Some Thoughts On The Aeros Schedule

First, let me say that I'll be addressing this more, in depth, on the mothership blog on Friday. But...

I've been reading your comments to Andrew's post, and over at the Aeros Facebook site and on twitter, and I wanted to add my own two cents. And a brief aside, these are my thoughts, my comments, and I'm writing this without the knowledge of Andrew or Heather, so don't hold anything against them.

You, my friends, are being screwed over. Especially if you're a season ticket holder. You purchased tickets for 40 games. But you're only going to get to see 39. It's good for the players to play a game on the Wild home ice in front of Wild fans, but it doesn't do too damn much for you. The Aeros/Wild have stated that you will receive a ticket for that game in St. Paul as part of your season ticket package. But what you won't be receiving are airline tickets or hotel vouchers. You also won't get a ticket to the Wild game that night. So you're more than welcome to spend even more of your cash to fly to St. Paul, get a hotel room, and make your way out to the arena for the Aeros game, just don't bother sticking around to watch the Wild.

They'll also let you exchange that ticket for a ticket to another Aeros home game. But think about that for a moment. You're still paying to see 40 games. You're still only getting to see 39 games. Just what does an extra ticket do for you?

I'm also not too pleased by the two weekday matinee games because I'm sure that most of you season ticket holders actually have jobs, so it's hard for you to get away during a weekday morning to see a hockey game. So what we're actually looking at is that lots of you will be paying for 40 games, but you'll only be seeing 37.

I'll sign off now -- remember, read the mothership on Friday -- but let's just say that I'm a bit pissed about this thing. It's good news for the players, but bad news for you.

2010-11 Aeros Schedule Highlights

Here is a link to the Aeros schedule for 2010-11.

My initial thought?
"Man, this is a brutal schedule ... "

Why?

13 times the Aeros play three games in three nights (vs. just seven last year), and 23 of their first 38 games are on the road. They have TWO five game road trips in the December and January and are playing the same number of games as a year ago in seven fewer calendar days.

But there is a rainbow at the end of this sucker.
If the Aeros are a half way decent road team this year, things could be very good for them.

They will not play one game outside Texas during the Month of March, their busiest of the season, and starting on Feb. 22, they will play just four road games of 18 total on the road until April 1.

This schedule will test them physically, but if they can hang in there until mid January, they have a very nice set up waiting for them.

Good luck, Mike Yeo ... and welcome to the Western Division.

Schedule Update ... Aeros to play one home game in MSP

The AHL schedule will come out later today, and there is one surprise on it indeed.
The Aeros will play one of their home games against the Peoria Rivermen at the Wild's home in St. Paul.
That game will take place on Feb. 12, 2011.

First Aeros home game there since 2005 when they beat the Grand Rapids Griffins behind two goals from Dan Cavanaugh. The Aeros lost to the Milwaukee Admirals in their only other game there.

Meet Your 2010-11 Aeros: Tyler Cuma

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Chartrand

Tyler Cuma
Born: January 19, 1990 (age 20)
Bowmanville, ON

6 ft 2 in
193 lb
Defense
Shoots Left

The Wild picked Cuma 23rd overall in the first round of the 2008 entry draft. He had an amazing training camp that season in Minnesota and even the most cynical Wild fans were absolutely swooning at his poise and maturity for a skinny 18 year old kid.

Statements like, "He was the best defenseman on the ice" weren't uncommon, and on top of that, he was a good talker to the media. Very mature, very focused. Bring that one home to mama.

But then the wheels fell off: He suffered a serious knee injury that December and missed most of the rest of the season. He came back last season, but seemingly didn't return to the previous year's dominance, coming up 10 points shy of his 2007-08 stats. Plus, he missed the World Junior championships both years (first for injury, then didn't make the final team cut in 2010). Wild fans seemed to collectively say, "Uh oh. What happened to Cuma?"

Nothing is wrong with Cuma. And from what I hear, even as a rookie, the Aeros would be lucky to have him on the roster. I would not expect him to put up much in the way of numbers for a while as he focuses on the defensive end of his craft at the pro level. But I anticipate a kid who is big and steady and smart with the puck pretty much right out of the gate.

Here's an interview that I'd say is Essential Reading if you want to know where Cuma's head is at (short answer: Squarely on his shoulders) as he heads into the season.

And any d-man who will defend a nasty run on his goalie is a d-man I can like:

Meet your 2010-11 Aeros: Jarod Palmer

Photo by Scott Slingsby

Jarod Palmer

Born: February 10, 1986 (age 24)
Fridley, MN

6' 0", 195
Forward
Shoots: Right

The "new" Wild are putting an emphasis on signing undrafted college players to supplement their drafting efforts. Left wing Jarod Palmer is one of those picked up a few months ago.

Palmer graduated from Miami University (Ohio) or "Cold Miami" as I call it. I have yet to hear a single bad thing about that program. In fact, all I ever hear is glowing, positive things about the culture of their athletic programs. They seem to recruit and turn out high character humans pretty consistently.

He's a moderate scorer, but from what I understand, his contributions don't always show in his stats. He's a fierce competitor, gritty, tough, and durable. He's apparently a high energy guy who is a rock solid penalty killer, strong on the puck, and he can find the net (or find someone around the net) as he had 18 goals and more than a point per game to his name his senior year at Miami.

Why wasn't he drafted? Seems he was a little bit of a late bloomer and really found his game in college and made a name for himself his senior year.

Here's a good wrap-up on him from the boys over at Hockey Wilderness from back when the Wild picked him up.

There's one thing I know about the kid because I've seen it with my own eyes: He's a creative guy in the shootout. Here's a couple:



And no, that was no whiff. That was on purpose.



Then again, when both of your slick shootout goals on YouTube have that kick-puck-off-skate move, goalies around the league will figure you out pretty quick. But hey, at least he'll be fun to watch.

Meet Your 2010-11 Aeros: Joel Broda

Joel Broda
Born: Nov 24 1989 (Age 20)
Prince Albert, SASK

Center
Height 6.00
Weight 203
Shoots Left

Broda just finished his 5th year in the WHL with the Calgary Hitmen and had 73 points in 66 games. Not bad, right? But the Washington Captials, who drafted him in the 5th round of the 2008 draft, failed to sign him to an entry level deal last year and then he was passed over in this year's entry draft.

So, obviously there's something about him that teams aren't comfortable with. But the Wild have taken a chance on him with a 3 year deal that will almost certainly see him in Houston for a while.

Meet Your 2010-11 Aeros: Jean-Michel Daoust

JEAN-MICHEL DAOUST

Born: November 24, 1983 (age 26)
Valleyfield, QC

5 ft 07
154 lbs
Right Wing
Shoots: Right

Career Transactions:
Signed 1-year, 2-way contract with the Minnesota Wild for this season…played way onto the Aeros last season after signing a PTO…re-signed contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after the Penguins exercised their option…Signed PTO with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (1/18/08).

If there is such a thing as a hockey team having a heart and a soul, then Jean-Michel Daoust was the heart and soul of the 2009-10 Houston Aeros. No player felt worse after a loss than Daoust, and no player felt better after a win. Daoust had a breakout season for the Aeros, scoring a career-high 55 points (21+34=55). Daoust’s goals weren’t the pretty kind of goals that the fans got to know from the likes of Corey Locke and Krys Kolanos. Daoust’s goals seemingly came from nowhere. In the midst of a scrum the puck would pop out, guided by Daoust’s stick, and into the net. Dauost knew how to position himself for rebounds and tips. Daoust was the man behind the hustle goal, and he wanted the goals so badly that men much, much bigger than he were in just no position to stop him.

Daoust was also the instigator supreme. If there was a pileup of players, and if some opposing player came out swinging, then you knew that Daoust would emerge from the bottom of the pile with a huge smile on his face.

Kevin Constantine pointed to Max Noreau last season as a guy who came from nowhere to earn a NHL contract on the basis of hard work, hustle, and a never quit attitude. And the Noreau path was followed by Daoust who, on the basis of last season, earned his first ever NHL contract. It’s hard to know what role new coach Mike Yeo has in mind for Daoust this season, but of this one can be confident, whatever that role, Daoust will do himself, his coach, his teammates, and his team proud.

Photo courtesy Houston Press/Houston Aeros

Time to end "Score the Goal."

Last year, around New Year's Eve, the Aeros did something profound. At least it seemed that way to me.They brought back (or reintroduced) a recorded goal horn when the Aeros score a goal at Toyota Center.

Unlike most other hockey buildings from the NHL to the lowest level college teams in North America, no one thought to pony up and pay for goal horn. These things are expensive, that I know for sure, but when hard core fans go to an Aeros game, that is something they missed.

At most hockey games, it goes like this:

Player shoots, player scores, loud goal horn sounds and then Rock and Roll, Part 2 or some other rock song blares over the speakers.

At an Aeros game, before New Year's, it went like this:

Player shoots. Player scores, Air Raid Horn goes off and the PA Announcer goes "SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO .... OOOOOOAL!"
Then fans get a song after announcer subs in as the goal horn.

Then, thanks to Social Media, the Aeros had a great way to start getting real time feedback about what they want at an Aeros game. A lot of fans said, not shockingly, "Get a goal horn."

Well, it costs $10k-$15k to install a real goal horn, so with that option well out the window, the Aeros did the next best thing. They play a recording of the Goal Horn from the Wild games in St. Paul Minnesota. The only problem with that, is that the announcer still goes "SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE THAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO .... OOOOOOAL!"

The following would make the Aeros look a lot better in their game day presentation:

Continue to employ two announcers at the game. One doing the PAs and one guy as the event host.
Continue to play the recorded goal horn this year.
Do not let the announcer sing "Score the goal" any more.
Find a rock song that you can play the very second the recorded horn ends.
I know the Air Raid horn is a big part of the Aeros history, so I think fans would have absolutely no problem if they played the goal horn and the Air Raid siren at the same time.

There needs to be consistency ... and this story from the New York Times had a quote from a Philadelphia Flyers staffer that sums up my thoughts exactly. Here is the quote:

"The intended effect (of finding the right rock and roll song to play after the goal horn) was to expose our fans to a song in which they can identify with the team, recognize immediately and energize....”

Read those last three:

• IDENTIFY WITH THE TEAM
• RECOGNIZE IMMEDIATELY
• ENERGIZE

The Aeros scored a league-low 100 goals in 40 home games last year (2.5/gm.); not good for a ton of good memories.

But if they would incorporate these thoughts after every one of those 2.5 goals, every time an Aeros fan hears the goal song, they will have good memories about the time they had AT an Aeros game.

Score Goal.
Play Horn.
Play Song.
Be Happy!

What are your thoughts?

Do you think the Aeros game night presentation is good? How does it compare to other hockey games you have been to (specifically other AHL games, if you have been to those)?

Do you agree with my assessment here?

I would love to hear every one's feedback!

Aeros announce preseason slate for 2010-11

The only thing surprising about the Aeros preseason schedule (announced today) is the fact that it came out BEFORE the regular season schedule. That has not happened in awhile. While this was not surprising, I just did not expect it.

It is well-documented that delays in getting the NBA schedule out has pushed back the released date of the AHL slate. Well, the AHL said today that the schedule will be out next Wednesday ...

Now on to the news ...

Just like they did a year ago, the Aeros will open their preseason schedule at Sugar Land on Oct. 1 against the San Antonio Rampage. And, also like 2009-10, they will finish things off with a quick trip over to Cedar Park for a game against the Texas Stars.

Dot, dot, dot ...

In other related Aeros news today, former forward Andy Hilbert is taking his injuries to Bridgeport. And, in case you missed this from the Aeros Web site, here are some details on how you can meet new Aeros head coach Mike Yeo.

Photo Courtesy of Fred Trask

Meet Your 2010-11 Aeros: Colton Gillies

COLTON GILLIES

Born: February 12, 1989 (age 21)
Surrey, British Columbia

6 ft 04
195 lbs
Left Wing
Shoots: Left

Career Transactions:
Assigned to Houston (9/28/09)…Selected by Minnesota in the first round (#16 overall) in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Now that Benoit Pouliot is gone, it is probably safe to say that the biggest puzzle in the Wild system is Colton Gillies. He seems to have all of the physical tools to be among the best players in the system. He’s got some speed, he’s got some size. He’s got a decent shot, at times. But what Gillies has failed to do in either his one season with the Wild or his one full season with the Aeros is to put everything together at one time for an extended period of time.

Gillies, who finished with 20 points last season (7+13=20) in 72 games, had brief flashes where all of the potential came together and he seemed to be that player everyone thought he could be. Unfortunately, those flashes never lasted for extended amounts of time. And while his toughness had been questioned at times when with the Wild, he spent the first part of last season skating with a nose that he broke in a fight an open ice collision in Manitoba (thank you to anonymous in the comments). He also had a tendency, as did several of the younger Aeros, to get stupid penalties that turned into AHL suspensions.

But that was last season, and with Mike Yeo as the new coach, and with a new system for the players, Gillies is looking at a fresh start. The talent’s there. It’s just a question of getting it all to click into place, and getting it to all stay in place once it’s been clicked.

Photo Courtesy of Fred Trask