Owatonna Express Assistant Coach Eric Fink has taken a position as assistant coach of the Tri-City Storm of the USHL. Read the story here: http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3863181
I have to admit I was a little blind-sided by this announcement. I figured that eventually Eric would move on to a different coaching position somewhere, I just didn't figure it would be this summer, or this late in the offseason. Coaches come and coaches go, as that is the nature of junior hockey. This is a step up the proverbial corporate ladder for him, and I wish him well.
It remains to be seen what effect this will have on the Express down the road. It was good for the program to have such an experienced guy as the assistant coach. A lot of what he did was behind the scenes, with recruiting and whatnot, and Coach Cullen will have to find a guy that can help find those diamonds in the rough. That being said, make no mistake, this is Coach Cullen's team, and he will have things well under control.
Total speculation on my part here: I would guess Coach Cullen knew this was a possibility, and had already thought up his short list of replacements. Will we see the new assistant coach this weekend at the main tryout camp?? My guess is yes, we will.
See you at the rink.
--BK
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Welcome to the Official, Unofficial Express Blog
I want to take a minute and welcome all the new folks who have been visiting the blog recently. I would also like to thank the hundreds of folks who have been reading and contributing over the last 13 months. It has been a fun and rewarding experience for me, and I hope you guys are enjoying our favorite junior hockey team's one and only blog.
To the new folks, I extend an invitation to join in the conversation by using the "comments" feature at the bottom of each post. This is a relatively open forum for discussion, and I welcome your opinions. If you disagree with me, have a question, or heard some juicy rumor, please feel free to leave a comment. If you would like to contact me without it going on the blog, you can always drop me an email at owatonnaexpress@yahoo.com. The more people that participate, the more fun we all have.
For the last year, I have had a counter installed on the blog to log how many folks are visiting on a daily basis. The counter I chose was not always functioning correctly, so I decided to switch to different hit counter software. The software I chose provides me a great deal more information than the previous one did. When people log onto the site, I get a record of where they are, where they came from, what they looked at, and the like. I have had the new counter up for just a week so far, and have had visitors from: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Texas, Colorado, California, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Florida, Alabama, Washington, Massachusetts, Virginia, Connecticut, Alaska, and Kansas. Along with Canada, Germany, Australia, Slovakia, Norway, Sweden, Czech Republic, and Japan.
--Main Tryout Camp is almost here. It kicks off this Friday and wraps up Sunday. Less than 1 week from right now, the 2009/10 Owatonna Express team will have been chosen. The draft picks, tenders, the invitees from Open Camp, and some of the veterans from last season, will make up the 4 teams. There will be plenty of talent on the ice, so make plans to stop in and see some action this weekend. The schedule is:
Friday, July 17th:
Green vs. Black 10:00am-11:30am
White vs. Gold 11:45am-1:15pm
Green vs. White 4:30pm-6:00pm
Black vs. Gold 6:15pm-7:45pm
Saturday, July 18th:
Green vs. Gold 10:00am-11:30am
Black vs. White 11:45am-1:15pm
All-Star Game #1 5:30pm-7:00pm
Sunday, July 19th:
All-Star Game #2 11:00am-1:00pm
See you at the rink.
--Big Kahuna
To the new folks, I extend an invitation to join in the conversation by using the "comments" feature at the bottom of each post. This is a relatively open forum for discussion, and I welcome your opinions. If you disagree with me, have a question, or heard some juicy rumor, please feel free to leave a comment. If you would like to contact me without it going on the blog, you can always drop me an email at owatonnaexpress@yahoo.com. The more people that participate, the more fun we all have.
For the last year, I have had a counter installed on the blog to log how many folks are visiting on a daily basis. The counter I chose was not always functioning correctly, so I decided to switch to different hit counter software. The software I chose provides me a great deal more information than the previous one did. When people log onto the site, I get a record of where they are, where they came from, what they looked at, and the like. I have had the new counter up for just a week so far, and have had visitors from: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Texas, Colorado, California, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Florida, Alabama, Washington, Massachusetts, Virginia, Connecticut, Alaska, and Kansas. Along with Canada, Germany, Australia, Slovakia, Norway, Sweden, Czech Republic, and Japan.
--Main Tryout Camp is almost here. It kicks off this Friday and wraps up Sunday. Less than 1 week from right now, the 2009/10 Owatonna Express team will have been chosen. The draft picks, tenders, the invitees from Open Camp, and some of the veterans from last season, will make up the 4 teams. There will be plenty of talent on the ice, so make plans to stop in and see some action this weekend. The schedule is:
Friday, July 17th:
Green vs. Black 10:00am-11:30am
White vs. Gold 11:45am-1:15pm
Green vs. White 4:30pm-6:00pm
Black vs. Gold 6:15pm-7:45pm
Saturday, July 18th:
Green vs. Gold 10:00am-11:30am
Black vs. White 11:45am-1:15pm
All-Star Game #1 5:30pm-7:00pm
Sunday, July 19th:
All-Star Game #2 11:00am-1:00pm
See you at the rink.
--Big Kahuna
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Express Draft Pick - Nate Brown
Player Profile - Nate Brown - 5'10"/170lbs - Defenseman
1991 birth year from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh which is also the same hometown of current Express forward Brian McGinty. He was a teammate of Express forward Josh Daley while playing mites in the Pittsburgh area. Nate played in the Pittsburgh Hornets Midget Major AAA program before leaving for more competitive hockey in the Detroit area. In 06/07 he played on the Honeybaked U16 team, tallying 4 goals, 8 assists, and 45 penalty minutes in 30 games. He moved up to the Team nXi U18 program for the 07/08 season, playing in 26 games, and scoring 2 goals, with 3 assists and 49 penalty minutes. Last season he played with the S2 U18 program (same as nXi, but the name was changed), scoring 11 goals and 19 assists, with 106 penalty minutes in 45 games.
Nate was drafted by the Sioux City Musketeers in the 2nd round (24th overall) of the 2008 USHL Futures Draft, and spent the 2008/09 season on the Musketeers' affiliate list. He was also drafted by the Mahoning Valley Phantoms in the 2008 NAHL Entry Draft, but did not play any games with the Phantoms last season.
My take: As with most non-Minnesota kids, I don't know a whole lot about Mr. Brown. One source I talked to, who had seen Nate play a couple of years ago stated he was a "rugged, stay-at-home defenseman". However, when I looked at his stats from last season, it appears he has found a scoring touch, as he tallied 30 points last season in the very tough MWEHL. The College Hockey Recruit Exchange Blog rated Nate as the MWEHL's #2 Offensive-Defensman prospect, in their April 17, 2009 rankings which you can peruse here: http://collegehockeyrecruitexchange.blogspot.com/2009/04/mwehl-midget-major-prospect-rankings.html .
It will be interesting to watch Nate at tryout camp in 10 days. How will a good defenseman from a Midget Major program stack up against a good defenseman from the Minnesota State High School League?? The competition for the few open defenseman spots on the 2009/10 Express roster will be fierce, and Nate should definitely be in the mix.
Welcome to Owatonna Nate Brown.
See you at the rink.
--BK
1991 birth year from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh which is also the same hometown of current Express forward Brian McGinty. He was a teammate of Express forward Josh Daley while playing mites in the Pittsburgh area. Nate played in the Pittsburgh Hornets Midget Major AAA program before leaving for more competitive hockey in the Detroit area. In 06/07 he played on the Honeybaked U16 team, tallying 4 goals, 8 assists, and 45 penalty minutes in 30 games. He moved up to the Team nXi U18 program for the 07/08 season, playing in 26 games, and scoring 2 goals, with 3 assists and 49 penalty minutes. Last season he played with the S2 U18 program (same as nXi, but the name was changed), scoring 11 goals and 19 assists, with 106 penalty minutes in 45 games.
Nate was drafted by the Sioux City Musketeers in the 2nd round (24th overall) of the 2008 USHL Futures Draft, and spent the 2008/09 season on the Musketeers' affiliate list. He was also drafted by the Mahoning Valley Phantoms in the 2008 NAHL Entry Draft, but did not play any games with the Phantoms last season.
My take: As with most non-Minnesota kids, I don't know a whole lot about Mr. Brown. One source I talked to, who had seen Nate play a couple of years ago stated he was a "rugged, stay-at-home defenseman". However, when I looked at his stats from last season, it appears he has found a scoring touch, as he tallied 30 points last season in the very tough MWEHL. The College Hockey Recruit Exchange Blog rated Nate as the MWEHL's #2 Offensive-Defensman prospect, in their April 17, 2009 rankings which you can peruse here: http://collegehockeyrecruitexchange.blogspot.com/2009/04/mwehl-midget-major-prospect-rankings.html .
It will be interesting to watch Nate at tryout camp in 10 days. How will a good defenseman from a Midget Major program stack up against a good defenseman from the Minnesota State High School League?? The competition for the few open defenseman spots on the 2009/10 Express roster will be fierce, and Nate should definitely be in the mix.
Welcome to Owatonna Nate Brown.
See you at the rink.
--BK
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Express Draft Pick - John Haeg
Player Profile - John Haeg - 6'1"/175lbs - Forward
A 1990 birth year, Haeg played his high school hockey at the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Minnesota. While centering the Stars' top line during the 2008/2009 season, he tallied 25 goals and 31 assists in 25 regular season games. In Holy Angels Section 2AA quarterfinals win over Bloomington Kennedy, Haeg suffered a broken collarbone, and was out of the lineup as the Edina Hornets ended the Stars' season in the semifinals. He was named to the All-Missota Conference team following both his junior and senior hockey seasons, and also played in the Fall Elite League as a member of Team SE. In addition to excelling on the ice, he was also an All-State soccer player his senior year at Holy Angels.
My take: Holy Angels has produced some very high-end talent in recent years, with alumni such as Jay Barribal, Mike Carman, and Erik Johnson, along with several other Division 1 players. As good a player as Haeg was during his high school career, he wasn't even the best player on the team. That honor would have to go to his linemate, and University of North Dakota recruit Danny Mattson. The experience of playing on a really talented team, with one of the best players in Minnesota would pay off as a member of the Express. I can't wait to see what he can do at Main Tryout Camp in two weeks.
Welcome to Owatonna John Haeg.
See you at the rink.
--BK
A 1990 birth year, Haeg played his high school hockey at the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Minnesota. While centering the Stars' top line during the 2008/2009 season, he tallied 25 goals and 31 assists in 25 regular season games. In Holy Angels Section 2AA quarterfinals win over Bloomington Kennedy, Haeg suffered a broken collarbone, and was out of the lineup as the Edina Hornets ended the Stars' season in the semifinals. He was named to the All-Missota Conference team following both his junior and senior hockey seasons, and also played in the Fall Elite League as a member of Team SE. In addition to excelling on the ice, he was also an All-State soccer player his senior year at Holy Angels.
My take: Holy Angels has produced some very high-end talent in recent years, with alumni such as Jay Barribal, Mike Carman, and Erik Johnson, along with several other Division 1 players. As good a player as Haeg was during his high school career, he wasn't even the best player on the team. That honor would have to go to his linemate, and University of North Dakota recruit Danny Mattson. The experience of playing on a really talented team, with one of the best players in Minnesota would pay off as a member of the Express. I can't wait to see what he can do at Main Tryout Camp in two weeks.
Welcome to Owatonna John Haeg.
See you at the rink.
--BK
Friday, July 3, 2009
There's a New Sheriff in Town
The Minnesota Wild signed defenseman "Sheriff" Shane Hnidy to a 1 year contract today.
My take: For some reason, Hnidy has been a favorite NHL player of mine. I love the way he plays the game, and I think this is a great pickup by the Wild. I won't miss Mary-Ann Gaborik, with Martin Havlat basically replacing him in the Wild line-up for less money. The Hnidy signing, along with signing of Greg Zanon hopefully means we've seen the last of Martin Skoula in a Wild sweater. It might take a year or two to retool the Wild, but so far I'm happy with the new regime.
--Nothing new on the Express front in the past few days. I've seen maybe a third of the USHL 25-man rosters, and the only player with Express ties that made one of those teams was 2009 draft pick Mac Olson.
--Two weeks from today we'll be watching the 2009/10 Express team taking shape at the Main Tryout Camp.
See you at the rink.
--BK
My take: For some reason, Hnidy has been a favorite NHL player of mine. I love the way he plays the game, and I think this is a great pickup by the Wild. I won't miss Mary-Ann Gaborik, with Martin Havlat basically replacing him in the Wild line-up for less money. The Hnidy signing, along with signing of Greg Zanon hopefully means we've seen the last of Martin Skoula in a Wild sweater. It might take a year or two to retool the Wild, but so far I'm happy with the new regime.
--Nothing new on the Express front in the past few days. I've seen maybe a third of the USHL 25-man rosters, and the only player with Express ties that made one of those teams was 2009 draft pick Mac Olson.
--Two weeks from today we'll be watching the 2009/10 Express team taking shape at the Main Tryout Camp.
See you at the rink.
--BK
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
USHL Cut-Down Day
As of today (July 1), the 14 members of the USHL had to whittle their rosters down to 25 players. This is an important day for our favorite junior hockey team as well, as the USHL cuts will shed some light on who may or may not be a part of the Express roster this fall. The next few days could be very exciting, or very depressing, as the rosters are released for public consumption.
Players with Express ties to watch for on USHL rosters:
Dan Cecka - reportedly made the Omaha Lancers 30-Man roster following their tryout camp. Did he survive the cut down to 25??
Zach Vierling - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders - His appearance at Express Open Tryout Camp makes me think he'll be back in Owatonna.
Chris Bournazos - Attended camp with the Green Bay Gamblers.
Bo Dolan - attended Fargo Force tryout camp.
Blake Matejcek - attended Lincoln Stars camp. He was not on the camp all-star game roster, so I like the chances of seeing him in 2 weeks at the Express Main Camp.
Andrew Miller - attended tryout camp with the Des Moines Bucs, but did not make their 25 man roster.
Ben Montgomery - attended camp with the Tri-City Storm, but did not make their camp all-star roster.
Andrew O'Leary - Made the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders 30 man roster after tryout camp. Did he survive the cut down to 25??
Mac Olson - Made the Chicago Steel's initial roster, hurting our chances of ever seeing him in an Express sweater.
Zach Sarig - Went to Youngstown's tryout camp, but did not make their 25 man roster.
Mike Yanis - Made the Sioux Falls Stampede's tryout all-star game.
Disclaimer: The information was culled from a multitude of websites and other sources, and is by no means can I guarantee it is complete nor 100% accurate. In addition, several of the USHL teams did not publish who attended their tryout camps, or announce who made their camp all-star rosters. I also did not include the tendered players on the list, as the names of those 7 players haven't been officially announced.
Next up for the Express is the Main Tryout Camp in 2 weeks. Several of last year's guys, plus the tendered guys, the draft picks, and the cream of the crop from Open Camp last month will battle it out for the 25 spots that will comprise the 2009/2010 Owatonna Express.
See you at the rink.
--BK
Players with Express ties to watch for on USHL rosters:
Dan Cecka - reportedly made the Omaha Lancers 30-Man roster following their tryout camp. Did he survive the cut down to 25??
Zach Vierling - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders - His appearance at Express Open Tryout Camp makes me think he'll be back in Owatonna.
Chris Bournazos - Attended camp with the Green Bay Gamblers.
Bo Dolan - attended Fargo Force tryout camp.
Blake Matejcek - attended Lincoln Stars camp. He was not on the camp all-star game roster, so I like the chances of seeing him in 2 weeks at the Express Main Camp.
Andrew Miller - attended tryout camp with the Des Moines Bucs, but did not make their 25 man roster.
Ben Montgomery - attended camp with the Tri-City Storm, but did not make their camp all-star roster.
Andrew O'Leary - Made the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders 30 man roster after tryout camp. Did he survive the cut down to 25??
Mac Olson - Made the Chicago Steel's initial roster, hurting our chances of ever seeing him in an Express sweater.
Zach Sarig - Went to Youngstown's tryout camp, but did not make their 25 man roster.
Mike Yanis - Made the Sioux Falls Stampede's tryout all-star game.
Disclaimer: The information was culled from a multitude of websites and other sources, and is by no means can I guarantee it is complete nor 100% accurate. In addition, several of the USHL teams did not publish who attended their tryout camps, or announce who made their camp all-star rosters. I also did not include the tendered players on the list, as the names of those 7 players haven't been officially announced.
Next up for the Express is the Main Tryout Camp in 2 weeks. Several of last year's guys, plus the tendered guys, the draft picks, and the cream of the crop from Open Camp last month will battle it out for the 25 spots that will comprise the 2009/2010 Owatonna Express.
See you at the rink.
--BK
Friday, June 26, 2009
Express Draft Pick - Bo Dolan
Player Profile - Bo Dolan - 5'10"/179lbs - Defenseman
1990 birth year from St. Paul, Minnesota. Dolan was drafted by the Express in May's NAHL Entry Draft. He played his high school hockey for the perennial powerhouse Hill-Murray Pioneers. He scored 5 goals and 21 assists in only 16 games, and was named Honorable Mention All-State as the Pioneers won the 2008 State Championship. He also played on Team NE in the Minnesota Elite League, and on the Section 4 Great 8 Team.
He was drafted in the 6th round of the 2007 USHL Futures Draft by the Sioux Falls Stampede, who also drafted Express Alum Tim Smith in the 8th round of that draft. Bo made the Stampede roster heading into the 2008/09 season, and played 18 games before being traded to the Tri-City Storm on December 8, 2008.
Tri-City was an absolute disgrace as a franchise last season. Money problems forced the coaching staff to recruit solely off the internet, and it showed on the ice as the Storm finished a USHL worst 11-48-1. The team has since been sold, and will have a new coach for the 2009/10 season. The resulting roster upheaval led to Dolan's release by the Storm, and I'm sure that played a part in the Express's interest in him. He attended the Fargo Force's tryout camp earlier this month, and hopefully we see him July 17th at the Express Main Camp.
My take: The Express franchise has had tremendous luck with Hill-Murray guys over the years. Dolan would join Brian Arrigoni, Dan Cecka, Ryan Guentzel, Gabe Guentzel, Vince Unklesbay, and Tom O'Brien, as former Pioneers to suit up for the Express. He was the best defenseman on the best team in Minnesota in 2007/08, and would certainly be a solid fixture on the blueline for our favorite junior hockey team.
Dolan is not your prototypical big defenseman at 5'10". He makes up for his lack of size by playing a tough, physical brand of hockey, and also isn't afraid to drop the gloves and take care of business that way when necessary. I mostly agree with Coach Cullen's attitude when it comes to fighting, but at times last year, teams took some liberties with our guys knowing they wouldn't have to answer for their misdeeds. Dolan tallied 4 fights last season, and his presence in the Express lineup would at least make the opposing teams think twice before running our goalie.
I'm excited to see Dolan playing for the Express. He's a USHL veteran with a full year of junior hockey under his belt, and has some scoring ability. He will fill the hole left by Tim Smith's departure to Providence College.
Welcome to Owatonna Bo Dolan.
See you at the rink.
--Big Kahuna
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