ECHL Hockey in St. John's, NL 2018-19 ?

[JMCx4]

it's why the ECHL always touts how many players/coaches/officials/ executives and there was at minimum 600, over the history now being 31 years, which not many leagues can either track or highlight, and that's impressive, but why they track or highlight that is a question not even the most veteran fans, independent of league can just easily explain is just astounding.... I wish the AHL would track that historical aspect for these newcomers, even if they are from previous markets in other leagues and et all....

I think you need to go back to your ALL CAPS responses, HUTCH. Those were easier to follow.

 

[royals119]

You are right, that would be a philosophy change. Given how slowly those things change, and how often the same people are recycled as coaches and GM's, it will probably take a while to see more teams adapt that kind of change. Plus teams probably feel they are already signing all the guys with that type of potential, and adding more "low end" talent on AHL contracts isn't going to increase their success rate. Whether that is true or not is hard to say. (sort of like extending the draft to more rounds. You might get another decent prospect here and there, but more misses than hits) Probably sort of a self-fulfilling thing to some degree. If a guy is signed as a "depth" player with no expectations, and only plays in the ECHL, even if he puts up big numbers they are still not going to give him much of an opportunity in the AHL, unless they have a bunch of injuries.

Just out of curiosity, how many of those 25 were goalies? Because there are so few jobs, an injury or two can quickly lead to teams signing AHL contracted goalies to NHL deals just to have enough healthy bodies in the system.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

I think you need to go back to your ALL CAPS responses, HUTCH. Those were easier to follow.

POURQUOI, JMC, would you like it if we picked apart every single post of yours, because some of the regurgitated posts fans can get by emails alone instead of having it posted here in addition to that, including past results, of games etc.... by the time we all see it, it's old news

 

[JMCx4]

POURQUOI, JMC, would you like it if we picked apart every single post of yours, because some of the regurgitated posts fans can get by emails alone instead of having it posted here in addition to that, including past results, of games etc.... by the time we all see it, it's old news

Pick, don't pick, I don't care. But many of us look to HF Boards as our one-stop hockey shop. You should feel flattered that you're a part of why we keep coming back.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

what does any of that have to do with Newfoundland, JMC,

BTW, A NEW op;inion column on the structure patterns between how or the subtle differences between the AHL/ECHL structure, from Brendan McCarthy is up on the Telegram site....

basic gist, is pretty much what every fan knows and has been discussed here and related threads:

the major difference will be Deacon and the Edge owning the franchise, whether or not the Leafs stay..... talks a bit as well about the relationship between Orlando and the two Toronto teams, how the Growlers identify who/what they want.... Edge ownership in deference to what Deacon has stated to date has not been determined, but the owners will have more control now than in the Leafs/Jets/Canadiens era

 

[Growler]

You are right, that would be a philosophy change. Given how slowly those things change, and how often the same people are recycled as coaches and GM's, it will probably take a while to see more teams adapt that kind of change. Plus teams probably feel they are already signing all the guys with that type of potential, and adding more "low end" talent on AHL contracts isn't going to increase their success rate. Whether that is true or not is hard to say. (sort of like extending the draft to more rounds. You might get another decent prospect here and there, but more misses than hits) Probably sort of a self-fulfilling thing to some degree. If a guy is signed as a "depth" player with no expectations, and only plays in the ECHL, even if he puts up big numbers they are still not going to give him much of an opportunity in the AHL, unless they have a bunch of injuries.

Just out of curiosity, how many of those 25 were goalies? Because there are so few jobs, an injury or two can quickly lead to teams signing AHL contracted goalies to NHL deals just to have enough healthy bodies in the system.

I counted only 2 of the players were goalies - Casey DeSmith (Pitt) and Landon Bow (Dal). Also I missed a few players so it was actually 27, not 25. I think that number will increase this week as rights expire and in August when rosters round out further. Those 27 players have already played in more than 100 NHL games!

The way I view the AHL contracted ECHL player is:
1. An opportunity to correct drafting mistakes by finding and developing late bloomer talent to offer an ELC instead of being stuck to committing a previously drafted player whose rights are about to expire i.e. raising the tide in your 50 signees
2. Develop a franchise culture from AA to the Big Club. This includes creating a winning culture by "stocking" an ECHL team each year.
3. Demonstrate a commitment to a player by investing in their development instead of leaving them out in the UFA meat market. This includes a higher salary.
4. Put that player under the care of your hand-picked staff, including access to resources, with the intent of developing them more effectively.

If an NHL team is going to invest millions of dollars into scouts and travel in preparation for the draft every year, to me it is nonsensical that they do not follow-through on that investment and apply it, and more towards their ECHL affiliate relationship. Some teams are doing this well today. Some teams barely at all.

 

[royals119]

I counted only 2 of the players were goalies - Casey DeSmith (Pitt) and Landon Bow (Dal). Also I missed a few players so it was actually 27, not 25. I think that number will increase this week as rights expire and in August when rosters round out further. Those 27 players have already played in more than 100 NHL games!

The way I view the AHL contracted ECHL player is:
1. An opportunity to correct drafting mistakes by finding and developing late bloomer talent to offer an ELC instead of being stuck to committing a previously drafted player whose rights are about to expire i.e. raising the tide in your 50 signees
2. Develop a franchise culture from AA to the Big Club. This includes creating a winning culture by "stocking" an ECHL team each year.
3. Demonstrate a commitment to a player by investing in their development instead of leaving them out in the UFA meat market. This includes a higher salary.
4. Put that player under the care of your hand-picked staff, including access to resources, with the intent of developing them more effectively.

If an NHL team is going to invest millions of dollars into scouts and travel in preparation for the draft every year, to me it is nonsensical that they do not follow-through on that investment and apply it, and more towards their ECHL affiliate relationship. Some teams are doing this well today. Some teams barely at all.

I agree with all your points, and I think things are moving more in that direction. There are teams, including the Flyers, who have a history of not developing their own players. They tended to trade draft choices for other teams' players, or sign free agents. With Ron Hextall taking over as GM he has been trading players for draft picks and rebuilding the pipeline of prospects. That hasn't really trickled down to the ECHL yet though. They do sign players to AHL deals, but mainly just as players to fill out the AHL roster, and as extras to send to Reading as injury replacements for the AHL team when needed. They have been doing a lot more of that than they did in the past. Used to be all the Flyers did was take ECHL contracted players, so it is a big improvement.

The Flyers did sign goalie John Muse to an NHL contract this spring, after starting him on an AHL deal, but only after they had three of their NHL contracted goaltenders suffer injuries. It was only for the remainder of the season, so the contract was very short lived, and probably just to protect him from being grabbed by another NHL team since he played very well. He didn't play in the NHL since the Flyers traded for Mrazek instead. That has been the extent of their signing AHL players to NHL contracts over the last three years.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Team website for those newcomers:

http://www.nlgrowlers.com


team has now set up an e-newsletter to assist in easier communication between fans, opponents and the franchise

 

[Neill99]

Any updates from the Newfoundland Growlers in terms of Toronto Maple Leafs affiliation,merchandise,jerseys.

 

[Growlers]

No official word on affiliation. At this point, it seems they are waiting for the Mairles to finish their season. They could win the Calder cup tomorrow vs Texas.

In regards to merch. They posted on their twitter page last week it will be available this week

 

[ckg927]

No official word on affiliation. At this point, it seems they are waiting for the Mairles to finish their season. They could win the Calder cup tomorrow vs Texas.

In regards to merch. They posted on their twitter page last week it will be available this week

I'm anxious to see what their jerseys will look like.

The same goes for the Maine Mariners.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

I'm anxious to see what their jerseys will look like.

The same goes for the Maine Mariners.

you may want to go to the Portland thread for that, ckg, since that thread will be open but they are selling hats here in Portland

 

[ckg927]

you may want to go to the Portland thread for that, ckg, since that thread will be open but they are selling hats here in Portland

Noted. The Mariners' store STILL doesn't have jerseys.

 

[Growlers]

Newfoundland Growlers’ affiliation with Maple Leafs will be announced this week


The Newfoundland Growlers will check off one more item on their lengthy to-do list sometime later this week when the new ECHL team formally announces its affiliation with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
For some, this will have them harkening back to the 14 seasons of the American Hockey League’s St. John’s Maple Leafs, but the relationship between the Growlers and Toronto will not be the same as that which existed between the AHL Leafs and Toronto.
And it goes beyond the fact the St. John’s Leafs franchise was directly owned by Toronto as opposed to this ECHL expansion franchise, which is locally owned by Deacon Sports and Entertainment (Dean MacDonald and Glenn Stanford).

While AHL-NHL affiliations are fairly straightforward, those with ECHL teams are quite a bit more tangled, no matter the ownership situation.
For one thing, while the agreement will be between the Maple Leafs and Growlers, the ECHL team’s relationship — at least in terms of player exchange — will mostly be with Toronto’s AHL farm team, the Marlies. You may see a couple or few players on NHL entry-level deals, but most of the Leafs-associated players on the Growlers will be signed to AHL contracts with the Marlies, and when there are any call-ups from Newfoundland, they will almost always be AHL-bound.

ECHL affiliations are also often described as being much looser than those at the AHL level, where the roster-building is almost entirely done by the NHL parent club. In the ECHL, however, teams are responsible for the recruitment and the remuneration of a significant number of the players.
But there are different levels of looseness. The Montreal Canadiens, for example, has been affiliated with the Brampton Beast for the last number of years but supplied only a handful of contracted players to the Beast. By comparison, Toronto’s official player commitment to the Growlers is expected to be in double figures — 10 to 12 players — and look for the Maple Leafs to be at least somewhat involved in the identification of other players on the Newfoundland roster.

Coupled with the Maple Leafs being responsible for the Growlers’ coaching staff (the head coaching search has apparently been narrowed down to a few candidates, by the way) and training staff, and you will have what might be the most substantial involvement by any NHL organization at the ECHL level.

Getting back to the Maple Leafs’ player commitment: it will also be financially beneficial as the Growlers look to sign their own free agents.
That’s because, unlike the AHL, there is a salary cap in the ECHL. Last season, that cap was US$12,800 per week — for the entire 20-man roster. That’s an average of $640 per week, per player. So even accounting for the fact the Growlers will be responsible for paying for players’ furnished accommodations, it’s pretty obvious nobody is getting rich playing in the ECHL.
But when the Leafs/Marlies assign a player to Toronto, he will be paid on the basis of his NHL or AHL contract.

For example, the Maple Leafs sent goalie Kasimir Kaskisuo to what will soon be their former ECHL affiliate, the Orlando Solar Bears, for a couple of games last season. While in Orlando, Kaskisuo was paid under the AHL portion of his entry-level deal, which called for $70,000 annually — or about $2,700 per week, based on a six-month hockey season. However, under ECHL rules that apply to assigned affiliated players, the salary-cap charge to the Solar Bears was only $525 per week.

And so it will be with the dozen or so players Toronto will send to the Growlers. They’ll all be paid much more than the ECHL average, but the cap charge for each will be just $525 per week. That will allow the Growlers to offer more than the league median salary to the players they’ll need to fill out the roster.
And all this means one more thing: when it comes to roster management, the members of Growlers’ accounting department will be just as important as those involved with hockey operations.

[email protected]
Twitter: @telybrendan

Source: Newfoundland Growlers’ affiliation with Maple Leafs will be announced this week | The Telegram

 

[BigBadBread]

Hats and shirts out now (possibly) or in the next week at least . Jerseys will be out in July. Source: Growlers Twitter

 

[Growlers]

For merchandise. They have hats, T-shirts, Polo shirts, hoodies, mini sticks, and pucks so far.

 

[JMCx4]

Noted. The Mariners' store STILL doesn't have jerseys.

Jerseys require the most investment by the seller & have the longest lead times. See BigBadBread's post, and everyone should practice patience.

 

[Growlers]

Toronto’s new ECHL affiliate is officially the Newfoundland Growlers


The Newfoundland Growlers, proud members of the ECHL, are excited to announce the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League and Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League as their NHL and AHL affiliates.

...

Source: Newfoundland Growlers Announce Affiliation with Toronto Maple Leafs & Toronto Marlies – Newfoundland Herald

 

[Neill99]

Who might we see playing for Newfoundland Growlers?.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Who might we see playing for Newfoundland Growlers?.

they just told you in the above post.....

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Next step for the Growlers: hiring a coach who fits a developmental edge and will fit in with the Leafs and Marlies.... Berehowsky likely will be retained by Orlando... based off the latest update from the Telegram....

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

Newfoundland/Toronto have hired former Sharks/Rangers/Devils player Ryane Clowe as the franchise's inaugural head coach.... Clowe was forced to retire due to multiple concussions after the 2014/15 SEASON.... he has been an assistant under John Hynes with the NJ Devils since retirement....

basic synopsis a 4 year QMJHL career with Rimouski AND Montreal (the old St. John's Fog Devils, now the Blainville Boisbriand Armada) AND has played in St. John's as a Maple Leaf, either as a visitor..... he also has connections with current Islanders VP of Hockey Ops Lou Lamairello...

 

[LadyStanley]

Ryane Clowe set to become Newfoundland Growlers coach, sources tell The Telegram | The Telegram

Article on Clowe coaching gig

 

[Woo Hockey]

Ryane Clowe set to become Newfoundland Growlers coach, sources tell The Telegram | The Telegram

Article on Clowe coaching gig

...and now its official.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

did anyone catch the team release of the above announcement......

insert the jokes here..... Newfoundland GROWERS, even missing the 'L', even one letter without the wordmark.....