With 10 championships on his coaching resume including the last four years in Allen and two straight Kelly Cups, you would think Steve Martinson would approach the upcoming season very relaxed, but that is not how Martinson works. He is a guy that eats, breathes and sleeps hockey and if he isn't talking about the Allen Americans the topic is usually youth hockey and how his kids teams are doing. Here is a guy that has been involved in professional hockey for 35 years as a player and head coach. Yet, as anyone who attends his post game chats with season ticket holders can attest, he takes a loss harder than anyone involved in the organization.
Having talked to coach Martinson many times over the summer recruiting period it is obvious that he sees the opportunity to do something very special in Allen this season. Putting a third straight Kelly Cup championship feather in his coaching hat that is already loaded with feathers is what drives Martinson these days. After all, three straight championships has never been accomplished in the history of the ECHL.
You often hear Martinson say his teams are the same each year, the only difference is the names on the back of the jersey. He wants teams that have a mix of skill, speed and grit that finish their checks and play physical. While the 2016-17 team will have all of the same traits as teams from the past, Martinson has built this team for the playoffs. As he said at a recent fan gathering, "With the players we have signed and those I expect to get from San Jose, I wish we could go right to the playoffs. You never know what the team will look like when the playoffs arrive but I really like the team we have assembled."
So you ask what has Martinson done differently in putting together this team and why do they have a chance to win a third straight Kelly Cup. Here are a few reasons.
- Martinson has not signed a single rookie and even with some young guys expected to be assigned by San Jose, it is possible that the opening day roster will not have any rookie skaters on the ice.
- All 11 forwards that have signed played on one of Martinson's championships teams in Allen. They know what is expected, they know the system, and they know they have a great chance for a deep playoff run.
- Because of the past success, players are willing to sign in Allen at reasonable salaries. They could get higher pay elsewhere but the combination of playing in the DFW area and the extra money to be made in the playoffs that goes along with winning is the reason they want to play in Allen. The value of winning a championship can be $15,000 when you consider the the extra weeks of pay, housing and playoff bonuses.
- Among the returning players are three of the last four Kelly Cup MVP's. Riley Gill (2013), Greger Hanson (2015) and Chad Costello (2016). Riley Gill is the ECHL all-time leader in playoff wins (48) and wins in the finals (11). Costello led all players in the playoffs last season with 36 points and set an ECHL all-time record with 29 playoff assists. Hanson has been outstanding in the playoffs all three years he has been in Allen. He has a total of 70 points (27 goals 25 assists) in 65 playoff games.
- While there are still some player signings to be announced and the assignments from San Jose have not been finalized, if all goes as planned, the opening day roster will include the following by the numbers:
18 - players with AHL experience
16 - players that have played on a championship team in Allen
9 - players that have won two championships in Allen
2 - players that have won three championships in Allen (Asuchak & Hanson)
- The return of Kale Kerbashian and Tanner Eberle along with a healthy Chris Crane, who was the best all around player (offense, defense, special teams) when he was hurt in early March, makes for a group of forwards that will have three lines all capable of scoring. Most of the forwards would be top line guys on any team.
- Special teams are always a key to success and have been a hallmark of Steve Martinson teams. Anytime you have Chad Costello on your team you will have an outstanding power play and Allen led the ECHL last season with 21.1%. The power play was the difference maker in the playoffs last season where the Americans far outpaced their opponents scoring on 27.1% of their power plays. The penalty kill was also outstanding finishing #3 in the ECHL at 86.4%.
- With the defensemen that are signed and those expected from San Jose, the group should be bigger, but mobile with the abilty to move the puck and jump in on the play in the offensive zone. Joel Chouinard is one of the few new players already announced and he will log a lot of minutes. Chouinard has 214 AHL games under his belt.
So Martinson has built a team of experienced players most of which have playoff success. They are players that want to be in Allen because of the winning tradition. They know what it takes to win and have great leadership on the ice and in the locker room. You never know what the season will hold in terms of injuries and call ups and winning three straight Kelly Cups is certainly unprecedented. With that said, coach Martinson has put together a team that any coach would love to take into the playoffs. Throw in the fact that Allen is 14-0 in playoff series under coach Martinson and you have the possibility of a third Kelly Cup this season. Allen Americans fans have great trust in Steve Martinson. If he says there is a chance to do something special this season they are more than willing to go along for the ride no matter what the outcome.
DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans final roster will be full of experienced players but they are still youthful. While there are four players 29 or older (Gill, Costello, Steffes, Gens) there will be 14 players 25 or younger.
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Weekly Update - The Pace Quickens - It Is Almost Show Time
If you hang around the Allen Americans locker room or front office you can sense the increased activity as the season approaches. Training camp rosters are due to the ECHL office on Thursday, camp will start for the Americans the following Monday (October 3), the lone preseason game will be in Wichita on October 8 and the season opener is October 15.
- There were two player announcements this week as the team formally announced that Greger Hanson and Tristan King would be returning. Since they were both living in the area, have been skating at the informal skates with the players and have been signed for a long time, these announcements were certainly not a surprise. This completes all of the forwards that coach Martinson will sign and a talented group they are. There are 11 forwards and they have all played in Allen in the past.
Chad Costello
J.P. LaFontaine
Dyson Stevenson
Kale Kerbashain
Kyle Neuber
Gary Steffes
Chris Crane
Tanner Eberle
Spencer Asuchak
Greger Hanson
Tristan King
- The only additions to this group will be forwards assigned by San Jose. Barring injuries you could expect two young forwards being assigned to Allen but that is always a wait and see.
- While there are just three defensmen announced (Aaron Gens, Joel Chouinard, Mike Gunn) coach Martinson has a total of seven that are signed or will be assigned by San Jose. Eric Roy, who signed with San Jose over the summer was just assigned to Allen and is already in town. My understanding is he will return to San Jose in a week for the Barracuda's training camp.
- There was a get together at the Allen Event Center on Wednesday evening and coach Martinson had a chance to share his thoughts about the upcoming season:
"I am pretty excited about the team we have on paper right now and with some of the guys we could get from San Jose it would put us at the top of the charts as far as what you have seen here in Allen the last four years."
"We have six or seven guys that will be going to the Barracuda's training camp plus Spencer Asuchak going to Toronto and Chris Crane going to Chicago."
"The players will go to San Jose on Saturday (October 1st), they will play a preseason game on Thursday (October 6th) and then return to Allen on Friday (unless they do well and San Jose wants to keep them) so they can play for us when we go to Wichita for our preseason game on Saturday (October 8th)."
"It will be a strange training camp the first week because we will have so many guys at AHL camps. I will bring in a few tryout guys but we will be short that first week of training camp."
"We have a new housing deal in place that will be much better for our players."
OTHER COMMENTS
The ECHL released their critical dates this week and there are a few key dates to keep in mind. Opening day rosters are due October 12, there will be an All-Star game in Glen Falls, NY on January 18, the date for players to return from overseas to play in the ECHL is February 15 and the Kelly Cup playoffs begin on April 12. Here is the complete list of critical dates: http://www.echl.com/echl-critical-dates-2016-17-season
- You probably saw that Jamie Schaafsma has added assistant coach as a new title in addition to being a player and team captain for the Fort Wayne Komets. Here is the story about his new role that appeared in his hometown newspaper. A post playing career as a coach may be in the future for Jamie but he also has all of the certifications to be a firefighter so he will have more than one option when he decides to hang up the skates. http://www.chathamdailynews.ca/2016/09/21/schaafsma-to-be-player-assistant-coach
- Had a chance to get to know three of the new Ice Angels at the event on Wednesday. Audrey, Jenny and Ashlynn are really excited to be members of this year's team. They talked about preparing for the opening night dance, skating practice and their upcoming calendar photo shoot in the Dominican Republic. Welcome aboard ladies.
- For those interested in watching your favorite team on ECHL TV it is early bird special time so you can save a few bucks. The early bird specials are good through October 23. The one team "away pass" is $89.99 and the "team pass" which gets you both home and away games is $149.99. If you are the ultimate ECHL fan you can get the "all access" pass for $249.99 and watch every regular season ECHL game for all 27 teams. One of the nice features about buying one of the TV packages is you can watch archived games for your team in addition to watching the game live. Here is the link to get details or to sign up: https://echl.neulion.com/echl/secure/registerform
DID YOU KNOW: Tom Manning, who has been the Allen Americans Director of Game Operations in the past is returning to the front office for the upcoming season. Tom has contacted some former Allen players to get details about what they are up to now and graciously allowed me to publish some of these in a series called "where are they now." Goalie Marco Cousineau played in Allen during the 2011-12 season. Today Marco is back home in Quebec working in the family business. Marco and his girlfriend are awaiting the birth of their first child, a little boy named Leo. He is still playing hockey in a professional league in Quebec known as the LNAH. The LNAH has been called the toughest league in the world. While the NHL averages about .3 fights per game the LNAH averages 2.6 per game. There are just seven teams in the league and last season there were 517 fights.
- There were two player announcements this week as the team formally announced that Greger Hanson and Tristan King would be returning. Since they were both living in the area, have been skating at the informal skates with the players and have been signed for a long time, these announcements were certainly not a surprise. This completes all of the forwards that coach Martinson will sign and a talented group they are. There are 11 forwards and they have all played in Allen in the past.
Chad Costello
J.P. LaFontaine
Dyson Stevenson
Kale Kerbashain
Kyle Neuber
Gary Steffes
Chris Crane
Tanner Eberle
Spencer Asuchak
Greger Hanson
Tristan King
- The only additions to this group will be forwards assigned by San Jose. Barring injuries you could expect two young forwards being assigned to Allen but that is always a wait and see.
- While there are just three defensmen announced (Aaron Gens, Joel Chouinard, Mike Gunn) coach Martinson has a total of seven that are signed or will be assigned by San Jose. Eric Roy, who signed with San Jose over the summer was just assigned to Allen and is already in town. My understanding is he will return to San Jose in a week for the Barracuda's training camp.
- There was a get together at the Allen Event Center on Wednesday evening and coach Martinson had a chance to share his thoughts about the upcoming season:
"I am pretty excited about the team we have on paper right now and with some of the guys we could get from San Jose it would put us at the top of the charts as far as what you have seen here in Allen the last four years."
"We have six or seven guys that will be going to the Barracuda's training camp plus Spencer Asuchak going to Toronto and Chris Crane going to Chicago."
"The players will go to San Jose on Saturday (October 1st), they will play a preseason game on Thursday (October 6th) and then return to Allen on Friday (unless they do well and San Jose wants to keep them) so they can play for us when we go to Wichita for our preseason game on Saturday (October 8th)."
"It will be a strange training camp the first week because we will have so many guys at AHL camps. I will bring in a few tryout guys but we will be short that first week of training camp."
"We have a new housing deal in place that will be much better for our players."
OTHER COMMENTS
The ECHL released their critical dates this week and there are a few key dates to keep in mind. Opening day rosters are due October 12, there will be an All-Star game in Glen Falls, NY on January 18, the date for players to return from overseas to play in the ECHL is February 15 and the Kelly Cup playoffs begin on April 12. Here is the complete list of critical dates: http://www.echl.com/echl-critical-dates-2016-17-season
- You probably saw that Jamie Schaafsma has added assistant coach as a new title in addition to being a player and team captain for the Fort Wayne Komets. Here is the story about his new role that appeared in his hometown newspaper. A post playing career as a coach may be in the future for Jamie but he also has all of the certifications to be a firefighter so he will have more than one option when he decides to hang up the skates. http://www.chathamdailynews.ca/2016/09/21/schaafsma-to-be-player-assistant-coach
- Had a chance to get to know three of the new Ice Angels at the event on Wednesday. Audrey, Jenny and Ashlynn are really excited to be members of this year's team. They talked about preparing for the opening night dance, skating practice and their upcoming calendar photo shoot in the Dominican Republic. Welcome aboard ladies.
 |
| Ice Angels Audrey, Jenny, Ashlynn |
- For those interested in watching your favorite team on ECHL TV it is early bird special time so you can save a few bucks. The early bird specials are good through October 23. The one team "away pass" is $89.99 and the "team pass" which gets you both home and away games is $149.99. If you are the ultimate ECHL fan you can get the "all access" pass for $249.99 and watch every regular season ECHL game for all 27 teams. One of the nice features about buying one of the TV packages is you can watch archived games for your team in addition to watching the game live. Here is the link to get details or to sign up: https://echl.neulion.com/echl/secure/registerform
DID YOU KNOW: Tom Manning, who has been the Allen Americans Director of Game Operations in the past is returning to the front office for the upcoming season. Tom has contacted some former Allen players to get details about what they are up to now and graciously allowed me to publish some of these in a series called "where are they now." Goalie Marco Cousineau played in Allen during the 2011-12 season. Today Marco is back home in Quebec working in the family business. Marco and his girlfriend are awaiting the birth of their first child, a little boy named Leo. He is still playing hockey in a professional league in Quebec known as the LNAH. The LNAH has been called the toughest league in the world. While the NHL averages about .3 fights per game the LNAH averages 2.6 per game. There are just seven teams in the league and last season there were 517 fights.
 |
| Marco Cousineau (2012) - photo courtesy of Chip Crail |
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Reflections of Barry The Blogger
I promise this post will be about the Allen Americans but it will take a couple of paragraphs to get there. I spent the past week dove hunting in west Texas. The first part of the week on a 33,000 acre cattle ranch where you can normally sit around one of the sparse watering holes, nobody within 10 miles, and have excellent hunting. However, with rain everyday last week there was water everywhere so there was very poor hunting to go along with very muddy ranch roads. With many hours sitting on a pail watching for doves that rarely appeared, there was plenty of time to enjoy nature and reflect. The most constant sounds were the continuous whistling of what appears to be an outstanding quail hatch, cows bellering, blue-winged teal doing a flyby and many flickertails, woodpeckers and mockingbirds. Then there was the deer, wild hog, rattlesnake, coyote, box turtle and red tailed hawk that came by. It was a great trip even though the hunting was not good.
Then on the weekend another type of dove hunt took place as I joined a group of hunters that participated in a charity hunt for wounded warriors. We were able to hunt and share stories with 10 of these brave young men and women who have served our country. Being a Vietnam veteran, I found myself reflecting back and seeing similarities between how the public reacted to the war in Vietnam and in Iraq and Afghanistan. Again, with all the rain, hunting proved to be a challenge but it didn't impede the camaraderie at all.
With a week of reflection time you cover a lot of ground. Hunting brings back great memories of my dad who bought me my first shotgun when we lived in the small town of Flandreau, South Dakota. It was pheasant country and you started young. I got my first shotgun when I was nine. It was a used 20 gauge bolt action my dad bought from the local hardware store for $30. That started a love affair with hunting that has lasted 60 years.
So there is the backdrop, lots of time sitting on a pail with time to think. At one point I started to think about what a wonderful experience it has been to be a fan of the Allen Americans. It seemed simple enough when my wife noticed there was a new hockey team coming to Allen and maybe we should get season tickets. We were hockey fans having gone to high school and college in Minnesota and attending University of Minnesota and Minnesota North Stars games. Little did we know when we became one of the first Allen Americans full season ticket holders the joy it would bring.
It would be easy to just focus on the success of the team as that has been absolutely amazing. From going to the championship finals in the very first year (2009-10) to winning four consecutive championships starting with the 2012-13 season. The Americans have never missed the playoffs, they have opened the playoffs at home all seven years and won all four of their championships on home ice. Allen's all time regular season record is 295-128-20-28. No fan could ask for more.
Team success is just part of the great fan experience in Allen. Most fans would agree what makes minor pro hockey unique and more enjoyable is the relationship between the players and the fans. Always accessible, willing to take time with the fans, sign whatever the fans wish to have signed. The players aren't just players but become friends with the fans. You never get tired of watching the players interacting with the young ones who attend practice, games or team events. It is special.
Many fans not only become friends with the players but with their families. It is like keeping track of relatives once the players retire or move on. Luckily, social media plays a big role in updates as those babies from a few years ago start to grow up. Harper and London Graham are now in school and have a little brother. Aiden Snowden has already won a golf tournament and been interviewed by the Golf Channel and both he and his little brother (Keegan) love hockey. The oldest of the four Ludwig girls, (Tyler & Taylor have three and Trevor & Holly have one) Sydney, is now playing soccer. The Schaafsma family grew by one this summer (Sullivan) and he has already watched his dad, big brother (Sutter) and sister (Sawyer) on the ice. Bottom line is Allen fans will be watching as all these kids grow up for many years. The current team has a new crop of children (Costello & Gill) for fans to watch grow up.
Team success is just part of the great fan experience in Allen. Most fans would agree what makes minor pro hockey unique and more enjoyable is the relationship between the players and the fans. Always accessible, willing to take time with the fans, sign whatever the fans wish to have signed. The players aren't just players but become friends with the fans. You never get tired of watching the players interacting with the young ones who attend practice, games or team events. It is special.
Many fans not only become friends with the players but with their families. It is like keeping track of relatives once the players retire or move on. Luckily, social media plays a big role in updates as those babies from a few years ago start to grow up. Harper and London Graham are now in school and have a little brother. Aiden Snowden has already won a golf tournament and been interviewed by the Golf Channel and both he and his little brother (Keegan) love hockey. The oldest of the four Ludwig girls, (Tyler & Taylor have three and Trevor & Holly have one) Sydney, is now playing soccer. The Schaafsma family grew by one this summer (Sullivan) and he has already watched his dad, big brother (Sutter) and sister (Sawyer) on the ice. Bottom line is Allen fans will be watching as all these kids grow up for many years. The current team has a new crop of children (Costello & Gill) for fans to watch grow up.
It was also fun to reflect on some of the "characters" that have played in Allen over the years. You know, those players the opposing fans don't like until they play on their team. Kip Brennan, Darryl Bootland and Garrett Clarke are great examples. Totally different on the ice than off the ice. Engaging, introspective and articulate guys who always had time for the fans.
The last four years have been unprecedented in minor pro hockey as the Americans have won four straight championships. You certainly can't reflect on the history of the Allen Americans without talking about Steve Martinson. His coaching prowess speaks for itself with 10 championships in 20 years as a head coach. He is a throw back coach who knows what works and is a great recruiter. I have spent many hours with coach Martinson over the last four years and it is clear he sees his job as winning hockey games and that drives his decisions. He has been a player, coach, general manager and owner and uses that experience each and everyday to help him win. He knows all the rules and how to use them to the team's advantage. A good example is managing the salary cap. In Allen's first year in the ECHL, coach Martinson submitted more than 250 salary changes to the league, all within the rules. The following year the league changed the rule to limit salary changes to 52. Contrary to popular belief, under Steve Martinson, Allen is not a team that breaks the compensation rules. If the truth be known, Martinson has won four championship under some unbelievable budget constraints that would have had most teams fail. He has dealt with serious problems related to travel, housing, insurance, medical care, equipment, benefits, and salary. All teams have budget issues but the issues in Allen were much more serious than elsewhere. It is a tribute to Martinson that he has been successful while dealing with the numerous budget/ownership issues over the last four seasons.
I also reflected on the many other Allen Americans fans I have gotten to know over the years. It is a tight knit group who truly enjoys everything the team has to offer. It is like a big hockey family. It makes you look forward to attending each and every game.
So there you have some of my reflections about the Americans. Maybe you have had some of the same reflections or maybe not. I just know for my family the Americans have been a wonderful addition to the community and have brought more enjoyment and success than anyone could have imagined. Looking forward to the start of season eight.
DID YOU KNOW: Tommy Daniels, Vice President of Broadcasting & Media Relations, is the only employee of the Allen Americans that has been with the team since its inception.
Monday, September 5, 2016
Weekly Update - Roster, Schedule Changes, Player Updates, Costello Records
The Allen Americans are now less than a month away from training camp and just 40 days from opening night. The past week has been kind of quiet but you can look for things to pick up after the Labor Day holiday. Coach Martinson is back in Allen, the players that live in the DFW area are getting together informally to skate, and the number of player signing announcements should increase.
- The Allen Americans roster remains at 12 players officially announced. - The 12 players include eight forwards (Chad Costello, JP LaFontaine, Dyson Stevenson, Kale Kerbashian, Kyle Neuber, Gary Steffes, Chris Crane, Tanner Eberle), three defensemen (Joel Chouinard, Aaron Gens, Mike Gunn) and one goalie (Riley Gill). There are many more players waiting in the wings to be announced and that should start this week.
- Coach Martinson always tries to get as many players as possible to attend AHL training camps as it is great exposure and experience. With the talent Martinson has recruited for the upcoming season (both officially announced and yet to be announced) you can anticipate a lot of players going to AHL camps this year. The majority will attend the San Jose Barracuda training camp but there will be players attending other AHL camps as well.
- The Allen Americans roster remains at 12 players officially announced. - The 12 players include eight forwards (Chad Costello, JP LaFontaine, Dyson Stevenson, Kale Kerbashian, Kyle Neuber, Gary Steffes, Chris Crane, Tanner Eberle), three defensemen (Joel Chouinard, Aaron Gens, Mike Gunn) and one goalie (Riley Gill). There are many more players waiting in the wings to be announced and that should start this week.
- Coach Martinson always tries to get as many players as possible to attend AHL training camps as it is great exposure and experience. With the talent Martinson has recruited for the upcoming season (both officially announced and yet to be announced) you can anticipate a lot of players going to AHL camps this year. The majority will attend the San Jose Barracuda training camp but there will be players attending other AHL camps as well.
- Heard the ice will be installed at the Allen Event Center starting October 1st.
- The Americans promotion schedule including specialty jersey nights should be out sometime this week. One area of emphasis for the upcoming season will be improving the game night experience for fans.
- The December 31st New Year's Eve game against Utah has a changed start time and will now start at 5:05 pm rather than the earlier announced 6:05 pm. Plenty of time to attend the hockey game and still get your party on. The January 16th home game against Missouri, which is the annual MLK game, will start at 1:05 pm. Times for all other home games remain the same with a 7:05 pm start except on Sunday's when start time is 4:05 pm.
- If you were planning on making the road trip to Florida in January the dates have been changed for the two games with the Orlando Solar Bears. The games were scheduled for Friday, January 27th and Saturday, January 28th. The games will now take place Thursday, January 26th and Sunday, January 29th. The Solar Bears play at the Amway Center which is also the home of the NBA Orlando Magic and from what I understand a scheduling conflict necessitated the change. In case you were wondering, the Amway Center has a capacity of 17,353 for hockey. The new schedule will give everyone a couple of days in Orlando between games to see the sites.
- The Allen Americans had 46 different players play at least one game last season. Here is a list of where some of them will be playing for the upcoming season.
Joel Rumpel - Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL)
Reid Halabi - Rapid City Rush (ECHL)
Ian Schultz - Edinburgh Capitals (Scotland)
Casey Pierro-Zabotel - Colorado Eagles (ECHL)
Vincent Arseneau - Wichita Thunder (ECHL)
Danny Federico - South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL)
David Makowski - Szekesfehervar (Hungary)
Thomas Carr - Gap (France)
Daniel Doremus - Manchester Monarchs (ECHL)
Nikita Jevpalovs - San Jose Barracuda (AHL)
Jake Hildebrand - Rockford IceHogs (AHL)
Jordan Rowley - HC Vita Hasten (Sweden)
Ayrton Nikkel - Lethbridge Pronghorns (CIS - Canadian Inter-university Sport)
Alex Schoenborn - San Jose Barracuda (AHL)
Kyle Follmer - Fife Flyers - (Scotland)
Mike DiPaolo - University of Western Ontario (CIS)
Chance Braid - Acadia University (CIS)
Jamie Murray - San Jose Barracuda (AHL)
Garrett Clarke - Orlik Opole (Poland)
- Here is another story, written by Kevin Kurz, about Aaron Dell being the back up goalie for the San Jose Sharks this season. As training camp approaches for the Sharks, Allen fans will be eagerly watching and cheering for Aaron to make the NHL roster. http://www.csnbayarea.com/sharks/dell-penciled-sharks-backup-now
DID YOU KNOW: Chad Costello holds the Allen Americans single season scoring record at 125 points which he accomplished in 2014-15. Chad also holds second place in single season scoring with 103 points which he had last season. Third place all time is held by Colton Yellow Horn with 88 points which he accomplished in 2010-11. Chad is no stranger to single season scoring records as he still holds that record for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL. The RoughRiders are a Tier I junior team that has been in Cedar Rapids since 1999 and have had 15 players go on to play in the NHL. Chad played one season in Cedar Rapids (2005-06) when he was 19 and had 76 points (31 goals 45 assists) in 59 games. His 76 points is still the all time single season scoring record for the RoughRiders. Incidentally, future Allen Americans Gary Steffes, David Strathman, Steve Kaunisto, and Phil Fox were also on that team.
- The Allen Americans had 46 different players play at least one game last season. Here is a list of where some of them will be playing for the upcoming season.
Joel Rumpel - Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL)
Reid Halabi - Rapid City Rush (ECHL)
Ian Schultz - Edinburgh Capitals (Scotland)
Casey Pierro-Zabotel - Colorado Eagles (ECHL)
Vincent Arseneau - Wichita Thunder (ECHL)
Danny Federico - South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL)
David Makowski - Szekesfehervar (Hungary)
Thomas Carr - Gap (France)
Daniel Doremus - Manchester Monarchs (ECHL)
Nikita Jevpalovs - San Jose Barracuda (AHL)
Jake Hildebrand - Rockford IceHogs (AHL)
Jordan Rowley - HC Vita Hasten (Sweden)
Ayrton Nikkel - Lethbridge Pronghorns (CIS - Canadian Inter-university Sport)
Alex Schoenborn - San Jose Barracuda (AHL)
Kyle Follmer - Fife Flyers - (Scotland)
Mike DiPaolo - University of Western Ontario (CIS)
Chance Braid - Acadia University (CIS)
Jamie Murray - San Jose Barracuda (AHL)
Garrett Clarke - Orlik Opole (Poland)
- Here is another story, written by Kevin Kurz, about Aaron Dell being the back up goalie for the San Jose Sharks this season. As training camp approaches for the Sharks, Allen fans will be eagerly watching and cheering for Aaron to make the NHL roster. http://www.csnbayarea.com/sharks/dell-penciled-sharks-backup-now
DID YOU KNOW: Chad Costello holds the Allen Americans single season scoring record at 125 points which he accomplished in 2014-15. Chad also holds second place in single season scoring with 103 points which he had last season. Third place all time is held by Colton Yellow Horn with 88 points which he accomplished in 2010-11. Chad is no stranger to single season scoring records as he still holds that record for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL. The RoughRiders are a Tier I junior team that has been in Cedar Rapids since 1999 and have had 15 players go on to play in the NHL. Chad played one season in Cedar Rapids (2005-06) when he was 19 and had 76 points (31 goals 45 assists) in 59 games. His 76 points is still the all time single season scoring record for the RoughRiders. Incidentally, future Allen Americans Gary Steffes, David Strathman, Steve Kaunisto, and Phil Fox were also on that team.
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Weekly Update - The Roster, Gary Steffes Story, Combs & Lavoie Head Overseas
Have had a lot of questions 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 season ending roster. For those of you who 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 some are not, so here goes.
- The season ending roster included 20 players. It did not include Jordan Rowley, Thomas Carr and Jake Hildebrand. Why weren't Rowley, Carr and Hildebrand added to the season ending roster? Many times when players are signed late in the season after they finish their collegiate eligibility (like these three) their agents negotiate into their contracts that they not be protected. This gives them maximum flexibility on where they can sign for their first full year of professional hockey. That is what happened and they have all signed elsewhere. Hildebrand in Rockford (AHL), Rowley in Sweden and Carr in France.
- Eight from the season ending roster have already been announced as returning for next season so they are easy. Chad Costello, Gary Steffes, JP LaFontaine, Dyson Stevenson, Kyle Neuber, Chris Crane, Aaron Gens and Riley Gill. To this you can add three other players (Kale Kerbashian, Tanner Eberle and Mike Gunn) who have played for Allen in the past but were not on the roster at the end of the season. Finally, the one new player to the team is Joel Chouinard which makes a total of 12 players announced thus far.
- If you recall, the Americans only gave qualifying offers to five players even though they could have by ECHL rule given eight qualifying offers. Eric Roy, David Makowski, Greger Hanson, Ian Schultz, and Matt Register were given qualifying offers by the Americans so unless they sign in Europe or get an AHL deal, their only option would be a return to Allen. Register is an exception to this rule as he is a veteran and can become a free agent if he doesn't sign with Allen. Makowski (Hungary) and Schultz (Scotland) have already signed to play in Europe. Eric Roy is the youngest of this group at 21 and has the greatest potential of making it to the next level for the upcoming season. He has most likely already signed an AHL deal and the hope for Allen fans is he has signed with San Jose. That way, if he doesn't make the AHL roster out of training camp he would be assigned to Allen. Greger Hanson is living in Allen so my guess is he signed his qualifying offer and will be back with the Americans next season. That leaves Register and it would appear he will be moving on but that is not a certainty.
- The other group of players that were not on the season ending roster are those players that were in Allen for the playoffs but were under AHL contracts. That is why Rumpel, Crane, Pinkston, Arseneau, Federico, Asuchak, and Jevpalovs aren't on the list. If these players don't have AHL deals for next season they can sign ECHL contracts with any team. Jevepalovs is under contract with San Jose for next season but the rest of the guys are free agents. Arseneau (Wichita), Federico (South Carolina) and Crane (Allen) have already been signed and announced. There are rumors that Rumpel has signed with an Eastern Conference team. That leaves Asuchak and Pinkston as the only two unsigned players. You have to believe it is highly likely they return to the Americans for next season.
- Veterans on a team are always a special case because there can only be four veterans (more than 260 professional games) on the roster. The Americans have already signed three (Costello, Steffes, Chouinard). Casey Pierro-Zabotel was a veteran last season but he has signed with Colorado. Matt Register and Tristan King were not veterans last season but will be this season. My guess is Tristan King is the more likely player to get that last veteran spot based on performance last season.
- That is everyone from the playoff roster with the exception of Justin Courtnall. Justin was traded to Brampton to complete a future considerations deal so he will not be returning this season. Thus far Courtnall has not signed with Brampton.
- Finally, you can't do a WAG post without mentioning Jack Combs who is also a free agent in the ECHL at this point. He has signed to play in Europe (Germany) and has already reported. While you want to put this in the highly unlikely to happen category there is always a possibility he could return to Allen. It will take a special set of circumstances but as long as his best friend, Chad Costello, is with Allen you never want to count out a Christmas surprise. Here is an interview Jack did a couple of days ago with his German team:
- 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 there will be a lot of familiar faces on the opening night roster.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Check out this story about Gary Steffes and his journey through hockey. It is a great read: https://blogofbrotherhood.com/
- As the 2016-17 season approaches, coach Steve Martinson is on his way back to Allen from his summer home in Illinois. He will be putting the final touches on the roster before heading to San Jose next month to attend the Barracuda training camp. There will be somewhere between 4-6 players from San Jose assigned to Allen so attending the Barracuda training camp gives Martinson the opportunity to observe all of the players first hand.
- One of the players San Jose will assign to Allen is a goalie and that will depend on NHL & AHL training camps. Goalie play is always a wild card so you never know who will be assigned. Jamie Murray, who played in four games with Allen last season with a GAA of 1.44 and save percentage of .963, could be the goalie assigned to the Americans. This is definitely a wait and see.
- It looks like at least half of the defensmen on the roster will be new this season but that was also the case last season. And coach Martinson is very pleased with the new defensemen he has coming in.
- A special thanks to Aaron Gens and Chad Costello for taking time last week to visit all of the Allen Americans fans at Heritage Ranch (where I live). They relived the run the the Kelly Cup, the celebrations that followed and also shared their thoughts on the 2016-17 roster. They were both informative and humorous.
DID YOU KNOW: Alex Lavoie played in Allen his first professional season (2013-14) and set the Americans' all time rookie record with 76 points (25 goals 51 assists) in just 60 games. For his effort he was named 2013-14 Central Hockey League Rookie of the Year. After spending a season with Florida and Indy, Alex has signed to play in Sweden for the upcoming season. The more open ice in Europe should mesh well with Lavoie's style of play.
- The season ending roster included 20 players. It did not include Jordan Rowley, Thomas Carr and Jake Hildebrand. Why weren't Rowley, Carr and Hildebrand added to the season ending roster? Many times when players are signed late in the season after they finish their collegiate eligibility (like these three) their agents negotiate into their contracts that they not be protected. This gives them maximum flexibility on where they can sign for their first full year of professional hockey. That is what happened and they have all signed elsewhere. Hildebrand in Rockford (AHL), Rowley in Sweden and Carr in France.
- Eight from the season ending roster have already been announced as returning for next season so they are easy. Chad Costello, Gary Steffes, JP LaFontaine, Dyson Stevenson, Kyle Neuber, Chris Crane, Aaron Gens and Riley Gill. To this you can add three other players (Kale Kerbashian, Tanner Eberle and Mike Gunn) who have played for Allen in the past but were not on the roster at the end of the season. Finally, the one new player to the team is Joel Chouinard which makes a total of 12 players announced thus far.
- If you recall, the Americans only gave qualifying offers to five players even though they could have by ECHL rule given eight qualifying offers. Eric Roy, David Makowski, Greger Hanson, Ian Schultz, and Matt Register were given qualifying offers by the Americans so unless they sign in Europe or get an AHL deal, their only option would be a return to Allen. Register is an exception to this rule as he is a veteran and can become a free agent if he doesn't sign with Allen. Makowski (Hungary) and Schultz (Scotland) have already signed to play in Europe. Eric Roy is the youngest of this group at 21 and has the greatest potential of making it to the next level for the upcoming season. He has most likely already signed an AHL deal and the hope for Allen fans is he has signed with San Jose. That way, if he doesn't make the AHL roster out of training camp he would be assigned to Allen. Greger Hanson is living in Allen so my guess is he signed his qualifying offer and will be back with the Americans next season. That leaves Register and it would appear he will be moving on but that is not a certainty.
- The other group of players that were not on the season ending roster are those players that were in Allen for the playoffs but were under AHL contracts. That is why Rumpel, Crane, Pinkston, Arseneau, Federico, Asuchak, and Jevpalovs aren't on the list. If these players don't have AHL deals for next season they can sign ECHL contracts with any team. Jevepalovs is under contract with San Jose for next season but the rest of the guys are free agents. Arseneau (Wichita), Federico (South Carolina) and Crane (Allen) have already been signed and announced. There are rumors that Rumpel has signed with an Eastern Conference team. That leaves Asuchak and Pinkston as the only two unsigned players. You have to believe it is highly likely they return to the Americans for next season.
- Veterans on a team are always a special case because there can only be four veterans (more than 260 professional games) on the roster. The Americans have already signed three (Costello, Steffes, Chouinard). Casey Pierro-Zabotel was a veteran last season but he has signed with Colorado. Matt Register and Tristan King were not veterans last season but will be this season. My guess is Tristan King is the more likely player to get that last veteran spot based on performance last season.
- That is everyone from the playoff roster with the exception of Justin Courtnall. Justin was traded to Brampton to complete a future considerations deal so he will not be returning this season. Thus far Courtnall has not signed with Brampton.
- Finally, you can't do a WAG post without mentioning Jack Combs who is also a free agent in the ECHL at this point. He has signed to play in Europe (Germany) and has already reported. While you want to put this in the highly unlikely to happen category there is always a possibility he could return to Allen. It will take a special set of circumstances but as long as his best friend, Chad Costello, is with Allen you never want to count out a Christmas surprise. Here is an interview Jack did a couple of days ago with his German team:
- 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 there will be a lot of familiar faces on the opening night roster.
OTHER COMMENTS
- Check out this story about Gary Steffes and his journey through hockey. It is a great read: https://blogofbrotherhood.com/
- As the 2016-17 season approaches, coach Steve Martinson is on his way back to Allen from his summer home in Illinois. He will be putting the final touches on the roster before heading to San Jose next month to attend the Barracuda training camp. There will be somewhere between 4-6 players from San Jose assigned to Allen so attending the Barracuda training camp gives Martinson the opportunity to observe all of the players first hand.
- One of the players San Jose will assign to Allen is a goalie and that will depend on NHL & AHL training camps. Goalie play is always a wild card so you never know who will be assigned. Jamie Murray, who played in four games with Allen last season with a GAA of 1.44 and save percentage of .963, could be the goalie assigned to the Americans. This is definitely a wait and see.
- It looks like at least half of the defensmen on the roster will be new this season but that was also the case last season. And coach Martinson is very pleased with the new defensemen he has coming in.
- A special thanks to Aaron Gens and Chad Costello for taking time last week to visit all of the Allen Americans fans at Heritage Ranch (where I live). They relived the run the the Kelly Cup, the celebrations that followed and also shared their thoughts on the 2016-17 roster. They were both informative and humorous.
 |
| Aaron Gens explains the Kelly Cup celebrations - photo by Dianne Webster |
DID YOU KNOW: Alex Lavoie played in Allen his first professional season (2013-14) and set the Americans' all time rookie record with 76 points (25 goals 51 assists) in just 60 games. For his effort he was named 2013-14 Central Hockey League Rookie of the Year. After spending a season with Florida and Indy, Alex has signed to play in Sweden for the upcoming season. The more open ice in Europe should mesh well with Lavoie's style of play.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Allen Americans Weekly Update - Roster, Ownership and Other Comments
THE ROSTER
It has been a busy week or so for the Allen Americans with Vincent Arseneau signing with the Wichita Thunder and Casey Pierro Zabotel signing with the Colorado Eagles along with the announcement that Chris Crane and Tanner Eberle have signed to play in Allen for the 2016-17 season. Then to top things off the Americans had a live signing at their open house event last Saturday as they welcomed back alternate captain Aaron Gens.
It has been a busy week or so for the Allen Americans with Vincent Arseneau signing with the Wichita Thunder and Casey Pierro Zabotel signing with the Colorado Eagles along with the announcement that Chris Crane and Tanner Eberle have signed to play in Allen for the 2016-17 season. Then to top things off the Americans had a live signing at their open house event last Saturday as they welcomed back alternate captain Aaron Gens.
- The Allen roster is now up to eleven players including eight forwards (Chad Costello, JP LaFontaine, Dyson Stevenson, Kale Kerbashian, Kyle Neuber, Gary Steffes, Chris Crane, Tanner Eberle), two defensemen (Joel Chouinard & Aaron Gens) and one goalie (Riley Gill).
- Chris Crane scored 21 goals last season which placed him third on the team trailing only Chad Costello (24) and Gary Steffes (22). Crane played in only 41 games before having a season ending injury. His .51 goals per game average was the highest on the team.
- Tanner Eberle returns to Allen where he originally signed in the 2014-15 season. Tanner played just five games (2 goals 2 assists) before he was loaned to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) and never returned. Last season he was scheduled to come back to Allen but signed a one way deal with the Iowa Wild (AHL). Let's hope the third time is a charm and Allen fans will be able see more of Eberle this season. Despite his lack of size (5'11" 185), Eberle’s speed and ability to hit have made him an effective two-way player. If Tanner can stay healthy (he played in just 45 games last season) he will be a great addition for Allen.
- Aaron Gens returns for his third season with the Americans and the two time Kelly Cup champion is happy to be back. There was never any doubt on his return. When Gens was not on the qualifying offer list that came out end of June it was obvious he had already been signed. It just took a while for it to be officially announced. I had a chance to ask Aaron about his return, his off season, the Kelly Cup victory last year and how the roster is shaping up for next season. Here is that interview:
- Coach Martinson reports he has come to terms with several defenseman and is in the process of getting contracts signed and approved by the league. He is very pleased with how the roster is coming together. Martinson will return to Allen from his summer home in Rockford at the end of next week.
OWNERSHIP
This will be the last ownership update for the foreseeable future for the simple reason that all potential deals have fallen by the wayside and the team will have the current owners for the upcoming season. You can never say with 100% certainty the team won't be sold because at the right price every team is for sale but the realistic answer is the team isn't for sale.
You may ask how will things be different for the upcoming season? I had a chance to meet Shawn Kuzmin this week. Shawn has been hired as the new CEO of Steven Brothers Sports Management and brings with him 20 years of sales, service and marketing experience working for some incredible brands including the Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Pistons and Florida Panthers. Shawn is responsible for leading the overall direction of all three Steven Brothers' owned ECHL teams (Allen, Tulsa, Wichita). From my brief conversation with Shawn it is clear he understands the challenges, issues and problems that must be dealt with in Allen in order to make the franchise as successful off the ice as it has been on the ice. I will have more details in a future blog post.
OTHER COMMENTS
- It is that time when the Allen players that live in the DFW area will start getting together to skate a few times per week in preparation for training camp. Per the ECHL. September 29th is the first day players can report to camp and the 30th is the first day for on ice sessions.
- Each year there are always a lot of questions from fans why players don't return after winning a championship and it is important to remember the reasons are many and they don't always relate to what happens on the ice. While some players use the opportunity to make more money elsewhere (especially overseas) other players don't come back because they are not offered a contract. Factors such as veteran status, salary demands, housing and insurance costs, off ice behavior and even if a player is a right shot or left shot impact whether a player is offered a contract. The bottom line is there are many reasons players do not return and on ice performance is just one factor.
- The Americans are putting the final touches on the promotional schedule for the upcoming season for those that have an interest. It will be posted here when it is official.
DID YOU KNOW: In the last ten days there have been over 60 player announcements around the ECHL. Fort Wayne continues to lead the pack with 23 players already announced while Norfolk has yet to announce a single player.
- Coach Martinson reports he has come to terms with several defenseman and is in the process of getting contracts signed and approved by the league. He is very pleased with how the roster is coming together. Martinson will return to Allen from his summer home in Rockford at the end of next week.
OWNERSHIP
This will be the last ownership update for the foreseeable future for the simple reason that all potential deals have fallen by the wayside and the team will have the current owners for the upcoming season. You can never say with 100% certainty the team won't be sold because at the right price every team is for sale but the realistic answer is the team isn't for sale.
You may ask how will things be different for the upcoming season? I had a chance to meet Shawn Kuzmin this week. Shawn has been hired as the new CEO of Steven Brothers Sports Management and brings with him 20 years of sales, service and marketing experience working for some incredible brands including the Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Pistons and Florida Panthers. Shawn is responsible for leading the overall direction of all three Steven Brothers' owned ECHL teams (Allen, Tulsa, Wichita). From my brief conversation with Shawn it is clear he understands the challenges, issues and problems that must be dealt with in Allen in order to make the franchise as successful off the ice as it has been on the ice. I will have more details in a future blog post.
OTHER COMMENTS
- It is that time when the Allen players that live in the DFW area will start getting together to skate a few times per week in preparation for training camp. Per the ECHL. September 29th is the first day players can report to camp and the 30th is the first day for on ice sessions.
- Each year there are always a lot of questions from fans why players don't return after winning a championship and it is important to remember the reasons are many and they don't always relate to what happens on the ice. While some players use the opportunity to make more money elsewhere (especially overseas) other players don't come back because they are not offered a contract. Factors such as veteran status, salary demands, housing and insurance costs, off ice behavior and even if a player is a right shot or left shot impact whether a player is offered a contract. The bottom line is there are many reasons players do not return and on ice performance is just one factor.
- The Americans are putting the final touches on the promotional schedule for the upcoming season for those that have an interest. It will be posted here when it is official.
DID YOU KNOW: In the last ten days there have been over 60 player announcements around the ECHL. Fort Wayne continues to lead the pack with 23 players already announced while Norfolk has yet to announce a single player.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Weekly Update - Rosters, Ownership And More
It is time for another weekly update concerning the Allen Americans even though there is not much new to report. Here goes:
ROSTER
The Americans have announced eight player signings thus far (Chad Costello, Riley Gill, JP LaFontaine, Dyson Stevenson, Kale Kerbashian, Kyle Neuber, Gary Steffes and Joel Chouinard). There will be another player signing announced at the Allen Event Center on Saturday at around 1:00 pm. Fans are encouraged to attend and chat with the announced player. The biggest news regarding the roster is that Vincent Arseneau has signed with the Wichita Thunder so will not return to Allen. There hasn't been a formal announcement from the Thunder but Arseneau appeared on a French language radio station in Quebec and said he had signed with Wichita because his good friend, Alexis Loiseau, had signed with the Thunder. There is no question he would have been welcomed back in Allen and you can be assured the players and coach were encouraging him to return. It is hard to argue when a guy wants to play with his buddy. I am sure Arseneau will miss playing with the best passer in the ECHL, Chad Costello. Best of luck to Vincent who was a fan favorite in Allen.
- In the past when the Americans have lost a key player they sometimes turn around and announce the signing of a key player. It will be interesting to see if this happens once an official announcement of the Arseneau signing is made by Wichita.
- I am often asked what players I think will be returning from last season. I would put Aaron Gens and Greger Hanson in the cinch category as Gens was not given a qualifying offer which means he was signed prior to the due date for qualifying offers (June 30). Hanson was given a qualifying offer and would have had to sign that offer by August 1st and you would assume that is what he did. In the most likely to return category I would put Chris Crane, Spencer Asuchak, Eric Roy and Tristan King.
- Whenever I have a chance to check in with coach Martinson he makes it clear he is spending most of his time trying to find defensemen to fill out the roster. They could come from guys on expiring AHL contracts, guys still trying to go to Europe but are not yet signed, players assigned by San Jose or they could be players that have played for Martinson in the past. Of particular need is right shot defensemen. Coach Martinson has lots of irons in the fire and will be firming up the defensive corp in the near future.
OWNERSHIP
It sounds like a broken record but nothing new to report on the sale of the team. The original group that was close to buying the team is no longer involved. There is another group that was pursuing the team but the more time that passes the more likely that doesn't happen. It is still a possibility a deal can get done but from my observation everyone seems to be moving forward as if there will not be an ownership change. This is definitely a wait and see situation but I would put the odds at less than 50-50 at this point.
OTHER COMMENTS
- If you have an interest in how all of the ECHL teams are filling out their rosters a good reference is the "Transactions" section of The Sin Bin website (thesinbin.net) where they have all players signed by team. It is very interesting with Fort Wayne almost having their entire team signed, all the way down to Norfolk who has yet to announce a player signing. Keep in mind these are the players that have been signed and announced. Coaches have very different approaches on when they announce that players have been signed. You can be assured there are many more players signed than the ones that have been officially announced. Here are the numbers by team with former Allen Americans in parenthesis.
20 - Fort Wayne Komets (includes Jamie Schaafsma)
10 - Indy Fuel
10 - Orlando Solar Bears (includes Trevor Ludwig)
10 - Quad City Mallards
10 - Toledo Walleye
9 - Alaska Aces
9 - Elmira Jackals
9 - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
9 - Reading Royals
8 - Allen Americans
8 - Kalamazoo Wings (includes Ben Wilson)
8 - South Carolina Stingrays (includes Danny Federico)
8 - Wichita Thunder (does not include Vincent Arseneau who has not been officially announced)
7 - Adirondack Thunder
7 - Brampton Beast
7 - Cincinnati Cyclones
7 - Manchester Monarchs
7 - Rapid City Rush
6 - Colorado Eagles (includes Darryl Bootland)
6 - Idaho Steelheads
5 - Florida Everblades
4 - Atlanta Gladiators
3 - Missouri Mavericks (includes Bryce Aneloski)
3 - Tulsa Oilers
3 - Wheeling Nailers
2 - Utah Grizzlies
0 - Norfolk Admirals
- A couple of players that gave Allen fits over the years have recently signed to play overseas for the upcoming season. Sebastien Thinel who played for many years in Odessa and Missouri and played in France (Grenoble) last season has signed to play in Scotland (Fife Flyers). Winston Day Chief, who has played for Rapid City for the past five season, will be going overseas to play in Hungary (MAC Budapest).
- The ECHL finally issued a press release on decisions made from their meeting in Las Vegas at the end of June. Here is the press release:
PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL announced on Thursday that the League's Board of Governors approved the following items at its recently completed Annual Meeting.
Transfer of Controlling Interest of Manchester Monarchs - The Board approved the Transfer of Controlling Interest of the Manchester Monarchs from Anschutz Manchester Hockey LLC to PPI Sports LLC, a group led by New England businessmen Marc Casper and Brian Cheek. Cheek will serve as the team's CEO.
Harris re-elected as Chairman of the Board - Ray Harris, Governor of the Cincinnati Cyclones, was unanimously re-elected for a second season as the Chairman of the Board of Governors.
No timeout following an icing violation - The Board of Governors approved a change to Rule #81 - Icing. In addition to not being permitted to make player substitutions, the offending team on an icing violation also may not use its team time-out.
New divisional and conference alignment - As announced last month, the Board of Governors approved a new divisional and conference alignment for the 2016-17 season.
DID YOU KNOW: Thus far there have been about 200 players signed and announced by the 27 ECHL teams. That is less than one third of the opening day rosters when over 600 players will be under contract. Lots of activity to take place in the next 50 days or so when players report to training camp.
- Whenever I have a chance to check in with coach Martinson he makes it clear he is spending most of his time trying to find defensemen to fill out the roster. They could come from guys on expiring AHL contracts, guys still trying to go to Europe but are not yet signed, players assigned by San Jose or they could be players that have played for Martinson in the past. Of particular need is right shot defensemen. Coach Martinson has lots of irons in the fire and will be firming up the defensive corp in the near future.
OWNERSHIP
It sounds like a broken record but nothing new to report on the sale of the team. The original group that was close to buying the team is no longer involved. There is another group that was pursuing the team but the more time that passes the more likely that doesn't happen. It is still a possibility a deal can get done but from my observation everyone seems to be moving forward as if there will not be an ownership change. This is definitely a wait and see situation but I would put the odds at less than 50-50 at this point.
OTHER COMMENTS
- If you have an interest in how all of the ECHL teams are filling out their rosters a good reference is the "Transactions" section of The Sin Bin website (thesinbin.net) where they have all players signed by team. It is very interesting with Fort Wayne almost having their entire team signed, all the way down to Norfolk who has yet to announce a player signing. Keep in mind these are the players that have been signed and announced. Coaches have very different approaches on when they announce that players have been signed. You can be assured there are many more players signed than the ones that have been officially announced. Here are the numbers by team with former Allen Americans in parenthesis.
20 - Fort Wayne Komets (includes Jamie Schaafsma)
10 - Indy Fuel
10 - Orlando Solar Bears (includes Trevor Ludwig)
10 - Quad City Mallards
10 - Toledo Walleye
9 - Alaska Aces
9 - Elmira Jackals
9 - Greenville Swamp Rabbits
9 - Reading Royals
8 - Allen Americans
8 - Kalamazoo Wings (includes Ben Wilson)
8 - South Carolina Stingrays (includes Danny Federico)
8 - Wichita Thunder (does not include Vincent Arseneau who has not been officially announced)
7 - Adirondack Thunder
7 - Brampton Beast
7 - Cincinnati Cyclones
7 - Manchester Monarchs
7 - Rapid City Rush
6 - Colorado Eagles (includes Darryl Bootland)
6 - Idaho Steelheads
5 - Florida Everblades
4 - Atlanta Gladiators
3 - Missouri Mavericks (includes Bryce Aneloski)
3 - Tulsa Oilers
3 - Wheeling Nailers
2 - Utah Grizzlies
0 - Norfolk Admirals
- A couple of players that gave Allen fits over the years have recently signed to play overseas for the upcoming season. Sebastien Thinel who played for many years in Odessa and Missouri and played in France (Grenoble) last season has signed to play in Scotland (Fife Flyers). Winston Day Chief, who has played for Rapid City for the past five season, will be going overseas to play in Hungary (MAC Budapest).
- The ECHL finally issued a press release on decisions made from their meeting in Las Vegas at the end of June. Here is the press release:
PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL announced on Thursday that the League's Board of Governors approved the following items at its recently completed Annual Meeting.
Transfer of Controlling Interest of Manchester Monarchs - The Board approved the Transfer of Controlling Interest of the Manchester Monarchs from Anschutz Manchester Hockey LLC to PPI Sports LLC, a group led by New England businessmen Marc Casper and Brian Cheek. Cheek will serve as the team's CEO.
Harris re-elected as Chairman of the Board - Ray Harris, Governor of the Cincinnati Cyclones, was unanimously re-elected for a second season as the Chairman of the Board of Governors.
No timeout following an icing violation - The Board of Governors approved a change to Rule #81 - Icing. In addition to not being permitted to make player substitutions, the offending team on an icing violation also may not use its team time-out.
New divisional and conference alignment - As announced last month, the Board of Governors approved a new divisional and conference alignment for the 2016-17 season.
DID YOU KNOW: Thus far there have been about 200 players signed and announced by the 27 ECHL teams. That is less than one third of the opening day rosters when over 600 players will be under contract. Lots of activity to take place in the next 50 days or so when players report to training camp.
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