A few of the boys normally in the bomber sweaters will don the Wild sweater tonight and face off against a pretty well loaded St. Louis Blues team in pre-season play.
Starting goalie will be Khudobin, and then DiSalvatore, Irmen, Kalus, Kassian, Milroy, and Smith will play forward with Falk, Fraser, and Noreau on the blue line. The rest are guys who are more likely to be in Minnesota but you can see the full roster here.
You can listen to a PONDcast with my hero Kevin Falness where he has a little chat with Kassian and Noreau and Wild coach Todd Richards right here.
Also, you can listen to the game on WCCO 830 here starting at 7 p.m.
Exciting opportunity for these guys, even though they're likely to get crushed like bugs. Great experience and a guy like Kassian might even get his first NHL fight under his belt, so that's pretty darn cool.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
Beaudoin impresses in Stars Scrimmage
Matt Beaudoin (photo by Fred Trask) scored two goals in Dallas' (white vs. green, I guess) White 5-0 win today. Don't crown the guy king of Stars hockey, but he is off to a good start. There is no doubt that he will hustle and do good things with the puck.Mike Heika covers Stars hockey for the AM news up there and was very impressed with Beauds.
Matt Climie got a very good mention too for his big saves in the game.
I just realized that Clime and Krahn will likely be in Austin. If their "D" holds up down there, they will be a very good team. I predict they will be one of the four teams to make the playoffs (Chicago, Milwaukee, Houston and Texas are my early picks). No, not in that order.
Here is a little bit from Heika's blog:
"The other player of note on Monday was Mathieu Beaudoin, who scored two goals. Beaudoin is 25 and is coming off a year in which he played for new Texas Stars coach Glen Gulutzan in Las Vegas (ECHL) and also for the Houston Aeros (11-8_19 in 41 games). He powered two shots in and looked good doing it. He just signed with the Texas Stars, so he could become a player that the Stars might see this year. He's a right-handed shot, so that doesn't hurt his chances.
"Matt Climie had probably the most noticeable saves in net, as he stopped Jamie Benn and Ray Sawada on a couple of good chances. All in all, most of the goalies have looked good in the two scrimmages."
It's OK to lament of him not returning here, but the Wild have answered why to that question and he just did not fit in the plans for the organization. Fletcher wants guys that are comfortable to him in his first couple of years, and until the guys scores 20 goals in the NHL, there is no need to call this a mistake.
Round Three: Wiseman Division Final
Dimples agitates a screening Riverman
Schaefer keeps his head in the game
All photos by Fred TraskSunday, September 13, 2009
Round Three: Tippett Division Final
Alright folks. We're down to the brass tacks here. Division Finals, and each one is going to be a tough decision.
Johnny can't take Foyzie anywhere nice
Locker scores the goal of the year
All photos by Fred TraskSaturday, September 12, 2009
Round Two: Freer Region 3 v 5
3 - Kolanos levitates
5 - Stoner and Brusty protecting the house
All photos by Fred TraskFriday, September 11, 2009
29 teams in 29 Days - Aeros featured today
In what now appears to be another AHL blog that needs to be added to our blog roll, Chris Rahn's AHL News features a quick look at the upcoming 2009-10 season.
The bottom line, Rahn says, is that the Aeros should be good enough to compete for a playoff spot in the west, but they will be too weak to compete for a championship. (Did Fred ghost-write for this guy?)
"While the defense has upgraded and the offense has suffered a blow, the Aeros are in a peculiar spot this season. If the defense can offset the struggles of the offense, the Aeros should be in good shape to make the playoffs."
On paper, the Aeros might average a full goal less per game, but they will likely give up close to a goal less per game if their new defense is as good as advertised. But there are still plenty of questions in this division.
Chicago got better offensively, but their defense will be suspect. Will Drew MacIntyre be enough? Milwaukee is always good. They probably are not as good as last year, but there is no reason to think they will slip out of a playoff spot. Texas looks to have a pretty decent roster, especially on the defensive side. I still Peoria might have fallen down the most, but they too have decent goaltending. San Antonio appears to be better, but I don't know if their offense is any better from a year ago. What is for certain is that Greg Ireland brought that team back from the dead after a 17 game losing streak. And Rockford. They are waning as we speak, talent wise, but NHL Chicago is full of talent.
I just don't see a runaway favorite to take the division at this point, but if I had to guess right now, I would put Milwaukee, Chicago, Texas and Houston as the most likely to make the playoffs. But Peoria, San Antonio and Rockford (just like the Stars and Aeros) could finish anywhere from 2nd to 7th.)
It's going to be a fun year, and there very well could be a team that finishes below .500 and makes the playoffs.
The bottom line, Rahn says, is that the Aeros should be good enough to compete for a playoff spot in the west, but they will be too weak to compete for a championship. (Did Fred ghost-write for this guy?)
"While the defense has upgraded and the offense has suffered a blow, the Aeros are in a peculiar spot this season. If the defense can offset the struggles of the offense, the Aeros should be in good shape to make the playoffs."
On paper, the Aeros might average a full goal less per game, but they will likely give up close to a goal less per game if their new defense is as good as advertised. But there are still plenty of questions in this division.
Chicago got better offensively, but their defense will be suspect. Will Drew MacIntyre be enough? Milwaukee is always good. They probably are not as good as last year, but there is no reason to think they will slip out of a playoff spot. Texas looks to have a pretty decent roster, especially on the defensive side. I still Peoria might have fallen down the most, but they too have decent goaltending. San Antonio appears to be better, but I don't know if their offense is any better from a year ago. What is for certain is that Greg Ireland brought that team back from the dead after a 17 game losing streak. And Rockford. They are waning as we speak, talent wise, but NHL Chicago is full of talent.
I just don't see a runaway favorite to take the division at this point, but if I had to guess right now, I would put Milwaukee, Chicago, Texas and Houston as the most likely to make the playoffs. But Peoria, San Antonio and Rockford (just like the Stars and Aeros) could finish anywhere from 2nd to 7th.)
It's going to be a fun year, and there very well could be a team that finishes below .500 and makes the playoffs.
Round Two: Chabot Region 3 v 5
3 - I am Kassian, hear me roar
5 - Brusty being awesome; screw you, Mackenzie
All photos by Fred TraskThursday, September 10, 2009
How Jeff Taffe was almost an Aero and other juicy pre-preseason tidbits
I remember the game quite well. The Aeros were playing the hapless Utah Grizzlies around Thanksgiving during the lockout year.In the first of a home and home series, Taffe drilled Aeros goalie Josh Harding and knocked him out of action until later in the year.
I remember asking Harding a few weeks after it happened if he was going to have a hard time playing the Grizzlies with Taffe on the ice, and to my surprise he actually kind of said yes.
I know Taffe got a lot of crap on the then-popular Instigator Alley message board for "running" the Aeros young and up and coming goalie at the time. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't … but one thing is for sure: Taffe is a good AHL player.
He's tortured the Aeros as a member of the Grizzles, the Rampage, the WBS Penguins and the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Earlier this summer, Taffe signed a two year, two-way deal worth $1 million ($500,000 per year) with the Florida Panthers. I think that means that his AHL days will be spent in Rochester.
But he was almost a member of the Wild organization. During a sit down chat I had with Jim Mill earlier this summer, I was told that Taffe was one of the guys he wanted to help build depth. Taffe played for Fletch and he would be good in this system. But he did not sign with the Wild because they were not willing to convert the contract to a one-day deal in Year 2. I think the Wild are smart for not signing him for that reason, but he would have been great for the Aeros power play.
Other pre camp notables –
The Aeros are inviting Jimmy Kilpatrick back to camp. He is the infamous "ghost Aero" from last year. He got called up on a road trip, got hurt and then was on the roster for about three more weeks without every playing a game at Toyota Center. I think this story is still amusing to Royal John to this day … Other players he said would be invited to camp are Ryan Gunderson, Matt Fornataro and goaltender Brett Jaeger … Kilpatrick Gunderson and Jaeger all put up very decent numbers in AA hockey (ECHL/CHL last year). Fornataro, however, put up very good numbers (10 goals, 15 assists in 51 games) with the Worcester Sharks. I would expect him to make the team or be among the very first to be called up when the Aeros need bodies.
Round Two: Wiseman Region 6 v 5
6 - Dimples knows how to make friends, too,
just without going to the box
just without going to the box
5 - Irms defying gravity
All photos by Fred Trask
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