He was lit up for 7 when he was an emergency callup as a junior. In his only appearance last season as a late-game sub he allowed one goal on seven shots. He's here as the third goalie at age 21; there is no evidence that the team doesn't think he is NHL material.
Just an opinion. Just my opinion, which I am entitled to, Yes? I have seen this kind of stuff before from Jimbo wiut Comets. I'll leave it at that.
As to Mikey's game last season. His 1 goal on 7 shots in his very limited time amounted to a GAA of 7.16. I was a keeper and people look at thocse numbers to judge you.
I believe Mikey had a very good season in Utica last year, but sitting out an entire season is doing him 0 good. 367 pro games and change entering his 3rd pro season is crap pro development for any player, but it is career threatening for a goalie. If Benning has real, hope for this kid he would be back in Utica by now. He has spent enough time working with Ian, if he has been doing such. It's time for him to put that teaching to work.
The problem is that he hasn't brought enough goalies into the fold since he's been there. He seems to concentrate on one player at time for each position. He has done similar work with D-men.
2014
Thatcher Demko - 2nd RD - (16-17, 17-18, 18-19) 2 full seasons with Utica and 16P Utica/9GP Van in 18-19, his 3rd season. He has been a ful ltime Canuck since then. His back up in Utica was Richard Bachman. However, in 18-19 Bachman got hurt and Demko was called up. 5 goalies would play for the Comets after that and the Canucks would find themselves in deep shit when Markstrom and Demko were bothe hurt and there was no Vancouver sugned goalie in Utica. Enter JR DiPietro and a 7 goal shelling. It was not until that momnet that Benning realized he needed to sign goalies for the Comets in order to have one for himself. Enter Michael Leighton and Marek Mazanec. Demko and Bachman were the only goalies in the system outside of Vancouver.
Only Demko had been drafted since 2014 until Mikey in 2017 and he wasn't even eligible for the AHL until 19-20.
2017
Mikey DiPietro - 3rd RD - was the next drafted keeper by Benning and became the Utica goalie in 19-20 after the shit storm there in 18-19. Mikey shared the net with AHL 4-yr vet Zane McIntyre. Zane was signed to a Vancouver 2-way to provide Utica with 2 guys eligible for duty in Vancouver. Mikey posted a 2.79 GAA and a .908 SAV% in 36 GP. The Canucks did not re-sign McIntyre.
Apparently that single half AHL season makes him the best choice to be #3 for the Canucks. Normally an NHL team signs a veteran goalie to play with their young prospect and will have the choice between the two for an emergency call-up. Not only did the Canucks decide to bring up the unproven kid to the Taxi, they didn't even bother to sign a veteran backup for the Comets. They instead re-signed ECHL keeper Jake Kielly as their only goalie in Utica. Benning let the St. Louis Blues provide the main keeper for the Comets by signing 5-yr veteran goalie Jon Gillies to a 1-yr 2-way contract.
Gillies and Kielly have shared the net until today. The Blues recalled Gillies today . That leaves Kielly with 2 AHL games experience before the 3 he's played this season (4.22GAA/.863SAV%). The Blues sent goalie Joel Hofer back to the Comets. Hofer is a 2018 4th round selection of the Blues. He is a rookie with professional game under his belt with San Antonio in 2018-19.
So, the Comets have in essence rookies Kielly, Hofer, and Evan Fitzpatrick as goalies in Utica. This is Fitzpatrick's 3rd professional season. However, he has only played 8 AHL games in that time span and the rest of his time has been spent in 2 ECHL cities where he played 37 games. His cumulative numbers in the ECHL were 3.50GAA/.873SAV%.
Benning also failed to sign any experienced D-men again leaving that to the Blues. They apparently felt it important to sign some experienced guys to help develop their kids.
In all they signed goalie Gilies, D-men Steve Santini and Mitch Reinke, and forwards Sam Anas, Nathan Walker, and Curtis McKenzie. Benning demoted Sven baertschi. That was the extent of his experienced players to help out his prospects.
So back to my original post.
2018
Matthew Thiessen - 7th RD - 2nd season at NCAA Maine. Season 1 played 7 minutes of one game and gave up 3 goals.
This is season 2 and he has actually played in 8 games posting a 4.23 GAA/.878 SAV% and an 0-5-1 record.
At the moment he is living up to a 7th round selection. It's early for him, but it's not a sparkling resume.
2019
Arturs Sliovs - 6th RD - He is currently in AHL Manitoba and recently played his first game. he played well allowing 2 goals and posted a 2.03GAA/.920SAV% in a loss. The kid is 19 and should be playing in Jrs, but they are not playing so he is in the AHL. Vancouver loaned him to Manitoba instead of Utica due to the differing COVID quarantine rules when going from the US to Canada vs one Canadian city to another.
MY point is the Canucks have drafted 4 goalies under Benning. His 2014 2nd rounder has been playing for Vancouver since 2018-19. He has drafted 3 more since then and his 2017 3rd rounder, Mikey, has played one season in the AHL. Thiessen looks unlikely to make a stir and Silvos will be a rookie keeper in Utica next season.
If Mikey is the #1 in Utica next year and Silovs is the backup, that's what the Canucks are looking at for call-ups. He needed to get at least one more into the system and use Kalamazoo as a starter location for the youngest.
Defense is the dark hole for Benning.
You can see how his failure to develop good prospects in the AHL is hurting the Canucks now. Since he became the GM he drafted Hughes in 2018 as a gift from the NHL for the Canucks finishing so badly he received a top pick (#7). The kid is a good one. He also got a first round pick for their poor finish in 2016. That one hasn't worked out anywhere near as good. Juolevi spent 2 injury riddled seasons in Utica playing a total of 63 games. At he end of the 2nd season he was showing some questionable issues. He is Vancouver now and depending upon who you listen to he he is doing okay or still reveals some of those same issues that were seen in Utica.
Besides these 2 not a single Benning drafted D-man has played for the Canucks and those who have played in Utica have been less than stellar before this season.
He did have past selections either here or arrive later on his watch.
2013-14
The first year Comets had:
Henrik Tommernes - 7th RD - He would play that full season. The following year the D under GM Lorne Henning was much improved and Tommernes found himself fighting for ice time. By mid-season he asked for his release and it was granted. GONE
Frank Corrado - 5th RD - Frankie was done a great disservice by the Benning run Canucks. During the 2013-14 season he split time with the Canucks playing 15 games in Vancouver and 59 with Utica, He spent quite a bit of time in Vancouver in the pressbox. This was essentially his rookie season. He had played 3 end of season games and 4 more in the playoffs with Vancouver at the end of 12-13 and the Canucks were impressed with his performance.
In 2014-15 the Comets were playing a very successful season and Vancouver kept recalling Corrado but not playing him. This was his 2nd season and he really needed to be playing He played 35 games with the Comets. The rest of the season was spent up and down with Vancouver during which time he sat in the pressbox for all but 10 games. The argument here was if you are only bringing him up as the 8th D-man with no intention of playing him, why not bring up an older guy and let him sit and collect an NHL check. He's not going anywhere anyways. Corrado returned and played with the Comets on their playoff run. The team played 23 games. Frankie only played 18 of them. He missed 5 to an injury, upper body they said. He played an outstanding 18 games including every one of those after the injury. We would find out later that he had major shoulder injury which prevented him from shooting the puck and caused some pretty questionable (at the time) weak passes. His defensive play was stellar.
The following training camp he was not yet healed. He was told not to worry. Just do what you can do. We will give you time to recover. On October 5th, he was placed on waivers to be returned to the Comets, but was claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs. They had seen him play in Vancouver and moreso with the Comets vs the Marlies. GONE.
Yann Sauve - 2nd RD - This guy played with Utica in his 4th season on a Vancouver contract. This guy was the worst D-man I have seen play in Utica on either the Comets or any opponent. he was -20 at the end of that season and was not offered a QO and signed a free agent contract in the ECHL. He went to Europe in the 2016-17 season and he is still playing there today in Austria. GONE
Peter Andersson - 5th RD - Peter was a solid D-man for the Comets for their first season and the 2014-15 playoff team. He had a problem staying healthy. He was the least physical D-man I think I have ever seen, but he was not one to avoid contact. he took some of the most vicious hits I have ever witnessed. However, he didn't shy away no matter how many time it happened. Before the season ended he told the Comets management that he had signed to play in Sweden in 15-16 but would honor the rest of his contract. He played 17 playoff games missing 6 due to injury (what else), but was very good in the games he did play. GONE
Alex Biega - 5th RD Buffalo - 1-yr free agent contract with Vancouver. Re-signed in 2014-15. From 15-16 thru 18-19 no matter how they jocked him around and thought they could do without him he made himself indispensable. He was traded to Detroit for David Pope. (Pope played 11 games for Utica/9 for ECHL Kalamazoo and is out of hockey) GONE
So Benning's Canucks got a few games out of Corrado and a lot out of Biega, but in the long run he began the move we see a lot of GMs undertake and that is to eliminate as many of the players they didn't acquire as possible.
In 2014-15
Ben Hutton - 2012 RD 5 - Hutton would play 4 games with Utica and then get called up to Vancouver. He would remain with the Canucks for 3 full seasons. Vancouver did not offer him a QO and he signed with LA. The Canucks recieved nothing for him.
Bobby Sanguinetti - 2006 RD 1 NY Rangers - Signed by Vancouver to a 1-yr 2-way contract. Acquired by Henning for the Comets. Did not play a game for the Canucks. Was selected for the AHL All-Star Team, had the AHL Playoffs Most Assists by Defensemen and AHL Playoffs Most Points by Defenseman, was named to the AHL Second All-Star Team. Was not re-signed. GONE
Adam Clendening - 2011 2nd RD Chicago Blackhawks - Traded to Vancouver on 1/29/2015 for Gustav Forsling. Played 17 games for Vancouver and 11 for the Comets before playing in all 23 Comets playoff games. Traded in the summer with Bonino and a 2nd rd pick to Pittsburgh for Sutter and a 3rd RD pick. GONE
Andre Pedan - 3rd RD NY Islanders - Was acquired in a trade with the Islanders for Alexandre Mallet and a 3rd RD pick on 11/26/2014. Played 42 games for the Comets before being ko'd in a fight with Jarred Tinordi. He would miss the rest of the season and the playoffs. In 16-17 the Canucks undertook an experiment to make him a forward. It was a failure and his game on D was never the same. On 10/3/2017 he was traded to the Penguins for Derrick Pouliot. GONE
*Note that Vancouver didn't assign any new Vancouver drafted D-men to Utica this season.
This was the end of the Canucks making deals to aid their farm during the season. They also failed to bring in a couple of top line AHL vets to help the kids develop and learn the pro game.
2015-16
Jordan Subban - 2013 4th RD - Subban was from the last draft before Benning's first. Subban would be a very fast skating puck moving D-man with elite puckhandling skills. He woulds reveal a lack of defensive skills and acumen. Apparently in JRs he was simply able to skate and stickhandle himself out of difficulties. It didn't work out that way in the AHL. He did put up 36 Pts ood for 5th best onn the team. All of those points allowed him to only finish with a-5.
In 2016-17 he would make the AHL All-Star team and post another 36 Pts, but post a -12 this time around.
On 12/7/2017 he was traded to LA for Nic Dowd.
Ashton Sautner - Undrafted - He was signed to a 3-yr ELC on 3/14/2015 while still playing his final year of JRs. He would play with the Comets from 2015-16 thru 2019-20 suffering many injuries along the way. He would play 242 AHL games and 23 with the canucks in those 5 seasons. He is currently riding in the Taxi cab so Rathbone can play some hockey.
Taylor Fedun - Undrafted - Signed a 1-yr 2-way contract with Vancouver on 7/1/2015. Played one game with Vancouver. He became the one token veteran AHL D-man Benning would sometimes get for the Comets. He leftas free agent at the end of ther season. He has played 97 NHL games since leaving Utica with Buffalo and Dallas, 81 of them for the Stars in the past 2 years.
That would be it for newcomers on Vancouver contracts. the 1 drafted by Vancouver, but not JB would be traded away.
2016-17
No new D-men drafted by Vancouver would be assigned this season.
Chad Billins - Undrafted - Signed a 1-yr 2-way contract with Vancouver on 7/1/2016. He would play 72 games for the Comets as a veteran AHL D-man.
Colby Robak would be a better experienced token AHL D-man, but they would go out and sign him off another AHL roster while he was on a PTO because they were so hard up for a good puck moving D-man. He would not, however, be signed to a Vancouver contract. He got an AHL contract making it look a lot more like Comets Director of Hockey Operations Pat Conacher got him.
Evan McEneny - Undrafted - Signed to a 3-yr ELC by Vancouver on 9/13/2012. he would not play his 1st pro season until 2015-16 with 36 GP in Kalamazoo and 2 with the Comets. Injury ended his season in the Zoo. He had a full season with the Comets in 16-17. He played 11 games for Utica in 17-18 and was lost for the season. In 18-19 he played 58 with the the Comets before another major knee injury. The Canucks gave up on him and he signed a PTO with Laval last season in late November after rehabbing a knee again.
That was it for newcomers in 2016-17. We have yet to see a Benning drafted D-man nor an undrafted young one they hoped might make it.
2017-18
Guillaume Brisebois - 2015 3rd RD - He is the first of Benning's drafted D-men to end up in Utica. He would play 68 games and give a decent showing for himself. The problem with Guillaume is his play from the first season to present has not significantly taken any big steps forward. Thus , a 4th yr pro, still not NHL ready. Went to the Taxi Cab and was today assigned to Laval of the AHL. Sucks because the Comets are desperate for a veteran D-man and he has to be lent to another franchise because of the quarantine rules that have to be followed by a person traveling from the US to Canada.
Mackenze Stewart - 2014 7th RD - The worst selection by Benning to get signed to an ELC. Played a total of 6 games with the Comets in those 3 seasons and never looked good for a single shift..
Jalen Chatfield - Undrafted - Signed to a 3-yr ELC by Vancouver. He has been the same player for those 3 seasons and now on a 1yr 2-way deal as an RFA has managed to get himself onto the Vancouver roster.
Because of the lack of actual Vancouver prospects beyond Brisebois, Sautner, Chatfield the Comets take on some more newcomers.
Patrick Wiercioch - 2008 2nd RD Ottawa - Signed a 1-yr 1-way contract with Vancouver for $650K. Comes to Utica an
8-yr experienced NHL/AHL veteran.Plays 58 games.
Philip Holm - Undrafted - Left Sweden as a 3-yr SHL pro and signed a 1-yr ELC with the Canucks thinking he was going to get a shot to play in the NHL. Vancouver assigned him to Utica as a 2nd veteran level player to team up with the young 3 defenders. He played 42 games showing an offensive flair scoring 11 goals and recording 29 points in those 42 games. Vancouver called him up on 2/13/2018, played him in one game, sent him back to Utica, and traded him to Vegason 2/26 2018 for Brendan Leipsic.
Jaime Sifers - Comes to the Comets after 12 pro seasons that came after 4 years in college. He is an AHL journeyman with 3 years in Europe in between. He's the 3rd cog to work with the 3 kids. He is on another AHL contract.
McEneny gets hurt after 11 games and Subban is traded after playing 16 games and Conacher goes out and signs 2 more veteran type AHL defenders in Dylan Blujus and Adam Comrie to AHL contracts. This team sneaks into the playoffs and is eliminated in 5 games.
2018-19
Olli Juolevi - 2016 1st RD - Olli makes his debut. Is very shaky and is lost for the season after 18 GP. He would play 45 in 19-20 missing 3 weeks with another injury. He put up points but was walked often as he had trouble turning, was weak around the net, panicked under pressure., was a great stretch passer when given time, was a lunatic shot blocker. Benning's 2nd drafted D-man to play in Utica.
He is he only newcomer that Vancouver added to the Comets.
In February Utica traded center Tanner MacMaster to the AHL Toronto Marlies for D-man Stefan Leblanc. He was a breath of fresh air. Was blocked out by Vancouver acquisitions in 2019-20 even though he was better than them.
2019-20
No draft selections on the roster.
Brogan Rafferty - Undrafted - Signed by Vancouver to a 2-yr ELC after 3 seasons at NCAA Quinnipiac U. Simply became the 3rd highest scoring D-man in the AHL. Was selected for the AHL All-Star Game. Was named to the AHL Second All-Star Team. 7G/38A/45PTs/57 GP. Great skater, good puck skills, accurate passer, PMD. Very poor defender in his own zone. Has ben given 1 game inVancouver this year. Has spent the rest of the season riding around in the Taxi Cab.
Josh Teves - Undrafted - Signed to a 2-yr 1-way contract for $700K! Couldn't crack the top 6. Played 29 games and recorded 2 Assists.
Mitch Eliot - Undrafted - Signed to a 2-yr ELC also failed to make the top 6. Played 27 games and recorded 2G/3A/5Pts.
2020-21 -
Jack Rathbone - 2017 4th RD - Signed a 3yr ELC on 7/14/2020. After Riding in the cab for weeks and not having played a hockey game in a year, Vancouver finally sent the kid to Utica to get some hockey games. He is the 3rd drafted Benning D-man to play here.
Jett Woo - 2018 2nd RD - Signed a 3 yr ELC on 3/17/2019. He was assigned to Utica directly from training camp in 2021.
He has been very steady. He and Rathbone have formed the Comets best d-pairing.
He is the 4th D-man drafted by Benning to play in Utica.
Benning's only other drafted D-man to play in the organization is 1st round selection Quinn Hughes.
Jim Benning has been drafting for 7 years. 1 selection went straight to the NHL as he should have. 1 entered the AHL and his pro career 4 years ago in the 2017-18 season. The other 2 began their pro careers here in Utica this year.
I don't know how you think an NHL management team should be doing things, but to have only drafted 4 D-men that have played for the Canucks or Comets is not good. There's only 1 more that is out there from 2018 in Utunen and his Liiga numbers are horrible, 3 Assists in 33 GP last season and 3 Assits in 33 GP this season.
The next D-men to have a chance were just drafted in 2020. I don't expect any 1 of those 3 for a while.
You can feel how you want, but I am not impressed with JBs handling of development for his team's future based on the number of prospects he's sent to the farm and how he deals with them after he gets them here. His forward prospects haven't fared much better. I'm saying it's the player he sends here and not the fact that they weren't turned into NHLers. You can't make chicken salad out of chicken crap. Most of the guys he's sent here have been lucky to carve out good AHL careers. How many Canucks have come from the Comets. How many of them have left the Comets and made it elsewhere?
His great drafting has thus far been mainly first rounders with Demko in the 2nd, but he did develop in the AHL. I almost believe if this had been a regular season, Rathbone wouldn't have been here long either. Rafferty, Brisebois, Sautner, Woo, and 2 of Bailey/Hawryluk/MacEwen/Michaelis with a healthy Motte would all be in Utica. Those 4 forwards would be the extra Vancouver 2 and the first 2 call-ups in Utica. Not exactly a whole new bunch of forwards on the farm either, eh. Focht, Lockwood, Michaelis, Hawryluk are all there is. Finally 2 center prospects and only one is here.
