More Subtractions and Additions to the Allen Roster, Idaho, Cincinnati and Kalamazoo Opt Out, Iowa Wild Depth Charts and More

 

The Allen Americans reduced their training camp roster by three yesterday with the release of forwards Jared Bethune, Colton Heffley and Patrick Watling. Seeing these players released is a reminder of just how competitive roster spots are with so few ECHL teams playing this season. All of these players are talented and will hopefully find a place to play but it won't be easy.

 

- You might expect the tryout players to be the first released but often times there are other issues that influence who gets released when. If you are going to get released the sooner the better as you have more time to find another team. Coach Martinson told me he released these players early after he saw the market being flooded with players from Idaho, Cincinnati and Kalamazoo. While options are somewhat limited I have seen agents looking for players to go overseas. For instance, the top professional league in Great Britain (EIHL) had suspended their season but recently received an infusion of over five million dollars to restart the season. Maybe some of the guys can find spots overseas. 

 

- As for the three tryout players, forward Larry Yellowknee has already left camp,  defenseman Dugie Lagrone is a local guy and not staying in the team apartments so he should be with the team through Wednesday when the opening day roster is due. The third tryout player, forward Jake Gricius, has impressed in training camp as evidenced by the fact that three other forwards have been cut and he is still around. It will be an uphill battle for sure but Gricius still has a shot to make the opening day roster.

 

- The Americans will add another player from the San Jose organization today as rookie forward Jake McGrew, a sixth round draft choice of the Sharks in 2017, arrives in Allen. Will have a complete profile on McGrew tomorrow.      

 

-  Here is the updated roster with the changes from above included. The roster shows two goalies, seven defensemen and 16 forwards. In parenthesis is the type of contract, 2019-20 team, nationality and age.

 

Goalies

C.J. Motte (ECHL, Coventry Blaze, USA, 28)

Zach Sawchenko (AHL, San Jose Barracuda, CAN, 22)

 

Defensemen

Phil Beaulieu* (AHL, Northern Michigan University, USA, 25)

Ben Carroll* (ECHL, Allen Americans, CAN, 25)

Cole Fraser (ECHL, Allen Americans, CAN, 21)

Nolan Kneen* (ECHL, Saskatoon Blades, CAN, 21)

Les Lancaster (ECHL, Stockton Heat, USA, 25)

Turner Ottenbreit (ECHL, Iowa Wild, CAN, 23)

Matt Register** (AHL, Iowa Wild, CAN, 31)

Forwards

Spencer Asuchak** (ECHL, Allen Americans, CAN, 29)

Corey Durocher (ECHL, Allen Americans, CAN, 28)

Zane Franklin* (ECHL, Kamloops Blazers, CAN, 21)

Joseph Garreffa* (AHL, Ottawa 67's, CAN, 21)

Jake Gricius* (Tryout, Portland Winterhawks, USA, 21)

Kameron Kielly* (AHL, University of Prince Edward Island, 23)

Samuel Laberge (ECHL, Sorel-Tracy Eperviers, CAN, 23)

Josh Lammon (ECHL, Allen Americans, USA, 25) 

Alex Lavoie (ECHL, Frisk Asker, CAN, 28) 

Corey Mackin (ECHL, Reading Royals, USA, 25)

Jake McGrew* (NHL, Spokane Chiefs, USA, 21)

Jesse Mychan (AHL, Esbjerg Energy, CAN, 28)

Tyler Sheehy (AHL, Allen Americans, USA, 25) 

Braylon Shmyr (ECHL, Guildford Flames, CAN, 23)

Dyson Stevenson** (ECHL, Utica Comets, CAN, 27)

Jared Van Wormer (ECHL, Allen Americans, USA, 28)

*Rookies

**Veterans

- As I reported yesterday three of the remaining five teams (Cincinnati, Fort Wayne, Idaho, Kalamazoo, Toledo) that have not announced if they are playing next season have made the decision to opt out. It is now official that Idaho, Cincinnati and Kalamazoo have opted out for the 2020-21 season. Fort Wayne and Toledo will play but rather starting on January 5th as planned they will now start in mid-February.

 

- Some former Allen players impacted by these three teams opting out include Chris Crane (Cincinnati), Colby McAuley (Idaho) and Jake Hildebrand (Kalamazoo).

 

- Some former Allen Americans are looking for jobs after being released by their ECHL teams yesterday. Defenseman Theo Calvas was released by Florida and goalie Evan Weninger was released by Greenville.

 

- Daniel Leavens continues to lead the former Allen players in scoring. Leavens is playing in Norway and has 22 points (10G, 12A) in 17 games. Chad Costello, who is in the same league as Leavens, has 14 points (5G, 9A) is 11 games.

- Here is a good breakdown of the Iowa Wild depth chart for goalies and defensemen. Obviously a lot of these players are intertwined with the Allen Americans roster both now and in the future. Worth the read: https://www.iowawild.com/news/detail/the-wild-wire-defense-goaltending-depth-chart

 

 

 DID YOU KNOW:  The Allen Americans open the 2020-21 season on Saturday in Tulsa. It will be the third time in franchise history the Americans will open against the Oilers but the first time on the road. Here are the results of the two times Allen has opened the season against Tulsa, both games forgettable but memorable.

 

2011-12 - Allen opened at home against Tulsa and got beat 4-1. Jim McKenzie scored the Americans only goal with just over a minute left in the game. Most notable in that game was a Gordie Howe hat trick by Tulsa's Gary Steffes who had a goal, an assist and a fight with Allen's Scott Langdon.



2014-15 - The worst opening night ever for Allen as they opened at home and got beat by Tulsa 9-6. Greger Hanson was the lone bright spot for Allen with a whopping 11 shots on goal, four points and a hat trick. Aaron Dell was in goal for the Americans and gave up seven of the nine goals. Whatever happened to that Dell guy? Actually, it was Dell's only regulation loss in the 12 games he played for Allen that season. By the end of January he was in the AHL on his way to the NHL.
 

  

A Week For Change - Roster Cuts, Roster Additions, More Teams Opt Out Plus Apartment Tour and Shoutout to Bloggers

Most of the Allen Americans players have the day off today as coach Martinson starts the process of trimming the roster to get down to the 23 or 24 players that will be on the opening day roster that has to be submitted to the league office on Wednesday.  

-  My best guess is the opening day roster will have two goalies, seven defensemen and 14 forwards. Remember, for the first month of the season there will be 18 skaters rather than 16 so four lines (12 forwards) will dress for games. 

-  Coach Martinson also has to factor in that another player will be assigned from San Jose in the near future and defenseman Kayle Doetzel is expected to sign with the Americans at some point. He is still at home dealing with family issues. 

- I have heard rumors that at least three of the five remaining teams (Cincinnati, Fort Wayne, Idaho, Kalamazoo, Toledo) that have not announced if they are playing next season have made the decision to opt out. If true, it means a lot of free agent players flooding the market in the next few days.

 

-  The bottom line is the roster is going to be very fluid from this point forward and the changes won't stop on Wednesday when the opening day roster is issued. This season even more than in the past will see a lot of movement of players on and off the roster.

- It is just six days before Allen opens the season in Tulsa. Because the team is living in their "bubble" the only change from the normal same day bus trip to Tulsa will be temperature checks for everyone before they go on the trip. The team usually doesn't take extra players on the same day trips to Tulsa so the temperature checks will probably have to be done before they arrive at the rink to board the bus. That way there will be time to replace players that have an elevated temperature. 

- The team apartments this season are at Magnolia on the Green which are on the west side of Highway 75 just south of Stacy Rd. They are behind some new retail stores including Chipotle, Lazy Dog, Starbucks and Spec's to name a few. The apartments are brand new and still look like a construction site. The Allen players were some of the first occupants of what will be a big complex. If you haven't seen it, here is a video of Josh Lammon and Les Lancaster giving fans a tour of their apartment. 

  

- I follow a lot of hockey bloggers, writers, reporters, broadcasters etc. to try to stay up to speed on what is going on in the hockey world so I can include content in the blog about more than just the Allen Americans. One of the many people I follow is Patrick Williams who, among his several gigs, covers the AHL for NHL.com and can be heard on the SiriusXM NHL Network. Patrick wrote the following on Twitter about bloggers covering the AHL but his sentiments are even more the case with the ECHL. I have gotten to know so many bloggers/online writers over the nine years of writing this blog about the Allen Americans. Starting with the Minor League Hockey Report and more recently with The Sin Bin, I have met some of the most professional, hard working folks and most of them do it out of love for the sport. The ECHL's primary media coverage in many markets is from these online sites. I want to identify myself with Patrick William's comment and double down as it relates to the ECHL. I added ECHL to AHL in this quote. I also will say for me personally I have always felt welcomed by the "traditional media" and they have been very helpful to me. My mentor over the past nine years is a Hall of Fame newspaper sports writer. What is true is 90% of the time the only media in the Allen press box is online media.

"I know traditionalists in the hockey business decry "bloggers," but a number of AHL/ECHL teams would literally have empty press boxes without online media and that is not an exaggeration."

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Here is a stat that helps tell the story of the talent on Allen's roster. If you exclude the rookies currently on the Americans roster there are 18 players with one or more years of ECHL experience. Of those 18 players there are 14 who have played in the AHL. In addition, three of the rookies are AHL contracted players.

Allen Has Their Goalies, Why All the AHL Contracted Players, News, Notes and Goalie Save Percentage Stats

 

A big part of the Allen Americans opening day roster was decided yesterday when coach Martinson released goalie Chris Nell. The Americans will start the season with two excellent netminders, sixth year pro C.J. Motte and second year pro Zach Sawchenko. Allen will have two top notch goalies to start the season who have played for Allen in the past.

C.J. MOTTE - Motte is a former ECHL all-star who was a finalist for the NCAA top collegiate player (Hobey Baker Award) in 2013-14 when he played for Ferris State University. After the 2018-19 season in Allen he went to Europe (Austria & England) to play. He finished the season with the Coventry Blaze in the EIHL and had the best save percentage in the league (.927). Motte suffered through the worst season in Allen history in 2018-19 but had respectable stats none the less. He had a winning record (18-17-4-2) and a save percentage of .910. When he wasn't in goal Allen's record was 7-24-0-0. There isn't a player that works harder and is more intense at practice than C.J. and it will be great to see him in goal this season with a better team in front of him.

 

ZACH SAWCHENKO - As a rookie last season Zach was assigned to Allen by the San Jose Barracuda (AHL). He played his first game for the Americans on November 2, a win against Rapid City. He played 13 games in Allen before being recalled by San Jose and was with the Barracuda the rest of the season. In the two months Zach was in Allen he was one of the best goalies in the league. He finished with a record of 8-2-2-1, a GAA of 2.35 and save percentage of .930. Playing for a last place team in San Jose, Sawchenko had a record of 6-4-2, GAA of 2.87 and save percentage of .911.  

- Coach Martinson shared that there is another AHL contracted player that will be coming to Allen from the San Jose organization. You may wonder why Martinson is taking so many of these players. There are several factors starting with the fact there will be two more skaters (18 instead of 16) dress for the first month of the season. Just as important Martinson can have three AHL contracted players that he doesn't have to pay for and don't count against the salary cap. The savings from this over keeping three rookies would be just over $10,000 so it is a wise choice given the financial straits ECHL teams find themselves in this season.  

- Haven't seen anything new about the five teams (Cincinnati, Fort Wayne, Idaho, Kalamazoo, Toledo) that still haven't declared if they are going to play this season. You would think the 13 teams that are planning a 72 game season would want to get their schedule finalized sooner than later. The Americans last scheduled game is January 9. With all of the logistics that go into planning for games, especially road games, a decision by the five teams that still haven't decided has to happen soon.

 

- It is hard to over estimate the impact COVID-19 has had on players, teams and leagues. I was surprised to find this when doing research for my ECHL Stats and Information post today:

Of the top 20 scorers in the ECHL last season only four are in training camp with the 13 teams starting play next week:

 

Eric Neiley , Jacksonville

Peter Quenneville, Rapid City

Tyler Sheehy, Allen

Spencer Watson, Indy

 

Quenneville, Sheehy and Watson are with the same teams they played for last season. Neiley signed with Jacksonville after Atlanta opted out.

 

The other 16 of the top 20 scorers are overseas, retired, unsigned or waiting to see if their team plays or opts out of the 2020-21 season.

 

 

 

- There was ECHL hockey last night for the first time in nine months. The Florida Everblades beat the Orlando Solar Bears 5-4 in a preseason game. There are two more preseason games scheduled tonight, Orlando at Florida and South Carolina at Greenville.

 

 

 

- If you are interested in Allen Americans gear, today is the day to stop by the team store and shop. Everything in the store is 25% off. Not very often everything in the store is on sale. Michelle Martinson tells me it is the best sale they have had and there is plenty of new merchandise. Tell them Barry the Blogger sent you and you will get absolutely nothing for mentioning it (I won't get anything either). Store hours today are 10:00 to 4:00.

 

 

 

- Here is an interesting article about scientists trying to figure out why youth hockey has had more COVID outbreaks than other youth sports. Part of the article says, "Ice hockey is an anomaly, Scientists are studying hockey related outbreaks hoping to find clues about ideal conditions in which coronavirus thrives and how to stop it. Experts speculate that ice rinks may trap the virus around head level in a rink that, by design, restricts air flow, temperature and humidity." A good read and food for thought no matter how you feeling about the dangers of COVID:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/12/04/hockey-covid-transmission-outbreaks/    

- It looks like the NHL is now aiming for a January 15 start date with a 52 or 56 game schedule. Here are the latest details and obstacles:  https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/30449238/sources-nhl-aiming-mid-january-start-52-56-game-schedule

 

 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Top 10 single season save percentages (more than 10 game played) in Allen Americans history. Games played in parenthesis:

 

.935 - Riley Gill, 2016-17  (43 games)

.930 - Zach Sawchenko, 2019-20  (13 games)

.921 - Charlie Effinger, 2009-10  (14 games)

.918 - Rejean Beauchemin, 2011-12  (33 games)

.918 - Marco Cousineau, 2011-12  (25 games)

.917 - Jake Paterson, 2017-18  (14 games)

.917 - Jeremy Brodeur, 2017-19  (39 games)

.916 - Aaron Dell, 2012-13  (44 games)*

.916 - Bryan Pitton, 2013-14  (43 games)*

.914 - Riley Gill, 2014-15  (50 games)*

 

*won championship

 

 

  

 

Complete Training Camp Roster, Allen Signs Forward Samuel Laberge, Mountain Division Arena COVID Capacities and More

 

Steve Martinson has added to an already crowded training camp roster with the signing of forward Samuel "Sam" Laberge (luh BERZH). Martinson had this to say about Laberge, "Sam is a big, strong, physical player that can also score goals. This signing gives us the right balance between skill, speed, size and toughness."

Laberge will be starting his fourth professional season having played two seasons with the Texas Stars and playing in the LNAH, known as the toughest hockey league in the world, last season. He played in the LNAH because he wanted to stay close to home (Quebec) because of family issues. 

 

Laberge played his junior hockey for the Rimouski Oceanic in the QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) and had 120 points (55G, 65A) in 166 games. His team won the QMJHL championship in 2014-15 and he was the captain of the team in his last junior season (2016-17). Samuel was the back to back winner of the QMJHL Humanitarian of the Year Award for his work in the community. He is the only back to back winner of this award since it started being awarded by the QMJHL in 1992-93.

After juniors Laberge signed with the Texas Stars (AHL) where he played in 97 games between 2017-19. He had 22 points (8G, 14A) playing for the Stars. 

 

Laberge had signed with the Adirondack Thunder for the 2020-21 season before they made the decision to opt out for the 2020-21 season. Martinson had recruited Samuel in the past so when he became a free agent it was a good fit. The 6'2" 205 pound, 23 year old left shot forward will provide both toughness and offense and will drop the gloves when necessary. 

 

Checkout this tribute video of Samuel Laberge which takes you from when he started playing as a kid to signing an AHL contract with the Texas Stars and includes his QMLHL championship and Humanitarian of the Year award. It is in French with subtitles and well done.

 

- Here is the current training camp roster which includes three goalies, eight defensemen and 19 forwards. Coach Martinson will start to make cuts after the Sunday intrasquad scrimmage to get down to the 23 or 24 players on the opening day roster which is due December 9. 

In parenthesis is the type of contract, 2019-20 team, nationality and age. Rookies (fewer than 25 pro games) are marked with * and veterans (260+ pro games in qualifying leagues) are marked with **

Goalies

C.J. Motte (ECHL, Coventry Blaze, USA, 28)

Chris Nell (ECHL, Atlanta Gladiators, USA, 26)

Zach Sawchenko (AHL, San Jose Barracuda, CAN, 22)

 

Defensemen

Phil Beaulieu* (AHL, Northern Michigan University, USA, 25)

Ben Carroll* (ECHL, Allen Americans, CAN, 25)

Cole Fraser (ECHL, Allen Americans, CAN, 21)

Nolan Kneen* (ECHL, Saskatoon Blades, CAN, 21)

Duggie Lagrone* (Tryout, Chambery, USA, 26)

Les Lancaster (ECHL, Stockton Heat, USA, 25)

Turner Ottenbreit (ECHL, Iowa Wild, CAN, 23)

Matt Register** (AHL, Iowa Wild, CAN, 31)

Forwards

Spencer Asuchak** (ECHL, Allen Americans, CAN, 29)

Jared Bethune* (ECHL, Queen's University, CAN, 23)

Corey Durocher (ECHL, Allen Americans, CAN, 28)

Zane Franklin* (ECHL, Kamloops Blazers, CAN, 21)

Joseph Garreffa* (AHL, Ottawa 67's, CAN, 21)

Jake Gricius* (Tryout, Portland Winterhawks, USA, 21)

Colton Heffley* (ECHL, Allen Americans, CAN, 26)

Kameron Kielly* (AHL, University of Prince Edward Island, 23)

Samuel Laberge (ECHL, Sorel-Tracy Eperviers, CAN, 23)

Josh Lammon (ECHL, Allen Americans, USA, 25) 

Alex Lavoie (ECHL, Frisk Asker, CAN, 28) 

Corey Mackin (ECHL, Reading Royals, USA, 25)

Jesse Mychan (AHL, Esbjerg Energy, CAN, 28)

Tyler Sheehy (AHL, Allen Americans, USA, 25) 

Braylon Shmyr (ECHL, Guildford Flames, CAN, 23)

Dyson Stevenson** (ECHL, Utica Comets, CAN, 27)

Jared Van Wormer (ECHL, Allen Americans, USA, 28)

Patrick Watling (ECHL, University of New Brunswick, CAN, 27)

Larry Yellowknee* (Tryout, High Prairie Red Wings, CAN, 20) 

- If you have ever heard Steve Martinson talk about how he constructs a team you know it is not a matter of just picking the best players. One of the sayings he often uses is you have to have players that carry the water and players that chop the wood. Getting the right balance of size, speed, skill and toughness is a big part of picking the team. If you look at the teams that have won the Stanley Cup, they typically are physical teams and that has been Martinson's philosophy over the years. He promised a more physical team than last season and that will be reflected in the final roster. One thing is sure, whether you are an AHL contract player or a tryout player, Martinson expects the same effort. While it is tough to make the roster as a tryout player, especially this season, it has happened before.

- With so many rookies and second year players on Allen's training camp roster the Americans are on the low side, compared to other teams holding training camps, when it comes to AHL experience. Allen's roster has 386 AHL games played. The 13 teams currently holding training camp have a total of 7115 AHL games played ranging from 1421 (South Carolina) to 70 (Tulsa).

 

- I tired to figure out where the Mountain Division teams stand with the number of fans that are allowed in their arenas. Wasn't able to find specific numbers on some so went with the general rules in place by the state or county. I wouldn't bet the farm on these numbers but I think they are close and will give you an idea of what the teams are dealing with.

Allen - 2150

Utah - 1800

Kansas City - 2000 (estimate)

Wichita - 25 (in place until January 9th when it could change)

Tulsa - 150 but can submit a COVID-19 safety plan for more than 150 to the Tulsa Dept.of Health 14 calendar days before the event.

Rapid City - no restrictions 

Idaho - Idaho is the one Mountain Division team that has not decided if the will play in 2020-21. The current rule is no indoor gatherings of more than 10 people. 

 

 

DID YOU KNOW: Allen will start the season with around 23 players on the roster but by season's end twice as many players will suit up for the Americans. Here is the total number of players utilized in each season since Allen joined the ECHL:

41  2019-20

45  2018-19

41  2017-18

42  2016-17

46  2015-16

41  2014-15    

Training Camp Update - New Additions, Cutdown Coming, Roster Size Increases, COVID Road Map and More

 

Training camp just started but it is already crunch time. In just six days, on December 9 at 3:00 pm ET, opening day rosters are due to the league office. With so many players in camp and more on the way the next few days will be critical. Coach Martinson is planning a intrasquad game type of practice on Sunday and by Monday you will see the roster being trimmed. 

 

- For the first month of the season teams will be allowed to play two extra players, 18 skaters rather than 16. You can expect to see four lines and six defensemen dressing for games. As for the total number of players on the opening day roster it should be 23 or 24.

 

- Two more AHL contracted players have been assigned to Allen and coach Martinson has signed a free agent forward that will be announced today. The AHL contracted players are Joseph Garrefa from the San Jose Barracuda and Kameron Kielly from the Iowa Wild:

 

JOESEPH "JOE" CARREFFA" - This is what the Barracuda said in their press release when they signed Garrefa in May. Joseph is a highly competitive, dynamic player who makes plays and creates offense at a high tempo and we’re excited for him to join the organization.

In a shortened 2019-20 season, Garreffa, 20, finished seventh in the Ontario Hockey League in points with 90 (36 goals, 54 assists), sixth in plus/minus (+48) and tied for third in points-per-game (1.82) as a member of the Ottawa 67’s. Over a five-year career in the OHL, with Ottawa and the Kitchener Rangers, the five-foot-seven, 176-pound Toronto, Ontario, native totaled 315 points (108 goals, 207 assists), 34 penalty minutes and plus-13 rating.

Here is a video interview with Garreffa that is 28 minutes long but gives you an idea of what Allen is getting including including how a 5'7" 176 pound forward also plays defense.

 

 

 

KAMERON "KAM" KIELLY - This is from the Iowa Wild press release when Kameron was signed in July:

A 6-foot, 181 pound forward, Kielly joins the organization after three years at the University Of Prince Edward Island (UPEI). A Charlottetown, P.E.I. native, he posted 42 points in 2019-20, including a career-high 17 goals. The 23-year-old (12/13/96) finished fourth in USports scoring this past season, and was selected to the USports Second All-Star Team in each of the last two years. From 2013-2017, Kielly racked up 196 points (75g, 121a) in 246 contests with the Charlottetown Islanders of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). 

The best description of Kielly would be a player that can play in both ends of the ice in all situations. A two-way forward who can contribute on the scoresheet, play on the power play, kill penalties and shadow the top players on the opposing team.

Here is an interview with Kameron from about a year ago during which he shares his parents were both varsity athletes at UPEI:

 

- Another interview with Kameron, a get to know you interview: https://usports.ca/en/sports/hockey/m/news/2019/07/3873375571/getting-to-know-kameron-kielly-upei-panthers

 

-  Nothing new to report on the five teams (Cincinnati, Fort Wayne, Idaho, Kalamazoo, Toledo) that still haven't declared if they are going to play this season. With the pandemic numbers increasing each day and predicted to get worse, if these five teams are hoping current restrictions will be relaxed that seems unlikely. The more time that passes it seems the more likely most or all of these teams will opt out for the 2020-21 season.

- I have been getting several questions about COVID-19 protocols for the upcoming season. The Americans have put together a COVID road map that is very comprehensive which includes many questions and answers. I encourage everyone to take the time to go through this document: https://allenamericans.com/covid-19-roadmap/

Here are some highlights:

CASHLESS PAYMENT

• The Allen Americans and the Allen Event Center have transformed the AEC into a cashless environment for the 2020-21 season.This includes all ticketing,, food & beverage, and merchandise at the Allen Americans Team Store. As with in the main arena, masks must be worn at all times in the concourse and when shopping in the team store.

 

ARENA SANITATION

• A dedicated sanitation team will be present throughout events, continuously cleaning all high touch surfaces throughout the Allen Event Center. Additional deep cleanings will be performed between events.
• Hand sanitizing stations will be placed throughout the AEC. Guests are also encouraged to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds when using the restroom
  

 

SOCIALLY DISTANT SEATING & COMMUNITY AREAS

• Please respect the space of others; keep six (6) feet apart when possible.
• The Americans have recreated its existing facility seating manifest to allow for proper distancing, thus decreasing overall arena capacity, per State and Local Health Guidelines. The Temporary Seating locations for Season Ticket Members will be in effect until further notice.
• Seats will remain vacant to maintain proper distancing between familial parties. No guests will have other guests seated in the seats in front, behind, or within three (3) seats on either side of their reserved seats.
• Group and hospitality areas will operate with reduced capacity to promote proper distancing.
• Due to State and Local Health Restrictions and Social Distancing Requirements, there will be no Season Ticket Member Lounge until further notice.

LOCKER ROOM & ON-ICE PERSONNEL

• In order to ensure all players are placed in the safest conditions the clubs will work with the ECHL and its member teams to implement the following standards:
  • • Increased cleanliness in the home and visiting clubhouses.
    • Additional restrictions on clubhouse access – media and front office staff are likely to be prohibited.
    • Buffet-style food service will be discontinued and all utensils must be pre-packaged.
    • Limitations on the use of commonly “spit” items, including, but not limited to seeds, gum and peanuts.
• The Americans will follow the guidance of the ECHL regarding player and on-field personnel health and safety, including travel, fan/media interaction, dugouts, etc. At no times should any member of the public come within six (6) feet of ECHL Players, at the arena, or in the Community. Keeping our team covid safe ensures that we will play a complete 2020-21 season.

 

AEC ENTRY / EXIT

• The Americans will work with local law enforcement to encourage proper distancing upon entry, including, without limitation, walkways and sidewalks leading to AEC entrances.
• Stanchions and/or spacing markers will promote proper distancing between customers waiting in lines.
• Additional gates (where applicable) will be utilized to create more space amongst customers entering the arena.
• Security wanding that places employees within 6 feet of customers will be replaced by new security protocols.

 

Bag Policy

• The Allen Event Center’s clear bag policy remains in effect. However, guests are encouraged to avoid bringing bags if possible, to reduce contact with personal items during security checks.

FAN EXPERIENCE

Kids Zone

• The Americans will not operate traditional kids zone attractions such as bounce houses. Etc. during the 2020-21 season
• Other attractions that allow for proper distancing will be subject to heightened safety standards, including disinfecting between users and proper distancing while waiting in line.
• Stanchions and/or spacing markers will promote proper distancing between customers waiting in lines on the main concourse.

Restrooms

• Doors will be propped open to encourage touchless entry/exit.
• Restrooms will be sanitized frequently with disinfectant along all surfaces and an enzyme solution will be applied to all surfaces at the conclusion of each homestand.
• The Americans shall work in conjunction with its various partners to evaluate touchless enhancements, including motion-sensor dispensers and flush valves.

Team Store

• The Americans shall limit the number of people allowed inside the team store based on current social distancing guidelines.
• Masks must be worn in the team store at all times, with no exceptions. If you cannot wear a mask, please have someone shop for you.
• Stanchions and/or spacing markers will promote proper distancing between customers waiting in line and walking through the store.

Promotions/On-Ice Activities

• Autograph sessions with players will not be permitted during the 2020-21 season. If you have an autograph request, please email it to the attention of Casey Rusnak at cr@allenamericans.com
• Players will not be permitted to throw pucks or other items into seating areas. The Chuck-A-Puck Promotion will be done digitally in 2020-21 through the club’s DASH Auction platform.
• All intermission promotions will abide by proper distancing guidelines.
• Zamboni Rides have been cancelled for the 2020-21 season.

Martinson Post-Game Press Conference

• Head Coach Steve Martinson’s season ticket member post-game press conference will now be held via zoom only.

Fan High-Five Tunnel

• There will not be a player high five tunnel this season after the players come on and off the ice. Please refrain from coming within six (6) feet of the athletes at any time.

Medical Services

• The Americans will work closely with its community medical partners to implement stringent protocols in place for medical services at all AEC events.

 

FOOD AND BEVERAGE POLICIES

Allen Event Center’s Food & Beverage team has completed ServeSafe’s COVID-19 training. This program prepares foodservice workers to deliver safe dining experiences for their guests while also keeping themselves safe.

Additional policies and procedures include:

• All food and beverage transactions will now be cashless and contactless. Only major credit cards, debit cards and mobile pay will be accepted.
• Point of Sale registers have been properly spaced to allow for social distancing.
• Sneeze guards have been added at purchase points to provide a safe barrier between guests and employees.
• Condiment, silverware and drink straw stations have been eliminated and replaced with pre-packaged options upon request.
• To serve safer product selections and hopefully reduce wait times in line, a limited menu of fan favorites will be available at all food stands.
• Souvenir Cup drink refills will no longer be available.

 

DID YOU KNOW: The Allen Americans opening day roster may be the strongest in team history. However, the Americans may break camp with seven rookies and four second year players on the roster.

Training Camp Update - More AHL Contract Players Assigned, Tryout Players Plus Icemen Adding to Ownership Group Reminiscent of Allen in 2012

 

Training camp swung into high gear yesterday as the scrimmage coach Martinson promised was competitive and spirited. The blue and white teams looked to be divided equally by size and skill. There will be more of the same today as coach Martinson will have to start making roster decisions soon.

- There are three tryout players in camp, Duggie Lagrone who is a local player that played two games with Allen in 2018-19, forward Jake Gricius who is a rookie that played for the Portland Winterhawks in the Western Hockey League and Larry Yellowknee, another rookie forward who played in the GMHL (Greater Metro Jr. A Hockey League). It is always hard to make the team as a tryout player and this season the task is even more unlikely. 

- Coach Martinson shared more AHL contracted players have arrived and will join practice as soon has they get COVID tested and complete their physicals. Here are the names Martinson provided:

 

Zach Sawchenko - Zach is a goalie in the San Jose Sharks organization. He spent the early part of the 2019-20 season in Allen. Sawchenko played in 13 games with a record of 8-2-3, a GAA of 2.35 and save percentage of .930.

 

 Phil Beaulieu - Phil is a rookie who signed with the Iowa Wild in July. Here is the Iowa press release issued when Phil signed: 24 years old (9/2/95), turned pro after four seasons at Northern Michigan University (NMU) where he compiled 121 points in 158 career games. Listed at 5-foot-11, 187 pounds, Beaulieu led the Wildcats with 19 assists in 2019-20, and finished fifth overall in points (25), while serving as team captain. As a sophomore in 2017-18, the Duluth, Minn. native was named a CCM / ACHA Second Team All-American, the 17th All-American in Wildcats history, and the first since 2010. 

Phil will join some well known former Allen players who were NMU grads. Greger Hanson, Phil Fox and Kyle Follmer all played their collegiate hockey at Northern Michigan.

 

Jesse Mychan -  Another Iowa contracted player who signed with the Wild in July. Here is his background from the Iowa press release: 28 years old (7/02/92), spent the majority of the last two seasons in Denmark with the Esbjerg Energy. In 2019-20, Mychan scored 11 goals and added eight assists to go along with 58 PIM in 46 games. A 6-foot-2, 203 pound winger, Mychan has logged 10 AHL games in his career, spending time with Portland, San Jose and San Antonio. A native of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Mychan has also played in overseas in Wales, Germany and Austria. A seven-year-pro, Mychan has also compiled 135 points (80g, 55a) in 195 career ECHL games, all with Colorado from 2013-2018.

Allen fans will remember Jesse from his time with the Colorado Eagles. In 2016-17 he led the ECHL in goals with 32 and also had 169 penalty minutes. A skilled player that is tough to play against.

 

 - There are two more contract players that should arrive in Allen before weeks end. No doubt this will be an ECHL all-star team when the Allen season starts. 

 

-  The saga of the five teams (Cincinnati, Fort Wayne, Idaho, Kalamazoo, Toledo) that still haven't declared if they are going to play this season continues. Nothing new to report other than more calls will take place today.

 

- I saw this post by writer/broadcaster Andrew Zadarnowski who I have gotten to know a little bit this off season when I used some of his stats and information. Andrew posted this recently and it captures where the ECHL stands right now and the possibilities that lay ahead. "All risks aside, the ECHL has positioned itself as the only pro hockey game in town. Good opportunity to grow the visibility of the league among casual fans who are looking for their sports fix. The quality of play should be at its highest, with lots of AHL and NHL talent."  

- The Jacksonville Icemen announced yesterday they have added three new additions to their ownership group, all football players. Former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Tim Tebow, current Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Myles Jack and former Jaguars defensive end join a large group of  20 local business leaders and sports professionals to join the Icemen's ownership group. Here are the details: https://www.jacksonvilleicemen.com/en/news/december-2020/icemen-announce-additions-to-ownership-team

 

DID YOU KNOW: Jacksonville adding sports professionals to their ownership group is reminiscent of what the Allen Americans did in May of 2012. It was a much bolder move as owner Doug Miller brought in four Stanley Cup winners from the Dallas Stars to the Allen leadership team, Mike Modano, Ed Belfour, Craig Ludwig and Richard Matvichuk. The group moved quickly and fired coach Dwight Mullins and hired Steve Martinson. The new minority ownership group proved successful with the hiring of Martinson as the Americans went on to win their first championship that season (2012-13). The group soon fell apart, with some hard feelings, when owner Doug Miller ran into financial problems but it was a great time while it lasted on the ice and in the community with the attention these four Stanley Cup winners brought to the Americans. And of course Steve Martinson went on to win four straight championships. 

Here is the press release from May 4, 2012 which will bring back these memories. Check out the photo of the group:  https://www.mckinneyonline.com/sports/former-members-of-stanley-cup-winning-dallas-stars-join-allen-americans-leadership/ 

Training Camp Update, Archambault Suspended, Matt Register's Hall of Fame Stats, News and Notes

 

Today is the "official" start of training camp which means the majority of players have arrived, been tested and had their physicals. While a few more players will arrive over the next few days to bring the total in camp to the high 20's the vast majority of the players are in Allen. From what I have heard from coach Martinson a lot of practice time this week will be devoted to scrimmages which is the best way for him to assess what he has. Martinson always says what you have done in the past gets you to training camp but once you arrive the slate is clean and everyone is competing for roster spots. Needless to say, with so few jobs available in the ECHL and so many players looking for jobs, this training camp will be very competitive.

- I received a lot of questions after the ECHL transactions came out yesterday showing Olivier Archambault had been suspended by the Americans. This is a move Martinson made because Archambault is not coming to Allen until sometime later. He is not leaving the team, he is not signing elsewhere, there is nothing more than he is reporting later.

 

THE ROSTER

- The only change to the roster since yesterday is the announcement about Archambault being suspended. Another player (AHL contracted) was supposed to arrive yesterday along with a tryout player. Both players should be announced today. 

Here is the current roster which includes two goalies, six defensemen and 13 forwards. There are 11 players on the roster that played in Allen last season and 16 of the 21 have played for Allen at some point in their career.

 

Goalies

#31 C.J. Motte

#39 Chris Nell

 

Defensemen

#4 Turner Ottenbreit

#14 Les Lancaster

#20 Ben Carroll

#23 Cole Fraser

#25 Nolan Kneen

#43 Matt Register

 

Forwards

#9 Braylon Shmyr

#10 Corey Durocher

#15 Corey Mackin

#17 Jared Van Wormer

#18 Colton Heffley

#19 Alex Lavoie

#21 Jared Bethune

#22 Tyler Sheehy

#26 Spencer Asuchak

#27 Zane Franklin

#40 Josh Lammon

#47 Patrick Watling

#71 Dyson Stevenson 

- There was no announcement yesterday about the five teams (Cincinnati, Fort Wayne, Idaho, Kalamazoo, Toledo) that supposedly had until November 30 to declare if they were going to play this season. Justin Cohn, a reporter for the The Journal Gazette in Fort Wayne reported the teams have been given more time to decide if they will opt in or out but how much time is unknown. No official word from any of the teams or the league office came out overnight. 

- The city of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec and a group pursuing an ECHL franchise (Deacon Sports and Entertainment) have agreed on a five year lease. The group will still have to apply for membership to the ECHL but it is assumed this will be approved and the team will start play in the 2021-22 season.

 

- Here is a story from The Hockey News about some of the struggles COVID is causing in the hockey world in Canada. The QMJHL (Quebec Major Junior Hockey League) has just shut down 19 days early for their Christmas break, canceling/postponing 64 games that were to be played between December 1-19. On the other side of Canada in Calgary, 18 members of the Mount Royal University men's hockey team tested positive for COVID and the program was shutdown until at least early January. By the way, Spencer Asuchak attended Mount Royal in 2012-13.  https://www.si.com/hockey/news/qmjhl-shuts-down-canadian-university-team-has-18-cases   

- Here is a video worth watching that Allen President Mike Waddell moderated with the front office leaders from Wichita, Kansas City and Rapid City/Greenville. They share how their teams are dealing with the issues around COVID 19. What struck me when watching this is how different the occupancy restrictions are around the league. There are states/counties where no fans are allowed or very few fans allowed like Kansas, Michigan, Indiana (Fort Wayne) and Idaho, to states like Texas at 50% occupancy, to states like Florida and South Dakota that allow for 100% occupancy. With so many different occupancy restrictions and not knowing how they may change one way or another going forward, you can see why it is hard for teams to plan and make decisions.

 

DID YOU KNOW: This will be Matt Register's ninth season in the ECHL even though he played just three ECHL games last season and in his first ECHL season (2012-13) he played just 17 games. In the last nine seasons (since 2012-13) Matt has played in 406 ECHL games and has been the most dominant offensive defenseman in the league. Here are just a few of  stats that prove his ECHL Hall of Fame credentials.

- His 86 goals since 2012-13 are 15 more than any other player

- His 236 assists since 2012-13 are 52 more than any other player

- His 322 points since 2012-13 are 67 more than any other player

- His 65 points in 2017-18 is #1 among defensemen in the last 15 years

- His 64 points in 2016-17 is #2 among defensemen in the last 15 years

- He is a three time ECHL Defenseman of the Year (2018, 2017, 2014)

- He is a three time Kelly Cup winner (2018, 2017, 2016)