2024-25 Utica Comets and ECHL thread
- Thread starter NJDevs26
- Start date
sabremike
#1 Tageaholic
I wonder when more people will figure out that a huge reason the Caps are so successful is that the standards and demands of their AHL affiliate are so high? The winning mentality in Hershey creates NHL quality players.
Emperoreddy
Show Me What You Got!
John Pedro
Registered User
wtf the roster is awful, his most 'hyped'/highest drafted forward/prospect is f***ing chase stillman (still mad they waste a 1st round pick with this bum)
Billdo
Registered User
Not his fault, the organization is failing Utica fans and it's borderline disgraceful.
Welp that was only a matter of time. NJ brain trust " Utica is 0-8 and dead last in the league because we didnt sign any players, what should we do to cover our butts" idiots........
Billdo
Registered User
Hershey is PEAK AHL. Their commitment to winning and high standards is second to none. I wish we gave more to Utica.
Utica should be one of the worst teams in the league but they should not be this bad. They have lots of decent forwards, they're missing top line forwards but they have plenty of depth. Their D should be good.
Billdo
Registered User
I’m sure with better coaching the Comets would have won at least two games so this move will fix everything.
- Oct 22, 2002
- 9,609
- 4,275
I don't mind the coaching change.
I'm not entirely blaming Dineen because I do think the roster is awful.
The defense is probably too young and the forward talent has always been lacking.Its been an organizational weakness for years.
Not sure what gone wrong with the goalies this season. Are they shitting the bed, is the system really bad, is it the young D in front of them or a combination of all of the above.
I'm not entirely blaming Dineen because I do think the roster is awful.
The defense is probably too young and the forward talent has always been lacking.Its been an organizational weakness for years.
Not sure what gone wrong with the goalies this season. Are they shitting the bed, is the system really bad, is it the young D in front of them or a combination of all of the above.
Feel bad for Deano. That team is not good right now and it doesn't help when Daws can't stop a beach ball.
- Dec 20, 2018
- 22,859
- 51,252
Why make a trade or signing when you can shake things up without spending anything?
Cheap f***s.
It may be somewhat fair to defend DiNeen as the Devils hierarchy is responsible for the teams it has constructed for the Utica Comets under his tutelage. However, I have repeatedly criticized his coaching. He has never changed a thing in his approach for 3 seasons. He does not hold his players to any planned structure. He rarely says a word to any player during the game. The only thing we see him actually do is question officials.
No matter the results of a game, we see him rollout the same game plan for the next one. The issue is I don't actually see a concise game plan. I said recently if this guy were coaching an NHL team, he would have been fired mid-season during the previous campaign or at worse at the end of the season.
These guys need a compassionate coach who pushes excellence and is willing to put a guy on the end of the bench to think about how much he really wants to play for 3 or 4 shifts or even an entire period. Pats on the back and encouragement for good shifts wouldn't hurt either. These guys are not aged, experienced veterans who can vary their efforts according to how the game is going.
The coach is also hamstrung by the players he's given. It's not like he can sit a guy and insert another capable of pushing the slacker to a better effort. DiNeen doesn't even carry a roster with backups beyond an extra D-man and extra forward as the players he has beyond that number would have to come from the ECHL and often those 2 are already up from the ECHL. they are not capable of upping the game of the guy they replace.
This is on the backs of NJ. This is on NJ again, giving an AHL coach a bare minimum of roster players capable of at least competing at an AHL level is inexcusable. The minimum they require is 15 sound AHL forwards and 8 D-men. Those guys should include 5 centers, 5 actual LWs and 5 Actual RWs along with 4 RD and 4 LD. They should be proven AHL players whose talents vary form top line players, to good middle 6 players, to experienced energy, fore and back checking, banger/crasher, defensive minded, PKers, who still have enough offensive skill to pot a few goals themselves. You combine these guys with with the parent club's prospects who are inserted onto those lines where they appropriately fit. That cuts down on the AHL regulars they have to sign.
After that the ECHL call-ups are all the team has left to fall back on. Those guys are the emergency call-ups. However when their is a need to replace guys who are everyday players due to a permanent call-up or a serious injury that will take a regualr out of the lineup they need someone better. They do not have to be summer signings contracted by NJ or Utica. The entire ECHL can be poached.
To do this you need a person on staff who is familiar with the management teams in the ECHL and can inquire from team to team as to who has the best chance of elevating his game to the AHL. The Comets had that guy in Pat Conacher, Director of Hockey Operations while the Comets were affiliated with the Vancouver Canucks. It was he and Lorne Henning who adjusted Utica in 2013-14 and righted a team playing a dismal version of hockey to one of the top AHL teams over the last 30 or more games of the season. A team that was absolutely out of the playoff picture at Christmas break ended up missing them by an eyelash.
They upgraded it again in 2014-15 during the seasonwith AHL trades and free agent signings and took them all the way to the Calder Cup Finals. Henning and Conacher knew how to do it. Benning and Henning did not agree on the process that Henning used to do things and Henning was fired. The Comets then got Ryan Johnson and he was a lot like Dan MacKinnon. They don't touch the roster beyond finding guys to sign and stash in the ECHL for "depth".
It has been obvious, to me anyways, that MacKinnon and DiNeen have had nothing to do with the acquisition of the players that NJ assigns here. Thus, NJ has to take the blame for the poorly manned rosters they produced in '22-23 and '23-24 and finally for the cannon fodder assortment of forwards they they put in Utica this season.
They are embarassed and DiNeen takes the blame. I believe he is not innocent of being a poor coach, but I'm not going to hold my breath in believing that Ryan Parent can turn this current 0-9 team into a big time winner. If he can make them competitive enough to become a playoff contender that would be above his pay grade. This team is not good blessed with a good combination of forwards. Nobody seems to fit with anybody else. They are poor puck handlers. Their passing is terribly inconsistent from one pass to the next resulting in turnovers, breakout failures, missed offensive zone opportunities, and failed scoring chances. Breakways are instant offensive failures. THEY ARE SO SAD TO WATCH.
No matter the results of a game, we see him rollout the same game plan for the next one. The issue is I don't actually see a concise game plan. I said recently if this guy were coaching an NHL team, he would have been fired mid-season during the previous campaign or at worse at the end of the season.
These guys need a compassionate coach who pushes excellence and is willing to put a guy on the end of the bench to think about how much he really wants to play for 3 or 4 shifts or even an entire period. Pats on the back and encouragement for good shifts wouldn't hurt either. These guys are not aged, experienced veterans who can vary their efforts according to how the game is going.
The coach is also hamstrung by the players he's given. It's not like he can sit a guy and insert another capable of pushing the slacker to a better effort. DiNeen doesn't even carry a roster with backups beyond an extra D-man and extra forward as the players he has beyond that number would have to come from the ECHL and often those 2 are already up from the ECHL. they are not capable of upping the game of the guy they replace.
This is on the backs of NJ. This is on NJ again, giving an AHL coach a bare minimum of roster players capable of at least competing at an AHL level is inexcusable. The minimum they require is 15 sound AHL forwards and 8 D-men. Those guys should include 5 centers, 5 actual LWs and 5 Actual RWs along with 4 RD and 4 LD. They should be proven AHL players whose talents vary form top line players, to good middle 6 players, to experienced energy, fore and back checking, banger/crasher, defensive minded, PKers, who still have enough offensive skill to pot a few goals themselves. You combine these guys with with the parent club's prospects who are inserted onto those lines where they appropriately fit. That cuts down on the AHL regulars they have to sign.
After that the ECHL call-ups are all the team has left to fall back on. Those guys are the emergency call-ups. However when their is a need to replace guys who are everyday players due to a permanent call-up or a serious injury that will take a regualr out of the lineup they need someone better. They do not have to be summer signings contracted by NJ or Utica. The entire ECHL can be poached.
To do this you need a person on staff who is familiar with the management teams in the ECHL and can inquire from team to team as to who has the best chance of elevating his game to the AHL. The Comets had that guy in Pat Conacher, Director of Hockey Operations while the Comets were affiliated with the Vancouver Canucks. It was he and Lorne Henning who adjusted Utica in 2013-14 and righted a team playing a dismal version of hockey to one of the top AHL teams over the last 30 or more games of the season. A team that was absolutely out of the playoff picture at Christmas break ended up missing them by an eyelash.
They upgraded it again in 2014-15 during the seasonwith AHL trades and free agent signings and took them all the way to the Calder Cup Finals. Henning and Conacher knew how to do it. Benning and Henning did not agree on the process that Henning used to do things and Henning was fired. The Comets then got Ryan Johnson and he was a lot like Dan MacKinnon. They don't touch the roster beyond finding guys to sign and stash in the ECHL for "depth".
It has been obvious, to me anyways, that MacKinnon and DiNeen have had nothing to do with the acquisition of the players that NJ assigns here. Thus, NJ has to take the blame for the poorly manned rosters they produced in '22-23 and '23-24 and finally for the cannon fodder assortment of forwards they they put in Utica this season.
They are embarassed and DiNeen takes the blame. I believe he is not innocent of being a poor coach, but I'm not going to hold my breath in believing that Ryan Parent can turn this current 0-9 team into a big time winner. If he can make them competitive enough to become a playoff contender that would be above his pay grade. This team is not good blessed with a good combination of forwards. Nobody seems to fit with anybody else. They are poor puck handlers. Their passing is terribly inconsistent from one pass to the next resulting in turnovers, breakout failures, missed offensive zone opportunities, and failed scoring chances. Breakways are instant offensive failures. THEY ARE SO SAD TO WATCH.
Attendance at the Comets games Has dropped off more and more from game to game since the opening weekend and their vocal support has fallen off the cliff. It's really hard to stay excited about nothing exciting. The fan frustration has come to a head. Games 6, 8, and 9 were at home including back to backs at home vs Rochester this past weekend.
The s**t hit the fan on Friday vs Rochester in a 8-1 loss. Rochester scored 6 times in the 3rd period turning a 2-1 game into a total debacle. Most of those goals were totlally uncontested. Daws was not sharp, but was also left alone and /or heavilty screened.
Laberge took a penalty at 15:53 and Bowers at 16:06 and the Amerks scored at 16:11. DiNeen was given a bench penalty at 16:37 and the Amerks scored at 16:48.
The boo birds were out throughout the period and at points it was a choral arrangement.
This is not normal Utica fan behavior, but they had had it with the terrible efforts from a number of Comets.
DiNeen was on the 6:00 o'clock KTV sportscast asking the Comets fan base to come out and support the team. Make a lot of noise and let the team know you are behind tham. That was something I have never seen in all the time I have watched hockey in this community.
That same night at the Aud, an employee was on the ice in a dark building with spots and red lights illuminating him and with a hand mike he was running around the circle at center ice screaming at the fan base to support the Comets. Yellling, "This is your team. These are your Comets. They deserve your support. Get loud. Get behind them. Let them know you are with them" Etc. Etc. BS like this. I have never witnessed anything like this. Management is embarassed by the team's performance and they are trying to put bad hockey performances on the fan base.
He came out before the OT and was even crazier in his attrempts to rouse the fan base. The team had played well and got the fan support thaey alwayds get when they do such. A management prop is not necessary to get the crowd into it.
Now they are putting out a promotion of $10 dollar tickets for all seats for Friday night's home game vs the Cleveland Monsters. I'm not pleased with that crap. Maybe I should get a discount off my season ticket price for that game so that my seat also only cost $10.
If the product on the ice is not worth the standard prices of admission and the fan base isn't crazy loud and boisterous between every whistle, perhaps our management should ask NJ to fix this mess they have created.
The s**t hit the fan on Friday vs Rochester in a 8-1 loss. Rochester scored 6 times in the 3rd period turning a 2-1 game into a total debacle. Most of those goals were totlally uncontested. Daws was not sharp, but was also left alone and /or heavilty screened.
Laberge took a penalty at 15:53 and Bowers at 16:06 and the Amerks scored at 16:11. DiNeen was given a bench penalty at 16:37 and the Amerks scored at 16:48.
The boo birds were out throughout the period and at points it was a choral arrangement.
This is not normal Utica fan behavior, but they had had it with the terrible efforts from a number of Comets.
DiNeen was on the 6:00 o'clock KTV sportscast asking the Comets fan base to come out and support the team. Make a lot of noise and let the team know you are behind tham. That was something I have never seen in all the time I have watched hockey in this community.
That same night at the Aud, an employee was on the ice in a dark building with spots and red lights illuminating him and with a hand mike he was running around the circle at center ice screaming at the fan base to support the Comets. Yellling, "This is your team. These are your Comets. They deserve your support. Get loud. Get behind them. Let them know you are with them" Etc. Etc. BS like this. I have never witnessed anything like this. Management is embarassed by the team's performance and they are trying to put bad hockey performances on the fan base.
He came out before the OT and was even crazier in his attrempts to rouse the fan base. The team had played well and got the fan support thaey alwayds get when they do such. A management prop is not necessary to get the crowd into it.
Now they are putting out a promotion of $10 dollar tickets for all seats for Friday night's home game vs the Cleveland Monsters. I'm not pleased with that crap. Maybe I should get a discount off my season ticket price for that game so that my seat also only cost $10.
If the product on the ice is not worth the standard prices of admission and the fan base isn't crazy loud and boisterous between every whistle, perhaps our management should ask NJ to fix this mess they have created.
The newest forward prospect is Josh Filmon. Up to this moment he could easily be mistaken for one of the inept ECHL call-ups. That's it for NJ ELC drafted forwards. Foote is the only other NJ drafted forward.
Put the gear on and face the kind of shots the Comets keepers are seeing. It's like pregame warmup. Players skatinfg straight at them with no interference and shooting from wherever they wish. Opponents standing in 2 feet in front of them with no defender in sight. Last game thewre was ascrum in the corner to Poulter's right. An Amerk came out to fthe corner with the puck. No one follwed him and no one anywhere else on the ice came to face him. He waked right out in front and shot form 6 feet and fortunatelt was so close his shot had to be finer and he missed the net. Breakaways, 2 on 1s, 3 on 2's with a 4th weide open tralier coming right down the middle. Uncoevered points in 5 o5 situations ewnabling the opposing team to just keep moving in and out back and forth auntil they one of them finds himslef lookin g at the keeeper with no challenges and he fires away.
They don't have good GAAS or Sav%s, and neithe rwould anyon e else on most nights facing the kind of offense set upon them. Save a few not so good goals, they have been standing up to the kind of attacks most keepers on any decent team face maybe 4 or 5 times a game. For the Comets goalies it's maybe 4 or 5 times they are not facing those type of attacks. Thank God so many of the opponents are so shocked at how open they are that they rush shots and miss the net.
The AHL doesn't provide stats on shot attempts vs SOG. The number vs the Comets would be astronomical.
- Dec 20, 2018
- 22,859
- 51,252
You mean Stillman, Foote was drafted by Tampa.
Note: Yeah, the info under the spoilers isn’t needed but I was bored.
Josh Filman: NJD 2022 6th Rd #166
Chase Stillman: NJD 2021 1st Rd #29
Filip Engaras: EDM 2020 6th Rd #169*
*triple overager eligible since the 2017 Draft
Nolan Foote: TBL 2019 1st Rd #27
Nathan Léraré: PIT 2019 3rd Rd #74
Adam Beckman: MIN 2019 3rd #75
Jack Malone: VAN 2019 6th Rd #180
Shane Bowers: OTT 2017 1st Rd #28
Max Willman: BUF 2014 5th Rd #121
Chase Stillman: NJD 2021 1st Rd #29
Filip Engaras: EDM 2020 6th Rd #169*
*triple overager eligible since the 2017 Draft
Nolan Foote: TBL 2019 1st Rd #27
Nathan Léraré: PIT 2019 3rd Rd #74
Adam Beckman: MIN 2019 3rd #75
Jack Malone: VAN 2019 6th Rd #180
Shane Bowers: OTT 2017 1st Rd #28
Max Willman: BUF 2014 5th Rd #121
…and when they went pro:
Jack Malone: NCAA FA signed AHL deal w/ Utica Comets in Apr 2024 at 23
Dylan Wendt: NCAA FA signed ELC w/ NJD in Apr 2024 at 23
Tag Bertuzzi: OHL FA signed ECHL deal w/ Norfolk Admirals in Oct 2022 at 21
Xavier Parent: QMJHL FA signed AHL deal w/ Utica Comets in July 2022 at 21
Brian Halonen: NCAA FA signed ELC w/ NJD in Mar 2022 at 23
Mike Hardman: NCAA FA signed ELC w/ CHI in Mar 2021 at 22
Ryan Schmeltzer: NCAA FA signed ECHL ATO w/ Adirondack Thunder in March 2018 at 24
Samuel Labarge: QMJHL FA signed AHL deal w/ Texas Stars in July 2017 at 20
Joe Gambardella: NCAA FA signed ELC w/ EDM in Mar 2017 at 23
Jack Malone: NCAA FA signed AHL deal w/ Utica Comets in Apr 2024 at 23
Dylan Wendt: NCAA FA signed ELC w/ NJD in Apr 2024 at 23
Tag Bertuzzi: OHL FA signed ECHL deal w/ Norfolk Admirals in Oct 2022 at 21
Xavier Parent: QMJHL FA signed AHL deal w/ Utica Comets in July 2022 at 21
Brian Halonen: NCAA FA signed ELC w/ NJD in Mar 2022 at 23
Mike Hardman: NCAA FA signed ELC w/ CHI in Mar 2021 at 22
Ryan Schmeltzer: NCAA FA signed ECHL ATO w/ Adirondack Thunder in March 2018 at 24
Samuel Labarge: QMJHL FA signed AHL deal w/ Texas Stars in July 2017 at 20
Joe Gambardella: NCAA FA signed ELC w/ EDM in Mar 2017 at 23
- Oct 22, 2002
- 9,609
- 4,275
Its pretty sad we have only two draftee forwards on the AHL roster.
I like to see Salminen, Hameenaho, Melovsky and Graham in AHL next season.
Gritsyuk is going straight to NHL.
I wonder if they need to trade a defenseman like Miysul or Vilen for an equivalent forward prospect preferably a center. It makes it hard at the moment while Hatakka is injured.
UticaHockey
Registered User
I am a long time season ticket holder and haven't used my tickets since opening weekend. This Comets team has been unwatchable so I've elected to stay home and watch them on AHL TV where I can change the channel of I get frustrated with them. I'm still on the fence about going tomorrow. Firing the coach had to happen but I'm not sure how much things will change. This mess was created back in July when Fitz and MacKinnon failed to assemble a competitive roster.
You are 100% correct on both DiNeen and the NJ management's crappy acquisition of the remainders after the rest of the NHL management's teams had selected the all of the good ones.
I'm a glutton fore punishment. Hockey has been in my blood for more than 50 years and I can't stay away no matter how bad things get. I get to see teams that were constructed as they should be and watch their future NHL players. When a few make it big i can say I saw them when they were starting out in the AHL and knew they were going to be NHL standouts.
Currently watching Casey is worth showing up. IMO as well as many others, he has a bright future ahead of him in the NHL. The kid is a joy to watch. It must be embarrassing to so many veteran Comets that they can't stickhandle, avoid opponents' efforts to get at them, make tape to tape passes even when under pressure, and maneuver to get clear lanes to get the puck on net. If I was on the ice with him and he had possession in the O-zone, I would make it a point to find my way to the net because there's a high % chance the puck would be arriving there. He is truly a joy to watch. He's got some defensive flaws and that's why he's here. When he works them out the AHL will be a part of his past. You ought to make it a point to see him in person and then you too will be able to say, "I remember when."
Ah, you got me on Foote and that was inexcusable. I have every Comet, where he is from, who drafted them, and where they started their pro career if not here in a file. Pretty interesting how many were drafted elsewhere and then passed over. Think NJ thought they had captured a gold mine by getting these guys signed? Not hardly. MOSTLY they signed what was left and eager to get a contract anywhere.
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This kind of happened at times with Vancouver too. Conacher would find AHL ECHL tweener types for cheap and they’d get good production out of them with the Canucks left the cupboard bare. Schmelzer being the leader scorer last year and not property of NJ is evidence of the weak support the comets get with player signings. The Comets have some good players but the sum of the parts is well below average.
Yep. I did go over that a few posts ago.
Vancouver hired him as a scout. My thought on that was to get him out of their hair with his pickups from a round the ECHL to avoid having to use the inept AHL signed by Johnson. There has been no addition hired to replace him since by either franchise. The bigwigs apparently don't want to be upstaged by someone way below their paycheck doing better work than they've done.
Emperoreddy
Show Me What You Got!
Play him with Vilen and let Casey play with Misyul. That's four talented AHL level defenders. Hopefully Daws and Poulter bounce back and they can start grinding out some wins even if the forwards struggle to score more than a couple of goals per game.
