Confirmed with Link: Saponari signs ATO for IceCaps

[garret9]

Minor news. I think Saponari will stick around for the IceCaps next season.
He's a pretty good hockey player, plays a very Chevy N/S power game, and fits the organization's tendency to have a RW playmaker haha.
He was once highly thought back in his BU days.
Should be a decent depth forward to improve the IceCaps as we run our other prospects through there.

http://www.thetelegram.com/Sports/H...-rematch-with-Bulldogs-sign-Saponari-to-ATO/1

Just before the game, the IceCaps officially announced they've signed forward Vinny Saponari to an amateur tryout contract.
The 23-year-old Saponari was a fourth-round draft pick of the Atlanta Thrashers (later to become the Winnipeg Jets) in 2008 out of the U.S. National Team Development Program, where he was a teammate of IceCaps' forward John Albert.
A native of Powder Springs, Ga., Saponari was the first Georgia-born and raise player drafted into the NHL.
Saponari played two seasons for Boston University, but was dismissed from the Terriers late in 2009-10 season for breaching team rules. He spent the following seasoin with Dubugque of the USHL, helping the Fighting Saints win a league title, then transferred to Northeastern University, where he spent the last two seasons.
The six-foot-one, 195-pound right-shooting, Saponari wound up his collegiate career earlier this week. He was a senior captain for Northeastern this season and finished second in team scoring with seven goals and 22 assists, for 29 points. in 34 games.
Saponari arrived in St. John's today, but will not play in tonight's contest.

Click to read more...

 

[CorgisPer60]

I hope he does good for the club.

 

[Holden Caulfield]

Intriguing. This is a fairly standard practice for college age seniors with protected rights, but I did not think Chevy would be interested in Saponari actually. We lose exclusive rights to him on August 15th. However it's possible they keep him as a NHL UFA like John Albert in STJ next year. Interested to see how he does.

 

[garret9]

My lil write up I did in the IceCaps thread not too long ago about eligible guys for next season:

RW; Vinny Saponari; 6'1" 180; 15 Feb 1990; 22; Powder Springs, GA, USA

YEAR | LEAGUE | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM
2011-12 | H-East | 34 | 7 | 16 | 23 | 14
2012-13 | H-East | 24 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 18

Playmaking right winger. Won "most exciting player" award for team in 2011-12. His character was questioned when he kicked out of BU by his coach for off-ice issues... but this has created some controversy as another player was kept after kicking somebody in the face or something of the sorts (good ol' two-standards NCAA)... but obviously is a team leader now as he is captain of NEU Huskies. 2011-12 was tied for second in assists and 4th for points on the team, while this season he's second for points and tied for first in assists. Of the 3 RWs, he's probably the most likely to be playing on the IceCaps next season and most likely to make an offensive impact.

 

[Hank Chinaski]

Very interested to see how this little audition works out for Saponari. Hopefully he can earn himself a full two-way contract with the Jets for next season.

Question for Thrashers fans: what was the general feeling about the Saponari pick in 2008? Was there any criticism for perhaps overdrafting a hometown boy? I know that was a criticism of the Kasdorf pick two years ago, mind you his first season with RPI has been going swimmingly by the looks of it.

 

[CorgisPer60]

Very interested to see how this little audition works out for Saponari. Hopefully he can earn himself a full two-way contract with the Jets for next season.

Question for Thrashers fans: what was the general feeling about the Saponari pick in 2008? Was there any criticism for perhaps overdrafting a hometown boy? I know that was a criticism of the Kasdorf pick two years ago, mind you his first season with RPI has been going swimmingly by the looks of it.

From what I remember reading, the Thrasher organization was really fond of picking hometown kids as a way to bolster their rapport with the community and hopefully drive ticket sales. I think Saponari fits under that flag.

 

[Hammer Slammer]

Him and his brother were kicked out of BU, not sure why. Played a year in the USHL and was given a 2nd chance at Northeastern. Worked his way up to captain this year.

2nd on the team in points and 1st in assists. I like that he didn't give up after he was kicked off of the BU team.

 

[Hank Chinaski]

Him and his brother were kicked out of BU, not sure why.

Drinking incident:

On March 19, 2010, the Terriers’ championship-defending season ended with no titles and a 5-2 loss to Maine in the Hockey East quarterfinals. Two days earlier, there was an incident involving alcohol and Saponari, which has never been publicly elaborated upon by the player or the school. Two months later, Saponari and his brother Victor, a junior, were dismissed.

“It was just some things that happened, it was unfortunate,” said Saponari, who declined to elaborate on what led to his dismissal, though a May 4, 2010, report by the BU Daily Free Press quoted him as saying he was late to a team bike ride. “I was immature. Things shouldn’t have ended the way they did; it was unfortunate that they ended that way.”

http://www.hockeyjournal.com/news/colleges/hockey_east/From_NEHJ-_Saponari_gets_second_chance_at_Northeastern

Not to speculate too much, but it sounds like Saponari might have just fallen in with the wrong crowd and a poisonous culture at BU. The problems with their hockey program have been well documented.

 

[GJF]

Mind=blown

Honestly, I always thought about Saponari as a "feel-good" pick by the Thrashers. Just to have drafted a Georgia-born player. I never thought he'd end up in more than the ECHL. Well, let's see what he can do.

 

[atl thrasher344]

From what I remember reading, the Thrasher organization was really fond of picking hometown kids as a way to bolster their rapport with the community and hopefully drive ticket sales. I think Saponari fits under that flag.

Wasn't he the only one? You make this seem like this was a regular occurrence.

 

[fatschoonerrat]

It was a feel-good pick. But he was certainly a draftable player. I thought he was playing pretty well at BU, but you've got to wonder what else was going on besides that single incident. Seems like a heck of a punishment for a single drinking incident.

 

[garret9]

Wasn't he the only one? You make this seem like this was a regular occurrence.

I know a hockey player from his team was almost charged for assault and was kept on the team.

I ended up reading comments on the local paper's website original article and there's a lot of people who were crying unfair treatment relative to other players.

 

[Jesus Christ Horburn]

Hometowner or not, I liked the pick and think he can become an NHL regular.

 

[truck]

Intriguing. This is a fairly standard practice for college age seniors with protected rights, but I did not think Chevy would be interested in Saponari actually. We lose exclusive rights to him on August 15th. However it's possible they keep him as a NHL UFA like John Albert in STJ next year. Interested to see how he does.

I'm not surprised. He plays the kind of game that Chevy likes. He battles in corners and does some grinder type stuff. I wonder how much of his offense will carry over.

 

[videofarmer]

Mind=blown

Honestly, I always thought about Saponari as a "feel-good" pick by the Thrashers. Just to have drafted a Georgia-born player. I never thought he'd end up in more than the ECHL. Well, let's see what he can do.

Me too. This is quite a surprise. I hope he can pull it off!

 

[videofarmer]

Wasn't he the only one? You make this seem like this was a regular occurrence.

Yeah, not a lot of hometown players to pick from. I do believe demographics were always considered when choosing players though. Lots of Americans still on the Jets. I think that may be what you're thinking of, DespoticNewt.

 

[cheswick]

Wasn't he the only one? You make this seem like this was a regular occurrence.

Well Atlanta also had the reputation of bringing in African American/Canadian players to try to appeal to the large demographic in the Atlanta area.

No idea if this was true or not but I did read that a few times.

 

[knorthern knight]

Well Atlanta also had the reputation of bringing in African American/Canadian players to try to appeal to the large demographic in the Atlanta area.

No idea if this was true or not but I did read that a few times.

To quote myself from another thread, they had 4 on their roster during their final year in Atlanta...

• Dustin Byfuglien
• Evander Kane
• Johnny Oduya
• Tony Stewart

 

[CorgisPer60]

Wasn't he the only one? You make this seem like this was a regular occurrence.

That's what I read from a Thrasher fan on this forum. *shrugs* Could be wrong, though.

 

[fatschoonerrat]

To quote myself from another thread, they had 4 on their roster during their final year in Atlanta...

• Dustin Byfuglien
• Evander Kane
• Johnny Oduya
• Tony Stewart

Don't forget Nigel Dawes. Five black players. We also had Nigerian-Ukrainian Akim Aliu that year for training camp.

 

[garret9]

Don't forget Nigel Dawes. Five black players. We also had Nigerian-Ukrainian Akim Aliu that year for training camp.

And drafted Yassin Cisse
And drafted Jordan Samuels-Thomas


at one point Thrashers had 20% of those of African American descent... when they are only 3.3% of the league. (EDIT: They as in the Thrashers roster)
Of course Jets only draft North Americans too could be coincidence?

What did some Thrashers fans say on SBN:
http://atlanta.sbnation.com/atlanta...2188719/atlanta-thrashers-move-roster-players

 

[Nothing Is New]

Don't forget Nigel Dawes. Five black players. We also had Nigerian-Ukrainian Akim Aliu that year for training camp.

How quickly we forget Rumun Ndur and Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre.

 

[fatschoonerrat]

How quickly we forget Rumun Ndur and Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre.

Oh, I will never forget JLGP!

Yeah, we've had plenty of black players in the system. But those five (above) were all on the team at the same time. CNN even did a piece where they interviewed them as a group.

But only one Georgia-born sentimental pick. I was hoping we'd pick Blake Geoffrion since his granddad was big with the Flames and lived in Atlanta.

 

[Jet]

Thats all fine and well, but what about the all time leader in black players -- the Edmonton Oilers. Explain that one

 

[garret9]

Thats all fine and well, but what about the all time leader in black players -- the Edmonton Oilers. Explain that one

Easy.
Edmonton is Canada's Atlanta