Aeros Training Camp Roster
Okay, we have an official training camp list from the Aeros (as of 9/30, so it's missing the boys still up in Minny, but we know all about them by now, right?) Good work, Media Relations Studs!
Question: Where's Olvecky? Answer: Houston. He just got left off the roster. Phew!
Let's do 'em up in number order for easy reference during the game Friday night:
Goalies
1- Kellen Briggs - He actually got a PTO last season when we were in a pinch for goalies but never played. He and Traylen, below, are presumably competing for the 6th goalie position, so if we lose two of the top 4, we can call him up from wherever he's stashed in the ECHL and know what we're getting. Former U. of Minnesota goalie so go ahead and get on the bandwagon, Gopher Lovers! He played for the Idaho Steelheads last season and did fine there with a few AHL call-ups. Seems like a solid choice. (Tryout)
30 - Dimples - You know him. You love him. I don't need to say anything about Anton. (NHL contract)
31 - Nolan Schaefer - Steady Eddie. Will be nice to see him between the pipes again. (NHL contract)
37 - Dustin Traylen - Big, mature goalie at 27 years old, playing for the Corpus Christi Ice Rays this season and his signing even made it on the news (I'd fall over dead if the Houston news ever profiled a new player like this!) How does a goalie get 40 PIM? Even Barry didn't have close to that much! (Tryout)
Skaters
2 - Dane Crowley (D) - Big, young (21) fella who played for Constantine two seasons ago and continued with the Tips last season, throwing in a bit of time with Norfolk in the AHL. Career high PIM last season at 131, so he knows where his arms end. Not a big scorer but, according to HF.com, "a respectable defensive defenseman with good mobility, an eagerness to play a physical, rugged game, and a willingness to drop the gloves to defend his teammates if the opportunity should arise... He is a hard worker with good leadership ability, and a team-first mentality." Okay. Cool. (Tryout)
3 - Paul Albers (D) - Pauly Pauly, black and blue; Block those shots and we'll love you! (NHL contract)
6 - Mitch Love (D) - Former Everett Silvertips defenseman under Constantine, who wasn't signed by the Avs organization that drafted him. Seems he's a bit of a pugilist. He doesn't have another team lined up (that I could find), so he'll be busting his tail to make the team. He's a low-to-no scoring guy but had 213 PIM last season with the Lake Erie Monsters. One year, when he was with the WHL's Swift Current Broncos, he had 327 PIM. Holy shit! Here's his prospect page. Apparently he was much beLoved in Everett. (Tryout)
7 - Clayton Stoner (D) - Hey good lookin'! Whatcha got cookin'? (NHL contract)
10 - Jesse Schultz (RW) - Hooray for dudes who can score! Welcome to Houston, Jesse! (NHL contract)
11 - Jason Deitsch (C) - Jason's an older player who's been bouncing around the minors his whole career, but seems to have consistently served up a point per game, which is nothing to sneeze at, apparently plays a solid two-way game, and has enough PIM to know he's no delicate flower, despite his 5'10" stature. He is signed with the CHL Texas Brahmas this season. (Tryout)
12 - Ryan Hamilton (LW) - Oh, how I thought you had a chance this year, Hammy. I'm sorry. Keep it up though. You were on a crazy streak last season and with better guys around you this year, it will only get better. (NHL contract)
13 - Aaron Brocklehurst (D) - Coming out of college (St. Cloud, so another Minnesota connection), Aaron's not a real big guy, but he just signed with the Everblades in August and will spend the season there unless he sticks in Houston or gets called up. Coach Cameron says, "He's an outstanding offensive defenseman who skates well and has a bomb of a shot! Aaron was heavily recruited by a lot of ECHL teams and we're excited he chose Florida." Bomb of a shot sounds good! Aw, I miss Awe... (Tryout)
14 - Ryan Lang (C) - Small guy and 28 years old, but a BIG scorer in the ECHL. He just signed to play for Cameron and his Blades and coach had this to say: "He's an extremely fast skater with good hands, he has a strong desire to win and he brings tremendous leadership qualities to the table." Sounds great to me. (Tryout)
15 - Bryan Lundbohm (C) - Lundy's the oldest feller on the team at 31, so odds are very good that Coach Stalin and I will designate him "Team Dad" like we did Steve Kelly last season. Please, dear hockey gods, don't let him be like Steve Kelly. (NHL contract)
16 - Peter Olvecky (LW) - The quiet Slovak is back. Given the hype early in camp, I thought he might be in contention. Wrong again, yo.
17 - Riley Emmerson (L/RW) - Riley is under contract to the Wild but will likely end up with former ECHL Texas Wildcatters coach Malcolm Cameron and his Florida Everblades. For all the fist and hair swinging YouTube videos I've seen of Riley, I expected more than 142 PIM. (NHL contract)
18 - Josh Soares (F) - This is the first guy whose stats I've looked at and gone, "Wow!" and raised an eyebrow. The guy can score, at least in the ECHL, has good size, enough PIM to know he's serious... He's got a contract with the Alaska Aces for this season, but I'm kinda hoping he brings his flip-flops and stays a while. (Tryout)
21 - Morton Madsen (C) - The Great Dane needs to step it up this season. I'm just sayin'... (NHL contract)
22 - Jason Ryznar (LW) - Yet another NJ Devils draft pick getting a look by the Aeros! What's up with that? Tom Lynn must have a buddy in the Devils organization. Not much of a goal scorer but sounds like the type of player who might find wings under Constantine, based on his HockeysFuture.com write-up. He went to Wild camp and didn't get much press, but the fact that he got an NHL tryout tells me he'll likely be in the Aeros line-up this season. (Tryout)
23 - Petr Kalus (RW) - I hope he has a good season. He's obviously got the raw talent. (NHL Contract)
24 - John Adams (D) - Adams played pretty solid in Houston during his brief call-up last season, so it's good to see him back in the fold. Not seeing where he's signed for this season. Anybody out there know? (Tryout)
25 - Zach Tarkir (D) - Defenseman tryout signed with the ECHL South Carolina Stingrays. Like Adrian Foster and Aaron Voros, he's another New Jersey Devils prospect that didn't stick with the organization. I don't think there's another team in the league from whom we get so many... for lack of a better phrase... cast-offs. He appears to be good for about 20 points a season, so that's decent for a d-man. Weirdest thing about him is that he's from Fresno, CA. Not exactly a hockey hotbed. (Tryout)
26 - Maxim Noreau (D) - The darling of Traverse City. I'm looking forward to watching him grow this year. (NHL contract)
28 - Brandon Rogers (D) - I like Brandon. Hope whatever injury bug is plaguing him goes away quickly. (NHL contract)
29 - John Lammers (LW) - For a third round draft pick (Dallas) in 2004, you'd hope he'd done a little more. I'm sure Dallas fans do. Pretty thorough and interesting prospect report on him. Has some tools but not a thorough enough package, it seems. Nice hands, but lacks the physicality to get to the net and take advantage of those soft hands. (Tryout)
34 - Michael Couch (D) - Big d-man at 6'4". Is it wrong that I automatically think "Pylon!"? But here's a little love from the ol' coach: “Michael Couch was one of our most improved players over the course of last season. He’s a team guy in the locker room, he protects his guys on the ice, and he’s a joy to coach.” Hey, gotta like that. But don't we already have a Kassian? Oh look! He'll already have a pal at camp! (Tryout)
36 - James Jernberg (D) - Woo! Big fella! Low scoring enforcer-type. Not much out there on him as he spent the last two seasons in Europe. (Tryout)
38 - Pat Oliveto (D) - Not a fighter! Also, he's +11 for last season with the Mississippi Sea Wolves. Given that much of the team ended the season with a - in the column, I'm taking that as a relatively good sign. Not a big scorer but apparently a good all-around player. (Tryout)
39 - Vincent Zaore (D) - Vince played with both Noreau and Madsen in 06-07 in Victoriaville and is a big hitter who spent some time playing forward last season with the Johnstown Chiefs. Could be interesting. (Tryout)
40 - Marco Rosa (C) - Marco... I adore watching Marco move the puck. That's a guy who never gives up. He has incredible balance and pushes that thing through all kinds of traffic. Love his hustle. (AHL contract?)
41 - Jeremy Leroux (D) - Jeremy is signed with the IceRays. "Jeremy is a very good skater and very creative offensively," said (Coach Sylvain) Cloutier. "His ability and decision making with the puck will be a big plus for our power play."
42 - Matt Kassian (LW) - I'm so fond of Matt. He's not much of a hockey player, but he's a helluva guy and I want him on my team. Here's hoping he sticks in Houston.
43 - Chase Trull (F) - Another pretty tough guy. How many do we need? Though apparently he can play both forward and defense, so he's probably a pretty good two-way player. Big fella at 6'3". From the Sea Wolves coach Steffon Walby: "Chase is a true professional with a lot of grit and a great work ethic. He will be used in every role possible this season."
45 - Jason Tejchma (F) - Leading scorer for the Sea Wolves last season with 60 points. Could be good, but he's quite small. Anybody know how to pronounce Tejchma?
46 - Marty Mjelleli (F) - Are there any pro hockey players named Marty who aren't awesome? Oh yeah, Skoula. Well, anyway. He's signed with the Gwinnett Gladiators this season, though I'm not sure why. He has very few points, isn't real big, and almost no PIM. Here's a nice article about him from last year though.
47 - Adam Powell (LW) - Another IceRays signee with a "good gravy!" amount of PIM last season with that team (226!).
48 - Darryl Smith (C) - Rookie center for the CHL's Laredo Bucks fresh out of the QMJHL. He was on the Gatineau Olympiques team that went to the Memorial Cup championships this past season (which Justin Falk's Spokane Chiefs won). Here's a bit more on him. (Tryout)
49 - Ryan Cruthers (RW) - Can't quite figure this one out. Decent scoring; signed with the Islanders organization in March and has only played a handful of pro games. Meh. (Tryout)
84 - Corey Locke (LW) - Again, hooray for dudes who can score! Welcome to Houston, Corey! (NHL contract)
?? - Ryan Graham (LW) - No number provided for him and I'm surprised he's listed since he declined the offer to attend Wild training camp. Seems he's good for a few points and lots of fights, but I'm puzzled as to whether he's really going to be here or not. Why would you not go to Wild camp but come to Aeros camp?
Also, put on waivers with the intention of coming down to Houston ultimately (but can stay up for 30 days to help out with pre-season relief):
- Tomas Mojzis
- Krys Kolanos
- John Scott
- Barry Brust
- Erik Reitz
- Benoit Pouliot
- Colton Gillies
- Cal Clutterbuck
- Danny Irmen
- Justin Falk
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8 comments:
funny story about Mitch Love--When he played for Everett they had a game in Tri. Somehow his stick got caught between the boards and they could NOT get it out. During the futzing around trying to get it out, our PA guy played "Love Stinks" It was awesome. 'till Constantine complained about it, PA guy fined, and now he just plays crappy music.
the end.
oh wait! boo for Stoner not making the big team, YAY for you that you get to watch him with the Aeros again!
Ha! That's pretty funny. Come on, KC, have a sense of humor. If I ever get to talk to him, I'll have to remember to ask him about that. :)
Yeah, bummer for Stoner. Doesn't seem like he even got a look.
"I don't think there's another team in the league from whom we get so many... for lack of a better phrase... cast-offs."
I am left wondering if this is not a "personality conflict" sort of thing.
Yeah, Clutterbuck is still up there.
Well, they do pretty well here, so I guess it's an okay arrangement, but I'd love to know why it's always the Devils players we get. I'll have to ask around about that.
Boo Gophers, Go Badgers!
Ok, I want to know how a goalie gets 40 PIM! Must research this..
You get your guys from Jersey, we get ours from Rangers. But that's easy, it's what Maloney knows best.
So, I am looking to go to SA for a game this season. :)
Awesome, Hip! You should go there for an Aeros game. Big, nasty rivalry. Always fun and vicious games.
Didn't Ryan Graham go back to school in Quebec after the Traverse City Tournament?
I thought he turned down a Training Camp invite...
Oh right, it was college, not juniors. Yeah, I'm still puzzled why he was on the list though. It's not like his declining Wild camp was new news. Maybe it was an oversight.
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