Lockout Day 26- Evansville Icemen Update
By gary2
As many of you know, Evansville is the new Blue Jacket affiliate in the ECHL. They replace the Chicago Express who folded after last season. Evansville is pretty unique as they are also an affiliate for the St Louis Blues. So they are getting fed and feeding 2 NHL teams Here is a couple of posts from the Icemen’s official site. The Icemen open their season Sat 10/13 against Fort Wayne.
IceMen Receive Four Players From the Columbus Blue Jackets
Posted on October 9, 2012 by Evansville IceMen
The Evansville IceMen have announced on this date the assignment of four player personnel from their NHL / AHL affiliation with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Springfield Falcons.
Returning to Evansville will be IceMen ECHL signed players, right wings DAN GENDUR and PATRICK KENNEDY while defenseman ANTON BLOMQVIST (BLOOM-quist) and left wing OLIVER GABRIEL have been assigned to the IceMen.
Gendur, the CHL’s seventh leading scorer in 2011-12 with the since-extinct Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, and Kennedy, a second year pro from Cornell University had been invited to the Springfield camp on tryout agreements. As for Blomqvist and Gabriel, both players are under contract to the Blue Jackets.
Blomqvist is a sixth round selection, 167th overall of Columbus in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. The import from Sweden has previously performed in 29-games with AHL Springfield, spanning the past one and one-half seasons. Meanwhile, Gabriel also saw action with the Falcons to the tune of 11-games late last season following a solid four-year career in the major junior ‘A’ WHL with the Portland Winterhawks where his head coach for one season was present IceMen bench pilot, Rich Kromm.
The Edmonton, Alberta native also notched his first-ever pro goal in his late season stint under the Springfield banner.
All four players are expected to formally make their IceMen premiere appearances Saturday night in the club’s home opening night extravaganza bonanza as they host their principal archrivals, the Fort Wayne Komets for a 7:15 face-off at the Ford Center.
Last season, on opening night, in the first ever pro hockey game played at their new home of the Ford Center, the IceMen throttled the Komets, 3-1 before a huge crowd of nearly 9,000 fans.
St Louis Blues Send 6 to the IceMen
Posted on October 9, 2012 by Evansville IceMen
The Evansville IceMen set to make their formal unveiling as members of the ECHL in 2012-13 have announced on this date the assignment of a grand total of six players from their newest affiliation connection of the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League and the Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League.
Returned to Evansville were IceMen ECHL-signed player personnel, defenseman JESSE PERRIN and right wing TYLER SHELAST. Arriving for the initial time at their new hockey address is a quartet of players presently under contract to the Blues organization. The four players include goaltender PAUL KARPOWICH (CAR-poh-witch), center BRETT SONNE, right wings CODY BEACH and TYLER SHATTOCK.
Perrin, (PAIR-rin) the CHL Arizona Sun Dogs lone plus player and All-Star in 2011-12, and Shelast (shih-LAST) had been invited to the Peoria training camp as an integral part of the Evansville affiliation agreement with parent club St. Louis. Shelast saw service with a various number of ECHL clubs last season after coming off a star-studded campaign one season earlier in 2010-11 with the CHL Quad City Mallards.
Concerning the other four players now in the IceMen stable; Karpowich, 23, recently completed an auspicious pro debut two-game pre-season series in the IceMen goal at Fort Wayne. The former Clarkson U. standout and seventh round pick of the Blues in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, posted a 2(1-0-1) mark, grudgingly surrendering only 3-GA for a GAA of a thrifty and nifty 1.94 GAA and .948 SPCT.
Beach, 20, also made his pro premiere in Sunday’s IceMen outing in Fort Wayne. The 6-5, 200lb fifth round choice, 134th overall of St. Louis in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft was the Moose Jaw Warriors of the major junior ‘A’ WHL’s second top point producer last season with 58(15-41-56) as his 41-assists and 229-PIM both topped the team.
Sonne, 23, is embarking on his fourth pro season, having performed his first three seasons with the Blues AHL Peoria farm club. Last season in 70-games; 70 (8-9-17) with 40-PIM. In three full seasons with the Rivermen; 209-games; 24-goals; 26-assists; 50-points; 118-PIM. In his fourth and final season in the major junior ‘A’ WHL with the Calgary Hitmen, Sonne attained the coveted century-point plateau with 62(48-52-100) and a superlative +39 rating. He is 6-0, 200lb and a former third round pick, 85th overall by the Blues in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
Shattock, 21, is launching his third pro campaign, having spent in his previous two pro seasons as well in Peoria. Selected in the fourth round, 108th overall by St. Louis in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Shattock was 65(7-8-15) with 20-PIM. His two-year totals with the Rivermen; 132-games; 10-goals; 20-assists; 30-points; 80-PIM. The 6-3 205lb forward assembled two consecutive 30-goals seasons in the WHL with Kamloops in 2008-09 and Kamloops and Calgary in 2009-10.
All six players are expected to be in the lineup when the IceMen ECHL unveiling formally transpires on opening night, Saturday night, October 13th when the hometown team plays host to their in-state archenemies, the Fort Wayne Komets in a 7:15 pm face-off at the fabulous Ford Center.
The IceMen General Manager / Head Coach Rich Kromm is expected to make some major significant player roster decisions during this week leading to the opening night event.