The remainder of December will see the Cyclones play 9 games, all against North Division opponents; facing Chicago twice, Toledo 3 times and Kalamazoo 4 times. Given the current record against the North Division it’s a scary stretch for the squad. The Cyclones have played well, often carrying the tempo of the game, but it hasn’t translated to wins and while the ‘Clones might be a better team than say Toledo, Chicago and perhaps even Kalamazoo, those teams hold a key advantage over the Cyclones right now. They believe they are going to win when the puck drops. The next 9 games gives the Boys a chance to turn that around and climb up the standings. In our eyes anything less than 6-3 over the next nine games has to be considered a disappointment. It’s time to put the all the excuses about being a young team and roster moves in the past and put 60 minute efforts together.

While the next 9 games aren’t going to put the Cyclones in the playoffs,  but they could make it very hard for the ‘Clones to battle for playoff position down the stretch.

***

Defensive question marks…

The Cyclones have been doing a great job of keeping Their opponents shot totals down. However, as we’ve had a chance to watch more games we’ve come to the conclusion that is has less to do with the D-zone play as it does Their offensive zone game and forecheck. The Boys are doing an excellent job of keeping the puck deep in the opposition’s end of the ice and even when not in possession of the puck the forecheck has been clogging the neutral zone and creating turnovers to get the Boys back on the puck. It’s when the opposition gets offensive zone possession that things get scary; the Cyclones have a hard time regaining puck control and breaking out. Whenever the opposition makes their way into the Cyclones’ zone it usually ends up as a quality scoring chance.

Turning on the offense…

The offense has starting coming together but there are still some things we don’t like. The transition play is great, at least from the neutral zone forward, and the offensive zone sets are starting to mix the point shots  through traffic with working the puck from the corners to the front of the net but everything comes off the left side. If we had a $5 bill for every shot taken from the left faceoff circle we’d be very close to retiring. We’ve always like the “overload” system but the Cyclones but at some point the puck needs to get reversed. Reversing the puck from one side to the other makes the goalie move and oftentimes causes an offensive player to get lost by the defensive coverage.

Specialty slump…

Since out last post the special teams have slipped a bit. Both power play and penalty kill units are ranked middle of the pack. The power play has dropped to 19% and the penalty kill has dipped to 81%. Those are respectable but they aren’t going to win you a lot of games. In out last post we brought back Chuck Weber’s special teams formula and since that post the total has dropped to an even 100%, which as described last post, probably isn’t going to win very many games but probably shouldn’t lose too many either.

Koger gets his shot…

The Cyclones resident Hungarian got a call to the AHL where he’ll join the St. John’s Ice Caps. Daniel was a player we had earmarked as a game changer early on. It was just a matter of him getting used to the smaller North American rinks. He got off to a slow start but over the last few weeks he gave Cyclones’ fans a look at what he has to offer. He’s got good size and has proven he can play the more physical North American game. So far he’s logged one game with the Ice Caps with no points to show for it, but if he can play with similar form to what he had the last few games with the ‘Clones there’s no reason to think he won’t be there awhile.

Have we seen this before…

In 2007-2008 the Cyclones had a wee fellow by the name of David Desharnais. The year the Cyclones find themselves with a player of similar stature, Anthony Luciani. We’re not going to say that Anthony is the 2nd coming of the Wee Wonder, but we see some similarities in their games. Anthony has some solid puck skills, as we saw illustrated by his backhand, top shelf game winner the other night against Greenville. The question is if Anthony can develop the body control and vision to excel the way David did.

Calling in the Cavalry…

Over the past few weeks the Cyclones have had to deal with a very thing roster. We’ve seen Mike Liambas play defense, and perform well we might add, and well as numerous FNGs from the SPHL and FHL. While not being game breakers, Jeremy Klaver, Tyler Fletcher, Justin Barr, Berkley Scott and Kevin Swider performed suitably in their call ups. As the Cyclones head into this rough North Division stretch reinforcements from San Antonio in the form of Joe Devin, Garrett Wilson and, for the first time this season, Angelo Esposito. The three should provide some extra offensive punch over a stretch of games when goal scoring will be needed.

And then there were two…

After an what seemed like an eternity of waiting the Cyclones finally have 2 affiliated net minders which can be utilized. Chet Pickard has played well to start the season and there’s no reason to think that won’t continue but let’s face it, he was going to need some rest at some point. Enter Brian Foster. The fans pick as 2010-2011 MVP made his was to Cincinnati from San Antonio and got his first start last Saturday against Dean Stork’s Road Warriors. We’ll be honest, perhaps it was the travel, but Foster didn’t look sharp in the 6-5 victory. We’ll be keeping an eye on how Skalde utilizes the two net minders.

]]> http://cycwords.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/the-gauntlet/feed/ 0 Mike http://cycwords.wordpress.com/2011/11/11/i-cant-get-no-satisfaction/ http://cycwords.wordpress.com/2011/11/11/i-cant-get-no-satisfaction/#comments Fri, 11 Nov 2011 19:02:21 +0000 Mike http://cycwords.wordpress.com/?p=810 ]]> The Season has been rolling along for about a month so we decided it’s about time for us to check in. When haven’t had to much to say to this point, mostly because the Team has only played 6 games and 5 of them were on the road. We attempted to watch several games via America One and actually got a decent feed for the Cyclones lone win from Trenton. We, of course, were also present for the home opener this past weekend. So as we roll into the 2nd month of the Season here’s our take on the 2011-2012 Cyclones so far.

***

For the record…

…the Cyclones currently stand at 1-3-0-2 which gives them 6pts and puts them in 3 place in the North Division and 11th in the Eastern Conference. Since Their return in 2006 the Cyclones have never come out of the gate at full rotation but winning just 1 of 6 down right pathetic. We knew the the start of the Season was going to be tough but we still figured the this years Squad was capable of coming home to US Bank Arena with 2 or 3 wins under Their belts.

They’re offensive…

…or at least They should be. Through the 1st 6 games of the season the Cyclones have had no less than 11 forwards with AHL ties suit up and log ice time, yet the Team has lit the lamp just 16 times, the fewest in the League. Factor in that 8 of those goals came on the power play and that “goals for” total gets a little scarier. Sure, They’re averaging 2.66 goals per game, but with just 6 games play that number gets a little inflated by the 5 They put up in a losing effort against Kalamazoo. Yes, we’re quite aware that we like to preach defense 1st here at CycWords but with multiple AHL forwards in the lineup each night, anything less than a 3+ goals per game average can be considered anemic; even the 2010 Championship team, which was far from offense oriented, was able to average 3.26 goals per game.

If you can’t score a bunch of goals…

…you better keep the other team from scoring a bunch of goals. The Cyclones have conceded 19 goals in Their 6 games which is the 3rd fewest in the League. However, as an average it works out to 3.16 per game. This includes the 6-5 loss to Kalamazoo as well, but even if we throw out that game the averages are still a goal apart at 2.2 for and 3.2 against. In 4 starts Chet Pickard has played well as has Tyler Plante. Both have save percentages in the 90′s which should win games if the 5 players in front of them do their jobs. Overall, that’s not happening and this Team is nothing but average in Their own zone.

They are special…

…but not special enough. The Cyclones’ special team units are one bright spot to build on. The power play is converting at a 21.6% clip and the penalty kill stifles the opposition 84.6% of the time. The Cyclones have only racked up 104 penalty minutes to this point in the season which is the fewest in the League. A prodigal Cyclones head coach always aimed for a combined special teams percentage of 110 or higher. The thought being a total of 105 to 110 would keep you in games; 110 or higher and special teams could win you some games. The combined total for the Cyclones right now is 106.2% which is good and IS keeping them in games, but given the 5-on-5 mediocrity at both ends of the ice, it’s not enough. Even in Their 1 win the Team forced Chet Pickard to play a near perfect game for the whole 60 minutes despite 6 power play chances. Had the Cyclones converted even just one of those chances, that game gets a little easier.

***

When you put it all together you get a team that is better than it’s record indicates but there are still questions that have to be answered. The Cyclones have had an ever changing roster so far this Season and while that might be responsible for a break down here and there, it’s not the reason the Cyclones stand at 1-3-0-2. In the ECHL rosters are a tumultuous thing and that’s where the coaching staff comes in. It’s the coaching staff’s responsibility to keep the revolving door of players on the same page from game to game and that starts with the team having a clear cut identity.

It’s not enough to say “we’re a hard working team.” You have to work hard at something. In the Chuck Weber era the identity was defense. Players coming to Cincinnati new this was a defense first team. If they didn’t play solid defensively they were going to find there ice time dwindle or perhaps even find themselves watching from the stands regardless of their offense prowess. Even the offensive power house team of 2007-2008 put defense first and had the 2nd lowest goals against total in the League. We aren’t saying the Team has to be a hardworking defensive minded team (although we wouldn’t mind it), but we are saying that They need to be SOMETHING and right now we aren’t seeing it. If they become known as the hardest forechecking team in the League, fine. If they commit to sending everyone forward offensively to win games in a scorefest, fine. Whatever it is is fine, but everyone needs to buy in and They can be half ass about it. Until the coaching staff can instill a cohesive identity as to how the Cincinnati Cyclones play the game they will continue to struggle.

On the bright side, the Season is still young, the Cyclones have only played 6 games. However, it’s never too soon to climb out of a hole. And while it’s true that Championships are won in the spring not the fall, the holes that get dug in the fall can turn into graves come springtime.

-Mike-

The new additions, Chet Pickard, Anthony Luciani and Keith Seabrook, bring the roster up to the maximum possible of 23; goaltender Bryan Hince was released to make room for the new additions. The ECHL allows teams to carry 20 players on the active roster and use of the IR makes room for 3 additional places (multiple players can be but on 21 day IR but it’s uncommon unless the players are actually injured). Opening night will see one more player added to the 3 day IR with Evan Trupp and Matt Pierce already on the 21 day and 7 day IR respectively. It should be noted that Nathan Moon is still on Worcester’s (AHL) roster, should be be returned to the Cyclones at some point another player will have to be cut assuming the cupboards are full as they are now.

Personally, we happy to see roster maxed out. Chuck Weber utilized the IR very well during his time here, to keep players fresh and to keep the a healthy bit of competition for ice time between the players. The ECHL regular season is shorter than the NHL and AHL seasons, but at 72 games spanning about 6 months it’s still a grind. A maxed roster allows guys to get rotated to recharge and recover from the various dings that they may otherwise have to play through if a healthier player wasn’t available. Also, players tend to be less likely to take shifts off if there a few players in the stands hungry for ice time.

The roster is a little heavy on defensemen to start the season (12 forwards and 9 defensemen) which isn’t a bad thing. If push comes to shove it’s  typically easier to move a D-man up front than it is to ask a forward to move back to the blue line.

***

There’s an elephant in the room so let’s talk about it. Chet Pickard will make up half of the goalie tandem along with Danny Taylor to start the season. Chet’s performance last season was quite the ride, in fact it could probably be the theme for a new roller coaster somewhere. Despite being remembered by most fans for the lows and inconsistent play there were also games of brilliance. The question this season this season will be whether Chet can keep his game elevated to a high level consistently. The reports out of Nashville’s training camp is that Chet worked incredibly hard this summer, is in great shape and has a new outlook. It will be interesting to see if that changes now that he’s been assigned to the Cyclones. We’re hoping to see the Chet play with a bit of swagger this season and show us why he doesn’t belong in the ECHL.

The goaltending situation on the Florida/San Antonio side of things is still up in the air. Two of their net minders (Clemmensen and Plante) are on the shelf. The Rampage are giving Manny Legace a look and Brian Foster is playing quite well. Our guess is the Cyclones probably won’t see a goalie from that side of things for some time. When or if they send someone our way it will be interesting to see what Skalde decides to do with Danny Taylor.

***

The two other new additions should be great additions. Keith Seabrook should be a solid addition to the blue line. The 2nd round pick of the Washington Capitals has never been a plus player as a professional but he’s also never been assigned to AA hockey before. A player who was a 2nd round pick and has never played below the AHL should be able to step in and make an impact. His addition will make Skalde’s decision for the defensive starting 6 a bit more challenging.

Anthony Luciani will be playing his 1st full year as a professional. He was an offensive force to be reckoned with as a Junior in the OHL. His final season he put up 78 points and was an impressive +26. In a short post stint last season with Rochester he posted 2 goals and 1 assist in 3 games played for Chuck Weber’s Americans. Those aren’t quite David Desharnais numbers but he should provide some extra offensive punch to a roster that already has a lot of offensive potential.

***

The 1st test for Sklade’s new Cyclones will be a tough one as the head to Kalamazoo to open the season. The Wings return many of the same players that took them to the Kelly Cup final this past spring. We won’t bet the season on the result of one game, but it should give a good idea if this Squad can live up to it’s potential.

***

As this was about to be posted the Cyclones announced the addition of Dan Eves to the 7 day IR and Chris Reed to the 3 day IR. Matt Pierce was transferred from the 7 day to the 21 day IR. That places 4 players on IR which brings the Cyclones active roster down to 19 heading into the weekend.

-Mike-

Forwards (14):

Mathieu Aubin, Matt McIlvane, Garrett Wilson, Daniel Koger, Neil Trimm, Dan Eves, Josh Boyd, Vinny Scarsella, Mike Liambus, Bendan Hull, Shea Carey, Joe Devin, Erik Boisvert, Justin Vaive.

Defense (7):

Ryan Annesley, Ryan Blair, Maury Edwards, David Leaderer, Brian O’Hanley, Chris Reed, Garrett Suter

Goalies (2):

Mike Battaglia, Bryan Hince

The League allows an active roster of 20, however, with use of the IR teams can carry 22 or 23. In the ECHL, rosters are ever changing so the more the merrier and former head coach Chuck Weber was a master of rotating people on an off of IR. Using the 3 and 7 day IR 22 is a manageable roster number. Should someone become more seriously injured in the preseason the team could carry 23 using the long term IR.

Assuming there aren’t any additional additions (which might not be a reasonable assumption) I would expect 1 or 2 of the listed players to be cut.

There are some questions about who will be patrolling the crease for the ‘Clones this season. All indications are that either Chet Pickard or Atte Engren will be assigned by Nashville. On the  Florida/San Antonio side things are a little dicey. The Panthers have lost Scott Clemmensen for a few months so it’s not a question of who, but if the Cyclones will receive someone to start the season. Hince and Battaglia have performed well for training camp goalies, but I’d be surprised if both are still here once the season starts.

My other impressions from training camp, which the rest of you can see 1st hand on Saturday, is the size. There is no question Skalde brought in a group of big, physical guys. On Tuesday and Wednesday Skalde put together a line of Aubin (6’3″ 204lbs) – Matt McIlvane (6′ 207) – Garrett Wilson (6’3″ 206), that’s big, heavy top line. He followed that line up with Koger (6’2″ 195) – Neil Trimm (6’2″ 200) – Dan Eves (6’1″ 210). Also in the mix if former Miami forward Justin Vaive, who tips the scales at 6’6″ 225 and defenseman Ryan Blair at 6’4″ 210. There is no question this is the biggest Cyclones squad in we’ve seen in years. The Koger/Trimm/Eves line really stood out.

In addition to being big, it’s a strong skating squad. The quickness and tempo of practice was impressive.

There are still some a few issues I have with some of Skalde’s systems, long diagonal passes from the defense to a forward through the neutral zone for example, but there were some things that which looked promising. There is only so much one can tell from watching things play out without defensive pressure.

The only downside I can see with this potential line up is that some of these guys might not be around long. Several guys on the roster are on multi-way deals from the affiliates and several others spent time in AHL camps. If they start the season strong they might not stick around in Cincinnati very long as injuries mount up the food chain. Brian O’Hanley and Daniel Koger are already on Chuck Weber’s radar after having strong showing in San Antonio’s training camp.

Unfortunately there won’t be any audio or video for the 2 preseason games on the road against Wheeling so our first real look at the 2011-2012 Cyclones will come on Saturday. If anything jumps out from the scoresheet, I’ll be sure to pass it along.

-Mike-

Ehgo gate…

There was no official word from the Cyclones but on August 11th, Ehgoetz, the player considered by most to be the Cyclones franchise player, announced via his Facebook page and Twitter (@BarretEhgoetz) that he had learned the Cyclones would not be inviting him back. There’s a lot of speculation floating around the internet as to why. Was Barret becoming too expensive? Did Barret not want to be a part of the style of hockey Skalde wants to play? Did Skalde feel that Barret wouldn’t be a good fit for the system? Was Skalde looking to further separate himself from the legacy of Chuck Weber? We’re not even going to attempt to answer that question but we will say that if we were hockey coaches we would do what we could to keep a player like Barret on our team. Ehgoetz might be a year older but he’s a smart, right place, right time kind of player. He’s defensively minded but still capable of 50 or so points. He’s proven his durability and heart over the seasons for the squad. What’s not to like about a player like Barret Ehgoetz? Thanks for all the memories Barret and all the best in your future endeavors.

***

Egho Gate aside, this summer also marked a change in the PR department. In past years, we’d have to wait until mid August to hear about any player signings. This year Nick Brunker appeased many fans by bringing the Cyclones faithful regular updates on the new players that would be dawning a Cyclones sweater this fall. So without any further delay here’s how the roster is currently shaping up:

Neil Trimm (F) – Trimm has spent his pro career in the CHL. His numbers are solid offensively which is something the Squad was sorely lacking last season. There’s never been any question that we like defensively minded hockey here at CycWords and the question we have about Trimm is his defense. His first 2 years as a pro he put up 74pts but was -23. However, last season he put up 80pts and went +24 so perhaps he’s become more of a 2-way player. The ECHL is a much more visible league when it comes to AHL call ups and at 6’2″ 200lbs there’s a chance Trimm may not stick around in Cyclones sweater if he replicates his numbers from last season.

Mathieu Aubin (F) -  We know what Mathieu is capable of and there is no doubt he can excel under Skalde’s offensively oriented system. He’s got good size and uses it well. Mathieu’s skating has always left a bit to be desired but showed improvement last season. If he worked hard over the off season and shows the same improvement there’s no reason he can’t have the kind of break out season that puts him back on the AHL’s radar. That is if he can stay out of the penalty box. Mathieu loves to run his mouth and while it’s entertaining to watch as a fan it does occasionally land him in the box.

Mike Liambas (F) – The ‘Bus’ is back. Last seasons controversial late addition will be back again this season. Despite the fan reaction, the word is he’s well liked in the locker room. Mike has quite a reputation and that probably gets him in trouble but we were impressed with his hockey sense. He wasn’t a complete liability on the ice, he found soft spots in coverage offensively and always back checked defensively. The question for the ‘Bus’ will be if he can shake his reputation. The other issue is, while he checks harder than just about anyone we’ve seen, he isn’t a true fighter. His role is more of an agitator and as such really needs a true fighter on the bench behind him (think Morehouse/Benson in 2009-2010). to be really effective.

Ryan Blair (D) – Blair will join the Cyclones after spending 4 years at UMASS Lowell. Blair was a plus player for his first 3 years for the Riverhawks before posting a -16 in his senior year. In his defense, looking at the rest of the teams numbers weren’t stellar either. It’s always hard to get what you’re going to get with rookies, some get it quickly and some take some time to come around.

Daniel Koger (F) – When training camp gets underway it will have a European flair for the 2nd year in a row. Last season, it was Russian Ruben Begunts  adding the flair, this year it will be Hungarian Daniel Koger. Koger spent last season in the CHL after spending 2 years playing in Austria. Koger put up 52pts last season, his 1st in North America. His production was fairly balanced (29g-23a) which is nice to see. The question with many European players is how well they can adapt to the North American game. Daniel has the size and skill to find success in the ECHL, perhaps even the AHL, time will tell how he adjusts to the additional physicality of the North American game. If you want to get an early look at Koger’s game you can check out his promotional video here. The sound track isn’t child friendly so turn the volume down if there are kids in the room (You have been warned).

Nathan Moon (F) -We aren’t even sure where to start on this guy. A quick Google search for “Nathan Moon Hockey” yields enough information to keep minor league hockey bloggers like us busy for days. The short story on the 2008  4th round pick of the Penguins is his positive offensive ability which consists of finishing ability and a quick first step. Apparently his overall skating ability hasn’t progressed much since being drafted and he lacks quick decision making during transition play like “give and go’s”. Statistically, Nathan put up some good offensive numbers during his OHL career (332 regular season points) but was -48. His numbers are almost Thomas Beauregard like, except despite his lack of defensive effort Beauregard was able to maintain a positive +/- in Juniors. Dig a little deeper into that Google search and you’ll find his Hockeyfights.com fight card. Based on it and the associated videos it seems like Moon plays a little on the chippy side. If Moon proves to be a solid 2-way player he’ll be a great addition, if not, Skalde better have something up his sleeve to generate offense while on the penalty kill.

Ryan Annesley (D) – Don’t be confused by hockeydb.com, the Cyclones haven’t signed a 29 year old left winger. The Cyclones instead signed another rookie defenseman. Annesley spent 5 years at Niagra University (Ryan only played 7 games during the 09-10 season) where he put decent points as far as defenseman go. The concern for us lies in his final year for the Purple Eagles was his best production wise but also saw his lowest +/- at -9. Skalde bills him as “a very good skater who I see playing on our power play and in offensive situations. I know he’s looking forward to making the next step in his career and I’m excited to have a guy who can make that first pass, join the rush, and be responsible defensively.” Well, isn’t the world just perfect? Time will tell is he can actually pull that off at the professional level.

Matt McIlvane (F) – McIlvane, a former Ohio State Buckeye captain, has had a tumultuous pro career. He’s spent time in Europe, played a few games in the AHL but has spent most of his pro career in the IHL/CHL, or whatever they’re calling it these days. He also missed out on much of last season due to injury. In an older write up the team over at Hockeyfutures.com consider Matt to be a power forward type of player with suitable finishing ability. He plays a physical game but needs to work on his passing and on ice vision. He could be a solid net front presence that the Cyclones have lacked in recent season. The question will be how well he has rehabbed from an injury which ended his 2010-2011 season very early which he took some time to discuss with Nick Brunker recently.

Mathieu Curadeau (F) – Curadeau is a name Cyclones fans might remember from the 2009-2010 season which he spent with Kalamazoo. Mathieu possesses an AHL upside picking up a game here and there but has spent most of his career in IHL/CHL, with the exception of 09-10 season. That season with Kalamazoo was arguably his best putting up 47pts and ending the season +20. He had some good seasons early in his career for the Fort Wayne Komets but that was back when the Komets basically ran the league so the question has to be asked, “Is he really that good, or is he a product of team he played for?” Last season he returned to the Komets, which were no longer in control of the league and registered just 33 points and was -24. We aren’t really sure what to expect from Mathieu. He’s been billed as a skilled forward everywhere he’s played and that’s what we’ve come to expect from a French Canadian who came up through the QMJHL.

Matt Pierce (F) – Pierce will make his return to the Cyclones after an injury shortened his 10-11 campaign. Matt is the type of player which should excel under Coach Skalde. He’s got good size, plays a physical game and has plenty of finishing skill. If he regains the form he had in his rookie season, he’ll probably get more than one look at the AHL.

Dan Eves (F) – Eves, a mid season addition last year, returns this season. Eves is a well rounded player who is capable of averaging just shy of a point per game. He skates well and plays a solid physical game. He played just 17 regular season games for the Cyclones last season, but we’re interested in seeing what Dan can do over a full season with Coach Skalde.

***

The Cyclones have traded the rights to late season addition and stand out Cory Conacher to Florida for the rights to Brad Snetsinger. Honestly, this isn’t a big deal. While Snetsinger has apparently, signed in Italy (he could return when that season is over), Conacher signed a one-way AHL deal with the Norfolk Admirals. The odds that Conacher laces them in the ECHL are slim at best.

***

According to Eliteprospects.com Brock Sheahan has signed with SC Riessersee of the German Second League. Since he received a qualifying offer the Cyclones will retain Bock’s ECHL player rights for the 2011-2012 season. Best of luck Brock in Germany Brock.

***

There still isn’t any news on the other players the Cyclones qualified. That doesn’t mean that Garrett Suter, Kevin Roeder, and Eric Kattelus haven’t been signed, just that it hasn’t been announced. However, if they haven’t signed, as of August 1st they were all free agents.

-Mike-

***

We won’t spend too much time rehashing the end of the 2010-2011 season. Let’s just say it didn’t end the way we had hoped but when it was all said and done, it ended the way we expected. Sure, we were hoping the Boys would find their groove, ride the play of goaltender Brian Foster and put together a playoff run, but given they way the whole season played out, expecting the Team to recapture the magic of 2010 was too much to ask. The quick 1st round playoff exit was disappointing, especially after the scoring 9 goals on road to earn a split in the 1st 2 games only to see the offense go back on life support and tally just 1 goal the rest of the series. The Cyclones did manage to avoid the dubious honor of becoming the 1st team in Kelly Cup history to not qualify for the playoffs the year after hoisting the cup.

***

Heading into the off season the front office had several questions to answer. The 1st regarded the future of the coaching staff. This one has clearly been answered with the announcement that former NHL veteran Andrew Cassels has replaced Scott Fankhouser as assistant coach. Our knee jerk reaction to this move was that it could indicate a short leash for Coach Skalde. After thinking about it for a bit we don’t think this is the case. Cassels, while having quite a resume as a player, does not have much experience as a coach. This isn’t a bad thing necessarily; we can recall a 1st year head coach who combined with a 1st year assistant coach here in Cincinnati who were pretty successful. As a former play it will come down to how well he can communicate the game.

The 2nd question deals with the affiliates. While no official word has been released, the front office is still using ” proud affiliate of the NHL’s Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators” in their press releases so we’re guessing there will be no change from last year. In addition, in a brief conversation with Coach Skalde at the recent Concrete Clones event, he mentioned he would be attending Florida and Nashville’s develop camps. The status quo had us a little worried but then July 1st happened. While Nashville didn’t do much, Florida’s front office was very active during the start of the NHL’s free agent season. It should lead to trickle down effect for the Cyclones. On a related note, the Florida Panthers have reached an agreement to be the parent club of the San Antonio Rampage after parting ways with Rochester; former Cyclones’ skipper Chuck Weber will head to warmer climates to lead the Rampage in their 2011-2012 campaign. As the rosters shake out up the food chain we’ll try to keep an eye on who may be making their way to Cincinnati.

***

On the player front the Cyclones broke away from the norm in announcing the signing of forward Neil Trimm. Coach Skalde is pretty high on the Trimm as he enters his 1st season in the ECHL. Billed as a skilled forward Trimm had a break out year last season putting up 80pts (22g-58a) in 60 games but looking at his previous seasons we’re not ready to label him as a game changing player. In his 1st 2 seasons playing in the CHL Trimm did put up 74pts but he was also -33 in 103 games which raises some questions about his 2-way game.  Last year he put up a solid +24 to go along with those 80 points so perhaps he’s added some defensive responsibility to his game.

***

In other player news, the League released the Qualified lists on Friday. The League allows each team to extend “qualifying” offers to 8 players from their protected lists, those players have until August 1st to accept the offer. If the player doesn’t accept the offer he essentially becomes a free agent. There are different rules applying to veterans so veterans are rarely qualified. You can read all the details in the posted link. The Cyclones qualifed Cory Conacher, Matt Pierce, Dan Eves, Brock Sheahan, Kevin Roeder, Eric Kattelus, Garrett Suter and Brian O’Hanley. The other advantage of qualifying players is that the qualifying team retains the players rights for 1 season if they aren’t playing in the ECHL. For example, if Cory Conacher signs and AHL deal with Rochester (which is no longer affiliated with the Cyclones) the Cyclones would still own his ECHL player rights so if Rochester choose to reassign him to the ECHL, they would have to assign him to Cincinnati or compensate the Cyclones if they wanted to assign him to their own affiliate. This was what happened after the 2008 season when JM Daoust was signed by WB/Scranton. Chuck had a strong feeling JM would be signed after the season so he qualified him to eliminate the chance that he would potentially get assigned to division rival Wheeling. This is a scenario which could end up applying to both Conacher and Brian O’Hanely.

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Also, according to eliteprospects.com there is an unsubstantiated rumor that Barret Ehgoetz is headed to Europe next season. This is one that we’re keeping our eyes on and as soon as we know more we’ll pass it along.

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That’s all we have for now. It’s the summer so we’ll be updating sporadically as news comes along. Enjoy the summer, the season will be here before we know it.

-Mike-

Late in the game and down by a goal head Fisherman Nick Vitucci pulled his goal with over 2 minutes to play. It lead to a scrum in the low slot with the puck finding the back of the net. Marouelli instantly held both hands in the air indicating the play had been blown dead. The replay from AmericaOne clearly showed the puck loose in front and going into the net. Fortunately for the Cyclones, the replay also clearly showed Marouelli bringing his whistle up with the intent to blow the play dead before the puck crossed the goal line. The key phrase here is “the intent to blow the whistle.” While players are always taught to play to the whistle, the rule book says the play ends when the referee decides to blow the whistle, not when it actually blows. It was the one break the Cyclones would get from the referee who whistled the Boys for 6 minor penalties (several of which were questionable calls to say the least) throughout the game compared to Toledo’s two. It was a rough game for the ref who spent most of the afternoon out of position and chasing the play. Ironically, if Marouelli had been out of position on the play the goal probably would have been good. Luckily for the ‘Clones, Marouelli was in position behind, and slightly to the right of Foster’s net and when he lost sight of the puck he blew the whistle as he’s supposed to.

It’s tough call to lose on if you’re a Fish fan but ultimately it was by the book. And when the referee gives you 6 chances to capitalize on the man advantage and you don’t, it you little to complain about.

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Looking forward here’s what the standings look like:

The Cyclones now find themselves legitimately in the 8th and final playoff position and more or less control their own destiny. If the Boys can earn 3 points in their final 2 games with Kalamazoo They’re in regardless of what Toledo does in their final 3 games. All the pressure is on the Fish at this point.

The magic numbers are:

Greenville – Clinched 3/19

Reading – Clinched 3/19

Kalamazoo – Clinched 3/20

Florida – Clinched 3/27 with Cyclones’ win over Toledo

Wheeling – Clinched 3/27 with Cyclones’ win over Toledo

South Carolina – Clinched 3/27 with Cyclones’ win over Toledo and OT loss to Greenville

Elmira – 3

Cincinnati – 3

The tragic:

Trenton – Eliminated 3/20, We like it better when you were the Titans anyhow.

Gwinnett – Eliminated by the Cyclones’ win and their loss to reading. It was a good fight but Caesar gave them a “thumbs down”

Toledo – 3

It a 3 horse race for the final 2 playoff spots and Toledo is the long shot right now. The crazy part is, outside of the top 3 places the rest of the Eastern Conference is separated by just 2 points. It’s still possible for the Cyclones to finish as high as 4th in the Conference believe it or not.

Until the next big game which is Wednesday morning….

-Mike-

That’s enough of the doom and gloom of yesterday, on to today’s tilt. It wasn’t that long ago that we where talking about how the game down in Gwinnett was the biggest of the season. Well, when you’re battling for the last playoff spot and you’ve had trouble stringing wins together for much of the season, the games tend to get more and more important this time of year and today’s game is by far the biggest game on the schedule right now, at least until the next one.

Here’s how it breaks down, Toledo trails the Cyclones by 2 points but has a game in hand. If the Fish and Cyclones finish the season tied on points and the Fish have more wins in regulation/OT (shoot out wins don’t count), which is currently the case, then the Fish will be playing extra hockey while the Cylones make arrangements to play Saturday night softball. So a regulation win by the Cyclones today, will just about put Their post season destiny back into their own hands since a single win against Kalamazoo in the last 2 games will force the Fish to win all 3 of their remaining games (2 at Wheeling and Elmira at home) in order to get in. A loss however, will force the ‘Clones to win Their remaining 2 games with Kalamazoo AND get some help from of a couple of Toledo loses. If the Fish win today all they will have to do is match the Cyclones regulation win total and they’re in. Again, this is not a “win and we’re in, lose and we’re out” scenario, but life becomes much more difficult for the team that loses today. There is a chance the Cyclones will be scoreboard watching Saturday night to learn their fate.

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We haven’t updated the magic/tragic numbers in a while so here they are. Remember, Toledo is technically in 8^th place based on possible points and tire breakers so the Cyclones are back to the tragic list despite the what the standings say.

The Magic:

Greenville – Clinched 3/19

Reading – Clinched 3/19

Kalamazoo – Clinched 3/20

Florida – 2

Wheeling – 2

South Carolina – 3

Elmira – 5

Toledo – 6

The Tragic:

Trenton – Dead in the water, eliminated 3/20

Gwinnett – 4

Cincinnati – 6

-Mike-

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The sweep against South Carolina allowed the ‘Clones to keep pace with the playoff pack and sets up a huge game against Gwinnett. Currently the Gladiators and Cyclones are tied with 65 points. Despite what the article on the ECHL’s website reports, according to rule changes for the approved over the summer, the Gladiators hold the first tie break with ‘Clones with a greater number of regulation/OT wins. While Tuesday’s match up with Gwinnett won’t put the Cyclones in the playoffs, moving ahead of the Gladiator’s on points will make the battle a bit easier. A loss on the other hand won’t put the ‘Clones out, but it will make capturing a playoff position much more difficult. In our eyes, Tuesday’s game is a MUST win for the Cyclones.

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If you’re keeping track at home, here are the magic numbers:

Reading Royals – 5

Greenville Road Warriors – 6

Kalamazoo Wings – 11

South Carolina Stingrays – 15

Florida Everblades – 18

Elmira Jackals – 19

Wheeling Nailers – 19

Gwinnett Gladiators – 21

Cincinnati Cyclones – 21

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Looking at the way things are shaping up, if South Carolina doesn’t get some help from above with their roster, there is a good chance Florida could overtake them.

Wheeling has received some help in the form or Patrick Killeen. If Killeen and Delmas can play the way they’re capable, then the Nailers might just hang on. We wouldn’t expect them to do much in the post season if they do however.

-Mike-