About to go dark(er)

I have some additional work commitments over the next couple months that will take me away from the internet.  I know I haven't posted a lot lately, hasn't been much going on, but even when there is.  Since the time I started this blog things in my life have changed and this site has (obviously) taken a back burner.  I'm not ready to give it up altogether yet, but I'll definitely take a close look this upcoming season to see if I'm still capable and willing to maintain it.

tl;dr I won't be posting much for awhile after today, including the draft so good luck Comrie, Rankin, and the other guys eligible!

So some quick bits from around.  First off, the CHL has decided to stop the drafting of import goalies.  This is such absurdity I can't even put it into words.  I don't need to because Drinnan has, Seager has, and Sapurji has.  Read the info at the links, the general consensus is that it's ridiculous.  And the comments on the Yahoo articles?  Insane.  Imagine that, insane comments on the internet.  I'm curious how opinions differ about this issue with those of us that support US teams.  I, for one, don't care what Hockey Canada wants, I want--and I pay for--a good product on the ice.  If that comes from an import, then so be it.  There's already limitations on the number of imports a team can carry, why eliminate goalies? 

--------
Speaking of Comrie and the NHL draft, he's getting ready:

“I skated today and I felt really good,” Comrie said Saturday afternoon. “I felt strong and fast. Coming back (from surgery) is a process. I think by Thursday I should be back to my normal self.”

Thursday would be the first day of the eighth annual Program of Excellence goaltending camp in Calgary.

Comrie is the top-rated Western Hockey League goaltender for the upcoming NHL draft.

The 6-foot, 170-pound Comrie was in the midst of his first season as a starter for the Americans when he started to have pain in his hips.

The pain started in November and continued to get worse.

The injury kept Comrie from displaying his skills at the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in January.

Comrie was 20-14-1-2 in 37 starts last season, with a 2.62 goals-against average, a .915 save percentage, and two shutouts before he was shelved for the season Jan. 18.

He had minor surgery on his left hip Feb. 5 in Vail, Colo., then had the right side done six days later.

He has been through months of rehabilitation, and even though he wasn’t able to participate in the testing at the NHL combine last month, he’s nearly back to full strength.

“At the NHL combine two weeks ago, I didn’t do any of the testing,” Comrie said. “If you have an injury, they won’t clear you for testing. I went through the physical — height, weight and body fat — and I got third in hand-eye coordination. I also had interviews with a lot of the teams.”

The Chicago camp is the third one Comrie has attended.

He also spent time in Toronto and Montreal.

“It’s fun to get back on the ice,” Comrie said. “I’m a little rusty. All of the teams ask about my hips and why the surgery. I told them there was a little piece of bone on my femur (cam impingement) and they shaved it down. It will make me more flexible and stronger in the future.” (Tri-City Herald)

----------
Of course the biggest news of the week (so far) is the Americans' acquisition of Jessey Astles from Saskatoon.

Tri-City Americans Governor/General Manager Bob Tory announced today that the team has acquired 20-year-old forward Jessey Astles from the Saskatoon Blades in exchange for a conditional 6th round pick in the 2014 Bantam Draft.

Astles, a 6’2 205-pound left wing from Coquitlam, British Columbia, spent last season with the MasterCard Memorial Cup host Blades, but was limited to one goal and one assist in just 26 games in 2012-13 after suffering a wrist injury in November. Originally a 6th round (120th overall) pick by the Kelowna Rockets in the 2008 Bantam Draft, Astles made his WHL debut in 2009-10 and played three full seasons with the Rockets before being traded to Saskatoon last May. In all, Astles appeared in 157 games for the Rockets, collecting six goals, 16 points and 241 penalty minutes. Astles also has 27 playoff games to his credit, split between Kelowna and Saskatoon, recording three goals and four points.

“I have watched Jessey since his time in Kelowna and have appreciated his game and have tried to acquire him a couple of times in the past,” explained Tory. “He will bring an important element to our team and we look forward to Jessey joining our club in August for training camp.” (Americans)

He'll bring size and muscle to the team for sure. I remember he played for Kelowna (I remember because when listening to games on the radio his name sounds like "assholes". sorry, it's true) but that's the extent of what I remember of him. It sounds like he'll be a sort of Mychan-type player--not big scorer, but big and tough.

Alright y'all, see you when I see you.

All Comrie, All The Time

As you may or may not know, Coms was invited to the NHL Draft Combine.  This is where teams get to look at some of the top prospects.  The kids to intense workout stuff and interviews with NHL teams.

The Edmonton Oilers have posted a quick interview with Eric:



Comrie was also selected to Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence:

Hockey Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Hockey League, announced Thursday the 19 goaltenders that will attend the eighth-annual Program of Excellence goaltending camp taking place June 13-16 at the Markin MacPhail Centre at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.

Six of the 18 goaltenders invited to the camp are from the Western Hockey League, including Eric Comrie of the Tri-City Americans, who is the top-rated WHL goaltender for the 2013 NHL Draft.

Thirteen goaltenders in the under-20 age category (candidates for Canada’s National Junior Team) and six in the under-18 category (candidates for Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team) will get the opportunity to work with a number of instructors during the four-day camp.

UNDER-20 GOALTENDERS
Antoine Bibeau, Charlottetown (QMJHL)
François Brassard, Quebec (QMJHL)
Eric Comrie, Tri-City (WHL)
Philippe Desrosiers, Rimouski (QMJHL)
Chris Driedger, Calgary (WHL)
Zachary Fucale, Halifax (QMJHL)
Tristan Jarry, Edmonton (WHL)
Austin Lotz, Everett (WHL)
Spencer Martin, Mississauga (OHL)
Matt Murray, Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
Jake Paterson, Saginaw (OHL)
Mackenzie Skapski, Kootenay (WHL)          
Brandon Whitney, Victoriaville (QMJHL)
UNDER-18 GOALTENDERS
Julio Billia, Chicoutimi (QMJHL)
Alex Bureau, Cape Breton (QMJHL)
Payton Lee, Vancouver (WHL)
Matt Mancina,  Leamington (GOJHL)
Mason McDonald, Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL)
Brent Moran, Niagara (OHL)

CLICK HERE FOR AN ON-ICE SCHEDULE FOR THE PROGRAM OF EXCELLENCE GOALTENDING CAMP

“We have had terrific success with this camp in its first seven years, and we are excited to have Canada’s best young goaltenders work with some of the top instructors in the game,” said Brad Pascall, Hockey Canada’s vice-president of hockey operations/national teams. “We want to give these young goaltenders every opportunity to develop and prepare for international competition, and we feel this camp is a step in the right direction.”

The camp will include both on-ice and off-ice sessions. David Marcoux (Hockey Canada) will lead a group of seven instructors: Sebastien Farrese (Belleville, OHL), Scott Gouthro (Cape Breton, QMJHL), Piero Greco (Kitchener, OHL), Dusty Imoo (Seattle, WHL), Marco Marciano (Blainville-Boisbriand, QMJHL), Dustin Schwartz (Edmonton, WHL) and Jimmy Waite (Chicoutimi, QMJHL).
The camp will be open to the public, free of charge.  (Americans)

Oh hai

A roundup of random stuff...

Connor Rankin was featured on the Pipeline Show on Saturday, you can hear it here.  They're calling him a dark-horse candidate for the 2013 NHL Draft.

Speaking of the draft, the other day (last week?) Alan Caldwell posted a list of 2011 draftees, noting which of those had been signed.  If they aren't signed by June 1 they re-enter the draft.  On the unsigned list is the Americans' Zachary Yuen.  Yuen was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets.  You can see Caldwell's list here.

Since I've mentioned Caldwell, he also took a look at the glut of 19-year-olds (well, 20-year-olds) that the Saskatoon Blades has.  They loaded up as hosts of the Memorial Cup, not that it did them a lot of good.  He mentions that of the 13 '93s on the roster, there's about nine actually in play, so to speak.

What does that have to do with the Americans?  There may be a 20 YO spot or two available.  If we look at the roster on the Americans website, the 93s are:
Walter
Dallman
Yuen
Topping
Lee-Knight

I think right away Walter, Dallman, and Lee-Knight can be taken off the roster.  If I remember right (heaven forbid I go back and look) Lee-Knight was released by the team shortly after playoffs ended.  Walter and Dallman aren't going to be back.  The role's they play aren't spots generally saved for a coveted 20-year-old spot.  Topping, already named captain, is not going anywhere.  

That leaves Yuen.  What a conundrum.  He *can* be an elite defenseman.  We've seen him do it.  Just not a lot (or as much as we would have liked) last season.  All season I was just shaking my head in confusion.  What was I missing?  What part of this game after all these years do I not get that made my eyes believe he was playing so badly and yet played so many minutes?  What did coach see that I didn't?  Apparently a lot.  The general consensus among fans I talked to (admittedly a small sample size) was not impressed with Yuen at all this season.  So what are we all missing?  I don't know.  But perhaps, coming full circle here, the Jets saw whatever we saw too and hence him not being signed.  Does that make him trade-bait?  Would another team want him?  Does he need a change of scenery?  I don't know, we'll see how it all unfolds.

Yaremko signed

Tri-City Americans Governor/General Manager Bob Tory announced today that the club has signed 2013 second round bantam draft pick, Nolan Yaremko to a standard WHL Players Contract. Tri-City selected Yaremko with their second selection (29th overall) in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft, held on May 2.

Listed at 5’11 and 178 pounds, Yaremko posted solid numbers in his bantam year. The Spirit River, Alberta-native was a member of the Alberta and Western Canadian AAA Champion Southside Athletic Club Southgate Lions, playing in 33 regular season games and collecting 28 goals and 69 points. Yaremko also finished the regular season just outside the top-10 in the AMBHL scoring race, then finished 3rd overall in league playoff scoring after compiling 11 goals and 25 points in 11 games.

“Nolan is a skilled forward and we are pleased that he has chosen our program for his hockey development,” stated Tory. “We look forward to watching Nolan compete at training camp in August.”

With Yaremko joining Parker AuCoin, who signed with the club earlier this week, the Americans have now signed their top-2 picks in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft. Additionally, Tri-City has now signed their top-2 picks in eight of the last 10 drafts dating back to 2004. (Tri-City Americans)

Filbrandt Traded

Tri-City Americans Governor/General Manager Bob Tory announced today that the team has traded 18-year-old rearguard Clint Filbrandt to the Kootenay Ice in exchange for a 5th round pick in the 2015 Bantam Draft.

Filbrandt, a 5’11 175-pound defenseman from Calgary, Alberta, was originally drafted by Tri-City in the 10th round (217th overall) of the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft. Filbrandt just wrapped up his rookie WHL season, appearing in 31 games and collecting a goal and two points along with 17 penalty minutes and a plus-2 rating. Filbrandt scored his first WHL goal in just his second WHL game back on Oct. 14 at Moose Jaw. Prior to joining Tri-City, Filbrandt spent the 2011-12 season with the Calgary Northstars AAA Midget club, playing in 33 games and totaling four goals and 13 points.

“With an abundance of defenseman signed for the upcoming season, I wanted to give Clint an opportunity to continue to play in the WHL,” explained Tory. “We would like to thank (Clint) for his contributions to our club and wish him nothing but the best.” (Tri-City Americans)

Aucoin Signed

Tri-City Americans Governor/General Manager Bob Tory announced today that the club has signed 2013 first round bantam draft pick, Parker AuCoin to a standard WHL Players Contract. Tri-City selected AuCoin with their first selection (15th overall) in the 2013 WHL Bantam Draft, held on May 2.

A native of Calgary, Alberta, AuCoin became the first forward taken by Tri-City in the first round of the WHL Bantam Draft since current Americans’ forward Connor Rankin (2009), and just the 10th forward selected by the club in the opening round. Former first round forward draft picks by the Americans include Rankin (2009), Jason Gardiner (2006), Joel Broda (2004), Jonathan Toews (2003), Ian McDonald (2000), Eric Johansson (1997), Tim Green (1996), Terry Ryan (1992) and Mark Stephan (1991).

Listed at 6’0 and 176 pounds, AuCoin posted impressive numbers in his bantam year. Serving as the team captain of the Calgary Northstar Sabres, AuCoin appeared in 33 regular season games and totaled 63 goals and 87 points. AuCoin’s 63 goals this season was second most in Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League history, second only to current Portland Winterhawks forward Ty Rattie’s mark of 75 in 2007-08, while finishing 3rd in the AMBHL scoring race. Including the post-season and tournament play, AuCoin racked up 91 goals in 56 games, totaling 135 points and 61 penalty minutes. Additionally, AuCoin was named an AMBHL South Division All-Star and South Division MVP.

“Parker is a pure goal scorer and an elite player in his draft class,” Tory expressed. “We are excited that he and his family have selected our program for his hockey development and pursuit of his goals. We look forward to seeing him at training camp in August.”

“I couldn’t be happier…it’s always been a dream of mine,” explained AuCoin. “I’m excited to go to camp and play there very soon.” (Tri-City American)

oh HELL no

I get weird, random emails all the time, "would you be interested in advertising for my casino site? Let's strike up a business deal" or some crap.  I hit delete and move on with my life.  But THIS, this came to my inbox the other day and I'm just amazed.  Like, to find my email these people have to come to the blog, they have to read at least a little to find it (not much, but still).  Why on earth would anyone think I would care about this?  Because I'm an Ams fan and the Americans are in the US Division of the WHL?!?  I have no idea.  But I can tell you for sure, it is not possible for me to actually care less about this.  Here's the email:

Hi Dave,

I recently completed an interview with Mike Johnson of the Portland Winterhawks and thought you'd be interested in hearing first hand how Mike discusses the culture that has been developed in Portland, the programs strategy for player development and the value of role models in an organization.

As you know, Mike Johnston was officially hired as the Head Coach of the Portland Winterhawks on November 28, 2008. Since then, the Winterhawks have become a model franchise in terms on wins and losses, as well as player development. Tonight, Portland will make it’s 3rd consecutive appearance to the WHL final, squaring off in a rematch versus the Edmonton Oil Kings.

Despite being suspended by the WHL earlier this season and being unable to step behind the bench during his team’s playoff run, Mike has remained positive and found other ways in which to contribute to his team’s success. Both now and in the future. 

The full interview can be heard here: http://thecoachessite.com/mike-johnston-interview/

Follow @TheCoachesSite on Twitter and Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheCoachesSite
If you have any questions or want to share this interview, please contact me.

Regards,

Aaron Wilbur
Managing Director
The Coaches Site
Office: 604.565.2019
Fax: 1.888.262.4715
Cell: 604.802.5371
Email: aaron@thecoachessite.com
www.thecoachessite.com
Founded in 2010 by Aaron Wilbur and Nick Ten, The Coaches Site is your online source for the latest news and information regarding the coaching profession. We share the stories, ambition and knowledge of the men and women who strive to extract the very best in human performance.

Oh, you thought I'd be interested did you?  I would love it if organizations who wanted me to be interested in their stuff would just take a second to be interested in mine.  Then they'd know if they were wasting their time sending me this crapola.