It has been a while since the last Allen Americans update and wanted to remind those of you that live in the Allen area that coach Steve Martinson will be at the Allen Event Center (AEC) tomorrow (Saturday) from 12:00 -12:30 for a question and answer session with fans. Tommy Daniels is on vacation so the Americans have asked me to host the Q & A session. We will have a chance to get a progress report from coach Martinson on the roster he is building for the upcoming season, what his expectations are for players assigned by San Jose, training camp plans and anything else that is on the minds of the fans. Please join us if you can. If you can't make it and have a question you would like me to ask the coach send it along to me in a comment to this blog post, on Facebook, Twitter or send me an email (janssenfamily@msn.com). I will ask your question and then post all of the questions and answers in a blog post on Sunday.
- The Americans announced this week that ECHL playoff MVP Greger Hanson would be returning to Allen for the 2015-2016 season. Greger had 14 AHL games last season with Oklahoma and Worcester so would not be surprised if he gets an invite to San Jose's AHL camp. Hanson joins the following list of Allen players that have been signed and announced thus far.
Chad Costello (F)
Kevin Young (D)
Riley Gill (G)
Nolan Descoteaux (D)
Aaron Gens (D)
Casey Pierro-Zabotel (F)
Ian Schultz (F)
Dyson Stevenson (F)
- Several former Allen American players have been signed elsewhere in the last 10 days. Here is a list:
Patrik Valcak - just signed with the Manchester Storm of the EIHL in Great Britain.
Bryan Pitton - Bryan played in Poland last year and just signed with the Brampton Beast
Kale Kerbashian - Kale just re-signed with the Rapid City Rush
Jarret Lukin - re-signed with the Evansville Icemen
Tony Turgeon - signed with the Manchester Monarchs (ECHL)
Steve Kaunisto - re-signed with the Kalamazoo Wings
Ben Wilson - re-signed with the Kalamazoo Wings
- If you pay attention to the referees and linesmen that have officiated Allen American games at the AEC you might have noticed that two of them, referee Jake Brenk and linesman Brandon Gawryletz have recently been promoted to the NHL. Have to admit this is not a surprise as one of the NHL officiating scouts shared with me these were two officials the league was very high on as I reported in a blog post last year. It is a big deal when CHL/ECHL players make the jump to the NHL and it is the same for officials. Congrats to both Jake & Brandon.
DID YOU KNOW: Jake Brenk is a former professional hockey player turned referee. He was drafted by
the Edmonton Oilers in the fifth round of 2001 NHL draft and was a teammate of Kevin
Young when they both played for the Nijmegen Emperors in the Netherlands in 2005-2006.
Finally, congratulations to Kevin Young and Becky Geyer who are getting married tomorrow in Lake Villa, Illinois.
Friday, September 4, 2015
Monday, August 17, 2015
Ian Schultz Signs, Jamie Schaafsma Moving On, Ice Angels Team Selected
This past week was a reminder of the roller coaster ride the off season is for minor league hockey fans with all of the ups and downs associated with putting a team together for next season. While I have been reporting in this blog the 2015-2016 Allen Americans team will have more returning players than anytime in the history of the team it also dawned on me that three of the four players that have been in Allen for all three championships will not be on the 2015-2016 team. The certainty of this became apparent when Jamie Schaaafsma put out on social media last night, "I want to thank everyone in Allen for an amazing 3 years! Met a lot of great people and played with a lot of great players!" It is difficult to think about not having a guy that is a proven winner (6 straight trips to the championship finals), didn't miss a single game in the regular season or playoffs in two of his three years in Allen, was the playoff MVP in 2013-2014 and a team leader including wearing the "C" last year. As good as Jamie is on the ice he was even better off the ice as he was a great ambassador for the Allen Americans with fans, sponsors and in the community. A small town kid whose dad was a dairy farmer, Jamie is the youngest of four sons (he has a younger sister) and all he ever wanted to do is play hockey. Hockey has taken him all over the world as he played for the Netherlands national team for several years and played professionally in the Netherlands, Germany and Italy. Wherever Jamie ends up the team will have a great player, a great leader/teammate, a lucky charm and most likely spot in the championship finals and a great guy! Best of luck to Jamie, Nicole, Sawyer and Sutter!
Here are a couple of favorites:
Here are a couple of favorites:
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| Matching "Owies" |
- With Jamie Schaafsma saying goodbye, Tyler Ludwig retiring and Brian McMillin playing in Europe (he left last week for Dijon, France where the season starts in a couple of weeks) the only one of the four players that have been in Allen for all three championships that might return next season is Trevor Ludwig. Trevor has said he wants to continue playing and since he has not signed elsewhere my guess is he is re-signing in Allen to try for that fourth straight championship, however, there has been no official word from the Allen Americans.
- The Americans announced on Saturday that Ian Schultz has signed for next season. Ian, who was injured in the championship finals which required surgery, reported he is still on crutches but everything is progressing well. While he is certainly not going to push it, he thinks there is a possibility he could be ready by the end of October. Here is the press release on his signing courtesy of the Allen Americans:
August 15th, 2015
by Tommy Daniels
Allen, Texas -Allen Americans Head Coach and General Manager
Steve Martinson has announced that the club has signed forward Ian Schultz
to a new contract for the 2015-2016 season.
Schultz will enter his second season with the Americans,
after putting up career numbers in Steve Martinson’s high-powered offense in
2014-2015. He had 38 points in 44 regular season games in last year’s
championship run. He also played in 14 games last season in the American Hockey
League for the Iowa Wild.
“Schultz had a comeback year last season,” said Americans
Head Coach Steve Martinson. “He had great chemistry with Chad Costello and
scored big goals for us. Ian is a hard guy to play against.”
Schultz was drafted by the St Louis Blues in the 3rd round
of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. He has played in 245 professional games over his
five year professional career. The native of Calgary, Alberta, played
major junior hockey with his hometown Calgary Hitmen.
- The 2015-2016 Allen Ice Angels team was selected Friday night. There will be 16 on the team this year which is the biggest group ever. Congrats to all!
- Here are the up to date player signings for the ECHL Central Division teams. If you are interested in the player signings for all ECHL teams you can find that at thesinbin.net under "Transactions."
Allen (7):
Chad Costello (F)
Kevin Young (D)
Riley Gill (G)
Nolan Descoteaux (D)
Aaron Gens (D)
Casey Pierro-Zabotel (F)
Ian Schultz (F)
Missouri (12):
Patch Alber (D)
Andrew Courtney (F)
Tanner Fritz (F)
Chris Owens (D)
Rocco Carzo (F)
Tristan King (F)
Josh Robinson G)
David de Kastrozza (F)
Danick Paquette (F)
Dax Lauwers (D)
Jason Schiavo (F)
Liam Stewart (F)
Tulsa (6):
Phil Brewer (F)
Kevin Carr (G)
Adam Pleskach (F)
Nathan Lutz (D)
Kyle Bochek (F)
Matt Larke (F)
Wichita (10):
Kenton Miller (F)
Todd Hosmer (F)
Anthony De Luca (F)
Tim Boyle (D)
Ryan Ruikka (D)
Andrew Blazek (D)
Danick Gauthier (F)
Ray Macias (D)
David Schantz (G)
Paxton Leroux (F)
DID YOU KNOW: The first year Jamie Schaafsma was on the Netherlands national team (2007) he played in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships which took place in China. In subsequent years he played in IIHF World Championships in Austria, Estonia and Poland.
 |
- Here are the up to date player signings for the ECHL Central Division teams. If you are interested in the player signings for all ECHL teams you can find that at thesinbin.net under "Transactions."
Allen (7):
Chad Costello (F)
Kevin Young (D)
Riley Gill (G)
Nolan Descoteaux (D)
Aaron Gens (D)
Casey Pierro-Zabotel (F)
Ian Schultz (F)
Missouri (12):
Patch Alber (D)
Andrew Courtney (F)
Tanner Fritz (F)
Chris Owens (D)
Rocco Carzo (F)
Tristan King (F)
Josh Robinson G)
David de Kastrozza (F)
Danick Paquette (F)
Dax Lauwers (D)
Jason Schiavo (F)
Liam Stewart (F)
Tulsa (6):
Phil Brewer (F)
Kevin Carr (G)
Adam Pleskach (F)
Nathan Lutz (D)
Kyle Bochek (F)
Matt Larke (F)
Wichita (10):
Kenton Miller (F)
Todd Hosmer (F)
Anthony De Luca (F)
Tim Boyle (D)
Ryan Ruikka (D)
Andrew Blazek (D)
Danick Gauthier (F)
Ray Macias (D)
David Schantz (G)
Paxton Leroux (F)
DID YOU KNOW: The first year Jamie Schaafsma was on the Netherlands national team (2007) he played in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships which took place in China. In subsequent years he played in IIHF World Championships in Austria, Estonia and Poland.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
An Allen Americans Update from A to Z - (Angels to Zabotel)
As the summer heat continues the slow crawl to October 16th and the start of hockey season marches forward for the Allen Americans. You can sense the pace is quickening and activities from the front office, dance team and coaching staff indicates training camp is just around the corner (October 2nd). Had a chance to talk to Matt Canavan (Team President), Stephanie Di Biase-White (Ice Angels Director/Choreographer) and Steve Martinson (Head Coach & General Manager) to get an update on all things Allen Americans.
THE TEAM
- Steve Martinson continues to work to put the 2015-2016 team together and is very pleased with the progress thus far. While there have been just six players announced (Chad Costello, Riley Gill, Kevin Young, Aaron Gens, Nolan Descoteaux, and Casey Pierro-Zabotel) many other players have agreed to sign in Allen and are in various stages of getting contracts completed, signed, approved by the league office and announced. There will be player announcements on a regular basis starting as early as today. As stated in prior updates there will be many players from last season returning for the 2015-2016 season. For those fans that don't like all of the turnover from season to season this will be a good year. There will still be plenty of new faces but nothing like past seasons. As is the case every year some fan favorites won't be offered a contract, there will be some surprises, but the Allen fans will be very familiar with this team when opening night arrives at the Allen Event Center on October 16th.
- Coach Martinson and his family will be heading back to Allen next week from their summer home in Rockford, Illinois. With Allen schools starting August 24th that is what dictates the return date to Allen.
- Martinson plans on attending the San Jose training camp which will provide him the opportunity to get more familiar with players in the system and be better equipped to deal with player movement from San Jose to Allen as well as Allen to San Jose during the season.
- You can expect several Allen players without AHL contracts to be invited to the San Jose AHL training camp. A great opportunity for players to be seen by the San Jose coaching staff. Martinson has a reputation of loaning players during the season and with the roster he is putting together you can look for a lot of that to happen this season.
- The one new player signed by Allen is Casey Pierro-Zabotel. He is friends with Spencer Asuchak which may have helped in recruiting the the high powered center to Allen. He was Gwinnett's leading scorer last season with 60 points (23 goals 37 assists) in 54 games before being traded to Florida at the trade deadline. He is a veteran (348 ECHL games) so he could have gone to any ECHL team. Hope to have a more in depth player introduction with Casey in the near future. Here are his stats courtesy of hockeydb:
Drafted by Pittsburgh Penguins
THE ICE ANGELS
- Most would agree the Allen Ice Angels are the best dance team in the ECHL, led by Director/Choreographer Stephanie Di Baise-Wheat. The Ice Angels are a talented group of young ladies that get a lot of publicity for the team. Had a chance to talk to Stephanie about the team for this year and there has been more interest than ever. The finals take place Friday night at the official training facility of the Ice Angels, the Dallas Powerhouse of Dance where 30 dancers (24 first year plus 6 returning veterans) will compete for a spot on the team.
- There will be 10-12 judges ranging from former Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, Dallas Mavericks Cheerleaders, sponsors and the voice of the Allen Americans Tommy Daniels. Tommy will be a judge for the first time as he is usually on vacation when the final tryouts take place. Tommy had this to say, "Stephanie does a great job with the Ice Angels and I am really looking forward to being a judge. They are a big help to the organization being so visible in the community as well as in the media."
- Being a member of the Allen Ice Angels has been a great stepping stone to NFL, NBA and NHL dance teams. According to Stephanie, Ice Angels have gone on to the following teams:
2 - Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders
2 - Houston Texans Cheerleaders
3 - Dallas Stars Ice Girls
1 - San Antonio Spurs Silver Dancers
- Among the many perks the Ice Angels receive is a destination calendar shoot. The destination this year is a secret (last year they went to Cancun) but they will be doing another destination calendar shoot the end of September.
- In case you were wondering the final tryouts are not open to the public. The team will be announced after the tryouts Friday night.
- Everyone will get a chance to see the 2015-2016 edition of the Allen Ice Angels at their first on ice performance on opening night.
THE FRONT OFFICE
- The front office is busy preparing for the upcoming season. The sales staff has been increased so you may be hearing from a new account representative. There will be another open house on Saturday and Robert Fatta will be at the AEC from 10:00-2:00 if anyone is interested in season tickets, changing seats, etc.
- If you ever talk to ticket sales folks about season tickets you might hear the reference to FSE's which I think stands for "full season equivalent" and it is a measure of ticket sales. Since a team like Allen sells full season, half season and partial season tickets it is a way to convert everything to one measure. So two half season tickets sold equals one FSE. The reason I mention this is the Allen Americans are near the top of the ECHL in new FSE for the upcoming season. The Americans have already increased new season ticket holders by 250 FSE for next season.
- The front office is already planning for the opening night (October 16th) celebration of winning the Kelly Cup. It is hard to believe Allen will be raising a championship banner to the rafters on opening night for the third straight year. With many players returning from the Kelly Cup championship team it should be a fun evening.
OTHER COMMENTS
- The hockey coaching ranks of former Allen Americans increased recently with John Snowden (2013-2014) being selected as an assistant coach for the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL). He joins Josh Hepditch (2011-2012) who has been coaching for a few years and is now the head coach of the County Aces which is a junior team in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League. The County Aces are located in St. Stephen, New Brunswick. The County Aces assistant coach is another Allen Americans alum, Bruce Graham (2009-2015). Josh and Bruce played junior hockey together for the Moncton Wildcats.
- Congrats to Bruce and Whitney Graham who welcomed baby number three into the world yesterday. Beckett Lovell Graham (8 lbs 12 oz.) joins his big sisters Harper and London in the Graham household.
- Don't have any details but saw on Facebook this morning Josh and Kathryn Hepditch also just had a baby boy which is their first child. I think he was born this morning. Congrats to them as well!
- Rapid City announced yesterday they have signed an affiliation agreement with the Arizona Coyotes (NHL) and Springfield Falcons (AHL). Of the seven CHL teams that came into the ECHL last season only Wichita is now without an affiliation.
- Aaron Dell recently signed his second NHL contract with the San Jose Sharks. According to the web site generalfanager.com Dell signed a one year, two way contract valued at $575,000 in the NHL and $65,000 with the Sharks AHL team (San Jose Barracuda). Aaron will be attending the Sharks training camp in September.
DID YOU KNOW: Recently signed center Casey Pierro-Zabotel was the leading scorer for Gwinnett last season but was traded to Florida at the trade deadline for two players (Jeff Silengo and Jason Wilson) plus future considerations. The future consideration ended up being the rights to former Allen center, Alex Lavoie.
THE TEAM
- Steve Martinson continues to work to put the 2015-2016 team together and is very pleased with the progress thus far. While there have been just six players announced (Chad Costello, Riley Gill, Kevin Young, Aaron Gens, Nolan Descoteaux, and Casey Pierro-Zabotel) many other players have agreed to sign in Allen and are in various stages of getting contracts completed, signed, approved by the league office and announced. There will be player announcements on a regular basis starting as early as today. As stated in prior updates there will be many players from last season returning for the 2015-2016 season. For those fans that don't like all of the turnover from season to season this will be a good year. There will still be plenty of new faces but nothing like past seasons. As is the case every year some fan favorites won't be offered a contract, there will be some surprises, but the Allen fans will be very familiar with this team when opening night arrives at the Allen Event Center on October 16th.
- Coach Martinson and his family will be heading back to Allen next week from their summer home in Rockford, Illinois. With Allen schools starting August 24th that is what dictates the return date to Allen.
- Martinson plans on attending the San Jose training camp which will provide him the opportunity to get more familiar with players in the system and be better equipped to deal with player movement from San Jose to Allen as well as Allen to San Jose during the season.
- You can expect several Allen players without AHL contracts to be invited to the San Jose AHL training camp. A great opportunity for players to be seen by the San Jose coaching staff. Martinson has a reputation of loaning players during the season and with the roster he is putting together you can look for a lot of that to happen this season.
- The one new player signed by Allen is Casey Pierro-Zabotel. He is friends with Spencer Asuchak which may have helped in recruiting the the high powered center to Allen. He was Gwinnett's leading scorer last season with 60 points (23 goals 37 assists) in 54 games before being traded to Florida at the trade deadline. He is a veteran (348 ECHL games) so he could have gone to any ECHL team. Hope to have a more in depth player introduction with Casey in the near future. Here are his stats courtesy of hockeydb:
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Left Wing -- shoots L
Born Nov 8 1988 -- Ashcroft, BC
[26 yrs. ago]
Height 6.02 -- Weight 205
Born Nov 8 1988 -- Ashcroft, BC
[26 yrs. ago]
Height 6.02 -- Weight 205
-
round 3 #80 overall 2007 NHL Entry Draft
| Regular Season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Lge | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | +/- | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| 2004-05 | Merritt Centennials | BCHL | 58 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2005-06 | Merritt Centennials | BCHL | 60 | 20 | 35 | 55 | 29 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 10 | |
| 2006-07 | Merritt Centennials | BCHL | 55 | 51 | 65 | 116 | 42 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 11 | 13 | |
| 2007-08 | Merritt Centennials | BCHL | 17 | 15 | 12 | 27 | 17 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| 2007-08 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 49 | 19 | 29 | 48 | 8 | 19 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| 2008-09 | Vancouver Giants | WHL | 72 | 36 | 79 | 115 | 52 | 62 | 17 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 16 |
| 2009-10 | Wheeling Nailers | ECHL | 49 | 12 | 29 | 41 | 26 | -14 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2009-10 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2010-11 | Wheeling Nailers | ECHL | 42 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 42 | 17 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2010-11 | Cincinnati Cyclones | ECHL | 25 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011-12 | Bakersfield Condors | ECHL | 71 | 8 | 27 | 35 | 50 | -7 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2012-13 | Gwinnett Gladiators | ECHL | 66 | 22 | 53 | 75 | 30 | 19 | 10 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 2 |
| 2012-13 | Charlotte Checkers | AHL | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | -3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2013-14 | Lausitzer Foxes | DEL-2 | 33 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 20 | ||||||
| 2013-14 | Gwinnett Gladiators | ECHL | 36 | 7 | 21 | 28 | 17 | -1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2014-15 | Gwinnett Gladiators | ECHL | 54 | 23 | 37 | 60 | 32 | -11 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2014-15 | Norfolk Admirals | AHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -5 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2014-15 | Florida Everblades | ECHL | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | |
THE ICE ANGELS
- Most would agree the Allen Ice Angels are the best dance team in the ECHL, led by Director/Choreographer Stephanie Di Baise-Wheat. The Ice Angels are a talented group of young ladies that get a lot of publicity for the team. Had a chance to talk to Stephanie about the team for this year and there has been more interest than ever. The finals take place Friday night at the official training facility of the Ice Angels, the Dallas Powerhouse of Dance where 30 dancers (24 first year plus 6 returning veterans) will compete for a spot on the team.
- There will be 10-12 judges ranging from former Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, Dallas Mavericks Cheerleaders, sponsors and the voice of the Allen Americans Tommy Daniels. Tommy will be a judge for the first time as he is usually on vacation when the final tryouts take place. Tommy had this to say, "Stephanie does a great job with the Ice Angels and I am really looking forward to being a judge. They are a big help to the organization being so visible in the community as well as in the media."
- Being a member of the Allen Ice Angels has been a great stepping stone to NFL, NBA and NHL dance teams. According to Stephanie, Ice Angels have gone on to the following teams:
2 - Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders
2 - Houston Texans Cheerleaders
3 - Dallas Stars Ice Girls
1 - San Antonio Spurs Silver Dancers
- Among the many perks the Ice Angels receive is a destination calendar shoot. The destination this year is a secret (last year they went to Cancun) but they will be doing another destination calendar shoot the end of September.
- In case you were wondering the final tryouts are not open to the public. The team will be announced after the tryouts Friday night.
- Everyone will get a chance to see the 2015-2016 edition of the Allen Ice Angels at their first on ice performance on opening night.
THE FRONT OFFICE
- The front office is busy preparing for the upcoming season. The sales staff has been increased so you may be hearing from a new account representative. There will be another open house on Saturday and Robert Fatta will be at the AEC from 10:00-2:00 if anyone is interested in season tickets, changing seats, etc.
- If you ever talk to ticket sales folks about season tickets you might hear the reference to FSE's which I think stands for "full season equivalent" and it is a measure of ticket sales. Since a team like Allen sells full season, half season and partial season tickets it is a way to convert everything to one measure. So two half season tickets sold equals one FSE. The reason I mention this is the Allen Americans are near the top of the ECHL in new FSE for the upcoming season. The Americans have already increased new season ticket holders by 250 FSE for next season.
- The front office is already planning for the opening night (October 16th) celebration of winning the Kelly Cup. It is hard to believe Allen will be raising a championship banner to the rafters on opening night for the third straight year. With many players returning from the Kelly Cup championship team it should be a fun evening.
OTHER COMMENTS
- The hockey coaching ranks of former Allen Americans increased recently with John Snowden (2013-2014) being selected as an assistant coach for the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL). He joins Josh Hepditch (2011-2012) who has been coaching for a few years and is now the head coach of the County Aces which is a junior team in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League. The County Aces are located in St. Stephen, New Brunswick. The County Aces assistant coach is another Allen Americans alum, Bruce Graham (2009-2015). Josh and Bruce played junior hockey together for the Moncton Wildcats.
- Congrats to Bruce and Whitney Graham who welcomed baby number three into the world yesterday. Beckett Lovell Graham (8 lbs 12 oz.) joins his big sisters Harper and London in the Graham household.
- Don't have any details but saw on Facebook this morning Josh and Kathryn Hepditch also just had a baby boy which is their first child. I think he was born this morning. Congrats to them as well!
- Rapid City announced yesterday they have signed an affiliation agreement with the Arizona Coyotes (NHL) and Springfield Falcons (AHL). Of the seven CHL teams that came into the ECHL last season only Wichita is now without an affiliation.
- Aaron Dell recently signed his second NHL contract with the San Jose Sharks. According to the web site generalfanager.com Dell signed a one year, two way contract valued at $575,000 in the NHL and $65,000 with the Sharks AHL team (San Jose Barracuda). Aaron will be attending the Sharks training camp in September.
DID YOU KNOW: Recently signed center Casey Pierro-Zabotel was the leading scorer for Gwinnett last season but was traded to Florida at the trade deadline for two players (Jeff Silengo and Jason Wilson) plus future considerations. The future consideration ended up being the rights to former Allen center, Alex Lavoie.
Monday, August 3, 2015
News You Can Use - A "WAG" On What Is Happening With All Allen Players From Last Season
Have had a lot of questions after the update post the other day about what is happening with specific players in regards to returning to Allen for next season so thought it might be helpful to give the tried and true "WAG" (wild ass guess) for everyone that was on the roster at the end of last season. For those of you that can't wait for the start of hockey season and stay engaged all through the summer this is an exercise you may have been going through yourself. Some are easy to figure out but many are not so here goes.
- Five have already been announced as returning for next season so they are easy. Chad Costello, Nolan Descoteaux, Aaron Gens, Riley Gill & Kevin Young will all be returning.
- Spencer Asuchak (signed one way deal in AHL), Tyler Ludwig (retired), & Brian McMillin (signed in France) won't be back unless something changes during the season.
- Justin Baker, Kyle Follmer, Greger Hanson, Ian Schultz, and Gary Steffes were all given qualifying offers by the Americans so unless they sign in Europe (very unlikely at this point) or get an AHL deal, their only option would be a return to Allen. Would assume they will all return for next season with the possible exception of Follmer. Baker, Hanson, Schultz and Steffes were all major contributors last season during the regular season and playoffs and are most likely still hoping for AHL deals so you can understand their delay in signing with Allen. Kyle Follmer played in 45 regular season games and just four playoff games so you would have to speculate if he was returning he would have signed during the qualifying period which ended August 1st.
- If you recall, the Americans only gave qualifying offers to seven players even though they could have by ECHL rule given eight qualifying offers. It would indicate players like Jesse Messier and Patrik Valcak will not be returning to Allen. Garrett Clarke also falls into this category but he has always been the type of player that coach Martinson appreciates. His agitator role along with his versatility in playing both forward and defense makes me think he might be back even though he is an unrestricted free agent. He may have already been signed and not announced.
- Jamie Schaafsma and Trevor Ludwig were also not given qualifying offers most likely because they are veterans and could eventually become free agents even if protected. It is difficult to see both of them returning given the fact the team is only allowed four veterans on the active roster and it would mean not bringing in any new vets this year. It is possible only one of the two returns and who it is may be decided on need, cost or even age. Two defensemen aren't returning (Tyler Ludwig & Konrad Abeltshauser), Trevor lives in the area and is two years younger than Jamie. Jamie lives in Canada, is older but was the team captain last year, has been the most durable player on the team the last three years and always makes the championship finals. If cost (salary, housing, insurance, travel etc.) becomes a big factor and only one is signed you would have to guess Trevor would be signed, but let's hope some how, some way, both of these guys return.
- The other group of players that are mostly unknowns as to whether they will return are those players that were in Allen for the playoffs but are under AHL contracts. The exception is Konrad Abeltshauser who was traded by San Jose to St. Louis after the season so he will not be returning to Allen. Vincent Arseneau, Chris Crane and Dyson Stevenson should be back in Allen if they don't make their AHL team.
- San Jose will also assign a goalie to Allen and again that will depend on NHL & AHL training camps and goalie play is always a wild card but Joel Rumpel could be the goalie assigned to Allen. This is definitely a wait and see.
- Rylan Schwartz will miss the first part of the season and the best guess is he will sign with Allen once he is ready to play.
- Tanner Eberle is a special case as you recall he signed in Allen, played in five games, was recalled to the AHL and was injured. He is an unrestricted free agent but should be back in Allen if he does not get an AHL deal.
- Finally, you can't do a WAG post without mentioning Jack Combs who is also a free agent at this point. He has not signed in Europe according to eliteprospects.com and has also not signed with any AHL or ECHL team. While it is still in the unlikely to happen category there is a possibility he could return to Allen. It will take a special set of circumstances for everything to fall the right way but as long as Chad Costello is with Allen there is a chance.
- So there you have some food for thought on everyone from last season. If it all falls as predicted there will only be a few new faces on the team. Some of the new faces will be assigned by San Jose and some will be players Martinson has recruited but the bottom line is for the first time in team history there will be a lot of familiar faces on the opening night roster.
DID YOU KNOW: At this time one year ago the Allen Americans had signed and announced eleven players versus five this year. Here are the eleven players that were signed at this time last year.
Kevin Young (D), Jamie Schaafsma (F), Tyler Ludwig (D), Jonathan Lessard (F), Trevor Ludwig (D), Travis Ouellette (C), Garrett Clarke (D), Jeremy Beaudry (D), Aaron Gens (D), Sy Nutkevitch (C), Raphael Girard (G)
- Five have already been announced as returning for next season so they are easy. Chad Costello, Nolan Descoteaux, Aaron Gens, Riley Gill & Kevin Young will all be returning.
- Spencer Asuchak (signed one way deal in AHL), Tyler Ludwig (retired), & Brian McMillin (signed in France) won't be back unless something changes during the season.
- Justin Baker, Kyle Follmer, Greger Hanson, Ian Schultz, and Gary Steffes were all given qualifying offers by the Americans so unless they sign in Europe (very unlikely at this point) or get an AHL deal, their only option would be a return to Allen. Would assume they will all return for next season with the possible exception of Follmer. Baker, Hanson, Schultz and Steffes were all major contributors last season during the regular season and playoffs and are most likely still hoping for AHL deals so you can understand their delay in signing with Allen. Kyle Follmer played in 45 regular season games and just four playoff games so you would have to speculate if he was returning he would have signed during the qualifying period which ended August 1st.
- If you recall, the Americans only gave qualifying offers to seven players even though they could have by ECHL rule given eight qualifying offers. It would indicate players like Jesse Messier and Patrik Valcak will not be returning to Allen. Garrett Clarke also falls into this category but he has always been the type of player that coach Martinson appreciates. His agitator role along with his versatility in playing both forward and defense makes me think he might be back even though he is an unrestricted free agent. He may have already been signed and not announced.
- Jamie Schaafsma and Trevor Ludwig were also not given qualifying offers most likely because they are veterans and could eventually become free agents even if protected. It is difficult to see both of them returning given the fact the team is only allowed four veterans on the active roster and it would mean not bringing in any new vets this year. It is possible only one of the two returns and who it is may be decided on need, cost or even age. Two defensemen aren't returning (Tyler Ludwig & Konrad Abeltshauser), Trevor lives in the area and is two years younger than Jamie. Jamie lives in Canada, is older but was the team captain last year, has been the most durable player on the team the last three years and always makes the championship finals. If cost (salary, housing, insurance, travel etc.) becomes a big factor and only one is signed you would have to guess Trevor would be signed, but let's hope some how, some way, both of these guys return.
- The other group of players that are mostly unknowns as to whether they will return are those players that were in Allen for the playoffs but are under AHL contracts. The exception is Konrad Abeltshauser who was traded by San Jose to St. Louis after the season so he will not be returning to Allen. Vincent Arseneau, Chris Crane and Dyson Stevenson should be back in Allen if they don't make their AHL team.
- San Jose will also assign a goalie to Allen and again that will depend on NHL & AHL training camps and goalie play is always a wild card but Joel Rumpel could be the goalie assigned to Allen. This is definitely a wait and see.
- Rylan Schwartz will miss the first part of the season and the best guess is he will sign with Allen once he is ready to play.
- Tanner Eberle is a special case as you recall he signed in Allen, played in five games, was recalled to the AHL and was injured. He is an unrestricted free agent but should be back in Allen if he does not get an AHL deal.
- Finally, you can't do a WAG post without mentioning Jack Combs who is also a free agent at this point. He has not signed in Europe according to eliteprospects.com and has also not signed with any AHL or ECHL team. While it is still in the unlikely to happen category there is a possibility he could return to Allen. It will take a special set of circumstances for everything to fall the right way but as long as Chad Costello is with Allen there is a chance.
- So there you have some food for thought on everyone from last season. If it all falls as predicted there will only be a few new faces on the team. Some of the new faces will be assigned by San Jose and some will be players Martinson has recruited but the bottom line is for the first time in team history there will be a lot of familiar faces on the opening night roster.
DID YOU KNOW: At this time one year ago the Allen Americans had signed and announced eleven players versus five this year. Here are the eleven players that were signed at this time last year.
Kevin Young (D), Jamie Schaafsma (F), Tyler Ludwig (D), Jonathan Lessard (F), Trevor Ludwig (D), Travis Ouellette (C), Garrett Clarke (D), Jeremy Beaudry (D), Aaron Gens (D), Sy Nutkevitch (C), Raphael Girard (G)
Friday, July 31, 2015
Allen Americans Update - 7/31/2015
After 18 glorious vacation days in Iceland & Greenland with lows in the 40's and highs in the 50's it is great to be home and it is time for an Allen Americans update. Had the chance to catch up with coach Steve Martinson yesterday to get the latest on his recruiting efforts, his trip to the San Jose Sharks development camp, rule changes for next season and many other topics.
- If you haven't been following the list of players signed and announced that number is now at five. (Chad Costello, Kevin Young, Riley Gill, Nolan Descoteaux & Aaron Gens).
- There are many other players from last season that will be returning for the 2015-2016 season. For those fans that don't like all of the turnover from season to season this will be a good year. There will still be plenty of new faces but nothing like past seasons. The only players not returning for sure are Spencer Asuchak (signed one way AHL deal with Chicago Wolves), Tyler Ludwig (retired) and Brian McMillin (signed with Dijon in the French League). As is the case every year some fan favorites won't be offered a contract, there will be some surprises, but the Allen fans will be very familiar with this team when opening night arrives at the Allen Event Center on October 16th.
- Why are there so many players returning from last season? Part of the reason is Allen is a great place to play and has won championships the last three years. Another factor is players don't have as many options as they did when the Americans played in the CHL. If a player doesn't want to go overseas the ECHL is the only AA option they have.
- There were many benefits from the week coach Martinson spent in San Jose at their development camp including getting to know all of the coaches, scouts and players. He has a good idea which players he will be assigned, however nothing will be decided until NHL and AHL training camps have taken place. The Americans will get some outstanding young players assigned and Martinson is very pleased to be working with the Sharks.
- As it turns out some of the systems utilized by Martinson and the Sharks are very similar including how they kill penalties. However, the terminology used is very different. Martinson will incorporate the San Jose terminology in Allen which will help players moving back and forth between Allen and San Jose during the season.
- Another advantage of the relationship with San Jose is the possibility of Allen players that don't have AHL deals being invited to San Jose's AHL training camp. You can look for several Allen players to get that opportunity this year.
- There are several ECHL rule changes for next year as most are aware of the changes in overtime (three on three) and shootouts (only three shooters) but a couple of other changes have not been widely discussed. ECHL teams can only have one AHL affiliation for next season after many years where multiple affiliations were allowed. This should help all ECHL teams obtain a NHL/AHL affiliation. Tulsa is announcing their affiliation today with the rumor from my Tulsa sources being it will be with the Winnipeg Jets. With the Missouri Mavericks affiliation with the New York Islanders and Allen with San Jose it will leave only Wichita without an AHL affiliation of the Central Division teams.
- Another rule change has to do with how many times you can submit player salary changes during the season. This is an "inside hockey" rule which is somewhat complicated to explain but some teams (Allen included) make numerous salary changes during the season to live within all of the salary cap restrictions. Prior to this year, teams could submit an unlimited number of salary changes to the ECHL office. Starting next season (2015-2016) the number of salary changes a team can make will be limited.
- Here are the up to date player signings for the ECHL Central Division teams. If you are interested in the player signings for all ECHL teams you can find that at thesinbin.net under "Transactions."
Allen (5):
Chad Costello (F)
Kevin Young (D)
Riley Gill (G)
Nolan Descoteaux (D)
Aaron Gens (D)
Missouri (10):
Patch Alber (D)
Andrew Courtney (F)
Tanner Fritz (F)
Chris Owens (D)
Rocco Carzo (F)
Tristan King (F)
Josh Robinson G)
David de Kastrozza (F)
Danick Paquette (F)
Dax Lauwers (D)
Tulsa (6):
Phil Brewer (F)
Kevin Carr (G)
Adam Pleskach (F)
Nathan Lutz (D)
Kyle Bochek (F)
Matt Larke (F)
Wichita (6):
Kenton Miller (F)
Todd Hosmer (F)
Anthony De Luca (F)
Tim Boyle (D)
Ryan Ruikka (D)
Andrew Blazek (D)
DID YOU KNOW: What a difference a year makes. Here is the blog post from one year ago today talking about all of the players from the 2013-2014 championship team not returning to Allen for 2014-2015. This was obviously before it was known Allen would be playing in the ECHL.
5/30/14 - Bruce Graham signs with Nottingham (England)
6/21/14 - Bryan Pitton signs with KH Sanok (Poland)
7/8/14 - Garrett Klotz signs with Indianapolis Fuel (ECHL)
7/8/14 - Anthony Maiani signs with Rungsted (Denmark)
7/14/14 - Mike Berube signs with Nottingham (England)
7/15/14 - Kale Kerbashian signs with Evansville (ECHL)
7/16/14 - Trevor Hendrikx signs with Cardiff (Wales)
7/17/14 - Dallas Ehrhardt signs with Missouri (CHL)
7/19/14 - Brian McMillin signs with Eindhoven (Netherlands)
7/28/14 - Greger Hanson signs with Cincinnati (ECHL)
7/30/14 - Darryl Bootland signs with Colorado (ECHL)
7/31/14 - Daniel Tetrault signs with Rapid City (CHL)
8/1/14 - Alex Lavoie signs with Florida Everblades (ECHL)
And for the players that have not announced what they are doing:
Phil Fox - Phil has been pursuing a coaching job and will probably not play this year
Ross Rouleau - Ross is working outside hockey and is not expected to play this year
Cain Franson - Cain is headed to college
Jarret Lukin - Heard Jarret was training and plans to play again but unlikely in Allen
Jonathan Zion - Most likely will sign in Europe but have heard nothing
Steven Tarasuk - Thought to be signing in Europe but have heard nothing.
- If you haven't been following the list of players signed and announced that number is now at five. (Chad Costello, Kevin Young, Riley Gill, Nolan Descoteaux & Aaron Gens).
- There are many other players from last season that will be returning for the 2015-2016 season. For those fans that don't like all of the turnover from season to season this will be a good year. There will still be plenty of new faces but nothing like past seasons. The only players not returning for sure are Spencer Asuchak (signed one way AHL deal with Chicago Wolves), Tyler Ludwig (retired) and Brian McMillin (signed with Dijon in the French League). As is the case every year some fan favorites won't be offered a contract, there will be some surprises, but the Allen fans will be very familiar with this team when opening night arrives at the Allen Event Center on October 16th.
- Why are there so many players returning from last season? Part of the reason is Allen is a great place to play and has won championships the last three years. Another factor is players don't have as many options as they did when the Americans played in the CHL. If a player doesn't want to go overseas the ECHL is the only AA option they have.
- There were many benefits from the week coach Martinson spent in San Jose at their development camp including getting to know all of the coaches, scouts and players. He has a good idea which players he will be assigned, however nothing will be decided until NHL and AHL training camps have taken place. The Americans will get some outstanding young players assigned and Martinson is very pleased to be working with the Sharks.
- As it turns out some of the systems utilized by Martinson and the Sharks are very similar including how they kill penalties. However, the terminology used is very different. Martinson will incorporate the San Jose terminology in Allen which will help players moving back and forth between Allen and San Jose during the season.
- Another advantage of the relationship with San Jose is the possibility of Allen players that don't have AHL deals being invited to San Jose's AHL training camp. You can look for several Allen players to get that opportunity this year.
- There are several ECHL rule changes for next year as most are aware of the changes in overtime (three on three) and shootouts (only three shooters) but a couple of other changes have not been widely discussed. ECHL teams can only have one AHL affiliation for next season after many years where multiple affiliations were allowed. This should help all ECHL teams obtain a NHL/AHL affiliation. Tulsa is announcing their affiliation today with the rumor from my Tulsa sources being it will be with the Winnipeg Jets. With the Missouri Mavericks affiliation with the New York Islanders and Allen with San Jose it will leave only Wichita without an AHL affiliation of the Central Division teams.
- Another rule change has to do with how many times you can submit player salary changes during the season. This is an "inside hockey" rule which is somewhat complicated to explain but some teams (Allen included) make numerous salary changes during the season to live within all of the salary cap restrictions. Prior to this year, teams could submit an unlimited number of salary changes to the ECHL office. Starting next season (2015-2016) the number of salary changes a team can make will be limited.
- Here are the up to date player signings for the ECHL Central Division teams. If you are interested in the player signings for all ECHL teams you can find that at thesinbin.net under "Transactions."
Allen (5):
Chad Costello (F)
Kevin Young (D)
Riley Gill (G)
Nolan Descoteaux (D)
Aaron Gens (D)
Missouri (10):
Patch Alber (D)
Andrew Courtney (F)
Tanner Fritz (F)
Chris Owens (D)
Rocco Carzo (F)
Tristan King (F)
Josh Robinson G)
David de Kastrozza (F)
Danick Paquette (F)
Dax Lauwers (D)
Tulsa (6):
Phil Brewer (F)
Kevin Carr (G)
Adam Pleskach (F)
Nathan Lutz (D)
Kyle Bochek (F)
Matt Larke (F)
Wichita (6):
Kenton Miller (F)
Todd Hosmer (F)
Anthony De Luca (F)
Tim Boyle (D)
Ryan Ruikka (D)
Andrew Blazek (D)
DID YOU KNOW: What a difference a year makes. Here is the blog post from one year ago today talking about all of the players from the 2013-2014 championship team not returning to Allen for 2014-2015. This was obviously before it was known Allen would be playing in the ECHL.
5/30/14 - Bruce Graham signs with Nottingham (England)
6/21/14 - Bryan Pitton signs with KH Sanok (Poland)
7/8/14 - Garrett Klotz signs with Indianapolis Fuel (ECHL)
7/8/14 - Anthony Maiani signs with Rungsted (Denmark)
7/14/14 - Mike Berube signs with Nottingham (England)
7/15/14 - Kale Kerbashian signs with Evansville (ECHL)
7/16/14 - Trevor Hendrikx signs with Cardiff (Wales)
7/17/14 - Dallas Ehrhardt signs with Missouri (CHL)
7/19/14 - Brian McMillin signs with Eindhoven (Netherlands)
7/28/14 - Greger Hanson signs with Cincinnati (ECHL)
7/30/14 - Darryl Bootland signs with Colorado (ECHL)
7/31/14 - Daniel Tetrault signs with Rapid City (CHL)
8/1/14 - Alex Lavoie signs with Florida Everblades (ECHL)
And for the players that have not announced what they are doing:
Phil Fox - Phil has been pursuing a coaching job and will probably not play this year
Ross Rouleau - Ross is working outside hockey and is not expected to play this year
Cain Franson - Cain is headed to college
Jarret Lukin - Heard Jarret was training and plans to play again but unlikely in Allen
Jonathan Zion - Most likely will sign in Europe but have heard nothing
Steven Tarasuk - Thought to be signing in Europe but have heard nothing.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Steve Martinson Attends Shark's Development Camp - What Is It All About
Steve Martinson is attending the San Jose Sharks Development Camp this week which takes place in San Jose. In conjunction with the week-long development camp, the Sharks third annual Summer Prospects Scrimmage will be held on Thursday, July 9 at 7 p.m. at SAP Center. It is an opportunity for coach Martinson to become familiar with the young players in the organization and also talk to all of the Shark's coaches and scouts.
Many of the organization's top prospects are at the development camp, including San Jose Sharks Chris Tierney, Barclay Goodrow, and Mirco Mueller, 2015 NHL Draft selections Timo Meier and Jeremy Roy, WHL Champion and First Team All-Star Rourke Chartier, 2015 SM-liiga Champion and playoff MVP Joonas Donskoi, 2014 1st-round pick Nikolay Goldobin, QMJHL All-Star Nikita Jevpalovs, Hockey East All-Star Daniel O'Regan, 2014 draftee Julius Bergman, ECAC and All-Ivy League All-Star Joakim Ryan, and Joel Rumpel who just won the 2015 Kelly Cup with the Allen Americans.
Here are a couple of videos that give you an idea of what the development camp is all about.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Allen Americans Weekly Update - 7/5/2015
Another week has passed and it was certainly a busy one for coach Martinson as players were signed, qualifying offers extended, and the recruitment process for new players is in full swing. With only doing a blog post on a weekly basis much of this information may seem like old news to those readers that are on social media and track what is happening with the Americans on a daily basis. Hopefully you can find something of interest in this update.
QUALIFYING OFFERS
- In order to protect players from last season, qualifying offers had to be extended to a maximum of eight players by the end of June (Tuesday). Players with AHL contracts aren't included and players that have already signed are not included so when you look at the list you can make some educated guesses what has happened but they are in fact just guesses. The first surprise was the fact that only seven players were given qualifying offers. Here are the names:
Justin Baker
Kyle Follmer
Gary Steffes
Greger Hanson
Spencer Asuchak
Ian Schultz
Chad Costello
- Chad Costello has signed as that was announced on Friday. More on that later. Chad was in Mexico on vacation at the end of the month so you can only guess that had something to do with why he was placed on the protected list and then immediately signed. Contracts require several signatures and have to be in the league office to be official. It may have been just a timing thing.
- Veterans have special rights when it comes to being protected in that they can eventually become unrestricted free agents (September 1st) so often times they do not get protected. Trevor Ludwig and Jamie Schaafsma were not protected and have not been signed at this point. If they are re-signed it will happen later in the summer and it is a possibility they will not be back in Allen.
- Players like Hanson, Asuchak, Steffes and Baker are on the protected list because they are pursuing AHL deals. Asuchak has already been signed by the AHL Chicago Wolves. More on that later. If Hanson, Steffes and Baker don't get AHL deals they should be back in Allen. Even if they all get AHL deals, by protecting them Allen will retain their ECHL rights if they are reassigned to the ECHL during the season.
- Another reason some players don't get protected is because it is part of their contract. This is true for many first year players like Tanner Eberle. When players join the ECHL at the end of their junior career like Tanner did last year when he signed with Allen the contract has a provision where he cannot be protected. It doesn't mean the Americans are not interested in signing him as I am sure they are.
- Players that were on the season ending roster, are not veterans, do not have AHL contracts and were not protected are most likely already signed but not announced. Aaron Gens, Riley Gill, and Kevin Young were all major players last season that fall into this category so you would have to assume they were signed before the end of June.
- Nolan Descoteaux and Garrett Clarke are two role players that had good years in the regular season but only played in a few playoff games. They seem to be a good fit with the Americans and should return if the price is right.
- You would have to think both Rylan Schwartz and Ian Schultz will be signed in Allen once they have completed their rehabilitation from serious leg injuries. From what I have heard they won't be cleared to play until the season is already underway and Allen is financially responsible until they are cleared. Makes sense with their resumes the Americans will sign them for next season.
PLAYER UPDATES
Chad Costello - It was no coincidence the first player announced as having re-signed with the Allen Americans was Chad given he was voted the ECHL MVP by the players (PHPA) and was also the winner of the ECHL Sportsman award. A great representative for the Americans both on and off the ice. Chad had a career year last season with 125 points (41 goals 84 assists) and set records that may never be broken. The two records that are most telling about the year he had are the fact he won the scoring title by 45 points which was the largest margin in the history of the ECHL and Chad had more assists (84) than anyone else in the ECHL had total points.
Spencer Asuchak - It was announced yesterday that Spencer Asuchak has signed a one way, one year contract with the Chicago Wolves, the AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues. Well deserved for a player that many feel has a shot at making it to the NHL. The hope would be he never sees the Allen Event Center next season but Allen does have his ECHL rights if Chicago decides to reassign Spencer to the ECHL. The photo below by Lauren Lyssy, after Asuchak had scored a goal, is one of my favorites because so many captions seem to work. The original caption was, "Can we join in on the celly or do you guys want to be alone." Today, I think the caption should read, "That's okay Gensy, I'll keep in touch from Chicago."
Jamie Schaafsma - Have noticed over the years that Jamie always gets great support from his hometown newspaper and he had quite a spread in the paper yesterday. Here is the story which appeared in the Chatham Daily News and was written by Mark Malone along with a picture by our own Lauren Lyssy. Nice to see Lauren get her photos used all over the world! You will notice at the end of the article Jamie references the fact that he wasn't protected and now being a veteran makes things more complicated since ECHL teams can only sign four vets. At this level of hockey cost is always a determining factor and cost includes salary, housing and insurance. Let's hope there is some way this can all be worked out to have the Allen captain and "good luck charm" and his family back for another season.
After working so hard to win the Kelly Cup, Jamie Schaafsma couldn't wait to give it away.
The Allen Americans captain from Blenheim was the first player to receive the trophy after winning the ECHL championship last month.
As he hoisted the Cup over his head, Schaafsma was eager to hand it off. He wanted to see his teammates celebrate.
“That was a better feeling, bringing it into the circle and carrying it into the room after the game and being able to celebrate with the guys,” he said.
The championship was the Americans' third in a row. After winning back-to-back Central Hockey League banners, they moved to the ECHL this season when the CHL folded.
Schaafsma fondly remembers his excitement watching captain Mike Berube receive the trophy last year.
“I got that privilege this year and what a great feeling that was,” said the 32-year-old forward. “It was really exciting to win it again. … It's a pretty cool feeling and an honor to be a captain of a championship team.”
Schaafsma is one of only four players on all three championship teams. Twins Tyler and Trevor Ludwig – the sons of former NHLer Craig Ludwig – and Brian McMillin are the others.
Schaafsma kept alive a remarkable streak. He's played in seven consecutive finals – three in Italy, one in the IHL, two in the CHL and one in the ECHL – and won four championships.
“It's crazy,” he said. “It makes for a long season, though. It's a lot of fun playing that competitive hockey you get at the end of the year.”
He's now back home in Chatham with his wife Nicole, daughter Sawyer and son Sutter.
The long season makes it difficult to relax at times.
“It takes its toll. I feel it now,” he said, laughing, “when you're doing nothing and still hurt. Shoulders hurt. Hips hurt. It's worth it, though, when you're winning.”
Schaafsma had two assists in a 6-1 rout of the South Carolina Stingrays in Game 7 of the Kelly Cup final.
“I honestly think we played our best hockey game of the season in Game 7,” he said. “We always seemed to play well when our backs were against the wall.”
The Americans were unbeaten in four elimination games, including three straight wins in the Western Conference final after falling behind 3-1 to the Ontario Reign.
“It got pretty scary,” said Schaafsma, who had 16 points in 25 playoff games. “I think we were down by a goal, too, going into the third in Game 5 (against Ontario). But we have a very talented team and over the years we have a group that doesn't give up and we don't panic and we believe in ourselves.”
They were also proud to quiet the critics who felt their former league wasn't as good as the ECHL.
“It was nice to represent the CHL and win as an expansion team and show what we did the last two years wasn't a joke,” Schaafsma said.
He wore the 'C' with pride for the Americans while picking up 49 points in 72 games this season, his 11th as a professional.
“It's an amazing organization,” he said. “For me, it's been a great place to play. I was extremely excited to get to be the captain this year and be a leader on the team with an organization that has a history of success.”
He gave credit for their success to his fellow veterans. The team had a strong core of leaders supporting him.
“To have that respect from the players and from the coach to wear the 'C', it's a great honour and it meant a lot to me to be given the 'C' by the coach and by the players,” he said.
Schaafsma expects to play again next season. He may apply for a firefighting job this summer, but they're hard to find. Plus, he isn't ready to hang up his skates yet.
Allen, Texas, is the likeliest destination if he stays in the ECHL. Europe is a possibility, too. He played seven seasons in the Netherlands and Italy.
Complicating matters is his new status as an ECHL veteran – a non-goalie who's played at least 260 regular-season pro games in North America.
ECHL teams are allowed only four veterans. The Americans didn't put him on their protected list and other clubs have already come calling.
“There's a little less room (for veterans on ECHL rosters), but with my success and the team's success in the last few years, I'm not too worried about that,” Schaafsma said.
OTHER ITEMS
- The San Jose Sharks week long development camp takes place next week and Steve Martinson will be in attendance. A great opportunity for Martinson to talk to all of the Sharks coaches and scouts and become familiar with all of the prospects in the Sharks organization. Joel Rumpel is one of four goalies that will attend and is the only player that played in Allen this year invited to the development camp. Martinson will have a much better feel for what players could be assigned to Allen when he returns. The players that end up in Allen could come from the development camp, from the AHL affiliate or from free agents signings that are yet to take place. It is not unrealistic to think Allen will get two or three defensemen, two or three forwards and a goalie assigned by San Jose.
- Martinson also has offers out to several new players, as you might imagine there are a lot of players that would like to play in Allen.
- There is a relatively new web site that is a great source of information to check out NHL team and player salaries as well as signing bonuses and contract lengths. If you ever used GapGeek this site has similar information. It is a great sources of this type information but also has info on affiliations, Collective Bargaining Agreement FAQ's, and a draft tracker. The site is at capfriendly.com and if you look up the San Jose Sharks you can get the status of players like Joel Rumpel, Chris Crane, and Rylan Schwartz.
- Looking through the list of protected players around the ECHL there are quite a few former Allen Americans:
Cincinnati - Geoff Irwin
Colorado - Darryl Bootland
Evansville - Jarret Lukin
Fort Wayne - Drew Daniels
Gwinnett - Alex Lavoie
Kalamazoo - Steve Kaunisto
Rapid City - Kale Kerbashian & Dallas Ehrhardt
Wichita - Garrett Klotz
- One player you would have expected to be protected that wasn't is Jonathan Lessard who played for Bakersfield last year which is moving to Norfolk for the coming season. You would have to assume he is in the signed but not announced category.
- Jack Combs is another player that was not protected (Cincinnati) and is now an unrestricted free agent. Coach Martinson has said on several occasions he does not want to use his veteran slots on players that will be gone by Christmas and Jack has a history of starting the season in the ECHL/CHL and then moving to the AHL or Europe. With the relationship between Combs and Costello anything could happen but the odds of Combs returning to Allen are not high.
- Here are the up to date player signings for the ECHL Central Division teams.
Allen (1) -Chad Costello (F)
Missouri (4) - Patch Alber (D), Andrew Courtney (F), Tanner Fritz (F), Chris Owens (D)
Tulsa (4) - Phil Brewer (F), Kevin Carr (G), Kevin Noble (D), Adam Pleskach (F)
Wichita (1) - Kenton Miller (F)
- Scott Howes has signed with the Brampton Beast for next season. Scott is an outstanding player as you recall he had 21 goals in 22 games for Allen in 2012-2013 before being promoted to the AHL. If he is with Brampton the entire season he will be one of the best players in the ECHL. The odds of playing all year in Brampton are not great based on recent past history. If he doesn't get hurt he will end up in the AHL or signing in Europe.
DID YOU KNOW: There are still ten teams in the ECHL that have not announced a player signing for the 2015-2016 season. That number should be close to zero by next weekend.
QUALIFYING OFFERS
- In order to protect players from last season, qualifying offers had to be extended to a maximum of eight players by the end of June (Tuesday). Players with AHL contracts aren't included and players that have already signed are not included so when you look at the list you can make some educated guesses what has happened but they are in fact just guesses. The first surprise was the fact that only seven players were given qualifying offers. Here are the names:
Justin Baker
Kyle Follmer
Gary Steffes
Greger Hanson
Spencer Asuchak
Ian Schultz
Chad Costello
- Chad Costello has signed as that was announced on Friday. More on that later. Chad was in Mexico on vacation at the end of the month so you can only guess that had something to do with why he was placed on the protected list and then immediately signed. Contracts require several signatures and have to be in the league office to be official. It may have been just a timing thing.
- Veterans have special rights when it comes to being protected in that they can eventually become unrestricted free agents (September 1st) so often times they do not get protected. Trevor Ludwig and Jamie Schaafsma were not protected and have not been signed at this point. If they are re-signed it will happen later in the summer and it is a possibility they will not be back in Allen.
- Players like Hanson, Asuchak, Steffes and Baker are on the protected list because they are pursuing AHL deals. Asuchak has already been signed by the AHL Chicago Wolves. More on that later. If Hanson, Steffes and Baker don't get AHL deals they should be back in Allen. Even if they all get AHL deals, by protecting them Allen will retain their ECHL rights if they are reassigned to the ECHL during the season.
- Another reason some players don't get protected is because it is part of their contract. This is true for many first year players like Tanner Eberle. When players join the ECHL at the end of their junior career like Tanner did last year when he signed with Allen the contract has a provision where he cannot be protected. It doesn't mean the Americans are not interested in signing him as I am sure they are.
- Players that were on the season ending roster, are not veterans, do not have AHL contracts and were not protected are most likely already signed but not announced. Aaron Gens, Riley Gill, and Kevin Young were all major players last season that fall into this category so you would have to assume they were signed before the end of June.
- Nolan Descoteaux and Garrett Clarke are two role players that had good years in the regular season but only played in a few playoff games. They seem to be a good fit with the Americans and should return if the price is right.
- You would have to think both Rylan Schwartz and Ian Schultz will be signed in Allen once they have completed their rehabilitation from serious leg injuries. From what I have heard they won't be cleared to play until the season is already underway and Allen is financially responsible until they are cleared. Makes sense with their resumes the Americans will sign them for next season.
PLAYER UPDATES
Chad Costello - It was no coincidence the first player announced as having re-signed with the Allen Americans was Chad given he was voted the ECHL MVP by the players (PHPA) and was also the winner of the ECHL Sportsman award. A great representative for the Americans both on and off the ice. Chad had a career year last season with 125 points (41 goals 84 assists) and set records that may never be broken. The two records that are most telling about the year he had are the fact he won the scoring title by 45 points which was the largest margin in the history of the ECHL and Chad had more assists (84) than anyone else in the ECHL had total points.
Spencer Asuchak - It was announced yesterday that Spencer Asuchak has signed a one way, one year contract with the Chicago Wolves, the AHL affiliate of the St. Louis Blues. Well deserved for a player that many feel has a shot at making it to the NHL. The hope would be he never sees the Allen Event Center next season but Allen does have his ECHL rights if Chicago decides to reassign Spencer to the ECHL. The photo below by Lauren Lyssy, after Asuchak had scored a goal, is one of my favorites because so many captions seem to work. The original caption was, "Can we join in on the celly or do you guys want to be alone." Today, I think the caption should read, "That's okay Gensy, I'll keep in touch from Chicago."
Jamie Schaafsma - Have noticed over the years that Jamie always gets great support from his hometown newspaper and he had quite a spread in the paper yesterday. Here is the story which appeared in the Chatham Daily News and was written by Mark Malone along with a picture by our own Lauren Lyssy. Nice to see Lauren get her photos used all over the world! You will notice at the end of the article Jamie references the fact that he wasn't protected and now being a veteran makes things more complicated since ECHL teams can only sign four vets. At this level of hockey cost is always a determining factor and cost includes salary, housing and insurance. Let's hope there is some way this can all be worked out to have the Allen captain and "good luck charm" and his family back for another season.
By Mark Malone, Chatham Daily News
Allen
Americans captain Jamie Schaafsma of Blenheim raises the Kelly Cup after
winning the 2015 ECHL championship. (LAUREN LYSSY/Allen Americans)
The Allen Americans captain from Blenheim was the first player to receive the trophy after winning the ECHL championship last month.
As he hoisted the Cup over his head, Schaafsma was eager to hand it off. He wanted to see his teammates celebrate.
“That was a better feeling, bringing it into the circle and carrying it into the room after the game and being able to celebrate with the guys,” he said.
The championship was the Americans' third in a row. After winning back-to-back Central Hockey League banners, they moved to the ECHL this season when the CHL folded.
Schaafsma fondly remembers his excitement watching captain Mike Berube receive the trophy last year.
“I got that privilege this year and what a great feeling that was,” said the 32-year-old forward. “It was really exciting to win it again. … It's a pretty cool feeling and an honor to be a captain of a championship team.”
Schaafsma is one of only four players on all three championship teams. Twins Tyler and Trevor Ludwig – the sons of former NHLer Craig Ludwig – and Brian McMillin are the others.
Schaafsma kept alive a remarkable streak. He's played in seven consecutive finals – three in Italy, one in the IHL, two in the CHL and one in the ECHL – and won four championships.
“It's crazy,” he said. “It makes for a long season, though. It's a lot of fun playing that competitive hockey you get at the end of the year.”
He's now back home in Chatham with his wife Nicole, daughter Sawyer and son Sutter.
The long season makes it difficult to relax at times.
“It takes its toll. I feel it now,” he said, laughing, “when you're doing nothing and still hurt. Shoulders hurt. Hips hurt. It's worth it, though, when you're winning.”
Schaafsma had two assists in a 6-1 rout of the South Carolina Stingrays in Game 7 of the Kelly Cup final.
“I honestly think we played our best hockey game of the season in Game 7,” he said. “We always seemed to play well when our backs were against the wall.”
The Americans were unbeaten in four elimination games, including three straight wins in the Western Conference final after falling behind 3-1 to the Ontario Reign.
“It got pretty scary,” said Schaafsma, who had 16 points in 25 playoff games. “I think we were down by a goal, too, going into the third in Game 5 (against Ontario). But we have a very talented team and over the years we have a group that doesn't give up and we don't panic and we believe in ourselves.”
They were also proud to quiet the critics who felt their former league wasn't as good as the ECHL.
“It was nice to represent the CHL and win as an expansion team and show what we did the last two years wasn't a joke,” Schaafsma said.
He wore the 'C' with pride for the Americans while picking up 49 points in 72 games this season, his 11th as a professional.
“It's an amazing organization,” he said. “For me, it's been a great place to play. I was extremely excited to get to be the captain this year and be a leader on the team with an organization that has a history of success.”
He gave credit for their success to his fellow veterans. The team had a strong core of leaders supporting him.
“To have that respect from the players and from the coach to wear the 'C', it's a great honour and it meant a lot to me to be given the 'C' by the coach and by the players,” he said.
Schaafsma expects to play again next season. He may apply for a firefighting job this summer, but they're hard to find. Plus, he isn't ready to hang up his skates yet.
Allen, Texas, is the likeliest destination if he stays in the ECHL. Europe is a possibility, too. He played seven seasons in the Netherlands and Italy.
Complicating matters is his new status as an ECHL veteran – a non-goalie who's played at least 260 regular-season pro games in North America.
ECHL teams are allowed only four veterans. The Americans didn't put him on their protected list and other clubs have already come calling.
“There's a little less room (for veterans on ECHL rosters), but with my success and the team's success in the last few years, I'm not too worried about that,” Schaafsma said.
OTHER ITEMS
- The San Jose Sharks week long development camp takes place next week and Steve Martinson will be in attendance. A great opportunity for Martinson to talk to all of the Sharks coaches and scouts and become familiar with all of the prospects in the Sharks organization. Joel Rumpel is one of four goalies that will attend and is the only player that played in Allen this year invited to the development camp. Martinson will have a much better feel for what players could be assigned to Allen when he returns. The players that end up in Allen could come from the development camp, from the AHL affiliate or from free agents signings that are yet to take place. It is not unrealistic to think Allen will get two or three defensemen, two or three forwards and a goalie assigned by San Jose.
- Martinson also has offers out to several new players, as you might imagine there are a lot of players that would like to play in Allen.
- There is a relatively new web site that is a great source of information to check out NHL team and player salaries as well as signing bonuses and contract lengths. If you ever used GapGeek this site has similar information. It is a great sources of this type information but also has info on affiliations, Collective Bargaining Agreement FAQ's, and a draft tracker. The site is at capfriendly.com and if you look up the San Jose Sharks you can get the status of players like Joel Rumpel, Chris Crane, and Rylan Schwartz.
- Looking through the list of protected players around the ECHL there are quite a few former Allen Americans:
Cincinnati - Geoff Irwin
Colorado - Darryl Bootland
Evansville - Jarret Lukin
Fort Wayne - Drew Daniels
Gwinnett - Alex Lavoie
Kalamazoo - Steve Kaunisto
Rapid City - Kale Kerbashian & Dallas Ehrhardt
Wichita - Garrett Klotz
- One player you would have expected to be protected that wasn't is Jonathan Lessard who played for Bakersfield last year which is moving to Norfolk for the coming season. You would have to assume he is in the signed but not announced category.
- Jack Combs is another player that was not protected (Cincinnati) and is now an unrestricted free agent. Coach Martinson has said on several occasions he does not want to use his veteran slots on players that will be gone by Christmas and Jack has a history of starting the season in the ECHL/CHL and then moving to the AHL or Europe. With the relationship between Combs and Costello anything could happen but the odds of Combs returning to Allen are not high.
- Here are the up to date player signings for the ECHL Central Division teams.
Allen (1) -Chad Costello (F)
Missouri (4) - Patch Alber (D), Andrew Courtney (F), Tanner Fritz (F), Chris Owens (D)
Tulsa (4) - Phil Brewer (F), Kevin Carr (G), Kevin Noble (D), Adam Pleskach (F)
Wichita (1) - Kenton Miller (F)
- Scott Howes has signed with the Brampton Beast for next season. Scott is an outstanding player as you recall he had 21 goals in 22 games for Allen in 2012-2013 before being promoted to the AHL. If he is with Brampton the entire season he will be one of the best players in the ECHL. The odds of playing all year in Brampton are not great based on recent past history. If he doesn't get hurt he will end up in the AHL or signing in Europe.
DID YOU KNOW: There are still ten teams in the ECHL that have not announced a player signing for the 2015-2016 season. That number should be close to zero by next weekend.
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