The Utica Comets Thread
- Thread starter Bleach Clean
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Texas keeps the dog fight going with a 5-2 win over the Marlies. Game 7 tomorrow night in TO.
What a series!
What a series!
So the Marlies are the Calder Cup Champs....actually surprised that the series went seven games....seemed to me that TO out-shot and out-chanced the Stars in almost every game in the series.... sure makes that tough five-game series they got from Utica seem even more impressive in retrospect.
Marlies rout Texas 6-1. The Calder Cup belongs to the Marlies. This series was a lot tougher, but just like with the Comets when the series was on the line the Marlies dominated the must win game. 4-0 over the Comets in game 5 and, again, 6-1 over the Stars.
The Leafs built this team to win and win they did.
The Leafs built this team to win and win they did.
UticaHockey
Registered User
Utica didn't win the cup, but I bet Cull feels the same way about his super involved GM and how he worked so hard to build the Comets. Nah.
Dubas = what you want your AHL GM to be doing, running his hockey team. Even after being named GM of the Leafs in May, he continued working with the Marlies and hoisted the cup with them on Thursday night.
Take some lessons GM Johnson, if you truly want to wear the label AHL GM as something more than a moniker.
Is Ryan Johnson responsible for hiring Cull? I bet a coach who got his CHL coaching opportunity and AHL opportunity from Dubas would feel differently about Dubas than Cull feels about Ryan Johnson.
When Dubas got promoted to Leafs GM did he relinquish the Marlies' GM title? What type of work did he need to do between May 11 until the end of the Calder Cup finals? Wasn't Benning in Utica watching the Calder Cup finals when the Comets were in the Calder Cup Finals? I bet that had the Comets won, Benning would have hoisted the Cup with them.
This I agree. If he wants to move up the management ladder he needs to prove himself as the GM of the Comets. Personally, I think he will be replaced as the Comets GM in the near future.
UticaHockey
Registered User
The answer to this question is no. Henning and Gilman were here for every game but Benning wasn't seen at the Aud during the Calder Cup finals.
Ah I see. I forgot that Henning was still there and still in charge. My point is that just because you were promoted doesn’t mean you stop caring about the team you were in charge of and still in charge of. If I got a promotion and moved teams or location a month ago, I would still want to attend the annual office party hosted by the team or location that I was with or in the past few years this month.
UticaHockey
Registered User
Ryan Johnson is a fan of having the Nuck's AHL team in Utica anyway. Time to get an extension done Linden/Benning.
Boucher signed to a 1 year, 2-way contract. He is one of the 2 RFAs that should have been signed to play in Utica. Chaput is the other one. Still waiting on Michael. One down , one to go.
Cederholm and Stewart should not even get a consideration.
Molino is not worth more than depth.
I'm 50-50 on Cassels. A better center for his spot would make him expendable.
None of this reduces the Comets need for 2 play makers in the middle:
? #1
Chaput
? #3
Cassels/? replacement.
Cederholm and Stewart should not even get a consideration.
Molino is not worth more than depth.
I'm 50-50 on Cassels. A better center for his spot would make him expendable.
None of this reduces the Comets need for 2 play makers in the middle:
? #1
Chaput
? #3
Cassels/? replacement.
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UticaHockey
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The AHL plays an unbalanced schedule which results in the Comets playing their New York State rivals 30 times in a 76 game schedule. Syracuse is a short 45 minute drive while Rochester and Binghamton are both two hours from Utica. So yes they do spend a majority of the time sleeping in their own beds. It is a bit of an exaggeration because a Friday game in Rochester may be followed by a Saturday game in Toronto but the spirit of the statement is still true.
Lindgren
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- Jun 30, 2005
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Thanks for the interesting news. According to this source, it's a one-year deal:
Comets re-sign F Cam Darcy to one-year extension
You beat me to the punch. I was about to post when your post popped up! LOL
Darcy is another Utica contract. He is not a vet. He made the Comets out of camp. Then spent the rest of the season in and out of the lineup injured off and on the rest of the season. 46 GP and 6G/18A/24 Points. or just about .5 PPG. He added 3 Pts (1G/1A) in the playoffs.
This has been my fear all along. Chaput, Darcy, and Cassels. That only leaves room for one more center. I guess I could live with it if they sign a true #1 play maker for the first line. Chaput #2, Darcy #3, and Cassels #4.
The better mix would be (?) true #1, Chaput #2, another (?) play maker for #3, Darcy at #4, and Cassels in reserve. Gaudette to start the season would be great, but he would be the first call-up or might even just simply play his way up. Thus, you still need all the guys I have listed and Darcy and Cassels are backups and will get lots of ice and the Comets would actually have some depth up the middle for the first time ever and the Canucks would have Gaudette and Chaput here for their needs. 2 extra centers at both levels. Who'd a thunk it?
I doubt we see Gaudette unless Benning makes him available due to free agent signings. So 2 new free agent play makers to go along with Chaput, Darcy, and Cassels. The talented forwards the Comets should have will need those 2 new play makers.
Other NHL teams have been signing AHL free agents for their farms and lots of older vets out of Europe since May. They are out there, but the longer one waits the lesser level of talent will be available. face it there are no centers in the Vancouver cupboards. They have to go out and get a couple to help their kids grow and excel down here.
I have to be optimistic until Vancouver proves me wrong. That might not take long, but until such time I'll keep hoping.
Well to be honesty, teams have just been re signing their own AHL free agents and whatever is coming out of juniors or college. The free a free agency period where the comets can sign other teams players has not yet started....
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I wasn't clear in my post. Other teams are signing 27,28,29,etc. yr -old European players that have never spent a minute playing pro hockey in NA. Elite Prospects already has their destination for the 2018-19 season on their NHL team's farm. They were not drafted by an NHL team and that team had no claim on them. They are in the same readiness for signing as the previously undrafted college players. This is how our opponents end up with talented vets instead of the washed up or never were AHL guys that have ended up in Utica in the past.
Am I wrong about these guys? TSN Hockey lists them on their NHL transaction page as "free agents". The list is long and increases every day. 22-yr-old D-man Michael Fora out of the SUI (Switzerland) was the latest. He was signed by Carolina and pegged for Charlotte by Elite Prospects. Of course these guys could shock and make the big club out of camp, but most likely will be on the farm.
26 yr-old Par Lindholm, who the Canucks supposedly were looking into, signed a free agent contract with Toronto. I believe we will see him playing for the Marlies as a replacement for this year's 29 yr-old captain, Ben Smith. He was the Marlies' regular season leading scorer with 59 Pts (27G/32A) and also put up 7G/9A/16Pts in their Calder Cup Championship run. Smith's point total was third on the team behind Trevor Moore's 17 and 2nd yr man Andreas Johnsson's 24. (Moore was a free agent signed out of NCAA Denver and Johnsson was a 2013 7th round pick of the Leafs who was papered to the Marlies for the playoffs and arrived just in time to help eliminate the Comets in the first round, 1G and 2A in a 4-0 Marlies win.) Smith just signed a contract to play for Adler Manheim of the DEL (Germany). He has to be replaced. Lindholm fits right in.
This is the means by which the Leafs keep stocking their farm with high level vets to help their kids grow in a "winning environment".
Lindgren
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- Jun 30, 2005
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1040 is saying they'll have Ryan Johnson on in the 11:00 hour this morning.
And Corey Hergott has a report on the Comets' signings so far this off season:
A Look At The Utica Comets Players on AHL Deals For The 2018/19 Season, (So Far)
And Corey Hergott has a report on the Comets' signings so far this off season:
A Look At The Utica Comets Players on AHL Deals For The 2018/19 Season, (So Far)
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Interesting take. I hadn't really thought of it that way. Also, while selfishly I would like to see the Comets live on a regular basis, a move to the Vancouver area would likely reduce the fan base. It seems like Utica is a great situation. Why is this still being considered or at least a topic of conversation?
krutovsdonut
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- Sep 25, 2016
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there is definitely a trade off between the amazing utica location and having the canucks farm team more integrated into the organization if they were in the same region. you basically have to sacrifice prospect development days for organizational development or vice versa.
maybe canucks should move to utica.
maybe canucks should move to utica.
UticaHockey
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