Fort Erie to keep Falcons name!

 In Fort Erie, it's like they barely knew the Riverhawks and the 24s, and there is a reason for that.  The almost name change of the Falcons hockey club will not actually take place thanks to a last minute agreement made to keep the name in place.  

"We went down to the wire but after examining the cost to change the name in terms of brand awareness, we went back to the school and worked out an agreement to keep the Falcons name.  We'll be changing our colours a bit to ensure that there is a distinct difference moving forward, but we've kept the name," said GM Young earlier today.  

In return for keeping the name, the hockey club agreed to change the team colours from a navy, light blue with white trim and will now sport navy, gold and the white trim.  

The Falcons will also adopt a new primary logo on their jerseys for the navy home and white aways, which is pictured below.  

The team will also introduce a gold third jersey that will sport their old logo, with some gold added to it as pictured below.  

"Our new look is a nice and fresh, clean looking logo with the primary focus being a determined Falcon.  We like the simplicity of it and know it will look fantastic on our navy and white jerseys," quipped Young in regards to the new look.  

As much as the team liked the new simple look, they didn't want to move forward without paying homage to their old look.  In creating the third jersey, a gold jersey sporting the old logo, the team feels like they've done that.  

"If you look at us across our time since moving to Fort Erie in the CCHL, we're kind of the gold standard for franchises if you look at our regular season record.  That's why we've gone with the gold in our colour scheme.  While we haven't won a Kehler Cup yet, maybe adopting the gold will allow us to capture that cup we are missing, but in terms fo the regular season, our record for success is hard to beat.  We just need to carry that over to the playoffs," said Young.  

In addition to the new jerseys, the team also acquired a pair of goaltenders this week in Ukka Pekka-Luukkonen and Laurent Brossoit.  

"We've got three guys right now that I feel are number one goalies in the league, and Brossoit who could be rated strongly as well, perhaps the best backup in the CCHL.  Any time you have an opportunity to add depth in goal, you do it.  While Ilya (Sorokin) is far from old, we feel we've acquired our true goalie of the future in UPL and are happy to have him return to the team that originally drafted him."  

The handsome GM continued by saying the team could look at moving Varlamov once the new disk comes out, commenting that he will have outstanding ratings and he expects a few teams should be very interested in the veteran goaltender.  

There is never a dull moment in Fort Erie and with free agency quickly approaching, it will come as no surprise should the team find itself aggressive there as well.  

"There are some players we are interested in should they hit free agency.  Nicky (newly acquired Nick Foligno) will be our UFA resign.  We love his leadership, defensive play, physicality and he can score too.  I wouldn't even be shocked if he's wearing a letter for us next year," concluded Young.  

It'll be an exciting month in Fort Erie so stay tuned to see what happens as the franchise continues to try to capture that elusive Kehler Cup.  

Springfield Isotopes: A Season of Triumph, Transition, and Tenacity

 The 2023-24 season will forever be etched in the lore of the Springfield Isotopes as a testament to the team's resilience, skill, and unwavering spirit. The Topes embarked on a remarkable journey that saw them reach their first-ever conference final, captivating audiences with their determination and skill.

Leading the charge was Jeremy Swayman, whose exceptional goaltending talents were on full display throughout the season. Swayman's heroics between the pipes often kept the Isotopes in games, earning him the admiration of fans and opponents alike. His stellar play was a driving force behind the team's historic playoff run and a testament to his status as a cornerstone of the franchise.

On the offensive front, Roope Hintz was a standout performer, showcasing his scoring prowess with an impressive 27 points in just 20 games. Hintz's ability to find the back of the net and create scoring opportunities was instrumental in the Isotopes' success, making him a key player to watch in future seasons.

Jeff Skinner and Seider also made significant contributions to the team's success, with Skinner tallying 23 points and Seider adding 22 points to their impressive totals. Their offensive firepower added depth to the Isotopes' lineup and kept opposing teams on their toes throughout the season.

Looking ahead, the Isotopes face a period of transition, as multiple stars such as Courture, Carlson, and Malkin will not be returning next year. These departures signal significant changes for the team, as they look to rebuild and redefine their roster for future success.

As the Isotopes reflect on their season of triumph, transition, and tenacity, they can take pride in their achievements and look forward to a bright future ahead. With a solid foundation of talent and a relentless drive to succeed, the Springfield Isotopes are poised to continue their ascent and bring glory to their storied franchise.

Fort Erie has a new coach

After a difficult loss to Wisborg in the Corfield Conference finals, Fort Erie will have a different look behind the bench next season.  

Following the loss, Fort Erie GM Young and Joel Quenneville met to discuss the coach's future and it was decided that the team would move forward without the veteran coach.  

"After consulting with Joel, he seemed to be worn out by the grind of the CCHL season and the pressure that follows a job like this.  He wants to spend more time at home given his age, so we just felt it was time to part ways.  We can't thank Joel enough for the contribution he's made to the organization and the success we've had together," said GM Young.  

It didn't take long for a successor to be announced, as Young quickly noted that Quenneville would be succeeded by Kris Knoblauch behind the bench.  

"Kris just wins everywhere he goes.  He did great things in Erie in the OHL with four 50 win seasons in a row - that's almost impossible in junior hockey.  He's been a good head coach in the AHL and we feel he's the voice we need behind our bench for the upcoming season," said Young.  

Dylan Strome, who played for Knoblauch in Erie said that he was excited by the move and knows that the new coach will make the most of the opportunity.  

"Coach is a great communicator and he'll get the best out of this team.  We have a skilled group here and I think he'll get us the next level - one that he got us to in Erie.  He will achieve buy-in and I'm excited to play for him again," said the center.  

The team is said to be announcing trades in the upcoming days as well so it should be an exciting time in the early part of the off-season in Fort Erie.  

Stay tuned - it'll be a busy week for the regular season record setters!  

Falcons flying from the nests of Fort Erie?

With a conference finals loss this year, it was inevitable changes would be made for the Fort Erie Falcons.  

As with every playoff disappointment, teams around the CCHL make moves to change their fortunes the following season and this offseason was to be no different in Fort Erie.  

We've heard players like Gavrikov, Zuccarello and maybe even mainstay Debrincat or Marner may not be back as Falcons but what we didn't anticipate is that potentially nobody will return as a member of the Falcons.  

How's that possible you ask?  

Well, rumor started circulating this week that the team would be changing names for the 24-25 season as a result of a dispute with a local elementary school.  

It turns out a local school has also been using the moniker of "Falcons" and has taken action to ensure that they are the only Falcons in town.  

It turns out that may not necessarily be something that has upset the team, as they had already been looking at a name change having realized that the name was not unique to the border city.  

The possible new names range from Border Cats to 24's to the Riverhawks, with a blue and gold themed uniform to follow from the light blue and navy the team has worn for years.  

Let's examine the potential names and their meanings:

The Border Cats name represents the fact that Fort Erie is located right on the US border of NY state and they'd be able to leap across like a cat would with relative ease.  While it's a creative name, I think it likely finishes third in the grand scheme of things.  

The Riverhawks name is a name that carries tradition around the Fort Erie and Niagara region, while still maintaining the "bird" theme the organization has had for years.  It also looks awesome in the new colour scheme so this possibility is great!  

Now for the one that has most people scratching their heads.  The Fort Erie 24's????  It's a lot like the Ottawa 67's of the OHL where the name took place because they were created in 1967.  While that's true, there's also a lot of deeper potential meaning to the 24's name. 

Yes, it would be 2024 that the team would adopt the name so that does follow consistent with the Ottawa 67's rationale.  The 24 name is also one to celebrate the fact there are indeed 24 bottles of beer inside a case of beer - most notably known as the two-four.  

One other fact is that there is history to the 24 number in Fort Erie as well.  It was on the 24th day of the month that the Americans left Fort Erie; ending the War of 1812.  A lot of significance in the number 24 in Fort Erie.  

In any event, nothing has been finalized yet but with name changes due to the league very soon - you can bet we'll be hearing about an announcement in the coming two weeks.  

CCHL Survey Results and Thoughts

 Another offseason is upon us and with that, comes another off-season survey to see that we are resolving the hot-button issues in the league that may need to be changed.  

One thing to be said about it.  For us to look at making a change, I've always been a big believer of the majority (70% or more) would want to be in favour of it; meaning we had the rule wrong for our league members.  Without it, it's hard to make a change when a lot of the league is happy with the status quo, or doesn't see the need to make a change.  

With that said, another survey was issued where 20 out of 23 GMs (New England still vacant) voiced their thoughts on the CCHL questions and issues at hand.  

The first question was about the goaltending usage rule required for the playoffs.  Of the 20 responses, 10 wanted the rule to stay the same.  Seven of you wanted the minimum number of games required for playoff action changed and three wanted the fatigue raised.  Without the majority of people interested in a change, we will leave things as is since half the league does not see the need for change.  

The next question was about a return to the minor leagues where 19 people took part in the vote.  11 of those votes said to not bring back the minor league, so we'll be avoiding doing that once again.  I'm always curious as to the hate for the minor league system since there isn't a requirement to manage the lineups for it, but it seems to be something people generally hate the idea of so we'll be shelving that idea again.  

Our third question of the survey was to ask for feedback on the website for submitting lines with almost everyone saying it made it easier, and those using drop box still said that it did not make a difference.  Fair point but I am glad the majority are liking the use of the website as it shows the investment of time to make that happen has been well worth it for the league.  

Question four dealt with the waiver draft with ten of you saying keep it the way it is.  Eight people said to scrap it while two said to allow the players to get signed as free agents.  As I said at the outset of this blog, the reality is we won't look at making a change if most of you don't want it, so there won't be a change concerning the annual waiver draft.  

Next up was the CCHL draft website.  The purpose for this question was to see if it added value with 14 people saying they really liked it and six saying that they are easy either way.  We'll be keeping the CCHL draft website and it's again nice to see the feedback that it's worthwhile for us as a league.  

Question six was regarding the draft black book.  For those who voted yes, please send me an email so I can compile a list and figure out the cost when the time is appropriate.  

Question seven was asked to see if there was any interest in some CCHL-like action in the summer time to which the majority said there wasn't any interest at all (12 votes).  Two people wanted a full-on World Cup while six liked the idea of the U23 World Cup.  I asked this question because in talking to quite a few people they said they missed the league in the summer so I thought it would be a good opportunity to fill that gap with something unique but there doesn't appear to be the interest so I'll forego the idea.  

Question eight was the one I was personally more curious about - would GMs like to have the divisions and conferences realigned again.  The purpose for this question was simple.  If I have to re-do the schedule this summer anyway, there would not be a better time to realign if that is what people wanted.  

11 of those who voted said they wanted it to be kept the same, so no further changes would be necessary.  This would have never been a question had the schedule not had to be re-done but since it has to be, I figured it was worthwhile to ask in order to see how people liked the current alignment.  

That's it - another year-end survey is in the books.  Lots of big things happening as our offseason gets underway this week.  Use the time to build your team up.  I'm hoping to see a little more parity next year in the league and the offseason should be really interesting.  

Enjoy the offseason and the summer as our season will be here again before we know it.  

-The Commish

Amos GM’s statement following the 23-24 season.

 Amos GM’s statement following the 23-24 season.

It has been a roller coaster season again. Lots of trades, lots of tough decisions but overall, we

are satisfied with the season we had. We made a real hard push at the end of the season to

secure our playoffs spot. Samsonov been absolutely incredible between the pipes. Our group

made a solid effort collectively to achieve the level of competitivity we had. Coach St-Louis have

done a solid job too to regroup the players around one goal: The playoffs.

The off-season might be again loaded of tough decisions. With the number of defensemen we

have under contracts, we will have to make some adjustments. Some names like Hague,

Schmidt, Karlsson, Kovacevic have been meet up to let them know they will be on the block.

In front, Josh Anderson and Jakub Vrana both RFA won’t be re-sign by the team. We have made

a couple of first approach to extend Boeser, Bunting, Joseph and Werenski who could be

important pieces in our future. Next season camp will be interesting. Rookies like Rossi,

Neighbours, Barron, Struble, Kochetkov and even maybe Roy might make the main roster. While

Snuggerud, Guschchin, Dobes, Bourgault & Farrell will be the leaders in our Farm team.

Our main seeking in the off-season will be to find a center. Here’s a sneak peek of what our 24-

25 lineup might look like even though we all know half of them will be traded before the

beginning of the season (LOL):

Forwards

Bunting – Danault – Boeser

Farabee – Newhook – Necas

Neighbours – Pageau – Evangelista

Frederic – Rossi – Atkinson

Extra: F. Gaudreau, Iafallo, Noesen

Defense

Karlsson – Brodin

Werenski – Guhle

Walker – Durzi

Extra: Kovacevic, Hague, Bahl, Barron, Struble

Goalies

Samsonov – Kochetkov -Andersen

Millers Musings - Trade Deadline Edition

 After only making 2 trades the first 2/3 of the season the Millers have been involved in 3 deals in the past week. Below is a write-up of each trade, examining the expected effect on the rest of the this season and a preview of the 24-25 season. 

GEO trades S. Varlamov & J. Martinook to FOR for J. Allen & Y. Gourde…

This season: Varlamov had been an expensive bust as the backup keeper and Martinook fell out of the lineup after the first month. In return the Millers downgraded ratings wise with Allen as the new back-up but gained more flexibility by bringing in Gourde, who can play all 3 positions and contribute on both special teams. With Reilly Smith not clicking on the Larkin line it’s expected Gourde will play RW to relieve some of Larkin’s defensive responsibilities. He’ll also see PK time and could make an appearance on the 2nd PP unit. 

Next season: Gourde’s scoring has dropped off so far this NHL season and it’s likely he’ll be on the 3rd line and on the PK. Allen will battle Lukas Dostal for the right to backup Stuart Skinner in net. 

CAP trades D. Fabbro to GEO for N. Jensen

This season: Jensen has been a mainstay in the lineup recently, but his PK performance had dropped off and he had fallen back into his early season penalty-drawing rut. With Shea Theodore having returned from injury Jensen was likely the odd man out if the Millers went 12-6, as they liked the performance of Jake Bean on the PP and on the 3rd pairing. Fabbro won’t ever live up to his prospect potential but he’s a solid 4 to 6 D and is unusually mobile for a stay at home Dman. He’ll take over a 3rd pairing and PK role.  

Next season: Fabbro is pencilled in for the 3rd pairing and 2nd PK unit for the 24-25 edition of the Millers. 

FOR trades S. Gostisbehere to GEO for I. Barbashev…

This season: Barbashev started out as the top line LW but struggled before finding a home on the 3rd line. He was not playing on any special teams unit though, only getting about 14 minutes a night at even strength. His lineup spot is likely to be taken by either Michael Rasmussen or Blake Coleman on the 4th line, with Andreas Athanasieau dropping to the 3rd line. Gostisbehere was brought in to help the PP and replace offense if Shea Theodore suffers another injury; he’s considered an upgrade over the aforementioned Bean as Theodore cover. He’ll likely to be on the 3rd pairing and 1st or 2nd PP. 

Next season: Ghost will likely be on the 2nd pairing and 1st PP unit. With Theodore’s injury issues this NHL season his presence will be needed to drive offense from the back-end if Theodore is unavailable. 

Projected Lines for rest of 23-24 season:

Compher-Laughton-Giroux

Larkin-McCann-Gourde

Copp-Athanasieu-Smith

Bjugstad-Goodrow-Coleman

Reserves: Rasmussen, O’Connor, Bastian

Miller-Theodore

Skjei-Ferraro

Ghostisbehere-Fabbro

Reserves: OEL, Bean, Walman, Kulak

Skinner

Allen

Projected 24-25 lines:

Larkin-Coleman-Giroux

Compher-McCann-Smith

Copp-Rasmussen-Gourde

Laughton-Goodrow-O’Connor

Reserves: Athanasieu, Guenther, Bastian

Miller-Theodore

Skjei-Ferraro

Fabbro-Gostisbehere

Reserves: Walman, Bean, Jiracek (M)

Skinner

Dostal/Allen