OT: Around Hockey and the NHL

[These Are The Days]

Hallelujah

 

[Felonious Python]

Hallelujah

The best reasoning I can come up with for why they'd lower the age to 19 is to allow for a gap year, so a guy could try pro hockey before deciding if they want to go to the NCAA or not.

That kind of year basically exists for aged out CHLers to play minor league hockey before deciding to take their USports package or not.

 

[Felonious Python]

The ratings for the Frozen Frenzy were reportedly pretty low. Doing it on a Tuesday night, opening night for the NBA probably mattered.

Avoiding NBA opening night was probably avoidable, but we see that the Frenzy isn't durable enough to happen on a night like that.

I didn't watch this edition, but I have in the past, and it seems that the criticisms of the broadcast haven't been addressed. Way too much studio time, hyping that everyone is indeed playing, and not actually showing it. Overly focused on showing every single goal, as if that's the only part of the game that has any value or interest., etc.


Go watch Golazo on Pluto.tv, or Goal Rush on Peacock next Saturday morning. It doesn't have to be this way.

 

[Felonious Python]

 

[Felonious Python]

Still can't accept free hats.

 

[Felonious Python]

“The USHL will probably be hit pretty hard, but I also don’t really understand why the CHL wants this? Do they understand the colleges are coming for their best 18-year-olds, not their age-out guys?” warned one NHL executive.

 

[Felonious Python]

The inertia of college hockey seems to have changed a little bit over the last few years. Coaches get fired, etc.

There aren't as many guys with 10+ years at the same school as it felt there used to be, and the ones who have lasted generally go a pretty good job (Quinnipiac, Minn-Duluth, Notre Dame, Providence, etc.).

List of current NCAA Division I men's ice hockey coaches - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

This newer crop especially is going to have to deal with a potentially more cutthroat environment. They may have inherited the team from a guy who was there 25 years, but they won't be afforded that type of job security. More NHL prospects also means more influence from the NHL.

The anonymous CHL coach notes that most guys are barely on (athletic?) scholarships, but that's the way the current system works. The coaches have a budget, so if a player can primarily or partially attend on need based or academic scholarships (the scholar part of scholarships), then that athletic money is freed up for someone else.

 

[Major4Boarding]

I think this is it for Sully

 

[RussianGuyovich]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1856508441747161547

damn the jets are dope

 

[Felonious Python]

12 pm ET 11/16

FloHockey also has free AHL and ECHL games, so consider following them on Twitter or YouTube.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

No clue how the Senators look like Cup favorites against us most times but end up below .500 lmao

 

[LightningStrikes]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1858730344490692852

 

[Felonious Python]

 

[Felonious Python]

Elliotte Friedman reported on HNIC that the OHL has a mandate for aggressive US expansion. 2 teams, possibly more.

I think they need to let this whole NCAA stuff shake out a bit before expanding.

Buffalo and Detroit do make sense for expansion. Huge hockey markets, sure, but the US/Canadian border has geographic limitations, and the major choke points are through Detroit and Buffalo.

Otherwise, we're talking about a Marquette, MI or Watertown, NY.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

Bannister didn’t even make it a full year. He was named interim last December and permanent head coach in May

 

[Felonious Python]

Bannister didn’t even make it a full year. He was named interim last December and permanent head coach in May

Montgomery being available created this. If he was still in Boston, Bannister would still be in STL.

STL gave Montgomery a five-year deal. He's the guy they wanted.

 

[Felonious Python]

 

[Felonious Python]

I'd be interested in knowing more about the OHL's expansion plans.

It seems that every arena with a capacity of more than 4k in Michigan is spoken for.

Western NY might have a bit more flexibility. Elmira has a rink just shy of 4k, but there's no tenant (which would make it the smallest in the league). Binghamton has a FPHL team, but a move to the OHL would be a reputation upgrade.

They could set up colony divisions in Wisconsin or even Minnesota, but they'd be pretty isolated in a league with a mostly compact footprint.

Maybe there's some university-owned downtown arena I'm missing somewhere, but I couldn't find it. List of indoor arenas in the United States - Wikipedia

 

[Felonious Python]

Muskegon makes sense.

Youngstown has attendance issues, despite having what seems like a pretty nice arena. It's also a bit out of the way right now.

Youngstown attendance figures

Youngstown Phantoms [USHL] yearly attendance at hockeydb.com

A historical graph of the yearly attendance for the Youngstown Phantoms [USHL] of the United States Hockey League.

www.hockeydb.com

OHL Brampton has the lowest attendance, averaging essentially 2,000 a game.

OHL 2024-25 team attendance at hockeydb.com

Attendance for the Ontario Hockey League for the 2024-25 season

www.hockeydb.com