How concerned are you with the overall level of play in the league? It looks to me like it could drop considerably which could be quite noticeable after the improvement over the past five years. What do you think?
How concerned are you with the overall level of play in the league? It looks to me like it could drop considerably which could be quite noticeable after the improvement over the past five years. What do you think?
Comments
I'm not concerned. I think we will still have some good players and with any luck there will be more youth brought in with some fire and the ability to improve their skills. TO be honest, out of the veterans we had this past season, I saw a lot of decline in the level of their play, so I think new blood breeds a better and more excieting atmosphere.
Maybe in return to the lack of experience, the UHL refs could ease up on breaking up fights? That way there is still excitement even if the quality in play would go down. Honestly though, I think we should see how the new guys in the U do before we draw any conclusions that talent will go down.
Blake I think the opposite. I think you will see a younger, faster and more aggressive game this season. What the young guys lack in experience they will make up with hustle.
I hadn't really thought about it too much, but I can see both sides of it.
I agree with Greg regarding the overall quality of the veterans this past season. I'm not sure if this applies to the UHL or not, but I remember the IHL becoming too dependent on veterans whose better days had passed and were playing more for a paycheck than a body check.
I think some turnover every year is good because otherwise, the product can become stagnant. I think in some ways, that's what ultimately happened in Fort Wayne last year.
You had a coach that had been here (while successful) awhile and may have become complacent (I'm speculating). If that's the case, maybe the caliber of players he brings in isn't as good.
At the same time, there were players who had been here for awhile and maybe became complacent in their roles. With some of the trades and fan favorites that were moved, that shouldn't have been the case, but it's another possibility.
Ultimately, I think it was a little bit of both. Hopefully, with a new coach and some new faces, the Komets can get back to the top of the UHL ladder.
Bottom line -- Win at home, make the playoffs, win the cup, kill Rockford and that whiny baby martinson. Throw in a few head banging fights, maybe have the coach throw all the sticks on the ice when the ref's screw up.
i'll be happy then.
level of play, i guess my defination is above. i don't understand the technical aspects of the game and really wouldn't notice a mistake or poor ability, i am just there for the entertainment(and pounding of that whiny baby martinson).
Very surprised Blake that you don't have the Komets 2 newest signings up...
KJ Voorhees and Drew O'Connell..
i have some info on O'Connell..
I know someone who had ties with the Erie Otters..
here is what he had to say about him:
"Drew comes from a family of rich, RICH folks from New York...he was never drafted by the Otters but had some connections (family knew the GM) and he played half a season for the Otters. The kid came in with a huge chip on his shoulder, came in late to training camp, yet made the team for political reasons. He was never accepted in the locker room. Now...on the ice, he's got some speed to him, but so did Konstantin Koltsov, Rico Fata, Alex Daigle, you get the idea. No hands, terrible hockey sense, no positioning, he does NOT HIT AT ALL. Very soft player, he whines and cries to referees and his time in Erie ended when he got into a fight in practice...with his linemate."
Maybe I missed this earlier ...
Can anyone enlighten me regarding Berry and MacMillan?
Have they already signed elsewhere or are they still on the Komets' radar screen?
O'Connell sounds like a top-notch guy!
Mark, this connection of yours, he must have something against the Pens picking these guys up at one time because each of them played for the Penguins at one time or another. This sounds like something that came from the ITB, no offense Mark.
Maybe Tony can weigh in on O'Connell and his OHL time.
90 percent sure both O'Connell and Berry signed somewhere else, and I can guarantee you Greg Puhalski never became complacent. THe day he does is the day he dies.
Still working on some other stuff.
I think Blake meant MacMillan and if I recall, MacMillan signed in the ECHL. I'm not sure on the Berry charcter you're talking about?
The tagline should be "Elite Professional Euro Hockey."
Greg,
I can assure you that this DID NOT come from ITB, this is a convo I had with him via AIM just a few minutes before I posted it. This guy doesn't even know what ITB is...
Sounds like a real jerk, this O'Connell. Is it just me...or are the Komets just grasping for straws when they sign and bring in players? When are they going to bring in some players we can get excited about? I know I am still waiting...anybody else?
I'm excited by the people who they are talking to..and the Komets landed an AHL caliber dman..does this O'Connell excite me..not really, but he's only a rookie, I'll give him the benefit of doubt. All what I said happened 4 years ago, and with him out of hockey last season, maybe he figured out that maybe he needs to lose the attitude, and he isn't the best hockey player around..who knows..im fired up for some hockey..
Talk is cheap...sign someone who can play and can play tough. Maybe sign someone who is taller than me for craps sakes. Is this the 5-10 and under league now or what?
I actually don't know much about O'Connell. He wasn't in the league very long. I would say though he is a young kid and sometimes kids grow up. If a guy does what Mark says when he is in his late 20's or older then there isn't much hope for him. This is a young kid who probably hasn't been out in the "real world" before. The chip on his shoulder can be a good thing if he uses it the right way. I am willing to give a 20 or so year old kid a chance. If he mouths off or turns into a bad seed you get rid of him. Or maybe Fort Wayne is where he grows up and becomes a man.
im just afraid if we keep losing veterns in this league, that attendance will go down and and we will slip down another level on the rung. its nice to have a base of guys to cheer for and to cheer against. indy has gone to an all rookie type league and im interested on how they are doing.
chuckitt -- Indy's league is a Junior league. If you're not happy with the UHL, you ain't gonna like that.
One secret to a successful franchise is a core of continuity. Vets are the core that fills arenas.
And I'll take the vets at playoff time everytime.
Wahoo that is true at the highest levels of professional sports. There is no such thing as continuity at the minor league level, especially AA hockey where you have a limited number of vet spaces and now a hard salary cap to boot.
I wish some of the vets that have come and gone on the Leafs in the last 10 years would have shown up during the playoffs :-(