I wonder what those percentages would look like if you only took the transactions for the teams in the CHL who have official affiliations with NHL or AHL teams... The CHL has made good strides in becoming a developmental or feeder league for the NHL and AHL; but they are not like the ECHL yet where all or most have affiliations...
HuckPead
Fri, 02/18/2011 - 5:50pm
Time will tell Kometswin. Had you asked me the same question weeks ago about Narauto my answer would be different than it is today. Same goes for Lardner before Chaulk came on board. I think with Francis' speed, had he played with Chaulk and Lardner he'd have had alot more points than he did when he left. Musselwhite too would have benefitted with those two as linemates. Then someone else would be on the fringe and one could make the same argument for that player. An epiphany!!! This is a futile discussion isn't it? And with that, I gracefully take my exit.
Wendy
Fri, 02/18/2011 - 9:40pm
BLB, having seen what it's like to be a true affiliate of an AHL and NHL team -- the players getting sent up and down every other day -- I'd say no, the Komets are not a part of that "official" system. What we have would seem to be a step above the lose association we had with the Norfolk Admirals, but Springfield and Columbus are still keeping us at arm's length. Springfield has been dealing with other teams and signing outsiders when they need someone. If the K's players were considered to be in their pipeline, and they were serious about trying to develop them, they'd look to the Komets first when they have an opening.
Wendy
Fri, 02/18/2011 - 9:41pm
... loose association... :S
BlueLineBaby
Sat, 02/19/2011 - 4:27pm
I see what you mean.....I did not realuize they had been signing outsiders. That makes a difference, especially if other teams don't do it that way. Well, then. That sort of says it all, doesn't it? :O Thanks for the answer!
JR1
Sat, 02/19/2011 - 4:42pm
All AHL teams have the opportunity to sign a few players "outside" thier primary affiliation... Some do, some dont...
Springfield has signed proven AHL'ers to help the team out. Thier attendance hasnt been the best at times and I know thier hardcore fans are begging people to come out to games to keep the Blue Jackets from picking up and heading out of town after this season. This is the last year of thier current agreement with Columbus, I believe. Its easier to entice new fans with "known" names than career AA players or young guys they've never heard of...
Wendy
Sun, 02/20/2011 - 7:39am
I'm not saying they shouldn't bring in anyone else. Obviously teams do that at least occasionally. But the K's haven't had a single call-up thus far beyond players that were sent here by Columbus and Springfield, and you can't tell me that at least one or two of our guys wouldn't have deserved one. As for wanting to sign known names, I wasn't attempting to divine the reason for the lack of call-ups, just point out that they haven't happened. So basically they're saying, "Um... Thanks, but no thanks. We need to bring in proven guys." That doesn't make it sound like they think much of the Komets no matter how you slice it. A true affiliation is supposed to go two ways. They are supposed to have a vested intrest in developing our players (our best young guys, that is) because they are Springfield's players of tomorrow. Doesn't seem like they think of our guys that way.
JR1
Sun, 02/20/2011 - 8:12am
We knew from the beginning that we were only going to see 1-3 players potentially from this affiliation and I'm sure thats what the Frankes wanted... If the K's were getting half thier team sent to them from the Blue Jackets/Falcons, then yes there would have been more call-ups and maybe even a cup of coffee or two for the non-affiliated players on the K's team. If the Komets had 8-10 contracted players of the Blue Jackets we would see more scouting at the games of these players and its bound to happen that one or two of the non contracted players would catch the scouts eye.
This is what it is... A 1 year agreement with Columbus to feel things out. Nothing more. Plus, how many of the Komets deserved a look from the AHL up until about a month or so ago??? None, IMO. Besides, our best players right now arent what you would call AHL material... Chaulk, Lardner, Drouin, Patrosso, DeAngelis??? Too old, too small or too dependent on line mates... Our young guys were undrafted for a reason...
What should the Komets do if they need players? Go after guys who are proven at the AA level of hockey or take chances on guys in the SPHL (or another A league)??? Players are at the level of hockey there are at normally for a reason... Size, speed, heart, holes in their game, attitude, past thier prime, etc... And current Komet players are no exception...
brian
Sun, 02/20/2011 - 11:45am
In regards to ratchuk not many defensemen under 6' in the NHL.
Alan
Sun, 02/20/2011 - 11:58am
I wouldn't be surprised, that when push comes to shove, and the Springfield contract is up, that the Franke's have alligned themselves and the Komets to be the AHL affiliate of the BlueJackets next year.
Jusy sayin' it makes some sense when you consider the state minor league hockey finds itself in, the attendance of Springfield, and the distance from Columbus to Springfield as opposed to the distance between Columbus and Fort Wayne.
I don't have any "inside" information but it wouldn't surprise me if there were some serious talks that will go on to explore the possibility.
mightbite
Sun, 02/20/2011 - 12:04pm
Alan, that would make me happy :)
AHL-AHL-AHL :)
JR1
Sun, 02/20/2011 - 12:30pm
Here comes Blakes hockey economics speech......
Alan, makes too much sense so it wont happen besides, the K's wouldnt be able to bring all the other IHL teams with them... Remember all those iron clad, tight knit, close relationships with all those new IHL owners....
:)
Wendy
Sun, 02/20/2011 - 9:51pm
I'd say that too if I hadn't heard so many people who know a lot more about these things than I do say that the AHL is never going to happen here -- not under the current ownership and the way things are arranged with the coliseum, etc. I've learned enough to know that such a transition is a lot less likely than it might seem.
As for affiliations, I never liked them anyway, so I'm not complaining. I'm just saying as affiliations go, the Komets arrangement with Springfield and Columbus is nothing like what teams in the ECHL have. But I don't think that's something the Frankes would have wanted. Teams with full-fledged affiliations become a slave to the system. They lose their own idenity.
Alan
Mon, 02/21/2011 - 10:53am
Wendy, don't be surprised if the current ownership actually would welcome an affiliation. Just saying that lots of time parties are hesitant to make things known until a negotiating process has begun. I believe, but am not sure, that the Coliseum lease demands that a professional team uses the building. Other terms I am not sure of. However, that is what negotiating is all about. People say a lot of things. I'm not sure I believe them because things change and minor league hockey is in a very fluid state. I do believe that whatever is best for the Frankes is exactly what they will do and I think one of the reasons for this "affiliation" is to set themselves in a position to at least consider becoming the AHL franchise for the BlueJackets if everything could work out.
JR1. Yes, you are right. It does make too much sense and we know that, in the hockey world, anything that makes sense is doomed.
Mightbite. I know that it would make you happy.
Look, I'm just throwing this out there to you all. There is a lot of time to go before anything could take place. It may end up with very serious discussions or fall apart very quickly.
Don
Mon, 02/21/2011 - 6:11pm
About this traveling several hours overnight instead of a closer city, when you aren't traveling back home, the players prefer sleeping on the bus... No one likes someone waking them up at 3 or 4 am... While the club might be burning more fuel on the bus, that fuel is a whole lot cheaper than spending half of the night at a full nights fee in a motel room... Better to sleep on the bus avoiding the motel fee... During the winter hockey season most nights are more than 12 hours in length, with a good eight hours of darkness left after a game and shower...
Oh, there is much more to a schedule than driving distance...
Comments
Good research, HP...
I wonder what those percentages would look like if you only took the transactions for the teams in the CHL who have official affiliations with NHL or AHL teams... The CHL has made good strides in becoming a developmental or feeder league for the NHL and AHL; but they are not like the ECHL yet where all or most have affiliations...
Time will tell Kometswin. Had you asked me the same question weeks ago about Narauto my answer would be different than it is today. Same goes for Lardner before Chaulk came on board. I think with Francis' speed, had he played with Chaulk and Lardner he'd have had alot more points than he did when he left. Musselwhite too would have benefitted with those two as linemates. Then someone else would be on the fringe and one could make the same argument for that player. An epiphany!!! This is a futile discussion isn't it? And with that, I gracefully take my exit.
BLB, having seen what it's like to be a true affiliate of an AHL and NHL team -- the players getting sent up and down every other day -- I'd say no, the Komets are not a part of that "official" system. What we have would seem to be a step above the lose association we had with the Norfolk Admirals, but Springfield and Columbus are still keeping us at arm's length. Springfield has been dealing with other teams and signing outsiders when they need someone. If the K's players were considered to be in their pipeline, and they were serious about trying to develop them, they'd look to the Komets first when they have an opening.
... loose association... :S
I see what you mean.....I did not realuize they had been signing outsiders. That makes a difference, especially if other teams don't do it that way. Well, then. That sort of says it all, doesn't it? :O Thanks for the answer!
All AHL teams have the opportunity to sign a few players "outside" thier primary affiliation... Some do, some dont...
Springfield has signed proven AHL'ers to help the team out. Thier attendance hasnt been the best at times and I know thier hardcore fans are begging people to come out to games to keep the Blue Jackets from picking up and heading out of town after this season. This is the last year of thier current agreement with Columbus, I believe. Its easier to entice new fans with "known" names than career AA players or young guys they've never heard of...
I'm not saying they shouldn't bring in anyone else. Obviously teams do that at least occasionally. But the K's haven't had a single call-up thus far beyond players that were sent here by Columbus and Springfield, and you can't tell me that at least one or two of our guys wouldn't have deserved one. As for wanting to sign known names, I wasn't attempting to divine the reason for the lack of call-ups, just point out that they haven't happened. So basically they're saying, "Um... Thanks, but no thanks. We need to bring in proven guys." That doesn't make it sound like they think much of the Komets no matter how you slice it. A true affiliation is supposed to go two ways. They are supposed to have a vested intrest in developing our players (our best young guys, that is) because they are Springfield's players of tomorrow. Doesn't seem like they think of our guys that way.
We knew from the beginning that we were only going to see 1-3 players potentially from this affiliation and I'm sure thats what the Frankes wanted... If the K's were getting half thier team sent to them from the Blue Jackets/Falcons, then yes there would have been more call-ups and maybe even a cup of coffee or two for the non-affiliated players on the K's team. If the Komets had 8-10 contracted players of the Blue Jackets we would see more scouting at the games of these players and its bound to happen that one or two of the non contracted players would catch the scouts eye.
This is what it is... A 1 year agreement with Columbus to feel things out. Nothing more. Plus, how many of the Komets deserved a look from the AHL up until about a month or so ago??? None, IMO. Besides, our best players right now arent what you would call AHL material... Chaulk, Lardner, Drouin, Patrosso, DeAngelis??? Too old, too small or too dependent on line mates... Our young guys were undrafted for a reason...
What should the Komets do if they need players? Go after guys who are proven at the AA level of hockey or take chances on guys in the SPHL (or another A league)??? Players are at the level of hockey there are at normally for a reason... Size, speed, heart, holes in their game, attitude, past thier prime, etc... And current Komet players are no exception...
In regards to ratchuk not many defensemen under 6' in the NHL.
I wouldn't be surprised, that when push comes to shove, and the Springfield contract is up, that the Franke's have alligned themselves and the Komets to be the AHL affiliate of the BlueJackets next year.
Jusy sayin' it makes some sense when you consider the state minor league hockey finds itself in, the attendance of Springfield, and the distance from Columbus to Springfield as opposed to the distance between Columbus and Fort Wayne.
I don't have any "inside" information but it wouldn't surprise me if there were some serious talks that will go on to explore the possibility.
Alan, that would make me happy :)
AHL-AHL-AHL :)
Here comes Blakes hockey economics speech......
Alan, makes too much sense so it wont happen besides, the K's wouldnt be able to bring all the other IHL teams with them... Remember all those iron clad, tight knit, close relationships with all those new IHL owners....
:)
I'd say that too if I hadn't heard so many people who know a lot more about these things than I do say that the AHL is never going to happen here -- not under the current ownership and the way things are arranged with the coliseum, etc. I've learned enough to know that such a transition is a lot less likely than it might seem.
As for affiliations, I never liked them anyway, so I'm not complaining. I'm just saying as affiliations go, the Komets arrangement with Springfield and Columbus is nothing like what teams in the ECHL have. But I don't think that's something the Frankes would have wanted. Teams with full-fledged affiliations become a slave to the system. They lose their own idenity.
Wendy, don't be surprised if the current ownership actually would welcome an affiliation. Just saying that lots of time parties are hesitant to make things known until a negotiating process has begun. I believe, but am not sure, that the Coliseum lease demands that a professional team uses the building. Other terms I am not sure of. However, that is what negotiating is all about. People say a lot of things. I'm not sure I believe them because things change and minor league hockey is in a very fluid state. I do believe that whatever is best for the Frankes is exactly what they will do and I think one of the reasons for this "affiliation" is to set themselves in a position to at least consider becoming the AHL franchise for the BlueJackets if everything could work out.
JR1. Yes, you are right. It does make too much sense and we know that, in the hockey world, anything that makes sense is doomed.
Mightbite. I know that it would make you happy.
Look, I'm just throwing this out there to you all. There is a lot of time to go before anything could take place. It may end up with very serious discussions or fall apart very quickly.
About this traveling several hours overnight instead of a closer city, when you aren't traveling back home, the players prefer sleeping on the bus... No one likes someone waking them up at 3 or 4 am... While the club might be burning more fuel on the bus, that fuel is a whole lot cheaper than spending half of the night at a full nights fee in a motel room... Better to sleep on the bus avoiding the motel fee... During the winter hockey season most nights are more than 12 hours in length, with a good eight hours of darkness left after a game and shower...
Oh, there is much more to a schedule than driving distance...