It's Time to Get the Party Started - Allen Americans Prepare for 2022-23 Season

If you are the type that can't for hockey to start every fall, the time has come to get excited. NHL preseason games have already begun, AHL training camps start in a week and ECHL training camps are right around the corner. Allen Americans players should start arriving in about a week with the official start of training camp on October 6th when teams can hold team meetings, physicals, registration etc. 

 

- It is always a busy time as the Americans deal with details from housing to immigration to training camp meals. Coach Costello has spent a lot of time upgrading the physical environment in the locker room to meet the needs of the players. The locker room looks the part of a pro team and is more functional than in the past. Team building will be an important part of training camp and practices will likely be somewhat different than in the past. While Costello has been on a steep learning curve since being named the coach and general manager it is clear he brings a player's perspective to his new job.

 

- As many as eight players from the Allen roster will be attending AHL camps. Most will be at Belleville's camp, but there will also be players attending other AHL camps. This provides a great opportunity for young players to show what they can do in front of AHL coaches.

 

- With so many Allen players at AHL camps, Costello will have a some (mostly local) players on tryout agreements filling in at training camp. Again, a chance for them to show what they can do. The first organized, full on ice practice for the Americans will be October 10.    

 

THE ROSTER - While recruiting never stops when you are an ECHL general manager, Costello for the most part has his team put together for 2022-23. Just 14 players have been announced, but there five waiting in the wings for the official announcement. Two more players will be announced later today, my reporting is it will be two rookies. UPDATE: Allen has signed defenseman Ryan Gagnon and forward Liam Finlay. Here are the 146announced players:

 

Goalies 

• #31 - Luke Peressini

Defensemen 

• #3 - Ryan Gagnon 
• #4 - Kris Myllari
• #5 - Nick Albano
• #19 - Jared Bethune (D/F)
• #23 - Colton Saucerman
  
• #55 - Lord-Anthony Grissom 
   

Forwards

 

• #10 - Jackson Leppard
• #15 - Liam Finlay
  
• #18 - Zach Pochiro
• #26 - Spencer Asuchak 
• #28 - Justin Young
• #32 - Mikael Robidoux
• #58 - Marcel Godbout
  
• #67 - Hank Crone
• #77 - Stephen Baylis 

 - It remains to be seen how many players will be assigned/loaned to Allen by Ottawa for the start of the season. You can expect one goalie being assigned for sure, but the the number forwards and defensemen that will start the season in Allen has yet to be determined. Belleville's training camp begins October 2 so decisions on what players will be in Allen probably won't be finalized until the end of the AHL camp.

 

MIKAEL ROBIDOUX

- The Allen Americans announced last week the signing of forward Mikael Robidoux. He is  5'11"  190 pounds, 23 years old, forward from La Prairie, Quebec. He played his junior career in the QMJHL. Robidoux played in Kansas City last season (assigned by AHL Stockton) where he led the ECHL in penalty minutes (258) and major penalties (12). His 12 major penalties included nine fighting majors. 

Even though Robidoux was just announced he is a player that Chad Costello started recruiting shortly after getting his job as coach/gm. Costello decided early on he need a team that could play any style of hockey because of the diversity of teams in the Mountain Division. Costello saw first hand the physical spark Robidoux brought to the Mavericks and was successful in recruiting him over several other ECHL teams.

Robidoux started his pro career with the Maine Mariners in 2019-20 after his QMJHL season ended. He played 11 games for the Mariners and had 80 penalty minutes. Here is a get to know you video from his time in Maine. https://youtu.be/eCuauTpyGYA

 - The more time I spend with coach Costello the more clear it becomes the vision he has for the type of team he is assembling in Allen. The Americans will have a versatile team that will be able to adapt to any style of play necessary, depending on the opponent, but they will be much more than versatile. If there is a motto to describe what Costello is trying to achieve it would be go, go, go. Successful pro hockey requires speed, but that speed needs to be deployed within a system that allows for very quick transitions between offense and defense. To play this way takes speed, skill, smarts and a team first mentality. Coach Costello really likes the team he has put together for 2022-23 and is totally focused on how to best instill his vision within the framework of the roster.

 

- What are the areas that need the most improvement from last season? Here is a statistical answer to that question from the ECHL website. A list of stats Allen finished 15th or lower in 2021-22 among the ECHL's 27 teams:

• Allen was 3-8 in overtime and 2-1 in shootouts for a points percentage of .357 which ranked the Americans #23.
• Allen scored first in 50% of its game with a record of  21-10-4-1 and points percentage of .653 which ranked the Americans #22.
• Allen's power play was 18.5% (50-270) which was ranked #16.
• Allen allowed 20 shorthanded goals which was last in the league. 20 of the 27 ECHL teams allowed 10 or fewer shorthanded goals.
• Allen allowed an average of 3.39 goals per game which was ranked #20 in the league.
• Allen allowed an average 35.31 shots per game which was ranked #26 in the league.
• Not an on ice stat but attendance is another area that needs improvement. Allen averaged 3151 per game, well under the ECHL average of 3925 per game. The Americans were ranked #18 in attendance.

 

- Replacing the offensive firepower from last season will be a big challenge for coach Costello. Averaging a point per game is a very high standard. Here is a list of players that averaged a point per game last season in the games they played for the Americans. It should be noted some didn't play in a lot of games.

• 2.00 - Luke Henman 
• 1.25 - Colby McAuley
• 1.13 - Gavin Gould
• 1.09 - Chad Costello
• 1.08 - Branden Troock
• 1.04 - Josh Winquist
• 1.03 - Jack Combs
• 1.00 - Chad Butcher    

The only player on this list that isn't playing elsewhere in 2022-23 is Jack Combs. It is highly likely he will be in Allen, though nothing has been announced.  

OTHER COMMENTS

- The ECHL announced yesterday that beginning with the 2022-23 season, game lineups will increase to 17 skaters and two goalies. The previous limit was 16 skaters. This change will not increase the number of players on the active roster and will not impact the salary cap.

 

- There was hope Dyson Stevenson might return to the Allen Americans after playing in Scotland last season. Stevenson was unsigned until a couple of days ago. He has decided to return to the Glasgow Clan of the EIHL. Glasgow has gotten off to a rough start losing its first four games while being outscored 17-7. The poor start generated this statement from the managing director of the team. https://clanihc.com/statement-from-managing-director-gareth-chalmers/  

Stevenson was the captain of the team last season and was just added to the roster. He will bring leadership to the team on and off the ice.

- J.C. Campagna,, who signed in Allen last year when the team was shorthanded in February and scored 10 goals in 12 games, has signed with the Tulsa Oilers for 2022-23. 

- Only two teams have announced fewer player than the 14 announced by Allen. Newfoundland has announced just three players which is typical since they get assigned so many AHL players. The other team is Savannah who has announced just seven players. At the other end of the spectrum is Norfolk (28 players), Fort Wayne (26 players) and Kalamazoo (24 players).

DID YOU KNOW: How have ECHL penalty minutes (PIMS) changed over the last 10 seasons? Here is a comparison of season totals for 2012-13 and 2021-22:

 

2012-13 vs 2021-22

- 91% (21 of 23) vs 41% (11 of 27) of teams had 1000+ PIMS

- 380 vs 321 minor penalties, average per team

- 61 vs 35 major penalties, average per team (most are fighting majors)

 

PIMS Range

2012-13: 1741 (Utah) - 952 (Kalamazoo)

2021-22: 1482 (Kansas City)- 665 (Reading)

 

 

Update From Allen Americans Coach and General Manager Chad Costello Plus a Recap of My Trip to Brazil

 I had a chance to spend some time with Chad Costello this week, getting an update after being gone for a while. Some of you have asked about our trip. This is more than you want to know so skip ahead if you are not interested.

Nancy and I just returned from a two week nature trip to the Pantanal Region of Brazil. The Pantanal is the largest tropical wetland in the world at over 75,000 square miles. The majority of this ecosystem lies within Brazil's borders but it also has parts in Bolivia and Paraguay. While the Amazon is more famous, the Pantanal is home to the greatest wildlife concentrations on the South American continent. In addition to seeing 255 bird species (yes we kept track as there were several serious birders in our group of nine), we also saw over 40 different mammals/snakes including the Giant Anteater, Ocelots, Tapirs, Giant River Otters, Anacondas, Caiman, Capybara and the highlight of the trip, 17 sightings of the third largest cat in the world, the elusive Jaguar. If you are a nature lover I would highly recommend at trip to the Pantanal! 

I wrote a story for our Heritage Ranch (where I live) fishing club newsletter about encounters with fish on the trip. The fishing club was hoping it was about me fishing, but this is the best I could do. I will post some other photos from the trip when the photographers (not me) put an album together.

1. Swimming With Fish - Spring fed rivers in the southern Pantanal make for a watery wonderland of gorgeous vegetation and water that is completely clear. We snorkeled on three such rivers, riding the river current for up to one hour with the fresh water fish. You are not allowed to touch bottom to maintain the clarity of the water. It was 48 degrees air temperature when we entered the water early in the morning but the water temp was a constant 72 degrees so very comfortable with the wet suits. Here is a school of Dorado:
   

2. Fishing With Friends - Though I did not wet a line myself we did go fishing with five giant river otters one morning. The giant river otter is a carnivorous mammal that can reach six feet in length and weigh up to 50 pounds. We followed a family of five for over a half mile as they paid no attention to our boat. They were totally focused on fishing. When one of the otters caught a fish the other four waited patiently while it was eaten from head to tail. No sharing, all the spoils went to the otter that caught the fish.
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   3. Eating Fish - As you might imagine we had a lot of opportunity to eat fish on the trip. The two served most frequently.

• Pintado filets which is a catfish that is very firm, close to the consistency of very tender pork or chicken. The Pintado is a shovel-nosed catfish iconic of the Pantanal and a common feature on regional menus. We were told by our guide that fisherman from all over the world come to the Pantanal to fish for big Pintado.

• Fried ribs of Paku was served everywhere and was delicious. Paku have square molars that look surprisingly human. These are perfectly adapted for eating fruits and nuts which drop into the waters of the Pantanal. Their diet makes for a great sweet tasting fish. The meat just slides off the rib bones.
  

 

- Enough about my trip, here are some of the subjects I covered with coach Costello:

 

3ICE - It is old news by now but I wanted to ask Chad about his experience in the inaugural season of the 3-on-3 professional hockey league. It could not have gone better for Chad and his team (Team Trottier aka Blue Team). In addition to winning two of the eight regular season tournaments, Team Trottier won the playoffs and the first Patrick Cup. And the cherry on top was Chad being selected as the league MVP. In addition to a big payday (north of $140,000) which is nice, Chad told me 3ICE was one of the best hockey experiences of his long career. Here are a few of his quotes:

 

"What 3ICE is building and doing is very professional. It is easy to be skeptical of something brand new but I was sold right away when I saw the hockey and how good it was, the pace of play and how real it was and obviously the pay helps with the product. It was an honor to play 3ICE and I only have good things to say about what they have accomplished and where they are going."

 

"Hanging out with Bryan Trottier and my teammates was amazing. I think we were the tightest knit group in 3ICE."

 

"A side benefit for me playing 3ICE as a new coach in Allen was the networking and recruiting. Especially coach Trottier, but all of the coaches were more than willing to talk to me and share their ideas. I have already signed defenseman Colton Saucerman from 3ICE and there are more to come."

 

When I asked Chad if he did anything special with his "summer job" bonanza he said, I was gone for 10 weekends so the one splurge was to buy Ashley a new vehicle to replace the 12 year old one she was driving."

 

 

THE ROSTER - While recruiting never stops when you are an ECHL general manager, Costello for the most part has his team put together for 2022-23. Only 12 players have been announced, but there are many more waiting in the wings for the official announcement. Here are the 12 announced players:

 

Goalies 

• Luke Peressini

Defensemen

• Nick Albano
• Jared Bathune (D/F)
  
• Lord-Anthony Grissom 
• Kris Myllari
• Colton Saucerman 
   

Forwards

 

• Jackson Leppard
• Zach Pochiro 
• Hank Crone
• Marcel Godbout
• Justin Young
• Stephen Baylis

 

Costello really likes the roster he has put together and it will be a team that can play any style which is particularly important in the Mountain Division. Even though character, speed and skill are critical, Chad will have a team that competes hard, is tough to play against and if the opponents want to mix it up, the Americans will have plenty of grit and toughness. When Allen won its first Kelly Cup (2015) the Americans led the ECHL in goals per game (4.06) and penalty minutes per game (22.83). They had a lot of leaders in the locker room. It may sound cliche but Chad is putting together a team the will be able to play fast or tough, defensively or offensively, depending on the team they are playing against. I have heard Chad mention several times the NHL Tampa Bay Lightning as the type of team he wants and that includes good goaltending.   

AFFILIATION - Chad is really excited about the affiliation agreement Allen recently signed with the Ottawa/Belleville Senators. Costello had to recruit all summer as if he wasn't going to have an affiliation and wasn't going to get AHL players assigned. The fact of the matter is in the end there was more than one NHL team wanting to affiliate with the Americans. Here are some of Costello's thoughts on what the affiliation will mean for Allen:

"I look forward to learning from our affiliate. I have talked a lot to Belleville coach Troy Mann and will attend the AHL training camp the first week in October."

"I don't know yet which players will be assigned from Belleville, but we will get a goalie to team with Luke Peressini and I expect we will also get some skaters. I should know more about who and how many players will be assigned to Allen after spending time at Belleville's training camp."

"I did give thought to the downside of having an affiliate in Canada but in the end this was the best fit for our team. Belleville is only a couple of hours from Toronto and there are a half dozen nonstop flights between Toronto and Dallas daily."

"We will have a lot of players going to AHL training camps. Most will go to Belleville's camp but we will also have players attending other camps." 

 

COACHES - There were seven skaters that played in both of Allen's Kelly Cup championship playoffs in 2015 and 2016. At least four of them will be part of the 2022-23 Allen team with the announcement that Chad Costello has selected Aaron Gens as his assistant coach and Gary Steffes as the Mental Performance and Player Development Coach. The fourth player from those Kelly Cup championships will be Spencer Asuchak (unannounced but a foregone conclusion), who will be playing in his 10th season for the Americans. The other three are Greger Hansen, who is retired and living in Arizona, Vincent Arseneau, who is playing in the AHL (Abbotsford) and Dyson Stevenson who according to eliteprospects.com is still unsigned for 2022-23. That means it is still possible Stevenson could be the fifth player from those back to back Kelly Cup teams with Allen in 2022-23. 

Aaron Gens role will be just like a full time assistant coach with the exception he will not travel to the road games. He will still run practices for players that don't travel on road trips. Gens has been coaching youth hockey and won a state championship this past season. In addition to bringing the perspective of a defenseman, Gens will be the video coach for the Americans.

Steffes now lives in Florida so he will visit Allen periodically to carry out his new role. For anyone that has had the opportunity to talk to or hear Gary, he is made for the role he has been given with the team.    

TRAINING CAMP - Costello is spending a lot of energy making sure he has a team that becomes cohesive as quickly as possible. It will be difficult with close to half of the team participating in AHL training camps. There will be team building activities, the locker room has been updated and looks great with some player friendly changes incorporated. By the time Allen's lone preseason game roles around (October 12th against Tulsa) most if not all of the players attending AHL camps will be back.

 

DID YOU KNOW: Chad Costello has made it clear the expectation of winning in Allen hasn't changed and just making the playoffs, which may be the definition of success for many franchises, is not the goal for the Americans. How has Allen fared in the playoffs? It is clear deep playoff runs are part of Allen's DNA.

• 4 Championships -  2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
• 1 Finals Loss - 2010
• 3 Conference Finals Losses - 2011, 2012, 2021
• 1 Division Finals Loss - 2017
• 2 Division Semi-Finals Losses - 2018, 2022
• 1 Out of Playoffs - 2019 
• No Playoffs - 2020