2022-23 Utica Comets and ECHL thread

[ninetyeight]

I remember Jack Dugan lighting up the NCAA when I was following Tyce's progress. Hope they can recapture some of that magic, I'm very excited about this signing. Bummed to see AJ Greer (and Chase too) gone, hope he gets a chance at the big Bruins at some point.

 

[Zippy316]

Current players considered vets by AHL rules. They can only play 5 of these guys in a game. A veteran exempt may accompany the 5 on game night thus totaling 6. The number of VEs can exceed the 1 but any extra VE must replace a vet. So the combination still never exceeds 6.

Joseph Gambardella, LW (VE) NJ contract 3 games over the 260 limit at 263 GP making him a VE really sucks.
Robbie Russo, RD (VET) NJ contract
Tyler Wotherspoon, LD (VET) NJ contract

That's it for current vets. They can and should add 3 more and do it like yesterday, as the good ones are being rapidly scooped up. Deleo and Gauthier, both centers, are still available and there are others that some posters have even identified by name. Some of Utica's foes have already been loading up. Buffalo is a great example signing players for Rochester. If they can find guys like Pinho and Dugan who haven't reached vet status, but are good AHL talent all the better. Usually the proven centers are veterans of the AHL/NHL, not ECHL players with big numbers or undrafted NCAA/Jr players with avg totals.



Geertsen will throw a large monkey wrench into things on the farm if he is sent there. The guy will be a worthless slug taking up valuable space. He would be a Vet making a much more productive player get scratched. Not cool when his only purpose is to be a goon. 297 AHL GP with 9G/41A/50Pts for a .17PPG, -23, but, oh goodie - 519 PIM.

They need quality centers. Depth defenders are Wotherspoon and Russo. They don't need another one. I repeat, the NEED is at least 2 CENTERS. A 3rd would let a guy like Deleo (if signed) play the wing where he is even better.

Not sure who else is out there, but was personally hoping the Devils target a guy or two from the Non QO UFAs or a Group 6. Someone like Lammikko would be a nice depth option for the NHL team and quality option for Utica.

Team could definitely use a young center for Utica on top of a veteran or two.

 

[devilsblood]

I remember Jack Dugan lighting up the NCAA when I was following Tyce's progress. Hope they can recapture some of that magic, I'm very excited about this signing. Bummed to see AJ Greer (and Chase too) gone, hope he gets a chance at the big Bruins at some point.

Ya, I liked Greer and given that Wood is question mark, I would have liked Greer as an option for that 4th line.

 

[Bad Goalie]

De Leo is off the board. He signed a two year contract with Anaheim with a nice bump in salary on the AHL side of the two way contract. $400K guarantee this season and $450K next season.

Another "sucks". I can guarantee that Pinho and Dugan are not going to match the numbers of Chase and A. J. If Geertsen ends up here that's another shit move.

How many Years have I been telling NHL GMs that if they don't provide their prospect forwards with good centers, their development path takes a big hit? You know better than anyone except me. LOL!

 

[Guttersniped]

Another "sucks". I can guarantee that Pinho and Dugan are not going to match the numbers of Chase and A. J. If Geertsen ends up here that's another shit move.

How many Years have I been telling NHL GMs that if they don't provide their prospect forwards with good centers, their development path takes a big hit? You know better than anyone except me. LOL!

I’m very disappointed, super bummed is better description, in our off-season in terms of depth signings (or lack there of).

I had a bunch of guys who I thought would be great depth pick-ups and I hope Seattle, Anaheim, Nashville and Buffalo in particular enjoy the multiple ones they picked off my list. *sigh*

Part of the problem is Seattle is building a new team and they aren’t screwing around. And all the heavy hitters grabbed nice pieces as usual.

Jack Dugan was actually on my list but I thought we would do more than re-sign 1 defenseman and pick up one often injured centerman and him.

I still don’t understand at all who they plan on having play center in Utica.

There was a void at the position last season and Schnarr, De Leo, Gauthier and Flynn are all gone.

Maybe Dugan plays there? (Still doesn’t fill the giant void or make this approach a good plan but just a thought.)

IDK, I’m not happy that (so far) our approach to depth and potential diamond in the rough player development finds is “nay, we’re good”. It’s irksome and poor team building. Grr.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Another "sucks". I can guarantee that Pinho and Dugan are not going to match the numbers of Chase and A. J. If Geertsen ends up here that's another shit move.

How many Years have I been telling NHL GMs that if they don't provide their prospect forwards with good centers, their development path takes a big hit? You know better than anyone except me. LOL!

With AJ and Deleo signing elsewhere and should Z and Holtz become Devils, the Comets have lost their top 4 scorers and have done nothing to this point in time while the best options are being gobbled up by their opponents. Perhaps aside from Nemec (and he's no guarantee) Devils management doesn't see this year's group to have a lot of promising Devils to be and there's no need to fill out the roster with top notch AHL talent.

All I know is the guys they have signed won't come close to making this team a contender for a playoff spot.

- Halonen (LW/RW)
- Van Whye (C)
- Hutchison (C)
- Vidmar (LW)
- Rivera (C)
- Vilen (LD)
- Gourley (LD)
There is nothing of any proven AHL play to propose big things from these guys.

- Talvitie (C) - 4th line center 24/68 GP
- Laberge (LW) 4th line LW 13/53GP
Both played for the Comets last season and were game night players for most of the season.

- Gambardella (LW) - .48 PPG/65GP last season in Utica. (VE)
- Clarke (RW) - .49 PPG/52GP last season in Utica.
- Schmelzer (C) - .5 PPG/64GP last season in Utica)
Bottom 6, where all 3 played in Utica last season.
- Pinho (C) - .45 PPG/172 AHL GP) He's an unknown, but those are the same type of AHL numbers as the listed above him.
These are middling numbers.

- Dugan is a .71 PPG player in his short 72 GP AHL history in 2 seasons with AHL Hendersonville. His first season he put up 33 pts in 37GP during the COVID shortened season. Last year he put up 18 Pts in 35 GP. So, a combined 51Pts in 72 GP.
Vegas did not offer him a QO and he signed with the Devils as a UFA.
If he can rebound and be the scoring machine he has been during every season he's played meaningful hockey: last season in High School (53pts/18GP NYS High school championship), 2 yrs in Prep School (53/49GP and 80/47GP), 1 season in the USHL (66/54GP), 2 years at NCAA Providence College (39/41GP and 52/34GP and Hobey Baker Finalist), and 1st season with AHL Hendersonville, he could be a very good acquisition. Have to wonder if Vegas is that loaded to give up on this guy that fast or was there something else?

- Dugan (LW)- if rejuvenated
- Thompson (RW)- 15/16GP after being on IR for most of the season). Has played 27 AHL games and 23 NHL games in 2 seasons and is already an RFA. Assume he signs.
- Foote (LW) -32/55GP, (if here)
These are the best players the Comets have up front at the moment.
- Pinho (C) - I assume was signed to provide offense as he is a center and the Comets only have Schmelzer and Talvitie, neither of whom is even remotely a top 6 center.

- Holtz - will not be counted as a Comet unless NJ deems it necessary to send him here.
- Zetterlund - ditto.

Defensively the team is looking pretty good:
- Walsh (RD) - Team's #5 in scoring, 43/70GP/.62PPG
- Russo (RD) - team's #6 in scoring, 35/70 GP/.5PPG (VET)
That's it for point producing D-men.
- Wotherspoon (VE) - 21/53GP (3G) (VET)
- Vukojevic - 17/54GP (3G)
- Groleau - 9/50GP (2G)
1 of the following I believe starts here and maybe even both.
- Okhotyuk - 12/63GP (3G)
- Bahl - 16/54GP (3G)

- Nemec - As an 18 yr-old-kid not having played in NA, IMO he at least starts out in Utica and may spend most of his season here and no matter where he starts, they won't burn a year off of his contract .

That's 7 D. With the likelihood of OK and Bahl spending time in NJ (one may be there period if he proves he can handle it), the Comets will need 2 more quality D-men and that's not Gourley who should start out in Adirondack.
Vilen is listed by CapFriendly as playing in tne Liiga so I doubt we see him at all.
If one of the 2 chosen ones is a Devil to start, the Comets need 3 quality D and hopefully none are VETS. NJ needs to acquire a #1 and #2 center that the AHL deems VETS by # of games having been played in the NHL, AHL, and/or games in any European Top Pro League(s) e.g. KHL, SHL, Liiga, etc.

Geertsen will screw the VET numbers all up. Wat we need + what we have requires the Vets who left get replaced by guys of the same quality.

Vets:
1 - Deleo was #1 C- replaced by ?

2 - Gauthier at the end of the season was the #2 C - replaced by ?

3 - Bryan Flynn (V) - He was a depth top 3 center and played LW up and down the lineup but usually 3rd line.
He's a VET spot that can be filled

4 - Russo (V) - 1 of Utica's veteran mentors last season. He was always paired with an ELC prospect - RETURNS

5 - Wotherspoon (V) - The other veteran mentor usually paired with the least experienced ELC in nthe lineup that night. A LD who also played the right side if need be returns. He was so good that he ended up the top defensive Comet at +26 and that was a from a guyplaying on the PK and carrying a kid every game.. The Devils management considered his play so effective that he was rewarded this season with a 2-way contract instead of the AHL contract he played under last season. - RETURNS

6 - AJ Greer (VE) - Gambardella has surpassed the number of games played to remain unaffected by the AHL VET rules. He has become a Veteran Exempt this season.

5 VETs can play with 1 VE, but 6 VETS cannot play in the same game. Any number of VEs can be in the 6 but but the Vets on the ice with those VEs cannot make the combined number exceed 6.

Geertsen will be a VET. If the Comets get the replacements they should for the Vets they lost they should be top 2 centers. A scoring forward to replace Gauthier would be the smartest move.

If the D-corps is reduced by Bahl, Okhotyuk, or both that Gauthier replacement needs to be another Vet D-man and it's not Mason! The guy's only purpose here would be as an enforcer because that's all e can do. He's a one of the last actual goons in the game. 519 PIM in 297 AHL GP/ 77 PIM in 25 NHL GP.
He was signed to a 2-way contract meaning he comes to the AHL with a much reduced paycheck. CapFriendly lists him with the NON-ROSTER New Jersey players----the Utica Comets. They still list him as a UFA, but it was announced that NJ has signed him to a 2-way for 2022-23.

If I was NJ management, I would sign that extra Vet that's needed and let Dineen scratch Geertsen until a spot opened up via injury, illness, or that exceptional game when the opponent has a goon that also can play hockey and is therefore always in their lineup.

It's going to be harder for the Devils to find AHL quality players who have not yet achieved Vet status. So, it would behoove them to get on the stick. Let MacKinnon work to get actual talent instead of the dead ends he signs and sticks in Adirondack for depth that prove to be incapable of such when called up and inserted into the lineup.

 

[tailfins]

With AJ and Deleo signing elsewhere and should Z and Holtz become Devils, the Comets have lost their top 4 scorers and have done nothing to this point in time while the best options are being gobbled up by their opponents. Perhaps aside from Nemec (and he's no guarantee) Devils management doesn't see this year's group to have a lot of promising Devils to be and there's no need to fill out the roster with top notch AHL talent.

All I know is the guys they have signed won't come close to making this team a contender for a playoff spot.

- Halonen (LW/RW)
- Van Whye (C)
- Hutchison (C)
- Vidmar (LW)
- Rivera (C)
- Vilen (LD)
- Gourley (LD)
There is nothing of any proven AHL play to propose big things from these guys.

- Talvitie (C) - 4th line center 24/68 GP
- Laberge (LW) 4th line LW 13/53GP
Both played for the Comets last season and were game night players for most of the season.

- Gambardella (LW) - .48 PPG/65GP last season in Utica. (VE)
- Clarke (RW) - .49 PPG/52GP last season in Utica.
- Schmelzer (C) - .5 PPG/64GP last season in Utica)
Bottom 6, where all 3 played in Utica last season.
- Pinho (C) - .45 PPG/172 AHL GP) He's an unknown, but those are the same type of AHL numbers as the listed above him.
These are middling numbers.

- Dugan is a .71 PPG player in his short 72 GP AHL history in 2 seasons with AHL Hendersonville. His first season he put up 33 pts in 37GP during the COVID shortened season. Last year he put up 18 Pts in 35 GP. So, a combined 51Pts in 72 GP.
Vegas did not offer him a QO and he signed with the Devils as a UFA.
If he can rebound and be the scoring machine he has been during every season he's played meaningful hockey: last season in High School (53pts/18GP NYS High school championship), 2 yrs in Prep School (53/49GP and 80/47GP), 1 season in the USHL (66/54GP), 2 years at NCAA Providence College (39/41GP and 52/34GP and Hobey Baker Finalist), and 1st season with AHL Hendersonville, he could be a very good acquisition. Have to wonder if Vegas is that loaded to give up on this guy that fast or was there something else?

- Dugan (LW)- if rejuvenated
- Thompson (RW)- 15/16GP after being on IR for most of the season). Has played 27 AHL games and 23 NHL games in 2 seasons and is already an RFA. Assume he signs.
- Foote (LW) -32/55GP, (if here)
These are the best players the Comets have up front at the moment.
- Pinho (C) - I assume was signed to provide offense as he is a center and the Comets only have Schmelzer and Talvitie, neither of whom is even remotely a top 6 center.

- Holtz - will not be counted as a Comet unless NJ deems it necessary to send him here.
- Zetterlund - ditto.

Defensively the team is looking pretty good:
- Walsh (RD) - Team's #5 in scoring, 43/70GP/.62PPG
- Russo (RD) - team's #6 in scoring, 35/70 GP/.5PPG (VET)
That's it for point producing D-men.
- Wotherspoon (VE) - 21/53GP (3G) (VET)
- Vukojevic - 17/54GP (3G)
- Groleau - 9/50GP (2G)
1 of the following I believe starts here and maybe even both.
- Okhotyuk - 12/63GP (3G)
- Bahl - 16/54GP (3G)

- Nemec - As an 18 yr-old-kid not having played in NA, IMO he at least starts out in Utica and may spend most of his season here and no matter where he starts, they won't burn a year off of his contract .

That's 7 D. With the likelihood of OK and Bahl spending time in NJ (one may be there period if he proves he can handle it), the Comets will need 2 more quality D-men and that's not Gourley who should start out in Adirondack.
Vilen is listed by CapFriendly as playing in tne Liiga so I doubt we see him at all.
If one of the 2 chosen ones is a Devil to start, the Comets need 3 quality D and hopefully none are VETS. NJ needs to acquire a #1 and #2 center that the AHL deems VETS by # of games having been played in the NHL, AHL, and/or games in any European Top Pro League(s) e.g. KHL, SHL, Liiga, etc.

Geertsen will screw the VET numbers all up. Wat we need + what we have requires the Vets who left get replaced by guys of the same quality.

Vets:
1 - Deleo was #1 C- replaced by ?

2 - Gauthier at the end of the season was the #2 C - replaced by ?

3 - Bryan Flynn (V) - He was a depth top 3 center and played LW up and down the lineup but usually 3rd line.
He's a VET spot that can be filled

4 - Russo (V) - 1 of Utica's veteran mentors last season. He was always paired with an ELC prospect - RETURNS

5 - Wotherspoon (V) - The other veteran mentor usually paired with the least experienced ELC in nthe lineup that night. A LD who also played the right side if need be returns. He was so good that he ended up the top defensive Comet at +26 and that was a from a guyplaying on the PK and carrying a kid every game.. The Devils management considered his play so effective that he was rewarded this season with a 2-way contract instead of the AHL contract he played under last season. - RETURNS

6 - AJ Greer (VE) - Gambardella has surpassed the number of games played to remain unaffected by the AHL VET rules. He has become a Veteran Exempt this season.

5 VETs can play with 1 VE, but 6 VETS cannot play in the same game. Any number of VEs can be in the 6 but but the Vets on the ice with those VEs cannot make the combined number exceed 6.

Geertsen will be a VET. If the Comets get the replacements they should for the Vets they lost they should be top 2 centers. A scoring forward to replace Gauthier would be the smartest move.

If the D-corps is reduced by Bahl, Okhotyuk, or both that Gauthier replacement needs to be another Vet D-man and it's not Mason! The guy's only purpose here would be as an enforcer because that's all e can do. He's a one of the last actual goons in the game. 519 PIM in 297 AHL GP/ 77 PIM in 25 NHL GP.
He was signed to a 2-way contract meaning he comes to the AHL with a much reduced paycheck. CapFriendly lists him with the NON-ROSTER New Jersey players----the Utica Comets. They still list him as a UFA, but it was announced that NJ has signed him to a 2-way for 2022-23.

If I was NJ management, I would sign that extra Vet that's needed and let Dineen scratch Geertsen until a spot opened up via injury, illness, or that exceptional game when the opponent has a goon that also can play hockey and is therefore always in their lineup.

It's going to be harder for the Devils to find AHL quality players who have not yet achieved Vet status. So, it would behoove them to get on the stick. Let MacKinnon work to get actual talent instead of the dead ends he signs and sticks in Adirondack for depth that prove to be incapable of such when called up and inserted into the lineup.

Seems the Devils could be a good landing spot for an undrafted FA…like Logan Morrison. I hope they’re doing some digging there.

 

[Triumph]

Seems the Devils could be a good landing spot for an undrafted FA…like Logan Morrison. I hope they’re doing some digging there.

They're doing a lot, they invited several players to development camp with this sort of profile, but they definitely need a veteran guy, a free agent coming out of juniors can seldom drop into a top center spot - Blandisi did, but it's rare. Hopefully they're investigating Europe as well.

 

[Zippy316]

They're doing a lot, they invited several players to development camp with this sort of profile, but they definitely need a veteran guy, a free agent coming out of juniors can seldom drop into a top center spot - Blandisi did, but it's rare. Hopefully they're investigating Europe as well.

It’s also quite weird because once the dust settles on free agency, you’re left with that weird group of players that may end up in the AHL but will probably take a run at a PTO spot first.

Was hoping the Devils would add a name or two from the Group 6 UFA or Non QO UFAs. Id imagine we sign at least one guy who can fill in on the fourth line but play top six minutes in Utica. We’re still missing that Greer/Gauthier/Sestito type.

 

[UticaHockey]

Outside of Nemec (if he is assigned to Utica) what other new prospects are expected to be with the Comets next season?

Shakir Mukhamadullin is going back to Russia this season. Chase Stillman can't play in the AHL yet and has to go back to juniors. Topias Vilén who I don't know much about but I remember reading that they plan on keeping him in Finland this year. Those are the only young prospects currently under contract that were not on the Comets last year (discounting the brief playoff appearance by Mukh).

Are there other recent AHL eligible draft picks that are expected to be signed soon?

If Holtz and Zetterlund are not back we are looking at a very weak Comets team as it stands right now.

 

[Triumph]

Outside of Nemec (if he is assigned to Utica) what other new prospects are expected to be with the Comets next season?

Shakir Mukhamadullin is going back to Russia this season. Chase Stillman can't play in the AHL yet and has to go back to juniors. Topias Vilén who I don't know much about but I remember reading that they plan on keeping him in Finland this year. Those are the only young prospects currently under contract that were not on the Comets last year (discounting the brief playoff appearance by Mukh).

Are there other recent AHL eligible draft picks that are expected to be signed soon?

If Holtz and Zetterlund are not back we are looking at a very weak Comets team as it stands right now.

No, nobody. I think that's why development camp has so many undrafted guys in it, they recognize that the 2020 class isn't bringing anyone to Utica and so they need some bodies. Zetterlund definitely won't be back. I think they will add another older guy, a UDFA, and some other AHL/ECHL bodies.

 

[Dux917]

Dugan is a good player, has a good shot of seeing some time with the big club this upcoming season. Was blocked in Vegas by a lot of veteran high priced players.

Pinho will be a solid veteran piece, who did see some games with Washington the last few years, so he can move up and down.

Reminds me of the Lou days with a lot of ex-Providence College guys - Dugan and Pinho will battle another ex-Friar in Tyce Thompson for possible call-ups to New Jersey. And Patrick Moynihan on the way in the future...

 

[UticaHockey]

No, nobody. I think that's why development camp has so many undrafted guys in it, they recognize that the 2020 class isn't bringing anyone to Utica and so they need some bodies. Zetterlund definitely won't be back. I think they will add another older guy, a UDFA, and some other AHL/ECHL bodies.

Reminds me of the Comets years with the Canucks when the prospects cupboards were bare and they didn't want to sign proven AHL free agents. They would sign a couple undrafted players that were invited to their summer development camp or September rookie tournament looking for a diamond in the rough. The Canucks fans would get all hyped up about some overage junior that put up huge numbers in his final season in the Q against younger kids. None of them ever amounted to anything. The only one that I remember ever staying in the AHL full time was Michael Carcone who actually got his first NHL call up last year with Arizona as a 25 year old.

 

[tailfins]

Reminds me of the Comets years with the Canucks when the prospects cupboards were bare and they didn't want to sign proven AHL free agents. They would sign a couple undrafted players that were invited to their summer development camp or September rookie tournament looking for a diamond in the rough. The Canucks fans would get all hyped up about some overage junior that put up huge numbers in his final season in the Q against younger kids. None of them ever amounted to anything. The only one that I remember ever staying in the AHL full time was Michael Carcone who actually got his first NHL call up last year with Arizona as a 25 year old.

Hey - if that's the way you're going to be, maybe they shouldn't even sign Logan Morrison

(you're totally right though - and I'm seeing that Morrison is part of the Dallas' squad going to Traverse City)

 

[Classic Devil]

I would love to see Okhotiuk and Nemec spend a ton of time as a pairing in Utica this year, and then remain a pairing in NJ next season.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Outside of Nemec (if he is assigned to Utica) what other new prospects are expected to be with the Comets next season?

Shakir Mukhamadullin is going back to Russia this season. Chase Stillman can't play in the AHL yet and has to go back to juniors. Topias Vilén who I don't know much about but I remember reading that they plan on keeping him in Finland this year. Those are the only young prospects currently under contract that were not on the Comets last year (discounting the brief playoff appearance by Mukh).

Are there other recent AHL eligible draft picks that are expected to be signed soon?

If Holtz and Zetterlund are not back we are looking at a very weak Comets team as it stands right now.

Touche! I have been saying the same thing. It's too bad AHL fans who know the league can't put a word into the NHL bigwigs.

It wouldn't matter anyways because that's the least of their worries if they don't have a crop down on the farm that they want to give the best chances possible to develop like those who were here last year. They know what they have with Thompson and Foote up front and OK and Bahl on the back end. Like you say, Nemec is it! Then again, he's so damned good it won't matter who he's got to play with and that's if he's even here.

 

[ninetyeight]

The Devils roster really doesn't have room for all these AHL guys, even as scratched. In my calculations only two guys from Boq, Z, Holtz, Thompson, Foote etc fit in (14f, 7d, 2g). I'm assuming they bury Geertsen in the AHL and have 7d in the roster. And with the addition of Brendan Smith, there's only room for one guy from Bahl, Okhotyuk, Nemec.

Unless Fitz is going to unload Johnsson, Tatar, McLeod, Bastian..

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

The Devils roster really doesn't have room for all these AHL guys, even as scratched. In my calculations only two guys from Boq, Z, Holtz, Thompson, Foote etc fit in (14f, 7d, 2g). I'm assuming they bury Geertsen in the AHL and have 7d in the roster. And with the addition of Brendan Smith, there's only room for one guy from Bahl, Okhotyuk, Nemec.

Unless Fitz is going to unload Johnsson, Tatar, McLeod, Bastian..

It’s starting to seem more and more likely that one of those guys gets moved, but who knows. I could see Fitz being extra-paranoid about injuries after last season. If they don’t, i have a hard time imaging Holtz and Zett anywhere but Utica. Boqvist is waiver eligible but he could also try and get snuck through at the end of camp.

 

[ninetyeight]

It’s starting to seem more and more likely that one of those guys gets moved, but who knows. I could see Fitz being extra-paranoid about injuries after last season. If they don’t, i have a hard time imaging Holtz and Zett anywhere but Utica. Boqvist is waiver eligible but he could also try and get snuck through at the end of camp.

Think I read somewhere that Z needs to go through waivers too. What I don't want is have these guys sit out most of the games, either play them or keep them in Utica. Terrible player development to keep them healthy scratched while older hasbeens/neverbeens get to play.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

Think I read somewhere that Z needs to go through waivers too. What I don't want is have these guys sit out most of the games, either play them or keep them in Utica. Terrible player development to keep them healthy scratched while older hasbeens/neverbeens get to play.

Devils have been pretty good about that since Hynes was fired (maybe before that too? i’ve blocked those years out lol). I don’t think they’ll risk that with any of these kids.

 

[Triumph]

It’s starting to seem more and more likely that one of those guys gets moved, but who knows. I could see Fitz being extra-paranoid about injuries after last season. If they don’t, i have a hard time imaging Holtz and Zett anywhere but Utica. Boqvist is waiver eligible but he could also try and get snuck through at the end of camp.

Zetterlund and Boqvist are both waiver-eligible, and neither player would make it through waivers.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

Zetterlund and Boqvist are both waiver-eligible, and neither player would make it through waivers.

we’ve all said that plenty of times and been wrong, but i agree it’s not likely

 

[Triumph]

we’ve all said that plenty of times and been wrong, but i agree it’s not likely

No, this is much different. Boqvist had 10 goals last season. Zetterlund had phenomenal results in small ice time. Teams are desperate for low-cost players. They'd never make it through.

 

[Bad Goalie]

My impression of the development camp group the undrafted eligible players for Utica to take a look at would be Xavier Parent and Emmett Sproule.

Sproule just turned 21 in March so in essence he would be 21 for almost the entire 2022-23 season. His most impressive Jr season would have been his last as a 20-yr old. He amassed 30/56/86/65 GP and recorded 5/4GP in the playoffs. That's not exactly highly productive #s for players coming out of jrs that eventually make a successful pro career at at least the AHL level, but some do. A camp invite to further assess the possibility might be warranted.

Parent would have to be approached yesterday before his home town Laval Rocket gives him a trial run. His size has obviously been the issue keeping him off someone's draft list, 5'8"/170. A 1-yr AHL contract seems a better fit than some of the other wastes MacKinnon has brought on board this past season and has already signed for this season. His 51/55/106Pts in 65GP last season giving him 215/244GP says he must have been doing something right. Makes him worth a look. As a LW a lot would be determined by his center and opposite linemate. He is a scorer and unlikely a corner digger and physical forechecker.

Someone needs to inform me of what D-men could get a camp invite or better.

Most of the players were either too young for any current considerations, are earmarked for upcoming NCAA seasons, are on a European roster for this coming season, or don't seem to have credentials making them a risk to consider for an AHL contract.

 

[Bad Goalie]

I would love to see Okhotiuk and Nemec spend a ton of time as a pairing in Utica this year, and then remain a pairing in NJ next season.

That would be a #1 pairing of the perfect mix. A RD puck mover who also plays very good D with a big aggressive physical LD partner who is no slouch in the puck skills department either.
RD Russo with LD Vukojevic
RD Walsh with LD Wotherspoon
Groleau as #7
This would be a very strong AHL D-corps.

Bahl in NJ

Geertsen can eat dirt if they send him here to play D.