Allen Wins in OT, Game Recap, Coaches Comments, Jake Paterson Returns, Stats Tell the Story, Allen's Start Best Ever and Sayonara for a While

After a disappointing 4-3 loss to Idaho on Saturday the Allen Americans came back with an exciting 2-1 overtime win over the Steelheads on Sunday. The Americans improved their home record to 3-2 with all three wins coming in overtime.


- The hero last night was Olivier Archambault who scored the game winner 95 seconds into the overtime period assisted by Spencer Asuchak.


- In Allen's first five games, goals scored by both teams averaged almost nine per game so the 2-1 score last night was unique. There was no scoring in the first two periods. The Americans controlled play in the first period and had a shot advantage of 16-10. Idaho controlled the second period out shooting the Americans 15-3. 


- Allen scored first at the 6:21 mark of the third period when Tyler Sheehy scored his second goal of the season off a nice pass from Brett Pollock. Just over two minutes later Idaho got the equalizer and that was the end of the scoring in regulation.


- Both goalies were great in regulation and made big saves in overtime before Archambault split two defenders and made a slick move on the Idaho goalie for the game winner.


- Here is the game recap issued by the Idaho Steelheads:  https://www.idahosteelheads.com/en/articles/steelheads-extend-point-streak-to-seven-slip-in-2-1-ot-loss-to-allen


- Here are the video highlights which show the three goals and the many great saves made by both goalies.

Here is the Sporfie highlight from Idaho's lone goal. If you watch this on a big enough screen/monitor you can see the puck hits the linesman as he tries to avoid it and rather than rimming the boards it falls right to a Steeelheads player who makes a pass to a wide open teammate on the side of the net. You can see the Allen players pointing and talking to the linesman after the goal. It was bad luck for the Americans but that is the way the puck bounces sometimes.

- Here is Steve Martinson's post game interview:

- I had a chance to spend some time with coach Martinson and assistant coach Deitsch after the game and they were pleased to get the overtime win and felt the team played better defensively. While the shots favored Idaho 39-31 many of the shots were from the perimeter. With that said they both agreed there is a lot of room for improvement and were reviewing video and making plans for practice drills on Tuesday. The team has the day off today (Monday). Martinson, however, does not have the day off and he will be working the phones to see what he can do to improve the team.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Jake Paterson has returned to Allen after spending a few days with the Iowa Wild in a back up role. With Paterson back the Americans have four goalies under contract and Martinson mentioned to the season ticket holders Saturday night, "I have another goalie that might be getting assigned here from another organization." The bottom line is there will have to be some goalie moves this week. Stay tuned.


- The Americans are now six games into their 72 game season and the good news is their record is 4-2-0-0. They are tied for the fourth best point total in the ECHL. Here are a few stats that give some cause for concern going forward and why coach Martinson keeps saying the team has got to be better.

- Allen is perfect in overtime (3-0) but has only one regulation win.
- Allen has a record of 4-2 but a negative goal differential, 22 goals for, 25 goals against.
- Allen is ranked #24 in average penalty minutes per game (9.67) The only penalties Allen has taken are 29 minor penalties. Not a good stat for a team that wants to play greasy and gritty.
- Allen is top ten in penalty kill percentage (83.3%) but bottom ten in power play percentage (13.0%).
- Allen's average goals scored is 3.67 while average goals allowed is 4.17.
- Allen takes an average of 31.0 shots per game but allows 34.5 per game.


- It is sayonara for a while as Nancy and I leave tomorrow on a visit to South Korea and Japan. I hope to post a special feature later today or early tomorrow morning but this will be the last regular blog until around November 19.  


DID YOU KNOW: Since joining the ECHL, Allen has never had a better start to the season than this season. They have also never played more home games to start the season than this season. Here is Allen's record after six games since 2014-15. The number in parenthesis is the number of home games:

4-2-0-0   2019-20   (5)
2-3-0-1   2018-19   (1)
3-2-1-0   2017-18   (2)
3-3-0-0   2016-17   (4)
4-2-0-0   2015-16   (2)
3-3-0-0   2014-15   (3)   

3-0 Lead Isn't Enough for Allen, Game Recap, Steve Martinson's Post Game Comments, Video Highlights, Rematch Preview and More

The specialty jersey curse struck again at the Allen Event Center last night as the Americans turned a 3-0 second period lead into a disappointing 4-3 loss to the Idaho Steelheads before a Saturday night crowd of 3682.


- With a 3-0 lead, Allen gave up a goal with less than a minute left in the second period which gave Idaho life. Allen was still in the driver's seat with a 3-1 lead going into the third period but three unanswered goals spelled defeat for the Americans. Too many turnovers and failure to get pucks in deep spelled doom for the Americans.


- The goal scorers for Allen were Spencer Asuchak (3), Gabe Gagne (3) and Jared VanWormer (1). The starting line (Archambault, Asuchak, Gagne) scored on their first two shifts of the game.


- Here is the game recap issued by the Idaho Steelheads: https://www.idahosteelheads.com/en/articles/steelheads-score-four-straight-overcome-deficit-to-beat-americans-4-3


- Here are the game highlights with all of the goals and some great saves by Evan Weninger who played great in goal for Allen:

STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

"The goal we gave up late in the second period gave them life. They came back in the third period just like they did last night in Wichita. We did plenty of good things to win the game but then we did plenty of bad things to lose the game. Some of our players stayed on the ice too long which created turnovers and odd man rush opportunities for Idaho."

"We didn't make good decisions on the power play."

"We will get some fresh legs in the lineup tomorrow and sit some guys out. We will get a little more jump and maybe make smarter plays."

"Sometimes we try to show we are more skilled than we need to be. We were trying to make saucer passes when it wasn't necessary and we had a 4-on-2 and made the pass to the wrong side, it was painful."

"Weninger played well in goal and made some great saves."

"One way or another we need to get greasier. We have to be harder to play against. I am working on that."

 "Tonight was an example of what can happen when you don't play the entire 60 minutes. We were in control of the game, out playing and out chancing them and then we just got greedy. We had a 3-1 lead and had guys jumping into the play and giving up odd man rushes."

"Redmond is only here for the weekend. I have another goalie that might be getting assigned here from another organization. I am most likely going to do that option which will complicate things. I am not going to go through what happened last year when we had goalies hurt and goalies in the AHL and we struggled. I am probably going to make things a little bit harder on everybody from a goaltending situation but that is what I am most likely going to do."



REMATCH PREVIEW

- The best thing about the loss last night is Allen doesn't have to wait very long to do something about it with a 4:05 pm rematch this afternoon.


- Look for several lineup changes for Allen both up front and at the blue line. Evan Weninger should be in goal again today.


- Coach Martinson mentioned the team needs to be greasier and be harder to play against. It is hard to believe but Allen is one of only two ECHL teams (Reading the other) that has not taken a five or 10 minute penalty this season.


- I mentioned this yesterday and it is the most stark difference between Allen and Idaho. The Americans are last (#26) in average goals allowed at 4.80 goals per game. After last night Idaho is #1 in average goals allowed at 2.17 per game.


- There were only three minor penalties called last night, two on Allen, one on Idaho. The game tying goal by the Steelheads was scored on the power play. Allen needs to win the special teams battle today if they expect to win.


- With the disappointment of blowing a 3-0 lead and losing the game last might it is worth noting Allen out shot Idaho 40-32. If they can manage 40 shots on goal again this afternoon and clean up the defensive mistakes they will have a good chance of winning the game. It won't be easy as Idaho is expected to start their top goalie, Tomas Sholl, who in four games has a GAA of 1.94 and save percentage of .934.


- The referee scheduled today is Maxime Primeau (#16) and the linesmen will be Daniel Barnes (#76) and Aaron Schacht (#51).




OTHER COMMENTS

- The Americans had a live auction after the game for the Pink in the Rink specialty jerseys they wore last night. I think the plans are to use more live auctions this season. The jerseys sold for between $200 - $700 dollars with the majority going between $225 - $325. The top two were Spencer Asuchak ($700) and Jordan Topping ($500).


- It was a rough night for attendance around the ECHL for a Saturday night, which is historically the biggest attendance night. The 12 games last night drew 43,924 for an average of just 3660. One team (Wheeling) drew 1713 and four others (Greenville, Norfolk, Maine, Brampton) drew between 2100 - 2800.


- Here are the Mountain Division standings based on winning percentage which is a better stat given the disparity in games played. Allen has played the fewest games (5), Tulsa the most (9).

.917 - Idaho
.786 - Rapid City
.600 - Allen
.500 - Wichita
.429 - Utah
.333 - Kansas City
.278 - Tulsa


- Turner Ottenbreit played in his first game for Iowa last night as they lost to Tucson 2-1 in overtime. Jake Doty also played in his first game for Ontario as they beat San Diego 3-2. Congrats to both.   

  


DID YOU KNOW: It is very rare for the Allen Americans to blow a lead after two periods as they did last night. Even though they had the worst record in the ECHL last season, Allen was 15-2-1-1 when leading after two periods. Since joining the ECHL in 2014 the Americans record when leading after two periods is 140-11-4-4.   

Allen vs Idaho Game Preview, Player Updates, Quite a Night in Rapid City and More

The Allen Americans had a rare Friday night off as they prepare for back to back games against the Idaho Steelheads who have the best record in the ECHL at 4-0-1-0. Idaho was not as fortunate as they played last night in Wichita and lost to the Thunder 4-3 in overtime. It was a frustrating night for the Steelheads as they out shot Wichita 55-24 but had to score three goals in the third period including two goals in the final 139 seconds of the game to force overtime. The Thunder won in overtime on a goal by Jack Combs, playing in his first game for Wichita.


- The last thing you want when playing three games in less than 48 hours is have game one go to overtime. However, I am sure Idaho was pleased to get one point given they were trailing 3-0 with less than 15 minutes left in the game.


- I assume Idaho headed to Allen by bus right after their game last night. The game ended at 9:49 pm so by the time they got showered and loaded and drove the 360 miles, they would have arrived in Allen around 5:00 am. By Sunday afternoon with an early start (4:05 pm) it will be a tired Steelhead team for sure.


GAME PREVIEW

- With their great start and the #1 winning percentage in the ECHL at .900 the Idaho Steelheads are looking  at becoming the heir apparent in the Mountain Division to the teams that won four of the last five Kelly Cups (Allen & Colorado). The formula for success thus far for Idaho has been great defense and goal tending. Their top goalie, Tomas Sholl, has played in four of five games with a  GAA of 1.94 and a save percentage of .934. Idaho's second goalie, Colton Point has played in one game with a GAA of 2.00 and save percentage of .939. Sholl was in goal last night in Wichita so you have to assume Allen will see both goalies this weekend.


- While Idaho's goalie play is a strength, Allen's is a question mark. Allen lost both of their goalies in the last week with Dereck Baribeau injured and moved to the injured reserve and Jake Paterson being loaned to Iowa. Coach Martinson re-signed rookie Evan Weninger who was in training camp with Allen. Evan played the last 27 minutes including in overtime in Allen's lone preseason game in Kansas City. The Americans won 3-2 as Weninger stopped 13 of 14 shots for a save percentage of .929. Last season Evan played one game for the Florida Everblades, saved 25 of 26 shots to win the game 1-0. Martinson also acquired Angus Edmond this week. Edmond is contracted with the NHL Anaheim Ducks. Over the last two seasons Redmond has been assigned to five different ECHL teams, played in 45 games with a GAA of 3.50 and a save percentage of .892. I would expect Weninger will get the start tonight because he has been with the team since the start of training camp and has played well in his limited ECHL minutes. 


- Allen's challenge will be to play better defensively by avoiding turnovers and getting pucks in deep. There was an inordinate amount of time spent on this at practice all week. The players know what to do the question is how will they execute. The difference between Allen and Idaho can be explained in just one stat. Idaho is ranked #2 in average goals allowed per game at 2.00. Allen is dead last at #26 allowing an average of 5.00 goals per game.  


- Since joining the ECHL, Allen's regular season record against Idaho is 10-8-4-2. At the Allen Event Center the Americans are 5-2-2-2 against the Steelheads. Idaho is also the team responsible for Allen's lowest point in their playoff history when the Steelheads came back from a 3-0 deficit to eliminate the Americans in the first round of the playoffs two seasons ago.

  - As always scoring the first goal will be critical. Both teams are undefeated this season when scoring first. 


- Another key to the game will be special teams. Both teams are struggling to score power play goals. Allen is 1-13 (7.7%) on the power play at home while Idaho is 1-16 (6.3%) on the power play on the road. Allen's home penalty kill is ranked #12 (82.4%) while Idaho's road penalty kill is ranked #13 (78.6%). Allen is taking an average of six minor penalties per game while Idaho is taking an average of five. Bottom line is these are two teams with similar results on special teams. Whoever prevails tonight will have a good chance of winning.


- Allen has a full roster so two forwards and two defensemen will be sitting out tonight. Mike Hedden and Shawn O'Donnell were put on reserve so they are most likely to sit out but players can be taken off the reserve at any time. I would also expect defenseman Nick Boka will be in the lineup after being sent to Allen this week by Iowa.


- The referee scheduled tonight is Maxime Primeau (#16) and the linesmen will be Michael Miggins (#47) and Aaron Schacht (#51).


OTHER COMMENTS

- It was quite a night in Rapid City last night. The Rush were celebrating the 10th anniversary of their CHL championship which long time Allen fans remember because Rapid City beat the Americans in the finals. Last night was the home opener for Rapid City and they beat Utah 4-3. The star of the game was Kelly Klima who was just assigned to Rapid City by their AHL affiliate (Tucson). Playing in his first game, Klima score all four Rush goals. Klima's dad is Petr Klima who played close to 800 games in the NHL and won a Stanley Cup with Detroit in 1989-90.


- Rapid City is off to a great start with a record of 4-1-1-0 which has them tied for the ECHL lead in points with nine. It is still very early in the season but the Mountain Division looks upside down from last season. Allen and Rapid City had winning percentages of .389 and .479 respectively last season but are at .750 this season. Tulsa led the division at .625 last season and is at just .250 this season which is the worst winning percentage in the ECHL.


- Devan Dubnyk, the Minnesota Wild's top goalie who has been out with an injury is back at practice but is listed as day to day. The sooner he returns to the lineup the sooner Jake Paterson returns to Allen.


- Vincent Arseneau had two goals last night as Utica beat the Binghamton Devils 5-1. Arseneau was selected as the #1 star of the game. Arseneau has four points (3G, 1A) in six games this season to go along with eight penalty minutes. Utica is 6-0 on the season.


- Jake Doty is still waiting to play in his first game for the Ontario Reign. Ontario is 5-1-1-0 on the season and take on the San Diego Gulls at home tonight.


- Iowa lost to in Tucson last night 3-1. Josh Atkinson and Matt Register were in the lineup and Jake Paterson was the back up goalie. Atkinson has played in seven games for the Wild and has one assist, six shots, no penalty minutes and a -2 plus/minus. Register has played in four games and has one goal, no assists, one shot, two penalty minutes and a -1 plus/minus. Turner Ottenbreit who was loaned to Iowa 10 days ago has not played yet. Iowa plays Tucson again tonight.


DID YOU KNOW: Only two times in ECHL history has a team comeback from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs to win the series.

2018 - Idaho trailed Allen 3-0 and won game four (2-1 in Allen), game five (2-1 in Allen), game six (6-3 in Idaho) and game seven (4-1 in Idaho).

2010 - Cincinnati trailed Reading 3-0 and won game four (6-4 in Reading), game five (5-0 in Reading), game six (6-3 in Cincinnati) and game seven (1-0 in Cincinnati).


     

Jake Paterson Heads to Iowa, Nick Boka Returns to Allen, Three After Practice Presentations, Player Interviews with Tyler Sheehy and Alex Guptill

 The big surprise at the Allen Americans practice yesterday was the absence of goalie Jake Paterson who has been loaned to the Iowa Wild. Minnesota Wild top goalie, Devan Dubnyk, was injured and when that happens the dominoes begin to fall. Minnesota recalled Iowa's top goalie, Kaapo Kahkonen, which left Iowa needing a goalie. With their contract goalie, Dereck Baribeau, assigned to Allen and on the injured reserve list they asked for Jake Paterson who is a free agent when it comes to the AHL. The word out of Minnesota is Dubnyk will not be out long and is listed as day to day but it is unknown how long Paterson will be in Iowa.


-  If you wonder why Iowa would ask for Jake Paterson when they could have found other free agent goalies around the ECHL with much better stats than Jake's 4.76 GAA and .856 save percentage there are a couple of reasons. First, Paterson's stats are much better than they appear. He has played well with the exception of the one game he relieved  Dereck Baribeau after an injury. In the three games Jake has started he won all three (two in overtime) and had a cumulative save percentage of .905. Secondly and probably more importantly Paterson was in training camp with Iowa and they liked how he preformed.


- Coach Martinson has signed another goalie who arrived last night and will be at practice today. The Americans will not have to use an EBUG (emergency back up goalie) this weekend.


- After practice the team heard from the Allen Fire Chief about the "Fireman Intern Program" that coach Martinson and the Americans set up for players back in 2014. Here is a story I wrote about the program which provides the details along with some photos of the first class (Chad Costello, Jamie Schaafsma,  Kevin Young, Ian Schultz). This is a great opportunity for the players. https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8080859446542191581#editor/target=post;postID=8903213674693441037;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=1136;src=postname


- Another speaker in the locker room after practice was Gary Steffes, who has volunteered to hold chapel services for those players interested. As you all know, Gary is the perfect person for this role with his hockey background and the way he lives his life.


- The last event after practice was a presentation to the players by Dr. Rick Royston he titled, "Hockey Nutrition Program." Dr. Royston is a Chiropractor who is the head doctor and owner of MaxLiving Health Center in Plano. His undergraduate degree is in Sports Medicine/Athletic training. He has worked with elite athletes in many sports including multiple World Team and Olympic athletes. Dr. Royston covered nutrition with specific suggestions of what and when to eat and drink to get peak performance and recover quickly. Everything from daily hydration, to meal planning on practice days and game days to recovery after games. The players got a handout with a lot of do's and don'ts about eating quality, nutrient dense food which are free of chemicals.


- If you track AHL transactions you noticed yesterday that in addition to Jake Paterson signing a PTO with Iowa, defenseman Nick Boka has been loaned to Allen. Nick has been recovering from an injury and has not played in a regular season game thus far. Nick played four games in Allen at the end of last season and in those four games had a plus/minus of +6, which led the team for all of last season.


- After practice I have been asking players about their jersey number, their nicknames and what advice their father gave them when they were young that they still remember today. Here are the latest:

Tyler Sheehy #8 - There is nothing special about wearing #8 as it was just the number given to me. I usually wear #22. I wore #22 in high school and it was available in juniors and again in college so I just stuck with it. I have worn #22 for the last seven years. No nicknames that stand out, it usually has been "Shees." I don't know how it came about but when I got to Iowa at the end of last season guys started calling me "She Cat." I don't know where that came from or why. A few of the Iowa guys call me that here in Allen. The one thing my dad would always say to me is if you are going to do something make sure you do it the right way whether it is playing hockey or life in general. My dad was my coach in every sport growing up so his advice has carried over to my mentality and work ethic.

Alex Guptill #27 - I had #27 in college and I picked that number because it is the date of my parents wedding anniversary. So I have stuck with that number and like it. As for my nicknames it has always been Guppy, Gupper or Gup. I won't go into why but Marty came up with Eddie Haskell. The biggest thing my dad has told me is work hard and have fun. Hockey is an easy game to get down on yourself, especially at the professional level. Those are the times you rely on your family to bring you up a little bit as they are always supportive.


DID YOU KNOW: The most 20+ goals scorers the Allen Americans have had in one season is six and that has happened twice, in 2010-11 and in 2013-14:

2010-11:  
34 Bruce Graham
34 Nino Musitelli
33 Colton Yellow Horn
21 Jarret Lukin
20 Dave Bonk 
20 Judd Blackwater


2013-14:  
28 Jonathan Lessard 
25 Alex Lavoie 
21 Spencer Asuchak
21 Greger Hanson 
21 Jamie Schaafsma 
20 Tyler Ludwig

           

Practice Update, Allen Website and YouTube Channel Content, Shawn O'Donnell and Jake Paterson Interviews, Special Teams Compared and More

Not much new to report from Allen practice yesterday. There are some bumps and bruises but it looks like everyone will be available for the weekend. There was plenty of time spent on drills to reinforce getting pucks in deep and avoiding turnovers in the neutral zone. Coach Martinson said after the win on Saturday (despite being out shot 42-26) the team needed to be in better shape. Martinson lived up to those comments with plenty of skating without the puck at the end of practice.


- After practice today the team will have a guest speaker talk about "Hockey & Nutrition" which should be informative. You read a lot about pro athletes turning to more of a plant based diet to improve performance. The current roster has everything from big time meat eaters to vegan diets. Rumor has it lunch will be soup, salad and a baked potato bar.


- Here is a recap of the last week from Tommy Daniels: https://allenamericans.com/allen-americans-weekly-18/


- If you don't frequent the Allen Americans website (allenamericans.com) I encourage you to visit each day to see what is new. There is a concerted effort by everyone on the staff to provide more content on the website. The Allen Americans Weekly (linked above) is from the website but new  stories are also posted about Spencer Asuchak's visit to Allen City Hall and the Captains of the Ice Angels. The website is a great place to see all of the latest content in one place.


- Another place you will see more content is on YouTube. The Allen Americans have their own channel (allenamericans) and if you don't know how to find it just Google "Allen Americans YouTube Channel" and you will see all of the videos. There have been 11 videos added just in the last week including player interviews, Martinson interviews, game highlights and marketing videos. Make sure to hit the subscribe button. Just like the website, the YouTube Channel is a great place to see all the latest videos in one place. If you scroll to the bottom of the channel you can see the all-time favorites. If you are wondering what is the #1 all-time here it is:

- After practice I have been asking players about their jersey number, their nickname and what advice their father gave them when they were starting out playing organized hockey that they still remember today. Here are the latest:

Shawn O'Donnell #92 - I picked the #92 last year because nobody had it so I just stuck with it this year. There is nothing behind it other than it is a number not many people wear. Odie has been the most common nickname I have had but sometimes people also call me Donny. My dad played hockey and he always said get your speed up, take lots of shots, have fun and enjoy the game. It is funny he gives me the same kind of pointers when I talk to him today.

Jake Paterson #35 - I grew up in Mississauga, Ontario and our local junior team was the Mississauga IceDogs. They had a really good goalie by the name of  David Shantz and he wore #57, so growing up I always wore #57. When I got to Toledo I don't think we were allowed to pick a high number so I went with #35. It worked for me then so hopefully #35 will work for me in Allen. My nickname has always been Patty or Patter and that is what the guys call me here. The biggest thing my dad always told me was to work hard, in hockey and just in life in general. I try to bring that to the rink everyday.


- Former Allen forward Jack Combs is headed to Wichita to play for the Thunder. It hasn't been on transactions but Jack retweeted a tweet from a friend that said, "Shoutout to Jack Combs as he heads to Wichita to tear up the ECHL, those goalies don't stand a chance."

Jack spent 32 games with Allen in 2014-15 and the goalies really didn't have a chance as he had 56 points (22G, 32A) in those 32 games. What remains to be seen is whether Jack has made a season long commitment to Wichita or will be make the jump to Europe in a couple of months.



DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans have a combined PP% and PK% of 100.9%. If you add together PP% and PK% and it exceeds 105% it is considered exceptional. It is early in the season so these numbers will come down but here are the teams off to the best start:

120.0% - South Carolina Stingrays
119.9% - Indy Fuel
118.3% - Newfoundland Growlers
118.2% - Worcester Railers
115.7% - Atlanta Gladiators
115.6% - Rapid City Rush
115.5% - Utah Grizzlies   

Practice Update, Former Player Update, Waivers Explained, How Allen's 3-1 Start Compares to Past Seasons

- It was kind of back to practice for the Allen Americans yesterday after a weekend where they split two games with the Utah Grizzlies. You can call it practice but in reality is was more like a bunch of friends saying, let's meet at the pond an 10:30 am, divide up sides and have some fun. No coaches, no pressure, just a bunch of guys that love hockey and having some fun. It was a rematch of the Lefties vs Righties and from what I observed a good time was had by all.


- While the players were on the ice the coaches were going through the video of the Utah games to prepare for the rest of the week. Don't think it was very difficult to find clips of defensive breakdowns, turnovers, and not getting pucks in deep that will be the focus of practice this week.


- The good news for Allen is they are off to a great start with a 3-1 record which is good enough for the fifth best winning percentage in the ECHL. Coach Martinson has emphasized despite the good start there is plenty of work to be done. Here are some stats that point out that there is much room for improvement.


- Allen is the only team in the top 10 in winning percentage that has a negative goal differential. The Americans have scored 17 goals but allowed 20 goals. Their team plus/minus is -20.


- Over the first four games Allen has been out shot 136-115 and are dead last in average goals allowed per game (5.00).


- With the bad there is certainly some good news as well. Allen's shooting percentage of 14.8% is ranked #3 in the league trailing only Indy (15.3%) and Toledo (15.0%). The Americans have also shown the ability to come from behind which was the case in all three of their wins.


- Here is the weekly update on the Mountain Division issued by the ECHL:  https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/10/mountain-division-weekly-oct-21


- If you want to take in the Allen Americans practice the time is 10:00 each morning this week. Practice will be in the main rink.


- Here is an update on how some former Allen players are doing this season. In some European leagues there is a tournament or other games that are not part of the regular season but are official games. In those cases I have included the total games. Info courtesy of Elite Prospects.

Tanner Eberle - 17 points (10G, 7A) in 17 games (England)
Chad Costello - 17 points (7G, 10A) in 13 games (Germany)
Alex Lavoie - 17 points (7G, 10A) in 16 games (Norway)
Kale Kerbashian - 9 points (5G, 4A) in 13 games (Slovakia)
Zack Pochiro - 9 points (4G, 5A) in 10 games (Denmark)
Riley Bourbonnais - 9 points (3G, 6A) in 9 games (Denmark)
Colton Yellow Horn - 6 points (0G, 6A) in 9 games (Austria)
Cris Crane - 5 points (3G, 2A) in 5 games (Wichita Thunder - ECHL)
Jonathan Lessard - 4 points (3G, 1A) in 9 games (France)
Miles Liberati - 3 points (1G, 2A) in 3 games (Tulsa Oilers - ECHL)
Vincent Arseneau - 2 points (1G, 1A) in 5 games (Utica Comets - AHL)
Casey Pierro-Zabotel - 1 point (0G, 1A) in 4 games (Adirondack Thunder - ECHL)
Dyson Stevenson - 0 points (0G, 0A) in 2 games (Utica Comets - AHL)

Thomas Frazee (Atlanta), Dalton Thrower (Jacksonville), Josh Thrower (Atlanta) and Bryan Moore (Cleveland - AHL) have not played because of injury and/or being a healthy scratch.


- I have had many questions about waivers after Allen goalie Evan Weninger was released and then re-signed over the weekend. I will devote a blog post to this subject with all of the nitty-gritty details about waivers if I can track them down but here is the Cliff's Notes version. Waiver is a method for a team to release a player and offer their contract (SPC) to other teams. Once a player is released and placed on waivers, it cannot be revoked. Some sports and leagues have revocable waivers but that is not allowed in the ECHL. Once a player is placed on waivers, teams have 24 hours to make a claim. The timing varies a little bit (weekday vs weekend) but it is about 24 hours. The waiver order is set by the standings but only updated once per week. The last place team has the first choice to claim a player and then the option goes down the list in standings order. If a team is successful in claiming a player they go to the bottom of the list until the next week when the order is reset in standings order. If a player is not claimed they become an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team including the team that just released them.
   


DID YOU KNOW: How does Allen's 3-1 start compare with other seasons? Here is the Americans record after four games each season since joining the ECHL.

3-1-0-0    2019-20
1-2-0-1    2018-19
3-0-1-0    2017-18
3-1-0-0    2016-17
2-2-0-0    2015-16
2-2-0-0    2014-15


 

Allen Wins Overtime Thriller, Game Recap, Video Highlights, Steve Martinson's Post Game Comments and More

The Allen Americans moved their record to 3-1 last night as they defeated the Utah Grizzlies 5-4 in overtime. A Saturday night crowd of 4805 at the Allen Event Center (AEC) watched the Americans come from behind in the third period and win in overtime on a goal by Gabe Gagne. The moniker of "come back kids" has applied to the Americans thus far this season as all three of victories their have involved a third period comeback.


- Unlike Friday night when Allen was outplayed, outworked and outscored 4-0 in the first period, last night the Americans came out with great energy and jumped on Utah with an early goal (3:58 mark) by Shawn O'Donnell. After Utah's Josh Dickson scored his fourth goal in four periods against Allen to tie the score 1-1, Olivier Archambault scored late in the period to give Allen the lead 2-1 going into the first intermission.


- Everything changed in the second period especially after Allen took a 3-1 lead on Gabe Gagne's first goal of the season. When the dust settled on the second period the Americans were out shot 21-6 and out scored 3-1. Utah took a 4-3 lead into the second intermission.


- The third period was a stellar one for the Americans. The only goal of the period was the game tying goal on a great individual effort by defenseman Stepan Falkovsky. What saved the day for Allen was two long 5-on-3 penalty kills with some great saves by goalie Jake Paterson.


- It took just 78 seconds into the overtime period for Gabe Gagne to take a pass from Les Lancaster and rifle a shot passed the Utah goalie. Here is the Sporfie highlight where you can see how an odd man rush for Allen was set up when a Utah player slid into Jake Paterson.

- Here are the complete game highlights with all of the goals and some great saves by the goalies:

- Here is the game recap issued by the Utah Grizzlies:  https://www.utahgrizzlies.com/en/grizzlies-news/grizzlies-lose-5-4-in-overtime-at-allen



STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

- Here is coach Martinson's post game interview:

- Here are some comments from coach Martinson's post game meeting with the season ticket holders:

"We have some work to do, we have to get in a little better shape. Utah's small and fast, speedy forwards did some damage to us."

"We had a great start and scored some good goals and then we had trouble getting pucks and made too many turnovers and that gave them momentum."

"Killing off two 5-on-3 penalties in the third period was huge."

"I don't think we have worked enough on our down low game, getting pucks in and working the corners."

"With all of the turnovers and not getting the pucks in deep we made their good forwards look very good."

"The good news is we are 3-1 and we have some work to do and can play a lot better. We have the guys capable of doing that."

"One advantage of playing so many home games this early in the season is we have a lot of practice time to work on things. We will have drills all four days next week getting the puck in deep and grinding out shifts. We want to carry the puck and make plays but if there is no play to be made we have to get pucks in deep."  


OTHER COMMENTS

- Goalie Dereck Baribeau has been placed on injured reserve so he will be out a minimum of 14 days. Baribeau has been replaced Evan Weninger who cleared waivers and has been re-signed by Allen.


- Matt Register and Josh Atkinson were in the lineup for Iowa last night as the Wild beat Manitoba 4-2. Turner Ottenbreit was a healthy scratch.


- Les Lancaster leads all ECHL defensemen in scoring with six points (0G, 6A). Stepan Falkovsky is tied for second with five points (2G, 3A).


- Three ECHL teams remain undefeated. Idaho is 4-0 and will be in Allen for games on Saturday and Sunday next weekend. Florida and South Carolina are 3-0.


- Florida leads the ECHL, taking an average of 37.67 shots per game while allowing the fewest shots per game at 23.33. A shot differential of +14.34 says the Everblades will be a team to beat again in 2019-20.


- No blog tomorrow (Monday) but will post a blog Tuesday morning. 




DID YOU KNOW: Allen is yet to take a major penalty this season but is averaging six minor penalties per game. Last season the Americans led the ECHL in minor penalties (423), 10 minutes misconduct penalties (23), game misconduct penalties (30) and match penalties (7). 

     

Allen Suffers Historic Loss, Dereck Baribeau Injured, Game Recap, Martinson's Comments, Rematch Preview and More

The Allen Americans tied an all-time record last night and it is not the type of record that sets a positive tone early in the season. Allen lost to Utah 10-4 in a game that was not as close as the final score. It is the third time in team history the Americans have lost a game by six goals. Unfortunately all three of the six goal losses have come in 2019 and all were at home (see details below).


- Things went downhill for Allen very quickly as the Grizzlies scored 34 seconds after the opening puck drop. Starting goalie, Dereck Baribeau, playing in his first professional game, was injured and had to be helped off the ice at the 4:47 mark of the first period. Dereck's injury is a lower body injury and how long he will be out won't be known until he is seen by the doctor but I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up on the injured reserve list. Jake Paterson replaced Baribeau in goal and had to suffer through a lack of defensive support time and time again.


- By the end of the first period Allen was trailing 4-0 and by the 17:50 mark of the second period Utah had an 8-1 lead. The Americans did manage to score three goals in just 89 seconds late in the second period to close the gap to 8-4 but that is as close as they got. Utah outscored Allen 2-0 in the third period to make the final score 10-4.


- The goal scorers for Allen were Spencer Asuchak, Tyler Sheehy, Jordan Topping and Brett Pollock.


- The Allen penalty kill entered the game at 100% but surrendered three goals in seven opportunities. In one game the penalty kill percentage went from being tied for #1 in the league at 100% to being ranked #18 at 78.6%. Allen's power play was 0-3 against Utah and is now at 14.3%.


- It is difficult to find a positive in a game that ends with a 10-4 loss.  Jared VanWormer, playing in his first game for Allen, defied the odds and was actually a +1 on the night. Jared had one assist in the game.


- Here is the game recap issued by the Utah Grizzlies: https://www.utahgrizzlies.com/en/grizzlies-news/grizzlies-go-beast-mode-in-10-4-win


- Here are the video highlights courtesy of the Allen Americans:

- Here are Steve Martinson's post game comments:

ALLEN VS UTAH REMATCH PREVIEW

- The answer to the question of what the Americans need to do to be successful tonight is easy, everything. Allen needs to be ready to play from the opening puck drop. In three games the Americans have just one first period goal. Special teams have to be better, the Americans have to stay out of the penalty box and they can't have turnovers that lead to odd man rushes. With Baribeau out Jake Paterson will have to carry the load and will have to be better tonight. Martinson could and will re-sign Evan Weninger, who was released yesterday, but only if he clears waivers. The ECHL rules do not allow teams to revoke waivers so it will be wait and see if Weninger is claimed.


- With the poor performance last night Martinson will have plenty of candidates to sit out tonight. There is little doubt that the two players on reserve (Mike Hedden & Josh Lammon) will be in the lineup tonight. The only question is which two players will be put on reserve.


- Utah has outscored their opponent 17-5 in the last two games and have been led by Josh Dickinson (#22) who had a hat trick in both games. Dickinson's brother (Jason) plays for the Dallas Stars. There have been three hat tricks in the ECHL thus far and Josh owns two of them. Dickinson leads the  ECHL in goals with six and his teammate, Travis Barron (#19) is second with five goals. Utah has three lines that can score and that always presents a challenge. If Allen doesn't dig in and outwork Utah tonight they could get embarrassed again.


OTHER COMMENTS

- Josh Atkinson and Matt Register were in the lineup last night for the Iowa Wild and both factored in the scoring. Matt scored his first AHL goal and Josh got his first AHL assist as the Wild beat Manitoba 6-4 to improve their Central Division leading record to 4-0-0-1. Turner Ottenbreit was a healthy scratch but he could be in the lineup tonight when the same teams play again.


- With Matt Register scoring a goal last night it makes it more likely he will be staying in Iowa. Coach Martinson could use Matt's veteran slot to recruit another veteran. With only four veterans allowed on the active roster in the ECHL, they are coveted spots. There are plenty of free agent veterans just waiting to be recruited. Whether Martinson will recruit one remains to be seen.


- Allen is toward the top of the league in goals scored, ranked #8 averaging four goals scored per game. With the 10 goal outburst by Utah last night the Americans now rank #25 in goals allowing, giving up an average of 5.33 goals per game.  



DID YOU KNOW: Here are the worst defeats (losses by five or more goals) in Allen Americans history in chronological order. It is noteworthy eight of the 12 worst defeats in history happened at home and the three times Allen has lost by six goals all took place at the AEC since March 6th of this year.  

10-4: Utah - 10/19/2019 (home)
9-3: Kansas City - 3/8/19 (home
6-0: Kansas City - 3/6/19 (home)
5-0: Utah - 11/23/18 (away)
6-1: Kansas City - 3/24/18 (home)
5-0: Idaho - 1/6/2018 (away)
6-1: Tulsa - 11/21/15 (home)
8-1: Colorado - 11/14/15 (home)
6-1: Fort Worth - 2/23/13 (away)
5-0: Laredo - 2/25/12 (away)
11-6: Colorado - 1/1/11 (home)
5-0: Tulsa - 12/18/10 (home)
6-1: Laredo - 3/4/10 (away)
6-1: Rapid City - 1/15/10 (home)

Roster Update, Allen vs Utah Preview and Historical Penalty Kill Percentages

The October schedule for the Allen Americans is certainly unique from the past in that five of six games this month are at home. Allen's opponent this weekend at the Allen Event Center (AEC) will be the Utah Grizzlies.


- The biggest unanswered question is what will the Allen lineup look like when the Americans take the ice tonight. With three goalies, seven defensemen and 13 forwards on the roster, five players will not be dressed for the game. Here is the breakdown by position:

Goalies - Dereck Baribeau and Jake Paterson are the goalies for the Americans and you would have to expect Baribeau will get his first start in goal tonight. He was slowed in training camp by a cut on his foot but is ready to go. With the number of players on the roster it will be difficult to keep the third goalie, Evan Weninger.

Defensemen - There are seven defensemen on the roster so one will have to sit out tonight. Coach Martinson took Ben Owen off the reserve yesterday so my guess is Ben will play tonight and newly signed defensemen, Theo Calvas, will sit out.

Forwards - This is the biggest area of uncertainty going into the game tonight. With 13 forwards available there will be some tough decisions for Martinson to decide which 10 forwards will play.


- You will want to look for the ECHL transactions this afternoon (usually out around 4:15 pm) to see what moves Steve Martinson makes today. It could include any combination of trades, releases, adds and deletes from reserve or placing a player on injured reserve.



ALLEN VS UTAH  PREVIEW

- After losing their first two games of the season to Idaho on the road, the Utah Grizzlies righted the ship on Wednesday in Wichita with a dominating 7-1 win over the Thunder. They arrive in Allen with renewed confidence for games tonight (Friday) and Saturday.


- Given the season Allen had in 2018-19, they played Utah better than other division opponents. The Americans record against the Grizzlies was 5-6-0-0. The five wins against Utah was 20% of Allen's total wins all season. Since joining the ECHL, Allen in 16-11-0-0 against Utah including 8-5-0-0 at the AEC.


- Special teams will be a key and the game tonight will feature the top two Mountain Division penalty kill units. The Americans penalty kill is still at 100% after two games (0-7). Utah is at 92.9% (1-14) after three games. Both penalty kill units will be tested tonight. Utah's power play was 2-7 (28.6%) in their last game. Allen's power play was 2-5 (40%) in their last game.


- The Americans are in an unfamiliar territory ranked #25 in average penalty minutes per game (7.00). Utah is ranked #8 averaging 16.33 penalty minutes per game. Staying out of the penalty box might prove to be the difference in the game tonight.   


- Not sure what the lines will be for Allen but one group that has been good in practice is rookie Josh Lammon (#15), and second year pros Jordan Topping (#11) and Jason Salvaggio (#18). They work hard, have good chemistry and don't seem to care who scores. If this line is together tonight keep an eye on them.


- Scoring first is always key and even though the sample size is small Allen and Utah are yet to lose when scoring first. The ECHL stat when scoring first this season is close to historical averages. The team that scored first has a record of 17-4-2-0 to earn 78.3% of the points.


 - Allen is ranked #13 in shots for per game (33.50) and #11 in shots allowed per game (31.50) for a shot differential of +2. Utah is ranked #11 in shots for per game (34.00) and #7 in shots allowed (28.33) for a shot differential of +5.67.


- The referee scheduled for the game is Steven Sailor (#5) and the linesmen will be Micheal Miggans (#47) and Jordan Solomon (#78).



OTHER COMMENTS

 - With a win tonight Allen has a chance to do something they have done only once since joining the ECHL in 2014, that is start the season 3-0.


-  Talk about extremes, the Newfoundland Growlers have scored five power play goals in 12 opportunities for a lofty power play percentage of 41.7% but have given up four power play goals in 12 opportunities for a paltry penalty kill percentage of 69.2%.


- Getting off to good starts is key to success. Two teams (Allen & Idaho) have a chance to move their record to 3-0 tonight. At the other end of the spectrum Norfolk and Kansas City will be trying to avoid starting the season 0-3.



DID YOU KNOW: It is only two games but the Allen penalty kill is still at 100%. It looks like there are numerous penalty killers on this team which helps on those nights with lots of penalties. By spreading the penalty kill among more players it keeps everyone fresher. Here are the historical penalty kill percentages for the Allen Americans. The asterisks represent the championship seasons. It is no coincidence that the top three seasons in penalty kill percentage all ended with championships.

PENALTY KILL %
2018-19:     81.7%  
2017-18:     81.6%
2016-17:     84.4%
*2015-16:     86.4%
*2014-15:     87.5%
*2013-14:     82.1%
*2012-13:     85.7%
2011-12:     83.5%
2010-11:     82.8%
2009-10:     83.4%



  

Roster Moves Abound from Capology to Reserve, An American Gets NHL Callup, Steve Martinson's First Year Coaching Results

If you are an Allen Americans fan and track the ECHL transactions each day it might make you scratch your head as players are signed, released and moved on and off the reserve list. Much of this activity is related to capology, the study or science of the salary cap. It starts with the ECHL rules on the salary cap. As a reminder here are the three components of a roster:

1. Active roster - up to 21 players that must fit under the $13,780 salary cap. The active rosters will be reduced to a maximum of 20 players with a weekly salary cap of $13,300 on November 10.

2. Reserve - a maximum of two players in addition to the active roster that may consist of healthy or injured players. Salary paid to a reserve player does not count against the salary cap and a reserve player may be added to the active roster at any time, not to exceed the active roster maximum.

3. Injured Reserve - any injured player may be placed on injured reserve (IR). Once placed on IR a player must stay for a minimum of 14 days. They continue to be paid but their salary does not count toward the salary cap.


- As of today the Allen roster is made up of 23 players (three goalies, seven defensemen, 13 forwards). Roster moves this week included the deletion of defenseman Turner Ottenbreit (loaned to Iowa), the addition of goalie Evan Weninger and defenseman Theo Calvas and the movement of Ben Owen off the reserve and Spencer Asuchak on the reserve.


- Calvas was a free agent rookie defenseman who attended training camp with the Cincinnati Cyclones. With three defensemen loaned to Iowa (Josh Atkinson, Matt Register, Turner Ottenbreit), Martinson was down to six defensemen thus the signing of Calvas.


- The re-signing of goalie Weninger is perplexing to me. My reporting is goalies Dereck Baribeau and Jake Paterson are healthy and not headed to an AHL assignment. There are several other reasons Weninger could have been re-signed but it remains to be seen what this means.


- It you look strictly at the numbers it looks simple in managing the roster. With 23 total players, 21 allowed on the active roster and two on reserve, everyone is covered. There are two problems with this math. First, the active roster can't exceed the salary cap of $13,300. This is where capology comes into play as Martinson has to get the right mix of players in the right categories and still stay under the salary cap. It is not as easy as putting the best players in the lineup. Second, only 16 skaters and two goalies can dress for the game on Friday so there will be some players sitting out as healthy scratches or placed on reserve that don't typically sit out. Coach Martinson will have some tough decisions to make before Friday night. I would expect you will see several more Allen moves on the transactions on Thursday and Friday.


- Practice today for the Americans will be the typical Thursday practice before back to back games on Friday and Saturday. There will be less skating and a lot of time dedicated to special teams.


- A press release I received via email this week really caught my eye with a headline that included the words, "American Gets NHL Callup." Turns out Amber Barros, who is the Director of Group Sales for the Allen Americans, has taken a job with the NHL Anaheim Ducks. She will be an Account Executive on their Service and Retention Team. Amber has been with the Americans for the last five seasons starting as an intern and advancing to her present position. I have had the pleasure to work with Amber and watch her do her job. Full of energy and always willing to go the extra mile. We have something in common in that we both attended the University of Minnesota even though she is a native Californian.

This is from the email I received which includes Amber's own words, "I want to thank the Allen Americans organization for the opportunity to grow personally and professionally in the sports industry. The leadership in the front office has been a big part in shaping me as a professional and a great key to my success. Special thanks to the fans for your love and support. I look forward to crossing paths with you all again. I am excited to embark on this new journey as I join the Anaheim Ducks."

Best of luck to Amber on her new endeavor. She will be working both Allen Americans games this weekend so if you know her it will be a chance to congratulate Amber and wish her well with the Anaheim Ducks. Maybe the toughest part of her new job will be cheering for the Ducks since she is a known diehard Los Angeles Kings fan.


- Since I am not writing a blog every day I was asked if I could share at the end of each blog when the next one will be published. The days I write a blog are driven more by what is happening with the team than any other factor. Game days and game recaps the day after games are a given but other days are more dependent on what info I have to share. I will do my best to share in advance when I will be posting a player profile or a special interest story. I just started asking the players about their jersey numbers, nicknames and advice from their fathers which will be the basis for several stories in the future.


DID YOU KNOW: Steve Martinson is starting his 24th season as a head coach in AA hockey and has won 10 championships including four consecutive championships in Allen. Did you know Martinson won his first championship in his very first year in coaching. In 1995-96, coaching the San Diego Gulls in the West Coast Hockey League (WCHL), Martinson's team had a regular season record of 49-7-0 on the way to the WCHL championship.   

Lefties vs Righties Practice Day Tourney, Turner Ottenbreit Loaned to Iowa, How Defensemen Led the Way in 2014-15 and More

Over the years Allen coach Steve Martinson has often said in jest having four straight days of practice, like this week, is difficult because he gets tired of yelling at the players and they get tired of being yelled at. After two opening weekend wins Martinson let the team have some fun yesterday at practice. He set up a red vs white tournament starting with 5 on 5 play, then going to 4 on 4 and finishing with 3 on 3 cross ice play.


- In the past these fun day tournaments have pitted the Canadian vs US players and Western League players vs the rest, but yesterday the teams were the right shots vs left shots. Coach Martinson wasn't even on the ice. There was a method to his madness however. He wanted the players to have fun but he also wanted the practice to be competitive so every player had some skin in the game (if you know what I mean) and one of the goals was to improve communication on the ice. Gary Steffes was the only non-player on the ice serving as a quasi referee/arbiter.


- The lefties beat the righties 11-10 in a come from behind shootout victory. I got this tongue in cheek assessment from one of the unbiased players, lefty Spencer Asuchak. "The lefties were down 9-5 with about five minutes remaining and came back to tie the score 10-10 before winning in the shootout. The lefties decided to spot them the lead so the righties didn't feel too bad about themselves when we won."


- While it was a lot of fun Spencer also said, "In all seriousness it was really competitive and I thought everyone worked hard and had a good time. Seemed great for team morale and communication on the ice." This sentiment was also echoed by Gary Steffes and Shawn O'Donnell when I talked to them after practice.


- It will be back to the traditional practice the rest of the week, working on correcting some of the mistakes from the weekend. As coach Martinson says, "It is easier working on correcting mistakes when you are winning."


- Defenseman Turner Ottenbreit was loaned to Iowa (AHL) yesterday. I was asked how Iowa decides who to ask for from Allen. I assume a big factor was they wanted a left shot defenseman. If you look at the Iowa defensemen, Turner's style of play might be a better fit. In the AHL, typically seven defensemen dress for a game. Matt Register has played in one of the Wild's four games as the seventh defenseman. That is the role Ottenbreit will also mostly likely have in Iowa. Register is more offensive minded and can quarterback the power play. Allen has a couple of Wild contracted defenseman that are similar in style to Register. Ottenbreit has a little different skill set which is more defensive minded with plenty grit and grease which I assume is why he was requested. Iowa had plenty of time to watch Turner first hand at the Traverse City Prospect Tournament and the Wild training camp. While I am sure he will be a healthy scratch some nights, he gives the Wild a choice for the seventh defenseman between himself and the more offensive minded Register. A great opportunity for Turner.


- For those interested in practice times, here they are for the week but keep in mind they are subject to change:

Tuesday - 10:00 am
Wednesday - 10:00 am
Thursday - 10:00 am
Friday - 9:45 am (pregame skate)
Saturday - 9:45 am pregame skate)



DID YOU KNOW: The Americans have always had offensive minded defensemen willing to jump into the play. That was never more evident than in 2014-15 when Allen won their first ECHL championship. While Gary Steffes set a team record with 44 goals and Chad Costello set a team record with 125 points, Aaron Gens set a team record for points by a defenseman (56). All of these records still stand today. There were four defensemen that finished in the top ten in scoring for Allen that season. The list:

56 points - Aaron Gens
44 points - Kevin Young
39 points - Justin Baker
37 points - Tyler Ludwig

In the playoffs a fifth defenseman was added to the list from Allen's AHL affiliate at the time (Worcester). Konrad Abeltshauser led all Allen defensemen in the playoffs with 16 points (5G, 11A).

Allen Scores Four Third Period Goals to Win in Tulsa, Game Recap, Martinson's Comments, ECHL Attendance, Former Players Off to Great Start in Europe & More

The Allen Americans beat the Tulsa Oilers last night by a score of  5-4 before a crowd of 5026 at the BOK Center. Special teams proved to be the difference as the Americans scored a shorthanded goal (Stepan Falkovsky) and two power play goals (Olivier Archambault & Turner Ottenbreit) on the way to their first back to back wins since last February.


- Just like the opening night win against Rapid City, Allen had to come from behind and tally a late goal to get the win in Tulsa. While the Americans scored the first goal of the game they had to come from behind trailing 2-1 after the second period, as well as 3-2 and 4-3 in the third period.


- A key to the game came after the Oilers took a 4-3 lead at the 13:14 mark of the third period. Spencer Asuchak responded just 17 seconds later scoring his first goal of the season. Mike Hedden scored the game winning goal with 129 seconds remaining in the game. Tulsa pulled their goalie and kept the pressure on Allen but could not get the equalizer.


- The win showed the depth of this team. Five different players scored goals for the Americans and eight different players had assists. Stepan Falkovsky led the scoring with a goal and two assists. In two games Falkovsky has four points (1G, 3A) which is tied for the ECHL points lead.


- Allen's penalty kill unit stood out again, killing both of Tulsa's power play opportunities and adding a shorthanded goal. The Americans are the only team in the ECHL that has played two games and still has a penalty kill percentage of 100%.


- If you have watched the first two Allen games it is clear this team is big, tough and finishes their checks. It is early in the season and guaranteed to change but it is surprising that as of today Allen is one of the least penalized teams in the ECHL. The Americans are averaging seven penalty minutes per game. Only South Carolina has a lower average (6 minutes per game) than Allen. FYI, over the last three seasons the Americans have averaged just over 21 penalty minutes per game.


- I had the chance to check in with coach Martinson after the game and here are a few of his thoughts:

"It was nice to see we had a combination of skill goals and greasy goals tonight."

"I really liked the way we kept responding after we trailed 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3."

"We have been hanging Jake Paterson out to dry by giving up too many 2 on 1 goals. It has been the forwards not picking up low guys."

"We need to do some work but it is easier to correct mistakes when you are winning."

"Good to get some power play goals tonight."


- Allen will not play again until they take on the Utah Grizzlies on Friday and Saturday at the Allen Event Center. The team will take the day off today before getting back to practice to work on system issues and problem areas. There is also a planned team building activity scheduled this week.



OTHER COMMENTS

 - Four ECHL teams are 2-0 (Florida, Indy, Idaho, Allen). Three teams are 0-2 (Norfolk, Utah, Kansas City).


- After 19 games the average ECHL attendance is a very respectable 5668. Last season the ECHL attendance averaged 4445.


- One of the keys to the Allen roster is the depth. Of the 16 skaters who played in the first two games, seven have already scored a goal and 11 have an assist. 14 of 16 skaters have at least one point.


- Some former Allen players have gotten off to great starts in Europe:

Alex Lavoie - Alex has 15 points (5G, 10A) in nine games to lead his Norwegian team (Frisk Asker) in scoring. He is fifth in his league in scoring.

Chad Costello - Chad has 14 points (4G, 10A) in 10 games to lead his German team (Krefeld Pinguine) in scoring. He is also the leading scorer in the league (DEL).

Kale Kerbashian - Kale has nine points (5G, 4A) in 10 games to lead his Slovakian team (HK Nitra) in scoring.   



DID YOU KNOW: The Americans have won their first two games of the season which doesn't say much about how the 2019-20 season will unfold. After all, in the Americans two Kelly Cup championship seasons (2015 & 2016) they split their first two games. It is worthy of note that last season Allen won 2 or more consecutive games only three times all season. Anyway you look at it the team is off to a great start.   

Allen Wins Exciting Home Opener in Overtime, Game Recap, Steve Martinson's Post Game Comments, Allen vs Tulsa Preview and More

The Allen Americans opened the 2019-20 season last night with an exciting 3-2 come from behind overtime victory over the Rapid City Rush before a crowd of 4825 at the Allen Event Center. It was an uphill battle for the Americans for most of the game.

- Rapid City's Alex Rauter scored the first goal of the game and the only goal of the first period at the 4:26 mark. You have to be a very serious Allen fan to remember Rauter was a member of the Allen Americans for a couple of hours on trade deadline day last season. Alex became a celebrity by being with four different teams on trade deadline day. Rauter woke up as a member of the Manchester Monarchs. Before the day was over he had been traded first to the Allen Americans, then to the Fort Wayne Komets and finally to the Rapid City Rush, some 2000 miles away from where the day started. How could this all happen? It all makes more sense than you think. Here is the story:  https://www.echl.com/en/news/2019/4/from-manchester-to-rapid-city-all-in-a-day-s-work


- Allen tied the score 1-1 early in the second period on a goal by Brett Pollock but five minutes later Rapid City regained the lead on a goal by another former Allen American, Tyler Poulsen. The 2-1 Rush lead stood until there were 91 seconds remaining in the game when Jordan Topping tied the score 2-2 to send the contest to overtime. Topping also scored the game winner at the 2:58 mark of overtime assisted by Josh Lammon and Stepan Falkovsky.


- Special teams were a mixed bag for the Americans. It is just one game so it doesn't mean much but the penalty kill is at 100% killing all five Rush power plays. The Allen power play is at 0% going 0-6.


- Here is the game recap from the Allen Americans. https://allenamericans.com/topping-it-off-with-an-overtime-win/


Here is the game recap from the Rapid City Rush.  https://rapidcityrush.com/en/news/2019/rush-earn-point-in-season-opening-overtime-loss


- Here are the game highlights:

 


STEVE MARTINSON'S POST GAME COMMENTS

"I liked that finish but I didn't like our first period."

"We were too stretched out with guys trying to do individual things. We had too many turnovers at the blue line. A lot of times we would make a long pass but there was no support and that is not how we want to play. We need guys going up the ice together."

"I will clip some video to show some of the new players what I mean by supporting the puck."

"The good thing is we got better as the game went on but I think some of the older guys need to be in better shape."

"Topping had a great finish and he has a great shot. It was nice to see the young guys make that play in overtime to win the game."

"I don't think we had everybody on their A game tonight. It is going to get more competitive next week when we have a couple more proven goal scorers in the lineup. I can see on the bench some guys don't like rotating a little bit. This is a competitive business and you have to move and you have to make plays and if you don't, get out of the way."

"We have to get ourselves in better position to shoot on the power play. We had a lot of puck possession but we were not shooting the puck. I will break the video down to show guys where we can be in a better position to get some shots right off the bat."

"We haven't worked a lot on systems because we have so many new guys and I am trying to learn who looks like they can play together. We will get better, we will get smarter and we will get everyone on the same page."

"The penalty kill was good tonight. We have better players killing penalties.

ALLEN VS TULSA GAME PREVIEW

 - The Americans will have a real test tonight as they travel to Tulsa to take on the Oilers. The reigning Mountain Division champions dominated Allen last season going 10-3-0-0 against the Americans. The Oilers look like one of the teams to beat in the Mountain Division again this season. They opened at home last night and beat the Kansas City Mavericks 5-2. It is still very early in the season but the game tonight will be a good measuring stick for Allen.


- Tulsa is the one destination that is close enough (230 miles) the Americans can travel the day of the game. The CBA limits same day travel to destinations under 325 miles.


- Despite winning their lone preseason game and their season opener last night, the Americans did not play well in the first period in either game. In the two games, Allen was out shot 22-9 and outscored 2-0. The Americans won both games even though they allowed the first goals in both games. Historically the team that scores first wins 75% of the time. Playing against a team as strong as the Tulsa Oilers combined with playing on the road, Allen will have to play better in the first period if they expect to win tonight.


- Coach Martinson will review video of the game against Rapid City before he makes a decision but I wouldn't be surprised to see the same lineup tonight. A couple of players (Gabe Gagne & Regan Nagy) are still dealing with immigration issues and are not available. Jared VanWormer will not play unless there is an injury since he did not attend a training camp and has had limited practice time since arriving in Allen on Wednesday.


DID YOU KNOW: Since joining the ECHL Allen's record in Tulsa is 18-15-2-3. Last season the Americans were 2-6 in Tulsa.  

Allen Americans Season Preview, Allen vs Rapid City Game Preview, Revisiting the Last 10 Home Openers

The longest wait in franchise history between hockey games for Allen Americans fans has finally come to an end with the opening of the 32nd ECHL season. It has been 188 days since the Allen Americans have played a game. Compare that to 2015 when Allen won the Kelly Cup and played their next game just 124 days later.


- There is nothing like opening day when all 26 ECHL teams are undefeated, everyone feels they have a playoff team and optimism runs rampant. The optimism won't last long for many teams. History tells us 75% of all playoff teams will be decided by Thanksgiving, just 45 days from now.


- For Allen fans, expectations are high after last season when the Americans had the worst record in the ECHL. Everyone is anticipating coach Steve Martinson has put together a team that will lead the Americans to a deep playoff run.


- Looking at the opening day roster it is clear Martinson has taken a little different approach than last season. The roster is still built on the Martinson philosophy of having a team that is big, skilled, fast, tough, offensive minded and will finish their checks. He has signed several players that are clearly AHL ready. Shawn O'Donnell and Brett Pollock spent all of last season in the AHL. Gabe Gagne was in the AHL for all but five games with Newfoundland. The risk with these players is if they get off to a good start they will most likely be back in the AHL. Being AHL free agents, any AHL team could sign them to a try out contract (PTO).


- The other change this season will be the number of players sent to Allen by their affiliate. Six Wild players have already been sent to Allen but that number will grow as the season progresses. Here is the current list:

Forwards
Olivier Archambault
Tyler Sheehy

Defensemen
Alex Breton
Stepan Falkovsky
Jack Sadek

Goalie
Dereck Baribeau


- The opening day roster is made up of two goalies, seven defensemen and 13 forwards. 14 players are from Canada, seven from the US and one from Belarus.  According to the Elite Prospects website Allen is the second tallest team in the league averaging 6'2" and second heaviest team averaging 197 pounds. The Americans are the 11th youngest team in the ECHL with an average age of 24.55.


- 15 of the 22 players on the roster have AHL experience. The total AHL games played is 1060. Only four ECHL teams have over 1000 games of AHL experience on their roster.


- With all of the experience on the roster there are plenty of first and second year players as well. There are seven rookies on the roster (less than 25 regular season pro games). Josh Lammon, Jack Sadek, Tyler Sheehy, Les Lancaster, Ben Owen, Regan Nagy, Dereck Baribeau. Three of the rookies (Lancaster, Nagy, Baribeau) have yet to play their first pro game.


- The goalie formula is a familiar one for Allen. Jake Paterson is an experienced goalie with a career ECHL record over five seasons of 75-45-5-2 with a GAA of 2.68 and a save percentage of .913. Allen's second goalie is rookie Dereck Baribeau who is on a three year NHL deal with the Minnesota Wild. Dereck is the depth goalie for the Wild and will be recalled if a goalie in Iowa or Minnesota is injured. Which goalie will emerge as the top goalie remains to be seen. How this plays out will have a lot to say about Allen's success this season. There have been seasons when the rookie goalie beats out a playoff MVP goalie to lead Allen to a championship (Aaron Dell). There have been seasons the experienced goalie was better than the rookie contract goalie and led Allen to championships (Riley Gill). Allen fans can only hope one of these scenarios play out in 2019-20.


- If you ask the questions where does Allen need to improve this season the answer is everywhere. Allen led the ECHL in penalty minutes, minor penalties, 10 minute misconduct penalties, game misconduct penalties and match penalties. The Americans gave up 366 power play opportunities and had only 294. Allen will always be a high minute penalty team but to be successful this season they will need more discipline.


- In Allen's championship years their power play was above 21% and their penalty kill above 86%. Last season the power play was 16.7% and the penalty kill was 81.7%. Special teams will have to be better this season.


- The Americans have always been known as an offensive team and that is part of the reason players sign in Allen. However, the Americans struggled at both ends of the ice last season. They finished #22 in goals scored per game (2.89), #26 in goals allowed, #19 in shots per game (30.88) and #26 in shots allowed per game (36.11).


- In summary, Allen can only go up from where last season ended. The roster Steve Martinson has put together is as deep in talent as you could hope for. The unknowns will be injuries which decimated the Americans last season and will Allen lose a bunch of their top end players to the AHL.


- Managing all this talent will be tough but a good problem to have for Steve Martinson. You could argue he has three first lines all looking for ice time and remember there are still three Allen players in the AHL (Josh Atkinson, Matt Register, Jake Doty).


- There are a lot of leaders on this team and Steve Martinson always says the team needs to play for themselves, not the coaches or the fans. If the locker room comes together as a group this team will go a long way. Because there are a lot of potential captains on the roster, Martinson has decided he will not name a captain for a few weeks and will go with just "A's" for the near future.


- Steve Martinson will reach another milestone this season. He is one of just three pro coaches with 1000 wins. Martinson's total is 1003 and he needs 25 wins to pass John Brophy for second place all-time. He can then set his sights on #1 Scotty Bowman who has 1244 wins. I can assure you Martinson does not have this on his mind, will never bring it up and would prefer nobody else does either.


ALLEN VS RAPID CITY GAME PREVIEW

- Rapid City is a great opponent for opening night because of the history between these teams. Allen made it to the CHL finals in their inaugural season (2009-10) only to lose the championship in six games to the Rush. Rapid City coach Daniel Tetrault won his only professional championship as a member of the Allen Americans 2013-14 championship team.


- Since both teams missed the playoffs last season they want to get off to a good start this season. Since joining the ECHL, Allen has a record of 26-9-1-0 against Rapid City including 13-5-1-0 at home.


- Allen has more depth and experience than Rapid City. The Americans roster has 1060 AHL games played compared to 153 for the Rush. Three Allen players, Mike Hedden (210), Shawn O'Donnell (188) and Gabe Gagne (154) have more games played in the AHL than the entire Rapid City Rush roster.


- It there is one thing that distinguishes a Daniel Tetrault coached team it is how hard they work. They always seem to over perform.


- Coach Martinson will be making some roster changes today. Mike Hedden and Shawn O'Donnell are on reserve and I assume one or both will play tonight. Jared VanWormer just arrived in Allen and wasn't at any training camp so there is a question if he is ready. 



DID YOU KNOW:  When you consider how good the Allen Americans have been since their inception the home opener record is a mediocre 4-6. No matter when you started following the Americans these home opener games from the last 10 years will bring back some memories good and bad.

2009-10 -  Allen started on the road the first season because the Allen Event Center was not completed. The Americans played their first seven games in franchise history on the road. They returned to Allen after those first seven games 5-1-0-1. The home opener was memorable even though the Americans laid an egg, losing to Corpus Christi by a score of 4-1. Two of the goal scorers for Corpus were Chad Costello and future NHLer Ryan Garbutt. That game is mostly remembered for a melee that broke out after the game was over that ended up with 72 penalty minutes being called. A crowd of 5808 witnessed the first home game in team history. 

2010-11 - Allen opened at home against Texas, scored three goals (Alexandre Quesnel, Dustin Donaghy, Judd Blackwater) in the first four minutes of the game and coasted to a 5-2 win. Similar to the year before there were 66 minutes worth of penalties called at the 18:29 mark of the third period including four fighting majors and four game misconducts. Allen got the last laugh as Erik Adams scored an unassisted, shorthanded, empty net goal with under a minute remaining to seal the victory for the Americans. 

2011-12 - Allen's home opener was against Tulsa and the Americans got beat 4-1. Jim McKenzie scored the Americans only goal with just over a minute left in the game. Most notable in that game was a Gordie Howe hat trick by Tulsa's Gary Steffes who had a goal, an assist and a fight with Allen's Scott Langdon.

2012-13 - Allen's home opener was against Arizona and they shut out Sundogs 4-0. Scott Howes had two goals in the game. The other goal scorers were Adam Pineault and Darryl Bootland. Steve Silverthorn was in goal and the backup was a rookie by the name of Aaron Dell. Dell would play sparingly the first few weeks of the season but eventually take over the starting role and lead the Americans to their first championship.

2013-14 -The home opener was an exciting game but the Americans lost to Wichita 4-3 in a shootout. Ironically the two teams had played the season opener the night before in Wichita and Allen had won by an identical score of 4-3 in a shootout. The home opener was a Sunday afternoon game and Allen took a 2-0 lead into the third period only to allow the Thunder to score three unanswered goals to take a 3-2 lead. Tyler Ludwig got the equalizer with less that three minutes remaining n the game. The game would go to a shootout and Allen could manage just one goal (Kale Kerbashain) in seven rounds before Wichita got the game winner.

2014-15 - The worst home opener ever for Allen as they got beat by Tulsa 9-6. Greger Hanson was the lone bright spot for Allen with a whopping 11 shots on goal, four points and a hat trick. Aaron Dell was in goal for the Americans and gave up seven of the nine goals. It was Dell's only regulation loss in the 12 games he played for Allen that season. By the end of January he was in the AHL on his way to the NHL.

2015-16 - Another home opener loss as the Quad City Mallards came to the Allen Event Center and beat the Americans 2-1. Allen's lone goal was scored by Garrett Clarke with assists going to Justin Courtnall and goalie Joel Rumpel. You didn't see those three in the boxscore very often let alone on the same play.

2016-17 - It was a home opener win as Allen beat Missouri 6-3. Kale Kerbashain had two goals and Riley Gill was peppered with 47 shots.

2017-18 -  After two big wins on the road in Rapid City the Americans opened at home against Orlando and beat the Solar Bears 6-2. Zach Pochiro had two goals, David Makowski and Casey Pierro-Zabotel each had three points (1G 2A). This game will always be remembered as the game with less than seven minutes remaining goalie Riley Gill was injured and would be out for the season.

2018-19 - The Wichita Thunder was the home opener opponent and they spanked the Americans 4-1 in a memorable game. The outcome was decided early as former Allen player Dyson Stevenson scored two first period goals and the Thunder never looked back. Alex Breton scored Allen's lone goal. The teams combined for 112 penalty minutes including 10 fighting majors.  



  

Roster Update, Getting to Know the Allen Team, Updated Jersey Numbers and Allen Ironmen

The Allen Americans had a rare afternoon (4:00 pm) practice yesterday and for the first time the entire opening day roster was together. The group included newly acquired forwards Jared VanWormer (#19) and Josh Lammon (#15). Alex Guptill was wearing a new number switching from the #9 he was wearing earlier in training camp to #27.

- The 2019-20 roster is made up of 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies. Maybe the most important thing to keep in mind is this is just a starting point. With injuries, call ups, trades, loans and assignments, the Americans will have over 40 players play at least one game this season. In the five seasons Allen has played in the ECHL the total number of players on the roster has been between 41-46 each season.


-  There is so much to learn about this group I am not sure where to start so today will be a few random facts about the group and some of the players. Here goes:


- There are five players on the roster that played in Allen last season. Spencer Asuchak played in all 72 games, Alex Breton 53, Stepan Falkovsky 12, Ben Owen six and Jack Sadek two.


- There are three players that played elsewhere last season but have played for Allen in the past; Alex Guptill, Olivier Archambault and Jake Paterson.


- In 2017-18 Archambault spent 19 games with Allen before spending the rest of the season in the AHL. In 19 games Olivier had 31 points (13G, 19A). His "career" points per game average in Allen is 1.632 which is exceeded only by Jack Combs who played 32 games for the Americans in 2014-15. Jack had 22 goals and 34 assists in those 32 games for a points per game average of 1.750.


- 15 of the 22 players on the roster have AHL experience. In total it is just over 1000 AHL games led by Mike Heddon (210), Shawn O'Donnell (188) and Gabe Gagne (154).


- There are seven rookies on the roster (less than 25 regular season pro games). Josh Lammon, Jack Sadek, Tyler Sheehy, Les Lancaster, Ben Owen, Regan Nagy, Dereck Baribeau. Three of the rookies (Lancaster, Nagy, Baribeau) have yet to play their first pro game.


- The youngest player is Dereck Baribeau who won't turn 21 until January 22. The oldest player is Mike Hedden who will turn 35 on December 27. According to the Elite Prospects website, Mike is the third oldest player in the ECHL.


- Rookie forward Josh Lammon was captain of his college hockey team at Mercyhurst University and was selected the Best Defensive Forward of his 11 team Division I conference (Atlantic Hockey Association). Among his other awards were Scholar Athlete of the Year. His degree is in Finance and Competitive Intelligence Studies with a minor in Information Technology.


- Defenseman Kayle Doetzel grew up in the small town (2500) of Rosetown, Saskatchewan. He moved away from home to pursue his hockey career when he was 15. He played five years of junior hockey for the Red Deer Rebels in the Western Hockey League. Here is a video about his billet family (family he lived with) when he played in Red Deer.

- Turner Ottenbreit's dad, Grant, played professional hockey in the ECHL for the Erie Panthers. Grant was a tough guy who averaged about 280 penalty minutes per season. One of his many fights was with Allen coach Steve Martinson.


- Allen forward Shawn O'Donnell returns home to Nova Scotia each summer to train with a large group of NHL/AHL players. Among the group who come back to their native province to relax and train are Sidney Crosby, Brad Marchand and Nathan MacKinnon.
 


- Here are the assigned jersey numbers as of practice last night:

2 - Kayle Doetzel
3 - Stepan Falkovsky
4 - Turner Ottenbreit
5 - Jack Sadek
7 - Alex Breton
8 - Tyler Sheehy
10 - Olivier Archambault
11 - Jordan Topping
14 - Les Lancaster
15 - Josh Lammon
17 - Mike Hedden
18 - Jason Salvaggio
19 - Jared VanWormer
20 - Ben Owen
25 - Gabe Gagne
26 - Spencer Asuchak
27 - Alex Guptill
28 - Regan Nagy
30 - Dereck Baribeau
35 - Jake Paterson
44 - Brett Pollock
92 - Shawn O'Donnell


 
DID YOU KNOW: As the 11th Allen season gets underway one question is who will play in all 72 regular season games. I think one of the more undervalued statistics has to do with players that never miss a game. I call them the Ironmen and they are few and far between. In AA hockey with limited rosters and salary cap/budget issues, having a player that plays every game in a season is something special and valuable. Thought today would be a good day to honor all of the Ironmen in Allen history. One thing to keep in mind is when the Americans first started in the CHL (2009-10) they only played 64 games in a season. It was then expanded to 66 games and since joining the ECHL (2014-15) it is 72 games. Congrats 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

Trades Impact Allen Roster, Opening Day Roster Details, Skating Coach Luke Chilcott's Famous Pupil & More

Today is a big day around the ECHL as teams must trim their training camp roster and submit their opening day roster to the league office by 3:00 pm EDT. There are three categories to the opening day roster:

1. Active roster - up to 21 players that must fit under the $13,780 salary cap. The active rosters will be reduced to a maximum of 20 players with a weekly salary cap of $13,300 on November 10.

2. Reserve - a maximum of two players in addition to the active roster that may consist of healthy or injured players. Salary paid to a reserve player does not count against the salary cap and a reserve player may be added to the active roster at any time, not to exceed the active roster maximum.

3. Injured Reserve - any injured player may be placed on injured reserve (IR). Once placed on IR a player must stay for a minimum of 14 days. They continue to be paid but their salary does not count toward the salary cap.


- Keep in mind additions/deletions/changes can and will be made to opening day rosters as soon as tomorrow and every day throughout the season. The changes just have to conform to the categories/rules above.


- General Manager Steve Martinson made several trades in the last two days culminating with two players (Josh Lammon & Jared VanWormer) being added to the Allen roster. Braylon Shmyr along with two players that never reported to Allen were sent to Norfolk for VanWormer. I have had a lot of questions and comments about these transactions so here is some background information that may help clarify some issues.

Martinson obtained three players in the last few days for future considerations. Josh Lammon and Philippe Hudon from Florida and Austin McEneny from Orlando. You may recall over the past few seasons Allen has sent players to teams for future considerations which could be a player, money or favors. Mitch Vandergunst, Kyle Neuber and Mathieu Foget are examples of players sent to the two Florida teams in the past. The favors were returned to Allen with the acquisition of Lammon, Hudon and McEneny.

Martinson then packaged Hudon and McEneny along with Braylon Shmyr in a trade with Norfolk for the rights to Jared VanWormer. Some have asked if VanWormer will report to Allen. He, in fact, has already arrived in Allen and will be at practice today which is at 4:00 pm.

VanWormer was traded to Norfolk at the end of last season by Kansas City. In 53 regular season  games for the Mavericks in 2018-19, Jared had 47 points (20G, 27A) and was +11. He was tied for the team lead in the playoffs with eight points (4G, 4A). VanWormer was captain of his college team (Ferris State) and is described as a "glue guy" that can play in all situations. He is a player that will finish his checks.


- Here is a story about Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn's work over the summer to improve his game. One of the changes Benn made was to work with a skating coach for the first time. That skating coach is Luke Chilcott who has worked with the Allen Americans for the last five seasons. If you have attended Allen practices over the years you have seen Luke working with the players before, during and after practice. Luke has gone from volunteering with the Americans to now working with both the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars organizations. Luke gets some high praise in this story and he is very deserving as well as being a great guy.
https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/stars/2019/10/02/fixing-jamie-benn-inside-stars-captains-quest-bounce-back-year/ 




DID YOU KNOW: Luke Chilcott represented Great Britain in the world figure skating championships in 2011-2012 in Nice, France.

Luke Chilcott