The Utica Comets Thread

[orcatown]

Van Jack you begin by saying - I'm not buying the fact that the Comets were physically abused by other teams and were injured as a result....besides, with the veteran rule in the AHL no team can afford to retain a veteran enforcer for 'protection'. Comets got beat by the Marlies in the playoffs, and I can't think of a single 'tough guy' on that team.



Not buying it????

Megna gets driven head first into the boards by Aaltonen and was out most of the season. No response from the Comets.

MacEwen gets elbowed to the head, which Canuck Army described as massive open ice hit, by Hershey's Colby Williams and is out with a concussion during the latter part of the season. Molino tried to response and was beaten up.

McEneny gets taken out very hard by Laval tough guy Deslauriers. (see video below). No response

Evan McEneny undergoes knee surgery – expected to be out 6 months

Archibald driven face first into the boards on a dirty check by Charlotte Checkers tough guy Guy Didier and needed facial surgery. No response

Chatfield gets hit from behind in the back twice in the first period and is out of the game. Comes back after a week or so and gets immediately nailed in the back and is out again. No response in either case.

Molino is deliberately kneed in the groin by Jamie McBain and is out couple of months. No response.

Could go on here but to say the Comets weren't abused and injured is mindless. This was especially true in the first half of the season when the line up was truly decimated. After they got Comrie and Arsenault the situation improved some but by that time, key players were our for the season, others out for extended periods and/or playing hurt the rest of the year. There is no way this was a safe environment for the younger players on the team.

Then you say that no AHL team can afford an enforcer. Just flat out ridiculous comment

Look at the Comets own division

Syracuse has Gallant (strictly a goon), Walcott (secondary good) and Cernak on defense. Pluasthey have toughness, like Erne and Dumont, throughout the line up. Tampa Bay makes damn sure their youngster like Peca are protected.

Belleville had former Bruins enforcer Tyler Randell (might have been the toughest guy in the League) and others like Blunden.

Rochester has, among others, goon Dalton Smith. Below you can see him wiping out Utica's only toughness at the beginning of the season in Brenden Woods. (and Woods was never the same the rest of the season)

Laval was loaded with toughness. Had McCarron, Gregiore,Deslauriers, and out and out goon David Broll. I mean the only toughness the Comets had was Arsenault and you can see Broll rag doll him here.

Dalton Smith vs Brendan Woods Nov 1, 2017

Bingington had Thomson (9 fights last year) and Brandon Baddock (also 9 fights). Can see here Baddock manhandling, again, the only legit toughness on the Comets last season in Arsenault.

http://www.hockeyfights.com/fights/140350 with plenty of toughness with most players being able to take care of themselves.

And Toronto. You say you can't think of a single 'tough guy' on their team. Well what about Richard Clune who has been playing the enforcer role for years at the AHL and NHL level. Do you think he was on the team for his finesse around the goal? Also Toronto had a big team of players, like Greening, who could look after themselves.

I'm not saying that toughness is the "end all, be all" but to say that no one could retain a veteran tough guys or enforcers is patently wrong and an indication you haven't got a clue what you're talking about. And this shows that parent teams are concerned about the ability of their young players to have a safe environment in which they can develop their skills. And so should the Canucks. You want the younger, smaller players to know that if they are run, others will step in for them and back them. Not to understand this is not to understand hockey.

You say you agree Utica is thin at center and has been for years......but one or both of Gaunce and Motte could end up in Utica next fall and both can play center. They just have to beat the bushes for a veteran center with a scoring touch....problem is most of those guys have taken their careers to Europe where they can earn a lot more money. I'd still like to see them try MacEwan in the middle, if his skating improves.

Guys that took their careers to Europe like Zalewski (was totally banged up and concussed and useless by the end of last year) , Friesen (going nowhere - 3 goals in 76 games for the Wolves last year - and not even a part of the Canucks) and, I guess you include the completely done Pelletier, would have been of less help to the Comets than many of the PTOs brought in this season. It isn't like Canuck management got torpedoed by a sudden movement of decent centers to Europe. It was that they planned so poorly to acquire adequate centers for their farm club. Suggesting that player going to Europe was the problem is scratching around for excuses.

Also relying on Gaunce and Motte to get cut and go to Utica is not the type of planning needed. What if they don't get cut? What if injuries quickly have them recalled to Vancouver. This team needs to get legit center help for Utica and not rely on some patchwork hopes that this or that might happen.


You say but "pathetic nature of the Canucks management in terms of their primary farm team" is criticism completely over the top imo. Canucks have an exciting group of prospects ready to join their ranks in Utica. And you'd never convince me that when it comes to their AHL farm teams, the Canucks are any worse than most other NHL teams, many of whom don't see their AHL team as much of a development tool at all.

You simply change the topic here. The post about a year end review of what the Canucks actually did for Utica last year (like in the word review). You want to say well we shouldn't criticize b/c we have "exciting group of prospects" coming in. Saying what might happen in the future does not deal what actually did happen last year. And it's speculation as to what these prospects will do next year. A couple of years ago Utica was apparently getting a dynamite player in Hunter Shinklaruk. And Virtanen was coming in to tear up the League. Why don't we wait and see how these players turn out before congratulating Canuck management for a job well done.

Also you comment that many of the NHL teams don't see their farm teams as any "developmental tool at all". You must realize, upon reflection, this is ludicrous. What teams are you talking about? I see no evidence of that. Instead, I see other teams just as involved as the Canucks, if not more so, with their farm teams. Using the metric below, Utica is mid pack. Also. as it points out, the situation is far from ideal with the Canucks.

An age-based look at how NHL teams use their AHL affiliates mid pack .

Then go on to say "I mean look at Edmonton (Bakersfield); Calgary (Stockton); Montreal (Laval) and Ottawa (Belleville) and what their rosters look like...surely you're not suggesting the Canucks/Comets are in 'worse shape' than those teams.


Cherry picking some of worst rosters in the AHL here. These are all non-playoff teams. But even here their rosters have as many upper end prospects as the Canucks. In Andersson and Kylinton, Stockton has much better potential NHL defensemen then Utica did. Also Foo and Maniapane are better prospects than any of of the long term younger forwards Utica had last year. (maybe someone like Dahlen or Jaasek turns out better but we are far from knowing that). Also, Laval has Scherbak, Audette, McCarron, Rychel, Juulsen. That's probably better than the youngsters Utica had last year (again taking out speculation about players coming in late in the year). Belleville had Chalpik, Paul, Chabot (outstanding prospect)and Jaros. Far as Bakersfield goes, yeah they are really hurting for prospects - probably the worst in the AHL. So I guess, Utica might look decent in comparison to them but really so what.

Outside of this many AHL team have great prospects. And if you want to look at the upper level prospects, that actually played in the League last year for any length of time, you should look at some of the following sites

http://www.hockeyfights.com/forums/f44/ahl-announces-2017-18-all-rookie-team-222470/

AHL Notebook: Five players helping their NHL hopes

Prospect Ramblings – AHL rookie all-stars, OHL award nominees, OHL action, Pinho – April 5 2018

Only Utica prospects that would come close to being mentioned is Demko . Really the team did not have top prospects playing in Utica last year outside of Demko. To think otherwise is clearly rose-colored thinking. They may have had some other upper level prospects playing elsewhere, but not in Utica. As to the future, we'll see.

Overall, your post, seems ill-informed to me and attempts to promote the idea that the Canucks have stocked Utica with good prospects. I don't see how you can make that case in terms of last year. Time to get excited is when we see these prospects actually becoming bona-vide stars at the AHL level as Demko did.

 

[tradervik]

Lol....the major reason Schneider played three years with the Moose is that a certain goaltender named 'Louey' was holding down the number one slot in VanCity and he was basically a 65-70 game goaltender in his prime. Surely you're not comparing playing backup to Markstrom with backing up Luongo.

Schneider spent three seasons in the AHL because he needed to develop his game, not because Luongo was an elite starter. Or do you think elite backups Curtis Sanford, Jason Labarbera and Andrew Raycroft were blocking Schneider as well? 'Lol' right back at ya.

 

[VanJack]

Van Jack you begin by saying - I'm not buying the fact that the Comets were physically abused by other teams and were injured as a result....besides, with the veteran rule in the AHL no team can afford to retain a veteran enforcer for 'protection'. Comets got beat by the Marlies in the playoffs, and I can't think of a single 'tough guy' on that team.



Not buying it????

Megna gets driven head first into the boards by Aaltonen and was out most of the season. No response from the Comets.

MacEwen gets elbowed to the head, which Canuck Army described as massive open ice hit, by Hershey's Colby Williams and is out with a concussion during the latter part of the season. Molino tried to response and was beaten up.

McEneny gets taken out very hard by Laval tough guy Deslauriers. (see video below). No response

Evan McEneny undergoes knee surgery – expected to be out 6 months

Archibald driven face first into the boards on a dirty check by Charlotte Checkers tough guy Guy Didier and needed facial surgery. No response

Chatfield gets hit from behind in the back twice in the first period and is out of the game. Comes back after a week or so and gets immediately nailed in the back and is out again. No response in either case.

Molino is deliberately kneed in the groin by Jamie McBain and is out couple of months. No response.

Could go on here but to say the Comets weren't abused and injured is mindless. This was especially true in the first half of the season when the line up was truly decimated. After they got Comrie and Arsenault the situation improved some but by that time, key players were our for the season, others out for extended periods and/or playing hurt the rest of the year. There is no way this was a safe environment for the younger players on the team.

Then you say that no AHL team can afford an enforcer. Just flat out ridiculous comment

Look at the Comets own division

Syracuse has Gallant (strictly a goon), Walcott (secondary good) and Cernak on defense. Pluasthey have toughness, like Erne and Dumont, throughout the line up. Tampa Bay makes damn sure their youngster like Peca are protected.

Belleville had former Bruins enforcer Tyler Randell (might have been the toughest guy in the League) and others like Blunden.

Rochester has, among others, goon Dalton Smith. Below you can see him wiping out Utica's only toughness at the beginning of the season in Brenden Woods. (and Woods was never the same the rest of the season)

Laval was loaded with toughness. Had McCarron, Gregiore,Deslauriers, and out and out goon David Broll. I mean the only toughness the Comets had was Arsenault and you can see Broll rag doll him here.

Dalton Smith vs Brendan Woods Nov 1, 2017

Bingington had Thomson (9 fights last year) and Brandon Baddock (also 9 fights). Can see here Baddock manhandling, again, the only legit toughness on the Comets last season in Arsenault.

Vincent Arseneau vs Brandon Baddock Mar 25, 2018 with plenty of toughness with most players being able to take care of themselves.

And Toronto. You say you can't think of a single 'tough guy' on their team. Well what about Richard Clune who has been playing the enforcer role for years at the AHL and NHL level. Do you think he was on the team for his finesse around the goal? Also Toronto had a big team of players, like Greening, who could look after themselves.

I'm not saying that toughness is the "end all, be all" but to say that no one could retain a veteran tough guys or enforcers is patently wrong and an indication you haven't got a clue what you're talking about. And this shows that parent teams are concerned about the ability of their young players to have a safe environment in which they can develop their skills. And so should the Canucks. You want the younger, smaller players to know that if they are run, others will step in for them and back them. Not to understand this is not to understand hockey.

You say you agree Utica is thin at center and has been for years......but one or both of Gaunce and Motte could end up in Utica next fall and both can play center. They just have to beat the bushes for a veteran center with a scoring touch....problem is most of those guys have taken their careers to Europe where they can earn a lot more money. I'd still like to see them try MacEwan in the middle, if his skating improves.

Guys that took their careers to Europe like Zalewski (was totally banged up and concussed and useless by the end of last year) , Friesen (going nowhere - 3 goals in 76 games for the Wolves last year - and not even a part of the Canucks) and, I guess you include the completely done Pelletier, would have been of less help to the Comets than many of the PTOs brought in this season. It isn't like Canuck management got torpedoed by a sudden movement of decent centers to Europe. It was that they planned so poorly to acquire adequate centers for their farm club. Suggesting that player going to Europe was the problem is scratching around for excuses.

Also relying on Gaunce and Motte to get cut and go to Utica is not the type of planning needed. What if they don't get cut? What if injuries quickly have them recalled to Vancouver. This team needs to get legit center help for Utica and not rely on some patchwork hopes that this or that might happen.


You say but "pathetic nature of the Canucks management in terms of their primary farm team" is criticism completely over the top imo. Canucks have an exciting group of prospects ready to join their ranks in Utica. And you'd never convince me that when it comes to their AHL farm teams, the Canucks are any worse than most other NHL teams, many of whom don't see their AHL team as much of a development tool at all.

You simply change the topic here. The post about a year end review of what the Canucks actually did for Utica last year (like in the word review). You want to say well we shouldn't criticize b/c we have "exciting group of prospects" coming in. Saying what might happen in the future does not deal what actually did happen last year. And it's speculation as to what these prospects will do next year. A couple of years ago Utica was apparently getting a dynamite player in Hunter Shinklaruk. And Virtanen was coming in to tear up the League. Why don't we wait and see how these players turn out before congratulating Canuck management for a job well done.

Also you comment that many of the NHL teams don't see their farm teams as any "developmental tool at all". You must realize, upon reflection, this is ludicrous. What teams are you talking about? I see no evidence of that. Instead, I see other teams just as involved as the Canucks, if not more so, with their farm teams. Using the metric below, Utica is mid pack. Also. as it points out, the situation is far from ideal with the Canucks.

An age-based look at how NHL teams use their AHL affiliates mid pack .

Then go on to say "I mean look at Edmonton (Bakersfield); Calgary (Stockton); Montreal (Laval) and Ottawa (Belleville) and what their rosters look like...surely you're not suggesting the Canucks/Comets are in 'worse shape' than those teams.


Cherry picking some of worst rosters in the AHL here. These are all non-playoff teams. But even here their rosters have as many upper end prospects as the Canucks. In Andersson and Kylinton, Stockton has much better potential NHL defensemen then Utica did. Also Foo and Maniapane are better prospects than any of of the long term younger forwards Utica had last year. (maybe someone like Dahlen or Jaasek turns out better but we are far from knowing that). Also, Laval has Scherbak, Audette, McCarron, Rychel, Juulsen. That's probably better than the youngsters Utica had last year (again taking out speculation about players coming in late in the year). Belleville had Chalpik, Paul, Chabot (outstanding prospect)and Jaros. Far as Bakersfield goes, yeah they are really hurting for prospects - probably the worst in the AHL. So I guess, Utica might look decent in comparison to them but really so what.

Outside of this many AHL team have great prospects. And if you want to look at the upper level prospects, that actually played in the League last year for any length of time, you should look at some of the following sites

AHL Announces 2017-18 All-Rookie Team - hockeyfights.com forums

AHL Notebook: Five players helping their NHL hopes

Prospect Ramblings – AHL rookie all-stars, OHL award nominees, OHL action, Pinho – April 5 2018

Only Utica prospects that would come close to being mentioned is Demko . Really the team did not have top prospects playing in Utica last year outside of Demko. To think otherwise is clearly rose-colored thinking. They may have had some other upper level prospects playing elsewhere, but not in Utica. As to the future, we'll see.

Overall, your post, seems ill-informed to me and attempts to promote the idea that the Canucks have stocked Utica with good prospects. I don't see how you can make that case in terms of last year. Time to get excited is when we see these prospects actually becoming bona-vide stars at the AHL level as Demko did.

This is an exhaustive post that really sheds little new insight on the nature of the AHL.....if you think the Comets are one of the worst-managed AHL teams with a 'who cares' attitude about their player personnel you're entitled to your opinion. But just look at the number of the players on the Comets who were earning 'one-way' NHL contracts this season.

Comets are basically a middle-of-the pack AHL team.....there's some teams with more prospects and better player personnel, but there's just as many teams who are a lot worse. Look around the AHL.....every team has 6-7 prospects who might develop....the rest have hit their ceiling as players and the next stop is Europe.....that's the reason why a different team wins the Calder Cup every year.

Frankly I get tired of posters bashing the Canucks for their AHL farm team. Ask the people in Utica if they're fed up with the Canucks. They've embraced their team and the contribution it makes to the City. Fortunately not too many of the players or fans in Utica read these boards or could care less what the 'negative nellies' have to say.

 

[timbermen]

The Canucks have stocked Utica with good prospects, it'll be a good one next season.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Schneider spent three seasons in the AHL because he needed to develop his game, not because Luongo was an elite starter. Or do you think elite backups Curtis Sanford, Jason Labarbera and Andrew Raycroft were blocking Schneider as well? 'Lol' right back at ya.

A ****ing masterpiece. You just dealt with one post that is the likes of which we have dealt from many posters for 5 years.

58 different Comets took to the ice this season not counting 3 backup goalies and one PTO who didn't get any game time in his week here. The large number of additions to the roster were not here because guys had the mumps or pulled a groin or sprained an ankle. Most players who lost significant time were lost to injuries incurred as the result of something an opponent did to them as you so clearly pointed out in examples with video clips.

As to care taken by the Canucks to construct the 2017-18 team, note that 2 centers who the Comets were counting on made the team as PTOs out of camp. They did so because Vancouver did not assign one single new center to Utica's camp after stating categorically for 2 seasons that the Comets had no play making centers and that issue had to be addressed. They were really not what the team should have been looking for, but without them the team had Cassels, Hamilton, and Chaput who did get called up. By game 5 the centers were Bancks, Hamilton, Darcy and Woods. The center position was a revolving cast of characters all season. Chaput being the only guy you could call a legitimate AHL offensive center. Bancks, Hamilton, Darcy, Woods, Cassels, Molino, Gaunce, Megna, Moynihan, Ward, Brassart, Cameranesi, Cherniwchan (how about this foursome one night late December: Cassels, Cameranesi, Moynihan, Cherniwchan), Leitner, and Herbert. In all but a few rare occasions Hamilton and Cassels were permanent fixtures in the middle and if Chaput wasn't there the middle was a total shambles.

If you really lay it out in pure hockey terms and compare the Comets with most AHL teams, they did not have a true first pair on D. The 8 guys used regularly on D were 3-8s. Brilliant proof was Holm. he played 42 games and was the Comets 1st unit PP QB. He put up 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points. When traded he played 21 games for the Chicago Wolves and had 1 goal and 8 assists. Half the number of games he played with the Comets and less than 1/3 the number of points. He was not used in the same capacity as they valued other D-men above him. They were swept in the first round by the Rockford IceHogs.

Again excellent post listing fact after fact to make your points crystal clear.

 

[go comets]

The Canucks have stocked Utica with good prospects, it'll be a good one next season.

Prospects yes, but for 3 seasons this team has needed playmaking centers and more size toughness to keep the skill guys safe. It has been and still is an issue.... Teams like Syracuse are not afraid of running the Comets young talent into a ER visit... And the Refereeing at this level can be all over the place........

 

[timbermen]

Prospects yes, but for 3 seasons this team has needed playmaking centers and more size toughness to keep the skill guys safe. It has been and still is an issue.... Teams like Syracuse are not afraid of running the Comets young talent into a ER visit... And the Refereeing at this level can be all over the place........

I want them to fix those problems, you can't throw your young players to the wolves like that.Thats why there's been so many injury's with the Canucks as well.They didn't replace Dorsett,not that thats an easy replacement,i hope they have a plan this off season.

 

[timbermen]

To m9, sting 101, and krutovsdonut thank you.

To GHOST of DAVID BRUCE, vancityluongo, Hyzer, and Megaterio Llamas you are all too kind and a bigger thank you.

Would also send a shout out to mossey3535, tyhee, orcatown, MS, FroshaugFan2, RandV, Ryp37, and others I have left out for your support and meaningful dialog that we have maintained from the moments our paths first crossed.

I'd also like to thank Timbermen for being a true fan of the entire organization and his wonderful optimism,also being one of the smartest and classiest posters on these forums.He's a gem.

 

[micquarters]

Prospects yes, but for 3 seasons this team has needed playmaking centers and more size toughness to keep the skill guys safe. It has been and still is an issue.... Teams like Syracuse are not afraid of running the Comets young talent into a ER visit... And the Refereeing at this level can be all over the place........

If Van fans saw how many times per week Demko was just absolutely run over in the crease by an opponent they would lose their minds, and each time nothing would happen. Some grabbing, maybe...but thats it. This is by all accounts your best prospect, and he had zero protection at times.

 

[Bad Goalie]

If Van fans saw how many times per week Demko was just absolutely run over in the crease by an opponent they would lose their minds, and each time nothing would happen. Some grabbing, maybe...but thats it. This is by all accounts your best prospect, and he had zero protection at times.

You would be factually correct. Demko was run on a nightly basis and the only major came when he took the guy on in the crease by himself. That was in Syracuse in April. It was nearly playoff time and it was still going on.

Orcatown's post covering and depicting the facts was spot on.

My post was just as accurate. It appears the detractors just can't accept facts that differ from their opinions.

 

[coldsteel79]

The time is right for the Canucks to move their AHL team to Abbotsford

Great article about moving the team closer to its fan base.

 

[John Belushi]

Biased article which fails to take in account the superb fan support and excess of practice days the Comets enjoy being on the east coast within spitting distance of more than half the league.

 

[coldsteel79]

Biased article which fails to take in account the superb fan support and excess of practice days the Comets enjoy being on the east coast within spitting distance of more than half the league.

Not sure I understand the bias?

 

[VanJack]

The Aquilini's own the Comets....I suppose they can move them anywhere....but the team will never enjoy the passionate community support in Abbotsford that they have in Utica....so unless the City of Abbotsford was prepared to guarantee the losses like they did with the Flames (highly unlikely), I just can't see the Canucks moving their AHL team anywhere.

 

[UticaHockey]

Grain of salt....Just a writer expressing an opinion. Didn't interview a single person to get an indication of what the Canucks plans are for the location of their AHL farm team after next season.

 

[Bad Goalie]

The time is right for the Canucks to move their AHL team to Abbotsford

Great article about moving the team closer to its fan base.

The league realignment talked about has already happened. The Cleveland Monsters will now join the Comets in the AHL North division. No other teams are leaving. The only change is the addition of the Monsters.

The Pacific division is the only Division with one less team than the other 3. It appears the obvious next move will be to add Seattle's AHL farm to the Pacific, which will place an equal number of teams in all 4 divisions.

 

[coldsteel79]

The league realignment talked about has already happened. The Cleveland Monsters will now join the Comets in the AHL North division. No other teams are leaving. The only change is the addition of the Monsters.

The Pacific division is the only Division with one less team than the other 3. It appears the obvious next move will be to add Seattle's AHL farm to the Pacific, which will place an equal number of teams in all 4 divisions.

Could also see the Canucks rounding out the pacific division by moving.

 

[F A N]

If Van fans saw how many times per week Demko was just absolutely run over in the crease by an opponent they would lose their minds, and each time nothing would happen. Some grabbing, maybe...but thats it. This is by all accounts your best prospect, and he had zero protection at times.

Lack of pushback in the Canucks is an issue as well and it appears most here don't think that it would do anything to add an enforcer type. The fact remains that there's no guarantee that there would be pushback had the Comets dressed an enforcer.

Management does believe in having toughness in the lineup so if it is an issue, it would hopefully be addressed.

The Aquilini's own the Comets....I suppose they can move them anywhere....but the team will never enjoy the passionate community support in Abbotsford that they have in Utica....so unless the City of Abbotsford was prepared to guarantee the losses like they did with the Flames (highly unlikely), I just can't see the Canucks moving their AHL team anywhere.

Abbotsford guaranteed the Flames a profit. I don't think the Canucks would need such a deal. The Pacific Colliseum is also available.

With that said, I do question the viability of the Canucks farm team in the Greater Vancouver area.

 

[timbermen]

As a Canuck fan i'd like to have a farm team that i could watch once in awhile.Utica has been good but the arguments for not having a farm team close to home no longer apply,since every other team in the league does.The Canucks are the only team in the league with a farm team 3 time zones away.To put that Calgary Heat team in Abbotsford was just plain stupid.How many Flames fans live there?Utica has a good hockey following and deserve to stay in the AHL,they'll continue to sell tickets no mater what franchise they affiliate with.A Canucks farm team at home would sell out every night and we'd actually get to follow the team.Maybe even TV on the local channels.It's a no-brainer to move to BC but if that doesn't happen they should stay put.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Have to laugh at the notion that the turnout at the gate and the massive amount of season ticket sales proves the Utica fan base is happy with Vancouver management. Also that there are very few people from Utica actually posting on this page because they don't care what the "negative nellies" have to say.

This is another of the most blatantly inaccurate statements attributed to the Utica fans by a poster who hasn't got the foggiest notion what the Utica fan base thinks. He's never been here, doesn't know any Utica fans, and has no idea what Utica fans feel about anything!

When the Comets first came to town this page exploded on HockeyFutures and began an avalanche of posts the likes of which had never been seen. However, slowly one by one a small number of Vancouver posters appeared and patronized a lot of the fan base, but alluded to their lack of knowledge as to how farms are run and what the purpose of a farm team is and how the expectations of getting good players was unreal because winning was not important to the Vancouver franchise only player development mattered. This saw the exodus of a lot of the exuberant fans who were offended (they had thin skins and didn't expect to be eviscerated for their thoughts). However the hockey diehards hung in there and the posts mounted into page after page dwarfing the size of any other AHL site.

Then the 2014-15 season neared it's end and the Comets not only won, but were both the Division and Conference Champions and 2nd in the AHL in points. They would advance to the Calder Cup Finals. All through the playoffs the Vancouver faithful, their Canucks having been disposed of by the Calgary Flames, joined in the following of the Comets. Wonderful, right? Not so much. They came with their own pack of negative attack dogs. Most of their attacks directed at a big fan favorite, Coach Green. They were appalled at his failure to play Hutton and McCann (to this day they still believe those 2 players would have made the Comets Calder Cup Champs). When any Utica fans supported their coach's decisions and backed it up with their analysis of the games Hutton had played and supported the best defensive group in the AHL, the attacks never stopped. The majority of those posters chose to flee the negativity and have never come back.

There is a small handful of posters who have thicker skins and will take their stands and not wilt under any Vancouver disagreements. It goes with any opinion based website. Personally, I have developed a pretty good working relationship with most of the Vancouver guys and enjoy our interactions even if they do sometimes get heated. I recently thanked many of them for the relationships we have developed.

Now to the issue that this small number of posters shows the rest of the fan base appreciates their team and what Vancouver has done to provide Utica with it's team. That is utterly baseless. I and the other posters I have listed know huge portions of that fan base and between the 4 of us the majority of that base in one way or another. I can assure you that part of that post is accurate. The Comets fans do embrace the Comets as members of the community and treat them with nothing but respect. They are as much a part of the community and the neighborhoods they live in as another citizen of the Mohawk Valley. The players love it here. They love how they are supported on the ice and most will tell you it is the best building in the AHL to play in.

However, the fact that any player here will be treated with equal respect does not mean the fan base is content with the group as the best hockey players they could have on the ice. There is a great deal of disappointment at Vancouver management's failure to provide the team with the proper pieces to be competitive. They also realize the prospects that have been here, while small in number, have not been provided the kind of team mates they require to develop to the the best of their abilities. The first area of concern there is one that has been beaten to death, but the fans see the constant struggle the wingers face without play making centers to allow them to show their talent as scoring wings.

I'll leave that there. These fans ask me all the time how I can still deal with the negativity. I try to tell them that most of the posters are not negative. They may disagree with some things, but it's not attack mode negativity. If you can't take the postings of a certain individual there is an ignore function. They grin and say, "Whatever you say, but it's not for me." You can find them on the Comets Facebook page exchanging all kinds of hockey talk.

The Comets fans are an astute hockey group. They know the game and they know what it takes for a player to make the step to the next level. They watch what the other teams bring in here and recognize the differences in the non prospect players on the opponents vs those on the Comets. They will cheer and applaud the efforts of their players. I have yet to hear a single Comet get booed, although Sauve took some heat near the end of his pathetic career here. It doesn't make them satisfied when they know those players they see on the opponent's rosters are available to any team every off season.

A Vancouver poster recently said the Comets are mostly constructed the same as the other AHL teams, a few draft picks, some other wild card prospects, a few former picks who are being kept around for support, and a handful of vets sprinkled in to fill out their roster. He then used teams like Laval, Belleville, Binghamton, Stockton, and Bakersfield as comparative teams. All five were bottom feeders in their Divisions. He then went on to state that many AHL teams go long stints without making the playoffs and proof of the league turnover is that rarely does any team repeat as Calder Cup Champion.

He neglected to mention that a bunch of teams are constructed to win on an annual basis and they are frequent Calder Cup contenders. Several of those teams show their stuff annually in Utica. Syracuse/Tampa Bay, Toronto/Toronto Maple Leafs, Lehigh Valley/Philadelphia Flyers, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton/Pittsburgh Penguins. When the Comets competed in the Western Conference, we saw a bunch more in the Rockford IceHogs/Chicago Black Hawks, Grand Rapids Griffins/Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Wolves/now the Vegas Golden Knights, Texas Stars/Dallas Stars, Ontario Reign (formally Manchester Monarchs)/LA Kings. These teams build their roster the exact same way, but work to place their prospects and wild cards with a surrounding cast of highly skilled players who those kids will be given the best chance to develop with. If they need centers due to a plethora of wings in their prospect pool (perhaps the Utica situation next season), they get a couple of very good centers. If they have a couple of upstart centers they bring in skilled wingers for the kids to feed the puck and a winger on the other side who insures nobody takes liberties with his center. A PP QB gets to ply his skills with top line forwards made up of the top prospects and top vets. So yes, their rosters are ever changing from season to season as new prospects arrive older ones graduate to the NHL or become the franchise's AHL support staff while the old support staff becomes free agents and then they bring in the vets necessary to help the new prospect pool. We have seen nothing resembling this team building concept except in Henning's second season.

We also have a hard time with posters who come on this site to praise the workings of Johnson for the work he did in acquiring all the PTOs that helped Utica survive the past season. These guys totally talking through their asses as the proof of their nonsense had been provided by Johnson himself, who praised the work of Pat Conacher in finding every PTO the Comets signed.

Another poster accepted that and so conjured up another way to give the praise to Benning and Johnson for giving Conacher and Coach Cull the freedom to do their jobs without Vancouver interference. Thereby, indirectly being responsible for the work done by Conacher and Cull. Delusions of grandeur.

Why some posters feel the need to defend, cleanse, or purify every wrong deed performed by Vancouver management is dumbfounding. You praise good work. You accept an error here or there when the intent was good. You question what seems to make no sense. Finally, you criticize bad moves or failure to do things that should obviously be done. That's how I see it and I will continue along with that philosophy. That doesn't make me a hater by any sense of the imagination. It makes me a thinking person using my knowledge and skill sets to arrive at my own opinions on any topic.

 

[VanJack]

Have to laugh at the notion that the turnout at the gate and the massive amount of season ticket sales proves the Utica fan base is happy with Vancouver management. Also that there are very few people from Utica actually posting on this page because they don't care what the "negative nellies" have to say.

This is another of the most blatantly inaccurate statements attributed to the Utica fans by a poster who hasn't got the foggiest notion what the Utica fan base thinks. He's never been here, doesn't know any Utica fans, and has no idea what Utica fans feel about anything!

When the Comets first came to town this page exploded on HockeyFutures and began an avalanche of posts the likes of which had never been seen. However, slowly one by one a small number of Vancouver posters appeared and patronized a lot of the fan base, but alluded to their lack of knowledge as to how farms are run and what the purpose of a farm team is and how the expectations of getting good players was unreal because winning was not important to the Vancouver franchise only player development mattered. This saw the exodus of a lot of the exuberant fans who were offended (they had thin skins and didn't expect to be eviscerated for their thoughts). However the hockey diehards hung in there and the posts mounted into page after page dwarfing the size of any other AHL site.

Then the 2014-15 season neared it's end and the Comets not only won, but were both the Division and Conference Champions and 2nd in the AHL in points. They would advance to the Calder Cup Finals. All through the playoffs the Vancouver faithful, their Canucks having been disposed of by the Calgary Flames, joined in the following of the Comets. Wonderful, right? Not so much. They came with their own pack of negative attack dogs. Most of their attacks directed at a big fan favorite, Coach Green. They were appalled at his failure to play Hutton and McCann (to this day they still believe those 2 players would have made the Comets Calder Cup Champs). When any Utica fans supported their coach's decisions and backed it up with their analysis of the games Hutton had played and supported the best defensive group in the AHL, the attacks never stopped. The majority of those posters chose to flee the negativity and have never come back.

There is a small handful of posters who have thicker skins and will take their stands and not wilt under any Vancouver disagreements. It goes with any opinion based website. Personally, I have developed a pretty good working relationship with most of the Vancouver guys and enjoy our interactions even if they do sometimes get heated. I recently thanked many of them for the relationships we have developed.

Now to the issue that this small number of posters shows the rest of the fan base appreciates their team and what Vancouver has done to provide Utica with it's team. That is utterly baseless. I and the other posters I have listed know huge portions of that fan base and between the 4 of us the majority of that base in one way or another. I can assure you that part of that post is accurate. The Comets fans do embrace the Comets as members of the community and treat them with nothing but respect. They are as much a part of the community and the neighborhoods they live in as another citizen of the Mohawk Valley. The players love it here. They love how they are supported on the ice and most will tell you it is the best building in the AHL to play in.

However, the fact that any player here will be treated with equal respect does not mean the fan base is content with the group as the best hockey players they could have on the ice. There is a great deal of disappointment at Vancouver management's failure to provide the team with the proper pieces to be competitive. They also realize the prospects that have been here, while small in number, have not been provided the kind of team mates they require to develop to the the best of their abilities. The first area of concern there is one that has been beaten to death, but the fans see the constant struggle the wingers face without play making centers to allow them to show their talent as scoring wings.

I'll leave that there. These fans ask me all the time how I can still deal with the negativity. I try to tell them that most of the posters are not negative. They may disagree with some things, but it's not attack mode negativity. If you can't take the postings of a certain individual there is an ignore function. They grin and say, "Whatever you say, but it's not for me." You can find them on the Comets Facebook page exchanging all kinds of hockey talk.

The Comets fans are an astute hockey group. They know the game and they know what it takes for a player to make the step to the next level. They watch what the other teams bring in here and recognize the differences in the non prospect players on the opponents vs those on the Comets. They will cheer and applaud the efforts of their players. I have yet to hear a single Comet get booed, although Sauve took some heat near the end of his pathetic career here. It doesn't make them satisfied when they know those players they see on the opponent's rosters are available to any team every off season.

A Vancouver poster recently said the Comets are mostly constructed the same as the other AHL teams, a few draft picks, some other wild card prospects, a few former picks who are being kept around for support, and a handful of vets sprinkled in to fill out their roster. He then used teams like Laval, Belleville, Binghamton, Stockton, and Bakersfield as comparative teams. All five were bottom feeders in their Divisions. He then went on to state that many AHL teams go long stints without making the playoffs and proof of the league turnover is that rarely does any team repeat as Calder Cup Champion.

He neglected to mention that a bunch of teams are constructed to win on an annual basis and they are frequent Calder Cup contenders. Several of those teams show their stuff annually in Utica. Syracuse/Tampa Bay, Toronto/Toronto Maple Leafs, Lehigh Valley/Philadelphia Flyers, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton/Pittsburgh Penguins. When the Comets competed in the Western Conference, we saw a bunch more in the Rockford IceHogs/Chicago Black Hawks, Grand Rapids Griffins/Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Wolves/now the Vegas Golden Knights, Texas Stars/Dallas Stars, Ontario Reign (formally Manchester Monarchs)/LA Kings. These teams build their roster the exact same way, but work to place their prospects and wild cards with a surrounding cast of highly skilled players who those kids will be given the best chance to develop with. If they need centers due to a plethora of wings in their prospect pool (perhaps the Utica situation next season), they get a couple of very good centers. If they have a couple of upstart centers they bring in skilled wingers for the kids to feed the puck and a winger on the other side who insures nobody takes liberties with his center. A PP QB gets to ply his skills with top line forwards made up of the top prospects and top vets. So yes, their rosters are ever changing from season to season as new prospects arrive older ones graduate to the NHL or become the franchise's AHL support staff while the old support staff becomes free agents and then they bring in the vets necessary to help the new prospect pool. We have seen nothing resembling this team building concept except in Henning's second season.

We also have a hard time with posters who come on this site to praise the workings of Johnson for the work he did in acquiring all the PTOs that helped Utica survive the past season. These guys totally talking through their asses as the proof of their nonsense had been provided by Johnson himself, who praised the work of Pat Conacher in finding every PTO the Comets signed.

Another poster accepted that and so conjured up another way to give the praise to Benning and Johnson for giving Conacher and Coach Cull the freedom to do their jobs without Vancouver interference. Thereby, indirectly being responsible for the work done by Conacher and Cull. Delusions of grandeur.

Why some posters feel the need to defend, cleanse, or purify every wrong deed performed by Vancouver management is dumbfounding. You praise good work. You accept an error here or there when the intent was good. You question what seems to make no sense. Finally, you criticize bad moves or failure to do things that should obviously be done. That's how I see it and I will continue along with that philosophy. That doesn't make me a hater by any sense of the imagination. It makes me a thinking person using my knowledge and skill sets to arrive at my own opinions on any topic.

If this is really the attitude that 'most' Utica fans have about the Comets and their relationship with the Cancuks, then Aquilini should just step in and move the team.

After all, Utica has one of the smallest buildings in the AHL and if the Canucks leave, I can't see a single NHL team wanting to place their AHL team there....particularly when it's 4,000 miles from where your NHL team plays....so Utica can join Adirondack and Manchester in the ECHL.

Fortunately I don't believe for a minute that the rants in these posts represent how the people of Utica really feel about the Comets, the Canucks and AHL hockey in their city.

 

[F A N]

Another poster accepted that and so conjured up another way to give the praise to Benning and Johnson for giving Conacher and Coach Cull the freedom to do their jobs without Vancouver interference. Thereby, indirectly being responsible for the work done by Conacher and Cull. Delusions of grandeur..

I'm probably on your ignore list, but like most Canucks fans here, I appreciate your updates. I really do. But this isn't a place for you to just rant without any response. The above statement, I think, refers to me, and you are simply misconstruing things to fit into your own narrative. Maybe if you take the time to understand what the disagreement is you won't find things so incredulous.

You said that management deserves zero credit for the work of Conacher and Cull. I responded by saying that Conacher was retained by current management and Cull was hired by this management group. Who is footing the bill for these guys? They are Canucks' employees. That's a fact. If I have this wrong, you are free to point it out. Nothing wrong with being corrected and learning.

You can't have it only your way. You criticized Benning for firing Henning but give him zero credit for retaining Conacher and relying on him. You criticize Benning for not having a GM for the Comets, but when they gave Johnson the title and you call him a figurehead who relies on Conacher, yet you praise the work of Conacher. And I asked, you who would you rather have deciding the PTOs to sign? Conacher or Johnson? It's not like Henning didn't rely on Conacher to do exactly the same things. You also ignore the fact that Johnson said he didn't expect his relationship with Conacher to change. If you're Conacher who has been working alongside Johnson the past few years and Johnson gets promoted to be your immediate superior but lets you do what you have always done, would you seriously taking issue with that? Well maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you're the type to be POed and think he's a crappy boss for letting you run the ship instead of stripping away your authority. Maybe if you step back and don't get so fixated on job titles, you can see the bigger picture.

Former players get groomed to take on management roles. Johnson got a promotion and didn't rock the boat. In reality, he should be learning the job and then increase his influence.

 

[m9]

Since the on-ice hot topic surrounding Utica for two seasons has been the lack of talent at center, what should be considered a realistic baseline for next season?

For me, Motte and Chaput (or someone at his level) should be the #6 & #7 pro centers in the organization when the depth chart is healthy. That allows for 4 NHL centers, and a 5th guy as a the 13th forward. The #6 and #7 pro centers should be the 1st and 2nd line center in Utica.

As of now you have Horvat, Sutter, and Gaudette likely ahead of them. That means either two signings or current players that have been playing wing moving to center - Gagner, Granlund, Gaunce etc.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Since the on-ice hot topic surrounding Utica for two seasons has been the lack of talent at center, what should be considered a realistic baseline for next season?

For me, Motte and Chaput (or someone at his level) should be the #6 & #7 pro centers in the organization when the depth chart is healthy. That allows for 4 NHL centers, and a 5th guy as a the 13th forward. The #6 and #7 pro centers should be the 1st and 2nd line center in Utica.

As of now you have Horvat, Sutter, and Gaudette likely ahead of them. That means either two signings or current players that have been playing wing moving to center - Gagner, Granlund, Gaunce etc.

The preferred move would be the acquisition of 2 AHL veteran centers with a history of AHL success in goals and assists putting up good AHL point totals. Examples would be Cal O'Reilly and and Chris Mueller. O'reilly is a 12 year vet with 600 AHL GP and 514 Pts/.86PPG and Mueller is a 10 year vet with 651 AHL GP and 462 PTs/.71 PPG.

Last season O'Reilly led the Iowa Wild with 64 Pts in 75 GP and Mueller posted 52 points, good for 2nd with the Marlies.

In '13-14 O'Reilly put up 45 points in 52 GP for Utica after being acquired by Henning 1/3 of the way into the season. In spite of the games missed the 45 points was 2nd on the Comets. The following season (2014-15) he led the Comets with 61 points in 76 GP during the regular season and also led the team with 19 points in 23 playoffs GP.

Mueller led the San Diego Gulls with 57 points in 63 GP in '15-16 and the Tuscon Roadrunners with 67 points in 68 GPin '17-18.

The Comets have to have at least one guy like this. He is not call-up material, but has to be paid well to serve the role of helping to develop the Comets top prospect wings.

2nd to the above vet would be Chaput (if re-signed and he should be). He could get a call if necessary, but I believe the better call-ups would still be here.

I don't think you will see Gagner demoted with that salary. Gagner, Granlund, or Gaunce is #4. I wouldn't be shocked to see Gaudette start in Utica, but I don't personally expect it.

I don't see Motte making the NHL roster, but he is yet to play a game at center for the Canucks or the Comets. I thought he should have done so in the AHL playoffs this season. He could be a comets center.

I believe Cassels will get extended for one season and he is a Comet.

Unless the Canucks management abandons the Comets center need for a 4th consecutive year Hamilton should not be in the top 4 picture. His AHL contract has run out along with captain Carter Bancks. I love the fight and grit in both of these players and they were very good in the locker room, but there are much better depth players available to fill their roles.

All of the guys in Vancouver last season that are centers are still under contract except Granlund and Dowd. I expect to see Dowd go UFA and Granlund to be dealt, but re-signed if Benning can't get what he wants in which case it's Granlund or Gaunce sent down. Either way that hasn't come close to resolving the center depth issue for the entire franchise. Therefore, I see Benning signing a UFA center for the Canucks. Gaunce and Granlund fill out the bottom of the roster.

That means 2 AHL Xvets have to be signed for Utica.

So it's 2 X-vets and Chaput. After that draft time, Summer UFA deals, Summer AHL acquisitions, and training camps settle the issue. It's still totally up in the air. All I do know is that the kind of vet centers I'm talking about are not around for long and Benning has ignored the chances at them in the past and that's why scrubs have been in Utica. A priority has to be set and maybe he should hand that task to Johnson pronto.

 

[Ryp37]

the preferred move would be the acquisition of 2 AHL veteran centers with a history of AHL success in goals and assists putting up good AHL point totals. Examples would be Cal O'Reilly and and Chris Mueller. Mueller is a 10 year vet with 651 AHL GP and

Just a quick look at some of the top C scorers this year and whose a UFA

Brandon Pirri CHI 27
252 points in 295 AHL games

Ben Street GR 31
357 points in 428 AHL games

Travis Morin TEX 34
529 points in 623 AHL games

Austin Cznarnik PRO 25
155 points in 157 AHL games

Zac Dalpe AB 29
216 points in 305 AHL games

Likely some options out of Europe as well.