The Komets announced Wednesday that center Rick Varone has agreed to terms and will return to the Komets for 2009-10.
Varone, 26, was named to last year's IHL All-Rookie Team after completing the season with 23 goals and 32 assists to rank second in the league among rookies with 55 points in 75 games. Varone started his pro debut last season with IHL Rookie of the Week honors for the first week of action and collected the IHL's Rookie of the Month Award for October. The Woodridge, Ontario native was also named a co-winner of the Komets' Rookie of the Year Award with teammate Sean O'Connor. Varone appeared in all 11 playoff games posting two goals and eight points while helping the Komets to their second straight IHL Turner Cup Championship.
The Komets also announced Wednesday that rookies T.J. Schneider and Kelly Reynolds have agreed to terms and will be in the Komet camp when it begins Oct. 5th.
Schneider, 25, has completed four seasons with the Utica Pioneers in NCAA Division III. The center scored five goals and 15 points in 25 games last year.
Reynolds, 25, also finished four seasons of NCAA Division III play last year. The defenseman posted two assists and 30 penalty minutes last season in 29 games with St. Scholastica.
The Komets preseason roster grows to 26 players with 16 forwards, eight defensemen and two goaltenders.
Comments
Great news. Italy's loss is our gain. :) It was always a joy to see someone who obviously loved to play the game out on the ice.
Blake,
Any word on Legault? I like the Varone signing but still think we lack a legitimate heavyweight.
So, correct me if I'm wrong, but just because they have signed, they can still be cut during camp or in the preseason, right? I'm not thinking Varone will be, mind you, just noting the number 26, and knowing some of the other newbies will have to go...
You still have to play four rookies every game, BB.
Yeah, but can't our final roster only be 22? That's what I meant.
BB- you are correct! Some guys will not be here during camp after exb games or before the 1st game. That's life in the hockey world.
You know how it went last year, BLB. Heck, by the third exhibition game that we saw, a lot of people had already been cut or were sitting in the stands waiting to get cut. The difference is that this year, so many players are either returning from last year or returning from previous seasons. It makes me think there is bound to be some heartbreak for one or more of them come October. But speaking of rookies, did Mtich and Saidachev play enough last year to no longer count as a rookies? I was thinking that they still do, but I wasn't sure (and I'm too lazy to look it up myself at the moment). :D
I think Woods counts as a tweener.
Whole_n_one,
Legault says on his Facebook page that he isnt gonna be a Komet this year! He made some comment about needing to go somewhere he is wanted. Dont know?? I think we are pretty tough with the signings we have without him. Cant wait for October!!
My guess.....Dayton.
Woods and Saidachev are both tweeners.
Rodger is the only former Komet who's still under the 60 game qualifier.
Also Haun counts as a rookie....so with Rodger and Haun being locks in my book...you still need 2 more rookies to fill out the roster. My guess is one, maybe 2 more Rookie D-Men.....that would mean a guy like Bert had better be ready to go in camp or else. I know that won't be popular amongst lots of you, but Room has to be made somewhere when you sign back all the guys that we have this off-season. It ought to be interesing.
My guess is openings are for 2 rookies....a D-Man and a Forward....the rest of the roster is set.....and someone we all might like will be off the starting roster...that means either cut, or on the 22-man roster but inactive on the IR.
Haun's played 3230 minutes in between his time in the SPHL and the IHL. However, in 2006-07 he played for the White Cap Turnhout of the Belgian League in Europe, those game minutes count.
The Rookie qualifier for Goalies in the IHL is 3,600 minutes.
Oh, okay. Thanks for the info everyone. I couldn't remember exactly what the cutoff point was. I knew Saidachev still counted as one when he left, but I guess he's past that now even with breaking his leg. Too bad, but I know they'll work out the roster for the best.
Sorry to hear about Legault. I know things didn't work out here as well as he probably hoped, but I wish him well wherever he goes.
So... I wanted to say something about this new slogan/logo on the Komets website. Isn't "ChampionTrip" with the silhouette of three cups behind it tempting the hockey gods just a little bit? LOL.
Thanks for answering my questions, everyone....heck, Wendy, you know I can hardly remember yesterday sometimes, much less how things went last off-season. :) Plus, it's only my second off-season....am I a tweener or am I still considered a rookie? LOL!
And as far as the new Komet slogan....I get what they're trying to say, but putting the word "trip" in there may be a bad idea for a hockey team. Of course, that's coming from the perspective of a klutzy person. But I'm also thinking of Marc-Andre Fleury's less-than-graceful entrance to one of the playoff games this last season....didn't he trip and fall on his face on the way in to the ice? How embarrassing for him.
I don't recall that being the case this spring, BLB, but I could be mistaken. Fleury did trip and fall before the start of game 1 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals, though.
But back to the hockey gods... seriously... It would be as if the Komets had rolled out the "Back 2 Back" logo last summer. Not good. I mean, look what happened to Vancouver after a BC newspaper asked its online readership to submit proposals for a Stanley Cup victory parade route.
That was a year ago? My bad....time flies!