Chirps from Center Ice

A fan blog about the AHL's Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins

Category Archives: The AHL

Coal Street Cutdowns

3 Comments Posted by nafsnep on October 5, 2015

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins announced that they have released the following players Monday afternoon:

Derek Army, Shane Bakker, Mickael Beauregard, Riley Brace, Jarrett Burton, Paul Cianfrini, Sahir Gill, Christophe Lalancette, Matthew Maoine, Ryan Parent, Nick Petrecki, Brett Stern, Cody Wydo, Casey DeSmith.

They loaned the following players to Wheeling:

Adam Krause, Ty Loney, John McCarron, Patrick McGrath, Clark Seymour, Brian Foster.

And Anton Zlobin was reassigned to Wheeling from Pittsburgh.

There are 25 players left on the Penguins roster. They are:

Goaltenders: Tristan Jarry, Matt Murray

Defensemen: Derrick Pouliot, David Warsofsky, Barry Goers, Niclas Andersen, Will O’Neill, Reid McNeill Steve Oleksy, Harrison Ruopp. Evan Wardley is injured and still hasn’t reported.

Forwards: J-S Dea, Bryan Rust, Kevin Porter, Conor Sheary, Oskar Sundqvist, Scott Wilson, Tyler Biggs, Josh Archibald, Dominik Simon, Matia Marcantuoni, Dominik Uher, Kael Mouillierat, Tom Sestito, Tom Kostopoulos and Carter Rowney

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So the goaltending tandem out of the gate is Matt Murray backed up by Tristan Jarry. I think it is safe to say that Jarry did outplay Brian Foster, but don’t expect Jarry to remain up the entire season unless continues to play lights out. I still think that he has a Wheeling trip or two in him.

Anton Zlobin to Wheeling is surprising, but not surprising. You heard rave reviews about guys like Sahir Gill, Ty Loney and Adam Krause in these last four preseason games. Uh, anyone mention Anton Zlobin or notice him? Anyone? So, let him go down to Wheeling and play. If he proves himself a worthy call-up, he will be back. There is just way too much depth on this current Penguins roster to give guys that were here last year a pass and an automatic roster spot. There are a lot of good teams in the Atlantic Division this season and every point is going to be crucial, so you want your best lineup night in and night out.

So that is it, we are set. Defenseman Tim Erixon was placed on waivers today from Pittsburgh and if he clears he may not immediately join Wilkes-Barre. The plan out of the gate is to carry eight defensemen up top. Erixson could be assigned within 30 days or before so many NHL games. I think 10 is the number, I could be wrong.

Anyway, if you missed earlier, the Pacific Division Preview hit the blog today at noon. Central Division tomorrow then the north Wednesday and finally the Atlantic Thursday. Keep it locked here.

Pittsburgh, The AHL, WBS, Wheeling

Pacific Division Preview

Comments Off Posted by nafsnep on October 5, 2015

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If you are familiar with me, you know that I love Apple devices. If you own an iPhone, especially an iPhone 6s, you know that the tagline that went with that device was, “The only thing that’s changed is everything.” The same concept applies in the American Hockey League, which begins its 80th season this Friday.

Take for example, the Pacific Division. A sum total of five teams uprooted from their Eastern bases and moved operations approximately 3,000 miles west to California. That is just the tip of the iceberg.

To better explain all of the changes, I’ll introduce each in every division capsule. The first thing that you should know is that the AHL is back to four divisions, down from six, and the five California teams will play 68 games instead of the regular 76. Playoff positioning will be based not on points, but points percentage.

You can follow the AHL on the interwebs at @TheAHL and @AHLPR on Twitter, /TheAHL on Facebook and TheAHL on Instagram.

Today we begin in the Western Conference in the Pacific Division. The Texas Stars and San Antonio Rampage come over from the old West Division. The Rampage are now affiliated with the Colorado Avalanche. The five California teams are the Bakersfield Condors; who were last years Oklahoma City Barons, the Ontario Reign; who are the defending champion Manchester Monarchs reincarnated, the San Diego Gulls who you knew last year as the Norfolk Admirals, the San Jose Barracuda who were last years Worcester Sharks and the Stockton Heat, playing as the ghost of Scorch and the Adirondack Flames.

The Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins do not play anyone in this division nor do they play anyone from the Western Conference this season.

Here we go…

NHL Affiliation: Edmonton Oilers

Record: 41-27-5-3 – 90 pts., 3rd place West Division playing as the Oklahoma City Barons.

Playoffs: 6 seed – Lost in seven games to the Utica Comets in the Western Conference Semifinals.

Head Coach: Gerry Fleming

Arena: Rabobank Arena

ECHL Affiliation: Norfolk Admirals

Offseason Moves: Philip McRae, Griffin Reinhart, Brad Ross

The Case For: Bakersfield takes over an Oklahoma City team that took the eventual Western Conference Champion Utica Comets to seven games. There is no reason to believe that Bakersfield will not contend again this season.

The Case Against: A big reason for the success last year was the play of all-star goaltender Richard Bachman. He signed with the team that beat him last year in the Comets. Goaltending may be an issue for the Condors this season.

Media Coverage: Mike Griffith for the Bakersfield Californian.

Twitter: @Condors

Facebook: /BakersfieldCondors

Instagram: condors

Broadcaster: Ryan Holt

vs. WBS: Do not play.

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NHL Affiliation: Los Angeles Kings

Record: 50-17-6-3 – 109 pts., 1st place Atlantic Division playing as the Manchester Monarchs.

Playoffs: 1 seed – Won Calder Cup in five games over the Utica Comets.

Head Coach: Mike Stothers

Arena: Citizens Business Bank Arena

ECHL Affiliation: Manchester Monarchs

Offseason Moves: Kris Newbury, Michael Houser

The Case For: Much of the core that tore through the AHL last season and won the Calder Cup last year return to Northern California in a brand new environment. Everyone else may be playing for second place again this year.

The Case Against: The only weakness I see is goaltending.

Media Coverage: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin and the Press Enterprise

Twitter: @ontarioreign

Facebook: /ontarioreign

Instagram: ontarioreignhockey

Broadcaster: Joseph Zakrzewski

vs. WBS: Do not play.

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NHL Affiliation: Colorado Avalanche

Record: 45-23-7-1 – 98 pts., 1st place West Division playing as the affiliate of the Florida Panthers.

Playoffs: 3 seed – Swept by Oklahoma City Barons in three games in the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

Head Coach: Dean Chynoweth

Arena: AT&T Center

ECHL Affiliation: Fort Wayne Komets

Offseason Moves: Hubert Labrie, Mikhail Grigorenko, Brandon Gormley

The Case For: A new affiliation with the Avalanche. These prospects were a Lake Erie Monsters side that lacked consistency. If the Rampage can remain consistent, they are a playoff team.

The Case Against: I see writing on the wall and it tells me that next year is the year that the Rampage make playoffs. Not this year.

Media Coverage: Nathan Mallett for Runnin’ with the Herd

Twitter: @sarampage

Facebook: /sarampagehockey

Instagram: sarampage

Broadcaster: Dan Weiss

vs. WBS: Do not play.

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NHL Affiliation: Anaheim Ducks

Record: 27-39-6-4 – 64 pts., 5th place East Division playing as the Norfolk Admirals.

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Head Coach: Dallas Eakins

Arena: Valley View Casino Center

ECHL Affiliation: Utah Grizzlies

Offseason Moves: Shane O’Brien, Harry Zolnierczyk, Chris Mueller, Joe Piskula, Matt Hackett

The Case For: Lots of vets coming in to help San Diego get off the ground on its maiden voyage in the AHL captained by the mastermind of Dallas Eakins. You should expect San Diego to be a playoff team.

The Case Against: Will the stench of what was leftover of a dismal Norfolk team be washed clean?

Media Coverage: San Diego Union-Tribune

Twitter: @SDGullsAHL

Facebook: /SDGullsAHL

Instagram: sdgullsahl

Broadcaster: Craig Elsten

vs. WBS: Do not play.

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NHL Affiliation: San Jose Sharks

Record: 41-29-4-2 – 88 pts., 3rd place Atlantic Division playing as the Worcester Sharks.

Playoffs: 7 seed – Lost in four games to the Hershey Bears in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

Head Coach: Roy Sommer

Arena: SAP Center

ECHL Affiliation: Allen Americans

Offseason Moves: John McCarthy, Mark Cundari, Frazer McLaren

The Case For: Barracuda are a team trending upwards, coming over as the Worcester team that made playoffs last season. They could be a dark horse that contends in the Pacific Division.

The Case Against: Western Conference is a better conference than the East with a boatload of good teams that don’t make playoffs. Is San Jose a good team or a great team? Time will tell.

Media Coverage: Bay Area News Group

Twitter: @sjbarracuda

Facebook: /sjbarracuda

Instagram: sjbarracuda

Broadcaster: Eric Lindquist

vs. WBS: Do not play.

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NHL Affiliation: Calgary Flames

Record: 35-33-6-2 – 78 pts., 4th place North Division playing as the Adirondack Flames.

Playoffs: Did not qualify.

Head Coach: Ryan Huska

Arena: Stockton Arena

ECHL Affiliation: Adirondack Thunder

Offseason Moves: Derek Grant, Aaron Johnson, Blair Riley, Kent Simpson

The Case For: Struggling to find one. After a hot start in Glens Falls last season, the bottom fell out. Grant and Johnson could help, but will it be enough to contend with the likes of San Jose and Ontario night after night? I don’t think so.

The Case Against: Calgary doesn’t take serious winning anywhere outside of Cowtown. That’s been made evident year after year with the constant shuffling from city to city and irrelevant teams getting beat night after night. Perhaps that changes with five NHL teams moving operations closer to the NHL affiliate, but I don’t see it this season.

Media Coverage: Scott Linesburgh for the Stockton Record

Twitter: @AHLHeat

Facebook: /ahlheat

Instagram: ahlheat

Broadcaster: Brandon Kisker

vs. WBS: Do not play.

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NHL Affiliation: Dallas Stars

Record: 40-22-13-1 – 94 pts., 2nd place West Division.

Playoffs: 5 seed – Swept by the Rockford IceHogs in three games in the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

Head Coach: Derek Laxdal

Arena: Cedar Park Center

ECHL Affiliation: Idaho Steelheads

Offseason Moves: Stephen Johns, Brennan Evans, Jesse Blacker, Cory Kane, John Muse

The Case For: The Stars were swept out of the playoffs last year by the Rockford IceHogs in overtime off a goal by the key addition that the organization signed this offseason, Stephen Johns. Add in the other offseason signings incorporated in with a group that already made playoffs last season and you have another contender.

The Case Against: I don’t like the fact that the Stars are playing in the same division with five other teams that are playing fewer games with a playoff format that pits you against other playoff teams in your division.

Media Coverage: Stephen Meserve for 100 Degree Hockey and Sean Shapiro for Wrong Side of the Red Line

Twitter: @TexasStars

Facebook: /TexasStars

Instagram: txstarshockey

Broadcaster: Brien Rea

vs. WBS: Do not play.

—

We return Tuesday at noon for a look at the Central Division.

The AHL

Defenseman In, Defenseman Out

4 Comments Posted by nafsnep on September 22, 2015

Couple signings to note as we edge towards the first round of cuts in Pittsburgh and the start of training camp here in Wilkes-Barre…

–> Coal Street announced the signing of 6’3 defenseman Evan Wardley. Wardley, late of the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League, debuted as a professional this past Spring with the ECHL Wheeling Nailers. He has a boatload of penalty minutes, which means he plays a physical game that he can back up with his fists. Admittedly, I am now just making up words about the guy to fill a paragraph, but Wilkes-Barre must have seen enough of him and liked him so much that they offered him an AHL deal.

–> Nick D’Agostino found a home. Remember him? He was arguably, in my opinion, one of the best defensemen here in Wilkes-Barre during the slew of callups to Pittsburgh. His non-tender of a qualifying offer by Pittsburgh this past summer (he was a restricted free agent) came as a shock to me. He signed with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL today. If they name sounds familiar to you, they are the team that is the ECHL affiliate of none other than the Hershey Bears. Now D’Agostino signed an ECHL deal, meaning that he would need to sign an AHL deal with Hershey to play for them. Not saying that he would, but he could.

Goaltender Eric Hartzell remains the only member of last years team that remains unsigned.

That’s about it. Pittsburgh is in the midst of an eight game exhibition schedule. The hope here is not who wins or loses, it’s that no one gets hurt.

More later this week when the first round of cuts come down from Pittsburgh and when Wilkes-Barre announces a training camp roster.

Not AHL, WBS

A Camping We’ll Go, Just Don’t Be Late!

1 Comment Posted by nafsnep on September 18, 2015

NHL training camps got going across the league this morning. The Pittsburgh Penguins started theirs today. Beat writers of old and new were in attendance. Start with Jonathan Bombulie, late of the Citizens Voice in Wilkes-Barre, and his observations of Day 1 of camp starting with Bobby Farnham. Farnham wants to make the team. I see it as a tough, if not impossible task, but Bobby is up to the challenge.

The new guy in town for the Voice, Seth Lakso, was there also with an emphasis on the players that will be joining Wilkes-Barre at some point. He also had a print version today of five things to expect this season of the 2015-16 version of the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins.

Cleaning up some leftovers….

–> Wilkes-Barre signed John McCarron to an AHL deal this week. He captained the Cornell squad last year. Nothing flashy offensively, but the brass on Coal Street must see something in McCarron to ink him to an AHL pact. They have had success with unheralded Ivy Leaguers in the past you know.

–> Single game tickets to all Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins hockey games go on sale Setpember 21.

–> Last weekend in London, Ontario, the Penguins posted a picture of ex-Captain and all around good fellow Dave Gove. Gove was in Penguins gear helping out. You gotta learn how to read tea leaves when it comes to things like this. Gove has been retired from professional hockey for years now. Why all of a sudden is he back on the ice, “helping out?” Well, the answer was made know today. The Wheeling Nailers, the Penguins ECHL affiliate, announced that they have hired Gove as assistant coach to Clark Donatelli. Hell, the former captain named assistant coach Alain Nasreddine went with John Hynes to New Jersey, why not plant a seed and home grow another assistant coach? It makes sense.

–> To my headline, the New York Islanders sent highly Joshua Ho-Sang back to his OHL team, the Niagra IceDogs of the Ontario Hockey League because he was late for training camp. You are a rookie taking the first step professionally in your career. You may not want to be late. First impressions are lasting ones.

–> Finally, some team an hour south of here was named number one AHL logo by The Hockey News magazine. You may have heard of them.

Have a great weekend.

Pittsburgh, The AHL, WBS, Wheeling

Blog of the Year Nomination

2 Comments Posted by nafsnep on September 4, 2015

Was notified this afternoon by the fine folks who run the annual NEPA BlogCon that this blog has been nominated again for Sports Blog of the Year.

I want to personally thank first the people that nominated me again for consideration. I do this as a hobby. It’s not my profession. Just my observations of the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins put into words. How many people read, share or interact isn’t important to me because, again, it’s a hobby. I say that some people collect stamps. I write a blog. It’s a blog up for NEPA BlogCon’s Sports Blog of the Year again.

If you’d like to vote, you can do so here. Thank you in advance for your consideration and your support.

About Me, The AHL, WBS

2015-16 AHL Schedule Released

3 Comments Posted by nafsnep on August 27, 2015

Like kids at Christmas, fans, bloggers and media look forward to this date every summer. The 2015-16 AHL playing schedule was released Thursday afternoon. We all can’t wait to see who is playing who, when and where. So instead of being the parent that only lets you open one gift at a time, let’s rip into the schedule and break it all down.

Question 1: Who do the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins play first this season?

Answer: The Providence Bruins, on the road, opening night in the AHL on October 9.

Question 2: The home opener is Saturday, October 17. Who do we play?

Answer: Same team as last year, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Question 3: Any Western Conference flavor on the menu this year?

Answer: Keep in mind that Rochester, Toronto and Utica played in the Western Conference last season. They are all in the Eastern Conference this season. You’ll need to pretend that they are from the Western Conference because there are NO Western Conference teams on the schedule for the Penguins this season.

Question 4: What does the divisional breakdown look like against Bridgeport, Hartford, Hershey, Lehigh Valley, Portland, Providence and Springfield?

Answer: Twelve games against Hershey and Lehigh Valley, six against Bridgeport, Hartford, Portland, Providence and Springfield. Evenly split, home and away.

Question 5: What is the longest road trip? What about home stand?

Answer: Longest road trip of the season for the Penguins is January 12 through January 24 when the Penguins face off against St. John’s twice on January 12 and 13, Syracuse on the 16th, two against Portland on the 22nd and 23rd and one against Providence on the 24th.

The longest homestand for the Penguins is early on in the season, from October 24 through November 14 for a total of seven games.

Question 6: How many three games in three nights?

Answer: Eight, down from last seasons total of 9.

Question 7: My friend told me that you had charts of daily and monthly breakdowns. Let’s see them.

Answer: Here you go.

	Home	Road	Total
Monday	0	0	0
Tuesday	3	2	5
Wednesday	6	3	9
Thursday	1	0	1
Friday	7	14	21
Saturday	16	9	25
Sunday	5	10	15

And the Monthly…

	Home	Road	Total
October	4	4	8
November	6	4	10
December	7	5	12
January	5	9	14
February	4	8	12
March	7	5	12
April	5	3	8

Question 8: Any kids games?

Answer: Kids games are by definition games that start in the morning. The Penguins will not be partaking in any of those games this season.

Question 9: Where is the All-Star Classic at again this year?

Answer: Syracuse, New York. Skills Competition is January 31 and the All-Star Classic February 1.

Question 10: Are the Penguins playing in any special venues this season?

Answer: No. And by looking at the schedule from a league wide basis, it really isn’t happening a lot this year.

Question 11: What is the Penguins theme this season?

Answer: “Reinvented” which you can check out here. I like it, it matches well with the changes the team went through coaching wise. I’m looking forward to what they have cooked up this season.

Question 12: Anything else I need to know?

Answer: We play every team in the Conference at least twice. Rochester, Toronto and Utica, who weren’t on the schedule last year we play twice each. All 30 teams will be in action three times this season, on January 23, February 6 and April 9.

Penguins will announce a promo schedule soon, and I’ll have a blog about that when the schedule is released. Other than that, my yearly AHL Previews can begin to now form since I now know who the Penguins will be playing this season. You can look for those around the end of September or the beginning of August. I am planning on bringing back the AHL Power Rankings this season as well as the charting I did last season as well.

So take the month of September to gear yourself for another six months (or more, hopefully) of fun.

Let’s Go Pens!

The AHL, WBS

A Rabbit and a Sestito Walk Into a Matrix…

1 Comment Posted by nafsnep on August 26, 2015

The moment we have all been waiting for is nearly here. It was announced today that the 2015-16 AHL playing scheduled will be released Thursday at 1 p.m. I’ll have a full dissection of the schedule of opponents the Wilkes-Barre / Scranton Penguins will face starting in October here on the blog Thursday afternoon. Same workup as prior years with a question and answer session. If I think of any new wrinkles between now and then I will work them in. Fun times ahead.

Elsewhere, the Pittsburgh Penguins signed Tom Sestito to a professional tryout agreement. Sestito is a journeyman and part of a dying breed of one trick ponies who know nothing other than how to fight. You can take this news any which way you like. A protector for Sidney Crosby / Evgeni Malkin / Phil Kessel, or Daniel Carcillo redux. As you recall, Pittsburgh signed Carcillo to a similar professional tryout agreement last year before releasing him. Carcillo later signed on with the Chicago Blackhawks, the team that won the Stanley Cup last year. What I don’t see is Sestito a replacement for the currently unsigned Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond here in Wilkes-Barre. Sestito I don’t think is willing to settle for the AHL, as evidenced last season when his prior team, Vancouver, tried to send him to their AHL affiliate Utica. He refused and Vancouver sent him home. I think Sestito comes in with the intention of making the Pittsburgh roster and if not, he packs his bags and heads in another direction.

Pittsburgh also announced Tuesday the roster for the rookie tournament. Notable names like Derrick Pouliot, Bryan Rust, J-S Dea, Connor Sheary and Anton Zlobin are among the participants who will face off against the Canadiens, Maple Leafs and Senators prospects in London, Ontario in September.

In other minor league hockey news, the Greenville Road Warriors are no more in the ECHL. Instead, they reincarnated as the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. No, I am not joking. Link to the official news from the ECHL here. Yes, the logo includes an angry rabbit holding a carrot that is also being used as a hockey stick. The Wheeling Nailers will face off against the Swamp Rabbits just once this upcoming season, February 26 in Wheeling.

Check back tomorrow for full dissection on the Penguins schedule Thursday afternoon. Hockey season will be here before you know it.

Not AHL, Pittsburgh, The AHL

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