Havoc re-signs six, lose two in expansion draft
Published on July 24, 2006 under SPHL (SPHL)
Huntsville Havoc News Release
HUNTSVILLE, AL - Huntsville Havoc head coach John Gibson announced today that the team has resigned goaltender, Matt Carmichael, defensemen, Jason deGuehery and Jonathan Lounsbury and forwards Luke Phillips, Sean Edwards and Mike O'Sullivan, for the 2006-07 season. The team has also signed former UAH forward, Todd Bentley, and defenseman Brian McLaughlin.
Carmichael was named MVP of the SPHL last season after posting a 23-11-2 record, a 2.75 goals against average and a 91.9 save percentage. He has a 49-32-2 record, a 2.75 goals against average and a 92.0 save percentage in his two seasons with the Havoc.
The Ottawa, Ontario native, who will turn 29 next week, has played in 262 career games and posted a 135-95-10 record, a 3.06 goals against average and a 90.9 career save percentage. He will be in his sixth season overall in a Huntsville uniform.
"Matt was my first goal of the summer," Gibson said. "Locking in the league MVP was very important to our roster and organization. You need to have a great goalie to build your team around and Huntsville has one of the best."
deGeuhery has played in 103 games as a member of the Havoc and scored five goals and has 35 assists to go along with 486 penalty minutes. He will be in his fifth season overall as a professional and has played in 162 career games, scored seven goals and added 67 assists. He has 691 penalty minutes.
"Jay lives and breaths Havoc hockey, he is a steady defenseman who plays a physical style of game," Gibson said. "Jay will be a player I will be leaning on for leadership this year."
Lounsbury played in all 56 games for the Havoc last season as a rookie. He scored five goals and recorded 17 assists and finished with 71 penalty minutes. He played in 101 games at the University of Southern Maine from 2001-2005 and scored 29 goals and had 67 assists.
"Jonathon was one of our most improved and steadiest defenseman from last year," Gibson said. "I look for him to continue to improve and hopefully climb the minor league ladder."
Phillips scored seven goals and had 12 assists in 48 games for the Havoc last season and led the SPHL in penalty minutes with 396. The Birken, British Columbia native has now played in 145 career games all in a Huntsville uniform. He has scored 34 goals, recorded 35 assists and has 952 penalty minutes. He has also played in nine playoff games and scored two goals and three assists.
"Our opponents won't be as happy as our fans are to hear Luke is coming back," said Gibson. "I know he will continue to frustrate teams, but going into his fourth year with me I look for Luke to play more of a leadership role."
"It's great to be coming back and playing for the great fans in Huntsville," Phillips said. "Playing for Coach Gibson again had a lot to do with coming back as well as playing with Carmichael again. It's very important to know that you a have goalie back there that you can trust."
O'Sullivan joined the Havoc for the final 13 games after playing in 39 for the Fort Worth Brahmas of the Central Hockey League. He scored five goals and had seven assists as a member of the Havoc after scoring five goals and adding four assists with the Brahmas. He scored 82 goals and had 88 assists in 106 games at Curry College from 2001-2005.
The Havoc picked Edwards up in a trade with the Fayetteville Fire Antz last season. He played in 23 games for the Havoc and score three goals and had nine assists. He has played in 111 games in his career and scored 20 goals and added 36 assists. He has spent time in the UHL and the ECHL. He played in 75 games at the University of Ottawa from 2000-2004 and scored 17 goals and had 38 assists.
"O'Sullivan and Edward's are a couple of players we had for a part season last year, I look for them to return with confidence and have more of a presence in our lineup," Gibson said.
Bentley played in 89 games for the Chargers from 2002-06. He scored 19 goals and added 27 assists for 46 total points and finished his career with 134 penalty minutes.
"I am very pleased to have Todd coming to the Havoc this season," said Gibson. "He is a UAH player who will be an instant fan favorite. Todd is a solid player and will help add some of the size we lost over the season last year."
McLaughlin has spent his professional time in London, including playing in 55 games for the London Racers of the EIHL in 2003-04. He recorded two goals and added 13 assists.
"Brian played in the Elite league in Britain which is comparable to the ECHL," said Gibson. "He brings with him a few years of experience which is something you can always use on defense. He will definitely help solidify our defensive core."
The Havoc also announced that they lost forward Jeff Dams and defenseman Mark Cole to the Richmond Renegades in the expansion draft.
Dams had played in 106 games for the Havoc in the past two seasons and scored 34 goals and recorded 60 assists. He was left unprotected after taking a job in the Houston, Texas area coaching a high school and a travel team.
"Jeff was a great player for Huntsville and we are sad to see him go, but we wish him all the best in his future endeavors and I am glad to see him choosing a career in coaching," said Gibson. "I think he has the tools to be a great coach."
"I want to thank you all for your support during my career with the Havoc," Dams said. "The past two years have been very memorable and I will cherish all of the memories. I have decided to retire and pursue opportunities to coach both a high school and a travel team in Houston, Texas. I will also be expanding a hockey camp in the area. I would love to see some Huntsvegas fans there. I would like to give a special thanks to those fans that became like an extended family to me. Thank you for your kindness, hospitality, friendship, and ALL the good times. To all the Havoc staff, thank you for the opportunity to work with such a great organization. I wish the Huntsville Havoc the best of luck in their upcoming season, and you can be sure that I will be keeping up with the games from Houston. I am proud to have worn the red and black. Good luck and thanks for the stories, boys."
Cole played in 77 games for the Havoc and scored three goals, had 23 assists and 147 penalty minutes.
"Mark was unfortunately a casualty of the expansion draft," Gibson said. "Many criteria play into the process of naming a protected list and no matter how we sliced it we were going to leave a good player exposed. Mark is a quality defenseman and is a great addition to whomever he plays for this season."
"I presently am in discussions with 7 more returning players, for the most part it is just a matter of getting the paperwork back but I am very excited about this season," Gibson concluded. "I think our chances are just as good as anyone's to take a run at the Championship!"
SPHL Stories from July 24, 2006
- Cyclones Sign First Goalie of 2006-07 Season - Twin City Cyclones
- Havoc re-signs six, lose two in expansion draft - Huntsville Havoc
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