Meet your 2010-11 Aeros: Kris Fredheim

Kris Fredheim
Defense

Born: 2/23/1987
Campbell River, BC
6'2" - 192

Shoots: Right

It's pronounced FRED-haym. Rhymes with Dead Aim. Fredheim's a stay at home defenseman who earned an AHL deal out of camp after finishing up his college career at Colorado College (Wild must have a scout who lives in Colorado Springs... ).

He was originally a 6th round draft pick in 2005 for Vancouver but they ultimately passed, so I'm sure he'll have a little something extra when the Aeros face Manitoba.

I've never seen him play so I can't comment at all, but here's what Hockey's Future had to say about him.

Fredheim is a tall, lanky defensive defenseman who is noted for his big, powerful slapshot. He’s a smart player who keeps things pretty simple and is very solid positionally. He makes great use of his large frame and long reach, but still needs to add strength. Despite his need for more physical strength, Fredheim is strong on his skates and has shown that he can be difficult to move off of the puck. He is a fierce competitor who isn’t afraid to play the body is quite good in his play along the boards and in the corners. Fredheim possesses good puck skills and can make nice outlet passes, though he could stand to be a bit more patient with the puck. He is defensively sound, effectively taking away passing/shooting lanes and has shown a willingness to block shots. Some added size and strength would go a long way to help improve many of Fredheim’s weaknesses as his collegiate career goes along.

So, there's that. Judging solely by his stats (it's all I've got) and knowing these profiles tend to be a little outdated, I'm guessing his patience with the puck has probably seen some improvement. In his final season at CC, he doubled his point totals, assists mostly, but that could be an indication of more comfort with the puck.

Mighty Peoria comes to town

Tonight, the Aeros will play Game 3, and they'll get their first crack at the Peoria Rivermen. They are off to a 3-1 start and look to be every bit of the offensive juggernaut that many predicted.

They have a great mix of vets and young players and Ben Bishop looks to be every bit of the great goalie they need him to be. Bishop may not even get the start tonight, as he has played every minute of their first four games.

Maybe they go with the rookie Jake Allen in net. Maybe not. We'll find out tonight.

Last night in San Antonio, the Rivermen scored six goals on 20 shots, lighting up Rampage goalie Al Montoya like a Christmas tree. Graham Mink is the real deal, and Nick Drazenovic scored twice last night in the rout.

What we do know is the Aeros will go with Anton Khudobin tonight. He will be making his first start of the season, and I have no idea the last time Anton played meaningful hockey. It's been awhile, so the team better not cough up the puck as much as it did in the second and third period Friday night.

Mike Yeo would not mention names, only deferring to Matt Hackett who single-handedly earned the team a pair of points in the standings. Another game like Friday, and the Aeros will get thumped to the tune of 6,7 or 8-1.

The Aeros do, however, seem to be very good at finding loose pucks (rebounds) and putting those in the net. I know that is how the first goal was scored last night, and from what I understand, so did the game-winner in OT.

I learned a lot from Kevin Constantine in his three years. One thing I learned is that your first home game of the season is one of the most unpredictable of the year. There is no way to gauge how the team will react to playing at home for the first time.

Personally, I have a bad feeling because of Anton's rustiness. But if Peoria starts the rookie, who knows? It's the first home game of the season ... so don't be surprised no matter what happens.

Meet Your 2010-11 Aeros: Brandon Rogers

BRANDON ROGERS
Born: February 27, 1982 (age 28)
Rochester, NH

6 ft 1
198 lb
Defenseman
Shoots: Left

(Photo courtesy of Fred Trask)

Career Transactions: Is currently signed to a AHL contract with the Aeros....Signed as a free agent by Minnesota, July 15, 2008....Signed by Houston (AHL), August 23, 2007....Originally selected by Anaheim in the fourth round (118th overall) in 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

What is there to say about Brandon Rogers? I think it's become obvious over the years that I'm a fan of the guy as a player, and as a person. After all, how can you not like a guy who was the AHL Man of the Year, and yet thought nothing of it because going out into the community was just a regular part of being a hockey player?

Rogers didn't have the best of seasons, points-wise, last year, getting only eight points (3+5=8) in 60 games after having scored 32 and 28 in the previous two seasons. Yet the lack of scoring last season is probably, one of the reasons I'm a fan as Rogers sacrificed his scoring to help the team, moving from defense to take over as the checking line center because injuries and call-ups kept the team decimated throughout the season. That shouldn't be a problem this year -- one can hope -- as the team seemed determined to be bring in forwards this off-season.

I don't see Rogers as a flashy guy. I think he's more of a steady presence who's not going to make stupid plays and who will find some way to make a contribution. He's also, for me, somebody I can always go to in the locker room and who give me a quote despite the night he or the team just had.

Meet Your 2010-11 Aeros: Jared Spurgeon

Jared Spurgeon
Defense

Born: 11/29/1989 (20)
Edmonton, Alberta
5'8" - 175

Shoots: Right

(WHL Championship Trophy Photo by Regan Bartel - http://reganbartel.blogspot.com/)


When I went to training camp during the first week of camp here, there was this small defenseman on the ice, #28, who caught my eye during one of the drills. It was some kind of backchecking drill and this 28 just looked like he was working his can off. He didn't always catch his guy but, my god, did he appear to be busting a gut trying to and that impressed me.

Now, sometimes a guy can look like he's working hard, but really he's just working inefficiently. So, I'm not sure what I was seeing exactly, but apparently the team saw enough in Spurgeon to sign him off of a tryout. He'd originally been a 6th round pick of the Islanders in the 2008 draft, but they didn't sign him.

I'm told he was quite the PP quarterback for the Spokane Chiefs and he definitely racked up some points (almost a point per game his final WHL season) to back that up. I think at the AHL level, sometimes smaller guys can pull off some slippery moves. They can hide in the weeds a little bit. We'll see what he can do. If his energy at camp is any indication, he'll be a fun guy to watch.

I asked a Spokane Chiefs fan I know on Twitter to gimme Spurgeon in 140 char: "Incredibly effective defenseman for his size, great leadership, exceptional hair." My Twitter friends know what's important.

Here's some good scouting video of him put together by his agent:

Meet Your 2010-11 Aeros: Nate Prosser

Nate Prosser
Defense

Born: 5/7/1986 (24)
Elk River, MN
6'2" 210

Shoots: Right

Prosser is another in the handful of college free agents the Wild picked up earlier in the year as he just finished his senior year at Colorado College.

He's a big fella and has a decent touch for setting up goals, having put up solid assist numbers throughout his career. According to this article from the Wild, he's a mean cuss gritty player who can provide that all-important physical spark.

One of the things the Aeros really lacked in last year's roster was that spark, so he if can provide that while playing a solid defensive game, he's going to be a grand addition to the team.

As I recall, he had a solid pro debut with the Wild at the end of last season, and being a Minnesota boy, he's fired up to play for the local club. But I don't think he's at the top of the depth chart. He's almost surely behind Scandella at the moment, but there's loads of opportunity for that to change. My point being, I would expect him to be sporting the bomber instead of the... "wild thing"... most of the season. Go ahead and get attached.

And if he regularly comes to the defense of his goalie like this, I know I will:

Also, according to Russo, Wild d-man Brent Burns nicknamed him 'Stiflemeister' thanks to his uncanny resemblance to actor Seann William Scott who played Stifler in the American Pie movies (and is also a Minnesotan, for what that's worth). Thanks to http://gocctigers.blogspot.com for the side-by-side comparison.

Houston Aeros/West Division Season Preview

Tonight the Aeros' regular season gets into full swing with the first of three games in three nights. Last weekend was just a tease as the Aeros essentially played a tune-up or glorified preseason game against an OKC team that was fully together for just the second time.

On the record, I think OKC gets their first-ever win tonight, tomorrow is a toss-up as Peoria is the most talented team in the division ... and then on Sunday, the Aeros improve to 1-1 both at home and against the Barons this season.

Matt Hackett goes tonight and suffers a tough loss, a rusty Anton gets drilled tomorrow night and for the sake of getting him some work, I think Mike Yeo has to play Anton again Sunday in what I think will be a win.

As for the rest of the season? Well, to be fair, and I say this every year, you need to see the team 20-25 games before you really know what they are about and what they can be capable of. We know this team is younger, more aggressive team with a new system. But as it has been pointed out before, they did not add any major AHL upgrades when it comes to scoring.

They are going to rely on Jon DiSalvatore's 20-22 goals, Warren Peters' 30-35 assists and the netminding of Anton and Hackett. What they hope to get is breakout years from guys like Joel Broda, Petr Kalus and Robbie Earl.

Who knows, right? Maybe Yeo comes in, changes the entire culture and Hackett ends up the rookie of the year. If that happens, I can see the Aeros not only making the playoffs, but being a serious contender, too.

I think there is hope, and I don't think Yeo is to let anyone off the hook as far as taking a random night off because they don't like being in Houston instead of St. Paul. Or using a ton of excuses about having to play a ridiculous number of three games in three nights.

But here is what worries me.

The Aeros don't have any, not a one, elite AHL player on their roster. There are other teams in the West that have essentially bought a playoff spot. The Aeros have spent the least amount of money in the entire Western Conference on salary, and if you look back at AHL champs of old, you commonly see teams with a mix of AHL snipers and talented rookies. (Excluding Chicago, who often does not even need talented rookies.)

On paper, Peoria, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, and Chicago are better teams that the Aeros. I think the Aeros, Milwaukee and Texas will be fighting for a playoff spot. The least talented team in the division is the Rockford IceHogs, and even they spent some money (nearly $2,000,000) and could be a factor when teams start calling up players because of injuries, etc.

Who IS going to carry the weight when injuries happen and when guys get called up? It's the guys you spend some bucks on to play at a high level in the AHL (see Darren Haydar, Alex Giroux, Corey Locke and Joel Perrault).

Here is a chart from another blog that has a wonderful breakdown of what all the AHL teams in the West spent for their teams. It will be interesting to see, at the end of the year, what all this money did or did not do for them.

(Thank you Copper and Blue for the information!)

The Aeros are one of three teams who do not have a $200,000 dollar player.

The Chicago Wolves have a total of 12 (!!!) who make more than $100,000. The Aeros have four.

Just roll that around.

To be fair, I think Jim Mill did a very good job of putting together a decent roster with just $1.4 million. But we'll see how that translates in mid December, when we should have a decent indication of where the Aeros will be come March.

Predictions are meaningless this time of year, but if someone put a gun to my head and told me to give them an order of finish for the AHL west this year, this is how I would go:

Peoria

Chicago

San Antonio

Milwaukee

Houston (gets in as No. 5 team)

Oklahoma City

Texas

Rockford

One of my colleagues that covers the West has this as his predicted order of finish for the West:

Chicago
San Antonio
Oklahoma City
Peoria
Houston
Texas
Milwaukee
Rockford

And then Patrick Williams of The Hockey News has this as his AHL West rankings:

Chicago

San Antonio

Peoria

Oklahoma City

Milwaukee

Rockford

Texas

Houston

As you can see, there is a fair amount of consistency at the top, and not so much after that. Patrick is a bit more biased toward the North Division and Eastern Conference and he must have done these rankings before Rockford sold the farm. I can see several scenarios where Texas might get in ahead of the Aeros or even Milwaukee, but that is because of Brent Krahn. The Stars lost a ton of their mojo (with four of their key players either joining San Antonio (3) or Houston (1). Crazy.

Again, it's WAY to early to make a good prediction, but I think the Aeros will be good enough to squeak in as the cross-over. I think they will be playing Rochester or Manitoba in the first round of the playoffs, so that would be kind of neat.

What are your thoughts? What do you think of the Aeros going into their 17th season in Houston?

Meet Your 2010-11 Aeros: Casey Wellman

Casey Wellman
Center

Born: 10/18/1987 (22)
Brentwood, CA
6'0" 173

Shoots: Right

We kept putting off writing about Wellman because, gosh, the Wild just love this guy. They want him up in Minnesota, but they also want him playing meaningful minutes, and if there's not room for him to do that in MN, then they said he's going to be in Houston where he can.

Soooo, don't get too attached because I suspect if there's an injury among the top 6 in Minnesota, he's headed north. Plus, the Wild are in a cap pinch and he's able to be moved up and down without waivers, so they may be doing that a lot to manage the numbers.

Wellman was one of the first college kids picked up by the "new" Wild, just finishing up his sophomore year at UMass-Amherst, and was one of the most highly sought after undrafted college players this off-season. And he's lived up to the hype having played very well in his jump to the pro ranks.

Of all the guys that were on the bubble, he's the one I'm most excited to see drop to Houston. While he's here, he should be able to Make Shit Happen and that's exactly what the Aeros need.

Also, he's just looks like a nice boy, doesn't he? I'm warm to him already.

Meet your 2010-11 Aeros: Marco Scandella

Marco Scandella
Defense

Born: 2/23/1990 (20)
Montreal, Quebec
6'2" - 190

Shoots: Left

Scandella is the Wild's 2nd round pick from 2008 and we've seen him here a bit after his junior seasons have finished the last two seasons. Expectations are high for Marco and he seems to have fulfilled them thus far in the eyes of the Wild. I've heard nothing but good things about him coming from prospect camps and tournaments.

I've been somewhat skeptical, because he seemed lost at times during his stints with the Aeros, but maybe that's just me being a jerk. No matter how good you are, it's a jump to the pros, and especially at defense where mistakes show up on the scoreboard almost as glaringly as for goalies. So now he'll get his chance to jump into a fresh batch of players, and not a team that's been gelling (or, like last year, NOT gelling) all season.

Couple of things on Marco:

• He got a little break last season to the tune of 15 games for just about taking some poor kid's head off in an open ice hit. No big deal.
• He played on the Canadian team in the World Juniors Championship in January that took home the silver. 
• He's a shutdown defenseman, but can put up a few points.
• He won both the fastest skater and hardest shot (95 mph) at the Aeros skill competition.

I'm eager to see him play now that he's all ours and not just visiting at the end of the season. I think he's been in enough pressure situations and had enough tastes of the pro game to come in with a knowledge of where he needs to be and what he needs to do to succeed. He's progressed his game every year and is pretty sturdy, so I think he can be a great asset as long as Minnesota lets us keep him. 

Also, I promise not to call him the Italian Stallion all season. Maybe.

Aeros In The Mothership

For any of you who are interested, I went out to SLICE yesterday and spoke Mike Yeo, Matt Hackett, and Brandon Rogers. You can read some of their thoughts here.

So Guess Who Went To Aeros Practice Today

Spent some time up at SLICE this morning as the guys practiced. And I've got a few notes and observations to share as the team preps for its first of many three-in-three's this season.

First: Matt Hackett will get the start in Oklahoma City on Friday night. Anton Khudobin will get the Saturday start at the home opener. Sunday's starter is to be determined, though Mike Yeo is saying that he hopes to have a rotation kind of system going for the first part of the year.

Second: the team is busing up to Oklahoma City tomorrow and returning by bus on Friday night/Saturday morning directly after the game. But whereas Kevin Constantine liked to put the team up in the Courtyard Marriott by Toyota Center on these kind of occasions, the team is instead returning to Sugar Land and will spend the time in their own beds before heading up for Toyota Center.

Third: I'm getting old. I couldn't believe how young Hackett looked as I talked to him -- read the mothership tomorrow for more on that.

Fourth: The guys did look like they were having more fun on the ice, and there was some excitement around them that I didn't see last season. Once again, check the mothership on that tomorrow as I talked to Brandon Rogers about that.

Fifth: Speaking of Rogers, he's number 38 this season.

Sixth: I was freezing at SLICE this morning, which means they must have fixed the compressor.