Comets will miss him and replacing a guy with his specific skill set will not be easy. Ah, Hell! Who needs centers anyways. They are way overrated in the game of hockey.
2022-23 Utica Comets and ECHL thread
- Thread starter NJDevs26
- Start date
- Status
Comets will miss him and replacing a guy with his specific skill set will not be easy. Ah, Hell! Who needs centers anyways. They are way overrated in the game of hockey.
I concur and that's why I labeled him a Godsend. That's the only way he would likely make it here.
The only possibility would be if he was sent down in the mass exodus the NHL teams make at cut down day. Lots of good ones make it through on that day because teams have settled on their 23 and a waiver grab has to be on their NHL roster. If they try to send him down the team that waived him has first dibs. NJ is very familar with this procedure.
Center Cole Guttman undrafted out of Denver is still loose. Way better numbers than Van Whye who is already signed with Utica. .86 PPG vs .27 PPG. is night and day when taking a flier.
- Dec 20, 2018
- 22,873
- 51,326
OMG how cute is Vegas’ new ECHL team?
Lindsey gets it.
Savannah is a blast to visit too.
Lindsey gets it.
Savannah is a blast to visit too.
- Dec 20, 2018
- 22,873
- 51,326
Apparently an actual spectral apparition is the team’s assistant coach too! Spooky and fun!
(I guess the Thunder got a new Coach.)
- Dec 20, 2018
- 22,873
- 51,326
And the mascot is kind of scary looking. I mean, it’s not cute. Might terrify younger kids, which is fun.
Last edited:
I like his suit. Did he borrow it from the Cousin Vinny wardrobe department?
OmNomNom
Taco is Love, Taco is Life
LOL that music went so unnecessarily hard
- Dec 20, 2018
- 22,873
- 51,326
Love the team name, colors as logo. Great job all around. In-laws live near Savanah, so looking forward to catching a game next time I'm down there.
That being said, there are many little kids in the Savanah area that are going to have nightmares of that mascot.
I fondly recall that pirate restaurant in Savannh having stopped there several times on trips in my youth. To this day I’m surprised our middle brother survived into adulthood given how much bigger than him I was when we were forced to ride in the back of the family wagon on long trips.
I advocated for the Devils to sign Hobey Baker award winner Dryden McKay for at least an ATO at the end of last season when they really needed goalie help. They didn't.
We are going to see if the move was good or not so good, since he will be in the AHL's North Division with he Utica comets playing for the Toronto Marlies.
We are going to see if the move was good or not so good, since he will be in the AHL's North Division with he Utica comets playing for the Toronto Marlies.
- Apr 20, 2005
- 2,797
- 1,798
Would you have wanted McKay over Daws or Schmid? I don’t think McKay signs to start in the ECHL.
Mgd31
Registered User
- Dec 20, 2018
- 22,873
- 51,326
One of the weirder signings for one few guys left on the barren AHL market, he turned 25 in May. He has upside but has only played 20 ECHL and 22 AHL games.
The Red Stars have been around since 2016-17 as a terrible KHL team but a big function of the team was to get players for the 2022 Olympic home team.
And I didn’t know any NCAA goalies who have signed this young with the KHL before, the few that have were older and certainly more experienced. Maybe this reflects the fewer European goalie options though.
The closest parallels I could find were:
Matt Dalton (South Korea/USA) signed with Vityaz Podolsk in 2011-12 at 25 with 2 years in the minors (79 ECHL/ 22 AHL GP). He played in the KHL for 3 seasons before playing for a South Korean team in 2014-15 to qualify for their home Olympic squad in 2018.
Cal Heeter (USA) signed with Medvescak Zagreb in 2014-15 at 26 with 2 years in the minors (12 ECHL/ 77 AHL/ 1 NHL GP).
That team is in Croatia, and moved from the Croatian league to the KHL from 2013-17. Heeter played 28 games for them then went to the DEL (to the Hamburg Freezers!).
(I know everyone was on the edge of their seats waiting for historical comparables to this signing, I aim to please.)
The Red Stars have been around since 2016-17 as a terrible KHL team but a big function of the team was to get players for the 2022 Olympic home team.
And I didn’t know any NCAA goalies who have signed this young with the KHL before, the few that have were older and certainly more experienced. Maybe this reflects the fewer European goalie options though.
The closest parallels I could find were:
Matt Dalton (South Korea/USA) signed with Vityaz Podolsk in 2011-12 at 25 with 2 years in the minors (79 ECHL/ 22 AHL GP). He played in the KHL for 3 seasons before playing for a South Korean team in 2014-15 to qualify for their home Olympic squad in 2018.
Cal Heeter (USA) signed with Medvescak Zagreb in 2014-15 at 26 with 2 years in the minors (12 ECHL/ 77 AHL/ 1 NHL GP).
That team is in Croatia, and moved from the Croatian league to the KHL from 2013-17. Heeter played 28 games for them then went to the DEL (to the Hamburg Freezers!).
(I know everyone was on the edge of their seats waiting for historical comparables to this signing, I aim to please.)
Nope, I wanted him for the remainder of the season on an ATO when Daws was still in NJ, Schmid was struggling, and Mitens look like a Christmas tree with flashing lights. Then when Daws returned it was goals on the first shot and then 2 on 3 shots.
Who knows maybe the kids #s in the NCAA that led to his being selected the Hobey Baker winner were for real. It doesn't hurt to have competition between 3 guys for 2 spots with an ECHL position waiting for the guy who can't cut it.
At the time the kid hadn't been drafted, nobody signed him after his college season ended, and nobody extended an offer later. With the state of NJ goaltending, picking up a potentially good thing for peanuts wouldn't have been a bad idea. If he sparkled, you give him a contract before any of the other GMs that had no interest had a change of heart. He was just sitting there! Both Daws and Schmid were meh in the playoffs.
Daws - 3.01 GAA/.891 SAV%
Schmid - 3.89 GAA/.895 SAV%
When the team really needed them neither responded.
McKay turns 25 this year, if he wants a pro career in North America he can't afford to waste time in an organization that does not have a spot for him. Likewise, Mckay would've had to be absolutely stunning to receive any playoff ice time.
- Dec 20, 2018
- 22,873
- 51,326
He signed with Toronto, they’re one of the teams that will always get the pick of the litter. They pour massive amounts of money into player development, the Marlies players have fantastic facilities and are in Toronto.
I want smart signing too but that’s just how it is.
That sort of suggests that these "found" players don't move the needle. Whatever TOR has to show for all of that, they are still wholly dependent upon Matthews, Marner, Tavares, and Nylander. Beyond that they have little depth and the defense isn't anything special either in my view. I agree with you in a vacuum that they always have something of an edge with the off ice stuff for a prospect, but, I still think that a path to the NHL is the most important thing.
- Dec 20, 2018
- 22,873
- 51,326
Organizational depth and success in the minors makes your prospects better, gets you better call ups, gets you roster finds and attracts FA signing which helps continues the success.
Anaheim, Boston, Pittsburgh, Dallas and Tampa are examples of teams that have done a great job there. Carolina won the Calder Cup again, so that’s back to back wins for them (even though their last win was in 2018-19).
It’s something to emulate, not downplay the importance of, if we want to be a winning organization.
All Canadian teams have advantages with Canadian juniors players and certain US teams in have advantages for different reasons. It’s not something we can just immediately start doing but there are signs we are doing more and that needs to be a continuing trend.
Toronto is an odd case. They’re an example of a team that does a tremendous job at this, they have notable success stories around right now with Trevor Moore (48 pts in 81 GP) and Mason Marchment (47 pts in 54 GP), who were both undrafted.
They were also both traded away. Toronto signs a ton of guys to minor league deals and do an excellent job of developing their picks in the minors. They also fill out their NHL roster with minimum salary older vets so there isn’t many opportunities for them to play.
Sometimes the sheer volume of undrafted guys, reclamation projects and draft picks they have going at the same time causes talent to slip through the cracks. Also the need to win now will cause guys to get moved for understandable reasons. Moore was in the Campbell/Clifford trade.
I also don’t feel bad for them that they have this problem lol, they sign everyone.
Edit: I would add other examples of Toronto’s development success: Hyman, Mikheyev, Johnsson. They just can’t keep it due to the frozen cap.
It also requires a fair amount of patience with the development projects. I'm sure a number of those guys toiled away in the minors before turning the corner. In NJ you can say the same for Zetterlund who finally looked like a good prospect last season after several meh seasons. I think the constant desire to add and win now and forever in Toronto and other Canadien teams can work against them. As you noted, Toronto signs retread vets to the bottom of the roster which blocks rookies. Edmonton and Vancouver have done this as well. It's hard to develop guys who need it and as you've noted in the past, development isn't linear. My guess is that other teams see the potential in some of these guys and are willing to take a longer road with them than a team like Toronto can since Toronto has a few other guys they want to sign in the next cycle. Also, to be fair, the names you are naming are solid depth guys, but they don't present great value propositions for more than a season or two since they often arrive just when their ELC is up or even after.
My last post regarding the Comets was August 7. Today is September 7. Thus, I haven't been badgering the site about the issue I spent so much time focused on in the early part of the off season. CENTERS!!!!!!!
Rookies report to camp in 7 more days.
The rest come in 7 days later.
The preseason schedule has been released.
The New Jersey Devils powers that be have done absolutely nothing in the interim to settle the center issue in Utica. The middle of the ice is a barren wasteland. The good ones as well as the middle of the roaders are all signed up. Apparently in their minds the NHL roster is set for years ahead except for a UFA or single trade tweak so, why worry about the farm. They took care of them last season (- centers which ended up their downfall) so, who cares if the farm isn't really that good this year?
There aren't a couple of extra centers vying for a spot in NJ that will mean a couple good ones get sent down. Heaven forbid if they lose a couple to injury that they are counting on. They've haven't acquired any for the farm capable of filling those spots if needed. With the injury issues they have amassed in the past seasons you might have thought somebody with a hockey brain would have considered that while Fitz spent most of the off season pursuing players he never got. Somebody should have been dealing with the other important needs.
Maybe there is a secret plan for dealing with this issue. All we can do now is sit and wait. Love em both in the roles they fill, but Schmelzer and Talvitie can't even be considered as part of the answer. Nobody on the roster as of today is even close to the PPG #s top 2 AHL centers on the decent teams put up every season.
Rookies report to camp in 7 more days.
The rest come in 7 days later.
The preseason schedule has been released.
The New Jersey Devils powers that be have done absolutely nothing in the interim to settle the center issue in Utica. The middle of the ice is a barren wasteland. The good ones as well as the middle of the roaders are all signed up. Apparently in their minds the NHL roster is set for years ahead except for a UFA or single trade tweak so, why worry about the farm. They took care of them last season (- centers which ended up their downfall) so, who cares if the farm isn't really that good this year?
There aren't a couple of extra centers vying for a spot in NJ that will mean a couple good ones get sent down. Heaven forbid if they lose a couple to injury that they are counting on. They've haven't acquired any for the farm capable of filling those spots if needed. With the injury issues they have amassed in the past seasons you might have thought somebody with a hockey brain would have considered that while Fitz spent most of the off season pursuing players he never got. Somebody should have been dealing with the other important needs.
Maybe there is a secret plan for dealing with this issue. All we can do now is sit and wait. Love em both in the roles they fill, but Schmelzer and Talvitie can't even be considered as part of the answer. Nobody on the roster as of today is even close to the PPG #s top 2 AHL centers on the decent teams put up every season.
NJ's minor league team has traditionally risen and fallen with the quality of the prospects. For whatever reason it doesn't seem the organization has historically signed good AHL players play top roles on the team. I can't recall Lamoriello or Shero bringing in top AHL players before Fitzgerald took over. What is the annual price tag for a top AHL center that isn't on an ELC with his NHL team? I'm curious if that is the issue. From a quick look at Capfriendly, there is Brian Pinho who is listed as a center. I imagine you've seen him and have a sense of whether he can fill a center role on the team. I presume that the team expects at least one of the prospects to be able to make the move to the middle. Maybe a guy like Dugan who looks to be a playmaker first? He's big enough and has had some AHL success with the Vegas affiliate. I agree with you this was a questionable decision on the part of NJ. You'd think they want to have a sure thing at first line center to play with Holtz if nothing else.
- Status
