"Promotional" Team update

Reader bc99354 called the Ams office and sent me the following email yesterday (sorry for the delay posting, I was on the golf course the last two days):

I wanted to let you know I actually called the Ams office today and inquired about what the dancers are there for & what the attire is going to be. I expressed concern about purchasing tickets for myself & my kids due to the "requirements" of what these girls would be wearing at auditions and that hopefully it wasn't what they actually will be wearing to games. She took note about the FB & Twitter comments & concern. I told her that it may be wise to put out something that gives a description of attire and duties.

There is a meeting tomorrow on the dance team and she is going to express concern over the requirements & the uniforms. Amy called back not more than 10 minutes later telling me that dress attire is Yoga pants, and a long sleeved shirt. Midriff will be exposed but due to them being on the ice & family setting they want it to stay clean. Amy was very concerned about what the fan base is thinking and will be hopefully clearing that up soon. I appreciate that she called back & now I am for SURE going to go out there and support the boys!Amy said pretty much what you did, come out & see what its about then judge! I just wanted to let you know as you have access to several readers.

Also its a team made up of only 6 girls, they will be handing out promotional stuff for the Ams, and the good news...ITS NOT PERMANENT! Amy stressed several times that this was a test to see how it goes over and does not mean anything for next season. She thought they would be similar to the Portland girls, (i know still tacky) but definatly family oriented. I just stressed back that as soon as the stripper dances & boobs start coming out..I'm gone & so is the rest of our family!

Great Bit on Prospect Tyler Mrkonjic

Driedger Getting Looks

Right after goalie Chris Driegder is traded to Calgary for a 3rd round pick, he gets NHL attention:

One day after being acquired by the Calgary Hitmen in a trade with the Tri-City Americans, 17-year-old goaltender Chris Driedger (DREE-ger) has received a National Hockey League invite.

Driedger is one of 36 top rated prospects for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft who have accepted invitations to participate in the 2011 NHL Research, Development and Orientation Camp.

The camp will be held August 17 and 18 at MasterCard Centre in Toronto. (Hockey Prospect, NHL)

First off, huge ass-pat to Aeris for passing this info along, much appreciated.

Secondly, what the heck?  Bob gives up a wildly talented goalie for a 3rd rounder.  I saw an interesting tidbit on the WHL message board (it's painful "research" I do for you guys) from poster "Alan" who I'm 95% sure is Alan Caldwell based on the information and professionalism with which he posts.  Anyways, he says:

The 3rd round pick the Americans get from Calgary for Driedger could actually just be the Ams getting their own 3rd round pick back from the Hitmen.

The Ams owe Calgary their 2012 3rd rounder if Matt Mackenzie plays in the WHL as an overager this year, so if he does then it is possible that Calgary is just returning that pick to the Americans for Driedger. That would mean the Mackenzie deal, in essence, was Driedger, Macek, and Humphries for Mackenzie.

There's no doubt that Matt MacKenzie has been very valuable. And if he returns this season he will continue to be valuable and possibly part of the leadership group (captain? alternate captain?). Macek and Humphries are decent enough players, Ams have plenty of decent--or better--players on the protected player list, have drafted/traded well over the years to stockpile talent so losing Mace and Humps not as huge as losing Driedger.

So it begs the question is Drew 100% staying as a 20 to split time with Eric Comrie? I can't imagine there's enough confidence, no matter how talented he is, to throw Comrie in as the starter at 16 and look for a backup for him. Or is there some other goalie in the league that Bob knows will be available to take Drew's place to tandem with Eric? There's two 19-year-olds on the PPL, Cam Gorchynski and Zane Gothberg. Gorchynski got a few games in with the Americans last season and actually I thought he played pretty well. Well enough to make the lineup this season if Drew's gone? No idea.

Regardless of the questions still surrounding the lineup for this upcoming season, I wish the best of luck to Chris, it's fantastic he's getting notice from scouts and NHL teams.

Shots from the Point

According to Drinnan, the Ams picked up the rights to MacKenzie Royer from Moose Jaw:

The Tri-City Americans picked up the rights to F MacKenzie Royer, 19, after he was dropped by the Moose Jaw Warriors. Royer, a second-round bantam draft selection by the Calgary Hitmen in the 2007 bantam draft, put up 11 points in 35 games last season — 16 with the Hitmen and 19 with the Warriors.  (Taking Note)

So not a big point producer, maybe to fill a 3rd line grinder role that is currently held by Mason Wilgosh.  UGH I don't want to talk about it (losing Mason).  They just got his rights, he'll still have to prove himself in camp, so I guess we'll wait and see.

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In the same Drinnan article he makes note of former American Logan Stephenson and his brother, Shay:

F Shay Stephenson (Red Deer, 2000-04) and younger brother D Logan Stephenson (Tri-City, 2001-06) signed tryout contracts with Jesenice (Slovenia, Austria Erste Bank Liga). Shay did not play last season while Logan had two goals and three assists in 43 games for the Adirondack Phantoms (AHL). In 2009-10, Shay had six goals and 13 assists in 36 games with the Las Vegas Wranglers (ECHL) and four goals and two assists in seven games for Vålerenga Oslo (Norway, Get Ligaen).

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Speaking of former Americans, I'd be remiss not to mention the latest from Minnesota.  Aaron Boogaard has been arrested in connection with his brother Derek's death.  I worded that wrong, like he has something to do with killing him, that's not the case.  From the Star Tribune:

The brother of Derek Boogaard had control of the addictive painkillers that the onetime lovable Minnesota Wild tough guy was taking until his overdose death and that he destroyed the pills before authorities found the body, according to charges filed Friday.
Aaron Boogaard, 24, was charged with third-degree sale of a controlled substance, a felony, and interference with a death, a gross misdemeanor. He remains in the Hennepin County jail pending a court appearance, possibly Monday.

Also, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed a hold on the Canadian national from Regina, Saskatchewan, for suspected immigration violations.

The younger brother said that he went the next day to pick up brother Ryan Boogaard at the airport. Aaron Boogaard returned to the apartment and found his brother unresponsive. A 911 call was made. But before emergency personnel arrived, Aaron Boogaard said, he flushed down the toilet the remaining pills that he had been holding for Derek Boogaard.

After Aaron Boogaard's arrest but before the charges were made public, a lawyer for the family issued a statement, saying in part: "One thing is certain, the charges brought against Aaron have nothing to do" with Derek Boogaard's death. (Star Tribune)

The article goes on to say that Aaron was trying to control the amount of drugs his brother was taking. It's going to be interesting to see how this unfolds. And if you want to read a really spectacularly written piece about Derek, check out this bit from Hockey Wilderness. Seriously, read it.

"Promotial Team"

The Tri-City Americans announced today that they will be holding open auditions for their new promotional dance team for the upcoming 2011-2012 season.

Auditions will be held on Friday, August 5 at the Toyota Center, located at 7000 West Grandridge Blvd in Kennewick, starting at 6:00 PM. All interested candidates must be 18 years of age or older and must bring a completed registration form and a headshot with them to the audition. The audition will consist of an interview followed by a brief dance exhibition. Registration forms can be downloaded below, or by stopping by the Americans’ offices located inside the Toyota Center.

Audition Requirements:
- Must be 18 years of age or older
- Bring a headshot (headshots do not need to be professional)
- Bring a dance resume
o Dance resume should consist of previous and/or present dance experience
o Any workshops, classes, teams, conventions or skills pertaining to cheerleading or dance should be included as well
- Performance-ready hair and make-up is suggested
- Wear a form-fitting half dance or sport top and boy shorts or briefs
- Dance or tennis/athletic shoes are required
- Dancers should have no visible tattoos or piercings other than in their ears

Promotional Team Expectations:
If you are selected to be a member of the Americans’ dance team for the 2011-12 season, you will be expected to attend ALL practices, scheduled games and mandatory Tri-City Americans events. Promotional Team duties will also include community events and scheduled appearances.

For questions or more information on the audition process, please contact Bobbi Buttars at 509.551.2242 or by e-mail at bibuttars@hotmail.com. (Americans)

I'm all for pumping up the fans and getting the crowd into it and creating atmosphere, but I'm torn as to whether this is the way to do it. On one hand I think it's gimmicky, hypersexualized (to steal from Spokant), and completely unnecessary in a hockey rink. It shows women as sex objects, prancing around in skimpy outfits for no discernible reason. I think it's a bad promotional tool for families, as it reinforces to young girls that they should strive to be beautiful and sexy and flashy and reinforces to young boys that they are to fantasize about such objectification.

On the other hand if ladies want to parade themselves around like some cheap gimmick, go for it. But don't wonder why people mock you. Don't wonder why people look at you like a low-rent hooker. Because they kind of are, right? Getting paid to entertain, that's kinda whore-ish. I've gone off track of this being the other hand, haven't I? I just find it hard to believe these women WON'T be Ice Girls or cheerleaders--just look at the audition requirements--performance-ready hair and makeup, form-fitting half dance top. C'mon, it doesn't take a rocket surgeon to connect the dots.

I'm not going all crazy and announcing I'm not renewing my season tickets or anything (take a look at the outrage on the Ams Facebook page), I'll reserve final judgement till I see the actual product. In all my years as a fan the Americans have always been a top-notch organization who is committed to providing a quality product on the ice and a large amount of community involvement. I hope they aren't going away from that with something cheap and gimmicky.

From the Twitter today, some of my favorites:

• @wireless_peon: constructive idea, tri needs replay, not cheerleaders.
• @spokant: "How dare you women find these young men attractive! Now move, I can't see that 18 year old's tits shaking."
• @RL: I'm all for some other dance group coming to perform at intermission as entertainment, one that isn't part of the organization
• @RL: This is not the time (if ever) to get "dancers", how about nice apparel first?
• @Champ: Clearly they don't make as much money on us female fans and don't mind offending us. They'll never admit that the ice dancers are supposed to be sexy. It just seems so DESPERATE.
• @Masheen: Say what you will, but it'll beat the hell out of "titanic trike races"!

Those are just a couple. It's also quite evident from Twitter and Facebook that this "debate" is generally divided down gender lines. WEIRD. It doesn't surprise me, I just hate the double standard (see Spokant's tweet up there).

The hilarity continued on the Twitter, we worked on coming up with names. Portland has the Rosebuds, we could have:

• Lady Liberties
• Daddy Issue Dancers
• Cow Belles
• Bobby's Bitches

Just some ideas we tossed around. Got any other ideas?

Goalies

Yesterday I did my final overager analysis, looking at Drew Owsley.  If only I'd continued to be a lazy slacker for a few more hours, the post would have been completely different.  Oh well, gives me material for today.

Chris Driedger went to the Calgary Hitmen yesterday in return for a 3rd rounder, which seems pretty cheap for a goalie with a lot of potential, one who went to Hockey Canada's goaltending camp--one of only four WHL goalies.  But he'll get a chance to play a lot and prove himself with the Hitmen, I wish him nothing but the best of luck (except against the Ams of course).

So there's speculation all over the place from the message boards to Alan Caldwell that pretty much say what I've thought as well--it will likely be an Owsley/Comrie tandem.  And maybe tandem isn't the right word, I think Drew will mentor young Comrie, getting the majority of the starts for the first half of the season, then Eric will get more and more time.  Depending on how the season is going, he may get a whole lot of starts the second half.  If--God forbid--the team is doing very poorly Bob could even trade Drew at the deadline to a contender and hand it over to Comrie for the rest of the season.  This also depends on Eric, he's very highly-touted, but he's still 16-years-old, that's a lot of pressure to come into the WHL and be expected to steal the show as a behbeh.  Yes, Carey Price did it, but it was the 2nd half of his 1st season (and the playoffs) before he really took the reins.

So keeping a 20-year-old goalie seems more and more likely, what does that do for the remaining 2 overage spots?  Keeping Drew will take a little bit (miniscule) of pressure off the defense so either Sutherland or MacKenzie are definitely out, depending on what Buffalo does with Big Mac.  If they keep Matt, does that ensure Brock stays?  Hard to say, who ever really knows what Bob has up his sleeve?  The easiest assumption is that Shinnimin gets the other spot.  Sorta seems like a no-brainer, but you never know. 

One goalie question answered

Chris Driedger was dealt to the Hitmen:

Tri-City Americans Governor/General Manager Bob Tory announced today that the team has traded 17-year-old goaltender Chris Driedger to the Calgary Hitmen in exchange for a 3rd round pick in the 2012 Bantam Draft.

Driedger, listed at 6’2 175 pounds, had a solid rookie season with Tri-City, appearing in 22 games while compiling a 6-6-0-1 record. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native finished his first WHL season with a 3.50 goals against average and a 0.881 save percentage, all as a 16-year-old. Driedger also got a taste of international competition in 2010-11, serving as the starting goaltender for Team West at the 2011 World U17 Hockey Challenge in Winnipeg. In four tournament games, Driedger compiled a 3.26 goals against average and a 0.880 save percentage. As a 15-year-old, Driedger also led Team Manitoba to a silver medal at the 2009 Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup. This off-season, Driedger served as the only WHL goaltender to earn an invitation to Hockey Canada’s annual U18 Program of Excellence Goaltending Camp this past June.

“With our depth at the goaltender position, a trade with going to be necessary sooner or later,” Tory explained. “Going into his NHL Draft year, Chris deserves a chance to play more WHL games that he did last year and I could not guarantee that would occur for him here.”

“Calgary is a good fit for him and this helps us replenish some (Bantam) Draft picks that we have given up in the past,” continued Tory. “We thank Chris for all his contributions to our team and wish him nothing but the best in Calgary.” (Americans)

Overager Analysis: Drew Owsley

Technically, next on the list is Clinton Atkinson--defenseman who was called up for a couple games.  He did alright, but I'm fairly certain he's not in the running for one of the OA spots.  Which brings us to the last of the potential 20-year-olds, Drew Owsley.

It's been several years since I've been really emotional about the 20-year-old cutdown, but this year I know I will be.  Look at all these guys, they're all quality players, and quality individuals.  I don't want to lose any of them.  But it's a business, and Bob's gotta do what he's gotta do.  Which breaks my dark cold heart.

Drew's stats from the WHL:

Regular Season

                       Season GP GA Mins Saves GAA SV%  W  L OTL SOL T SO

2010-11 Regular Season 55 142 3072 1467 2.77 0.912 36 17 1 1 0 4

2009-10 Regular Season 50 116 2776 1295 2.51 0.918 33 11 1 1 0 4

2008-09 Regular Season 17   37  755   273 2.94 0.881 7 5 0 0 0 1

Total:                        122 295 6603 3035 2.68 0.911 76 33 2 2 0 9

Playoffs

                 Season  GP GA Mins Saves GAA SV% W L OTL SOL T SO

2011 WHL Playoffs    10 27 641 304 2.53 0.918 6 2 2 0 0 1

2010 WHL Playoffs    19 43 1043 503 2.47 0.921 12 5 2 0 0 2

Total:                      29 70 1684 807 2.49 0.920 18 7 4 0 0 3

Drew went from being a bench-warmer in a 3-goalie system with Chet Pickard and Brett Martyniuk to a premier goalie in the WHL.  In the past two seasons he's made quite a name for himself and proved doubters wrong.

WHY HE'LL BE KEPT:

Solid, reliable, workhorse.  Ows can play a lot of games, he actually plays better the more games he plays.  He's not the biggest goalie by any stretch of the imagination, but he's technically sound and is able to make himself appear bigger in net.  He's quick, that glove hand is ridiculous. He is a calming presence, the guys play better with him back there because they trust in his ability. Not the strongest puck-handler, he should stay in net more, but I suppose it could be worse. He has worked his ass off to get where he is.

WHY HE WON'T BE KEPT:
He's a 20-year-old goalie.  It's not often (but not unheard of) for teams to use a 20-spot for a goalie.  Bigger than that is the young, talented goalies waiting in the wings.  Teams want to get their goalies ready for a bigger workload so the Ams will be wanting Driedger and/or Comrie to get a fair amount of playing time so it's not really nice or fair (for lack of better terms) to have an overager backup goalie.  I highly doubt Drew would be happy being backup, he didn't work this hard to be back on the bench.  Is Driedger ready to take the reigns?  I have no idea, he showed a whole lot of promise last season.  Will it be a Driedger/Comrie tandem?  Possibly.

Again, I don't make predictions, but when looking at future development, I don't see Drew fitting into that picture.  Could I be wrong?  Sure.  It's no secret he's one of my favorites ever so I'd love him to be here another year.  I said not many teams keep a 20-year-old goalie, but there's a possibility some other WHL team will have a need, I just gotta hope it's not another US Division team.

SPOKANT SAYS:

Pros:  Co-MmfVP for a reason.  Easily one of the best goalies in the league.  Ego still in check.  Fan favorite.

Cons:  He's an overage goalie.  Last season let in a number of shots from the blue line.  Seemed a little shaky until the uncertainty surrounding Pechurskiy was resolved.  Will a highly touted goalie coming in as his backup affect his game the same way? 

My guess:  Eric Comrie's performance will have the biggest impact on whether Drew stays or goes.  Unfortunately, I see him being traded. :(

Behbehs making us proud

Two posts in one day?  In the middle of summer??  Yep, it's true.

The Americans have a whole bunch of prospects that are participating in elite camps.  From the team:

Tri-City Americans Governor/General Manager Bob Tory announced today that 16 of the team’s prospects will be or have participated in their provincial programs of excellence and USA Hockey Select Festivals in preparation for national tournaments this fall.

“This is an excellent opportunity for our prospects to develop within a structured framework, while competing against the top athletes in their provincial age group” stated Tory. “We are proud of our list players and wish them good luck over the summer. We look forward to seeing them all at our rookie camp on August 24th.”

Below is a list of players and the respective camps they will be attending:

British Columbia – U-16 (Penticton, BC)

June 30 – July 3

- Justin Marreck, Forward (Listed 06/02/11)

British Columbia – U-17 (Salmon Arm, BC)

July 24 – July 27

- Jordan Klimek, Defense (Listed 08/28/10)

Alberta – U-16 (Camrose, AB)

July 18 – July 24

- Brandon Hickey, Defense (4th, 81st, 2011 Draft)

- Tyler Mrkonjic, Forward (4th, 82nd, 2011 Draft)

Alberta – U-17 (Camrose, AB)

July 6 – July 10

- Parker Bowles, Forward (Listed 03/14/11)

- Eric Comrie, Goaltender (1st, 13th, 2010 Draft)

Saskatchewan – SaskFirst U-17 (Wilcox, SK)

July 18 – July 22

- Justin Spagrud, Forward (3rd, 63rd, 2010 Draft)

- Josh Wik, Defense (4th, 85th, 2010 Draft)

Manitoba – U-17 (Winnipeg, MB)

May 26 – May 29

- Taeron Lewis, Forward (7th, 151st, 2010 Draft)

United States – U-15 (Rochester, NY)

July 15 – July 21

- Brandon Carlo, Defense (10th, 214th, 2011 Draft)

- Kody Ichinaga, Forward (13th, 280th, 2011 Draft)

- Austin Mayton, Forward (14th, 302nd, 2011 Draft)

- Ryan Tait, Forward (9th, 192nd, 2011 Draft)

- Brian Williams, Forward (4th, 75th, 2011 Draft)

United States – U-16 (Rochester, NY)

June 24 – June 30

- Max Becker, Forward (Listed 04/05/11)

- Trevor Moore, Forward (Listed 08/28/10)

Swedish Malte Balls Inteview

Thanks to reader Lori for passing along the link to an interview with one of the Americans' new import players, Malte Stromwall.

Your father (Johan) was a very good player back in the day, how has he helped and influenced your game? And, who else has played a part in your development game?

Malte: Yes, that’s right, he gives me a lot of feedback, and he helps me when I go through tough times during the season. My stepfather Fredrik was a good Swedish player in his day also, and he has helped me alot and pushes me everyday.

You are a speedy forward, that has a knack for scoring goals, what else do you see being your best attributes as a player?

Malte: Yes, I like to use my speed to create and score goals. Haha, I think I’m a little bit of a dangler, I work hard every shift, and do everything I can to help the team.

You were selected by the WHL’s Tri-City Americans in this years CHL Import Draft, do you plan on playing with them this year, and what can fans expect from you?

Malte: Yes, that’s true. I’m gonna play for the Americans this season, and they can expect a hard working left winger, who can score some goals, and make some nice moves.

With 2012 being your NHL Draft year, do you feel any added pressure to perform next season?

Malte: Yes, a little, I want to play good and develop as much as I can. The draft is just a bonus, of course I look forward to getting drafted, but like I said before it’s just a bonus if I do. I have no expectations either way.

You can check out the rest here.

OA Analysis: Matt MacKenzie

Technically Carter Ashton is next on the list I made, and I know I said I don't make predictions, but I'm pretty sure I can predict with near perfect accuracy that Ashton will NOT be back as a 20-year-old so I'm not going to do an OA analysis on him.  If the planet gets knocked off its axis and he is back, then I'll...well, I don't know what I'll do.  Moving on...

Big Mac's stats from WHL:

Regular Season

Season Team                                                  GP G A PTS +/- PIM

2010-11 Regular Season Tri-City Americans        33 5 10 15 4 36

2010-11 Regular Season Calgary Hitmen             40 2 21 23 -13 50

2009-10 Regular Season Calgary Hitmen             64 6 34 40 16 62

2008-09 Regular Season Calgary Hitmen             49 3 9 12 11 24

2007-08 Regular Season Calgary Hitmen             39 2 6 8 15 8

Total:                                                           225 18 80 98 33 180

Playoffs

Season Team                                                  GP G A PTS +/- PIM

2011 WHL Playoffs Tri-City Americans               10 1 4 5 -1 6

2010 WHL Playoffs Calgary Hitmen                    23 6 10 16 9 31

2009 WHL Playoffs Calgary Hitmen                    16 0 2 2 7 4

2008 WHL Playoffs Calgary Hitmen                      6 1 2 3 3 2

Total:                                                             55 8 18 26 18 43

As I mentioned on the analysis of Brock, I think the makeup of the 2011-12 team will depend on what happens with Big Mac.

WHY HE'LL BE KEPT:  He's good.  Very good.  Tough, reliable, smart with the puck.  Leadership, experience.  He's a skilled veteran who would be the anchor of the D-corps.  He logs big minutes, skates well, and you know you'll get a solid effort from him every shift of every game.  Matt isn't a big-time offensive defenseman, but if he's paired with Yuen, Zachary can take care of that part for the both of them.  Big Mac does have a wicked slapshot from the point which makes me tingly in my lady bits.  I have a thing for defensemen, especially ones with a sexy slapsot.

WHY HE WON'T BE KEPT:  Buffalo Sabres keep him.  IMO that would be the only reason he wouldn't be back.  I don't see Bob trading or releasing Matt, he's too valuable.

SPOKANT SAYS:  Pros:  Solid d-man with a wicked shot from the point.  There isn't anything fancy about Matt, he does his job quietly, but you always know he's going to do it right.  Probably couldn't ask for a better veteran presence.

Cons:  Will he be unhappy about being sent back?  And if so, will it affect his game?  Not a particularly gritty player which this team will need in light of losing Tyler Schmidt.

My guess:  It's up to the Sabres, though it's looking more and more like he'll be coming back.  I don't see Bob trading a player who he paid so much for and who is, most importantly, so good.

OA Analysis: Brock Sutherland

Starting the post once again with stats from the WHL site:

Regular Season

Season                         GP G A PTS +/- PIM

2010-11 Regular Season  72 4 19 23 4 69

2009-10 Regular Season  52 2 8 10 7 48

2008-09 Regular Season  41 1 6 7 18 36

2008-09 Regular Season  14 0 0 0 -7 9   (Lethbridge Hurricanes)

2007-08 Regular Season  5 0 0 0 1 2      (Lethbridge Hurricanes)

Total:                            184 7 33 40 23 164

Playoffs

Season                   GP G A PTS +/- PIM

2011 WHL Playoffs  10 0 4 4 -1 12

2010 WHL Playoffs  22 1 3 4 -8 17

2009 WHL Playoffs  7 0 2 2 2 4

Total:                  39 1 9 10 -7 33

What is it about these boys from Manitoba having such an improved season?  Brock had his best season yet.  The 09-10 season showed signs of something good, but consistency was a problem and he had a pretty bad playoffs.  So at the start of 10-11 I was cautiously optimistic.  I'd seen him play well so I knew he could do it, it's whether or not he would.

WHY HE'LL BE KEPT:  Big, good skater, not afraid to get rough.  He's become very solid and reliable, steady.  He played a shitton of minutes, he'd be a good solid veteran defenseman to anchor the blueline.  Brock's not the quickest, but he's not slow by any means.  A stay-at-home style serves him well.

WHY HE WON'T BE KEPT:  Matt MacKenzie.  Based on his play I'd say Brock would likely fill one of the 3 spots, then Bob acquired Big Mac and what happens with Brock depends on what happens with Matt.  I suppose it's possible Tory could keep them both, I wouldn't particularly object to that, I like them both (as players and as silly guys).  Suds isn't a big time offensive defenseman, which you sometimes want to see in an OA d-man.  He did get a ton of assists last season, so it's not like he's just standing around (which he used to do, actually).  Bob might have some trade value in Suds, it somehow seems teams are always looking for an OA d-man at the deadline.

SPOKANT SAYS:

Pros:  Significant improvement from '09-'10 season.  Veteran presence on the blue line is always huge.  Utilizes his size well.  Silly.  A good d-man coming back to a team that is short on defence.

Cons:  Good, but not great.  Until Bob acquired MacKenzie, I thought Brock had a pretty good chance of being an OA Am.  Lacks the offensive side you usually want from an overage defenceman.

My guess:  Traded. :(

OA Analysis: Mason Wilgosh

Willy's stats from the WHL:

Regular Season

Season                             GP G A PTS +/- PIM

2010-11 Regular Season      48 12 24 36 19 28

2009-10 Regular Season      68 7 12 19 9 30

2008-09 Regular Season      59 6 5 11 -12 18

2007-08 Regular Season      44 3 5 8 5 17

Total:                              219 28 46 74 21 93

Playoffs

Season                      GP G A PTS +/- PIM

2011 WHL Playoffs      10 2 2 4 5 2

2010 WHL Playoffs      22 1 5 6 -2 4

2009 WHL Playoffs      11 0 0 0 -3 12

2008 WHL Playoffs      3 0 0 0 -1 0

Total:                       46 3 7 10 -1 18

Like his fellow Winnipeggers Shinnimin and Hughesman, Mason Wilgosh had his best season of his WHL career.

WHY HE'LL STAY:  Mason is all grit.  He's listed at 5'8", 180 lbs. but he plays like he's 8 feet tall and bulletproof.  He's got a tireless work ethic and plays balls-to-the-wall every shift.  Willy had a whole lot of chemistry when he was on the Shinny-Hughesman line, but it's not like his play suffered when put on other lines.  He's a shut-down guy, goes against top players on opposing teams and is the epitome of Westie's "like a dog on a bone" analogy (DRINK!).  Battled adversity of a wired-shut jaw to start the season.  He was an alternate captain this past season and as such he was a vital member of the leadership group.  He's actually quite level-headed while playing so gritty, only 28 penalties in the regular season.  Speaking of vital, he was also an essential piece of the penalty kill--srsly, no one kills penalties better than Mason.  Also essential:  he's HILARIOUS.  Oh my goodness I heart Mason Wilgosh, just a riot.  And he's got a gazillion nicknames.

WHY HE WON'T STAY:  Unfortunately, Willy is what you'd call a role player.  He role is to be gritty, kill penalties, and everything else listed above.  When a team only has 3 20-year-old spots to fill, they aren't generally filled with these kinds of role players.  With the high scoring of Adam and/or Brendan, needing a good veteran defenseman or two, there just probably won't be a spot for Mason.  And it breaks my cold black heart.  It's guys like Mason that make the WHL such a heartbreaking league to follow, make it hard to remember it's a business.  GMs have to do what is best for the team, for the business.

Granted, Bob did keep Neal, a similar role-player guy like Mason, but he didn't exactly have the same dilemma(s) he faces with the glut of 19-year-olds now.

SPOKANT SAYS:

Milkshake - Pros:  Work ethic, work ethic, work ethic.  Gritty.  Leads by example in nearly every aspect of his game.  Arguably the best penalty killer last season.  Effective on any line.  Chemistry with Shinny and Hughey.  Can kick just about anyone's ass.  Porn mustache.

Cons:  I hate to say it, but just not good enough to make a team that is already heavy on offense, as a twenty.  His role(s) can be filled by other players.  It's hard to find anything negative to say about Mason other than that.

My guess:  Traded or released. :(

OA Analysis: Adam Hughesman

Adam's stats from the WHL:

Season                         GP G A PTS +/- PIM

2010-11 Regular Season 60 39 42 81 20 59

2009-10 Regular Season 71 18 46 64 23 50

2008-09 Regular Season 71 16 32 48 21 39

2007-08 Regular Season 61 17 24 41 17 19

2006-07 WHL Season      3 0 0 0 0 0

Total:                        266 90 144 234 81 167

Playoffs

Season                GP G A PTS +/- PIM

2011 WHL Playoffs 8 4 4 8 -3 6

2010 WHL Playoffs 22 3 14 17 1 18

2009 WHL Playoffs 11 1 4 5 1 7

2008 WHL Playoffs 16 2 2 4 0 8

Total:                  57 10 24 34 -1 39

Obviously the stats say it all--this past season was his best ever. THAT was the Adam I'd hoped to see since he was a 16-year-old. For the first time in his WHL career he kept his hot start going through the whole season. He's had hot starts the past couple years, but then it would dribble out. Not this time--till injury limited him to only 60 regular season games.

WHY HE'LL BE KEPT:

Offense. Chemistry with Shinny and the other Winnipeg boys. Good vision, decent skating. Doesn't take a lot of penalties, good work ethic (finally showed up this past season). It probably doesn't weigh as much in Bob's decision, but Adam is really great with fans, especially the kids. He greatly improved as a player and though he doesn't kill penalties generally, he is instrumental on the power play.

WHY HE WON'T BE KEPT:

Like Shinny, Hughey is valuable so Bob might be able to get a decent deal for him. His skating is decent, nothing to write home about. He's no longer the cement-skates he once was, but still slower than some. He doesn't kill penalties.

Adam doesn't have a lot of reasons why he'd be released/traded, but at the same time, does he have enough to be kept? I don't know. I'm not going to make any bold predictions (I hate being wrong, though if I'm right it's pretty awesome). I think it'll depend on what happens with Shinny. Those two have quite the chemistry that has paid off in spades. Can one be as successful without the other?

SPOKANT SAYS:

Pros: Hot as all get out. Improved both sides of his game by leaps and bounds last season. Missed 12 games and still led the team in goals. A key part of the power play. Calming presence. Very much a team player. Last season showed leadership by coming to camp in peak condition. Chemistry with Shinny.

Cons: While improved, still lacks speed which can hinder the defensive side of his game. Bias aside, I seriously cannot think of any more cons.

My guess: 80% chance Adam stays.

The OA Analysis Begins

Confession--I started writing this post yesterday, I got worried because it seemed to take a negative turn which wasn't my intention.  So I put out some feelers on the Twitter to see what anyone else had to say, the lovely Spokant responded, her analysis is at the end of the post. 
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Between being on vacation and being lazy, I've been putting off doing the overager analysis for this upcoming season.  Plus, no matter how you slice it, it's going to be rough to fill those 3 20-year-old spots.

Eligible to fill the 20YO spots are:

• Brendan Shinnimin
• Adam Hughesman
• Mason Wilgosh
• Brock Sutherland
• Carter Ashton
• Matt Mackenzie
• Clinton Atkinson
• Drew Owsley

I went off the 2011 Playoff roster on the WHL site, found the 1991 birthdays, took out Conrad and Sohor since Bob has already released them, these are the names I'm left with.  That's eight players for 3 available spots.  So, over the next however long, I'll take a look at each one individually, starting at the top of the list with Brendan Shinnimin.

Shinny's stats from the WHL:

Regular Season

Season                        GP G A PTS +/- PIM

2010-11 Regular Season 60 34 62 96 20 84

2009-10 Regular Season 70 27 55 82 11 82

2008-09 Regular Season 64 12 13 25 9 69

2007-08 Regular Season 4 0 0 0 0 0

Total:                      198 73 130 203 40 235

Playoffs

Season                  GP G A PTS +/- PIM

2011 WHL Playoffs 10 4 7 11 0 16

2010 WHL Playoffs 22 8 17 25 1 29

2009 WHL Playoffs 11 0 5 5 -2 16

Total:                   43 12 29 41 -1 61

When looking at the stats it's important to note that he only played 60 regular season games this past season and still accumulated 96 points. That's pretty impressive.

WHY HE'LL BE KEPT:

Offense, offense, offense. He can score and he can score a lot. Brendan can also set up other guys--lots of assists listed there. He's a fast and fluid skater, he has a passion for the game that shows in every shift. Shinny's not the biggest guy but he uses that to his advantage to work his way into the corners to do some of the grit work. He celebrates each goal like he just won the Stanley Cup in overtime of game 7.

Shinnimin has given a lot of himself to this organization and the community in the last several years. He is a pivotal part of the leadership group. He has great chemistry with Hughesman and the other Winnipeggers. He's definitely an asset that any team would be lucky to have. To me though, it's a matter of taming the tiger (see below).

After "the hit" and suspension Shinny became Public Enemy #1 (supposedly) and he was mauled by the opposition night in and night out with little interference from the refs. Did he deserve that? Maybe, I don't know the ins-and-outs of how that on-ice adversary stuff works. Did other WHL players want retribution for his hit? Did the refs want him to suffer? I have no idea, but he dealt with it like a champ, considering the abuse. There were times his anger and frustration could have blown up and he could have done some stupid shit, but held himself together--for the most part (see below, again).

WHY HE WON'T BE KEPT:

Firstly, see the above--he's valuable. I'm sure there are several teams looking for a 20YO like Shinny and as such he'll have a pretty good trade value. "Trader Bob" could probably work out a pretty good deal for him. But would Bob want Shinny on an opposing team? Would you?

Secondly, the passion I mentioned? The 12-game suspension? They go hand-in-hand. I've said it about Shinny before. He walks a fine line between passionate and overzealous--which can be detrimental (as in, 12-game suspensions). It's also a fine line between a "good" selfishness when on the ice, and a "bad" selfishness and Shinny goes back and forth. There was a quote some years ago from one of Ilya Kovalchuk's coaches, when talking about getting him to be a better two-way forward, it went something like it's easier to train a donkey than to tame a tiger. I may have got that totally wrong--the donkey part seems totally wrong--but I know the tiger part is right. And it seems there's been some attempted tiger taming going on.

Shinny is wildly talented and passionate and with that comes frustration. But c'mon man, you're on a team. So rolling your eyes that someone else missed a pass is--while understandable--not professional, not supportive of your teammates. It's that arrogant attitude, like he's never missed a pass, that irritates me. It's the banging the stick on the ice incessantly that drives me insane. That's that fine line between good and bad selfish. If you're open for a pass or a shot, you have to trust that your teammates will see that, and the stick banging may be warranted. But it can also signal (to me at least) a lack of confidence in your teammates--like you're the only one who should be handling the puck and by God (bang bang bang) they'd better pass you the puck (bang bang bang) because they can't be trusted to do the right thing with it (bang bang bang).

There was also the game in Spokane when Hiller had to yank him pretty hard to get him to get off the bench. As a spectator it was a horrific display of disrespect towards his coach.

It's no secret (duh) that Shinny isn't one of my favorites as you can see above, but seriously, he is highly talented and like I also said, a huge asset to the team. And I certainly wouldn't want him to be on an opposing team. Apologies for the negative tone of the post, maybe I'm nitpicking. I don't want it to seem like I hate the guy, I don't, I just get frustrated by him and I worry he's a loose cannon. If Tory and Hiller can indeed tame the tiger he'll definitely be an awesome player to watch this upcoming season.

I am not going to make predictions about who I think Bob will keep or not keep (with a few exceptions) but Shinny's one I could see it going either way.

SPOKANT'S ANALYSIS:

Pros:  It's hard to argue with 96 points.  He very well could have been the leading scorer in the Dub if he hadn't been suspended.  He very well could be next season.  He hates to lose and his work ethic is second only to Mason Wilgosh.  Other teams and their fans hate him for the antagonist he is and the goals he scores.  Draws his fair share of penalties.  Huge part of special teams.  Decent face-off guy, of which the Ams always seem to be in need.  Chemistry with Hughey.

Cons:  It seems as Shinny has aged and gotten better, his ego has inflated and his selfish play rears its ugly head more often than it should.  His reputation as a "dirty player" and a diver makes him a target.  Unfortunately, he does not draw as many penalties as he did in prior seasons due to that reputation (which is BS, but I digress). 

My guess:  Brendan isn't going anywhere.