2024-25 Utica Comets and ECHL thread

[Bad Goalie]

I usually watch the highlights on YouTube for every Comets game but this season i think I've watched them 2 to 3 times at most. No big performances from any of the goalies and the lack of scoring by any potential future NHLer outside of Casey makes me not want to even watch anything Comets related.

Sad isn't it?
I have had season's tickets to the Comets since 2013-14. I've never seen anything like it and no one in any kind of position of power seems to give a rat's ass.

Nealy a grand is a lot of money to watch this s**t fest.

 

[Whaddagoal]

Any hope of getting a win yet?

Is it a lack of forward depth or bad coaching, or something else why they are literally winless, with a massive hole in offense generated.

Is Utica playing the same system there as the big club?

Did adding Nemec down with Casey not help, there is basically an NHL pairing down there, if you consider Casey as NHL ready. Nemec certainly is.

 

[Guttersniped]

Any hope of getting a win yet?

Is it a lack of forward depth or bad coaching, or something else why they are literally winless, with a massive hole in offense generated.

Is Utica playing the same system there as the big club?

Did adding Nemec down with Casey not help, there is basically an NHL pairing down there, if you consider Casey as NHL ready. Nemec certainly is.

They just lack too much at forward, specifically centers, playdrivers and playmakers.

The depth was attrocious before Dowling left but losing their only top 6 (top 9?) center hurt an already bad team.

Maybe they thought Willman would do more than have the league worst +/- (-15) but he couldn’t carry a 2nd line with nothing.

Defense can’t save that.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Don't know how much of this is just paper work by NJ, but on 11/17 the Devils reassigned DeSimone and Dowling to Utica. They don't have to actually go to Utica, but assigned to Utica on paper, their daily $$$ don't count against NJ's cap. Not a big deal, but it is a small savings to bankroll.

On the same date Engaras and MacKinnon were recalled to Utica from Adirondack.

Today Utica recalled Jace Isley and reassigned Dylan Wendt to Adirondack. One ECHL quality forward on a NJ contract in Wendt for what may be a better ECHL quality forward in Isley on a 2-way AHL deal.

Any way you cut this, unless Fitz has something cooking in the very near future, I don't see Dowling or DeSimone in Utica. The Devils don't have enough forwards without Dowling and DeSimone is the #7 D-man. If they actually report to Utica, Fitz either replaces them with AHL talent (Cough! for a forward) or he is getting replacements from elsewhere through some other means.

 

[My3Sons]

Don't know how much of this is just paper work by NJ, but on 11/17 the Devils reassigned DeSimone and Dowling to Utica. They don't have to actually go to Utica, but assigned to Utica on paper, their daily $$$ don't count against NJ's cap. Not a big deal, but it is a small savings to bankroll.

On the same date Engaras and MacKinnon were recalled to Utica from Adirondack.

Today Utica recalled Jace Isley and reassigned Dylan Wendt to Adirondack. One ECHL quality forward on a NJ contract in Wendt for what may be a better ECHL quality forward in Isley on a 2-way AHL deal.

Any way you cut this, unless Fitz has something cooking in the very near future, I don't see Dowling or DeSimone in Utica. The Devils don't have enough forwards without Dowling and DeSimone is the #7 D-man. If they actually report to Utica, Fitz either replaces them with AHL talent (Cough! for a forward) or he is getting replacements from elsewhere through some other means.

Isley is going to make you want to shout.


Sorry I love that pun as bad as it is.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Any hope of getting a win yet?

Is it a lack of forward depth or bad coaching, or something else why they are literally winless, with a massive hole in offense generated.

Is Utica playing the same system there as the big club?

Did adding Nemec down with Casey not help, there is basically an NHL pairing down there, if you consider Casey as NHL ready. Nemec certainly is.

Let's clear the confusion. The Comet forwards are marginal AHL players at best.

- They have no stereotypical playmaking/play driving hockey centers necessary to run the 4 lines a team puts on the ice every night making a team capable of scoring goals.

- They have no playmakers on the wings to make up for the weaknesses in the middle.

- Nobody drives play beyond Casey, Nemec, and maybe Misyul/Vilen.
I can't name a forward who drives play and would be considered very dangerous to the oppopnents.

- They are all poor passers beyond an open neutral zone.

- They are just as inept handling passes.

- They charge up the ice helter skelter with what ends up appearing to have have been no plan.

- They shoot when they should pass and pass when they should shoot.

- They not only don't find open spaec where their mates can give them the puck, but don't seem to know how to loo for it. They go to a spot and basically stand there waiting for something to happen or go to the net and get tied in knots and become worthless there.

-They also don't move around to create space for each other.

- I hate to say this but if there were a test for hockey IQ, I believe these guys would score low. They do so many stupid things and sometimes leave a building of at least 3,000 knowledgeable paying customers of the 3600 on hand all saying, "What the F **K?!?!?" at the same time and then looking at each other with all kinds of dumfounded faces.

- This team does not have a forward who has established himself as an "AHL star".

The D-corps is solid. MacKinnon is their weak link, but he doesn't suck. However, I've never seen a hockey team that won games with a stingy D that also scored or set up all of the goals. These guys are often struggling in their own zone because the forwards are terrible defensive zone players. The D-zone success comes from a concerted effort of all 5 guys and the keeper. The Comets keepers are doing what they can interspersed with a an occasional bad goal as happens to ALL goalies, but they have not stunk up the ice keeping the team from winning no matter how many goals their team has given them. It's mostly been the opposite No matter how many saves they make while standing on their heads and robbing the opponents on countless great chances, they get little help on the scoreboard.

The Comets are dead last in goals for. H
- Shut out 4X.
- Scored only 1 goal 2X.
- Score 2 goals 4X
- Their highest ouput was 4 goals in a 5-4 loss.
So 8 of their 13 games they have scored 2 or less goals.
Goalies are under immense pressure due to the lack of scoring suport they are likely get.

- They are #29 out of 32 teams in goals against.

- Utica's PP is #18, but their PK is #32, worst in the league.

These stats don't get better, they get worse.

Don't get me wrong. I am not a doomsday soothsayer. If you have followed my game day postings, I have always praised good plays and serious effort.
I have always backed the boys and wished them the best.
However, I do not just pledge blind adoration. If a guy derves praise, I'll pile it on. If he's doing okay, but not setting the game on fire, I won't put him down, but I also won't be telling you how good he's playing.
If a guy doesn't belong out there based upon what he's doing. I'll say so IMO.

For me DiNeen did not inspire hope. He had a very good team in 21-22, but not only didn'tt get them deep into the playoffs, but when the rest of the league cauhgt onto their game and shut it down, he made no changes to counteract it. That has been his style since day 1. Nothing ever changed for more than 1 game ands then it was right back to the same old same old.

Parent hasn't had a chance to even get his feet wet if he has some ideas of how to make this team better, but so far there has been little difference. The old saying that, "You can't make chicken salad out of chicken s**t" or "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear." and many others like it are truisms. If the players are simply not good enough to compete against what they are presented with, then the outcome will be lots more of the same.

Unless NJ does something to improve the status of this team on the ice, this season could be one of the worst the AHL has ever seen. I'm not going to hold my breath.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Isley is going to make you want to shout.


Sorry I love that pun as bad as it is.

It is really bad, and a good portion of the posters here won't get it anyways. LOL

 

[Bad Goalie]

My guess was right.
DeSimone and Dowling have been recalled from the paper demotion.

Extra downgrade for the Comets, Foote and Bowers have been recalled.

The game roster on Friday in Syracuse will be interesting.
Remaining centers:
- Schmelzer
- Malone
- Engaras (newly activated and recalled from Adir.)
- Isley (recalled from Adir.)

LW
- Beckman
- Willman
- Parent
- Gambardella
- Bertuzzi
- Laberge (as of last game injured)
- Hardman (as of last game injured)

RW
- Halonen
- Stillman
- Legare
- Probably Parent or Laberge (if healthy) moves over to the RW

The Comets were weak as Hell in the middle to begin with. Now with 2 of their so called top centers in NJ, I don't know what you'd call them. Hardman and Willman are listed as centers, but have always been wingers until Willman played there last game and was invisible.

Their top scorer was Foote with only 9 points in 12 GP.
Casey was tied and takes over with 9 Points in 9 GP.
Halonen has 7 in 13 GP.
Beckman has 6 in 8 GP.

Willman has a measly 3 in 13 GP and after that not a single forward has more than 2 POINTS!

So, that's 3 roster forwards with with more than 2 points (I'm not even going to count Willman's 3) and none in double figures in the 13 games played by the Comets.

White, with 5, is the only other D-man with more than 1 point.

Good luck Coach Parent. Nothing like putting a lamb in the slaughter house. If ever there was a head coaching position one could have turned down this is it. The end result of this season on his resume won't have teams come calling and none of it would be his fault. The word interim in front of the word coach still won't erase how he did.

(Hey, maybe the Hockey Gods will take pity and help turn this thing around. Maybe even they can't bear to watch this much longer.