Updates from the AHL and Free Agency

Heya gang! What do you say we do a little catching up this fine Monday?

AHL News

First, the old news from last week with a few items that were voted into action at the AHL Board of Governor's meetings:

1. Video Goal Review: Yep, you read that right. Apparently they tested it last season in Bridgeport and feel that video goal review is ready for prime time. There is some additional cost for teams to implement, but it's the right (and long overdue) move. So, now when the Aeros put pucks through the net on goals, the refs can have another look at it and hopefully get them all right.
2. Realignment: After some deck shuffling last season, a smidge more this season as Abbotsford moves to the North division and Charlotte moves to the South division. So fewer arduous trips to Abby for the Aeros. Maybe a bummer for guys from that area, but also a lot nicer traveling to mild Charlotte instead. And Charlotte gets to spend most of its travel in Texas, which has the potential to be a nice, compact effort for them.
3. No-Touch Icing: One of the fun things about the AHL is getting to see some rule changes tested at the request of the NHL, and this is one I'm VERY happy to see. You only need to see Kurtis Foster break one femur to be in favor of no-touch icing. This is modified no-touch icing, where the play could continue depending on where the pursuing players are when the puck crosses the goal line. But the idea is to avoid those full speed collisions into the end boards that can really wreck a dude if it goes wrong. The new rule will be in effect for the first month of the season, at which time the board will decide if it's a keeper or not. 

Signings/Comings/Goings

• Warren Peters is a goner. He signed with the Penguins organization yesterday. 
• Other than Corey Locke signing in Europe, none of the really big AHL fish have signed anywhere yet, so there's still some intrigue on that front. I'd pay cash money to be a fly on the wall in Jim Mill's office right now.
• Around the West, the Blues signed underrated veteran goalie Mike McKenna, so we'll likely see him a bit in Peoria in tandem with prospect Jake Allen. They also signed Scott Ford from Milwaukee, much to Chris "You Suck, Ford!" Jerina's delight. 
• Also, the Barons up in OKC re-signed super-stud goalie Yann Danis for another year, and the Rampage will have another season of C Greg Rallo and G Dov Grumet-Morris as both got 2-way deals from the Panthers. 
• Aeros D Chay Genoway was re-signed by the Wild for 2 more years. Matt Kassian was, too, but it's 1 way for him, so we won't see him, or if we do, he'll be getting paid an awful lot to beat up AHLers.
• Free agency opened with a wimper yesterday and the big fish still have yet to be caught (though word is the Wild are on the short list for both Parise and Suter). They did sign two players: Zenon Konopka and Torrey Mitchell. Fourth and third line signings, respectively. Filler guys that bring some grit to the bottom lines and give the Wild depth to hopefully avoid having to call up guys from Houston who aren't ready and/or aren't right for those grittier roles. So as far as Houston is concerned, I like those signings. Kind of "keep the kids in Houston" insurance.

That's also I can think of for the moment, though I'm sure that as soon as I post this, something will be announced.

Signing Update

Wanted to give a quick update on what's gone on with signings this week.

At the beginning of the week, the Wild re-signed Matt Kassian and defenseman Nate Prosser to 2 and 1 years deals respectively. Both are 2-way deals, so I would expect to see them in Houston at least to start.

You may have heard that Derek Boogaard was not re-signed by the Wild and has since signed a (huge) contract with the Ranger, nor was John Scott (signed by Chicago), so there's a pugilist position open in Minnesota should they deem a little extra muscle is warranted. Bodes well for Kassian, I'd say.

Since free agency started, they have also signed a couple of new guys to two-way deals, both of which seem like solid depth pick-ups.

First is Warren Peters, whose name you probably recognize from the Texas Stars last season. He's a gritty center who can get you 20-30 points a season and has some NHL experience under his belt.

Second is Drew Bagnall, a big defenseman who has spent his pro career in the Kings' system in Manchester. I asked a friend who photographs the Monarchs to give me some thoughts on him:

Bags is a hell of a solid stay at home D-man that any goalie would LOVE to have in front of them. GREAT body checker good at stopping them at the blue line; Oh and he can drop the gloves. He was our BEST captain ever here. We are ALL gonna miss him here; but he's going to have more of a shot at the NHL with the Wild than with the Kings.

She even provided photographic evidence. All photos courtesy of Tracy Hicks from Press Photo International. Thanks so much Tracy!

Grr!

So, there ya go. Andrew will hop on over the weekend to give some quotes from Mill on the signings.
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Around the rest of the league, notable signings are Texas Stars Matt Climie signing with Phoenix. He'll battler for the #2 spot there, but knowing how it goes, we'll likely see him a lot in San Antonio. Also, per his Facebook page, Matt Beaudoin is also headed to the Phoenix/San Antonio organization, though I've seen nothing reported of it. Maybe he's just going on vacation? No, I don't think so. I'll update if I see something official.

Also, Jaime Sifers (who I liked alright but I'm happy to not have to write about now because I type "Sifters" every. single. time.) has signed with the Thrashers organization, so we'll likely see him with Chicago a bit.

That's all for now. Have a great, safe 4th of July weekend! Don't anybody blow themselves up, mmmmkay?

Alumni Update: Steve Kelly

From Syracuse.com comes a little story on former Aeros Steve Kelly. Kelly's currently a free agent who is still recovering from surgery on his hip, which he injured last March when playing for the Crunch.

But don't worry about Kelly. Should he come up with no other career options (Europe?), he's got a back-up plan. He's going to become a police officer.

On a side note: Kelly was a good go-to guy in the locker room for quotes the year he was here. Which reminds me that in about a couple of months I'm going to have to start figuring out who the new go-to quote guys are.

So Long, Farewell, Nolan Schaefer

We knew this was happening, but the question was to where. And today we know.

Nolan Schaefer appears to have signed a contract with CSKA Moscow of the KHL. And here's an article in Swedish on the signing, followed with this Google translation. Here's a quote from his new coach: "I have received very good recommendations on Schaefer from North America and the last two seasons in Houston, he has very good statistics, says new coach Sergei Nemtjinov to Sport-Express."

Sergei, I can also give you a very good recommendation on Schaefer. He's not flashy. But he's solid. He's not going to make stupid mistakes. He's not going to panic. He's going to keep you in games. Hell, if you score a goal, he'll probably be able to win you a game.

With Doobie's signing in Minnesota, and Barry Brust and Anton Khudobin under contract and hoping to play here, it was pretty much a forgone conclusion that Schaefer was leaving the team. Still, I'm going to miss talking to him in the locker room -- the guy was always good with giving us a quote and good explanations for what happened in the game. I wish him luck in Russia.

So so long, farewell.

Olvecky To Nashville

And it's official. Peter Olvecky has signed with the Nashville Predators -- it's a two-way, one year contract. So maybe the A.S.S. gang will get to see him.

Marco To The Moose

The Aeros have lost another of their free agents as the Manitoba Moose announced today that they have signed Marco Rosa to an AHL contract.

I'd like to wish Marco luck with the Moose, except when he plays against the Aeros. He was always an easy guy for us to deal with in the locker room after games, and he seemed to be well-liked by his teammates. He also, it seemed to me, to be a good Constantine-type player in that he wasn't the most gifted of players, but he always gave the maximum effort and did everything possible to make himself, and his teammates better.

And I'm sure I speak for the rest of us here at T3I in that I'd really like for the Aeros to start getting some guys under contract. I know there's been that whole change of regime thing going on up in St. Paul, but I don't think the Aeros can afford to lose all of their offensive skill players.

Sifers and Fraser signed to the Wild/Aeros (updated)

Appears that the Wild have signed two defensemen who seem likely headed to Houston to fill out the blue line. Both are one year, two-way deals.

Jamie Fraser, who played for Bridgeport last season, and Jamie Sifers, who played 23 games for the Maple Leafs last season (and was with the Marlies prior to that).

Don't know much about them but as far as Sifers, I'm told by a friend who follows the Marlies, "Oooooo, you'll like him." Sounds like he's got some grit and is a stay-at-home type. I asked why he hasn't managed to stick with the Leafs, and my friend says the old regime was set on using veterans (how'd that work for ya, Leafs?) but he was solid in his NHL call-ups.

Also, he was voted into the AHL All-Stars for Planet USA last season. Here's a blog post he did about that for the Leafs site (seriously, NHL, you need to do better at handling blogs on the team web sites). And here's a post about his first NHL call-up.



For Fraser, it sounds like he's got some offensive talent, which is great. Here's a quote from an Islander's blogger who I'm assuming is surprised the Isles didn't qualify Fraser:

Jamie Fraser- I think he’s another no-brainer. He’s got the same great hair as his relative Kerry, who is one of the best officials in the league and is a good leader. On the ice, he’s got a big heart and that’s one of the reasons why he’s a fan favorite in Bridgeport. A good player on both sides of the puck, Fraser, in my mind, should be one of the first players called up if the Isles get hot by the injury bug again.

The well-coiffed Fraser with a nice little stick-lift:


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Here's the Wild's official press release:

SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed defensemen Jamie Fraser and Jaime Sifers to one-year contracts.

Fraser, 23 (11/17/85), played one game with the New York Islanders in 2008-09, making his NHL debut April 4 versus Tampa Bay. Fraser posted 21 points (7-14=21) and 30 penalty minutes (PIM) in 66 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League (AHL). The 6-foot-1, 200-pound native of Sarnia, Ont., played junior hockey with the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Brampton Battalion and Sarnia Sting. He was originally signed by the Islanders on Feb. 22, 2007.

Sifers, 26 (1/18/83), recorded two assists and 18 PIM in 23 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2008-09 season. He also posted 20 points (4-16=20) and 47 PIM in 43 games for the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound native of Stratford, Conn., played collegiately at the University of Vermont, where he was an ECAC Second All-Star Team selection in 2005. Sifers was signed as a free agent by Toronto on July 20, 2006.

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.

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.