UticaHockey Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Time to start a new thread for season four of Utica Comets hockey. The Comets will begin the new season with an impressive streak to build on. Looking back at the Comets first three years: 2013-14 Utica Comets 76Gp 35W - 32L - 5OTL -4SOL - 79Pts Missed the playoffs by just 4 points despite going win-less in their first ten games to start the season. 2014-15 Utica Comets 76Gp 47W - 20L - 7OTL - 2SOL - 103Pts Western Conference and North Division regular season and playoff champions. Lost in the Calder Cup Finals 4 games to 1. 2015-16 Utica Comets 76Gp 38W - 26L - 8OTL - 4SOL - 88Pts Finished third in the Eastern Conference, North Division and lost to the Albany Devils in the opening round of the playoffs 3 games to 1. Players that have moved up from the Comets to the Vancouver Canucks Sven Baertschi - Trade deadline addition in 2014-15 and a full time Canuck in 2015-16. Alex Biega - An original Comet who became a full time Canuck during the 2015-16 season. Jacob Markstrom - Guided the Comets to the Calder Cup finals in 2014-15 and became a full time Canuck in 2015-16. Brendan Gaunce, Andrey Pedan, Alex Grenier, Alex Friesen, Ronalds Kenins, Taylor Fedun and Mike Zalewski are all players who got "a cup of coffee" with Vancouver last season. The Comets players current contract status: (Source http://www.uticacomets.com/news/detail/2015-16-player-tracker ) Signed for 2016-17 F Cole Cassels F Brendan Gaunce F Joseph LaBate F Mackenzie Stewart F Carter Bancks - Veteran - (Signed two-year AHL deal with Comets on 6/3.) F Wacey Hamilton - Vet Exempt - (Signed two-year AHL deal with Comets on 6/3.) D Anton Cederholm D Evan McEneny D Ashton Sautner D Jordan Subban G Richard Bachman While we won’t see the free agent signings pick up until after July 1, there have been a few contracts inked already. Again, there are no guarantees here that they will be with the Comets but they are names you may want to familiarize yourself with. New Contracts for 2016-17 F Yan-Pavel LaPlante D Troy Stecher G Thatcher Demko G Michael Garteig D Tom Nilsson Restricted free agents (RFA) generally means it is up to the Canucks whether or not to bring back these players. For players on NHL rosters (and thus more expensive contracts) this can get complicated with qualifying offers and offer sheets but for the majority of players in the AHL there is usually not a bidding war. Players either resign with their team from the previous season or become an unrestricted free agent. Restricted Free Agents F Ludwig Blomstrand (Signed with Almtuna IS in Sweden for 2016-17) F Alexandre Grenier F Linden Vey - Veteran F Mike Zalewski D Andrey Pedan Unrestricted free agents are exactly that. They are free to sign with any team in the NHL, AHL or anywhere else in the world. Unrestricted Free Agents F Darren Archibald (AHL) - Veteran Exempt F Milos Bubela (ATO) F Alex Friesen F TJ Hensick (Carolina) - Veteran F Blair Jones - Veteran F Kellen Jones (PTO) F Ronalds Kenins F Brandon Marino (PTO) - Signed in Slovakia with HC Nove Zamky - 5/23/16 F Mike Pereira (PTO) F Brandon Prust - Veteran F Curtis Valk (AHL) D Travis Ehrhardt (AHL) - Veteran Exempt D Taylor Fedun - Veteran Exempt D John Landry (AHL) - Veteran Exempt D John Negrin (AHL) D David Shields (PTO) G Joe Cannata G Clay Witt (AHL) All NHL contracts run through June 30, which means that no team other than the Canucks can sign these players for next season before July 1. The only exception here would be TJ Hensick because his contract is still held by the Carolina Hurricanes. Players that were on AHL contracts last season can sign with any NHL club at any time however they would not be able to sign with an AHL team (other than the Comets) until July 1. For player listed on ATO/PTO contracts they can sign with any AHL or NHL team at any point. There are likely to be a player or two resigned from the unrestricted list prior to July 1 but the Comets roster won’t really start to take shape until early July. Stay tuned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derp... Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 GO COMETS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Neilsons Towel Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 @UticaHockey Thanks for this. I always enjoy your in depth insight on what is going on in our Farm system. Keep up the good work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvis15 Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Good time to get the ball rolling on next season! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonecoldstevebernier Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Hoping to see playoff hockey again in Utica after this one. Go Comets! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vicky Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Thanks for this. Hoping Green is around for the year. Go Comets! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leet Posted June 7, 2016 Share Posted June 7, 2016 Yay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilentSam Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 On June 7, 2016 at 8:45 AM, UticaHockey said: Time to start a new thread for season four of Utica Comets hockey. The Comets will begin the new season with an impressive streak to build on. Looking back at the Comets first three years: 2013-14 Utica Comets 76Gp 35W - 32L - 5OTL -4SOL - 79Pts Missed the playoffs by just 4 points despite going win-less in their first ten games to start the season. 2014-15 Utica Comets 76Gp 47W - 20L - 7OTL - 2SOL - 103Pts Western Conference and North Division regular season and playoff champions. Lost in the Calder Cup Finals 4 games to 1. 2015-16 Utica Comets 76Gp 38W - 26L - 8OTL - 4SOL - 88Pts Finished third in the Eastern Conference, North Division and lost to the Albany Devils in the opening round of the playoffs 3 games to 1. Players that have moved up from the Comets to the Vancouver Canucks Sven Baertschi - Trade deadline addition in 2014-15 and a full time Canuck in 2015-16. Alex Biega - An original Comet who became a full time Canuck during the 2015-16 season. Jacob Markstrom - Guided the Comets to the Calder Cup finals in 2014-15 and became a full time Canuck in 2015-16. Brendan Gaunce, Andrey Pedan, Alex Grenier, Alex Friesen, Ronalds Kenins, Taylor Fedun and Mike Zalewski are all players who got "a cup of coffee" with Vancouver last season. The Comets players current contract status: (Source http://www.uticacomets.com/news/detail/2015-16-player-tracker ) Signed for 2016-17 F Cole Cassels F Brendan Gaunce F Joseph LaBate F Mackenzie Stewart F Carter Bancks - Veteran - (Signed two-year AHL deal with Comets on 6/3.) F Wacey Hamilton - Vet Exempt - (Signed two-year AHL deal with Comets on 6/3.) D Anton Cederholm D Evan McEneny D Ashton Sautner D Jordan Subban G Richard Bachman While we won’t see the free agent signings pick up until after July 1, there have been a few contracts inked already. Again, there are no guarantees here that they will be with the Comets but they are names you may want to familiarize yourself with. New Contracts for 2016-17 F Yan-Pavel LaPlante D Troy Stecher G Thatcher Demko G Michael Garteig D Tom Nilsson Restricted free agents (RFA) generally means it is up to the Canucks whether or not to bring back these players. For players on NHL rosters (and thus more expensive contracts) this can get complicated with qualifying offers and offer sheets but for the majority of players in the AHL there is usually not a bidding war. Players either resign with their team from the previous season or become an unrestricted free agent. Restricted Free Agents F Ludwig Blomstrand (Signed with Almtuna IS in Sweden for 2016-17) F Alexandre Grenier F Linden Vey - Veteran F Mike Zalewski D Andrey Pedan Unrestricted free agents are exactly that. They are free to sign with any team in the NHL, AHL or anywhere else in the world. Unrestricted Free Agents F Darren Archibald (AHL) - Veteran Exempt F Milos Bubela (ATO) F Alex Friesen F TJ Hensick (Carolina) - Veteran F Blair Jones - Veteran F Kellen Jones (PTO) F Ronalds Kenins F Brandon Marino (PTO) - Signed in Slovakia with HC Nove Zamky - 5/23/16 F Mike Pereira (PTO) F Brandon Prust - Veteran F Curtis Valk (AHL) D Travis Ehrhardt (AHL) - Veteran Exempt D Taylor Fedun - Veteran Exempt D John Landry (AHL) - Veteran Exempt D John Negrin (AHL) D David Shields (PTO) G Joe Cannata G Clay Witt (AHL) All NHL contracts run through June 30, which means that no team other than the Canucks can sign these players for next season before July 1. The only exception here would be TJ Hensick because his contract is still held by the Carolina Hurricanes. Players that were on AHL contracts last season can sign with any NHL club at any time however they would not be able to sign with an AHL team (other than the Comets) until July 1. For player listed on ATO/PTO contracts they can sign with any AHL or NHL team at any point. There are likely to be a player or two resigned from the unrestricted list prior to July 1 but the Comets roster won’t really start to take shape until early July. Stay tuned. You are a pro UticaHockey, I like many others here look forward to he new season here-on thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grape Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Thank you UticaHockey! Based off of your OP: There is a lot of goaltending depth next year. Very unproven, but can't deny the depth and talent. Subban and Sautner are really the only guarantees on the back end under contract. Hopefully McEneny can make the leap next year from Kalamazoo. Stetcher should also make an immediate impact in Utica. Fedun seems like he had a good year judging by his stats but he is an FA, and I've never been a Pedan fan so I wouldn't mind him staying in Utica rather than the Nucks. Overall defensively we shouldn't be too bad, though we'd benefit from a few FA signings as well. Bancks and Hamilton will be Utica veterans and will be the leaders of the bunch next year, it's been cool seeing them progress over the past two years. Gaunce may spend more time in Vancouver next year, but he would be an enormous asset for Utica if he plays there. Cassels and Labate will be Comets next year as well, really hope to see Cassels step it up. There's not much skill up front under contract so that's a problem for sure. Grenier has been the longest tenured Comet and has been extremely productive so hope to see him stay there. Guys like Friesen, Hensick, Kenins, and Zalewski would definitely help and I would love to see at least two or three of them back. (Hope Kenny is back he's one of my faves) Otherwise Benning will have to sign some talent to anchor the top 6 and PP for Utica, and I really wouldn't mind bringing Vey and his skill back to potentially help out the Comets. Not sure of the waiver rules which obviously may apply to guys like Pedan, Vey, Gaunce and Grenier, so there's that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlanB Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 What is the status of the coaching staff at this point in time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UticaHockey Posted June 13, 2016 Author Share Posted June 13, 2016 12 hours ago, PlanB said: What is the status of the coaching staff at this point in time? Travis Green is still in the running for the head coaching position in both Calgary and Anaheim. Until both of those teams make a decision the Comets coaching situation remains in limbo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fanuck Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 5 hours ago, UticaHockey said: Travis Green is still in the running for the head coaching position in both Calgary and Anaheim. Until both of those teams make a decision the Comets coaching situation remains in limbo. They don't have anyone else under contract at all from last year? What about Bomber? Or PJ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UticaHockey Posted June 13, 2016 Author Share Posted June 13, 2016 7 minutes ago, Fanuck said: They don't have anyone else under contract at all from last year? What about Bomber? Or PJ? Nobody ever seems to report on the contract status of the Comets assistant coaches. Baumgartner was back in town about a week ago to participate in a "Ride for Missing Children" bicycle event. It's rare to have any players or staff come back after the season ends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuxfanabroad Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 ^Those are great cycling jersey designs. OP, thanks for a great summary & important roster-info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShakyWalton Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 Happy birthday to the Utica Comets..3 years ago today they were born. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 On June 13, 2016 at 8:04 AM, UticaHockey said: Travis Green is still in the running for the head coaching position in both Calgary and Anaheim. Until both of those teams make a decision the Comets coaching situation remains in limbo. Looks like both Ducks and Flames went with other choices. Now Comets fans only have the Canucks to worry about (as far as an NHL team poaching their coach). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UticaHockey Posted June 15, 2016 Author Share Posted June 15, 2016 2 hours ago, SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME said: Looks like both Ducks and Flames went with other choices. Now Comets fans only have the Canucks to worry about (as far as an NHL team poaching their coach). I wouldn't be surprised to see Green end up in Vancouver as an assistant if Gulutzan moves on to Calgary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShakyWalton Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 1 hour ago, UticaHockey said: I wouldn't be surprised to see Green end up in Vancouver as an assistant if Gulutzan moves on to Calgary. If that happened I wonder if Baumer would get the head job in Utica? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeNiro Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 1 minute ago, ShakyWalton said: If that happened I wonder if Baumer would get the head job in Utica? I'm hoping Brad Berry from UND. I'm a big fan of what UND is doing right now. If we can get one or two of their coaches we should. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShakyWalton Posted June 15, 2016 Share Posted June 15, 2016 Just now, DeNiro said: I'm hoping Brad Berry from UND. I'm a big fan of what UND is doing right now. If we can get one or two of their coaches we should. would they be available or would we have to poach them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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