Havoc Camp Just Over A Week Away
Published on October 1, 2009 under SPHL (SPHL)
Huntsville Havoc News Release
HUNTSVILLE, AL - The 2009-10 Huntsville Havoc training camp is just over a week away and Head Coach Randy Murphy and Assistant Coach Paul Snell are expecting a tough, above-average competitive camp when the guys hit the ice for the first time.
"Most everyone here in Huntsville knows all the returning players, but for me there are a lot of unknowns, which makes for a competitive camp," Murphy said. "I've only seen four of these guys play before. We have an idea of what we have in terms of players, but that's all we have is an idea. We need to see them on the ice. Each player has been recruited for a specific need and we need to see that on day one and they need to be ready to go. Every league has gotten better and the talent pool of players is plentiful, so if someone is not ready for camp, they won't last long."
The players are scheduled to report on Sunday, October 11th for physicals and headshots before hitting the ice for the first time on Monday, October 12th at 9:30am at the Von Braun Center. Practices on Tuesday and Wednesday will be at the VBC each morning at 9:30am, while the Thursday morning practice with be at 8:00am at the VBC. The Havoc will also be having off-ice workouts each afternoon and the D-I training complex in south Huntsville.
The Havoc will hold a pre-game skate on Friday the 16th at the Ice Plex before hitting the road for a pre-season game that night at Columbus. The Cottonmouths will make the return trip to Huntsville on Saturday the 17th for the final pre-season game of the season. Game time on the 17th is 7:30pm at the VBC.
SPHL guidelines allow each team to bring a maximum of 30 players to camp and the Havoc will be bringing 29 into camp.
Forwards
Headlining the forwards coming to camp is the returning SPHL Player of the Year, Travis Kauffeldt. His linemates from last season, B.J. Radovich and Ray Ortiz, are also returning. Those three combined for 80 goals and 96 assists last season. Justin Rohr and Dennis Sicard both return after joining the Havoc late in the season. Rohr scored seven goals and recorded four assists in just 14 games, while Sicard scored two goals and had one assist in the playoffs.
Mike Carter joins the Havoc after scoring 25 goals and recording 46 assists in 60 games last season for the Knoxville Ice Bears. Veteran Mike Olynyk will be making his debut in Huntsville. He has played in 346 career games and scored 33 goals, recorded 55 assists and has 971 penalty minutes. Mike McDonald is also a guy with experience, after playing scoring three goals and recording eight assists in 57 games for Coach Murphy in Arizona last season.
Kyle Tyll, Nick Monroe, Nick Jennette, Jeremy Beirnes, Ryan Ellis, Jason O'Bannon, John Stefani and Andrew Nelson are all rookie forwards that will be attending camp and battling for a roster spot.
Defense
Bill McCreary, Martin Kubaliak and Paul Falco all return on the blue line. The trio combined to score 21 goals and record 83 assists last season. Paul D'Agostino will also come to camp with professional experience.
Dean Petiot, Grant Buckley, Petr Ondrejec, Adam Lukacovic and Ilja Urushev are all rookies that will be looking to land a spot on the defensive group.
Goaltenders
Ross Cherry will be returning for his second season with the Havoc. He saw action in 32 games last season and finished with a 13-13-4 record, one shutout, a 3.46 goals against average and an 88.3 save percentage.
Dan McWhinney joins the Havoc after playing in 77 games between the pipes in the CHL and the UHL. He has a 49-44-14 career record, a 3.30 goals against average and a 90.0 save percentage. He went 4-4 last season in Odessa of the CHL with a 3.50 goals against average. His best season came with Fort Wayne in 2006-07 when he went 9-3-1.
Rookies Mark Sibbald and Nick Wydock will also get look to break camp as one of the two goaltenders this season.
Havoc individual game and pre-season game tickets went on sale today at the Von Braun Center Box Office, at all TicketMaster locations or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
SPHL Stories from October 1, 2009
- Line-up set for Puska on Pucks Hockey Preview Show - OSC Original by Denis Puska
- Havoc Camp Just Over A Week Away - Huntsville Havoc
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