Chirps from Center Ice

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

Bad Photoshops

Comments Off on Bad Photoshops Posted by on July 4, 2013

Another one bites the dust.

I woke up to the news this July 4 that HV71, of the Swedish Hockey League, has signed away WBS winger Riley Holzapfel. HV71 already has a photo of Holzapfel in their uniform although I’m not sold on it being a photoshop.

Suffice to say, it is going to be a completely different WBS team in the Fall.

Elsewhere, you can check out the annual AHL Free Agent Big Board, a massive undertaking that Jonathan Bombulie creates. This year, he was assisted by Michael Cignoli of The Saratogian who covers the Adirondack Phantoms. You can check out the Big Board here. It will be updated regularly.

Speaking of updating, my 2013 Offseason Moves List has been updated to reflect the Holzapfel transaction.

Happy Fourth of July. Big day tomorrow with the start of Free Agency. Check out the blog tomorrow. I’ll be live blogging all day.

WBS

Captains Set Sail

1 Comment Posted by on July 3, 2013

The Syracuse Crunch have signed away Wilkes-Barre / Scranton defenseman and Captain Joey Mormina, it was announced today.

It was a two year, AHL contract.

The search for a captain will be on again in the Fall.

The thing about Joey Mormina is that you hate to play against him and love to have him on your team. Ask anyone in Norfolk, Hershey, Binghamton, Wilkes-Barre (when Mormina was with Adirondack) or any other AHL team.

Mormina is a huge character fellow, as well. He was Wilkes-Barre’s Man of the Year nominee.

There is another captain off to new territory, as Hershey’s Boyd Kane will join Mark French in the KHL next season. You can read a fantastic sendoff by Bears voice Scott Stuccio here.

Back of the envelope, Binghamton re-signed G Nathan Lawson.

The 2013 Offseason Moves List has been updated appropriately.

More, lots more, Friday which is the start of Free Agency.

The AHL, WBS

Are You Qualified?

Comments Off on Are You Qualified? Posted by on July 2, 2013

According to this report, here’s who received qualifying offers from Pittsburgh today:

The only name not on the list was Keven Veilleux. The oft injured Veilleux didn’t do himself any favors using a slur in an ECHL stint and wasn’t even on the “black ace” squad this Spring. The writing has been on the wall for him for quite some time.

I’d be shocked if any of those qualified didn’t sign for next season.

There’s other stuff to touch on also.

The Maine Hockey Journal has a piece on Pittsburgh Penguins sixth round pick Blaine Byron, who will attend the University of Maine this Fall.

Draft guru Jesse Marshall broke down Pens second round pick G Tristan Jarry.

The Capitals qualified a bunch of guys today too. Among them was Penguin killer Tomas Kundratek, who wasted no time in re-signing today.

Ex-Penguins Tim Wallace and Brandon DeFazio are free agents again, as neither were qualified by their clubs.

There probably won’t be a Thursday update, unless one of those above qualified re-sign with Pittsburgh or some other move of significance is made. That said, you will want to check out the blog this Friday, the start of free agency.

I’m planning a “live blog” of sorts, with an assist to Twitter, as I will have a list of all the AHL East Division teams, their NHL parents, the beat writers that cover those AHL teams, plus any team employees that regularly offer commentary on said team as well as yours truly. If a move happens and a team tweets it, if you are following here on the blog you will see it in real time. At some point I will tweet out the link to the list so even if you are away from your computer and still want to follow along on Twitter, you can. I got you covered.

Business is about to pick up.

Pittsburgh, The AHL, WBS

2013 NHL Draft Recap

Comments Off on 2013 NHL Draft Recap Posted by on June 30, 2013

Because of the NHL Lockout, this years NHL Draft was a one day affair. Here’s a look at the haul Pittsburgh got for the future…

First, the news started early as the Penguins traded away Tyler Kennedy to the San Jose Sharks for the 50th pick in the draft in the second round.

But then the Pens traded that pick, as well as their third round pick (89th) to Columbus to pick 44th.

They selected goaltender Tristan Jarry from the Edmonton Oil Kings from the Western Hockey League.

Some notes on the kid from those in the know…

https://twitter.com/IanAltenbaugh/status/351473051671605248

Jarry is ranked third among North American goalies by Central Scouting and went 18-7-0 with six shutouts, a 1.61 GAA and a .936 SV% with Edmonton last year. Here’s a scouting report from the ever solid The Goalie Guild.

Then in the third round, the Penguins selected Jake Guentzel at #77. He will head to Nebraska-Omaha in the Fall. Here’s a few blurbs:

The remaining picks by Pittsburgh were all kids heading to college in the fall.

In the fourth round they selected defenseman Ryan Segalla, a high schooler destined for University of Connecticut in the Fall. Segalla was born in 1994, or my freshman year of high school.

Penguins had no pick in Round 5, but had two in Round 6. They drafted defenseman Dane Birks. The seventeen year old is committed to play at Michigan Tech next year.

The second pick that in the sixth the Penguins drafted was center Blaine Byron, who is committed to the University of Maine.

The final pick for the Penguins in the seventh round was center Troy Josephs, who is heading to Clarkson University in the Fall.

I am not going to pretend like I know anything about these kids that were drafted other than the links I provide you to those that do. They are all too young to play for Wilkes-Barre or make any immediate impact for Coal Street for years. So with this draft class, we just wait and see.

Pittsburgh, WBS

Trading Places

Comments Off on Trading Places Posted by on June 28, 2013

Even in the offseason, Hershey gets us again.

News broke this morning that Chad Kolarik is off to Sweden, with Linköping of the Swedish Hockey League.

From the news release, with an assist to Google Translate, Kolarik replaces Jeff Taffe, who originally had planned on playing there and signed with the team, changed his mind and returned to Hershey.

Bright side: At least Kolarik doesn’t sign with another AHL East Division team.
Dark side: 31-37-68 is a huge offensive hole the brain trust on Coal Street must fill.

The 2013 Offseason Moves chart has been updated appropriately.

WBS

Not Hibernating

Comments Off on Not Hibernating Posted by on June 27, 2013

(In case you missed it from this morning: Philippe Dupuis has himself a new home)

—

Welcome to the offseason Thursday blog update. Our neighbors to the south have been very active these past couple of weeks. They have:

1) A new coach in Mike Haviland. But you knew about this last week.

2) Jeff Taffe returning. You knew about this a few weeks ago too.

3) Joel Rechlicz will be back next year as well. Let’s hope we see more of this with he and Steve MacIntyre next season.

4) Dane Byers will also return. Byers was a trade deadline acquisition from Oklahoma City last season. He will be joined by Kelly Cup Champion T.J. Syner as well.

5) Not returning is Dany Sabourin. The veteran Bears goaltender is eyeing Finland as his next destination. Since The Great Sabou is so beloved in the Wyoming Valley, something worth keeping an eye on, as well as who the Bears will select to backup Philipp Grubauer next season.

6) Also not returning for the Bears will be assistant coach Troy Mann, who took a coaching job with the ECHL’s Bakersfield Condors.

Elsewhere….

The Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena will look different from the inside in the Fall.

Wilkes-Barre has been pretty quiet. Other than the Alex Grant news earlier this week and the six guaranteed dates that were announced last week. That’s all that has come out of Coal Street in the past week. On the six dates, we are probably opening on the road with the home opener on October 12 and are definitely playing on my birthday in December.

Here are the season ending SendToNews Highlights of the Year.

The NHL Draft is this Sunday. I am no expert in this venue. I’ll probably drop a blurb Sunday night or Monday on the haul that Pittsburgh got. I’ll continue to keep my eye on the Europe wire for anyone who bolts overseas and keep my eyes peeled for any big East Division trades or news.

Free agency opens July 5. Planning something big for coverage that day. Just haven’t ironed out the details yet. Stay tuned.

The AHL, WBS

Frozen Hamburgers

Comments Off on Frozen Hamburgers Posted by on June 27, 2013

The third name off the board of the 2013 Offseason Moves List and second to hop overseas is Philippe Dupuis.

The Hamburg Freezers of the DEL is his destination.

Dupuis was injured sometime in January and wasn’t seen again on the ice in Wilkes-Barre again.

Ex-WBS goaltender John Curry is the name that you relate with the name Hamburg Freezers. He played for the Freezers a few seasons ago.

Anyway, my standard Thursday blog update is coming at noon. Keep your eyes peeled for that later.

WBS

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