Allen Americans Season Preview - Part 2

 

Yesterday, part one of the Allen Americans season preview was about who was on the team. Today, part two will be about what the team is all about. There is no doubt the 2020-21 season will be like no other. Just 13 of the 26 teams from last season will start play this weekend. Coach and General Manager Steve Martinson has spent the long off season putting together another strong team. Martinson is the current ECHL General Manager of the Year and is starting his 25th season in coaching pursuing his 11th championship. His strength as a recruiter is unparalleled and is a big part of his success over the years.

 

- Allen had a very successful season in 2019-20 with a record of 40-14-6-2 and was poised for another deep playoff run before the season was abruptly canceled because of COVID. With a winning percentage of .710 you would expect coach Martinson to build a similar team for 2020-21 but he made it clear from the get go, despite the success last season, he needed to recruit a tougher, grittier team for this 2020-21. It was a mantra he repeated continually in the off season. It is important to note Martinson's goal was to have a team that is harder to play against without sacrificing offensive firepower. I talk to coach Martinson most every day and needless to say he is excited about the team he has put together for the upcoming season. One comment that has stuck with me coming from a coach who is in his 25th season and has seen everything is how much fun it is for him to see this group practice. "They all work very hard and have a lot of skill. They are going to be a fun team to watch."

 

- The team toughness starts with the acquisition of Dyson Stevenson who returns to Allen after three seasons elsewhere. Someday, the story of of how Stevenson ended up with the Wichita Thunder will be told but let me just say Dyson Stevenson is one of coach Martinson's all time favorite players. Dyson is a more mature player on his return to Allen having served as captain in Wichita for two seasons and spending the entire season in 2019-20 in the AHL with the Utica Comets. He will bring leadership and toughness to this team and will be asked to play in all situations. Dyson spent just three seasons in Allen but is ranked #5 all time in playoff games played (55), #3 in playoff penalty minutes (84) and #10 in playoff points (17) to go along with two Kelly Cup rings. Championship playoff experience that Stevenson brings to the table will be invaluable on the ice and in the locker room.           

 

- Jesse Mychan is that rare player that brings skill and toughness to the table. He has led his league in both goals and penalty minutes during his career. Turner Ottenbreit, Sam Laberge, Zane Franklin, Cole Fraser, Kam Kielly and Nolan Kneen all add to team toughness. Martinson often says sometimes you have a lion and sometimes you have a pack of wolves. I would describe Allen as a pack of wolves this season. However, waiting in the wings is a lion, Jake Doty. Allen still holds Doty's ECHL rights even though he is under contract with Ontario (AHL). There is a chance you could see Doty in Allen. The bottom line is the Americans will be a tougher team in 2020-21. Allen finished an all time low #18 in penalty minutes last season.  Look for Allen to be much closer to #1 this season.

- It is hard to tell the personality of a team based on a few days of training camp given some players still haven't practiced with the team but it is clear this team is one with both talent and character. With few ECHL jobs available because of so many teams opting out this will be the deepest Allen team ever. Allen will have top line players on all four lines that can score but will also be responsible on defense. This team will be better defensively because it will have more two way players. Allen's style of play is such that they will never contend for fewest goals allowed but you can expect an improvement from the last three seasons when Allen allowed an average of 3.15, 3.74, and 3.22 goals per game. 

- Last season Allen's power play was ranked #9 (18.5%) and the penalty kill was ranked #15 (81.4%). Once Tyler Sheehy started playing the wall on the power play it was much improved. While it will always be true if one power play group is hot they will get more ice time, you can expect power play time to be spread among more players this season. Alex Lavoie, Zane Franklin, Joe Garreffa, Kam Kielly and Corey Mackin all have experience running the power play. And you can't get any better than Matt Register on the point on the power play. 

 

- Depth will also be the key on the penalty kill. There will be players on all four lines that kill penalties and have killed penalties in the past. Having enough players that know how to kill penalties is something that hasn't always been the case in the past. This season you won't have to wear out the same guys because of the lack of good penalty killers. Again, the depth of the team comes through.

 

- You can't have a good team without good goaltending and the Americans will start the season with two solid goalies in C.J. Motte and Zach Zawchenko.

 Motte is a former ECHL all-star who was a finalist for the NCAA top collegiate player (Hobey Baker Award) in 2013-14 when he played for Ferris State University. After the 2018-19 season in Allen he went to Europe (Austria & England) to play. He finished last season with the Coventry Blaze in the EIHL and had the best save percentage in the league (.927).

As a rookie Zach Sawchenko was assigned to Allen by the San Jose Barracuda (AHL) last November.  He played 13 games in Allen before being recalled by San Jose and was with the Barracuda the rest of the season. In the two months Zach was in Allen he was one of the best goalies in the league. He finished with a record of 8-2-2-1, a GAA of 2.35 and save percentage of .930. 

 

- There are a lot of familiar faces on the roster with 15 players who have played with Allen in the past. Bringing back proven top end players from the past like Dyson Stevenson, Alex Lavoie and Matt Register, who have won championships, has been a proven formula for Steve Martinson in the past and they will be difference makers this season.

 

- One question that remains to be answered that will go a long way in determining how good this team will be is the performance of the seven rookies. They all have great pedigrees in juniors and college but that doesn't always transfer to the pros. If the rookies can play like Tyler Sheehy, Jack Sadek, Josh Lammon and Les Lancaster played as rookies last season, Allen will have another great team. 

 

- The other unknown going into the season is the impact on the Allen roster when the NHL and AHL start playing which is tentatively scheduled for January 13 (NHL) and February 5 (AHL). While it is a given there are a lot of players competing for jobs AHL jobs the impact on Allen could fall into two categories. First, will any of the eight NHL/AHL contracted players already assigned to Allen be recalled. Second, how many of the players on the Americans roster, who are free agents for AHL jobs, will be recruited and signed by AHL teams. There is no doubt Allen has many players that could play in the AHL given the chance. It will most likely come down to a lot of supply and not as much demand.

 

- Finally, you can't do a season preview without acknowledging the impact of COVID 19. Will any of the 13 teams committed to playing the full season have to drop out because attendance restrictions get reduced to a point they can't continue? How many games will get postponed or canceled because of COVID outbreaks in locker rooms. Will Toledo and Fort Wayne play or opt out in February? Will fans get the coronavirus at games. These are all issues that could dramatically change the season. The hope would be everything can be held in check and the vaccine will be widely available by the end of March and by playoff time (June) things can be closer to normal with full attendance. One can only hope.  

- Here is a link where you can look at the season-opening rosters for all 13 teams:  https://www.echl.com/en/news/2020/12/echl-announces-season-opening-rosters

 

DID YOU KNOW: Here is Allen's winning percentage for each season since joining the ECHL:

.710   2019-20
.389   2018-19
.542   2017-18
.722   2016-17
.618   2015-16*
.736   2014-15*

*won Kelly Cup championship