Ice Chips 05'-06'

Ruid ramblings

The Fort Wayne Komets are in contract negotiations with left wing J.C. Ruid, a prolific scorer who has played for coach Pat Bingham before with Asheville and Adirondack of the UHL, plus Wheeling of the ECHL.

"We're still talking to (Ruid)," Komets general manager David Franke said. "I don't think we'll have an answer from him until the end of the week. We're getting close but nothing's finalized."

With Adirondack in 2002-03, Ruid tallied 40 goals and 96 points in 71 games. Ruid, 32, played last season in Austria. Were he to sign with the Komets, the team would have eight players of veteran status, one more than they're allowed to play on a nightly basis.

"I think there's a good chance we would do that," Franke said, meaning the Komets would have to sit at least one veteran every game.

• I'm still pretty amused by the reader, a Missouri fan or possibly disgruntled ex-employee of the River Otters, who chimed in on my last post and decided to blast Fort Wayne. Let's face it, folks: If you're judging UHL cities on the stability of their franchise, the strength of their fan base, the history of their teams and their arenas, there are only a handful of teams that belong in the conversation: Muskegon, Fort Wayne, Quad City and Kalamazoo. Perhaps I could be persuaded Rockford does, too. Missouri? Uh, I don't think so.

Franke feeling good

With training camp just a few weeks away, Komets general manager David Franke feels good about where his team is headed.

"We'd like to find maybe another rookie defenseman or two," he said. "And I think we'd like to find a couple of second-line players. But I think we've got a really good first line and hopefully some people will come into training camp and impress us."

Of course, the specifics will be decided by coach Pat Bingham later, but it looks as if the first line will consist of newcomers Bruce Richardson and Daniel Goneau, along with returning leader Jonathan Goodwin.

The Komets expect to sign some more players next week. And they plan to keep a close eye on what happens in NHL, American Hockey League and ECHL training camps.

"We know there's been a lot of over-recruiting by ECHL teams," Franke said of the other AA minor-league circuit.

He added that in recent years, the Komets have gotten star players like Tom Lawson, Dustin Virag and Goodwin after they were cut by ECHL franchises.

• The Komets have given up on trying to re-sign forward Jamie Milam, who was promising as a rookie last season. Franke said the Komets called him about a dozen times without hearing back.
• Last week, The Journal Gazette reported the Komets had looked into acquiring the rights to Mike Kinnie from the Flint Generals. Kinnie also did not call the Komets back, so they've given up on that avenue, Franke said.

-- 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

Back to our regularly scheduled blog

After a summer filled with a wedding, honeymoon and spending time working on some special projects, I'm back in the sports department and back to the blogging business. Did you miss me? Yeah, right.

In case you've forgotten -- hopefully, you didn't -- here's what you can expect: When I have news, I will post it here as soon as I'm able, I will chime in with my thoughts often, and come the season I will make in-game updates when possible. I see more Komets games than anyone not named Bob Chase, so I will continue to get you as much information as I can.

I am open to any and all suggestions, so don't be afraid to e-mail me at jcohn@jg.net anytime. I encourage you to post comments on any posts, I just ask that you remain some semblance of decorum; fostering discussion is great, calling anyone who disagrees with you some profane word is just plain silly.

Don't forget to check out Komets Korner, where The Journal Gazette posts its Komets coverage, including stories, polls, pictures, audio clips, an ask-the-reporter section and other fun things.

OK, now that we have the formalities out of the way, I just got off the phone with Komets coach Pat Bingham. He's in the process of getting settled in Fort Wayne with his family and he's busy working the phones.

One player he's been in discussions with is K.J. Voorhees, a 29-year-old right wing who scored 131 goals and 274 points in 164 games over the last three seasons with Knoxville of the Southern Professional Hockey League.

Also, Kevin Reiter will not be joining the Komets as their No. 2 goalie, Bingham said, since Reiter is set on getting a job in the ECHL.

I also asked about Jim Duhart, the high-scoring forward the Komets got the rights to in this summer's dispersal draft. Bingham said there nothing new to report, so it doesn't seem like he's a high priority for the Komets right now.

That's all for now. I'll be back much more frequently ... I promise.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

A possible addition

The Komets are in negotiations with left wing Daniel Goneau, Journal Gazette staff writer Ben Smith has confirmed.

Goneau, 30, was selected by the Boston Bruins in second round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft and again by the New York Rangers in the second round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.

He played 53 NHL games, all with the Rangers, scoring 12 goals and 15 points between 1996 and 2000. Goneau, 6 feet tall, 194 pounds, has spent most of his career playing in the AAA level of minor-league hockey.

Last season, Goneau skated for the Laval Chiefs, in the Ligue Nord Americaine de Hockey, tallying 23 goals and 62 points in 52 games.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

First meeting with the coach

I had my first opportunity to chat in person with the Komets' new coach, Pat Bingham, this afternoon.

First off, he had some news. The Komets have re-signed goaltender Kevin St. Pierre and signed defenseman Kevin Hansen, whose rights were acquired from the Chicago Hounds when coach Greg Puhalski left Fort Wayne to coach that team. (The Komets had already signed right wing David Hukalo.)

It appeared earlier in the summer that St. Pierre, 31, and the Komets would be parting ways after three seasons. However, a number of things happened to change that. Puhalski leaving had a little to do with it, since Bingham researched St. Pierre and who else was on the market and decided he wanted Frenchy back. Also, Bingham believes the criticisms St. Pierre took last year from management and many of the fans will drive him to be a better goalie this season. Finally, given some time, St. Pierre and the Komets were able to come up with a new contract that was more acceptable to all involved.

As for his playing time, Bingham said there's no guarantee that St. Pierre will play almost every night, as he had the last few seasons. It will, of course, depend on who the No. 2 goalie is, but Bingham said whomever is playing the best, including in practice, will get the nod.

Here are some other tidbits from around the Komets' camp:

• Bingham is a lot more chatty than his predecessor, Puhalski. I expect him to be very quotable throughout the season.
• The Komets have made it a priority to re-sign right wing Jonathan Goodwin.
• Bingham promised the fans there would be exciting hockey every night at Memorial Coliseum.
• The Komets are speaking with former Missouri goalie Kevin Reiter, so he still may be a possibility to join the team.
• Apparently, some players are having problems coming to grips with the new hard salary cap. There is a belief that because of this, it's a buyer's market for teams and at the end of the summer there will be many good players out there because they are holding out for a salary no one will ultimately pay.

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

No more Neumeier

This just in from staff writer LaMond Pope:

Fort Wayne Komets general manager David Franke said assistant coach/defenseman Troy Neumeier will not be returning.

“We’re not going to bring him back,” Franke said Thursday. “We told him that we were not planning on bringing him back. He was aware of it at the end of the season.”

Neumeier spent parts of the last five years with the Komets. He had 15 points (two goals, 13 assists) and a plus-15 rating in 76 games last year. He was the UHL’s Best Defenseman in 2005.

Guinn gone

Defenseman Rob Guinn has signed to play with the New Mexico Scorpions of the Central Hockey League, the team announced on its web site.

Guinn spent the last two seasons with the Fort Wayne Komets.

"Rob is a hard-working player," New Mexico coach Ray Edwards said in a statement. "He understands his role as a leader on and off the ice. I have high standards for my veterans. They have to be role models to the younger players, always work hard and really be an extension of me. Fans will see that in Rob."

Said Guinn: "I was looking for a great town to play in, as well as a great organization."

-- By Justin A. Cohn, The Journal Gazette

Chaulk up another one?

This just in from Ben Smith:

And now, the return of Stand-In Guy, aka Stunt Double . . .

And they're dropping like flies, the Komets of 2005-06.

You already know about Kevin St. Pierre, Lance Galbraith and P.C. Drouin, all of whom are either headed elsewhere or, in St. Pierre's case, been told they're no longer wanted. Just talked to Colin Chaulk, and he may or may not be the next to clear out.

He confirmed that his house in Fort Wayne is indeed up for sale, which suggests he's seriously looking afield. He told me earlier in the week something might  happen by Friday, but he told me this afternoon there are still some things in the works, and not to expect anything until next week.

But I know he's looking, and I know he's not particularly happy with the way the Komets have decided to rework the two-year deal he signed at the end of last season. Numbers keep flying around -- a $5,000 pay cut is the one I hear most -- but no one official has confirmed that on the record, so you can take that with the requisite grain of salt.

Anyway, stay tuned. Something will break soon on this.

More on Marks; Galbraith gone

More from guest blogger Ben Smith:

Back again.

And I'm a little taken aback, not to say amazed, that when I talked to Michael Franke tonight about the Greenville situation, he had no idea what I was talking about. He said they hadn't heard a word from Marks about it. I hope this doesn't jeopardize their shot at him. As I said before, he'd be a prize.

On the other hand, Pat Bingham ain't exactly chopped liver. On the further other hand (we're up to three now, which is pretty weird, I admit), the Frankes keep dropping hints that there's somebody else out there. Stay tuned.

Elsewhere, say so long to Lance Galbraith, who's going back to the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL. I know he was a big favorite among some fans, but like a lot of people he all but vanished in the playoffs, scoring just two goals, three points and taking 41 minutes in penalties -- penalites, of course, being the team's downfall. The Frankes barely shrugged. Clearly it is a New Era or something like it.

Also, the UHL announced its realignment, and the Komets are in the West with Rockford, Quad City and the two new teams, Bloomington and Chicago. Muskegon, Kalamazoo, Flint, Port Huron and Elmira are in the East. Personally I think the Komets got the best end of that deal.

Later.