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2018-19 Utica Comets Thread


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39 minutes ago, UTICANUCK said:

In fairness thank you Springfield - their antics may have awoken the sleeping Comets.  5 on 3's and extended power plays provided an advantage, but the Comets played well at even strength as well after a dismal 1st period that mirrored the Wednesday dog in Rochester.  Though he wasn't a big factor in the scoring, Jasek is showing the level of play we saw at year end and that was Dahen's best game by far.  Zac Mac is a warrior and should have been called up for a look before trading for Leivo.  Despite how you interpret Comets' fan comments we want nothing more than to see our guys perform at the next level and we want prospects who have what it takes to get to the next level   - and plenty of them.  

Honestly I don't blame you guys for wanting a good product on ice. Everyone wants that. We get to complain about our Canucks. You guys should be allowed to vent your frustrations on your team as well. 

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Just an overview of how the Comets' special teams have been doing so far vs the rest of the league.  Zadarnowski covers the Habs' prospects.  

 

Utica's PP is clicking at 24% - 29 goals on 121 opportunities but they have allowed 8 short-handed goals.  

 

Edited by mll
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8 hours ago, UticaHockey said:

 

The one time that the Comets are featured as the AHL free game of the week on Facebook and it turns into a throwback to the 90's.  I was going to say the 80's but in the 80's that standoff after the game would have been a full out brawl.

 

The game last night was not indicative at all to what a typical AHL game looks like.  The AHL has been on the same trend as the NHL with fewer fights every season and a lot less hits in general.  This was the first meeting this year with Springfield so I can't comment on what their typical games look like but Bobby Farnham is a rat just like the many rats that still skate in the NHL and Paul Thompson has always been a fighter and dirty player. 

I know that I'm probably in the minority, but hockey in the 80's and 90's was exciting hockey compared to todays hockey. Lots of goals, hits, intensity, fights and rivalries on pretty much a nightly basis. Which is pretty much the exact opposite of todays hockey in most leagues...including in juniors, the minor leagues and the NHL. Without looking it up, it does seem like goals are up a bit this year, but I think that has more to do with making the goalie gear smaller. I understand the pussification (for lack of a better word) of the game today, but I don't think it makes for more exciting hockey. It seems that everyone that watched the game last night seemed to enjoy it, and I think at least some of that had to do with the type of game it was = chippy, nasty and not todays norm.

Farnham has always been a bit of a puke, but at least he drops the gloves and faces the consequences of his actions on the ice. Thompson might be a dirty player, but he averages less than 4 fights a year, so I wouldn't really call him a fighter. It's not like he's one of the Gallant brothers or anything.....but I understand what you're saying and I always appreciate your views on the Comets and their games. 

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The Athletic put together a "Future Power Ranking," of how teams will rank in the 2021-2022 season:

https://theathletic.com/686629/2018/12/03/future-power-rankings-our-panel-projects-how-all-nhl-teams-will-slot-in-2021-22-season/

 

It's behind a paywall, but the factors are U25 core/ prospects (this factor is weighted twice), management and coaching, ownership and market, and the salary cap situation.

 

Canucks ranked 6th overall, behind the Leafs, Jets, Avs, Bruins and Sabres.  Our U25 core ranked 3rd, but our salary cap situation ranked 22nd -- due to contracts like Eriksson's.

 

But Eriksson, Roussel and Beagle's contracts all expire after 2021-2022, and even Luongo's retained salary hit is done after 2021-2022.  The only other contract we'll have on the books is Horvat's, which is obviously a very good deal.  Guys like Boeser will be re-signed, but looking forward three years we're in a pretty nice spot.  If our core will already be top 3, add in this year's draft, and we could be legitimate contenders in just two more seasons.

 

In other news, some interesting tidbits about Seattle from AHL president Dave Andrews:

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Working alongside Seattle is AHL president and chief executive officer Dave Andrews, who is no stranger to shepherding complicated affiliation agreements and seeing them to completion. His job is to marry the needs of an NHL parent team with a market that also suits the AHL. Geography is a significant consideration in most NHL-AHL affiliations now, and certainly the AHL has gone down this road before. Its westward move that started in 2015 put five teams in California; since the end of the 2014-15 season, 14 AHL franchises have changed cities and/or affiliations along with addition of the new Colorado franchise that is in its first AHL season.

 

“It’s very preliminary, but clearly there is an understanding on Seattle’s part of the importance of an AHL affiliate, and I think it’s their intention to have their own team,” Andrews said.

Quote

Andrews said that the timeline for any franchise announcement remains unknown. Possibly shuffling affiliations or building an arena in a new market are only some of the variables to sort through.

 

“They’ve got a long way to go [to evaluate options]. It’s really hard to say.”

 

But he does not anticipate any lag time for the new AHL affiliate, and the 2021-22 season is the expected start date.

 

“Being absolutely candid, a lot of things could happen between now and 2021-22 relative to how Seattle wants to approach the American Hockey League. But what has happened over the past five or six months indicates to me that the most likely outcome will be Seattle being in an ownership position of some sort in an [AHL] franchise.”

If Seattle owns its own team, that significantly ups the chance that it'll be located in the Pacific Northwest.  The Tacoma Dome just underwent a $30m renovation this past summer... could be a good fit.

 

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32 minutes ago, GoldenAlien said:

The Athletic put together a "Future Power Ranking," of how teams will rank in the 2021-2022 season:

https://theathletic.com/686629/2018/12/03/future-power-rankings-our-panel-projects-how-all-nhl-teams-will-slot-in-2021-22-season/

 

It's behind a paywall, but the factors are U25 core/ prospects (this factor is weighted twice), management and coaching, ownership and market, and the salary cap situation.

 

Canucks ranked 6th overall, behind the Leafs, Jets, Avs, Bruins and Sabres.  Our U25 core ranked 3rd, but our salary cap situation ranked 22nd -- due to contracts like Eriksson's.

 

But Eriksson, Roussel and Beagle's contracts all expire after 2021-2022, and even Luongo's retained salary hit is done after 2021-2022.  The only other contract we'll have on the books is Horvat's, which is obviously a very good deal.  Guys like Boeser will be re-signed, but looking forward three years we're in a pretty nice spot.  If our core will already be top 3, add in this year's draft, and we could be legitimate contenders in just two more seasons.

 

In other news, some interesting tidbits about Seattle from AHL president Dave Andrews:

If Seattle owns its own team, that significantly ups the chance that it'll be located in the Pacific Northwest.  The Tacoma Dome just underwent a $30m renovation this past summer... could be a good fit.

 

Strangly I just read tonight that Seattle is looking at California for it's AHL teams home.....

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