- There is not much new on the Allen Americans recruiting front but it is important to remember it is still very early in the process. The NHL, AHL and ECHL are in the second round of their playoffs and in seven of Allen's 10 seasons they were still playing at this point. As a reminder here is the last game in each of the last 10 seasons:
May 4, 2010 - A 4-3 loss to Rapid City in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals
May 8, 2011 - A 5-3 loss to Bossier-Shreveport in the CHL Berry Conference finals
April 10, 2012 - A 4-2 loss to the Texas Brahmas in the CHL Berry Conference semi-finals
May 11, 2013 - A 4-3 OT win over Wichita in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals
May 10, 2014 - A 5-2 win over Denver in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals
June 14, 2015 - A 6-1 win over South Carolina in the Kelly Cup finals
June 9, 2016 - A 4-2 win over the Wheeling Nailers in the Kelly Cup finals
May 9, 2017 - A 4-3 loss to Colorado in the ECHL Mountain Division finals
April 25, 2018 - A 4-1 loss to Idaho in the ECHL Mountain Division semi-finals
April 6, 2019 - A 4-1 loss to Wichita, out of playoffs
- In talking to coach Martinson he is spending the majority of his time researching players at all levels and coordinating with the Minnesota Wild and Iowa Wild. The Wild have shared with Martinson they will be signing more players
this season which will be of great help to Allen.
- I've heard from many Allen fans they have lost interest in the Kelly Cup playoffs since the Americans are not participating for the first time in franchise history. There are some connections to the Allen Americans that have made it to the Division finals so if nothing else you can cheer for some of the players that have spent time in Allen in the past. Here is the list:
Cincinnati - none
Florida
Mitch Vandergunst - Mitch was in training camp with Allen this season.
Newfoundland
John Snowden - John is the Growler's head coach. He played in Allen in 2013-14.
Eric Levine - well traveled goalie (15 teams in six pro seasons) play five games in Allen (2013-14).
Tulsa
Steve Kaunisto - played 10 games in Allen in 2011-12.
Toledo
Chris Crane - played part of three seasons in Allen and was big part of the 2014-15 championship.
Bryan Moore - had 48 goals in two seasons with Allen (2016-18).
Matt Register - Matt had two stints in Allen, 2011-12 and 2015-16.
Idaho - none
Orlando
Matt Foget - Matt played in Allen briefly in 2017-18 and was in camp this season
Alex Schoenborn - contracted player from San Jose played in Allen 2016-18.
Colby McAuley - contracted player from San Jose played in Allen 2017-18.
Mike Brodzinski - contracted player from San Jose played in Allen 2017-18.
Manchester
Pavel Jenys - contracted player with the Wild played nine games with Allen this season.
Stepan Falkovsky - contracted player with the Wild played 12 games with Allen this season.
- The second round of the Kelly Cup playoffs got off to a rough start for three of the division champions. Newfoundland, Cincinnati and Florida all lost at home in their opening game. However, they all bounced back in game two so the series are tied 1-1. Tulsa was the exception as they have a 2-0 lead heading to Idaho for the next three games.
- I saw a video where Tulsa head coach, Rob Murray, was talking about the team taking a 26 hour bus ride to Boise for the next three games of the Mountain Division finals. The Oilers have a 2-0 lead in the series and can close out the Steelheads in Idaho. The teams play on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. It is bad enough Tulsa has to bus rather than fly to Boise. You can only hope they are not still using Allen's old bus, "Big Red" for this trip. Big Red hates mountains and getting over them has proven to be a 50-50 proposition in the past.
- Because of arena availability the Central Division championship,
Cincinnati vs Toledo, is a rare 1-3-3 format. The series is tied 1-1
with the road team winning the first two games. The next two games are
in Toledo on Wednesday and Friday. The big question in this series is will Cincinnati follow a long list of teams that have won the regular
season
championship and failed to win the Kelly/Riley Cup? The Cyclones won the
Brabham Cup this season with 110 points which was four more points than
South Division leader Florida, 16 more points than North Division
leader Newfoundland and 20 more points than Mountain Division leader
Tulsa. However, in the 31 year
history of the ECHL only three teams have won the Brabham Cup and gone
on to win the Kelly/Riley Cup. Alaska did it three times (2014, 2011, 2006),
Cincinnati did it in 2008
and South Carolina in 1997. Will the curse of the Brabham Cup bite
Cincinnati this season?
DID YOU KNOW: The top three scorers in the 2019 ECHL playoffs not only come from the same team, they are on the same line. The Tulsa Oilers line of Alex Dostie, Stephen Perfetto and Adam Pleskach have been unstoppable so far. They have combined for 45 points (23G, 22A) in Tulsa's first nine playoff games. They have scored 72% of the Oilers goals. Here are their individual stats:
16 points (10G, 6A) Alex Dostie
16 points (5G, 11A) Stephen Perfetto
13 points (8G, 5A) Adam Pleskach
No other player in the Kelly Cup playoffs has more than 10 points or 6 goals.
Monday, April 29, 2019
Thursday, April 25, 2019
Weekly Update - Joel Chouinard Retires, John Snowden's Most Memorable Day, ECHL Playoff Fun Facts and More
JOEL CHOUINARD
- Allen Americans captain Joel Chouinard made it official last night announcing his retirement from professional hockey. The 2008 sixth round NHL draft choice of the Colorado Avalanche finishes his pro career with 534 games played including 204 in the AHL. The term "class act" describes Joel Chouinard both on and off the ice. Joel's career in Allen spans just three seasons including two seasons wearing the "C" on his chest.
- How did Joel end up playing for the Allen Americans? You can thank his wife, Courtney. The story goes back to when he met Courtney when he was playing in Cleveland for the Lake Erie Monsters (AHL) and one of his teammates was Justin Mercier. As Joel tells the story, "Justin's sister, Courtney, went to school at the University of Michigan and over spring break she came and visited her brother. Their parents are from Erie, Pennsylvania and Cleveland is a midpoint between Erie and Ann Arbor so Cleveland was the perfect spot for the whole family to meet. They would come to watch Justin play and after I met them, to watch me as well. That is how I met Courtney and it has been great ever since." Allen fans can thank Courtney for recruiting Joel for the Americans. While she was attending the University of Michigan Law School she took an internship in Dallas which led to a full time position after she graduated. Steve Martinson was the benefactor of the move to Dallas.
- Joel Chouinard played just three seasons in Allen and was one of the most effective defensmen in the ECHL. Here is how Joel ranks among all ECHL defensmen when you combine his three seasons in Allen.
3rd - Assists (95)
4th - Points (123)
5th - Games Played (205)
10th - Goals (28)
- In 2016-17 Joel won the ECHL Plus Performer Award, leading the league in plus/minus at +47.
- Even though Chouinard played just three seasons in Allen he is near the top of the all-time record list for defensemen in every category. Joel was an Ironman his first two seasons playing in all 72 games. Here are the all-time leaders for Allen defensemen:
Games Played
247 - Tyler Ludwig
229 - Mike Berube
222 - David Makowski
205 - Joel Chouinard
Points
174 - David Makowski
172 - Tyler Ludwig
123 - Joel Chouinard
Goals
55 - David Makowski
51 - Tyler Ludwig
42 - Eric Roy
28 - Joel Chouinard
Assists
121 - Tyler Ludwig
119 - David Makowski
95 - Joel Chouinard
- If you look at single season records, Joel is the all-time leader for the Americans in plus/minus with +47 in 2016-17. In the 10 year history of the Americans no other defenseman has had a plus/minus higher than +28.
- Just two Allen defensemen have played in all 72 games in a season. Aaron Gens was the first in 2014-15. Joel accomplished the feat in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
- Joel had 51 points (12G, 39A) in 2017-18 which was the fourth highest single season point total by a defenseman in team history. His 39 assists that season is also the fourth highest total in team history.
- It has been quite a year for the Chouinard family with the purchase of their new home, a new pet, the arrival of their first child, and now Joel's retirement. I am sure all Allen fans join me in wishing Joel, Courtney, Julien and their dog Harley the best going forward. Here is what Joel posted on the Allen Americans Blog last night, "Thanks everyone! The last three years have been some of the best of my life. You guys were a big part of that!! And yes, to answer some of your questions, I will be around the AEC for games next year, just not on the ice."
JOHN SNOWDEN
You may remember John Snowden when he played 22 games for Allen during the 2013-14 season. John had a distinguished nine year pro career of over 700 games but my first memory of him was when he was playing for the Fort Worth Brahmas in 2013. On February 13, 2013 Snowden scored five goals in a game including four straight goals in the second period as Fort Worth beat Arizona 7-1.
- John retired after the 2013-14 season and moved to Orlando to attend the Golf Academy of America to pursue a degree in golf management and obtain his PGA teaching pro card. John was a scratch golfer. However, John never gave up on the idea of coaching for a living and coached youth hockey in Orlando while he was attending the golf academy. When the opportunity to become the assistant coach for the Orlando Solar Bears for the 2015-16 season came up, John jumped at the chance. He was promoted to the associate coach in Orlando (2017-18). Orlando was affiliated with the Toronto Maple Leafs but that affiliation ended after the 2017-18 season when Toronto affiliated with the expansion Newfoundland Growlers. Toronto recruited John to move to Newfoundland to become the assistant coach with the Growlers. 2018-19 has been quite a season for the Snowdens. You can only imagine the logistics of getting family, pets, vehicles etc. from Florida to Newfoundland. Much of this fell to John's wife, Janelle, who was pregnant with their third child.
- In January Newfoundland Growlers head coach, Ryane Clowe, stepped down because of concussion related medical issues that date back to 2014 when his 10 year NHL career was cut short. In a real vote of confidence John was named the permanent head coach and the team recruited a new assistant coach.
- Newfoundland won the North Division Championship and beat Brampton in the first round of the playoffs which included one of the most memorable days of John's life. Two days ago on Tuesday, April 23, John and Janelle welcomed their third child and first girl into the world as Rowan Elizabeth Snowden was born at 1:56 am. It was the start of a long day for John as at 9:45 pm his team beat Brampton 3-2 in overtime to advance to the second round of the Kelly Cup playoffs.
- I reached out to John to ask him what it was like dealing with his first ever playoff series as a head coach, traveling to Brampton while Janelle was about to give birth and all that happened on Tuesday. Here is what happened in John's own words. "Barry, to sum it all up it was a whirlwind. After game five in Brampton on Saturday I jumped on a late flight back to St. John to get back home as quick as possible. I knew Janelle was close and I was not missing it! I was able to get back to celebrate Janelle's birthday on Sunday and spend Easter with the boys. I held practice Monday morning and then went straight to the hospital. Early on Tuesday morning (1:56 am) we welcomed our beautiful daughter, Rowan Elizabeth, into the world. I got one hour of sleep, rushed home to check on the boys before heading to the rink to get our morning meetings prepared. My staff then delivered the meetings and morning skate while I went back to the hospital with the boys to meet their sister and see mom. After leaving the hospital we went home, I got the boys to a friends house, took a one hour nap and headed back to the rink for the game. Being able to win our first series as a team and franchise on the same day as having our daughter was amazing. I am a very fortunate man to have an amazing wife and family and being able to work with an elite organization with the Maple Leafs and Growlers that understand the importance of family. April 23 is a day I will never forget!
- It has been quite the year for the Snowden family and it could get even better with the Growlers going strong in the playoffs. Congrats to John and Janelle, big brothers Aiden and Keegan, and new arrival Rowan.
KELLY CUP PLAYOFFS
- The final piece of the second round playoff puzzle fell into place last night as Tulsa advanced by beating Kansas City 6-2 in the only series that went to a game seven.
- Unlike the NHL where all four division champions were defeated in the opening round of the playoffs, all four ECHL division champions advanced.
- The higher seeded team won seven of eight first round series. The one exception was Manchester who was the #3 seed in the North Division and beat #2 seed Adirondack 4-1.
- I posted this a couple of weeks ago and wanted to update the info:
So much for the idea once you make the Kelly Cup playoffs any team can win. In the last 14 seasons the Kelly Cup champion has never finished worse than seventh in the regular season. In 12 of the last 14 seasons the Kelly Cup champion finished in the top five during the regular season. Here is the regular season rank of the 16 teams that made the playoffs. The teams marked with an asterisk have advanced to the second round.
*1. Cincinnati
*2. Florida
*3. Newfoundland
*4. Tulsa
*5. Toledo
*6. Idaho
*7. Orlando
8. Adirondack
9. Utah
*10. Manchester
11. Fort Wayne
12. Brampton
13. Kansas City
14. Kalamazoo
15. South Carolina
- The second round of the Kelly Cup playoffs get underway tonight as Cincinnati takes on Toledo in the Central Division finals. Cincinnati's record against Toledo in the regular season was 5-2-2-0.
- Getting players added to the roster for the playoffs who spent the majority of the season in the AHL can be the difference in winning and losing. Tulsa is a prefect example. The #1 seeded Oilers fell behind to #4 seeded Kansas City in the Mountain Division semi-finals 3-2 and had to win two games at home to advance. Tulsa was led in the two wins by Alex Dostie who played only five games with Tulsa during the regular season, just enough to qualify to play in the playoffs. Alex was selected the #1 star in games six and seven. In game seven last night Alex had a hat trick including the game winning goal. Dostie is leading all ECHL players in the playoffs in points (13) and goals (9).
DID YOU KNOW: It you had to look at one stat from the first round of the playoffs to help predict second round success it might be goal differential. Here is the list:
+13 Manchester
+11 Toledo
+9 Florida
+8 Cincinnati
+6 Orlando
+4 Tulsa
-2 Idaho
-5 Newfoundland
- Allen Americans captain Joel Chouinard made it official last night announcing his retirement from professional hockey. The 2008 sixth round NHL draft choice of the Colorado Avalanche finishes his pro career with 534 games played including 204 in the AHL. The term "class act" describes Joel Chouinard both on and off the ice. Joel's career in Allen spans just three seasons including two seasons wearing the "C" on his chest.
- How did Joel end up playing for the Allen Americans? You can thank his wife, Courtney. The story goes back to when he met Courtney when he was playing in Cleveland for the Lake Erie Monsters (AHL) and one of his teammates was Justin Mercier. As Joel tells the story, "Justin's sister, Courtney, went to school at the University of Michigan and over spring break she came and visited her brother. Their parents are from Erie, Pennsylvania and Cleveland is a midpoint between Erie and Ann Arbor so Cleveland was the perfect spot for the whole family to meet. They would come to watch Justin play and after I met them, to watch me as well. That is how I met Courtney and it has been great ever since." Allen fans can thank Courtney for recruiting Joel for the Americans. While she was attending the University of Michigan Law School she took an internship in Dallas which led to a full time position after she graduated. Steve Martinson was the benefactor of the move to Dallas.
- Joel Chouinard played just three seasons in Allen and was one of the most effective defensmen in the ECHL. Here is how Joel ranks among all ECHL defensmen when you combine his three seasons in Allen.
3rd - Assists (95)
4th - Points (123)
5th - Games Played (205)
10th - Goals (28)
- In 2016-17 Joel won the ECHL Plus Performer Award, leading the league in plus/minus at +47.
- Even though Chouinard played just three seasons in Allen he is near the top of the all-time record list for defensemen in every category. Joel was an Ironman his first two seasons playing in all 72 games. Here are the all-time leaders for Allen defensemen:
Games Played
247 - Tyler Ludwig
229 - Mike Berube
222 - David Makowski
205 - Joel Chouinard
Points
174 - David Makowski
172 - Tyler Ludwig
123 - Joel Chouinard
Goals
55 - David Makowski
51 - Tyler Ludwig
42 - Eric Roy
28 - Joel Chouinard
Assists
121 - Tyler Ludwig
119 - David Makowski
95 - Joel Chouinard
- If you look at single season records, Joel is the all-time leader for the Americans in plus/minus with +47 in 2016-17. In the 10 year history of the Americans no other defenseman has had a plus/minus higher than +28.
- Just two Allen defensemen have played in all 72 games in a season. Aaron Gens was the first in 2014-15. Joel accomplished the feat in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
- Joel had 51 points (12G, 39A) in 2017-18 which was the fourth highest single season point total by a defenseman in team history. His 39 assists that season is also the fourth highest total in team history.
- It has been quite a year for the Chouinard family with the purchase of their new home, a new pet, the arrival of their first child, and now Joel's retirement. I am sure all Allen fans join me in wishing Joel, Courtney, Julien and their dog Harley the best going forward. Here is what Joel posted on the Allen Americans Blog last night, "Thanks everyone! The last three years have been some of the best of my life. You guys were a big part of that!! And yes, to answer some of your questions, I will be around the AEC for games next year, just not on the ice."
 |
| Best Wishes to the Chouinards - Joel, Julien, Courtney and Harley |
JOHN SNOWDEN
You may remember John Snowden when he played 22 games for Allen during the 2013-14 season. John had a distinguished nine year pro career of over 700 games but my first memory of him was when he was playing for the Fort Worth Brahmas in 2013. On February 13, 2013 Snowden scored five goals in a game including four straight goals in the second period as Fort Worth beat Arizona 7-1.
- John retired after the 2013-14 season and moved to Orlando to attend the Golf Academy of America to pursue a degree in golf management and obtain his PGA teaching pro card. John was a scratch golfer. However, John never gave up on the idea of coaching for a living and coached youth hockey in Orlando while he was attending the golf academy. When the opportunity to become the assistant coach for the Orlando Solar Bears for the 2015-16 season came up, John jumped at the chance. He was promoted to the associate coach in Orlando (2017-18). Orlando was affiliated with the Toronto Maple Leafs but that affiliation ended after the 2017-18 season when Toronto affiliated with the expansion Newfoundland Growlers. Toronto recruited John to move to Newfoundland to become the assistant coach with the Growlers. 2018-19 has been quite a season for the Snowdens. You can only imagine the logistics of getting family, pets, vehicles etc. from Florida to Newfoundland. Much of this fell to John's wife, Janelle, who was pregnant with their third child.
- In January Newfoundland Growlers head coach, Ryane Clowe, stepped down because of concussion related medical issues that date back to 2014 when his 10 year NHL career was cut short. In a real vote of confidence John was named the permanent head coach and the team recruited a new assistant coach.
- Newfoundland won the North Division Championship and beat Brampton in the first round of the playoffs which included one of the most memorable days of John's life. Two days ago on Tuesday, April 23, John and Janelle welcomed their third child and first girl into the world as Rowan Elizabeth Snowden was born at 1:56 am. It was the start of a long day for John as at 9:45 pm his team beat Brampton 3-2 in overtime to advance to the second round of the Kelly Cup playoffs.
- I reached out to John to ask him what it was like dealing with his first ever playoff series as a head coach, traveling to Brampton while Janelle was about to give birth and all that happened on Tuesday. Here is what happened in John's own words. "Barry, to sum it all up it was a whirlwind. After game five in Brampton on Saturday I jumped on a late flight back to St. John to get back home as quick as possible. I knew Janelle was close and I was not missing it! I was able to get back to celebrate Janelle's birthday on Sunday and spend Easter with the boys. I held practice Monday morning and then went straight to the hospital. Early on Tuesday morning (1:56 am) we welcomed our beautiful daughter, Rowan Elizabeth, into the world. I got one hour of sleep, rushed home to check on the boys before heading to the rink to get our morning meetings prepared. My staff then delivered the meetings and morning skate while I went back to the hospital with the boys to meet their sister and see mom. After leaving the hospital we went home, I got the boys to a friends house, took a one hour nap and headed back to the rink for the game. Being able to win our first series as a team and franchise on the same day as having our daughter was amazing. I am a very fortunate man to have an amazing wife and family and being able to work with an elite organization with the Maple Leafs and Growlers that understand the importance of family. April 23 is a day I will never forget!
- It has been quite the year for the Snowden family and it could get even better with the Growlers going strong in the playoffs. Congrats to John and Janelle, big brothers Aiden and Keegan, and new arrival Rowan.
 |
| Big brothers Keegan (left) and Aiden meet sister Rowan |
KELLY CUP PLAYOFFS
- The final piece of the second round playoff puzzle fell into place last night as Tulsa advanced by beating Kansas City 6-2 in the only series that went to a game seven.
- Unlike the NHL where all four division champions were defeated in the opening round of the playoffs, all four ECHL division champions advanced.
- The higher seeded team won seven of eight first round series. The one exception was Manchester who was the #3 seed in the North Division and beat #2 seed Adirondack 4-1.
- I posted this a couple of weeks ago and wanted to update the info:
So much for the idea once you make the Kelly Cup playoffs any team can win. In the last 14 seasons the Kelly Cup champion has never finished worse than seventh in the regular season. In 12 of the last 14 seasons the Kelly Cup champion finished in the top five during the regular season. Here is the regular season rank of the 16 teams that made the playoffs. The teams marked with an asterisk have advanced to the second round.
*1. Cincinnati
*2. Florida
*3. Newfoundland
*4. Tulsa
*5. Toledo
*6. Idaho
*7. Orlando
8. Adirondack
9. Utah
*10. Manchester
11. Fort Wayne
12. Brampton
13. Kansas City
14. Kalamazoo
15. South Carolina
- The second round of the Kelly Cup playoffs get underway tonight as Cincinnati takes on Toledo in the Central Division finals. Cincinnati's record against Toledo in the regular season was 5-2-2-0.
- Getting players added to the roster for the playoffs who spent the majority of the season in the AHL can be the difference in winning and losing. Tulsa is a prefect example. The #1 seeded Oilers fell behind to #4 seeded Kansas City in the Mountain Division semi-finals 3-2 and had to win two games at home to advance. Tulsa was led in the two wins by Alex Dostie who played only five games with Tulsa during the regular season, just enough to qualify to play in the playoffs. Alex was selected the #1 star in games six and seven. In game seven last night Alex had a hat trick including the game winning goal. Dostie is leading all ECHL players in the playoffs in points (13) and goals (9).
DID YOU KNOW: It you had to look at one stat from the first round of the playoffs to help predict second round success it might be goal differential. Here is the list:
+13 Manchester
+11 Toledo
+9 Florida
+8 Cincinnati
+6 Orlando
+4 Tulsa
-2 Idaho
-5 Newfoundland
Friday, April 19, 2019
Allen Americans Update with Steve Martinson, Thanksgiving Day Playoff Prediction Results, Allen Players to the AHL, Playoff Update, Costello's Postseason Records and More
It has been two weeks since Allen's season ended and it is time to bring everyone up to date on a variety of topics. I want to start with a recap of a conversation I had with Steve Martinson yesterday. He is in Rockford taking care of flood damage to some of his boat docks. We covered a myriad of topics and here are some of the highlights:
- If there is an overriding theme to the recruitment process for the upcoming season it is team speed and team defense. From veterans to rookies, Allen needs to improve team speed. Team defense this season was by far the worst since joining the ECHL. Here are the goals allowed the last five season:
Goals Allowed
269 2018-19
232 2017-18
203 2016-17
204 2015-16
203 2014-15
- There were times during the last season when Allen didn't have enough players that could kill penalties. Part of better team defense is recruiting more players that have experience killing penalties in addition to offensive skill.
- Coach Martinson has been working with the Wild and they have some things in the works that will help Allen and the Wild. The current Wild management wasn't fully in place until well into the off season last year. They have shared with Martinson they will be signing more players this season which will be of great help to Allen.
- Martinson is in no hurry to sign players for next season until he has a better idea of what is happening with the Wild, the AHL playoffs and the ECHL playoffs. It doesn't mean he is just waiting as there is plenty to do before making signing decisions. Remember the first day players can be signed for the 2019-20 season isn't until June 16. Qualifying offers for any players Martinson wants to retain aren't due until June 30.
- During the next 60 days it will become more apparent what players from last year's Allen roster will get AHL deals, sign in Europe and retire. Allen fans should expect some players in all three categories.
- Coach Martinson emphasized to me what he said after the last game of the season, he is looking forward to building a new team for the 2019-20 season.
THE PLAYOFFS
Each season at Thanksgiving I list the teams that will make the Kelly Cup playoffs. This is based strictly on what teams are in playoff spots on Thanksgiving day. Historical data proves somewhere between 75% - 80% of playoff teams are already decided by Thanksgiving.
- It is strange to think with a little more than 20% of the ECHL season complete you can predict who will be in the playoffs with close to 80% accuracy. Here are the teams that were in the top four spots in each division at Thanksgiving and the final results:
North Division
1. Newfoundland
2. Adirondack
3. Reading
4. Brampton
Three of four made the playoffs. Reading finished fifth just one point out of the playoffs. Manchester made the playoffs.
South Division
1. Jacksonville
2. Norfolk
3. Florida
4. Orlando
Three of four made the playoffs. It was predictable Norfolk would end up out of the playoffs and be replaced by South Carolina but these were the standings at the time.
Central Division
1. Cincinnati
2. Toledo
3. Indy
4. Fort Wayne
Three of four made the playoffs. Kalamazoo nipped Indy by two points for the last playoff spot.
Mountain Division
1. Utah
2. Tulsa
3. Kansas City
4. Idaho
All four teams made the playoffs.
History repeated itself again this season as 13 of the 16 teams in the Kelly Cup playoffs were in a playoff spot at Thanksgiving. That means 81% of the playoff teams were decided by Thanksgiving.
OTHER COMMENTS
- You may have noticed Braylon Shmyr was loaned to the AHL after Allen completed their season. Braylon played the last two games of the season for San Antonio who was out of the playoff picture. San Antonio brought in players so they could send players back to their affiliate (Tulsa) who was starting their ECHL playoffs.
- Alex Breton finished his time in Springfield (AHL) in style by scoring two goals in the last game of the season. Breton played in 10 games with Springfield after being loaned on March 1. In those 10 games he had four points (3G, 1A) and was +5. Springfield did not make the playoffs. If Alex is not signed to an AHL deal by Springfield it is hard to believe he won't get a deal with some AHL team next season. You can be assured Martinson will give Breton a qualifying offer so he will have his ECHL rights for next season if he does sign an AHL deal.
- Riley Bourbonnais did not play down the stretch for Iowa as they got players assigned from the Minnesota Wild (NHL) and were battling for a playoff spot. Since he was loaned to Iowa on March 1st, Riley played in 10 games and had one goal. Riley is another player that coach Martinson will definitely qualify so whether he signs with Allen, signs with an AHL team or goes to Europe, Allen will retain his ECHL rights.
- Iowa will take on Milwaukee starting on Sunday in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs. It is a best of five series. There are some familiar names on the Iowa Wild playoff roster. According to the AHL website the playoff roster includes 19 forwards, 10 defensemen and three goalies. Five players on the roster spent time in Allen. Goalie C.J. Motte, defensemen Nick Boka and Jack Sadek and forwards Riley Bourbonnais and Dante Salituro. Not sure how much if any playing time these five players will get but they are in the playoffs.
- The first round of the Kelly Cup playoffs are well underway and there have been a lot of close games already with nine games taking overtime to decide. The only division champion that is behind is Tulsa who trails Kansas City 2-1 with game four in Kansas City tonight. The Central Division champs, Cincinnati, is ahead of Kalamazoo 2-1 with game four in Kalamazoo tonight. In the North Division the #1 seed Newfoundland took a 3-0 lead over Brampton but lost to the Beast 4-1 last night. The Growlers will have another chance to close out the series on Saturday. In the South Division the #1 seed, Florida, won the first two games at home against Jacksonville but the Icemen won last night 4-3 at home to make the series 2-1. Game four is tonight in Jacksonville.
- The only team that can advance tonight is Manchester who is the #3 seed in the North Division. The Monarchs have a 3-0 lead over the #2 seed (Adirondack) with game four tonight in Manchester.
DID YOU KNOW: I posted on my ECHL Stats Twitter account (@ECHLStats) this morning the players with the most assists in one playoff year in the last 15 seasons. Chad Costello was at the top of the list with 29 assists. When you look at the all-time record book Chad is all over the postseason records. Here are a few examples:
1st, Most Assists, One Playoff Year, 2016, (29)
1st, Most Assists in Final series, 2016, (10)
2nd, Most Points, One Playoff Year, 2016, (36)
3rd, Most Points in Final Series, 2016, (13)
3rd, Most Assists in Playoffs, Career, (61)
4th, Most Points in Playoffs, Career (83)
Monday, April 8, 2019
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You - Barry the Blogger Style
For the first time since I started writing the Allen Americans Blog seven years ago the season has ended without making the playoffs. No time for sorrow or disappointment. It is time for me to say my thanks to all involved in making Allen Americans hockey the best fan experience anywhere. While I will still be posting blogs during the summer when there is news to report, it will no longer be each day.
It is quite an undertaking to write about the team seven days a week during the season and it does indeed take a village to make it all possible. So please indulge me for this once a year post about the blog and all of the people that help me. It seems like as the years go by more and more blog readers help me out with information, ideas for stories, ask questions and let me know about errors I make in the blog so I can get them corrected.
It wouldn't be right to have a blog post without some stats so here are a couple that amaze me. I write somewhere around 250,000 words during the hockey season. As of this morning the total number of page views since October of 2012 is 1,541,143 and this number doesn't include fans that read the blog on the Allen Americans website or The Sin Bin where it is also posted. Who would have imagined a blog started for the Heritage Ranch Allen Americans fan club now reaches people all over the US and Canada as well as the hockey hotbeds in Europe on a daily basis. It proves fans of the Allen Americans are all over the world.
It is hard to put into words my appreciation whether you read the blog every day or are a casual fan that stumbles across my daily musings. It has been my pleasure to meet many of you and your words of encouragement in person, comments at the end of each blog, posts on Twitter, Facebook, message boards, and email have been very satisfying and inspiring.
Thanks to the many fans, bloggers, and media from all over the league that have promoted the blog as fair and balanced and have also shared information with me about their teams. One of the unexpected benefits of writing the blog has been getting to know all of the broadcasters, writers, bloggers and passionate fans from other teams.
There are a lot of you on Twitter that like and/or retweet the blog. There are a lot of you that like and/or share the blog on Facebook. I notice each and every one and appreciate it so much because it is a way to spread the word about the Allen Americans. I am extremely fortunate that Hall of Fame sports writer and Allen Americans supporter, Rick Gosselin has become a friend and mentor. Rick has kindly retweeted the blog every day to his 25,000 followers. With the great stories he has written about the Americans and publicity he has given to the team along with retweeting the blog each day I call him a one man marketing department.
Thank you to the players who have never said no to a single request I have made of them for a chat, an interview or a question. I have gotten to know most of these young men both professionally and personally and they have represented the Americans in an outstanding manner. You see the players at their best when they are visiting schools and hospitals or are interacting with the young fans in any environment.
One of my goals when I started the blog was to share the personal stories of the players. It is something I didn't do enough of this season so hope to do more next season. The wives/girlfriends, parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and friends I have met have been great about sharing family stories which I have then been able to share in the blog. This season as part of the 10th anniversary celebration I did a series called, Where Are They Now. A special thanks to all the players (and their wives) from the past who were kind enough to share their personal stories and to super fan Wendy Ellis who helped me contact players from the past.
Thanks to Steve Martinson and his staff (Assistant Coach Jason Deitsch, Player/Coach Casey Pierro-Zabotel, Trainer Phil Dolan, Equipment Mananger Tim Abbott, Skating Coach Luke Chilcott, Goalie Coach Chris Johansen) for always being willing to talk to me and help educate me. A special thanks to coach Martinson, for allowing me to stop by his office after every game and every practice to ask questions and talk about the team. It is his openness and trust that has allowed the blog to have information you can't find anywhere else.
Thanks to Tommy Daniels, the voice of the Allen Americans, who has been a big help to me. Tommy is the one who encouraged me to start the blog, made me feel like part of the media team, answered many questions, publicized the blog to attract new readership, and invited me to be part of the between periods conversation on his radio broadcast to talk hockey and promote the blog. Tommy is the best broadcaster in the business and is always willing to share his knowledge with others.
Thanks to Tommy's radio sidekick, Maurice Fitzgerald, for all the between periods chats on the radio broadcast. Maurice has forgotten more about hockey than I will ever know but we are a good combo with all of my day to day information/stats about the team.
Maurice and myself are two of a big volunteer army that devotes time to the Allen Americans because of their love of the team and love of hockey. Photographers, writers, interns, fan club members and fans too numerous to mention. Certainly an under appreciated group of volunteers.
This was my first season as the official blogger of the Allen Americans and in that capacity I posted the blog each day on the Americans website (allenamericans.com). Because I use a different software to write the blog than the Americans use on their website my daily post has to be converted from one software to another. It was clearly a case of teaching an old dog (me) new tricks which is never easy. Thanks to Kamen Kessler, who handles digital marketing for the team for all the help he gave me in learning how to use WordPress and get my blog posted to the Allen website. Kamen also created all of the graphics I have used this season.
Joe Babik, Director of Communication for the ECHL has once again spent more time with me this season than I deserved to help educate me about the policies, rules, procedures and records of the ECHL. Joe has gone above and beyond the call of duty and seems to respond to questions 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Thanks to the entire Team Sin Bin group which has welcomed me into their group for the fifth year and made it very easy for me to get my stories on their website (thesinbin.net). A special thanks to Editor-in Chief Matt Harding (SinBinThunder).
Unlike most writers, bloggers, and other media types that cover the Americans I have a dual role as in addition to being a blogger I also coordinate the activities of the fan club (over 200 members) at Heritage Ranch where I live. In this capacity I spend a lot of time in the front office of the Americans arranging for season tickets, suites, individual game tickets, seats for soldiers tickets, and other promotions. I want to thank the entire front office staff, led by Matt Canavan, who have gone out of their way to help me with tickets as well as provide content for the blog. A special thanks to Chase Richardson (Ticket Operations Manager) who was my go to guy this season and would drop whatever his was doing to help me out.
Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't thank my lovely wife of 40 years, Nancy, who is kind enough to proofread the blog each morning. It is a tireless task. Despite our best efforts we miss plenty of errors in both substance and form. Luckily many of you are kind enough to let me know of these errors so corrections can be made promptly. The volunteer proofreader list has gotten long but special thanks to John Weithman and Mary Betz who are the best of the best. Blog posts live forever on the internet and can always be corrected so I really appreciate when you let me know about errors.
This will be the last daily blog post for the season. I will still blog on an as needed basis as new information becomes available. If you are on Facebook or Twitter you can see whenever there is a new post on the blog by liking my page on Facebook at "Allen Americans Blog" or following me on Twitter at @allenamericans1. Maybe the easiest way to stay in touch is by making allenamericansblog.blogspot.com one of the favorites on whatever search engine you use and checking in periodically. Remember, it is only 187 days until Allen Americans hockey starts again.
I started a new Twitter account this season called ECHL Stats (@EchlStats) where my goal is to post interesting and insightful stats pertaining to the ECHL. I plan on posting throughout the summer on ECHL Stats so if you are on Twitter give @EchlStats a follow. I also hope to post the info on Facebook (Allen Americans Blog).
Finally, on a personal note you may know I have been taking a two week fishing trip to Ontario for over 20 years with some buddies from Minnesota. The trip is always the last week of May and first week of June. This worked fine when Allen was in the Central Hockey League as the playoffs were always over by the time the fishing trip started but that is not the case since joining the ECHL. In 2015 I missed the finals series and in 2016 I flew home early to catch the championship finals. The last two seasons I made the tough choice to forego the fishing trip as it made no sense to cover the team every single day and then miss the playoffs. My fishing buddies told me I was making a big mistake by not going on the fishing trip. The Americans won four straight championships when I went on the trip and then the last two season when I didn't go on the fishing trip the team lost early in the playoffs. My superstitious Allen fans (you know who you are) said it was all my fault the Americans lost because I decided to not go on the fishing trip. Even though I am not a superstitious person, last fall I made the decision to once again join my friends on the fishing trip at the end of May, just to make sure the Americans would get back to the Kelly Cup finals. Bottom line it is not my fault Allen didn't make the playoffs because I am going fishing next month.
DID YOU KNOW: It is hard to believe it is early April and the Allen Americans are not playing hockey. April 6th is the earliest the Americans have played the last game of the season in the seven years Steve Martinson has been the coach but also the earliest in the ten year history of the franchise. Here is the date of the last game played in each year of the Allen franchise along with the results.
May 4, 2010 - A 4-3 loss to Rapid City in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals
May 8, 2011 - A 5-3 loss to Bossier-Shreveport in the CHL Berry Conference finals
April 10, 2012 - A 4-2 loss to the Texas Brahmas in the CHL Berry Conference semi-finals
May 11, 2013 - A 4-3 OT win over Wichita in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals
May 10, 2014 - A 5-2 win over Denver in the CHL Presidents' Cup finals
June 14, 2015 - A 6-1 win over South Carolina in the Kelly Cup finals
June 9, 2016 - A 4-2 win over the Wheeling Nailers in the Kelly Cup finals
May 9, 2017 - A 4-3 loss to Colorado in the ECHL Mountain Division finals
April 25, 2018 - A 4-1 loss to Idaho in the ECHL Mountain Division semi-finals
April 6, 2019 - A 4-1 loss to Wichita, out of playoffs
Sunday, April 7, 2019
Allen Ends Season with a Loss and a Brawl, Game Recap, Video Highlights, How Bad Was This Season, Playoff Stories, High PIMS Can be Good or Bad
The Allen Americans ended a historic season last night the same way they started the season 176 days ago, with a loss. It was a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Wichita Thunder last night that put an end to the worst season in Allen history. For two teams that were playing out the season Allen and Wichita couldn't say goodbye. A brawl ensued after the game ended with eight players (five Allen, three Wichita) receiving game misconduct and/or match penalties. There will definitely be some suspensions as a result of this melee. Any Allen suspensions will carry over to next season. Wichita plays Tulsa this afternoon so they will undoubtedly play shorthanded. The penalty totals for the game were 18 infractions, 127 minutes for Allen and 12 infractions, 70 minutes for Wichita. The Allen penalty minute total (127) is the highest in the league this season and the combined total for both teams of 197 minutes is the second highest in the ECHL this season.
- The 4-1 loss to Wichita was similar to many of the Allen losses this season. The Americans had a good start scoring the first goal and taking a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Wichita scored the only goal in the second period so the teams started the third period tied 1-1. The wheels fell off in the third period for the Americans as they surrendered three unanswered goals. The Americans have always been known as a great third period team but not this season. Allen has given up more third period goals than any team in the league while struggling to score. The totals are 68 goals scored in the third period and 97 goals allowed for a goal differential of -29. Not many third period comebacks with that kind of performance.
- Here is the game recap issued by the Wichita Thunder: https://www.wichitathunder.com/news/press-release/thunder-wins-penalty-filled-home-finale.html
- Here are the video highlights with all of the goals and the brawl after the game had ended:
- My goal and I am sure the goal of many Allen fans is to not forget about this season but put it in the past. Use it as incentive for everyone associated with the team to come back stronger than ever next season. This will be the last blog post I use to talk about just how a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad season it was for the Allen Americans. They set records for futility that will never be broken. For the record here is a comparison of the Americans five ECHL seasons.
Winning Percentage
.389 2018-19
.542 2017-18
.722 2016-17
.618 2015-16
.736 2014-15
Points
56 2018-19
78 2017-18
104 2016-17
89 2015-16
106 2014-16
Goals Scored
208 2018-19
235 2017-18
294 2016-17
222 2015-16
292 2014-15
Goals Allowed
269 2018-19
232 2017-18
203 2016-17
204 2015-16
203 2014-15
Goal Differential (goals for minus goals against)
2018-19 -61
2017-18 +3
2016-17 +91
2015-16 +18
2014-15 +89
Team Save Percentage
.897 2018-19
.912 2017-18
.920 2016-17
.909 2015-16
.906 2014-15
Team GAA
3.67 2018-19
3.16 2017-18
2.76 2016-17
2.75 2015-16
2.73 2014-15
Times Shutout by Opponents
8 - 2018-19
5 - 2017-18
2 - 2016-17
2 - 2015-16
1 - 2014-15
Team Shooting Percentage
9.2% 2018-19
10.5% 2017-18
12.9% 2016-17
10.6% 2015-16
12.2% 2014-15
Power Play Percentage
16.7% 2018-19
17.1% 2017-18
24.4% 2016-17
21.1% 2015-16
21.9% 2014-15
Penalty Kill Percentage
81.7% 2018-19
81.6% 2017-18
84.4% 2016-17
86.4% 2015-16
87.5% 2014-15
Team Plus/Minus
-256 2018-19
+38 2017-18
+334 2016-17
-11 2015-16
+291 2014-15
Penalty Minutes
2018-19 1691
2017-18 1411
2016-17 1432
2015-16 1189
2014-15 1644
CONCLUSIONS
1. You can see how much worse this season is than any other but things have been going down hill since the 2016-17 season.
2. The 2014-15 championship team was a complete team that could score, defend and was very physical. They are the leaders in most of the stats above.
3. The 2015-16 championship team was not that good in the regular season. The stats were good but not great, however, the team peaked during the playoffs.
4. Maybe the most surprising of the stats above is just how good the 2016-17 team was in the regular season. The team was loaded with talent and coach Martinson had the best team ever by his own analysis. Based on the stats above you could certainly agree it was the best team ever assembled by Martinson.
OTHER COMMENTS
- I asked coach Steve Martinson what his thoughts were now that the season is over and his response was not a surprise and captures what all Allen fans would agree with, "I am looking forward to building a new team."
- Spencer Asuchak scored Allen's only goal last night playing in his 72nd game of the season. Spencer is the only player on the team to play in all 72 games. This is the second time Asuchak has been an Ironman as he also played in every game in the 2013-14 season. When you consider he spends so much time in front of the net taking an incredible amount of abuse, his feat is even more impressive. I know Spencer played hurt for much of the season and refused to do anything but show up game after game. He will undergo surgery this week.
- Congrats to Spencer and stick taps to all Allen Ironmen past and present! It is a very exclusive club.
2018-19 - Spencer Asuchak
2017-18 - Joel Chouinard, Casey Pierro-Zabotel
2016-17 - Chad Costello, Joel Chouinard
2015-16 - Chad Costello
2014-15 - Chad Costello, Aaron Gens, Jamie Schaafsma
2013-14 - Spencer Asuchak, Daniel Tetrault, Mike Berube
2012-13 - Jamie Schaafsma, Jason Deitsch
2011-12 - Jason Deitsch
2010-11 - Colton Yellow Horn, David Strathman
2009-10 - Bruce Graham, Christian Gaudet
- The Kelly Cup playoffs are almost set with just one slot still up for grabs. South Carolina is at Atlanta today and the Gladiators need a regulation win to advance to the playoffs, any other outcome and the Stingrays advance.
- The Tulsa Oilers clinched the Mountain Division championship with a 6-1 win over Kalamazoo last night while Idaho was losing 3-2 in overtime to Utah. It is the first division championship for Tulsa in 43 years. The first round matchups are now set with #1 Tulsa vs #4 Kansas City and #2 Idaho vs #3 Utah. Talk about teams that are familiar with each other, Tulsa and Kansas City have played 11 times this season with the Oilers having a record of 7-4-0-0 against the Mavericks. Idaho and Utah finish the regular season playing each other today in Utah. It will be the 15th time these teams have met this season. This is a good matchup for Utah who has given Idaho trouble all season. Even though Idaho is the #2 seed Utah's record against the Steelheads is 8-4-2-0.
- There will be some interesting stories when it comes to the teams that made the Kelly Cup playoffs this season. From Newfoundland making the playoffs in their first season to Tulsa winning their first division title since 1975-76. Brampton is in the playoffs for only the second time in five ECHL seasons and Tulsa has made the playoffs for the first time in four years. The Jacksonville Icemen will be in the playoffs for the first time since the franchise joined the ECHL as the Evansville Icemen in 2012-13. At the other end of the spectrum is the Idaho Steelheads who have been to the playoffs 21 straight seasons (two different leagues), the longest active playoff streak in pro hockey.
DID YOU KNOW: Thanks to 127 penalty minutes in the final game of the season last night Allen surpassed the 1600 penalty minute barrier. Over 1600 penalty minutes in a season has been accomplished just twice in the last five ECHL seasons, both times by the Allen Americans. In 2014-15 Allen had 1644 regular season penalty minutes and won the Kelly Cup. This season Allen had 1691 penalty minutes and finished last in the ECHL.
Saturday, April 6, 2019
Allen Suffers Eighth Shutout of the Season, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Race for the Bottom and More
A week ago Allen beat Wichita and goalie Stuart Skinner 7-1. Last night they were shutout by Wichita and Skinner 4-0. Such is the nature of this season for the Americans. There were two keys for the Americans in the game preview yesterday. First was to get off to a good start. Even though Allen gave up only one goal they were out shot in the first period 22-10. There have been 951 games played in the ECHL this year and the 22 shots on goal in the first period was the fourth most all season. The second key was to stay out of the penalty box. Wichita has the #1 ranked power play in the ECHL (24.5%). By the 8:49 mark of the second period Allen had given Wichita four power play opportunities and they scored on three of them and it was game over.
- Here is the game recap issued by the Wichita Thunder: https://www.wichitathunder.com/news/press-release/kalk-skinner-leads-thunder-to-win-vs-allen.html
- Here are the video highlights:
- Allen will close out the season tonight in Wichita and the question is will the team that beat the Thunder six straight games including a 7-1 win last Saturday show up or the one that lost 4-0 last night. Are the players more interested in the logistics of the post season or can they focus on finishing strong.
- Not sure if it is an incentive or if the players are even aware but Allen has to get at least one point tonight if they want to avoid being dead last in the ECHL standings. Greenville won last night, their second straight road win in Norfolk, and have tied Allen in points (56). Since Allen has fewer ROW (regular and overtime wins) a tie would go to Greenville. To avoid last place Allen needs to get at least one point tonight and hope Greenville loses in Norfolk.
- The Kelly Cup playoffs are almost set with 14 of 16 teams locked in. Here is the list. The seedings could change but not much by the end of the last game on Sunday.
North Division
1. Newfoundland
2. Adirondack
3. Manchester
4. Brampton, Reading or Maine
South Division
1. Florida
2. Orlando
3. Jacksonville
4. Atlanta or South Carolina
Central Division
1. Cincinnati
2. Toledo
3. Fort Wayne
4. Kalamazoo
Mountain Division
1. Tulsa
2. Idaho
3. Utah
4. Kansas City
- There is a full set of games (13) scheduled in the ECHL tonight with Orlando the only team idle. The best matchup has to be Atlanta vs South Carolina. They play in South Carolina tonight and in Atlanta on Sunday. Whichever team gets the most points in the two games makes the playoffs, the other goes home. Other games to watch are Kalamazoo at Tulsa and Idaho at Utah. Tulsa and Idaho are separated by a single point for the top seed in the division. Here is a link to ECHL Today with a short preview on all 13 games. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/4/echl-today-april-6
- With two days left in the regular season there have been 10 players reach 30 goals. This compares to 16 last season and 20 in 2016-17. It looks like a downward trend until you consider in 2015-16 only two players reached 30 goals.
- In their first three seasons in the ECHL Allen was shut out a total of five times. In the last two seasons they have been shutout a total of 13 times including a record eight times this season. The eight shutouts have been spread out with one each month with the exception of November when the Americans were shutout in back to back games in Utah. Seven of the eight shutouts took place on the road. Here is the list:
2-0 October 28 in Rapid City
4-0 November 21 in Utah
5-0 November 23 in Utah
3-0 December 29 in Utah
2-0 January 4 in Tulsa
2-0 February 8 in Kansas City
6-0 March 6 in Allen against Kansas City
4-0 April 5 in Wichita
DID YOU KNOW: Here are the number of times Allen has been shutout in each of their five ECHL seasons:
8 - 2018-19
5 - 2017-18
2 - 2016-17
2 - 2015-16
1 - 2014-15
Friday, April 5, 2019
Allen vs Wichita Preview, The Playoffs, How Good is Cincinnati and Chad Costello's Scoring Championships in Perspective
- The Americans are down to the last two games of the season and it seems appropriate they finish against Wichita, a team Allen has played 68 times since joining the ECHL five years ago. Wichita is one team Allen has played well against this season. The game tonight will be the 13th of 14 games between these teams and the Americans record against the Thunder stands at 8-2-0-2. Allen has won the last six times they have played Wichita. The Americans record in Wichita this season is 4-0-0-2.
- Head to head Allen has the edge in goals (54-37). Wichita has the edge in shots (424-405). If you look at season long averages Allen is #22 in goals per game (2.96) and Wichita is #19 (3.06). If you compare goals allowed per game Allen is #26 (3.73) and Wichita is #25 (3.59).
- Even though Wichita has the best power play percentage in the ECHL (23.8%) Allen has dominated special teams in the six games (all wins) they have played against the Thunder since the beginning of January. The Americans were 10-25 (40.0%) on the power play and 95.2% on the penalty kill (1-21). It is hard to expect those kind of stats tonight but if Allen can win the special teams battle it will go a long way in securing a win. If you look at season long special team stats it is a different story. On the road Allen is 16.9% on the power play and 85.0% on the penalty kill. At home Wichita is 21.3% on the power play and 79.9% on the penalty kill.
- Penalties could play a big part in the game tonight. In their 12 head to head match ups this season Allen and Wichita have had as few as nine penalties for a combined 18 minutes and as many as 33 penalties for 112 minutes. Both teams will be missing key players when it comes to dropping the gloves. Allen will be missing Josh Thrower (injury) and Jake Doty (injury). Wichita will be missing Dyson Stevenson and Pierre-Cedric Labrie who are on loan to AHL teams. These four players have 33 of the 75 (44%) fights their teams have been involved in this season.
- It is not hard to come up with the keys to victory. First, Allen needs to get off to a good start. The Americans don't do well when they allow the first goal (9-32-0-1) and they don't do well when trailing after the first period (6-21-0-1). Key number two is stay out of the penalty box. Allen leads the ECHL in minor penalties (409), 10 minute misconduct penalties (22), game misconduct penalties (22) and match penalties (5).
- Dante Salituro has been the leading scorer for Allen against Wichita. He has 17 points (8G, 9A) in 12 games. Braylon Shmyr has 14 points (6G, 8A). Zach Pochiro has 13 points (8G, 5A) in 10 games against the Thunder.
- Spencer Asuchak and Gary Steffes could reach individual milestones this weekend. Spencer needs to play in both games to become an Ironman for the second time. Asuchak is the only player on the team that has played in every game this season. Gary Steffes needs two goals this weekend to become Allen's all-time career leader in goals. Gary has 97 career goals and is currently tied with Bruce Graham. Chad Costello and Greger Hanson lead with 98 goals.
- Zach Pochiro has fallen to third in the ECHL in goals scored and will need a hot streak this weekend to take back the lead. Zach took the goal scoring lead by scoring a goal in seven straight games but since then has one goal in the last seven games. Adam Pleskach (Tulsa) leads with 37 goals, J.C. Campagna is second with 35 goals and Zach is third with 34 goals. With one goal this weekend Zach will tie Greger Hanson for third place on the Allen all time single season goal list.
- The referee scheduled tonight is Eric Krasnichuk (#20). The linesmen will be Kilian McNamara (#90) and Chuck Schamel #97.
OTHER COMMENTS
- There are still four playoff spots to be determined so this will be a big weekend for the eight teams that still have a chance to make the post season. The best matchup has to be Atlanta vs South Carolina. They play in South Carolina on Saturday and in Atlanta on Sunday. Whichever team gets the most points in the two games makes the playoffs, the other goes home. If the teams are tied Atlanta makes the playoffs. In the North Division no teams have been eliminated and the bottom five teams are competing for two playoff spots. Manchester and Brampton have a slight lead but anything could happen.
- The #1 seed in the Mountain Division will be determined this weekend between Tulsa and Idaho. Here are the remaining games for both teams. Tulsa has 86 points, Idaho 85.
Tulsa - Kalamazoo (H), Kalamazoo (H), Wichita (H)
Idaho - Utah (H), Utah (A), Utah (A)
The Idaho vs Utah series this weekend could very well be a preview of the first round of the playoffs. It is likely these teams will end up as the #2 (Idaho) and #3 seeds and play each other.
- There are 12 games in the ECHL tonight. Here is a link to ECHL Today which previews all 12 games. https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/4/echl-today-april-5
- How good has Cincinnati been both offensively and defensively this season? The Cyclones lead the ECHL in goals scored (277) and in goals allowed (170). Six of the top eight players in the ECHL in plus/minus play for Cincinnati.
DID YOU KNOW: The ECHL scoring leader this season will be Jesse Schultz of the Cincinnati Cyclones who has 80 points and a seven point lead with two games remaining. Last season (2017-18) Shawn Szydlowski was the scoring champion with 79 points. These numbers make you appreciate even more the amazing numbers Chad Costello put up in his three seasons in Allen. Chad was the ECHL scoring champions in 2016-17 (122 points), 2015-16 (103 points) and 2014-15 (125 points).
Thursday, April 4, 2019
Practice and Roster Update, C.J. Motte Signs in Europe, Breton Selected to All-Rookie Team, Steffes and Asuchak Milestones, Players Used, Fan Party April 10 and More
The Allen Americans will have their last practice of the season this morning before getting on the bus for the 460 mile trip to Wichita this afternoon. Allen will play the Thunder on Friday and Saturday night to close out the season. The team that will take the ice tomorrow night in Wichita will be vastly different from the team that visited Wichita for the second game of the season back on October 13 when the Americans shutout the Thunder 4-0. Ten of the 18 players from that October 13 game will not take the ice tomorrow night (Casery Pierro-Zabotel, Alex Breton, Tate Olson, Chase Lang, J. Thrower, Jordy Stallard, Pavel Jenys, J.C. Campagna, Dalton Thrower and Jeremy Brodeur).
- How much turnover has there been on the Allen roster? Spencer Asuchak has played in every Allen game this season, a total of 70 games. These eight players, who will all be on the trip to Wichita, combined have played 63 games for Allen this season.
0 games - Jack Sadek
1 game - Duggie Lagrone
2 games - Nick Boka
5 games - Ben Owen
7 games - Lukas Hafner
8 games - Malcolm Gould
18 games - Gary Steffes
22 games - Etienne Boutet
63 games - TOTAL
- As it turns out the two games in Wichita this weekend will be important at least for those hoping the Americans do not finish with the worst record in the league. That honor will go to Allen or Greenville. The race got closer last night as the Swamp Rabbits went on the road and beat Norfolk 5-4 in overtime. A couple of former Americans who now play for Norfolk tried to help out their old team. Greenville had a 4-2 lead midway through the game before Eric Roy and Ben Duffy scored to tie the score. Norfolk couldn't take the lead and Greenville won in overtime.
The Swamp Rabbits will play Norfolk on Friday and Saturday. After the win last night Greenville's record against Norfolk this season is 1-4-1-0. The Americans play Wichita on Friday and Saturday. Allen's overall record against Wichita this season is 8-2-0-2. In the six games played in Wichita the Americans have won four and lost in a shootout twice.
With two games remaining Allen has a two point lead (56-54) over Greenville. If the teams end up tied the Swamp Rabbits will come out on top based on the first tiebreaker which is wins minus shootout wins.
The bottom line is Allen's magic number is three points. Any combination of three points lost by Greenville or gained by the Americans will give Allen the better record.
- Spencer Asuchak and Gary Steffes could reach individual milestones in Wichita that I will be watching for this weekend. Spencer needs to play in both games to become an Ironman for the second time. Asuchak is the only player on the team that has played in every game this season. He left practice yesterday with a cut I would expect required stitches but that won't deter him whatsoever. Gary Steffes needs two goals this weekend to become Allen's all-time career leader in goals. Gary has 97 career goals and is currently tied with Bruce Graham. Chad Costello and Greger Hanson lead with 98 goals.
- C.J. Motte has signed a contract for next season with the hockey team in Innsbruck, Austria which plays in the EBEL, the top league in Austria. The EBEL is a 12 team league. Innsbruck finished in ninth place and out of the playoffs this season. A couple of former Allen Americans that played in the EBEL this season are Colton Yellow Horn and Alex Lavoie. Yellow Horn plays for the Graz 99ers and they are still playing but trailing 3-0 in the semifinals of the playoffs. Lavoie played for Innsbruck this season.
- The ECHL announced the all rookie team yesterday and Alex Breton was selected as one of the two defensemen on the team. The team is selected by a vote of coaches and media from around the ECHL. Alex missed six weeks of the season because of loans to the AHL and has been in Springfield since March 1st. He is still tied among defensemen for most goals by a rookie (14) and is #5 in points. Earlier this season Breton was selected for the ECHL All-Star game and finished second in the fastest skater competition. Congrats to Alex. Here is the press release from the ECHL on the All-Rookie Team: https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/4/echl-announces-2018-19-all-rookie-team
- Cincinnati beat Toledo 3-2 last night for their 50th win of the season and in the process clinched the Brabham Cup as the regular season champion. Here is a link to the ECHL press release on Cincinnati winning the Brabham Cup which includes every regular season champion since 1989. Keep in mind in the history of the ECHL only three teams have won the Brabham Cup and gone on to win the Kelly Cup. Alaska has done it three times (2014, 2011, 2006), Cincinnati did it in 2008 and South Carolina in 1997. Some call it the curse of the Brabham Cup, will it bite Cincinnati this season or will they repeat what they did in 2008 and win both Cups.
- I have had several questions about a fan get together with the team after the season is over and before most of the players disperse. I confirmed with the front office that an event will take place next Wednesday, April 10 from 7:30-8:30 pm in the community rink. Fans can skate with the players but there will also be time to mix and mingle with the players off the ice.
DID YOU KNOW: The final tally on the number of players that have played at least one game with Allen this season will be 45, just one shy of the all time record of 46 in 2015-16. If you look across the ECHL the team that has used the most players is the Maine Mariners who have used 57 players this season. Cincinnati has used only 28 players which is the fewest in the league.
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
The Story of Dalton Jay, Allen's New Defenseman Jack Sadek's Player Profile, Watch Party, Playoff Update, PIMS Anomaly and More
I am sure many of you had this happen sometime during your schooling where your teacher handed out an assignment which started out with "read this entire document" before you start and then complete the instructions. This would be a timed exercise so speed and accuracy were both important. The instructions included all kinds of things you had to write on the page but the very last sentence/instruction said ignore all of the prior instructions, write your name on the top of the page and turn in the assignment. Needless to say the majority of the class and almost all of the boys immediately started writing all of the things on the paper that were in the instructions and only when they got to the last instruction at the bottom of the page did they figure out all they had to do was write their name on the top of the page and turn in the paper.
- I share this story because yesterday I included the following in the blog:
Another player added to the Allen roster over the weekend according to a press release from his Federal Hockey League team is Dalton Jay, the leading scorer for the Port Huron Prowlers with 104 points (43G, 61A) this season. Here is the press release: https://www.phprowlers.com/news/dalton-jay-called-up-to-echl-team
If you clicked on this press release and read it all the way to the end you would have noticed the final four words were; "Oh yeah... April Fools ;). So no Dalton Jay on the Allen roster.
- The other player I mentioned yesterday, Jack Sadek, really is with the Americans. Sadek was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the seventh round of the 2015 NHL draft and just completed his senior year at the University of Minnesota. A local product, Jack is from Lakeville, Minnesota which is just south of Minneapolis. His team won the prestigious state high school hockey tournament when he was a senior. The 6'2" 200 pound right shot defenseman played in 94 straight games to end his collegiate career including every contest of his junior and senior seasons. This season he led all defensemen on his team in points (18) and assists (14). He finished second in blocked shots (57). In his four year career at Minnesota, Jack recorded 43 points (10G, 33A) in 125 games and helped the Gophers win two straight Big Ten regular season championships. Sadek comes from a sports family. His dad and grandfather both played football at the University of Minnesota and his sister played hockey at Ohio State. Here is a video interview from two months ago that will familiarize you with Sadek. When he mentions his cousin played at the University of Minnesota, his cousin is New York Rangers defenseman Brady Skjei.
- Jack Sadek and Nick Boka are in the same situation. They are Minnesota Wild late round 2015 draft choices who have just completed their collegiate careers. They are both right shot defensemen who signed ATO's (amateur tryouts) with the Iowa Wild and were then asked to come to Allen. They are in Allen to show what they can do at the pro level in hopes of getting signed to a contract by Iowa for next season. Boka has made an immediate impact in his first two games with two assists and a plus/minus of +6. Sadek will have just the two games in Wichita this weekend to show what he can do. If Sadek and/or Boka sign with Iowa they could spend time in Allen next season.
- Super fan Mary Betz asked me to share the following information about a watch party she is hosting on Friday. Here is Mary's message:
Having hockey withdrawals? Miss your hockey family? You have one more chance this Friday for an unofficial watch party in the back room at Kelly's. Come join in and help cheer on the RED as they battle to stay out of last place. Puck drops at 7:05 pm. Hope to see you there.
- Kansas City beat Tulsa 4-3 last night to tighten up the race for the top spot in the Mountain Division. With three games remaining Tulsa has 86 points and Idaho has 85 points. Both teams play three games in three days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) and it looks like it will come down to the games on Sunday. Tulsa has the better schedule with all three of their games at home against teams with lower winning percentages than the Oilers. Idaho plays Utah all three games and two of the games are on the road. Utah's record against Idaho this season is 7-3-2-0.
If you look at the first tie breaker (wins minus shootout wins) Tulsa has 39 and Idaho has 37. Anything could still happen but the schedules, stats and tiebreaker all favor Tulsa. Here are the remaining games for both teams.
Tulsa - Kalamazoo (H), Kalamazoo (H), Wichita (H)
Idaho - Utah (H), Utah (A), Utah (A)
- The other three divisions have already crowned their regular season champion. Here they are with current points in parentheses.
Newfoundland - North Division (92 points)
Florida - South Division (102 points)
Cincinnati - Central Division (106 points)
If Cincinnati gets one point in their last three games or if Florida loses a point the Cyclones will be the ECHL regular season champions and take home the Brabham Cup.
- There are six games in the ECHL tonight with only one Mountain Division team in action as Wichita hosts Kalamazoo. The game I will be tracking is Greenville at Norfolk. If Norfolk wins that game, Allen will go into the weekend with a four point lead over the Swamp Rabbits. The Americans magic number will be one point to avoid having the worst record in the league.
DID YOU KNOW: I have written many times about how the last four Kelly Cup champions were tough, physical, high penalty minute teams because that style seems to work in seven games series where the more physical team wears down their opponent. The contrast between divisions this season is dramatic. There are 13 teams in the ECHL with over 1000 penalty minutes. In the Mountain Division five of seven teams have over 1000 penalty minutes and the two teams that don't have 1000 PIMS have 945 and 935. You contrast that with the North Division where none of the seven teams have 1000 penalty minutes. The four teams with the fewest penalty minutes (672, 685, 760, 787) in the ECHL all come from the North Division. The North Division champion, Newfoundland is ranked #25 in penalty minutes (760).
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Roster Update, Allen Adds Players,Team Leader Stats, Playoff Dates and More
- If you follow AHL transactions you undoubtedly noticed how defenseman Nick Boka arrived in Allen. He was signed to an ATO (Amateur Tryout) contract by Iowa on March 15, released from the ATO on March 29 and then signed to an ATO by Allen. Boka was drafted by the Minnesota Wild (2015 sixth round) so I am sure this was all orchestrated by the NHL club. It looks to me like another defenseman has been or will be signed to an ATO by Allen. According to AHL transactions, defenseman Jack Sadek, drafted in the sixth round (2015) by the Minnesota Wild, signed an ATO with the Iowa Wild last Friday and then was released from the ATO on Sunday without playing in a single game. Since the Wild can't assign a player on an ATO to Allen this process of releasing them and then having Allen sign them is the paper process used. As of this writing nothing has been announced but I would be surprised if he hasn't been signed to an ATO with the Americans.
- Another player added to the Allen roster over the weekend according to a press release from his Federal Hockey League team is Dalton Jay, the leading scorer for the Port Huron Prowlers with 104 points (43G, 61A) this season. Here is the press release: https://www.phprowlers.com/news/dalton-jay-called-up-to-echl-team
- Games missed because of injuries this season is now well over 400 and counting. As a reminder here is a list of missing players: Zabotel, Frazee, Gunn, Doty, J. Thrower, D. Thrower, Lang, Maloney, and Sundher.
- Haven't done this for a while so thought it might be instructive to take a look at Allen's stats leaders with two games remaining in the season. Below are the team leaders in various statistical categories with the league rank in parentheses:
Points:
60 - Dante Salituro (19th)
58 - Zach Pochiro (28th)
47 - Spencer Asuchak (69th)
47 - Adam Miller (69th)
Goals:
34 - Zach Pochiro (3rd)
22 - Dante Salituro (41st)
20 - Braylon Shmyr (58th)
Assists:
38 - Dante Salituro (12th)
31 - Adam Miller (52nd)
29 - Spencer Asuchak (68th)
Plus/Minus: (Games played for Allen)
+10 - Riley Bourbonnais (90th)
+6 - Nick Boka (145th)
+2 - Ben Owen (252nd)
Penalty Minutes:
238 - Curt Gogol (3rd)
123 - Zach Pochiro (26th)
120 - David Makowski (28th)
Fighting Majors:
13 - Jake Doty (8th)
12 - Curt Gogol (9th)
5 - Josh Thrower (43rd)
Shots On Goal:
216 - Zach Pochiro (14th)
197 - Dante Salituro (23rd)
182 - David Makowski (39th)
Points by Defensemen
39 - Alex Breton (2nd)
32 - David Makowski (25th)
28 - Joel Chouinard (35th)
Goals by Defensemen
14 - Alex Breton (5th)
11 - David Makowski (13th)
6- Joel Chouinard (44th)
Assists by Defensemen
25 - Alex Breton (21st)
22 - Joel Chouinard (33rd)
21 - Josh Atkinson (38th)
21 - David Makowski (38th)
Save Percentage
.910 - C.J. Motte (9th)
.890 - Lukas Hafner (32nd)
- Here is the weekly update from the Allen Americans: https://allenamericans.com/americans-weekly-update-4/
- I have had several questions about a farewell event where fans will have a chance to meet with the players and say goodbye before the team disperses. Other than the date (April 10th) when this is supposed to take place, I have not heard any of the details. I will keep you posted.
- Several teams have already announced their first home playoff dates. All four playoff teams have been decided in the Mountain Division and the top two seeds will be Tulsa and Idaho. It is still to be determined who is #1 and #2. Tulsa will open the playoffs at home on April 11 and 14 against either Kansas City or Utah. Idaho will start the playoffs at home on April 12 and 13 against either Kansas City or Utah. If the playoffs started today Tulsa would be #1 and play #4 Kansas City while #2 Idaho would play #3 Utah. The odds are the final standings will be the same as they are today. Tonight Tulsa is in Kansas City to play the Mavericks. If Tulsa can win that game they will lock Kansas City into the #4 seed and extend the Oilers division lead over Idaho to three points with three games remaining.
DID YOU KNOW: NHL superstar Connor McDavid has at least one point in an NHL high 85% of the games he has played this season. Allen's best is just over 60%. Three Allen Americans have at least one point in over 60% of their games played.
64.3% - Riley Bourbonnais (18 of 28)
62.3% - Zach Pochiro (38 of 61)
60.9% - Dante Salituro (39 of 64)
Monday, April 1, 2019
Allen vs Greenville in the Battle for the Best of the Worst, Breton and Bourbonnais Update, Playoff Update and What is a Swamp Rabbit?
For Allen Americans fans the final week of the season has finally arrived. This will be the shortest season in team history (176 days) but it seems like the longest season in team history. The longest season in team history (233 days) was the Americans first Kelly Cup championship (2015) and it seemed like the shortest season ever.
- You can focus on who will win the regular season championship (Cincinnati) or the five teams left to secure a spot in the playoffs but my laser focus is avoiding that last place spot in the ECHL standings. Here is more info than you would ever want to know about the quest for the best of the worst. It is Allen vs Greenville with everything on the line this week. The Americans are clearly the favorites to come out on top in the battle for the bottom as they have 56 points with two games remaining while the Swamp Rabbits have 52 points with three games remaining.
- All remaining games for both teams are on the road. Allen's road record is 10-19-3-2. Greenville's road record is 10-21-1-1. Both teams will be playing the team just ahead of them in the standings who are also eliminated from the playoffs. The Swamp Rabbits will play Norfolk on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Greenville's record against Norfolk this season is 1-4-0-0. The Americans play Wichita on Friday and Saturday. Allen's record against Wichita this season is 8-2-0-2.
- If Allen and Greenville end up tied in points the Swamp Rabbits will come out on top based on the first tiebreaker which is wins minus shootout wins. Allen has 25 wins and a shootout record of 4-2 so for the tiebreaker only 21 wins count. Greenville is 0-3 in shootouts so their 23 wins all count.
- The bottom line is Allen's magic number is three points. Any combination of three points lost by Greenville or gained by the Americans will give Allen better record. Remember, victory is sweetest when you have tasted defeat and Allen has tasted plenty of defeat this season. Small victories are better than none so if it happens celebrate this small victory.
- Riley Bourbonnais and Alex Breton have now been on loan to the AHL for one month. They have both found success at the next level and stand a good chance of getting AHL deals for next season. Here are the details:
Bourbonnais - Riley has played in 10 of 14 games since being loaned to Iowa. He played in the first four games once he arrived in Iowa, then sat out four games and has played in the last six Wild games. Bourbonnais scored his first AHL goal last Wednesday. Riley's total for the 10 games played is one goal, no assists, six shots, two penalty minutes and a plus/minus rating of -2. Iowa should make the playoffs but have lost five straight games.
Breton - Alex has played in seven of 14 games since being loaned to Springfield. He scored his first AHL goal on Saturday. Breton's totals in his seven games played in Springfield are one goal, no assists, nine shots, two penalty minutes and he has a plus/minus of +4. Springfield will not make the playoffs.
- The number of teams that have punched their ticket to the playoffs is now up to 11. Here is the list. Back in November (Thanksgiving) I predicted the 16 playoff teams based on the standings at that time under the historical fact that 80% of the teams in the playoff positions at Thanksgiving will make the playoffs. The teams with an asterisks were predicted to make the playoffs in November.
North
Newfoundland*
Adirondack*
South
Florida*
Orlando*
Jacksonville*
Central
Cincinnati*
Toledo*
Mountain
Tulsa*
Idaho*
Utah*
Kansas City*
So far so good as 100% of the 11 teams that have made the playoffs were in playoff positions back in November. Several of the five teams remaining to make the playoffs were not in a playoff position at Thanksgiving. I will have a complete recap once all 16 playoff teams have been determined.
- Tulsa made a real statement yesterday shutting out third place Utah 6-0. That loss pretty much ended Utah's hope of obtaining the #2 seed in the Mountain Division. First place in the division is now between Tulsa and Idaho. The Oilers lead Idaho in points (86-85) and winning percentage (.632-.616). Tulsa has four games remaining, Idaho just three. Tulsa is 8-2-0-0 in their last 10 games, Idaho is 5-4-0-1. If you look at the stats and the schedules (see below) it looks good for Tulsa to finish first and get the reward of home ice advantage for the first two rounds in the playoffs.
Tulsa - Kansas City (A), Kalamazoo (H), Kalamazoo (H), Wichita (H)
Idaho - Utah (H), Utah (A), Utah (A)
DID YOU KNOW: Greenville changed their name from the Road Warriors to Swamp Rabbits in 2015 as part of a rebranding effort. What is a Swamp Rabbit? Back in the 1920's there was a railroad (Greenville and Northern Railway) that linked Greenville with the coal fields of Tennessee which became known as the "Swamp Rabbit" by locals who would use the freight train as a means of transportation to picnic in northern Greenville County. The Swamp Rabbits name is very familiar in Greenville. The old railroad bed is called the Swamp Rabbit Trail. At the time of the name change there was already a Swamp Rabbit cafe, inn, and brewery and even Swamp Rabbit Crossfit. The team's general manager had this to say when the decision was made about the name change, "We needed to have an identity that was more relevant to Greenville. We wanted to find something we felt was a real tie to the community. The Swamp Rabbit moniker is something you see every day in Greenville."
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| Greenville Swamp Rabbits mascot "Stomper" |