Plenty to Discuss Off the Ice, Plenty to Like On It

I am sure most of you have noticed I have been really quiet recently despite many requests for information. As I have said many times, the blog is about the hockey operations of the Allen Americans, not what is happening in the front office. Recent developments have made that impossible, as the blog comments became predominantly about the team's ownership and front office. After deleting many comments, I made the decision, for the first time ever, to disable all comments. 

It didn't mean I intended to ignore what was happening; I just needed some time to gather the facts. So while the blog will remain focused on hockey, I want to share my thoughts on the current situation and do so as thoughtfully, fairly, and factually as possible. Here is what I know:

• The Jack family (Myles and LaSonjia) was pursuing the sale of the team during the off-season, but to answer one of many questions, the team was not leaving Allen. 
• Recently, Myles Jack shared with me that he was keeping the Allen Americans and will be making some changes moving forward in his approach in an attempt to reach his goals.
• To answer another question, the changes do not include the coach and general manager, Steve Martinson, who has been going all out putting together the team for 2026-27. See the hockey operations section below.
• Team President, Jonny Mydra, was just selected as president of the Dallas Renegades of the United Football League (UFL) and is no longer with the Americans. The UFL is a spring football league with strong ties to the NFL, and all of its games are nationally televised.   
• I always found Jonny to be exceptionally responsive, willing to share information, and a person who approached questions with a genuine desire to find solutions. I asked Jonny if there was anything he would like to share. This is what he sent me:    

     

These last 5 years with the Americans have been some of the best years of my life. I'm thankful for the relationships I've built with the fans, partners, community, staff, and many others. I was excited to come to work every day, and I'll never take that for granted.

I'm proud of what we accomplished in these last 5 seasons. From packing the house and setting our all-time attendance record last season, to bringing Coach Martinson back and going on our most recent playoff run. I will never forget the energy in that building, and how passionate the Americans fans are.

The opportunity to join the UFL and lead the business side for the Dallas Renegades is a major step forward in my career, and too good an opportunity to pass up. After speaking with their executive staff and leadership team, I'm really excited about what the future of the Renegades can be. I invite all Americans fans to come just down the road to Toyota Stadium and check out our games this spring. I promise we will deliver an exciting fan-first atmosphere just like we've done with the Americans.

As I told Barry, I plan on keeping my FloHockey subscription, making it to a few games each season, and rooting on the Red. I hope to see that place rocking as guys like Crone, Watts, and Asuchak beat up on Wichita. Speaking of Barry, I'd like to give a special thank you to him. The amount of work he has put in covering this team and writing such a comprehensive blog is amazing. The organization is very fortunate to have someone like him.

Overall, I will miss this place a lot, and hope to cross paths with many of you again. Thank you, and GO RED!

- Jonny Mydra

 

- There are still many unanswered questions as it relates to the front office organizational structure going forward. As I learn specifics, I will make sure to share. LaSonjia will be the team Governor and attend the Board of Governors (BOG) meetings, a role Jonny had before. The next BOG meeting is in September. LaSonjia is also running the team on a day-to-day basis right now.     

 

 

HOCKEY OPERATIONS 

 

- The Allen Americans have announced 15 players thus far. Here is the list with ages and games played in Allen:

Goalies

• Brett Mirwald - 22, 7 games  

 

Forwards 

• Divyne Apollon - 21, 2 games
• Spencer Asuchak - 34, 620 games
• Cole Bishop - 21, 0 games
• Chase Coughlin - 21, 0 games
• Hank Crone - 28, 172 games
• Mathieu De St. Phalle - 26, 0 games 
• Michael Gildon - 25, 86 games 
• Anthony Rinaldi - 31, 0 games 
• Lukas Sillinger - 25, 21 games
• Brayden Watts - 27, 139 games

 

Defense

• Andre Anania - 23, 66 games
• Jackson Decker - 27,  57 games
• Quinn Warmuth - 26, 120 games
• Cal Uens - 21, 0 games 

 

- Here are some of my thoughts on this list:

• There are four 21-year-old players on the roster, and there is another signed but not yet announced. If you look at the five youngest players announced in the ECHL thus far, three of them are in Allen. A big difference from a year ago, when Coach Martinson had to recruit most of the summer without the benefit of an affiliation agreement and the training camp slots that come with it.
• There are only two veterans on this list. I would expect Coach Martinson to save at least one vet spot to be used later in the season. I get a lot of questions on the status of Colton Hargrove. He is pursuing his real estate career and will not be with the team to start the season, but he told me he has not officially retired. You never know what might happen later in the season. 
• Seven of the 15 players on the roster have AHL experience, led by Asuchak (64 games), De. St. Phalle (25), Rinaldi (6), Crone (5), Sillinger (5), Watts (4), and Anania (1). 

 

- Here is what I have heard from Coach Martinson in the last two weeks, including his thoughts on the four 21-year-olds.

"We will have the best group of rookies and young players I have ever had in Allen." 

"I would describe rookie Chase Coughlin as a scrappier version of Mark Duarte. They both played in the OHL as juniors. In their last two OHL seasons, Duarte had 30 goals and 53 penalty minutes; Coughlin had 42 goals and 205 penalty minutes. Coughlin is going to be a greasy player for us.

"Apollon is the toughest young guy out there, and I am looking to develop him. He is at the top of the food chain when it comes to toughness, but I look at him as someone we can develop. He has worked hard this summer and lost 30 pounds. I have found over the years that a lot of players haven't been told exactly what they need to do to get where they want to go, especially with tough guys. Jacob Doty is a good example of a guy who had all the toughness, but needed to develop. He lost weight, improved his skating, got faster, and has had a great eight-year AHL career."

"Uens has poise with the puck, can find guys at the side of the net, and is similar to Sedley. Last season in the QMJHL, the right-shot defenseman had 49 points (13G, 36A) in 63 games. He is not a big guy, but he is tough."

"Bishop is a big, strong guy (6'3") who had 21 goals and 60 penalty minutes in the BCHL last season. He is raw and we will have to see how he does when he gets to training camp." 

"I was looking for a veteran defenseman, but I anticipate everyone will be available to start the season, and we will get two or three defensemen from the AHL (two different teams)."

"We are faster than we were last year. Between the players we have announced, the players we haven't announced, and the forwards we expect to get from the AHL, I have no concern that this team can be at the top of the league in scoring again this season." 

"We will be the deepest, quickest team I have had in Allen once we get AHL players assigned that I expect."

"We will be announcing two players this week that will be going to the Ottawa NHL Prospect Challenge on September 12 & 13. Ottawa is the host team, and the participants include Winnipeg, Toronto, and Montreal."

"Anania and Sillinger will be attending AHL training camp with Tucson."

"I expect to sign Mark Duarte before he goes to AHL training camp with Belleville."

"Sam Sedley will be going to the NHL Prospect Challenge with Winnipeg."

"Uens and Coughlin will also be attending AHL training camp with Belleville."  

"That makes eight players that could be on our opening day roster going to NHL Prospect Tournaments and/or AHL training camps.   

 

In closing, there have been many ups and downs over the history of the Allen Americans franchise, and I have always said and truly believe that ownership carries all of the financial risk, and with that comes the right to make the decisions they believe are necessary and in the best interest of the organization.  

Finally, I am turning comments back on, but I encourage all of us to focus on the Allen Americans hockey team and not let the comments be dominated by ownership issues. Personal attacks, insults, unsubstantiated accusations, defamatory statements, profanity, false information presented as fact, and private or confidential information will be deleted. I will do the best I can with the deletions while keeping the blog a place for discussion.    

 

    

 DID YOU KNOW: Steve Martinson has so many impressive records as coach of the Allen Americans. This is one of my favorites. After being named head coach in 2012, Martinson won his first 15 playoff series, not losing his first series until round two of the 2017 Kelly Cup playoffs.