Freddie Chabot has a new gig

This is great news for Chabot fan.
According to inews 880 AM (an insanely reliable source), Freddie Chabot (who played several stints for the Aeros from 1996-2001) is the new goaltending consultant for the Edmonton Oilers.

And yes, he will have his work cut out for him.

In my opinion, the Aeros should have retired his number (along with that of Mark Freer's) a long time ago. They both hold team records that will never be broken.

Retiring his number now would mean nothing, I'm afraid, because very few people know either one of them or how special they were to the franchise once upon a time.

But I digress ...

Big Love

Here's Mitch Love's final blog entry for this past season, wrapping up the playoffs and thanking everyone. Nice stuff. Thanks to Su Ring for initiating the blog and to Mitch for carrying through with it all season.

I don't think I'm alone in wishing to see him back in Houston this fall, but of course, as a free agent, he's got his pick of places.

Locke Departs for Big Apple

The New York Rangers announced that they have signed Corey Locke to a contract. There are no details to the agreement other than a Rangers release that they have signed Locke.

Locke was one of the Aeros major scorers and contributors last season, and like the other big scorers, he was a free agent. I have yet to see anything regarding the contract status of Krys Kolanos, Jesse Schultz, or Matt Beaudoin who were the team's other big scoring contributors.

Hey Dallas! Have You Been Paying Attention To Phoenix?

I hope the Dallas Stars fans have been paying attention to what's been going on with the Phoenix Coyotes, because Tom Hicks is having some severe financial problems with the Texas Rangers, and there's nothing to indicate that, come hockey season, this won't be happening with the Stars.

Specifically, and stealing from my summary over at my ClownVision Chronicles blog, it goes like this. According to Yahoo! Sports the Rangers recently borrowed $15 million from MLB to meet payroll obligations.

Now, unlike with the NHL and the Phoenix Coyotes, MLB isn't claiming that this loan of money is allowing it to take control of the team. It is assumed that should the team attempt to add payroll come the trading deadline, that MLB will have a say in whether that happens -- kind of like what happened when MLB was running the Montreal Expos.

There's been some major financial problems with the Rangers and Stars for Tom Hicks this year, and the problems have been so serious that owner Hicks has announced that he's selling a controlling interest in the Rangers and is willing to part with an ownership interest in the Stars. And earlier this year, Hicks purposefully defaulted on loans for money that was used to purchase the Rangers and the Dallas Stars.

This could all mean nothing when it comes to the Stars. The Yahoo! post seems to imply that the Rangers will soon be sold, which would probably give Hicks the money needed to handle affairs with the Stars. But if not, is it possible that there could be another repeat of Phoenix in Dallas with the NHL loaning Hicks money to keep the Stars afloat and the NHL attempting to take control of the franchise?

It's too early to know the answer to this question. But for those of you interested in the well-being of the Stars, keep a close eye on the state of the Texas Rangers. The sicker the Rangers, then possibly the sicker the Stars.

OKC set to join AHL in 2010-11

After 17 seasons in Oklahoma City, the CHL Blazers are no more.

This has been long rumored, but now it's official.
The city is in negotiations to have AHL hockey there for the 2010-11 season.

Potential suitors include the dormant AHL franchise owned by the Edmonton Oilers.

If this proves true, this would mean four teams separated by no more than 350 miles in what would be a very schedule friendly southwest part of the west division.

Personally, I hope they keep the same name and colors and the fans are among the very best in the CHL, for what it's worth.

This will be an interesting story to follow in the days and months ahead.

New goalie in the works?

I think Barry Brust and Anton Khudobin are going to be No. 1 and No. 2 (not necessarily in that order) in Houston next year.

I also think the Wild, as has been reported all over the place, are going to trade Josh Harding for something. And I think they are going to sign another No. 2 meaning Brust and/or Khudobin will only plan in Minnesota when Niklas Backstrom and the new No. 2 get hurt.

But, in the meantime, I think they should check out this guy. He's got a nice French accent, doesn't curse too much and covers the posts REALLY well. As well as I have ever seen.

Ward Sticks With Nashville

Congratulations to former Aero Joel Ward who, today, inked a 2-year, $3 million deal with the Nashville Predators.

Jim Mill named Aeros GM (now with audio)

Here's the presser from the Wild:

MINNESOTA WILD NAMES JIM MILL ASSISTANT TO THE GENERAL MANAGER

SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has named Jim Mill Assistant to the General Manager. He will report to Fletcher and help oversee the day-to-day operations of the Wild’s hockey operations department. Mill will also serve as the General Manager of the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League (AHL).

“I am excited to add Jim to our staff,” said Fletcher. “His strong hockey background and extensive experience working in the American Hockey League will be a great addition to our team.”

Mill 41, (11/17/67), has spent the last 11 years working for the AHL. He joined the AHL’s hockey operations staff in 1998, was promoted to vice president in 2001 and was named executive vice president of hockey operations prior to the 2007-08 season. In addition to personally supervising some 100 games every season, Mill managed all facets of the league’s hockey operations department, including management of the AHL’s officiating program, recruiting, hiring and assigning on-ice officials to supplement those in the National Hockey League officials development program.

“On behalf of our teams and our Board of Governors, I would like to thank Jim for his 11 years of invaluable service and dedication to the American Hockey League,” said David Andrews, President and CEO of the American Hockey League. “We are elated to see a most deserving member of our organization get the ability to demonstrate his talents at the next level, and we offer our sincerest best wishes to Jim and his family.”

Mill also oversaw the league’s disciplinary process for fines and suspensions, and developed and executed the 1,160-game league schedule and coordinated the playoff schedules with all participating teams. He also served as the league secretary to the AHL Board of Governors.

A native of Hartford, Conn., Mill came to the AHL office after serving as assistant director of hockey operations at the East Coast Hockey League. He played four seasons as a goaltender in the ECHL (1992-96) and served on the executive board of the Professional Hockey Players’ Association. Mill also served as an assistant coach and director of player/community relations for Tallahassee (ECHL) in 1996-97. He played junior hockey for the renowned Springfield Olympics program in Enfield, Conn., and captained the varsity team at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., where he earned MVP honors in 1992.

He and his wife, Cindy, have three daughters. Mill will begin his new role with the Wild immediately.

I know nothing of the man other than what I just read here, but I'm personally crossing my fingers that the Aeros will not continue to have the absolute worst schedule in all the AHL with someone so well connected in and knowledgeable about the league on board.

Much more to come on this, no doubt.

Here's audio of the press conference introducing Mill.

Wild qualify 6 of 10 restricted free agents (updated)

As we've mentioned before, restricted free agents become unrestricted free agents and the team loses their rights to a player if they are not given a qualifying offer by the deadline, which was today.

Here's the list of players who were qualified, with Aeros bolded:

C Kyle Brodziak
LW Robbie Earl
G Josh Harding
RW Danny Irmen
LW Benoit Pouliot
D Clayton Stoner

The Wild did not make qualifying offers to:
D Paul Albers
LW Riley Emmerson
LW Dan Fritsche
LW Peter Olvecky

Not entirely surprising on any front, though I always liked Paul and will miss his fantastic shot blocking. I thought they might keep Olvecky around, but I guess the new regime doesn't see a fit. Will add more later if clarity around the decisions is made public.

On Wednesday, NHL free agency begins. It's also Canada Day and really the most exciting day of the off-season, typically. Though teams are so burdened with salary cap issues, it will be interesting to see what GMs can pull off with such constraints. I, for one, take the day off and just follow the flow of signings and trades like a kid at Christmas, but I'm kind of a dork for hockey. :)

UPDATE: From Russo's blog, it appears the goal is to keep Olvecky but avoid having to sign him to a one-way (NHL-only) contract.

About Pouliot, Fletcher said: “We’re excited to see where he is come training camp. He’s had his ups and downs along the road, but (new coach) Todd Richards is excited about seeing him in camp. We want to see if he can push his career forward, take the next step. It’s up to him, but we want to give him that opportunity.”

He said not qualifying Fritsche and Olecky was a roster “flexibility” issue. About Olvecky, Fletcher said making him a qualifying offer might possibly have “made him eligible for a one-way contract. We wanted to keep the option open of a two-way contract.” So, by not qualifying him, Fletcher said he still held out hope that he could reach agreement on a two-way deal and keep Olecky in the fold. Fletcher said it was important for the franchise to have as much financial flexibility as possible heading into free agency.

And of no particular consequence to the Aeros but might be of interest if you were a fan of his, John Lammers has not been qualified by the Dallas Stars organization, so he, too, will become a UFA on Wednesday.

Getting to know the enemy: Logan Stephenson

I don't often run across other women who eat, sleep, and breathe hockey like I do, so when I "met" Su Ring, I knew I had found a soul sister. She's an executive producer for a TV station in the Seattle area, which is a hotbed of junior hockey, so she does lots of really excellent interviews with guys in junior but also keeps up with guys who have moved on.

She's the one who brought us Mitch Love's blog this past season. Great story here about how she came to know who Mitch was by singing the National Anthem for his former junior team, the Everett Silvertips.

Anyway, here's a great interview with a name Aeros fans have seen bounce around the league, but mostly from San Antonio, Logan Stephenson. Check it out. For the lazy folks out there, here's where he talks about Mitch and Houston:

KING 5: Mitch Love (former Everett Silvertip and KING 5 Hockey blogger) is playing in Houston because Constantine asked him to. This season, Constantine asked Mitch, who is a defenseman by trade, to play winger and he said "okay." That's gotta be somebody who commands respect, for you to completely change your game.
LS: Absolutely. But you know, Mitch turned into a pretty good winger. We play against them ten times a year almost. In the past 3 years, I think I've played that team almost 37 times. I've seen everything that guy has to offer and he's a pretty good winger. He does his job well.

KING 5: Have you guys ever scrapped?
LS: I don't think I've ever fought Love. I think I've asked him a few times. I think he's asked me a few times, but I don't think we've ever actually gotten into it. I'd have to think back. I don't think so. I told him last year, 'We've gotta get one in us.' But those things, you don't really put much stock in them. If they happen, they happen. He's a great guy. I've got a lot of respect for what he does and who he is but at any time if we need to swing, I think he'd be happy to help me out and vice versa.

KING 5: You're a big guy - 6'3" and Mitch is about 5'11".
LS: "Rocky"(Balboa) was 5'10", 5"11" and he (Mitch) has the same type of head that "Rocky" does, that hard friggin' head that you can't hurt. So, I may have a little size but he's got that rock-hard head.

KING 5: When you were with San Antonio in the AHL, was there any particular team that you enjoyed beating up on?
LS: In the American League it turns a little different. There's no beating up on anybody in the American League. Any given night, anybody can win, just because of the quality of the players. We never really picked on any teams in San Antonio. To be honest, we never really were that successful. But again, I'd have to say Houston. I've got to keep going back to the team that Love is playing with. Houston was probably a team I enjoyed playing the most, because I like their building. The fans were good. Not unbelievable but they're good. I like the building. San Antonio and Houston, that was our closest game and it seems like those were pretty passionate games and pretty aggressive games. I had a lot of fun playing them, too.

Good stuff. Keep up the great work, Su!