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2023-24 Utica Comets and ECHL thread

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Game 2 went better.

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Shots: The Thunder started out stronger and Poults held up in against the late onslaught.
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Here’s the ECHL playoff stats of goalies with st least 3 GP:
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Game 2 Highlights:

1st Period
Goal 1 Harper (van de Leest, Ashbrook) 1-0



2nd Period
Goal 2 Smith (Welsh) 2-0


3rd Period
Poults doing Poults things


Boy King gets the hat.
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Florida has no highlights but they do have a player named Bobo Carpenter*.
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That’s not most notable name on their roster because they signed the prospect with one of best in recent memory: Reed Lebster.

*Actually NJ Devils’ Legend Bobby Carpenter’s son with a goofier nickname of Robert.
 
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Shane Harper. One of the last of the Trenton Titans!

Ironically the other is on one of the teams still in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
 
Undrafted QMJHL player, Israel Mianscum (EP entry), whose agent publicly talked about turning down a AHL deal from us because he wanted a ELC, signed with Laval (MTL).

So here’s hoping he only experiences failure and sadness in his future. (What? I’m petty.)



Back in March:
 
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Guttersniped said:
Undrafted QMJHL player, Israel Mianscum (EP entry), whose agent publicly talked about turning down a AHL deal from us because he wanted a ELC, signed with Laval (MTL).

So here’s hoping he only experiences failure and sadness in his future. (What? I’m petty.)



Back in March:
Click to expand...

He's from Quebec apparently? If nobody wanted to give him a genuine ELC maybe geography along with a more fluid rebuilding NHL roster was more attractive to him?
 
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My3Sons said:
He's from Quebec apparently? If nobody wanted to give him a genuine ELC maybe geography along with a more fluid rebuilding NHL roster was more attractive to him?
Click to expand...
You never want to seriously get involved with a player who doesn't really want to be in your organization. If he succeeds elsewhere, so be it. There are lots of fish in the seas and good fishermen (scouting employees) will find them.

There are players from Quebec in every organization in pro hockey. Being from Quebec and signing in Quebec gives them no better chance of making it than those Q-natives playing everywhere else. The day of the "Canadiens" stocking the cupboards with almost all of the best Quebec native players ended with the installation of the draft.
 
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NJ has acquired what looks to be another Comet in exchange for the now former Comet, Graeme Clarke.

Clarke was traded to the Minnesota Wild in return for LW/C Adam Beckman. Apparently more LW than Center as is the case with most players when listed as a wing first.

Clarke has been the Comets's leading goal scorer for the past 2 seasons with 25 in each and led the team in points for the '22-23 season. Captain Schmelzer over took him for #1 in points this past season.

Beckman is a 6'2''/181 lb, 23-yr old about to start his 4th professional season. That's 2 inches taller, 7 lbs heavier, and 1 less year of professional experience. He was the top goal scorer for the Iowa Wild this post season with 19. Beckman's numbers just like Clarke's reflect the talent of the teams they played for. Utica finished 6th in the North 5 points out of the playoffs with 75 points. Beckman's Iowa Wild finished 6th in the Central 9 points out of the playoffs with an even worse finish than the Comets with 62 points.

Beckman is a apparently the kind of player who never passes up a chance to shoot. He led the Wild this past season with 190 SOG. The skinny is that he is a hard working forward with a very hard, accurate shot. He is also said to be an excellent defensive forward.

Both players are very similar in their points output. Clarke has a .68 PPG while Beckman's is .60 PPG. Beckman has spent parts of the past 2 seasons with the NHL Wild playing 20 Games. His 3-yr total of NHL GP is 23 with 3 points. Clarke has played 3 NHL games in 4 seasons and has recorded 0 points. Beckman has a step up there in 1 less season played.

Both were 2019 3rd round draft selections. Beckman was selected at #75 and Clarke at #80.
Cap Friendly says both will have to clear waivers and both are RFAs needing to be signed to a new contract.
This is a very important season for the futures of both players.

This move comes as no surprise to those of us in Utica. I have posted for the last 2 seasons that Clarke lacked the talent necessary for the NHL. He is MIA when it comes to defense even when he tries. He lacks puck skills meaning he can't get by anyone when carrying the puck so He can't make any kind of room for himself. When he carries the puck, he is easily stripped. He lacks any kind of physicality. He can't get his shot off unless he has ample time and a clear avenue to the net. He is a weak forechecker. He is lost in traffic and rarely goes to the net front unless it's a power play and he has a vacant net side where he can get a pass and shoot unmolested. I can't count the number of times he had the puck all alone with an open side and flat out missed the net.

Because of these deficiencies, I stated during the season and during this off season that I didn't expect the Devils to re-sign him and they didn't. He had used up his ELC, hadn't progressed to become a threat to make the Devils' roster, and they decided a roster spot might be better served with a new body.

As is the case with all Comets, we wish him
Graeme the best of luck in his new environment and would be very pleased if he makes his childhood dream of being an NHL player a reality.

Now, we will go to work at assessing our newcomer, Adam Beckman. Training camp will give him a chance to prove his mettle.

At the moment I don't think he fits the mold of the exact forward pieces NJ is trying to acquire to fill out their 24-25 roster. Thus, I believe he will be assigned to Utica after camp.
 
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Adam Beckman is a primarily a LW. I hope to God this isn't another attempt by New Jersey to follow their past history here by signing guys to play center who are not very good there but instead are much better on the wing.

As it is, the Comets right now have Schmelzer, Dowling, and Bowers, who are centers, under contract. Schmelzer and Dowling were good there. Bowers is not a play maker and is better as a wing.
The Comets right now have under contract:
Willman
Laberge
Filmon
Halonin
Laberge
as left wings.
Beckman becomes 6.
Parent, #3 in points last season, is without a contract. He is also a LW, #7.

At RW the Comets currently have under contract:
Legare
Wendt - A rookie out of NCAA Western Michigan.
Stillman
Malone - Played only 1 game and is signed to a 2-yr AHL deal. He is a rookie out of NCAA Boston College
It was a weak link all season with guys put there out of position to fill out the line up. e.g. Parent, Criscuolo, Laberge, Halonin, and others for a game or 2. Wendt and Malone don't meet the criteria necesary to become 1st line players nor do Legare, a journeyman grit guy. or Stillman at best a #2.

NJ needs to acquire a #1 Center for the umpteenth time and a scoring RW to replace Clarke's goals.

Up front 3 are Vets. Schmelzer, Dowling, and Gambardella.
The D has 2 RD and both are rookies, Casey and Diotte.
They have 4 LD, Misyul and Vilen and the other 2 are RFAs needing to claer waivers, Hatakka and Vukojevic. Hatakka is a threat to be claimed, but also might make the Devils depending upon what Fitz does to strengthen his left side.

If the guys currently signed are all penciled in, they don't need many more up front. That's not good because those guys couldn't score last year so, what makes anyone believe that will change?

On the back end the Vets, Wotherspoon (a UFA) and Russo, are both unsigned. I would prefer a replacement for Wotherspoon and LD Jack Rathbone is a UFA who could be signed and hasn't reached Vet status. There are more like him out there.
It would be a good idea to re-sign Russo. He was #6 in points and is a steady leader on the back end. He and Wotherspon are not necessary and Wotherspoon's play fell off a lot last season.

LD would be Vilen/Misyul/Rathbone
RD Casey/Diotte/Russo
Vukojevic can play either side and Vilen can as well.
If they get Hatakka back, he also plays both sides.

That would be 8 D. Doesn't mean they can't pick up another RD that hasn't become a Vet yet.

That would leave a vet slot and a Vet Exempt slot open for a center and scoring RW.

Hey, a man can dream can't he? NJ has to know all this and MacKinnon obviously doesn't push for anything. A GM by title only.
 
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Utica Comets lost 4-1 to the Laval Rocket.

Halonen (21) from White (14)

Laval 2 PPG
s and 1 ENG

Same issue for the Comets of late. They are 1-3 in their last 4 and have scored 1 goal in each of the 3 losses.
Laval 5-1
Syracuse 2-1
Laval 4-1

Their 1 win was 4-1 over Syracuse.

The Comets traded Will MacKinnon today to AHL Cleveland for Future Considerations.
They acquired Tory Dello from Grand Rapids also for Future Considerations.
That's 1 meh out and 1 meh in.

Newly acquired Marc McLaughlin and Jonathan Gruden have both played 2 games, recorded O Pts. Neither has made any impact and for the moment are both meh. It's early, but a hockey player will make a play here and there that makes you say he looks like he might help. Neither has done that in those 2 games. Verdict is still out.

Tomorrow the Comets take on Laval again at 7pm in the Utica Aud.

Feels good to make a post, but the fact they said above that all of this year's material has been saved and I'm posting after the most recent post on 6/23/24 says they have some catching up yet to do.
 
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