Best pro season came with the Thunder in 2018-19. Ironically, backup Logan Thompson eventually continued developing; earning an ELC with the Golden Knights.
2021/22 Utica Comets and ECHL Talk
- Thread starter Emperoreddy
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Best pro season came with the Thunder in 2018-19. Ironically, backup Logan Thompson eventually continued developing; earning an ELC with the Golden Knights.
UticaHockey
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Of the three Wotherspoon could be a potential AHL depth guy. The other two would be NHL if the Devils signed them.
Devils Sign Three Players to Professional Tryout Contracts | RELEASE
Devils Sign Three Players to Professional Tryout Contracts | RELEASE
Tao Jersey Jones
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Wotherspoon adds another vet LD to Utica. Has worn the 'A'. Now I have a former Winterhawk to pull for.
I had earmarked Tyler Wotherspoon and Mark Jankowski among my suggested possibilities.
Tyler will be in his 9th AHL season with only 30 NHL games played and the last time was in the "15-16 season (4). I hadn't brought him up because he is a L-shot D-man and I didn't think the Comets were in dire need on the left side, but the right side was short handed based upon those who shoot RH. His last contract was a 2-way 2yr deal with the Flyers at $700K/$375K. He is a good AHL defender.
Jankowski is a C/LW. The Devils could do with another experienced C. He has played 253 NHL games against 78 AHL contests and has not played an AHL game in the past 3 seasons while logging 180 between the Flames and Pens. If he is capable of becoming the 3 or 4 Center in Jersey, it would free up one of the kids to get more development time in Utica rather than having 2 of them struggling to carry roles they may not be suited for at this time. I think Boqvist would be the guy sent down. Some may not think he should play in the AHL, but others think he needs more development in order to actually prosper as an NHL #3 center and he would benefit from a little more time in the A. I can't state the veracity of either side to that argument, but there has been a lot of off season chatter to the point that NJ very much needs a much more experienced #3 center and have been hoping Fitz would sign one from the free agent market.
The Comets could use another true center and since Jankowski is a PTO he can't be too choosy as to where he plays if Jersey is willing to sign him. He also plays LW and the Comets could use another one. They seem to be stronger on the right side.
Jimmy Vesey was not on my list. I was not impressed with his performance in Vancouver last season. He has never played an AHL game in his 6 professional seasons. I'm not sure he is ready to accept that fate right now and yet I think his NHL days are coming to an e3nd based upon what I saw last season. He has been slipping more and more every season since 2018-19 and never actually was a shining star from the beginning. I have a feeling he will say thank-you very much if NJ decides to offer him a deal involving the AHL. He thinks he is NHL material and may need the rude awakening that he is the only one with that belief.
UticaHockey
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If Jimmy Vesey wants to continue being paid above an AHL rate his future probably is in Europe. He has underperformed for a few years now. But I believe the KHL and top European leagues have started now or are about to so his timing isn't great.
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I have a long post about this on trade board and I don’t know how much more I want to defend a Jimmy Vessey PTO but he’s been a very good PK guy for several years. It’s a narrow, specific skill but our PK imploded last year and we still have some personnel issues there so I can see Ruff wanting a PK vet.
And most 4th liners aren’t particularly good at PK, they can just do it, and most are usually sort of bad at everything. So don’t think there are all that many available 4th liners who are actually good PKers.
The cheap UFA defensive forwards signed this off-season who can PK well (as far as I can tell),
Detroit just signed Carter Rowney, who was a fringy PK specialist for the Ducks on Sept 1st. He got 1 year/825k.
Pittsburgh used Evan Rodrigues somewhat rough season to lowball him (1 year/1m) when they resigned him. Maybe there was an opportunity there, he a tremendous forward.
Both these guys went to San Jose
Andrew Cogliano got 1 year/1m
Nick Bonino (C, 33) got 2 year/ 2.05m
Damn you San Jose!
Derick Brassard (C, 33) signed 1 year/825k a nice signing, he can actually produce on the PP too
Derek Ryan (C, 34) got a 2 year/1.25m deal in Edmonton. No chance of signing him but he’s a fantastic 4C that Edmonton is pretending is a 3C because that’s the sort of thing Edmonton does.
And finally both of these are bargain deals for fantastic defensive forward.
Matthieu Perreault (W, 33) got a 1 year/950k in Montreal, they got a French Canadian discount.
Riley Nash (W, 750k) got a 1 year/750k from Winnipeg. This made me sad, Nash signed on July 31st. Numerous teams expressed interest but only the cash-strapped Jets made an early enthusiast offer. Nash is no fool and once no one else stepped he took the bird in hand.
I could have obviously have missed guys but my very belabored point is that there isn’t a ton of quality defensive forward depth and it’s worth snagging.
I have to say while Jankowski certainly has rock solid defensive numbers, I want to repeat the warning that he’s an offensive black hole. I’m not even sure what’s going here. He’s strictly 4th line/PK/Pressbox/AHL.
I also just realized now that Ruff was an Assistant Coach with the Rangers for two of the season that Vesey played in NY so he’s familiar with him as a player.
The Wumpus
bottomless pit supervisor
i still can’t believe Feaster had the gall to sit in front of a camera, broadcasting to an international audience, with Mark sitting RIGHT THERE, and tell everyone he’d be the best pick of the draft. Unconscionable.
That obviously never happened, but he IS a good "hockey player". If a team has the slot for his type of player, he is a good fit. I had him on my list as an experienced guy who could be of great benefit for the Comets. It's not like the NHL teams have been lining up to sign him. I thought if the Devils were willing to sign him to a 1-way or a big minor half to a 2-way, he'd do it.
On the other hand if he can actually fill the #3 center slot in Jersey, it may be of great benefit to Boqvist to spend a full season in the AHL honing the missing pieces from his game that would enable him to handle that #3 in the future minus the holes in his game.
I keep reading posts by folks talking about this team becoming a Stanley Cup contender. That's not in the cards for a team that keeps trying to force inadequate pieces into the lineup. They either get the full development they need or they will become the 100 or less games played guys that get moved out and replaced. If that's all going to come from in house prospects, it can be a never ending quest like a dog chasing it's tail. Just because a guy does all right, keeps his head above water, or doesn't embarrass himself doesn't mean he is going to be a piece of the contender. Those guys simply hold down a spot until the real deal is found.
Anyone believing this team is close to a contender with the current roster and a few of the prospects still fresh on the vine, is wearing a real strong pair of homer glasses. This is the type of future squad that may make the playoffs, but the goal needs to be far beyond that. Right now it's time for the first baby step. A lot of bodies will come and go to get them up to the top of the stairs. It's been a long time for those loyal fans who have slogged through the past several years and the tendency is to lose patience and shoot for it before the ammunition is available to carry out the siege.
This team doesn't need to be stuffing guys into the lineup to see if they sink or swim. Filling the weaknesses in with place holders while those kids who are thought to be sure things get the time to develop and prove it is so important to the franchise's future. If someone is a 100% sure thing, blue chip, can't miss player he is already slated for a spot. Sure things don't need a few games to prove it. They are ready on draft day and the whole hockey world knows it.
Tao Jersey Jones
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When I hear the name Ryan Smyth I can only think of one thing: The Crying Tour 2007.
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Tao Jersey Jones
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We aren’t going anywhere without Dylan Blujus.
I don’t actually know anything about him. I’m just glad my RHD UFA watch was so as we eventually picked up a LHD. FITZ SHOULD READ THE BOARDS. I MADE LISTS!
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I feel like the guy pounding his fist on the floor. Is that Kirk or Bones?
I had a list as well and posted the names on several occasions as the list shrunk one by one. The only RD remaining is Nate Prosser.
I had a long list of centers as well and the remaining players on the list are:
Chris Mueller
Kevin Roy
Brandon Pirri
Joseph Blandisi
Boo Nieves
Alex Galchenyuk (listed him for for shits and giggles)
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Bones wore a blue uniform as part of science crew. Gold was for Command. It’s funny, I don’t know what that’s from and his arms are flailing so fast I can’t get complete lock on braiding on the sleeve, but I can make them out enough to see that it’s most likely Kirk’s uniform.
Kirk’s uni is pretty easy to identify, he gets unique multiple around his wrist. Sulu would typically have one braid.
I won’t say 100% Kirk because the uniforms on the original show are a bit wonky and they changed stuff over time. ( I also haven’t watched the OG show in very long time.)
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Tao Jersey Jones
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I loved Star Trek as a kid. Like most television from that era it doesn't hold up very well when I've tried to watch it as an adult. The only episode that I still enjoy when I catch it is the Omega Glory episode with the E Pleb Nista (phonetic spelling of course) and only because it is the ultimate Shatner monologue. If I ever taught a class in acting and had a lecture on scenery chewing I'd just show the class that episode.
UticaHockey
Registered User
@ Tao Jones
Is there a reason why you didn't include #12, Tyce Thompson, on the extended Devils list of players?
He is on the Devils' released roster of the prospects team playing in Buffalo.
Ignore this post if you have fixed it.
Is there a reason why you didn't include #12, Tyce Thompson, on the extended Devils list of players?
He is on the Devils' released roster of the prospects team playing in Buffalo.
Ignore this post if you have fixed it.
When I was in college a local TV station showed Star Trek re-runs at 5:00 every week day. The main lounge that connected our Women's and Men's dorms would be packed with Trekkies. It gave the rest of us first dibs on the dining hall digs every night. At 6:05 the Trek mob would arrive from both our dorm complex and the exact replica across the mall walk from ours. They had the same Star Trek crowd in their lounge. Those kids were addicted. They could not and would not miss a single episode even though a large number of them could actually parrot the lines and in key spots they all would chip in to make it more dramatic or to high-light the most sarcastic or humorous lines.
Many years later my son grew up a fan of the the 2nd go round with Picard and his crew and has followed up with the other offshoots and owns all of the movies. I never got into it. I was a go back in history buff instead of fantasizing the future. Westerns, pirates, knights, 30's and 40's private dicks and gangland movies, etc. are my genres.
UticaHockey
Registered User
The Devils deleted the original tweet because of a spelling error. The updated tweet.
UticaHockey
Registered User
We in Utica are familiar with Gauthier. He played for the Toronto Marlies for the seasons '15-16 thru '17-18 and was a noticeable contributor at both ends of the rink. However, was not an outstanding offensive player.
He is now a 26 yr-old, 6'5"/238 lbs center. He has played 177 AHL games and 170 NHL games including the entire '18-19 and '19-20 seasons with the Maple Leafs. He's been a +24 .32 PPG center in those AHL games. He does not get mnay penalties having earned only 40 PIM in the AHL and 47 PIM in the NHL.
Don't really know what Fitz is hoping he will become. Just fodder for the preseason games or is he trying to determine if the guy could be useful as a bottom 6 center in Jersey or veteran center for the Comets?
I don't think he would have a problem clearing waivers. For that matter, I don't think Mankowski would either. Maybe a couple of tweeners for the Devils. Maybe they both get set free after camp. I really think Fitz is trying to add vet placeholders for the Devils for a season while his kids get some heavy game action in all situations in the AHL.
I saw a prediction yesterday that the Comets and Rochester Americans will be the teams to miss the playoffs from the their Division this season. If the Comets don't make the playoffs with the supposed talent they possess, that does not speak highly for that talent pool. It could also mean that the talent was there, but Fitz did not surround them with enough talent to allow them tp prosper. The end result will provide a clearer picture.
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