No Ortmeyer, No DiSalvatore ... No problem?

One of the most frequently asked questions I get every summer is "Which veterans are the Aeros going to sign to lead the team?"

Most savvy AHL fans know that you really need a perfect balance of young skill, great goaltending and savvy veterans to lead you team to a championship.

The Aeros had that formula two years ago and made it to the AHL finals. That was a fun year, and I thought they were going to win the whole thing until Kleinendorst and the Senators figured out how to stop Mike Yeo's system. I'd be a fool to say he was out-coached; fatigue played a huge factor in that, too, but I digress ...

Over the summer, the Wild knew they'd need time and space to play all their young guns down in the AHL, so the only "veteran" they went after was Brian Connelly. Not a bad pickup for someone to quarterback your power play. This could be Jim Mill's move of the summer if the young forward's pan out.

So here were are in the second week of the regular season, and the Aeros' two best veterans are on the other side of the puck. Gone are Warren Peters, and John DiSalvatore and Jed Ortmeyer. There is no Robbie Earl and others like that.

Heather asked Mill about the veteran situation during training camp, and here is what he said about going into the season with a bunch of rookies up front.

“You’re not always going to have a situation where you can go out and get Warren Peters and Jed Ortmeyer and Jon DiSalvatore," said Mill. We were, fortunately. We were fortunate enough that they wanted to come play in the Wild/Aeros organization and be a part of something great. You get those players to lead your team, but you also get those players, they’re not always there to carry your team. They’re there to nurture and develop other players around them, so that it rubs off on those players."

Aeros GM Jim Mill

The plan all along was to have those guys here last year for what probably would have been another good shot at the cup. As well all know, the Wild couldn't ... ever ... get ... healthy, and the team down here suffered because of it. Mill talked about that, too.

"When we weren’t able to get Petey and Orts down for the playoff run, it’s too bad in one way, they wanted to be a part of it," added Mill. "But in another way you don’t have those players around just to carry you all the time; you have them there to nurture and develop and help create new leaders and help cultivate new leaders in  your room, because the young guys learn. Everybody learns from somebody how to be a better leader, how to be a better player and person."

In the end, the Aeros just could not afford to have those guys around anymore. It's not just a money thing. It's a playing time thing and a development thing and a roster thing. In the end, having those guys around the last 2-3 years should help Chad Rau and Carson McMillan and other become great AHL leaders. And those guys will still be competing for spots with the big team.

Mill talks more about that here:

"So I looked at (the veterans) as more of, there are years where they led and carried, and there are other times where they mentored and helped develop leaders in our group. And that’s what having their presence was able to do, and now we have guys who have been around those types of players and it’s time for them to become leaders and step up and take on that added role and responsibility, so we have some homegrown leadership. That’s the goal."

So much remains to be seen, but if John Torchetti can get the Aeros rolling, it should/could/would be a fun ride, even when the lockout is lifted.

Now, check out this video of Mill from his ECHL days. This never gets old:

A word from your captain: Drew Bagnall

Now that the Aeros are closer to their next game than to their last game, it's time to take a look at the weekend ahead. The first three-in-three is staring them in the face, and unless they are perfect, they are still going to be below .500 when the dust settles on Monday.

Drew Bagnall (left) is the Aeros' captain this year. 

Many of you know that Drew Bagnall was named captain. Perfect logical choice, since he is the most seasoned AHL veteran at this point. While there is tons of young skill, the Aeros don't have that 5- or 6-year player than can take over a game and will the team to win. Bagnall, like John Torchetti for that matter, is under the microscope with this team.

Last weekend's 0-for-2 performance, to me, was most disturbing because they only scored three goals 'with all that talent.' I don't know why, but I was expecting much higher scoring games. Maybe we'll see that this weekend. Defense is great, though. If Matt Hackett continues to allow two goals a game or less, the Aeros should be just fine.

But how long DOES it take for a new team like the Aeros to come together. For the answer, we asked Bagnall.

"I think that it really is a function of your leadership," said Bagnall. "A lot of times leaders are only as good as the followers, too, and the more that we can get those young guys to buy into the systems that we play, the talent is there without question with these young players."

Nice to see Bagnall put the onus on himself and the other more seasoned players. Many of you commented on the disorganization - especially on the power play - at the home opener, and I think Bagnall touched on that a bit when he said this:

"The question is just what they do without the puck, and the more accountable we hold them in practice and that comes from the coaching staff and us older guys, the better off we’ll be moving forward," added Bagnall. "We still have to toe the line, too, and contribute what we can."

Bagnall is not here to score goals; he's here to help Hackett and Darcy Kuemper keep the puck out of the net and to provide leadership. I think he'll make a great captain, but he'll only be as good as the team's record in the eyes of many fans. He knows that and wants to make sure the boys right the ship and get off to a better start.

"The biggest thing is coming together as a group," said Bagnall. "And the more you do things together, the quicker you’ll all come together.” 

Ah; sweet progress and a new proposal

According to Wild scribe, Mike Russo, the NHL and the players union made significant progress today toward getting their labor mess resolved.

It's significant in that they want to get something done so they can start a normal, 82-game season on Nov. 2.

There is still quite a bit to get worked out, but finally, there is light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.

If you are interested, be sure to click here, and you can get a lot of the high-level details. As for what this means for the Aeros ... well, it means that you better get out to all of the early games if you want to see the likes of Granlund and Scandella.

There is no way the season gets wiped out, now. I'd really be surprised if they don't start on 11/2 at this point.

Aeros from around the Web

Thanks to this new invention called the "Inter net" Aeros fans can find out just about anything about their team in just a few clicks and searches.

As most of you know by now, the Aeros' opening weekend was quite the flop. Two games, two losses and ... three goals. They'll enter Week 2 as one of seven teams without a win on their schedule.

Here are a few links that will get you caught up.

First, here is Heather's Chronicle Story from the home opener on Saturday.

Here is a link to the recap I did for the Charlotte Observer. My deadline was five minutes after the game ended, so I was not able to hit the locker room for any quotes.

Here is a recap on Hockey Stop, the Aeros and hockey blog on the chron.com

And here is a link to some photos from Opening night. What did you think of the jerseys?

On Sunday, the Aeros lost 3-2 at San Antonio.

Click here for a YouTube video with highlights from the game. After you watch this, you'll see why the Rampage goalie stole two points from the Aeros Sunday.

Here is a link to the San Antonio Express News story. 

And here is a link to the recap on the Chronicle website. 

And you can always go to Aeros.com for updates. From what I understand, they are going to get a lot more videos up for fans to enjoy.

The 0-2 Aeros have a week to think about it.

Matt Hackett makes a save against the Rampage on Sunday.
-- photo courtesy of San Antonio Rampage

When you are lucky enough to work more than 500 games as a sports reporter, you start to notice trends after awhile.

One of those trends for me is how teams react to losses, streaks and other parts of the game that non sports people may view as trivial.

Many times over the years, when a team I have covered loses a bad game, a player has stated his desire to want to get right back out there and "put it behind him."

In other words, players generally like when there is another game right away for the chance to make amends.But when you lose on a Sunday in the AHL, many times you have to wait at least four days for another crack, and that is the case this week for the Aeros.

They are 0-2 with two regulation losses for just the third time in franchise history. Two other times, they've lost both games to start the year, but they at least got a point in one of the games by getting to overtime.

Prior to this year, the Aeros started 2-0 in three of the last four years, so Aeros fans had been spoiled recently with good stars. I guess the good news is that 0-2 starts are very rare for the Aeros. The bad news is that the other two 0-2 Aeros teams failed to make the playoffs.

Those two teams each needed seven games to record their first win, and I think it's very likely the Aeros will win at least one of their games next weekend. Right now it would be silly to hit the panic button. You can wait to do that next Monday, if the results don't pan out this week.

Not surprisingly, the most common two-game start for the Aeros is a win and a loss. That has happened 10 times in 19 years. The perfect 2-0 starts have only happened four times, which is as rare as two losses (two in OT) to start the year.

I know the Aeros wish they could get right back out there and try again, but they'll have a few practices to work out the kinks before they take on the perfect 2-0 Texas Stars.

And on another note, I continue to detect a lot of unfair criticism toward Matt Hackett. In no way can he be blamed for the two "Ls" this weekend. If you lose a 6-5 game, you can blame the D and the goalies, but Hackett only gave up four goals in two games. The second goal he gave up in San Antonio was entirely his fault, but other than that, I thought he played quite well this weekend.

This is a big year for Hackett, who wants to be in the NHL full time next year.

View from the Pressbox: Aeros fall short on opening night.

If you were at Toyota Center on Saturday night, surely you noticed that big, black ugly curtain covering the new scoreboard over center ice.

It's not quite ready yet, and the Rockets are going to debut that baby in a few weeks. After they do, Aeros fans are going to love that. There are even going to be a few of you who will sit at the bar in the club level, drink and watch the game on that baby.

OK, so who am I kidding ... ?

That curtain might as well have been covering up the real Aeros, too. These guys have skill, and they are just going to have to learn to play at this level and with others that have the same kind of talent. The first period was a typical opening night period.

But Charlotte is mostly intact from a year ago, and they fed off a chemistry that the Aeros don't yet have. It is going to take a few weeks for all of that to come together, and when it does, you are going to see things at Toyota Center with a hockey puck that you have not seen since Westrum, Law and O'Sullivan.

Matt Hackett was solid, and really the only truly disappointing thing to me was the power(less) play. It was atrocious.

They were great getting the puck down the ice, and then BOOM disaster between the circles.

Charlotte knew what the Aeros were doing, and they stopped it. And when the Aeros did get something going they turned the puck over.

Congrats to Brodin, who gets the Aeros first goal of the season. It will probably be Game No. 2 tomorrow before they get their first real goal. Brodin's shot went off a Charlotte defenseman and into the net.

Have to give Rau a little stick tap, too, for keeping with that and causing a little trouble over there.

That is all from Toyota Center tonight. I do with the more than 8,000 fans could have gone home a little happier. We'll see how it all works out next week when Texas pays a visit.

What were your thoughts on the game?

Tomorrow ... Opening Night is just a day away.

The Aeros are kickin' it old school this weekend

Tomorrow, the Aeros will open what very possibly could be their last season in Houston. The organization, for the last five months has been very good and consistent with their message - "We are committed to keeping the team in Houston."

I believe that, but I don't know if the building they play in seems the same way. I think they are both more committed to what makes better financial sense for each entity. Who wouldn't be? In the end, it's all about money. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

But enough of the doom and gloom; hockey season starts tomorrow when the Charlotte Checkers visit Toyota Center at 7:05.

They'll wear some old school jerseys to honor the first WHA Aeros team from 1972. (Can you believe that was 40 years ago?)

I used to have a lot of fun with predictions, but there are a lot of readers that are really bothered by predictions, so I won't drive those folks away with my own. I think the Aeros have a team capable of making the playoffs, and the Aeros two goalies are going to be a big reason why they will or they won't.

But Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) wrote a piece for ESPN Insiders that picked every team in the AHL and placed them from 1-30. I will link here to that article, but I won't post it here. I just don't think that'd be right, but I will break it down a bit for you.

He basically gives a few sentences about each team and ranks them from top to bottom - all 30 of them. I will make it easy on you and give you his predicted order of finish below. Please take these with a grain of salt, folks. The guy did this based on what each team has on paper on opening night. Every year, somebody does this for some hockey publication, and they are never even close to being right.

This is what he said about the Aeros:
Houston Aeros (Wild) -- John Torchetti's group is also loaded and as good as Ryan Suter and Zach Parise are, the development of the young prospects in Houston will determine just how successful the Wild are under GM Chuck Fletcher. This group features forwards Mikael Granlund, Charlie Coyle and Zack Phillips -- all former first-round picks. In an exhibition game last week against the Barons, Granlund scored four goals in a sign of what's to come for the Wild.

Here is his predicted order of finish for the Western Conference (overall # in parentheses):
Red = South Division / Blue = North Division / Black = Midwest Division

1) OKC Barons (1)
2) Houston Aeros (2)
3) Toronto Marlies (5)
4) Chicago Wolves (7)
5) Rochester Americans (8)
6) Charlotte Checkers (9)
7) Milwaukee Admirals (13)
8) Rockford IceHogs (14)

9) Grand Rapids Griffins (15)
10) Abbotsford Heat (20)
11) Texas Stars (23)
12) Peoria Rivermen (25)
13) Lake Erie Monsters (28)
14) Hamilton Bulldogs (29)
15) San Antonio Rampage (30)

Aeros announce opening day Roster

I will definitely share some more thoughts tomorrow, but the Aeros just released their opening day roster.

There are no surprises here, and I hope a lot of you get to attend as many games as possible this season, especially early because there is some good offensive talent on the team right now.

Other teams have it too, and by no means are the Aeros the favorite to win the division. But they will be up there, if their D and goaltending is anything at average or above.

That is all for now, but here is the roster straight from Aeros.com:



2012-13 Houston Aeros Roster:
Goalies:
G – Matt Hackett
G – Darcy Kuemper

Defensemen:
D – Drew Bagnall
D – Marco Scandella
D – Kris Fredheim
D – Brian Connelly
D – Steven Kampfer
D – Jonas Brodin
D – Chay Genoway
D – Tyler Cuma

Forwards:
F – Charlie Coyle
LW – Kris Foucault
LW – Jason Zucker
LW – Brett Bulmer
RW – Jarod Palmer
C – Chad Rau
RW – Johan Larsson
F – David McIntyre
C – Carson McMillan
RW – Justin Fontaine
RW – Nick Palmieri
C – Zack Phillips
C – Joel Broda
F – Mikael Granlund

You will be able to hear the Aeros on the radio this year

Aeros/KNTH hook up for ninth straight year.

You can read the entire press release below, but the Aeros will be on the radio again throughout the 2012-13 season. They'll again be on 1070 KNTH for the ninth straight year, a great run for any team and radio affiliate. Hats off to those that got this done.

Generally these agreements go year-to-year now, so if the Aeros are still playing in Houston next year, you can expect another agreement sometime before opening day 2013.

The text below has some very nice notes about the Aeros play-by-play man, Joe O'Donnell, who will start his fifth season in Houston this year. It is hard to believe that it has been that long since Jason Shaver did his one year behind the mike. The Aeros have been quite lucky with the talent of all their announcers, and Joe is no exception.

I have to admit, I questioned his hiring after his first season; I thought he was a little raw, and his Northeast accent cut in to his delivery a little bit.

But since then, he's been great, and I always enjoy listening to him in the car when that is where I am when the team is playing. Another plus with Joe is his interviews. He mixes things up for pregame shows and asks useful questions without getting too technical. That goes a long way for the non hard-core fans.

The only thing missing now, to me, is a great analyst to work with him on home games. I know former pro hockey players are few and far between in Houston, but if one falls out of the sky this year, I hope he gets on the air.

Maybe we can get new Aeros PR guru Josh Fisher on the air with him for the intra-division road games. For those of you who don't know, Josh was the play by play wizard for the Texas Stars for the last three seasons.

He, too, is very talented. And fans are going to like what he has in store for the Web site and from a PR perspective.

Boy, this sure does sound like some serious ass-kissing, but I wanted to take the time to compliment these guys for the work they do. They do terrific work, and this team is a whole lot better with them on board.


Here is the Aeros press release on the new radio deal:

HOUSTON AEROS AND KNTH 1070AM EXTEND BROADCAST AGREEMENT  

50 Regular Season Games Will be Live on 1070 AM and Web Stream

Houston, TX – The Houston Aeros, in conjunction with KNTH 1070 AM, announced on Tuesday a broadcast agreement for the 2012-13 season.
                                                     
The Aeros return for their ninth season on KNTH 1070 AM. The “Voice of the Aeros”, Joe O’Donnell returns for his fifth season of Aeros hockey. O’Donnell called the Aeros 2011 Run to the Calder Cup Finals. In his eight seasons of hockey broadcasting, the Havertown, PA native has made an ECHL All-Star Game appearance and called the Idaho Steelheads run to a Kelly Cup title in 2007. For his efforts, the University of Delaware graduate was named the ECHL Broadcaster of the Year in 2007.

At least 50 games will run live on KNTH airwaves throughout the 2012-13 campaign. There is potential for more games to be added based on programming. Every Aeros broadcast will be available on the AHLlive.com or on the station’s webstream www.1070knth.com.

“KNTH started on the air in September of 2004 and the Aeros have been there from the beginning”, said KNTH General Manager Chuck Jewell. “We are starting our ninth season with the team and we are extremely proud to be the voice of the Houston Aeros at home and on the road.”

KNTH 1070 AM is a conservative news/talk station featuring Bill Bennett, Mike Gallagher, Dennis Prager, Michael Medved and Hugh Hewitt.

The American Hockey League announced that regular-season AHL action will be heard live on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, beginning with the opening night of the 2012-13 season on Oct. 12. SiriusXM NHL Network Radio will carry the Houston Aeros home game on Sunday, Oct. 21 at 5:00 p.m.

SiriusXM NHL Network Radio can be found on Sirius 207 and XM 92, providing more than 20 million subscribers in Canada and the United States with groundbreaking 24/7 hockey talk. This marks the eighth consecutive season that AHL action will air on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, including the annual AHL All-Star Game, the Calder Cup Finals and other regular-season and playoff games. 

The Aeros open the 76-game regular season this coming Saturday. The home portion of the schedule commences on Saturday, Oct. 13th at 7:05 p.m. with the Charlotte Checkers at the Toyota Center. The game will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first Aeros game played by the World Hockey Association (WHA) team in 1972.

Aeros season tickets start as low as $9 per seat and may be purchased online at Aeros.com by placing a $100 deposit. Once your order is processed, an Aeros ticket representative will contact you to choose your exact seat location, as well as discuss the payment options. Information on season tickets and mini-plans is also available on the team website at www.aeros.com.  Groups of 15 or more receive a discount on all tickets, to book your group outing to an Aeros game please call 713-974-PUCK (7825).

-- Houston Aeros --

Aeros 1 for 3 in pre-season

As you've probably heard by now, the Aeros split the weekend with the Barons, losing 4-0 on Friday night and winning 6-2 last night.

Not sure what clicked for them last night, but I would speculate that the Aeros were doing a full dress rehearsal last night. As Coach Torchetti told Andrew via text after Friday's game, they were purposely putting young guys in tough situations on Wednesday and Friday to give them a taste of where they need to be.

Perhaps last night, they played the special teams they plan to run with in regular season. Both the PK and the PP were clicking, with Mikael Granlund earning a whopping 4 of the 6 goals and linemate Charlie Coyle potting the other 2.

But as one Twitter follower said (paraphrased): Big deal. It's pre-season. And it's the AHL.

Well, yeah, the one thing to keep in mind with OKC is that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle were scratched, so that's OKC's version of Granlund and Coyle. This might be closer to the OKC we'd see if the lockout would ever end, but not the one the Aeros can expect to face in regular season.

Still, if it were a piece of cake to score 4 goals a game in the AHL, pre-season or otherwise, errbody'd be doing it. Granlund is special, no doubt about it. I'm so jazzed for Saturday, I can hardly stand it, and I gather you guys are, too.

The only other piece of news is that goalies John Curry and Mike Brodeur are off the camp roster, as Curry was released from his tryout and Brodeur is off to Orlando. So it sounds like that's the last of the cuts and who's left is your team.

See you in 7 days.