Quad City at the halfway point - A DrunkSkunk Retrospective

[Drunk Skunk]

The Standings - Quad City sits in sixth place in the Western division, 15 points out of the division lead, with a record of 18-16-2-5. They are only 6 points behind third place Peoria. The top four teams in the division make the playoffs, however if the fifth place Western division team has a higher point total than the fourth place Northern division team, the West team will cross over into the North as the fourth seed. The Flames are ahead of the fourth place team in the North right now, but would have to over-take fifth in their own division. They are four points out of fifth place. Overall, there is only a seven point difference between third and eight in the division. The other three divisions feature a 12 point difference(North), 20 point different(East), and 19 point difference(Atlantic). The West is indeed the best conference in the AHL.

The Team - This season has been frustratingly inconsistent. There are times when they play lights out of the whole game, and when the team plays that way, they can beat any other team in the league. I have no doubts about that. That being said, when this team is off, they're off. It's hard to believe that the same team that can be a complete steamroller can also look like a house league team at times. They have proved they can play with anyone, and that they can look silly against anyone. That's not to say there are times without effort, this team is always working, working, working. I have no doubts, though, that if the team gets on another roll, or starts to play a consistent game that they will go far.

The Coaches - I didn't know a thing about either Ryan McGill or Scott Allen before this season, and wasn't sure what to expect aside from what Tilley, and a couple others, had said. I am very impressed with both of them. The first thing that sticks out to me is the system that is played. They are molding players for Calgary, and they are doing a great job of it. When I come home from a Farm Flames game to turn on the TV and watch a Calgary game, I can tell that the players I just saw in person have the same game as the players on the screen. Both McGill and Allen are no-nonsense coaches, and make absolutely no excuses. There have been games that could have been blamed on the officiating, or other intangibles, but they didn't mention it once.

[Drunk Skunk]

The Forwards - I expected to get a very blue collar, "lunch pail" type of forward corps, and that's what has been delivered, for the most part. There are only two players that can be looked at as scorers, Grant Stevenson and Krys Kolanos. There is a big dropoff after that. I've been disappointed in the goal output of several forwards, but I'll break that down player by player here in a little bit. They are an extremely hard working group, and are very, very rarely out-worked by the opponent. No matter what the score, they are, usually, pushing to the end of the game. Now, player by player:

Grant Stevenson - To start the season, Grant Stevenson was the elder statesman on the team. He has been extremely reliable out there, and since he has been on a line with Krys Kolanos, he offensive upside has really come through. He's also very good on both ends of the ice. NHL ready

Krys Kolanos - He didn't come here to start the year because of money issues, but after the QC group threw some big money at him, he showed up. I think he is one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league, when he applies himself. He should have no trouble scoring two or three points a game. He does not like to play defense, and looks lazy out there more often then not. NHL ready on the offensive end.

Brandon Prust - I've been asked more about him than any other player on the team. Prust started the season out kind of slow, which is understandable after hip surgery in the offseason. He doesn't throw his body around as much as I anticipated. He is very good on the penalty kill, and has really improved in the face off circle. He's also come on as a scorer of late, netting 4 goals in the last 4 games. Not quite NHL ready in my opinion, needs to play more physical(as far as checking goes, not fighting, he's ready in that aspect right now).

David Van Der Gulik - Sparky isn't going to like this one. He shows flashes of being a dominant two way player, but other times he just kind of disappears for shifts, periods, or even a game or two at a time. He's at best, in my opinion, when lined up with a couple players that aren't afraid to get their noses dirty. Not NHL ready, in my opinion

Carson Germyn - Germyn has both been a surprise and a disappointment this season. His scoring is way down from his previous years. His goal scoring has dropped by by more than 2/3rds. He has, however, taking more of an energy role lately. He has excelled playing with Stevenson and Kolanos. Not NHL ready, in my opinion, but I can see him as an NHL'er.

Warren Peters - The first thing I noticed about Peters is that he gets kicked out of the face off circle quite a bit. The second thing is that he has shifts when he is a wrecking ball. If he played every shift like that, hitting everything in sight, digging the puck out of corners, drawing penalties, he would be with Calgary in no time. Unfortunately, he hasn't. NHL ready, is my darkhorse for the next call-up.

Tomi Maki - I see a good NHL career ahead of Tomi. He is an excellent defensive forward, and no matter what the score or how much time is left, he is always going. Not a big body, but he is very physical. I see him as a Stephane Yelle type player. He is also great in the shootout. Ready for an NHL shot with third line minutes to see how he does.

Kris Chucko - Chucko is something of an enigma. It seems to me that he isn't sure what kind of game he wants to play. There are times when he plays a very hard nosed game, and other times when he just sort of floats. I think the only thing that will take him to the NHL will be a third/fourth line type style. Not NHL ready

Cam Cunning - He returned to the lineup lately after missing quite a few games. One of the most punishing hitters on the team and a great guy for an energy role. He's solid with the puck, and seems to always be looking for a guy to lay out. Not NHL ready, but I see him as an every day player perhaps as early as next season

Derek Couture - I think Couture is, quietly, the best defensive forward on the team. He leads the forward corps in +/-, and is very responsible with the puck in his own end. He plays a very abrasive game, and is second on the team in fighting majors. Not NHL ready right now, but I think he should be extended(RFA season), and he could be the second half of next season.

Brett Sutter - I like Sutter, he's a good kid. That said, I don't think he belongs in the AHL. He has shown flashes of talent, and has had two really good games. However, most of the time he looks like he's in over his head. He's small(if he's 6', then I'm 6'3"), and looks timid out there at times. I think a trip down to the ECHL would be good for him.

Ryan Donally - Has only played a handful of games, but has been an impact player. Always looking for the big hit, but doesn't do it at the expense of his responsible play. He's on the shelf for awhile, but I look forward to having him back in the lineup. Solid with the puck as well. Not NHL ready, but he has a future.

Dan Ryder - This kid can flat out play. He has a ton of talent and great vision on the ice, however he didn't look like he wanted to be here. I hope he gets things together and comes back, only if he wants to.

Dustin Boyd - Graduated
Eric Nystrom - Graduated
Adam Cracknell - Incomplete

[icarus]

This is awesome, thanks. Really is a shame about Ryder. Why couldn't it have been some talentless shlub who decided he didn't want to play hockey?

So next call up--Stevenson or Maki?

[Drunk Skunk]

The Defensemen - The Flames have a very young defensive corps. Between the eight defensemen being rotated right now, there is only seven full seasons of pro hockey experience between them. There are mistakes made, which is to be expected, but I think that they all play well beyond their age or experience. Now, player by player:

Tim Hambly - He's the leading scorer as far as D-men are concerned. He started out the year on fire, then kind of slowed down a bit before he got hurt. He missed about six or seven games, and seemed to miss his stride after coming back. He's getting back into it now, though, and seems more confident on the puck again. I'm not sure if he's an NHL caliber defenseman, but he is a very solid AHL player that might be worth a look some time.

Tim Ramholt - He is frustrating. More often then not, he is solid and good with the puck. However, there are times when he's completely out of the play. For instance, this past week, an opposing forward was skating into the slot with the puck, and he just stood there, flat-footed. I was shocked when he got the NHL call. Not NHL ready, in my opinion. Perhaps in the future

Adam Pardy - He is very steady and consistent. I would call him our most reliable defenseman. He is rarely out of position and is responsible with the puck. He is the quintessential defensive defenseman. He deserved the NHL call-up, but I'm not sure what good it did him to just sit. NHL ready as a part time player, I expect him to be ready for full time NHL work next season

Matt Pelech - This kid is big. He has a very long reach and good range for a guy his size. You won't see a lot of points from him, but he is good on the puck on his own end. He didn't see a lot of ice time to start the year, but as he's come along, he has earned more. Hard to believe, at times, that he's a rookie. He still makes the expected mistakes, but has cut down on them. He is also quick to stick up for a team mate. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE5ByzZIB4s) In my opinion, he might be NHL ready at the start of next season.

Brett Palin - I think he is the cornerstone of the defense. He leads the team in +/-. He sits at +12, and the closest defenseman is a -2. The other defensemen seemed to falter a bit when he was out with injury. Something about Palin that I like is that he's got a bit of a dirty edge to him. He is good at getting that extra little dig in. Solid positioning, and he's confident on the puck. If Peters didn't have the 'C', I could see Palin wearing it. I think the NHL would be a big jump for his style of play, though.

Brad Cole - Cole is something of a question. He has played in less than half of the games, and usually doesn't get much ice time when he is dressed. He is player that most often is sitting out. However, I don't see too many holes in his game. He seems pretty confident out there. Heck of a nice kid too. Not NHL ready.

Gerry Burke - Called up from Vegas not too long ago, and took a spot for himself. He is very responsible with the puck, and has an offensive upside that hasn't really been tapped yet in the AHL. I can see him as a 10 goal, 40 point player in the AHL next season, and then, if his development continues, perhaps an NHL shot the year after.

Gord Baldwin - He's much like Brad Cole in that he is scratched from the lineup quite a bit, and doesn't see the ice a whole lot when he's out there. He seems to be more physical, and I don't mind seeing him out there. He's not as good with the puck as I think he could be. Not NHL ready, but I think it's a possibility.

[Drunk Skunk]

This is awesome, thanks. Really is a shame about Ryder. Why couldn't it have been some talentless shlub who decided he didn't want to play hockey?

So next call up--Stevenson or Maki?
It depends on the role. I think Stevenson is more versatile, he could play on the second or third line. Maki would be a good shut down player, I think. I would like to see both him and Nystrom on the same PK.

[SparkyOne]

David Van Der Gulik - Sparky isn't going to like this one. He shows flashes of being a dominant two way player, but other times he just kind of disappears for shifts, periods, or even a game or two at a time. He's at best, in my opinion, when lined up with a couple players that aren't afraid to get their noses dirty. Not NHL ready, in my opinion.


Actually, DS....I agree with you! I've been disappointed in his play lately. But then, that's been true of several of the guys. I'm hoping it's a mid-season slump of some kind and that the upcoming road trip does some good...

I'm liking Maki more and more. He's a tough one, and always plays hard. VDG might be falling out of favor a bit!! I also like Brad Cole on defense. He plays a solid game...I wish that Ramholt would sit more (it's bad when a 6-year-old notices his blatant weaknesses!) and Cole would get more ice time.

And, after reading this, (http://www.griffinshockey.com/fanzone/egriffiti/index.html?article_id=655) I have a new respect for Krys Kolanos. Just wish he'd pick it up a bit on defense.... I wonder sometimes if he tires out quickly and that's what slows him down.

Great job on the analysis, DS! Very much right on. I love these Flames....a hard working group of great guys! The potential is definitely there and we've got the right coaches to bring that potential out. Having the patience to wait might be the killer!!

[Hoody]

Thanks for the Griffins article on Kolanos, Sparky. You're right, it kind of casts him into a different light. But I, too, wish he would pick up his defensive side more.

Hoody

[NSFL]

Wow, thanks for this. I'm really grateful to all of your for the time you put into informing us of what's happening down south with the baby flames.

[Hack&Lube]

Wow, this is nice having so much insight and effort from our farm team fans. The Omaha guys didn't even give us so much as a whisper on Calgarypuck last season.

I still haven't read a post-game though where the attendance was over 3000, it's always an excuse about the weather or other sports or a long-weekend or something.

[icarus]

Wow, this is nice having so much insight and effort from our farm team fans. The Omaha guys didn't even give us so much as a whisper on Calgarypuck last season.That's a bit unfair to Tilley, who was and is a massive contributor on the farm team. But he was just about the only one who posted regularly from Omaha.

[Hack&Lube]

That's a bit unfair to Tilley, who was and is a massive contributor on the farm team. But he was just about the only one who posted regularly from Omaha.

Oh yes, of course we can't forget about Tilley and a few others. Also they didn't have their own dedicated forum here and apparentely Omaha had their own forum somewhere else on the interweb. I still feel quite bad about the loyal fans in Omaha.

[Tilley]

Thanks for the update DS. It's been difficult keeping up with the team this year and I've only been able to watch a couple of games so your report is a great resource. Listening to Roof online is painful. I watched the game vs. Iowa online and the play versus his call of the game was terrible. His call makes the game sound like it's a snoozefest when really there were good chances both ways and some great plays by both teams.

I agree with your summary... this is an inconsistent team that overachieved last year with young forwards, a patchwork defense and good goaltending. This year the young forwards aren't producing as much and the defense is improved but very young. The goaltending will improve when McElhinney gets back into town, but it will be a tough task to make the playoffs.

[Nitro]

Oh yes, of course we can't forget about Tilley and a few others. Also they didn't have their own dedicated forum here and apparentely Omaha had their own forum somewhere else on the interweb. I still feel quite bad about the loyal fans in Omaha.


Thanks for pointing that out. We did have a dedicated forum, in fact we still do, and the booster club still makes trips to support the team. I'm pretty impressed wiith the loyalty.....by the way what does give with the attendance? It's no better than Omaha and we had three teams here.
You are in no danger of losing your team because of Calgary though, as they have a sweetheart deal in the QC, it's purely on your local ownership group. How deep are their pockets? I wonder with such cheap tickets and low attendance how long can they last-we had expensive tickets and this kind of attendance and our local ownership didn't put up too much of a fight when Calgary wanted to pull out.....

Don't lose this team-trust me you will miss it-we do.

[SparkyOne]

Wow, this is nice having so much insight and effort from our farm team fans. The Omaha guys didn't even give us so much as a whisper on Calgarypuck last season.

I still haven't read a post-game though where the attendance was over 3000, it's always an excuse about the weather or other sports or a long-weekend or something.

The attendance thing is a dilemna....QC had a UHL team in here that did some remarkable things, including 6 consecutive 50-win seasons (we're in the HHOF for that one, among others) and some consecutive cups won in the early years. Fans here became accustomed to having a winning team, usually topping the league and contending in the playoffs.

During the last few years, things got progressively worse in the UHL and the team, going through a re-building process, faltered. Made the playoffs, but never did as well as fans expected them to. So fans took their entertainment dollars elsewhere....and Mallard attendance dropped.

The owners, all locals, knew that something had to be done and believe that the jump to the AHL was the only feasible option. Fans aren't going to come storming back immediately....it's going to take time. I just checked. Out of 22 home games so far, only five have had attendance under 3,000 and five have had attendance over 3,500. So the potential is there....but a record of 18-17-2-5 for a total of just 42 points and 7th place in an 8-team division certainly doesn't help.

What also doesn't help is negative comments from rather bitter Omaha fans in our local paper earlier in the season. I know that it isn't all Omaha fans because we've met some really great ones, but as recently as last week at the game in Iowa, QC fans were confronted by angry Omaha fans who felt QC had "stolen" their team. The fans had nothing to do with any of this....

We're currently averaging 3,363 fans/game with this just-over-.500 team. In their first year in Omaha, the Knights had a team which finished 6th in a 7-team division and ended up with 84 points and an average of 3,271 fans. Last season, the Omaha team ended up on top of the division with a record of 49-25-0-5-1 and 104 points. But they still managed to only draw an average of 3,543 fans. I know that our ownership wants to increase attendance and I'm confident that by the end of the season we'll be doing at least as well as Omaha did last year....without the first-place team.

[Tilley]

It's disappointing to hear about the Omaha fans in Iowa over the weekend. Unfortunately some people just refuse to listen to the problems the team was having and why the team left. There will always be a faction of ill-informed people who refuse to hear the truth.

Unfortunately the Knights were so poorly managed while in Omaha they never had a chance to succeed. I don't blame Calgary or the QC owners for trying to increase the opportunity to make money - it is a business.

These Omaha people need to get a grip.

[Ro]

Great stuff DS. Many of your observations were very acute/precise (Peters getting tossed from the faceoff circle a lot, Palin's dirty edge, Ramholt's flat-footed adventures)- you can really tell you're more than just a casual hockey fan. These type of posts are so valuable for those of us who don't ever get to see these AHL kids play. Thanks.

[KevanGuy]

Thanks for the rundown DS. How is Germyn doing?

[Drunk Skunk]

Thanks for the rundown DS. How is Germyn doing?

Carson Germyn - Germyn has both been a surprise and a disappointment this season. His scoring is way down from his previous years. His goal scoring has dropped by by more than 2/3rds. He has, however, taking more of an energy role lately. He has excelled playing with Stevenson and Kolanos. Not NHL ready, in my opinion, but I can see him as an NHL'er.

:D To put it bluntly, he needs to score more.

[KevanGuy]

:D To put it bluntly, he needs to score more.

Whoa, was that in there the whole time? I looked last night and again today and didnt see it. I feel like Im taking crazy pills.

[Drunk Skunk]

Whoa, was that in there the whole time? I looked last night and again today and didnt see it. I feel like Im taking crazy pills.
Yep, but I didn't notice it either until I did a page-search for it. I forgot to double space after Van der Gulik.

[CsInMyBlood]

Thanks for this DS, Tilley did some epic posts from the farm team for us in years past, nice to see it continue.

[SparkyOne]

It's disappointing to hear about the Omaha fans in Iowa over the weekend. Unfortunately some people just refuse to listen to the problems the team was having and why the team left. There will always be a faction of ill-informed people who refuse to hear the truth.

Unfortunately the Knights were so poorly managed while in Omaha they never had a chance to succeed. I don't blame Calgary or the QC owners for trying to increase the opportunity to make money - it is a business.

These Omaha people need to get a grip.

Like I said to the fans that it happened to....that stuff's gonna happen and nothing we do can stop it. I've met so many great Omaha fans who have travelled this season to Des Moines and the QC that we know it isn't everyone.

We've got great ownership and Calgary appears to be happy with their end of the deal. Hopefully the great Omaha fans will be able to follow the QC team for years to come!!

Have you travelled to see the team this season, Tilley? Would be great to meet you if we're ever at the same game!

[Tilley]

The Mrs. and I went to both games during the season opening weekend in the QC and we were planning on attending the games in Des Moines in Nov and Jan but couldn't make it.

I'm hoping to attend both games in March, but we'll have to see (the Mrs. is 6.5 months pregnant).