That's the question of the hour here at training camp. Bogosian wasn't on the Thrashers rink, and the guys I spoke to in the lobby hadn't seen him on the other side either.
I'm sure we'll have an answer by 11:30, when we can ask John Anderson.
For the second session, the players move to the opposite rink but the coaches stay put.
So we have Granato, Christie, Young and Pyle still on the Thrashers rink. Anderson, Cunneyworth, Weeks, Nelson and Bergford on the other.
Update at 11:29: Anderson said that Bogosian suffered a hip flexor during the last game at Traverse City and was held out as a precaution.
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Saturday, September 20, 2008
Live from training camp
It's cold. That's the first thing that comes to mind. I wore my underalls (courtesy of Hoops equipment manager of the Gladiators) under my jeans, but it's not touching the chill. I knew it would be cold, but it's still shocking after a long summer.
Anyway, I'm at the Thrashers rink (one of two simultaneous rinks), here's who is on this rink. Typically, you practice with the linemates you will start the year with.
Vets present:
Exelby
Christensen
Little, looking great by the way
Kozlov
Reasoner
Armstrong
Enstrom
Other:
Rivers
Motzko
Holzapfel
Stuart
LaVallee
Lehman
Lewis
Denny
Esposito
Marchesi
Paquette
Stoesz
Siddall
Goaltenders:
Lehtonen
Carrozzi
Turple
Right now they are doing their first drill with lines, and here's who was together.
Stoesz - Holzapfel - Kovalchuk
Armstrong - Little - Stuart
LaVallee - Christensen - Paquette
Esposito - Kaip - Kozlov
Motzko - Reasoner - Hoffman
Anyway, I'm at the Thrashers rink (one of two simultaneous rinks), here's who is on this rink. Typically, you practice with the linemates you will start the year with.
Vets present:
Exelby
Christensen
Little, looking great by the way
Kozlov
Reasoner
Armstrong
Enstrom
Other:
Rivers
Motzko
Holzapfel
Stuart
LaVallee
Lehman
Lewis
Denny
Esposito
Marchesi
Paquette
Stoesz
Siddall
Goaltenders:
Lehtonen
Carrozzi
Turple
Right now they are doing their first drill with lines, and here's who was together.
Stoesz - Holzapfel - Kovalchuk
Armstrong - Little - Stuart
LaVallee - Christensen - Paquette
Esposito - Kaip - Kozlov
Motzko - Reasoner - Hoffman
Friday, September 19, 2008
Camp preview done
It focuses on rookies, as you'd expect.
One comment is to underline again how little depth there is on defense. I thought I must be missing someone it’s so shallow. Picture me searching high and low for another player last week when I put most of this together – that’s pretty much what I did, going through all the press releases since July one more time. Nope, that’s it. Yikes.
Someone who works in hockey operations once said to me, “forwards are a dime a dozen” – in other words, you can always go out and get another one. Goaltenders and defense, they aren’t a dime a dozen. So lack of depth there is more concerning.
Thoughts on the vets that didn’t work in a prospect-oriented piece:
The choice of captain is more important this year than ever due to the locker room problems from last season. As for who it will be, it's important to point out that the decision comes down from above, not up from below, so consider that in your calculus. Colby Armstrong was brought in to provide leadership, and his name should be part of any discussion. He'll almost certainly get one of those A's vying for the C that Anderson talked about today.
Whoever is on Kovalchuk's line probably won’t be complaining about ice time. One thing Anderson does have in common with Bob Hartley is a tendency to lean heavily on his top lines.
A few thoughts from today's press conference:
1. Waddell's lips said he was excited to start the year, but the rest of him didn't. The passion wasn't there, and doesn't seem to have been for some time.
2. Anderson said that they have things in mind regarding the first line center that might catch people off guard -- and no one followed up and asked more about that. Odd.
3. DW was asked why not hire Anderson earlier in the year. I didn't watch DW's response, I watched Anderson waiting through DW's response.
Oh and here are the results of the last poll, the number of games that rookies will play in 2008-09. Not many of you voted, it's a hard question I guess.
50-100 -- 5%
101-150 -- 11%
151-200 -- 19%
201-250 -- 27%
251+ -- 36%
The most popular choice was 251+. I would say that if that's the case, be prepared for a losing season because it means there were a lot of injuries. I think I voted 151-200. Last year it was 210.
One comment is to underline again how little depth there is on defense. I thought I must be missing someone it’s so shallow. Picture me searching high and low for another player last week when I put most of this together – that’s pretty much what I did, going through all the press releases since July one more time. Nope, that’s it. Yikes.
Someone who works in hockey operations once said to me, “forwards are a dime a dozen” – in other words, you can always go out and get another one. Goaltenders and defense, they aren’t a dime a dozen. So lack of depth there is more concerning.
Thoughts on the vets that didn’t work in a prospect-oriented piece:
The choice of captain is more important this year than ever due to the locker room problems from last season. As for who it will be, it's important to point out that the decision comes down from above, not up from below, so consider that in your calculus. Colby Armstrong was brought in to provide leadership, and his name should be part of any discussion. He'll almost certainly get one of those A's vying for the C that Anderson talked about today.
Whoever is on Kovalchuk's line probably won’t be complaining about ice time. One thing Anderson does have in common with Bob Hartley is a tendency to lean heavily on his top lines.
A few thoughts from today's press conference:
1. Waddell's lips said he was excited to start the year, but the rest of him didn't. The passion wasn't there, and doesn't seem to have been for some time.
2. Anderson said that they have things in mind regarding the first line center that might catch people off guard -- and no one followed up and asked more about that. Odd.
3. DW was asked why not hire Anderson earlier in the year. I didn't watch DW's response, I watched Anderson waiting through DW's response.
Oh and here are the results of the last poll, the number of games that rookies will play in 2008-09. Not many of you voted, it's a hard question I guess.
50-100 -- 5%
101-150 -- 11%
151-200 -- 19%
201-250 -- 27%
251+ -- 36%
The most popular choice was 251+. I would say that if that's the case, be prepared for a losing season because it means there were a lot of injuries. I think I voted 151-200. Last year it was 210.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Poll: Anderson's bench minors
I've posted a poll on how many bench minors for unsportsmanlike the Thrashers will take this season. Virtually all of those types of penalties result from the coach yelling at the referee. So we'll go ahead and call these minors Anderson's. You'll want to read below before you vote.
Background: John Anderson was notorious in the AHL for going ballistic on the bench if his team has been wronged. He doesn't spare the tongue to the media complaining about the refs either. Last spring in Wilkes-Barre I sat next to a referee who was comparing Anderson's comments on him the previous night to what he might say that evening on the next victim.
So at the press conference today, I couldn't help but ask the newly-promoted John Anderson if he thought he'd like NHL referees better than AHL referees. Here's what he said.
At this point, Waddell jumped in and pointed out that in the AHL, there is only one ref and that they are young. In the NHL, there are two refs and the best in the world. They will be better. To which Anderson said, "we'll see." That got a laugh.
The thing that stood out to me in Anderson's response was him saying he's gotten better. Having seen him flip out rather recently, I can't even imagine what he was like before. I would love to see his final tally of all the fines he paid over the years as well.
One last thought and then I'll go wrap up my preview article -- it's a good thing that Wolves coach Wendall Young isn't coming to Atlanta or we might have bench majors.
Background: John Anderson was notorious in the AHL for going ballistic on the bench if his team has been wronged. He doesn't spare the tongue to the media complaining about the refs either. Last spring in Wilkes-Barre I sat next to a referee who was comparing Anderson's comments on him the previous night to what he might say that evening on the next victim.
So at the press conference today, I couldn't help but ask the newly-promoted John Anderson if he thought he'd like NHL referees better than AHL referees. Here's what he said.
I talked to [former NHL linesman] Danny McCourt up in Traverse City. They are well aware that I'm a little harder on referees than most coaches. I even talked to Don [Waddell] about this, because Don's been behind the bench and I asked him some advice. My mantra is 'I'm not going to say very much.' I think I'll fight the large battles as opposed to all the little ones. You have to remember that when I started coaching, the level that I was at, the refereeing really reflected that. I think I've gotten better over the years and hope to continue to improve myself, that I won't be yapping at them for all the little things. Something important. I think you saw Don get mad last year -- we were watching the video of it. I think if you keep you boiling point to something that's really important, the referees will respect me as a coach a lot more. So that's the way I intend to run it. I know I have a reputation of being bad on them, but I will be better this year.
At this point, Waddell jumped in and pointed out that in the AHL, there is only one ref and that they are young. In the NHL, there are two refs and the best in the world. They will be better. To which Anderson said, "we'll see." That got a laugh.
The thing that stood out to me in Anderson's response was him saying he's gotten better. Having seen him flip out rather recently, I can't even imagine what he was like before. I would love to see his final tally of all the fines he paid over the years as well.
One last thought and then I'll go wrap up my preview article -- it's a good thing that Wolves coach Wendall Young isn't coming to Atlanta or we might have bench majors.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Traverse City: Thrashers advance to gold-medal game
Jeff Pyle says we are in for a real treat tomorrow night when the Thrashers big win over the Red Wings is shown on tape delay. The game was high-energy all night, culminating in a shootout, with the Thrashers winning 3-2. How high-tempo? Riley Holzapfel and Spencer Machacek said it was higher tempo than WHL games. That's impressive for a preseason tournament. It was a good crowd, and they were into it as well.
Maybe we should have predicted the outcome. Thrashers Don Waddell pointed out, at least to the coaches, that Detroit (his former team) has never beaten Atlanta at this prospect camp, a camp the Red Wings have hosted for about 10 years.
Detroit's skill level was on display in tonight's game. But Atlanta's skill players found a way to outscore them, with Riley Holzapfel and Spencer Machacek scoring in regulation, and Matt Lyall scoring in the shootout. Holzapfel's goal was dumped in and took a funny bounce on its way into the net. It energized the team. Machacek scored on a power play, but it was an individual effort. Goaltender Chris Carrozzi played well, and will likely stay in net for the gold-medal game.
The Red Wings had 8 power plays to Atlanta's 3. All of this penalty killing tired out the team a bit. Almost the whole roster got turns on the penalty kill, but players with a lot of time included Machacek, Esposito, Bancks, Bogosian (who returned from a one-game hiatus), Kulda and Postma. Though there were a lot of penalties, Pyle didn't think the game was particularly chippy -- the penalties were just being overcalled. The two fights, one by Stoesz and one by Danick Paquette, were not big battles and were about even.
The night was not without bad news. Second-year pro forward Tomas Pospisil suffered a concussion early in the game. Pyle did not see the play it happened on, but thinks it was a cross-check to the head. Defenseman Grant Lewis, who played on a broken toe on Sunday, sat this one out.
Some may be wondering about this Lyall fellow who scored the game winner in the shootout. Word is that he's going back to junior this year, but keep an eye on him for the spring and into next year at least with the affiliates.
Off day report: Pyle was part of a golf threesome with Hoops (his equipment manager in Gwinnett who is working for the Thrashers for the tournament) and Thrashers head scout Marcel Comeau. Hoops won. How did Pyle do? "I sucked, man."
Tomorrow's championship game against Dallas is at 6:30 pm. It will air the next night. Tomorrow you can watch the Detroit game described above at 10pm.
.
Maybe we should have predicted the outcome. Thrashers Don Waddell pointed out, at least to the coaches, that Detroit (his former team) has never beaten Atlanta at this prospect camp, a camp the Red Wings have hosted for about 10 years.
Detroit's skill level was on display in tonight's game. But Atlanta's skill players found a way to outscore them, with Riley Holzapfel and Spencer Machacek scoring in regulation, and Matt Lyall scoring in the shootout. Holzapfel's goal was dumped in and took a funny bounce on its way into the net. It energized the team. Machacek scored on a power play, but it was an individual effort. Goaltender Chris Carrozzi played well, and will likely stay in net for the gold-medal game.
The Red Wings had 8 power plays to Atlanta's 3. All of this penalty killing tired out the team a bit. Almost the whole roster got turns on the penalty kill, but players with a lot of time included Machacek, Esposito, Bancks, Bogosian (who returned from a one-game hiatus), Kulda and Postma. Though there were a lot of penalties, Pyle didn't think the game was particularly chippy -- the penalties were just being overcalled. The two fights, one by Stoesz and one by Danick Paquette, were not big battles and were about even.
The night was not without bad news. Second-year pro forward Tomas Pospisil suffered a concussion early in the game. Pyle did not see the play it happened on, but thinks it was a cross-check to the head. Defenseman Grant Lewis, who played on a broken toe on Sunday, sat this one out.
Some may be wondering about this Lyall fellow who scored the game winner in the shootout. Word is that he's going back to junior this year, but keep an eye on him for the spring and into next year at least with the affiliates.
Off day report: Pyle was part of a golf threesome with Hoops (his equipment manager in Gwinnett who is working for the Thrashers for the tournament) and Thrashers head scout Marcel Comeau. Hoops won. How did Pyle do? "I sucked, man."
Tomorrow's championship game against Dallas is at 6:30 pm. It will air the next night. Tomorrow you can watch the Detroit game described above at 10pm.
.
Gladiators sign Jake Anderson to tryout contract
I first mentioned this as a possibility two weeks ago, but now the deal has been done. Gwinnett Gladiators head coach and director of hockey operations Jeff Pyle confirmed that he has signed Jake Anderson, elder son of Thrashers head coach John Anderson, to a tryout contract.
Pyle said that John Anderson called him and asked about it, which set the ball rolling. Pyle replied that he'd sit down and meet with Jake when they were both in town. Pyle hasn't seen Jake play, but said he has a great attitude, knows the game, has good bloodlines, and while he couldn't guarantee anything, would give him a chance in camp. If it doesn't work out right away, being local (he's moving to Atlanta regardless), he could be a valuable asset mid-season when they need some help.
Pyle pointed out that this year in the ECHL, there is a limit on the number of contracts that a team can sign players to heading into camp (due to abuse of the system of non-guaranteed contracts by certain teams), so he has to be even more careful on who he signs.
Jake played his junior hockey in the OPJHL, and played Division III college hockey at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. So he has never played pro, major junior, or Div I college. I asked Pyle if Jake's lack of experience playing at a high level was a concern. "Not at all," he said. Pyle said Jake is highly-motivated and skates every day. Lately he's been skating with Thrashers players, and may go to Chicago to skate there as well before Gladiators camp opens.
The Gladiators' season opener is Oct. 18 at home. The Thrashers also play that night, so if Jake makes the team, watching his son's pro debut will have to wait for John Anderson.
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Pyle said that John Anderson called him and asked about it, which set the ball rolling. Pyle replied that he'd sit down and meet with Jake when they were both in town. Pyle hasn't seen Jake play, but said he has a great attitude, knows the game, has good bloodlines, and while he couldn't guarantee anything, would give him a chance in camp. If it doesn't work out right away, being local (he's moving to Atlanta regardless), he could be a valuable asset mid-season when they need some help.
Pyle pointed out that this year in the ECHL, there is a limit on the number of contracts that a team can sign players to heading into camp (due to abuse of the system of non-guaranteed contracts by certain teams), so he has to be even more careful on who he signs.
Jake played his junior hockey in the OPJHL, and played Division III college hockey at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. So he has never played pro, major junior, or Div I college. I asked Pyle if Jake's lack of experience playing at a high level was a concern. "Not at all," he said. Pyle said Jake is highly-motivated and skates every day. Lately he's been skating with Thrashers players, and may go to Chicago to skate there as well before Gladiators camp opens.
The Gladiators' season opener is Oct. 18 at home. The Thrashers also play that night, so if Jake makes the team, watching his son's pro debut will have to wait for John Anderson.
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Monday, September 15, 2008
Off day at Traverse City
Well, sort of off, they do have a practice in the morning. It might be a little sparse with all the bangs and bruises though.
Bad news: our Rangers reporter Leslie Treff had to leave Traverse City in a health emergency, so no more game summaries. It's frustrating, yes, and I will be the first advocate for redundancy next year. The only good thing I can say is that since I didn't put out my training camp preview yet, I can include Traverse City info in there. I've had it almost done for several days but was sitting on it. I'll continue to blog each day as well -- it's proven very popular. Canadian traffic is up to 30% right now, with what I assume are fans, friends and family of participants.
Here's a report from the Camrose tournament with EDM/CAL/VAN if anyone is interested in that. Little consolation, I know.
Bad news: our Rangers reporter Leslie Treff had to leave Traverse City in a health emergency, so no more game summaries. It's frustrating, yes, and I will be the first advocate for redundancy next year. The only good thing I can say is that since I didn't put out my training camp preview yet, I can include Traverse City info in there. I've had it almost done for several days but was sitting on it. I'll continue to blog each day as well -- it's proven very popular. Canadian traffic is up to 30% right now, with what I assume are fans, friends and family of participants.
Here's a report from the Camrose tournament with EDM/CAL/VAN if anyone is interested in that. Little consolation, I know.
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