Sports stats



Getting back in business

August 6, 2004 - ECHL (ECHL)
Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies News Release


The first full week of August has come and gone (Is it me or wasn't Memorial Day weekend just last week!). We're 24 days from the World Cup of Hockey, which hopefully won't be our last chance to see NHL stars in the playing spotlight for some time, and only 62 days from the start of Bullies training camp that is expected to open on October 7! Since last week was an abbreviated issue of the "BYTES", there's plenty to talk about this week as everyone around the ECHL, including the Bullies, are starting to get themselves back in the business of producing a winning hockey team. Today in this jammed-packed issue you'll find "hot-stove" Bullies talk, blockbuster ECHL deals, trivia, and some interesting tidbits about the on-going NHL negotiations.

A CHAMPION IS NOW AMONG US

Hot off the wire and just released a few hours ago, the Bullies made their 11th signing of the off-season with the acquisition of free agent forward and former Idaho Steelhead Jeff Bateman. Bateman's signing is clearly the biggest free agent move for Head Coach Matt Thomas to date. Here's a guy who just two years ago spent nearly the entire season in the AHL with Utah and contributed 16 points. Last season in Idaho, he had his best year as a professional with 31 points and was a +10, good for fifth on the team. Bateman is also only 22, which means his ceiling remains pretty high as he comes to Atlantic City. I got a chance to talk to Jeff yesterday (sounds like a real terrific guy), and I asked him what he thought was the biggest difference between playing on the West Coast and playing on the East Coast. He said he thinks that one of the major differences are the scoring tendencies, and that East Coast teams tend to put the puck in the net a little bit more. I did a little research and clearly he's right! The highest scoring team in the Pacific Division last year was San Diego who averaged 3.33 goals per game, tied for 8th overall with Pensacola. The Steelheads meanwhile finished tied for 16th in the league in scoring with 3.04 goals per game, and their leading scorer was Jan Kopecky who tallied 24 goals and 54 points, a far cry from Luke Curtin's point total of 78. To further elaborate, Bakersfield, Long Beach, and Fresno each were in the bottom ten in goals for per game. Hopefully this translates into an even better season for Bateman as he joins an explosive Bullies roster…As I was rushing to file BULLIES BYTES last week, I did indeed forget to include a little tidbit about Jim Henkel signing a free agent deal with the Carolina Hurricanes. Obviously it's great for Jimmy and well deserved. Henkel was better than a point-per-game player with the Bullies last season as he notched 25 points in only 22 games, and proved that he can score at the AHL level too. He had 11 goals and 24 points in 35 games for the Lowell Lock Monsters, Carolina's AHL affiliate, including 4 points in the Monsters' final 5 games as they tried desperately to make the playoffs. Henkel's deal only further solidifies the Bullies overall reputation as one of the best organizations in "AA" hockey at developing and promoting players. Just ask Carl Corazzini, Matt Yeats, Kirk Furey, or Brian Fahey. Henkel could get a look in Carolina's training camp (assuming they have one), but plan on him starting the season in Lowell. Should he return to the ECHL, the Bullies still hold his playing rights at the "AA" level. Congratulations Jim! Bullies fans across the world wish you all the best…Good news for Bullies fans from both near and far on the media front. The team will officially announce next week that it will continue to broadcast all 36 away games on ESPN Radio 1450AM locally in Atlantic City. A deal is also being formulated to once again broadcast all 72 games over the Internet via the Surfer Network. In addition, a representative from B2 Networks was at Boardwalk Hall this morning, and it appears that the Bullies will soon enter into an agreement with several other teams in the league to form an ECHL web-casting network that will allow fans to actually watch the games live on the Internet using a cable modem for a minimal fee. Stay tuned as details continue to surface…Bullies management is also finalizing plans to once again host a "Summer Town Meeting". Right now, the tentative date is Thursday, August 26 in the evening at a local restaurant. This town meeting is a chance for Bullies fans to meet with Vice President/General Manager Dan Belisle, Head Coach Matt Thomas, and others to discuss the upcoming season. In trying to please the interest of as many fans as possible, please email myself at dan.weiss@boardwalkbullies.com if you believe that a weekend would be preferable to a Thursday night. Do keep in mind that weekend dates make it more difficult for a restaurant/bar to accommodate a large group. Once a date, time, and place is finalized, an announcement will be released inviting the general public…Ok time for some more trivia and for that, we return to newly-signed Jeff Bateman. The winner of this week's trivia contest will receive a gift certificate good for a pair of tickets to a Bullies home game this season (don't worry Rick Ferraro, I haven't forgotten about you). Today's question: Before turning professional, Jeff Bateman played his junior hockey for the Brampton Battalion of the OHL. During the 1998-99 season, what former first round draft pick of the Ottawa Senators was Bateman's teammate in Brampton? Send your answers to dan.weiss@boardwalkbullies.com. A winner will be chosen at random and revealed in next week's issue.

AROUND THE ECHL…

Blockbuster trades, the kind that involve more than two teams, are not often common in the ECHL. However, earlier this week, such a blockbuster did occur. Tuesday, the Alaska Aces sent forward Bret DeCecco to Bakersfield in exchange for Chris Heisten and Jon Insana from Florida, while the Everblades received defenseman Tom Reimann from Bakersfield to complete the deal. Ironically, Heisten and Reimann were teammates at the University of Maine and played under then Assistant Coach Matt Thomas who is now of course in Atlantic City. Confused yet? Reimann, an ECHL All-Star last season, could be a real force in Florida assuming he signs a contract. The second-year pro had 11 goals and 33 points in just 43 games for Greensboro in 2003-04. Heisten gets a chance to return to his native Anchorage where hopefully being closer to home will help his development further along…Meanwhile, the Condors were just getting started. Two-time ECHL All-Star forward Andrew Ianiero was also traded this week, shipped to Texas in exchange for bruising forward Ashlee Langdone. Ianiero, who posted 18 goals and 56 points with Charlotte and Bakersfield, should help a Wildcatters offense that finished 25th in the ECHL in goals per game during their inaugural season. Langdone, who was among the league leaders in penalty minutes last year with 304 and had a whopping 514 in 56 games with San Diego in 2001-02, gives Marty Raymond's club quite a presence, though the Condors coach told the Bakersfield Californian he'd like to see Ashlee reduce his penalty minutes to 250 this season. Bakersfield comes to Boardwalk Hall on January 12…Sunday was the ECHL deadline for protected players to accept their qualifying offers, and it's interesting to note that of the 178 qualified players, only 19 have officially accepted their respective team's offer, while 27 others have signed with a different league. It's quite possible that many more are signed and have yet to be officially announced, but if not, we could be seeing an active trading season as we get closer to October…The Wheeling Nailers announced yesterday at a press conference that WesBanco Arena, the home of the Nailers, will host an NHL exhibition game on September 26 when Pittsburgh plays Minnesota. It's the second straight year that Wheeling will host an exhibition game as the Penguins and Islanders played at WesBanco last year. Whether the game takes place or not due to the impending lockout, it's always good for ECHL cities to be showcased at the national level. I for one would love to see an NHL exhibition game at Boardwalk Hall.

TO THE GRAB BAG…

No questions over the last couple of weeks, but I'd like to post some comments from a couple of Bullies fans down South:
" Hi, I want to thank you for the excellent job that you do keeping the fans up to date with what's happening in your organization. I have mentioned before we have seen y'all play in Atlantic City and loved it. I'm originally from South Jersey so you are the team I follow in the ECHL. When y'all play in Greenville, SC (1 hour away) we will be there pulling for the Bullies. Thanks again.
MICHAEL RUNYON
ASHEVILLE NC
" Dan, I'm in Birmingham, AL and we were Stefan's adopted family all the time he played here, so have been following the Bullies since the franchise moved to AC. We've seen them play a few times when they got close enough to make it possible. Saw two games in Columbia, SC on the run to the Kelly cup last season [very thrilling] but have never been able to see them at home. I really appreciate the newsletters that have kept us up with what's going on this summer and the plans for the new season-thanks a lot.
Dorothy Canant
Thanks Michael and Dorothy! It's really amazing sometimes to see where Bullies fans are residing.
CLOSING NUMBER…
TSN, Canada's version of ESPN, reports this week that Decima Research Inc conducted a poll last month and reported that 83% of those fans surveyed (928 Canadians) would stand by the NHL and its owners even if a lockout wiped out more than half a season if it results in a reduction of player salaries and a better deal for smaller clubs. In addition, 56% of fans believe it's the players association's responsibility to compromise on a new deal while only 14% believe that both sides need to compromise. That's not really surprising considering the fans have often taken the side of the owners when it comes to potential player strikes and disputes. What it does infer though is that, at least in Canada, it may not take a lot for fans to return to support the game should it go into a prolonged absence. Hockey is Canada's pastime however, and one must wonder whether the after effects would be similar in the United States? Keep in mind that Toronto and Montreal have never recovered from the Major League Baseball strike of 1994, despite the fact that baseball is probably the healthiest it has been in quite some time.

Enjoy the weekend and I'll have more news for next week. Keep sending those emails and questions along (dan.weiss@boardwalkbullies.com). 77 DAYS TILL OPENING NIGHT!!!!

• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...

ECHL Stories from August 6, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central