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