ECHL Preseason Schedule Announced
http://www.echl.com/cgi-bin/mpublic.cgi ... 1&id=19499
September 3, 2009
PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL announced its preseason schedule of 21 games beginning Oct. 7 and continuing through Oct. 11.
Teams report for training camp on Oct. 1 and on-ice workouts may begin on Oct. 2.
The preseason opens Oct. 7 with the Johnstown Chiefs, who have been a member of the league for all 22 seasons, visiting the Wheeling Nailers and the defending National Conference champion Alaska Aces hosting the Kalamazoo Wings, who are the leagues newest member.
The Premier AA Hockey League will open its 22nd season on Oct. 15 when the Reading Royals host the Kalamazoo Wings. There will be seven games from South Carolina to Alaska on Oct. 16 and nine games on Oct. 17 before the opening weekend concludes with four games on Oct. 18.
The third-longest tenured professional hockey league behind only the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League, the ECHL is the only minor professional hockey league to increase average attendance each of the last two seasons. The ECHL averaged more than 4,000 fans the last five seasons and 17 times in the last 19 years and has drawn more than 3 million fans each of the last 16 seasons. Stockton led the league with 6,218 per game and 223,854 fans in 2008-09 becoming the first team to lead the ECHL in attendance four years in a row since Florida led the league for a record five straight years from 2000-05.
The Ontario Reign, the City of Ontario and Citizens Business Bank Arena will host the 18th Annual ECHL All-Star Game presented by Reebok on Jan. 20, 2010 and the 13th Annual All-Star Skills Competition presented by Reebok on Jan. 19, 2010. Ontario, which drew more than 27,000 for its final three home games including a team record 9,659 on Mar. 7, finished second in the league in its first season with 5,856 per game.
2009 ECHL Preseason Schedule (Start Times are Local)
Wednesday, Oct. 7
Kalamazoo at Alaska, 7:15 p.m.
Johnstown at Wheeling, 7:05 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 8
Kalamazoo at Alaska, 7:15 p.m.
Toledo at Dayton (IHL), 7:35 p.m.
Ontario at Las Vegas, 7:30 p.m.
Bakersfield at Stockton, 7 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 9
Toledo at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
Trenton at Elmira, 7:35 p.m.
Gwinnett at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Las Vegas at Ontario, 7 p.m.
Charlotte vs. South Carolina (Carolina Ice Palace), 7 p.m.
Idaho vs. Utah (Eccles Ice Center in Logan, Utah), 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 10
Stockton at Bakersfield, 7 p.m.
South Carolina vs. Charlotte (Extreme Ice Center in Indian Trail, N.C.), 1:30 p.m.
Reading at Elmira, 7:35 p.m.
Gwinnett at Florida, 7:30 p.m.
Utah vs. Idaho (Manchester Ice Center in McCall, Idaho), 7 p.m.
Wheeling at Johnstown, 6:05 p.m.
Cincinnati vs. Toledo (Tam-O-Shanter in Sylvania, Ohio), 7 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 11
Trenton at Reading, 5 p.m.
Port Huron at Toledo (Team Toledo Ice House), 4 p.m.
Whats up around the ECHL
Jeff Lerg looking forward to his NHL challenge.
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/arti ... 15/1023/GW
Ex-MSU goalie reports to N.J. camp this week
Neil Koepke nkoepke@lsj.com September 6, 2009
Post a Comment RecommendPrint this pageE-mail this articleShare
Del.icio.usFacebookDiggRedditNewsvineBuzz up!Twitter
EAST LANSING - Jeff Lerg has been here before.
Trying to prove he can excel as an undersized goaltender is a challenge Lerg has faced at every level of his hockey career.
The 5-foot-6, 155-pound former Michigan State goalie proved the skeptics wrong when he first played bantam hockey, midgets, juniors and college.
He not only showed he could play as the smallest player on his team, he developed into an elite-level goaltender through his great work ethic, overall skills and preparation.
Simply put, he stopped the puck effectively and consistently and helped his teams win a lot of games and piled up a lot awards along the way.
Now that his college career is over, the MSU graduate is on to the next challenge - likely the toughest of them all:
Prove he can play in the National Hockey League, where most goalies are 6-foot or taller and the shortest last season stood 5-foot-10.
"I think it's an attainable goal. I just want the opportunity to play and then take advantage of it by playing well,'' said Lerg, who will start his pro career in the New Jersey Devils organization.
"If I can do what I've done in the past and win a lot of games, I don't see why not.''
Lerg, the Spartans' most valuable player for the past three seasons and a second-team NCAA West All-American and Hobey Baker Award finalist as a junior, signed a one-year contract with the Devils on July 31. He begins his first training camp on Wednesday.
Lerg, 23, is expected to play with either the Devils' top farm team - the Lowell Devils of the American Hockey League - or New Jersey's second-tier farm club, the Trenton Devils of the East Coast Hockey League.
"It's a process. I know I'm not going to play in the NHL next year,'' Lerg said. "My hope is to work hard, improve and develop and maybe open some eyes for the future.
"You have to produce wins. If I can get to a point where I can win a lot of games, people will notice and hopefully, I'll get rewarded.''
Odds are against him
Lerg has spent the past five months rehabilitating from ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgery on his right knee. He said he's 100 percent recovered and felt good taking shots against the Spartans' NHL and minor league players at the annual MSU pro camp last month at Munn Arena.
"I felt very comfortable against the NHL guys,'' he said. "I've never been to a prospects camp or rookie camp, but I didn't feel out of my element.''
The odds of making the NHL are certainly against Lerg. Most NHL teams don't project small goaltenders having success. The Devils were the only NHL organization interested in signing the Livonia native whose stellar play led the Spartans to the 2007 NCAA championship.
In the NHL last season, of the top 45 goaltenders with the best goals-against averages, who've played at least 27 games, only six were below 6-foot. The shortest were 5-foot-10: Chris Osgood of the Red Wings, Manny Legace (St. Louis) and Vesa Toskala (Toronto).
Most NHL general managers, scouts and coaches believe smaller goaltenders aren't as effective because they can't cover as much of the net, are vulnerable to high shots when they leave their feet and get pushed around by players crowding the goal crease.
Lerg hopes to be able to overcome his size through his quickness, puck control and ability to read plays.
"One of the tough things for a small goalie is traffic in front of the net and screen shots and tips,'' he said. "Smaller goalies have to be better in reactions. But quickness is my game.''
David Conte, the Devils executive vice president of hockey operations and director of scouting, said he's eager to see how Lerg adapts at the minor league level.
"His biggest challenge is that he's small and always fighting the odds and perceptions,'' Conte said. "All of our investigations have led us to believe that this is a very special young man, not only in terms of athleticism but also personality, character and leadership.
"The door is open for forwards, defensemen and goalies but it opens quicker for bigger guys. But Jeff had that challenge when he went to Michigan State.
"He either stops the puck or he doesn't,'' Conte added. ''Management doesn't always pick the team. Usually, the players pick the team.''
The Devils, known for drafting and signing U.S. college players, don't have a lot of goaltenders in their organization.
Their No. 1 goalie is Martin Brodeur, 37, the future Hall-of-Famer starting his 16th season in the NHL. His backup will be Yan Danis, 28, who played at Brown University, and was signed this summer as a free agent.
Jeff Frazee, 22, who played at the University of Minnesota, appeared in 58 games for Lowell last season and is expected to be the starter in Lowell again this year.
That leaves Lerg to compete with 6-foot-4 Gerald Coleman, 24, once a highly rated junior prospect, for a spot in Lowell. Coleman, a product of the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, played in 40 games last year with Trenton.
"My goal is definitely to play in Lowell, to start at that level,'' Lerg said. "But if Jeff Frazee, who the Devils like a lot, plays most of the games, then I wonder if it wouldn't be better to play in the Trenton in the ECHL, and play in 65 games or so.
"If I do get sent down to the ECHL, my goals will be the same: improve, win a lot of games and show that I can get into the playoffs and win championships.''
Justin Abdelkader, Lerg's former MSU teammate who just finished his first season in pro hockey in the Red Wings organization in Grand Rapids of the AHL, is certain Lerg will be successful in the AHL.
"He definitely can play in the AHL and we'll just have to see about the NHL. He just needs a chance to prove what he can do,'' Abdelkader said.
"Jeff has the work ethic to play at a high level and he moves really well. Side-to-side, he's as good as I've ever seen. ''
Brian Renfrew, the Spartans' goaltender coach, expects Lerg will need time early on to adjust to the speed and quickness of pro hockey.
"Pro shooters are so much more patient. In college, Jeff could come out and set up quickly, but he won't be able to do that as soon because the puck moves east to west a lot quicker,'' said Renfrew, who's 5-foot-9 and played five seasons of minor-league hockey after a solid, four-year career at Western Michigan.
"There are things he'll have to figure out and work on. But Jeff is so mentally tough, he can do it.''
Said Lerg, "This is a whole new world. It's a big year for me to learn a ton.''
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/arti ... 15/1023/GW
Ex-MSU goalie reports to N.J. camp this week
Neil Koepke nkoepke@lsj.com September 6, 2009
Post a Comment RecommendPrint this pageE-mail this articleShare
Del.icio.usFacebookDiggRedditNewsvineBuzz up!Twitter
EAST LANSING - Jeff Lerg has been here before.
Trying to prove he can excel as an undersized goaltender is a challenge Lerg has faced at every level of his hockey career.
The 5-foot-6, 155-pound former Michigan State goalie proved the skeptics wrong when he first played bantam hockey, midgets, juniors and college.
He not only showed he could play as the smallest player on his team, he developed into an elite-level goaltender through his great work ethic, overall skills and preparation.
Simply put, he stopped the puck effectively and consistently and helped his teams win a lot of games and piled up a lot awards along the way.
Now that his college career is over, the MSU graduate is on to the next challenge - likely the toughest of them all:
Prove he can play in the National Hockey League, where most goalies are 6-foot or taller and the shortest last season stood 5-foot-10.
"I think it's an attainable goal. I just want the opportunity to play and then take advantage of it by playing well,'' said Lerg, who will start his pro career in the New Jersey Devils organization.
"If I can do what I've done in the past and win a lot of games, I don't see why not.''
Lerg, the Spartans' most valuable player for the past three seasons and a second-team NCAA West All-American and Hobey Baker Award finalist as a junior, signed a one-year contract with the Devils on July 31. He begins his first training camp on Wednesday.
Lerg, 23, is expected to play with either the Devils' top farm team - the Lowell Devils of the American Hockey League - or New Jersey's second-tier farm club, the Trenton Devils of the East Coast Hockey League.
"It's a process. I know I'm not going to play in the NHL next year,'' Lerg said. "My hope is to work hard, improve and develop and maybe open some eyes for the future.
"You have to produce wins. If I can get to a point where I can win a lot of games, people will notice and hopefully, I'll get rewarded.''
Odds are against him
Lerg has spent the past five months rehabilitating from ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgery on his right knee. He said he's 100 percent recovered and felt good taking shots against the Spartans' NHL and minor league players at the annual MSU pro camp last month at Munn Arena.
"I felt very comfortable against the NHL guys,'' he said. "I've never been to a prospects camp or rookie camp, but I didn't feel out of my element.''
The odds of making the NHL are certainly against Lerg. Most NHL teams don't project small goaltenders having success. The Devils were the only NHL organization interested in signing the Livonia native whose stellar play led the Spartans to the 2007 NCAA championship.
In the NHL last season, of the top 45 goaltenders with the best goals-against averages, who've played at least 27 games, only six were below 6-foot. The shortest were 5-foot-10: Chris Osgood of the Red Wings, Manny Legace (St. Louis) and Vesa Toskala (Toronto).
Most NHL general managers, scouts and coaches believe smaller goaltenders aren't as effective because they can't cover as much of the net, are vulnerable to high shots when they leave their feet and get pushed around by players crowding the goal crease.
Lerg hopes to be able to overcome his size through his quickness, puck control and ability to read plays.
"One of the tough things for a small goalie is traffic in front of the net and screen shots and tips,'' he said. "Smaller goalies have to be better in reactions. But quickness is my game.''
David Conte, the Devils executive vice president of hockey operations and director of scouting, said he's eager to see how Lerg adapts at the minor league level.
"His biggest challenge is that he's small and always fighting the odds and perceptions,'' Conte said. "All of our investigations have led us to believe that this is a very special young man, not only in terms of athleticism but also personality, character and leadership.
"The door is open for forwards, defensemen and goalies but it opens quicker for bigger guys. But Jeff had that challenge when he went to Michigan State.
"He either stops the puck or he doesn't,'' Conte added. ''Management doesn't always pick the team. Usually, the players pick the team.''
The Devils, known for drafting and signing U.S. college players, don't have a lot of goaltenders in their organization.
Their No. 1 goalie is Martin Brodeur, 37, the future Hall-of-Famer starting his 16th season in the NHL. His backup will be Yan Danis, 28, who played at Brown University, and was signed this summer as a free agent.
Jeff Frazee, 22, who played at the University of Minnesota, appeared in 58 games for Lowell last season and is expected to be the starter in Lowell again this year.
That leaves Lerg to compete with 6-foot-4 Gerald Coleman, 24, once a highly rated junior prospect, for a spot in Lowell. Coleman, a product of the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, played in 40 games last year with Trenton.
"My goal is definitely to play in Lowell, to start at that level,'' Lerg said. "But if Jeff Frazee, who the Devils like a lot, plays most of the games, then I wonder if it wouldn't be better to play in the Trenton in the ECHL, and play in 65 games or so.
"If I do get sent down to the ECHL, my goals will be the same: improve, win a lot of games and show that I can get into the playoffs and win championships.''
Justin Abdelkader, Lerg's former MSU teammate who just finished his first season in pro hockey in the Red Wings organization in Grand Rapids of the AHL, is certain Lerg will be successful in the AHL.
"He definitely can play in the AHL and we'll just have to see about the NHL. He just needs a chance to prove what he can do,'' Abdelkader said.
"Jeff has the work ethic to play at a high level and he moves really well. Side-to-side, he's as good as I've ever seen. ''
Brian Renfrew, the Spartans' goaltender coach, expects Lerg will need time early on to adjust to the speed and quickness of pro hockey.
"Pro shooters are so much more patient. In college, Jeff could come out and set up quickly, but he won't be able to do that as soon because the puck moves east to west a lot quicker,'' said Renfrew, who's 5-foot-9 and played five seasons of minor-league hockey after a solid, four-year career at Western Michigan.
"There are things he'll have to figure out and work on. But Jeff is so mentally tough, he can do it.''
Said Lerg, "This is a whole new world. It's a big year for me to learn a ton.''
Whats up around the ECHL
Ok, with 3 teams already folding or suspending operations this season, Im getting a little concerned and have to ask...Is the ECHL dying? Are they going to be around much longer or is it going to take a lot more yet before things get really bad?
[quote=""D.Skype""]Ok, with 3 teams already folding or suspending operations this season, Im getting a little concerned and have to ask...Is the ECHL dying? Are they going to be around much longer or is it going to take a lot more yet before things get really bad?[/quote]
No the ECHL will not be dying, with fewer teams in the ECHL and not as many players going over to Europe, alot of good players are looking for a job in the AHL or ECHL. It seems to me that scoring is going up and the games are faster.
No the ECHL will not be dying, with fewer teams in the ECHL and not as many players going over to Europe, alot of good players are looking for a job in the AHL or ECHL. It seems to me that scoring is going up and the games are faster.
Thank you for the wonderfull information it helped me a lot if you are having still more tips pleace share with me.
.........................
Wireless long range audio video receivers and transmitters
.........................
Wireless long range audio video receivers and transmitters
Trenton will be around as long as the NJ Devils keep paying the bills and want to keep sending players down. It also helps that the team is close in travel to the NHL team. I feel that NHL teams are looking at the ECHL as a lower cost option, to keeping their players around longer and playing more minutes. IMO.
The Victoria Salmon Kings have 26 wins- 8 losses - 4 OTL - 1 SOL in their last 39 games, after starting the season with 1 win & 9 losses.
It all started back with great goaltending, hard work and Wes Goldie.
http://echl.leaguestat.com/stats/player.php?id=149
It all started back with great goaltending, hard work and Wes Goldie.
http://echl.leaguestat.com/stats/player.php?id=149
[quote=""Lazer""]Jeff Lerg looking forward to his NHL challenge.
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/arti ... 15/1023/GW
Ex-MSU goalie reports to N.J. camp this week
Neil Koepke nkoepke@lsj.com September 6, 2009
Post a Comment RecommendPrint this pageE-mail this articleShare
Del.icio.usFacebookDiggRedditNewsvineBuzz up!Twitter
EAST LANSING - Jeff Lerg has been here before.
Trying to prove he can excel as an undersized goaltender is a challenge Lerg has faced at every level of his hockey career.
The 5-foot-6, 155-pound former Michigan State goalie proved the skeptics wrong when he first played bantam hockey, midgets, juniors and college.
He not only showed he could play as the smallest player on his team, he developed into an elite-level goaltender through his great work ethic, overall skills and preparation.
Simply put, he stopped the puck effectively and consistently and helped his teams win a lot of games and piled up a lot awards along the way.
Now that his college career is over, the MSU graduate is on to the next challenge - likely the toughest of them all:
Prove he can play in the National Hockey League, where most goalies are 6-foot or taller and the shortest last season stood 5-foot-10.
"I think it's an attainable goal. I just want the opportunity to play and then take advantage of it by playing well,'' said Lerg, who will start his pro career in the New Jersey Devils organization.
"If I can do what I've done in the past and win a lot of games, I don't see why not.''
Lerg, the Spartans' most valuable player for the past three seasons and a second-team NCAA West All-American and Hobey Baker Award finalist as a junior, signed a one-year contract with the Devils on July 31. He begins his first training camp on Wednesday.
Lerg, 23, is expected to play with either the Devils' top farm team - the Lowell Devils of the American Hockey League - or New Jersey's second-tier farm club, the Trenton Devils of the East Coast Hockey League.
"It's a process. I know I'm not going to play in the NHL next year,'' Lerg said. "My hope is to work hard, improve and develop and maybe open some eyes for the future.
"You have to produce wins. If I can get to a point where I can win a lot of games, people will notice and hopefully, I'll get rewarded.''
Odds are against him
Lerg has spent the past five months rehabilitating from ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgery on his right knee. He said he's 100 percent recovered and felt good taking shots against the Spartans' NHL and minor league players at the annual MSU pro camp last month at Munn Arena.
"I felt very comfortable against the NHL guys,'' he said. "I've never been to a prospects camp or rookie camp, but I didn't feel out of my element.''
The odds of making the NHL are certainly against Lerg. Most NHL teams don't project small goaltenders having success. The Devils were the only NHL organization interested in signing the Livonia native whose stellar play led the Spartans to the 2007 NCAA championship.
In the NHL last season, of the top 45 goaltenders with the best goals-against averages, who've played at least 27 games, only six were below 6-foot. The shortest were 5-foot-10: Chris Osgood of the Red Wings, Manny Legace (St. Louis) and Vesa Toskala (Toronto).
Most NHL general managers, scouts and coaches believe smaller goaltenders aren't as effective because they can't cover as much of the net, are vulnerable to high shots when they leave their feet and get pushed around by players crowding the goal crease.
Lerg hopes to be able to overcome his size through his quickness, puck control and ability to read plays.
"One of the tough things for a small goalie is traffic in front of the net and screen shots and tips,'' he said. "Smaller goalies have to be better in reactions. But quickness is my game.''
David Conte, the Devils executive vice president of hockey operations and director of scouting, said he's eager to see how Lerg adapts at the minor league level.
"His biggest challenge is that he's small and always fighting the odds and perceptions,'' Conte said. "All of our investigations have led us to believe that this is a very special young man, not only in terms of athleticism but also personality, character and leadership.
"The door is open for forwards, defensemen and goalies but it opens quicker for bigger guys. But Jeff had that challenge when he went to Michigan State.
"He either stops the puck or he doesn't,'' Conte added. ''Management doesn't always pick the team. Usually, the players pick the team.''
The Devils, known for drafting and signing U.S. college players, don't have a lot of goaltenders in their organization.
Their No. 1 goalie is Martin Brodeur, 37, the future Hall-of-Famer starting his 16th season in the NHL. His backup will be Yan Danis, 28, who played at Brown University, and was signed this summer as a free agent.
Jeff Frazee, 22, who played at the University of Minnesota, appeared in 58 games for Lowell last season and is expected to be the starter in Lowell again this year.
That leaves Lerg to compete with 6-foot-4 Gerald Coleman, 24, once a highly rated junior prospect, for a spot in Lowell. Coleman, a product of the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, played in 40 games last year with Trenton.
"My goal is definitely to play in Lowell, to start at that level,'' Lerg said. "But if Jeff Frazee, who the Devils like a lot, plays most of the games, then I wonder if it wouldn't be better to play in the Trenton in the ECHL, and play in 65 games or so.
"If I do get sent down to the ECHL, my goals will be the same: improve, win a lot of games and show that I can get into the playoffs and win championships.''
Justin Abdelkader, Lerg's former MSU teammate who just finished his first season in pro hockey in the Red Wings organization in Grand Rapids of the AHL, is certain Lerg will be successful in the AHL.
"He definitely can play in the AHL and we'll just have to see about the NHL. He just needs a chance to prove what he can do,'' Abdelkader said.
"Jeff has the work ethic to play at a high level and he moves really well. Side-to-side, he's as good as I've ever seen. ''
Brian Renfrew, the Spartans' goaltender coach, expects Lerg will need time early on to adjust to the speed and quickness of pro hockey.
"Pro shooters are so much more patient. In college, Jeff could come out and set up quickly, but he won't be able to do that as soon because the puck moves east to west a lot quicker,'' said Renfrew, who's 5-foot-9 and played five seasons of minor-league hockey after a solid, four-year career at Western Michigan.
"There are things he'll have to figure out and work on. But Jeff is so mentally tough, he can do it.''
Said Lerg, "This is a whole new world. It's a big year for me to learn a ton.''[/quote]
More on Jeff Lerg and the ECHL.
http://www.trentonian.com/articles/2010 ... 885732.txt
http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/arti ... 15/1023/GW
Ex-MSU goalie reports to N.J. camp this week
Neil Koepke nkoepke@lsj.com September 6, 2009
Post a Comment RecommendPrint this pageE-mail this articleShare
Del.icio.usFacebookDiggRedditNewsvineBuzz up!Twitter
EAST LANSING - Jeff Lerg has been here before.
Trying to prove he can excel as an undersized goaltender is a challenge Lerg has faced at every level of his hockey career.
The 5-foot-6, 155-pound former Michigan State goalie proved the skeptics wrong when he first played bantam hockey, midgets, juniors and college.
He not only showed he could play as the smallest player on his team, he developed into an elite-level goaltender through his great work ethic, overall skills and preparation.
Simply put, he stopped the puck effectively and consistently and helped his teams win a lot of games and piled up a lot awards along the way.
Now that his college career is over, the MSU graduate is on to the next challenge - likely the toughest of them all:
Prove he can play in the National Hockey League, where most goalies are 6-foot or taller and the shortest last season stood 5-foot-10.
"I think it's an attainable goal. I just want the opportunity to play and then take advantage of it by playing well,'' said Lerg, who will start his pro career in the New Jersey Devils organization.
"If I can do what I've done in the past and win a lot of games, I don't see why not.''
Lerg, the Spartans' most valuable player for the past three seasons and a second-team NCAA West All-American and Hobey Baker Award finalist as a junior, signed a one-year contract with the Devils on July 31. He begins his first training camp on Wednesday.
Lerg, 23, is expected to play with either the Devils' top farm team - the Lowell Devils of the American Hockey League - or New Jersey's second-tier farm club, the Trenton Devils of the East Coast Hockey League.
"It's a process. I know I'm not going to play in the NHL next year,'' Lerg said. "My hope is to work hard, improve and develop and maybe open some eyes for the future.
"You have to produce wins. If I can get to a point where I can win a lot of games, people will notice and hopefully, I'll get rewarded.''
Odds are against him
Lerg has spent the past five months rehabilitating from ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgery on his right knee. He said he's 100 percent recovered and felt good taking shots against the Spartans' NHL and minor league players at the annual MSU pro camp last month at Munn Arena.
"I felt very comfortable against the NHL guys,'' he said. "I've never been to a prospects camp or rookie camp, but I didn't feel out of my element.''
The odds of making the NHL are certainly against Lerg. Most NHL teams don't project small goaltenders having success. The Devils were the only NHL organization interested in signing the Livonia native whose stellar play led the Spartans to the 2007 NCAA championship.
In the NHL last season, of the top 45 goaltenders with the best goals-against averages, who've played at least 27 games, only six were below 6-foot. The shortest were 5-foot-10: Chris Osgood of the Red Wings, Manny Legace (St. Louis) and Vesa Toskala (Toronto).
Most NHL general managers, scouts and coaches believe smaller goaltenders aren't as effective because they can't cover as much of the net, are vulnerable to high shots when they leave their feet and get pushed around by players crowding the goal crease.
Lerg hopes to be able to overcome his size through his quickness, puck control and ability to read plays.
"One of the tough things for a small goalie is traffic in front of the net and screen shots and tips,'' he said. "Smaller goalies have to be better in reactions. But quickness is my game.''
David Conte, the Devils executive vice president of hockey operations and director of scouting, said he's eager to see how Lerg adapts at the minor league level.
"His biggest challenge is that he's small and always fighting the odds and perceptions,'' Conte said. "All of our investigations have led us to believe that this is a very special young man, not only in terms of athleticism but also personality, character and leadership.
"The door is open for forwards, defensemen and goalies but it opens quicker for bigger guys. But Jeff had that challenge when he went to Michigan State.
"He either stops the puck or he doesn't,'' Conte added. ''Management doesn't always pick the team. Usually, the players pick the team.''
The Devils, known for drafting and signing U.S. college players, don't have a lot of goaltenders in their organization.
Their No. 1 goalie is Martin Brodeur, 37, the future Hall-of-Famer starting his 16th season in the NHL. His backup will be Yan Danis, 28, who played at Brown University, and was signed this summer as a free agent.
Jeff Frazee, 22, who played at the University of Minnesota, appeared in 58 games for Lowell last season and is expected to be the starter in Lowell again this year.
That leaves Lerg to compete with 6-foot-4 Gerald Coleman, 24, once a highly rated junior prospect, for a spot in Lowell. Coleman, a product of the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, played in 40 games last year with Trenton.
"My goal is definitely to play in Lowell, to start at that level,'' Lerg said. "But if Jeff Frazee, who the Devils like a lot, plays most of the games, then I wonder if it wouldn't be better to play in the Trenton in the ECHL, and play in 65 games or so.
"If I do get sent down to the ECHL, my goals will be the same: improve, win a lot of games and show that I can get into the playoffs and win championships.''
Justin Abdelkader, Lerg's former MSU teammate who just finished his first season in pro hockey in the Red Wings organization in Grand Rapids of the AHL, is certain Lerg will be successful in the AHL.
"He definitely can play in the AHL and we'll just have to see about the NHL. He just needs a chance to prove what he can do,'' Abdelkader said.
"Jeff has the work ethic to play at a high level and he moves really well. Side-to-side, he's as good as I've ever seen. ''
Brian Renfrew, the Spartans' goaltender coach, expects Lerg will need time early on to adjust to the speed and quickness of pro hockey.
"Pro shooters are so much more patient. In college, Jeff could come out and set up quickly, but he won't be able to do that as soon because the puck moves east to west a lot quicker,'' said Renfrew, who's 5-foot-9 and played five seasons of minor-league hockey after a solid, four-year career at Western Michigan.
"There are things he'll have to figure out and work on. But Jeff is so mentally tough, he can do it.''
Said Lerg, "This is a whole new world. It's a big year for me to learn a ton.''[/quote]
More on Jeff Lerg and the ECHL.
http://www.trentonian.com/articles/2010 ... 885732.txt
