2024-25 Utica Comets and ECHL thread

[Devils731]

Nemec got a little tired of people talking about him like his career is stunted.

 

[Devils731]

Nemec got a little tired of people talking about him like his career is stunted.

Nemo says moar!

 

[Bad Goalie]

I see nobody stuck around 'til the end. The 3-1 lead dissolved into a 6-3 loss.
Glad I was unable to catch even a glimpse of this one.

Record now stands at 6-15-1-2. 1 point ahead of the Henderson Silver Kinights for last place in the AHL.

Next up for the Comets the North Division 1st place Rochester Americans once again. This time in Utica tomorrow night at 7 pm.

 

[DerekDevils30]

Nemo says moar!

Nice move and shot on his 2nd goal. Love to see that

 

[NJ07102]

With Desimone back in NJ and White in Switzerland, they were also missing Casey and Vilen. You're not gonna win many games with the likes of MacKinnon, Gosselin and van de Leest I'd assume.

 

[A1LeafNation]

I know Utica is bad this year and they fired the coach...but what's up with Daws? I'd expect him to overcome those things.

Anyone have any insights.

 

[Mgd31]

I know Utica is bad this year and they fired the coach...but what's up with Daws? I'd expect him to overcome those things.

Anyone have any insights.

He was having a nice little streak of good games until the last 2 stinkers. The defense has been short handed in these couple games so maybe that played a part in it. Could be he’s just ultimately not very good.

 

[Bad Goalie]

I know Utica is bad this year and they fired the coach...but what's up with Daws? I'd expect him to overcome those things.

Anyone have any insights.

@Mgd31 was too kind. Daws gave up 6 to Cleveland on 12/18 and didn't play again until 12/28 when he gave up 6 more to Rochester in a game they led 3-2 going into the 3rd period.
Meanwhile Poulter Clevelandon 12/27, the 1st night of the back to back, gave up 3G in a 3-2 loss. Just a bit more respectable.

These are Nico's numbers: 16 GP/49GA/3.30GAA/.892SV%.

The entire team is bad. NJ has done nothing to help, particularly at Center, and has actually watched and helped the D corps crumble.

Utica is now playing Nemec with Misyul as the top 2. Very good. and............................................
Will MacKinnon at best an AHL #7, but should be in the ECHL. Daddy is the Utica GM.

Colton White - was called up and has now been reassigned to the Canadian National Team.
Nick DeSimone has been recalled to replace White.
Seamus Casey- is out for weeks with an injury.
Topias Vilen - got a late start after suffering an injury in NJ's training camp. He has been in one day and out the next with an injury or injuries that keeps him out more then he's in.

The rest of the D is an outright insult to the AHL.
Jackson van de Leest - 23-yrs-old. He played 2 years of Canadian college hockey after aging out of Canadian Jrs. Spent the last 2 seasons in Adirondack with call-ups to Utica where he has played 18 games/1A. This year 4 GP and on the ice for 4 GA.
Dmitry Osipov- 28-yrs-old acquired in an ECHL trade for Jace Isley on a Utica AHL contract playing in Adirondack. he's an 8-yr pro with 197 AHL games played with 5 different teams in situations just like this one. He has 19 Pts in those 197 GP. For the Comets 4GA/-5
Kurt Gosselin - 30-yrs-old up on a PTO from Adirondack. Had played 8 AHL games before last night with 3A.

Last night:
Misyul / Nemec
van de Leest / MacKinnon (on his wrong side)
Gosselin / Osipov

I know Fitz is happier than a pig in shit with what Keefe has fashioned with a very talented team shored up by the newbies Fitz acquired for the Devils game night lineup. He should be. He has done a great job. Now he is dedicated to adding a couple of quality players to the Devils roster to make them even better hoping for a run in the playoffs.

All the above means he hasn't had the time or concern to help out the drowning farm in Utica. That's understandable, but he has appointed a GM in Utica who for 3 seasons has done nothing to address the problems in Utica. Either he has no power to acquire players beyond the ECHL level, which is what he has done, or he is the worst evaluator of talent in the hockey world!
IF not Fitz, then this man must do something. You just don't allow your top farm club to be anywhere near this bad. 6-15-1-2 and 1 point from the AHL basement is inexcusable. Not acquiring AHL level centers is equally inexcusable.

Either the lack of centers is reesponsible for the dearth of scoring or the acquired forwards on very decent NHL contracts are not worth the money they are being paid. The Comets rank dead last in goals scored in the AHL, 52 in 24 GP. Just barely over 2/game. Watching them as I do every single game, I think it's a combination of both.

Pretty frustrating paying the shot for seasons tickets as I have done for all 3 seasons has become a big chunk of change to watch the spectacle on Uitca ice. The new state of the art LED lights in the boards is not going to bring in fans for more than 1 game to check them out. Personally, I don't like them at all. Being subjected to a game's worth of advertising is BS. That's their main purpose. Season ticket numbers continue to drop and God only knows what this season will do to that number. Lighted boards won't make up for the crowd losses.