes the finals it will be the first time since joining the ECHL in 2014. The Oilers missed the playoffs the last three seasons.


-If Toledo makes the finals it will be the first time since 1994. The Walleye won their division four years straight (2015-18) but never advanced to the finals. This season they finished second to Cincinnati in the Central Division but can advance to the championship finals with a win in Tulsa tomorrow night.


- Here is a story from the Toledo Blade about the disappointment of the Walleye losing game six at home and having to take a 15 hour bus ride to Tulsa for game seven: https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/walleye/2019/05/21/why-the-toledo-walleye-are-busing-to-tulsa-echl-playoffs/stories/20190521092


- The off season changes will pick up next month but several notable ones have already been announced. Allen captain Joel Chouinard and former players Peter MacArthur and Tyler Barnes have retired. Defenseman Etienne Boutet has signed to play in France. Utah's leading scorer (71 points, 32 goals), Caleb Herbert, has signed in Austria where his teammate will be Allen goalie C.J. Motte who signed earlier. Goalie Joe Cannata, who led the Colorado Eagles to the Kelly Cup in 2018 and played for Utah this season has signed to play in Sweden in 2019-20. If this off season is typical the majority of the top 10 ECHL scorers will not return to next season. If they don't get AHL deals they will head to Europe.


- The Wichita Thunder announced last week that their new coach will be Bruce Ramsay who Allen fans will remember from his six years (2009-15) as the head coach in Tulsa. There has been speculation that Wichita Thunder captain Dyson Stevenson could return to Allen. Since Dyson is now a veteran with 288 pro games he can become a free agent and sign with any ECHL team. Will Stevenson re-sign with Wichita now that the Thunder have selected Ramsay as their new coach? Ramsay played a similar style to Stevenson during his pro career. Ramsay played one season in Wichita (2000-01) and had 35 points in 60 games to go along with 364 penalty minutes. Stevenson could also look at playing in Europe. The bottom line is Dyson will have lots of option on where he will play next season and Allen is just one of them.


DID YOU KNOW: There are so many stats you can look at to determine which of the three teams left in the playoffs will win the Kelly Cup. Here are a couple of comparisons looking at games played in the division and conference finals.

Goals Differential
+21 Newfoundland
+9   Toledo
-1    Tulsa

Goals Allowed Per Game
1.73 - Newfoundland
2.00 - Toledo
2.33 - Tulsa