Playoff hockey this weekend
For all of you southeast Michigan hockey fans out there itching for the playoffs, you can support two of the local teams this weekend in their playoff run.
Friday night at 8:05pm, you can cheer on the Maize and Blue as the University of Michigan hockey team takes on Northern Michigan in the CCHA semifinals at Joe Louis Arena. Earlier in the day at 4:30pm, Miami (OH) and Notre Dame will face-off. The winner of those two games will play in the CCHA championship game on Saturday at 7:35pm. The two losing teams will play at 3:35pm. The winner of the CCHA tournament gets an automatic bid into the NCAA tourney.
Yours truly will be working all four games this weekend as well as volunteering at the first ever CCHA Fan Fest, which will be held at the Ren Cen.
The CCHA Fan Fest will be open on Friday, March 21 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and will re-open for the CCHA Championship party at 10:30 p.m. The Championship party, presented by Olympia Entertainment and the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, will include live music from the band 9 House featuring former NHL player Kraig Nienhuis. Fans will also have an opportunity to explore the Fan Fest during the Championship Party.
“It’s a fun night of entertainment. People get to come and see live entertainment and socialize with other hockey fans and enjoy the camaraderie of a sporting event outside of the arena. Hockey people love being around other hockey people and this is an opportunity for everyone to come and enjoy each other’s company and have some fun,” CCHA Commissioner Tom Anastos said.
The Fan Fest will also be open on Saturday, March 22 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
I will be working at the Fan Fest from 10am-1pm on Friday and 10am-11:45am on Saturday before heading to the Joe for the games. So if you are looking for something to do, come downtown for the Fan Fest (it’s free!) and then come over to the Joe and watch some hockey!
Since I will be working 26 of the 48 hours on Friday and Saturday, it’s safe to say I won’t be posting here until Sunday evening or Monday.
Plymouth Whalers
As many of you know, I was a game night intern for the Plymouth Whalers last year. If you don’t already know, the Whalers are the local Ontario Hockey League team in southeast Michigan. Well, their playoffs begin tomorrow in Kitchener when the Whalers take on the No. 1 ranked Rangers. The two teams will then travel to Plymouth for Game #2 of the series to be played on Saturday at 7:05pm. Tickets are just $15 for center ice or $11 otherwise.
Game #4 will also be in Plymouth on Wednesday, March 26th. The Wings don’t have a game on the 26th and they are on the road on the 22nd, so if you can go support the local OHL team! Playoff games are always fun and it’s the OHL so they are affordable too!
Whalers promote Vellucci and hire Stefan
The Plymouth Whalers, the Ontario Hockey League team I interned for last season, has had a change up in the coaching staff. Team owner Peter Karmanos, Jr. promoted Mike Vellucci to Governor while still remaining President and General Manager of the organization.
With his promotion and new responsibilities, Vellucci has named Greg Stefan head coach of the team. Stefan was the assistant coach of the Carolina Hurricanes before resigning earlier today. Joe Stefan continues to be the assistant coach for the team. The two will be coaching in Thursday’s game when the Whalers play the Peterborough Petes.
“Mike’s had tremendous success as a head coach, while balancing the demands of three different jobs,†said Karmanos. “He’s created stability and has built a winning environment within the organization. He has taken our on-ice performance in Plymouth to another level. I’m proud of the fact that Mike was able to bring home a championship to Plymouth. Mike will now have an opportunity to focus his energies towards running Compuware Arena and the Whalers without the day-to-day time restraints of coaching.†…
“I’ve worked closely with Greg for a long time and he has been loyal to the organization,†Vellucci said. “He deserves this opportunity to become a head coach. I am confident he will develop our players for the next level and continue our winning tradition. He knows what it takes to make it to the National Hockey League, both as a player and a coach.â€
Wolverines win & Whalers lose
Yesterday, I attended both the UM-Penn State football game and the Plymouth Whalers season opener. As many of you know, I was a game night intern for the Whalers last season so I wanted to enjoy their season opener and watch them raise the 2006-2007 OHL Championship banner to the rafters of Compuware Arena. Michigan beat Penn State, 14-9, in a close game til the finish. The Whalers lost, 6-4, to the Erie Otters, who had 70 points less than the Whalers last season.
Since I’m short on time, I will leave you photos of my experiences.
First play of the game…
My friend Jenny & I
Watching the banners rise at Compuware…
Neuvirth hopes to play in AHL next season
Michal Neuvirth was the starting goaltender for the Plymouth Whalers during the playoffs and only had secured the number one spot about a month before the playoffs started. The Washington Capitals prospect played some great hockey en route to the OHL title this past season, but it was a hard adjustment for Neuvirth especially off the ice.
“Everything was different here from the Czech Republic and I was a little nervous,†Neuvirth admitted. “There were no other Czechs on the team, but there was a Slovak (Jozef Sladok) and he was a rookie, too. Their language is a little different, but I could understand him.
“The first four months were hard for me because I couldn’t even talk to my coach.†…
“In the beginning of the year, we changed every game with Jeremy Smith,†said Neuvirth, who was the Czech Republic’s No. 1 goalie at the 2006 World U-18 tournament. “It was so hard for us. We didn’t know who was starting the next game. In the first two months it was good game or bad, we still changed.
â€After two months, it was so much better. The playoffs were awesome. We played the best hockey I have ever seen. It was so exciting for me and I think it was really good for me.†…
“I don’t want to play OHL again, but it is not up to me,†Neuvirth said. “I hope that I can play in the AHL.â€
Interview with Jeremy Smith
I just got off the phone with Nashville Predators’ goaltending prospect Jeremy Smith (their #2 pick this year) as my boss at Michigan Hockey needed me to conduct an interview with him for our tryout guide coming out next month. Since he’ll probably only use one quote for the article, I figured I’d post the entire interview here. I also asked him a couple questions about being drafted and working with the Predators this offseason. Oh, Smith was also one of the two Plymouth Whalers’ goaltenders this past season as well.
What do you remember about trying out for a team while growing up? For example, did you ever get cut from a team but worked hard and made it the next year or got so nervous you did something embarassing?
“I think growing up tryouts as a goalie was pretty difficult because it was you versus a couple of guys for only two positions on a team. You can’t slack off a bit because coaches are always watching. From a young age, it was pretty nervewracking. Moving from travel to AAA is probably the biggest step. You see kids who are really good and you can get intimidated but then you have to think and have confidence in yourself and in your own game. You deserve to go out there and really give it your all.”
What do you do to calm yourself down when you get nervous at a tryout?
“I actually try to think back to the positives and the basics. As a goaltender, you start thinking about making the first save and being in the correct position. Making sure you’re in the right position for the second save as well.”
Three Whalers selected on Saturday
On the second day of the 2007 NHL Draft, three Plymouth Whalers’ players were selected.
Goaltender Jeremy Smith, the number one ranked North American goaltender, surprisingly did not go until #54 overall (2nd round). He apparently wanted to go to Colorado because he felt his situation would be best there so he was obviously disappointed when the Avs selected the #2 ranked goalie, Trevor Cann of the Peterborough Petes. He ended up going to Nashville, who traded away goaltender Tomas Vokoun yesterday.
Source: Getty Images
Both forward Chris Terry and defenseman Brett Bellemore were selected by the Carolina Hurricanes (#132 and #162 respectively). Peter Karmanos owns both the Whalers and Hurricanes.
As for the next two picks, the Hurricanes kept it in the family by drafting the two players from the Whalers. Terry, a 5’10†left wing, was able to score 66 points in 68 games despite a slow start to the year caused by off-season knee surgery. Bellemore, a big 6’4†defenseman, led the entire Canadian Hockey League with a +48 plus/minus rating.
Terry, who besides Sutter was the only Hurricanes choice to attend the draft, said he was hoping to be selected by the Hurricanes.
“I’m pretty familiar [with the Hurricanes], being that Mr. Karmanos owns the Hurricanes and also the Whalers, which I play on,†he said. We have a lot of banners and pictures around our building and our head coach is always talking about them.”
Chris Terry in the Canes’ jersey
Source: CarolinaHurricanes.com
Whalers in the NHL Draft
Aside from seeing who the Wings pick in the 2007 NHL Draft, my biggest focus will be seeing who drafts the two Plymouth Whalers’ players who become eligible this year (Jeremy Smith and Chris Terry). I know I’ll see Smith get drafted and hopefully I’ll catch Terry get drafted (I’ll be there for the first three rounds before heading back to Michigan).
Jeremy Smith is the number one ranked North American goaltender in what has been considered a weak draft year for goaltenders.
The weakest area of this year’s draft class is goaltending. Jeremy Smith of the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers and Trevor Cann of the OHL’s Peterborough Petes are the top two ranked North American goalies by NHL Central Scouting.
“We’re not as keen on goalies this year, it’s not a great goalie class,” said Kekalainen. “Unless we feel somewhere in the draft there’s a steal of a goaltender there, we’re not going to be focusing too much on that position.”
Added McGuire: “How many goalies will be taken in the first round? If my snooping around is to be believed, don’t look for more than two or three out of 30 picks.”
6/6 Whalers’ notes
NHL signings
In the past month, three Plymouth Whalers have signed with their respective NHL teams (Michal Neuvirith, Evan Brophey, and Dan Collins).
Goaltender Michal Neuvirith signed a three year entry level contract with the Washington Capitals, who drafted him 34th overall (2nd round) in the 2006 Draft. He had a great rookie season with the Whalers and shared the load in goal with fellow rookie Jeremy Smith (who is the number one goalie heading into the draft). The Whalers’ goalie tandem received the Dave Pinkney Trophy award for the best GAA by team in the OHL.
When the playoffs game around, Neuvirith carried the entire load and played great with the OHL season ending in a championship. He did have a couple shaky games in the Memorial Cup tournament, but he’ll be a great goalie for the Caps someday. He was recently awarded the F.W. Dinty Moore Trophy, which is given to the first year goaltender in the OHL with the lowest goals against average.
The Usti Labem, Czech Republic, native finished the regular season with a 26-8-2-2 record, which included four shootouts. His goals-against average was 2.32 and he notched a .932 save percentage. Neuvirth set the longest shutout streak in franchise history from Dec. 28, 2006, to Jan. 6, 2007, by not allowing a goal in 164:18.
Neuvirth carded an impressive 14-3-1 playoff record, which included an OHL championship and a spot in the Memorial Cup semifinals. His playoff GAA was 2.45 and his .932 save percentage equaled his season output. Prior to suiting up in the OHL, Neuvirth led the Czech Republic to a bronze medal at the 2006 IIHF World Under-18 Hockey Championship, posting a 3-1-2 record.
The Capitals expect Neuvirth to be in attendance at the team’s summer development camp, July 11-14 at Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va.
Dan Collins was selected 90th overall in the 3rd round of the 2005 Draft by the Florida Panthers and recently signed an entry level contract. Hockey’s Future recently conducted an interview with Collins during the Memorial Cup.
“We are pleased to have come to terms with three of our highly rated draft prospects,†Panthers General Manager and Head Coach Jacques Martin said. “Since they have been drafted they all performed very well for their respective clubs and we look forward to their continued development within our organization.â€
Collins, 20, led the Plymouth Whalers to the OHL Championship and to the semifinal game at this year’s Memorial Cup. This season while playing for Plymouth he tied a career high in goals (26) and set career bests in assists (42) and points (68). The Syracuse, New York native scored nine goals with 11 assists and a +16 rating in this year’s OHL playoffs. For his career with Plymouth, he has notched 185 points (86-99-185) in 237 games played. Collins was selected by Florida with their third choice (90th overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
Along with Jonathan Toews, the Chicago Blackhawks also signed Evan Brophey to a three year entry level contract. The Blackhawks picked him with their third round pick in the 2005 Draft (67th overall). Hockey’s Future has a nice article on Brophey.
The 6.01, 203 pound native of Kitchener was a member of the Plymouth Whalers team that just won the Ontario Hockey League Rogers Championship series by defeating the Sudbury Wolves in six games this past weekend.
Brophey, 20, was the Blackhawks’ 3rd round pick (67th overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He had a tremendous regular season for Plymouth appearing in 68 games and scoring 36 goals to go along with 71 assists for 107 points with 91 penalty minutes and a +39 rating. He continued his outstanding play in the playoffs appearing in 20 games for Plymouth scoring 9 goals and adding 14 assists for 23 points with 26 penalty minutes and a +8 rating.
Brophey was also a member of the Western Conference All-Stars of the OHL and played in their All-Star Classic recording one assist in that game.
Four other Whalers’ players signed with their respective NHL teams earlier this year: James Neal (Dallas Stars), Daniel Ryder (Calgary Flames), Tom Sestito (Columbus Blue Jackets), and Jared Boll (Columbus Blue Jackets).
When I find out where these guys will be playing next season, I’ll be sure to post it here.
James Neal
The Dallas Stars’ website has a nice feature article about one of their top prospects, James Neal, who was named playoff MVP by the Whalers’ organization during the team banquet at the end of the year.
In addition to his sterling run of honors and achievements this season, Neal was Plymouth’s Playoff MVP in 2005-06 and earned the Whalers’ Rookie of the Year honors in 2004-05. He won a silver medal with Team Canada at the 2005 World Under-18 Championships in the Czech Republic, and took part in the 2005 Canadian Hockey League’s Top Prospects game.
“James is a quality prospect who had an outstanding season and boasts a lot of outstanding qualities, on and off the ice,” said Les Jackson, an assistant general manager with the Dallas Stars. “He is an extremely hard worker and has shown at both the junior and international levels that he has a lot of ability at both ends of the ice. He was one of the top players in the OHL all year and then he really stepped it up in the Memorial Cup, and he is definitely on track to become an excellent pro in the near future.”
Neal’s professional career is expected to begin with the Iowa Stars next season, but he isn’t willing to limit his ceiling to the American Hockey League just yet.
Smith receives award
Rookie goaltender Jeremy Smith recently received the Dave Peterson Goalie of the Year Award from USA Hockey.
Smith spent the last few days in Toronto participating in interviews with NHL’s Central Scouting in preparation for the NHL Entry Draft. He handled sharing the Whalers goaltending situation this season with Neuvirth with maturity, especially in the playoffs when Whalers head coach Mike Vellucci decided to go with Neuvirth in most of the games.
“It’s tough to sit and watch someone else play,†Smith told the Vancouver Province during Plymouth’s Memorial Cup run. “Throughout the season we were 50-50 pretty much and we had a lot of success and we went into the playoffs with a lot of steam. Then he (Neuvirth) got hot. I’ve got nothing against Michal or anything like that.
“Coach told me, it’s not me, I didn’t do anything to get pulled out, it’s Michal playing really well. You’ve just got to live with that. It just makes you work harder. I’m ready to go whenever the coach gives me the nod.â€
As I mentioned earlier in this post, Smith is the number one ranked North American goaltender for the 2007 NHL Draft.
Jeremy Smith, goalie, OHL Plymouth
Born: April 13, 1989 in Brownstown, Mich. Ht./wt.: 6-0, 159Is the top-ranked North American goaltender. was second in the OHL and second among rookie goaltenders during the regular season with a .923 save percentage in 2006-07. Had one loss in his last 18 games of the 2006-07 (dating back to Nov. 25, 2006). Holds the fifth longest shutout streak in franchise history at 151:37 (Oct. 13-29, 2006). Had the win at the 2007 CHL Top Prospects Game for Team Red, stopping 14-of-15 shots.
Whalers’ Rookie Camp
The Whalers’ rookie camp starts this Saturday (June 9th) at 1:30pm for the Blue/White scrimmage. It’ll be on the Olympic ice at Compuware Sports Arena. The teams will consist of draft picks from the 2006 and 2007 OHL Drafts.
OHL Awards
Both of the Whalers’ goaltenders and the head coach will receive awards at the 2007 OHL Awards Ceremony held on June 6th at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Head coach Mike Vellucci became the first American coach to win the Matt Leyden Trophy given to the coach of the year.
Fan Appreciation Day
According to the Plymouth Whalers’ website, these are the activities that will take place on Fan Appreciation Day (June 16th):
There will be sales at the Whalers Cove, Ginopolis on the Ice Meal and Movie Deals (drive-in movies begin at dusk), a Whalers Collectable Silent Auction, 2007-2008 Season Ticket Seat Selection Sale, Whalers player meet and greet, Whaler Summer Hockey School registration, open skating from 5-7:30 p.m., and a Radio Disney D-tour from 8-9 p.m.
Trade
Defenseman Ryan McGinnis was traded to the Oshawa Generals for two draft picks in the next draft (one in the second and fourth rounds).
Whalers hold championship banquet
The Plymouth Whalers celebrated their 2007 OHL Championship in Livonia last night with the entire team, staff, family, and even fans (for $30). The team handed out 15 awards with some players receiving multiple awards. For example, Tom Sestito was named Fan Favorite by the Whale Watchers (the booster club) and he also received MVP for the regular season.
The entire team (aside from Jeremy Smith who is at the NHL Combine). Sorry for the crappy photo, but my digital camera isn’t so great.
REGULAR SEASON MOST VALUABLE PLAYER – Tom Sestito – A draft choice of the National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jackets (and who has been signed), Sestito led Plymouth with 42 goals and added 22 assists for 64 points in 60 games.
REGULAR SEASON LEADING SCORER – Evan Brophey – A Chicago Blackhawks draft who recently signed with the ‘Hawks, Brophey scored 36 goals with 71 assists for 107 points while playing in all 68 regular season games.
DEFENSEMAN of the YEAR, HUMANITARIAN of the YEAR – Steve Ward – A veteran defenseman played in exactly 200 games over three seasons for Plymouth and was an integral part of the team’s success. Ward was also very active in the team’s Community Relations efforts in the area and was nominated for the Ontario Hockey League’s Dan Snyder Humanitarian Award.
ROOKIE of the YEAR – Michal Neuvirth – A draft choice of the Washington Capitals, Neuvirth led the league with a 2.32 goals against average and .932 save percentage and shared the OHL’s Dave Pinkney Award with fellow goaltenderJeremy Smith for the OHL’s best team defense.
LABATT BLUE COLLAR PLAYER of the YEAR – Jared Boll – Signed by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Boll scored 28 goals with 27 assists for 55 points and 198 PIMs this season. Plymouth fans love Boll’s grit, work ethic and never-say-die attitude on the ice.
UNSUNG PLAYER of the YEAR – Zack Shepley – A stay-at-home defenseman was often paired with Brett Bellemore to form an effective duo against all the top scoring lines in the OHL.
MOST IMPROVED PLAYER of the YEAR – Brett Bellemore – A healthy scratch through the first month of the season, Bellemore played so well he never left the lineup, eventually leading the OHL and Canadian Hockey League during the regular season with a +48 plus/minus rating.
ACADEMIC PLAYER of the YEAR – AJ Jenks – Jenks’ intelligent play on the ice carried over into the classroom.
ALICE IAFRATE AWARD as OVERAGE PLAYERS of the YEAR (tie) – Voted by the Whalers’ Off-Ice Officials, Ward and Boll share the award. The last time two overages shared the Alice Iafrate Award? Nate Kiser and Chad LaRose were co-winners in 2003.
PLAYOFF LEADING SCORER and MOST VALUABLE PLAYER – James Neal – Signed by the Dallas Stars, Neal led the Whalers in the 2007 playoffs with 13 goals and 12 assists for 25 points in 20 games, then led the Memorial Cup with five goals and an assist in five games. Neal was voted to the OHL’s First All-Star team.
Some of their acceptance “speeches” were pretty funny. Head coach (and OHL Coach of the Year) Mike Vellucci and assistant head coach Todd Watson both gave heartfelt thanks to the players, members within the organization, and to their family.
I look forward to following the seven players who signed with their NHL teams as they go on to the next level. I never had a reason to watch the Blackhawks or Blue Jackets when the Wings weren’t playing them, but once Brophey, Boll, and Sestito make those teams I’ll definitely have to watch.
I learned a lot during my year as a game night intern for the Whalers and I look forward to going to some of their games next year as a fan for a change!
Memorial Cup update
Unfortunately due to my busy schedule, I haven’t posted much on the Plymouth Whalers and their play in the Memorial Cup tournament being held in Vancouver right now.
Here’s how they stand right now:
The Whalers lost their first game to the hometown Vancouver Giants in overtime, 4-3, last Friday.
Defenceman Brett Bellemore of the Plymouth Whalers made the wrong read at the wrong time Friday night.
He attempted to fire a clearing attempt around the boards but the puck wound up in his net in a 4-3 Vancouver Giants overtime victory in the opening game of the Memorial Cup.
It was a play coach Michael Vellucci cautioned his defencemen against throughout the game.
Vancouver winger J.D. Watt intercepted the pass along the side boards and set up Kenndal McArdle for the winning goal.
“We talked about it all night,” Vellucci said. “It happened five or six times where both (defencemen) got caught in the same corner.
“We talked about it before the overtime to make sure we didn’t do that but … Bellemore’s been a steady defenceman for us all year and I think he just got a little sucked over by following the puck.”
It was also a game of missed opportunities for the Whalers even though they scored on three consecutive power plays.
They played again Monday and lost in regulation to the Medicine Hat Tigers, 4-1.
The Medicine Hat Tigers were halfway around the track before the Plymouth Whalers got out of the gate at the Memorial Cup on Monday.
The Western Hockey League champion Tigers raced to a two-goal lead in the first five minutes en route to a 4-1 win over the Ontario Hockey League’s Whalers.
Tyler Ennis, a 17-year-old from Edmonton, paced the Tigers with two goals and two assists in the game.
“Huge start. We wanted to come out hard in the first five,” Ennis said. “Getting two quick was big for us and we tried not to sit on that lead.”
During the third period of that game, things got a bit heated and both teams were fined $500 for what took place.
The Medicine Hat Tigers and Plymouth Whalers were each fined $500 at the Memorial Cup on Tuesday for the ruckus that broke out with about five minutes to go in their game the previous day.
Pushing, shoving and other extracurricular activities during a whistle at 15:01 of the third period stopped just short of a line brawl. Three minor penalties and four misconducts were handed out to both teams.
Plymouth finally won on Tuesday over the Lewiston MAINEiacs in overtime, 2-1 to keep their tournament hopes alive.
They play tonight against Lewiston in the Tie Breaker Game with the winner facing Vancouver in the semifinals. The official Memorial Cup website posted a preview for the game here. Due to their success in the round robin play, Medicine Hat has already earned a spot in the Memorial Cup finals.
The director of communications @ Plymouth, Pete Krupsky, has been doing a “blog” for the Memorial Cup and you can check it out here.
Since the game started at 7:30pm (PST), I will not be staying up to see the final game score tonight. I will update this post with the score on Friday. Until then, you should be able to view the live scoreboard here.
Update: The Whalers defeated Lewiston, 5-1, last night to earn a spot in the semifinals. They will play Vancouver tonight. Sportsnet has video highlights of the game. The Canadian Press has a recap of the game and check out Lewiston’s goaltender’s injury - man that sounds like it hurts!
The Whalers scored two goals in the first nine minutes and held a 3-0 edge going into the third period for their best start of the tournament.
”It’s the first time we’ve done it,” Whalers forward Tom Sestito said. ”When we’re behind we start to panic and everyone tries to do it themselves, but we stuck together as a team and we got the lead tonight.”
Sestito, a Columbus Blue Jackets draft pick, opened the scoring and finished with two goals and an assist. Those were his first goals of the tournament.
James Neal, property of the Dallas Stars, had two goals, including an empty-netter, to give him five in the tournament, and Evan Brophey also scored for the Whalers.
”I was kind of embarrassed that I wasn’t getting goals, but James has played well and is a big help for us,” Sestito said.
Lewiston goaltender Jonathan Bernier was pulled after the first period after allowing two goals on 13 shots.
He was suffering from an infection in his right foot and told head coach Clement Jodoin he could no longer stand on it after the first 20 minutes.
Whalers’ celebration banquet
This Wednesday, May 30th, the Plymouth Whalers are hosting a celebration banquet at Laurel Manor from 6-9pm to honor the team’s success this season as OHL Champs. I’m looking forward to going to the celebration on Wednesday!
Fans don’t miss the opportunity to celebrate the Whalers 2006-07 season with players and staff at Laurel Manor on Wednesday, May 30 from 6-9 p.m. Relive and celebrate the championship season while enjoying great food, music, and memories. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased by contacting the box office at 734-453-8400.
Fan Appreciation Day will be on June 16th (a Saturday). I’ll be sure to post more information about the event when I see it.