Hershey Bears Hockey

Bears Power Play is Better With Graham Mink (Obviously)

2012-01-25T11:02:00.002-05:00

Ok, let’s start with some information that you already know…the Bears have a good power play. League leading. Converting on 30.2% of their chances. That is over 8% better than the team in 2nd (Texas at 22.1%).

Graham Mink has 11 power play goals this season. Tied for 1st in the league.

But you probably knew that too.

The Bears have scored 2 or more power play goals in 17 games this year. They are 13-0-2-2 in those games.

Big deal, obviously if you score 2 or more goals with the extra man you are more likely to win.

Fair argument.

Mink has been in the lineup for 14 of those 17 games.

Ok, that is something new and somewhat interesting, but Keith Aucoin, Chris Bourque, Christian Hanson, and Jacob Micflikier have been in the lineup for at least that many as well. So what?

Mr. Mink has only played in 28 games this season. In half of those games the Bears have scored 2+ power play goals.

And remember, the Bears win 76.5% of their games and earn 88.2% of possible points when they score 2+ power play goals.

Translation…the Bears are more likely to score power play goals…and in turn win, when Graham Mink plays.

Graham has only played in 33% of the games this calendar year. The Bears have only converted on 23.8% of their power plays this calendar year.

Ok, so maybe you still aren’t convinced. Let me say that this isn’t the Richmond Effect (although even that took a big hit this past weekend…he was in the lineup for all 3 games), the Bears are not automatically a better team just because Minker is in the lineup.

But the power play is definitely more explosive.

By a show of hands how many of you thought the power play looked bleak this weekend? Wow, that’s a lot of hands. Ok, I agree.

Now, which player was missing on Saturday and Sunday? Yes, that would be one Graham Mink.

Did you know that…

In games where Graham Mink does NOT play the Bears have scored 15 power play goals….in 14 games. And they are still converting on 24.2% of their chances. Which would still be good enough for 1st overall in the league, but a full 6% less than their current numbers.

In games where Mr. Mink DOES play…28 of them to be exact…the Bears have scored 43 power play goals. That is 1.54 per game which is almost half a goal per game than when he doesn’t play.

33.1%. That is the Bears success rate on the power play WITH Mr. Mink in the lineup. That is almost 9% higher than when he is not in the lineup.

The Bears power play, and in turn the Bears as a team, are more potent with Graham in the lineup.

Anyone who witnessed the debacle that was the Bears power play this past weekend knows what I am talking about. (Ok, it wasn't that bad, but it didn't seem to be clicking...almost like something, or someone, was missing.)

To recap today’s lesson:

Graham Mink = More Power Play Goals = More Hershey Bears Wins = Happiness For All

Bears play...and lose 3 in 3

2012-01-23T13:16:00.000-05:00

I was going to do some research today to figure out the last time a Hershey team lost all 3 games in a 3 in 3 weekend. The good folks at Sweetest Hockey on Earth beat me to it.

April 2005.

The last time the Hershey Bears lost all 3 games of a 3 in 3 was under the Colorado Avalanche.

Thanks to ABC27 I was able to see all 3 games this weekend. The unfortunate part of that is, had I only seen 1, I would have seen them all.

The Bears played the exact same on Sunday as they had on Friday. It was like 3 nights was just one game.

Friday was the first period which saw the Bears lose on a late (6 minutes to go) shorthanded tally by the Binghamton Senators. Then after a 21ish hour intermission (and 3 hr road trip) they lost with another late (2 minutes to go) goal, this time by the Monarchs. Then another 19ish hour intermission they came out and laid an egg and lost yet again to Manchester.

Honestly, it was the same team all three games. And I am pretty sure it was a completely different team that had played previously in Hershey.

The goaltending...average...AT BEST.

The defense...way to aggressive at the offensive blueline.

The offense...too much passing.

The goaltending was weak all 3 games with the best performance coming on Sunday with Braden Holtby in net. (He also played Friday). But in all three games there were goals that should have been saves. The goaltending deserves a fair share of the blame, but they weren't the only problem.

The defense routinely pinched in in the offensive zone and in turn routinely got beat the other way for odd man rushes. Many of these odd man rushes led to goals for the Senators and Monarchs.

The forwards couldn't shoot the puck. And when they did shoot the puck they generally missed the net. The opposing goaltenders were good, no doubt, but the Bears always wanted to make the extra pass looking for the perfect shot/wide open net.

Don't get me wrong...I enjoy the nice passing. And most of the time I think it is a necessary evil, but this weekend, last night especially, there was simply too much of it. Shooters were passing up shots left and right in an effort to look for "something better".

It was just a bad weekend for the Bears.

All teams go through spurts of bad games and bad luck. This, in my opinion, is just that. It was a 3 game weekend after a 1 in 10 days stretch that apparently surprised the Bears.

They will rebound.

Keith Aucoin on Record Setting Pace

2012-01-16T12:47:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, as I was perusing the AHL.com site, I noticed that Keith Aucoin was leading the AHL in assists and points. And not only leading...destroying the competition.

Which got me thinking...I wonder what the record for most assists in a season is...

It is 89...by former Bear George "Red" Sullivan in 1953-54.

Coiner is on pace to SHATTER that mark. If Keith can keep up his current pace he would finish the season with 109 assists! 20 more than the previous record which has been held for almost 60 years.

Impressive.

Which got me thinking...if he is going to have that many assists, how many points will he have?

Assuming he keeps up his current pace of 1.68 points per game he will finish the season with 126 points.

Is that a record?

Yes and no.

The AHL record for points in a season is 138 by Binghamton's (and onetime Bear) Don Biggs in 1992-93.

But, the Bears all-time record for points in a season is Tim Tookey, who had 124 in 1986-87.

So, as it stands now you are watching the player that could set a new record for points in a season by a Hershey Bear.

And if the right pieces fall into place he could make a run at the AHL all time mark...he is currently on pace to fall just 12 points short.

There is another record he is approaching...remember back in 2008-09, Alexandre Giroux recorded a goal in 15 straight games...an AHL record...Coiner is approaching something similar.

The record for most consecutive games with an assist is 17 (owned by two players actually). Currently, Aucoin has an assist in 13* straight games, leaving him 4 short of tying the mark and 5 short of setting a new one.

What a season for #11!!

And what a career. As of today, Keith Aucoin sits at #16 (top active player) on the AHL's All-Time Scoring list with 771 points in 10+ seasons. Of the 15 players above him, only one has averaged more points per season (through 2010-11) than Aucoin. That player....Bruce Boudreau.

If Aucoin continues on his current pace this season and records the aforementioned 126 points, he would climb all the way to #7 on the All-Time list...one spot behind Mike Nykoluk.

Bears fans...we are watching one of the greatest players in the storied history of the AHL. Enjoy it.

*(No, the healthy scratch status from the other night did not ruin this run based on the information I can find. If you remember back in 08-09 Giroux actually missed games during his streak while on recall to Washington. And, the AHL's daily report stat sheet still lists Aucoin's streak as current.)

Bears win 5th in a row

2012-01-15T10:43:00.001-05:00

What a game last night! And not the Saints-49ers game either. Although that was quite a game as well.

After my guests left at the end of the Saints/Niners NFL game I switched over to the Bears game, which thanks to the new agreement with Blue Ridge Cable, I actually get!

It was 4-2 in the 2nd period...Senators. It stayed that way for the entire 2nd period and a little over 8 minutes into the 3rd. And then the Bears decided to quit toying with the Senators.

Hershey scored 3 goals in a 1:42 span midway through the 3rd period to take a 5-4 lead and added an insurance marker with about 2 minutes to go to pick up the 6-4 win.

Dany Sabourin got the start last night and allowed 4 goals on 11 shots including 3 goals in about a 1:30 span late in the 1st period. Braden Holtby started the 2nd period and made one of the more ridiculous saves you will see late in the third period. The puck trickled by him and in a last ditch effort he swung his stick around and cleared it out before it crossed the line. Seriously...sick. If video of it becomes available on YouTube I will try to add it to the site so you can see for yourselves.

In the end Holtby made only 9 saves in 2 periods of work as the Bears dominated the final 40 minutes of the game.

Coming into Thursday's second game in Charlotte the Bears had won exactly ZERO games when trailing after the 2nd period.

Now they have 2 wins. They trailed entering the 3rd period in both games and responded by scoring a combined 7 goals in the 3rd period of those contests.

For a team that entered Thursday's games being outscored 45-41 in the 3rd period on the season, that is rather impressive. If they can maintain this type of play throughout the second half of the season, they will be pretty tough to beat. Many of their loses this season were the result of them beating themselves instead of being beaten.

Eliminate that and the sky is the limit.

The Bears are now officially into the 2nd half of their season and have entered it on a roll. They have won 5 straight and have recorded points in 10 straight games (8 of them wins).

Of their last 5, none have been blowouts either (4 were 1 goal games - 2 in shootouts). They have worked for all of them.

One of the things we will all have to get used to is the sitting of veterans. With all 6 (7 if you count DJ King) true veterans healthy, one has to sit every game. For a while it was Danny Richmond, then someone in Hershey read SHoE's Richmond Effect and started playing him all the time. Then it was Graham Mink, but that got unfair.

So now they are all taking turns. On Wednesday night Chris Bourque missed the game, Thursday it was Mink again, and last night, against all odds, Keith Aucoin was the healthy scratch last night. I would expect all of the guys to get some games here or there the rest of the season as well, barring injury of course.

It isn't all bad either. This will give guys a chance to rest up and take care of minor injuries as well as keep their bodies fresh for the playoffs. I can assure you that this team is not interested in padding personal stats, setting new records, or dominating the regular season. The only thing they all care about is winning the Calder Cup this spring.

If they play like they have been...they have a legitimate shot.

PS - while the players don't care about setting records, we fans do. Check back in a couple days as I tell you about some of the records that have a chance to be rewritten this season...including one that is almost a guarantee.

Is Danny Richmond the key to the Bears season?

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Recently over at Sweetest Hockey on Earth they made an observation about Danny Richmond and how when he is in the lineup, the Bears are a better team. ShoE called it the Richmond Effect.

Basically, the theory is that Hershey is a better team when Richmond is in the lineup.

At first I didn’t even want to consider it. I thought they were nuts and there was no way one player, that was barely playing (their post went up a little before Christmas), could possibly be having that large an impact.

I took a look at some simple, basic stats after that post and thought maybe there was something to it. And since the article went up, the results have continued. So, now I present it to you with some statistics to make the point.

First, let’s just break it down by record so far this season:

w/ Richmond – 12-2-2-1
w/o Richmond – 9-6-2-2
Overall – 21-8-4-3

Just by looking at the records you can see that there might be something to this. Sometimes records don’t tell the whole story due to the method at which the AHL (and NHL for that matter) give out points. As in, some losses are better than others and a team is rewarded with a point. (One of the dumbest rules in sports by the way.)

So, the Bears based on points percentage (percentage of points earned):

w/ Richmond - .794
w/o Richmond - .579
Overall - .681

Wow. So with Richmond the Bears earn about 22% MORE points in the standings. Not too bad.

Ok, but maybe the Bears have played weaker competition when Richmond has been in the lineup…

Point’s percentage of Bears opponents (as of 1/9/12):

In games w/ Richmond - .564
In games w/o Richmond - .534
Overall - .549

So, yet again, the Richmond Factor still holds up. The Bears have played a tougher slate of opponents with Richmond in the lineup then when he is on the bench.

Is there something else that is influencing it and making it seem like he is the missing link? Maybe per game scoring explains it…

w/ Richmond – 4.2 goals per game
w/o Richmond – 3.5 goals per game
Overall – 3.8 goals per game

Ok, that’s goals for; maybe they are giving up more goals against, resulting in the need to score more in order to win…

w/ Richmond – 2.8 goals allowed per game
w/o Richmond – 3.1 goals allowed per game
Overall – 2.9 goals allowed per game

So far it seems that the Bears are better in every important category when Richmond is in the lineup. Hmmm, maybe this really can be true.

Let’s keep looking though…there has to be something we are missing.

Maybe your argument would be, a lot of those games probably came early in the season and since the team is playing better of late, everything is evening out. This is a relatively true statement as the Bears started out good, went into hibernation through November, and have come out to feed since December 1.

But is their success of late because Richmond has been getting more opportunities?

Through the first two months of the season Richmond played in only 8 of a possible 20 games (40%). Since December 1 he has played in 9 of 16 (56%).

And the numbers are just as supporting…take a look:

Since December 1, 2011 the Bears by record:

w/ Richmond – 9-0-0-0
w/o Richmond – 3-2-1-1
Overall – 12-2-1-1

Point’s percentage:

w/ Richmond – 1.000
w/o Richmond - .571
Overall - .813

We already knew the Bears have been good since December 1, 2011, but did you realize that when Richmond doesn’t play, the Bears are barely above .500?

And the opposition over that stretch? It is pretty much the same. Overall the Bears opponents had a point’s percentage of .563 since December 1. The difference with or without Richmond is less than .010.

Scoring since December 1:

w/ Richmond – 4.6 goals per game
w/o Richmond – 4.1 goals per game
Overall – 4.4 goals per game

w/ Richmond – 1.9 goals allowed per game
w/o Richmond – 3.6 goals allowed per game
Overall – 2.6 goals allowed per game

Wow. This might be the biggest factor I have seen so far. When Richmond has played in games since December 1, the Bears gave up almost 2 fewer goals per game. That is substantial.

So, wait. You are telling me that a guy who has, so far this season, no goals, 2 assists, and a +3 rating is the key to the Bears this year?

Overall the numbers are pretty convincing. The sample size is still relatively small though. The Bears have only played 16 games since December 1 (9 with Danny, 7 without) and have only played 36 on the year. By the end of the season the sample size will be large enough for the coaching staff to have to strongly consider making roster decisions based on the information.

Danny Richmond, picture by Kyle Mace at Sweetest Hockey on Earth

Maybe you believe the theory, maybe you don’t. Either way, the statistics at this point in the season are strongly in Richmond's favor if you want to believe it.

Personally, I am not entirely convinced....but I am getting close.

AHL Suspends Rechlicz

2012-01-10T17:11:00.002-05:00

Absurd. That is the simplest way I can explain what the AHL did today. They suspended Phantoms Tom Sestito and Oliver Lauridsen 1 game each for grabbing Hershey's Joel Rechlicz while on the bench. Good for them.

1 game. Weak, but ok, I understand.

Wrecker got the same. A 1 game suspension. Wait...WHAT?

To help understand this, let's recap what took place on Saturday:

Player A is standing on the ice after getting checked, watching other players start to fight;
Player B, ON THE BENCH, grabs Player A and starts pounding on him;
Player C, ALSO ON THE BENCH, assists Player B in pounding on Player A.

So....

The player standing ON THE ICE, minding his own business gets the same suspension as the player who WHILE ON THE BENCH began punching him.

Oh, now I understand. Wait, no I don't.

Ok let's try again...you want to suspend Wrecker for pulling the linesman back to the melee...fine. But didn't you kind of do that on Sunday when he was suspended for accumulating 3 game misconducts (2 in this game) on the season? But fine. Suspend him again. 1 game. Done. Accepted.

But to hand out equal suspensions to Wrecker, Sestito, and Lauridsen is absurd.

This is a ruling that I just do not understand.

Pardon the language, but this pretty much summed up my feelings.

And apparently the other Phantoms didn't get noticed, but I can assure you that they were taking swings at Danny Richmond while he was pinned against the boards at the Adirondack bench. The AHL's video surveillance is obviously not up to par with the NHL so they likely didn't catch any of the punches, so no suspensions were handed down.

But I can assure you that the Bears know who the culprits were.

The Phantoms return to Giant Center on Friday, March 16. Get your tickets now.

Rechlicz gets rare 3rd period shift...chaos ensues

2012-01-09T11:56:00.000-05:00

First let’s get the scores and game outcomes out of the way…

The Bears lost the Outdoor Classic 4-3 in overtime on Friday night. Then they returned home for a 5-2 victory over the Phantoms Saturday night. And they finished the weekend with a 4-3 shootout victory last night.

For the weekend Hershey gained 5 of a possible 6 points and the Bears are now 4 points up in the East Division and are also 2 points up in the Eastern Conference (St. Johns has played 2 fewer games though).

Now, on to what happened during the game on Saturday night….

It was, simply put, one of the crazier things I have seen at a hockey game. The entire game was physical and the animosity was evident from the opening whistle. Despite not being division rivals and a further distance between them the Phantoms and Bears still don’t like each other very much.

The guy sitting next to me mentioned pretty early on that the game had a certain KHL feel to it.

And coming off a high emotion game like the Outdoor Classic made for some very intense hockey Saturday night.

If you weren’t there it can be explained as simply as this…

Keith Aucoin got into a scrap. And Jacob Micflikier tried to take down a guy a foot taller than him.

Aucoin’s scrap was crazy as it came against Phantoms captain Ben Holmstrom who was wearing a full cage. The general rule in hockey is that if you are going to wear a full cage you better just stay out of the action and not get into any scrums. Holmstrom didn’t follow this un-written rule throughout the game and in the 3rd period it boiled over and Aucoin went at him.

After the linesman got between the two players you could see Aucoin grabbing for the full cage on Holmstroms helmet. It also appeared that he was trying to get his leg across Holmstrom's throat, much like a WWE wrestler might do. He was upset. He didn’t quite get the facemask, but he made sure to let Holmstrom know what he thought the whole way to the penalty box as he kept signaling to Holmstrom about the full cage he was wearing.

Amazingly enough…that wasn’t the most exciting, enraging battle of the night.

With about 3 minutes to go Joel Rechlicz, getting a rare 3rd period shift, laid a solid hit on Phantoms tough guy Tom Sestito. Neither player went down but you could tell it was a big hit. The two talked all game long, including during pregame warmups, but Sestito wouldn’t drop the gloves with Wrecker…at least not in a legal, on the ice fashion (keep reading).

Sidenote...has anyone else noticed that when Wrecker comes off the bench he just seems to be out there skating around like an amped up lost puppy? I am curious if he understands the Bears system or if he even attends practice. Maybe when the team starts discussing and practicing strategy he just goes to the back and works on some boxing. He is great fun to watch play, don't get me wrong, but I understand completely why he doesn't play in the 3rd period. Anyways...back to the original story.

After the hit by Wrecker, Sestito went off for a line change. Shortly thereafter another Phantom, can’t recall who, came in and laid a nice check on Wrecker. Impressively and somewhat unnecessarily considering who it was, Andrew Carroll came to Wreckers defense and dropped the gloves with the Phantom (guessing it was Tyler Brown but I am not certain).

Then Zach Miscovic started throwing punches with a Phantom.

At this point it was still somewhat controlled. At least compared to what was about to happen.

During all of this Wrecker is standing about 3 feet from the Phantoms bench kind of in shock as there is fighting going on around him and yet he is not involved. And then Sestito grabs him from the bench and they start fighting.

Yes, Tom Sestito and Wrecker were fighting while Sestito was on the Phantoms bench. Unfortunately for Wrecker this was not a fair fight as other Phantoms, including Oliver Lauridsen, a 6-6 defenseman, joined in to help the apparently incapable and gutless Sestito.

Now, we have all seen Wrecker make gestures to the bench and lunge at them (when they jump back in fear it is unbelievably funny by the way), but this was a little out of hand for a hockey game.

Here...this is the best video I have seen from it. I originally saw the video over at The Chocolate and White.

Danny Richmond, who is no stranger to throwing punches himself, came over to try and help since there were now Phantoms on the ice and on the bench getting involved with Wrecker. Richmond squared off with Cullen Eddy (I assume anyway...based on the scoresheet), and the two started going at it.

This is where it got kind of disturbing and incredibly frustrating for Bears fans and players alike…

Eventually Richmond was pushed up against the boards at the Phantoms bench. The Phantom on the ice (again assuming Eddy) had him pinned with his face towards the bench while other members of the Phantoms were taking swings FROM THE BENCH.

The problem here was that the Miskovic and Carroll scraps had the ref and one of the linesman occupied and the other linesman had tried (unsuccessfully) to get Wrecker off the ice.

So Richmond is getting beaten upon by a handful of Phantoms while there is no one around to help him.

The Bears bench at this point was going absolutely nuts. They were slamming sticks and yelling at the officials for one of them to get over there and help out.

One Bear got close to helping out as he, there was a #2 on his jersey but I couldn’t see the other number (my guess either Kane or Hanson), did sit up on the boards, but managed to control himself and not jump off to go help.

In fact, I am thoroughly impressed with the control Coach French had over the guys on the bench. I think everyone in the building and surely every single player on the Bears bench, wanted someone to jump off and help Richmond. But that would have resulted in a suspension which, despite their depth, the Bears would not have wanted.

I think, and I said this to a couple people, that if Steve Pinizzotto would have been on the team he likely would be suspended right now. (At the time I didn’t know that Pinner was actually in attendance, which was kind of funny once I learned that. Gotta wonder how much he wanted to be out there right then.) I also think that if Wrecker or Carroll would have been on the bench then one of them might be suspended as well. Although if Wrecker was on the bench, none of this would have happened.

And what if Braden Holtby had been the goalie? We either would have had a goalie fight at center ice or Braden would have been in there helping Richmond. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your opinion, Dany Sabourin was the goalie standing in the crease for this game.

Enough of that discussion....back to the action:

Once Wrecker realized what was going on with Richmond, he literally dragged the linesman, seriously it was like watching a guy do sprints with a parachute on his back, down towards the Phantoms bench in an effort to help Richmond. He is strong on his skates, I will definitely give him that. There is a lot of drive in those legs.

By the time Wrecker got down there the Phantoms had mostly let Richmond up and he was able to get off the ice. It appeared he might have been a little banged up, but he played Sunday so apparently nothing to bad.

Finally things calmed down and everything was sorted out.

In the end, one 3rd period shift for Wrecker resulted in 108 penalty minutes and 5 game misconducts (Wrecker got 2. Seriously, Wrecker got kicked out of the game TWICE!!).

All told the game featured 154 penalty minutes. Wrecker was responsible for 45 of those.

Honestly, I am guessing Wrecker had 3 shifts (he got a 10 minute misconduct late in the first for something, not sure what) during the entire game. There is no way he was on the ice for more than 3 minutes in the game. And he got 45 penalty minutes and kicked out of the game TWICE.

15 penalty minutes per shift/minute on ice. Efficiency.

Apparently someone liked Wreckers performance so much that they paid $3,400 for his non-worn (during game play at least) Outdoor Classic jersey!! (Aucoin’s went for $4,000…other prices available at PAPuck.com).

See, I told you in the title…Wrecker gets 3rd period shift and chaos ensues.

I am expecting to see some Phantoms suspended by the AHL this week for the activities on the bench. Hockey lets a lot of things go, but leaving the bench during an altercation and getting into an altercation from the bench, are two things that aren’t taken lightly.

Rechlicz was suspended for Sunday’s game against Rochester, it was an automatic suspension handed down for accumulating 3 game misconduct penalties on the season. Otherwise I don’t think any Bears will be suspended. Wrecker would have been the lone option since he did fight a Phantom on the bench, but considering Sestito clearly started it, I can’t imagine the league penalizes him anymore.

Bears head to Philly to play outside

2012-01-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Tonight the Bears will take on the Adirondack Phantoms in Philadelphia. In a baseball stadium. Seriously. The Bears are visiting a team in a city that they don't play in anymore and playing in a stadium for a sport that is currently hibernating.

Which is quite awesome actually.

This past Monday the NHL put on the annual Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park in Philly. In the interest of giving more fans and players the opportunity to experience the spectacle (translation...make more money) they have hosted multiple other games at the venue since then.

A couple college games, the Flyers/Rangers alumni game, and a game with police officers were all held there throughout the week.

Tonight it is the AHL's turn and it honestly will be a cool event.

It's an important opening game to a 3 in 3 weekend. The teams will follow up the game tonight with a game at Giant Center tomorrow before the Bears host Rochester on Sunday.

The Phantoms have lost 4 of their last 6 games, but are currently sitting in 2nd in the Northeast Division. Unfortunately for them, that also translates to 9th in the conference and out of the playoffs.

The Phantoms beat the Bears back on October 29, 2011 in Glens Falls, New York...their actual home. Not much can be drawn from that game though since it was so long ago. That was at the beginning of the Bears low point this season when they couldn't win back to back games and couldn't beat anyone except for Binghamton.

The Bears come into this game having won 10 of their last 13 and haven't lost to team from outside of Norfolk or Wilkes-Barre since November. They outscored their opponents a combined 58-33 in the 13 games. (Thats an average of 4.5 goals for and 2.5 against in the month).

Keith Aucoin had 4 goals and 19 assists in December. Chris Bourque had 7 and 13. Jacob Micflikier had 4 and 12. Ryan Potulny had 7 and 12. Graham Mink had 5 and 6...in only 9 games. Matthew Ford had 6 and 10.

That's pretty impressive.

Did you realize, cause I hadn't, that the Bears have 5 players...FIVE...averaging more than 1 pt per game? Aucoin, Bourque, Micflikier, Potulny, and Mink. And Ford, Kyle Greentree, and Cody Eakin are averaging at least .79 per game.

Unreal.

Now if the defense and goaltending could just catch up to the offense. Get this....they are!

Braden Holtby had his best month of the season going 6-2 with a 2.36gaa and a .918 save %. Dany Sabourin went 4-0-1 with a .217gaa and a .928 in December. In October he had a .935 save % in 4 games so that was technically better in that category.

Overall the offense is dominating right now and the goaltending is getting there. The second half of the season could be really fun.

Bears Shutout Pens, Prepare To Do It Again

2011-12-28T09:20:00.004-05:00

Last night had to feel good for the Bears. The Baby Pens have pretty much dominated the Bears for the past year plus. The Pens entered last nights game with a 10-3-0-1 record against the Bears since the start of the 2010-11 season.

The 3 losses were all up in Wilkes-Barre. Any success the Bears have had against the Pens has come on the road. Even the shootout win came in Wilkes-Barre back in November.

And by success I mean barely. All 4 Hershey wins have been 1 goal victories.

Until last night.

The Bears traveled up I-81 last night to end Christmas for the Pens and their fans with a 6-0 torching of Brad Thiessen and the Baby Pens.

I wouldn't call it a dominating performance as the score sheet indicates it wasn't. The Pens actually out shot the Bears 28-23 and appear to have dominated the 2nd period, with a 9-3 advantage in shots. But I didn't see or listen to the game so I can't verify these assumptions.

In the end the Bears scored 3 in the first and 3 in the third to hand the Penguins their worst loss in a long time. Looking back through the past few seasons I only see a couple losses by even 5 goals for the Pens. Both came against Hershey in 2009-10. Otherwise the majority of their losses are by 1 or 2 goals.

Last night had to feel good for the Bears. Over the past year plus they have managed to beat just about every team and have been one of the better teams in the AHL. The Baby Pens have had their number though.

The Penguins have been struggling for a while now and while Brad Thiessen started the season off wonderfully he has definitely cooled down. In his last 10 games he is 2-6-2 with a 3.62 goals against average and a .844 save percentage.

Those numbers are bad. Last night his coach had this to say:

“I thought our goaltending was OK,” Hynes said. “I think we’ve gotta have better goaltending if we’re going to beat a team like Hershey.”

Ouch.

Tonight the Pens come to Hershey where they have not lost since March 27 of 2010. Bryan Helmer was still wearing the 'C' in Hershey then. Jason Bacashihua was in net for the Bears. Alexandre Giroux scored the game winner.

It's been a while.

The Penguins seem ripe for picking though. Beyond the 6-0 beating they took last night they have lost 3 straight (all at home) and have only won 7 games since November 11, a span of 18 games.

The Bears on the other hand are heading in the opposite direction...up. In the month of December the Bears are 9-2. They have also taken over sole possession of first place in the division and lead the Admirals and Pens (tied at 37 points) by 4. And they have taken over first place in the Eastern Conference, which is more important than the division crown this year.

Tonight is going to be an exciting game in Hershey. The Pens are going to be looking for redemption. The Bears are going to be looking to finally knock off the Pens on home ice. And the building is going to be rocking.

The Giant Center is sold out and will likely be the loudest it has been this season. I am excited.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!!!!!

Bears Enter Holiday Break on High Note

2011-12-22T13:25:00.000-05:00

Entering last nights game the Bears were 2-0-0-1 against the Syracuse Crunch this season. They had outscored them a collective 13-4 in those 3 games.

Make that 3-0-0-1 and the score is now 18-6.

Kyle Greentree scored a goal in his first game back in the lineup and the Bears earned their 8th victory of December and officially took over the #1 spot in the East Division.

Now the Bears get a short holiday break as they won't practice until Monday and don't play again until Tuesday night in Wilkes-Barre.

For the first time since the middle of October the forward lineup looked like the one we all expected to see coming out of camp. Cody Eakin returned to the lineup on Sunday and Greentree returned from a broken wrist last night.

Due to that pesky veterans rule, Graham Mink was the healthy scratch last night. With that move the Bears ran with 3 lines that are probably best referred to as 1A, 1B, and 1C.

The lines last night were:

Greentree - Aucoin - Bourque
Micflikier - Potulny - Ford
Kane - Eakin - Hanson
Mitchell - Carroll - Rechlicz

(Thanks to the folks over at Sweetest Hockey on Earth for providing the lines)

Looks like a deep talented lineup.

Combined the top line has 26 goals and 69 assists on the season. And Greentree has played in 5 games.

Combined the 2nd line has 24 goals and 51 assists this season. And Potulny has only played in 16 games.

Combined the 3rd line has 17 goals and 19 assists this season. And Eakin has only played in 12 games.

That's 67 goals and 139 assists amongst Hershey's top 9 forwards.

Oh and that doesn't include Mink's 11 goals and 14 assists.

67 goals. By 9 guys. (If you add Mink you have 78 goals by 10 guys.)

The Hamilton Bulldogs have 60 in 28 games. The San Antonio Rampage have 66. Albany and Lake Erie have 70. Chicago and last seasons Calder Cup Champion Binghamton Senators have 72.

Yes, those numbers are for entire teams.

Overall the Bears have scored 111 goals. Good for 2nd place in the AHL behind only the Norfolk Admirals.

The offense is solid. One of the best in the league...no question about it.

The defense...not so solid. The Bears have allowed more goals (88) than 21 other teams in the AHL. 21. That means that there are only 8 teams that have given up more goals than Hershey so far this season. All but one of them has more regulation losses than wins.

The lone team with more goals allowed than Hershey AND a winning record...

The Eastern Conference leading St. John's Icecaps. They have allowed 89 and have scored 106.

Bears get 4 points out of 6

2011-12-19T11:21:00.000-05:00

For 20 minutes last night it looked like Hershey was going to take sole possession of 1st place in the East Division. The Bears were up 3-1 against Norfolk at Giant Center at the end of the first period.

In fact, they were up 3-1 after the second period too.

And then they gave up 5 goals to lose 6-3. 5 unanswered goals and only 1 came on the power play. One was an empty netter as well.

That leaves 3 even strength goals...all scored in the final 16 minutes of game action.

You had the sense that it was coming. It seemed to be one of the typical Bears games this season. A relatively dominant performance over the first 20 minutes followed by 40 minutes of ineptitude in the offensive zone.

The Bears had 11 shots in the first period...3 of them goals. They totaled 14 shots the remainder of the game. And very few of them were what most people would deem "quality" chances.

At the other end the Bears stopped playing defense as well. Brett Flemming got caught flat footed on Norfolk's 2nd goal (first of the 3rd period) and from there it just seemed like Hershey couldn't get to the loose pucks and when they did, they couldn't get the puck out of their own zone.

I hate to call out Flemming since he was only on the ice for 1 of the 5 goals against in the 3rd period but his misstep is the one that seemed to open the floodgates.

One player, other than Braden Holtby...who I personally think was left out to dry by his defense, was on the ice for 4 of the 5 goals.

Keith Aucoin.

I can't sit here and say that he was directly responsible for any defensive lapses but according to the scoresheet he was out there for most of the goals against. And generally, in most defensive schemes...including the Bears', the center is expected to help the defensemen down low. Whether Aucoin was doing that or not is something I can't say with certainty, but the odds are against him.

Holtby did what he could and for a long stretch he actually kept the team in the lead (game) to be honest. The Admirals came out firing in the 2nd period with Braden making multiple big saves. Even in the 3rd period he made some key saves...just not enough.

These lackluster 2nd and 3rd periods are beginning to be troublesome for the Bears. Or so it would seem...an initial look at the stats doesn't look too terrible...

Goals Scored Per Period:

1st:
Hershey - 43
Opponent - 22

2nd:
Hershey - 32
Opponent - 24

3rd:
Hershey - 30
Opponent - 35

Prior to last night Hershey was even with their opposition in the 3rd period. Then they gave up 5.

Overall...not as bad as I was expecting to be honest.

And the records aren't terrible either...

When leading after the 1st period Hershey is 12-2-2-1. No team in the league has more wins or more points when they take a lead into the first intermission.

When leading after the 2nd period Hershey is even better....14-2-1-0. Again, no team in the league is better in wins or points.

So, do the Bears 2nd and 3rd period struggles even exist? Are they actually doing fine and it just seems like things are going downhill over the last 40 minutes?

The initial statistical review suggested that it is a misconception. They have managed to hold their first period leads in the majority of games this season.

But a deeper look at the statistics shows that there is a problem here.

First up...record when scoring first. Hershey has scored the first goal 23 times this season...out of only 29 games. That is 4 more than the next closest team in the league.

That's great! And Hershey is 13-5-3-2 in those games. Again...the 13 wins is good...tied for most in the league.

But that is only 31 points in games they have scored first in. That is a points percentage of .674.

That ranks 21st in the league. 20 teams are better than the Bears when scoring first.

20.

So yes, there is a problem.

Oh, and it gets worse.

In games where Hershey is either tied or trails after the first period the Bears are a combined 4-6-1-1. There are ZERO teams with fewer wins in that situation. That means there are 29 that have more wins when tied or trailing after 1 period than the Bears.

To give the Bears a positive here...they have only been trailing after 1 period 3 times this year. That is tied for fewest in the league.

Unfortunately that only brings us to their record after 2 periods...

When trailing or tied after the 2nd period the Bears are only 2-6-2-2.

2 wins. Only 2 teams have fewer...Chicago and Rockford (they each only have 1 win).

If you combine the two (which likely combines games as teams may trail for an entire game but lets do it anyway) the Bears are a combined 6-12-3-3 when tied or trailing after the 1st and/or 2nd period. There is 1 team with fewer wins...Chicago.

And when I say that Hershey is trailing in this category, I don't mean by 1, 2, or even 3 wins. No, there are multiple teams with 20 wins in these situations. That is 14 more than the Bears. Norfolk has 19 wins. Binghamton...the Eastern Conference bottom dwellers...has 13 wins...7 more than Hershey.

So yes, there is a problem with Hershey's performances in the 2nd and 3rd periods. Generally speaking though, the performance we saw last night was an aberration and not part of this more complex problem.

Either the Bears 1st period scoring margin, currently a +21, needs to grow even higher or the Bears better start figuring out how to buckle down and protect leads or come back from deficits.

My guess...Calder Cup Champions do not have records like this. In the playoffs the Calder Cup Champ will have to overcome deficits, squeek out close games (Hershey is only 7-3-3-2 in 1 goal games), and hold on to leads once they get them.

Right now the Bears do one thing well. They score early and often (tied for 2nd in the league in goals scored).

It's time for the Bears to begin scoring when the game reaches its critical moments. 1st period goals are great. 3rd period goals are better.

Bears Take 2 of 3 Last Weekend

2011-12-14T13:17:00.000-05:00

The Bears started the weekend off pretty well...picking up a 5-3 regulation victory in Hartford against the Connecticut Whale.

Then things went downhill for a bit. They hosted the Baby Pens, who didn't have to travel the night before, to Giant Center and they subsequently defeated the Bears 4-2.

The 4-2 score makes it seem closer than it probably was. (I was unable to attend so I am going off of the score sheet and what I heard from a couple people). The Bears controlled the play for the first period and then took a 1-0 lead about midway through the 2nd period.

And that's when the Bears momentum ended and the Pens started. Over the next 12-13 minutes of game action, end of the 2nd and beginning of the 3rd, the Baby Pens scored 3 goals. They added an empty netter with about 2 minutes to play to make it 4-1. The Bears scored with 40 seconds to go to make it seem like a close game at the end.

So, Wilkes-Barre continues there dominance of Hershey in Central PA. More on that in a minute.

But Sunday saw the Bears rebound to pick up a 6-3 win over the Norfolk Admirals. Hershey scored 3 goals on the power play (6 chances) and picked up an empty net goal late to preserve the win.

Again, the final score doesn't tell the whole story. Hershey scored 4 in the first period and then Norfolk started playing better hockey. At the end of the 2nd it was 4-3 Bears and most people in attendance (myself included) would tell you that the outcome was still in doubt. It was again looking like a strong 1st period would be spoiled by weak 2nd and 3rd periods.

However, Tomas Kundratek (more on him soon) picked up his 4th of the season about 5 minutes into the 3rd and from then on there was little (less anyways) question as to who would win this one.

Norfolk managed only 6 shots in the 3rd period in what was perhaps Hershey's best late game performance this season.

After the weekend the Bears sit 2 points behind the Baby Pens with one game in hand on the flightless water-fowl. And 2 games coming up against them in a couple of weeks.

Unfortunately one of those games is in Hershey (12/28 if you were curious). The Bears have not beaten the Baby Penguins on Giant Center ice since March 27, 2010. That is the end of the 2009-2010 season when the Bears lost a total of 6 home games all season.

Wilkes-Barre and Hershey have faced off 8 times in Hershey since that game. The Bears are 0-6-2-0 in those games and have been outscored 34-17.

The Pens have failed to score less than 4 goals only twice in the last 8 at Giant Center. One was this year, the first meeting at GC back in October, and the other was a game last spring that went to overtime.

The Bears have failed to score more than 2 goals a whopping 6 times. They scored 4 earlier this season in an overtime loss and managed 3 in one game last spring.

That is fairly impressive domination.

Another note about this weekends games...

I mentioned before that Tomas Kundratek scored his 4th of the season on Sunday. With the Whale he played in only 7 games and recorded a measly 2 assists to start the season. Since joining Hershey he has played in 11 games and has 4 goals and 2 assists. Not too bad for a 3rd pairing defenseman.

Francois Bouchard, who was traded to Connecticut for Kundratek, has 2 goals and 2 assists in 14 games with his new team.

I think most in Hershey felt good about the trade considering Bouch's lack of production last season, but how many really expected Kundratek to actually be outscoring him a month later?

Bears get yet another 3 in 3 this upcoming weekend with games against Norfolk (Friday and Sunday) and Bridgeport. More coming later this week.

4 Straight Wins...Baby Pens in Town

2011-12-10T13:48:00.001-05:00

For the first time in 2011-12 and the first time since last January the Bears have won 4 straight games.

For the first 33 minutes of the game last night there were 0 goals. In the final 27 minutes there were 8 goals. Fortunately 5 of them were scored by Bears.

Hershey scored 4 straight to open the scoring (2 in the 2nd, 2 in the 3rd) and had a 4-0 lead halfway through the 3rd period. And then things started to get a little more interesting. The Whale scored 3 goals in a 5:30 span to make it a 4-3 game with just over 3 minutes to play.

The Bears hung on and added an empty netter with 1 second left to preserve the victory.

The win moves the Bears into first place in the East division as they are now tied with Wilkes-Barre and Norfolk with 31 points. The Bears hold the current tiebreaker as they have gotten to 31 in 1 fewer game.

Lucky for Hershey they can stake overall claim to the number 1 spot in the division with 2 more victories this weekend.

Tonight the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins come to Giant Center. It is sure to be a physical and intense game. The last time the teams played the Bears left Wilkes-Barre Township with a 3-2 shootout victory after a postgame celebration that ended in a standoff between the teams.

The Pens didn't play last night so they are rested and ready for the Bears. But this isn't the same Penguins team that was tearing up the AHL back in October/November. During one stretch earlier they had won 8 games in a row which included 3 wins against the Bears.

Since that run ended though they are 4-5-0-3. Their typical stellar defensive play and goaltending has been slightly lackluster and the offense just hasn't been there. They have given up 4+ goals 5 times in that stretch and have failed to score at least 3 goals a total of 6 times.

This will be the 6th meeting of the season with 6 more to come including 2 more this month. So far the Pens control the season series having won 3 of the contests to the Bears 2.

Should be a good one in Hershey tonight.

Bears Begin a Tough Stretch This Weekend

2011-12-09T13:21:00.002-05:00

I just had a great post written. It had a look at the upcoming schedule and in-depth team previews for the games coming up this weekend.

And then it disappeared. Gone. No trace of it.

So, instead you get this...

The Bears have their second 3 in 3 in as many weekends beginning tonight in Hartford against the Whale. The Bears then return home for dates against Wilkes-Barre and Norfolk.

In fact this is just the beginning for the Bears. Before the calendar turns to 2012 the Bears will play 10 more games. 8 are against teams currently ahead of them or tied with them in the standings. Tonight's game, 3 against Wilkes-Barre, and 4 against Norfolk.

In addition to that the 2 "easier" games are against Bridgeport and Syracuse. 2 teams that have beat the Bears within the past month.

7 of the games are on home ice. Which, one would think, should be a good thing. Except the Bears are only 5-3-2-1 at home this season. Total up the losses and that is below .500 (5-6).

Last weekend was a good start for the Bears. They picked up 3 wins and are now in the midst of only their 2nd 3 game winning streak of the season. The last one? The first 3 games of the season.

This will be a telling 3 week stretch for the Bears.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!

There, that's all you get. I had so much good stuff in that post too. Check back later today, tomorrow and/or Sunday...if I have time I will type up some new posts with that information.

3 games, 3 cities, 3 nights...3 wins

2011-12-05T12:21:00.001-05:00

That was an impressive weekend of hockey from the Hershey Bears. On Friday they were in 3rd place in the East division...4 points out of first.

Today, they are leading the division, albeit tied in points with Wilkes-Barre and Norfolk.

In 3 games the Bears allowed 4 goals and scored 14. They out shot the opposition 115-82.

The power play went an amazing 4 for 9 on the weekend. That's 44.4%. Impressive.

Even better...the penalty kill successfully killed off 16 of 17 chances. 94.1%.

The goalies played great. The defense was stellar. And the forwards...wow.

The move the coaching staff made heading into the weekend (Mink down to the 3rd line) definitely paid dividends.

Matt Pope showed that he can produce at this level with 2 goals and 2 assists on the weekend. Ryan Potulny showed that he was a great addition this offseason and is back healthy from early season surgery with 2 goals and 3 assists. Matt Ford, also back from injury, scored 2 and added 2 assists. And Jacob Micflikier, who hadn't scored since November 11 finally got back in the goal column with 1 on Sunday and also added 3 assists.

And that was just the 2nd and 3rd lines.

Keith Aucoin had 2 goals and 4 assists on the weekend and Chris Bourque had 4 assists and has extended his points streak to 11 games.

From 4th to 1st in the division and from 8th to 3rd in the conference (3 points out of first) in one weekend. That was productive.

Next up is a true test though. Another 3 in 3 with games against Connecticut (2nd in the conference), Wilkes-Barre, and Norfolk.

This past weekend was great. This upcoming weekend will be the true gauge to show where the Bears are right now.

Weekend Preview: Bears get 3 in 3

2011-12-02T12:24:00.001-05:00

This weekend the Bears get 3 games in 3 nights for the first time since the last weekends of October. And they better get used to them as they have them the following 2 weekends as well.

Yesterday I talked about the goalie issues surrounding this team right now which are obviously making it hard for this team to win on a consistent basis.

Even with that being considered though the Bears are in decent shape. Remember...I said DECENT.

The Situation: Hershey currently sits in 8th position in the Eastern Conference...a playoff spot.

The Good News: They are only 4 points back from 1st in the division and only 5 points back from the top spot in the Conference.

The Bad News: They are only 7 points from being in dead last in the division/conference.

This weekend is a good chance to start moving up and stop the downward slide they have found themselves in since their first 3 in 3. They had managed 11 points in 7 games heading into their first 3 in 3 of the season. Since then they have lost 9 games and won 4, earning 12 of a possible 26 points.

Not good.

Tonight they visit Syracuse...a team below them in the standings. A team they destroyed 7-0 back in October and a team they took to a shootout just a couple weeks ago. This is a game the Bears SHOULD win.

Tomorrow night they welcome Portland...a team below them in the standings. A team that is playing very well right now. They have collected at least a point in 7 straight games and have won 6 of them. This is a game that teams with Calder Cup aspirations SHOULD win.

Sunday they visit Bridgeport (at 3 in the freaking afternoon)...a team directly ahead of them in the standings. A team that has only one twice in their last 6 games. A team that only has a 5-4-2-0 record on home ice. This is a game the Bears SHOULD get a point in. (seriously...traveling 4 hours after a 7:00 game for a 3:00 game on the back end of a 3 in 3...getting a point would be a win)

So at the end of the weekend the Bears should be sitting with at least 28 points and in a better position then they entered it.

We shall see.

If you are watching, listening, or attending the games this weekend here are some names to keep in mind. (oh and the Bridgeport game will be on TV if you get the channels...I do not).

For Hershey:

For the Connecticut game this past week Matt Ford took Boyd Kane's place on the top line and I was excited to see how it would work out going forward. Well, Kane is back on the top line and Ford is back to the second line.

Graham Mink was moved to the 3rd line in an attempt to balance out the scoring from the top two lines. I like the shuffling and the trying to get more offense but I think the wrong guys are being moved. But I will wait until after the weekend to pass too much judgement.

Keith Aucoin has 9 assists...9!...in his last 4 games. Nice.

Chris Bourque has a point in 8 straight games, collecting 5 goals and 9 assists in those contests.

The player I am most looking forward to seeing is Matt Pope. He was brought back on his pro tryout after Sjogren took his ball and went back to Sweden. Down in South Carolina he has 7 goals and 12 assists in 15 games...he should be able to produce something in Hershey if given the opportunity.

And of course there are the goalies, which I discussed yesterday. Dany Sabourin is expected to get the start tonight, Braden Holtby tomorrow, and then Sunday's starter is TBD but I would suspect Sabourin considering the travel scenario.

For Syracuse:

Kyle Palmeiri (12-6-18) and Patrick Maroon (8-11-19) are the leading scorers for the Crunch.

Nick Bonino has a 5 game point streak in which he has 3 goals and 4 assists.

Rookie Peter Holland has 2 goals and 4 assists in his last 3 games.

Jean-Francois Jacques has 2 goals and 2 assists in his last 3 games.

For Portland:

Dean Arsene will make his triumphant return to Giant Center on Saturday night. This will be Deano's first game back in Hershey since departing after the 2008-09 season. It will be good to see him and I am sure the crowd will show their appreciation during introductions.

Andy Miele is the AHL's top rookie for November and team leading scorer with 7 goals and 13 assists on the season. In November he had 4g and 9a in only 10 games. 2 goals and 3 assists have come in his last 2 games.

Matt Watkins has 3 goals and 4 assists in his last 4 games.

For Bridgeport:

Tim Wallace is the team leader in points (9-9-18) and had all 9 of his goals during the month of November...including 5 goals in his last 5 games.

Rookie Scott Howes has only played in 4 games for the Sound Tigers but he has 3 goals and an assist in those games.

Enjoy the games...

LET'S GO BEARS!!!!

Bears Goaltending Woes

2011-12-01T13:04:00.001-05:00

The Bears have 3 games in 3 nights in 3 cities this weekend. They start off the weekend tomorrow night in Syracuse, return home for a Saturday tilt against Portland, before finishing the weekend in Bridgeport at 3:00pm.

While injuries, recalls, and departures have surely had an affect on the Bears this season the biggest storyline has been the goaltending. Back in the summer I figured that goaltending would be a question mark for the Bears this season...come playoff time, NOT the regular season.

But here we are, a quarter of the way through the season and the goalies have the current numbers:

Braden Holtby -
5-5-1 | 2.71 gaa | .889 save %

Dany Sabourin -
4-4-1 | 3.21 gaa | .897 save %

Just to clarify how odd those numbers are...consider their career numbers (entering this season):

Holtby -
42-18-4 | 2.30 gaa | .918 save %

Sabourin -
78-57-6 | 2.53 gaa | .915 save %

Even last years numbers could be looked at:

Holtby -
17-10-2 | 2.29 gaa | .920 save %

Sabourin -
14-9-0 | 2.45 gaa | .908 save %

So what seems to be troubling the goaltenders this season?

Last week I had the notion that maybe splitting time evenly between the two was causing some problems. The general opinion about goaltenders is the more work they get, the better they are. Since Coach French has decided to alternate games with the goalies this year, neither can truly get in a rhythm and stand out.

So I looked at last years stats...comparing the times when each goalie was the undisputed #1 and a stretch where they alternated just about every game. (I count any 3 game stretch as undisputed #1 territory).

As the #1 goalie:

Holtby -
7-3-1 | 2.95 gaa | .904 save %

Sabourin -
7-4-0 | 2.57 gaa | .914 save %

Solid win-loss record but average to below average measurables.

Now, splitting the opportunities (happened from the end of November through January...some times the guys got 2-3 straight but both were healthy and mostly split games evenly):

Holtby -
6-5-1 | 1.80 gaa | .937 save %

Sabourin -
7-3-0 | 2.30 gaa | .912 save %

Pretty similar win-loss record, but a significant improvement in the measurables.

So, apparently that theory is toast. These goalies play better when they are alternating then when they are given the #1 role to themselves.

So, any other theories?

How about this one since it seems to come up from time to time. Holtby is pissed about being in Hershey after he played so well for the Caps last season.

Possibly, but I am not convinced. Last season he had 3 or 4 separate callups that resulted in playing time. 2 of them were extended (3 or more games played) and one of those came in November 2010. He played fine after that...1.80 gaa and .937 save percentage in the 2 months after he returned.

The talk intensified after his callups in March when he went 6-0-0 with a 1.03 gaa and a .962 save percentage for the Caps. But even after that he was solid after his return from that in April, until the playoffs of course.

No, the defining mark for Braden seems to be February 1, 2011. Remember that he injured himself shortly before the All-Star break at the end of January and missed some time after it...

From the start of the 2010-11 season until 2/1/11 -
12-5-2 | 1.76 gaa | .938 save %

From 2/1/11 until now (including playoffs) -
12-14-1 | 3.03 gaa | .888 save %

Now that doesn't speak to everything as he was pretty good for the Capitals in March of last year as I mentioned above.

So, is it possible that Braden is still suffering some effects of the injury that held him out then? I would say it is possible. He didn't play in the All-Star event and only played 3 games from 2/1/11 - 3/7/11. And that just happens to be his worst extended stretch of recent memory...he won 2 of the games but offered up a paltry 3.57 gaa and a .876 save percentage.

Sure, he rebounded with the Caps for a short while but he came crashing back to earth for the Bears after that.

It has been about 10 months since the injury so I won't put too much faith in that theory but it isn't out of the question.

But that doesn't help explain Sabourin's rough start...oh wait...yes it does. Remember that around the same time (mid-January) Sabourin had his ligaments torn up thanks to pest Louis Robitaille taking him out in a game. He had reconstructive surgery and missed the rest of the season and a good chunk of his off-season as well.

And remember that many athletes who have serious knee injuries can take a year or two to completely recover physically and MENTALLY from that type of injury. Playing goalie is already hard on the knees...is there any possibility that it is affecting his game right now...I think so.

So, both goalies suffered injuries last January (I don't think Holtby's was never confirmed but I believe it was a knee as well) and both have played questionable since then. Hmmm.....

But what about one more theory...that the Hershey defense hasn't quite been up to par lately.

I think the numbers do kind of support that. And I can assure you that watching some of the games this season supports that.

This season is a bit more easy to understand. Recently all Bears teams have had a somewhat slow, positionally sound, veteran presence on the blueline. For years it was Dean Arsene, then it was Bryan Helmer and Greg Amadio. Last season it was Lawrence Nycholat and Brian Fahey.

Except you know what happened around the end of January of 2011? Nycholat went out with an injury and only played one more game (in the playoffs) the rest of the season.

More than likely the ailment currently hindering the Bears goaltenders is a compilation of the above items and possibly others. I don't think the questionable defense can be overstated and the injuries from last season seem to fit the timeline of good/bad play. But in the end only one thing is certain...something is wrong and it needs fixed.

Bears Go 2-2; Sjogren Goes Home

2011-11-30T07:47:00.001-05:00

Last night the Bears finished their 4 games in 7 nights stretch around the Thanksgiving holiday. It started out well enough with a win over Providence last Wednesday night and then a tough shootout win over Wilkes-Barre on Friday night.

And then it went down hill.

Saturdays game ended with a 5-4 loss as the Bears blew a 2 goal lead and couldn't hold on after tying the game late in the 3rd. Then last night they lost 4-2 (one empty netter) after again tying the game at 2 with less than 10 minutes to go.

These good starts and late game collapses are beginning to become the norm this year. The Bears have outscored their opponents 30-17 in the first period so far this season. But in the 2nd period they are being outscored 18-20 and in the 3rd it is 18-21.

It doesn't look that bad and in all honesty it isn't the worst in the league. But it needs to get better. Norfolk is currently a +14 in the 3rd period (32 for, only 18 against). Wilkes-Barre is actually worse than Hershey in the 3rd (-5), but they are a +13 in the 2nd (28-15) to make up for it.

The Bears are one of only 7 AHL teams to give up more goals than they score in both the 2nd and 3rd periods. The other teams...Grand Rapids, Hamilton (-16 in the 3rd), Lake Erie, Providence, San Antonio, and Texas. Now take a look at the standings and see where those teams are...NONE of those other teams would be in the playoffs as of right now. And the Bears would be the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference...barely.

Coach French tried to shuffle up the lines last night in an effort to get some more offense, moving Matt Ford to the top line in place of Boyd Kane. Kane was the veteran scratch last night and didn't make the trip to Connecticut. Which is kind of a shame considering he must have been well rested after earning 53 penalty minutes over the course of the 2 previous games.

I like the effort to adjust the lines. While I am not certain that was the right move to make I am looking forward to seeing how the adjustment works after a few games together. So hopefully French leaves the changes in place now.

And he will have to make more line adjustments as well. Mattias Sjogren has decided to return to Sweden to play hockey. Can't say as though I blame him, but it is unfortunate. Supposedly, according to his agent, he was told that he would only spend a few games (if any) in Hershey. Yet his performance has left a decent amount to be desired (in my opinion) and he wasn't likely to get recalled anytime soon. Returning to your home country to make much more money seems like a simple decision and hopefully things work out for him.

As for the Bears, they recalled Matt Pope again after just releasing him from his tryout contract a couple days ago. Sjogren wasn't pulling down time on the top lines or that many minutes at all so it isn't a huge replacement to make, but it is another body down.

With Kyle Greentree still sidelined, Cody Eakin still in Washington, and now Sjogren returning to Sweden, this Bears team is down a full line from their projected lineup at the beginning of the season. Add to that Dmitry Orlov who is also still in Washington (and earning some power play time from new coach Dale Hunter).

We were all expecting a deep and talented team that would rival any AHL team in 2011-12 and we haven't had a chance to see it just yet. With the coaching change in Washington there is no telling what the plan is for Eakin or Orlov. John Erskine just returned to the lineup and Mike Green is expected to return sooner than later so one would think Orlov would be on his way back at some point. Eakin is a tougher call as I think he would be exactly what Hunter is looking for in a player...someone that shows up to work every single game and puts in 100% effort no matter what the situation. Once (if) Jay Beagle is ready to return one would think that there is less reason to keep Eakin up there, but who knows.

The Bears, like any other team, needs to adjust on the fly. So far, they haven't done so.

This weekend presents another opportunity for them though. 3 games in 3 nights...2 of which are against teams below Hershey in the standings (Syracuse and Portland).

A quarter of the season is now over and there is reason to have legitimate concerns about this team. Fortunately there is still time to remedy the problems and alleviate any and all concerns.

But that time frame shrinks with every game.

GameDay Preview: Bears vs Bruins

2011-11-23T10:33:00.001-05:00

This will be the first (and maybe only) weekend where Bears fans truly feel the effects of the shorter/longer/revamped AHL schedule. In years past the Bears would play 4 games in 5 nights around Thanksgiving with home games the Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday and a road game Friday night. Honestly I was hoping they would keep the 3 home games and do away with the Friday road game but they did not for 2011-12.

Instead the Bears will play 4 games in 7 nights as they travel to Connecticut on Tuesday.

Things have not been going well for the Bears of late though. Their last win came 2 weeks ago on Wednesday the 9th when the beat Binghamton at home.

In fact the Bears have only twice in their last 9 games...both against Binghamton at home.

But I am feeling confident tonight. I feel a win coming.

Ryan Potulny and Matthew Ford are both expected back in the lineup tonight for the first time in a while. Potulny hasn't played since the 2nd game of the season due to a sports hernia that he may have suffered last spring but never had looked at.

Ford hasn't played since November 4th against the Pens. He has 3 goals and 3 assists in 11 games played this season and his return will be very good for the teams offensive productivity.

Maybe the return of these players will mean DJ King will be a healthy scratch. King was reassigned by the Capitals to Hershey because he and his agent wanted him to play more. It is an understandable desire, but I wish it would have happened somewhere else.

He has played in 5 games, dating back to the Binghamton win on the 9th, and is a -6 in those games including an embarrassing -4 against the Baby Pens back on the 11th. If you take out the win over Binghamton he is -7 in his last 4 games.

And last week I saw two separate incidents which make me question his motives in Hershey. The first was after one of his penalties expired. Typically guys come out of the box and if his line is not on the ice he skates to the bench for a change IMMEDIATELY (if the situation call for it).

Last Saturday he came out of the box with the Bears possessing the puck in their own end with minimal rush from the Devils. The Hanson-Micflikier-Mink line was on the ice...except for Mink. So what did King do? He stood at the blue line waiting for a pass and then proceeded to join the rush while Mink sat on the boards waiting for his change. And yes Mink was up and waiting...this was not an instance when Coach French didn't call for the change. King just didn't come to the bench.

The other incident was during a delayed penalty on the Devils. Generally, watch for it tonight if you don't believe me, the Bears (or any team) will try to get their best offensive players on the ice if they have the opportunity. Last Saturday Braden made it to the bench and the Bears possessed the puck in their own end and many players changed as the Rechlicz-Carroll-King line was on the ice. Carroll and Wrecker went off...King stayed on.

Obviously I am not on the bench (or near it to be honest) so I am not 100% certain that he isn't being told to stay out...but somehow I strongly doubt it. It appears that King is of the mindset that he should be getting more minutes in Hershey as well and it is costing the Bears opportunities and games.

Up until this point injuries and recalls (Cody Eakin remains in Washington...as does Dmitry Orlov) have forced the Bears to play guys they typically don't give regular minutes too. With the return of Potulny and Ford tonight the Bears finally have enough healthy bodies where they don't have to do that.

King is an enforcer...just like Rechlicz. Except Joel has been the better player in that role this season in games with and without King. If an enforcer is used I hope it is Wrecker with DJ King sitting up in the rafters.

Either way it is likely that, at the most, only one of the two will be on the ice at Giant Center tonight. Which is good news for the Bears and bad news for the Bruins.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!

Bears Drop 2 in Shootouts

2011-11-21T14:40:00.001-05:00

The Bears entered this weekend having not participated in a shootout in the 2011-12 season to date. They left the weekend 0-2 in shootouts.

Friday they lost to Syracuse in Syracuse. Wasn't there, didn't watch, didn't listen. Here are a couple links if you want more on that game:

Tim Leone
Sweetest Hockey on Earth

Saturdays game was back at Giant Center and I was unlucky enough to attend. Just so we start this out right let me give you the facts:

Hershey lost 6-5 in the shootout to Albany,
Hershey took a 2-0 lead in the first 12 minutes,
Hershey came back from 1 goal deficits 3 times,
Hershey went 3 for 5 on the power play,
Hershey killed off 3 of 4 penalty kills,
Hershey finished with 33 shots...same as Albany.

Oh and Braden Holtby made 3 questionable plays in the first period (one led to a goal)...BUT HE WAS NOT TO BLAME FOR THE LOSS.

By the end of the game the crowd was "cheering" every time Braden made a save and yelling as soon as he touched the puck or, in some cases, even started to leave the crease.

For those of you not in attendance let me recap the 3 plays:

Braden makes an ill-advised pass from the end line across his crease to a defenseman on the opposite side...no goal resulted,
Braden makes an ill-advised attempted clear up the middle and hits a Devil player in the chest...no goal resulted,
Braden plays the puck behind the Bears net and gets trapped by two Devils forwards before turning it over...and the Devils scored.

The first two plays were bone-headed but he got lucky. No harm done.

The last play was just unlucky. Should he have cleared the puck faster? Yes, I will agree with that. But it wasn't like his defensemen were giving him anywhere to go with it. They were standing damn near right beside him the entire time. It was a bad play, but it did not decide the game.

From that point on it seemed the crowd was against Mr. Holtby. The three goals that followed that sure didn't help.

But let's explore those for a second:

Albany player skates down the wing throws a pass to the front and it is deflected in by a Devil's forward (Gelinas according to the score sheet),
Albany player skates down the wing (sound familiar yet) throws a pass to the front and it is deflected in by a Devil's forward (Bernier according to the score sheet),
Albany player gets the puck beyond the end line and passes to a WIDE OPEN Tim Sestito standing at the tip of the goal crease.

The first two were good plays by the Devils that could have been prevented, in my opinion, by a defenseman. Had someone tied up the stick of those players they more than likely would not have scored.

And the last goal...unbelievable. It wasn't even a penalty kill...nope this was 5 on 5 (read: everyone should be covered) hockey and the 2 defenseman on the ice at the time (McNeill and Wellar according to the score sheet) were honestly just standing on either side of Sestito. Both could have touched him if they reached over there and yet neither did.

To blame Holtby for any of those goals is ludicrous. Two of them were impossible to stop tip ins that probably shouldn't have happened, but in truth they were both nice plays by Albany. The last one...that was just plain poor defense.

So while I know it is easy to blame a goalie when a team gives up 5 goals it was surely not all Braden's fault in this one.

I have much more I want to say about the goaltending situation (among other things) in Hershey this season but I will save it for another day when I have more time. Obviously the situation is lacking right now, but I have a theory that I want to look into before I offer an opinion.

In addition to that...there is a Wednesday game this week. Preview coming soon.

Weekend Preview...Bears visit Crunch, host Devils

2011-11-17T12:19:00.001-05:00

Last weekend was not a good one for the Bears as they dropped both games (one in OT) and looked a little lost on the ice.

This weekend sees two more games in an attempt to right the ship and get the W-L record tilting in the right direction again.

The Bears started the season 5-1-1-0. That was almost a month ago now. A increasingly distant memory. In the 7 games since the Bears are only 2-3-2 and currently reside in 3rd place in the East Division. Not exactly what many anticipated.

But that's ok. You don't win championships in November. There is plenty of time to make up points and move back towards the top of the standings.

This weekend is a good chance to begin that move.

Friday night brings a trip up to Syracuse to face the 4th place Crunch. Syracuse will be looking for some retribution after getting embarrassed 7-0 at Giant Center last month. In fact, the Syracuse game was the 7th game of the season and the 5th win before things started to unravel for the Bears.

Like the Bears, the Crunch has struggled since that game going 3-4-1-0 in their 8 games since their visit to Hershey. At this point in the season neither team is where they want, or expected, to be in the standings. The Crunch were thought to be a strong contender in the East Division, but have so far failed to meet expectations.

There is plenty of talent on the team though. Four players are averaging over a point per game including Kyle Palmieri who has 9 goals in 9 games and Patrick Maroon who leads the team with 15 points in 13 games.

Goaltender Iiro Tarkki seems to have found his game since getting pulled in Hershey back in October. Since then he has posted a 2.13 goals against average and a .931 save percentage while going 3-3-0 since then. While it is no guarantee that Tarkki starts against the Bears it would seem to make sense to me to give the kid a chance to redeem himself.

The Bears will have to work hard for a victory against the Crunch. Something they have struggled to do consistently of late.

Saturday night welcomes the Bears back to Giant Center against the Northeast Division leading Albany Devils. This will be the 2nd of 4 meetings between the former East Division rivals in 2011-12. Hershey won in Albany 4-1 back on October 21.

While the Crunch has struggled since the Bears beat them, the Devils have gone the opposite route. They went into the first game against Hershey with a 1-4-0-0 record and pretty much played like that record against the Bears.

However, since that game the Devils are 7-1-1-1. Surprisingly their only regulation loss during that stretch came against the bottom-dwelling Binghamton Senators. Otherwise they have either won or at least gotten a point in every game they have played since losing at home to the Bears in October.

Now, while that is impressive let me rain on Albany's parade a bit...5 of those wins came on home ice. Only 3 of their 10 games (and only 4 of their 16 overall) have been played on the road this season. In those games they are only 2-2-0-0 with one of the wins coming in overtime. On the road they have been outscored 12-7.

So this isn't an experienced road team at this point in the season. Whether that means they are a bad road team or not remains to be seen since it is such a small sample size, but it is the perfect chance for Hershey to take advantage.

The Devils will not have played since last Sunday at game time Saturday night. So, on one side of the argument they will be well rested and won't have traveled the night before...like the Bears will have to do. However, on the other side of the argument...they will possibly be a little reserved and a little rusty for the beginning of the game.

Either way the Bears need to be ready to play. The Devils don't appear to have a "go-to" scorer, but they seem to have some decent balance. Rookie Joe Whitney leads the team in goals, 5, and points, 10. After that you have 10 guys with 2 or more goals and another 5 with 1.

Back in October Jeff Frazee got the start in goal against the Bears. His numbers on the season aren't exactly wonderful (3.10 gaa, .882 save %) and it would appear that the Devils are currently looking for someone else to step up. Recently rookie Keith Kincaid has been the option in net. He has started 4 of the last 6 games including 2 last weekend. And he has been impressive in those games...going 3-1-0-0 with a 1.74 gaa and a .945 save percentage.

For the Bears....

Dany Sabourin is expected to start in Syracuse with Braden Holtby getting the start Saturday at home. Neither goalie has stood out at this point in the season, but neither has looked dreadful either. One of them needs to step up and become the "number 1" option.

Defensively, it appears that Sean Collins is still injured and will not play this weekend. Tomas Kundratek made his Hershey debut last weekend and looked pretty good for a guy who just joined the team and learned the system. Expect to see familiar faces on the blue-line for the games this weekend.

Offensively we all know who the big scorers are and they know that they need to do more. But there are a couple of names that haven't been thought of in the offensive light so far this season that need to become more of a scoring threat.

Mattias Sjogren has shown flashes of offensive brilliance but his 3rd/4th line role has prevented him from making that more consistent. Similarly, Andrew Carroll has shown offensive flashes this year and in previous years, but his role as agitator and pest (which he does very well) has limited his offensive upside. (Very similar to former Bear Steve Pinizzotto actually.) And Matt Pope, just signed to a pro tryout contract (25 game deal that doesn't commit the Bears for any length of time), has been solid for South Carolina in the ECHL this season with 6 goals and 11 assists in only 13 games.

Typically when scorers get recalled from South Carolina there is some hesitation to give them too big a role in Hershey due to possible defensive limitations (do the names Travis Morin or Michael Dubuc ring any bells) so the jury is still out on how this will work. However, Pope has played in the AHL before and has been featured in a more defensive role with those AHL teams. In fact, he hasn't played regularly at the ECHL level since 08-09 and has been an AHL regular since then.

Those 3 players, Carroll, Pope, and Sjogren now make up Hershey's third line and are expecting to bring a more offensive mindset to the game this weekend.

I for one am excited to see a 3rd offensive line because the top two aren't exactly lighting up the scoreboard of late.

Should be two tough games this weekend for the Bears. But two games that they should (I repeat...SHOULD) win. We shall see if they can.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!

Bears Drop 2 at Home

2011-11-14T07:57:00.001-05:00

2 home games...2 losses. Sure, one of them came in OT but they were both losses nonetheless.

First up, Bears vs Pens:

We can focus on the positives if we want to...

The game went to overtime...first time in 8 games the Pens even gave up 1 point,
The Bears scored 4 goals against a Pens team that had given up only 8 over the last 7 games total,
Hershey rallied from 1 goal deficits twice, and
Take out 30 seconds of the second period and Hershey wins by 1.

Or we can look at the negatives...

Hershey gave up 2 goals in the final 30 seconds of the second period,
Wilkes-Barre controlled the play from the opening faceoff,
A lack of hustle to the loose pucks, and
What appears to be an overall lack of communication on the ice.

Which would you prefer to look at? Me, I feel like focusing on the negatives today.

First of all you have to score when you come in 2 on none on the penalty kill, which the Bears did once. If you are going to win games against teams as good as the Baby Pens you have to score on those.

And you can not give up goals at the end of periods. Sure, from time to time you will give up a goal at the end of a period...even the Pens gave one up to the Bears at the end of the 1st period Friday night (although I think if thats the NHL it gets reviewed and overturned for coming after the period was over...just sayin). But you can not give up 2 goals at that point. That is embarassing effort by a team who's motto is "No Rest".

While those non-goals and goals against were definitely huge points in the game, they aren't my biggest concern.
Anytime there was a loose puck the Penguins seemed to get to it. Battles in the corner...the Pens won those. Neutral zone play...controlled by the Pens. I didn't think the Penguins controlled the puck the whole game, which is good, but they controlled the tempo and style of play with ease.

For long stretches it seemed like the Bears were all just standing around watching other players make plays...typically Penguin players.

Which brings us to...communication. Time after time it looked like Bears players were waiting for a teammate to get to a loose puck. They didn't want to leave their position to get the puck because they thought someone else would.

To me that is a simple breakdown in communication. Considering the veterans on this team you would think this would be second nature. Maybe it has to do with all the new faces but we are now 15 games into the season...if you haven't started talking to your teammates by now, when are you going to?
Are some of these things injury/recall related? Maybe. Kyle Greentree, Ryan Potulny, and Matthew Ford are all out with injuries while Cody Eakin remains in Washington. That means increased roles for Joel Rechlicz, newcomer DJ King, Maxime Lacroix, and rookie Garrett Mitchell. I am not suggesting that they can't handle it or don't deserve it, but when you continuously play with different players the first thing to diminish will be things like going after loose pucks and communication.

But that shouldn't be an excuse. It should be resolved during practice.

It sure as hell didn't get any better by Sunday night...Bears vs Sound Tigers:

Last night the hustle was definitely better. For the first 10 minutes and honestly for about 90% of the game the Bears controlled the play. They were the team getting the loose pucks and they were controlling the play.

The effort was definitely better. (Which is good considering how much energy they must have had left after the poor effort on Friday).

But you know what I noticed...a lack of communication. **In the interest of full disclosure, I sit in section 103 so I am no where near the bench to hear any discussion going on there (players yelling to teammates, coaches coaching, etc.).**

All night I heard the Sound Tigers last night. All game long I heard players telling each other what was going on and where they were. The Bears? Didn't hear a peep. And I am not that much closer to the Sound Tigers bench but you could hear them clearly from where I was sitting.

I am not saying the Bears weren't talking...I am sure there is some communication going on. All I am saying is that it would appear that a bit more would be helpful.

You know what else would work...a change in the lineup. I know that all problems can not be solved by changing the lines but I think these problems could be.

The key to setting your lines is to find the guys that work best together. I don't attend practice so obviously the coaching staff sees more than I do. On that level you have to assume that Coaches French and Mann have considered that in their line makeups.

The next thing you have to consider is roles. Keith Aucoin is a playmaker, he is going to pass the puck 75% of the time. Kyle Greentree is a shooter, he will shoot 75% of the time. Boyd Kane and Graham Mink are grinders, their strategy is to get to the front of the net and cause havoc and get rebounds.

In general, and in my own non-professional opinion, a line should be made up of a playmaker, a shooter/scorer, and a grinder. This allows for goals from many different setups and actions. Rebound goals are more likely because you have the grinder and the shooter while "pretty" goals are also likely with a playmaker and a shooter.

The problem with Hershey's lines right now is they aren't balanced. Chris Bourque has a great slap-shot, but he isn't a pure scorer, he has always been more of a playmaker who would prefer to pass first and shoot later. I think Jacob Micflikier is the best shooter/scorer on the team right now (Greentree would be up close but he is hurt). My top line would be Micflikier, Aucoin, and Mink. Move Bourque to the second line with Hanson and Kane or Mitchell.

After that the big problem for the Bears is a lack of scorers/shooters. As much as Francois Bouchard didn't earn the playing time, he was a shooter/scorer that could have played a bigger role with Greentree and Ford out with injuries.

In the end I didn't think the Bears played badly last night. The lines just didn't click that well. Shots from the outside were rarely getting through and their goalie, Anders Nilsson, is huge and clogged up the crease pretty well. He did give up lots of rebounds but they are many times hard to corral.

Hershey should have won last night. Friday night they were lucky to get a point. Last night they were unlucky not getting some bounces.

The injuries will eventually work themselves out. Ford, Greentree, and Potulny will be back...some sooner than others, and will return to the lineup and help Hershey's depth and balance. Until then the coaching staff needs to make the changes that will help this team win. Having Bourque and Aucoin on the same line isn't working. Bourque has 1 goal and 0 assists in his last 7 games. You can't win with your top winger producing like that.

Obviously the offense isn't the only problem, but it's the only one that I think gets solved by a simple shuffling of players. Defense...that's a topic for a different day.

This Bears team is still very talented. They are built, like the 05-06 team, for the spring...lots of grinders and, hopefully, lots of ugly goals. It is way too early to worry...but it is never to early to try different things and adjust on the fly to see what might work when the games are more important

GameDay Preview: Bears vs Baby Pens

2011-11-11T12:31:00.001-05:00

Wow, it has been a while since I posted here. The last two weeks have been something, between snow storms knocking out power, getting sick, and being incredibly busy at work I am glad the weekend is here. Power is back on, I am getting healthy again, and the work load...well it's still there, but that's okay.

Lots has happened since I have posted so let's examine it a bit:

Cody Eakin was recalled to Washington.

I watched most of his first game and he looked good for the Caps. I was a bit surprised they called him up considering they didn't "need" him, but you knew it was coming at some point this season. He will probably be back, depending on injuries to the Caps, but there is no telling when that will be.

DJ King is a Bear.

DJ wanted more playing time. Simple as that. The Caps tried placing him on waivers to see if anyone would steal him away but no one did. For anyone who doesn't know...King has generally been a fighter/instigator in his career. He is a veteran, but falls into the exempt veteran status (or whatever its called) in the 260-320 games played. Same as Kyle Greentree. So while Greentree is out there is no harm in him dressing for games.

Who knows what the long term intentions are. My guess...they are hoping he showcases well so somebody picks up his contract and steals him on re-entry waivers. If that doesn't happen...it could get interesting if he stays in Hershey as that would just add another body to worry about.

Francois Bouchard is gone. Tomas Kundratek is a Bear.

I was somewhat surprised the Caps even tendered Bouch an offer this past summer. His production had slipped badly last year and he had never come close to reaching his full potential. Hopefully the change of scenery will do him good and get him refocused. Being in an organization like Washington/Hershey can't help a lot of young guys feel they have a real shot. Not the forwards anyways.

Kundratek comes over from the Connecticut Whale and is in only his 2nd pro season at the age of 21 (22 this December). Hockey's Future.com pegs him as a solid puck moving, defensive defenseman with a good shot. The suggestion from them is he could have an NHL future if he continues to progress and gets stronger. There is some thought that he could develop like a Patrick McNeill for the organization.

Bears have struggled a bit of late.

Over the last 2 weeks the Bears have played a total of 5 games. That is 10 possible points. The Bears have 5...and 4 of them came against the Binghamton Senators.

It isn't a terrible stretch, but I was expecting more consistency from this team this year. The injuries and recalls have surely hurt though. I think that stuff has kind of highlighted a glaring weakness in the organizational depth...not a whole lot of young offensive talent in the pipeline. Sure there are a couple of Russian forwards that could make an impact down the road but that's about it.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised as the same weakness was there last year...to a point. Last year some of the injuries were to the "young" prospects like Andrew Gordon and Steve Pinizzotto. This year it is the veterans getting hurt (Kyle Greentree and Ryan Potulny) and there aren't any young kids to step in and take their place. At least not many.

But I am getting off topic. Hershey has started out the 2011-12 season eerily similar to how they completed the 2010-11 season...at least in terms of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Last Friday the Bears traveled up 81 after having not played for a few days...and they got whooped 4-0 by the Baby Pens.

That came on the heels off losses to Adirondack and Springfield the weekend before. Luckily there were 2 games sandwiched in there against the Senators which the Bears swept (although the first one...a couple Sundays ago was a little close for comfort). But they should win those games...the Senators are the 2nd worst team in the Eastern Conference right now.

The last time I posted here the Bears were 1st in the East Division. Now they are 3rd. Sure they are only 2 points out of first and they only played 5 games in 2 weeks but still.

Something isn't clicking for this team right now. I honestly haven't seen enough of them yet to place a finger on it but something isn't right.

It's still early though. 12 games in...64 to go. Plenty of time to right any problems.

So that's the last 2 weeks in a nutshell. Now...how about tonight's game.

The Baby Pens come back down to Hershey tonight for the 4th meeting between the clubs this season. Wilkes-Barre won 3-1 in Hershey back on October 22 in the only other meeting at Giant Center in 2011-12.

Currently these are two teams on completely different paths. The Baby Pens started out the season struggling and found themselves in the bottom half of the East Division standings for a little while, winning only once in their first 5 games. But over their last 7 games they are perfect. 7-0-0-0. That includes 2 victories over the Bears as well as the rest of the East Division.

During this streak the Baby Pens have given up more than 2 goals just once. All combined they have allowed 8 goals in 7 games with 2 shutouts. And they have scored 25 over the same span. They aren't exactly lighting up the scoreboard (less than 4 goals per game) but they didn't last year either.

Many people expected the Pens to struggle a bit more this year and to fall in the standings a bit. Apparently goaltender Brad Thiessen didn't get the memo. In 11 games this season, which includes the last 7 victories, he has allowed only 19 goals. That is a 1.82 goals against average. His save percentage is at .929.

Those numbers are actually an improvement over his numbers from last year. Pretty good goalie they have up there right now.

That doesn't mean they are without their problems though. Especially coming into this game. Eric Tangradi, their leading goal scorer (7 so far), was recalled to the Pittsburgh Penguins yesterday. That leaves the Baby Pens without one of their go-to scorers. Only 2 Pens players have more than 3 goals on the season (Bryan Lerg is the other with 6). However, depth is their key as they have gotten goals from 15 different players, of which only 4 haven't scored at least 2. The 2010-11 Pens also had considerable scoring depth.

This doesn't mean the Pens are the same team as last year. And it doesn't mean this is the same Bears team which will be pushed around by their northerly neighbors.

Hershey boasts one of the best 1-2 goalie combinations in the league which includes Braden Holtby and his current 100+ minute shutout streak. Now, from what I have seen Dany Sabourin is getting the start tonight so the shutout streak isn't really relevant. Dany is the only Hershey goaltender to beat the Pens this year, but he was also pulled on the 4th after giving up 3 goals on 10 shots in Wilkes-Barre.

Offensively the Bears probably have as much or more top end scoring talent even with the injuries to Potulny and Greentree. 3 different Bears find themselves in the top 12 of AHL scorers at this point in the season (Chris Bourque, Keith Aucoin, and Jacob Micflikier). The Penguins can't match that.

If Hershey is going to compete with the Baby Pens tonight they will need to take advantage of the scoring depth and get some shots passed Thiessen.

Make no mistake...this is an important early season contest. Yes, they play again in 2 weeks. Yes, they play another 8 times after tonight. But the Bears have struggled against average or better teams the past 2 weeks and need a good performance to get themselves for a number of very winnable games over the next 2 weeks.

Considering the Pens just put it to them last Friday I think they will be ready.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!!

Hershey Bears

record ~ 7-3-2-0 | 16 points
standings ~ 3rd in East Division
most recent game ~ 3-0 Win vs Binghamton, 11/9
last 5 games ~ 2-2-1-0
home record ~ 3-1-1-0
goals for ~ 40
goals against ~ 31
home power play ~ 37.0% (2nd)
home penalty kill ~ 95.7% (2nd)

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
record ~ 8-2-1-1 | 18 points
standings ~ 1st in East Division
most recent game ~ 4-2 Win @ Norfolk, 11/9
last 5 games ~ 5-0-0-0
road record ~ 7-0-0-0
goals for ~ 40
goals against ~ 25
road power play ~18.2% (15th)
road penalty kill ~ 85.3% (9th)

last time teams met - This is the 4th of 12 meetings between the teams this season. Hershey won the first in Wilkes-Barre but has lost the last 2. Last Friday the Pens won 4-0 in Wilkes-Barre.

Players to watch:

Hershey:

LW Chris Bourque (17) - he still leads the team in goals (6) and is tied for 2nd in points (14) but after recording a point in the first 8 games he has failed to record another one since. That is 4 games with no points.
C Keith Aucoin (11) - he has taken over the points lead as he now has 17 (3g, 14a) in 12 games. He only has 1 goal (zero assists) against the Pens this season.
F Jacob Micflikier (18) - he is tied with Bourque for 2nd in points with 14 (5/9) but hasn't recorded a single point against the Pens this season. He does, however, have 1 goal and 4 assists in his last 3 games.
Pens:

F Brian Gibbons (9) - the rookie is tied for 3rd on the team in points with 10 (3/7). 2 of his 3 goals have come against the Bears and he has an assist against them too.
RW Colin McDonald (13) - tied with Gibbons for 3rd in scoring with 10 points (3/7). He has also produced against the Bears scoring 1 adding 4 assists. Half of his points have come in the 3 games against Hershey.
F Bryan Lerg (19) - he is the active leader in goals (6) and leads the team in points with 13. Against Hershey he has 1 goal and 2 assists and is a +4 in the last 2 games.

2011-10-29T11:31:00.001-04:00

Last week I was playing roller hockey and our team went up 7-2 or something like that just after halftime. As expected, we let our guard down and started goofing around too much only to see the other team come back and get 3 goals to make it 7-5. Luckily we steadied out and finished off with an 8-5 win.

It would appear last night that the Bears fell into a similar situation. Midway through the 2nd period the Bears found themselves up 3-0 after goals by Chris Bourque, Garrett Mitchell, and Jacob Micflikier.

And then they apparently stopped playing their game. I am sure they weren't goofing around like we were, but over the next 30 minutes they gave up 3 power play goals and eventually lost in overtime 4-3 against the Springfield Falcons.

Obviously the Falcons had a plan and stuck with it. I didn't see the game or listen to it but based on the game sheet you can gather that the Falcons were likely running Braden Holtby throughout the game. He ended up with 2 roughing calls in the 3rd period. The tying goal came on the 2nd one.

Overall the Falcons took advantage of the Bears miscues. Hershey gave them 5 power plays (all after they opened up a 3-0 lead) and Springfield took advantage.

Now its on to Glens Falls to face off against the Adirondack Phantoms.

The Phantoms are coming off consecutive home losses (to Norfolk and Connecticut) and are finishing up a brief 3 game home stand against the Bears tonight.

The baby Flyers are 5-3-0-1 on the season and are currently sitting in 2nd place in the Northeast Division with 11 points.

Tonight is the first of 4 meetings between the recent division rivals with the next game coming outside at Citizens Bank Park on January 6th. It will be different not seeing the Phantoms so much each season now that the clubs are in different divisions.

So far this season the Phantoms boast a solid offensive team. They have scored the same number of goals as Hershey, 33, albeit in one additional game. 33 goals puts the teams tied for second in the AHL, behind only Norfolk's 40 goals.

Denis Hamel leads the team in goals, 7, and points, 11. 2 other players, Eric Wellwood, and rookie Harry Zolnierczyk (how the hell do you pronounce that) are averaging over a point per game as well. Braydon Schenn was averaging 2 points a game but has since been recalled to Philadelphia.

Unfortunately for the Phantoms they have also allowed 28 goals on the season. And that is somewhat surprising considering they have Michael Leighton and Jason Bacashihua in net. Leighton has seen the majority of the action, playing in 7 games compared to 3 for Cash, but both guys are solid veterans. Leighton got the start last night so I wouldn't be surprised if Cash is in net tonight to face the Bears.

At the opposite end, Dany Sabourin, will get his 4th start of the season, looking to go 4-0 on the young season.

The Bears will surely be looking to return to Hershey with a win tonight. Hopefully they can make it 3 straight home losses for the Phantoms.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!!

GameDay Preview: Bears @ Springfield Falcons

2011-10-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

The Hershey Bears are in Springfield, Mass tonight for the first game of another 3 games in 3 nights that will see them travel about 800 miles this weekend. Tonight will be the Bears only game in Springfield for 2011-12, unless of course the teams meet in the postseason. After tonight the Bears travel to Glens Falls, NY to face the Phantoms before returning home to Hershey for a Sunday evening matchup with the Senators.

Former Bears Andrew Joudrey and Alexandre Giroux are both members of the Springfield Falcons. Although, Giroux has spent the majority of the season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was on the opening night roster with Springfield and played in 2 games before getting recalled to the NHL. He hasn't been back since and he has played in 5 games with one goal so far for the Jackets. Joudrey has played in all 9 games for the Falcons and has one assist on the season.

The Falcons have been a bit Jekll and Hyde this season. They started the season going 3-2 with 21 goals for and 19 goals against. But over their last 4 games they are only 1-3 and have scored a combined 4 goals. They have done better defensively though, allowing only 10 goals in those games.

Who knows which team shows up this weekend.

Goaltending was obviously a concern after the first few games and it was addressed. The Falcons started the season with rookies Allen York and Paul Dainton as their netminders. That didn't work out so well. Manny Legace and Danny Taylor have started the last 5 games and have allowed a total of 13 goals in those 5. Taylor is the star right now. He has 3 starts, is 2-1, and boasts a 2.00 gaa and a .941 save percentage.

Unfortunately for the Falcons the improved goaltending and defensive play hasn't translated to wins. And that is possibly because of recalls to the NHL. Giroux only played in 2 games before getting recalled, Cody Bass, the former Binghamton Senator, played in the first 5 games (when the team scored 21 goals) before getting recalled to Columbus, and defenseman John Moore played in the first 4 games before being recalled for a couple stints.

None of those players are back in Springfield as of right now.

Hershey comes into the game having not played for 4+ days. Not since they put up 7 on the Syracuse Crunch last Sunday evening at Giant Center.

But despite the time off, they still have injury concerns heading into the weekend.

Due to an injury to Mike Green, defenseman Sean Collins was recalled by the Capitals and won't be available for the weekend as he traveled with the club on a road trip across Western Canada that runs into the weekend. In response to that the Bears recalled Paul Baier from South Carolina.

Otherwise Graham Mink and Danny Richmond are all listed as day to day while Ryan Potulny and Kyle Greentree are listed as week to week at best. None of those players are expected to travel with the team for the games this weekend.

The one thing you don't see here though is any goaltending injuries to discuss (quick...knock on wood). Both goalies in Washington are healthy, which means both Dany Sabourin and Braden Holtby will be dressed in Chocolate and White this weekend. Braden is expected to start tonight in Springfield with Sabourin getting the go tomorrow night. As of now the Sunday starter is to be determined, but I would imagine Braden will get the start.

So far this season the Bears are 4-0-0-0 on the road while their opponent tonight is only 1-3-0-0 at home. Just sayin'.

Hershey Bears

record ~ 5-1-1-0 | 11 points
standings ~ 1st in East Division
most recent game ~ 3-1 Loss vs Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 10/22
last 5 games ~ 3-1-1-0
road record ~ 4-0-0-0
goals for ~ 30
goals against ~ 19
power play ~ 34.2% (2nd)
penalty kill ~ 89.7% (5th)

Springfield Falcons
record ~ 4-5-0-0 | 8 points
standings ~ 3rd in Northeast Division
most recent game ~ 2-1 Win @ Manchester, 10/26
last 5 games ~ 2-3-0-0
home record ~ 1-3-0-0
goals for ~ 25
goals against ~ 29
power play ~15.2% (20th)
penalty kill ~ 80.4% (17th)

last time teams met - This is the first of 2 meetings between the teams this season. The Falcons will visit Giant Center on March 4, 2012.

Players to watch:

Hershey:

LW Chris Bourque (17) - he continues to lead the team in goals (5) and points (13) and is tied for the team lead in assists now too (8). He has recorded a point in every game so far this season.
RW Matthew Ford (23) - he wasn't at practice Thursday but is expected to meet the team in Springfield today. He is expected to take Mink's top line spot so he may benefit from playing with Bourque and Aucoin and expand on his 3 goals and 2 assists.
F Jacob Micflikier (18) - he started out slow (kind of) as he didn't register a point in the first 2 games. Since then (5 games) he has 3 goals and 5 assists.

Falcons:

LW Nick Drazenovic (10) - leads the team in assists (8) and points (10). He also has 2 goals this season. 9 of his 10 points came in the first 5 games of the season.
C Martin St. Pierre (39) - leads the team in goals (4) and is second in points (7). He has scored in each of the last 2 games.
LW Dane Byers (34) - tied for second on the team in goals with 3.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!

Bears Handle Crunch

2011-10-24T13:02:00.001-04:00

At one point in the 2nd period I looked up at the scoreboard and saw Hershey, Shots - 14.

The score was 5-0 Bears at that point. It was that kind of night.

The game finished up 7-0 Hershey as the Bears picked up their first shutout of the season and their first until late January of last season.

It started out close as the Bears were up only 2-0 at the end of the first and the Crunch had actually outshot the Bears 11-7 at that point. The 2nd goal came with less than 4 seconds remaining in the period and it seemed to be a critical point for the Crunch last night.

Seven different Bears scored goals last night. Dmitry Orlov, Julien Brouillette, and Mattias Sjogren all picked up their first goals of the season (it was Sjogren's first North American goal) while Jacob Micflikier, Keith Aucoin, and Christian Hanson picked up their 3rd goals of the season and Chris Bourque scored his team leading 5th.

Bourque, Micflikier, and Brouillette also added 2 assists, as did Cody Eakin. And while Andrew Carroll only recorded an assist it was his attempting to fight an entire line of Crunch players that endeared him to the crowd last night. Midway through the 2nd there was a minor scuffle behind the Bears net after a whistle and I am pretty sure that Carroll managed to punch all 5 Crunch players. It was impressive.

As for the rest of the game, once that first period ended there seemed to be little the Bears could do wrong and little the Crunch could do right. Penalties, turnovers, and questionable goaltending doomed Syracuse over the final 40 minutes.

The Bears had 6 power play opportunities (all in the final 40 minutes) and they converted 4 of those. In turn they gave the Crunch 7 power plays and kept them from scoring on all of them (obviously).

It was good to see this type of performance from the Bears after the game Saturday night. I know that the Crunch aren't the Baby Pens, at least in terms of rivalry, but they are a good team. Kyle Palmieri, Patrick Maroon, and Nick Bonino came into the game with 13 goals in only 5 games this season. Hershey held them to zero.

Dany Sabourin was a big reason why. He got the start in goal after being reassigned by the Capitals earlier in the day. He faced 36 shots and stopped them all. While I wouldn't say it was a particularly hard night for Dany, many of the saves he made were important and impressive.

Overall the Bears, as a team, played very well. Considering they came into the game winless at home this season it was good to finally see a (mostly) complete effort from the team.

But don't let last night fool you. Just like the Caps 7-1 win over Detroit on Saturday night is an indication on how good the Red Wings are, last night does not mean the Crunch are an easy opponent. They will be good this year and I expect the remaining 5 games between the clubs to be very good games between two very talented teams.

GameDay Preview: Bears vs Crunch

2011-10-23T08:52:00.001-04:00

Well last night sucked. It felt just like 2010-11 as the Baby Pens came into Hershey, controlled the play, and left with a solid victory.

Hershey couldn't solve Pens goalie Brad Thiessen, 27 saves, until late in the 3rd period when the game was pretty much over. The Pens solved Braden Holtby early as they scored 3 times in the first 31 minutes on their way to a 3-1 victory.

Considering the Bears couldn't beat the Penguins on home ice last year it was a tough game to watch. Hershey did manage two victories over the Pens in 2010-11 but both came on the road (one in Pittsburgh and another in Wilkes-Barre).

Boyd Kane picked up the lone Bears goal on a night that all in Hershey are hoping to not see again.

But enough about last night...what's done is done. Let's turn our focus to tonight's tilt against the Syracuse Crunch. By the end of the season the Crunch could be Hershey's biggest obstacle to an East Division crown.

Last season the Crunch finished 6th in the East Division, 15 points out of the final playoff spot. Last season the Crunch struggled to both score goals (2.71 per game, 24th in AHL) and keep them out of their own net (3.11 per game, 23rd).

They were a young team last season when 4 rookies finished in the top 6 in team scoring. Many of those players and some additional youngsters are expected to take the next step.

Kyle Palmieri, Nicolas Deschamps, and Nick Bonino were rookies in 2010-11 and all finished in the top 5 in scoring on the team. Peter Holland and Rick Schofield were late season additions after juniors and college, respectively, who both produced while in Syracuse. Holland had 3 goals and 3 assists in his 3 games while Schofield had 3 goals and 4 assists in 7 games. Add to that group rookie Kevin King, a teammate of Cody Eakin's last season with Kootenay, and you have a very young lineup ready to make some noise.

Patrick Maroon is also on the team. And surprisingly he is still just a young prospect. It feels like he has been around for years, but while he is already in his 4th AHL season he is only 23 years old as he was drafted out of the NAHL and not a CHL league making him AHL eligible immediately. Maroon, after coming over from the Phantoms early in the season, scored 21 goals and added 27 assists in 58 games last year.

Add to that Dan Sexton, 9 goals and 8 assists in only 17 games, and Matt Beleskey, 11 goals and 13 assists in only 27 games, and you have another group of players that only spent partial seasons in Syracuse but are definitely offensive forces.

And they didn't rest on these players in the offseason either. They added veterans Mark Bell, a former 25 goal scorer in the NHL, Nathan Smith, Troy Bodie, and Jean-Francois Jacques to an already deep forwards core.

Defensively they also added pieces...and good ones.

Kyle Cumiskey, the NHL veteran, Bryan Rodney, Charlotte's captain last year, and Mathieu Carle, from Hamilton, were all brought in to the fold. They join young Mat Clark and veteran Nate Guenin to make a fairly formidable blue line.

Goaltending is probably the biggest question mark for this team. Last season Jean-Philippe Levasseur and Timo Pielmeier manned the pipes for most of the season. Neither goalie had a goals against average under 3 and their save percentages were barely over .900.

Enter Iiro Tarkki and Jeff Drouin-Deslaurius for 2011-12. Last season Tarkki spent the season playing in the Finnish Elite League and compiled a 22-22-9 record, a 2.44 gaa, and a .919 save percentage in 58 games. Drouin-Deslaurius was in Oklahoma City, going 17-13-4 with a 2.81 gaa and .906 save %. Both players could be considered upgrades from 2010-11.

The Crunch have not made the playoffs since 2007-08 but appear determined to do so in 2011-12. The lineup might lack the depth of some of the other division rivals but the talent is definitely there. It will be an exciting game tonight and an exciting 5 more between the clubs this season.

Hershey Bears
record ~ 4-1-1-0 | 9 points
standings ~ 1st in East Division
most recent game ~ 3-1 Loss vs Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 10/22
last 5 games ~ 3-1-1-0
home record ~ 0-1-1-0
goals for ~ 22
goals against ~ 19
power play ~ 28.1% (6th)
road penalty kill ~ 87.5% (6th)

Syracuse Crunch
record ~ 3-0-1-1 | 8 points
standings ~ 3rd in East Division
most recent game ~ 3-2 OT Loss vs Lake Erie, 10/22
last 5 games ~ 3-0-1-1
road record ~ 1-0-0-1
goals for ~19
goals against ~15
road power play ~23.5% (9th)
home penalty kill ~ 82.6% (14th)

last time teams met - This is the first of 6 meetings between the teams this season. In 2010-11 the teams split their 6 games with the road team winning each game.

Players to watch:

Hershey:

LW Chris Bourque (17) - the team leader in goals (4) and points (10) needs to come ready to play tonight.
LW Boyd Kane (12) - the captain and veteran is being asked to step into a bigger role with Greentree and Potulny out of the lineup. He has 2 goals this season, both on the power play.
C Keith Aucoin (11) - he sits at 2nd on the team in points (9) and leads the team in assists with 7.

Crunch:

RW Kyle Palmieri (21) - leading the team and the AHL in goals with 8 in only 5 games.

LW Patrick Maroon (19) - second on team in goals with 4 and 3rd in points with 8.
C Nick Bonino (13) - leads the AHL and the team with 8 assists and is 2nd on the team in points with 9.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!

GameDay Preview: Bears vs Pens

2011-10-22T08:55:00.000-04:00

Last night in Albany the Bears came away with a 4-1 victory over a team they have dominated for the past year or so. Braden Holtby made 18 saves while the Bears managed 23 shots and got goals from Cody Eakin (3rd), Matt Ford (3), Christian Hanson (2), and Boyd Kane (1).

That's a win when you are expected to win. Exactly what good teams are supposed to do...win the games you are supposed to win.

Now the Bears return home to face a team that dominated them for the past year or so, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

These teams have already met once this year when Hershey won 3-2 two weeks ago up in Wilkes-Barre Township. This is the second of 12 meetings this season.

Like the Bears, and most AHL teams, this Baby Pens team will look a little different than they did last year. Last season they finished as the #1 seed in the AHL and were considered a top contender for the Calder Cup. As we all know, they came up short losing to Charlotte in the East Division Finals (2nd round), but they had a good campaign leading up to that.

But some things changed up in Northeast PA.

Gone are leading scorer Brett Sterling and 20 goal scorers Tim Wallace and Nick Johnson. Dustin Jeffrey and his 17 goals also left Wilkes-Barre, but he didn't go far and could return depending on Pittsburgh's health (he has only dressed for 1 NHL game this season).

Otherwise many of the top names return. Ryan Craig, Keven Veilleux, Eric Tangradi, Bryan Lerg, Geoff Walker, Zach Sill, and Ben Street were all double digit goal scorers for the Baby Pens last year and all are back with the team this season. Veilleux hasn't played yet this season due to injury though.

The offense also gets some help in the form of Colin McDonald, rookie Brian Gibbons, and NHL veterans Jason Williams and Niko Dimitrakos. McDonald scored 42 goals last season playing alongside Alexandre Giroux in Oklahoma City. Jason Williams played in his first game of the season last night while the other 3 have combined for 4 goals and 6 assists in 6 games.

The defense will look similar as well. Gone are Andrew Hutchinson, Robert Bortuzzo, and Corey Potter. Bortuzzo, like Jeffrey, is up in Pittsburgh, but he hasn't seen any game action to date so he could return in the future.

Joining the club on the blueline are NHLer Alexandre Picard (played for Montreal last season) and rookies Philip Samuelsson and Simon Despres. Picard hadn't played in the AHL since 2007-08 before this season started.

They lost some veteran players on the blueline, but kept a talented bunch in place. The likely won't allow a ton of easy goals this season.

The strength of the 2010-11 Baby Pens team was the goaltending. John Curry and Brad Thiessen both had great seasons for the Baby Pens. Thiessen was particularly stellar posting a record of 35-8-1 with a goals against average below 2 (1.94) and a save percentage of .922.

Curry moved on but Thiessen returns. So far he isn't having as much success this season as he has a save percentage under .900 and a gaa over 2.50. But he is always a threat to steal a game away. He will be joined this season by AHL veteran Scott Munroe who spent last season in the KHL.

In many of the previews I have read it mentions the Baby Pens as one of the teams moving downward in the division. Much of that talk has to do with teams in Norfolk and Syracuse getting that much better, but until I see it I have a hard time believing it. This is a very talented team that could easily make a run for another division crown.

The Pens will still be in every game they play and once the big Penguins get healthy the Baby Pens could see a return of some very talented players. Considering all the callups they had last year that team could have been even better. I remember the game they destroyed Hershey (7-1 I believe), the top 7 scorers on their team were ALL recalled to Pittsburgh.

Tangradi only played 42 games for Wilkes-Barre while Jeffrey (40), Johnson (48), and Street (36) didn't play full seasons in the AHL either. The Pittsburgh Penguins were decimated by injuries last year...making what the Baby Pens did (with a recall depleted lineup many nights) even more impressive.

So far the Pens have recorded 6 points in 6 games. They are 2-2-1-1 (they didn't lose in OT, the third # in that record, a single time last year) and have scored 18 while giving up 17.

Tonight they visit Giant Center for the first time in 2011-12. Fresh off a road win in Springfield. They have been better on the road than at home in the early going. 2 road games, 2 road wins, outscoring their opponents 8-1 in those games.

Should be a good one tonight at the GC.

Hershey Bears
record ~ 4-0-1-0 | 9 points
standings ~ 1st in East Division
most recent game ~ 4-1 Win @ Albany, 10/21
last 5 games ~ 4-0-1-0
home record ~ 0-0-1-0
goals for ~ 22
goals against ~ 16
power play ~ 30.8% (3rd)
road penalty kill ~ 87.0% (8th)

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
record ~ 2-2-1-1 | 6 points
standings ~ 4th in East Division
most recent game ~ 3-0 Win @ Springfield, 10/21
last 5 games ~ 2-1-1-1
road record ~ 2-0-0-0
goals for ~18
goals against ~17
road power play ~13.8% (23rd)
home penalty kill ~ 85.2% (10th)

last time teams met - The Bears won 3-2 in Wilkes-Barre on October 8th. It was Wilkes-Barre's first game of the season and home opener.

Players to watch:

Hershey:

C Cody Eakin (14) - took pretty well to the line shuffle as he had a goal (on the power play) and an assist last night in Albany.
RW Matthew Ford (23) - also scored (and assisted) last night and is tied for 2nd on the team with 3 goals already this year.
C Keith Aucoin (11) - always the engine that makes this team go he had an assist last night giving up 7 on the young season to go with 2 goals.

Penguins:

F Bryan Lerg (19) - leading the Pens in goals and points in the early going with 5 and 8 as he picked up a goal and an assist last night.

F Eric Tangradi (25) - second on the team in goals (3) and leading the team in assists (4), he picked up goal #3 last night.
RW Geoff Walker (17) - tied with Tangradi for 2nd with 3 goals, he also scored in the win last night.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!

GameDay Preview: Bears @ Devils

2011-10-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

Hershey comes into the season's first 3 in 3 with a few injury concerns. Kyle Greentree has a broken wrist and is listed as week to week although it seems as though he will miss at least a month. Ryan Potulny still isn't practicing either. In addition to that, Michal Neuvirth remains injured for the Capitals meaning that Dany Sabourin (as of now) remains in Washington to back up Tomas Vokoun. If Neuvy misses much more time I would expect Braden Holtby to get recalled for a game sometime sooner than later.

In response to those injuries forwards Maxime Lacroix and Garrett Mitchell were recalled from South Carolina this week and Philipp Grubauer remained in Hershey. All three could see the ice this weekend.

Otherwise the Bears season has started out very well. They are 3-0-1-0 and have scored 18 goals compared to only 15 against. 10 different players have scored at least one goal including Chris Bourque who has 4 goals in his return.

Considering that Hershey has so many "new" faces this year it is impressive how quickly they have come together and started the season. Sure the goals allowed should be lower (almost 4 per game right now) but the defense will gel as the season progresses.

This weekend features 2 games against division opponents and one road game (tonight) against a former division rival.

The Albany Devils finished last in the East Division last season and no reside in the newly formed Northeast Division. Their new "home" in the standings has not affected their position in the standings as of yet as they are still in last place with a 1-4-0-0 record. They have allowed a league worst 22 goals so far while only scoring 11.

5 of their top 6 scorers from last season return. Honestly, the roster isn't that much different than it was a year ago. A couple young forwards are expected to make the next step in their progression while one veteran, Stephane Veilleux, was brought in forth depth.

The defense is also fairly similar to last season's unit. They did bring in Peter Harrold who hasn't played in the AHL since 2007-08 when he played for the Manchester Monarchs. In fact, Harrold was a member of the Monarchs team that was swept by the Bears in the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals.

The goaltending isn't much better. Jeff Frazee returns after he went 11-15-3 last season. As of right now he joins forces with rookie Maxime Clermont who hasn't played a professional game yet. He did go 28-10-5 in the QMJHL last season though. Keith Kinkaid is identified as having played 3 games for the Devils this season going 1-2-0, however, he is not currently listed on their roster.

Last year the Bears and Devils played 6 times while East Division "rivals". Hershey won all 6 games.

Players to watch:

Hershey:
LW Chris Bourque (17) - 4 goals in 4 games will raise the expectations a little bit. He also has 4 assists on the season.
LW Cody Eakin (14) - The rookie is being promoted from 4th line center to 2nd line left wing to take Kyle Greentree's spot in the lineup (at least for now). Great opportunity for him.
C Keith Aucoin (11) - Bourque's numbers are impressive enough but Aucoin also has 8 (2 goals 6 assists) points in 4 games. 2 players on the team averaging 2 points per game...not too bad.

Devils:
RW Matt Anderson (29) - Led the team in scoring last season with 55 points (23, 32) and is doing it again after 5 games with 2 goals and an assist.
RW Joe Whitney (9) - The rookie had 40 goals and 102 assists during 4 years of college hockey. And he is listed at only 5'6"...which actually makes him smaller than any Bears player. That won't happen often this season.
D Alexander Urbom (33) - The big defenseman is a top prospect for the NJ Devils and has started off the season with 3 assists in 5 games.

Bears score 5...but lose in OT

2011-10-16T09:50:00.000-04:00

Friday night it was 7-5 Hershey over Norfolk. Saturday night it was 6-5 Norfolk over Hershey.

If you want to see end to end, high scoring hockey then I suggest you get your tickets for the remaining Norfolk - Hershey games because I think this is the kind of hockey you will see for most of the season series between these two teams.

The Bears blew it last night. They were up 2 at the 11 minute mark of the 2nd period before allowing 2 late goals in the 2nd to allow Norfolk back into it. And in overtime the Admirals scored the game winner.

Honestly though, I didn't think the Bears played that badly. Sure there was a long stretch there in the 3rd where the Bears couldn't get the puck into the Norfolk zone, but even with that considered I thought this was a well played game by both teams.

Maybe the goalies struggled a bit but even there I would say that both made big saves and the goals that were scored were good goals. No true cheap goals went in, in my opinion.

Graham Mink, Sean Collins, Chris Bourque, Matthew Ford, and Jacob Micflikier scored Hershey's goals. Goalie Braden Holtby made 22 saves and the Bears earned a point.

But Hershey couldn't stop Norfolk's young stars. Cory Conacher and Carter Ashton combined for 3 goals and Conacher controlled the play much of the night when he was on the ice. Offensively the Admirals are as good as the Hershey Bears in my opinion. Based on talent these teams are about equal at the forward position. Hershey might have more depth and definitely more experience but the Admirals have a stable of forwards that can score on any one, any night.

Most of the time I think you would say that the Bears have better goaltending and a better defensive core than the Admirals but that wasn't the case last night. Jaroslav Janus made 32 saves, many of them timely, and the Norfolk defense played good enough to win.

And Hershey's defense did not. Although, as I said before, I don't think they played badly. The one spot where I think this team COULD struggle at times is in their physical play. Danny Richmond brings a physical presence to the blueline, as does Patrick Wellar, but I don't think you would say any of the others do.

Overall last night there wasn't much physicality at all. In order to slow this Norfolk team down it seems like you will have to hit them and knock them off the puck. The Bears didn't want to do that last night, routinely turning away from taking the body on the forecheck and allowing guys free run through the neutral zone.

That type of play comes with time though as these players are still getting the feel for how one another plays. This was game 4 of the season. Exactly half of the lineup last night was not a part of the 2010-11 team. They are still adjusting to their teammates and the system that Hershey runs.

They will get better.

My Three Stars of the Night:

Cory Conacher - the best player on the ice last night. 2 goals to show for it.
Keith Aucoin - 4 assists in the loss.
Cody Eakin - I thought the best Bear on the ice last night. Hustled at both ends every time he was on the ice.

Grading the Performance:

Offense | A - What other grade can you give a team that scores 5 times on 37 shots. And honestly they left some on the table. They trailed twice (first time this season they trailed) and rallied back both times. I think a performance like last night wins the game 9 out of 10 times.
Defense | B - I saw one bad play that led to a goal. The first Norfolk goal was scored because Matthew Ford wasn't playing his man close enough. He saw him and was watching him, but he wasn't "on" him. Outside of that I think the biggest problem was the lack of physicality in their own end.
Goaltending | B - As I said above, there were no bad goals. I don't see how you fault Braden for any of the goals scored in this game. But in the end you can't allow 6 goals on 28 shots.
Power Play | B - 25% success rate (2 of 8) is average but they had lots of chances. A couple times they struggled to set up and get shots but that Norfolk penalty kill is uber-aggressive and doesn't allow you any space.
Penalty Kill | A - they only made an appearance twice and I believe one of those was for a whopping 5 seconds so its a small sample size but they did well.
Overall | B - I am surprised myself that in a game where the Bears allow 6 goals I find them no worse than a B grade, but you tell me where they played worse than that. Norfolk is a very good offensive team (they have 21 goals in 4 games this season) and they played like it last night. The Bears escaped with a point despite being outplayed for a long portion of the 3rd period. All things considered...it was a good outcome for them. It could have been better...but good nonetheless.

Bears Outscore Admirals in Game 1 of 2

2011-10-14T22:46:00.001-04:00

Well, I told you yesterday that the Norfolk Admirals were built to score a lot of goals...and allow a lot of goals. That theory held true tonight. The Hershey Bears leave Norfolk with a 3-0-0-0 record having outscored the Admirals 7-5 tonight.

The Bears got a huge game from Chris Bourque, 2 goals and 3 assists, while the power play clicked in a big way going 3 for 6 with the man advantage. Bourque had 2 of the 3 power play goals and Jacob Micflikier had the other (and Jacob assisted on both of Bourque's goals).

Other Hershey scorers included a couple rookies as Cody Eakin got 2 and Brett Flemming scored his first professional goal. Keith Aucoin added his 2nd of the year to complete the scoring for the Bears.

Dany Sabourin got the start and went the distance making 41 saves on 46 shots.

The Admirals outshot the Bears by 13 (46 to 33) but they couldn't beat Dany enough to get a victory.

Now both teams will hit the road up to Hershey for a 7:00 faceoff tomorrow night for the first meaningful hockey in Hershey since last April.

Beginning at 3:30 tomorrow the Hershey Bears will be kicking off the home slate with a "Party on the Plaza" featuring food, drinks, and live music.

Game Preview: Bears vs Norfolk

2011-10-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

editors note: Consider this your game preview for tonight and tomorrow since both games are against Norfolk.

So far this season Hershey has faced off against 2 division opponents and they have come away with 2 victories. Tonight is the 3rd game of the season and the 3rd game against a divisional opponent, this time against the Norfolk Admirals. (By the end of next weekend they will have faced each of their divisional opponents at least once.)

Norfolk has started the season with 2 games at home against a former division rival, the Charlotte Checkers. And the Admirals are also 2-0 after beating the Checkers 6-5 (in OT) and 4-3 last weekend.

So an early season game against undefeated, co-division leaders. Exciting stuff, right?

Last season Hershey went 6-1-0-1 against the Admirals. That stat is somewhat deceiving though as overall the Bears only outscored the Admirals 24-20 on the season and 3 of the games were decided by just 1 goal.

But this Norfolk team is much different from last season. Last year they had 16 skaters score 20+ points and 10 guys score 10+ goals. Only 6 of the top 16 in points and only 3 of the top 10 in goals returns to the lineup this season. The goal scorers are James Wright (16 goals), Matt Fornataro (17), and Mike Angelidis (20).

Gone are players like Blair Jones, Marc-Andre Pouliot, Johan Harju, Chris Durno, Paul Szczechura, and Mattias Ritola. Last season they combined for 121 goals and 173 assists. That's a lot of offense to lose.

But it would appear as though they have replaced it, and maybe, just maybe, they have exceeded it.

Young guns Carter Ashton, Cory Conacher, Tyler Johnson, and Dana Tyrell join the team this season and they bring plenty of offense with them.

Ashton was the Lightning's first round pick in 2009. In his junior career he scored 92 goals and added 89 assists in 239 games. This is his first pro season and so far it is going pretty well. In 2 games he has 3 goals and 1 assist.
Conacher went undrafted and instead played 4 years of college hockey at Canisius College in New York where he scored 62 goals and added 85 assists in 129 games. He isn't a very big player, listed at 5'8" 175lbs, but neither are many of the Bears and we know what kind of damage they can do. He managed to get a taste of the AHL last season with 7 games played for Rochester and Milwaukee. In those 7 games he scored 4 goals and added 2 assists. So far this season he has a goal and 3 assists.
Johnson, like Conacher, wasn't drafted mainly due to his size. Johnson is listed at only 5'9" and 165lbs. But it didn't seem to hold him up in juniors last year. He registered 53 goals and 62 assists in only 71 games and then another 7 goals and 7 assists in 14 playoff games. So far this season he has 2 goals and an assist.
Tyrell is the most experienced of this group. He played 78 games for the Lightning last year, registering 6 goals and 9 assists in what was his 2nd pro season. He was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2007 draft and played most of 2009-10 in Norfolk where he scored 9 goals and added 27 assists.

And the Admirals didn't just bring in a bunch of kids to replace the offense that left. They brought in some veterans as well including Alexandre Picard, Trevor Smith, Michel Ouellet, and J.T. Wyman.

Picard spent last season with the San Antonio Rampage where he scored 24 goals and added 22 assists during the regular season. So far this season he has 2 goals in 2 games.
Trevor Smith spent last season with both Springfield and and Syracuse of the AHL. Prior to that he spent 3 seasons with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. In each of his 4 AHL seasons he has scored 20 plus goals including a 30 goal 32 assist season for the Tigers in 2008-09. He has 2 assists this season.
Ouellet, the former Penguin (both WB/S and Pitt), spent the last 2 seasons playing in Europe. From 2005 through 2007 he played in 187 NHL games where he scored 52 goals and added 64 assists. Most recently he scored 12 goals and 21 assists in 50 games played in Europe.
Wyman spent last season with the Hamilton Bulldogs where he registered 18 goals and 18 assists in 80 games played. So far this season he is the only Norfolk forward, and only the 3rd skater overall, to not record a point.

Lots of new faces but definitely plenty of talent and offensive ability.

The goaltending situation is relatively unchanged. Last season's number 1, Dustin Tokarski, returns. As does Jaroslav Janus who was a rookie last season and played in only 9 games.

Tokarski had a 2.65 gaa and a .901 save percentage to go along with a 21-20-4 record in 46 game played. Janus didn't do as good with a 3.64 gaa and a .872 save percentage while going 2-5-1 in his 9 games played.

While their roster seems a bit overhauled the end result is likely to be the same...lots of goals scored and plenty of goals allowed. Last season the Admirals were tied with Charlotte for #2 in the AHL in goals scored with 265 (3.31 per game), but were also 15th in goals allowed with 230 (2.88 per game).

So far they have scored 10 and given up 8. Seems like the same formula.

Tonight's game is in Norfolk and then both teams make the trip back up to Hershey for the Bears home opener on Saturday night. Typically with a home and home series like this you would expect some animosity and maybe some physical play, at least during the second game.

I expect Norfolk to do well this year and they could develop into one of Hershey's biggest "challenges" in the division so this is an important couple of games despite being very early in the season.

Now, after all the Norfolk talk, how about some Bears news....

Braden Holtby was recalled by the Washington Capitals to replace an injured Michal Neuvirth (I wish you could see it but I am doing my shocked face right now - see e-trade baby to the right instead). It doesn't seem like anything major but the NHL season isn't even a week old and already the Caps have goalie injury concerns.

According to Tim Leone, Philipp Grubauer will meet the team in Norfolk and is a possibility to start tonight. If he doesn't start tonight, and Holtby doesn't return in time, he would likely get his first start on Saturday.

Ryan Potulny isn't practicing and is listed as day to day heading into the weekend. Considering a veteran must sit each game it seems to me that Ryan will be a longshot to play at all this weekend. There would be no reason to rush him back this early in the season considering their are plenty of healthy bodies who can step in.

The home opener is almost here. In only about 36 hours we will get to see real, meaningful (kind of) hockey in Hershey again. With the early exit from the playoffs last season it was a loooooong summer. Not something I want to experience again.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!!!

Bears begin 2-0

2011-10-10T11:52:00.001-04:00

Due to a nice out of town mini-vacation I was not around to post a Saturday game preview or recaps of the games. I also didn't get to hear the games as internet was not available to listen online. So I can only share what I can read on the game sheets and in the paper.

And based on that, it seems that things went well. Through 2 games the Bears have 6 goals and, not surprisingly, they were scored by 6 different players. Christian Hanson, Keith Aucoin, Chris Bourque, Matthew Ford, Kyle Greentree, and Patrick Wellar had them.

Hershey scored 1 power play goal and added 2 shorthanded goals. The penalty kill was okay allowing only 2 goals on 12 opportunities but I think we would all like to see better.

The goalies were good. Both Braden Holtby and Dany Sabourin got a start and both earned 3-2 victories. Braden faced 29 shots against the Senators while Dany faced 25 against the Pens.

All in all it was a good opening weekend for the Bears.

The best parts would have to be this though...

Spoiling the Calder Cup celebration up in Binghamton, and

Beating the Baby Pens in the first game between the two this season after struggling so much against them last season.

Great start to the season.

Game Preview: Bears @ Senators

2011-10-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

Tonight the 2011-12 AHL season kicks off for the defending champion Binghamton Senators and the 2009 and 2010 champion Hershey Bears.

Both teams are breaking in significantly new rosters so I wouldn't expect a true indicator of what these teams are. The Senators had 11 players last season with double digit goals (including current Bear Ryan Potulny) and only 3 return. Of Hershey's top 10 scorers from last season only 4 return.

The main difference between the two teams is that Hershey reloaded while the Sens appear to be rebuilding. Experienced veterans will offensive history and potential fill the Hershey lineup while rookies or unknowns fill the Senators opening night roster.

One key player from each team returns though. And they are similar players. Keith Aucoin for the Bears and Corey Locke for the Sens. Arguably the two best players in the AHL right now. But their best quality is the one that so often goes overlooked...they make those around them better. Guys playing with them have career years with regularity...is that coincidence? I don't think so.

Both players will have to work quickly this year with all the new components.

Fortunately for Aucoin 2 of his "new" players are "old" players Graham Mink and Chris Bourque. That should make their transition back to Hershey better but for the other guys...time is all that will make it work.

With all the new pieces at forward and along the blue line, Hershey fans need to keep early season expectations in check. Sure the Bears could start the season exceptionally strong and get a leg up in the division, but with all the new pieces I think it is going to take a month or two before we really see what this team can do.

Luckily the Bears have 2 key weapons to start the season. Braden Holtby and Dany Sabourin. If you look at every roster in the AHL I am almost certain you won't find a better combination of goaltenders. No matter who starts the expectations, and if recent history is a guide, the production are second to no one.

Having those stalwarts in net and 5 defensemen back should help the Bears adjust quickly to their new offensive weapons.

The second preseason, also known as the regular season, begins tonight. In about 6 months and 76 games from now hopefully the Bears lineup has realized their potential and will be clicking on all cylinders. That journey begins now.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!!!

2011-12 Bears Preview: East Division

2011-10-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

For a long time I said that one way to boost interest in the NHL was to go to a division based schedule and playoff format much like the AHL has done recently. Playing the same teams in the playoffs year after year helps to build animosity and rivalries which fuel hockey.

So it is kind of funny that with the NHL finally considering this approach (realignment is coming after the current season) the AHL has switched to the current NHL model of 6 divisions with 5 teams in each.

Yes the new format allows for more "fairness" as the best teams from each conference will get in and it won't be so weighted to a teams divisional strength.

But you could lose some of the animosity that highlights the local rivalries. Due to the shear number of games you still play against your divisional opponents this should be avoided for the most part but rivalries are built in the playoffs. Would we care about the Baby Pens games as much if the two teams never faced off in the playoffs? No. It would be more like the Bears/Admirals rivalry...sometimes intense but in the end just another game.

Even the Bears/Phantoms rivalry has subsided in recent years due to the teams rarely facing off in the playoffs.

Obviously that kind of situation can occur even with 8 team divisions due to teams struggling to compete (as the Phantoms have of late), but going to the conference format instead of the divisional format will help to diminish some rivalries.

There is a legitimate possibility that the Bears and Baby Pens will go multiple seasons without playing in the playoffs. Hershey could play series against the hated Whale or the rival Monarchs.

Doesn't have quite the same intensity, does it?

In the same breath however you can always say this...the Bears could face the Baby Pens in the Eastern Conference finals now with a trip to the Calder Cup finals on the line. Previously they could only meet in the Division Finals.

So that would make up for it a little bit.

Anyways, I understand the move I just think it is funny that the NHL is going to the AHL set up while the AHL is adapting the NHL set up.

Ok, now that I got that off my chest, let's take a brief look at the teams Hershey will see the most this season...their East Division Rivals.

Syracuse Crunch - 6 games

The Bears will play the Crunch only 6 times which is the fewest of any team in the division. Last year the Crunch finished the season 6th in the East Division with a record of 35-38-3-4 (77 points) and missed the playoffs for the 3rd straight season.

Home games are played at the War Memorial at Oncenter in downtown Syracuse, which seats a little over 6,000 fans.

The Bears and Crunch played 6 times last season and were very even in those games. Each team won 3 games (road team won every single game) and each team scored 17 goals in the season series. The interesting part is that the games weren't that close. Syracuse outscored Hershey 13-5 in their wins while the Bears outscored them 12-4 in theirs. There was a single one goal game which Hershey won and the rest were all 2 or more.

The Crunch are affiliated with the Anaheim Ducks which is the new home of Andrew Gordon. Good news for Gordo...he made the Ducks out of camp and is expected to play on their 3rd line.

Last season the Crunch had 8 players with double digit goals during the regular season. Of those players 5 or 6 are anticipated to see time in Syracuse, including Patrick Maroon and Kyle Palmieri who combined for 50 goals while they both played for the Crunch last season (Maroon started the season in Adirondack).

Binghamton Senators - 8 games

The Binghamton Senators finished last season 5th in the East Division with a 42-30-3-5 record and 91 points. While they didn't make the East Division playoffs they did finish with more points than the 3rd place team in the Atlantic and crossed over to play in the Atlantic Division playoffs as the #3 seed.

Eventually they made it all the way through and won the Calder Cup over the Houston Aeros. They had missed the playoffs the previous 5 seasons.

They play their home games at Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in downtown Binghamton which seats a little over 4,000 fans for hockey games.

Last season the Bears and B-Sens played 8 times with Hershey winning the season series 5-3-0-0. Hershey went 3-1-0-0 on home ice and the teams split 2-2-0-0 when playing in Binghamton. Hershey outscored the Sens 34-18 on the season and of the 3 one goal games Hershey went 2-1-0-0.

The Senators are affiliated with (surprise) the Ottawa Senators and is the previous home to current Bear Ryan Potulny. The B-Sens had 10 players that scored 10+ goals while playing for the team last season (Potulny only scored 3 during the regular season for the Sens). Leading point producers Corey Locke (86 points in 69 games) and Jim O'Brien (24 goals and 56 points) are both expected back in the AHL this season.

Norfolk Admirals - 10 games

The Admirals finished 4th in the East Division last season and made the playoffs for the first time since 2006-07. They compiled a record of 39-26-9-6 (93 points) during the regular season last year. They proceeded to win the first 2 games against the East Division Champion Baby Pens but dropped the next 4 to end their season.

They play their home games at Norfolk Scope which seats a little about 8,700 fans for hockey games.

Like the Sens, the Admirals played 8 games against the Bears last season. And similarly, they lost the season series...although it wasn't as close. Hershey won the season series 6-1-0-1. Surprisingly though the games were closer or at least the goals scored were. Hershey outscored the Admirals 24-20 overall but the games in Norfolk were split 14-14 despite Hershey winning 3 of the 4. Like Bingo, 3 of the games were one goal games with Hershey winning 2 of them.

The Ads are affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning. 10 different players scored double digit goals last season for the Ads. Of those 10 it appears that only 3 will be Admirals for 2011-12. James Wright, Matt Fornataro, and Mike Angelidis will be in the lineup. Also joining the Ads this season is Dana Tyrell, who spent the entire 2010-11 campaign with the Lightning (scored 6 goals and added 9 assists) and 2009 1st round pick Carter Ashton, who begins his first pro season this weekend.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins - 12 teams

The Baby Pens finished #1 in the AHL during the regular season last year only to lose to the Charlotte Checkers in the East Division finals. The Bears and Pens will play a ridiculous 12 games against each other this season.

Last year the Pens finished with 117 points after a 58-21-0-1 regular season. The made the playoffs for the 9th consecutive year. During that span they have made 2 Calder Cup finals (winning neither) and have only been eliminated in the 1st round one time.

The Bears and Pens played 10 times last year and most Bears fans would just as soon forget them all. Hershey finished the season 2-6-1-1 against the Baby Penguins including a record of 0-4-1-0 in Hershey. Overall the Pens outscored the Bears 36-19 including 21-10 at Giant Center. The only saving grace is that 6 of the games were decided by one goal and Hershey managed to go 2-2-1-1 in those games.

The Baby Pens are affiliated with the Pittsburgh Penguins (I am sure you didn't know that) and are again prepared to make a run at the Calder Cup. Last season the Baby Pens had 12 different players score 10+ goals and 7 of those players return. However, only 2 of the top 5 point producers from last season are still in the organization and only 1 of those (Ryan Craig) is expected to start the season in Wilkes-Barre.

They did add some other scorers though including Alexandre Giroux's former teammate Colin McDonald who scored 42 last season for the Oklahoma City Barons. And just today the Penguins signed Niko Dimitrakos to a professional tryout. Dimitrakos has spent the last 2 seasons playing in Europe where he has scored 34 goals over those seasons. In his most recent AHL seasons (06-07 and 07-08) he totaled 39 goals and 43 assists.

So there you have it. The divisional race will be a little less interesting this season as the top 8 teams from the overall conference will make the playoffs. The 3 division winners are locked in and then it is the next best 5 based on points and a series of complicating tiebreakers.

Hershey plays a combined 36 of their 76 games against their divisional opponents so we will get to know these teams more. In fact the first 3 games of the season (all on the road) are against Binghamton, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and Norfolk. And the fist game against Syracuse is later this month.

The season is almost here...

Captain named...and Final Cuts

2011-10-05T13:51:00.000-04:00

I interrupt my preview posts to give you some important news...

Boyd Kane was named the captain for the 2011-12 Hershey Bears. Kaner was the captain of the 05-06 team that won the Calder Cup as well as the 04-05 Philadelphia Phantoms team that won the Cup.

Seems like the logical choice. A few other names that could have been looked at would have been Keith Aucoin, Chris Bourque, or Graham Mink. They all have spent plenty of time in Hershey and the AHL.

And as luck would have it those are your Alternate captains as well. Aucoin will wear an A for every game while Bourque and Mink will split home/road games (Mink at home, Bourque on road).

In other news...the Bears have made their final cuts and the opening night roster is completed. You can check it out here if you want to.

Garrett Mitchell, Dustin Stevenson, and Paul Baier were sent to South Carolina today. This move is kind of surprising to me.

This leaves the Bears with 24 players to practice with, which is good, but the ECHL season doesn't start until the 14th. I would have thought you could keep Mitchell around for a week and let him get into a game to see what he can do early on.

Other than Mitchell I am not terribly surprised. With Dmitry Orlov being sent to Hershey to start the season there was one extra defensive body than they needed.

All of the players cut today will surely make an appearance in Hershey this season. Injuries and recalls have a way of disrupting the roster consistency.

And now back to your previously scheduled previews.

In case you missed any of them....

Goaltending Preview
Defense Preview
Forwards Preview

East Division Preview (coming tomorrow morning)
Binghamton Game Preview (check for it Friday)

2011-12 Bears Preview: Forwards

2011-10-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

Injuries during the 2010-11 season really limited the Bears. Andrew Gordon, Keith Aucoin, Lawrence Nycholat, and many more suffered injuries that derailed the offensive portion of the Bears team last season. I honestly believed, and still do, that last years team was deep enough and talented enough to win the Calder Cup. Unfortunately the injuries took their toll and a first round exit was all that came of the season.

This offseason saw an influx of good scoring depth that should help the team weather the injuries or recalls that are inevitable during a long season.

But they also saw plenty of good players leave as well. Gone are Brian Willsie (30 goals last year), Gordon (24 goals in only 50 games), and Steve Pinizzotto (17 goals). Also gone are puck moving defensemen Brian Fahey and Nycholat (28 points in only 32 games).

In their place come a return of some ex-Bears Chris Bourque (played in Europe last season) and Graham Mink (scored 24 goals for Peoria last year). And a host of talented forwards...Christian Hanson, Matthew Ford, Jacob Micflikier, Ryan Potulny, Cody Eakin and Mattias Sjogren.

They join a solid core of players including Aucoin, Francois Bouchard, Kyle Greentree, Boyd Kane, and Andrew Carroll.

As I discussed previously, there is a multitude of possible 20 goal scorers on this team. But I still don't see a go to scorer on the roster and while that isn't necessarily a critical element towards success it definitely bares watching.

But I don't want to discuss the scoring depth that's on this team. I have already done that.

Let's take a brief look at the forwards that will likely make up this years Hershey Bears roster.

We already know what we get in Aucoin, Bourque, Greentree, Bouch, Kaner, and Mink. So who are the new guys and what can they offer?

Christian Hanson

The son of Slap Shot star Dave Hanson, Christian brings a physical presence to the ice. He is listed at 6'4" 228 lbs (Mink is 6'3" 220) which is quite large and at this level he should be able to impose his will on many of his opponents. Last season he split time between the Marlies and Maple Leafs totaling 13 goals and 21 assists (all in the AHL) in 64 total games.

Having him and the 6'3" 220 lb Mink on the same team will be tough for other teams to stop.

Matthew Ford

Last season Ford scored 26 goals and added 16 assists in his first full AHL season. He played in 76 regular season games for the Lake Erie Monsters and also played in 7 playoff games scoring 3 goals and adding one assist.

Ford is considered a pure goal scorer who is not what you would consider fleet of foot. Sound familiar? If he can find some timing with Aucoin and he gets power play minutes he could be the guy on this team to score 30+ goals...many coming on one timers from the slot.

Jacob Micflikier

Here is a kid that I wouldn't bet against. He has been successful at every stop on his quest to play in the NHL and appears destined to get a shot sometime soon. He is small (5'8" 180) which has undoubtedly impacted the way teams have seen him but he hasn't let that stop him.

In the USHL he scored 55 goals over 2 seasons. Then he went to college at New Hampshire and proceeded to register almost a point per game over a 4 year career that saw him suit up for 154 games and tally 150 points (58 goals). Then it was on to the ECHL and AHL where he has played in 275 games over the last 4 seasons and has totaled 215 points in that span.

Last year was his first full season in the AHL and he totaled 29 goals and 32 in 78 games for the Charlotte Checkers.

Ryan Potulny

He was an important member of the Calder Cup winning Binghamton Senators last year, leading the team in goals (14) and points (26). During the regular season he totaled 21 goals and 28 assists in 71 AHL games while also dressing for 10 NHL games but recording no points.

He is only a year removed from scoring 15 goals and adding 17 assists for the Edmonton Oilers in 2009-10. He played in 64 games for them that year which results in a .5 points per game average. Definitely pretty good.

His best AHL season was 2008-09 when he scored 38 goals and added 24 assists for the Springfield Falcons.

Cody Eakin

As the Caps made their final cuts yesterday the red headed rookie found himself packing his bags for Hershey. He played in some regular season games and some playoff games in the 2008-09 season so he is familiar with the surroundings.

This will his first pro season so using his stats to tell us too much would be a mistake. So let's see what Hockeys Future has to say:

Eakin isn’t a big guy and relies on his terrific speed and agility as his two greatest assets for success. He’s a solid two-way player that is very useful as a penalty killer, but is sometimes inconsistent in his defensive play. He’s an aggressive forechecker and will play the body although he’s not known as a punishing hitter. He’s creative and will attack defenders one-on-one but can also distribute the puck and uses his teammates well. Eakin doesn’t panic with the puck and rarely forces passes when under pressure. He is an above shooter and passer and is thus a constant offensive threat. Eakin is a natural centerman but is able to play winger, too. His competitiveness makes him popular with coaches, fans and teammates.

Sounds like a player Hershey fans will love.

Mattias Sjogren

This will be the first season playing in North America for the undrafted 23 year old. Expectations were that he would begin the season with the Capitals, but the organization (and Mathieu Perreault) decided that he would be better served beginning the season in Hershey. Adjusting to the smaller ice has caused other players from Europe (including Marcus Johansson last year) to struggle in their first N.A. season. Getting started in the AHL will help him adjust at an easier pace.

He is thought of as primarily a defensive forward but has shown some offensive ability. In 51 games last season he totaled 7 goals and 17 assists, which while not huge numbers in N.A. it is a solid offensive season in the lower scoring Swedish Elite League.

Balance is key in hockey. You can have as many goal scorers as you want, but if you don't have players willing to muck it up in the corners and kill penalties then you won't get very far.

On paper this team is as deep as any team we have seen in Hershey over the recent years. I don't think there is as much offensive ability as in the recent Alexandre Giroux years, but sit down and try to come up with line combinations...it's hard.

There are a multitude of players that fit the "offense first" mold...Greentree, Aucoin, Mink, Potulny, and Ford. Admittedly I don't know a ton about Potulny and Ford so maybe I am misjudging them a bit but their stats and profiles indicate they are more offensively focused than others.

And there are 2-way forwards as well - Bourque, Sjogren, Micflikier, Eakin, Kane, and Hanson come to mind right away.

But are their any Quintin Laing's, Jay Beagle's, or Andrew Joudrey's on this roster?

Who will step into those roles? The hardworking, energy line guys who are asked to shut down opposing scoring lines and dig the pucks out of the corners. The guys who will step up for a teammate when a questionable hit is laid. The type of player that can be counted on in his own zone no matter the situation.

Kane would be one to think of, but every year that goes by is one year slower for the veteran left winger. Carroll will likely be one of the guys, a Joudrey like player. Garrett Mitchell, the young rookie, could also fill a Laing or Beagle like role, if he were to make the roster. Joel Rechlicz will fill the same role as he did last year which is good but when you only play in 28 games you truly don't have much of an impact.

These are questions this team will have to answer with their play. Guys will surely step into the necessary roles...or else.

There are also questions in regard to the number of veterans. Aucoin, Kane, Potulny, Bourque, Mink, and Danny Richmond are all veterans. Greentree is too but he fits into a different definition of the term and won't have to sit at all. But one of the first 6 is going to have to be a healthy scratch every single game as long as all are healthy.

How much will that hurt team chemistry? If Potulny (or someone else) is on a good role, scoring in multiple games, and it is their turn to sit and coach Mark French decides to sit someone else (say...Mink) instead...will that sit okay with everyone?

These guys are all competitors and they all want to play. Sitting good players when healthy CAN create locker room discord. Hopefully the Bears can manage it efficiently.

In the end this is the one unit of the team that is somewhat an unknown. The goalies...we know them. The defense...for the most part we know them. But the forwards? There are so many new pieces (and returning pieces with Bourque and Mink) that we can not be certain how it will all work out.

But I am looking forward to seeing it come together. And it begins soon enough.

2011-12 Bears Preview: Defense

2011-10-04T06:00:00.001-04:00

Last season the Bears allowed 2.68 goals per game. That was good enough for 10th in the AHL. Which translates to a slightly above average defensive team. It wasn't a year to complain about, but it wasn't a year to rest on either. An improvement on the blueline would go a long way to getting another Calder Cup.

Many of the same faces that we saw on the ice last year are back. Patrick McNeill, Sean Collins, Patrick Wellar, and Zack Miskovic all return and Dmitri Orlov is expected to be in the chocolate and white for most of the season.

That group by itself is pretty solid. Only Orlov finished the season as a "minus" contributor as he ended with a -5 plus/minus rating. Keep in mind though that Orlov only came over from Russia late in year and only played in 19 regular season games.

McNeill and Miskovic led all Bears defensemen last season with 7 goals each and Patty also assisted on 20 other goals for 27 points in only 51 games. Remember that McNeill missed the first part of the season due to offseason surgery so he likely wasn't at full strength until late in the season if at all.

Collins led the team with a +29 ranking and earned a late season call up to Washington as well. Wellar was third on the team (behind Steve Pinizzotto and Joel Rechlicz) in penalty minutes as the big defensemen is definitely not going to shy away from anyone.

Orlov, Collins, and McNeill are the premier guys in that group, but Miskovic is definitely coming on strong as well.

That is as impressive a top 5 as you can likely have in the AHL. Orlov, when he returns, is a bona fide future NHL d-man while McNeill, Collins, and Miscovic could all one day call the NHL home as 5th/6th defensemen.

While many players that were with the Bears in 2010-11 aren't back, Lawrence Nycholat, Brian Fahey, Sheldon Souray to name a few, there are plenty of new veteran faces to take their place.

Danny Richmond

Richmond is an AHL veteran who has played in 433 AHL games since the 04-05 season. He has also played in 49 NHL games over that same span.

He is a 6'0" 195 pound defenseman who has totaled over 100 penalty minutes in each of his previous 7 seasons. He has scored double digit goals once (10 in 06-07) and is coming off his second best statistical season as he registered 3 goals and 20 assists in 2010-11 while playing for the Toronto Marlies.

In the past the Bears have brought in similar "veteran" players and it has typically worked out well. Bryan Helmer and Brian Fahey are the two most recent names that come to mind. In fact, Richmond has played in more NHL games during his career than both of those two I believe.

I think he is positioned for a career year in Hershey.

Julien Brouillette

Brouillette spent the 2010-11 season having a "breakout" campaign with the Lake Erie Monsters. The four year veteran had spent the majority of his pro career in the ECHL before getting into 49 games with the Monsters last season. He registered 2 goals and 15 assists last season and finished an impressive +17 in his 49 games.

He previously played for Hershey assistant coach Troy Mann so there was some familiarity between the two that resulted in his signing with Hershey. In the ECHL he has shown some offensive ability registering 35 goals over the past 3 seasons at that level.

Tim Leone did a good write up on him that you can check out for more.

Paul Baier

Consistency seems to a thing for him. In each of the last 3 AHL seasons he has played in just over 60 games, scored 2 or 3 goals, and has had 8 assists. This will be his 4th full AHL (pro) season and will be his 4th different franchise.

He is a big defenseman at 6'4" and 225lbs so he likely packs a pretty good physical game, but penalties don't seem to be a part of it as his career high is only 80.

Last season he played for the Rochester Americans and finished the season a -7, which was actually pretty good on a team that had ten different players at -10 or worse.

In addition to the new veterans there are two youngsters in the mix for playing time with the Bears this season:

Brett Flemming

Flemming was the 5th round choice of the Capitals in the 2009 draft and has spent the past 4 seasons playing in the OHL. Based on his numbers in juniors he isn't likely to be a goal scoring defenseman (only 9 goals in the four seasons) but more of a puck moving player as he picked up 87 assists the past 3 years. He also averaged 86 penalty minutes a year over the last 3 seasons so he appears to mix it up a little bit.

He is only listed at 5'11" and 184lbs so I wouldn't expect to see a real physical presence from him but I am sure he hands out a fair share of hits.

Hockey's Future says this about him:

Flemming is a two-way defenseman with offensive elements to his game. Despite less than ideal size for a defender, he is willing to compete in tight spaces and will drop the gloves when necessary. He is sometimes out-muscled due to his light frame and is not a particularly punishing player. The strength of his game is his ability to recognize plays and distribute the puck to open teammates. He was used in a forward role at times during his junior career with mixed results. Flemming was one of the top plus/minus players with Mississauga St. Michael's during his junior career. Flemming makes strong passes out of his own zone and is capable of handling power-play duties from the point.

I originally wrote this post on Friday when it appeared (to me anyway) that Phil Oreskovic would begin the season in Hershey likely meaning that Flemming would start off in South Carolina. However, Oreskovic was reassigned to South Carolina after Saturday's preseason game which opens up a roster spot for the young rookie.

Dustin Stevenson

Stevenson played in 63 games for South Carolina last season and is likely headed their again this year. He was signed out of the SJHL, which is a lower tiered Canadian Junior League, and is still adjusting to the game as a pro. He didn't get any looks during the regular season last year in Hershey but will likely get a sniff at some point in 2011-12.

Hockey's Future has this to say:

Stevenson is a physically imposing defender who uses his size and strength to intimidate opposing forwards. He also has some offensive ability and can move the puck as well as shoot from the point. He has generally been bigger and stronger than the opposition he has faced thus far. He has played at a lower level of competition in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League but should develop his all-around game playing at the professional level.

Last season the Bears saw 15 defensemen play in games so depth is an important quality to have. And I think this years team has it. The top 6 will be as good as any in the AHL and the next 3 would be top 6 on many teams. After that you have the young kids who will be solid fill-ins if necessary but aren't expected to play large roles this season.

Offensively this unit is probably not as good as in years past, but there is potential there so we will have to wait and see. With the forward depth this season the defense won't be relied on to produce much in the way of offense. The players on the blueline are good puck movers who play responsibly in their own end and aren't afraid to play somewhat physical. That is perfect.

Guys like Baier, Wellar, and Richmond will be expected to take the body and make some big hits while McNeill, Orlov, Miscovic, Brouillette, Flemming and Collins will be expected to get the puck out of the zone and join in on the rush from time to time. Add Stevenson and Oreskovic to the mix as potential call ups and you have an impressive group of blueliners this season.

This group is younger than in years past and I think very well balanced.

Looking at the team as a whole you would consider the defense 3rd behind the forwards and goalies, but that is more because the other spots are known quantities. I think by the end of the season the defense could end up being the strength of the team.

And that is always important come spring.

2011-12 Bears Preview: Goalies

2011-10-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

This was (and honestly still is) the easiest of the preview posts. For the most part it is still the same group from last season.

The problem with that? There is still some consistency in Washington as well. As in, a Caps goalie is already injured and Braden Holtby has already been recalled.

We haven't even reached the regular season and injuries are already causing problems for the goaltending.

From what I have read though the injury to Michal Neuvirth is not serious and recalling Holtby was only done to provide another goalie for practice. But, considering the past couple of seasons has to worry the Caps and Bears as far as goaltending is concerned.

Last year Hershey went with Holtby and Dany Sabourin for much of the year. Overall there were a bunch of goalies that either saw time or at least dressed for games that many of us had never heard of. Hopefully this year will not be a repeat of that.

During the regular season both Braden and Dany were very good last season. Braden went 17-10-2 with a 2.29 goals against average and a save percentage of .920. Oh, and he had 5 shutouts. Very good.

Sabourin went 14-9 with a 2.45 gaa, a .908 save percentage, and 2 shutouts before having his season end early in 2011 with a new injury. He was playing great over the last month before getting hurt as well. In 6 January games he went 6-0 with a 1.83 gaa, a .933 save percentage, and 1 shutout. Damn good.

In fact, if you take out the first 4 games of last season Sabourin's numbers were at least as good as Braden's. He went 13-6, 2.21 gaa, and a .917 save percentage from November through January.

That's a pretty good rotation at the #1 and #2 for any AHL team. For the regular season.

The potential problem for 2011-12 is the playoff performances of Braden Holtby. No reason to sugarcoat this...he has struggled.

He has played in 9 playoff games over the past 2 postseasons. He is 4-5 with a 3.22 gaa and a .881 save percentage. He has allowed MORE THAN 3 goals 4 different times. And he hasn't held a team below 2 goals yet.

Two years ago it was his first playoff opportunity and he did manage to get 2 wins (although one of those was thanks to a great offense as he gave up 5 goals before the Bears won in overtime). Then Neuvirth returned from injury and led the Bears to their second straight Calder Cup.

Last year the entire team wasn't quite ready for the postseason. A lack of consistent offense and some struggles by the defense made life difficult for Braden.

BUT, in the end a goalie is judged on his playoff performances and up until now Braden has struggled in the postseason.

Sabourin has only played in 7 playoff games over his entire AHL career. He had 1 back in 98-99 and he played in 6 playoff games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 05-06. So he isn't even playoff tested at this level.

So while the regular season should go very strong for both Sabourin and Holtby there has to be a major concern as to whether or not they have the ability to raise their level of play in the postseason.

Should either Tomas Vokoun, Neuvirth, Holtby, or Sabourin get hurt at some point this season the Bears/Caps have a couple goalies stored in South Carolina ready to come up and play.

Daren Machesney is back in the organization and, based on previous years, will surely get an opportunity for the Bears this season. He didn't have a great year last year going 7-18-1 for 4 different teams in the ECHL and AHL.

After that is hot prospect Philipp Grubauer. The young German netminder spent the previous 3 seasons playing juniors in the OHL. Last season he went 22-13-3 with a 3.62 gaa, and a .903 save percentage.

Grubauer has impressed in different camps over the past few months and I am sure the organization is excited to get a look at him in a game situation. He is expected to play in an exhibition game for the Bears this weekend.

So, the goalies in Hershey are phenomenal in the regular season and questionable in the playoffs. The next line of defense in South Carolina are struggling or unproven.

Plenty of questions to answer this season.

Caps cut more...preview posts coming soon

2011-09-30T13:21:00.002-04:00

Just a quick note this nice fall Friday...

The Caps sent Chris Bourque, Patrick McNeill, and Sean Collins to Hershey yesterday. Good news is that all three cleared waivers and will report to the Bears officially.

Both of the defensemen were likely aware that this move was likely coming. Everyone can read a depth chart and while both surely believe they belong in the NHL (who at this level doesn't truly believe that) they were no doubt prepared for this.

Bourque on the other hand, I think, really had a shot at making the team. Bruce Boudreau said that the reason for sending Chris down was because “We know what we have in Chris Bourque; I’ve seen him for five years. We could call Chris up tomorrow."

So, him being sent down should not be looked at as him not getting a chance this year...just not right now.

While Chris is likely surprised, I am not. I definitely think he can fill the role they are looking for, but he was the long shot to make it.

But he is a Bear again and I for one am excited to see him play for the Bears again.

I promised some preview posts leading up to the season opening weekend and my original plan would have been to have some of those up this week. Unfortunately things got busy at work and home and the posts were delayed.

But fear not as they will be up next week.

Monday will be a preview of the goaltending. We know who the top 2 are but are they ready to lead this team to the Calder Cup?
Tuesday will look at the the defense and will try to identify what type of impact to expect from the newcomers.
Wednesday will discuss the forwards and the amount of depth the team has this season. I have discussed this at length already but I intend to get a different look at it this time.
Thursday will preview the East Division and will hopefully discuss some of the new faces we will see on the Bears division rivals.
And Friday will be the Opening Night preview as the Bears kick off the season up in Binghamton for a banner raising ceremony. I expect the Bears to spoil that night for the Sens!

Check back next week as the season finally gets started.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!!

First Look (guess)...Bears 2011-12 Opening Night Roster

2011-09-26T07:00:00.000-04:00

Training camp has started, preseason games are coming up shortly. Bears hockey is back!

Now we want to know which players we will be seeing in Hershey this season. There are still decisions to be made by the Capitals that will influence that answer and the Bears themselves have many decisions to make before the opening night roster is announced.

But it is hard to do many preview issues without having a roster to base them on. So in this post I am going to project the opening night roster. Which will then be used when I preview the team in more posts discussing goaltending, defense, and then the forwards.
I expect the Bears to open the season with 25 players on the active roster. The NHL limits clubs to 23, but to my knowledge there is no such limit in the AHL. Obviously you don't want 10 guys as healthy scratches so many players will get sent to South Carolina or their respective affiliates to begin their seasons.

I envision an opening night roster of 2 goalies, 8 defensemen, and 15 forwards. It basically extends the 'preseason' a couple more games to give some of the fringe players a chance to prove something else.

So without further jibber jabber...my anticipated opening night roster:

Goalies:

Braden Holtby
Dany Sabourin

That was easy. Barring injuries I don't see anyway these two start anywhere else.

Defense:

Patrick McNeill
Sean Collins
Zach Miskovic
Patrick Wellar
Phil Oreskovic
Danny Richmond
Paul Baier
Julien Brouillette

One name missing from this list is Dmitri Orlov. I expect him to start in the NHL while John Erskine gets into shape after offseason surgery. They will want to see him compete at that level for a couple games to start the season. IF Erskine is ready to go for game 1 then I don't see the Caps keeping him, but I doubt he is ready.

Otherwise this is a solid group. No one stands out and there doesn't appear to be any weaknesses. I wish I could put one of the young guys, Dustin Stevenson or Brett Fleming, on this list, but I don't see them beating out the veterans. They will be early season call ups if there are injuries.

Forwards:

Keith Aucoin
Boyd Kane
Graham Mink
Chris Bourque
Ryan Potulny
Kyle Greentree
Matthew Ford
Jacob Micflikier
Christian Hanson
Cody Eakin
Francois Bouchard
Joel Rechlicz
Maxime Lacroix
Andrew Carroll
Garrett Mitchell

First of all, as I said last week, I think Jay Beagle and Mattias Sjogren make the Caps. That eliminates them from this list. Secondly, I don't think Mathieu Perreault clears waivers. I know he is small and there are questions about his consistency, but there are teams in the NHL that would love to take a chance on a playmaker with his skills. I think he gets a shot.

You will notice that I don't think Bourque gets picked up on waivers though. Remember that there wasn't a lot of interest in him a couple years ago and then he played last season overseas. Teams aren't going to want to save a roster spot for a not so young, small forward that had a shot and didn't make it.

After that there aren't many surprises. I think Danick Paquette has a legitimate chance to make the team but I am not certain he has the versatility of a Carroll or Lacroix. And I think Mitchell is going to be given a shot at the AHL level to see if he is ready.

David de Kastrozza and Tyler Stefishen are destined for South Carolina to open the season.

Keep in mind that most adjustments after this will be small in effect. Bourque and/or Eakin could beat out Beagle and/or Sjogren for a spot in the NHL. Maybe a camp invitee shines and gets an early look by the Bears. None of those are really going to change too much in my positional previews or the expectations for the club.

The only potential move that could really shake things up would be if Perreault does clear waivers and comes to Hershey. But that would be a very good change and any effects on Hershey would be positive ones.

So, there you have it. I will check back once the official opening night roster is announced to see how I did. But this will give me a good basis for my preview posts coming soon.

Caps Cuts and More

2011-09-23T07:00:00.001-04:00

First of all let's get this out of the way...the following players were cut from Caps camp and will be in Hershey for the start of Bears camp on Sunday:

Francois Bouchard
David de Kastrozza
Kyle Greentree
Boyd Kane
Maxime Lacroix
Graham Mink
Garrett Mitchell
Danick Paquette
Paul Baier
Zach Miskovic
Phil Oreskovic
Dustin Stevenson

Yesterday I put up a post discussing the potential lines and productivity levels. I just wanted to elaborate on that a bit.

I mentioned that 10 or more players could score 20+ goals this year but none will reach 40. I did some research to confirm that and I found the following:

No player on the Bears potential roster has scored 40+ in the AHL. Greentree scored 39 a few years ago and Cody Eakin scored 47 in juniors.
9 players have scored 20+ at the AHL level. They are Keith Aucoin, Boyd Kane, Chris Bourque, Francois Bouchard, Greentree, Ryan Potulny, Matt Ford, Graham Mink, and Jacob Micflikier. In addition Mathieu Perreault scored 16 in one season and Jay Beagle scored 19.
Of the 9 that have done it...6 have done it multiple times. They are Aucoin, Kane, Bourque, Greentree, Potulny, and Mink. All 6 have done it 3 or more times.
Only 4 players have scored 30 or more. Aucoin, Greentree, Potulny and Mink. And they have only done it a combined 6 times.
Graham Mink has scored at least 15 goals in all 10 of his AHL seasons.

If you also consider what Eakin did in juniors and consider that Andrew Carroll scored 30 goals in an ECHL season you can see the potential.

Not included in any of that is Christian Hanson and Mattias Sjogren. Hanson's best year gave him 13 goals while Sjogren played in the less offensively focused Swedish Elite League. I can see both getting to 20 if they played full seasons in Hershey.

So in reality there are 9 that have scored 20+, another 3 that have scored 10+ in the AHL, and another 3 (Eakin, Carroll, and Sjogren) that could legitimately get to 20 if given the opportunities.

Of the potential roster of forwards there are 15 guys that are legitimate chances for 20+ goals in a season.

And there are 0 guys who can legitimately score 40.

How it all works out will begin to be figured out on Sunday. Injuries, call ups, and different roles will likely keep some from reaching the 20 goal plateau.

But I honestly think that we will be amazed at the scoring depth that this team will bring this season. And it should not come at the expense of defense as many of these guys were brought in for their defensive play (Bourque, Hanson, Eakin) as much as their offensive play.

I am starting to get excited for the season now!

B - E - A - R - S

BEARS, BEARS, BEARS

WOOOOOOO!!!!!

What the Bears Lines Could Be

2011-09-22T12:00:00.001-04:00

Recently I talked about the Caps roster and how I envision Jay Beagle and Mattias Sjogren taking the last couple of spots resulting in Chris Bourque, Cody Eakin, and Mathieu Perreault starting the year in Hershey.

I am legitimately concerned that Perry would get claimed on waivers as he has the skills to compete in the NHL. For the purposes of this post however, I have included him on the roster. That could very much change.

So, based on the above assumptions here is my take on what the lines COULD look like:

Bourque - Aucoin - Mink
Greentree - Perreault - Micflikier
Potulny - Eakin - Ford
Kane - Hanson - Paquette
Lacroix - Carroll - Rechlicz
Mitchell - de Kastrozza - Bouchard

That is kind of absurd. I have Francois Bouchard, only 1 year removed from a 20+ goal season, on what equates to the 6th line. Obviously the Bears aren't keeping 18 forwards on the roster, but the point of this was to show you the depth this team has this season.

Legitimately, there could be 10 guys with 20+ goals this season. How do you defend a team like that?

That being said, also consider that there likely isn't a 40 goal scorer on this team. In fact I think there might only be a couple 30 goal scorers here, if any. Which goes back to the point I have made previously...there is NOT a go-to scorer on this team. Could that hurt them late in the season? Perhaps. But it will also make them very tough to defend when benches get shorter in the postseason.

Obviously if I end up being wrong and Eakin, Bourque, or Perreault end up in Washington (or get claimed on waivers) you can fill in different names (Beagle and Sjogren) respectively.

Either way the depth is impressive and likely unparalleled in the AHL.

Caps Camp Gets Underway

2011-09-20T08:01:00.000-04:00

The Washington Capitals kicked off training camp this weekend in what is surely an important year for the Bears NHL affiliate. The last couple of years saw earlier than anticipated playoff exits and this summer saw an influx of new faces to help the Caps get to the next level. Without additional success you could see multiple changes of personnel at the higher end of the organization.

Gone are some longtime role players Matt Bradley and Boyd Gordon. In their place are Joel Ward, Troy Brouwer, and Jeff Halpern. The defense and goaltending also offer some fresh faces as Roman Hamrlik and Tomas Vokoun join the team.

Based on those moves and expectations heading into the season there are approximately 2 roster spots open in Washington. The following are assumed as Capitals on opening night:

Forwards - Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin, Brooks Laich, Ward, Brouwer, Mike Knuble, Jason Chimera, Marcus Johannson, Matt Hendricks, Halpern, and D.J. King.

Defense - Mike Green, Dennis Wideman, Hamrlik, Karl Alzner, John Erskine, Jeff Schultz, and John Carlson.

Goalies - Michael Neuvirth and Vokoun.

That is 21. And that does NOT include Tom Poti who is expected to start the season on long-term IR. And may never play again due to a groin injury.

That leaves...as I said before...2 potential spots. (NHL teams are limited to 23 players on the active roster).

So, a quick run through the lines gives us a rough estimate:

Ovechkin - Backstrom - Knuble
Laich - Johannson - Semin
Ward - OPEN - Brouwer
Chimera - Halpern - Hendricks
OPEN - King

Alzner - Carlson
Green - Schultz
Hamrlik - Wideman
Erskine

Vokoun
Neuvirth

This run through identifies 2 forward spots up for grabs. Eventually I believe you will see 2 forwards in those spots. For the immediate future though I could see a defenseman making the club IF Erskine is not able to start the season due to offseason shoulder surgery. If he can't go the Caps would likely keep a defenseman (Orlov maybe) to fill in.
But for the purposes of this post we are going to focus on the more long term prognosis and figure out which two forwards will make the team.
Neither open spot is really an offensively focused position, although any offensive contribution from those spots would surely be welcome.

What the Caps are looking for are defensive forwards who provide some offense. Through the development camp back in July and the rookie camp which concluded this past week, I believe they have narrowed it down to a few names.

Across the internet I have seen a few names thrown out there...

Cody Eakin, Mathieu Perreault, and Mattias Sjogren seem to be the most popular. But I believe 2 other names need to be included in the discussion...Jay Beagle and Chris Bourque. The first 3 names are the front runners for the 3rd line spot while Bourque and Beags are more than likely only playing for the "extra" forward spot. (Which might not be filled at the beginning of the season due to Erskine's injury.)

To figure out which players will get the spots let's consider each player.

Cody Eakin - this will be his first pro season after finishing up his junior career with a run towards the Memorial Cup. His team came up short of the title, but it was a long season that should have helped him prepare for a lengthy pro slate. His game at this stage is likely to be more defensive than offensive as he masters the speed and physical style at the pro level. Of the group he has the highest ceiling and is regarded very highly within the organization.

Mathieu Perreault - he got an extended look last season with the Caps but he couldn't quite stick. Consistency has been the biggest complaint during his multiple call-ups over the past couple of years. He has produced a little in the NHL, 11 goals and 12 assists in 56 games the past 2 seasons, but he can't do it night in night out. His offensive skill is undeniable, but at the same time, so are his defensive liabilities. In all his time in Hershey over the past 3 seasons he rarely plays on the penalty kill and does not draw the bigger defensive assignments. During the offseason he did put on about 10 lbs of muscle and seems as determined as ever to make the big club.

Mattias Sjogren - he has spent his entire career to date in Sweden including the last 3 seasons playing the Swedish Elite League. Now he attempts to make the adjustment to the more restrictive, more physical North American style of play. His size, 6'0" and 220(ish) lbs, will surely help him. His game is more defensive in nature and his offensive ceiling is rather low compared to some of the other players being considered. He is a natural center and has experience taking draws against larger competition.

Jay Beagle - the fan favorite finished last season in the NHL, although he didn't see the ice too much late in the season or in the playoffs. Overall he played in 31 games for the Caps last year and he scored 2 goals and added 1 assist. He is a longshot at best for the 3rd line role, but he could be the front-runner for the 4th line-extra man role. He is even more offensively challenged than Sjogren, although I believe that if given the chance he could surprise some people at the offensive end. He is willing to drop the gloves, hustles every shift, and is a great locker room presence.

Chris Bourque - he had an extended run in the NHL a few years ago when he got 20 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins before ending the season in Hershey. The talent has always been there and we assume is still there after a year in Europe. The questions with him were mainly consistency and size. Like Perreault he has struggled to show up every night and, also like Perreault, isn't exactly the biggest guy on the ice. The good thing for Bourque is that he is very good at the defensive and offensive end. While he might not be the playmaker that Perry is (or that Eakin has the potential to be) he is probably the most consistent performer at both ends of the rink on this list.

The biggest problem for the Caps is that three of these players must clear waivers to come to Hershey. Perreault, Bourque, and Beagle must clear while Eakin and Sjogren can move freely between the NHL and AHL. That could help Perry stay as he is probably the first guy that teams would claim on waivers. Bruce Boudreau and company might want to get another extended look at the diminutive center before letting other teams steal him away.
I don't see that happening. Unless Perry has the best camp of his career and shows up to play (and play very well) in the preseason, I don't see any way that he makes the opening night roster. I love watching him play and offensively he is one of the most talented players in the organization. But I don't see him fitting into the roles they are looking for.

Unless of course he beats out Johannson for the #2 center spot with Marcus moving down to the 3. Which isn't out of the question but is probably unlikely.
So that leaves 4 guys for the 2 spots.

You see some people mentioning how the Caps aren't afraid to send their young players to the AHL for some seasoning. My thought on that is...not recently. Defensemen and goalies...yes. Forwards...not since Eric Fehr and Tomas Fleischmann.

How did that work out?

Obviously this is just a shot in the dark, but my projection, at this point, based on the reviews I wrote above and the "word on the street" is...

Sjogren and Beagle open the season in Washington. Sjogren because he is the most qualified for the 3rd line center position and Beagle because I don't think the Caps want to risk losing him on waivers. Yes, Bourque needs to clear waivers as well, but let's be honest...the Caps aren't real high on Chris so if he were to get picked up it wouldn't be as big of a deal.

Eakin can freely go from Hershey to Washington and should get at least a partial season in Hershey to get used to the more physical game. He has the highest upside of the 5 and there is no reason to put him into a role that he isn't 100% ready for.

The Caps season begins on Saturday, October 8. We will know by then.

Rookie Camp Begins...Season is Close

2011-09-14T08:36:00.000-04:00

Rookie camp opened up this past Sunday, signaling the beginning of the hockey season for the Capitals and most teams around the NHL.

And in turn...the Bears and the AHL.

That also means that this blog will become much more active over the next few weeks in preparation for the season. I will have preview posts, discussions on the roster, Capitals discussion, and a look around the East Division and the AHL. So look for all of those things over the next few weeks leading into the first game.

Today...I give you links. Mostly Bears related.

Dmitri Kugryshev has left the organization and returned to Russia to play in the KHL. This doesn't entirely surprise me as he was likely headed to South Carolina or the rafters most nights. He has a lot of talent and I would fully expect him to get a shot somewhere else in the NHL at some point.

Rookie camp schedule and roster. Camp started on Sunday and goes through tomorrow with the rookie game against the Flyers.

Braden Holtby prepared for a season in Hershey. Obviously he is hoping to make the Capitals, but he understands the likelihood of that. More than likely he is headed for a second straight season as the #1 in Hershey and the top call up option in Washington.

Caps announce training camp schedule and roster. Camp starts on Saturday with the first preseason game coming Tuesday in Baltimore. Additional names will be added to the roster after rookie camp has concluded.

Dmitri Orlov is managing his biggest hurdle in North America...the language barrier. With Kugryshev returning to Russia there is no one in Hershey to translate for the young defenseman. The Caps have helped out by getting him English lessons this summer and into the fall.

Garrett Mitchell looks to make the Hershey roster. He will have a tough time getting regular playing time on the deep roster, but his style of play (very Matt Hendricks/Jay Beagle like) should help.

Cody Eakin upset with his development camp performance is looking to make amends during rookie camp. He has a legitimate shot at the Caps opening night roster. Even if he ends up in Hershey I can all but guarantee that it will not be for the full season. He will play in the NHL this season.

John Walton discusses Mitchell as well.

And finally, the folks over at Sweetest Hockey on Earth did an interview with new Bears play by play announcer Scott Stuccio. Looking forward to hearing some road games this year and seeing how he does. It will be different but soon enough it will be normal again.

New "Voice" of the Bears...is a Penguin?

2011-09-01T15:19:00.000-04:00

That's right folks...the new play by play man of the Hershey Bears is Scott Stuccio, formerly the play by play man of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

I am kind of indifferent about this whole situation. I can't say as though I have listened to many AHL games other than Bears games over the years and I always listened to John Walton's calls for those games. So I can't say what kind of game he calls.

I will say that the Bears were expected to get tons of applications so if Stuccio is who they feel is the best person for the job then I am willing to give him a chance.

It will be different listening to Bears games without Walton making the calls but I am sure we will all get used to Stuccio at some point.

Scott Stuccio, welcome to the Bears!

Schedule is out!

2011-08-20T12:10:00.000-04:00

The Bears schedule was released this week and below I discuss a few notes about it but first I wanted to touch on something I left you with last time.

The outdoor game.

It appears that I may have misunderstood or misinterpreted what was said by the AHL rep.

I thought he said "in Hershey" when, based on additional information, he might have said "involving Hershey".

PennLive.com's article today mentions a possible game between Hershey and Adirondack at Citizens Bank park on January 6. Citizens Bank park will host the Winter Classic on January 2 and rumors have flown that the Bears vs Phantoms game could be outdoors on the 6th.

Who knows.

Either way there is a chance that Hershey could be playing outdoors sometime this year. And it isn't that far a trip to Philly!

Other thoughts on the schedule:

I love the end of it. Over the last month of the season Hershey has 9 home games and only 6 road games. And those road games are day trips to Albany, Bingo, and Wilkes-Barre and then a New England trip to close the season.
Hershey has 2 tough road trips (scheduling wise)...Dec 2-4 - Hershey goes to Syracuse Friday, Hershey Saturday, and then to Bridgeport for a 3:00 start on Sunday; Feb 17-23 - Trips to Providence, Manchester, and Bridgeport on Fri, Sat, Sun before heading to Rochester and Lake Erie (Cleveland) the following Wed and Thur.
13 three in three's (three games in 3 nights...Fri, Sat, Sun)
5 Wednesday home games...up from, I believe, 2 last year
2 Friday home games
From December 10 - January 8 Hershey plays 12 games...9 at home and 3 on the road (Norfolk, WB/S, Adirondack). Nice to be home for the holidays!
Hershey's longest consecutive home stand is only 3 games...they do that 3 times. But on multiple occasions they have 4 or 5 home games separated by one game road trips.

It seems like a good schedule.

Now that the schedule is out it feels like hockey season is right around the corner. And I guess it is.

LET'S GO BEARS!!!

Notes from the Patriot News Hockey Forum on August 5

2011-08-16T22:06:00.000-04:00

It feels like I haven't been here for a while. Last week I said I would have a brief recap of the discussions from the Patriot News Hockey Forum from a couple Fridays ago and now you can actually read it.

Representatives from Wilkes Barre, Toronto, Binghamton, Syracuse, Bridgeport, Hershey, and the AHL were on hand to answer questions and discuss the Bears and (mostly) the AHL.

Honestly I expected John Walton and Tim Leone to be answering a lot of questions about the Bears and the upcoming 2011-12 season. Instead we got a lot of questions about the schedule, statistical discussion, officiating, rule changes, instant replay, and outdoor games, among other topics.

The only real "Bears" questions were about Greentree's veteran status and Danny Richmond's plus/minus rating.

Still a good time, well organized, and, in my opinion, very informative. So, enough jibber jabber, let's get on to the topics:

Officiating - will we see the AHL go to the 2 referee system for every game?

The quick answer...maybe but not this year. The longer answer...there aren't enough referees that are good enough, or ready, to work AHL games. So basically it comes down to this...yes, the AHL's end goal is to have 2 referee's calling every game, just like the NHL, but no it won't happen this season or maybe next. They need time to train the up and coming referee's and get them ready to go.

Scheduling - why doesn't Hershey and other Eastern Conference teams get games against many Western Conference teams?

This one was relatively easy to answer...because the league doesn't actually make the schedule. The AHL's process is to allow the Board of Governors, which is one representative/owner from each team, to decide what teams they will play.

So basically the BoG goes into a room for a while and they discuss who each team wants to play. And that is how the schedule is done.

So a team that struggles to fill a building when playing non-rivals is going to want to schedule more against their rivals...even if they aren't in the same division or conference.

In addition the BoG has to consider the travel costs of all those games. Some teams can't afford to travel all over the country and while Hershey probably could...why should they? Season ticket sales are off the charts, they averaged about 9,500 fans last year...damn near capacity, and why should they travel all over the country spending money and tiring out the players if no one is going to make them.

Basically what it all boils down to is money. Teams want to make as much of it as they can and the added travel and unfamiliar opponents just don't make a good business decision.

If you want games against the other teams...tell the Bears...not the AHL.

Plus/Minus discussion - does the stat really mean anything?

Most of the members of the panel basically said the stat is useless UNLESS a guy routinely plays against the top line of an opponent.

Personally, I think the stat is useless unless it is completely out of line with the rest of the team. If 22 of the 23 players have a rating of +5 or better and that last player is -5 then I think you can see a true result.

But generally this is a stat that, when created, the intentions were good and the idea was good. Unfortunately, when actually applied to the games there is no real relevance to actual hockey.

Rule Changes - will we see any for 2011-12?

No. The only real change will be the same as in the NHL, the interpretation of the 'headshot' rule.

Otherwise, it seems that the AHL would prefer to keep their rules in line with the NHL. There was some discussion about getting rid of the Delay of Game penalty for shooting the puck over the glass. Everyone on the panel seemed to favor getting rid of it, but in the end the AHL is meant as a developmental league for the NHL and training guys at this level should be aligned closely with the operation in the NHL. Translation...you don't want players getting used to one thing at the AHL level only to have it work differently in the NHL.

Instant Replay - will the AHL ever adopt it?

This, as luck would have it, again comes down to the Board of Governors an one thing...money. The technology is there, obviously, but it costs money to do this.

Again, everyone on the panel was definitely in favor of instant replay, but I don't think any of them are expecting to see it anytime soon.

It was said that this topic comes up at every BoG meeting but they never more it forward.

Kyle Greentree - is he a veteran or what?

Yes, Kyle is a veteran. He has played in 260+ games BUT he has not played in 320. So he falls into the "veteran-exempt" category.

The AHL rules state that teams may dress 5 players that have played 320+ games AND one player that has played in 260-320 games.

So Kyle will be in the lineup every night barring injury or recall.

Outdoor Games - will the AHL ever do an AHL Classic like event?

Simple answer...no. And they never have. Any outdoor game held to date was organized and paid for by the team that hosted...NOT THE LEAGUE.

So any hope of seeing an outdoor game at HersheyPark Stadium...not likely.

Or is it?

The AHL rep said this,

"if you are interested in an outdoor game in Hershey, you might want to consider keeping January open."

Wouldn't that be pretty damn cool!

New "Voice" of Hershey Bears will be needed for 2011-12

2011-08-09T13:15:00.000-04:00

Well, today I was going to do a post about the Patriot News hockey thingy from last Friday, but now I will just leave you with this. (The recap of the hockey "get-together" will come later this week.)

John Walton has been hired as play by play man for the Washington Capitals. For anyone that pays attention to happenings around the Caps and NHL you knew this day was likely coming. But it is still an interesting thought...

John Walton won't be calling Bears games next season.

He will be in Washington doing the radio play by play and contributing to WashingtonCaps.com. It's a great opportunity for him and I am sure he hasn't completed his upward moves in hockey.

Congratulations John! Glad to see you get a chance, but Bears games won't be the same without your call.

Defending the Schedule Matrix and an Early Look at a Potential Lineup

2011-07-15T13:08:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I complained a little bit about the schedule and its lack of balance. I thought maybe I overreacted a bit considering there hasn't been balanced schedules the last few years either but then I went to the PennLive forum and I see I am not the only one upset about the balance.

But today I am actually going to DEFEND the AHL on the schedule debate. Understand this though...I want a balanced schedule. I want the AHL to adopt the NHL schedule matrix so that everyone pretty much plays everyone else the same amount of times. It works.

Now, let me say this. I understand (and actually kind of agree) with what the AHL did and why they did what they did.

Generally people think it has to do mainly with travel costs. I am sure that is part of the issue but I don't believe that is the MAIN issue.

The biggest reason the AHL does the schedule this way is ticket sales.

I actually thought about this yesterday, but decided against discussing it in that post. Most of the fans in the AHL are casual fans. Sure, in Hershey there are 10,000 casual fans, but most cities have half of that at the most.

Even in Hershey the majority of the fans aren't concerned too much with roster moves, prospects, and if the schedule is balanced.

Yes there are fans (you are reading an opinion of one right now) that take the AHL very seriously and love to follow the league and are 100% committed, both emotionally and financially, to my favorite team.

But compared to the NHL the AHL has no fans. It would be like comparing the popularity of football to the NHL. Landslide victory for one side.

Now, I am not saying that the AHL doesn't care about their fans. In fact they care about them more than any other league because they depend on them for revenues more than most other leagues.

There are no TV contracts in the AHL, minimal radio coverage for even the best teams, and advertising dollars come in but on a scale much smaller than larger sports leagues.

So guess where the dollars come from...the fans.

So...myself and many of the more intense fans would LOVE to see the Bears play the Rampage, Icehogs, Barons, and Heat every season. It would be great to see the talent on those teams at a time other than the Calder Cup finals.

But for the casual fan...that isn't the case. They would prefer to see rivalry games. In Hershey that isn't necessarily the case. Most Saturday games were sell outs and most games other nights were over 9000 fans no matter who the opponent was.

However, not all fans are as loyal or supportive as Bears fans. For example...Syracuse hosted Albany and about sold 1,700 fewer tickets than when they hosted Rochester.

Another example...Wilkes Barre/Scranton...they hosted Manitoba, sold about 6200, they hosted Abbotsford, sold about 5900, and they hosted Hershey, sold 8100. All those were Friday night games throughout the season.

Another...Albany...they finished the season LAST in the AHL in attendance. One Saturday they played Adirondack and drew 5,200 fans (2,000 more than their season average)...the next Saturday they played Norfolk and drew 2,200. That is 3,000 fans less...and that makes a huge difference on revenues.

Obviously it isn't a perfect comparison since other things impact attendance figures but it gives you an idea of what fans prefer.

And Hershey is NOT immune to this problem. Looking at Sunday games throughout the season you will see that one team outdraws the rest:

Adirondack - 7,000
Binghamton - 7,500
Charlotte - 7,400
Manitoba - 8,000
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton - 10,700

Casual fans show up when the opposition is a known rival. Simple as that.

And the AHL is built and survives based on the interests of the CASUAL FAN. Without them there would be many fewer teams which would affect the overall hockey landscape as a whole.

So, in the end I would love to see more competitive balance (and honestly without tearing apart every single teams matchups I can't honestly say there isn't SOME balance worked in) I also understand that in order to maintain a successful league and successful teams you have to get people in the seats.

And the best way to do that is to schedule the rivalry teams more than any other.

Ok, so there, I gave the AHL their due for creating the schedule. It is tough to balance a schedule with every team playing other teams evenly when those teams can't make money in many games.

In my opinion, it is better to have 30 AHL teams and an unbalanced schedule than it is to have 20 AHL teams and a balanced schedule.

And like I said yesterday...this could help Hershey in the end. By the time the playoffs roll around they have already played a tougher than average schedule. So, assuming they make the playoffs, they are more likely to perform well in those "bigger" games.

And as you will see below...this is going to be quite a team in Hershey this season.

With that, let's just take a glance at the prospective Hershey Bears roster as of today. For the purposes of this exercise I am going to assume that Jay Beagle does not make the Caps while both Cody Eakin and Mattias Sjogren do. That could absolutely change. Personally I think there is 1 or maybe 2 spots available for those 3 players. And yes I guess I should include Mathieu Perreault in that discussion but I don't see it happening for him.

So, when looking at the below lines remember that Beagle's spot could be filled by Eakin or Sjogren too.

Any way you look at it this is what many people would describe as...stacked. Loaded. Explosive.

Maybe the key term to describe this roster is another word that we floated around often in 2009-10....deep. You could LEGITIMATELY have 6 forwards pushing the 30 goal mark this upcoming season. Seriously. 6 different forwards. And there could be more if there was more ice time to share.

Just take a look....

LW	C	RW
Bourque	Aucoin	Mink
Greentree	Perreault	Potulny
Micflikier	Beagle	Ford
Kane	Carroll	Paquette
Lacroix	Hanson	Mitchell

And that doesn't even include Dmitry Kugryshev, Daved de Kostrozza, or Francois Bouchard. Sure...injuries and callups will force players to move around but consider that Kane scored 24 goals last year and he is on the 4th line. Christian Hanson scored 13 and he isn't even in the lineup based on these projections!

Impressive depth.

D	D
McNeill	Orlov
Collins	Miscovic
Richmond	Wellar
Oreskovic	Fleming
Baier	Brouillette

Defensive pairings are difficult to predict but look at the depth here. Brett Fleming is really looking good at development camp and could push guys for time. Patrick Wellar...who some considered one of Hershey's most consistent defensemen last season is likely the #6 guy here.

Is this unit better than last years? I would say it is definitely not any worse.

The goaltending is easy...Holtby, Sabourin, Cheese. Done.

So what are the overall thoughts? I see one potential problem with the roster and it may or may not actually be a "problem". There isn't that a "go-to" goal scorer on the team as in years past. Giroux and Gordon filled that role in years past. But I don't see a pure goal scorer that can be relied on game in...game out.

BUT...having 6 guys who could push the 25-30 goal mark is pretty impressive and will be tough to stop each night. Especially when the next 6 could be pushing the 15-20 goal mark!

Does depth out-perform star power?

In the playoffs it does.

Schedule details are beginning to emerge

2011-07-14T12:32:00.000-04:00

Well the Bears (and the AHL) announced what teams they will be playing for the upcoming 2011-12 season. (Dates will be announced later this summer...probably end of August based on last couple of years)

And the schedule is in no way balanced.

Hershey will play the following teams (home/away split provided):

East Division games:
Binghamton Senators (4/4)
Norfolk Admirals (5/5)
Syracuse Crunch (3/3)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (6/6)

Eastern Conference games:

Adirondack Phantoms (2/2)
Albany Devils (2/2)
Bridgeport Sound Tigers (2/2)
Connecticut Whale (2/2)
Manchester Monarchs (2/2)
Portland Pirates (1/1)
Providence Bruins (1/1)
St. John's (2/2)
Springfield Falcons (1/1)
Worcester Sharks (1/1)

Western Conference games:

Charlotte Checkers (2/2)
Lake Erie Monsters (1/1)
Rochester Americans (1/1)

I know travel costs have to be taken into account for these schedules but how can you shift to a Conference playoff format and still have almost half of a teams games against just 4 teams?

Hershey will play East Division teams 36 times. Sure those are important as divisional races will heat up for the division crown, but unlike in years past the remaining playoff spots are determined at the CONFERENCE level and not the divisional level.

Honestly, look at the teams Hershey has to play the most...Wilkes-Barre, the #1 seed from last year...Binghamton, the Calder Cup Champs...and Norfolk, a team that came on extremely strong at the end of last season and gave the Pens a scare in the 1st round.

The schedule does seem somewhat balanced in that the "weaker" divisions don't seem to play as many games within their own divisions. Adirondack will only play 24 games within their division (which is considered the weakest in the AHL as the bottom 4 teams from the Conference and Connecticut, the 8th seed in the playoffs, make up the Northeast division). Unfortunately the AHL screws up again as the Phantoms won't play the new St. John's team at all and only has to play the Bears/Pens a combined 6 times.

In a divisional format (regular season) where teams are competing for division crowns within their own division, divisional games are more important. In the AHL's defense the divisional games are slightly less important than the past few years which saw divisional playoffs as well. This season the AHL moves to an NHL like Conference playoffs setup which does eliminate the need for balanced schedules to a point.

But these are just absurd.

The schedule creates an unfair advantage for certain teams. In the NHL these types of divisions do not usually create a problem because the schedule is ultimately balanced with every team playing the other ones the same number of games. In the NHL games are divided like this:

In Division - 6 games against each opponent (24 games)
In Conference (out of division) - 4 games against each opponent (40 games)
Out of Conference - 18 games against opponents

The only place where that isn't balanced is in the Out of Conference schedule where there could be some discrepancy on balance depending on what teams play who and where.

BUT in the division and in the conference everything is equal. The Flyers will play the Pens 6 times..as will the Rangers, Islanders, and Devils. The Flyers will play the Caps 4 times...as will the rest of the Atlantic and Northeast divisions.

And yet in the AHL the Bears will play the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 12 times in 2011-12 while the Syracuse Crunch will only play them 8 times.

The Penguins will play the Portland Pirates (Atlantic Division champs last season) 4 times while Hershey will only play them 2 times.

Norfolk plays the Pens and Bears 10 times each but only gets Syracuse 4 times. AND they will only play 4 games against the Western Conference...all against Charlotte. (Some Eastern Conference teams won't play a Western Conference opponent at all!)

Syracuse will only play 26 games within the division this season. 10 games LESS than the Bears will. And they play the Rochester Americans (in the Western Conference) 10 times. That is more than they will play any single team in their own division.

How is it that one team in the East Division gets 10 fewer division games then another?? Shouldn't they be playing the same teams as everyone else they are competing with in the division?

In addition to that...I thought the new alignment would create the opportunity to see new teams in Hershey during the regular season or at least more of certain teams then we have in the past. And yet we are actually going to see one fewer team this season than last. In 2010-11 the Bears were visited by 18 different teams...in 2011-12 that number drops to 17.

I guess in the end it doesn't really matter. Balanced schedules haven't been part of the AHL before and it hasn't seemed to effect Hershey that much. In the end maybe the tougher schedule gets them more prepared for the playoffs.

Who knows. Maybe I am just still upset about the whole realignment/playoff changes that they instituted (I am by the way) but I still think a balanced schedule could work.

In the end ticket sales and limiting travel costs win out in the AHL. And in the end I will still pay for season tickets and write this blog.

I just want hockey to start so we can stop talking about this relatively unimportant stuff and start talking about wins and losses!!

Lots of roster moves going on

2011-07-13T16:02:00.001-04:00

Patrick Wellar...welcome back!

Christian Hanson...welcome!

Julien Brouillette...welcome!

Mathieu Perreault...welcome back (maybe)!

and....

Graham Mink...welcome back!!

See...lots of roster moves happening over the last couple of days.

Let's start with the 2 biggest names on the list...

Graham Mink signed a one year, AHL only deal earlier today that will bring him back to the Chocolate and White for 2011-12. Last season Minker played for Peoria where he recorded 24 goals and 26 assists in 70 games. This will be Minker's 3rd go around in a Bears jersey. And the other two seasons weren't too bad for the Bears...they won the Calder Cup both times!! (05-06 and 08-09 for those of you who don't remember).

This signing surprises me a great deal due to the already loaded veteran roster Hershey has. With Mink in the fold there are now 7 veterans on the roster and only 6 can skate per night. That means, barring injuries or callups, one of Mink, Bourque, Aucoin, Kane, Richmond, and Potulny will be sitting each night. (Greentree is in the 260-320 game threshold so he will join the other 5 vets each night without problem).

Maybe the Bears/Caps expect Bourque to make the big club out of camp...I don't know. Either way it could create some animosity/locker room issues if one of these guys is sitting every night. Many times this kind of scenario works itself out with injuries and recalls but there is potential for a problem now.

Still love having Minker back though!!!

Next up, Mathieu Pearreault signed a one year, two way contract earlier today as well. Last season he split his time between Hershey and Washington scoring a combined 18 goals and adding 31 assists in 69 combined games. That included 11 goals and 24 assists in Hershey in only 34 games.

While Perry is obviously hoping to make the Capitals out of camp most expectations are that he will come to Hershey for the majority of the season. But he will definitely be one of the last cut and one of the first call ups IF he ends up in Hershey. I don't think there are too many people that doubt his ability but his consistency at the NHL level has been lacking in his recent call-ups. The Caps would love to see him come to camp and show he can be consistent but even then, with all the new talent and organizational depth at center, I think it will be difficult for him to make the big club out of camp.

Patrick Wellar was resigned by the Bears for the upcoming season and is a welcome addition to a lineup that could use a little muscle and intimidation. He has developed into a very reliable AHL defenseman over the past couple of years.

Now to the newcomers...

Julien Brouillette (I already hate typing the name) signed a one year, AHL contract for 2011-12 with Hershey. He comes over from the Lake Erie Monsters, to join his former teammate Matthew Ford, after a successful 2010-11 campaign in which the defenseman recorded 2 goals and 15 assists in 49 games while compiling a +/- rating of +17. He also played 1 game with Charlotte and 25 in the ECHL where he collected 11 goals and 12 assists. He brings some offensive upside to the position. I suspect he will fill a role like Johann Kroll or Dylan Yeo from last season...a split between Hershey and South Carolina depending on injuries and recalls.

Christian Hanson, son of Slap Shot actor Dave Hanson, signed a one year, two way contract with the Capitals/Bears and is expected to compete in Caps camp before finding a role in Hershey for the season. He spent most of last season in Toronto with the Marlies, recording 13 goals and 21 assists in 58 games. He also saw 6 games with the Maple Leafs last season. He is a big kid, standing 6'4" and weighing 228 lbs so hopefully he likes to park himself in front of the net and get the "cheap" goals.

So there you have it...5 roster additions (potentially depending on Perry) with more to surely come.

Development Camp kicks off today

2011-07-11T12:24:00.001-04:00

Beginning today the Washington Capitals are hosting future pros for a week in their annual development camp in DC.

The players at this camp are current, future, or potential Hershey Bears mostly. Many of the players could make the Capitals roster in the future but probably just a small percentage.

Below are the player groups for the following week. Players with an * are free agent invitees. Players highlighted in yellow are likely headed for Hershey for at least part of the 2011-12 season.

Group A
Forwards

50 Cody Eakin
64 Pat Mullane*
73 Luke Lockhart*
76 Garrett Mitchell
77 Michael Collins*
79 David Civitarese*
86 Andrew Cherniwchan*
87 Samuel Henley*
92 Chase Grant*
93 Dmitry Kugryshev
95 Thomas Frazee*
96 Taylor Stefishen

Defense

38 Garrett Haar
44 Patrick Koudys
51 Luke Eibler*
56 Patrick Wey
65 Samuel Carrier
66 Dustin Stevenson
67 Wade Epp*
94 Jimmy Oligny*

Goalies

31 Philipp Grubauer
40 Steffen Soberg

Group B
Forwards

33 Mattias Sjogren
39 Brock Montpetit*
42 Danick Paquette
49 Stanislav Galiev
53 Travis Boyd
54 Greg Burke
61 Mitch Elliot*
63 Garrett Ross*
71 Cameron Burt*
82 Aaron Schmit*
84 T.J. Syner*
88 Reid Edmondson*
91 Adam Mitchell*

Defense

29 Brett Flemming
47 Scott Wietecha*
58 Conor Allen*
59 Mike Boivin*
75 Kyle Follmer*
81 Dmitri Orlov
97 Karl Stollery*
98 Nick Tabisz*
Goalies

78 Brandon Anderson
80 Jacob Gervais-Chouinard*

After this week there will be minimal hockey discussion for the next 2 months so definitely enjoy it.

Washington/Hershey continue to sign players destined for Hershey and I will have updates as they happen (I have heard about 3 signings in the last day or two which I will update sometime midweek).

AHL Realignment and other news

2011-07-10T08:10:00.000-04:00

The realignment of the AHL for the 2011-12 season is complete. Instead of the 4 divisions we have become used to the AHL will be mirroring the NHL and their 6 division format.

The biggest change is that Charlotte has been relocated to the Western Conference. And of course two new divisions were created (Northeast and Midwest). Below are the new divisions.

EASTERN CONFERENCE		WESTERN CONFERENCE
Atlantic Division		North Division






Northeast Division		Midwest Division






East Division		West Division

The division winners will get the top 3 seeds and the next 5 best teams will get into the playoffs. Gone are the days of trying to figure out if the 5th team from one division gets in over the 4th of another. That part I like.

The playoffs will be reseeded (just like the NHL) after the first round so that the highest remaining seed plays the lowest remaining seed. Again, I like this.

But overall I am not a fan of the new format. I liked the fact that the division opponents had to play each other in the playoffs every single year. Not playing each other is going to take away from the divisional rivalries that were created and fostered by the divisional playoffs of years past.

Sure the Bears and Penguins will still have a good rivalry but it will be diminished if they do not regularly face off in the playoffs. In years past you knew during the regular season that games against Wilkes-Barre were likely playoff previews...now they are just regular season games within the division.

The real deciding factor though will be in how they create the schedule. In years past the divisional opponents would play each other multiple times a season, sometimes as many as 12. And that worked because the playoffs were done divisionally.

Now that the playoffs are seeded by conference the schedule needs to be more balanced. I honestly don't think Hershey will play Wilkes-Barre 10 times this season. And if they do it is a huge mistake by the AHL.

Divisional opponents should play each other 6 times each. They should play the remaining conference opponents (10 teams) 4 times each. And each division should play each team from 1 division of the opposing Conference 2 times each. That is 74 games...4 more would need to be scheduled...fairly.

The AHL has not announced how the schedule will be created. And we might not know until late August when the schedule is typically announced. But if they don't create a balanced schedule where each team plays similar teams than it can't work.

Either way I am going to miss the divisional playoff format. Sure, rivalries will still be fierce in the East Division and regular season matchups will still be entertaining.

But a second round matchup against the Connecticut Whale just doesn't have the same emotion as an East Division final against the Baby Pens.

Player Movement News:

The Washington Capitals traded Eric Fehr to Winnipeg for a 4th round pick and Dannick Paquette. Paquette will likely start the season in Hershey and he brings a needed element to the team....agitator. Hockeysfuture.com describes him as

a perfect example of a player that teams love to have on their own side, but hate to play against. Perhaps the only thing more agitating than his gritty style of play is the fact he also has the ability to bury the puck and make the opposition pay for their mistakes and indiscretions.

With the loss of Steve Pinizzotto this is exactly what the Bears needed. He likely won't be as offensively productive as Pinner was but apparently he has that ability. Last season in the ECHL he scored 13 goals and added 7 assists to go along with his 179 penalty minutes in 59 games.

Hershey still needs to add an enforcer but generally they can wait to do that until later in the summer as players of that nature don't get signed too early. Paquette is 6'1" 210lbs so he is not going to fill the role that Joel Rechlicz filled last season but he can surely scrap when necessary.

And Dannick is only just turning 21 so he is 6 years younger than Pinner. Which definitely makes him more valuable to the organization. He is signed for 2 more years so expect to see him in Hershey for the foreseeable future.

In other news...Brian Willsie has signed with Montreal/Hamilton for the upcoming season. With all the veteran spots already taken up in Hershey you knew he wasn't going to be back. He had a great season for Hershey last year and it is tough to see him go.

Welcome Danny Richmond...Former Bears sign elsewhere

2011-07-04T09:07:00.000-04:00

First of all, another defenseman was added to the fold. Danny Richmond has been signed by Washington/Hershey to a one year contract. Richmond spent last season with the Toronto Marlies where he scored 3 goals and added 20 assists in 68 games. He also picked up 121 penalty minutes and finished the season a -12.

Richmond is a veteran which gives Hershey 6 veterans. All 6 can start however as Kyle Greentree falls into the 260-320 games played category while the remaining five (Richmond, Aucoin, Kane, Potulny, Bourque) have all played 320+.

Several 2010-11 Bears have signed deals to play elsewhere this past weekend and here is a brief recap:

Andrew Joudrey signed with Columbus/Springfield.
Andrew Gordon signed with Anaheim/Syracuse.
Steve Pinizzotto signed with Vancouver/Chicago.

Hopefully all of those guys get a legitimate shot at making the NHL. Gordon's contract is a 2-year deal with the 2nd year being an NHL one way deal so that is great news for him.

Alexandre Giroux has also signed with Columbus/Springfield so we could be seeing more of him this upcoming season instead of just the All-Star game.

More signings...Collins and...Bourque

2011-07-02T13:04:00.000-04:00

Yes you read the title right...Chris Bourque has signed a one year deal with the Capitals. No word on if it is a two way deal or not but I am guessing it is.

Chris spent last season split between the KHL and the Swiss league, scoring 15 goals and 19 assists in 47 games.

The addition of Bourque gives the Bears 5 veteran forwards. So anyone hoping to see Giroux, Mink or Gordon return to the Bears is probably going to be disappointed. I won't say it can't happen but it isn't likely now.

In other news...everyone's favorite defenseman is back too. Sean Collins signed a one year deal with the organization as well. This time though it is a two way contract and won't cost the Caps too much if they send him down to Hershey. (The last 2 years were on NHL one way contracts for those that didn't know).

And a follow up to yesterday...the Ryan Potulny deal is, according to capgeek.com, a 2 year contract with the 2nd year an NHL one way deal.

Bears sign 3...Caps making curiuos decisions

2011-07-01T17:07:00.000-04:00

The first day of free agency has been active for the Bears and Capitals. Let's start this off with news out of Hershey...

Ryan Potulny, Matthew Ford, and Paul Baier have all been signed for the 2011-12 season.

Potulny, former Bear Grant's little brother, played for 4 different teams last season...the Binghamton Senators, Rockford IceHogs, Chicago Blackhawks, and Ottawa Senators. He lasted the longest with Rockford, scoring 18 goals and 23 assists in 58 games. He was traded to Ottawa late and proceeded to lead the Binghamton Senators in scoring during their Calder Cup run with 14 goals and 12 assists in 23 games.

Matthew Ford played the last 2 seasons with the Lake Erie Monsters. Last season he had his best as a pro, scoring 26 goals and 16 assists in 76 games.

Paul Baier is a big defenseman, 6'4" 225lbs, who is surely being brought in for some muscle. With Patrick Wellar no longer under contract the Bears were likely looking for someone to fill a similar role. He spent last season with Rochester, scoring 2 goals and adding 8 assists in 62 games.

None of the moves strike me as difference making type moves but who really knows until these guys get out there with the likes of Aucoin and Perreault.

One thing to mention is that Potulny is a veteran. That gives Hershey 4 veteran forwards already with more spots left to fill.

Based on my rosters, which are in no way official, the Bears have a possible 13 forward spots locked up (not including Perry and Bouch). But that does include Eakin, Beagle, and Gustafsson so there is likely more activity to come from Hershey this season.

Up in Washington they are making moves too. Including trading Semyon Varlamov to Colorado for 2 draft picks...a first rounder in 2012 and a 2nd rounder in either 2012 or 2013.

Those picks will help the Bears down the road but the goaltending trade could hurt Hershey's depth for the immediate future. As of right now Braden Holtby is likely considered the #2 in Washington.

The Caps also signed a few players...more on that later.

And I don't think the Caps are done yet either. They still have restricted free agents to sign and stuff to work out.

My thoughts...Alexander Semin (or maybe Mike Green?) is on the trade block and something could go down soon. Haven't heard anything to make that more than pure speculation but according to CapGeek.com the Caps only have 2 million left under the cap and players left to sign. Something has to give.

Things are about to pick up

2011-06-30T12:47:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow marks the beginning of free agency for the NHL and in turn the AHL. Which means things are going to start getting interesting.

This morning an update to the previously posted (and provided here) article identifying all the free agents that played in the AHL last season was made. Here is the link if you want to read through the 200+ names that are available for teams to sign beginning tomorrow. Again a thanks to Pens' beat writer Jonathan Bombulie for doing the leg work on this list.

If you view the prospective 2011-12 Bears roster you will see that the Hershey Bears have many holes to fill through free agency. Currently there are 2 goalies, 6 defensemen, and 11 forwards that could POTENTIALLY be Bears next season. There are so many variables at play with that number that it isn't even worth discussing.

I expect the Bears to be quite active in free agency this year as they will be looking to replace a substantial portion of their offensive and defensive talent.

As signings and/or trades happen I will post them here.

Caps Offer 5

Just so we are all on the same page...the Washington Capitals made qualifying offers to 5 restricted free agents this past week. Semyon Varlamov (more on him below), Troy Brouwer, and Karl Alzner are obviously not in Hershey's plans. But Mathieu Perreault and Francois Bouchard very well could be.

Qualifying offers basically mean that the Capitals can match any offer made to these players during free agency. And if they choose not to match an offer they would receive compensation for losing the players.

Barring a trade I fully expect Bouchard to be back in Hershey this season. Whether that is good or bad depends on your perspective. Let's just say I have a wait and see attitude on Bouch.

Perreault is a different case. Some teams out there might be willing to sign him for a decent salary given his upside and production to date. I can't see the Caps matching an offer that is too high based on the organizational depth at center. Let's call the odds 50/50 that Perry is back in Hershey as of right now.

So, those players are not officially back in Washington/Hershey jerseys for 11-12 but they are on their way.

From Russia to DC back to Russia?

No one is quite sure what is happening with Semyon Varlamov this offseason but all signs recently point to him returning to Russia to play in the KHL for 2011-12.

Lots has been said and written discussing what is going to happen but most recently things have begun to progress in the Varly to KHL storyline.

This could potentially impact Hershey directly. As of right now Braden Holtby would become the #2 in Washington while Dany Sabourin would become the #1 in Hershey with no #2 in Hershey.

That is subject to change though as the Caps could see fit to sign a low-price veteran backup (read: Brian Boucher) to serve as the #2 in Washington while Braden tries again to play a full season in Hershey.

Personally...I think Braden will be in Washington and the Bears will be forced to sign another veteran AHL goalie for the 11-12 season.

We should know soon.

AHL Realignment

Things could look drastically different in the AHL this upcoming season. As Tim Leone reports, the AHL is considering a plan that would create 6 divisions (like the NHL) instead of the 4 currently. The makeup of those divisions would likely be geographical in nature but nothing is ever perfect.

I think its funny that the AHL would consider going to 6 divisions at the same time that there is talk of the NHL going to 4!

The AHL annual summer meetings will be held next week (3rd-7th) and expectations are that a decision will be made during them.

Personally I like the 4 division layout because it creates better rivalries. The divisional playoff structure breeds hatred for other teams and that would be lost with a move to 6 divisions. Sure the Pens and Bears would still have a good rivalry but there could be multiple years in a row where the teams don't play in the playoffs, where as now they play in the playoffs almost every year.

But going to 6 divisions would create more balance and equality. It will be an interesting decision.

Former Bear Free Agents

Tim Leone also discusses free agency in his article today, including a compilation of recent Bears who are unrestricted free agents this offseason. Definitely check out the entire article but I have provided a copy of the list below.

Alex Giroux
Kyle Wilson
Dean Arsene
Graham Mink
Matt Beaudoin
Chad Wiseman
Danny Syvret
Mark Wotton
Quintin Laing
Grant Lewis
Troy Milam
Jason Bacashihua
Nolan Yonkman
Staffan Kronwall

Definitely an interesting list.

Expect active summer season from Caps

Finally, I leave you with this quote from Ted Leonsis, owner of the Washington Capitals...

“We now move on to free agency,” Leonsis wrote. “We want to keep some players. We want to sign some players. Wish us well in all of our pursuits.

“And then don’t be surprised if you see some trades. It takes two to tango. We want to change and improve. We ware getting ready for a new season which is fast approaching.”

Interesting. We could see a summer that we haven't seen since the Bears/Caps alliance started back up a few years ago. Prospects, picks, veterans...they could all be on the move. Who knows.

Keep checking back!

Free agent list

2011-06-22T08:17:00.000-04:00

Found a list of the 186 "AHL" free agents today and figured I would share it in case you are curious what players are free agents this season.

Thanks to Pens beat writer Jonathan Bombulie for compiling the list.

Definitely some interesting names on the list. 5 of the top 20 names have played in Hershey sometime in the last 3 years.

Goaltending news in Hershey

2011-06-17T07:59:00.000-04:00

Multiple happenings on the goaltending front within the organization yesterday.

First, former goaltending coach Dave Prior is returning to that position with he organization. The way I understand it, he will mainly be responsible for the goalies in Washington.

Second, the Caps hired former Caps goalie Olie Kolzig as associate goaltending coach. This move is likely to impact Hershey directly as it is anticipated that Olie will work mainly with the goalies in Hershey and South Carolina.

I believe this will be the first time that the Bears have an actual, designated goalie coach. Prior spent some time with the kids in Hershey during his tenure, but most of his time was spent in Washington. Last season Arturs Irbe served as goalie coach for the Caps and while he definitely worked with the "kids" in Hershey, his main focus was the guys in Washington.

This can only help the Bears, who may have a deep stable of goalies again in 2011-12....

And the final news of the day...the Bears/Caps have resigned goalie Dany Sabourin for the 2011-12 season.

Last year Dany started out slow before really finding a groove and playing great before getting hurt in January and missing the rest of the season. He says he is skating fully and will be ready to go when the season starts after rehabbing his knee injury.

Dany said that he wanted to return and his contract verifies that. At the AHL level (which is where everyone expects him to be) he is making half of what he made last season, according to capgeek.com. Obviously that doesn't mean everything but I think it speaks loudly about how much he wanted to return to the Washington/Hershey organization.

Another thing to consider with this signing though...this could signal the end of Braden Holtby in Hershey. There is speculation that Semyon Varlamov is heading to Russia for the upcoming season which would present an opening in Washington for a backup to Michal Neuvirth for Braden.

Obviously there is still lots of time and roster moves to come before that happens but definitely something to keep an eye on.

Either way...welcome back Dany Sabourin!! It will be great to have you healthy for a full season in 2011-12.

McNeill back for 2011-12

2011-06-15T07:52:00.000-04:00

This is definitely good news for Bears fans. Patrick McNeill has signed a 2-year contract with the Capitals which will keep him in Hershey/Washington until 2013.

I can't say I am too surprised by the deal as Patty has developed into a solid prospect. He will surely get some looks in Washington this season if needed.

Last season he had 7 goals and 20 assists in only 51 games. Not bad offensive numbers for a defenseman.

Welcome back Patty!

Relocation of Manitoba Moose

2011-06-10T11:43:00.001-04:00

With the NHL returning to Winnipeg it really didn't make sense, nor was it probably feasible, to have both an AHL and NHL team playing in the same building.

So the Moose set out for a new home. And they found one...

And it is even further from Hershey than Winnipeg!

St. John's, Newfoundland will be re-joining the AHL this season. They last had a team in 2005 as the St. John's Maple Leafs. They will begin play this season and will be affiliated with the new Winnipeg franchise.

Last season the Manitoba Moose were affiliated with Vancouver while Chicago was affiliated with the Atlanta Thrashers (who are now the Winnipeg team).

Based on calculations from this website it is 1302 air miles from Harrisburg, PA to St. John's. That is 115 miles further than a trip from Harrisburg to Winnipeg.

The real adjustment to this is going to be the realignment that results from it. You can't have a team located in the distant East playing in the Western Conference. So someone is going to be relocated.

My best guess would be Syracuse returning to the Western Conference where they played as recently as 2008-09.

However, Charlotte is technically the Westernmost team in the Eastern Conference. But they are also the furthest South and many of the Western Conference teams are in the Northern tier.

More than likely (barring any other relocations) Bridgeport would move back to the East Division, St. John's would move to the Atlantic, and Syracuse would head to the North Division.

Time will tell.

Calder Cup remains in East Division

2011-06-09T07:45:00.000-04:00

The Binghamton Senators have won the 2011 Calder Cup! Congrats to the Senators and their fans for a great season.

Honestly, entering the playoffs I did believe that the Bears would be good enough to win it all but if there was one team I was more concerned about than any other in the Eastern Conference it was the Senators. I wouldn't have bet on them winning the Cup but I would have bet on them giving it a good run.

They were, in theory anyway, the last team in the Eastern Conference to be in the playoffs. They were only in due to the East Division having one more team than the Atlantic Division making it possible for the 5th place team from the East to make the playoffs over the 4th place team in the Atlantic.

That's what happened and the Senators never looked back.

Congrats to the 2011 Calder Cup Champion Binghamton Senators!

Now...let's shift all our focus to the 2011-12 season in which the Bears will be looking to re-establish their seemingly annual spot in the Calder Cup Finals!

Bears/Caps making roster moves...Sens one win from Calder Cup

2011-06-06T13:54:00.000-04:00

Wow, it's been a while since I posted. Or at least it feels like it has been a while. Lots of roster news today.

Let's start with the biggest news as far as Hershey fans are concerned...

Boyd Kane will be a member of the 2011-12 Hershey Bears. He signed an AHL only, one-year contract.

Kane has been an important part of the Bears team the past 2 seasons in many different aspects. Offensively he has scored 48 goals over the last 2 years (24 each year) and added 45 assists (25 in 10-11) during those seasons. Defensively he is arguably one of the best penalty killers in the AHL. And in the locker room I doubt there is a better leader for a young team.

That doesn't mean Kane doesn't have his faults. He is a hothead that takes untimely penalties, he is about as far from fast as a hockey player can get, and he isn't a spring chicken. He is 33 years old and counts as an AHL veteran.

This signing does a couple things for the Bears. One, I think you have your 2011-12 captain. Two, this gives them 3 of the 5 (6 depending on game limits) veterans that they can dress each night.

I am not Kane's biggest fan on here but if he returns to the team as a 3rd line left wing then I am happy with this signing.

Welcome back Boyd!

Some other roster moves....

The Caps signed Swede Mattias Sjogren. Sjogren is 23 (will be 24 in November) and has spent his entire career playing in Sweden. Most recently for Farjestads where he scored 7 goals and added 17 assists in 51 games.

He is a natural center and from what I have read is more defensive than offensive. He is expected to compete for the 3rd/4th line center spots in Washington. His contract is a 2-year deal and IS (according to capgeek.com) a two-way contract.

This is important because the European game is a different style than the North American version. Meaning he could probably use some seasoning before jumping to the NHL.

I was wondering if he would be willing to play in the AHL and while that isn't confirmed by the 2-way nature of the contract it is more likely. He was likely making much more money in Sweden then he will make in the AHL so only time will tell if he would accept a position in Hershey.

Either way I think this is good for Hershey. If Sjogren does make the Caps it could be at Jay Beagle's expense which would return the fan favorite to Hershey for another season.

Stay tuned...

Wait...more roster moves...

The Caps and Predators pulled off a conditional trade this past week. LW Taylor Stefishen was acquired by the Caps for a (possible) 7th round pick in 2013.

This is a complicated trade and I will be brief here but if you want more check out Mike Vogel's insight over at Dump n Chase.

Basically the Caps don't have to give up the pick unless they sign him to an NHL deal. He was drafted in 2008 and is 21 (in August) so he is ineligible for juniors in Canada again this season. The Caps can sign him to an AHL deal and give him a "test run" so to speak for a season before signing him to an NHL deal and giving up the pick.

At least that's the way I understood Vogel's article.

He was a 5th round pick that has produced solid numbers in his short time in juniors and college hockey. Most recently he played in the WHL and recorded 24 goals and 43 assists in 68 games.

My guess is...he will spend most of the season in South Carolina with a few Hershey call ups throughout the year. He will likely be given a chance to win a job during camp with the Bears but he seems more destined for the ECHL for a year.

Okay...that's it for roster moves for today. Expect more news as we get closer to July 1 though. The entry draft is the last weekend of the month and free agency begins in July. Lots will happen over the next few weeks. Most of it will affect Washington immediately, but anything that affects the Caps will have an effect on the Bears.

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As of today (Monday, June 6) the Calder Cup appears to be remaining in the East Division. After dropping game 1 in Houston the Binghamton Senators have won 3 of 4 to take a 3 games to 2 lead in the Calder Cup Finals.

The series shifts back to Houston for games 6 and 7 this Tuesday and Thursday.

It has been a close series to date with offense very limited. Overall the Senators have scored 11 goals in 5 games while the Aeros have scored 8.

Too bad this hasn't been on TV in our area. Would loved to have seen some of it.

Go Sens!

Sens/Aeros final ; New Layout...what do you think?

2011-05-25T14:47:00.000-04:00

First of all the Binghamton Senators and Houston Aeros have won their respective conferences and will begin play in the Calder Cup Finals on Friday in Houston.

Should be an entertaining series. If you have a few bucks (and a good bit of patience) you can see it all (or most of it anyway depending on how their service holds up) over at AHLlive.com.

Personally I think the Sens will take it. No real reason for that opinion...just a gut call.

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Not sure if you noticed...(if you are reading this via a reader or something you obviously haven't but if you are actually reading on the site you must be blind to not notice)...but I made some slight/major changes to the layout/design of the web page.

I am still using the blogger technology so it is a little limited but I like some of the features I added.

You will notice the new Pages links below the header. Some of these are future pages (such as 2011-12 schedule and stats) that will be updated when the information is provided and the season starts.

I also have a page dedicated to the 2011-12 roster for you to check out. This is up to date as of today and will be updated whenever there are new signings/assignments. All the players on the list are eligible to play in Hershey next season. Some likely won't but you never know.

My goal is to give you a one-stop shop for everything Hershey Bears. Hopefully during the 2011-12 season you will be able to find current stats, upcoming games, and all the previews and reviews that I can write.

I also included an about me page for those of you curious...and yes I think most of you are. As well as a contact me page which really just moved from the main page.

If you would like to share your opinion on the updated site...please leave a comment but remember what your mother taught you...if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Because we all know that I follow that rule!

Zach Miskovic back for 2011-12

2011-05-18T15:26:00.000-04:00

Look at this...2 posts in one day!!! And you thought this blog was dormant for the summer..HA.

The Caps and Bears announced that Zach Miskovic was signed to a one year extension for the upcoming 2011-12 season.

This is good news for the Bears as he will certainly be a member of Hershey's team next season with (maybe) a call up or two to Washington depending on injuries.

When not playing with the stuffed animals from a Teddy Bear Toss, Zach had 6 goals and 10 assists for the Bears this past season in 57 games.

B-Sens have commanding lead; Caps prospects having success

2011-05-18T11:50:00.000-04:00

It is still really odd to have so long in between the end of the season and the time when offseason roster moves start happening.

The last 2 years saw the season end in mid June with the NHL draft and free agency within a couple weeks of that. So there was always conversation related to the Bears to keep hockey right at our finger tips.

But this year is different. We still have 5 and a half weeks until the draft and yet another week after that until free agency begins.

It is becoming a long offseason. I don't like it.

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The AHL playoffs are still going on and two East Division teams are still alive and well. The Charlotte Checkers and Binghamton Senators remain in the hunt as they battle for the Eastern Conference crown.

Currently the Senators are up 3 games to none and it hasn't been close with the B-Sens outscoring the Checkers by a combined 17-5 in the three games to date. Game 4 is scheduled for tonight so that series could end soon.

Before the playoffs started I said to watch out for Binghamton. They were on a tear at the end of the season and then added a bunch of good players for the playoffs. So I am not entirely surprised by their success.

Over in the Western Conference the Houston Aeros are also up 3 games to none over the Hamilton Bulldogs. This series has been much closer as neither team has scored more than 3 goals in a game. Overall Houston has outscored the Bulldogs by a combined 8-5.

I don't know much about the Western Conference since Hershey rarely plays these teams. But I do remember reading something from either John Walton or Tim Leone after Peoria was eliminated by the Aeros. Graham Mink, a former Bear, said at the time that this team had the makeup of a Calder Cup Champion and he expected to see them make a good run.

So far he has been right. Game 4 of this series is also scheduled for tonight so by the end of the night the Calder Cup finals could be set and scheduled.
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Changing topics back to Hershey for a minute...

Multiple Capitals prospects will be participating in the Memorial Cup which starts this week...Friday to be exact. It would appear that you will be able to see at least some of the games, if not all, on NHL network beginning this Saturday with a replay of the opening game.

Cody Eakin, Stanislav Galiev, and Brett Fleming will represent their respective teams in the 4 team tournament to decide the champion of the CHL.

Eakin and the Kootenay Ice won the WHL league title to earn this trip with Eakin showing up huge all postseason scoring 11 goals and adding 16 assists in only 19 playoff games. He finished second in the WHL in playoff scoring.

Eakin signed his three year entry level contract with Washington and will report to training camp this fall. He is expected to push for a spot on the Caps opening night roster but most expect him to start the season in Hershey. Keep in mind though that he almost made the Caps out of camp this past year so it is not a foregone conclusion that he will report to Hershey...ever.

Galiev and the Saint John Sea Dogs won the QMJHL league title. He has also performed very well for his team totaling 10 goals and 17 assists in 19 playoff games. That was good enough for 5th in the QMJHL playoff scoring.

Galiev still has a year of junior eligibility remaining so he will not be in Hershey next season but look for him in 2012-13.
Defensemen Fleming represents the Mississagua St. Michael's Majors of the OHL, the hosting team for this years 2011 Memorial Cup. Fleming helped his team offensively with a goal and 13 assists during the playoffs which was good enough for 6th amongst defensemen in the OHL.

Like Eakin, Fleming signed his entry deal already and is expected to compete for a spot in Hershey next season. Defensemen generally need more seasoning so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him spend some time in South Carolina but he will surely be given a shot to earn a permanent spot in Hershey.

Should they fire Bruce Boudreau?

2011-05-06T07:40:00.000-04:00

This is the question everyone is asking right now. Will (or should) the Caps fire their head coach? And everyone has an opinion on it. Including me.

Should they fire Bruce? Seems straightforward enough considering his history in the playoffs. Despite taking many extremely talented teams (and top seeds) into the postseason he has failed to pass the 2nd round.

In the regular season though the Caps are as good as anyone. Whether they outscore you, as in years past, or out-defend you, like this year, they end up as the #1 team in the Eastern Conference.

But the playoffs don't see the same success.

So is that an indicator of the coach...or the team?

Personally I think it is an indicator of the team. Let's look at what wins in the NHL playoffs:

Ugly goals
Hard work around the boards
Puck movement
Solid defensive zone play
Great goaltending

What of those things are the Caps good at? Surely not the "ugly" goals and usually not the hard work around the boards. The Caps generally like to make the cute pass that gets the pretty goals but that doesn't work in the postseason. Guys are more willing to block a pass or a shot during the playoffs then they are during the regular season. They gamble more and in turn they keep the "cute" teams off the scoreboard.

You don't have to have a team made up of Johan Franzen's to win. But your star players need to be willing to much it up in the corners and in front of the net. Cycle the puck and get opportunities. Crash the net and look for the rebounds.

The Caps do move the puck well and their defensive zone play was good against the Rangers but against an explosive offensive team like Tampa they were unable to slow them down.

And the goaltending was solid this playoff year. Michal Neuvirth played very well. Neuvy is very consistent but will sometimes let in a goal he should have...which all goalies do at times. In my opinion he should be the #1 goalie going forward but what do I know.

So they have 3 of the 5 items they need. Now they need some scoring help.

Will firing Boudreau fix that problem??? NO!

Bringing in a new coach with the same players is not the solution. In the infamous words of Peanut, "polish a turd, it's still a turd."

It is time to revamp the offense. And no that does not mean wait for the youngsters to be ready. Cody Eakin could use a year in the AHL and Evgeni Kuznetsov isn't coming over for at least another year and will need time to get acclimated to the NHL game.

So instead of going out and getting players a couple years past their prime (Jason Arnott and Marco Sturm) let's see if the Caps go out and get real talented players. And then move some other pieces. Alexander Semin will NEVER be a great playoff performer. His game and attitude will not allow it. Trade him for a package of players. I would be curious if you could get a Michael Grabner type player for him. Or a solid #2 center like a Stephen Weiss.

Say goodbye to Arnott, Sturm, Boyd Gordon, and Matt Bradley. If possible trade Tyler Sloan and Mike Knuble (in addition to Semin) and let's see the Caps really try and make this team better.

There are going to be good players (playoff time goal scorers) available this summer....there always are in the NHL. Time to make the changes and go get them.

Just a brief list of guys I would love to see join Washington this year...(all players shown as unrestricted free agents on capgeek.com):

Ville Leino
Nikolai Zherdev
Maxime Talbot
Alexander Frolov
Sean Bergenheim
Simon Gagne
Scottie Upshall
Radim Vrbata

So...should the Caps fire Boudreau? Not if that is the only change you make because I don't think it will help enough.

If you are going to blow up the roster and fell that it will be best to start over with the coach too...then fine...so long Bruce.

But Boudreau is not the main problem. The roster is.

Thoughts on the NHL, AHL, and tv coverage

2011-05-03T12:29:00.000-04:00

Just because the Bears were eliminated a little earlier than we are accustomed to doesn't mean hockey ended. So let me share with you my thoughts on things going on in both the NHL and AHL with an opinion on the NHL TV coverage thrown in too...

1. Capitals

Let's start here since many of us loyal Bears fans are rooting for the former Bears currently wearing Caps sweaters. The Caps find themselves in a 2-0 hole after 2 losses on home ice in the NHL's second round against division rival Tampa Bay.

They have played good but it hasn't been enough. The Lightning have managed to pull out the wins up to this point and now the series shifts to Tampa for games 3 and 4 tonight and tomorrow night.

My opinion...Caps have to win both. Obviously they could split in Tampa and come back from 3-1 down but I don't see it.

In my eyes the Caps have a couple glaring problems. 1) A star who likes to shoot. When he gets frustrated he likes to shoot more. Which is exactly what Tampa wants. When Ovi skates into the zone, cuts the middle, and fires a wrist shot the Tampa coaches can hardly contain their joy. Every time it happens the Tampa defense is ready to block the shot. He needs to get the puck in deep and start moving it around. Get traffic to the net and get shots on Roloson.

2) Lack of a true supporting cast. In Pittsburgh you have Malkin and Staal to go with Crosby. In Philly you have two full lines of scorers. In Tampa you have Vinny, St. Louis and Stamkos, Chicago has Kane, Toews, and Sharp. Vancouver...the Sedins and Kesler. San Jose...Thornton, Marleau, Couture, and others. Each of those teams has 3 guys they can count on too score when they need it. Right now the Caps have how many? One? Backstrom isn't playing well, Johansson isn't quite there yet, Arnott was there a few years ago, Knuble too. So that leaves Laich and Semin. I could see a Laich/Staal comparison here. Both solid players who score. And that's great but it isnt' enough. Semin...I know he has been better this playoff year but something still seems to be missing from his game.

In the end the Caps have Ovi (who's game isn't evolving the way it needs to in the postseason) and a bunch of guys who either aren't carrying their own weight or who aren't good enough.

Will it be enough? Maybe but someone has to step up and score goals. Tampa is a good team but they aren't THAT good.

The East is wide open. No dominant teams exist and every team has their flaws. If Washington can't overcome theirs (and quickly) they will be golfing with the Bears sooner than later.

2. Flyers

Let me start by saying this...I despise this team. I am sure the players are great human beings and are probably the nicest guys in the world. But once they put on the ugly orange jersey they become the face of evil. There are players on this team that at one time or another I didn't mind them as a player...Claude Giroux is one that comes to mind but now that he is a card carrying member of the Flyers fraternity...I despise him.

That being said...this team is as talented as any team in the NHL. If they had even the slightest hint of a competent goalie they would likely be rolling to the Stanley Cup. But their goaltending situation is a mess, to say the least, and they, like the Caps, find themselves down 2 game to none.

Despite the fact that Boston is probably the tougher opponent than Tampa Bay I still think the Caps are in a tougher spot. The Flyers have proven that they play as good or better when faced with adversity. They seem to thrive when they find themselves trailing in a series.

I do think Boston is ready this year after blowing a 3 games to none lead last spring. I do think Philly has to win both games in Boston, just like the Caps in Tampa, to win the series. But I wouldn't write the Flyers off as much as the Caps IF the Bruins were to win game 3.

Go Bruins!!

3. The AHL playoffs

These are much less interesting to me without the Bears in it. Not because I care less but the games aren't on TV so unless I sit at my computer and either pay to see them (not gonna happen) or listen on the radio (highly unlikely) the only updates I get are from AHL.com and some blogs. And that isn't enough to keep me thoroughly interested.

But just for an update...

The Checkers have a 2-1 series lead with games 4 and 5 in Charlotte this Wednesday and Friday. Should the series go past that (let's hope not) then the teams would have to travel late Friday night for a Saturday evening game in Wilkes-Barre. That is a tough schedule.

Based on things I have read and seen it would appear that the Checkers have been the better team this series. That could be wrong as I haven't followed really close but that's the impression I get.

And all I have to say is...GOOD! Go Checkers!

In the other Eastern Conference series the Binghamton Senators have a 3-1 series lead over Portland with game 5 coming tonight in Binghamton. It would be smart for the Senators to show up tonight intent on ending the Pirates season as games 6 and 7 would be back in Maine.

I said before the playoffs started that I expected Binghamton to come out of the Atlantic bracket and cause some problems. They got off to a rough start, going down 3-1 against Manchester, but have come back pretty well winning 6 of their last 7 games, 5 of them on the road.

Could you imagine a Binghamton vs Charlotte Eastern Conference Final???? Who would have thought that was possible when the playoffs (or season for that matter) started!

4. NHL TV Coverage

I watch a lot of sports on TV...college football and basketball, NFL, baseball, tennis, some golf, lacrosse, and obviously hockey. And I have to say that I think Mike 'Doc' Emrick is the best play by play man in any sport. I enjoy listening to Doc call games more than anyone else on TV or radio (sorry John Walton). His enthusiasm and knowledge makes it very enjoyable to watch the games. He always has litte anecdotes to throw out there too...and he does it in a way to make it seem important to the game.

It doesn't hurt that anytime he is doing a Caps game he gives Hershey a mention!

Update to the free agent lists

2011-04-27T08:07:00.001-04:00

As I said yesterday, Tim Leone would have something up soon. And he does.

Below is a complete breakdown of all the players that were with Hershey. Much of this information was in yesterdays post but this clarifies the AHL only contracts that I didn't have access to.

Players under contract with Hershey AND Washington for 2011-12:

Braden Holtby
Brandon Anderson
Dmitry Orlov
Keith Aucoin
Kyle Greentree
Jay Beagle
Garrett Mitchell
Dmitry Kugryshev

One note here (didn't realize this yesterday)...Anderson can NOT play in Hershey in 2011-12. He is still a junior eligible player and can only join the Bears after his season is over.

Here are the players under contract with ONLY Hershey in 2011-12:

David de Kastrozza
Maxime Lacroix
Phil Oreskovic
Andrew Carroll

Overall there is 1 goalie, 2 defensemen, and 8 forwards eligible for Hershey next season, and that includes Jay Beagle. That is what you call an empty roster. There will be LOTS of signings and player movement this offseason.

Here is a list of the restricted free agents for 2011-12:

Patrick McNeill
Zach Miscovic
Josh Godfrey
Joe Finley
Francois Bouchard
Mathieu Perreault
Trevor Bruess
Andrew Kozek (Atlanta Thrashers)

Perreault had this to say about his future:

“I want to sign back with Washington,” Perreault said. “I like the organization. I like to be here [Hershey] if I’m not there.”

Seems like he will sign his offer if (WHEN) it comes. I don't see the Caps letting him go yet but another team might be interested. I would expect all of the remaining guys to get offers as well with the exception of maybe Finley. But even him I expect to see them give one more chance.

Here are the unrestricted free agents for 2011-12:

Dany Sabourin
Todd Ford
Jared DeMichiel
Nolan Schaefer (Boston Bruins)
Johann Kroll
Dylan Yeo
Brian Fahey
Patrick Wellar
Sean Collins
Lawrence Nycholat
Patrick Cullity
Jordan Pietrus
Nikita Kashirsky
Grant McNeill
Ashton Rome
Andrew Joudrey
Joel Reclicz
Boyd Kane
Steve Pinizzotto
Brian Willsie
Andrew Gordon

That's a lot of names. Here is what Gordon had to say about his future:

“Washington has been so good to me over the years, so I feel it’s still priority No. 1 for me to stick around here,” he said. “If they don’t think there’s a spot for me, I still have the option to maybe go test the water this year."

“It’s all I know. I love it here. I want to play in the NHL, though. With all due respect to everybody here in Hershey, I don’t want to spend any more time here. It’s a tough position. I don’t want to see this organization in my rear-view mirror, but at the same time I’d like an NHL opportunity.”

I don't think he comes back without a 1-way deal. And I am not sure he gets it with Washington. He is a very good player with a real chance to make it in the NHL but the Caps don't seem to like giving their young forwards as much of a shot as other teams. The defense has been built via Hershey but the offense...not so much.

That is possibly an indication of the forwards in the system and that top forwards are more likely to skip the AHL but that doesn't answer it all. Nathan Gerbe, Martin St. Louis, Claude Giroux...they all spent considerable time in the AHL and are all key players for their respective clubs.

That doesn't mean Hershey has seen talent like that at forward but I think...IF given a legitimate shot...that Gordon and Chris Bourque could make it in the NHL.

Either way I think Gordon might have played his last game in a Hershey jersey. We wish him all the best no matter what he chooses.

Some other comments from guys:

Boyd Kane,

“I definitely love it here and I’d come back in a second.”

Brian Willsie (considering Europe as well),

“Nothing too concrete right now,” he said, “but Hershey is a definite possibility.”

Sheldon Souray (under contract with Edmonton),

“It really was an easy and seamless transition for me, especially with the guys and the coaching staff and just this organization in general,” Souray said. “I say that and I mean it.

“You think about hockey and playing with a lot of younger guys who are hungry to make the NHL. I really had a fun time. It was a good experience. It reminded me of playing 15 years ago.”

“I don’t have one bad thing to say about the organization or the experience I’ve had here,” Souray said. “So if that’s something that’s going to play itself out, then I have no problem coming back here.

“Obviously, there’s other places I’d want to be, you know what I mean? I say that in the best way. My goal is to get back in the NHL, like most of these guys. But it was so easy here."

Steve Pinizzotto,

“I think I put together a good couple years here,” he said. “Hopefully, I can do something where somebody believes I can play at the next level.”

There is lots of time for speculation about any number of these players but after the past few years we are used to seeing certain players each and every year.

The roster turnover hasn't been there like it might be this year. Most of these years has seen many of the same faces return year after year. Obviously we will see many of these players again. There are the 11 currently under contract and I would be willing to bet that at least 8 of the unrestricteds get resigned by the organization.

But we won't know about them until July. That's a long way off compared to when the season ends in June.

That's kind of depressing to think about.

Hershey Bears Hockey

Bears Power Play is Better With Graham Mink (Obviously)

Bears play...and lose 3 in 3

Keith Aucoin on Record Setting Pace

Bears win 5th in a row

Is Danny Richmond the key to the Bears season?

AHL Suspends Rechlicz

Rechlicz gets rare 3rd period shift...chaos ensues

Bears head to Philly to play outside

Bears Shutout Pens, Prepare To Do It Again

Bears Enter Holiday Break on High Note

Bears get 4 points out of 6

Bears Take 2 of 3 Last Weekend

4 Straight Wins...Baby Pens in Town

Bears Begin a Tough Stretch This Weekend

3 games, 3 cities, 3 nights...3 wins

Weekend Preview: Bears get 3 in 3

Bears Goaltending Woes

Bears Go 2-2; Sjogren Goes Home

GameDay Preview: Bears vs Bruins

Bears Drop 2 in Shootouts

Weekend Preview...Bears visit Crunch, host Devils

Bears Drop 2 at Home

GameDay Preview: Bears vs Baby Pens

GameDay Preview: Bears @ Springfield Falcons

Bears Handle Crunch

GameDay Preview: Bears vs Crunch

GameDay Preview: Bears vs Pens

GameDay Preview: Bears @ Devils

Bears score 5...but lose in OT

Bears Outscore Admirals in Game 1 of 2

Game Preview: Bears vs Norfolk

Bears begin 2-0

Game Preview: Bears @ Senators

2011-12 Bears Preview: East Division

Captain named...and Final Cuts

2011-12 Bears Preview: Forwards

2011-12 Bears Preview: Defense

2011-12 Bears Preview: Goalies

Caps cut more...preview posts coming soon

First Look (guess)...Bears 2011-12 Opening Night Roster

Caps Cuts and More

What the Bears Lines Could Be

Caps Camp Gets Underway

Rookie Camp Begins...Season is Close

New "Voice" of the Bears...is a Penguin?

Schedule is out!

Notes from the Patriot News Hockey Forum on August 5

New "Voice" of Hershey Bears will be needed for 2011-12

Defending the Schedule Matrix and an Early Look at a Potential Lineup

More signings and a few links to share

Schedule details are beginning to emerge

Lots of roster moves going on

Development Camp kicks off today

AHL Realignment and other news

Welcome Danny Richmond...Former Bears sign elsewhere

More signings...Collins and...Bourque

Bears sign 3...Caps making curiuos decisions

Things are about to pick up

Free agent list

Goaltending news in Hershey

McNeill back for 2011-12

Relocation of Manitoba Moose

Calder Cup remains in East Division

Bears/Caps making roster moves...Sens one win from Calder Cup

Sens/Aeros final ; New Layout...what do you think?

Zach Miskovic back for 2011-12

B-Sens have commanding lead; Caps prospects having success

Should they fire Bruce Boudreau?

Thoughts on the NHL, AHL, and tv coverage

Update to the free agent lists