100 pt center last season with the Hamilton Bulldogs, Logan Morrison, was released from his ATO with Dallas. I know there are a couple guys here harping on his being a great choice for Fitz to bring in for help with the Comets lack of center depth. His release was on Wednesday and I haven't seen anybody jumping to grab him. He still can go back to Jrs with the Hamilton Bulldogs for another season. I know little about him, but seems if he made any kind of an impression they would have signed him and sent him to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars.
2022-23 Utica Comets and ECHL thread
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AceKing21
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Really hoping Okhoituk can make the NJ roster. He's physical, smart and adds a lot of physical awareness to the other team to not mess with our guys. Walsh and Wotherspoon I am not sure are ready for the jump yet. Bahl with this physical presence could push for a spot as well.
Monsieur Verdoux
Registered User
Senyshyn should be a solid 3rd line winger, seems like a natural fit with Dugan somewhere in the lineup too.
- Apr 20, 2005
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Remarkable that he can't even get a two way contract. I haven't followed him at all, so don't know if there's something specific holding him back (i.e., something he can work on), or if he's just won't be NHL caliber. Would be nice if it was the former and he could carve out a career like Vesey.
He never should've been picked in the first round. He was a 2nd or 3rd round pick who for some reason Boston loved and took in the 1st - Blake Speers was on the same junior team and had better numbers and fell to us in the 3rd. He's basically been a 3rd line AHLer and I think the only reason he ever got chances in the NHL were because he was a 1st round pick and Boston's system is weak.
Zach finished junior with 114 goals and 63 assists, I think it is really challenging for a player like that to make the NHL because they clearly can't pass at an NHL level, so they have to be an incredible goal scorer to make up for that. The NHL is moving away from players with this kind of profile.
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It was atrocious pick at the time. It’s funny because people later defended it more but his original prospect thread is a funeral dirge with shocked responses and depressed/outraged Bruins fans. One of the first posts is “One of the worst 1st round picks ever. Could be the 2015 Hugh Jessiman.”
And before people start throwing Seider at me, that wasn’t an off-the-board pick, a number of defensemen go earlier in the 1st round every year, and he’s a toolsy giant RHD.
This was a very one dimensional scoring winger, he had speed, size and a shot. That’s it though, he didn’t have the numbers, pedigree, hockey IQ or any resemblance of a broader offensive game.
What he had was enough to take a swing at in “the second round”, which can turn into the end of the 1st round in weak drafts. It definitely shouldn’t happen in the middle of the 1st round in the best draft since 2003.
Sweeney became GM in May 2015 and he made some terrible rookie errors that involved getting “his guys” and paying attention to value (or reality). Some real hyper-focusing on need and probably single scouts opinions.
The same thing happened in to us with our with our new GM, who made some dodgy picks in first drafts and couldn’t pull off any needed trades to get better value.
Senyshyn developing into nothing was the cherry on top but he’s a failed scoring forward. Vesey had an underwhelming career as a scoring forward but he got a 2 year/2.275m year deal out of Gorton after his 2 year ELC was over.
After that Vesey’s hung around by PKing, which he’s been great at, and becoming a better two-way forward while still scoring goals. (He was cartoonishly snakebit with us, more than usual, so he might score more with the Rags.)
Not sure Senyshyn has the hockey sense to be a two-way forward which is how you get to the NHL at a later age. I haven’t followed him but Bruins have had five (!) threads on him their board if people want to follow that sad saga.
RW Zachary Senyshyn - Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds, OHL (2015, 15th, BOS)
Didn't see a thread on him, but he is an outstanding player who I have as a late first round pick and is going to be a big riser from now until the draft. Big kid who has game breaking speed down the wing and can beat guys one on one. Saw him live a couple weeks ago and he really jumped out on a...
- Apr 20, 2005
- 2,797
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thanks for this history. I didn't realize it was Sweeny's first year.It was atrocious pick at the time. It’s funny because people later defended it more but his original prospect thread is a funeral dirge with shocked responses and depressed/outraged Bruins fans. One of the first posts is “One of the worst 1st round picks ever. Could be the 2015 Hugh Jessiman.”
And before people start throwing Seider at me, that wasn’t an off-the-board pick, a number of defensemen go earlier in the 1st round every year, and he’s a toolsy giant RHD.
This was a very one dimensional scoring winger, he had speed, size and a shot. That’s it though, he didn’t have the numbers, pedigree, hockey IQ or any resemblance of a broader offensive game.
What he had was enough to take a swing at in “the second round”, which can turn into the end of the 1st round in weak drafts. It definitely shouldn’t happen in the middle of the 1st round in the best draft since 2003.
Sweeney became GM in May 2015 and he made some terrible rookie errors that involved getting “his guys” and paying attention to value (or reality). Some real hyper-focusing on need and probably single scouts opinions.
The same thing happened in to us with our with our new GM, who made some dodgy picks in first drafts and couldn’t pull off any needed trades to get better value.
Senyshyn developing into nothing was the cherry on top but he’s a failed scoring forward. Vesey had an underwhelming career as a scoring forward but he got a 2 year/2.275m year deal out of Gorton after his 2 year ELC was over.
After that Vesey’s hung around by PKing, which he’s been great at, and becoming a better two-way forward while still scoring goals. (He was cartoonishly snakebit with us, more than usual, so he might score more with the Rags.)
Not sure Senyshyn has the hockey sense to be a two-way forward which is how you get to the NHL at a later age. I haven’t followed him but Bruins have had five (!) threads on him their board if people want to follow that sad saga.
RW Zachary Senyshyn - Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds, OHL (2015, 15th, BOS)
Didn't see a thread on him, but he is an outstanding player who I have as a late first round pick and is going to be a big riser from now until the draft. Big kid who has game breaking speed down the wing and can beat guys one on one. Saw him live a couple weeks ago and he really jumped out on a...forums.hfboards.com
no thanks on the Bruins' threads, though. We have enough of that here
I'll just hope that something random (positive) happens with Senyshyn in Utica. If not, no big deal.
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Jersey Fan 12
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- Nov 20, 2006
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Seems like Bruins finally lost patience or failed to help him develop (fair or not a common criticism of the Sweeney/Cassidy years) and never really gained traction with the veteran laden Belleville lineup.
Will be interesting to see if Kevin Dineen and company can revive his career.
The Comets have a bunch of guys who qualify as 3rd line wings and they have depth at 3rd and 4th line centers. What they don't have are top 2 centers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Something top 6 wings will be in desperate need of.
The never-ending saga in AHL Utica hockey the past 9 seasons.
It's like when Ghost Johnson and Dull Cull were here, sign ECHLers and grunts.
i.e., see Carter Bancks centering first line.
It was a little better last season, but this season has regressed to more of the same. Crop of good young wings with no one of any top level talent to work with.
Right now the Comets already have 3 VETs and 2 VEs. Blujus is one of the Vets and he won't be a regular.
- Russo and Wotherspoon are Veteran d-men who will be everyday players.
- Gambardella is a LW and was basically a 3rd line regular. He is a Veteran Exempt.
- Senyshyn is a Veteran Exempt on an AHL contract as is most likely an everyday player.
- Blujus is a Veteran, but will be a depth D-man. He is on an AHL 1-way which means play or not he will be on the roster. Only a problem if the D suffer some serious manpower losses and he must play. If he's replacing Russo or Wotherspoon, it's an even switch. If he goes in and those 2 are also in the lineup, that limits the forwards to 3 of any combination of Vets /VEs.
-_Geertsen would be a VET if he is waived an reassigned.
- Johnsson would be exactly the same situation.
More than 1 VE can play, but count towards the 6 Vets /per game. Thus, 2 VEs limits the Vet number to 4
You will note there is no center in that mix, no matter the number.
I've been repeatedly told the Devils don't sign players to the lucrative contracts good centers would demand.
Get a look at the money being spent on this group acquired by NJ outside of their prospects.
Russo ($320K)
Wotherspoon ($300K)
Gambardella ($320)
Geertsen ($300K)
Pinho ($325K)
Dugan ($125K)
You could add
Geertsen at $300K
Johnsson at $2.5 Mil.
In 2019-20 Vancouver assigned Sven Baertschi ($3.7Mil), Nikolai Goldobin ($900K), and Reid Boucher ($450K) to the Comets with no intention of recalling them. Johnsson would likely be a top choice for a recall if the cap allowed it.
The Comet are still in dire need of a coupe quality centers.
Did Pinho knock anyone's sox off in the NJ camp? I'm told he will be a top center. Hershey used him last season on the wing when he played the Comets. Maybe #2.
People keep saying Thompson will be the #1. Interesting since last season when he arrived late in the season and played in the playoffs, the Comets were hurting in the middle. He got a look see and was put back on the wing. NJ does not intend to play him in the middle. He's a wing.
Comets centers in Camp if all goes as it looks in NJ.
- Brian Pinho? (27) 27 GP 8/9/17
- AArne Talvitie (23) #4/3 RW last season 68 GP 12/12/24
- Schmelzer (28) #3/4 RW last season 64 GP 18/14/32
- Nick Rivera (26) 9 GP/1A --- 42 GP ECHL Adirondack
- Nick Hutchison (27) 32 GP 3/4/7 AHL Manitoba
- Garrett Van Whye (25) Mich U 42 GP 6/6/12
- Noah Carson (24) AHL Chicago 2 GP 0/0/1 ---- ECHL Norfolk 57 GP 24/31/55
- Billy Jerry (24) Long Island University 34 GP 14/17/31 ---- ECHL Adirondack 15 GP 4/2/6
- Daniel Walker ( 23) (ATO) Univ of Waterloo 12GP 8/9/17
Boqvist? Not a good chance. 1st he has a good chance of making the devils roster. 2nd if waived very good chance he gets claimed. If not, he'd be a good piece o the puzzle.
Thompson? Plastic man maybe, but he is preferred on the wing by management when he's not broken..
Maybe some kind of deal at the final cuts where a guy is released and scooped up. Don't like that likelihood for a top quality center. The devils had all kinds of opportunities for months and did nothing. Don't think they have any plans to change that strategy now.
- Russo and Wotherspoon are Veteran d-men who will be everyday players.
- Gambardella is a LW and was basically a 3rd line regular. He is a Veteran Exempt.
- Senyshyn is a Veteran Exempt on an AHL contract as is most likely an everyday player.
- Blujus is a Veteran, but will be a depth D-man. He is on an AHL 1-way which means play or not he will be on the roster. Only a problem if the D suffer some serious manpower losses and he must play. If he's replacing Russo or Wotherspoon, it's an even switch. If he goes in and those 2 are also in the lineup, that limits the forwards to 3 of any combination of Vets /VEs.
-_Geertsen would be a VET if he is waived an reassigned.
- Johnsson would be exactly the same situation.
More than 1 VE can play, but count towards the 6 Vets /per game. Thus, 2 VEs limits the Vet number to 4
You will note there is no center in that mix, no matter the number.
I've been repeatedly told the Devils don't sign players to the lucrative contracts good centers would demand.
Get a look at the money being spent on this group acquired by NJ outside of their prospects.
Russo ($320K)
Wotherspoon ($300K)
Gambardella ($320)
Geertsen ($300K)
Pinho ($325K)
Dugan ($125K)
You could add
Geertsen at $300K
Johnsson at $2.5 Mil.
In 2019-20 Vancouver assigned Sven Baertschi ($3.7Mil), Nikolai Goldobin ($900K), and Reid Boucher ($450K) to the Comets with no intention of recalling them. Johnsson would likely be a top choice for a recall if the cap allowed it.
The Comet are still in dire need of a coupe quality centers.
Did Pinho knock anyone's sox off in the NJ camp? I'm told he will be a top center. Hershey used him last season on the wing when he played the Comets. Maybe #2.
People keep saying Thompson will be the #1. Interesting since last season when he arrived late in the season and played in the playoffs, the Comets were hurting in the middle. He got a look see and was put back on the wing. NJ does not intend to play him in the middle. He's a wing.
Comets centers in Camp if all goes as it looks in NJ.
- Brian Pinho? (27) 27 GP 8/9/17
- AArne Talvitie (23) #4/3 RW last season 68 GP 12/12/24
- Schmelzer (28) #3/4 RW last season 64 GP 18/14/32
- Nick Rivera (26) 9 GP/1A --- 42 GP ECHL Adirondack
- Nick Hutchison (27) 32 GP 3/4/7 AHL Manitoba
- Garrett Van Whye (25) Mich U 42 GP 6/6/12
- Noah Carson (24) AHL Chicago 2 GP 0/0/1 ---- ECHL Norfolk 57 GP 24/31/55
- Billy Jerry (24) Long Island University 34 GP 14/17/31 ---- ECHL Adirondack 15 GP 4/2/6
- Daniel Walker ( 23) (ATO) Univ of Waterloo 12GP 8/9/17
Boqvist? Not a good chance. 1st he has a good chance of making the devils roster. 2nd if waived very good chance he gets claimed. If not, he'd be a good piece o the puzzle.
Thompson? Plastic man maybe, but he is preferred on the wing by management when he's not broken..
Maybe some kind of deal at the final cuts where a guy is released and scooped up. Don't like that likelihood for a top quality center. The devils had all kinds of opportunities for months and did nothing. Don't think they have any plans to change that strategy now.
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- Dec 20, 2018
- 22,874
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I don’t even know if money is the main issue, I can see centers who went to new teams on two way deals that weren’t crazy that would help a lot here.
Maybe they targeted certain players and they went elsewhere, it sucks. Not sure why they don’t even take a swing at some younger upside centers still kicking around.
I assume you mean Boqvist when you wrote Bahl. He might get waived, not sure what they do with him. If he ended up in Utica that would be a huge help for the Comets but that couldn’t have been the plan.
I’m not sure Thompson is a center, not sure having him to play center in the AHL out of need helps his development either.
Yeah, Boqvist. Duh! It was getting late and I had a long hard day.
I fixed that for future readers.
Full agreement on your entire post.
Keeping Johnsson, a guy they will not re-sign, and waiving a kid who has promise makes zero sense if he gets claimed and that possibility is real.
The Thompson issue I again agree and eluded to it in my post.
Thompson was playing center in training camp before he got injured. No idea what the expectations were for him, or where he's played on different teams, prior to this year's camp.
And at this point I think the org might be willing to lose Boqvist on waivers if it means keeping Holtz and Zetterlund on the big club. He'd be a huge add for Utica, and I think there's a chance he clears (moreso now that his preseason has been uninspiring), but hard to tell where he's gonna end up right now.
And at this point I think the org might be willing to lose Boqvist on waivers if it means keeping Holtz and Zetterlund on the big club. He'd be a huge add for Utica, and I think there's a chance he clears (moreso now that his preseason has been uninspiring), but hard to tell where he's gonna end up right now.
Interesting note on Thompson. Trying to make him a center when you look at the Devils roster isn't encouraging for him. They have better than adequate centers in Hughes, Nico, Haula, Mercer, McLeod, and Boqvist. They were even toying with Rango and Bastian. There's actually depth in the middle. Turning Tyce into a center at training camp means they needed a center for the Comets they didn't get around to signing and he doesn't have to clear waivers. Every other center they might have sent down does. I mean looking at the Boqvist situation sorta proves it. They don't need another prospect center to add to the mix. They likely passed on a much better center on draft night.
Management's failure to unload Johnsson and maybe even Tatar has led to this snafu.
nugg
NJ Hammerhead Bats!
Really frustrating. (Re: Centers) I feel kinda sorry for the fans in Utica. I don't expect much success, actually expect a mediocre, or even losing season unless the goaltending is insanely good. Even the wings may be suspect depending on who makes the big club. Back to the center thing, I know he's not a veteran, but he is a D+2 (or +3) season player; Logan Morrison is out there, backed by @StevenToddIves' endorsement. His track record on picks is phenomenal. What's the risk? Go get him Dano (MacKinnon), get er done!
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Classic Devil
Spirit of 1988
Yes and no. Hughes and Nico are obviously top-line centers, but they both have injury histories. It's clear the team would rather have Mercer at RW. Haula is a UFA at the end of season. Boqvist is uninspiring and replacement-level, and McLeod is a 4th line center with a potential career-ending scandal hanging over his head. I don't think this is particularly good center depth at all, and it makes perfect sense why the team might want to try Thompson at center as a long-term option.
Logan Morrison is already back in junior, he's not getting signed until next year. The Devils already signed a similar player in Xavier Parent.
Bone Density
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- Jul 27, 2022
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Jersey Fan 12
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- Nov 20, 2006
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May be mistaken but didn't the Comets have the longest win streak to open the season in league history just LAST season?
Will always be a mystery why New Jersey didn't allow its younger prospects to play in the playoffs (as many teams do) but making it sound like the cupboard is bare is a stretch.
The cupboard is not bare.
The D-corps should be very strong.
They have 2 young keepers who should only improve.
There should be some strong wingers though not as deep as last year.
However, when discussing centers he is not wrong.. The Comets have had a dismal record of getting centers to complement their forwards over the past 9 seasons. Last season they had a couple but injuries and a trade left them with a less than stellar group heading into the last weeks of the regular season. They started the season on fire. No argument there and it's a darned good thing they did. Why? Because they were basically .500 team over the second half and clinched a playoff berth, the North Division, and the Eastern Conference due to the teams they had to beat out losing enough games down the stretch to allow Utica to back into those spots due to their great start. They kept losing the games that would have allowed them to clinch and literally limped into the playoffs where they lost out in the first round.
This year's center corps appears to be composed of a plethora of bottom 6ers, undrafted rookies, older ECHL players who are not AHL caliber, undrafted rookies (one of whom is talented but very small), and Pinho who was playing wing when we saw him last season with Hershey and maybe Tyce Thompson though the Devils had been using him exclusively at wing, where he also played here when he finally arrived to play his season's worth of 9 games while sitting out 3 with an injury and then 5 playoff games. Very few young wings can make their own offense in the AHL. Most scoring forwards rely upon guys feeding them the puck. Without a couple of top caliber centers with a proven track record, the forward output is bound to be less than expected.
Thompson as a Center or Wing will be predicated upon whether his plastic body can keep from cracking, splintering, and breaking. He's IR again right now and can't even report to Utica until he is declared medically able to play ready to play. They took most of last season to occur. He's agood hockey player, but I won't count on him until, he proves himself to be a reliable game night starter.
BurntToast
Registered User
Utica’s defense doesn’t give a F about centers.. 5-1 preseason win.
OmNomNom
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