2020-21 Affiliates: [/End Springfield Thunderbirds, +Utica Comets] (AHL) & ECHL
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Beauterham
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- Aug 19, 2018
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ChicagoBlues
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Dave Rogalski has been our goalie development coach for 4 years, and therefore (along with Dave Alexander) has been integral to the development of guys like Binnington and Husso. Not to mention scouting guys like Hofer and helping them develop in Juniors.
Glad he got a big boy job, he deserves it, but that’s a big loss for us
Beauterham
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Springfield has untill januari 5th to potentially opt out of the 21-season.
I hope their reaction means they're game, was uncertain of that after Toropchenko and Alexandrov got assigned to respectively the KHL and Liiga and we've not signed any player yet to an AHL-contract. Hope they don't opt out so our prospects could play at least some games.
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mk80
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Interesting thing I've heard is AHL teams might be shared by two NHL teams this season due to the Taxi Squads taking a lot of players as well.
Springfield officially announced that they will not be playing this year. Apparently two other reams have opted out, but I’m not sure which ones.
Beauterham
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At this point, you just have to laugh.
Forced to share Chicago
Forced out of Chicago
Forced to share San Antonio
San Antonio shutters its doors
Move to the East Coast
Springfield can’t operate, opts out for the year.
Forced to share Utica (formerly the Peoria Rivermen, one might remember)
It’s a comedy of errors at this point. It seems so absurd that one team can have this bad of luck with finding a place for their prospects to play.
Forced to share Chicago
Forced out of Chicago
Forced to share San Antonio
San Antonio shutters its doors
Move to the East Coast
Springfield can’t operate, opts out for the year.
Forced to share Utica (formerly the Peoria Rivermen, one might remember)
It’s a comedy of errors at this point. It seems so absurd that one team can have this bad of luck with finding a place for their prospects to play.
UticaHockey
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Welcome to Utica!!! Comets season ticket holder here that probably won't be able to see any games in person but look forward to having the season start next month anyway.
UticaHockey
Registered User
Niko Mikkola (LHD) who's 6'4'' defensive dmen, with great and smooth skating such a tall player. Has played all his career vs toughest opponent in time at Finland and AHL, so can play heavy minutes + PK. Has underrated offensive tools, decent shot. Weakness transition game and passing. If you can compare to him somebody, he is version of Jbo mobility and Edmundson toughness.
He's fighting currently top6 role vs Dunn/Bortuzzo. Dunn signing means its closed door for Mikkola. In others NHL teams he would/should play 3rd pair. Most likely candidate to Seattle take at expansion draft.
Scott Perunovich (LHD) is another pmd who has even higher potential than Dunn. Team is high on him. Havent seen him playing so cant give more about him.
Austin Poganski (winger) which is MacMac 2.0 with better offensive tool. Decent skating, gritty style of play. Goes hard on net. Ideal 4th liner for NHL team.
I could throw out there Mitch Reinke out too. He's RHD. I havent view him that much so I leave it to others.
Kostin questionmark will he play AHL or stay KHL.
Mikkola and Poganski are most likely first call-ups.
It’s not clear how the taxi squad and limited roster spots will affect who gets assigned to Utica. Welcome to our board!
Beauterham
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For now I expect Mikkola, Walman, Gillies, Poganski, De La Rose to be in the Blues taxisquad. This leaves one spot, possible candidate is Kostin, who is in the KHL right now and is waiting untill visa problems are solved before he can come back to the Us. These are the players that are almost certainly not going to make opening roster.
Possible taxisquad:
Jacob de la Rose at eliteprospects.com
Austin Poganski at eliteprospects.com
Niko Mikkola at eliteprospects.com
Jake Walman at eliteprospects.com
Jon Gillies at eliteprospects.com
Potentially to Utica?
Forwards
Sam Anas at eliteprospects.com
Tanner Kaspick at eliteprospects.com
Dakota Joshua at eliteprospects.com
Hugh McGing at eliteprospects.com
Nolan Stevens at eliteprospects.com
Curtis McKenzie at eliteprospects.com
Nathan Walker at eliteprospects.com
Evan Polei at eliteprospects.com
Klim Kostin at eliteprospects.com
Defense
Scott Perunovich at eliteprospects.com
Steven Santini at eliteprospects.com
Mitch Reinke at eliteprospects.com
Tyler Tucker at eliteprospects.com
Goalies
Evan Fitzpatrick at eliteprospects.com
Joel Hofer at eliteprospects.com
Out of the players in the last row Perunovich, Kostin, McGing, Reinke, Tucker, Stevens and Hofer need to play IMO. Kaspick, Joshua, Polei and Fitzpatrick are plugs. In a stacked AHL-squad they could be ECHL-fodder. However, as we don't have a ECHL-team this year...
Some other notes:
- Perunovich was the last Hobey Baker award winner
- Anas was last years AHL topscorer
- McKenzie is a good scorer and vet with NHL experience with the Stars
- Santini experienced vet with NHL experience with the Devils and Predators
- Hofer was Canada's winning goalie at last years WJC
Same question back to you BTW, does Utica have enough rosterspots left available for us?
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UticaHockey
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There should be plenty of open spots available for Blues prospects. Last season Vancouver had nine players in Utica on AHL contracts which were a combination of AHL veterans to mentor the younger players and basic roster fillers. The captain of the Comets the past few years was an AHL contracted player with no real shot of ever playing in the NHL. I don't believe there are any players currently signed to AHL deals so that opens up plenty of roster spots on the Comets especially when six players will stay in Vancouver on the taxi squad.
I don't know what Vancouver's philosophy will be for the taxi squad whether they will keep some prospects up or keep the kids playing in the AHL and fill the taxi squad with NHL/AHL tweeners.
The top goaltending prospect is Mike DiPietro who was an AHL rookie last year and they are very high on him. Mikey would benefit from playing another season in the AHL but Vancouver doesn't have another experienced goalie under contract to travel with them on the taxi squad and not play. The other two NHL contracted goalies are Arturs Silovs a 19 year old kid coming over from Europe and a Jake Kielly a 24 year old second year pro that didn't put up good numbers in the ECHL last year.
The top two rookie prospects that the Canucks have are Nils Hoglander a 20 year old LW from Sweden and Jack Rathbone a 21 year old puck moving LHD. Both of these kids have a chance to make the Canucks out of camp with Hoglander probably having the better chance. If he doesn't make the Canucks they could send Hoglander back to Sweden or send him to the Comets. Rathbone will be in Utica if he doesn't stay in Vancouver.
The other prospects that were with the Comets last year are Kole Lind a LW and former 2nd round pick. Lind had a disappointing rookie season two years ago but looked much more confident last year. He could be a candidate for the taxi squad or come back to the Comets for a third season. Jonah Gadjovich is another 2nd round pick LW from the same draft as Lind that is a big body kid that still has work to do on his skating before being ready for the NHL. Lukas Jasek a RW and another third year pro would be on the bubble of the AHL or the taxi squad.
On defense the most intriguing player is 25 year old Brogan Rafferty who played 4 years of collage so he was an older AHL rookie last year but tore up the league with 45 points in 57 games and still handles the defensive side of the game fairly well. It doesn't look like there is a spot in Vancouver in the top 6 for him so I don't know if he stays or comes back to Utica again. Olli Juolevi a former first round, fifth overall LHD who spent the past two years in Utica (when he wasn't injured) is expected to stay in Vancouver this year. The rest of the Comets defense were lower end prospects that could carve out an NHL career as a 6 or 7 spot on the roster or end up as career AHL players that get called up as injury replacements.
Seems like Vancouver is unlikely to call up players from Utica much if at all this season while the quarantine rules are in place. I’d expect Canadian teams to go with the larger taxi squad of 6.
Perunovich is probably the prospect I’m most interested in for AHL from the Blues this year.
Perunovich is probably the prospect I’m most interested in for AHL from the Blues this year.
cc
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I can see Will Lockwood making the Utica team as well. Speedy winger with some skill and he'll be an interesting rookie to follow. Utica might end up being a pretty deep team when all is said and done.
CoMoBlues
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UticaHockey
Registered User
The Blues assigned 16 players to Utica which is more than I expect the Canucks to assign. Vancouver will likely loan a few players to other Canadian based AHL teams to avoid the 14 day quarantine period.
AjaxManifesto
Pro sports is becoming predictable and boring
It looks like Nick Lappin and Evan Polei are heading to Cleveland instead of Utica. Nick Lappin isn't technically signed with us anymore, but played for the Rampage last year. Evan Polei is in the last of a 2-year deal with us.
UticaHockey
Registered User
Didn't realize Stevens will be on team with his brother. That is pretty cool.
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