2017-18 Utica Comets Thread

[UticaHockey]

2 minutes ago, Boudrias said:

You were critical of the new coach a couple of games back. Can you review to date?

We were do I start.  According to various media reports Trent Cull was at best Vancouver's 4th choice for the job after being turned down by Rocky Thompson, Bob Wood and Norm Bazin so I have to admit that my expectations for the former Syracuse Crunch Assistant weren't that high.

 

My opinion is still forming on Cull so rather than write up an opinion based summary I will share some observations that concern me.

 

First is Subban whom it was assumed was supposed to be Cull's project since he supposedly had a reputation of developing defensemen in Syracuse for Tampa Bay.  Under Cull Subban's offense has disappeared while showing no improvement in the defensive zone and has been a healthy scratch for 4 of the 12 games.  

 

Second is systems play.  This team has no identity.  They rely almost exclusively on Demko to keep them in games plus Goldobin and Boucher to produce some offense.  The rest of the team looks to me like a bunch of plumbers but they do not play a heavy forechecking game that Travis Green was so famous for to create any offence out side of the couple of skilled players on the team.

 

Third is the team looks like they are not ready to start games.  Twice in the five game home stand the Comets gave up a goal in the first 30 seconds.  It might be a little thing but I've noticed that this team doesn't even come out on to the ice as a group at the beginning of games.  Instead I see 3 here and 4 there skate onto the ice instead of a cohesive group.  It's just a little thing but sometimes little things matter and this combined with the first shift goals against points to the team's leadership and coaching staff.

 

Fourth is the lack of in game adjustments.  Last night the Comets gave up a 2 on 0 shorty when Rodin messed up the drop pass power play break in.  They literally ran that same break in five straight time with out altering it a bit.  Well everyone in the building could see it coming a mile away including a better skilled and better coached Charlotte Checkers team who adjusted their PK system to create the turnover.

 

Finally the interviews I've seen of Cull just don't make me feel confident either.  He looks like someone that is in a role that is too big for him. 

 

[UticaHockey]

But I should add that I'm not entirely faulting Cull other than I'm not that impressed with him.  This roster was poorly constructed during the off season.  The two biggest issues are the lack of center depth and play making centers specifically and having too many vets that can't all be in the line up at the same time.  There are very few high end Canucks prospects playing in the AHL so Vancouver supplements the roaster long shot undrafted players on ELCs with veteran plugs meant to provide injury depth for the NHL team. 

 

Just look at the quality of the Vancouver drafted players in Utica right now and you will see that Demko is the only one that likely projects into a good NHL player.  The others include Cassels who is just terrible.  Subban who will be gone next year.  Brisebois who doesn't impress me and will be a long term work in progress.  Rodin who is either never going to be a NHL player because of his knee injury or is just dogging it because he doesn't want to be in the AHL.  Labate who tries hard but has a limited skill set to work with.  

 

Then throw in the undrafted guys on ELCs into the mix (Sautner, McEneny, Chatfield, MacEwen, Molino, Carcone, Laplante) and hope that maybe one of them turns into a NHL player.

[JeremyCuddles]

25 minutes ago, UticaHockey said:

But I should add that I'm not entirely faulting Cull other than I'm not that impressed with him.  This roster was poorly constructed during the off season.  The two biggest issues are the lack of center depth and play making centers specifically and having too many vets that can't all be in the line up at the same time.  There are very few high end Canucks prospects playing in the AHL so Vancouver supplements the roaster long shot undrafted players on ELCs with veteran plugs meant to provide injury depth for the NHL team. 

 

Just look at the quality of the Vancouver drafted players in Utica right now and you will see that Demko is the only one that likely projects into a good NHL player.  The others include Cassels who is just terrible.  Subban who will be gone next year.  Brisebois who doesn't impress me and will be a long term work in progress.  Rodin who is either never going to be a NHL player because of his knee injury or is just dogging it because he doesn't want to be in the AHL.  Labate who tries hard but has a limited skill set to work with.  

 

Then throw in the undrafted guys on ELCs into the mix (Sautner, McEneny, Chatfield, MacEwen, Molino, Carcone, Laplante) and hope that maybe one of them turns into a NHL player.

Has Chatfield not stood out? Or at least has he not stood out in a bad way. I have high hopes for him. 

[Gaudette Celly]

45 minutes ago, UticaHockey said:

Just look at the quality of the Vancouver drafted players in Utica right now and you will see that Demko is the only one that likely projects into a good NHL player.  The others include Cassels who is just terrible.  Subban who will be gone next year.  Brisebois who doesn't impress me and will be a long term work in progress.  Rodin who is either never going to be a NHL player because of his knee injury or is just dogging it because he doesn't want to be in the AHL.  Labate who tries hard but has a limited skill set to work with. 

Not sure what you were expecting here.  Top-end prospects either do not go to the AHL or spend little time there.  Not just the McDavids but Boeser was never going to play a single game there, and Stecher only went down because of waivers and numbers.  Virtanen may go back temporarily for the same reason.  You have Goldobin who is 7th in league scoring, but look who else is in the top-20.  Mangiapane and Hathaway from Hathaway from the Flames?  Dylan Strome?  Mike Vecchione?  Best bet is to have guys that are solid AHL players like Vey, Biega, and Boucher around if you want to be really competitive.

[Gaudette Celly]

Also, it's not just a new coach but a very reworked roster with lots of new players, especially the prospects.  Give them some time to work together and figure things out.

[86Viking]

1 hour ago, UticaHockey said:

We were do I start.  According to various media reports Trent Cull was at best Vancouver's 4th choice for the job after being turned down by Rocky Thompson, Bob Wood and Norm Bazin so I have to admit that my expectations for the former Syracuse Crunch Assistant weren't that high.

 

My opinion is still forming on Cull so rather than write up an opinion based summary I will share some observations that concern me.

 

First is Subban whom it was assumed was supposed to be Cull's project since he supposedly had a reputation of developing defensemen in Syracuse for Tampa Bay.  Under Cull Subban's offense has disappeared while showing no improvement in the defensive zone and has been a healthy scratch for 4 of the 12 games.  

 

Second is systems play.  This team has no identity.  They rely almost exclusively on Demko to keep them in games plus Goldobin and Boucher to produce some offense.  The rest of the team looks to me like a bunch of plumbers but they do not play a heavy forechecking game that Travis Green was so famous for to create any offence out side of the couple of skilled players on the team.

 

Third is the team looks like they are not ready to start games.  Twice in the five game home stand the Comets gave up a goal in the first 30 seconds.  It might be a little thing but I've noticed that this team doesn't even come out on to the ice as a group at the beginning of games.  Instead I see 3 here and 4 there skate onto the ice instead of a cohesive group.  It's just a little thing but sometimes little things matter and this combined with the first shift goals against points to the team's leadership and coaching staff.

 

Fourth is the lack of in game adjustments.  Last night the Comets gave up a 2 on 0 shorty when Rodin messed up the drop pass power play break in.  They literally ran that same break in five straight time with out altering it a bit.  Well everyone in the building could see it coming a mile away including a better skilled and better coached Charlotte Checkers team who adjusted their PK system to create the turnover.

 

Finally the interviews I've seen of Cull just don't make me feel confident either.  He looks like someone that is in a role that is too big for him. 

 

He sounds like Willie Desjardins

[UticaHockey]

32 minutes ago, Hutton Wink said:

Not sure what you were expecting here.  Top-end prospects either do not go to the AHL or spend little time there.  Not just the McDavids but Boeser was never going to play a single game there, and Stecher only went down because of waivers and numbers.  Virtanen may go back temporarily for the same reason.  You have Goldobin who is 7th in league scoring, but look who else is in the top-20.  Mangiapane and Hathaway from Hathaway from the Flames?  Dylan Strome?  Mike Vecchione?  Best bet is to have guys that are solid AHL players like Vey, Biega, and Boucher around if you want to be really competitive.

Just trying to be realistic.  After reading countless comments on this forum and HFBoards before the season started that the "Comets are stacked" - "Calder Cup favorites" - "Should be more fun to watch than the Canucks" when I knew from the way this team was constructed none of it would be true.  The prospects in Utica outside of Demko and possibly Goldobin are not high end.  Dahlen going back to Sweden was a joke and the rest of the team is mediocre at best.  They just completed a five game home stand without a single regulation win.  This is at best a middle of the pack AHL team and not anywhere close to what cdc and HFBoards Canucks fans predicted they would be.

 

It is what it is and they are what I expected them to be.  Not trying to be overly negative but I am trying to correctly set the expectations for the team we have here in Utica.  

[UticaHockey]

1 hour ago, N7Nucks said:

Has Chatfield not stood out? Or at least has he not stood out in a bad way. I have high hopes for him. 

Chatfield shows enough skill where I think he can eventually turn into a serviceable NHL player but at this point he still makes a lot of rookie mistakes and is a work in progress.  Time will tell on how well he develops and how much improvement he makes as the season progresses.  

[UticaHockey]

And can someone explain to me how Jayson Megna basically played an entire season last year in the NHL. Two points in six games and is a -8.... nor does he pass the eye test.  Just brutal.

[Boudrias]

1 hour ago, UticaHockey said:

Just trying to be realistic.  After reading countless comments on this forum and HFBoards before the season started that the "Comets are stacked" - "Calder Cup favorites" - "Should be more fun to watch than the Canucks" when I knew from the way this team was constructed none of it would be true.  The prospects in Utica outside of Demko and possibly Goldobin are not high end.  Dahlen going back to Sweden was a joke and the rest of the team is mediocre at best.  They just completed a five game home stand without a single regulation win.  This is at best a middle of the pack AHL team and not anywhere close to what cdc and HFBoards Canucks fans predicted they would be.

 

It is what it is and they are what I expected them to be.  Not trying to be overly negative but I am trying to correctly set the expectations for the team we have here in Utica.  

Always value your opinion. The optimism found here at CDC tends to go up and down with wins and loses. Not long ago the Canucks were a playoff guarantee!  IMHO Utica has to be a key part of any long term growth within the org. I don't know anything about the new Comets coach but your observations are not a big endorsement. Hoping for a plan. I thought Green would have had big input into his selection.

 

IMO the Canucks are still 2 years away from having enough depth and breadth within the org to begin a move up. Utica will see that talent before the Canucks. This why the organization and coaching in Utica is critical. I prefer coaches with NHL experience as coaches. Love to see a Tim Hunter there. He recently coached Team WHL against the Russians. 

[86Viking]

20 minutes ago, UticaHockey said:

And can someone explain to me how Jayson Megna basically played an entire season last year in the NHL. Two points in six games and is a -8.... nor does he pass the eye test.  Just brutal.

WD's love child, just like Tanner Glass and AV

[JeremyCuddles]

1 hour ago, UticaHockey said:

Chatfield shows enough skill where I think he can eventually turn into a serviceable NHL player but at this point he still makes a lot of rookie mistakes and is a work in progress.  Time will tell on how well he develops and how much improvement he makes as the season progresses.  

That’s good to hear. Hopefully another Biega type in Chatfield and I’d be very happy. 

[Sean Monahan]

1 hour ago, UticaHockey said:

And can someone explain to me how Jayson Megna basically played an entire season last year in the NHL. Two points in six games and is a -8.... nor does he pass the eye test.  Just brutal.

@King Heffy

[King Heffy]

1 hour ago, Sean Monahan said:

@King Heffy

A bad coach who refused to accept that h is pet plug was playing like complete trash.

[alfstonker]

3 hours ago, King Heffy said:

A bad coach who refused to accept that h is pet plug was playing like complete trash.

If you knew anything about the game you would be a danger to yourself. 

[CRAZY_4_NAZZY]

On 11/11/2017 at 9:04 AM, UticaHockey said:

And can someone explain to me how Jayson Megna basically played an entire season last year in the NHL. Two points in six games and is a -8.... nor does he pass the eye test.  Just brutal.

Most of us also wonder that question too 

[-Vintage Canuck-]

Comets sign Brendan Woods to an AHL contract:

 

Quote

Utica, NY - Utica Comets General Manager Ryan Johnson has announced that the club has signed forward Brendan Woods to an AHL contract.

 

Woods, 25, has skated in six games with the Comets registering one goal and 24 penalty minutes. The Humboldt, Saskatchewan native has totaled 201 career AHL games amassing 65 points (31-34-65) and 247 penalty minutes. In addition, Woods has dressed in seven NHL games with the Carolina Hurricanes.

 

The 6-3, 222-pound forward was selected by Carolina in the fifth round, 129th overall, at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

http://www.uticacomets.com/news/detail/comets-sign-forward-brendan-woods-to-an-ahl-contract

[-Vintage Canuck-]

Comets announce Adam Pawlick as Vice President:

 

Quote

Earlier today, Utica Comets President Robert Esche announced that Adam Pawlick has been named Vice President of the Comets. Pawlick will oversee the entirety of the business operations for the Comets, focusing primarily on Ticketing, Corporate Sales, and the overall synergy of the organization. Pawlick will also work closely with the American Hockey League and Vancouver Canucks to continue to grow the Comets brand while keeping the organization in line with business rules and regulations. 

 

Pawlick, a native of Utica, joined the Comets in November of 2016 after playing three seasons of professional hockey in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) with the Pensacola Ice Flyers. During his time in Pensacola, Pawlick recorded 169 points in 168 games, and had his jersey number retired in an on-ice ceremony last spring. Pawlick graduated from Clarkson University in 2013 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation and a Minor in Project Management.

 

Through his first season with the Comets, Pawlick has worked primarily in the Corporate Partnerships department, while assisting as a head coach for a number of Utica Jr. Comets elite teams. Pawlick has been an asset at annual Board of Governor’s meetings, while working closely with the American Hockey League on joint initiatives, including the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic presented by Turning Stone Resort Casino.

 

“It’s truly an honor to promote from within, especially with such a quality person as Adam,” said Esche. “I feel that he represents our Comet Culture through and through, and will be instrumental in building the brand for years to come.”

 

“I’m very excited and honored to be named Vice President of the Comets,” said Pawlick. “Growing up in Utica and in the sport of hockey, I’m extremely proud to be a part of this great organization. I look forward to the continued growth of the Comets alongside the growth of our community.”

http://www.uticacomets.com/news/detail/comets-announce-adam-pawlick-as-vice-president

[TomatoPieFan]

UticaHockey provides the better technical reviews of the Comets play than I could ever hope.  I'm going to give some perspective from a layman armchair fan and season ticket holder since the second season.  I have never seen a Comets team, up until this season, that turns the puck over more between the blue lines.  Greens defensive play had 2 and 3 players scrumming along the boards to work the puck out of our zone and control over the blue line as opposed to this year where aimless dumps lead to turnovers and icings.  There have been Comets players clearing our zone that hit the opposing player dead center on the blade without the opposing player even moving a foot.  I would say it seems as though we have more intercepted dumps than we actually control the puck the length of the ice.  The timing of our forwards on the rush is also lacking.  That will probably come with more ice time but geez it's been hard to watch so far.  Carolina looked like an NHL team and the Comets like ECHL in that debacle last weekend.

[86Viking]

3 hours ago, -Vintage Canuck- said:

Comets sign Brendan Woods to an AHL contract:

 

http://www.uticacomets.com/news/detail/comets-sign-forward-brendan-woods-to-an-ahl-contract

dont we already have too many players down in Utica having to sit multiple guys each night?