Allen Adds Three Skill Players to Roster, Corey Mackin Player Profile and Allen's Assistant Coaches

 

Today is the day the remaining five ECHL teams (Cincinnati, Fort Wayne, Idaho, Kalamazoo, Toledo) that have not officially declared their plans for the 2020-21 season have to make a decision if they will start play on January 5. I have heard there has been a request to extend the November 30 deadline to give the teams more time so that is a possibility. I read some of the North Division teams asked for an extension of time beyond November 30 before they decided to opt out and were denied so you would think the Board of Governors would be consistent. However, there are some powerful franchises in these final five so you never know what will be decided and many are betting an extension of time will be granted.

 Should hear something by the end of the day.

 

- The Allen Americans are moving full speed ahead with three more players added to the roster yesterday. Matt Register and Tyler Sheehy were assigned to Allen by the Iowa Wild. Having Register, the three time ECHL Defenseman of the Year back in Allen for the beginning of the season along with Sheehy, the ECHL Rookie of the Year and MVP runner-up last season will be huge for the Americans. The third roster change yesterday was the addition of forward Corey Mackin, a free agent who had signed with the Reading Royals before they opted out for the season. Here is the Allen press release announcing the changes:  https://allenamericans.com/news/press-release/americans-add-to-training-camp-roster/

 

COREY MACKIN 

- Corey Mackin has played in 70 ECHL games, all for the Reading Royals and has 52 points (21G, 31A). The 25 year old 168 pound 5'8" forward played college hockey at Ferris State University where he was teammates with Allen co-captain Jared VanWormer. When researching Mackin you can see many similarities with VanWormer. Mackin is a tireless worker that plays hard every shift at both ends of the ice. He is a natural leader who was captain of his college team as a junior and senior. 

Corey played two years of junior hockey in Canada (BCHL) before heading the Ferris State.. His second year in the BCHL tells you the type of player Allen is getting in Mackin. He had 104 points (50G, 54A) in 58 games with just eight penalty minutes. He had 12 power play goals, nine shorthanded goals and five game winning goals. He was a BCHL First Team All-Star, BCHL Player of the Year, and the league's top scorer. He was a finalist for the BCHL Most Sportsmanlike Player honor.

Mackin has made great strides since turning pro as evidenced by the fact he has 21 goals in 70 games but 19 of those 21 goals came in his last 49 games. Coach Martinson has set high expectations for Corey saying he is capable of being a 30 goals scorer over a full ECHL season.

Mackin's brother, Fran, is the Assistant Director of a sports complex in Massachusetts with three sheets of ice. Corey spent this summer working at the complex. He coached, helped out with clinics and had all the ice time he needed. 

I saw this quote from Mackin about his expectations going into the 2020-21 season, "There is definitely more improvement to be made. I've got to be more consistent. I've got to be ready right away. It can't be too slow of a start. I have to worry about the details of what I picked up last year." 

Here is a video interview from Corey's days in college which gives you a good idea of were he is from and what he is all about:

 

 

THE ROSTER

Here is the updated roster which now totals two goalies, six defensemen and 14 forwards. Still more changes to come this week. More AHL contracted players will be assigned and two or three tryout players will be announced.

Goalies

#31 C.J. Motte

#39 Chris Nell

 

Defensemen

#4 Turner Ottenbreit

#14 Les Lancaster

#20 Ben Carroll

#23 Cole Fraser

#25 Nolan Kneen

#43 Matt Register

 

Forwards

#9 Braylon Shmyr

#10 Corey Durocher

#15 Corey Mackin

#17 Jared Van Wormer

#18 Colton Heffley

#19 Alex Lavoie

#21 Jared Bethune

#22 Tyler Sheehy

#26 Spencer Asuchak

#27 Zane Franklin

#40 Josh Lammon

#44 Olivier Archambault 

#47 Patrick Watling

#71 Dyson Stevenson 

OTHER COMMENTS

- There will have to be some changes in the role Allen's assistant coach, Jason Deitsch, plays in the 2020-21 season given the fact his full time job is a first responder as a McKinney fireman. With the ECHL COVID-19 protocols, these two jobs don't mix. Coach Martinson will have some additional help coaching from Aaron Johnson who played in 291 NHL games over eight seasons. He also has 429 AHL games played on his resume. I will share more info on the role of the coaches in a future blog. 

-  Here is a good article that lays out many of the issues the AHL is dealing with as they plan their return to play for the 2020-21 season. Needless to say, the AHL fate is closely tied to what the NHL decides to do: https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/ahl-leaning-nhl-ahead-uncertain-season-questions-aplenty/

   

 

DID YOU KNOW: Facts about three players on the 2020-21 Allen roster concerning all time stats. Some very skilled players that will be big contributors this season when they are in the Americans lineup. If any of these three spend most of the season in Allen they could crack the top 10 all time in points. 

Olivier Archambault - is #48 all time in games played (66) but #24 all time in points (85) and has averaged 1.288 points per game.

Alex Lavoie - is #61 all time in games played (60) but #26 all time in points (76) and has averaged 1.267 points per game. 

Tyler Sheehy - is #95 all time in games played (47) but #28 all time in points (70) and has averaged 1.489 points per game.  

Training Camp Update - Changes Happening Everyday and Former Player Updates

 

With training camp finally here and more players arriving each day it is time for me to crank up the keyboard and start writing about the team on a more regular basis. This season will be a challenge with all of the COVID protocols in place. I am used to spending practice days and game days in the coach's office and locker room and they are now off limits. Fans that attend practice are also impacted. Due to restrictions in place as a result of the ECHL's COVID-19 protocols, all practice sessions during training camp and the 2020-21 season will be closed to the public. The good news is coach Martinson and the players have always been more than willing to help in any way they can so it will just be in a different way this season. It will be the opportunity to try getting and telling the story using new ways of communicating.

 

The official training camp roster hasn't been released but here is what is known and expected:

- Defenseman Cody Corbett has been released, this was in the ECHL transactions yesterday.

- Players from AHL teams have started to be assigned to ECHL teams. You can expect announcements soon of players being assigned to Allen. When Iowa sends players to Allen for training camp they would come from the group of players that signed two-way AHL/ECHL contracts. Based on the Iowa Wild press releases the players that signed two-way contracts are two defensemen (Matt Register, Phil Beaulieu) and three forwards (Tyler Sheehy, Jesse Mychan, Kameron Kielly). 

- Coach Martinson has signed a forward that has not been announced. A rookie last season who had 46 points (20G, 26A) in 58 ECHLgames. 

- I have heard but cannot confirm that in addition to the five players that can be assigned to ECHL teams an additional three NHL/AHL contracted players are allowed that don't count against the roster numbers or salary cap for the first month of the season. I do know that coach Martinson has been fielding calls from AHL teams trying to place players. I would expect these three "extra" spots to be filled if Martinson can get the right players.

- Look for the transaction list from the ECHL this afternoon as several of the players referred to above should be on the list.    

 

THE ROSTER

Here is the roster of signed and announced players with jersey numbers. The only change today is the deletion of Cody Corbett. Olivier Archambault is on the list but coach Martinson says he will not be in Allen for the start of the season. There will be many changes to this list this week.

Goalies

#31 C.J. Motte

#39 Chris Nell

 

Defensemen

#4 Turner Ottenbreit

#14 Les Lancaster

#20 Ben Carroll

#23 Cole Fraser

#25 Nolan Kneen

 

Forwards

#9 Braylon Shmyr

#10 Corey Durocher

#17 Jared Van Wormer

#18 Colton Heffley

#21 Jared Bethune

#26 Spencer Asuchak

#27 Zane Franklin

#40 Josh Lammon

#44 Olivier Archambault 

#47 Patrick Watling

#71 Dyson Stevenson 

#?? Alex Lavoie

 

FORMER PLAYER UPDATE

- Bryan Moore signed with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits this week. If you include loans to AHL teams over the years, Greenville will be the 10th team Bryan has played for since 2015-16.

- Jack Sadek, who led Allen in plus/minus (+25) last season as a rookie defenseman, signed a two-way AHL/ECHL deal with the Ontario Reign at the end of September. The Reign just assigned Jack to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. 

- Dalton Thrower was just released by the Jacksonville Icemen.

- Four former Allen players are playing in the top league in Norway. Chad Costello plays for Stavanger and has 14 points (5G, 9A) in 10 games. Dante Salituro plays for Narvik and has 12 points (6G, 6A) in 16 games. Daniel Leavens plays for Stjernen and has 20 points (9G, 11A) in 15 games. Defenseman Travis Brown also plays for Stjernen and has three assists in 15 games.

- Alex Breton is playing in Slovakia and already has eight points (3G, 5A) in just nine games.

OTHER COMMENTS

- There have been numerous schedule changes among the Mountain Division teams primarily because the Wichita Thunder is dealing with more restrictive arena capacity through January 9. The change for Allen has them traveling to Rapid City rather than Kansas City in early January. Here is the revised schedule for the Americans. There are no games scheduled after January 9 as the league awaits a decision from five teams whether they will play this season. Allen's schedule:

December 12 at Tulsa

December 18 vs Rapid City

December 19 vs Rapid City

December 26 vs Tulsa

December 27 vs Tulsa

December 31 vs Wichita

January 1 at Wichita

January 2 at Wichita

January 6 at Rapid City

January 8 at Rapid City

January 9 at Rapid City

 

- The top pro league in Great Britain (EIHL) has been given over five million dollars by the government to resume play. The teams in the league are looking at the possibility of a January start date. If the EIHL does resume, some of the North American players that signed in the ECHL when the EIHL suspended may return to Great Britain. Goalie C.J. Motte is the only Allen player that was signed in the EIHL (Coventry Blaze) so he could decide to return if they resume play.     

 

DID YOU KNOW: Norway is a long and narrow country. Chad Costello is playing in Stavanger which is in the southwestern part of the country. Dante Salituro is playing in Narvik which is 1200 miles to the north and 140 miles inside the Arctic Circle. To give you an idea of the difference, in Dallas today there will be 10:09 hours of daylight and a high temperature of 52. In Stavanger with the Costello family the high was 44 with 6:50 hours of daylight. Dante Salituro enjoyed a high temp of 38 with 2:18 hours of daylight. Sunrise was 10:30 am and sunset was 12:48 pm. If you wonder why temps that far north are so mild it is because the warm ocean currents (an extension of the Gulf Stream) help keep the temperature up.  

  

Allen Assembles an All-Star Roster as Fans Prepare for a Unique Hockey Season

 

This year Thanksgiving looks very different than in past years. Many are struggling from a health and economic standpoint. Families are changing past traditions to stay safe in the face of the pandemic. I want to start by wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving especially those that have lost friends and/or relatives and the many that must work today including health care workers, first responders and other essential workers.

- With training camp officially opening tomorrow for Allen and the other 12 teams that will start play in December, I wanted to share what I know about the Allen roster and how things will operate this season. Obviously everything is subject to change and there is no doubt flexibility is something everyone should stock up on as the season proceeds. The one thing that is certain is nothing is certain.

 

- I had an opportunity to participate in a ZOOM call yesterday for the media that included Jack Gulati (owner), Mike Waddell (President), Steve Martinson (General Manager & Coach), Tommy Daniels (VP, Broadcasting & Communication) and four players (Spencer Asuchak, Josh Lammon, Alex Lavoie and Dyson Stevenson). 

 

- If there was a single theme that came through from everyone on the ZOOM call it was the safety of the players, coaches, hockey operations staff, front office staff, Allen Event Center (AEC) staff and fans is first and foremost in every decision that is made. Everyone associated with the Allen Americans both on and off the ice will be impacted. The second thing that was obvious is everyone, especially the players, is ready to play some hockey.

 

THE TEAM

It has been over 260 days since the Americans last took the ice at the AEC. It will be anything but normal when Allen is allowed to take the ice for the first time tomorrow. Players have been arriving and are being tested for COVID 19 and getting set up in their apartments which are brand new, very nice and close to the rink, just north of Allen Premium Outlets. If you want to checkout where the players will be staying it is called Magnolia On The Green and their website is magnoliaonthegreen.com. The players daily routine will be different this season as they will be asked to live in a "bubble" to avoid exposure to the coronavirus. Everyone in the bubble (players, coaches, trainer, equipment manager) will be tested for COVID twice per week. Nobody outside the bubble will be allowed in the locker room. The players will be asked to not hang around the locker room after games and practices. There will be a group of approved restaurants where those in the bubble can frequent as much as possible. The team has asked that if fans run into players or coaches at the grocery store, restaurants etc. you resist approaching them to make sure everyone stays safe. 

 

- Not all players will be on hand tomorrow, some are awaiting flights from Canada. Coach Martinson anticipates most players will be in camp and ready to practice by Tuesday.

 

- Training camp will be different from the past from several perspectives. Typically a lot of players miss the start of camp because they are invited to AHL training camps. Not the case this year as the AHL tentative start date isn't until February 5. The Wild have assigned five players to the Americans. They will start filtering into Allen as soon as Sunday. There will be some familiar names in this group and they will be difference makers for the Americans. There will be a lot of AHL caliber players on the Allen roster to start the season but that is the case for all of the 13 teams starting play in December. The quality of play in the ECHL this season will be stronger than ever. It will be like every team is an all-star team.  

- Coach Martinson is still getting calls from agents and teams trying to find available training camp opportunities. Bottom line is the roster will be fluid even more than normal. Martinson shared with me that Olivier Archambault will not be coming to Allen for the beginning of the season. He has also signed a free agent from one of the teams that is not playing. This player was the second leading scorer on his team. In his last season in junior hockey (BCHL) he had 104 points (50G, 54A) in just 58 games. 

- Tommy Daniels will not be traveling with the team on the road this season. The plan was for Tommy to be inside the bubble, travel with the team and broadcast the away games. However, the ECHL Board of Governors recently voted to have no broadcasters travel to away games. I assume this is for both safety and cost savings reasons. The good news for Allen fans is they will still get to hear Tommy's play by play of the road games, he will just be doing the broadcast off the video feed, back in Allen. You never know, you may be able to go to a watch party and see Tommy's broadcast in person.

THE FANS

- The 2020-21 season will be different for the fans and especially the avid fan. One of the best things about ECHL hockey is the access to players and coaches in many forms. Here are some of the changes:

- The season ticket holder lounge is not possible given the gathering rules currently in place. The room will be split in half with one side being for the Ice Angels and the other side being the media center. Because of the social distancing requirements the press box will be dedicated to off ice officials only.

- There will be no post game meeting with coach Martinson and the season ticket holders.

- If you play 50/50 you will be out of luck. "Chuck A Puck" will be a virtual event through DASH auctions.

- No post game autograph sessions with players. Mike Waddell told me there would be a process established for fans to get items autographed. 

- The area where the players exit and enter the ice going to and from the locker room will be cordoned off for the safety of everyone.

- The capacity of the Allen Event Center for hockey is limited to 50% but with social distancing the number of tickets sold for each game will be reduced to closer to 40% or just over 2100. With that said the team is selling single games tickets so if you are not interested in season tickets packages now is the time to buy your single game tickets.

  

THE ROSTER

Here is the roster of signed and announced players with jersey numbers. This will be changing day by day so stay tuned:

Goalies

#31 C.J. Motte

#39 Chris Nell

 

Defensemen

#4 Turner Ottenbreit

#14 Les Lancaster

#20 Ben Carroll

#23 Cole Fraser

#25 Nolan Kneen

#28 Cody Corbett

 

Forwards

#9 Braylon Shmyr

#10 Corey Durocher

#17 Jared Van Wormer

#18 Colton Heffley

#21 Jared Bethune

#26 Spencer Asuchak

#27 Zane Franklin

#40 Josh Lammon

#44 Olivier Archambault 

#47 Patrick Watling

#71 Dyson Stevenson 

#?? Alex Lavoie

 

DID YOU KNOW: The list below could expand a lot if Allen wins the Kelly Cup this season. Alex Lavoie and Dyson Stevenson could win their third championship in Allen and Spencer Asuchak could stand alone as the only four time champion. 

There are no players that played on all four Allen Americans championship teams but there are six (Spencer Asuchak, Greger Hanson, Trevor Ludwig, Tyler Ludwig, Brian McMillin, Jamie Schaafsma) players that earned three rings in Allen. Here is the list by championship season:

2012-13 - Trevor Ludwig, Tyler Ludwig, Brian McMillin, Jamie Schaafsma
2013-14 - Spencer Asuchak, Greger Hanson, Trevor Ludwig, Tyler Ludwig, Brian McMillin, Jamie Schaafsma.
2014-15 - Spencer Asuchak, Greger Hanson, Trevor Ludwig, Tyler Ludwig, Brian McMillin, Jamie Schaafsma.
2015-16 - Spencer Asuchak, Greger Hanson

The Allen Americans Rookies - Past, Present and Future

 

 Because the ECHL is primarily a developmental league with just four veterans allowed on the active roster, rookies play a key role. They also help with the salary cap as teams can sign great players at a low cost. The maximum rookie salary for 2020-21 per the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is $575 per week.

 

- Here are some examples of rookie contributions from the shortened 2019-20 ECHL season:

3 of the top 4 goalies in save percentage were rookies

4 of the top 11 in scoring by defensemen were rookies

3 of the top 8 in points per game (minimum 20 games) were rookies

 

- These rookies lead all players in 2019-20:

 

#1 - Assists (44), Tyler Sheehy, Allen 

#1 - PIMS (164), Kyle Haas, Fort Wayne 

#1 - Power play goals (11), Tyler Coulter, Rapid City 

#1 - Shooting % (30%), Gregor MacLeod, Toledo 

#1 - Save % (.932), Billy Christopoulos, Toledo

 

 

 

- Here are stats from 2018-19:

 

29 of the top 100 scorers were rookies

6 of the top 13 in scoring by defensemen were rookies

6 of the top 15 goalies in save percentage were rookies

 

 

- Allen has had its share of great rookie seasons. None better than last season when Tyler Sheehy led the Americans with 70 points (15 more than any other player). Tyler tied with Alex Breton for the league lead in assists (44), was #3 in points (70), and #1 in points per game (1.49). For his effort Sheehy was named the ECHL Rookie of the Year and finished runner-up as the ECHL MVP. Tyler recently re-signed with the Iowa Wild (AHL). Given the AHL is not starting their season until February 5, there is a chance Sheehy will be assigned to Allen to begin the season.

 

 

- Alex Lavoie just signed with Allen after spending the last four seasons playing in Europe. When Alex played for Allen as a rookie in 2013-14 he led the Americans in scoring with 76 points (25G, 51A) and was the CHL Rookie of the Year. Another rookie in 2013-14, Spencer Asuchak, finished #3 on that team in scoring with 56 points (21G, 35A). It was the season the Americans won their second CHL championship. 

 

 

- I want to highlight three Allen rookies coach Martinson has signed for the 2020-21 season, Jared Bethune, Zane Franklin and Nolan Kneen.  

 

 

 

Jared Bethune

 

 

JARED BETHUNE - Jared is a rookie even though he played for Allen in 2017-18 after he finished his junior career and before he started his college career. A rookie as defined by the ECHL CBA is less than 25 pro games. Bethune's road to Allen for the 2020-21 season is a long and winding one. He was born and raised in Fort Frances, Ontario, and moved to Warroad, Minnesota at the beginning of the eighth grade. Warroad is a small town of less than 2000 on the Canadian border that is a legendary hockey town. T. J. Oshie of the NHL Washington Capitols played high school hockey in Warroad. Bethune was a star in Warroad, scoring 84 points (31G, 53A) and was +87 as a junior and committed to play hockey at the University of Minnesota - Duluth (UMD). However, he walked away from his last year of high school and commitment to UMD to play junior hockey in Canada in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The first year in the WHL as a 17 year old didn't go as expected as going from high school to Canadian junior hockey is a difficult transition. He ended the season with 20 points (6G, 14A) in 61 games and had a plus/minus of -23. He went from a sure NHL draft choice prior to the season to being undrafted. Always known as a hard worker, Jared improved every year in the WHL and by his final season he scored 69 points (21G, 48A) to lead his team. After finishing his junior career in 2017-18 Bethune signed an amateur tryout contract with Allen and played in nine regular season games and seven playoff games scoring six points (1G, 5A). After the season Jared decided to go to college and has played the last two seasons for Queens University. In his first year at Queens University (2018-19) the team won their first Ontario University Association championship in 38 years.

 

What Allen will get from Jared Bethune is a bigger, stronger and more mature version of what they saw in 2017-18. A 23 year old power forward that is 20 pounds heavier (205) than when he last played in Allen. A guy who is willing to go into the corners to create opportunities for his linemates who also has the ability to score himself.    

 Check out this video from a skills competition when Bethune was 10: 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zane Franklin

 

ZANE FRANKLIN - Franklin is another small town guy growing up in Marwayne, Alberta, an agricultural and ranching community of about 600 just 13 miles from the western border of Saskatchewan. He started playing hockey when he was four because as he says it, "There wasn't a lot else to do." Zane is another of a long line of Western Hockey League players Steve Martinson has recruited over the years. Franklin is a combination of elite scorer, gritty player and leader. At 5'9" 200 pounds his skill and grit made him the most popular player on his team. One quote I saw about him was, "Franklin is a pain-in-the-ass player that every team in the league would love to have." He was also the captain of his team (Kamloops Blazers) last season. 

 

Zane has always been an offensive weapon. As a 15 year old (2013-14) he had 89 points (47G, 42A) in just 27 games. In 2019-20, his final WHL season, he finished tops on his team and #4 in the league in scoring with 91 points (29G, 62A) in 63 games. 

 

If there is a player from the Allen Americans past that the 21 year old Franklin may remind you of a little bit, based on his style of play, it would be Darryl Bootland. 

 

Here is a Zane Franklin highlight reel:

Nolan Kneen

 

NOLAN KNEEN - The third rookie Steve Martinson has signed is another WHL product. Kneen is 21 years old and stands 5' 11" and 180 pounds. The right shot defenseman played in 310 games in his WHL career and totaled 139 points (28G, 111A). He was an alternate captain of his team (Saskatoon Blades) last season and is the type of defensman Steve Martinson recruits from the WHL. A physical player who is hard to play against, has offensive skill and can jump into the play. His Saskatoon coach describes Nolan this way, "He is a throwback, he is physical, he gets in a tussle here and there, he provides offense for our group and he has been good in the dressing room." 

 

Here is a video of Kneen from a few years ago that covers where he is from and how he plays. They refer to pressure of being a high draft choice. Nolan was drafted #3 overall in the 2014 WHL Bantam draft by the Kamloops Blazers. He played for Kamloops for four season before being traded to Saskatoon in 2018-19. 

 

 

- So there you have some info on the Allen rookies. Here are a few other tidbits about the group. 

- The "K" in Kneen is silent

- Franklin and Kneen were teammates in Kamloops for part of the 2018-19 season.

- Bethune's coach in Prince George (WHL) for two seasons was former Allen assistant coach Richard Matvichuk.

- Nolan Kneen's grandfather (Brett Kneen) played Junior A in the 1960's and was drafted by the New York Rangers.

- Jared Bethune is a member of the Couchiching First Nation

- Zane Franklin cleaned up when his team (Kamloops Blazers) announced its team awards after the season was canceled because of COVID-19. The Blazers captain won awards for inspirational leadership and ability, best plus/minus, top scorer, three stars and shared the MVP award.    

 

 

- There will most likely be more than three rookies play for Allen this season. The Iowa Wild have several rookies on their roster who could see time in Allen. It is unknown with the AHL not scheduled to start playing until February 5 what arrangements will be made for sending NHL/AHL contracted players to ECHL teams. With the ECHL starting play before the higher leagues there are cost and other issues that may limit how many players are assigned to ECHL teams. Some of the rookies on the Iowa Wild roster include the following names which could see time in Allen at some point in the 2020-21 season. The type of contract these rookies have signed could impact the likelihood they get assigned to Allen.

 

Kameron Kielly, Forward - two way AHL/ECHL contract

Phil Beaulieu, Defenseman - two way AHL/ECHL contract

Josh Maser, Forward - one way AHL contract

Hunter Jones, Goalie - NHL entry level contract

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Here is the top scoring rookie for each season since the Allen Americans joined the ECHL:

 

2019-20:  Tyler Sheehy, 70 points

2018-19: Braylon Shmyr, 44 points

2017-18: J.C. Campagna, 35 points

2016-17: Jake Marchment, 29 points

2015-16: *Eric Roy, 30 points

2014-15: *Justin Baker, 39 points 

 

*Defenseman