Marks to Blades as assistant coach

John Marks, who lost his coaching job when the ECHL Augusta Lynx went under, has a new gig. He's going to assist Malcolm Cameron coaching the league-leading Florida Everblades (who the Gwinnett Gladiators will likely meet in the first round of the playoffs).

From the press release:

“I wanted to look at the possibility of having an assistant coach for this year’s playoff run,” Cameron said. “Once the decision was made to bring someone on board, I thought of John immediately..."

Translation: We have a lot of talent but I've lost my team.

I think you'll see Marks become the lynchpin here. He's a real heart and soul kind of coach, something that the Everblades don't have a lot of right now. This move makes Florida stronger for sure.
.

Saving Boudreau for the shootout

There was a small storyline tonight at the Gladiators/Stingrays game. Ben Boudreau, son of Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau, has managed to stick with the South Carolina Stingrays for 19 games now, in large part due to the injuries at the top of the system on his dad's team. But Ben isn't let out on the ice much. The Stingrays are playing short-handed, but they still only found a couple shifts for Boudreau. He doesn't have the experience or skill typically found in the league.

Boudreau at warmups.

Here (center right), he's ready. And waiting. As far as I could tell, he got one shift in the first period, and one in the third. He didn't play in the second.

That made for rare photo opportunities.

Short shift, he's right back to the bench.

Stand, sit, wait, cheer (center left).

The two teams went to a shootout. Lo and behold, coach Jared Bednar sent Boudreau out to shoot. He had a chance to be a very unlikely hero.

But it was not to be. Instead, Joe Fallon was victorious.

Are we teammate or are we dancer?

After the game I was waiting to talk to Bednar, and Boudreau was the first one showered and out of the locker room. He said "hey, how ya doin" as he walked by. Later he came back in, probably to get more bags, and asked who I was waiting for to make sure I was taken care of. That was really nice. If I knew him at all (and was quick enough on the draw), I might have teased him about being saved for the shootout. But we're not on those kinds of terms.
.

Fellow Stingray rookies pummel Neuvirth in 3, 2, 1...

Sometimes people say more than what's good for them.

Tonight I was talking to Michal Neuvirth, a top goaltending prospect for the Washington Capitals. I had asked him all the questions I had written down, but for some reason I kept going. The equipment manager was rolling stuff out to the bus and I asked Neuvirth if he has to carry bags as a rookie or do anything else like that. He replied with something that he regretted the moment it came out of his mouth. Meanwhile I'm thinking "this is gold." He didn't want to elaborate, but the horse had left the barn at that point, so I got a bit more out of him. I'll let you read for yourself. As a taste, Neuvirth had trouble with the word "heels" meaning high heels (he called them girls' shoes), and also the word underdog.

Normally I don't write up feature stories late into the night after games, but between the timeliness of the groin pull and the comedy noted above, I knocked it out.


.

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.


.

Helenius and Sharrow find new homes

The Tampa Bay Lightning found a home for one of their ECHL prospects: Riku Helenius has been assigned to the Mississippi Sea Wolves. Room for Helenius opened up because their No. 1 goaltender, Ryan Munce, has been called up to Syracuse.

Tampa had called most teams in the ECHL's American Conference looking for a place to put their guys after Augusta folded, which makes this statement by Mississippi coach Steffon Walby amusing. Does he really believe this, or is it for the benefit of the readers?

"We've had a good relationship with Tampa Bay. It speaks leaps and bounds of the Mississippi Sea Wolves program and the Gulf Coast. NHL teams don't put high end draft picks just anywhere."

Helenius is supposed to be a bit better than his numbers in Augusta show, so it will be interesting to see if he can rebound. Also interesting will be what happens if Munce comes back down.

The Sea Wolves were affiliated with Tampa Bay last year. This year they are affiliated with Philadelphia and have goaltender Jeremy Duchesne assigned to them. His numbers are about as bad as they get, with a .859 save percentage.

In other news, former Thrashers prospect Jimmy Sharrow was traded for a second time to the Blackhawks for a conditional 2009 draft pick. Ouch. From the Winnipeg Sun:

The offensive defenceman had five goals and 22 points in 44 games last season but had seen his role reduced this season and was a healthy scratch in six of Manitoba's 23 games.

"We butted heads along the way, but he's got an opportunity with another organization and hopefully he can make the most of it," said Moose head coach Scott Arniel. "He played some good hockey for us, but I was expecting a little more from him offensively. Sometimes it's a fit and a feel and how you play with the opportunity you're given.

"He's got a big shot and you see it a lot in practice. But you get into a game and it didn't translate into the offence that we need."

Sharrow is one in a long list of fruitless Thrashers QMJHL draft picks. Alex Bourret, Guillaume Desbiens, Chad Denny, Jordan LaVallee, Carl Mallette, Simon Gamache. Not a single Atlanta pick out of that league is now in the NHL, for any team.
.

Ripple effects from Augusta in the South Division

The now defunct ECHL Augusta Lynx's top players have found homes -- Mike Brodeur to the AHL Rochester Americans (where he was headed regardless), Patrick Bordeleau to the AHL Albany River Rats, and Matt Auffrey to the ECHL Florida Everblades.

But the Tampa Bay Lightning have yet to place their ECHL prospects with another team. The two that remained with Augusta when it folded (Chris Lawrence and Kevin Quick) were recalled to their AHL affiliate Norfolk, where they are practicing until reassignment. Tampa is trying to find a home for them close to Norfolk, and have contacted the Charlotte Checkers, Gwinnett Gladiators, and even Trenton Devils about placing them. The sticking point is that they want to keep their guys together, four of them (Lawrence and Quick plus goaltender Riku Helenius and presumably Justin Keller). Gwinnett coach Jeff Pyle was very skeptical that they'd find a team willing to take all four. Charlotte coach Derek Wilkinson said "probably not" to that possibility, and said in his own case, "We like our team. We didn't want to blow it up."

And you can probably scratch South Carolina off that list as well, with as many guys as Washington and Hershey already send down.

There are still some other Augusta players who may find homes in the division. Pyle said of his own potential roster moves, "There's a D out of Augusta, but I don't really want to bring him in. Find out if Josh Engel's coming back and go from there." Pyle thinks that Augusta's players aren't upgrades from what most ECHL teams already have. The Augusta Chronicle had reported last week that Gwinnett had interest in Bordeleau, but as mentioned above he got picked up by Albany.

On somewhat of a side note, Wilkinson is still very bullish on Brodeur's NHL potential. He had recommended him to the NY Rangers as a depth pickup this summer, and Brodeur was invited to Hartford's camp, but he didn't pass the physical due to a concussion. I've always liked Brodeur myself, having interviewed him when he was with Greenville (and the Blackhawks).

Onto the broader question of could another Augusta happen -- could another team fold? Wilkinson for one is worried. "I am," he said. "I think we need to be. The whole division needs to be real concerned. Mississippi is on an island. Poor Mississippi, their second year back after disaster, how do you survive if you're them? 80, 90 nights on the road. I'm really concerned. I hope there's a plan. I haven't heard of one yet. Because I don't see how it works. Columbia's not coming back yet, they're a year away if they get their building built. I don't know how you run a division so far apart. Yeah, I am worried. I go on record to say that -- I'm very worried."
.

Augusta folds -- first ECHL team to fold mid-year

I'm saddened that they couldn't get things worked out. Unlike the NHL, the ECHL doesn't have the kind of budget where it can keep a team afloat for most of a year. The revamp of the schedule is going to be the worst part. It will mostly effect the South Division, which includes the Gwinnett Gladiators.

Augusta Suspends Operations

PRINCETON, N.J. – The ECHL announced that the Augusta Lynx have suspended operations, effective immediately and voluntarily relinquished their membership back to the League.

The move comes as a result of the Augusta ownership group being unable to continue to operate in 2008-09.

“We are very disappointed for our fans, league partners and the other member teams of the ECHL,” said ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna. “The ECHL would like to thank the Lynx fans for all of their support.”

Augusta players will immediately become unrestricted free agents.

Choosing the highway, by Bryan Esner

On Friday, the Gwinnett Gladiators traded Bryan Esner to the Augusta Lynx for Travis Fuller. I attended Augusta's home game on Saturday, and sometime in the second period realized I hadn't seen Esner on the ice. I asked coach John Marks about him afterward. Knowing that Esner almost didn't report to Gwinnett when he was traded there from Phoenix, I suspected I already knew where he was.

Where's Esner?

He's not coming. He's going home. Because of the shaky ground we're on. Is the team gonna be there or not be there? 'I'm gonna go home, think about it. I'm not sure if I want to continue to play or not.' And we need a center, we need a guy who's got a little pizazz and get up and go. He was my leading point-getter last year in Pensacola. He competes like heck. Jeff's had him on the wing and he's not a winger. He's been unhappy there.

Had Esner asked for a trade out of Gwinett?

Yes he had. His agent called me and I said 'OK, I'll call Jeff (Pyle).' He didn't want to play on the wing. He's not built for the wing. He's a little guy who's built for open ice. I asked Jeff what he needed and he said he needed a left winger. I said 'who do you want?' Because we hadn't been scoring. He said Fuller, and I said fine. Travis may go there and do very well. But he only had two goals [for us].

What's Fuller like?

He's a good kid. He got a taste of the American League I think last year. He wears his heart on his sleeve, works pretty good. I think he's been squeezing the stick like a lot of other guys.
-----------
I suspect this is why we saw Brad Schell on Esner's wing last Friday night. That it wasn't to just change things up.

Esner has been suspended by Augusta, but they still hold his rights. The Tampa Bay Lightning told the St. Pete Times that Augusta has found the money it needs to keep going, but it's unconfirmed by the Lynx yet. Given that the Lightning/Lynx relationship is new, and lots of miscommunication can happen in that situation, it's best to wait for confirmation.

Lightning GM Brian Lawton said Sunday the Lynx did get the cash infusion needed, though that could not be confirmed.

.

Marks on the hockey side of Augusta's troubles

I didn't intend to get involved with this story. I intended just to get a complete update on Tampa Bay's prospects in case they were sent to another team in the ECHL if Augusta folded. But when I went into John Marks' office last night after the game, he also wanted to talk about the team's precarious situation, so I listened.

Oddly, he didn't address his team after the game, he invited me into his office straight from the ice. What is there to say to them right now though, really?

I've known Marksie a long time. Not well, but a long time, about seven years I guess. I remember him in the glory days in Greenville, when the Thrashers sent guys there.

I put the transcript of what he said up at Hockey's Future. It's not the type of story we normally do, but since they are a Tampa affiliate and the economy's effect on sports is a hot topic, I think it works.

Marks also had some interesting responses about the Esner/Fuller trade with Gwinnett. I'll put them in a separate post, probably later today.
.

Augusta on the brink of folding

I will be driving to Augusta tomorrow to report on Tampa prospects, since the Lynx are precariously close to folding and who knows where those prospects will go if they do. If Lehman Brothers can fold, the ECHL Augusta Lynx surely can too. From the Augusta Chronicle,

Next Lynx game could be their last

Augusta Lynx co-owners Dan Troutman and Jan Hodges Burch didn’t hide from their fan base on Friday afternoon when they held a news conference to discuss the future of Augusta’s minor league hockey team.

Tonight, the Lynx owners are hoping the team’s fans won’t hide from them when Augusta takes on Charlotte at 7 at James Brown Arena. Troutman said the team will fold if an investor or partner isn’t found “in a matter of days.” After tonight’s game, the Lynx aren’t schedule to play at home again until Dec. 16.

.

Fun with titles

Whoever wrote this headline was really on their game. From the Augusta Chronicle:

Skid leaves Marks at a loss

A new low point in Augusta Lynx hockey hit James Brown Arena over the weekend when the team dropped three home games by a combined score of 16-2.

Saturday night's 12-0 loss to the Florida Everblades highlighted the forgettable weekend, and it might have marked the end for a few Lynx skaters.

Lynx head coach John Marks , who cut four players two weeks ago, said he may be forced to make another round of cuts if things don't improve.

.

ECHL prospects prevew

I finished my ECHL prospects preview today. While there was a lot of research that went into it, it didn't take that long to write, partially because there's just 36 NHL-contracted guys sent down to start the year. Why so few? Because AHL teams are now able to dress 18 skaters (like the NHL). That's 29 more guys (mostly forwards) who are getting minutes in the AHL every game. Goaltenders remain the top prospects in the league.

A couple notes that relate to the South Division, where the Gladiators play. I really like the look of the South Carolina roster. They are my pick to win the division. They have a lot of talent, and return a lot of players from last year.

Tampa Bay sent Kevin Quick to Augusta. He's the guy who got kicked out of Michigan for allegedly stealing a teammate's credit card and charging thousands on it. He has yet to face his day in court. When he disappears off the roster for a few days, that's probably where he is.
.

NHL-ECHL affiliates for 2008-09

In preparation for tomorrow's release of opening day rosters, here's a list of NHL affiliates of ECHL teams. It includes today's announcement that Philadelphia will be affiliating with the Mississippi Sea Wolves. I was very glad to see that announcement since Mississippi figures prominently on the Gladiators schedule. Philadelphia had previously doubled up with Pittsburgh in Wheeling. Perhaps last year's NHL Eastern Conference Finals ruined the last shred of goodwill that enabled them to live together. Last year, Mississippi was affiliated with Tampa Bay, who moved to Augusta when the Anaheim Ducks left for Bakersfield.

ECHL - NHL team
Alaska - St. Louis
Augusta - Tampa Bay (after they folded, prospects went to Mississippi)
Bakersfield - Anaheim
Charlotte - NY Rangers
Cincinnati - Montreal and Nashville
Dayton - independent
Elmira - Ottawa
Florida - Carolina and Florida
Fresno - Chicago (after they folded, prospects went to Gwinnett)
Gwinnett - Atlanta, and later Chicago
Idaho - Dallas
Johnstown - Colorado and Columbus
Las Vegas - Calgary
Mississippi - Philadelphia, and unofficially Tampa Bay later on
Ontario - Los Angeles
Phoenix - San Jose
Reading - Toronto
South Carolina - Washington
Stockton - Edmonton
Trenton - New Jersey
Utah - NY Islanders
Victoria - Vancouver
Wheeling - Pittsburgh

NHL teams without ECHL affiliates: Minnesota, Boston and Detroit. Minnesota has sent one player to the Florida Everblades so far, and will likely also send to Mississippi.

The Dayton Bombers are currently the only independent team. There are three teams with shared affiliates.

Gladiator note: Jake Anderson was released from his tryout.
.

Shoving time

When push comes to shove, that's when the dominoes finally start moving. It's a real interesting time of year when hockey teams from top to bottom have to make some hard choices. Brian Burke has to decide who to keep to get under the cap, and it all trickles down.

Former Thrasher prospect Karl Stewart was out of a job until this week. He's signed an AHL deal with Rochester. Mike Hamilton has signed with ECHL's Las Vegas. Ryan Daniels, who attended Thrashers prospect camp and Traverse City this year, is on a tryout with the ECHL Phoenix RoadRunners.

A lot of people have been asking about Mike Vigilante. Christine Troyke put out her story on this today. The Gladiators are citing his concussions as for why they aren't bringing back their captain. The potential insurance liability isn't mentioned, but I would think that would tie in too.

I had my own hockey game to play in tonight, and I happened to get my bell rung a bit. I was hit in open ice by this guy Ted who weighs only about a buck fifty but he's fast so if you know your physics, that's more kinetic energy acting on me (velocity matters more than mass). It's a no-check league and he's a former teammate so he was all "Sorry, Holly" right away -- I think he just didn't see me. Ted is a good parking lot guy, but as a former roller hockey player, not so good with the stopping.

I still have a headache hours later. So, it makes the issue very immediate to me and my feeling on Vig is that independent of whatever Jeff Pyle thinks, I would hope Vig would err on the side of not playing given his concussion history. He's got the whole rest of his life to live and he needs a clear head for that.

Next item: A.J. Thelen. The ECHL Florida Everblades are patting themselves on the back for signing the former Minnesota first rounder. In the press release, Malcolm Cameron says, "He originally was going to play this season in Austria, but decided to come back to North America to try and achieve his goal of playing in the NHL." -- That sounds really noble of him, but it's not quite accurate. Word on the street is that he looked awful in Austria and didn't make it past the tryout.

Hopefully AHL teams will start making some substantial cuts quickly. The Gladiators have what has to be the sorriest beginning training camp roster ever in their history.

Edit to add: here's some audio of Brad Schell at San Antonio camp. He sounds pretty relaxed.

Lastly, the Central Hockey League players are on strike. It's probably obvious that the current economy isn't the best time to be striking.
.

Follow-ups: coaching, rink, and Finns

1. I think we'll be hearing imminently who the Thrashers assistant coaches will be this year. It seems more and more likely to me that Chicago Wolves assistant coach Todd Nelson will be joining John Anderson in Atlanta. I first mentioned it here during prospect camp.

The Wolves will likely make their own coaching announcement as soon as the Thrashers do. Right now it would be awkward to do it because Nelson would be a candidate for the head coach position there if he stayed. Best to avoid that. (Though I wonder if any media in Chicago would even notice...there's been not one item on the search that I could find. Everything's been out of Atlanta/Gwinnett.)

Some don't think the identity of the assistant coaches are very important. In normal times, that's probably true. But these aren't normal times. When there's any kind of power struggle or uncertainty going on, it gives you a window in like nothing else does. Would top candidates stay away due to the uncertainty of ownership, like the head coaching job?

2. In other news, Finnish hockey fans are hard-core. I learned this today after mentioning something about Finland yesterday and getting about 1000 visits from that country in the past 24 hours (numbers not exaggerated). That's like what, 10% of the country? (I kid!) Seriously, though, stay cold, Finland.

3. Things you like to see: Robbie Bina turning pro.

In about three years, Robbie Bina has made the incredible journey from a broken neck to a professional hockey contract.

4. Things you don't like to see: Unfinished, abandoned hockey arenas. This is the Sarasota one.

The arena is now little more than three concrete walls standing along the largely unused road named Center Ice Parkway. It is fenced off twice -- once with a gate for which Diaz has the key and with another fence maintained by SMR.

The project's future remains uncertain, but it still has its supporters.

The East Coast Hockey League (sic), which had a team lined up to come here if the arena was built, still considers Lakewood Ranch a prime market.

5. I found another article talking about the rink project in Peachtree City. It references a letter from Don Waddell to the organizer of the project.

During his presentation Thursday, Thompson included a letter from Don Waddell, Executive Vice President and GM of the Atlanta Thrashers.

“The Thrashers would like to be involved in this, and will do mini-camps and hold some practices here,” said Thompson.

He also presented a letter of support from Toby Jeffreys, Majority Owner and Chairman of the Gwinnett Gladiators.

ECHL finals road trip

Hello from Cincinnati, site of Games 1 and 2 of the ECHL Kelly Cup Finals. This series pits the affiliates of two Canadian franchises, Montreal (Cincinnati Cyclones) and Calgary (Las Vegas Wranglers). Who was I rooting for? I root for whatever outcome will put the people I want to talk to in good moods. Cincy won 4-2. Sub-optimal for my purposes.

I've been to Cincinnati many times to watch hockey, but it was always the AHL. A few years ago it was the closest AHL city, and the Chicago Wolves played here often because they were in the same division. But then Anaheim pulled their prospects out and the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks franchise went dark. They used to play in the old Cincinnati Gardens, which was a very outdated facility. I remember how uncomfortable the wooden chairs were and the ice had some perennial bad patches. The Cyclones play in US Bank Arena, a bigger, modern arena right next to where the Reds play. I enjoyed the exceptionally cushy seats.

The importance of the ECHL finals was not something everyone agreed on tonight. Approaching the building, I wasn't sure where to go, so I started at Will Call. An off-ice official asked me if I had my media card already. I said no, I'm from out of town. He led me a bit towards a staircase and then asked where I was from. Atlanta, I said. "And you came here for this?" he asked. Uh-huh, I said. "Wow...good to hear it," he said.

Once inside, I stepped into the nearly-empty bowl. The Cyclones equipment guys were out on the ice shooting some pucks on net. An usher came out of nowhere and said "Came to watch history, huh?" Yep, I said. He nodded in response. "Something for the kids to remember."

On the other hand, my cab driver didn't know the city had a hockey team. But he was nice and I had heard how taxi drivers are struggling with the gas prices so I gave him a big tip anyway.

Attendance was 8,676, which is far above what the Cyclones did in the regular season. Bodes well for them, as a team that has had bad attendance problems.

Biggest issue I had: the glass. It had to have been purchased used, there's no other way it could be so scratched up. It was epically bad. So bad you can barely see the irony in the photo below.


Here's a familiar face, Bruce Mulherin. Many Georgians consider the Univ. of Alabama-Huntsville to be the "local" college team (nearest Div I), and Mulherin played there. He also played for the Gwinnett Gladiators briefly. He was traded to Toledo for Jon Sitko at a time when the Glads really needed defense. That looks like a bad trade looking back, since Mulherin has blossomed, and Sitko is already looking for a new team for next year, but the Gladiators have never had trouble finding people to score.

Puck behind Kevin Lalande, a Calgary prospect.

A face-off. Jason Rollins was the ref (not pictured). He does Gwinnett games often. He called a good game I thought. It was chippy, and he called the stuff. One time an opposing player knocked the goalie's stick farther away from him. Rollins called it. A fan near me yelled "since when is that a penalty?" All year long, dude.

This is Twister, the Cyclones mascot. I want you to notice something very specific here -- how flat his head is.

Yes, he really did just take a running start and slide on his head across the newly-Zambonied ice. Frankly, this was worth the trip in itself. Degree of difficulty in the mascot suit -- I'm giving it a 10. I made sure I was back in my seat in time during the second intermission to see it again.

Cyclones Coach Chuck Weber at his press conference. He was a little too hyped up to sit. I liked that the team organized this in a separate room with lights and cameras already set up. Much less chaotic than when Gwinnett was in the finals. Although it may have meant you couldn't get anyone else, which is bad. Speaking of previous finals though, I kept thinking Las Vegas was Alaska -- as the western team that made the long trip. Didn't help that they wore black and white uniforms.


The players were tired, so they sat. These were the three stars. I wasn't interested in these three, so I headed off for the Las Vegas locker room. Except that security was tight and you could only go with an escort. I had to wait for the Las Vegas reporter and our escort to go, but what I got was fruitful, and will be of interest to Thrasher fans. I'll post that when I get home. Don't want to give too much away, but it's related to the coaching search.

Signing deadlines for prospects

It's fish or cut bait time on players drafted in 2006. I actually really like the June 1 deadline because it tidies things up. We get some closure on guys all across the league and it clears the decks for a new crop at the 2008 draft.

The NHL CBA states that players drafted out of Canadian juniors or Europe are subject to this deadline or they return to the draft. The wrench in the machine is this thing about the IIHF agreement falling apart. I blogged about it a few weeks ago. Previously the Russians had dropped out, causing the signing deadline for Russians to be extended indefinitely. It's unclear if the NHL is going to do the same for all European countries now. Extending it puts the power in the hands of NHL teams and takes leverage away from the players, so one would think so.

Note that it's the league a player is drafted out of that matters for these rules, not your country of nationality or current play. So Arturs Kulda is subject to rules on Russia, not the OHL, because he was drafted coming out of a Russian league.

Here are the Thrashers prospects in play right now. Two CHL guys have already been signed -- Holzapfel and Machacek.

June 1 - CHL and Europe (deadline fuzzy on Europeans)

Jonas Enlund - Finland
Juraj Gracik - Slovak
Arturs Kulda - Russia
Denis Loginov - Russia
Miikka Tuomainen - Finland
Andrei Zubarev - Russia

August 15 - NCAA graduating seniors

Rylan Kaip
Matt Siddall

I've been getting emails asking me who I think will and won't be signed. The only guys I expect to get a press release about in the next week are Kulda and Enlund. Zubarev would be a plus, but don't hold your breath. Gracik, Loginov and Tuomainen are not worthy of contracts.

On the two college graduating seniors, with an Aug. 15 deadline, I don't expect Siddall to be signed. Kaip, I have a feeling he'll end up with an affiliate next year. I think he's a solid, character player you want in the system, but his NHL upside is low. That's exactly the kind of guy you set up with Chicago or Gwinnett. Then if he overachieves, you haven't cut ties.

Sometimes guys who aren't signed by their drafting team within the window are reselected in the draft, but it seems like they rarely pan out. The Thrashers have been on both sides of that equation. Rob Zepp reentered the draft after being taken by the Thrashers in 1999, and Paul Flache was a redraft in 2002. Both of them played in Europe last year.

On a side note, in ECHL news, the Ducks announced an affiliation with the Bakersfield Condors, thus ending their relationship with the Augusta Lynx.

A few tidbits

Something for everyone in this post, I hope.

First, thinking in a 2008 draft mode, we have a great performance by Corey Trivino at the U18 World Championships this week, going on in Kazan, Russia (where Ilya Nikulin and Andrei Zubarev play).

Corey Trivino, of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League's Stouffville Spirit, was a one-man wrecking crew at the 2008 IIHF World Under-18 Championship in Kazan, Russia, on Tuesday. The Toronto native not only picked up a hat trick, he also assisted on the other goal as Canada dumped Denmark 4-1. The win moves Canada to 2-0 and sets up today's battle for first place in Group A with last year's gold medallists from Russia.

Trivino is ranked No. 36 on ISS's April ranking for the 2008 draft. OPJHL guys are often wildcards in the draft because since they play against lesser competition than the CHL guys, it's harder to tell how they will do at a higher level. Some NHL teams might have them ranked highly, others very low.

In the OHL, Justin Azevedo is leading playoff scoring the same way he led regular-season scoring -- at about two points a game. Azevedo was an invitee to Thrashers prospect camp last July. Someone will likely sign the 5'8, 20-year-old undrafted free agent to a contract this summer, and there's no reason to think it wouldn't be Atlanta, since they've previously shown interest.

Did you know that former Thrashers prospect Pat Dwyer is captain of the AHL Albany River Rats?

And in the ECHL, here's an interesting Q&A with Craig Brush, President/GM of the Florida Everblades. I came across it due to my interest in the Rochester situation, but was sucked in and read the whole thing top to bottom without stopping. Of Gladiator interest is the fact that Everblades coach Gerry Fleming may leave for the AHL next year, and that Johnstown and Cincinnati will make swings through the South Division. Lots of good stuff in there.

Bad drafting by Minnesota in microcosm

Lots of people criticize the NHL team they're most familiar with for bad drafting, without putting it into context by comparing to other teams in the league. Once you do this, you see that misses are in fact more common than hits. If a team gets two NHL players out of a draft class, that's considered a good draft.

With the Texas Wildcatters, the ECHL affiliate of the Minnesota Wild, in town this weekend to play the Gwinnett Gladiators, draft errors by Minnesota can be seen in a microcosm. If you don't have your own visual of draft errors around the league, you're welcome to this one.

First we have Minnesota's first round pick, 12th overall, in 2004 A.J. Thelen. Minnesota chose not to sign Thelen last summer, taking the compensatory pick for him instead. He was signed by AHL affiliate Houston Aeros, but has played the entire year at the ECHL level. This hardly needs to be said, but first rounders shouldn't be playing in the ECHL. He'll be 22 in ten days, but is not even a top player at this level.


Next we have Matt Kassian, a fighter that the Wild took in the second round, 57th overall, in 2005. Second round! Most fighters go late in the draft, as they should. I don't know what the Wild thought they saw in him to take him so high, as he'd never put up any offensive numbers. Lots of people questioned the pick at the time, and there's no reason to put away that sentiment. He's 6'5 and not the worst skater I've ever seen, but far behind most other second rounders in skill.


I asked Myles Stoesz about Kassian, to find out how good of a fighter he is. Stoesz was complimentary of his fighting abilities, saying he was one of the top guys in the WHL when he was there, putting himself, Aaron Boogaard and Milan Lucic in the mix as well. Aaron Boogaard was also drafted by the Wild, but more reasonably in the 6th round (2004). On Kassian, Stoesz seemed to agree that he was taken high, but said "hey, good for him." Indeed, but bad for Minnesota.

We got to talking about Lucic a bit as a tangent, and Stoesz raised his shoulders to do his Lucic impression. He does have a hunchback (see my YoungStars photos). I have a feeling other fighters have done that imitation to goad him into a fight in the past. Good player though, we agreed. "He came out of nowhere," Stoesz said. A great pick by Boston in the second round in 2006 at 50th overall.

Columbia coach Troy Mann loses it

Coaches going ookie-balookie is entertaining no matter if you were at the game or not. Just a few weeks ago Steffon Walby of Mississippi got tossed out of a game. A couple years ago, Fitzsimmons with the Stingrays waived a white flag to the ref. Someday I'll put together a greatest hits post. Maybe a summertime project.

I don't know what precipitated this outburst near the end of the Gladiators game yesterday, but Columbia Inferno coach Troy Mann marched off the bench towards the ref before he was physically dragged back by his players. Below, first the linesman got an earful.

I give referee David Jones lots of credit for skating over to this hornet's nest.

"It happened right over there!" What, I have no idea. But that's for sure where it happened.


His team ended up winning in a shootout, by the way.