Ice Chips 05'-06'

More signings

The Fort Wayne Komets’ torrid pace of signing players continued with the additions of right wing Bogdan Rudenko and goaltender Daniel Ljung to the roster Wednesday.

Training camp for the Komets opens Oct. 2.

Rudenko, 29, played 67 games last season in the ECHL with Pensacola and Florida, tallying seven goals and 15 points.

But he clearly has scoring punch.

In 2000-01, while playing for Komets coach Pat Bingham with Asheville of the ECHL, he had five goals and 13 points in 11 playoff games as his team reached the Colonial Cup Finals. In 2002-03, Rudenko totaled 34 goals and 65 points in 74 games with Adirondack of the UHL.

The Komets already have a crew of accomplished scorers with Daniel Goneau, Jonathan Goodwin, K.J. Voorhees and Bruce Richardson, so the addition of Rudenko should solidify the Komets’ top lines.

Ljung, 26, played for Lawrence University from 2002 to 2005. He is the third goalie on the Komets’ roster, joining incumbent starter Kevin St. Pierre and rookie Dan McWhinney.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Larocque comments

Here's what Mario Larocque has to say about signing with the Komets.

On joining the Komets: "All I've heard about the Fort Wayne Komets and the town have been good things. They always have a winning team and hopefully this will be another one."

On his style of play: "I would say I bring a little bit of everything to the game. I'm a physical kind of guy who's really good defensively. I can also bring a lot of offense. I've been around for awhile and hope I can help with the younger guys."

On playing for Pat Bingham again: "I was wishing for him to be the coach there. I really think he's the kind of coach that everyone wants to have. I'm not there to make publicity for him, but I know he's a great coach."

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

The beef

A reader last week made a fun comment when he wrote, "Where's the beef."

First off, why don't they make good commercials like that Wendy's gem from the 1980s? More to the point, though, it summed up that some fans were distressed that the toughness the Komets promised to add hadn't been shown yet.

With today's signing of defenseman Mario Larocque, the Komets took another step in the right direction.

I know the reviews of Larocque have been mixed. I don't recall that he made a particular impression on me either, when I saw him play in the International Hockey League or the UHL. But the guy's got a pretty impressive resume, so I have to believe he will be the kind of player the fans have been calling for.

Larocque, 28, was a first-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning (16th overall) in the 1996 draft. He was taken just ahead of players like Marco Sturm, Daniele Briere and Jesse Wallin, all now NHL mainstays. I've got to believe Larocque has got some pretty serious skills; he couldn't have fooled that many scouts. And he played in five NHL games.

The question is, now that he's gone from the gong show that was the Danbury Trashers, can he be a valuable player? Or will he be in the penalty box all the time? Since coach Pat Bingham had Larocque in Wheeling of the ECHL a few years back, he must believe Larocque will help the team.

If nothing else, with Larocque (6-foot-4, 210 pounds), Pascal Morency (5-foot-10, 196 pounds) and Bruce Richardson (5-foot-9, 175 pounds) in the fold, the Komets will have plenty of fun for the Komets' fans to watch. A heck of a lot more than when the Komets had only Lance Galbraith and seldom-used Jeff Worlton to give the fight-happy fans somethig to coo about.

I still expect some more physical players to land on the Komets' roster before Oct. 2 rolls around. Even if it doesn't, the Komets have brought in some beef, er, bright physical stars.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Rave reviews and other news

Fort Wayne Komets coach Pat Bingham and general manager David Franke couldn’t stop themselves from raving about newly signed right wing Pascal Morency.

They’re pretty confident local fans will feel the same way about a player known for playing with a style that is up-tempo, emotional and, above all, physical.

“He can be a world class rat and when he does that he’ll hit your toughest guy and he’ll hit your most skilled guy. He doesn’t discriminate,” said Bingham, who coached Morency in Wheeling, W.Va., of the ECHL during 2004-05. “He’ll fight when the time is appropriate and he’ll walk away when he thinks it’s not. He’s fun.”

The Komets signed six players Thursday, including Morency, goaltender Dan McWhinney, defensemen Andrew Bozoian and Adam Blanchette, and centers Jean-Simon Richard and Martin Gascon.

But Morency, 24, was the biggest name of the bunch, not to mention exactly the type of tough player Bingham promised to bring in during his first season with the Komets.

“He can help us,” said Bingham, adding Morency is typically popular among fans and teammates. “What he brings to the table is a lot of passion for the game. He plays on emotion and adrenaline. … He can do a bit of everything. He skates very well and he can play the game too.”

Morency had 20 points and 326 penalty minutes in 70 games over the last two seasons with Wheeling. Broken bones in his hand and knee limited him to 17 games last season. He played for Flint of the UHL in 2003-04, tallying eight goals, 14 points and 248 penalty minutes in 51 games.

“I’ll bring energy and finish my checks and be under their skins,” Morency said, “and I’ll drop the gloves here and there and try to score a few goals.”

Here's some other interesting notes from the day:

• Bozoian spent 48 games with the Komets last season but retained his rookie status. That was important because the Komets must play four rookies every game. Bozoian has worked hard on his conditioning and should be better prepared for this season, Bingham said. Look for him to contribute more on special teams.
• It turns out Morency and Richard are first cousins. The funny thing is, they didn't know they were both were negotiating with the Komets. Morency found out during a family gathering when his mother announced Richard would be playing in Indiana this season. Morency and Richard are close, skating together during the summers, and Morency said it would be fun if they ended up linemates.
• McWhinney got onto the Komets' radar when he sent them an impressive looking DVD of his best saves. He was, at one time, a prospect of North Dakota's, but he never wound up playing there. The Komets believe he may win the battle to become the backup to Kevin St. Pierre, and become one of the biggest surprises in the UHL, this season.
• The Komets have shopped the rights to winger Jim Duhart to other UHL teams but, so far, no one has shown any interest, Franke said. The Komets got Duhart's rights in the dispersal draft of Missouri's players this offseason.
• Fort Wayne plans to have between 25 and 30 players in training camp, meaning at least six players will be cut. It should make for great competition.
• The Komets have called Flint and made some inquiries about Mike Kinnie, who had 24 goals and 47 points in 36 games for them last season, but so far it's turned up nothing.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

On Voorhees

K.J. Voorhees, who had 131 goals and 274 points in 164 games over the last three seasons with Knoxville of the Southern Professional Hockey League, was ecstatic to sign a contract with the Komets.

"You know, I'm very excited," he said. "I've heard nothing but good things about the city, arena, management and ownership group. It's a first-class organization."

Asked about his reputation as a great goal-scorer, Voorhees said, "I'd like to think there's more than that to my game. But sure, the big thing I'll bring to the team is goal-scoring ability."

As for Drew O'Connell, the rookie forward signed by Fort Wayne today, coach Pat Bingham said he didn't know much about him but he came highly recommended from other coaches.

Bingham stressed that there will be a lot of competition in training camp and nothing is guaranteed for players like Voorhees and O'Connell.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Two additions

The Komets have signed forwards K.J. Voorhees and Drew O'Connell. Click here for a link to the press release. I will have more later today on this.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Goneau, Miller sign

The Komets have signed forwards Daniel Goneau and Kelly Miller, the team announced.

Goneau, 30, has played 53 games in the NHL with the New York Rangers, tallying 13 goals and 15 points. Last season, he had 23 goals and 62 points in 52 games with Laval, a semi-pro team.

Miller, 27, returns after scoring 12 goals and 30 points in 56 games last season with the Komets. This will be his third season with the Komets.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Richardson signs

The Komets have signed 29-year-old center Bruce Richardson, a former UHL all-star who played last season in Germany. He will be a player/assistant coach under head coach Pat Bingham.

"Bruce will be a great addition to the Komets on and off the ice," Bingham said in a statement. "He is the consummate professional and will be a great leader for our team."

He had 87 points and 138 penalty minutes in 2004-05 with Danbury of the UHL.

Luciuk gone

Center Andrew Luciuk, who skated for the Fort Wayne Komets last season, has signed to play with Lubbock of the Central Hockey League. He had 22 goals and 46 points in 55 games with the Komets last season.

Goodwin, Dombkiewicz return

The Komets have re-signed right wing Jonathan Goodwin and defenseman Mike Dombkiewicz.

Goodwin, 24, led the Komets with 32 goals last season. He had 70 points in 74 games. In the playoffs, he tallied three goals and five points in five games.

Dombkiewicz, 27, had one goal and nine points in 12 games with the Komets during the regular season. But in the playoffs, he led the team with eight points in five games.

Despite management's pledge it would be completely overhauling the roster after Fort Wayne's first-round exit to Rockford, five of the six players signed for next season are returning Komets. Also under contract are defenseman Guy Dupuis, goaltender Kevin St. Pierre, forward David Hukalo and defenseman Kevin Hansen, whose rights were acquired from the Chicago Hounds.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette