Season Preview: Dayton Musicmen 2018-19 -* The Centers... (It's all about the future...)

After a last-place finish in the 2017-18 CCHL season, the Musicmen have added a ton of new faces, gotten much younger and have upwards of 20 NHL prospects just waiting their turn to crack the Dayton lineup.

In this, the first part of our season preview, we'll focus on the forwards. We'll get to the rest of the team in future posts.

Dayton Musicmen Pro Roster:

Centers: 

Alex Steen - The 34-year-old Center comes to Dayton with one year left on his contract. His role is to mentor the younger forwards like Jason Dickinson, Jared McCann, Max Mamin & Zemgus Girgensons - who is surprisingly - just 24 years old. Steen will center the team's top line with vets Alexander Radulov and Evgeni Dadonov. Projected output: 15 goals, 45 assists - 60 points.

Mattias Janmark - The 25 yr. old forward looks to build on his 17-18 campaign where he returned to the NHL after a serious knee injury that some thought might cost him his career. Janmark will see top-six minutes in full strength and the 2nd power play unit. Look for Janmark to swap places throughout the season with Steen. Projected output: 15 goals, 35 assists - 50 points.

Carter Rowney - 29-year-old journeyman brings the 2nd best faceoff skills to the 3rd line and also spends time on the PK units. He won't score much, but he's steady as anyone else in the forward group defensively, that's for sure. Projected output: 8 goals, 10 assists - 18 points.

Jared McCann - At 22, McCann is the youngest player on the team. He'll be expected to continue his development in the CCHL this season and perhaps push others for ice time. He can also play LW, which is where he may settle in at. Projected output: 10 goals, 25 assists - 35 points.

Thomas Nosek - Primarily a defensive specialist, the 26-year-old Nosek will struggle to see much ice time this season. Once Steen moves on after this season, he may stand a better chance to secure a full-time job on one of the bottom two lines. Projected output: 3 goals, 10 assists - 13 points.

Jason Dickinson - Another guy who won't see much time on the ice. With just 5 pts. in 38 NHL games over three seasons, the former 1st rounder has failed to figure it out. Able to play at LW as well as C, it's hard to see much ice time for Dickinson unless roster conditions change dramatically.
Projected output: 3 goals, 5 assists - 8 points.

Zemgus Girgensons - Girgensons has seemingly lost his offensive skills over the last three seasons in which he has scored 7 goals in each campaign. Terrible on faceoffs, he is able to play any forward position. He'll likely be utilized for a bottom six role when the need arises. Projected output: 7 goals, 7 assists - 14 points.

Logan Shaw - Signed as a FA over the Summer by Dayton for depth purposes, Shaw is a somewhat reliable bottom six type who doesn't do anything really well or really badly. He'll watch a LOT more games than he'll actually play in. Projected output: 2 goals, 4 assists - 6 points.

Jordan Weal - Weal can play all three positions, is fine defensively for a bottom six role but has limited offensive upside to put it mildly. He'll be lucky to play in more than 20 games this season for DAY. Projected output: 4 goals, 4 assists - 8 points.

Zach Mitchell -  Mitchell is coming off a decent partial season in the AHL, but couldn't translate the production when he was with MIN for 23 games. Recently signed by the LAK to a 2-way deal, Mitchell looks to be roster filler in the case the several big names are traded and bodies are needed. That's it... Projected output: 0 goals, 2 assists - 2 points.


Dayton Musicmen Farm Players Roster:

Centers: 

Max Mamin - The 2nd year Russian will be given every opportunity to develop with Florida in the NHL as a regular part of the team's 3rd line. Already a solid checker, Mamin has some skills and saw the Panthers post a W/L record of 21-3-2 when he was in the lineup. Look for him to crack DAY's bottom six next year. Currently expected to spend the year in the minors.

Zach Sanford - After fighting back from an injury that knocked him out of most of last year, we're not sure what to expect from Sanford. He missed all of last season but will have to clear waivers is the Blues decide to try and send him down. The 61st pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, he's got skills and a good head for the game, according to STL Head Coach Mike Yeo.  Right now, Sanford needs to play, but it won't be this year as far as the Musicmen are concerned. Sanford will spend the season on reserves...

Up next - The Wingers...