The NHL won't be suspending Rostislav Olesz for his hit on Chris Lee Monday night after reviewing tape of the incident.
Lee, who has no NHL experience, was hit hard into the boards after turning his back to a hit and Olesz was assessed a five minute major for checking-from-behind along with a game misconduct while Lee remained on the ice for several minutes before being taken off on a stretcher and moved to a local hospital for tests and observation.
After the hit, an Islanders' spokesman said Lee had movement and was conscious, and with good news, after an overnight stay in hospital, Lee was released and cleared to re-join the team. He was cut and reassigned to Bridgeport of the American Hockey League during the day.
Olesz, on the other hand, will be playing come Friday night and you can only hope it doesn't affect the way he plays.
That's pretty much it. Not a major surprise. The Panthers have several defensemen under contract and this pretty much opens the door for Welch to get more of an opportunity. I'd be pretty surprised if he clears, although his size might not attract many teams.
Nothing new on a potential Olesz suspension, though it would be one or two games at most. . .
Rory Fitzpatrick has been named the captain of the Rochester Americans. . .
College Hockey News picks Denver to win the WCHA. Denver, of course, features goaltender Marc Cheverie and defenseman John Lee, both Panthers' prospects.
With the exception of the game on September 27th in Summerside, P.E.I. against the Islanders, here's an unsortable (sorry) final tally of points.
Note that Drew Larman and Michal Repik scored goals for the Panthers in that game, which was a 4-2 loss. Their points in the game are not reflected in the PDF file below, and like I said, you can't sort it by category. I don't know how to do that..
To zoom, click/hover your cursor above the down arrow in the top right of the embedded file and then click the ' + ' to zoom in.
The Panthers closed out the pre-season with a 6-0 victory at home against the Islanders tonight in front of a decent crowd for a Monday night pre-season game (8,857). It was great getting back to the arena, and it was great seeing the Panthers live again.
First up, the game. Jay Bouwmeester had a big night - picked up a goal and two assists. Peltonen had three assists, too. Horton, McLean and Stewart all added a goal and an assist each, Stillman had a pair of assists, and Kreps and Olesz rounded out the goals while Bryan McCabe had an assist to his credit.
Anthony Stewart opened the scoring late in the first period, and throughout the game, Stewart really looked like a changed player. He wants to make the team, you can see it, and I think he's earned a spot this year. Early in the period, he did take a bad tripping penalty in the offensive zone, but the mistake is one he can rectify. The trip came on an aggressive forecheck. The Cats killed it off, and not too long after, he scored a goal.
In the second, a period that looked much better than the first, Kamil Kreps -- who has been one of the best players on the team this pre-season -- scored, followed just over a minute later when Rostislav Olesz redirected a shot from Bouwmeester on the power play.
With a 3-0 lead, Florida continued improving and they kept up a strong pace, started to throw a few more checks, and the passes were improved, as well.
The physical play did bring about a scary scene around the midway point of the final frame when Rostislav Olesz came up and neared the Islanders' Chris Lee to throw a body check. Lee did turn away from the check, there was no malicious intent, but Olesz did ultimately send Lee head-first into the boards. A scrum followed on the ice while Lee remained down on the ice for several minutes. Olesz was assessed a five-minute major for checking from behind, and a game misconduct. Michael Frolik served the penalty, and Lee was taken -- according to an Islanders' spokesman, conscious, responsive and with movement -- to a hospital to get checked out. So, good news there.
And again, there was nothing dirty about the hit. It reminded me a lot of last year when Booth turned away from Volchenkov and went crashing into the boards. An unfortunate accident, but it's just not easy to stop when you've got momentum carrying you at a player who, at the last second, turns his back to the play. Needless to say, the major penalty and misconduct was a justifiable call. I just strongly hope Islanders fans will recognize the hit as nothing more than an accident.
After the stoppage, which had effectively silenced the arena and brought the pace to a halt, the Islanders never really quite got going again and shortly after, Jay Bouwmeester picked up a goal.
Two or three minutes later, Michael Frolik was hit pretty hard and Ballard and Boynton were immediately there to defend him, while Wade Belak came flying in and basically jumped onto the crowd at the boards. Belak ended up with a misconduct.
In the final two minutes, Brett McLean added a goal and Nathan Horton took a good pass from Stillman and shot it by DiPietro.
Tomas Vokoun made 29 saves for the shutout.
Now, DeBoer has promised some things with this team. I did see a faster skating team, and I did see an aggressive forecheck. One thing I didn't see much of was puck possession. A few rare instances where the forwards passed back to the defense to make a change instead of dumping, but for the most part, I still saw quite a bit of dump and chase. That aside, though, when the Cats were able to establish themselves in the offensive zone, even at full strength, they sustained a lot of pressure and kept the puck and worked it around to each other very well.
Shawn Matthias looked good tonight. . . I didn't notice too much of Frolik, although he had a couple of good chances and a rocket of a wrist shot that DiPietro gloved down. . . Keith Ballard was everywhere. Big hits, dropping down and blocking shots. I noticed a giveaway, but he had a solid game regardless. . . Kreps was great again, and he won almost all of his faceoffs. He's playing with the confidence of a top six veteran right now and it showed tonight. A few slick moves and a hit or two, plus the goal. . . Horton played physical, but he looked like he was holding back a bit, and he still needs to work on faceoffs. He lost a lot of them. . . Cory Stillman had a few poor passes and a generally sloppy quality of play early in the game, but he pulled it together and contributed nicely. . . Nick Boynton is going to be a fan favourite, fast. Looks like a fantastic team player. He was there to defend after a big hit, threw a couple of his own, took a couple shots and blocked one or two as well, but beyond sticking up for his teammates, he was patting guys on the back on the bench, talking a great deal and getting up to Vokoun after a couple of saves with a pat on the pad or the back as well and maybe an apology for an unintentional screen. McCabe, Allen and Stillman were wearing the 'A's tonight, but even if they were to become the three letters full-time, it just goes to show that you don't need a letter to be a leader or a great teammate. Boynton seems to be a perfect example of this.
Happened over the weekend, but I haven't been around much, and I'm about to head down to the game, so it'll be short.
Rochester cut eleven players, including David Shantz who will be sent to the Florida Everblades of the ECHL. R.J. Hand also got released. Hand was the tough guy fans tried to get excited about after MacIntyre went to Edmonton. Willing fighters are good, but it seems like they want intimidation. Now, they haven't got an intimidating fighter (MacIntyre) or a willing fighter (Hand) who went up against 6'5" Mike Sgroi.
Danick Bouchard went to the Everblades like Shantz; Bouchard had been a part of the Panthers' roster during September's rookie tournament.
At 6:30, that Amerks radio show will debut on WYSL (Rochester). If you want to listen while you wait for the Panthers game to come on (790 the Ticket) go over and listen: www.wysl1040.com
As for the Panthers, it'll be here: http://790theticket.com/
The Panthers have trimmed the roster a little more today, sending Tanner Glass back to the Rochester Americans.
Glass had a good season last year with both Rochester and the Panthers, playing 40+ games with each team. His offense wasn't significant, but his energy and grit added a lot, especially to a Panthers club battling injuries.
Monday night is the final game of the pre-season, finally a home game against the Islanders. Meanwhile, the regular season opener between the Rangers and Lightning is already over, Tampa Bay losing but getting a good game from Mike Smith. Stamkos had a good game, and 6'7" Slovak defenseman Vladimir Mihalik looks like he's going to be a major pain against the Panthers.
Steve MacIntyre got into a fight last night in his Oilers pre-season debut, too. It's not looking good for his return to Florida, but it was still a good fight, so here it is:
Western Michigan is at the bottom of the CCHA pre-season poll, and while the coaches and media disagreed on the top team, both list the WMU Broncos at #12 (out of 12). As for Ryan Watson, the Panthers' 7th round selection in 2007, the season is one that will present a lot of opportunity. As a freshman, he started off hot, scoring points in his first three games before tailing off., including a goal in his college debut. Still, his rookie season saw him play in 34 games, scoring four goals and four assists. His role will expand and his versatility is something of which the Broncos can take advantage. The forward has played defense on penalty kills, and he is a consistently responsible player, so while the Broncos may not have the best season, Watson, who shares a spot on the roster with his older brother Cam, stands to have a nice year honing his skills.
In New Hampshire, the goaltending will be passed down as Bruins' prospect Kevin Regan goes pro to likely play in Providence behind Tuuka Rask. For Cats' property Brian Foster, that may or may not translate into permanence. The Wildcats are hopeful that the junior will be able to live up to his hype when he was initially recruited, though he was hardly a standout in his appearences last year (2-2-2, 3.06 GAA, .899%). Foster will have to work hard to stay tops between the pipes despite his only competition coming from a pair of freshmen. All the same, UNH was slotted third in Hockey East's pre-season poll behind #1 Boston College and #2 Boston University. In the national USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine pre-season poll, New Hampshire comes in at #7 overall, twelve votes behind Denver. With everything coming together as it has, Foster will have a fantastic opportunity to make a name for himself this year tending the net of a national contender.
Two years ago, the University of Maine won the East Regional and advanced to the Frozen Four, falling to Michigan State. The following season, the Black Bears struggled, ultimately finishing 13-18-3. Matt Duffy made his collegiate debut for Maine during the season and in thirty games, scored 6 goals, though he added only two assists. This coming season, Maine is ranked 9th out of 10 in the Hockey East pre-season poll, ahead only of Merrimack, but the team is young; there are eleven freshmen on the roster and eight sophomores. While Duffy was drafted as a defenseman, the university's "2008-2009 Men’s Hockey Prospectus" guide lists him as a forward/defenseman. One of only three upper-classmen listed as defensemen, Duffy will have every opportunity to make his senior year a memorable one and with the inexperience on the roster, good playing time is his to lose.
There are two players drafted by the Panthers that will not be playing; Spencer Dillon (Northern Michigan) and Zach Bearson (Wisconsin).
Two years ago, Spencer Dillon was kicked off the team for a rules violation and has not returned to the Wildcats since. In January of 2007, Northern Michigan head coach Walt Kyle said in response to an inquiry, "We have a set of values and standards here and if you step outside those lines, there will be consequences. Spencer may, at some point, return, but right now he is facing the consequences for his actions." Dillon did not return for the 2007-2008 season, and he will not be playing this season, either.
I'd sent an e-mail to the University of Wisconsin just last night and already got a response early this morning and a report from not long ago that 'Zach Bearson and the University of Wisconsin hockey team are parting ways', so I'll pull some quotes from Zach:
"I'm sure they have their reasons upstairs. The meeting we had should best stay with us. It was a decision on their part, and that's all there is to it. . . I want to stay here. I love this place. I dreamed of being a Badger since I was a young kid. I could have gone and played elsewhere, but I just decided I love this place and the best thing for me was just to stay in school. . . I love to play, and I love these guys. They're all great guys and a lot of my best friends here. I don't know if I have a future in the game or not. I think I need some time off right now with the way everything went down. I still love it; it's not that. I just need a little break. Maybe in the future I'll attempt to come out of retirement. But right now I'm going to take a break."
It's a shame, although Bearson only appeared in five games in his first two years. All you can do is wish him the best and maybe he'll get another opportunity somewhere down the road.
There are nine players in the Florida system that will spend the year in college, but only seven will be playing for their schools this season, and I suppose it's best to start at the top.
The Michigan Wolverines may not have won the national championship last season, but they top the media rankings for the CCHA and are second only to Notre Dame in the CCHA coaches' poll. The Wolverines, first place finishers in the CCHA last year and Frozen Four participants as well, are also ranked second in the nation in the USA Today/USA Hockey Preseason Poll behind the defending champion Boston College Eagles. Matt Rust returns to the Wolverines as a sophomore on the heels of a 12 goal, 23 point freshman campaign. In August, Rust attended USA Hockey's National Junior Evaluation Camp for the upcoming World Junior Championships and will look to make his second appearance on the world stage. Last season, despite playing each game for the USA, Rust was unable to record a point, while the Americans finished fourth in the tournament. The competition among forwards at Michigan may not give Rust an advantage just yet, but as he progresses and seniors leave, Rust's role stands only to increase over not only the next few months, but the next three years as a college player.
Last season, the Denver Pioneers played their final season with Peter Mannino between the pipes. Mannino, undrafted by an NHL club, was the team MVP last season and the Pioneers' all-time shutout leader, breaking a record that had stood since the '60s. While he's moved on and signed with the New York Islanders, his departure opens the door for Sophomore netminder Marc Cheverie. "Chevy", named the Pioneers' starting goaltender for the upcoming season, was the Cats' 7th round selection in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, and this will finally be his first true test. Experience is the major unknown for how he'll handle the starter's duties, though, as he only appeared in five games as a freshman. Nonetheless, the Pioneers' head coach is very high on Cheverie and expects an eye-opening season from the sophomore.
The Pioneers also recruited defenseman John Lee and he will move to college this year. Lee, who has spent the past two seasons in the USHL with the Waterloo Black Hawks, comes in as a freshman but is still expected to play immediately. Never one to impress on the scoresheet, Lee's game is rooted elsewhere. The younger brother of Ottawa Senators first round selection Brian Lee, John calls himself a defensive defenseman, and in an article written in April from the Waterloo Courier, Black Hawks head coach P.K. O'Handley wasn't afraid to lavish praises on the 6'2", 185 pound defenseman:
"John manages a game so well. He gets the puck out of the zone, makes great passes and sets guys up. . . John just has tremendous rink management. He knows what he can and can’t do, whether its at home in Young Arena or on the road. . . We wouldn’t be where we are today if we did not have John Lee playing on the blueline."
Denver has an exhibition game on October 4th, and then the season begins on October 11th against the CCHA Coaches' Poll top-ranked Notre Dame. The Pioneers, on the other hand, have been voted by the coaches to be third in Western Collegiate Hockey Association, behind only Colorado College and North Dakota.
Derrick LaPoint has attended Panthers' development camps for the past two years now, although this more recent camp was one in which he saw limited activity due to a concussion he had suffered after being checked from behind in a game against Denver in March. The injury kept LaPoint out of the lineup for the final four games of the hockey season, including North Dakota's eventual 6-1 loss to Boston College in the Frozen Four semi-final. LaPoint spent much of his freshman time as a bottom pairing right defenseman, although he was played in a few key games on the second pairing and even an apperaance or two on the top alongside the 6'7", 245 pound Capitals' prospect Joe Finley. Derrick played in 31 games for the Sioux, although a few were lost to his concussion, and picked up a pair of goals and seven points over the season. This season will be huge for LaPoint. Both Joe Finley and Zach Jones are seniors, and a solid season can earn the still-lanky defenseman a consistent top four role.
I'll put up part II this evening, I just want to give a little more time as I may or may not have something to edit in part two, depending on an e-mail response.
MacIntyre was in Rochester this morning for the start of the Amerks' training camp, but it was short-lived, as he was called off the ice and informed he had been claimed off waivers by the Oilers. Like I had said earlier, Edmonton has a game tonight; they're playing right now, but I tuned in to see that he's not in the line-up tonight.
Earlier in the day, Oilers' assistant general manager Kevin Prendergast spoke about the acquisition. The full audio clip is available on the Edmonton site, but I'll pull a few quotes from it:
"He's big, and it's no knock on the guys that are here. They've done what we've asked them to do. We just felt that a guy like this on waivers, with his size and his background as far as the fighting goes and as far as being a deterrent, it wouldn't hurt to have a look at him. He's coming in tonight and he'll probably get an opportunity to play in Calgary on Friday night. . . We keep him on our roster, if not, we put him back on waivers and Florida have the first crack to take him."
Craig MacTavish (video available on the Oilers' site as well):
"We saw him play the other night. He skated O.K. I thought. The bottom line is that we need to be able to protect our skill. If you're going to be a good team you've got to protect the skill on your team, and a lot of our skill is attatched to competitive bodies, but they're smaller bodies and we've got to make sure that teams aren't feeling like they can take liberties with our skill."
Finally, a few quotes from MacIntyre himself. There's a full write-up about it over at Kevin Oklobzija's blog from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Good information on the Amerks, and you can find the specific entry here:
"It's kind of ironic because Edmonton, with Gretzky and Semenko, was my favorite team growing up. . . It's the chance of a lifetime."
So, we'll see. Friday night seems to be the date for MacIntyre to don an Oilers' sweater and try to secure a roster spot. If not, it could be back to Florida, and by extension, to Rochester.
Brynäs is off until Thursday, coming off of a 5-4 win last night. Through six games, they lead the whole of the Elitserien with 14 points.
You can expect a table update soon on the overseas players. I want to do the first wave of that before the Panthers' season opens on October 10th. Maybe a few more days to get a couple more games in. I'm still messing with some of the settings, so some things might look a bit off. Sorry about that.
A few of the players that the Panthers cut from camp had to clear waivers before being assigned to Rochester, and one of them today was claimed.
Steve MacIntyre was picked up this afternoon by the Edmonton Oilers. With that, the tough guy the Panthers signed in the off-season is already a thing of the past, and the transaction will surely be a big disappointment to fans of the Amerks who were looking forward to seeing this guy go to work for them.
Nevertheless, MacIntyre has to stick with Edmonton. He didn't clear waivers, so he still cannot be assigned to the AHL without first winding up on waivers again. If the Oilers were to waive him and the Cats were able to reclaim him, Florida would then be entitled to loan him to any minor league club within thirty days without having to place him on, or have him clear waivers. Since waiver priority is determined by points percentages, the lower clubs get the first chance to claim. Florida has a higher waiver priority than the Oilers since the Oilers had a better record, so the fact that MacIntyre fell to Edmonton would, on the flipside, mean that the likelihood of the Panthers getting him back if he's waived again is pretty decent.
The Oilers are playing Calgary tonight, so I'll have some more stuff after, or during the game if they talk about it. I imagine he'll be in the Oilers' line-up tonight, and while it's a really weird move, since MacIntyre showed nothing of note to Edmonton, it's really a no-loss situation for them. If he actually sticks, good for him, and for the team. If not, they don't have to retain salary, just request waivers again and the Panthers could probably get him back. Hopefully no harm, no foul.
It's just that when you look at the games that the Panthers and Oilers played last week, Guillaume Lefebvre (played last year in the LNAH) looked very good. While MacIntyre's a lot bigger, MacIntyre just looked downright awful in the game.
Edmonton's addressing team toughness, much like the Panthers want to do. But, only time will tell if this lasts, and I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't.
The Panthers made some cuts, but the purpose of this post is actually just to point out that my internet is working again. I don't know why it disconnected in the first place, but after an hour "troubleshooting" on the phone with Comcast and scheduling an appointment, I just gave up on it. Comcast scheduled an appointment for Tuesday morning. Technically, it's now Tuesday morning, and the modem just lit up a little while ago. Fail.
But, success.
Panthers made some cuts. It's not really new now, and I'm sleepy, so this is from the article:
"SUNRISE, FL – Florida Panthers General Manager Jacques Martin announced today that the team has assigned six players to the Rochester Americans. The players include G Chris Beckford-Tseu, C David Brine, RW Mike Duco, LW Kenndal McArdle, RW Michal Repik and C Janis Sprukts.
With the moves, the Panthers training camp roster now stands at 27 players. The Rochester Americans open training camp on Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 10 a.m."
Last night, the four players that were reassigned to their junior clubs out of Panthers training camp played their first games of the season. Adam Comrie, A.J. Jenks, Corey Syvret and Colby Robak each saw action in their first games.
For Adam Comrie, his return to action came in Sarnia as his Saginaw Spirit took on the Sting. Saginaw won the game 4-1, and Comrie picked up two assists on the game. Early on in the game, he took a high sticking minor, but both of his assists came on power play goals. The Spirit stayed on the road and played again tonight, dropping the game 6-2 against Sault Ste. Marie. The Greyhounds scored their 6 goals on only 19 shots. Comrie, meanwhile, was a -2 on the night.
A.J. Jenks returned to Plymouth and his return was uneventful. No points, no penalties and even in plus/minus. The Whalers did, however, win the game 5-2. Saturday night's game came against Guelph, but Jenks didn't play. None of the articles about the games mention any injuries, though.
Corey Syvret was also on the winning team in his first game back in the OHL. Guelph rolled Erie 5-1. Syvret, a defenseman, only added the credit for four penalty minutes to the scorer's sheet; a two minute minor for interference and a two minute minor for tripping in the third. Tonight, Guelph played the game against Plymouth. Syvret added an assist, and a roughing minor, as the Storm won again, 5-3.
The fourth junior player sent back was Colby Robak, and Robak was the only player of the four sent to the WHL. Robak, a defenseman for the Brandon Wheat Kings, had a goal and an assist in his season debut, but he finished a -1 and the Wheat Kings fell to Moose Jaw by a score of 6-3. Tonight, Robak was blank in all categories.
Florida dressed a lot of players unlikely to make the big club this season against a large number of NHLers from the Flames. The Cats battled back after falling behind, but 6 unanswered Calgary goals put a cap on the game. A couple of guys had good games; Franklin MacDonald, one of nine defensemen dressed, picked up a pair of assists and a couple of shots, finishing even on the night, and Ville Peltonen, easily the Panthers' best player tonight, finished a -1, but he had a goal, three shots, two blocked shots, a takeaway and a hit. The Panthers still have two more games the next two days, but then they don't play again until October 6th, back home against the Islanders.
Before the game, Calgary's Fan 960 took time to interview Panthers' defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, touching on his thoughts on the team, future with the team, the Jokinen trade and the new coach.
Thoughts on the team:
"There's sort of a different attitude this year. We've been pretty positive. So far. Our defense is no question the best since I've been here and as a defenseman that's exciting. Hopefully you don't have to play much in your own end. Make those passes, get out of your end and go on offense. Things have been progressing along. It's really hard to tell this early but everyone has a positive attitude and things look good."
Contract:
"Throughout the year you're gonna see what's going on and hopefully things are going to take a turn for the better. We'll see. Can't do anything 'til january anyway. So I'm not going to worry. Not making the playoffs, it's kinda tough to swallow every year. We should have a better team as long as we do the things we're supposed to."
Olli trade:
"Those things happen. It worked out pretty well. We got a couple of good, solid guys in return. Hopefully for him it works out too. It's one of those things that happens. There's always plenty of new faces."
And his thoughts on getting a ton of ice-time in the first game of the pre-season:
"You don't know what to expect the first time out. It's always good to jump in and have a bit of intensity. Earlier, I was a little shaky but it was a good game. Hopefully things better as you go along."
