The Allen Americans take the ice for the first time today and in just 10 days will have the opening day roster selected. There are 26 players currently under contract. Two or three additional players have been or will be signed and Iowa will assign players to Allen in the next few days. Here is a list of the 26 players currently under contract with Allen, sliced and diced in various ways. Unless otherwise stated all of this info is from eliteprospects.com.
ROSTER
Goalies
Jeremy Brodeur
Andrew D'Agostini
Defensemen
Josh Atkinson
Alex Breton
Joel Chouinard
Mike Gunn
Miles Liberati
David Makowski
Tate Olson
Ben Owen
Eric Roy
Dalton Thrower
Josh Thrower
Forwards
Spencer Asuchak
Chad Butcher
J.C. Campagna
Lucas Clark
Ben Duffy
Matt Foget (likely traded but not announced)
Thomas Frazee
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Zach Pochiro
Tyler Poulson
Braylon Shmyr
Kevin Sundher
Mitch Vandergunst
FACTS
- Eight players are from the United States born in six different states
- 18 players are from Canada born in six different provinces, six hail from British Columbia
- Combined the 26 players have played 1328 games for Allen in the past
- The group has 486 games of AHL experience led by Joel Chouinard with 204
- Average age is 24.27. Only two other ECHL teams are younger (Wheeling 24.26 & Wichita 23.76)
- Average weight is 188 pounds. Only three teams (Brampton, Jacksonville, Tulsa) are lighter
- Tallest player is Spencer Asuchak (6' 5") and shortest is Tyler Poulson (5'7")
- Nine of the 26 players are rookies
- There are 11 defenseman, four are right shot and seven left shot
- There are 13 forwards, six right shots, seven left shots
- Eight of the 13 forwards are listed as playing center by elite prospects
- The oldest players at 29 are Casey Pierro-Zabotel and David Makowski
- The youngest are 21 and there are six of them
OTHER COMMENTS
- The Iowa Wild played their final preseason game yesterday and shutout the Tuscon Roadrunners 2-0. The Iowa goalie was C.J. Motte who is expected to be the goalie assigned to Allen. I haven't seen a box score but Braylon Shmyr, Josh Atkinson, Alex Breton and Tate Olson were all expected to play. Here is a press release about the game: https://www.iowawild.com/news/detail/iowa-shuts-out-tucson-2-0-in-preseason-finale
- Prior to the Iowa game yesterday coach Tim Army discussed their loss to Tuscon on Friday night and at the end of the interview talked about what the Allen players needed to do in the Saturday game. Army talked about playing with pace, understanding the forecheck, having an impact on the game by being seen and not blending in. It would be a great opportunity for the Allen players to make an impression so they will be the first call up during the season when Iowa has injuries or loses players to Minnesota. Here is the full seven minute interview. The part where coach Army talks about the Allen players starts at the 5:30 mark. https://bit.ly/2zEloUG
DID YOU KNOW: The Iowa Wild have been in existence since the 2013-14 season. The franchise moved from Houston where the Houston Aeros were part of the AHL since 2001. The Aeros were also affiliated with the Minnesota Wild.
Sunday, September 30, 2018
Saturday, September 29, 2018
Allen Training Camp Roster - Who Is Here, Who is Coming and Who is Leaving, Fundraiser for Eight Year Old Cancer Patient, Iowa Coach Interview, Hats Off to the Fan Club
The official training camp roster grew by three yesterday to bring the total to 19 players. Here is the list. The players that were added yesterday have an asterisk:
Goalies
Jeremy Brodeur
Defensemen
Joel Chouinard
Mike Gunn
Miles Liberati
David Makowski
Ben Owen*
Eric Roy
Dalton Thrower
Forwards
Spencer Asuchak
Chad Butcher
J.C. Campagna
Lucas Clark*
Ben Duffy
Thomas Frazee
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Zach Pochiro
Tyler Poulson
Kevin Sundher
Mitch Vandergunst*
Here are a few things you can glean from this list based on my reporting:
- Matt Foget has to be the player that has been traded. After attending the Minnesota Wild prospect tourney he was sent back to Allen rather than being sent to the Iowa Wild training camp. Since he is not on the list above it is safe to say he has been traded. Many teams are not starting training camp until October 1st so you may not see an announcement by the team Matt was traded to until Monday. Allen doesn't typically put out press releases for traded players, especially if the trade is for future considerations or cash.
- Tyler Poulsen may have been a surprise to Allen fans when he showed up on the training camp list. He played a couple of games with Allen last season and is yet another rookie looking for a spot.
- Mitch Vandergunst is on a tryout contract and it is fair to describe the 6'3" 201 pound forward as a tough guy. He had nine fights last season according to dropyourgloves.com but only played in 24 games (9 in the SPHL, 15 in the ECHL). If you would project his fights per game average over a 72 game season it would equal 27 fights. Over his pro career he has played in 41 games and has eight points (3G, 5A). This looks to me like coach Martinson is auditioning Vandergunst in case he needs a tough guy during the season.
- Ben Owen is also on a tryout contract. He is a local player who attended Allen High School and went to a Division III college (St. Mary's) in Minnesota. The 6'1" 194 pound defenseman is a right shot who was earlier signed by the Evansville Thunderbolts of the SPHL. I have seen Martinson do this in the past, give a tryout contract to a local player since there is no travel and housing costs involved. It will be a good experience for the rookie before he heads to Evansville's camp.
- The third player added yesterday was Lucas Clark who signed a Standard Player's Contract (SPC). The 21 year old rookie center played in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) the last two seasons for the Victoria Grizzlies. Last season he was the captain of the team. Lucas played 106 games in his BCHL career and had 83 points (27G, 56A).
- Four players missing from the list (Josh Atkinson, Tate Olson, Alex Breton and Braylon Shmyr) are expected to play in the Iowa Wild preseason game tonight when they take on the Tuscon Roadrunners in a game that will be played in St. Paul, MN. The same teams played last night with Tuscon coming away with a 4-2 win. None of the Allen contracted players were in the lineup last night. Most if not all of these guys will be back in Allen next week.
- Josh Thrower will not play in the Iowa preseason game tonight but has started skating after sustaining an injury at the Minnesota Wild prospects tournament.
- There is only one goalie on the list above but there will be two for the first practice tomorrow. Jeremy Brodeur is back in Allen after attending training camp with the New York Rangers. Andrew D'Agostini is not on the list but will be the second goalie.
- There are two or three players that should be signed in the next couple of days, some tryouts players and some SPC players.
- The Iowa Wild open the regular season this Friday (October 5th) so they will be making decision this week on what contracted player will be assigned to Allen.
- You add all the numbers together and the total is pushing 30. That is why I keep saying it will be the most competitive training camp ever for the Allen Americans.
- I am sure coach Martinson already has a lot of information in his head before the team ever hits the ice. The players get physicals which include weight and body fat. Those that didn't work out or work out hard enough in the off season will be apparent to Martinson. He can compare the data at the end of last season to how they report this season. It is hard to hide and Martinson warned all players, especially the returning players, to show up in shape.
OTHER COMMENTS
- How would you like to contribute to a good cause and also have a chance to win a Casey Pierro-Zabotel game worn autographed red jersey. Casey and his wife Levi are trying to raise money for a good friend of their son, Lane. Lane and his friend, whose name is Steven, are eight years old. Steven is battling stage 3 cancer. Steven's mom is a single mother of three who has to take time off from work and is struggling to cover hospital bills, groceries and all of the other living expenses for the three children. Cancer is a tough diagnosis at any age but for an eight year old it can be devastating. The Allen Americans family is known for their kindness in these type of situations, so whether you are interested in the jersey or not go to the GoFundMe page and help out Steven. Here is the link: https://www.gofundme.com/pierrozabotel-jersey-for-cancer
- It looked like the long process of installing the ice at the Allen Event Center started yesterday. The first step was a thorough cleaning of the floor and installing the boards. Next week you should see pictures of the staff putting down the ice which is a long and laborious task.
- If you have never heard new Iowa Wild coach, Tim Army, speak here is a short video where he outlines his plans for the team. You can apply much of what he is saying about the relationship between the AHL and the NHL to the relationship between the ECHL and the AHL.
DID YOU KNOW: Hats off to the Allen Americans Fan Club who is extremely busy this time of year. They do everything from picking up players at the airport to setting up apartments to make sure players have everything they need to providing breakfast each morning at the rink before practice. A great group of dedicated Allen Americans fans.
Goalies
Jeremy Brodeur
Defensemen
Joel Chouinard
Mike Gunn
Miles Liberati
David Makowski
Ben Owen*
Eric Roy
Dalton Thrower
Forwards
Spencer Asuchak
Chad Butcher
J.C. Campagna
Lucas Clark*
Ben Duffy
Thomas Frazee
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Zach Pochiro
Tyler Poulson
Kevin Sundher
Mitch Vandergunst*
Here are a few things you can glean from this list based on my reporting:
- Matt Foget has to be the player that has been traded. After attending the Minnesota Wild prospect tourney he was sent back to Allen rather than being sent to the Iowa Wild training camp. Since he is not on the list above it is safe to say he has been traded. Many teams are not starting training camp until October 1st so you may not see an announcement by the team Matt was traded to until Monday. Allen doesn't typically put out press releases for traded players, especially if the trade is for future considerations or cash.
- Tyler Poulsen may have been a surprise to Allen fans when he showed up on the training camp list. He played a couple of games with Allen last season and is yet another rookie looking for a spot.
- Mitch Vandergunst is on a tryout contract and it is fair to describe the 6'3" 201 pound forward as a tough guy. He had nine fights last season according to dropyourgloves.com but only played in 24 games (9 in the SPHL, 15 in the ECHL). If you would project his fights per game average over a 72 game season it would equal 27 fights. Over his pro career he has played in 41 games and has eight points (3G, 5A). This looks to me like coach Martinson is auditioning Vandergunst in case he needs a tough guy during the season.
- Ben Owen is also on a tryout contract. He is a local player who attended Allen High School and went to a Division III college (St. Mary's) in Minnesota. The 6'1" 194 pound defenseman is a right shot who was earlier signed by the Evansville Thunderbolts of the SPHL. I have seen Martinson do this in the past, give a tryout contract to a local player since there is no travel and housing costs involved. It will be a good experience for the rookie before he heads to Evansville's camp.
- The third player added yesterday was Lucas Clark who signed a Standard Player's Contract (SPC). The 21 year old rookie center played in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) the last two seasons for the Victoria Grizzlies. Last season he was the captain of the team. Lucas played 106 games in his BCHL career and had 83 points (27G, 56A).
- Four players missing from the list (Josh Atkinson, Tate Olson, Alex Breton and Braylon Shmyr) are expected to play in the Iowa Wild preseason game tonight when they take on the Tuscon Roadrunners in a game that will be played in St. Paul, MN. The same teams played last night with Tuscon coming away with a 4-2 win. None of the Allen contracted players were in the lineup last night. Most if not all of these guys will be back in Allen next week.
- Josh Thrower will not play in the Iowa preseason game tonight but has started skating after sustaining an injury at the Minnesota Wild prospects tournament.
- There is only one goalie on the list above but there will be two for the first practice tomorrow. Jeremy Brodeur is back in Allen after attending training camp with the New York Rangers. Andrew D'Agostini is not on the list but will be the second goalie.
- There are two or three players that should be signed in the next couple of days, some tryouts players and some SPC players.
- The Iowa Wild open the regular season this Friday (October 5th) so they will be making decision this week on what contracted player will be assigned to Allen.
- You add all the numbers together and the total is pushing 30. That is why I keep saying it will be the most competitive training camp ever for the Allen Americans.
- I am sure coach Martinson already has a lot of information in his head before the team ever hits the ice. The players get physicals which include weight and body fat. Those that didn't work out or work out hard enough in the off season will be apparent to Martinson. He can compare the data at the end of last season to how they report this season. It is hard to hide and Martinson warned all players, especially the returning players, to show up in shape.
OTHER COMMENTS
- How would you like to contribute to a good cause and also have a chance to win a Casey Pierro-Zabotel game worn autographed red jersey. Casey and his wife Levi are trying to raise money for a good friend of their son, Lane. Lane and his friend, whose name is Steven, are eight years old. Steven is battling stage 3 cancer. Steven's mom is a single mother of three who has to take time off from work and is struggling to cover hospital bills, groceries and all of the other living expenses for the three children. Cancer is a tough diagnosis at any age but for an eight year old it can be devastating. The Allen Americans family is known for their kindness in these type of situations, so whether you are interested in the jersey or not go to the GoFundMe page and help out Steven. Here is the link: https://www.gofundme.com/pierrozabotel-jersey-for-cancer
 |
| Help the Pierro-Zabotel family raise money for Steven and win a jersey |
- It looked like the long process of installing the ice at the Allen Event Center started yesterday. The first step was a thorough cleaning of the floor and installing the boards. Next week you should see pictures of the staff putting down the ice which is a long and laborious task.
- If you have never heard new Iowa Wild coach, Tim Army, speak here is a short video where he outlines his plans for the team. You can apply much of what he is saying about the relationship between the AHL and the NHL to the relationship between the ECHL and the AHL.
DID YOU KNOW: Hats off to the Allen Americans Fan Club who is extremely busy this time of year. They do everything from picking up players at the airport to setting up apartments to make sure players have everything they need to providing breakfast each morning at the rink before practice. A great group of dedicated Allen Americans fans.
Friday, September 28, 2018
ECHL Training Camp Opens, Why Allen Could Win Another Kelly Cup, List of Eight Teams With Multiple ECHL Championships
The big day has finally arrived for the ECHL as the 2018-19 season officially gets under way with the opening of training camps. It is that time of year when all 27 teams think they have the talent to win the Kelly Cup. It won't take long to separate the wheat from the chaff as 80% of the playoff teams will be determined by Thanksgiving. For most teams the first couple of days of training camp are devoted to team meetings, physicals, testing etc. Allen's first on ice practice won't take place until Sunday.
- The Americans have issued the training camp roster. I will devote the blog tomorrow providing information on each player. Here is the list. Remember, players can be added each day and the roster will be in flux throughout training camp. Here is the press release: https://allenamericans.com/americans-announce-training-camp-roster/
Goalies
Jeremy Brodeur
Defensemen
Joel Chouinard
Mike Gunn
Miles Liberati
David Makowski
Eric Roy
Dalton Thrower
Forwards
Spencer Asuchak
Chad Butcher
J.C. Campagna
Ben Duffy
Thomas Frazee
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Zach Pochiro
Tyler Poulson
Kevin Sundher
- I get a lot of feedback from fans as the roster gets built each season and some of that feedback recently has questioned how the 2018-19 season will be different when 14 or 15 players from last season have been re-signed. It is a fair question. Here is my take on the upcoming season.
- Steve Martinson, in my opinion, is the best recruiter in the ECHL. You don't win 10 championships in 22 years of coaching without being an outstanding recruiter. Martinson has stated publicly the team was hurt by injuries last season but an even bigger problem was the loss of key players to the AHL. Olivier Archambault, Vincent Arseneau and David Makowski were all missed during the playoffs. Martinson's focus this season has been much more on having high end players be committed to playing in Allen combined with young players that want to move up.
- Martinson has signed more quality players going into training camp this year than he has in the past and he isn't done recruiting. The roster as it looks today will be very different than the opening day roster. When all is said and done there will not be 15 players from last season on the 2018-19 roster. It is a broken record but it is true, this will be the most competitive training camp ever for the Americans.
- The final roster in my opinion will look much different than last season even though there will be a stable group of core players from last season. Last year there was one rookie (Josh Thrower) on the opening day roster. This year there could be 4-6 rookies on the opening day roster.
- I have a very small window into the Allen locker room but the leadership in my opinion is going to have a lot more impact this season. Joel Chouinard, who is an outstanding leader, will be captain for the second season and has the respect of everyone. He will only get better after his first year as captain in 2017-18. A big difference from last season is key veteran players, as far as I know, are focused on playing and winning in Allen. Last season David Makowski, Spencer Asuchak and Thomas Frazee were all on AHL deals. This season they are not under AHL contract and that subtle change will have an impact. Add in player/assistant Casey Pierro-Zabotel who along with Chouinard has not missed a game the last two seasons and you have a core group that will be in control of the locker room. I think this group makes a big difference this season especially if the team has a lot of rookies. They all have a singular focus on winning a championship in Allen and will do whatever they have to do to make that a reality.
- Another change for the upcoming season that in my opinion will have a positive impact has to do with assistant coach Jason Deitsch. Jason won three championships with three different teams (Cincinnati Cyclones, Texas Brahmas, Allen Americans) during his playing career and served as captain for his college team, Texas and Allen. He was a team first player that would do anything for his teammates. Deitsch is a McKinney fireman and has helped out coach Martinson in the past when his scheduled allowed. Last season Jason was still in training, working on his EMT/paramedic certification after finishing his firefighter training. Jason has now completed his training and has more control of his schedule so will be much more involved with the team. Jason will be a great sounding board for the players as well as coach Martinson.
- The Allen Americans have a new affiliation this season with the Minnesota Wild. There is no doubt in my mind this will be helpful for the Iowa Wild and the Americans. A strong affiliation is critical to success in the ECHL and it is clear from the conversations I have had with coach Martinson the Minnesota Wild will contribute in a positive way. This could be a real difference maker throughout the season and especially come playoff time.
- The bottom line for me is the 2018-19 roster is shaping up to be more like the model used in winning the Kelly Cup in the past. A core group whose primary goal is to be in Allen and win a championship surrounded by some dynamic young players looking to move up and anchored with role players that will do whatever is asked in the interest of the team. Will it end up with another Kelly Cup? That is a difficult task when you consider Allen will be going for their third Kelly Cup in five years and only three teams in the 30 year history of the ECHL have won three championships. If you are an Allen Americans fan you can be assured Steve Martinson will do whatever is necessary to put the team in position to compete for another championship and that is all any fan or player can ask.
DID YOU KNOW: In the 30 year history of the ECHL only eight teams have won more than one championship. Here is the list with the year of their last championship in parentheses
3 - Alaska Aces (2014)
3 - South Carolina Stingrays (2009)
3 - Hampton Roads Admirals (1998)
2 - Allen Americans (2016)
2 - Colorado Eagles (2018)
2 - Cincinnati Cyclones (2010)
2 - Idaho Steelheads (2007)
2 - Toledo Walleye (1994) - were called the Toledo Storm at the time
- The Americans have issued the training camp roster. I will devote the blog tomorrow providing information on each player. Here is the list. Remember, players can be added each day and the roster will be in flux throughout training camp. Here is the press release: https://allenamericans.com/americans-announce-training-camp-roster/
Goalies
Jeremy Brodeur
Defensemen
Joel Chouinard
Mike Gunn
Miles Liberati
David Makowski
Eric Roy
Dalton Thrower
Forwards
Spencer Asuchak
Chad Butcher
J.C. Campagna
Ben Duffy
Thomas Frazee
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Zach Pochiro
Tyler Poulson
Kevin Sundher
- I get a lot of feedback from fans as the roster gets built each season and some of that feedback recently has questioned how the 2018-19 season will be different when 14 or 15 players from last season have been re-signed. It is a fair question. Here is my take on the upcoming season.
- Steve Martinson, in my opinion, is the best recruiter in the ECHL. You don't win 10 championships in 22 years of coaching without being an outstanding recruiter. Martinson has stated publicly the team was hurt by injuries last season but an even bigger problem was the loss of key players to the AHL. Olivier Archambault, Vincent Arseneau and David Makowski were all missed during the playoffs. Martinson's focus this season has been much more on having high end players be committed to playing in Allen combined with young players that want to move up.
- Martinson has signed more quality players going into training camp this year than he has in the past and he isn't done recruiting. The roster as it looks today will be very different than the opening day roster. When all is said and done there will not be 15 players from last season on the 2018-19 roster. It is a broken record but it is true, this will be the most competitive training camp ever for the Americans.
- The final roster in my opinion will look much different than last season even though there will be a stable group of core players from last season. Last year there was one rookie (Josh Thrower) on the opening day roster. This year there could be 4-6 rookies on the opening day roster.
- I have a very small window into the Allen locker room but the leadership in my opinion is going to have a lot more impact this season. Joel Chouinard, who is an outstanding leader, will be captain for the second season and has the respect of everyone. He will only get better after his first year as captain in 2017-18. A big difference from last season is key veteran players, as far as I know, are focused on playing and winning in Allen. Last season David Makowski, Spencer Asuchak and Thomas Frazee were all on AHL deals. This season they are not under AHL contract and that subtle change will have an impact. Add in player/assistant Casey Pierro-Zabotel who along with Chouinard has not missed a game the last two seasons and you have a core group that will be in control of the locker room. I think this group makes a big difference this season especially if the team has a lot of rookies. They all have a singular focus on winning a championship in Allen and will do whatever they have to do to make that a reality.
- Another change for the upcoming season that in my opinion will have a positive impact has to do with assistant coach Jason Deitsch. Jason won three championships with three different teams (Cincinnati Cyclones, Texas Brahmas, Allen Americans) during his playing career and served as captain for his college team, Texas and Allen. He was a team first player that would do anything for his teammates. Deitsch is a McKinney fireman and has helped out coach Martinson in the past when his scheduled allowed. Last season Jason was still in training, working on his EMT/paramedic certification after finishing his firefighter training. Jason has now completed his training and has more control of his schedule so will be much more involved with the team. Jason will be a great sounding board for the players as well as coach Martinson.
- The Allen Americans have a new affiliation this season with the Minnesota Wild. There is no doubt in my mind this will be helpful for the Iowa Wild and the Americans. A strong affiliation is critical to success in the ECHL and it is clear from the conversations I have had with coach Martinson the Minnesota Wild will contribute in a positive way. This could be a real difference maker throughout the season and especially come playoff time.
- The bottom line for me is the 2018-19 roster is shaping up to be more like the model used in winning the Kelly Cup in the past. A core group whose primary goal is to be in Allen and win a championship surrounded by some dynamic young players looking to move up and anchored with role players that will do whatever is asked in the interest of the team. Will it end up with another Kelly Cup? That is a difficult task when you consider Allen will be going for their third Kelly Cup in five years and only three teams in the 30 year history of the ECHL have won three championships. If you are an Allen Americans fan you can be assured Steve Martinson will do whatever is necessary to put the team in position to compete for another championship and that is all any fan or player can ask.
DID YOU KNOW: In the 30 year history of the ECHL only eight teams have won more than one championship. Here is the list with the year of their last championship in parentheses
3 - Alaska Aces (2014)
3 - South Carolina Stingrays (2009)
3 - Hampton Roads Admirals (1998)
2 - Allen Americans (2016)
2 - Colorado Eagles (2018)
2 - Cincinnati Cyclones (2010)
2 - Idaho Steelheads (2007)
2 - Toledo Walleye (1994) - were called the Toledo Storm at the time
Thursday, September 27, 2018
Training Camp Roster, ECHL-TV vs AHL-TV Prices, Allen Offers Digital Ticketing, An ECHL Book Recommendation, A View on Pep Talks to Professionals
If you have been waiting for the start of hockey season with the same anticipation I have, today is a big day. By 2:00 pm this afternoon the Allen Americans training camp roster is due to the league office. It is possible the team could release the training camp roster and schedule as early as this afternoon and fans will be able to see some names other than the 22 that have been already announced. A couple of cautions if you see the training camp roster this afternoon.
- Even though the training camp roster has a firm due date and time (today) players can be added or subtracted after today. I would expect there are some tryout players that won't be on the list but will be added prior to the first practice on Sunday.
- There will be quite a few players from the list of 22 that have already been announced that will not be in Allen for the start of training camp. As a reminder here is that list of 22.
Goalies
Jeremy Brodeur
Andrew D'Agostini
Defensemen
Josh Atkinson
Alex Breton
Joel Chouinard
Mike Gunn
Miles Liberati
David Makowski
Tate Olson
Eric Roy
Dalton Thrower
Josh Thrower
Forwards
Spencer Asuchak
Chad Butcher
J.C. Campagna
Ben Duffy
Matt Foget
Thomas Frazee
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Zach Pochiro
Braylon Shmyr
Kevin Sundher
Brodeur, Atkinson, Breton, Olson and Josh Thrower are at AHL training camps and will be involved in what I call the trickle down effect. Let's use the Minnesota Wild as an example since all of the players listed except Brodeur are at the Iowa Wild training camp. Minnesota plays their last preseason game tomorrow night (Friday) and open their season on October 4th. Minnesota will make their final cuts this weekend or early next week and send players to the Iowa Wild. The Iowa Wild play preseason game tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday and open their season on October 5th. Until Iowa gets players from Minnesota they won't send players to Allen. This means these Allen players, if they don't make the Iowa opening day roster, won't be back in Allen until the middle of next week. They should be back prior to Allen's preseason games on October 5th & 6th.
- Remember, there is one player on the list above that has been traded and won't be at training camp.
OTHER COMMENTS
- The ice at the Allen Event Center (AEC) has not been installed so all activities related to training camp will take place in the Community Rink. They should start installing the AEC ice next week.
- The ECHL issued a press release yesterday with the prices for ECHL-TV for the upcoming season. The prices are the same as last season's early bird prices. It is striking the difference between the ECHL-TV prices and AHL-TV prices. Here are a few examples:
The ECHL charges $8.99 for a single game, the AHL charges $6.99 for a single game all access pass where you can watch all games that day.
The ECHL charges $99.99 to watch all away games for a single team, the AHL cost is $39.99.
The ECHL charges $199.99 for an all access pass to watch all games, all season, all teams. The AHL all access pass is $79.99.
The ECHL charges $44.99 for a monthly all access pass, the AHL charges $19.99.
I know in the press release issued by the AHL earlier this month launching the new AHL-TV streaming platform it mentioned they had partnered with a company called HockeyTech on this effort. HockeyTech also provides real-time scoring and statistical services for the AHL.
Here is the ECHL press release with all of the details if you are interested in buying one of the TV packages. https://www.echl.com/echl-tv-packages-now-available
- The Allen Americans have announced they will begin using Ticketmaster's digital ticketing system this year. I first heard about this software a year ago when Allen played preseason games against Kansas City at the Allen Community Rink. I had the chance to talk to Mavericks owner, Lamar Hunt Jr., at length as we ended up standing together on the glass watching the game. I was impressed with how open and engaging he was with me as I peppered him with questions. One of the topics we discussed was customer service and Hunt mentioned a new Ticketmaster software upgrade the Mavericks had implemented which would allow season ticket holders the ability manage their own account. From what I understood, there were many benefits to this upgraded system but those that piqued my interest were the fact season ticket holders will be able to exchange tickets, transfer tickets and even renew their season tickets each year all with out contacting the front office.
The Americans will be providing more information on this digital ticketing system over the next three Wednesdays. It is important to know everyone will be provided tickets as usual for the upcoming season.
- You don't find many books written about ECHL hockey. I would like to recommend one written by Kansas City Mavericks play-by-play announcer Bob Rennison. The title of the book is, "A View From the Gondola: My journey through Kansas City Mavericks' 2017-18 season." Bob takes the reader through the team's 2017-18 season as he experienced it. As described on Amazon, "This book gives readers a taste of ECHL hockey from the inside. Find out more about the work several people put in daily to make a minor league hockey team successful. Also, learn how important hockey fans are to players, broadcasters, trainers, equipment managers and team management in minor league professional hockey." The book is available from Amazon. The cost is $18.00.
DID YOU KNOW: Steve Martinson is not one for pep talks and has often told me he doesn't see his role to motivate professional hockey players. I saw this quote from NBA coach Gregg Popovich which captures the same sentiment as he talked about doing your job, "If you are a plumber & don't do your job you don't get work. I don't think a plumber needs a pep talk. You are a basketball player - You come ready....it's your job."
- Even though the training camp roster has a firm due date and time (today) players can be added or subtracted after today. I would expect there are some tryout players that won't be on the list but will be added prior to the first practice on Sunday.
- There will be quite a few players from the list of 22 that have already been announced that will not be in Allen for the start of training camp. As a reminder here is that list of 22.
Goalies
Jeremy Brodeur
Andrew D'Agostini
Defensemen
Josh Atkinson
Alex Breton
Joel Chouinard
Mike Gunn
Miles Liberati
David Makowski
Tate Olson
Eric Roy
Dalton Thrower
Josh Thrower
Forwards
Spencer Asuchak
Chad Butcher
J.C. Campagna
Ben Duffy
Matt Foget
Thomas Frazee
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Zach Pochiro
Braylon Shmyr
Kevin Sundher
Brodeur, Atkinson, Breton, Olson and Josh Thrower are at AHL training camps and will be involved in what I call the trickle down effect. Let's use the Minnesota Wild as an example since all of the players listed except Brodeur are at the Iowa Wild training camp. Minnesota plays their last preseason game tomorrow night (Friday) and open their season on October 4th. Minnesota will make their final cuts this weekend or early next week and send players to the Iowa Wild. The Iowa Wild play preseason game tomorrow (Friday) and Saturday and open their season on October 5th. Until Iowa gets players from Minnesota they won't send players to Allen. This means these Allen players, if they don't make the Iowa opening day roster, won't be back in Allen until the middle of next week. They should be back prior to Allen's preseason games on October 5th & 6th.
- Remember, there is one player on the list above that has been traded and won't be at training camp.
OTHER COMMENTS
- The ice at the Allen Event Center (AEC) has not been installed so all activities related to training camp will take place in the Community Rink. They should start installing the AEC ice next week.
- The ECHL issued a press release yesterday with the prices for ECHL-TV for the upcoming season. The prices are the same as last season's early bird prices. It is striking the difference between the ECHL-TV prices and AHL-TV prices. Here are a few examples:
The ECHL charges $8.99 for a single game, the AHL charges $6.99 for a single game all access pass where you can watch all games that day.
The ECHL charges $99.99 to watch all away games for a single team, the AHL cost is $39.99.
The ECHL charges $199.99 for an all access pass to watch all games, all season, all teams. The AHL all access pass is $79.99.
The ECHL charges $44.99 for a monthly all access pass, the AHL charges $19.99.
I know in the press release issued by the AHL earlier this month launching the new AHL-TV streaming platform it mentioned they had partnered with a company called HockeyTech on this effort. HockeyTech also provides real-time scoring and statistical services for the AHL.
Here is the ECHL press release with all of the details if you are interested in buying one of the TV packages. https://www.echl.com/echl-tv-packages-now-available
- The Allen Americans have announced they will begin using Ticketmaster's digital ticketing system this year. I first heard about this software a year ago when Allen played preseason games against Kansas City at the Allen Community Rink. I had the chance to talk to Mavericks owner, Lamar Hunt Jr., at length as we ended up standing together on the glass watching the game. I was impressed with how open and engaging he was with me as I peppered him with questions. One of the topics we discussed was customer service and Hunt mentioned a new Ticketmaster software upgrade the Mavericks had implemented which would allow season ticket holders the ability manage their own account. From what I understood, there were many benefits to this upgraded system but those that piqued my interest were the fact season ticket holders will be able to exchange tickets, transfer tickets and even renew their season tickets each year all with out contacting the front office.
The Americans will be providing more information on this digital ticketing system over the next three Wednesdays. It is important to know everyone will be provided tickets as usual for the upcoming season.
- You don't find many books written about ECHL hockey. I would like to recommend one written by Kansas City Mavericks play-by-play announcer Bob Rennison. The title of the book is, "A View From the Gondola: My journey through Kansas City Mavericks' 2017-18 season." Bob takes the reader through the team's 2017-18 season as he experienced it. As described on Amazon, "This book gives readers a taste of ECHL hockey from the inside. Find out more about the work several people put in daily to make a minor league hockey team successful. Also, learn how important hockey fans are to players, broadcasters, trainers, equipment managers and team management in minor league professional hockey." The book is available from Amazon. The cost is $18.00.
DID YOU KNOW: Steve Martinson is not one for pep talks and has often told me he doesn't see his role to motivate professional hockey players. I saw this quote from NBA coach Gregg Popovich which captures the same sentiment as he talked about doing your job, "If you are a plumber & don't do your job you don't get work. I don't think a plumber needs a pep talk. You are a basketball player - You come ready....it's your job."
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
The Pace Quickens With Player Signing and Player Trade with More to Come, Disappointing News for Former Americans, Biscuit's Bully Busters, ECHL Season One
Allen Americans coach Steve Martinson has to submit his training camp roster to the league office tomorrow (2:00 pm local time) but I am sure everything is written in pencil at this point as additions and deletions seem to be happening by the hour. My reporting since yesterday includes the following.
- The Americans have signed another defenseman in rookie Tate Olson, a 6'2" 190 pound, left shot from the Western Hockey League. (See details below). The Americans now have 10 defensemen under contract and could still get a defenseman assigned by Iowa. Talk about a competitive training camp, this will be something to watch. Olson is currently at training camp with the Iowa Wild.
- Coach Martinson made a trade yesterday and I would expect it won't be the last before opening night on October 12. Here is my take on trades before camp starts. As the roster gets built it becomes clear some players will not fit as anticipated, they may have to play a position different than they prefer. In some of these situations the best option is to find a team that can use the player's skill. In the past when coach Martinson has been confronted with these situations he has done his best to find a good place for the player to play. This trade should get announced today.
- Coach Martinson has said all along good players will become available as AHL training camps get underway. Players that were hoping for AHL one way contracts get to a point where they start talking to ECHL teams. There is little doubt in my mind that Martinson is still recruiting one or more of these players.
- The bottom line is there are a lot of moving parts as the training camp roster gets finalized. It is guaranteed there will be many old faces, new faces and a few surprises. There will be more competition for roster spots than any training camp since Martinson arrived in Allen. It is possible six or seven rookies could be on the training camp roster and that will definitely change the dynamic. The way the roster is comprised, as of today, the Allen Americans have the fifth youngest team in the ECHL.
TATE OLSON
- Tate Olson is another of the many players Steve Martinson has recruited from the Western Hockey League. He played his first four years in juniors for the Prince George Cougars including the 2016-17 season when former Allen assistant coach, Richard Matvichuk was his coach. Here is the video announcement on Olson:
- Olson was the seventh round draft choice of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2015 NHL draft. In his five year junior career Tate played in 306 games and had 131 points (25G 106A). If you want to learn more about what to expect from Tate Olson check out this "prospect profile" from 2016: https://canucksarmy.com/2016/08/22/canucks-army-prospect-profile-9-tate-olson/
- Here is a Tate Olson highlight video from 2016-17 when he played for Richard Matvichuk. You will hear a couple of familiar names in these highlights as Olson's teammates that season included former Americans Jared Bethune and Colby McAuley. Another of Tate's teammates at Prince George (2013-15) was Zach Pochiro.
- Here is a PSA Tate was part of in 2015 about the importance of playing hockey tobacco free:
OTHER COMMENTS
- Yesterday was a disappointing day for two former Allen players, Bryan Moore and Matt Register. Both of them signed with the Detroit Red Wings organization in the off season with the hopes of playing in the AHL with the Red Wings affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. Moore signed with the Griffins and Register signed with their ECHL affiliate, the Toledo Walleye. All looked promising when Moore and Register were invited to the Red Wings NHL training camp. However, yesterday they were sent directly to the Toledo Walleye and will not attend the Grand Rapids training camp. It has to be discouraging to not even get a chance at the AHL camp. Here is the complete story: https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/walleye/2018/09/25/detroit-red-wings-assign-seven-players-to-toledo-walleye/stories/20180925214
- I had the chance to talk Cory Essman yesterday. Corey was recently hired by the Allen Americans as the Director, Game Entertainment & Community Relations. Corey shared with me an anti-bullying program he has established called, Biscuit's Bully Busters. Biscuit (team mascot) and a selected speaker visit schools and give anti-bullying tips to children through physical comedy, as well as talking about real life situations. The program covers four types of bullying; physical, social, self-bullying and online bullying. Through this 40 minute assembly program, children will learn how not to be a bully and how to avoid being bullied when they are faced with a problem situation. A great program that has been getting excellent reviews. If you are a parent, teacher or know of a school that might be interested in this free and informative program call Corey Essman at 972-912-1027 or send him an email at Corey@allenamericans.com.
DID YOU KNOW: As the ECHL prepares for season number 31, here is a reminder of season number one. The league started in 1988-89 with just five teams, Carolina Thunderbirds, Erie Panthers, Johnstown Chiefs, Knoxville Cherokees and the Virginia Lancers. Carolina beat Johnstown for the first championship which was the Jack Riley Cup. What made that series unique was it went to a deciding game seven and ECHL commissioner, Patrick J. Kelly, suspended three Carolina players for game seven forcing the Thunderbirds to play with just 11 skaters. Game seven was played in Johnstown but against all odds Carolina won the game 7-4 and claimed the first Riley Cup.
- The Americans have signed another defenseman in rookie Tate Olson, a 6'2" 190 pound, left shot from the Western Hockey League. (See details below). The Americans now have 10 defensemen under contract and could still get a defenseman assigned by Iowa. Talk about a competitive training camp, this will be something to watch. Olson is currently at training camp with the Iowa Wild.
- Coach Martinson made a trade yesterday and I would expect it won't be the last before opening night on October 12. Here is my take on trades before camp starts. As the roster gets built it becomes clear some players will not fit as anticipated, they may have to play a position different than they prefer. In some of these situations the best option is to find a team that can use the player's skill. In the past when coach Martinson has been confronted with these situations he has done his best to find a good place for the player to play. This trade should get announced today.
- Coach Martinson has said all along good players will become available as AHL training camps get underway. Players that were hoping for AHL one way contracts get to a point where they start talking to ECHL teams. There is little doubt in my mind that Martinson is still recruiting one or more of these players.
- The bottom line is there are a lot of moving parts as the training camp roster gets finalized. It is guaranteed there will be many old faces, new faces and a few surprises. There will be more competition for roster spots than any training camp since Martinson arrived in Allen. It is possible six or seven rookies could be on the training camp roster and that will definitely change the dynamic. The way the roster is comprised, as of today, the Allen Americans have the fifth youngest team in the ECHL.
TATE OLSON
 |
| Allen defenseman Tate Olson |
- Tate Olson is another of the many players Steve Martinson has recruited from the Western Hockey League. He played his first four years in juniors for the Prince George Cougars including the 2016-17 season when former Allen assistant coach, Richard Matvichuk was his coach. Here is the video announcement on Olson:
- Olson was the seventh round draft choice of the Vancouver Canucks in the 2015 NHL draft. In his five year junior career Tate played in 306 games and had 131 points (25G 106A). If you want to learn more about what to expect from Tate Olson check out this "prospect profile" from 2016: https://canucksarmy.com/2016/08/22/canucks-army-prospect-profile-9-tate-olson/
- Here is a Tate Olson highlight video from 2016-17 when he played for Richard Matvichuk. You will hear a couple of familiar names in these highlights as Olson's teammates that season included former Americans Jared Bethune and Colby McAuley. Another of Tate's teammates at Prince George (2013-15) was Zach Pochiro.
- Here is a PSA Tate was part of in 2015 about the importance of playing hockey tobacco free:
OTHER COMMENTS
- Yesterday was a disappointing day for two former Allen players, Bryan Moore and Matt Register. Both of them signed with the Detroit Red Wings organization in the off season with the hopes of playing in the AHL with the Red Wings affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. Moore signed with the Griffins and Register signed with their ECHL affiliate, the Toledo Walleye. All looked promising when Moore and Register were invited to the Red Wings NHL training camp. However, yesterday they were sent directly to the Toledo Walleye and will not attend the Grand Rapids training camp. It has to be discouraging to not even get a chance at the AHL camp. Here is the complete story: https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/walleye/2018/09/25/detroit-red-wings-assign-seven-players-to-toledo-walleye/stories/20180925214
- I had the chance to talk Cory Essman yesterday. Corey was recently hired by the Allen Americans as the Director, Game Entertainment & Community Relations. Corey shared with me an anti-bullying program he has established called, Biscuit's Bully Busters. Biscuit (team mascot) and a selected speaker visit schools and give anti-bullying tips to children through physical comedy, as well as talking about real life situations. The program covers four types of bullying; physical, social, self-bullying and online bullying. Through this 40 minute assembly program, children will learn how not to be a bully and how to avoid being bullied when they are faced with a problem situation. A great program that has been getting excellent reviews. If you are a parent, teacher or know of a school that might be interested in this free and informative program call Corey Essman at 972-912-1027 or send him an email at Corey@allenamericans.com.
DID YOU KNOW: As the ECHL prepares for season number 31, here is a reminder of season number one. The league started in 1988-89 with just five teams, Carolina Thunderbirds, Erie Panthers, Johnstown Chiefs, Knoxville Cherokees and the Virginia Lancers. Carolina beat Johnstown for the first championship which was the Jack Riley Cup. What made that series unique was it went to a deciding game seven and ECHL commissioner, Patrick J. Kelly, suspended three Carolina players for game seven forcing the Thunderbirds to play with just 11 skaters. Game seven was played in Johnstown but against all odds Carolina won the game 7-4 and claimed the first Riley Cup.
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
The Knowns and Unknowns About Allen's Training Camp Roster, ECHL Critical Dates, Former Player Updates, Iowa Training Camp and Playoff Power Play Cost Allen
Coach Martinson is now just two days from submitting the training camp roster to the ECHL office (2:00 pm CDT on Thursday). He has said all along this will be the most competitive training camp since arriving in Allen. Here are my thoughts on what the training camp roster might look like when it is finalized.
- There have been 21 players announced by the Americans so that would be the starting point. As a reminder here is the list:
Goalies
Jeremy Brodeur
Andrew D'Agostini
Defensemen
Josh Atkinson
Alex Breton
Joel Chouinard
Mike Gunn
Miles Liberati
David Makowski
Eric Roy
Dalton Thrower
Josh Thrower
Forwards
Spencer Asuchak
Chad Butcher
J.C. Campagna
Ben Duffy
Matt Foget
Thomas Frazee
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Zach Pochiro
Braylon Shmyr
Kevin Sundher
- All of the players on the list above will not be at the first on ice practice on Sunday. Five (Brodeur, Atkinson, Breton, J. Thrower and Shmyr) are at AHL camps and may not be back by Sunday. If you look at the Iowa Wild roster there are only eight defensemen plus the three from Allen (Atkinson, Breton, Thrower) on tryout contracts. If there are any injuries one of the Allen defenseman may stay in Iowa.
- There will be other players added to the training camp roster that will increase the number. This will include players signed to a standard player's contract that have not been announced, SPHL players that have been invited and possibly local players that are unsigned for the upcoming season and will tryout. The bottom line is it will be a good sized camp when everyone arrives.
- According to the website dropyourgloves.com Mike Gunn led the Americans last season in fighting majors with 11. Josh Thrower was second with 10 fights but there is a chance he could be in Iowa at the start of the season. The next five players on the fight list are not returning (Bryan Moore, Alex Guptill, Jonathan Lessard, Colby McAuley, Vincent Arseneau). If Josh Thrower doesn't start the season in Allen it would mean players that had 66% of the fights last season (42 of 64) will not be on the roster. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a tough guy added to the training camp roster just in case Thrower stays in Iowa.
- Players have to go through physicals before training camp and there have been times when a player reports with an injury and can't pass the physical so that is another issue to monitor.
- It is likely coach Martinson will make a trade before the start of training camp. In addition, he has made it clear on several occasions when talking to fans that if players show up to camp not in shape they will be gone. Over the years Martinson has often repeated his expectations for players. He is looking for players that put the team first, work hard on and off the ice, play both ends of the ice, win puck battles and finish checks. Here are a few Martinson quotes players need to keep in mind as camp starts.
"Don't try and manufacture plays that are not there"
"What you did last year just gets you in the door"
"I can always find another favorite player"
"Trying to do too much is just a code word for dumb player"
"It doesn't pay to be bigger if you don't use it"
"I want players that want to win the game more than they want to score"
and my personal favorite, "Don't pour gas on the fire unless you want a bigger fire"
- The ECHL issued their "critical dates" press release for the upcoming season. Here is the complete list:
SEPTEMBER 2018
27 – Training Camp Rosters due to League Office (3 p.m. ET)
28 – Training Camp opens (Members may begin on-ice sessions)
OCTOBER 2018
10 – Opening-Day Rosters due to League Office (3 p.m. ET)
12 – 31st ECHL regular season begins
NOVEMBER 2018
1 – Deadline for submission of ECHL Hall of Fame candidates
11 – Active Rosters cut down from 21 to 20 (3 p.m. ET)
DECEMBER 2018
22 – Christmas Waiver/Trade Freeze begins (5 p.m. ET)
24-26 – Christmas Break (no games or practices)
26 – Christmas Waiver/Trade Freeze ends (Noon ET)
JANUARY 2019
21 – CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic (Toledo, Ohio)
25 – Jersey Reversal Date
FEBRUARY 2019
15 – Overseas Deadline (3 p.m. ET)
MARCH 2019
6 – Recall/Reassignment Deadline (11:59 p.m. local time)
7 – ECHL Trade Deadline (3 p.m. ET)
APRIL 2019
5 – Last day to place a Player on Waivers (5 p.m. ET)
7 – Last day of 2018-19 ECHL regular season
8 – Kelly Cup Playoffs rosters due (3 p.m. ET)
10 – 2018 Kelly Cup Playoffs begin
JUNE 2019
1 – Protected Lists due (3 p.m. ET)
13 – Future Considerations Trade Deadline (3 p.m. ET)
15 – Season-Ending Rosters due (3 p.m. ET)
16 – First day to sign Players for the 2019-20 season
30 – Qualifying Offers due to Players for the 2019-20 season (11:59 p.m. ET)
OTHER COMMENTS
- Here is the press release the Iowa Wild issued yesterday with their training camp roster. Josh Thrower is not listed because he is still on the Minnesota Wild NHL roster until he is cleared from the injury he suffered in the Minnesota prospects tournament. https://www.iowawild.com/news/detail/iowa-wild-announces-roster-for-2018-19-training-camp
- There are three former Allen Americans at the Utica Comets (AHL) training camp. Vincent Arseneau is under contract with Utica. Dyson Stevenson and Jake Hildebrand were invited on tryout contracts.
- Chad Costello and Greger Hanson have started their regular season for the Krefeld Pinguine in Germany. Krefeld has played four games winning one in regulation and one in overtime, losing one in regulation and one in overtime. Chad has a goal and three assists in four games played. Greger has played in two games and has no points. The team is in sixth place in the 14 team league.
- If you have any interest in attending the Allen Americans preseason games against Kansas City on Friday, October 5th (7:00 pm) and Saturday, October 6th (4:30 pm) here is the link to purchase tickets which cost $10. The games will take place in the Community Rink. The preseason games are a good chance to watch the players up close and if the games are like last season when Allen also played Kansas City in the preseason, they should be entertaining. https://allenamericans.com/preseason/
DID YOU KNOW: One of the subjects Steve Martinson brought up to fans during the Q &A he had on Saturday was recruiting players that could help improve the power play.
If there is one stat that helps explain Allen's first round playoff loss to Idaho last season it would be the power play. Of the 16 teams that made the playoffs, Allen's power play was ranked #15 at 8.3% (2-24). The Americans power play in the four playoff games they played in Idaho was 0-13.
The last time Allen won the Kelly Cup (2016) they had the #1 ranked power play in the playoffs (27.2%).
- There have been 21 players announced by the Americans so that would be the starting point. As a reminder here is the list:
Goalies
Jeremy Brodeur
Andrew D'Agostini
Defensemen
Josh Atkinson
Alex Breton
Joel Chouinard
Mike Gunn
Miles Liberati
David Makowski
Eric Roy
Dalton Thrower
Josh Thrower
Forwards
Spencer Asuchak
Chad Butcher
J.C. Campagna
Ben Duffy
Matt Foget
Thomas Frazee
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Zach Pochiro
Braylon Shmyr
Kevin Sundher
- All of the players on the list above will not be at the first on ice practice on Sunday. Five (Brodeur, Atkinson, Breton, J. Thrower and Shmyr) are at AHL camps and may not be back by Sunday. If you look at the Iowa Wild roster there are only eight defensemen plus the three from Allen (Atkinson, Breton, Thrower) on tryout contracts. If there are any injuries one of the Allen defenseman may stay in Iowa.
- There will be other players added to the training camp roster that will increase the number. This will include players signed to a standard player's contract that have not been announced, SPHL players that have been invited and possibly local players that are unsigned for the upcoming season and will tryout. The bottom line is it will be a good sized camp when everyone arrives.
- According to the website dropyourgloves.com Mike Gunn led the Americans last season in fighting majors with 11. Josh Thrower was second with 10 fights but there is a chance he could be in Iowa at the start of the season. The next five players on the fight list are not returning (Bryan Moore, Alex Guptill, Jonathan Lessard, Colby McAuley, Vincent Arseneau). If Josh Thrower doesn't start the season in Allen it would mean players that had 66% of the fights last season (42 of 64) will not be on the roster. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a tough guy added to the training camp roster just in case Thrower stays in Iowa.
- Players have to go through physicals before training camp and there have been times when a player reports with an injury and can't pass the physical so that is another issue to monitor.
- It is likely coach Martinson will make a trade before the start of training camp. In addition, he has made it clear on several occasions when talking to fans that if players show up to camp not in shape they will be gone. Over the years Martinson has often repeated his expectations for players. He is looking for players that put the team first, work hard on and off the ice, play both ends of the ice, win puck battles and finish checks. Here are a few Martinson quotes players need to keep in mind as camp starts.
"Don't try and manufacture plays that are not there"
"What you did last year just gets you in the door"
"I can always find another favorite player"
"Trying to do too much is just a code word for dumb player"
"It doesn't pay to be bigger if you don't use it"
"I want players that want to win the game more than they want to score"
and my personal favorite, "Don't pour gas on the fire unless you want a bigger fire"
- The ECHL issued their "critical dates" press release for the upcoming season. Here is the complete list:
SEPTEMBER 2018
27 – Training Camp Rosters due to League Office (3 p.m. ET)
28 – Training Camp opens (Members may begin on-ice sessions)
OCTOBER 2018
10 – Opening-Day Rosters due to League Office (3 p.m. ET)
12 – 31st ECHL regular season begins
NOVEMBER 2018
1 – Deadline for submission of ECHL Hall of Fame candidates
11 – Active Rosters cut down from 21 to 20 (3 p.m. ET)
DECEMBER 2018
22 – Christmas Waiver/Trade Freeze begins (5 p.m. ET)
24-26 – Christmas Break (no games or practices)
26 – Christmas Waiver/Trade Freeze ends (Noon ET)
JANUARY 2019
21 – CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic (Toledo, Ohio)
25 – Jersey Reversal Date
FEBRUARY 2019
15 – Overseas Deadline (3 p.m. ET)
MARCH 2019
6 – Recall/Reassignment Deadline (11:59 p.m. local time)
7 – ECHL Trade Deadline (3 p.m. ET)
APRIL 2019
5 – Last day to place a Player on Waivers (5 p.m. ET)
7 – Last day of 2018-19 ECHL regular season
8 – Kelly Cup Playoffs rosters due (3 p.m. ET)
10 – 2018 Kelly Cup Playoffs begin
JUNE 2019
1 – Protected Lists due (3 p.m. ET)
13 – Future Considerations Trade Deadline (3 p.m. ET)
15 – Season-Ending Rosters due (3 p.m. ET)
16 – First day to sign Players for the 2019-20 season
30 – Qualifying Offers due to Players for the 2019-20 season (11:59 p.m. ET)
OTHER COMMENTS
- Here is the press release the Iowa Wild issued yesterday with their training camp roster. Josh Thrower is not listed because he is still on the Minnesota Wild NHL roster until he is cleared from the injury he suffered in the Minnesota prospects tournament. https://www.iowawild.com/news/detail/iowa-wild-announces-roster-for-2018-19-training-camp
- There are three former Allen Americans at the Utica Comets (AHL) training camp. Vincent Arseneau is under contract with Utica. Dyson Stevenson and Jake Hildebrand were invited on tryout contracts.
- Chad Costello and Greger Hanson have started their regular season for the Krefeld Pinguine in Germany. Krefeld has played four games winning one in regulation and one in overtime, losing one in regulation and one in overtime. Chad has a goal and three assists in four games played. Greger has played in two games and has no points. The team is in sixth place in the 14 team league.
- If you have any interest in attending the Allen Americans preseason games against Kansas City on Friday, October 5th (7:00 pm) and Saturday, October 6th (4:30 pm) here is the link to purchase tickets which cost $10. The games will take place in the Community Rink. The preseason games are a good chance to watch the players up close and if the games are like last season when Allen also played Kansas City in the preseason, they should be entertaining. https://allenamericans.com/preseason/
DID YOU KNOW: One of the subjects Steve Martinson brought up to fans during the Q &A he had on Saturday was recruiting players that could help improve the power play.
If there is one stat that helps explain Allen's first round playoff loss to Idaho last season it would be the power play. Of the 16 teams that made the playoffs, Allen's power play was ranked #15 at 8.3% (2-24). The Americans power play in the four playoff games they played in Idaho was 0-13.
The last time Allen won the Kelly Cup (2016) they had the #1 ranked power play in the playoffs (27.2%).
Monday, September 24, 2018
Who Might Get Assigned to Allen by the Wild, Schedule Breakdown, Critical Dates, Opening Day Roster Numbers, Training Camp Salaries
The Allen Americans are just a few days from the start of training camp and there are 21 players on the roster. The big unknown is how many players will be added to the Allen roster through the new affiliation with the Minnesota Wild. The Iowa Wild start their training camp today, play their two preseason games on September 28 & 29 and open the season on October 5. It will be known soon how many Wild players will be assigned to Allen. Obviously training camp performance, injuries and overall team needs play a big part of who will be coming to Allen so trying to predict at this point is fools gold.
- Yesterday I mentioned the goalie that could be assigned to Allen from the Wild is C.J. Motte. This is based on the fact that he appears to be the fifth goalie on the Wild depth chart. Other possibilities from Iowa are players on their roster that spent time with their ECHL 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.
- It is a big week for the Allen contracted players that received invitations to the Iowa Wild training camp. Alex Breton, Josh Atkinson, Josh Thrower, Chad Butcher, and Braylon Shmyr will have a chance to show the new Allen affiliate what they can do. An AHL contract is the goal for these young players.
- Below is a complete list of Allen's 72 games broken down by opponent. Teams with an asterisk are Mountain Division foes. Note there is much more emphasis on divisional play this season as Allen will play 60 of their 72 games (83%) against Mountain Division foes.
14 games - Wichita (6 home, 8 away)*
13 games - Tulsa (5 home, 8 away)*
11 games - Utah (6 home 5 away)*
10 games - Kansas City (5 home, 5 away)*
6 games - Rapid City (3 home, 3 away)*
6 games - Idaho (3 home, 3 away)*
5 games - Reading (2 home, 3 away)
3 games - Cincinnati (3 home, 0 away)
2 games - South Carolina (2 home, 0 away)
1 game - Wheeling (0 home, 1 away)
1 games - Worcester (1 home, 0 away)
- It is always dangerous to look at how teams played last season and project that result on the upcoming season but nevertheless here is some data. Allen will play six teams with a winning percentage higher than the Americans winning percentage last season (.542) including three teams (South Carolina, Idaho, Reading) with a winning percentage above .600. However, 54 of Allen's 72 games (75%) are against teams with a lower winning percentage than the Americans. Note that only two teams on the schedule (Utah & Rapid City) had a winning percentage below .500 last season. Here is a complete list in winning percentage order with the number of games Allen will play each team this season in parentheses:
.722 - South Carolina (2)
.667 - Idaho (6).
.604 - Reading (5)
.569 - Worcester (1)
.563 - Cincinnati (3)
.549 - Wheeling (1)
.542 - ALLEN
.528 - Wichita (14)
.514 - Kansas City (10)
.514 - Tulsa (13)
.493 - Utah (11)
.389 - Rapid City (6)
- Here are the critical dates set by the ECHL between now and the start of the season:
September 27 - Training camp rosters due to league office
September 28 - Training camp opens (Allen's first on ice session is September 30)
October 10 - Opening day rosters due to league office
October 12 - 31st ECHL regular season begins (Allen starts on the road in Kansas City, first home game is October 20 against Wichita).
- There are a few components to the opening day roster to keep in mind. There can be 21 players on the active roster for the first month of the season after which it reduces to 20. However, the active roster salaries must stay under the salary cap which is $13,470 for the first 30 days and $13,000 for the balance of the season. Because of high salaries sometimes the active roster has to be less than the maximum number. In addition to the active roster there can be two players (healthy or injured) on reserve. Salary paid to the two reserve players does not count toward the salary cap. The final component to the roster is the 14 day injured reserve. An unlimited number of players can be placed on the 14 day injured reserve. Once placed on this list the player must stay for a minimum of 14 days.
DID YOU KNOW: Players don't get a salary during training camp. They are provided housing and meals but the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) says this about salaries:
"Each player will be paid his salary in equal weekly or bi-weekly installments over the course of the regular season commencing with the date of the first regular season game."
- Yesterday I mentioned the goalie that could be assigned to Allen from the Wild is C.J. Motte. This is based on the fact that he appears to be the fifth goalie on the Wild depth chart. Other possibilities from Iowa are players on their roster that spent time with their ECHL 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.
- It is a big week for the Allen contracted players that received invitations to the Iowa Wild training camp. Alex Breton, Josh Atkinson, Josh Thrower, Chad Butcher, and Braylon Shmyr will have a chance to show the new Allen affiliate what they can do. An AHL contract is the goal for these young players.
- Below is a complete list of Allen's 72 games broken down by opponent. Teams with an asterisk are Mountain Division foes. Note there is much more emphasis on divisional play this season as Allen will play 60 of their 72 games (83%) against Mountain Division foes.
14 games - Wichita (6 home, 8 away)*
13 games - Tulsa (5 home, 8 away)*
11 games - Utah (6 home 5 away)*
10 games - Kansas City (5 home, 5 away)*
6 games - Rapid City (3 home, 3 away)*
6 games - Idaho (3 home, 3 away)*
5 games - Reading (2 home, 3 away)
3 games - Cincinnati (3 home, 0 away)
2 games - South Carolina (2 home, 0 away)
1 game - Wheeling (0 home, 1 away)
1 games - Worcester (1 home, 0 away)
- It is always dangerous to look at how teams played last season and project that result on the upcoming season but nevertheless here is some data. Allen will play six teams with a winning percentage higher than the Americans winning percentage last season (.542) including three teams (South Carolina, Idaho, Reading) with a winning percentage above .600. However, 54 of Allen's 72 games (75%) are against teams with a lower winning percentage than the Americans. Note that only two teams on the schedule (Utah & Rapid City) had a winning percentage below .500 last season. Here is a complete list in winning percentage order with the number of games Allen will play each team this season in parentheses:
.722 - South Carolina (2)
.667 - Idaho (6).
.604 - Reading (5)
.569 - Worcester (1)
.563 - Cincinnati (3)
.549 - Wheeling (1)
.542 - ALLEN
.528 - Wichita (14)
.514 - Kansas City (10)
.514 - Tulsa (13)
.493 - Utah (11)
.389 - Rapid City (6)
- Here are the critical dates set by the ECHL between now and the start of the season:
September 27 - Training camp rosters due to league office
September 28 - Training camp opens (Allen's first on ice session is September 30)
October 10 - Opening day rosters due to league office
October 12 - 31st ECHL regular season begins (Allen starts on the road in Kansas City, first home game is October 20 against Wichita).
- There are a few components to the opening day roster to keep in mind. There can be 21 players on the active roster for the first month of the season after which it reduces to 20. However, the active roster salaries must stay under the salary cap which is $13,470 for the first 30 days and $13,000 for the balance of the season. Because of high salaries sometimes the active roster has to be less than the maximum number. In addition to the active roster there can be two players (healthy or injured) on reserve. Salary paid to the two reserve players does not count toward the salary cap. The final component to the roster is the 14 day injured reserve. An unlimited number of players can be placed on the 14 day injured reserve. Once placed on this list the player must stay for a minimum of 14 days.
DID YOU KNOW: Players don't get a salary during training camp. They are provided housing and meals but the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) says this about salaries:
"Each player will be paid his salary in equal weekly or bi-weekly installments over the course of the regular season commencing with the date of the first regular season game."
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Daily Blogs are Back, Roster Update, Steve Martinson Addresses Fans, Iowa Wild Training Camp Update Including a Prediction on the Goalie Headed to Allen
As I was listening to Allen coach Steve Martinson address fans at the Team Store yesterday about the upcoming season the list of things to write about kept getting longer and longer. It dawned on me even though the first on ice training camp session for the Americans is still a week away the 2018-19 season has already begun. After the gathering a fan came up to me and said, "I keep checking to see when you will start writing your daily blog again and am disappointed when there isn't a new post." On my way home it was obvious today would be the start of the daily blog.
It is year number seven for the blog and it has evolved over time but the one thing that has remained constant is the focus on you, the reader. For some it is information you can't find elsewhere, for others it is the aggregation of information from many sources and for others it is a different perspective informed by the time I spend with the coaches and players. I always keep in mind some of you are not on social media and don't surf Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. getting the latest information. I have learned over time it is not important to be first with information, it is important to add value.
Each year I set my goals for the blog as to how to make it better. This season is no different and there are some exciting changes coming. Some of the changes I can't talk about yet but I can share my goal of doing more player focused stories and special interest pieces. I also plan on providing more video content as well as more photos.
Enough philosophy, let's get started.
ROSTER
- Three players were added to the roster this week to bring the total to 21. The three added were forward Ben Duffy and defensemen Alex Breton and David Makowski. I will have more detail about all three over the next week but here is the info released by the Americans:
- Ben Duffy's press release and video announcement:
https://allenamericans.com/americans-add-talented-forward-ben-duffy/
- David Makowski and Alex Breton press release:
https://allenamericans.com/americans-bring-back-all-star-makowski-add-rookie-defenseman-breton/
- Here is the current roster:
Goalies
Jeremy Brodeur
Andrew D'Agostini
Defensemen
Josh Atkinson
Alex Breton
Joel Chouinard
Mike Gunn
Miles Liberati
David Makowski
Eric Roy
Dalton Thrower
Josh Thrower
Forwards
Spencer Asuchak
Chad Butcher
J.C. Campagna
Ben Duffy
Matt Foget
Thomas Frazee
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Zach Pochiro
Braylon Shmyr
Kevin Sundher
COACHES CORNER
- Coach Martinson is no longer wearing a sling after his shoulder replacement surgery five weeks ago but he still has a long rehab ahead of him. For this type of surgery they have to cut the tendons so it takes a long time for healing. Martinson is doing light weight training on the shoulder and since his happy place is when he is working out, going to the gym to rehab is not an issue.
Here are some of the highlights from the player announcements/Q&A with coach Martinson:
- Martinson started out with the long awaited announcement that all-star defenseman David Makowski will return to the Americans for his fourth season. Makowski has 142 points (44G, 98A) in 152 games with Allen. He has been runner-up as the ECHL's Defenseman of the Year the last two seasons. Martinson talked about the importance of Makowski to the Americans and his plan is to stay in Allen all season. David could have attended AHL training camp but chose to stay in Allen. Makowski recently got married and plans to make his post hockey home in Allen. Martinson mentioned as long as David wants to play he will have a spot with the Americans. I will have a blog post dedicated to Makowski sometime this week to get the details about his new approach to pro hockey, preparing for life after his playing days are done and his expectation for the upcoming season.
- Ten year season ticket holder Mike Stiney was part of the festivities helping with introductions of defenseman Alex Breton and forward Chad Butcher who were in attendance. Chad and Alex leave today (Sunday) for Iowa where they will take part in the Iowa training camp. Martinson talked about the fact Breton is a rookie who was the captain of his junior team (Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL) last season. Alex was the second leading scorer on his team last season as a defenseman. He will fit Allen's style of play because he can carry the puck and jump in the play. He also led his team in plus/minus. Martinson described Butcher as a player from the Western Hockey League who had 103 points (27G, 76A) his last season in juniors with Medicine Hat. Chad was under contract with Bakersfield (AHL) last season and spent most of the season with Wichita. He is the type of player that can carry the puck, move the puck and make plays.
- Martinson also introduced veteran Thomas Frazee who had a big impact after he joined the Americans at the end of last season with 12 points (7G, 5A) in 16 games but was not eligible for the playoffs. Martinson said, "Frazee just showed up early. He told me since he had to leave early last season he was coming back early this season. He has been going around the apartments figuring out which stuff he wants, which unit he wants. A smart veteran move if you ask me."
- Martinson shared that other Allen players attending camp with the Iowa Wild include Braylon Shmyr, Josh Atkinson and Josh Thrower. Thrower was injured during the prospects tournament but should be cleared before Iowa plays their preseason games. Matt Foget will not be going to the Iowa camp even though he was at the Wild prospect tournament.
- When describing his overall assessment of the team coach said, "We have a good mix of skill, we have speed, we have size and we have toughness. I think our defense will be the most skilled and mobile we have had. We have more players this year than in the past that signed to play for us and not move up to the AHL. For the young guys it is nice because they aren't on a team that has 20 players looking to move up."
- Martinson talked at length about the brand new apartments the team has secured for the upcoming season. They are in the Watters Creek area of Allen and are called "The Reflection at Montgomery Ridge." The apartments are the best the team has ever had. The location is great for players without vehicles with restaurants, grocery store and shopping all in close proximity along with parks. The players are going to love their accommodations this season. A question was asked about how many players live in one apartment. The CBA (collective bargaining agreement) does not speak to the number of players in one apartment. The CBA requirement is for each player to have their own furnished bedroom. This year the apartments are two bedrooms so there will be two players per apartment if they are not married. The exact wording from the CBA is as follows:
"Each player without a spouse shall be entitled to his own furnished bedroom in a furnished apartment. Each player and spouse shall be entitled to a furnished apartment or residence of his own."
Note the key word is spouse so girlfriends that accompany the players will be sharing the apartment with another player.
OTHER COMMENTS
- It is clear to me training camp will be more competitive than in the past. There are no "camp fillers" on the roster and the list above does not include the players that will be assigned by the Wild. Martinson has mentioned more than once if players show up out of shape they will be gone. Some familiar names are sure to be traded or released before the end of camp which is only a little over two weeks away.
- Martinson mentioned that Matt Foget will not be attending Iowa Wild training camp. Matt had an assist and the tying goal at the end game in a shootout win in one game and a key assist in the third place game when he attended the Wild prospect tournament. Despite his offensive prowess at the prospect tournament he did not earn an invite to the AHL camp with the Iowa Wild. To play at the next level it takes more than offense. You have to win puck battles, be a good checker and play both ends of the ice.
- If you want to track the Iowa Wild training camp here is the press release with the schedule. Note they play two preseason games in Minnesota next Friday and Saturday followed by an off day on Sunday. I don't know this for fact but the Allen players at the Iowa camp are most likely to return to Allen after the preseason game next Saturday. https://www.iowawild.com/news/detail/iowa-wild-training-camp-opens-sept-24
- If you have been tracking the Minnesota Wild training camp you may have noticed they started with 61 players in camp, made a cut to 55 players last Monday and then to 35 players yesterday. Of the players cut yesterday, 14 of them were assigned to the Iowa Wild who start their training camp tomorrow. One of those 14 players sent to Iowa of particular interest to Allen fans is goalie C.J. Motte. Motte is the third goalie on the Iowa roster and is on a try-out contract. It would appear Motte is slated to be the fifth goalie in the Wild system (two in Minnesota, two in Iowa) which means it is likely he would be the goalie sent to Allen to play and be available as the depth goalie for the Wild in case of injury. Motte is no stranger to ECHL fans having played in Quad City the last two seasons. He had nine AHL games last season including six for the Iowa Wild where he had a 2.13 GAA and .926 save percentage.
- Training camp starts next weekend for the Allen Americans with physicals on Saturday (29th) and the first on ice practice on Sunday (30th). Fans are invited to attend the Sunday practice which will be in the Community Rink from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm.
- Ice time the following week (October 1-4) will be at 10:00 am and typically lasts for two hours. All of these practices will be in the Community Rink. Fans are encouraged to stop by and watch training camp.
- Is it just me or does it say something about the culture of the Allen Americans and the leadership shown by the four veterans on the roster that they are all in Allen, working together to be ready when training camp starts. Joel Chouinard, Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Spencer Asuchak and Thomas Frazee are not only talented but are the type of character players you want in your veteran group.
DID YOU KNOW: ECHL teams are still putting together their rosters and many changes will take place before the season begins put as of today according to the website eliteprospects.com the Allen Americans have the fifth youngest team in the ECHL. Here are the five youngest teams by average age.
23.86 - Wichita Thunder
24.31 - Norfolk Admirals
24.33 - Wheeling Nailers
24.47 - Maine Mariners
24.52 - Allen Americans
It is year number seven for the blog and it has evolved over time but the one thing that has remained constant is the focus on you, the reader. For some it is information you can't find elsewhere, for others it is the aggregation of information from many sources and for others it is a different perspective informed by the time I spend with the coaches and players. I always keep in mind some of you are not on social media and don't surf Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. getting the latest information. I have learned over time it is not important to be first with information, it is important to add value.
Each year I set my goals for the blog as to how to make it better. This season is no different and there are some exciting changes coming. Some of the changes I can't talk about yet but I can share my goal of doing more player focused stories and special interest pieces. I also plan on providing more video content as well as more photos.
Enough philosophy, let's get started.
ROSTER
- Three players were added to the roster this week to bring the total to 21. The three added were forward Ben Duffy and defensemen Alex Breton and David Makowski. I will have more detail about all three over the next week but here is the info released by the Americans:
- Ben Duffy's press release and video announcement:
https://allenamericans.com/americans-add-talented-forward-ben-duffy/
- David Makowski and Alex Breton press release:
https://allenamericans.com/americans-bring-back-all-star-makowski-add-rookie-defenseman-breton/
- Here is the current roster:
Goalies
Jeremy Brodeur
Andrew D'Agostini
Defensemen
Josh Atkinson
Alex Breton
Joel Chouinard
Mike Gunn
Miles Liberati
David Makowski
Eric Roy
Dalton Thrower
Josh Thrower
Forwards
Spencer Asuchak
Chad Butcher
J.C. Campagna
Ben Duffy
Matt Foget
Thomas Frazee
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Zach Pochiro
Braylon Shmyr
Kevin Sundher
COACHES CORNER
- Coach Martinson is no longer wearing a sling after his shoulder replacement surgery five weeks ago but he still has a long rehab ahead of him. For this type of surgery they have to cut the tendons so it takes a long time for healing. Martinson is doing light weight training on the shoulder and since his happy place is when he is working out, going to the gym to rehab is not an issue.
Here are some of the highlights from the player announcements/Q&A with coach Martinson:
- Martinson started out with the long awaited announcement that all-star defenseman David Makowski will return to the Americans for his fourth season. Makowski has 142 points (44G, 98A) in 152 games with Allen. He has been runner-up as the ECHL's Defenseman of the Year the last two seasons. Martinson talked about the importance of Makowski to the Americans and his plan is to stay in Allen all season. David could have attended AHL training camp but chose to stay in Allen. Makowski recently got married and plans to make his post hockey home in Allen. Martinson mentioned as long as David wants to play he will have a spot with the Americans. I will have a blog post dedicated to Makowski sometime this week to get the details about his new approach to pro hockey, preparing for life after his playing days are done and his expectation for the upcoming season.
- Ten year season ticket holder Mike Stiney was part of the festivities helping with introductions of defenseman Alex Breton and forward Chad Butcher who were in attendance. Chad and Alex leave today (Sunday) for Iowa where they will take part in the Iowa training camp. Martinson talked about the fact Breton is a rookie who was the captain of his junior team (Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL) last season. Alex was the second leading scorer on his team last season as a defenseman. He will fit Allen's style of play because he can carry the puck and jump in the play. He also led his team in plus/minus. Martinson described Butcher as a player from the Western Hockey League who had 103 points (27G, 76A) his last season in juniors with Medicine Hat. Chad was under contract with Bakersfield (AHL) last season and spent most of the season with Wichita. He is the type of player that can carry the puck, move the puck and make plays.
- Martinson also introduced veteran Thomas Frazee who had a big impact after he joined the Americans at the end of last season with 12 points (7G, 5A) in 16 games but was not eligible for the playoffs. Martinson said, "Frazee just showed up early. He told me since he had to leave early last season he was coming back early this season. He has been going around the apartments figuring out which stuff he wants, which unit he wants. A smart veteran move if you ask me."
- Martinson shared that other Allen players attending camp with the Iowa Wild include Braylon Shmyr, Josh Atkinson and Josh Thrower. Thrower was injured during the prospects tournament but should be cleared before Iowa plays their preseason games. Matt Foget will not be going to the Iowa camp even though he was at the Wild prospect tournament.
- When describing his overall assessment of the team coach said, "We have a good mix of skill, we have speed, we have size and we have toughness. I think our defense will be the most skilled and mobile we have had. We have more players this year than in the past that signed to play for us and not move up to the AHL. For the young guys it is nice because they aren't on a team that has 20 players looking to move up."
- Martinson talked at length about the brand new apartments the team has secured for the upcoming season. They are in the Watters Creek area of Allen and are called "The Reflection at Montgomery Ridge." The apartments are the best the team has ever had. The location is great for players without vehicles with restaurants, grocery store and shopping all in close proximity along with parks. The players are going to love their accommodations this season. A question was asked about how many players live in one apartment. The CBA (collective bargaining agreement) does not speak to the number of players in one apartment. The CBA requirement is for each player to have their own furnished bedroom. This year the apartments are two bedrooms so there will be two players per apartment if they are not married. The exact wording from the CBA is as follows:
"Each player without a spouse shall be entitled to his own furnished bedroom in a furnished apartment. Each player and spouse shall be entitled to a furnished apartment or residence of his own."
Note the key word is spouse so girlfriends that accompany the players will be sharing the apartment with another player.
OTHER COMMENTS
- It is clear to me training camp will be more competitive than in the past. There are no "camp fillers" on the roster and the list above does not include the players that will be assigned by the Wild. Martinson has mentioned more than once if players show up out of shape they will be gone. Some familiar names are sure to be traded or released before the end of camp which is only a little over two weeks away.
- Martinson mentioned that Matt Foget will not be attending Iowa Wild training camp. Matt had an assist and the tying goal at the end game in a shootout win in one game and a key assist in the third place game when he attended the Wild prospect tournament. Despite his offensive prowess at the prospect tournament he did not earn an invite to the AHL camp with the Iowa Wild. To play at the next level it takes more than offense. You have to win puck battles, be a good checker and play both ends of the ice.
- If you want to track the Iowa Wild training camp here is the press release with the schedule. Note they play two preseason games in Minnesota next Friday and Saturday followed by an off day on Sunday. I don't know this for fact but the Allen players at the Iowa camp are most likely to return to Allen after the preseason game next Saturday. https://www.iowawild.com/news/detail/iowa-wild-training-camp-opens-sept-24
- If you have been tracking the Minnesota Wild training camp you may have noticed they started with 61 players in camp, made a cut to 55 players last Monday and then to 35 players yesterday. Of the players cut yesterday, 14 of them were assigned to the Iowa Wild who start their training camp tomorrow. One of those 14 players sent to Iowa of particular interest to Allen fans is goalie C.J. Motte. Motte is the third goalie on the Iowa roster and is on a try-out contract. It would appear Motte is slated to be the fifth goalie in the Wild system (two in Minnesota, two in Iowa) which means it is likely he would be the goalie sent to Allen to play and be available as the depth goalie for the Wild in case of injury. Motte is no stranger to ECHL fans having played in Quad City the last two seasons. He had nine AHL games last season including six for the Iowa Wild where he had a 2.13 GAA and .926 save percentage.
- Training camp starts next weekend for the Allen Americans with physicals on Saturday (29th) and the first on ice practice on Sunday (30th). Fans are invited to attend the Sunday practice which will be in the Community Rink from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm.
- Ice time the following week (October 1-4) will be at 10:00 am and typically lasts for two hours. All of these practices will be in the Community Rink. Fans are encouraged to stop by and watch training camp.
- Is it just me or does it say something about the culture of the Allen Americans and the leadership shown by the four veterans on the roster that they are all in Allen, working together to be ready when training camp starts. Joel Chouinard, Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Spencer Asuchak and Thomas Frazee are not only talented but are the type of character players you want in your veteran group.
DID YOU KNOW: ECHL teams are still putting together their rosters and many changes will take place before the season begins put as of today according to the website eliteprospects.com the Allen Americans have the fifth youngest team in the ECHL. Here are the five youngest teams by average age.
23.86 - Wichita Thunder
24.31 - Norfolk Admirals
24.33 - Wheeling Nailers
24.47 - Maine Mariners
24.52 - Allen Americans
Saturday, September 15, 2018
Allen Americans Roster Update, Allen Players Attend Prospect Tournament, NHL Camps, AHL Camps, ECHL Camp and European Season Gets Underway
Finally hockey is back and there is plenty of on ice activity to talk about even though the Allen Americans training camp is still two weeks away. Before I get started here is the current Allen roster which now totals 18 players.
ROSTER
Goalies
Jeremy Brodeur
Andrew D'Agostini
Defensemen
Josh Atkinson
Joel Chouinard
Mike Gunn
Miles Liberati
Eric Roy
Dalton Thrower
Josh Thrower
Forwards
Spencer Asuchak
Chad Butcher
J.C. Campagna
Matt Foget
Thomas Frazee
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Zach Pochiro
Braylon Shmyr
Kevin Sundher
There are three or four more players that have been signed and not announced so you can expect more announcements this week and next. The obvious omission from the list above is defenseman David Makowski who coach Martinson mentioned at his Facebook live event would be returning to the Americans. The others will be new names for Allen fans.
TRAVERSE CITY PROSPECT TOURNAMENT
- Last weekend the Minnesota Wild prospects participated in an eight team tournament in Traverse City, Michigan and acquitted themselves quite well as they finished with a 3-1 record and beat Chicago in the third place game. Here is an article that summarizes all four games the Wild played in the tournament. https://www.iowawild.com/news/detail/the-wild-wire-wild-place-third-2018-nhl-prospect-tournament
- Three Allen players, Josh Thrower, Matt Foget and Jeremy Brodeur, participated in the tournament and did well. Foget had a goal and two assists and Thrower played both defense and forward and showed the toughness he is known for in Allen. They were on the Minnesota Wild team. Brodeur was on the New York Rangers team and was in goal when his team beat Minnesota 4-2.
- Foget was released after the tournament but will be attending the Iowa Wild training camp and Thrower earned himself an invite to the Minnesota Wild main camp which started yesterday. Brodeur is attending the Rangers NHL camp (see details below).
NHL TRAINING CAMP
Josh Thrower - There is little doubt Josh earned his invite to the Minnesota Wild main camp because of his toughness. Wild management has acknowledged publicly that one of the traits the Iowa Wild were lacking last season when they missed the playoffs was toughness. In 76 games last season Iowa had 846 penalty minutes which was #24 in the 30 team AHL. They had 26 fights, only five teams had fewer. If you compare that to Allen who played 72 games and had 1411 penalty minutes and 64 fighting majors you can see the difference in style. Congrats to Josh on the invite to the NHL camp. I wouldn't be surprised if Josh ends up with an AHL deal out of this experience.
Jeremy Brodeur - Jeremy is at the New York Rangers NHL camp along with six other goalies. Players just want a chance to prove themselves and Brodeur will have that chance this week and will most likely be sent to the Rangers' AHL affiliate (Hartford Wolf Pack) training camp when it starts next weekend. You would have to say it is a long shot for Jeremy to get an AHL contract because the Rangers have so many goalies already under contract but he has an opportunity to impress and that is why they play the games.
Olivier Archambault - Olivier is on an AHL one way contract with the Syracuse Crunch but Allen still has his ECHL rights. Archambault is at the Tampa Bay Lightning training camp along with 61 other players.
Vincent Arseneau - Another AHL one way contracted player for which Allen has his ECHL rights. Arseneau is signed with the Utica Comets and is attending NHL training camp with the Vancouver Canucks. Vancouver has 59 players on their training camp roster.
AHL TRAINING CAMP
- AHL training camps will get underway next weekend so you can expect cuts from NHL camps to start midweek with players assigned to AHL training camps.
- The Iowa Wild have yet to announce their training camp roster but there will be a good contingent of players off the Allen roster in attendance. I expect most of the young players to be invited to the Wild camp. That would include Josh Thrower, Josh Atkinson, Chad Butcher, Matt Foget, Braylon Shmyr and a player that hasn't been announced. A great opportunity for these young players to show what they bring to the table and also to get familiar with the Wild systems.
ECHL TRAINING CAMP
- Per coach Martinson the Allen training camp will begin with physicals on Saturday, September 29 with the first on ice session on the 30th. Because the first practice is on a Sunday it most likely will not be open to the public but practices during the week will be. I am sure the team will issue details as training camp gets closer.
- The Iowa Wild will play preseason games on September 28-29 in St. Paul, MN so the Americans could be short players the first few days of their training camp. Allen's preseason games are scheduled for October 5-6 so most players will be back in Allen by then.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Coach Martinson shared with me that the team has secured player housing for the upcoming season in the Watters Creek area of Allen. Martinson mentioned the apartments are the best the team has ever had. The location is great for players without vehicles with restaurants, grocery store and shopping all in close proximity. The players are going to love their accommodations this season.
- The regular season started in most of the European leagues this week. Yesterday it was an Allen alumni game when the Krefeld Penguine (Chad Costello & Greger Hanson) played the Fischtown Pinguins (Rylan Schwartz) in the opener of the top German league. Krefeld took a 2-0 first period lead but Fischtown came back and won the game 4-3 in overtime. None of the former Allen players factored in the scoring. Hanson wasn't even in the lineup which I assume is because of injury. Jonathan Lessard had the first goal of the season and added an assist for his French team (Bordeaux) to lead them to a 4-1 win in their opener. Other former Allen players that scored in their first regular season game of the season include Rick Pinkston, Colton Yellow Horn, Justin Kirsch, Judd Blackwater and Konrad Abeltshauser (2). Alex Guptill has a goal and two assists in his first two games.
- Rapid City coach Daniel Tetrault, signed a former teammate in Allen, defenseman Steven Tarasuk to a contract, which was announced yesterday. Tarasuk spent part of two seasons with the Americans and was a member of the 2013-14 CHL championship team. He is a veteran with over 300 ECHL games played. Here is the press release issued by Rapid City: http://www.rapidcityrush.com/news/?article_id=1050
DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans made the playoffs last season but compiled the worst winning percentage in the six seasons Steve Martinson has been the coach and general manager. Here are the winning percentages under Martinson along with playoff results:
2017-18: .542 (lost in first round)
2016-17: .722 (lost in second round)
2015-16: .618 (won championship)
2014-15: .736 (won championship)
2013-14: .629 (won championship)
2012-13: .659 (won championship)
ROSTER
Goalies
Jeremy Brodeur
Andrew D'Agostini
Defensemen
Josh Atkinson
Joel Chouinard
Mike Gunn
Miles Liberati
Eric Roy
Dalton Thrower
Josh Thrower
Forwards
Spencer Asuchak
Chad Butcher
J.C. Campagna
Matt Foget
Thomas Frazee
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Zach Pochiro
Braylon Shmyr
Kevin Sundher
There are three or four more players that have been signed and not announced so you can expect more announcements this week and next. The obvious omission from the list above is defenseman David Makowski who coach Martinson mentioned at his Facebook live event would be returning to the Americans. The others will be new names for Allen fans.
TRAVERSE CITY PROSPECT TOURNAMENT
- Last weekend the Minnesota Wild prospects participated in an eight team tournament in Traverse City, Michigan and acquitted themselves quite well as they finished with a 3-1 record and beat Chicago in the third place game. Here is an article that summarizes all four games the Wild played in the tournament. https://www.iowawild.com/news/detail/the-wild-wire-wild-place-third-2018-nhl-prospect-tournament
- Three Allen players, Josh Thrower, Matt Foget and Jeremy Brodeur, participated in the tournament and did well. Foget had a goal and two assists and Thrower played both defense and forward and showed the toughness he is known for in Allen. They were on the Minnesota Wild team. Brodeur was on the New York Rangers team and was in goal when his team beat Minnesota 4-2.
- Foget was released after the tournament but will be attending the Iowa Wild training camp and Thrower earned himself an invite to the Minnesota Wild main camp which started yesterday. Brodeur is attending the Rangers NHL camp (see details below).
NHL TRAINING CAMP
Josh Thrower - There is little doubt Josh earned his invite to the Minnesota Wild main camp because of his toughness. Wild management has acknowledged publicly that one of the traits the Iowa Wild were lacking last season when they missed the playoffs was toughness. In 76 games last season Iowa had 846 penalty minutes which was #24 in the 30 team AHL. They had 26 fights, only five teams had fewer. If you compare that to Allen who played 72 games and had 1411 penalty minutes and 64 fighting majors you can see the difference in style. Congrats to Josh on the invite to the NHL camp. I wouldn't be surprised if Josh ends up with an AHL deal out of this experience.
Jeremy Brodeur - Jeremy is at the New York Rangers NHL camp along with six other goalies. Players just want a chance to prove themselves and Brodeur will have that chance this week and will most likely be sent to the Rangers' AHL affiliate (Hartford Wolf Pack) training camp when it starts next weekend. You would have to say it is a long shot for Jeremy to get an AHL contract because the Rangers have so many goalies already under contract but he has an opportunity to impress and that is why they play the games.
Olivier Archambault - Olivier is on an AHL one way contract with the Syracuse Crunch but Allen still has his ECHL rights. Archambault is at the Tampa Bay Lightning training camp along with 61 other players.
Vincent Arseneau - Another AHL one way contracted player for which Allen has his ECHL rights. Arseneau is signed with the Utica Comets and is attending NHL training camp with the Vancouver Canucks. Vancouver has 59 players on their training camp roster.
AHL TRAINING CAMP
- AHL training camps will get underway next weekend so you can expect cuts from NHL camps to start midweek with players assigned to AHL training camps.
- The Iowa Wild have yet to announce their training camp roster but there will be a good contingent of players off the Allen roster in attendance. I expect most of the young players to be invited to the Wild camp. That would include Josh Thrower, Josh Atkinson, Chad Butcher, Matt Foget, Braylon Shmyr and a player that hasn't been announced. A great opportunity for these young players to show what they bring to the table and also to get familiar with the Wild systems.
ECHL TRAINING CAMP
- Per coach Martinson the Allen training camp will begin with physicals on Saturday, September 29 with the first on ice session on the 30th. Because the first practice is on a Sunday it most likely will not be open to the public but practices during the week will be. I am sure the team will issue details as training camp gets closer.
- The Iowa Wild will play preseason games on September 28-29 in St. Paul, MN so the Americans could be short players the first few days of their training camp. Allen's preseason games are scheduled for October 5-6 so most players will be back in Allen by then.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Coach Martinson shared with me that the team has secured player housing for the upcoming season in the Watters Creek area of Allen. Martinson mentioned the apartments are the best the team has ever had. The location is great for players without vehicles with restaurants, grocery store and shopping all in close proximity. The players are going to love their accommodations this season.
- The regular season started in most of the European leagues this week. Yesterday it was an Allen alumni game when the Krefeld Penguine (Chad Costello & Greger Hanson) played the Fischtown Pinguins (Rylan Schwartz) in the opener of the top German league. Krefeld took a 2-0 first period lead but Fischtown came back and won the game 4-3 in overtime. None of the former Allen players factored in the scoring. Hanson wasn't even in the lineup which I assume is because of injury. Jonathan Lessard had the first goal of the season and added an assist for his French team (Bordeaux) to lead them to a 4-1 win in their opener. Other former Allen players that scored in their first regular season game of the season include Rick Pinkston, Colton Yellow Horn, Justin Kirsch, Judd Blackwater and Konrad Abeltshauser (2). Alex Guptill has a goal and two assists in his first two games.
- Rapid City coach Daniel Tetrault, signed a former teammate in Allen, defenseman Steven Tarasuk to a contract, which was announced yesterday. Tarasuk spent part of two seasons with the Americans and was a member of the 2013-14 CHL championship team. He is a veteran with over 300 ECHL games played. Here is the press release issued by Rapid City: http://www.rapidcityrush.com/news/?article_id=1050
DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans made the playoffs last season but compiled the worst winning percentage in the six seasons Steve Martinson has been the coach and general manager. Here are the winning percentages under Martinson along with playoff results:
2017-18: .542 (lost in first round)
2016-17: .722 (lost in second round)
2015-16: .618 (won championship)
2014-15: .736 (won championship)
2013-14: .629 (won championship)
2012-13: .659 (won championship)
Friday, September 7, 2018
Allen Americans Roster Update, Another Announcement Today, Steve Martinson's Comments, ECHL-TV vs AHL-TV Cost, Baby News, Players Signed by all ECHL Teams, Former Allen Players Overseas
It has been a while since I have written a blog post and the items on my blog list are getting kind of long. It is going to be a challenge to get back in the groove of writing everyday once training camp starts so I am enjoying the off season. Have some big plans for the blog for the upcoming season which should be announced soon.
Hunting season officially commenced September 1st so I have been spending a lot of time sitting on a pail in a blind, in a patch of weeds, in the middle of a harvested cornfield.
PLAYER SIGNINGS
The Allen Americans signed two more players this week and they are not done as they plan on finishing the week with another player announcement this afternoon.
- Eric Roy: On Wednesday it was announced that defenseman Eric Roy will be returning to Allen for his fourth season with the Americans. Here is the press release: https://allenamericans.com/americans-welcome-back-eric-roy/
Here is the video announcement:
- Andrew D'Agostini: According to eliteprospects.com the Americans have signed goalie Andrew D'Agostini who played for the Bampton Beast the last last two seasons. Here is a story about the signing from The Peterborough Examiner where Andrew played his junior hockey. https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/sports-story/8871935-d-agostini-lands-in-texas-on-path-toward-nhl/
ROSTER
The announced Allen roster is now up to 17 players. Here is the current roster:
Goalie
Jeremy Brodeur
Andrew D'Agostini
Defensemen
Josh Atkinson
Joel Chouinard
Mike Gunn
Miles Liberati
Eric Roy
Dalton Thrower
Josh Thrower
Forwards
Spencer Asuchak
Chad Butcher
J.C. Campagna
Matt Foget
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Zach Pochiro
Braylon Shmyr
Kevin Sundher
COACH'S CORNER
- I had the chance to meet with coach Steve Martinson on Wednesday before he headed to Traverse City, MI as part of the Minnesota Wild contingent for the NHL prospect tournament which takes place this weekend. He will have a chance to see many Wild prospects (12 draft picks will participate) as well as prospects from the other seven NHL teams in the tournament. Allen players Matt Foget and Josh Thrower were invited to participate and what a great opportunity for them. Here is a press release with the entire Wild roster, the complete schedule of games and details on how you can watch a live stream of the Wild games free. The Minnesota prospects play Detroit today, Friday (6:30 pm CDT), the New York Rangers on Saturday (5:30 pm CDT) and Dallas Stars prospects on Monday (2:30 pm CDT).
https://www.nhl.com/wild/news/minnesota-wild-prospect-tournament-roster-schedule-083018/c-299904856
- Martinson reports he is just starting rehab on his shoulder replacement and everything is on schedule. He had to let the shoulder heal for the first two weeks and is looking forward to the next steps which will be light resistance training for specific range of motion.
- With AHL training camps about to begin, players that have been holding out for one way AHL deals are starting to look at ECHL opportunities. Coach Martinson is still working with several players/agents in this situation.
- Allen holds the ECHL rights to Vincent Arseneau for the 2018-19 season. Arseneau is on a one way contract with the Utica Comets (AHL) and the hope and expectation is he will be with Utica all season. It is worthy of note, however, that according to eliteprospects.com, Utica has 21 forwards on their roster so competition during training camp will be stiff. If at any point in the season Utica wants to send Arseneau to the ECHL it would be to the Allen Americans.
OTHER COMMENTS
- The AHL announced this week the launch of a new streaming platform (AHLTV) and the prices are very reasonable. The ECHL has not released their pricing for the 2018-19 season but here is a comparison between the AHL and ECHL using last season early bird pricing for the ECHL. About all you can say about the ECHL pricing (unless it is drastically reduced for the upcoming season) is C'MON MAN!
AHL
$79.99 - All teams, All games
$59.99 - One team, All games
$39.99 - One team, Home or Away
$19.99 - All games, One month
$6.99 - All games, One day
ECHL
$199.99 - All teams, All games
$149.99 - One team, All games
$99.99 - One team, Away games
$44.99 - All games, One month
$8.99 - Single live game
- It was baby news week for a couple of former Allen champions who are in the top 10 all-time in games played for the Americans. Bruce and Whitney Graham announced baby number four (a boy) will arrive in early January, it will make two girls and two boys for the Grahams. Mike and Chantal Berube announced they will have baby number three in March. The Berube's have a boy and a girl and their announcement said "tie breaker arriving in March." Congrats to all!
- 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 number of players announced by each ECHL team as of this morning according to the website eliteprospects.com.
24 - Fort Wayne Komets
23 - Atlanta Gladiators
20 - Idaho Steelheads
20 - South Carolina Stingray
19 - Maine Mariners
19 - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
19 - Wichita Thunder
18 - Brampton Beast
18 - Orlando Solar Bears
17- Allen Americans
16 - Kansas City Mavericks
16 - Adirondack Thunder
16 - Reading Royals
16 - Wheeling Nailers
14 - Indy Fuel
14 - Tulsa Oilers
14 - Rapid City Rush
12 - Norfolk Admirals
12 - Manchester Monarchs
12 - Worcester Railers
11 - Toledo Walleye
10 - Florida Everblades
10 - Jacksonville Icemen
10 - Utah Grizzlies
9 - Kalamazoo Wings
9 - Cincinnati Cyclones
4 - Newfoundland Growlers
You may wonder why Newfoundland has only signed four players. One theory is they will get a lot of players assigned by their AHL affiliate (Toronto Marlies). That theory makes sense when you consider Toronto has 41 players on their roster. They could load up the first year Growlers with a bunch of AHL contracted players.
- If you add up all of the numbers there have been 400 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 three weeks.
DID YOU KNOW: Here are some (not all) of the Allen Americans from the past that are playing overseas this season. Information courtesy of eliteprospects.com.
Alex Lavoie - Austria
Konrad Abeltshauser - Germany
Dallas Ehrhardt - England
Josh Brittain - Germany
Judd Blackwater - Slovakia
Josef Fojtik - Czech Republic
Devin DiDiomete - Italy
Rylan Schwartz - Germany
Colton Yellow Horn - Austria
Justin Kirsch - Germany
Chad Costello - Germany
Konrad Abeltshauser - Germany
Rick Pinkston - Scotland
Corbin Baldwin - England
Jaynen Rissling - England
Tanner Eberle - England
Greger Hanson - Germany
Marcus Basara - England
Garrett Clarke - Romania
Alex Guptill - England
Spencer Edwards - France
Harrison Ruopp - England
Nicholas Miglio - Germany
Jonathan Lessard - France
Joel Rumpel - Scotland
Chad Costello and Greger Hanson are teammates (Krefeld Pinguine)
Harrison Ruopp, Marcus Basara and Dallas Ehrhardt are teammates (Manchester Storm)
Alex Guptill and Jaynen Rissling are teammates (Nottingham Panthers)
Hunting season officially commenced September 1st so I have been spending a lot of time sitting on a pail in a blind, in a patch of weeds, in the middle of a harvested cornfield.
PLAYER SIGNINGS
The Allen Americans signed two more players this week and they are not done as they plan on finishing the week with another player announcement this afternoon.
- Eric Roy: On Wednesday it was announced that defenseman Eric Roy will be returning to Allen for his fourth season with the Americans. Here is the press release: https://allenamericans.com/americans-welcome-back-eric-roy/
Here is the video announcement:
- Andrew D'Agostini: According to eliteprospects.com the Americans have signed goalie Andrew D'Agostini who played for the Bampton Beast the last last two seasons. Here is a story about the signing from The Peterborough Examiner where Andrew played his junior hockey. https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/sports-story/8871935-d-agostini-lands-in-texas-on-path-toward-nhl/
ROSTER
The announced Allen roster is now up to 17 players. Here is the current roster:
Goalie
Jeremy Brodeur
Andrew D'Agostini
Defensemen
Josh Atkinson
Joel Chouinard
Mike Gunn
Miles Liberati
Eric Roy
Dalton Thrower
Josh Thrower
Forwards
Spencer Asuchak
Chad Butcher
J.C. Campagna
Matt Foget
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Zach Pochiro
Braylon Shmyr
Kevin Sundher
COACH'S CORNER
- I had the chance to meet with coach Steve Martinson on Wednesday before he headed to Traverse City, MI as part of the Minnesota Wild contingent for the NHL prospect tournament which takes place this weekend. He will have a chance to see many Wild prospects (12 draft picks will participate) as well as prospects from the other seven NHL teams in the tournament. Allen players Matt Foget and Josh Thrower were invited to participate and what a great opportunity for them. Here is a press release with the entire Wild roster, the complete schedule of games and details on how you can watch a live stream of the Wild games free. The Minnesota prospects play Detroit today, Friday (6:30 pm CDT), the New York Rangers on Saturday (5:30 pm CDT) and Dallas Stars prospects on Monday (2:30 pm CDT).
https://www.nhl.com/wild/news/minnesota-wild-prospect-tournament-roster-schedule-083018/c-299904856
- Martinson reports he is just starting rehab on his shoulder replacement and everything is on schedule. He had to let the shoulder heal for the first two weeks and is looking forward to the next steps which will be light resistance training for specific range of motion.
- With AHL training camps about to begin, players that have been holding out for one way AHL deals are starting to look at ECHL opportunities. Coach Martinson is still working with several players/agents in this situation.
- Allen holds the ECHL rights to Vincent Arseneau for the 2018-19 season. Arseneau is on a one way contract with the Utica Comets (AHL) and the hope and expectation is he will be with Utica all season. It is worthy of note, however, that according to eliteprospects.com, Utica has 21 forwards on their roster so competition during training camp will be stiff. If at any point in the season Utica wants to send Arseneau to the ECHL it would be to the Allen Americans.
OTHER COMMENTS
- The AHL announced this week the launch of a new streaming platform (AHLTV) and the prices are very reasonable. The ECHL has not released their pricing for the 2018-19 season but here is a comparison between the AHL and ECHL using last season early bird pricing for the ECHL. About all you can say about the ECHL pricing (unless it is drastically reduced for the upcoming season) is C'MON MAN!
AHL
$79.99 - All teams, All games
$59.99 - One team, All games
$39.99 - One team, Home or Away
$19.99 - All games, One month
$6.99 - All games, One day
ECHL
$199.99 - All teams, All games
$149.99 - One team, All games
$99.99 - One team, Away games
$44.99 - All games, One month
$8.99 - Single live game
- It was baby news week for a couple of former Allen champions who are in the top 10 all-time in games played for the Americans. Bruce and Whitney Graham announced baby number four (a boy) will arrive in early January, it will make two girls and two boys for the Grahams. Mike and Chantal Berube announced they will have baby number three in March. The Berube's have a boy and a girl and their announcement said "tie breaker arriving in March." Congrats to all!
- 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 number of players announced by each ECHL team as of this morning according to the website eliteprospects.com.
24 - Fort Wayne Komets
23 - Atlanta Gladiators
20 - Idaho Steelheads
20 - South Carolina Stingray
19 - Maine Mariners
19 - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
19 - Wichita Thunder
18 - Brampton Beast
18 - Orlando Solar Bears
17- Allen Americans
16 - Kansas City Mavericks
16 - Adirondack Thunder
16 - Reading Royals
16 - Wheeling Nailers
14 - Indy Fuel
14 - Tulsa Oilers
14 - Rapid City Rush
12 - Norfolk Admirals
12 - Manchester Monarchs
12 - Worcester Railers
11 - Toledo Walleye
10 - Florida Everblades
10 - Jacksonville Icemen
10 - Utah Grizzlies
9 - Kalamazoo Wings
9 - Cincinnati Cyclones
4 - Newfoundland Growlers
You may wonder why Newfoundland has only signed four players. One theory is they will get a lot of players assigned by their AHL affiliate (Toronto Marlies). That theory makes sense when you consider Toronto has 41 players on their roster. They could load up the first year Growlers with a bunch of AHL contracted players.
- If you add up all of the numbers there have been 400 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 three weeks.
DID YOU KNOW: Here are some (not all) of the Allen Americans from the past that are playing overseas this season. Information courtesy of eliteprospects.com.
Alex Lavoie - Austria
Konrad Abeltshauser - Germany
Dallas Ehrhardt - England
Josh Brittain - Germany
Judd Blackwater - Slovakia
Josef Fojtik - Czech Republic
Devin DiDiomete - Italy
Rylan Schwartz - Germany
Colton Yellow Horn - Austria
Justin Kirsch - Germany
Chad Costello - Germany
Konrad Abeltshauser - Germany
Rick Pinkston - Scotland
Corbin Baldwin - England
Jaynen Rissling - England
Tanner Eberle - England
Greger Hanson - Germany
Marcus Basara - England
Garrett Clarke - Romania
Alex Guptill - England
Spencer Edwards - France
Harrison Ruopp - England
Nicholas Miglio - Germany
Jonathan Lessard - France
Joel Rumpel - Scotland
Chad Costello and Greger Hanson are teammates (Krefeld Pinguine)
Harrison Ruopp, Marcus Basara and Dallas Ehrhardt are teammates (Manchester Storm)
Alex Guptill and Jaynen Rissling are teammates (Nottingham Panthers)