Phil Esposito Named Whalers Head Coach

At the Whalers press conference last night, Phil Esposito was named the new Whalers head coach. Phil spent last season behind the bench as an assistant coach and has a storied history with Danbury. He looks to be a great fit for the team and is already bringing unparalleled enthusiasm for this Fall.

More on Esposito Monday morning. Have a great weekend everyone!

Protected Players List, Part 9 of 14: New York Aviators

Here's 5 more Aviators players

Matt Puntureri

Stats: 25 y/o Right Wing; 46 GP, 27 G, 40 A, 67 Pts, +29

Thoughts: Safe to say, Puntureri is one of the league's superstar players. At more than a point per game with 18 points gained on the powerplay through the season, he's lethal as a scoring threat and arguably one of, if not the league's top winger. Moving into the playoffs, he posted 6 goals and 9 assists for 15 points in 9 games, 8 of which were on the powerplay. I can't really recall a single defenseman who was able to shut him down at any point in the season. A player of this skill level is quite the commodity.

Verdict: Puntureri is a player capable of deciding entire games; curiously enough, he was traded to New Jersey this past week for cash.

KC Timmons

Stats: 31 y/o Defenseman; 39 GP, 11 G, 14 A, 25 Pts, +3

Thoughts: Timmons is what many would considered a grizzled veteran in this kind of league. With well over 300 professional games in his career, he brings that knowledge and experience to the Aviators' defensive corps. Was also an NHL draft pick of the Colorado Avs in the late 90s. Biggest assets are his size and booming shot from the blue line. 12 points out of 42 on the powerplay and 25 points in 39 games not bad at all for a defenseman.

Verdict: Stays. Crushing blue line hits, massive 230 pound frame, great powerplay point shot.

Stephen Obelnicki

Stats: 24 y/o Right Wing; 46 GP, 4 G, 12 A, 16 Pts, +10

Thoughts: With 16 points in 46 games as a forward, one might be able to guess that Obelnicki isn't exactly on the team to score goals. In reality, he's one of the league's enforcers, competing directly with the likes of Danbury's Corey Fulton in the “Who can get more penalty minutes?” game. 118 minutes in 46 games; the scraps were always fun to see. Highlight of the season? Watching him take his helmet off to scrap with Fulton after his Jimmy Kimmel Live appearance and the ensuing poofy whirlwind of perm.

Verdict: Obelnicki stays; the perm, however, has GOT to go.

Andrew Scampoli

Stats: 26 y/o Right Wing; 47 GP, 20 G, 32 A, 52 Pts, +17

Thoughts: Scampoli has some frequent flyer miles under his belt, having competed in no less than 7 different leagues by the close of the 2010-2011 season. He's one of the Aviators more talented wingers and is capable of producing in all situations. More than a point per game, with 15 of his 52 coming on the powerplay. Potted one shorty before the close of the Aviators' rookie campaign, and also boasts a very impressive 4 game winning goals. Continued his high caliber of play well into the playoffs, where in 9 games he was responsible for 6 goals and 4 assists, 2 of which were on the powerplay.

Verdict: Because of his production, no reason not to lock him down as well. Keeping so many core guys together is going to ensure that much of the chemistry that found them a 21 game win streak last year stays intact for the second season. It's guys like these that will keep the Aviators in contention.

Casey Mignone

Stats: 23 y/o Right Wing; 44 GP, 20 G, 26 A, 46 Pts, +17

Thoughts: Mignone was another FHL played to join the proud company of 100+ professional career games this season. He's a very capable point-per-game player who earned 13 of his 45 points on the powerplay, and also had 4 game winners. Mignone rounds out New York's very deep core of talented right wingers, which gives them a lot of potential to wiggle around before the Fall. Not that New York has any lack of talent it needs to make up for, but finding a right winger capable of switching to the left side without losing his mojo, or simply trading for a good left winger would make the team more frightening than it already is.

Verdict: Again, chemistry. No reason to get rid of him. 

We've got one New York player left on Monday, and then we'll start with Rome. 

Protected Players List, Part 8 of 14: New York Aviators

Here's 5 more Aviators players...

Jarret Rush

Stats: 25 y/o Defenseman; 47 GP, 1 G, 16 A, 17 Pts, +21

Thoughts: The Aviators wasted no time locking down Rush for their sophomore season, and for good reason too. 5 of his points came on the powerplay, and he takes a relatively low number of penalty minutes relative to games played; 59 minutes to 47 games. Finishing the season with a +21 proved he's not defensively liable and is very capable of defending the Aviators' net. Performed very well in the playoffs too, posting a goal and 3 assists for a +7 in 9 games. This is the kind of defenseman a lot of teams are desperately searching for more of.

Verdict: Announced this week to have signed a contract with the Aviators for the 2011-12 season. Staying for sure.

John Goffredo

Stats: 24 y/o Center; 47 GP, 24 G, 27 A, 51 Pts, +14

Thoughts: At 51 points and only a +14 comparatively, Goffredo and his linemates weren't the most defensively sound players on the Aviators team, but at over a point per game, it also didn't matter too much. Goffredo takes very few penalties, and is a scoring threat from all areas of the ice. In the playoffs, he continued his strong play with 3 goals and 3 assists in 9 games. Of those 51 points, a full third (5 goals and 12 assists) came on the powerplay. Also put up a very respectable pair of shorties.

Verdict: His biggest value may lie in his ability to center the man advantage down low. Totally a keeper just for the powerplay minutes he eats up, if nothing else.

Michael Thomson

Stats: 27 y/o Right Wing; 39 GP, 18 G, 29 A, 47 Pts, +29

Thoughts: Thomson is another common sight in the New York hockey scene, having done his time with the Brooklyn Aces prior to the Aviators. He is yet another player on the Aviators roster averaging over a point per game, and boasts a very impressive +29 to end the season with. Like Goffredo, he's a huge asset on the powerplay. 13 of his 47 points (2 goals, 11 assists) came on the advantage, helping to make New York one of the most feared teams in the league for those with a habit of spending time in the box. In the playoffs he made an absolutely heroic effort, potting 2 goals and 13 assists in 9 games. Of those points, 7 were powerplay assists.

Verdict: Another vital piece of the puzzles if the Aviators want to continue to strike fear into the hearts of opposing PK units.

Nicholas Vandenbeld

Stats: 26 y/o Left Winger; 16 GP, 3 G, 7 A, 10 Pts, +6

Thoughts: Vandenbeld saw most of his action in the back stretch of the season, and logged 9 playoff games as well. He finished with respectable numbers and managed to notch a shorty in the playoffs. Not quite amongst New York's elite starpower, Vandenbeld is a very respectable depth player nonetheless. As it stands, he has all the opportunity in the world to elevate his production level now that the Aviators have lost a few key pieces of their offensive artillery.

Verdict: Stays for depth; could move up with the departure of players like Puntureri.

Nicholas Kuqali

Stats: 26 y/o Defenseman; 40 GP, 1 G, 13 A, 14 Pts, +20

Thoughts: Kuqali anchored New York's defensive corps for almost the entire season, and at 6'2'' and 205 pounds, he definitely made his presence known crossing the blue line. 14 points in 40 games is solid for a defenseman of his role, and he kept well out of the penalty box for the most part. New York seems to be taking a very smart path in locking down their talented Dmen early, and Kuqali is no exception. He's a huge part of the system.

Verdict: Recently announced to have been resigned by the Aviators. Dependable two-way defenseman are a commodity. 1^st or 2^nd defensive pairing this fall, says I. 

Protected Players List, Part 7 of 14: Cape Cod Bluefins/New York Aviators

Aaron Boyer

Stats: 27 y/o Right Wing; 29 GP, 15 G, 4 A, 19 Pts, -15

Thoughts: Boyer is a SUNY product who averages half a point per game and plays a hard, grinding style. 4 of 19 points were on the powerplay. His numbers in his first pro season were pretty consistent with his college production, but his style doesn't fit very well with the team he plays for. May be best served with a trade to another team that prefers a more contact friendly brand of puck.

Verdict: I got the impression for most of the first season that Cape Cod was not looking to be a physical team. I'm curious where a player of his style fits into the finesse equation.

Christopher Testa

Stats: 24 y/o Goaltender; 2-11-0, 4.61 GAA, .884 Pct

Thoughts: Testa's numbers don't do him any justice. In today's game, it's very easy to argue that a goaltender is only good as the players in front of him (Luongo in the last two Stanley Cup games, anyone?). The relative lack of solid defensive play by Cape Cod is the larger culprit behind Testa's numbers. Danbury fans had a chance to see him quite a few times when Cape Cod came to town, and he always put in a solid performance that was mired only by his teammates leaving him out to dry. He was, after all, a big factor in the Aviators' undefeated season two years prior, averaging very near a 94% save average and 1.25 goals against. With a good team in front of him, look for him to split the duties with Skoggard and repeat those kinds of numbers.

Verdict: The combination of Testa and Skoggard is deadly against anybody they play; truly makes them a team with two starting goaltenders. He stays.

Matthew Marchell

Stats: 23 y/o Defenseman; 32 GP, 1 G, 5 A, 6 Pts, -6

Thoughts: Marchell was brought on as an offensive defenseman (noticing a trend?) expected not only to set up the rush from the blueline, but contribute offensively in his own right. He disappointed on the powerplay, and registered only two dozen shots in nearly three dozen games. For his intended purpose, he didn't deliver at all. Big question mark in terms of keeping him to see if he can adapt to the new team, or trading him to somebody looking for a role player.

Verdict: D3 Offensive Player of The Year in Crookston proves he can produce for a Dman, but Cape Cod has plenty of people who can produce. Eventually they need to find a Dman who can stop the other team from producing, and one of the offensive guys has to go to do it.

Peter Skoggard

Stats: 22 y/o Goaltender; 24 GP, 11-7-5, 3.30 GAA, .916 Pct

Thoughts: Skoggard should be very familiar to Danbury fans, as he signed with the team temporarily halfway through the season in a very quiet trade. Brought on when Danbury's goaltending tandem was in question, he started a few games in place of Nick Niedert, stifling opposing teams with the classic deep-in-the-net style very typical of modern Swedish goalies. He played 17 games with Cape Cod and 7 with Danbury, finishing with very respectable numbers, keeping in mind both teams played better offensively than defensively. After the FHL season, had a brief stint with the Augusta Riverhawks of the SPHL, playing 7 games there and logging in at 6-0-0, 2.54 GAA, .924 Pct.

Verdict: Cape Cod has completely lost their minds if they don't keep him.

New York Aviators

The Aviators will wind up being the team with the least change in their protected list, and for good reason. This is a team that ended its season first place in the FHL, coming hot off a 21 game winning streak, and was arguably upset by the Warriors in the finals. They have a winning chemistry with no real identity crisis to sort out, and are essentially looking to do the same thing they already have done for an entire season. 

Jesse Felten

Stats: 24 y/o Center; 46 GP, 21 G, 26 A, 47 Pts, +17

Thoughts: Oh, Jesse Felten....how they love to hate you. Planted himself firmly in the crosshairs of Danbury fans before the first game of opening weekend was even halfway finished. Felten is an undeniably great hockey player who matches his raw talent only in his ability to be an absolutely infuriating pest. From goaltenders to opposing faceoff partners, all the way to players on the bench, he seemed to find a way to get under everybody's skin and completely take them off their game. Posted 47 points in 46 games, and another 14 points in 9 playoff games. Equally capable of setting up a gorgeous pass as he is burying the puck solo, and a powerplay phenom to boot, there's not too much to dislike about Felten from a value standpoint.

Verdict: Already signed a contract with the Aviators for this season, won't be going anywhere. Part of his prowess was the chemistry he's developed with linemate Matt Puntureri over the time they've spent playing together. Now that Puntureri has gone to New Jersey, it'll be very intriguing to see who steps up as Felten's new linemate, and whether or not they'll have the same strong chemistry. Make no mistake, he's a franchise player. 

Protected Players List, Part 6 of 14: Cape Cod Bluefins

Hopefully any formatting and visibility issues with the next few posts have been figured out. Here's 5 more Bluefins players.

Dustin Skinner

Stats: 23 y/o Center; 10 GP, 1 G, 3 A, 4 Pts, -5

Thoughts: A relative rookie, Skinner's biggest claim to fame is 3rd place in the NAHL national tournament, though he boasts little professional experience, working with Cape Cod for only 10 games in the 2010-11 venture. Obviously another player that Cape Cod sees promise in, it's very hard to reach a conclusion on how he's going to fit in with the system until we see what the system will be. Also had 10 games with Rome in which he put up 6 points and was also a -5. His best season came in 08 with the Alaska Avs, playing 24 games and putting up 17 points.

Verdict: At less than a point per game over his career and with often low +/- ratings, he's a depth player at best.

David Lawrence

Stats: 21 y/o Center; 34 GP, 7 G, 21 A, 28 Pts, -7

Thoughts: Lawrence has enough experience to bring a needed presence to the reworked Bluefins team. Besides how much of a pest he can be, 7 of his 28 points (2g,5a) were on the powerplay, making him very important to keep around if for no other reason than to keep them fueled on the man advantage.

Verdict: Stays to help build the powerplay up.

Skylar Christoffersen

Stats: 25 y/o Right Wing; 30 GP, 2 G, 9 A, 11 Pts, -14

Thoughts: Christoffersen filled the role of Cape Cod's tough guy admirably, racking up 118 penalty minutes in 30 games, and contributing 11 points as well. Capable of delivering some booming hits and equally able to drop the gloves with the best of them, he'll be especially valuable going forward if the team decides to keep its mentality of using lighter, faster forwards. The only downside is that at 6-1 and 190 pounds, he doesn't have exactly the size of some of the league's other enforcers.

Verdict: He stays. No reason not to lock down a proven tough guy.

Quinn McIntosh

Stats: 26 y/o Center; 32 GP, 8 G, 8 A, 16 Pts, -10

Thoughts: With a proven collegiate track record and captaincy across junior teams, McIntosh is a key piece of the puzzle for Cape Cod's new identity. 4 points out of 16 on the powerplay make him an asset there, but the amount of penalties he takes make him a liability. A playmaking center at heart, he needs to do a better job staying out of the box if he wants his team to produce more offensively. Likely anchors the first or second lines come this fall.

Verdict: Didn't do anything wearing the A to warrant not staying. He's a two time NJCAA champion who brings lots of experience and leadership to the team, and may be one of the keys to a more effective powerplay.

Brad Pawlowski

Stats: 22 y/o Defenseman; 17 GP, 0 G, 4 A, 4 Pts, +5

Thoughts: Also a championship player, Pawlowski was one of few Cape Cod players who survived the season with their +/- rating intact. Pawlowski has a bit more size to him than Christoffersen does, making the penalty minutes he takes worth it to tangle with the league's true elite enforcers. When he's not doing that, he's a truly reliable defenseman capable of keeping Cape Cod's side of the ice under control.

Verdict: Arguably the most experienced and talented defenseman Cape Cod has, I'd argue that he's more important to lock down than most of the forwards, given what a defensively poor season the team had. Can probably teach the new guys a thing or two. First line defensive pairing. 

Wednesday AM Update

I've gotten quite a few messages from people asking where the last 2 updates are. Truth be told, I posted them from work, and it seems the way the work computer is formatting everything has made them invisible to a lot of people. I'm going to try to resolve the issue before I head back into work tonight (just as soon as I sneak some shut eye in), and those of you that haven't been able to see them should have 3 new parts to read before the end of the day.

Sorry about the mix up!

Protected Players List, Part 5 of 14: Akwesasne Warriors/Cape Cod Bluefins

Here's the last 2 Akwesasne players and the first 3 Cape Cod players. 

Terry Watt

Stats: 25 y/o Defenseman; 5 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 Pts

Thoughts: Watt came in at the very tail end of the season and was all but invisible there. However, during the playoffs, he contributed a goal and two assists in 4 games. If the glimmers of an offensive defenseman we saw during the players continue into the new season, Watt should be very capable of providing some offensive spark for Akwesasne's defensive corps.

Verdict: Obviously needed some time to adjust to his teammates and their playing styles. Worth keeping around just to see if he clicks come October. 

Drew Baker

Stats: 25 y/o Left Defenseman; 17 GP, 4 G, 3 A, 7 Pts, +4

Thoughts: Baker played the first half of the season for the Warriors and didn't return after the first week in December due to an Augusta Riverhawks callup (SPHL) but they've stated their interest in bringing him back. He's defensively responsible and able to keep up with the faster forwards for Akwesasne's trademark gorgeous passing rushes. The big question is whether or not all the time off has effected him, and whether or not he's still interested in heading back north. He did, after all, stay with the Hawks well into the playoffs. 

Verdict: Hailing from Georgia, he may be the most likely candidate for the Warriors to trade to a more southern team for some missing puzzle pieces come training camp time. 

Cape Cod Bluefins

Cape Cod shares the dubious honor of being one of two teams unable to finish the regular season before closing out. Unlike Rome, however, Cape Cod will be returning for the second FHL season, and looks to maintain most of their core playerbase at the time of their closing. Many of these players also saw limited stints with the teams that had survived through the entire season. After a location change, major staffing overhaul, and most recently a total name change, the Bluefins look to have a much more productive second season. 

Andrew Hutton

Stats: 25 y/o Right Wing; 34 GP, 6 G, 17 A, 23 Pts, -7

Thoughts: Hutton came on as the team's captain after stellar college and minor league performances, garnering a collegiate MVP award along the way. Has proved in the past he has plenty of potential to compete with the best of them. An all too common trend at this point, he is held back by the absence of a true first pairing of defensemen. Given a new arena, new staff, and hopefully more new players to work with this season, it's highly likely that his production will only increase.

Verdict: No reason to except that he won't be captaining the new incarnation of the team. 

Anthony Cosmano

Stats: 26 y/o Center; 32 GP, 11 G, 9 A, 20 Pts, -2

Thoughts: Cosmano also contributed significant speed to the Cape Cod offensive corps, weaving magic in the offensive zone to create opportunities for his wingers. At nearly half a point per game, he's a solid player with potential to develop as Cape Cod searches for, establishes, and begins to refine a new identity as a hockey team. Cosmano struck a chord as more of a patient, defensive center, waiting for a mistake to take off up-ice at breakneck pace.  

Verdict: What role he's used in this year remains to be seen, but make no mistake. Speed is the name of the game here.

Vincent Amigone

Stats: 25 y/o Right Wing; 32 GP, 9 G, 4 A, 13 Pts, -8

Thoughts: A very deserving alternate captain of the team, Amigone's collegiate career was a veritable cornucopia of trophy case material. 4 years of D1, MVP caliber, state golds, scoring medals...the list goes on and on. Limited to just six dozen shots in nearly half that many games, Amigone's offensive potential was limited by the lack of any real team chemistry, as Cape Cod found itself shut down by their opponents time and time again over the course of the season. 

Verdict: His experience is another building block that will go a long way toward developing a team, but the base requirements here are going to be having a solid foundation to work from; no home changing, no revolving coaches, etc etc etc. 

More on the Bluefins Friday morning!

Protected Players List, Part 4 of 14: Akwesasne Warriors

Since I wound up working a 24 hour shift for Memorial Day and not being able to post up, you'll be getting a double header today. Part 5 will come in later today

This edition will clear some more Akwesasne players out, leaving us with just 2 more in the next part before we move on to the Barons.  

Pierre Dagenais

Stats: 33 y/o Right Wing; 23 GP, 26 G, 28 A, 54 Pts, +10

Thoughts: Absolute ringer for the Warriors at the beginning of the season before he signed a Euro contract and disappeared. Conveniently returned to the US the week before playoffs started to post 9 points in 4 games. NHL and KHL experience over the course of the last 7+ seasons.

Verdict: As far as I'm concerned, somebody of that talent and experience level has no place playing in a class A league. You don't see the Capitals sending Ovechkin down to Hershey to ring a few games out when they need points. Must be nice to have money; he'll be back.

Ahmed Mahfouz

Stats: 22 y/o Left Wing; 34 GP, 21 G, 39 A, 60 Pts, +21

Thoughts: A CHL veteran, Mahfouz is one of the few players who seems to have a dumbfounding ability to wrack up equally as many penalties as points. 148 PIMs to 60 points, in 34 games, is pretty impressive. Also a huge asset on the powerplay, contributing 10 assists and 2 more in the playoffs, as well as 15 points in 8 games there.  

Verdict: Somehow, Mahfouz seems to be able to do it all. There's no doubt at all that he stays around. With numbers in that many categories, he'd be every fantasy hockey player's greatest wish come true.

Pat Deraspe

Stats: 37 y/o Center; 36 GP, 21 G, 40 A, 61 Pts, +8

Thoughts: Akwesasne's oldest player also wound up being its points leader. Playing hockey for the last 20 years enabled Deraspe to bring a veteran presence to the Warriors team, and he matched the point production of other star players to boot. Almost head to head with Mahfouz for ratio of points to high PIMs. Deraspe also contributes very effectively on the powerplay, tallying 4 goals and 11 assists on the advantage this past season. 3 shorties isn't a bad number either.  

Verdict: The captain stays.

David Plouffe

Stats: 28 y/o Goaltender; 30 GP, 21-8-1, .892 pct, 4.16 GAA

Thoughts: Plouffe led the team in net, logging 1716 minutes played and winning 21 of his 30 games. Statistically, he was 6^th in goals against and 5^th in save percentage amongst goalies in the entire league. From what I've gathered, he plays a fundamentally sound game and isn't a liability. In fact, he has a surprising win percentage for such dismal personal stats, which are another strong indicator of Akwesasne's defensively reckless style of hockey.

Verdict: He shouldered the vast majority of the Warriors' load in net and took them to the Cup, so I've no concerns about his return. Pretty sure he'd like help getting rid of a few incoming pucks this season though.  

Travis Stacey

Stats: 20 y/o Left Wing; 8 GP, 4 G, 5 A, 9 Pts, -8

Thoughts: Stacey came on toward the end of the season, primarily to fill the tough guy role. At 6'4 and 245 pounds, he'd be pretty high up there on my not-to-mess-with list. Coincidentally, put up a point per game in the process, including 3 points on the man advantage. Still very young in his career and can only go up from here on out. He joins the increasing number of Akwesasne players that seem to be able to post a lot of numbers in every column simultaneously.  

Verdict: 8 games wasn't a lot of time to see if he really clicked, but as a player he has a lot of potential and the Warriors made the right move in locking him up to make sure he develops wearing their colors.

More in a little bit...

Week In Review, Friday May 27th

To wrap off the week and give you a little bit more to chat about this weekend, here's the highlights from around the league this week.

1. FHL announces 8th team as New Jersey Outlaws. Whalers fans particularly interested to find out that Chris Firriolo, who resigned from his job as Danbury's Head Coach at the end of the season, has been announced as the team president. 
2. Outlaws announce their first signing to be Matt Puntereri. Puntureri was integral to the Aviators mammoth win streak in the latter half of the season, and was also listed as one of their protected players. The Outlaws claimed that he was traded their way for cash and future considerations. Must have been a fat chunk of change to get the Aviators to let go of one of, if not their most important offensive player. 
3. Rome not coming back. The Frenzy announced very quietly that they would not be returning for a second FHL season. This was hinted at rather subtly in the Outlaws press release stating that New Jersey was the eigth, not ninth, team in the FHL. Further, a fan of their facebook page posted a copy of the paper letter announcing the official death of Rome. (Sorry Whalers fans, no more chances to start a Rome is burning! chant this season). 
4. Danville signs its first 3 players. Igor Batora, Peter Babkovic, and Lukas Jirkovsky are the first 3 players to sign with Danville. Still very skeptical as to the survivability of this franchise, what with being so very far away from the rest of them. 
5. Corey Fulton attends Whalers off-season Party. For those of you who missed it, Fulton was in fact in attendance at the Whalers party this past weekend at Two Steps. That's commitment, gotta love this guy. (If other word wasn't enough, that should be confirmation enough he's back)
6. Nick Niedert re-signs with the Whalers. The Whalers announced officially this past week that Niedert had signed a contract to continue playing with the Whalers for the 2011-2012 season. Unofficially, word is that he's already signed a 4 year deal with the team. He's on the record numerous times saying he wants to finish his career with the Whalers, so don't expect him to go anywhere anytime soon. 
7. Joe Dabkowski re-signs with the Whalers. The Whalers announced within the last 24 hours that Dabkowski, known affectionately to Whalers fans as Super Joe, will be returning for the 2011-2012 season. Perhaps one of the biggest surprises out of training camp in the first season, I can't wait to see him back. If nothing else, Dabkowski brings sheer heart to the team night in and night out, and you can't buy that. Obviously wants to be here, and the fans are more than happy to have him.
8. Cape Cod Barons change name to Bluefins. Announced via their facebook on Friday afternoon. 

Have a good weekend everyone! Back Monday AM with more.

Protected Players List, Part 3 of 14: 1000 Islands Privateers/Akwesasne Warriors

The third part of our protected players analysis closes out week one with the rest of the Privateers players and the beginning of Akwesasne. Let's get the Privateers wrapped up first before we overview the Warriors. 

Josselin St Pierre

Stats: 24 y/o Netminder; 23 GP, 15-4-2, .911 pct, 2.78 GAA

Thoughts: As a starting goaltender, put up very respectable numbers for a team that often left him on his own defensively. Even still, finished the season with the second best GAA in the league, only sitting behind Kevin Druce's 2.51. 3^rd in wins, behind Druce and Niedert. Easily one of the top four netminders in the league.

Verdict: Coupled with a rebuilt defensive corps for the new season he'd be lethal. Definitely staying.

Clay McFadden

Stats: 25 y/o Center; 20 GP, 10G, 13A, 23 pts, +11

Thoughts: A solid center, able to throw up respectable numbers with minimal penalty minutes. A short career with little playoff experience necessitates the need for a veteran center to round out the middle. He's got experience in numerous different leagues, so it's very possible he has a breakout season with the Privateers this year. Even still, may not be able to fill up the middle on the first line.

Verdict: Solid depth player. Staying.

Akwesasne Warriors

For the most part, it seemed like the Warriors had a new line-up every time we saw them. For a roster that featured an absolutely staggering 49 players, the Warriors found their rhythm with a consistent line-up that lead them to the league's inaugural Cup. Defense was perhaps the weakest point for every team in the league, and Akwesasne was no exception. To their credit, they overcame a merely mild defensive weakness with colossal point production. The Warriors were also the only team to protect less than the maximum of 12 players, though their focus here was obviously to lock down their scorers for this season. The rest of the supporting cast, as proved time and time again throughout the season, was expendable, and will very likely remain that way. 

Kyle Lagace

Stats: 24 y/o Center; 44 GP, 15 G, 13 A, 28 pts, -14

Thoughts: Lagace produced a decent number of points on the season, including quite a few penalty minutes as well. Spent almost all of his ice time at even strength, and was one of the Warriors' more defensively liable players, though that doesn't say much for a team so anemic defensively even if it could be arguably considered the most well-rounded in the league. After as many games as they had producing almost circus-like amounts of goals, we understand they can score. It's up to the star players now to elevate their defensive game to the level of their offensive game.

Verdict: Another talented center to feed their superstar wingers; not going anywhere.

Darick St Marie

Stats: 21 y/o Center; 27 GP, 13 G, 11 A, 24 pts, +6

Thoughts: For how young he is, St Marie filled the center role very well for his short time with the Warriors. Seemed to provide a spark regardless of what line he was playing with, including a respectable amount of powerplay time. He's a hard working player across the board and can only benefit from playing the entire season with the Warriors.

Verdict: Stays. Has the capability, easily, to center the 1^st or 2^nd line.

Chad Bazin

Stats: 23 y/o Defenseman; 15 GP, 1 G, 8 A, 9 pts, -6

Thoughts: A late season defensive acquisition, Bazin was very reliable for feeding the puck to offensive players from the point, but disappointed defensively during the regular season. He found his own in the playoffs, finishing with 2 points and a +14 rating. If he can continue the responsible play he demonstrated against the Privateers and Aviators, he'll certainly have a lot more ice time to prove himself come this Fall.

Verdict: Needs to play how he played in the playoffs, not in the regular season. If he can't repeat that magic, look for him to get familiar with Akwesasne's regularly revolving door of players.

Stay tuned next week for the next 5 Warriors players.