Allen Assembles an All-Star Roster as Fans Prepare for a Unique Hockey Season

 

This year Thanksgiving looks very different than in past years. Many are struggling from a health and economic standpoint. Families are changing past traditions to stay safe in the face of the pandemic. I want to start by wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving especially those that have lost friends and/or relatives and the many that must work today including health care workers, first responders and other essential workers.

- With training camp officially opening tomorrow for Allen and the other 12 teams that will start play in December, I wanted to share what I know about the Allen roster and how things will operate this season. Obviously everything is subject to change and there is no doubt flexibility is something everyone should stock up on as the season proceeds. The one thing that is certain is nothing is certain.

 

- I had an opportunity to participate in a ZOOM call yesterday for the media that included Jack Gulati (owner), Mike Waddell (President), Steve Martinson (General Manager & Coach), Tommy Daniels (VP, Broadcasting & Communication) and four players (Spencer Asuchak, Josh Lammon, Alex Lavoie and Dyson Stevenson). 

 

- If there was a single theme that came through from everyone on the ZOOM call it was the safety of the players, coaches, hockey operations staff, front office staff, Allen Event Center (AEC) staff and fans is first and foremost in every decision that is made. Everyone associated with the Allen Americans both on and off the ice will be impacted. The second thing that was obvious is everyone, especially the players, is ready to play some hockey.

 

THE TEAM

It has been over 260 days since the Americans last took the ice at the AEC. It will be anything but normal when Allen is allowed to take the ice for the first time tomorrow. Players have been arriving and are being tested for COVID 19 and getting set up in their apartments which are brand new, very nice and close to the rink, just north of Allen Premium Outlets. If you want to checkout where the players will be staying it is called Magnolia On The Green and their website is magnoliaonthegreen.com. The players daily routine will be different this season as they will be asked to live in a "bubble" to avoid exposure to the coronavirus. Everyone in the bubble (players, coaches, trainer, equipment manager) will be tested for COVID twice per week. Nobody outside the bubble will be allowed in the locker room. The players will be asked to not hang around the locker room after games and practices. There will be a group of approved restaurants where those in the bubble can frequent as much as possible. The team has asked that if fans run into players or coaches at the grocery store, restaurants etc. you resist approaching them to make sure everyone stays safe. 

 

- Not all players will be on hand tomorrow, some are awaiting flights from Canada. Coach Martinson anticipates most players will be in camp and ready to practice by Tuesday.

 

- Training camp will be different from the past from several perspectives. Typically a lot of players miss the start of camp because they are invited to AHL training camps. Not the case this year as the AHL tentative start date isn't until February 5. The Wild have assigned five players to the Americans. They will start filtering into Allen as soon as Sunday. There will be some familiar names in this group and they will be difference makers for the Americans. There will be a lot of AHL caliber players on the Allen roster to start the season but that is the case for all of the 13 teams starting play in December. The quality of play in the ECHL this season will be stronger than ever. It will be like every team is an all-star team.  

- Coach Martinson is still getting calls from agents and teams trying to find available training camp opportunities. Bottom line is the roster will be fluid even more than normal. Martinson shared with me that Olivier Archambault will not be coming to Allen for the beginning of the season. He has also signed a free agent from one of the teams that is not playing. This player was the second leading scorer on his team. In his last season in junior hockey (BCHL) he had 104 points (50G, 54A) in just 58 games. 

- Tommy Daniels will not be traveling with the team on the road this season. The plan was for Tommy to be inside the bubble, travel with the team and broadcast the away games. However, the ECHL Board of Governors recently voted to have no broadcasters travel to away games. I assume this is for both safety and cost savings reasons. The good news for Allen fans is they will still get to hear Tommy's play by play of the road games, he will just be doing the broadcast off the video feed, back in Allen. You never know, you may be able to go to a watch party and see Tommy's broadcast in person.

THE FANS

- The 2020-21 season will be different for the fans and especially the avid fan. One of the best things about ECHL hockey is the access to players and coaches in many forms. Here are some of the changes:

- The season ticket holder lounge is not possible given the gathering rules currently in place. The room will be split in half with one side being for the Ice Angels and the other side being the media center. Because of the social distancing requirements the press box will be dedicated to off ice officials only.

- There will be no post game meeting with coach Martinson and the season ticket holders.

- If you play 50/50 you will be out of luck. "Chuck A Puck" will be a virtual event through DASH auctions.

- No post game autograph sessions with players. Mike Waddell told me there would be a process established for fans to get items autographed. 

- The area where the players exit and enter the ice going to and from the locker room will be cordoned off for the safety of everyone.

- The capacity of the Allen Event Center for hockey is limited to 50% but with social distancing the number of tickets sold for each game will be reduced to closer to 40% or just over 2100. With that said the team is selling single games tickets so if you are not interested in season tickets packages now is the time to buy your single game tickets.

  

THE ROSTER

Here is the roster of signed and announced players with jersey numbers. This will be changing day by day so stay tuned:

Goalies

#31 C.J. Motte

#39 Chris Nell

 

Defensemen

#4 Turner Ottenbreit

#14 Les Lancaster

#20 Ben Carroll

#23 Cole Fraser

#25 Nolan Kneen

#28 Cody Corbett

 

Forwards

#9 Braylon Shmyr

#10 Corey Durocher

#17 Jared Van Wormer

#18 Colton Heffley

#21 Jared Bethune

#26 Spencer Asuchak

#27 Zane Franklin

#40 Josh Lammon

#44 Olivier Archambault 

#47 Patrick Watling

#71 Dyson Stevenson 

#?? Alex Lavoie

 

DID YOU KNOW: The list below could expand a lot if Allen wins the Kelly Cup this season. Alex Lavoie and Dyson Stevenson could win their third championship in Allen and Spencer Asuchak could stand alone as the only four time champion. 

There are no players that played on all four Allen Americans championship teams but there are six (Spencer Asuchak, Greger Hanson, Trevor Ludwig, Tyler Ludwig, Brian McMillin, Jamie Schaafsma) players that earned three rings in Allen. Here is the list by championship season:

2012-13 - Trevor Ludwig, Tyler Ludwig, Brian McMillin, Jamie Schaafsma
2013-14 - Spencer Asuchak, Greger Hanson, Trevor Ludwig, Tyler Ludwig, Brian McMillin, Jamie Schaafsma.
2014-15 - Spencer Asuchak, Greger Hanson, Trevor Ludwig, Tyler Ludwig, Brian McMillin, Jamie Schaafsma.
2015-16 - Spencer Asuchak, Greger Hanson

The Allen Americans Rookies - Past, Present and Future

 

 Because the ECHL is primarily a developmental league with just four veterans allowed on the active roster, rookies play a key role. They also help with the salary cap as teams can sign great players at a low cost. The maximum rookie salary for 2020-21 per the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is $575 per week.

 

- Here are some examples of rookie contributions from the shortened 2019-20 ECHL season:

3 of the top 4 goalies in save percentage were rookies

4 of the top 11 in scoring by defensemen were rookies

3 of the top 8 in points per game (minimum 20 games) were rookies

 

- These rookies lead all players in 2019-20:

 

#1 - Assists (44), Tyler Sheehy, Allen 

#1 - PIMS (164), Kyle Haas, Fort Wayne 

#1 - Power play goals (11), Tyler Coulter, Rapid City 

#1 - Shooting % (30%), Gregor MacLeod, Toledo 

#1 - Save % (.932), Billy Christopoulos, Toledo

 

 

 

- Here are stats from 2018-19:

 

29 of the top 100 scorers were rookies

6 of the top 13 in scoring by defensemen were rookies

6 of the top 15 goalies in save percentage were rookies

 

 

- Allen has had its share of great rookie seasons. None better than last season when Tyler Sheehy led the Americans with 70 points (15 more than any other player). Tyler tied with Alex Breton for the league lead in assists (44), was #3 in points (70), and #1 in points per game (1.49). For his effort Sheehy was named the ECHL Rookie of the Year and finished runner-up as the ECHL MVP. Tyler recently re-signed with the Iowa Wild (AHL). Given the AHL is not starting their season until February 5, there is a chance Sheehy will be assigned to Allen to begin the season.

 

 

- Alex Lavoie just signed with Allen after spending the last four seasons playing in Europe. When Alex played for Allen as a rookie in 2013-14 he led the Americans in scoring with 76 points (25G, 51A) and was the CHL Rookie of the Year. Another rookie in 2013-14, Spencer Asuchak, finished #3 on that team in scoring with 56 points (21G, 35A). It was the season the Americans won their second CHL championship. 

 

 

- I want to highlight three Allen rookies coach Martinson has signed for the 2020-21 season, Jared Bethune, Zane Franklin and Nolan Kneen.  

 

 

 

Jared Bethune

 

 

JARED BETHUNE - Jared is a rookie even though he played for Allen in 2017-18 after he finished his junior career and before he started his college career. A rookie as defined by the ECHL CBA is less than 25 pro games. Bethune's road to Allen for the 2020-21 season is a long and winding one. He was born and raised in Fort Frances, Ontario, and moved to Warroad, Minnesota at the beginning of the eighth grade. Warroad is a small town of less than 2000 on the Canadian border that is a legendary hockey town. T. J. Oshie of the NHL Washington Capitols played high school hockey in Warroad. Bethune was a star in Warroad, scoring 84 points (31G, 53A) and was +87 as a junior and committed to play hockey at the University of Minnesota - Duluth (UMD). However, he walked away from his last year of high school and commitment to UMD to play junior hockey in Canada in the Western Hockey League (WHL). The first year in the WHL as a 17 year old didn't go as expected as going from high school to Canadian junior hockey is a difficult transition. He ended the season with 20 points (6G, 14A) in 61 games and had a plus/minus of -23. He went from a sure NHL draft choice prior to the season to being undrafted. Always known as a hard worker, Jared improved every year in the WHL and by his final season he scored 69 points (21G, 48A) to lead his team. After finishing his junior career in 2017-18 Bethune signed an amateur tryout contract with Allen and played in nine regular season games and seven playoff games scoring six points (1G, 5A). After the season Jared decided to go to college and has played the last two seasons for Queens University. In his first year at Queens University (2018-19) the team won their first Ontario University Association championship in 38 years.

 

What Allen will get from Jared Bethune is a bigger, stronger and more mature version of what they saw in 2017-18. A 23 year old power forward that is 20 pounds heavier (205) than when he last played in Allen. A guy who is willing to go into the corners to create opportunities for his linemates who also has the ability to score himself.    

 Check out this video from a skills competition when Bethune was 10: 

 

     

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zane Franklin

 

ZANE FRANKLIN - Franklin is another small town guy growing up in Marwayne, Alberta, an agricultural and ranching community of about 600 just 13 miles from the western border of Saskatchewan. He started playing hockey when he was four because as he says it, "There wasn't a lot else to do." Zane is another of a long line of Western Hockey League players Steve Martinson has recruited over the years. Franklin is a combination of elite scorer, gritty player and leader. At 5'9" 200 pounds his skill and grit made him the most popular player on his team. One quote I saw about him was, "Franklin is a pain-in-the-ass player that every team in the league would love to have." He was also the captain of his team (Kamloops Blazers) last season. 

 

Zane has always been an offensive weapon. As a 15 year old (2013-14) he had 89 points (47G, 42A) in just 27 games. In 2019-20, his final WHL season, he finished tops on his team and #4 in the league in scoring with 91 points (29G, 62A) in 63 games. 

 

If there is a player from the Allen Americans past that the 21 year old Franklin may remind you of a little bit, based on his style of play, it would be Darryl Bootland. 

 

Here is a Zane Franklin highlight reel:

Nolan Kneen

 

NOLAN KNEEN - The third rookie Steve Martinson has signed is another WHL product. Kneen is 21 years old and stands 5' 11" and 180 pounds. The right shot defenseman played in 310 games in his WHL career and totaled 139 points (28G, 111A). He was an alternate captain of his team (Saskatoon Blades) last season and is the type of defensman Steve Martinson recruits from the WHL. A physical player who is hard to play against, has offensive skill and can jump into the play. His Saskatoon coach describes Nolan this way, "He is a throwback, he is physical, he gets in a tussle here and there, he provides offense for our group and he has been good in the dressing room." 

 

Here is a video of Kneen from a few years ago that covers where he is from and how he plays. They refer to pressure of being a high draft choice. Nolan was drafted #3 overall in the 2014 WHL Bantam draft by the Kamloops Blazers. He played for Kamloops for four season before being traded to Saskatoon in 2018-19. 

 

 

- So there you have some info on the Allen rookies. Here are a few other tidbits about the group. 

- The "K" in Kneen is silent

- Franklin and Kneen were teammates in Kamloops for part of the 2018-19 season.

- Bethune's coach in Prince George (WHL) for two seasons was former Allen assistant coach Richard Matvichuk.

- Nolan Kneen's grandfather (Brett Kneen) played Junior A in the 1960's and was drafted by the New York Rangers.

- Jared Bethune is a member of the Couchiching First Nation

- Zane Franklin cleaned up when his team (Kamloops Blazers) announced its team awards after the season was canceled because of COVID-19. The Blazers captain won awards for inspirational leadership and ability, best plus/minus, top scorer, three stars and shared the MVP award.    

 

 

- There will most likely be more than three rookies play for Allen this season. The Iowa Wild have several rookies on their roster who could see time in Allen. It is unknown with the AHL not scheduled to start playing until February 5 what arrangements will be made for sending NHL/AHL contracted players to ECHL teams. With the ECHL starting play before the higher leagues there are cost and other issues that may limit how many players are assigned to ECHL teams. Some of the rookies on the Iowa Wild roster include the following names which could see time in Allen at some point in the 2020-21 season. The type of contract these rookies have signed could impact the likelihood they get assigned to Allen.

 

Kameron Kielly, Forward - two way AHL/ECHL contract

Phil Beaulieu, Defenseman - two way AHL/ECHL contract

Josh Maser, Forward - one way AHL contract

Hunter Jones, Goalie - NHL entry level contract

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Here is the top scoring rookie for each season since the Allen Americans joined the ECHL:

 

2019-20:  Tyler Sheehy, 70 points

2018-19: Braylon Shmyr, 44 points

2017-18: J.C. Campagna, 35 points

2016-17: Jake Marchment, 29 points

2015-16: *Eric Roy, 30 points

2014-15: *Justin Baker, 39 points 

 

*Defenseman 

 

Allen Adds Skill and Toughness, ECHL Issues With AHL New Start Date, Former Allen Players in Europe and More

 The Allen Americans made two big player announcements this week with the addition of forward Dyson Stevenson and defenseman Turner Ottenbreit. Both players would most likely had AHL deals if not for the pandemic. Stevenson played the entire 2019-20 shortened season in the AHL (Utica Comets) and Ottenbreit spent most of the season with the Iowa Wild. Two more examples of coach Martinson fulfilling his promise to have a more physical team in 2020-21.

Here is the current roster which is comprised of 19 players; 11 forwards, six defensemen and two goalies. As a group they have played 924 games with the Allen Americans and have 417 games of AHL experience. I have included each player's combined point totals from last season including all teams and all leagues.

Forwards

Olivier Archambault - 54 points (18G, 36A), 47 games (ECHL)
Spencer Asuchak - 32 points (7G, 25A), 47 games (ECHL)

Jared Bethune - 18 points (9G, 9A), 27 games (USports)
Corey Durocher - 25 points (9G, 16A), 50 games, (ECHL)
Zane Franklin - 91 points (29G, 62A), 63 games, (WHL) 

Colton Heffley - 18 points (9G, 9A), 37 games (USports, ECHL)
Josh Lammon - 27 points (8G, 19A), 54 games, (ECHL)
Braylon Shmyr - 16 points (7G, 9A), 34 games, (ECHL, EIHL)

Dyson Stevenson - 4 points (2G, 2A), 33 games (AHL)
Jared VanWormer - 37 points, (22G, 15A), 60 games, ECHL, AHL)
Patrick Watling - 34 points, (10G, 24A), 30 games, (USports) 

Defensemen

Ben Carroll - 24 points (4G, 20A), 30 games (USports, ECHL)
Cody Corbett - 12 points (4G, 8A), 48 games, (ECHL, AHL)
Cole Fraser - 8 points (4G, 4A), 36 games, (ECHL)
Nolan Kneen - 40 points (12G, 28A), 61games, (WHL)
Les Lancaster - 28 points (5G, 23A), 43 games, (ECHL, AHL)

Turner Ottenbreit - 13 points (2G, 11A), 47 games (ECHL, AHL)

 

Goalies 

Chris Nell - played for three ECHL teams last season, mostly with Atlanta. In 24 games with the Gladiators, Nell had a GAA of 3.56 and save percentage of .893.

C.J. Motte -  Motte started last season in Austria and ended the season in Great Britain (EIHL). He was statistically the best goalie in the EIHL over the 24 games he played with a GAA of 2.52 and save percentage of .927. 

 

- The number of players signed and announced by ECHL teams varies from a high of 24 (Kansas City) and 23 (Rapid City) to a low of six (Newfoundland) and seven (Tulsa). It is impossible to draw any conclusions from these numbers at this point.

- Here is my ECHL Stats and Information Facebook post from this morning which is a recap of current starting dates for the 2020-21 season by league with some great links for details.

Pandemic and tentative are the two most popular words in every professional hockey league press release talking about the start date of the 2020-21 season. Here are the best case scenarios on start dates by league.

 

SPHL - December 26 is the tentative start date with just five of 10 teams participating. Regular season reduced from 56 to 42 games. Here is the SPHL press release with the details including teams playing and those opting out.  https://www.thesphl.com/sphl-announces-changes-for-2020-2021-season

 

ECHL - Tentatively the split season starts December 11 with 13 teams playing a full 72 game season. Another 11 teams start January 15 playing a 62 game season. Two teams have opted out with more expected.

 

AHL - A tentative February 5 start date was announced just yesterday. AHL President and CEO said this about the new start date, “This gives us the best chance to have a significant season with fans in the building and we will see what happens here in the next two months.”  Here are in-depth details:  https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/30212221/american-hockey-league-pushes-start-season-back-feb-5

 

NHL - January 1 is still the tentative start date but few think it will stick because of salary and length of season issues between players and owners. Unlike the NBA and NFL who get substantially more television revenue than the NHL, without fans in the stands it is a tough go for NHL teams. Here is an in-depth story on the issues facing the NHL, well worth the read: https://www.pensburgh.com/2020/10/28/21537021/nhl-season-start-2020-nbc-pittsburgh-penguins-next-season

 

 

 

-  Here is another story, "Inside the pandemic-season plans for the AHL, ECHL and SPHL" with some more facts and information. This was written before the AHL changed their tentative start date to February 5 but still some good information:  https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/30197904/inside-pandemic-season-plans-ahl-echl-sphl     

 

- With the AHL season delayed until February 5 at the earliest, the impact on the ECHL creates many new questions. First, many players who were waiting in hopes of getting AHL deals are now scrambling to find ECHL teams. The 13 ECHL teams that will begin play December 11 have a real advantage in signing these players because the players are anxious to start playing and get a paycheck. I know coach Martinson is getting calls every day. He did caution there is a risk of signing too many of these players because of the chance of losing them when the AHL does begin play.

 

 

 

- Another issue that gets more complicated with the new AHL start date is what happens to the players AHL teams have already signed. Some have been loaned to teams overseas but many others are sitting at home training and waiting. Will players be assigned to ECHL affiliates and if so what are the salary implications. Will players on two way contracts (AHL/ECHL) and one way contracts be assigned? How will players on NHL deals destined for ECHL teams be handled?  It makes sense to have AHL contracted players, especially the younger ones, play and develop in the ECHL rather than not playing. But AHL/NHL budgetary issues may also drive decisions. 

 

 

 

- Another aspect of the pandemic relates to the issues between the US and Canada. You hear about AHL and ECHL teams temporarily relocating for the 2020-21 season. AHL teams in the US with their NHL affiliate in Canada are particularly impacted. The two ECHL franchises in Canada may have to temporarily relocate to the US for the 2020-21 season or suspend play. Seems like nothing is off the table at this point.

 

 

 

-  From what I have heard, training camp for the 13 early starting ECHL teams will be two weeks before the start of the season as is usual. If that is the case the first on ice day would be the day after Thanksgiving, November 27. Not sure if the league or individual teams will require players to arrive early for COVID 19 protocols such as testing or quarantining. 

 

 

 

- With the delayed start in the ECHL and an abundance of players available you wonder if the league might change the normal February 15 date for players to return from overseas to join ECHL teams. Some former Allen Americans are already playing games in Europe. Here are the stats on some of them:

 

Chad Costello - two points (1G, 1A) in three games in Norway

Colton Yellow Horn - seven points (4G, 3A) in five games in Romania

Dante Salituro - seven points (3G, 4A) in eight games in Norway

Daniel Leavens - eight points (3G, 5A) in eight games in Norway

Judd Blackwater - five points (2G, 3A) in five games in Romania

Travis Brown - two points (0G, 2A) in eight games in Norway

Stepan Falkovsky - one point (0G, 1A) in five games in Belarus

 

Yellow Horn and Blackwater are teammates

Leavens and Brown are teammates

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Dyson Stevenson seems like he has been part of the Allen Americans for a long time but in fact he has played only two full seasons with the Americans. He came to Allen at the tail end of the 2014-15 season and played just five regular season games but was a big part of the playoffs in the Americans first Kelly Cup championship. In 2015-16 and 2016-17 Dyson played the full season for Allen which included their second Kelly Cup in 2016. 

 

If you look at regular season stats since the Americans joined the ECHL, Stevenson is #11 all time in games played (126), #9 in penalty minutes (233) and #19 in points (55).

 

However, if you look at playoff games since Allen joined the ECHL, Dyson is ranked #5 all time in playoff games played (55), #3 in playoff penalty minutes (84) and #10 in playoff points (17) to go along with two Kelly Cup rings. Championship playoff experience that Stevenson brings to the table will be invaluable on the ice and in the locker room.           

 

 

 

 

To the Allen Event Center Rafters: Americans Retire Riley Gill's #30 Jersey

 

Riley Gill

 

The Allen Americans announced yesterday they will retire Riley Gill's #30 jersey in a ceremony at the Americans home game on December 19. Riley will join Gary Steffes (#12) as the only two Allen players who have had their jersey retired by the Americans. It is a deserving honor for one of the best goalies in the history of the ECHL. Riley's time in Allen began in 2014-15 when the Americans joined the ECHL and ended at the beginning of the 2017-18 season when he was injured. In Allen's ECHL history Gill's has played in a total of 175 games, 124 regular season and 51 playoff games. That is 121 more games than any other Allen goalie has played (ECHL only).

-  Riley was always good for Allen in the regular season winning Goalie of the Year, leading the league in save percentage and leading the league in shutouts. Gill had two 30 wins seasons during his time in Allen. With all of his success during the regular season he was made for playoff hockey. During his career he was in three Kelly Cup finals and won all three. For his first Kelly Cup (2013) with Reading he started the season in the SPHL and didn't join the Royals until the end of February. He went on to lead Reading to the Kelly Cup with a playoff GAA of 1.91 and save percentage of .930. His record was 13-3-1 and included four shutouts with two of the shutouts in the finals. For his effort he was named Kelly Cup playoff MVP.

 

Riley Gill - only goalie in ECHL history with 3 Kelly Cups

 

- It is clear Allen's two Kelly Cups in 2015 and 2016 had something in common. A Hall of Fame coach in Steve Martinson, a Hall of Fame goalie in Riley Gill and a Hall of Fame forward in Chad Costello. During those years coach Martinson would talk about how Gill would be at his best in the playoffs. This quote from Martinson captures what Riley brought to the Americans. "It's nice to know you have a veteran back there who can step up when you need him, he gives you peace of mind." In 2015 Gill won game seven in the Western Conference finals over Ontario and game seven in the Kelly Cup finals over South Carolina.  

Action Shot - photo by Dianne Webster

 

 

- Riley owns almost every Allen goalie record, both regular season and playoffs and several ECHL all time playoff records. Unfortunately his career was cut short when he was injured in his second game of the 2017-18 season on October 21, 2017. That would end up being the last game of his illustrious pro career. 

 

- The retiring of Riley Gill's jersey will be the first of other accolades to come his way in the future. In my view he is a lock to become an ECHL Hall of Famer. It will be difficult to beat his ECHL playoff records. Here are the ECHL career goalie records that Riley ranks #1 all time:

90 - most playoff game appearances: Allen (51), Reading (20), Kalamazoo (19).

5094 - most playoff minutes played: Allen (2771), Reading (1274), Kalamazoo (1049)

53 - most playoff wins: Allen (30), Reading (14), Kalamazoo (9)

11 - most wins in Kelly Cup finals: Allen (7), Reading (4) 

 

- Since 1996-97 when the Kelly Cup was first awarded, Riley Gill is the only goaltender who has won three Kelly Cup titles. His playoff games won record is most impressive. He has 53 playoff wins, the next four in wins have 43, 42, 31 and 27.

 

- In addition to being a great hockey player Riley is the type of guy that excels at everything he tries. He was one of the best golfers in the state of Minnesota when he was in high school and was undoubtedly the best golfer on the Allen Americans. He has been a scratch golfer in the past. He was also the best fisherman on the Americans, something I witnessed many times first hand. 

 

- After hockey, Riley and his wife Angie settled in the DFW area. They live in Melissa with their two sons, Jackson (age 5) and Hudson (age 2). Riley owns his own construction company, Riley Gill's Construction. His dad was a home developer so he grew up around the business and worked construction during the summers. Riley is also able to do some goalie coaching in the area.

Angie and Riley with Jackson (left) and Hudson (right)

 

  

     

Allen Americans Weekly Update - Motte Returns, Roster, Schedule, COVID Impact and More

Recently Allen marked the sixth anniversary of the Americans joining the ECHL along with six other teams (Brampton, Indy, Missouri, Quad City, Tulsa and Wichita) from the folding Central Hockey League. It has been quite a ride for Allen from winning the Kelly Cup their first two years in the ECHL to having the worst record in the league in 2018-19. In 2019-20 the Americans rebounded to be one of the best teams in the ECHL before the season was canceled in March because of COVID 19. Recently the ECHL announced play would begin again on December 11. The upcoming season will not be normal by any means. I am sure most of you have read the ECHL press release but it is worth noting some of the provisions and what they might mean:

- 13 of the 26 ECHL teams are scheduled to begin play December 11 completing a 72 game regular season on June 6, 2021. Allen, along with Florida, Greenville, Indy, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Orlando, Rapid City, South Carolina, Tulsa, Utah, Wheeling and Wichita are on the 72 game plan. 

 

- The remaining teams, with the exception of Atlanta and Norfolk who will not play in 2020-21, will tentatively start their season on January 15, 2021 and play 62 games. Norfolk announced today they were not playing in 2020-21 under the ECHL COVID-19 Voluntary Suspension Policy. Here is a story with the details of why Norfolk isn't playing: https://www.pilotonline.com/sports/norfolk-admirals/vp-sp-norfolk-admirals-20201020-bs3ud7ssbnc4ffa7slbkyllrmu-story.html

 

 - Standings will be based on winning percentage, not points earned. 

 

- It should be noted the plan as laid out in the ECHL/PHPA press release is a best case scenario and subject to whatever jurisdictional rules are in place when play commences for each team. There is little doubt, especially with predictions there will be a fall/winter surge in COVID 19 cases bigger than the surges last spring and again this summer, the rules will change in many places. It is hard to believe more teams won't end up suspending play for the 2020-21 season. 

 

- The biggest issue for each team is how many fans will be allowed in their arena given the city, county and state rules on capacity when play commences. ECHL arena capacities vary from under 5000 to over 17,000 and current local rules on capacity percentage allowed vary dramatically. If you have a 25% capacity rule with a 5000 arena capacity a team would be limited to 1250 fans which is not viable. Here is a breakdown of arena capacities for the 26 ECHL teams:

4794-5800: 8 teams

6200-8700: 12 teams

10200+: 6 teams

The average ECHL attendance per game in 2019-20 varied from 2267 (Wheeling) to 8090 (Fort Wayne). If a team has a low average attendance and/or a big arena the capacity restrictions will not have a big impact. However, teams with a big average attendance and/or small arenas will have big issues with capacity restrictions. Some teams will not be able to accommodate all of their season ticket holders under current restrictions. With some localities limiting indoor activities to as low as 250 and some at no indoor activities at all, you can see there will be problems in some locations if rules don't change. Canada still does not allow Americans to travel to their country without a 14 day quarantine. These border crossing restrictions for non-essential travel, first announced in March, were recently extended until November 21. Another potential problem for the two Canadian ECHL teams if the rules don't change.

 

- The Allen Americans are one of the lucky 13 teams scheduled to begin play in December but it will be anything but normal at the Allen Event Center (AEC). In talking to team President Mike Waddell the capacity will be just over 2100 per game to make sure everyone is socially distanced. If you have season tickets you should have received an email with all of the key information on how your account will be handled for the upcoming season and how seat selection will take place. The process requires action on your part and is much different than in the past for those that have always used paper tickets rather than digital tickets. Here are the details:  https://allenamericans.com/news/press-release/key-information-for-allen-americans-ticket-members/  

- Allen's first part of what is being called a split season entails 10 games (five home, five away) which start on December 12 on the road in Tulsa and end on the road in Kansas City on January 10. The five home games will be all in a row on December 18,19,26,27 and 31. Here is a breakdown of the 10 games which will be against four Mountain Division rivals:

Tulsa - (1 home, 2 away), the Americans were 7-3-0-0 against the Oilers last season

Rapid City - (2 home, 0 away), the Americans were 6-2-0-0 against the Rush last season

Wichita - (1 home, 2 away), the Americans were 8-1-3-0 against the Thunder last season

Kansas City - (0 home, 2 away), the Americans were 4-3-0-0 against the Mavericks last season 

 

 

Here is the current roster which is comprised of 10 forwards, five defensemen and two goalies. For the skaters, I have included each player's combined point totals from last season including all teams and all leagues.

Forwards

Olivier Archambault - 54 points (18G, 36A), 47 games (ECHL)
Spencer Asuchak - 32 points (7G, 25A), 47 games (ECHL)

Jared Bethune - 18 points (9G, 9A), 27 games (USports)
Corey Durocher - 25 points (9G, 16A), 50 games, (ECHL)
Zane Franklin - 91 points (29G, 62A), 63 games, (WHL) 

Colton Heffley - 18 points (9G, 9A), 37 games (USports, ECHL)
Josh Lammon - 27 points (8G, 19A), 54 games, (ECHL)
Braylon Shmyr - 16 points (7G, 9A), 34 games, (ECHL, EIHL)
Jared VanWormer - 37 points, (22G, 15A), 60 games, ECHL, AHL)
Patrick Watling - 34 points, (10G, 24A), 30 games, (USports) 

Defensemen

Ben Carroll - 24 points (4G, 20A), 30 games (USports, ECHL)
Cody Corbett - 12 points (4G, 8A), 48 games, (ECHL, AHL)
Cole Fraser - 8 points (4G, 4A), 36 games, (ECHL)
Nolan Kneen - 40 points (12G, 28A), 61games, (WHL)
Les Lancaster - 28 points (5G, 23A), 43 games, (ECHL, AHL)

 

Goalies 

Chris Nell - played for three ECHL teams last season, mostly with Atlanta. In 24 games with the Gladiators, Nell had a GAA of 3.56 and save percentage of .893.

C.J. Motte -  Allen announced the signing of Motte today. He was signed to play for Coventry in the top league in Great Britain but the league suspended play for the 2020-21 season. Motte finished the 2019-20 season with Coventry after starting the season in Austria and was statistically the best goalie in the EIHL over the 24 games he played with a GAA of 2.52 and save percentage of .927. The year Motte played in Allen (2018-19) he was #7 in the league in minutes played (2457) but #4 in saves (1485). Motte did great work with a .910 save percentage on the worst team in the ECHL. He should enjoy the 2020-21 season much more. Here is the Allen Americans press release on Motte's signing: https://allenamericans.com/news/press-release/goalie-cj-motte-returns-to-allen-after-a-season-in-europe/

 

- It talking to coach Martinson there is still uncertainty on when AHL contracted players will be assigned to Allen and how many. There are many players that were holding out for AHL deals now looking for ECHL deals. Look for a couple of those announcements soon from the Americans. 

-  While the focus is on the schedule and seating, the Allen staff has so many details to work out before games begin. Safety for fans and players will require significant changes for everyone. Flexibility and patience will be necessary by all involved. Clearly the player interactions with fans and the community will have to change. How much of a "bubble" will be employed in where players live, work and play? As someone who covers the team every day, everything from the press box to the locker room to the coach's office will most likely be off limits. Hard to see fans getting close to the players as they enter or leave the ice. 

- Many European leagues have started play but the rules differ a lot. A few examples on attendance limits as reported by eurohockeyclubs.com.

Austria - 1000 maximum

Belarus - 100%

Denmark - 375 maximum

Finland - 40%-60% capacity

Norway - 200 maximum

Poland - No attendance

Sweden - 50 maximum

Great Britain has suspended play for 2020-21 and Germany has delayed their start until at least December at 20% capacity.  

- If you grew up in Minnesota as I did and were a sports fan you never missed the column Sid Hartman wrote for the Minneapolis Star and Tribune. Sid died this week at age 100 after writing his column since 1944, the final one appeared in the paper the day he died (Sunday). After reading Sid's column my entire lifetime he has had more impact on my writing style than anyone else. He was often described as strong on reporting, not on writing. And yes I have a Sid Hartman bobble head next to my Steve Martinson bobble head. 

 

- Sid's loss was a big one for a kid that grew up loving Minnesota sports but then to have legendary NHL broadcaster Doc Emrick announce his retirement was another shocker. Here is a story that captures the career of Emrick and explains why he is so good at his craft:  https://apnews.com/article/sports-nhl-hockey-stanley-cup-finals-mike-emrick-1e48a3179967fc36ee5049a63b0ca202  

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: In Allen's first ECHL season (2014-15) the Americans accumulated 106 points on a record of 48-14-6-4 to win their division over Rapid City and Quad City by a sizeable 25 points. Allen went on to win the Kelly Cup. The 106 regular season points is the franchise record for points in the regular season.

 

 

 

Allen Americans Stats - A Salute to the Ironmen

When you look at ECHL player stats most of the press is devoted to goals, assists, points and penalty minutes.  Today I want to talk about in my opinion one of the more undervalued statistics, players that never miss a game. I call them the Ironmen and they are a special group. With limited rosters and salary cap/budget issues in the ECHL having a player that plays every game in a season is something special and valuable. It means playing with injuries, no AHL call ups and answering the bell each and every game. 

 

To give you an idea of how few Ironmen exist in the ECHL here are the stats from the last two full seasons. In 2017-18 there were 980 players in the ECHL for a least one game. Just 18 or 1.8% played in all 72 games. In 2018-19 there were exactly 1000 players and 27 (2.2%) played in all 72 games. 

 

I thought today would be a good day to honor all of the Ironmen in Allen Americans history. One thing to keep in mind is when the Americans first started in the Central Hockey League (CHL) in 2009-10 they only played 64 games before expanding to 66 games in 2010-11. Since joining the ECHL in 2014-15 the Americans have played 72 games in the regular season except last season. Even though the 2019-20 season was shortened and the Americans played just 62 games before the season was canceled, it was the first time in franchise history no players played in every game. Alex Breton and Jack Sadek played in 61 of 62 games. 

 

Congrats and stick taps to all Allen Americans Ironmen past and present! It is a very exclusive club.

2019-20 - None
2018-19 - Spencer Asuchak 
2017-18 - Joel Chouinard, Casey Pierro-Zabotel
2016-17 - Chad Costello, Joel Chouinard
2015-16 - Chad Costello
2014-15 - Chad Costello, Aaron Gens, Jamie Schaafsma
2013-14 - Spencer Asuchak, Daniel Tetrault, Mike Berube
2012-13 - Jamie Schaafsma, Jason Deitsch
2011-12 - Jason Deitsch
2010-11 - Colton Yellow Horn, David Strathman
2009-10 - Bruce Graham, Christian Gaudet

 

The 2014-15 Ironmen share the all time franchise record for games played in a single season when you combine regular season and playoff games. If you remember, the 2014-15 season was Allen's first in the ECHL. After a grueling 72 game regular season the Americans entered the Kelly Cup playoffs as an underdog. It took 25 games which included come from behind seven game series wins in the Conference Final against Ontario and the Kelly Cup Final against South Carolina for Allen to become champions. All three regular season Ironmen (Costello, Gens, Schaafsma) played in all 25 playoff games to end the season with a championship ring and the all time record of 97 games played. Quite an accomplishment.

 

Undoubtedly the most amazing Ironman story in franchise history belongs to Chad Costello. The future Hall of Famer will always be remembered for leading the ECHL in scoring all three seasons he played in Allen and exceeding 100 points each year. In 2014-15 Chad had 125 points and won the scoring title by 45 points, the largest margin in the history of the ECHL. With all of his offensive prowess his Ironman record in Allen is just as amazing. Chad came to Allen as an unlikely Ironman. As a matter of fact neither Costello or Allen coach Steve Martinson were sure Chad could even play. He came to Allen training camp in September of 2014 on a tryout, without a contract. Injuries in 2013-14 had limited him to just 14 games played and there was concern his career might be over. During training camp Chad assured coach Martinson he was good to go, a contract was signed and the rest is history. Costello ended his three years in Allen with two Kelly Cup championships, three regular season MVP awards (PHPA in 2015, ECHL in 2016 & 2017) and one playoff MVP award (2016). He accomplished all of this while never missing a game, regular season or playoffs in three years. He played hurt a lot and even declined recommended surgery to continue playing. In just three seasons, Chad played in 276 consecutive games (97, 96, 83). The Ironman of all Ironmen! 

  

Allen Americans Roster Update, Archambault Returns, Costello Signs in Norway and More

 The Americans announced their 15th player signing this week and it was the return of Olivier Archambault to Allen for the 2020-21 season. Archambault was under contract with the Iowa Wild last season but spent the entire year with the Americans tallying 54 points (18G, 36A) in 47 games.

 

Here is the current roster with each player's combined totals from last season including all teams and all leagues.

Forwards

Olivier Archambault - 54 points (18G, 36A), 47 games (ECHL)
Spencer Asuchak - 32 points (7G, 25A), 47 games (ECHL)

Jared Bethune - 18 points (9G, 9A), 27 games (USports)
Corey Durocher - 25 points (9G, 16A), 50 games, (ECHL)
Zane Franklin - 91 points (29G, 62A), 63 games, (WHL) 

Colton Heffley - 18 points (9G, 9A), 37 games (USports, ECHL)
Josh Lammon - 27 points (8G, 19A), 54 games, (ECHL)
Braylon Shmyr - 16 points (7G, 9A), 34 games, (ECHL, EIHL)
Jared VanWormer - 37 points, (22G, 15A), 60 games, ECHL, AHL)
Patrick Watling - 34 points, (10G, 24A), 30 games, (USports) 

Defensemen

Ben Carroll - 24 points (4G, 20A), 30 games (USports, ECHL)
Cody Corbett - 12 points (4G, 8A), 48 games, 24 PIMS
Cole Fraser - 8 points (4G, 4A), 36 games, 84 PIMS
Nolan Kneen - 40 points (12G, 28A), 61games, 58 PIMS
Les Lancaster - 28 points (5G, 23A), 43 games, 10 PIMS

 

 

- Here is a breakdown of the announced signings by Allen:

8 - Forwards

10 - Defensemen

0 - Goalies

2 - Veterans

5 - Rookies (fewer than 25 pro games)

3 - New players

12 - Returning players (have played in Allen before)

740 - Total games played for Allen

298 - Total AHL games played

24.93 - Average age

6'1" - Average height

193 - Average weight (lbs)

 

- The still unknown is what players will be assigned to Allen by the Wild. Martinson has consistently said it will be more than in the past. 

 

- Chad Costello has signed with a team in Norway (Stavanger Oilers). The league is scheduled to start this weekend with a maximum capacity of just 200. Chad will be one of the best players in the league for sure. Two other former Allen leading scorers are also connected to this league. Dante Salituro recently signed to play in Narvik which is in the northeast part of Norway. Chad's team is in the southwest, about 1200 miles apart. Alex Lavoie, who led Allen in scoring as a rookie in 2013-14 played in the Norway   league last season but is unsigned for 2020-21.

 

- After playing in Denmark last season, Zach Pochiro has returned to the US and signed with the Fort Wayne Komets.

 

- Coach Martinson shared with those that attended the season ticket holder event this week that there is a possibility that Dyson Stevenson could return to Allen for the 2020-21 season. Dyson spent last season with the AHL Utica Comets so I assume he is waiting to see what is happening in AHL before deciding on where he will play next season.

 

- With the Archambault signing the Americans have just one of their top eight scorers from last season returning for the 2020-21 season. A lot of offense to replace but coach Martinson is confident he will have another great team. 

 

DID YOU KNOW: When he was just 16 years old Olivier Archambault was the #1 overall pick in the 2009 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) draft. Two years later (2011) the #1 pick was Nathan MacKinnon who went on to be the #1 overall pick in the 2013 NHL draft. The QMJHL draft is a big deal as you can see from this grainy video when Archambault was chosen #1 overall.