Matej Stransky or Alex Theriau will also be available by the end of March to go to Idaho. Those two will face each other in the WHL playoffs.
That seems incredibly unlikely to me. When has a player who will be returning to juniors next season as a 19 year old been sent to the ECHL at the end of his 18 year old season?
That seems incredibly unlikely to me. When has a player who will be returning to juniors next season as a 19 year old been sent to the ECHL at the end of his 18 year old season?
It's actually pretty common for CHL players to sign PTO's even if they are returning to the CHL the next season. No I can't think of an example of this happening specifically with the CHL to the ECHL, but there isn't a rule from stopping a player from playing in the ECHL on a PTO.
Matt Fraser wasn't even drafted and he signed a PTO with Peoria (AHL) when his team went out in the 1st round of the WHL playoffs in 09-10 before returning to the WHL the next season (and ultimately signing with Dallas).
Players aren't restricted to only signing PTO's in the AHL, and IMO it just makes more sense to get the players more games in the ECHL.
I get that the major drawback is the competition, but Idaho is at least going to the playoffs and the player is more likely to get key minutes (an argument we make all the time about why a player should spend more time in the AHL vs. the NHL).
It's honestly not that big of a deal, and I'd be far from disappointed if they signed PTOs in Texas. IMO though, it just seems like playoffs in the ECHL would be better development than the last place team in the AHL.
You know how Benn played the AHL playoffs despite not actually spending any time in the AHL regular season .... I don't know if there's a rule preventing this but I'd be just as happy to see Glennie, Fraser, and Dillon spend some time in the playoffs in the ECHL.
I'm not too familiar with the other ECHL team rosters, but I imagine that much talent added to Idaho would make them serious contenders for a Kelly Cup run. It just seems that would be a good experience to me.
More so than Raycroft and Beskorowany's numbers, this is an even better indication that something just isn't right in Austin this season:
Richard Bachman: 15GP-844MIN-44GA-3.13GAA-0.887SV%
His record was 7-6-1
I don't think the coach's future with the team is too strong.
The only key forwards they lost were Greg Rallo (78GP-26G-28A-54PTS) and Aaron Gagnon (58GP-14G-23A-37PTS). The only key defender they lost was Philip Larsen (54GP-4G-17-A-21PTS). Even though they did lose Bachman mid-season (and it's apparent he's a better goalie than Raycroft), Razor as an AHL goalie is not really much of a drop off in ability.
Then consider Texas has added:
Matt Fraser (60GP-30G-17A-47PTS)
Scott Glennie (59GP-12G-22A-34PTS)
Brenden Dillon (63GP-5G-20A-25PTS)
You even have a significant members of the team that went all the way to the Finals their first season: Travis Morin, Francis Wathier, Colton Sceviour, Maxime Fortunus, Ray Sawada, Brad Lukowich (partial season/no playoffs), Matheiu Tousigant, and Luke Gazdic.
I've only actually been able to watch one game on TV this season compared to quite a few games in the first 2 years thanks to free internet feeds. However, I just don't see how major players in the first 2 seasons go from one of the better teams in the league to the absolute worst. Either Gulutzen was an all-world coach that willed a team to compete or Pyle just isn't cutting it.
With how important next years development will be for 2nd year pros Glennie, Fraser, and Dillon plus the new class of Oleksiak, Campbell, Austin Smith, and potentially Chiasson and Reilly Smith .... you'd think a move would have to be made.
Campbell did not play in yesterday's SSM season finale, but I imagine the travel from Canada to Austin, Texas, will keep him out of Texas' game against Abbotsford tonight.
Scott White has been with Dallas since the Iowa days, and GMJN and Les Jackson both played a role in hiring Pyle. I know White said in an interview that Dallas was in on the interviews for head coaches.
I doubt this mistake costs White a job considering his record with the organization and the fact this (what appears to be massive) mistake in hiring the head coach was an organizational decision and not all on White.
Yeah, you can't compartmentalize this. If you want to blame Pyle for the way this season has gone you've got to blame Nieuwendyk and Jackson as well.
Subtracting Larsen from that team is a big deal. You take a team's best prospect (IMO) away from the affiliate and the affiliate is probably going to struggle. And then the #1 goalie too.
Subtracting Larsen from that team is a big deal. You take a team's best prospect (IMO) away from the affiliate and the affiliate is probably going to struggle. And then the #1 goalie too.
See I don't agree with this part. Dillon has filled in nicely for Larsen. No they aren't the same player, but when you consider Jordie Benn's game has also taken a major step forward ... the coach was not left with a major hole on defense.
Then yes technically they took the #1 goalie, but Raycroft's stats aren't better or worse than Bachman's at the AHL level. This season particularly, all the goalies have very poor stats (including Bachman as I showed yesterday).
So, the defense was not destroyed by losing Larsen and the goalies are pretty much the same, but the results are significantly worse. Either every player on the team significantly took a step back in development or something else was wrong in Austin.
Yea i was thinking the same thing, Raycroft is better than that. I think the team has just quit , and leave the goalies out to dry.
I have been to the CP to watch the Rampage play the Stars. If I was Raycroft, part of my lack of motivation would be from Star's fans booing their own goalie and telling him he sucked (yes that happens!) I don't care how professional you are, if you are getting heckled from your own fans.... I would suck too. Stars fans don't deny it. Just read their FB page.
