Desbiens a hot commodity

From the Winnipeg Free Press

MILWAUKEE -- Last week there was Oscar buzz, but this week in the hockey world there is Dezzy buzz.

Dezzy, as the Manitoba Moose refer to right-winger Guillaume Desbiens, is hot among NHL scouts these days and likely the next in a growing line of Craig Heisinger reclamation projects.

Desbiens was cut adrift by the Atlanta Thrashers last summer and was unsure if his hockey career was over when the Moose came calling with a second chance.

It goes on to say that more than one NHL team is interested in signing him for next year.

Good for him, though I would say that he improved his stock on his own by improving his skating and commitment level, it's not like the Moose discovered someone that no one else knew about. This turnaround is mostly effort, which was entirely under Desbiens' own control.
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Low and high points are unbelievably close

Normally I don't pay much attention to player of the week in various leagues, because good play over a long period of time is what matters, not the sudden peaks. But I stopped in my tracks when I saw that Mike Brodeur has been named AHL Player of the Week.

Two weeks ago, I saw Brodeur at what was a very low point. It was the last home game for the now defunct Augusta Lynx, who were in a losing spiral. Six goals were scored on Brodeur that game. I wouldn't phrase it that he gave up six goals, because few did he have any chance on, per usual given the Lynx defense.

I was already in the back hallway when the Lynx came off the ice at the end. Brodeur led them off the ice towards the locker room, and as soon as he passed the threshold, started swearing at the top of his lungs. He slammed his goalie stick against a poor plastic bin. I decided that the questions I wanted to ask him that night weren't really that important. I had met him years ago when he was with Greenville, a very nice guy and a very good goalie. But he was going through an extremely tough patch with his team in the process of folding, which he was powerless to stop, just like the pucks that were shot at him from the doorstep.

So you can see why his signing by the AHL Rochester Americans and subsequent success is so heartwarming.

Brodeur was 3-2-0 with a shutout, a goals-against average of 1.39 and a save percentage of .949 as the Americans played five games in six days.

It's just another example of how quickly things can change in someone's career. Occasionally I tell player I hope I never see them again. That will mean they are succeeding elsewhere. Brodeur's one of those guys.


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AHL west coast migration begins: Abbotsford, BC

Just as Brian Burke moves to the Eastern Conference, we get the beginning of his "west coast solution." Burke often touted the idea that the AHL needed to move some teams to the west coast in order to be closer to the western NHL teams. Having an affiliate all the way across the continent, like Portland, Maine, was inconvenient and expensive. Too hard to stash them for a day or two off the salary cap. Obviously.

The Calgary Flames look like the first to benefit from "going west" by their young men, as the Quad City (Iowa) Flames are reportedly moving to Abbotsford, British Columbia. They would take over from Winnipeg and San Antonio as the westernmost AHL team. And in a follow-up story, Calgary denies they are moving their affiliate. But denials nearly always happen when the season is going on. Hard to tell anything from this. What we do know for sure is how bad attendance has been in Quad City.

The [Quad City] Flames rank 28th in the 29-team AHL, with an average attendance of 2,718 fans per game through 14 of this season’s 40 home games.

That’s a decline of almost 22 percent from an opening year that saw the Flames finish 27th in AHL attendance with an average of 3,523 fans per night.

An important line in the story is that Abbotsford talked to four AHL teams on the brink. There could be three or more teams on the move this offseason. It was already reported that the Edmonton Oilers are looking at places like Oklahoma City for their franchise. There's always a few affiliation changes, but relocations could be more numerous.
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Rules: AHL roster limits

My posts on rules relating to prospects have consistently been the most popular on the blog. In fact, I should give a shout out to southern Californians visiting via the LA Kings official site, which recently cited my post explaining why junior-aged players have to return to junior if they're not in the NHL. Welcome, California.

I've referred to AHL roster limits in passing before, but never gathered it all into one post, so let's do that now, as people are still looking for the information.

There is neither a salary cap nor roster limit in the AHL. There is a limit to the playing roster, meaning how many players take the ice in a given night, but teams can keep as many on the payroll as they like. Relatedly, there is also no IR (injured reserve) in the AHL. The need for an IR comes out of roster limits, so given no roster limit, there's no need for a special shelf for injured players. (And because of this, AHL teams give virtually no information about injuries. They don't need to explain why someone is sitting, so naturally they usually don't.)

Why is there no salary cap in the AHL? Salary caps are usually done for parity reasons, but there's no real need for one in this case, given that most of the players are on NHL deals that limit the amount they can make in the minors. The rule about how many veterans a team can play in a game helps keep parity as well. The AHL refers to this as its "development rule":

Of the 18 skaters (not counting two goaltenders) that teams may dress for a regular-season game, at least 13 must be qualified as "development players." Of those 13, 12 must have played in 260 or fewer professional games (including AHL, NHL, IHL and European elite leagues), and one must have played in 320 or fewer professional games.

All calculations for development status are based on regular-season totals as of the start of the season.

Eighteen skaters a side for 2008-09 is a change from 17 skaters in previous seasons, and brings it in line with the NHL.

There are usually a few players in the AHL that make over $1 million, but most make around $50,000 or so.

And you thought your team's attendance was bad

The Thrashers are last in the NHL in attendance, averaging 13,943 tickets distributed (which importantly includes both paid and comp'ed). The Gladiators official attendance was just 3014 on Tuesday. Both of those are indeed bad.

But, the AHL Lowell Devils sold just 904 tickets yesterday for a game. 904. If they weren't owned by the New Jersey Devils, who can afford to operate them at a loss, they'd be tops on the death pool.

An illustration of how bad it looks out there -- Glads stands at puckdrop, and this was the full side.


And other angles at the same point in time.

AHL Live by Neulion video service

You can watch any AHL game in the league, right on your computer. Pay for a whole season ($140) or by the game ($6). And it will be on-demand, so you don't have to stay home Saturday night to watch the Iowa Chops take on the Rockford IceHogs. Not that you would...

Here's the link. The AHL season starts tomorrow. I think I'll watch Lowell vs. Providence, just because I can.

On a side note, a lot of people have asked if there's a roster limit in the AHL. No. There is no salary cap nor roster limit. There is only a rule about how many veterans you can play in a game. That is the only limitation that effects the roster.
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UND running pro camp, Kaip an attendee

This sounds like great preparation for the coming year. It's interesting that it's so good that non-UND alumni are now going. But those are the guys who have the hardest time getting ramped up for NHL camps -- there's not a natural place for them to go to do that. Many feel awkward about the idea of coming to their NHL city since they're not on the team yet.

From the Grand Forks Herald:

Brad Berry, a former Sioux player and assistant coach, is running a pro camp in Ralph Engelstad Arena’s Olympic Ice Center that is designed to prepare players for their teams’ training camps.

Among players in town for the weeklong event, which started Sunday, are pros Matt Greene, Matt Jones, David Hale, Jonathan Toews, Bryan Lundbohm, Karl Goehring, Andy Schneider, Rylan Kaip and Jean-Philippe Lamoureux. A slew of American Hockey League players who didn’t go to UND also are participating.

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Reading material, mostly hockey related

I've been poking around the far corners of the internet lately -- with a purpose, though you won't be able to tell from this smattering of what I happened across.

First, there's a good rumor that the AHL will use the same web streaming company that the NHL used last year, NeuLion, which is owned at least partially by Charles Wang of the Islanders. This is good news because the former provider, B2 Networks, left a lot to be desired. I'm interested to see if you have to pay per game, per year, or if it's ad supported. Here's an announcement PDF from the NHL last year that gives some background on what they do.

I've been watching more of the Olympics than I expected. I was fortunate to see the swimming relay win live, which was amazing. Also saw Latvia beat the US in beach volleyball. I'm sure Artie Kulda & Co. were happy about that one. Going in, I was most looking forward to Joe Posnanski's blog posts from Beijing. They've been good, but I wish he didn't talk baseball in the last one. He can do that anytime.

Talking about Beijing leads us right back to Canada, where China's pollution is melting Canada's arctic. Besides pollution, lots of immigrants are also coming to Canada. The country admits plans to brainwash them upon arrival.

"The majority of people who come here want to become Canadians and we have to convince them that playing hockey is part of being Canadian."

In America, we want immigrants to learn English. In Canada, they want them to play hockey. Speaking is optional.

A Belfast couple bought half of their local hockey team, the Belfast Giants. Yes, that's Belfast, Northern Ireland. If you've never read anything about the team, I recommend doing so. It's heartwarming how sports can bring disparate groups together.

Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis has a blog, and I found this entry interesting.

When the NHL was in lockout, I had a debate with a well-respected newspaper editor. The debate focused on whether it was better to own a professional sports team or a newspaper in the town that you lived in. At the time, this editor basically posited to me that the NHL was “dead as a doornail” and that there was no real consumer interest in hockey. I posited that we were getting our game restructured and that hockey was a global game. Its interest level was growing with young people and that we would lead in digital delivery of our content and services. I bet him that in less than five years that all of our growth arrows would be green and all of his growth arrows would be in the red.

I'd say Ted wins this one walking away.

Good thing the Thrashers third jerseys are rumored to be a dark red. A story came out today where psychologists found that red-clad sportmen are favored by referees. Any team spending close to the salary floor needs all the help it can get.

In case you haven't heard, men wearing pantyhose -- mantyhose -- is catching on. I ask how come this puck fan headgear never caught on?

Saturday tidbits: KHL, coaches, roommates

Preseason games have begun in the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League, successor to the Russian Super League). That's more bad news for seeing Ilya Nikulin in North America.

I was a little surprised not to hear reaction about the Thrashers adding an additional assistant coach to the normal two. "Three! That's too many!" or something like that. Well, if you think three is a lot, the Sharks now have five. And no, video coaches don't really count.

Former Thrashers coach Bob Hartley is being interviewed for the Islanders job, but given that they have young talent that needs to be developed, he's not a favorite to get it. From Newsday:

There’s little doubt Hartley meets Snow’s criteria for a coach in terms of discipline and providing structure and technical expertise. But the major question for Hartley is whether he has the patience for a long-term development project and the willingness to rely on young players in major roles.

I'm going to say no to that question. Candidates Mike Sullivan or Scott Gordon of Providence seem like a good fit for their needs.

There were more NHL coaching changes this offseason than in recent memory. That, combined with multiple affiliation changes means that things are still fairly unsettled in the AHL. And it's almost August.

AHL coaching openings remaining:
Rochester (due to Randy Cunneyworth to Atlanta)
Rockford (Mike Haviland now an assistant with the parent Blackhawks)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Todd Richards hired by the Sharks)
Iowa (now affiliated with Anaheim)
Portland, though Kevin Dineen may return as coach, despite the change in affiliate to Buffalo.
Providence, if Scott Gordon gets the Islanders job.

The hiring of Todd Richards by the Sharks was a great one. I was extremely impressed by him when I was up in Wilkes-Barre for the AHL finals. He’s well-spoken, thoughtful, and energetic. I would bet money he’ll have an NHL team of his own in a few years.

Here's something fun. The St. Louis Blues website pitted Dan Hinote's fiance (Amy McCarthy) roommate (Erik Johnson) in a "who knows him better?" contest. Amy won by a big margin. The answers are funny. I once tested roommates Brad Schell and Lane Manson on how well they knew each other and they did much better than EJ here. Schell got more questions right about Manson than the other way around. That didn't surprise me since Lane talks so much.

Meanwhile, in media news, newspapers around the country are taking a massive beating.

Rough June for newspapers portends bleak future
Accelerating decline in ad revenue leaves newspaper publishers predicting still more bad news
NEW YORK (AP) -- Regional and national newspaper publishers, already staggering with a drop in ad revenue more severe than the industry has seen since the Great Depression, say the second half of 2008 may be even worse.

In Atlanta, the AJC announced 10 days ago that they are cutting 8 percent of their workforce.
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AHL free agents

By popular inquiry, here's a list of players who mostly played in the AHL last year who are currently free agents. It's not comprehensive, just ones I'm familiar with who are worthwhile. Those who have already signed with new NHL teams or European teams (credibly) are of course excluded.

Players with Thrasher ties:
Jason Krog
Darren Haydar
Jesse Schultz
Kevin Doell
Joe DiPenta
Karl Stewart
Colton Fretter
Kyle Wanvig

Others:
Justin Mapletoft
Trevor Byrne
Jordan Sigalet, G
Jeff Jillson
Rob Globke
Brent Krahn, G
Darryl Bootland
Junior Lessard
Andy Wosniewski
Ryan Donally
Tyler Weiman, G
John Vigilante
Scott Munroe, G
JS Aubin, G
Mike Weaver (played in the NHL last year, but sparingly)

Saturday tidbits: Fretter, Krog, etc.

First, from Bridgeport beat writer Mike Fornabaio's blog, two items: Colton Fretter is likely looking for a new job next year and Jason Krog may be staying in North America.

Went over some AHL free-agent names with [Brigeport Team President] Howard Saffan, and he said Micheal Haley, Tyler Haskins and Andy Sertich are all signed. Pascal Morency will be given a tryout invitation. Scott Ford and Colton Fretter are among those who probably won't be back...

A reliable source, BTW, suggests not to ink Jason-Krog-to-Europe in pen just yet. We'll wait 'n' see.

I'm not sure what Fretts needs to do if 9 goals in 18 games wasn't enough to keep a job. Really.

Fornabaio writes a darn good blog, by the way. I first read it when Fretter was traded there, but since then have ended up there several times when researching things. That's the sign of a good blog to me -- you keep getting funneled back there for information you were looking for. So if that describes how you got here today, great.

Next item: The AHL has approved a larger roster for teams next year, 18 skaters instead of 17. There used to be three forward lines and two extras, but now there will be four lines. That's easier for coaches, and you would think good for the extra player, but since fourth lines don't play in the AHL any more than in the NHL, how much development is that player getting? It's supposed to be a development league, right? Does this change serve that end? Would the player be better off in the ECHL getting more ice time? I would suggest that it won't meet those ends.

2008 prospect camp is coming up. Free agent invitees are often guys who are known through team contacts somehow, friends of the family, etc. Occasionally they are actual relatives of coaches, or they are players the affiliates are recruiting. Sometimes they are guys who were known in a previous life.

An invite doesn't mean the Thrashers are serious about signing them, though. I can only think of a few who actually ended up being signed.

And for you lawyer types out there -- I know you're reading -- here's something from a legal blog Above the Law on the NHL suing MSG (Rangers owners). Maybe you will find it interesting. I didn't.

Finally, if you were planning on going to see the movie Wanted, don't waste your money. I like action movies, but it was barely watchable the plot was so poor. I was with an expert on graphic novels who said the novel was excellent, but that didn't bring my 2.5 hours back.

City of Rochester issues ultimatum to Amerks' Donner

From a local TV station's website:

(Rochester, N.Y.) – The city of Rochester has issued an ultimatum to Steve Donner, the co-owner of the Amerks and Knighthawks--sell the teams or vacate the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial.

In letters to the American Hockey League and National Lacrosse League, the city spelled out its position.

"We cannot justify to our taxpayers...a new lease with an entity in which Mr. Donner is either a manager or anything other than a non-controlling minority owner,” Corporation Counsel Tom Richards wrote.

There are links to the letter at the top of the story.
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Amerks affiliation issues

Continuing to follow the Rochester Americans situation, here's the latest, which is sort of a post postmortem of the year. And to think, just a year ago, the Buffalo-Rochester relationship was lauded for how well it worked. No one really scratched underneath at that point because it was such a tidy story. But things are rarely that tidy, good or bad. There's a lesson in there for sure.

Rochester’s record suggests an AHL team in complete disarray, but that’s only partially accurate. A feud among the team’s three owners has contributed to financial problems and continuous speculation about a sale. The Sabres and Panthers, the only NHL teams that share an AHL affiliate, have made it clear the dual relationship no longer works.

The result has trickled down to the ice, where both NHL teams stocked the Rochester roster mostly with players who will be no better than third-or fourth-liners in the NHL. Winning becomes difficult because they lack the balanced cross section of players — scorers, defensive players, toughness, etc. — required for success.

...(much further down) Regardless, the Amerks will likely continue their relationship with Florida and bid farewell to Buffalo.

Where Buffalo's prospects will end up next year is anyone's guess. They own enough prospects to stock their own farm club if they sign all their college and junior guys, but what kind of partner will they find this late in the game? It's not as easy as just wishing it so. (Note: Buffalo has stated they don't wish to stock a full team next year).

On the plus side though, highly-regarded AHL coach Randy Cunneyworth (an employee of the Sabres) may be looking for a job if Buffalo has to find a new city for its prospects, and should be considered a legitimate candidate for the Thrashers position.

AHL to the west coast?

Some of you will remember when the AHL had a franchise in Salt Lake City. It shut down though and right now the furthest west is the San Antonio Rampage, followed very closely by the Manitoba Moose, located in balmy Winnipeg. There's a big cluster of AHL teams in the northeast, and another in the midwest. It's by no means a continent-wide league right now (yet strangely the ECHL is).

The NHL, however, is continent-wide, which means that many NHL teams are far away from their AHL affiliates. They don't like this because with travel arrangements, it takes an entire day to call someone up. This doesn't make for a very nimble operation. Not to mention it's expensive.

Here's an article out of the Edmonton Journal about how the AHL geography could change that's worth reading both for the juicy anonymous-sourced tidbits and the jokes.

Imagine the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks in a mutually beneficial enterprise.

And I'm not talking about an over-subscribed Brian Burke/Kevin Lowe pay-per-view cage match.

More like a West Coast division of the American Hockey League. It could happen early in the next decade.

"It's not imminent," said a highly placed source. "It's three or four years away if it happens. L.A. owns a team, San Jose owns a team and they're not going to move soon. But an orderly transition could take place."

The Oilers dormant franchise was run in Edmonton during the lockout, but was shut down later so as not to compete with their NHL product.

Meanwhile, the AHL is unlikely to expand beyond 30 teams because their stated goal for years has been a one-to-one match between NHL and AHL teams. It's hard to think there are more than 30 cities that could support AHL hockey anyway. Lowell has the worst attendance in the league at 1,892, and it seems unlikely that they can hang on at that level. They could be on the move.

Chicago has the fifth-best attendance, averaging 6,826.

AHL may reduce the number of games

The proposal is to go from the current 80-game schedule to a 72-game schedule (Note: the NHL plays 82 games and the ECHL plays 72).

[AHL President Dave] Andrews said, "there is a lot of interest from the NHL general managers for the league to do this. We would look to eliminate the current three games in three nights, and four games in five nights, giving the players more time to practice. This would eliminate some of the stress and fatigue for the players and allow for more instruction to help in their development." According to Andrews, the AHL has reticent to do so without some cost-sharing mechanism in place with the NHL, because of the significant financial impact on the teams. However, Andrews said that it is a top priority of the league, and that he expected something to be worked out at some point in the near future.

It's important to note that three-in-threes and four-in-fives are prohibited in the NHL. But they are not uncommon in the minor leagues, where owners like to capitalize on the more popular weekend dates.

Andrews also confirmed that the next AHL franchise may be in Austin, Texas, a revival of the Oilers dormant franchise. It would be sold to the Dallas Stars.