2018-19 Utica Comets Thread

[Gaudette Celly]

Blowing it open -- the other Big Mc with 3 points.

[The_Rocket]

Gadjovich with an assist on Woods’s goal. Very good night for the big prospects on the team. 

 

Pretty much only dahlen without a point I believe 

[Mo Grit]

Quote

Whoa! Appears Kole Lind has bagged another. Why is no one postin' about Kole Lind?!

Seen wot u dun there, very droll Nuxfan.

Thing is, it was a great shot by Lind.

Can't get the radio wotsit to work nohow, but there's a decent twitter on Comets website to follow games.

Huge buzz down in Utica right now, must be a fabulous atmosphere for our prospects to grow.

If not there, then it mebbe it'll never happen for them.

Not a fan of bringing up an-inform Comet just to sit him in the pressbox.  We didn't get to see what a confident Gaudette might have done against the Marlies.

We likely won't see what Kero can do up here either.  In both games Comets are playing without a difference maker, who is helping no-one.  Odd.

Love Utica's black uniforms, but perhaps not quite as much as the fleeting glance of their cheerleaders.

Gotta be worth a trip in itself, might be even cheaper from the Island than a trek to Rogers just to watch a few rich floaters float around half-arsed.

But, GmJim has it right, inching ever upward as the likes of Goldy, Louie and Shaller get found out.

Lotsa people be talking about Lind soon.

[73 Percent]

4 minutes ago, Mo Grit said:

Seen wot u dun there, very droll Nuxfan.

Thing is, it was a great shot by Lind.

Can't get the radio wotsit to work nohow, but there's a decent twitter on Comets website to follow games.

Huge buzz down in Utica right now, must be a fabulous atmosphere for our prospects to grow.

If not there, then it mebbe it'll never happen for them.

Not a fan of bringing up an-inform Comet just to sit him in the pressbox.  We didn't get to see what a confident Gaudette might have done against the Marlies.

We likely won't see what Kero can do up here either.  In both games Comets are playing without a difference maker, who is helping no-one.  Odd.

Love Utica's black uniforms, but perhaps not quite as much as the fleeting glance of their cheerleaders.

Gotta be worth a trip in itself, might be even cheaper from the Island than a trek to Rogers just to watch a few rich floaters float around half-arsed.

But, GmJim has it right, inching ever upward as the likes of Goldy, Louie and Shaller get found out.

Lotsa people be talking about Lind soon.

Wtf did I just read?

[canuckledraggin]

8 hours ago, UticaComment said:

Why do you keep beating a dead horse? Because 2-3 people in Utica who write stupid crap on these boards? I won't speak for them, but I feel pretty lucky to have the Comets here, win or lose. There's probably more than 3,800 people in this town that feel the same way. I like reading the comments from everyone just to keep up on how the Canucks and Comets are doing. Why don't you just leave it at that? It's gotten real tiring.

Ok but you can understand it though. This is a prospects thread for Canucks forum. When the Comets were struggling it was all about management and how they were a hindrance to the success of the Comets. Where are those same people now that the team is in a playoff spot and improving?

 

Those people have gone silent and should be served up platters of crow. No not everyone deserves to be lumped into that category, but we as Canucks fans are well within our rights to call them out.

 

[Stierlitz]

 

[MoneypuckOverlord]

3 hours ago, 73 Percent said:

Wtf did I just read?

drunken post

[johngould21]

2 hours ago, canuckledraggin said:

Ok but you can understand it though. This is a prospects thread for Canucks forum. When the Comets were struggling it was all about management and how they were a hindrance to the success of the Comets. Where are those same people now that the team is in a playoff spot and improving?

 

Those people have gone silent and should be served up platters of crow. No not everyone deserves to be lumped into that category, but we as Canucks fans are well within our rights to call them out.

 

Good on you for doing that too! The knives were out in November for sure.

[Kanukfanatic]

3 hours ago, 73 Percent said:

Wtf did I just read?

Not sure. It was unreadable so I skipped it.

[Connor comet]

Still surprising to me that this team is doing as well as it is. Kubalkov is holding his own, but seems a little bit if a hot head and teams are blantently running him in an attempt to get him off his game. 

 

Turning point of the season seems to be Gaunce and Gaudette returning which has bolstered the offence and playmaking ability of this team. Pyatt has been a nice addition and a difference maker unlike the sometimes nearly invisible Archie  he replaced...

 

The kids continue to improve, Lind, Dahlen, and Gadjovich setteling in and finding their way.

 

Not sure if the goaltending will continue at this level of play. 

 

The defense should be bolstered by Schen, and eventually by the returns of Sautner and Chatfield... At least one would think....but chemistry is a weird thing..  

 

Comets are scoring goals much easier than any of the teams from. Previous seasons, even on the Calder cup run the comets struggled to score....

 

Today's game has been moved up to 2pm our time due to a snowstorm tonight.....

 

 

 

Edited January 19, 2019 by Connor comet

[TomatoPieFan]

 

[UticaHockey]

54 minutes ago, Connor comet said:

Still surprising to me that this team is doing as well as it is. Kubalkov is holding his own, but seems a little bit if a hot head and teams are blantently running him in an attempt to get him off his game. 

 

Turning point of the season seems to be Gaunce and Gaudette returning which has bolstered the offence and playmaking ability of this team. Pyatt has been a nice addition and a difference maker unlike the sometimes nearly invisible Archie  he replaced...

 

The kids continue to improve, Lind, Dahlen, and Gadjovich setteling in and finding their way.

 

Not sure if the goaltending will continue at this level of play. 

 

The defense should be bolstered by Schen, and eventually by the returns of Sautner and Chatfield... At least one would think....but chemistry is a weird thing..  

 

Comets are scoring goals much easier than any of the teams from. Previous seasons, even on the Calder cup run the comets struggled to score....

 

Today's game has been moved up to 2pm our time due to a snowstorm tonight.....

 

 

Gaunce has been the Comets best player and adding a skilled center in Gaudette makes a big difference.  I agree with you on Kulbakov and hope that a season long goalie will be found soon.  Kulby makes some incredible athletic saves but still gives up soft goals that he should stop.

 

The defense has held up surprisingly well considering it is patched together with ECHL guys on PTOs.  Yes Schenn should be a big addition and Chatfield and Sautner should be back within a month.

 

Still a lot of games left in the season.  Just need to stay healthy and have the kids continue to improve.

[Lancaster]

Hey.... where's the Luke Schenn profile thread?  

[Noble 6]

What's changed with the team that lead to this recent string of success? Is it the young guys making more of an impact? Getting Gaudette back and adding Pyatt? The team just trying harder?

[TomatoPieFan]

 

[TomatoPieFan]

 

[-Vintage Canuck-]

 

[UticaComment]

On 1/18/2019 at 11:00 PM, canuckledraggin said:

Ok but you can understand it though. This is a prospects thread for Canucks forum. When the Comets were struggling it was all about management and how they were a hindrance to the success of the Comets. Where are those same people now that the team is in a playoff spot and improving?

 

Those people have gone silent and should be served up platters of crow. No not everyone deserves to be lumped into that category, but we as Canucks fans are well within our rights to call them out.

 

Yes, I 100% understand. People like ConnorComet (or whatever his name is/was) are nothing like 99.9% of the Comet population. Sadly, if you served up crow, they'd probably not understand why you're giving it to them.

[TomatoPieFan]

LEARNING ON THE FLY: KULBAKOV'S ROAD TO UTICA

Jan 22, 2019

Ivan Kulbakov didn’t exactly grow up in a hockey hot bed. He hails from Belarus, and his home country has produced just 12 NHL players. There are currently only three players in the AHL who hail from the country of 9.5 million people. For the 22-year-old Comets goalie, his goal is simple: to play hockey and to do so at the highest level.  

 

Getting to this point in his career has required constantly stepping out of his comfort zone and undertaking a wealth of new experiences.

 

He came to North America for the first time at the age of 19 when he appeared in one season with the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL. It was his first exposure to American culture… and the English language. Kulbakov had grown up speaking Russian, and only Russian, his entire life.

 

“I go for billet family, and (I know) just nothing,” Kulbakov said, smiling. “One word. ‘Hello…. and thank you.’”

 

It didn’t take him too long to catch on, as Kulbakov can understand the language quite well just two years later. He does, however, sometimes struggle converting his thoughts to speech.

 

“I understand when fans talk and when coach talk(s) and what guys say in locker room. For me it’s sometimes hard to speak.”

 

Like a lot of people who learn English, he occasionally uses television to learn. It might only help with his hockey terminology though, as he is a junkie for the game and can’t get enough of it.

 

“I watch (television),” he said. “The NHL show.”

 

Though his life is consumed by hockey, he grew up active and playing plenty of sports. It’s cold in Belarus, with a climate very similar to Utica, but the summer time lent itself to Kulbakov enjoying some other hobbies.

 

“I played soccer in the summer for fun. I love soccer,” Kulbakov said. “I play anything (during) summer. Big tennis, small tennis, I like anything.”

 

When realizing the confusion over “small tennis,” he quickly followed up with a chuckle: “Ping pong, ping pong. Sorry, sorry, sorry.”

 

Kulbakov has enjoyed being thrust into the spotlight in Utica, earning loads of playing time after injuries and call-ups have turned him into the team’s starting netminder. There is one thing that stands out over all others when it comes to what he enjoys in Utica.

 

“My bed,” he said, laughing uncontrollably. “It’s a joke, I’m not serious,” he added.

 

“Utica really is good. I like the fans. Probably best fans in AHL. Very good atmosphere for every game. At home, oh my god, it’s the best atmosphere. For players, for team, for everybody. Good time.”

 

Even though he is enjoying the ride, he remains thousands of miles from home. He is young and still figuring out the processes of the pro game, and sometimes that leads to a bit of homesickness. However, there is one thing that continues to push him, and that’s the true, genuine, unadulterated love for his line of work.    

 

“Every day I speak to my family. Dad, mom, and my girlfriend. Sometimes I miss home, but this is my job. I love my job. I’m happy to play hockey. It’s my life.”

[TomatoPieFan]