“He’s paid his dues,” said Texas Stars GM Scott White. “I like the energy and passion that he brings. He’s a smart hockey guy and he is really deserving of this opportunity.”
“I kind of like to be up-tempo. I like when the game opens up they can be creative,” Pyle said. “When they have the chance to do the little things well and you can be offensive, I want them to go. When they can’t, I want them to make smart decisions and be as proud to stop a goal as they are to score one. If we do the little things well and our specialty teams are good, then I think we’ll be fine.”
“I just want them to be hard working; I want them to be committed to each other. That’s really all it is,” Pyle said. “If they’re committed to the game and work hard then they’ll be fine.”
“Accountability is a big thing for Coach Pyle. Jeff is a family guy, a personable guy. He’ll get to know his players, he’ll know what buttons to push. I think our players like that,” said White. “They’ve been treated well here for a couple years on and off the ice by our coaching staff, which is now in Dallas. I expect the same to occur this season.”
“Of all the stuff he makes you accountable for, one thing was winning. When I was there we won eight of our ten games and it was great to be a part of,” Garbutt said. “He instilled success in his players and that made him fun to play for.”
Forwards
Fraser, Matt
Garbutt, Ryan
Gazdic, Luke
Glennie, Scott
Godard, Eric
King, Tristan
Morin, Travis
Neal, Michael
Roman, Ondrej
Sceviour, Colton
Tousignant, Mathieu
Vincour, Tomas
Wathier, Francis
Defensemen
Benn, Jordie
Coyle, Jace
Dillon, Brenden
Fortunus, Maxime
Labrie, Hubert
Larsen, Philip
Lukowich, Brad
Spang, Dan
Goalies
Bachman, Richard
Beskorowany, Tyler
Based on his participation in the development camp, I imagine Stephen Schultz is in the mix for an AHL contract.
According to 100 Degree Hockey, the Texas Stars play 34 games next season against Houston, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City.
Based on what I saw earlier, I think they play Houston and San Antonio 12 times each. That makes for some nice, easy travel. They'll play 38 home games and 12 about an hour out of Austin. Another 5 are a pretty easy bus trip or very short flight to OKC. That accounts for 55 of 76 games ... not bad.
Phoenix had an event in Portland for their new affiliate and it was mentioned that Truitt had moved on to the Dallas organization.
He has coached and been on the management side in junior so he might take on a role other than behind the bench (something in hockey ops or maybe scouting).
I would imagine we will know in the next few days.
Some of Dallas' front office management members have been slowly taking jobs with other organizations ... and even sports .... and they have not been replaced. Most of the media seem to believe they won't be replaced until Dallas has an owner.
If the guy is headed this direction, considering Dallas' coaching staff is full, it's likely he'll be Pyle's assistant coach.
The Pirates are in the market for a new assistant coach as Jeff Truitt is staying in the lonestar state after signing with the Dallas Stars. Truitt will be an assistant coach with the Stars AHL affiliate in Cedar Park, a suburb just north of Austin. Maloney indicated that they have several candidates under consideration including former assistant Eric Weinrich, who is still under contract with the Buffalo Sabres.
Good for Ray, was wondering where he'd land. My wife will be thrilled to hear it (family friends). He had some flames to put out at his wedding this summer--literally.
Am I crazy to be shocked that the Dallas Stars are paying Jordie Benn $80K next season. He signed for a $55K salary, but I just noticed he also got a $25K signing bonus according to Cap Geek.
Wow .... Ryan Garbutt is making $140K. He got a $75K salary with a $65K signing bonus.
With that kind of commitment, I think it's reasonable to expect they think he'll have a fairly significant role in Texas .... at least Top 9 unless he just totally blows it.
did you post a report on Garbutt? I don't know anything about him.
Jordie actually earned that money (minus the signing bonus...WTF) He made vast improvements as the season went along.
I did that for draft picks, but I could look around for something on him.
Regarding Benn, the salary isn't the issue. It's actually normal. I'm talking about the total cash he'll earn (salary + signing bonus). That's pretty high for a guy like Benn.
“I’m very excited about that, especially signing with a team like Dallas,” Garbutt said from his home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. “Obviously, it’s what I’ve been striving for my whole life, and I want to take advantage of the opportunity I’ve been given.”
“It’s definitely exciting, but I know have a lot of work ahead of me. It’s definitely a step in the right direction. It doesn’t necessarily mean I’m going to play in the NHL next year. I’m going to have to work my way up there.”
Quote:
“(Garbutt) fell through the cracks; it happens. He (persevered) and never gave up. He worked hard and got noticed. That’s a great story. People should take a look at that and be inspired.”
Quote:
But Garbutt said he was unsure of Winnipeg’s interest in keeping him, and Dallas stood out from a handful of teams that pursued him.
“Dallas just seemed to be the place I wanted to go and the place that would be a good fit for me,” Garbutt said. “I loved the experience playing in Corpus, so it made me want to go back to (Texas).”
I actually found some quotes from Texas' new head coach Pyle talking about Garbutt playing for him in the ECHL.
Quote:
“I just liked Ryan right from the get-go,” Pyle said. “He’s a good kid. He’s a great skater. I want to help him get out of this league. He can score, he’s tough and he’s a headsy player.”
Pyle isn’t so concerned with Garbutt fighting all the time, but just being tough to play against — something Pyle feels the team lacked last season.
“He competes all the time,” Pyle said. “This game is played with passion. You have to do what it takes to get the room you need to do what you need to do.
Garbutt could be considered the hardest working player on
the ice for the Wolves this year. He does a little bit of everything when he takes his shifts and isn't afraid to stand in front of the net. His plus/minus of 27 is an outstanding stat is one of the top leaders in the AHL in that category. Even though he doesn't have the eye opening stats in goals or assists, he continues to put a 110 percent effort every night.
Maybe I'm way off base here, but what is the thinking behind signing a guy like that to an NHL contract and burning one of your 50 slots? Shouldn't that be the province of an AHL contract? Sort of like the Cody Chupp signing last summer by Cedar Park. Was there that much competition for him?
Maybe I'm way off base here, but what is the thinking behind signing a guy like that to an NHL contract and burning one of your 50 slots? Shouldn't that be the province of an AHL contract? Sort of like the Cody Chupp signing last summer by Cedar Park. Was there that much competition for him?
Doesnt make sense to me either. I guess they arent worried about hitting the limit. Spang I dont think was so important to Texas that Dallas needed to sign him either.
