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
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| 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.
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