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EHM-I: Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) - Year 1
What I'm going to do is do a update of my team each month, and for now, a update of everyone's players every 3 months. I'm only doing the GM part of the game, so this should go a little quicker than normal.
Here's the bio's of your players: Colton Mayes Colton, a 14-year-old centerman for the St. Louis Junior Blues, has a great feel for the game, and has the potential to play in the big leagues someday. His future plans look for him to join the college game in a few years. Travis Elkin Elkin brings a simliar game to the table as Mayes does, but isn't as flashy. He currently plays for Sherwood Park, a local junior club. He's looking forward to being drafted into the CHL in the coming year. Daniel Gothe A man who was hard to track down, Gothe has the potential to explode in a couple of years, as he is playing for Djurgardens' junior team in the Swedish league. I don't see him staying in Sweden too long, just enough to let some NHL scouts see him play. Owen Hunter Jr. Hunter knows how to shoot the puck and he does it well for the New England Jr. B Huskies, a good junior team outside of Boston. Unlike some of his US counterparts, he is currently looking to play major junior hockey, but that could always change. AJ Tucker Halfway across the US from Hunter is Tucker, who shoots the puck just as well, but also knows how to find his teammates. He is a teammate of Colton Mayes and those two will break some records for the Junior Blues. Andrew Baerg A true centerman who always wants to find the open man, and does it well, Andrew is lighting it up for the Winnipeg Hawks, and wants to play major junior. Nicolas Fillion Nicolas doesn't have the size as most of his fellow early teenagers do, but he is quick enough to stop any puck that comes near him. He is playing for a junior team, Gatinueau, and wants to play major junior as well. Danny Wilson While Fillion can stop any puck from anywhere, Wilson is the lunch-pail type of goalie, he comes in and does his job well all of the time, without any flash. Currently playing for the Plymouth Midgets, Danny hopes to play US College hockey. K.N. Smith They play hockey in France?? Seriously, Smith has the potential to be the best in France at a very young age. He is currently playing for HC Morzine, just below the top level in France, and could see himself playing at the top very soon. John Williams A very brilliant kid who is very mature for his age, the 14-year-old Williams knows how to play the game, and does it quite well. He is currently playing for the Toronto Marlboros, but he wants to attend an Ivy League school in the future. We'll see if he can pass up the temptation of playing major junior. Jeff Riddle While Danny Wilson keeps the pucks out of the net for Plymouth, he doesn't see many shots because of Riddle. Jeff knows how to get in the head of everyone he plays, and is considered the shutdown defensemen. Very gritty game and is not afraid to drop the gloves. Mike Tokunaga Mike is an excellent two-way defensmen, who has one heck of a slapshot, but also isn't afraid of putting someone in the boards. He is currently playing for the Calgary SWAA Blue, but his visions are set for major junior hockey. Shane Lamb The Scottish Lamb is currently in England playing for the Cardiff Devils junior team, and has a shot to make it on the top team as a 14 year old winger. His quickness gets him open a lot, but his speciality is putting people into the boards and taking them out of their game. Dean Hoo Already playing for one of the top teams in Australia, Dean is a quick winger who can put the puck in the net. For the Sydney Bears, the 14 year old has the potential to put up some huge numbers against guys twice his age. Robert Hillier Don't mess with Robert, a 6' 200 lb defensemen who doesn't care about playing with much older and experienced players, he just likes to hit people and make them pay. Playing for the Edinburgh Capitals, Hillier has a chance to make it big someday. Frank Justice While not flashy, Justice can make that first pass out of the defensive zone, really creating some room for the rest of his teammates. He plays an excellent two-way game as a defenseman, and his California Wave junior team leans on him for as much time as possible. He'll be looking at colleges soon. Radovan Dusek The Slovakian Dusek has a very similar game to Justice, and maybe brings it a little more on the defensive end. Radovan is currently playing for HKm Detva Jr., who doesn't plan on having him for much longer, as he has too much talent to be playing on a team that low. Trevor Johnson An offensive defenseman if you've ever seen one, Johnson isn't afraid to jump up on the play and bury the biscuit, or find the open man to score. However, he often forgets his own end, and leaves his London Jr. Knights teammates to scratch their heads. |
great start, looking forward to reading the rest
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already a great read like Detox's!
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August/September/October 2005
Well, I'm still not used to being in the saddle for a Western Hockey League team, as Seattle isn't the same as Columbus, who I've coached in the other times playing EHM. To help make the game go faster, all I will do is bring in the guys, and I will let the coach take care of the lineups and the games. In September, we have about 7 guys go to training camps in the NHL, and we ended up losing Ken Plaquin and Dennis Sorrenson, who are both currently playing in the AHL for Toronto and Springfield, respectively. We have about 35 guys come into training camp, but we only sign Sergei Gazyrua and Tyson Papalia, but both will probably see time with the Washington Totems, our own 'minor league' team. What ends up hurting us is that we get two players currently signed by NHL teams back on loan. Defensemen Jay Rosenhill (Tampa Bay) and Zach FitzGerald (St. Louis) were loaned back to us, and are very good players. However, this is where I am introduced to the overage rule, where we cannot play more than 3 '85 guys in our lineup. We also have Tyler Johnson, a solid two-way center who is on loan from the Flames, Ryan Gibbons, a scorer and Bryan Bridges, an excellent tender. At this point, I know I will have two of these guys on the bench every night, but I cannot trade Rosenhill, FitzGerald, or Johnson, as they are on loan. After Bridges, we have no goaltending, so I cannot move him. This leaves Gibbons, who we ship off to Brandon for a 2nd round pick in the upcoming Bantam Draft. We'll go to the season with one of the defensemen out of the lineup, which will initiall be Rosenhill. We have a solid first month in October, ending with a 7-2-4 record and in first place of the US division. Aaron Gagnon, our captain, has 16 points and seemed to score all of the clutch goals we've needed. We called up 16-year-old Dave Richard from Washington, and he has 8 points in 6 games. C Chris Durand has scored 7 goals in 9 games, while fighting some tough injuries. Code:
U.S. DivisionCode:
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USA:
LW: AJ Tucker - St. Louis Jr. Blues - 11 gp - 17-15-32 - 8.82 C: Colton Mayes - St. Louis Jr. Blues - 11 gp - 12-21-33 - 8.73 RW: Owen Hunter Jr. - NE Jr. B Huskies - 12 gp - 28-8-36 - 8.92 LD: Jeff Riddle - Plymouth Midgets - 10 gp - 1-7-8 - 9 RD: Frank Justice - California Wave - 9 gp - 0-8-8 - 9 G: Danny Wilson - Plymouth Midgets - 10 gp - 5-2-3 record - 1.79 GAA - .931 % Canada: LW: Travis Elkin - Sherwood Park Flyers - 10 gp - 6-7-13 - 7.9 C: Andrew Baerg - Winnipeg Hawks - 10 gp - 9-15-24 - 8.9 RW: John Williams - Toronto Marlboros - 11 gp - 7-5-12 - 7.91 LD: Trevor Johnson - London Jr. Knights - 11 gp - 0-7-7 - 7.91 RD: Mike Tokunaga - Calgary SWAA Blue - 10 gp - 0-16-16 - 9 G: Nicolas Fillion - Gatineau L'Intrepide - 11 gp - 6-3-2 record - 2.09 GAA - .937% World: LW: Shane Lamb (SCO) - Cardiff Devils (ENG-2) - 8 gp - 6-3-9 - 8.25 C: K.N. Smith (FRE) - HC Morzine-Avoriaz - 8 gp - 5-10-15 - 8.5 RW: Dean Hoo (AUS) - Sydney Bears - 8 gp - 6-2-8 - 7.88 LD: Radovan Dusek (SLV) - HKm Detva Jr. - 9 gp - 1-9-10 - 8.22 RD: Robert Hillier (ENG) - Edinburgh Capitals - 11 gp - 1-6-7 - 7.69 G: Daniel Gothe (SWE) - Djurgardens IF - 1 gp - 1-0-0 record - 2.00 GAA - .935% Gothe was called up to the top Swedish league before the season started, where he is the backup. He is the first player to change teams, and hopefully we'll see some more of that in the coming years. |
GOTHES A BITCH
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November 2005
At the beginning of the month, I feel we need a little more depth, so we bring in 16-year-old RW Adam Michie and 18-year-old D John Vadnais, who are prospects of ours. Michie should give us some help on the wing and Vadnais will start in Washington, but should see some time in Seattle pretty soon. We start to lose our composure this month, losing some close games and just not finding the scoring touch that we had. We had 6 goals in our last 5 games of November, going 1-4 over that stretch, which saw our team drop from 1st to 3rd in the division. Also, our goaltending hasn't been as solid as we would like. We have everyone healthy, but we will be looking to acquire some scoring in the coming months. Code:
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Boom! Here comes the.. BOOOM! Here comes the... BOOM! Ready or not! :D |
December 2005/January 2006
We continue to play .500 hockey, but I keep looking for ways to improve the team. I continue to try to find a suitor for G Bryan Bridges, but nobody feels that he is worthy enough for an overager. However, we see that C Colton Gilles, the 2nd pick in the Bantam Draft a couple of years ago, has fallen out of the graces of Saskatoon. We inquire about him, and pick him up at the small cost of swapping 4th round pick for a 12th round pick. He's not a goal scorer, but I feel like he can be an excellent playmaker in a couple of years. As we go into 2006, we keep tinkering with the roster, moving some guys up from Washington, and others down. We look at our gluttony of centers, so we decide to ship two guys out who were playing for Washington. C Yashar Farmanara is sent to Spokane for LW J.P. Szaszkiewicz and three mid-round draft picks. C Lindsay Nielsen is sent to Lethbridge for LW Robert Skinner and a couple of draft picks. A couple of days later, we feel like we really need another younger goaltender at the trade deadline, so we add Linden Rowat for a 4th round pick. Then we ship out an unhappy James McEwan, a talented but underachieving 18-year-old, to Calgary for a 9th round pick. We start to play better, but we can't put any wins together. We tried to add a scoring punch to the lineup, but we aren't willing to pay the price (young prospects) to add one. Code:
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USA:
LW: AJ Tucker - St. Louis Jr. Blues - 42 gp - 68-55-123 - 8.79 C: Colton Mayes - St. Louis Jr. Blues - 42 gp - 49-82-131 - 8.71 RW: Owen Hunter Jr. - NE Jr. B Huskies - 42 gp - 87-38-125 - 8.95 LD: Jeff Riddle - Plymouth Midgets - 35 gp - 6-16-22 - 9 RD: Frank Justice - California Wave - 35 gp - 9-43-52 - 9 (#1 - WHL Bantam Draft) G: Danny Wilson - Plymouth Midgets - 35 gp - 21-4-10 record - 1.51 GAA - .944 % Canada: LW: Travis Elkin - Sherwood Park Flyers - 35 gp - 12-13-25 - 7.59 C: Andrew Baerg - Winnipeg Hawks - 35 gp - 27-48-75 - 8.9 (#15 - WHL Bantam Draft) RW: John Williams - Toronto Marlboros - 36 gp - 18-18-36 - 7.81 LD: Trevor Johnson - London Jr. Knights - 33 gp - 1-27-28 - 8.06 RD: Mike Tokunaga - Calgary SWAA Blue - 35 gp - 8-48-56 - 8.94 (#5 - WHL Bantam Draft) G: Nicolas Fillion - Gatineau L'Intrepide - 36 gp - 18-9-9 record - 2.14 GAA - .938% World: LW: Shane Lamb (SCO) - Cardiff Devils (ENL) - 26 gp - 21-13-34 - 8.35 C: K.N. Smith (FRE) - HC Morzine-Avoriaz - 28 gp - 9-34-43 - 8.36 RW: Dean Hoo (AUS) - Sydney Bears - 28 gp - 14-6-20 - 7.61 LD: Radovan Dusek (SLV) - HKm Detva Jr. - 29 gp - 5-30-35 - 8.55 RD: Robert Hillier (ENG) - Edinburgh Capitals - 36 gp - 3-18-21 - 7.75 G: Daniel Gothe (SWE) - Djurgardens IF - 4 gp - 3-1-0 record - 2.55 GAA - .929% |
I'm tearin' it up for the Winnipeg Hawks and still only manage to be ranked #15 in the WHL draft although I suppose the St.Louis Jr. Blues might have something to say about that.
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riddle and i share puick bunnies and then kick them out without leaving cab fare.
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That's Right! BangBus style! I mean, um...no......whoops |
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AIR FIVE |
February 2006 - May 2006
A very long gap, as nothing too interesting happened. We decided to suck some more by scoring the least amount of goals in the league, and lose 3 of 4 games to Everett in the last 2 weeks, letting them jump above us for the final playoff spot. In February, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim like what they see in G Bryan Bridges and they offer him a contract to join the team in July, which he accepts, as he went undrafted in his year. He continues to play well for us, but gets little support in scoring, so it is no help. Code:
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================================================================================================Moose Jaw defeats Kamloops 4-3 to win the WHL and advance to the Memorial Cup, where they will face Quebec and Moncton from the Q and London from the OHL. Here, Moose Jaw fell flat, losing all three games, and doesn't make the three team playoff. Quebec beats Moncton 6-1 in the semi-final and then beats London 6-5 to win the Memorial Cup. As we see some guys being returned to their NHL teams at the end of the season, I thought I would list what NHL teams have rights to some of our players. Code:
2 Barthel, Clayton Washington Capitals - 2004 - Round 3 (88) |
USA:
LW: AJ Tucker - St. Louis Jr. Blues - 60 gp - 105-82-187 - 8.75 C: Colton Mayes - St. Louis Jr. Blues - 58 gp - 67-110-177 - 8.71 RW: Owen Hunter Jr. - NE Jr. B Huskies - 60 gp - 123-47-170 - 8.87 LD: Jeff Riddle - Plymouth Midgets - 50 gp - 7-24-31 - 8.98 RD: Frank Justice - California Wave - 50 gp - 14-59-73 - 9 (#1 - WHL Bantam Draft) G: Danny Wilson - Plymouth Midgets - 50 gp - 29-6-15 record - 1.57 GAA - .941 % Canada: LW: Travis Elkin - Sherwood Park Flyers - 50 gp - 16-21-37 - 7.59 (Unranked - WHL Bantam Draft) C: Andrew Baerg - Winnipeg Hawks - 50 gp - 39-63-102 - 8.9 (#13 (up 2) - WHL Bantam Draft) RW: John Williams - Toronto Marlboros - 50 gp - 35-25-60 - 8 LD: Trevor Johnson - London Jr. Knights - 47 gp - 5-38-43 - 8.28 RD: Mike Tokunaga - Calgary SWAA Blue - 50 gp - 12-61-73 - 8.96 (#5 - WHL Bantam Draft) G: Nicolas Fillion - Gatineau L'Intrepide - 50 gp - 22-13-15 record - 2.18 GAA - .937% World: LW: Shane Lamb (SCO) - Cardiff Devils (ENL) - 35 gp - 30-18-48 - 8.46 C: K.N. Smith (FRE) - HC Morzine-Avoriaz - 40 gp - 14-48-62 - 8.4 RW: Dean Hoo (AUS) - Sydney Bears - 39 gp - 18-11-29 - 7.59 LD: Radovan Dusek (SLV) - HKm Detva Jr. - 40 gp - 8-40-48 - 8.63 RD: Robert Hillier (ENG) - Edinburgh Capitals - 50 gp - 4-24-31 - 7.88 G: Daniel Gothe (SWE) - Djurgardens IF - 6 gp - 4-2-0 record - 2.50 GAA - .922% As the WHL Bantam Draft comes up, we have four prospects that can be drafted, with Justice as the likely first pick, Tokunaga ranked 5th, Baerg ranked 13th, and Elkin, who is surprisingly unranked. Currently, I have the third pick in the draft, so I will be looking long and hard at Tokunaga, as I don't think I can trade up and get Justice. Also, I will try to get Elkin later on in the draft. |
2006 WHL Bantam Draft
Regina has the first pick in the draft and grabs a defenseman, but its NOT Frank Justice, as the Pats decide to go with Jared Cowen, who is very strong on the defensive side and has some offensive upside as well. However, I don't feel that he's nearly that good as Justice is on the offense. Red Deer picks next and goes with a C, James Henry. I wasn't that impressed with Henry, as he seems like an ordinary two-way center, who will never be a top line player. At this point, I know exactly who I am going to pick.... |
With the 3rd Pick in the 1st Round of the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft, the Seattle Thunderbirds select....
D Frank Justice, California Wave. Justice, a 5'10" defenseman out of San Jose, California, is very mature for his age (14). He is one of the quickest players in this draft, but he is one of the strongest as well. He also has a mean streak and is not afraid to put anyone into the boards, and is the best of the draft in checking. He also has a solid offensive game and is one of the best passers, able to get that first pass out of his zone and transition very well. He also brings a good slapshot to the table, but once it develops, watch out. For the next pick, Koonetay decides to draft another defenseman.... |
With the 4th pick of the 1st Round of the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft, the Koonetay Ice select...
D Mike Tokunaga, Calgary SWAA Blue Tokunaga is known for two things: hitting the puck and hitting people. The 14-year-old stands a tall 6'2" and isn't afraid to use his body to take people out of the play. He wants to get the good players in the corner, where he can work them over and take them out of their game. On the other end of the ice, he has the best slapshot of anyone on the ice, and can put it through traffic quite nicely. While not as athetically and mentally gifted as Justice, Mike has an overall better game right now. Just a couple picks later, we see another fellow player being taken.... |
I like how you're doing the draft. Keep up the good work.
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With the 7th Pick of the 1st Round of the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft, the Lethbridge Hurricanes select....
C Andrew Baerg, Winnipeg Hawks Baerg is a normal sized 14-year-old, at 5'7", but at 158, could start to put a little more muscle on. However, he has the talent to play at his first chance, because of his passing. Baerg knows where everyone on the ice is around him and knows how to get them the puck. If you put him with a great finishing winger, Bearg can get them an easy goal a game. Before he passes, he can create some space with his stickhandling, second to none in this draft. He can create some odd-man rushes going the other way, and make the perfect pass. In the 2nd round, the Thunderbirds have three picks, picking up a winger, defenseman and a goalie, all three who have loads of potential. Just a couple rounds later, we see the last of our players drafted.... |
With the 83rd pick in the 5th round of the 2006 WHL Bantam Draft, the Seattle Thunderbirds select....
LW Travis Elkin, Sherwood Park Flyers I wasn't waiting for another round, as some teams started to take unranked players and I was afraid someone else would take Elkin. Travis has a solid game that has gone unnoticed by many scouts, except mine, who all feel like he will be a great player for Seattle. He is a 15-year old, who has a solid all-around game. He takes care of his own end very well, with a surprisingly good pokecheck for a winger. However, he might be the most creative player in the draft, as he will do some crazy things that nobody else will think of. He'll play it off of the boards to himself, anything to get himself some space. When he gets that space, he has a great wrister to put it in the back of the net. He's one of those guys you need on a winning team. The rest of the draft was pretty plain, as you won't hear from any of these guys this year due to the WHL rules. However, when the 2007 season rolls around, I think Justice and Elkin will find the lineup. |
BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!!
The Seattle Thunderbirds would like to announce a trade with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, sending our first round pick in 2007, for their first round pick this year, C Andrew Baerg. "Baerg is an excellent player and will fit in quite nicely with our group of young players. I feel like he can do great things here in Seattle," said Daniel Turner, GM of the Thunderbirds. Also, it is being reported that Turner tried to go after D Mike Tokunaga, but Koonetay asked for much more than Seattle was willing to give, believed to be D Frank Justice. |
2006 CHL Import Draft
With three of the four FOFC'ers I could get, I headed into the Import Draft, hoping to pick up at least one player who could make a good impact. Our first pick (9th overall) is Daniil Karpyuk is a solid LW from Russia, who brings a good scoring touch to a team who needs one desparately. In the 2nd round, we bring aboard LD Ales Cech, a great two-way defensemen who just needs to get a little stronger before he will be excellent. With these two foreign players hoping to crack the roster, and with at least 4 overagers, one who is foreign, we will need to make some moves down the road. |
I'll try to make that the smartest pick you made this year coach, thanks for your faith in what I can do.
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Lethbridge to Seattle is a nice move to make. I'll take the rain in Sea-town to the bitterly cold wind in Lethbridge any day. Thanks coach! I hope I repay your faith!
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Nice work so far, but aren't the other canadian kids drafted into the OHL or QMJHL?
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Woohoo! Frank Justice as the #1 pick! I won't let you down coach! :D
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Quick question:
WHY AM I SUCKING? :P In all seriousness though, my stats look horrible, any reason for it? |
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WHL does their bantam draft at 14, so these guys i'm drafting won't be able to play this year. The Q and the OHL do theirs at 15, so you'll see the rest of the kids up this year in those drafts. |
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You're playing in Australia's top league, with guys that are almost 3 times your age, and you're leading the team in goals. So, you're competition has much more experience (20 and 30 year old) verses the North American guys (15). You're still in good shape to be a solid draft pick in a couple of years |
Awesome work! Keep it up!
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Hehe, thanks for letting me know, it was a little disconcerting to see such a wide disparity in the ratings. And yeah, this is awesome so far, thanks for doing it :) |
2006 NHL Draft
Eerily similar to what will likely happen in real life, the St. Louis Blues have the first overall pick and draft the American Phil Kessel. After this, the Columbus Blue Jackets select Bryan Little, followed by Euro winger Michael Frolik drafted by the Boston Bruins and C Peter Mueller is drafted by the Minnesota Wild. Two Thunderbirds are drafted, as Mitch Fadden is selected by the New Jersey Devils in the 2nd Round (50). The second is Bud Holloway, by the Blues in the 5th Round (133). Just a little while after the draft, Holloway is traded to the Washington Capitals, in a deal for Eric Fehr. |
USA:
LW: AJ Tucker - St. Louis Jr. Blues C: Colton Mayes - St. Louis Jr. Blues Tucker and Mayes have torn up their league, as it seems no team can stop this 1-2 punch. However, this team won't be together for too much longer, as AJ wants to play Major Junior hockey and Colton wants to play US College hockey. AJ missed the eligibility date this year for the OHL by just a few days, so he'll have to wait to be drafted until 2008, but Colton might be selected and swayed to play with AJ. RW: Owen Hunter Jr. - NE Jr. B Huskies A pure scorer, Hunter is going to make an impact in college as soon as he gets there. He's already one of the top players in HS hockey, just as a sophomore. LD: Jeff Riddle - Plymouth Midgets Jeff is hoping to build off of a solid season, where he burst on the scene with a solid defensive game. While Riddle rarely makes mistakes in his own end, he doesn't have to worry because he has one of the best in the pipes. RD: Frank Justice - California Wave - WHL Rights to Seattle I can't wait to have this kid on my team, as I think he could be a top-4 guy right now, and by next year, I know he'll get some significant playing time at 16. G: Danny Wilson - Plymouth Midgets Another college prospect, Wilson hopes to build on an excellent season that he had. This kid seems to just have "it" in the pipes, and is as cool as a cucumber, something that can't be taught. Canada: LW: Travis Elkin - Sherwood Park J. Ennis Kings - WHL Rights to Seattle Elkin was unknown when last season started, but I knew he had loads of potential, which is why I made sure I took him before nobody else was going to. I'll bring him in next year and I think he has a chance to make a solid impact. He's taking his game to a better minor junior team this year, hoping that playing against better talent will make him a better player in the WHL. C: Andrew Baerg - Winnipeg Thrashers - WHL Rights to Seattle A very similar story to Travis, Andrew was someone I knew I needed on this team, so I gave up my first rounder next year to pick him up. While we are already strong up the middle, I truly believe he'll get some playing time next year. Also, just like Travis, he is on a new team and playing against better talent. RW: John Williams - Toronto Marlboros - Preseason #39 - OHL Draft Williams is excited to move on and looks to be a 2nd round pick in the upcoming OHL draft. With his solid game, he will make a team very happy when he comes aboard. LD: Trevor Johnson - London Jr. Knights - Preseason #120 - OHL Draft Talk about a guy who's gettin no love, Johnson might be the best offensive defensman in the draft, and he's projected to go in the later rounds. If his ranking doesn't go up, he will be a steal in this draft. RD: Mike Tokunaga - CAC - WHL Rights to Kootenay Just like the other Canadians drafted into the WHL this year, Tokunaga is preparing by going to a more talented team this year. Kootenay would be stupid if they don't bring Mike aboard next year, as he has the talent to make a solid impact. G: Nicolas Fillion - Gatineau L'Intrepide - Preseason #19 - Q Draft Our only Q prospect, Fillion might be the only 1st round pick this season. He had a terrific year in the pipes, and I think down the road, we'll see some Wilson/Fillion matchups in the WJC's. World: LW: Shane Lamb (SCO) - Cardiff Devils (ENL) Leading his English National team in goals, Lamb was hoping to be added to the top English roster like his fellow FOFC'er in Hiller. However, Cardiff decided to give him some more seasoning and help to increas his strength. C: K.N. Smith (FRE) - HC Morzine-Avoriaz Smith had a great first season in France and hopes to build on it this season. He is a definate NHL prospect in a couple of years, coming out of France. We'll see if Smith can keep it up until then. RW: Dean Hoo (AUS) - Sydney Bears Hoo is holding his own in the top Australian league, and I wouldn't be surprised if he came over to North America to help increase his profile. For this season, he'll keep playing for Sydney. LD: Radovan Dusek (SLV) - HKm Detva Jr. Dusek is the only prospect that has stated that he wants to come and play Major Junior hockey. I think we'll see him in a couple of years in the CHL Import draft, where he has the talent to go first overall. RD: Robert Hillier (ENG) - Edinburgh Capitals Hillier is holding his own in the top English league because of his size. If he has the size of Shane Lamb, he probably wouldn't be here right now. However, he is hitting everything that moves on the ice, including the puck at times, and he'll keep doing that for Edinburgh this year. G: Daniel Gothe (SWE) - Djurgardens IF The first player to move teams in this group, Gothe is playing the backup role for one of the best teams in Sweden. He has a great goalie infront of him, so don't expect him to see much time this season. However, the starter is in his mid-30s, so Gothe might have a chance to be the starter very soon. |
Preseason 2006
In our worst news so far, we try to sign Daniil Karpyuk, our first pick in the Import Draft, but it turns out that he doesn't want to come over to North America to play hockey. We do sign Ales Cech, our second pick, and he comes aboard. However, we now have three foreign players, one over the limit. Between Cech, streaky winger Roman Tomanek and C Ladislav Scurko, we decide that Scurko was the most expendable, so we ship him off to Swift Current, and get C/RW Phil Gervais in return. Gervais is a 16-year-old who can score when he gets the chance. However, he's not mentally ready for a top line, so I think he'll see a few minutes a night on the fourth line, and some occasional PP duty. In July, we make a few signings. We lock Gervais up to a deal to come aboard, and also sign D Justin Lutz and Johnny Mahovlich, G Dallas Ungarian and Austin Krahenbil. These four guys will give us some young depth that will most likely play for Washington, our minor team. We also release D John Vadnais, who would have been an overager this year, but might have made the team as a 5/6 defenseman, not someone we want to spend that spot on. Also, Phoenix and C Aaron Gagnon come to an agreement on an entry level contract. At this point, we don't feel that he'll make the roster, so we leave an overage spot open for him. If he doesn't come back, then we'll either leave the spot open, or make a deal for someone. For training camp, we end up inviting a bunch of our younger prospects in to give our team some competition. However, it results in only one player joining our team, as I feel confident with the team that we currently have. LW Nathan Shevalier gives us some depth on the wing, and I feel that he might give our main team some scoring punch, which we lack. On the 20th of September, Tri-City approaches us with an interesting deal. They are interested in Mitch Fadden, a center who has been stuck down in the depth chart for us. They want him and Otis McMillian, a good defensive prospect. In return, they will ship us RW Taylor Procyshen, an 18-year-old scorer, along with 4th rounders in '07 and '08 and a 9th rounder in '07. We sit on this deal for a while, because I'm not sure that I'm sold on Procyshen as being our solution to our scoring problems. However, Fadden hasn't played solid for us either and we need depth on the wing, so I pull the trigger on this move. Just a few days later, Phoenix sends Aaron Gagnon back to our team, which makes me feel even better about the deal we just made. We look so-so in our exhibition games, but the media feels that we are the 5th best team in the WHL. They said something similar last season and we all know how that went. I feel that this team will go as far as our scorers will take us. |
October-December 2006
With very little upgrades in scoring and losing our number one goalie, I wasn't very encouraged by this season. But thanks to Taylor Procyshen and Gavin McHale, we are currently 2nd in our division with a 24-11-3 record and our 51 points is 2nd best in the entire league, only behind Portland's 53. Procyshen has been the best player on our team so far, leading the team in goals (25), points (51) and +/- (+18). The top line of Tomanek-Durand-Procyshen has been tearing it up, with Tomanek and Durand having career years. Just as important has been McHale, who might not be the most talented goalie in the league, but has a save percentage over .900 and his helped by our excellent defense. Clayton Barthel and Scott Jackson are the top pairing on the PK, PP and 5 on 5 hockey and they are just excellent together. We are very encourage by the play so far this season, and hopefully we can keep it up and go deep into the playoffs. Code:
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USA:
LW: AJ Tucker - St. Louis Jr. Blues - 33 gp - 61-45-106 -8.82 C: Colton Mayes - St. Louis Jr. Blues - 33 gp - 51-67-118 - 8.85 RW: Owen Hunter Jr. - NE Jr. B Huskies - 31 gp - 67-21-88 - 8.58 LD: Jeff Riddle - Plymouth Midgets - 27 gp - 4-19-23 - 8.85 RD: Frank Justice - California Wave - 27 gp - 7-24-31 - 9 G: Danny Wilson - Plymouth Midgets - 27 gp - 23-2-2 record - 1.22 GAA - .945 % Canada: LW: Travis Elkin - Sherwood Park J. Ennis Kings - 26 gp - 31-27-58 - 8.58 C: Andrew Baerg - Winnipeg Thrashers - 26 gp - 36-23-59 - 8.65 RW: John Williams - Toronto Marlboros - Injury - Preseason #39 - OHL Draft LD: Trevor Johnson - London Jr. Knights - 26 gp - 5-20-25 - 8.12 - Preseason #120 - OHL Draft RD: Mike Tokunaga - CAC - 26 gp - 9-26-35 - 8.88 G: Nicolas Fillion - Gatineau L'Intrepide - 24 gp - 13-2-9 record - 1.56 GAA - .943% - Preseason #19 - QMJHL Draft World: LW: Shane Lamb (SCO) - Cardiff Devils (ENL) - 17 gp - 15-8-23 - 8.12 C: K.N. Smith (FRE) - HC Morzine-Avoriaz - 22 gp - 11-23-34 - 8.36 RW: Dean Hoo (AUS) - Sydney Bears - 22 gp - 27-16-43 - 8.68 LD: Radovan Dusek (SLV) - HKm Detva Jr. - 22 gp - 3-21-24 -8.76 RD: Robert Hillier (ENG) - Edinburgh Capitals - 27 gp - 1-15-16 - 7.89 G: Daniel Gothe (SWE) - Djurgardens IF - 4 gp - 2-2-0 record - 3.25 GAA - .892% |
Great job, enjoying every update
What the hell happend to me to miss the whole season so far....has it hurt my draft ranking...John Williams btw :confused: |
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Actually, now that I look back at your guy, i'm even more confused now. He hasn't been hurt at all, he's just not playing. Even so, you'll see that he's higher rated in the upcoming preview |
January 2007 - June 2007
We continue to play good hockey, but we're in a four-way race with Portland, Tri-City and Everett. We make a couple of small moves before the deadline, picking up G Trevor Peeters from Swift Current and C/RW Dustin Cameron from Saskatoon for a couple of mid-round draft picks. Peeters gives us a good backup goalie for the year (he has one year before he's an overager) and Cameron is a two-way winger that will help our team defesne. We clinch a playoff spot in early March, because of the terrible season that Spokane has. Portland has a nice surge in March, as they end up taking a nice lead over the other three teams. We finish alright, as we're able to beat out Tri-City, but not Everett. We finish 3rd and will face Everett in the first round of the playoffs. |
WHL Playoffs - First Round - Seattle vs. Everett
We've dominated Everett in the regular season, going 7-1 and we hope to keep it up. In game 1, Colton Gillies scores two early goals for us and sets the tone in a 4-1 win on the road. In game 2, its a nice fight back and forth early on, but Everett gets 4 goals in the 3rd period and wins the game 5-4. Back at home for game 3, the game ends up going to overtime, when Taylor Procyshen scores one for the good guys 5 minutes in. In game 4, Chris Durand, Aaron Gagnon and Scott Jackson score within the first 15 minutes, helping Seattle coast to an easy 5-3 end. Back to Everett for game 5, Seattle comes from behind in the 3rd thanks to goals by Scott Jackson and Roman Tomanek to win the game 4-2 and the series 4-1!!! |
WHL Playoffs - Quarterfinals - Seattle vs. Kootenay
Kootenay finished 2nd in their divison and we hope for a good series against them, as we split the regular season. In the first game, we hang tough with them, trading goals, but they score one late and win the game 4-3. In the second game, their goaltender stands on his head, stopping all 32 shots that he face and helps Kootenay win 3-0. Back at home, we hope for a change in fortunes for game three. However, three first period Kootenay goals didn't help and we lose 4-2. Being down 3-0 in the series, we had some work to do, starting with game four. Chris Durand scores a clutch goal in the 3rd period, breaking a 2-2 tie and helping Seattle win 4-2. Back in Kootenay, Bud Holloway chips in with an early goal, followed by 2 straight Taylor Procyshen goals, and helps Seattle win 4-2. Game 6 is back in Seattle, and Gavin McHale stood on his head for the last 55 minutes of the game, stopping 25 of 26 shots, and 2 first period goals helped lead to a 3-1 victory. Game 7 would be huge, as Seattle has a chance to do what very few teams have ever done: come back from a 3-0 deficit. The first 30 minutes were played very tight until Bud Holloway finds himself on a breakaway and scores to put Seattle up 1-0. For the next 10 minutes, the game is back and forth, but the goalies come up huge. However, Taylor Procyshen scores on the PP, helping Seattle to a 2-0 lead, and we hang on for the victory!!! |
WHL Playoffs - Semifinals - Seattle vs. Portland
The best team we've faced all year, its gonna take some quality play to win this series. Portland led the series 6-2-2 this season against us. Game 1 couldn't be over soon enough for Seattle, as they let in three early goals , leading to a 4-1 victory for Portland. Game 2 in Portland got off to a better start, as Chris Durand and Roman Tomanek got Seattle off to a 2-0 lead. However, Portland came back with 4 2nd period goals and won the game 4-2. Glad to be back home for Game 3, Aaron Gagnon scored the first goal of the game, but just like the last one, Portland finds a way to come back and win the game, 2-1. Down 3-0 for the second straight series, the Thunderbirds decide to wake up and play hockey, going up 2-0 early and never giving up the lead, winning the game 4-2. Back in Portland for the 5th game, it looked to be over after 20 minutes, when Portland was leading 4-0. However, Seattle doesn't go down without a fight, scoring 2 in the second and 1 in the third, bringing it to 4-3. Seattle keeps fighting, but can't find the last goal as Portland scores on an empty net to win the game 5-3 and the series 4-1. Portland would go on to win the WHL Playoffs, beating Prince Albert 4-2 in the finals. However, they finished 3rd in the Memorial Cup, hosted by Kelowna, who finished 4th. |
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Preview of Coming Attractions
For the US boys, they are biding their time until they get to college, but the lone professional is tearing it up For those north of the border, all 6 are making their marks in the CHL. We have 3 in the WHL, 2 in the OHL and 1 in the Q. The rest, our overseas guys, are waiting to be drafted into the NHL. We have one that awaits to play in the CHL, but most importantly, we have 2 guys that have played internationally. And will Seattle keep up the good work this year? |
OHL Draft
With the 18th pick in the 1st Round, Erie selects.... D Trevor Johnson, London Jr. Knights Johnson has came a long way since his younger days, when he didn't care about his own end. However, he is still an excellent offensive player, and should see immediate time on the top PP unit for Erie. He has a great slapshot, but needs some work on his pokechecking and checking skills as well, two important things for the defensive end. |
um.....pretend this pick came first, lol
With the 5th pick in the 1st round, Mississauga selects.... RW John Williams, Toronto Marlboros While Toronto soured on him early in the season, they finally played him in the second half and he proved that he knows how to play this game. He has a lot of work to do, but Mississauga did their homework and has seen the flashes of brilliance that he displayes. However, it will take some fine coaching to get those flashes out of him more often. |
QMJHL Draft
With the 6th Pick in the 1st Round, Acadie Bathurst selects... G Nicolas Fillion, Gatineau L'Intrepide Falling to the 6th pick is a crying shame, as goaltenders like this don't come along every day. Acadie will become a top team because of his excellent talent. Fillion is very technically sound, moreso than some goaltenders much older than him. There's not much else to say about him, just that he will win many, many games by himself. |
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