GWMHL

Archive for the ‘Teams’ Category

Salem Loads Up to Defend Title, Acquires Kopitar

In CHA, SAL, Transactions on September 30, 2018 at 9:34 am

Defending Gump Cup champions, the Salem Sabercats, went into the offseason as a team likely in decline. But the offseason acquisition of Marc-Andre Fleury was a statement that they wouldn’t be fading quietly. That was underscored today when the Sabercats acquired veteran two-way centre Anze Kopitar from the Charleston Chiefs, along with a second round pick in 2019, for young wingers Brendan Perlini and Ondrej Kase.

The Chiefs still have a healthy Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point down the middle. Nevertheless, it’s a clear signal of a rebuild in progress. In 11 GWMHL seasons with Kenora/Baltimore and then Charleston, Kopitar has 665 points in 837 games, good for 12th all time for the Charleston franchise.

Trade Roundup: Getzlaf, Oshie, Howard on the Move

In BAL, BOS, GLP, PAR, Transactions, WVR on September 20, 2018 at 12:41 pm

The Great Lakes Pilots‘ rebuild continues. After parting ways with Sidney Crosby on draft day, the Pilots have shipped out pivot Ryan Getzlaf to the Boston Banshees for a 2nd round pick in 2019.

But that was just one of a flurry of post-draft roster moves as teams solidify their lineups. The West Virginia River Rats picked up winger T.J. Oshie from Parry Sound in exchange for defenseman John Moore and a third round pick. And the Orrsmen followed that with a pair of trades with Boston, first acquiring Brandon Dubinsky for a third, then sending goaltender Jimmy Howard to the Banshees for a trio of Free Agent Draft picks. Finally, Boston shipped steady blueliner Kevan Miller to Baltimore for a 4th round pick in 2019.

[Press Release] Delta Pre-Season Preview

In DEL, Special Features on September 18, 2018 at 8:28 pm

Supplied by the Delta Sturgeon

With the 2018 season quickly approaching, Delta Sturgeon fans and Management really believe this could be the year to end their long playoff drought (9 years) and, perhaps win a championship.

Said Coach Martin, “It’s really amazing the fan support and the support of the ownership group. They have been extremely patient through these dark years. Even more so, they have been supportive of the last two campaigns where we were tantalizingly close to making the playoffs, but just fell short again. I can tell you the entire team and I are excited for the upcoming season. Not only did I think we would be a contending team, but the huge additions in the offseason clearly speak to the belief of Upper Management that now is the time to win. The acquisition of superb professionals Jonathan Toews and Zdeno Chara will not only shore up our overall defensive play, but also make us a much harder group to play against. They will be a calming influence on our young players, and allow them to continue to develop.”

Asked by several reporters after draft day how the coach planned to deploy the newcomers.

“We’ll just have to see who they gain chemistry with. Let’s face it. These are guys who can play against opponents’ top offensive players in shutdown roles. I would expect them to see similar roles here, but we really need to see if they develop some chemistry that makes a particular combination better. Certainly I believe our penalty kill today is better than it was a few days ago.”

Where do the lines sort out and who moves to the 4th line?

“I won’t speculate right now on line combinations. For sure we had some good line combinations last season, but each season is new. You’ve got to try and put things together in a way that helps as many folks as possible succeed. Plus, we have some young guys in Vrana and Strome that I am excited to see how they can improve, and maybe supplant veterans. So, you will just have to wait and see”

John Gibson was all smiles. “I tell you, having two players like that will really help your team defense. I think we did a fine job last season..but wow! Am I excited to see those guys work daily against the opposition.”

With the Free Agent draft underway, and teams in camp trying to figure out who will make the cut and stay in the league, the Sturgeon have a nice problem. Too many quality players. Let’s see what they can do to end their playoff drought once the season begins.

-30-

Sidney Crosby a Pilot No More

In BAL, GLP, Transactions on September 17, 2018 at 10:22 am

As previously reported, the Great Lakes Pilots ended their Sidney Crosby experiment once and for all, sending the superstar centre to cup contending Baltimore for Jonathan Drouin and a trio of draft picks.

With 937 career points, Crosby is the 23rd all-time scorer in the GWMHL and 8th among active skaters. He’s poised to join the exclusive 1000-point club as early as this coming season.

It was a bold move by the Crab and a needed one by Great Lakes. The Pilots paid a pretty penny to acquire Crosby from West Virginia on Draft Day 2016, namely two first rounders (who would become Pavel Zacha and Sebastian Aho). And Crosby performed as advertised, putting up two straight 40-goal seasons for the Pilots. But his new team struggled to surround him with enough talent to win. In Drouin, they get a proven 23-year-old forward they hope to build around. Add to that the two 2018 picks, which they parlayed into winger Ryan Donato and defenseman Noah Juulsen.

With the Crab, Crosby will have talented linemates to spare, potentially including Vladimir Tarasenko, Filip Forsberg, and Jaden Schwartz. Barring more trades, he’ll combine with Mark Scheifele and Tyler Johnson to make a formidable 1-2-3 down the middle. Despite some question marks in goal, the Crab seem ready to try to recapture the Gump Cup.

Crosby, Sidney
Year	Name	                  GP	G	A	PTS
06-07	West Virginia River Rats  81	17	62	79
07-08	West Virginia River Rats  79	25	71	96
08-09	West Virginia River Rats  47	15	30	45
09-10	West Virginia River Rats  77	28	62	90
10-11	West Virginia River Rats  81	52	84	136
11-12	West Virginia River Rats  41	28	47	75
12-13	West Virginia River Rats  18	6	15	21
13-14	West Virginia River Rats  36	17	24	41
14-15	West Virginia River Rats  77	35	65	100
15-16	West Virginia River Rats  73	33	61	94
16-17	Great Lakes Pilots	  80	44	35	79
17-18	Great Lakes Pilots	  75	40	41	81
Totals	                          765	340	597	937

Hischier, Dubois, McAvoy Headline 2018 Rookie Draft

In GLP, IHS, PWH, SJH, SSR, Transactions on September 16, 2018 at 2:30 pm

The 2018 GWMHL Rookie Draft is over, and 20 Gump franchises are returning to headquarters to count their winnings.

The draft got off to a stunning start with the announcement of several big trades (more on that to come), and then teams got down to business. South Side, owners of 4 first round picks after a dramatic sell-off extending through last season, picked Swiss phenom Nico Hischier first overall, while Portland also went for a future impact forward in Pierre-Luc Dubois. Charlie McAvoy was the first defenseman taken, by San Jose at #3, while Nolan Patrick (Great Lakes) and Alex DeBrincat (Ice Harbor) rounded out the top 5.

A goalie wouldn’t be taken until 24th overall, when the Pilots nabbed Thatcher Demko.

Along with Hischier, the Renegades scooped up forwards Anthony Cirelli at #9, Filip Chytil at #16, and Alex Formenton at #20.

Here are the full round-by-round results:

Round  1
 #     Overall #  Orig. Team  Curr. Team   Pick
 1             1         SSR         SSR   F Nico Hischier
 2             2         PWH         PWH   F Pierre-Luc Dubois
 3             3         SJH         SJH   D Charlie McAvoy
 4             4         GLP         GLP   F Nolan Patrick
 5             5         IHS         IHS   F Alex DeBrincat
 6             6         CHA         CHA   F Casey Mittelstadt
 7             7         PIT         PIT   F Eeli Tolvanen
 8             8         FFS         FFS   F Henrik Borgstrom
 9             9         EDH         SSR   F Anthony Cirelli
 10           10         DEL         WVR   F Owen Tippett
 11           11         WVR         SJH   F Kailer Yamamoto
 12           12         WPG         WPG   D Will Butcher
 13           13         ADI         ADI   F Jake DeBrusk
 14           14         HAM         HAM   F Lias Andersson
 15           15         VAN         VAN   F Martin Necas
 16           16         DEN         SSR   F Filip Chytil
 17           17         BAL         GLP   F Ryan Donato
 18           18         SAL         SAL   D Samuel Girard
 19           19         BOS         BOS   F Jordan Greenway
 20           20         PAR         SSR   F Alex Formenton

Check out rounds 2 through 4 after the jump!

Read the rest of this entry »

Brock Nelson Bound for West Virginia

In SJH, Transactions, WVR on September 15, 2018 at 8:44 pm

Forward Brock Nelson is joining the River Rats, as West Virginia swung a deal with the San Jose Hosers on the eve of draft day. In exchange for Nelson, the Rats give up its own 3rd rounder (51st) as well as Delta’s 3rd rounder (50th).

Nelson is coming off a down year, with just 13 goals in 69 games, but he flirted with 30 goals as recently as ’16-’17. The Rats will hope he finds his game in a lineup studded with young talent.

Draft Day is Almost Here

In SSR, Transactions on September 15, 2018 at 11:18 am

The 2018 GWMHL Rookie Draft is set to take place Sunday, September 16. While not boasting quite as deep a pool as 2017, 2018 still promises plenty of intrigue.

Who Goes First?

This year’s draft class is headlined by young blue-chip talent like Nico Hischier, Nolan Patrick, Charlie McAvoy, Alex DeBrincat, and Pierre-Luc Dubois, plus a host of interesting wild-card prospects. Unlike the previous two years, which saw Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews go first overall, 2018 is much tougher to predict.

Big Names on the Move?

Rumours are swirling that some teams have already agreed to deals involving all-star calibre players. Deals involving 2019 picks can’t be made official until the draft begins, so expect a flurry of transactions Sunday morning. Plus, there’s always jockeying in the later rounds as GMs vie for hidden gems.

4 High Picks for South Side

Barring trades, the rebuilding South Side Renegades are poised to make the most noise at the draft table: they have 4 first round picks, including #1 (their own), #9, #16, and #20. That kind of stockpile gives the Renegades the freedom to take a couple of safe picks, then swing for the fences on longshots. They’ll almost certainly walk away with a new-look roster.

Lynx Add Centre, Defense Depth

In EDH, SSR, Transactions, VAN on September 10, 2018 at 1:34 pm

In a pair of moves, the El Dorado Lynx have signalled that they’re going all-in on the upcoming season. First, the Lynx acquired veteran rearguard Alex Edler from the Vancouver Night Train, along with a 4th round pick (70th overall), for El Dorado’s 2nd round rookie pick in 2018 (29th overall). Edler leaves as the third highest-scoring defenseman in Vancouver franchise history.

Then, the Lynx swung an even bigger move, sending their 1st round pick in 2018 (9th overall) and forward Teuvo Teravainen to the rebuilding South Side Renegades for centre Ryan O’Reilly, defenseman Jonas Brodin, and South Side’s 2nd round pick (21st overall). The move simultaneously solidifies El Dorado’s shaky blueline but also provides a top-line centre to fill in for injury-plagued Ryan Kesler.

Salem Acquires Fleury

In SAL, SSR, Transactions on May 9, 2018 at 9:31 am

The Salem Sabercats, 2018 Gump Cup Champions, have acquired a potential new starter in veteran netminder Marc-Andre Fleury. In exchange, Fleury’s former club, the South Side Renegades, receive young winger Sonny Milano.

The move signals the rebuilding Renegades’ desire to move forward with goaltender Connor Hellebuyck as its starter. On the Sabercats’ end, it seems likely that the defending champs will let Fleury battle with Frederik Andersen for the starter job. That means veteran Craig Anderson could be on the outside looking in.

Fleury joins his third franchise after 12 seasons with South Carolina (now Parry Sound) and then South Side. He played 35 games in 2017-18, struggling to a 3.65 GAA and .901 save percentage, with one shutout, on a last-place South Side team. Milano did not suit up for the Sabercats.

Minor Move: Kevan Miller to Boston

In BOS, Transactions, VAN on April 25, 2018 at 10:05 am

In a minor move to shore up its bottom pairing, the Boston Banshees have acquired steady defenseman Kevan Miller from the Vancouver Night Train in exchange for Ice Harbor’s 4th round rookie pick in 2018.

Vancouver had acquired Miller from Parry Sound at the 2017-18 trade deadline in a move that saw Derek Forbort going the other way. He put up one goal and 13 points in 58 regular season games this past season, along with 2 assists in 12 playoff games.