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AHL Hershey Bears

Bears sign seven

August 2, 2004 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Hershey Bears News Release


You can tell that the season is starting to draw closer, and not just because the calendar has now turned the page over to August. There are getting to be a lot of player moves around the league with both big free agent signings and the inking of draft picks to pro contracts. The biggest news in our part of the hockey universe was the signing of seven players last week that have given next year's roster a great boost.

The marquee name of last week's signings is newcomer Mathieu Darche. I had the chance to talk to Mathieu last week in advance of the press release, and I can tell you he's excited to be coming to play in HERSHEY. He told me that he knows a lot of friends that have played for or against the BEARS here at GIANT Center, and he has heard great things about the fan support here. There's little doubt in my mind that he'll be a fan favorite here before long. I also had a chance to talk to D.J. Smith last week at home in Canada. He told me he's planning on getting to HERSHEY as early as he can to get back into game shape after getting knocked out of the lineup in January. He said he feels great and can't wait to get started. Obviously both signings will help the strength of the roster, but what really stands out to me with the signings last week is the amount of depth that has been added. Right wing Paul Cabana was signed to a HERSHEY contract last week. Don't be surprised if you see a lot of him next season. Cabana scored 30 goals last year in just 63 games with the ECHL's Columbia Inferno, and figures to make a strong bid for a job during training camp. The same can probably be said for David Masse, who gave us glimpses of what he can do last season. I'm thrilled that Marty Hlinka is back. A great pickup at midseason last year, Hlinka got 16 points in 30 games and seemed like he was only getting more comfortable. Few teams in our league have added both big-time players and depth players like HERSHEY has this off-season. It certainly has fueled the excitement around here as we all anxiously await the 2004-05 season.

The BEARS weren't the only team making moves last week. The Philadelphia Phantoms got three players under contract last week when they signed centers Ben Stafford and B.J. Abel along with goaltender Chris Houle. Stafford posted the most impressive numbers of the three last season, notching 32 points in 73 games. Houle played in just four games in goal for Philly, spending most of his season in Trenton with the Titans. Abel had just 10 points in 53 games played.

The Calder Cup champion Milwaukee Admirals brought two players from last year's squad back with contracts last week. Defenseman Andrew Hutchinson and goaltender Brian Finley are both back for 2004-05. Hutchinson posted 24 points (12-12-24) and a plus 7 rating for the defending champs. The former Michigan State standout was also an AHL All-Star last season, playing for the Planet USA squad. Finley will probably inherit more ice-time after fellow goaltender and Calder Cup MVP Wade Flaherty signed with Vancouver this off-season. Finley set career highs in games played (43), wins (23) goals against average (2.34) and save percentage (.917).

Binghamton got some help from their parent club last week. The Ottawa Senators announced the signing of right wing Pat Kavanagh to a multi-year contract. Kavanaugh scored 23 goals in 73 games for Manitoba last season.

The Stanley Cup Champions aren't resting this off-season when it comes to depth. Springfield just looks better and better after Jarrod Skalde and tough guy Steve McLaren were signed to contracts last Wednesday. Skalde scored 23 goals and assisted on 35 others to lead the Utah Grizzlies in scoring last year. McLaren played six games for St. Louis last season in the NHL and the rest of the campaign in Worcester. Despite missing 24 games due to injury, he still led the IceCats in penalty minutes with 146.

Syracuse announced last Wednesday that defenseman Trent Cull has decided to call it a career. Cull announced his retirement from the game to take an assistant coaching job with Guelph (OHL). Cull played in 58 games last season, recording 10 points and 146 penalty minutes.

The franchise move from Toronto to Edmonton prompted the Oilers to hire Stew MacDonald last week as the new president of the Edmonton Roadrunners. MacDonald won the James C. Hendy Award as the AHL's top executive in 2000-01 (one year after our own Doug Yingst won the award, incidentally) while with the Saint John Flames. MacDonald is no stranger to the Oilers organization, having been hired as Edmonton's director of marketing in 1987.

One minor coaching move in the AHL last week completes the roundup this time around. Calgary announced in conjunction with the Lowell Lock Monsters that Scott Allen has accepted the assistant coaching job in Lowell. Allen served the last two seasons in San Antonio as the assistant coach with the Rampage.

Time now to get to your letters for this week. Before I get to your e-mail, I've gotten a ton of mail from people wondering when we might see the release of the regular season schedule. The PR arm of the American Hockey League has been in great communication with all the teams to keep us posted on the progress of this year's slate of games. The move of a franchise last week from Toronto to Edmonton undoubtedly was a wrinkle that the league had to work out. Believe it or not, the move of Shaquille O' Neal to the Miami Heat indirectly affected the league schedule, because the NBA wanted to reshuffle it's schedule somewhat. When the NBA waits on it's schedule, the AHL unfortunately has to wait because several of our teams share buildings with NBA teams. San Antonio, Cleveland and Houston all have to work with their buildings and with their basketball brethren. All of that should be worked out soon, and hopefully the league will have something in the next few days to a week or so.

Now, onto your questions....

John:

I was excited to see that Mathieu Darche was signed by the team because his stats look great. Can you tell us a little more about him? Thanks!

Heather Levin

Reading, PA

Thanks for the note, Heather. We didn't see Darche last year since we didn't play Milwaukee, but he led the Calder Cup Champions in scoring during the regular season and did well in the playoffs as well. Anytime you can get a guy who combines big numbers with playoff experience, you grab him. Kudos to the Avalanche and BEARS president/GM Doug Yingst for pulling that one off, because it's easily the biggest boost to the forward position so far this off-season. The last time we saw Darche against HERSHEY was during the 2002-03 season when he played with Syracuse. In six games against the BEARS that season, Darche scored three goals and assisted on two others for five points. Two of the goals came at even strength, while one of them came on the power play. If he puts up numbers like he has the last two seasons, he'll be a fan favorite here very quickly

Hi John:

Do you have any more information about the Flyers and the exhibition game at GIANT Center?

Mike Howell

Shippensburg

Mike, they'll be a release soon about ticket information for the game. There will probably be some way for fans to reserve tickets for the game in the near future, but nothing is definite yet. The problem of course is whether or not the game will be played because we're only a month and a half away now from the NHL's collective bargaining agreement expiring with no deal in sight. If training camps don't open, the first thing to get canceled will be the exhibition games. There will be refunds issued if tickets are bought and the game isn't played. Expect more information to be available soon.

John:

I was disappointed to see that Gavin Morgan signed with Montreal, I hoped that he would be back for next season. What was the deal with him leaving to go, and where will he be next season?

Sherry Hamm

Dallas, TX

Sherry, Gavin got a great deal from Montreal that he couldn't pass up. The financial terms of the contract were not released, but he has a contract this season and an option for next season after Dallas made him an unrestricted free agent. For a veteran forward in the current market, it's a great opportunity for him. He will most likely don the sweater of the Hamilton Bulldogs next season, but Montreal seems to like him very much If the NHL gets started, maybe he gets a shot there if he plays well We certainly wish Gavin the best there, and hopes he gets another crack at the "show" with the Canadiens.

Hi John:

I can't wait for next season, especially after seeing D.J. Smith and Mathieu Darche signed up last week. What other moves might be on the way? Are the Avalanche done signing players, or will there be other moves? Will Doug Yingst go out and fill in the gaps that are left. I would like to see another forward and another defenseman. What will happen in goal if there is a lockout?

Congratulations on your Ellery Award. Can't wait for the season to start!

Bill Blair

Harrisburg

Wow, a lot of ground to cover there, Bill. I share your excitement about D.J. Smith returning. At 100 percent, he's as tough as they come and is a great leader both on and off the ice. Honestly, I don't think the moves are done yet. It's probably too early to tell what goaltenders would be here, but some combination of Budaj/Lawson/Sauve should be here on Opening night. One thing I do know about player movement that involves this franchise: Doug Yingst will do everything he possibly can to get players here, and if something comes up that would better this team, he'll do it.

That's all for this week. There seem to have been a lot of player moves in the last week, no reason to think that will change in the coming seven days. Hopefully by early next week we'll know the schedule for the upcoming season. Have a great week, and I'll be back next Monday.

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