Houston, we have a team [EHM]

[duff88]

Originally Posted by Izulde

I can't believe Grunban fell that far! Can you keep track of his career now and again?

Oh and I say the third jerseys should be the new official jerseys.

What I'm going to do is include a "Looking back at the draft" in the THN Season Preview. You're going to have to wait 4-5-6 years for update on those of the 2009 draft though.

You'll have to wait and see for the third jerseys.

[duff88]

Tchelychev, "a long-term plan"

The Spirit staff looked extremely happy after making Vassili Tchelychev second overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft conducted on Saturday June 20th in Montreal this week.

"He was clearly the best player at that point. We're delighted by the idea of him wearing the Spirit's jersey; he has 50-goals a season potential and he's the kind of player you want to market the game because he's as exciting a player as there could ever be. He's a long term plan though, he'll need to get stronger, more mature and better all-around before making the team and that's why we don't expect him to earn a spot with the team this year. His destiny is in his hands though and he might push us with a great training camp, but right now the plan is having him play in Chicoutimi of the QMJHL, who drafted him in the Import draft, this year."

With the 32nd overall pick, the Spirit selected 5'11/198 stay-at-home defenseman Martin Smith from the Brampton Battalion of the OHL.

"The main reason why he fell this far is because he's pretty small for an NHL defenseman. We don't think it will have much of an impact though as he is built like a rock, he's strong and intelligent with and without the puck. He makes great outlet passes and he's an excellent skater."

The next draftpick, 62nd overall, was used to select American defenseman Carlos May from the Gatineau Olympiques.

"A bit like Smith, he's on the small side. The compensation from him though is his excellent skills. He plays a defensive minded game based on consistency and safety. You won't notice him doing fancy plays, but you won't notice him on the wrong side of those. He does the small things very well, he's also a great skater and has excellent hockey sense."

Robert Handlir, a Czech leftwinger playing for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds ofthe QMJHL was then drafted 92nd overall.

"Huge potential. That's the thing to remember. He has first-round skills, but he's really raw right now and will need some polish. He can both score goals and create plays for his teammates, he is a good skater and he has excellent vision. He'll need to start going into traffic if he wants to one day make it to the big leagues. Ted Donato is his coach in Sault Ste. Marie and we think he can form him into an NHL player, but we'll have to use patience and let him developpe slowly."

Dalibor Janacek, a Czech stay-at-home defenseman was the team's first fifth round pick at 122nd overall.

"His potential is to one day be a reliable 6th or 7th defenseman. He's the kind of guy you're not scared to put on the ice when the game is on the line, but don't expect him to win it for you. He's an over-ager right now so he'll be in Utah next year!"

With their final pick, the Spirit selected Bryan Block, an intimidating left winger who played for Lethbridge in the WHL.

"He is an energy guy, he hits often and he hits hard! He's not the greatest player on the skills level, but you see the fire in his eyes on every shift. He will drop the gloves for his teammate and will jump to the ice to block a shot. He'll certainly work as hard as possible to one day be an NHLer."

[duff88]

Panthers in danger!

Even with the success they have enjoyed in the last few years and the very good team they have built, the fan support isn't present in Florida and the Panthers are having a lot of trouble selling tickets. The team, who is on sale right now, could very well move to another city if the new owners find this option viable.

Two cities keep coming back in discussions as the viable places for a potential relocation:

Kansas City, with the recent built of the Sprint Center and the success of their new team, NBA's Kansas City Eagles, are at the top of most lists.

Hartford, with the Red Bull Place expected to be completed in January 2010, is another great option that could bring the comeback of the Whalers.

-

Let's make this a bit more interactive while I'm writing the next update: What happens to the Panthers? Will they be sold to an owner planning to move them to Kansas City, an owner planning to move them to Hartford or an owner planning to keep them in Florida? You chose!

[duff88]

Amazing atmosphere in Houston coming into training camp!

After a very good day at the 2009 Entry Draft, the Spirit saw a few changes in their team during the summer. Goaltender Wade Dubielewicz, Defensemen Mark Eaton, Aaron Dawson, Frank Rediker and Jean-Michel Bolduc as well as Forwards Daniel Winnik and Chris Porter were let go as unrestricted free agents.

Meanwhile, the team signed two veterans to add depth to the team:

33 years old defenseman Radek Martinek who spent the last season as a callup between the Philadelphia Flyers and their farm club, the Phantoms, as well as 37 years old winger Mikko Eloranta who comes in for a last year before retiring after winning two consecutive Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The camp started recently with 50 players invited. The atmosphere at camp is amazing and the team seems convinced that they can finally make it to the playoffs. Here's the list of players in camp:

30 Danny Battochio G
31 Sebastien Caron G
32 Aapo Nousiainen G
39 Pierre-Olivier Pelletier G
2 Mike Commodore D
5 Noah Welch D
3 Adrian Aucoin D
65 Logan Stephenson D
8 Ville Skriko D
6 Ivan Majesky D
24 Radek Martinek D
52 Patrick Coulombe D
12 Lance Ward D
56 Bryan Rodney D
54 Reid Cashman D
77 Martin Smith D
43 David Driver D
72 Niclas Andersén D
27 Matej Trojovsky D
55 Nicolas Langdeau D
63 Carl DeWolf D
79 Chris Summers D
7 Ivan Novoseltsev LW
83 Vitali Khromchinkov LW
50 Jordan Krestanovich LW
71 Chad Kolarik LW
81 Dmitri Pestunov LW
10 Trevor Gordon LW
91 Vassili Tchelychev LW
29 Brad Winchester LW
42 Mikko Eloranta LW
58 Kerri Cautero C
19 Marty Reasoner C
84 Alexei Ivanov C
88 Jamie Tardif C
14 Paul Gaustad C
16 Michael Wagner C
78 Mikhail Mazhorins C
25 Robert Sandler C
28 Milan Kraft C
44 Byron Bytz RW
97 Maxime Boisclair RW
48 Sasha Golin RW
61 Chris Collins RW
59 Jonathan Shank RW
23 Kirill Boldin RW
37 Jarkko Ruutu RW
74 Roman Tomanek RW
57 Alexandre Bolduc RW

Among spots open, there is the backup goaltender which is expected to go to Pierre-Olivier Pelletier who won the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding goaltender last season. Danny Battochio could still have a shot at this roster spot if he has a very good camp.

There's also the 5th, 6th and 7th defensemen spots who should be fought between Bryan Rodney, Ivan Majesky, Radek Martinek, Chris Summers, Niclas Andersén, Carl DeWolf and Nicolas Langdeau. The rest of them could all get a spot but are considered long shots.

Finally, although the roster seems pretty set at forward, a few rookies and veteran are going to try and make an impression on the team to keep them in Houston for the regular season.

[duff88]

First cuts overshadowed by major NHL trade

Today was the first round of cuts' announcement by the Houston Spirit. 10 players were sent to the team's AHL farm club and another one was sent back to his junior team:

G Aapo Nousiainen (Sent back to Tampere)
D Lance Ward
D Matej Trojovsky
LW Chad Kolarik
LW Dmitri Pestunov
C Kerri Cautero
C Alexei Ivanov
C Jamie Tardif
RW Sasha Golin
RW Alexandre Bolduc
RW Jonathan Shank

There was an even bigger announcement today that took the eyes away from the cuts in Houston:

The Tampa Bay Lightning traded star forward Martin St. Louis to the New York Rangers for four prospects headlined by 2008's 22nd overall draft pick, defenseman Bernd Hanssen. Mattias Aslin, David Kuchejda and Marcel Müller were the other players included in the deal.

[duff88]

Second cuts announced!

Coach Brian Sutter announced the second round of cuts today as 9 players were sent to the AHL's Utah Grizzlies:

D Logan Stephenson
D Patrick Coulombe
D Reid Cashman
D David Driver
D Carl DeWolf
LW Vitali Khromchinkov
LW Jordan Krestanovich
RW Byron Bytz
RW Chris Collins

29 players are left with the team. Meanwhile, Pierre-Olivier Pelletier is having such a good camp that he's actually challenging Sebastien Caron to become the new starter. Brian Sutter commented the situation:

"Pelletier is indeed having a wonderful camp, but Caron has played very well in the last few years and we think he's still the starter. Let's not forget that Pelletier is only 22 years old so he still has a lot of room to developpe. He hasn't played an NHL game in his career so we'll have to give him some experience before we consider him good enough to be the starter."

[duff88]

6 players cut; Houston set for opener against Calgary

The pre-season has ended and Brian Sutter sent three players back to their junior team as well as three others back to the AHL's Utah Grizzlies to set their team. The players cut were:

G Danny Battochio
D Martin Smith (Sent back to Brampton)
D Niclas Andersén
D Nicolas Langdeau (Sent back to Val d'Or)
D Chris Summers
LW Vassili Tchelychev (Sent back to Chicoutimi)

The expected opening lineup for the first game of the season against the Calgary Flames on Thursday October 13th at the Toyota Center in Houston is:

Trevor Gordon - Robert Sandler - Marty Reasonner
Ivan Novoseltsev - Michael Wagner - Kirill Boldin
Brad Winchester - Paul Gaustad - Jarkko Ruutu
Mikko Eloranta - Milan Kraft - Roman Tomanek
Scratched: Maxime Boisclair and Mikhail Mahzorins

Noah Welch - Mike Commodore
Ville Skriko - Adrian Aucoin
Bryan Rodney - Radek Martinek
Scratched: Ivan Majesky

Sebastien Caron
Pier-Olivier Pelletier

Captain
Home Assistants
Away Assistants

[Johnny93g]

Originally Posted by duff88

Panthers in danger!

Even with the success they have enjoyed in the last few years and the very good team they have built, the fan support isn't present in Florida and the Panthers are having a lot of trouble selling tickets. The team, who is on sale right now, could very well move to another city if the new owners find this option viable.

Two cities keep coming back in discussions as the viable places for a potential relocation:

Kansas City, with the recent built of the Sprint Center and the success of their new team, NBA's Kansas City Eagles, are at the top of most lists.

Hartford, with the Red Bull Place expected to be completed in January 2010, is another great option that could bring the comeback of the Whalers.

-

Let's make this a bit more interactive while I'm writing the next update: What happens to the Panthers? Will they be sold to an owner planning to move them to Kansas City, an owner planning to move them to Hartford or an owner planning to keep them in Florida? You chose!

May i suggest a more hockey friendly market. Winnipeg or Quebec. You know, just because they deserve teams alot more then Kansas City. I would fully support moving the Canes back to Hartford though

[duff88]

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

May i suggest a more hockey friendly market. Winnipeg or Quebec. You know, just because they deserve teams alot more then Kansas City. I would fully support moving the Canes back to Hartford though

Quebec has no arena nor does it have any plans on building one because their mayor has no interest in a sports team.

Winnipeg doesn't have a proper arena, but there are currently talks about building a new one which would have above 18500 seats, but the project wouldn't be ready until, at the very least, 2012.

[Johnny93g]

Originally Posted by duff88

Quebec has no arena nor does it have any plans on building one because their mayor has no interest in a sports team.

Winnipeg doesn't have a proper arena, but there are currently talks about building a new one which would have above 18500 seats, but the project wouldn't be ready until, at the very least, 2012.

Isnt this supposed to be a fictional dynasty

[duff88]

The Hockey News Season Preview: Page 1

Page 1: Introduction
Page 1: Standings Prediction
Page 1: Top Players by Position
Page 2: Awards Prediction
Page 2: Preliminary look at the 2010 Draft
This year, the Hockey News has to offer a somewhat watered down version of its season preview. It will cover a standings prediction, a top 10 players by position, an awards prediction and a preliminary look at the draft.

Eastern Conference
*1. Pittsburgh Penguins - 109 points
*2. Florida Panthers - 106 points
*3. Ottawa Senators - 96 points
4. New York Rangers - 102 points
5. Atlanta Thrashers - 99 points
6. New Jersey Devils - 97 points
7. Tampa Bay Lightning - 95 points
8. Carolina Hurricanes - 95 points
9. Philadelphia Flyers - 91 points
-
12. Buffalo Sabres - 87 points
10. Washington Capitals - 85 points
11. Toronto Maple Leafs - 81 points
13. Boston Bruins - 74 points
14. New York Islanders - 70 points
15. Montreal Canadiens - 63 points

Western Conference
*1. Minnesota Wild - 103 points
*2. Los Angeles - 99 points
*3. Columbus - 95 points
4. Anaheim - 98 points
5. Nashville - 94 points
6. San Jose - 90 points
7. Calgary - 88 points
8. Detroit - 87 points
-
9. Chicago - 84 points
10. Vancouver - 82 points
11. St. Louis - 78 points
12. Dallas - 77 points
13. Colorado - 73 points
14. Edmonton - 71 points
15. Houston - 65 points

Top 10 Players by Position
Goaltender
1. Kari Lehtonen - Detroit Red Wings - 25 Years Old - 25-27-4, 3.59, 88.9%
2. Marc-André Fleury - Pittsburgh Penguins - 24 Years Old - 32-19-5, 2.97, 90.1%
3. Roberto Luongo - Florida Panthers - 30 Years Old - 23-22-7, 3.31, 88.2%
4. Tomas Vokoun - Nashville Predators - 33 Years Old - 33-22-2, 3.38, 89.2%
5. Miikka Kiprusoff - Calgary Flames - 32 Years Old - 32-29-6, 3.33, 90.0%
6. Ryan Miller - Buffalo Sabres - 29 Years Old - 17-20-11, 3.42, 89.0%
7. Patrick Scotia - Atlanta Thrashers - 20 years old - 20-11-2, 3.19, 89.6%
8. Marty Turco - Dallas Stars - 34 Years Old - 22-34-5, 3.54, 89.9%
9. Rick DiPietro - New York Islanders - 28 Years Old - 21-28-3, 3.56, 90.1%
10. Henrik Lundqvist - New York Rangers - 27 Years Old - 24-23-4, 3.40, 89.2%

Defenseman
1. Erik Johnson - Minnesota Wild - 21 Years Old - 82-9-45-54
2. Joni Pitkänen - Philadelphia Flyers - 26 Years Old - 82-17-42-59
3. Chris Pronger - Edmonton Oilers - 34 Years Old - 82-17-41-58
4. Dmitri Kalinin - Buffalo Sabres - 29 Years Old - 82-11-43-54
5. Braydon Coburn - Atlanta Thrashers - 24 Years Old - 80-8-45-53
6. Derek Morris - Pittsburgh Penguins - 31 Years Old - 82-9-51-60
7. Wade Redden - Ottawa Senators - 32 Years Old - 82-12-49-61
8. Brian Rafalski - New Jersey Devils - 36 Years Old - 82-13-49-62
9. Jay Bouwmeester - Florida Panthers - 26 Years Old - 82-9-44-53
10. Dion Phaneuf - Calgary Flames - 24 Years Old - 82-11-50-61

Wingers
1. Alexander Ovechkin - Pittsburgh Penguins - 24 Years Old - 82-66-46-112
2. Ilya Kovalchuk - New York Rangers - 26 Years Old - 82-41-40-81
3. Marian Gaborik - Minnesota Wild - 27 Years Old - 82-42-28-70
4. Rick Nash - Columbus Blue Jackets - 25 Years Old - 76-39-38-77
5. Dany Heatley - Ottawa Senators - 28 Years Old - 70-38-32-70
6. Evgeny Malkin - Pittsburgh Penguins - 23 Years Old - 82-45-50-95
7. Trevor Gordon - Houston Spirit - 21 Years Old - 82-31-39-70
8. Alexander Frolov - Los Angeles Kings - 27 Years Old - 82-44-46-90
9. Paul Kariya - Chicago Blackhawks - 34 Years Old - 82-42-46-88
10. Jarome Iginla - Calgary Flames - 32 Years Old - 82-50-41-91

Centers
1. Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh Penguins - 21 Years Old - 82-47-76-123
2. Joe Thornton - San Jose Sharks - 29 Years Old - 82-40-63-103
3. Peter Forsberg - Buffalo Sabres - 35 Years Old - 81-46-54-100
4. Eric Staal - Boston Bruins - 23 Years Old - 82-32-51-83
5. Brad Richards - Tampa Bay Lightning - 28 Years Old - 82-31-47-78
6. Pavol Demitra - New York Rangers - 33 Years Old - 82-38-49-87
7. Patrick Marleau - San Jose Sharks - 28 Years Old - 81-31-48-79
8. Vincent Lecavalier - Edmonton Oilers - 28 Years Old - 82-34-53-87
9. Olli Jokinen - Florida Panthers - 29 Years Old - 82-32-48-80
10. Patrik Elias - New Jersey Devils - 32 Years Old - 82-33-45-88