What if - Cap Hit

Yellowknife (CP) With Ottawa trading Andrej Meszaros to Tampa Bay today, I couldn’t help but notice two things; one he just became the 8th member of YDP that was also on TB’s NHL roster; Lukowich, Fedotenko, Afanasenkov, Cibak, Ouellet, Boyle, Carle & Meszaros. Second, the announcement of him signing a contract with an average salary of $4M per year got me thinking. What if RHL teams were responsible for their player’s NHL contracts? If this was the case YDP would have a cap hit in RHL20 (2008-09) of $80.896M (in a $56.7M cap world). Ignoring the misalignment of our current roster (2006-07 based) with the NHL cap, the thought of cutting $24M off my current roster would make even a numbers guy like me dizzy. After the very painful exercise I was still over by $1M. This included the releasing of Sakic, Getzlaf, Rolston, Tanguay, Bouwmeester and Boyle. After breaking out in a cold sweat I decided not to continue this project for other teams, but I suspect many teams would exceed the NHL hard cap and some teams would match and likely break YDP's $80M mark.

Ima Dumass (CP)

Transition

Yellowknife (CP) It’s been several months since YDP experienced another heart wrenching game 7 lost to the Rovers. Despite the disappointment RHL17 was viewed as a major success as YDP captured it’s 2nd consecutive division title, made it’s first final four appearance, and was co-winner of the Toe Blake award for coach of the year. Since then Penetrators brass has made many tweaks (http://rhloly.wordpress.com/2008/08/24/rhl18-preview-ydp/) in hopes of building on last seasons performance.

‘We were one game away from making the finals last year,’ said GM Wong, ‘so if we to mirror our success, we’ll need to do the little things right like win every corner battle, every shift and every period, before we can even think about winning games.’ The Calder division is by far the best division in hockey. With the exception of the expansion Grizzly Bears, every team can roll out 2 scoring lines plus 4 decent defensemen. The goaltending fraternity is also excellent in the Calder, which boasts names such as Lehtonen, Giguere, Khabibulin, Kolzig, Vokoun and Fleury. ‘Every divisional game will feel like the playoffs,’ said Wong, ‘we could see as many as five teams in our division making the playoffs this year.’

With training camp winding down, YDP’s coaching staff will have some tough decisions to make, who to play, who to keep in the press box and who to send down to Charlotte. ‘Depth is a nice problem to have,’ said Wong, ‘I’ll do my best to keep everyone happy with their icetime.’ Here’s a quick peak at YDP’s current roster:

Rolston – Sakic – Stempniak
Tanguay – Brind’Amour – Hemsky
Axelsson – Sykora – Boyes
Chimera – Getzlaf – Lupul
Kelly - Gaustad – Ouellet

Bouwmeester – Boyle
Zhitnik – Weber
Carle – Lukowich
C.White – Lydman
Meszaros – Jurcina

Fleury - Garon
Ima Dumass (CP)

Steals of RHL17 Draft

Yellowknife (CP) The Entry Draft, the most important date on a GM’s calendar. Do I use my pick, or do I trade it away? Do I pick for need or best available? Do I trade up, down or stay put? The bottom line is there is no right answer and sometimes it would take years to know whether the choice you made was a good one or not. Sometimes even the consensus picks can turn out to be a bust (Bonsignore ’94). While there was no doubt which 5 players would be selected first, the order was definitely up for debate. Instead of boring you with volumes of analysis, I’ll just leave you with some picks I felt were steals in this draft.

· 500s – Semen Varlamov (60th pick)
· AVI – Nigel Williams (86th pick)
· CAP – Ian White (45th pick)
· COU – Jordan Staal (3rd pick)
· CRY – Yuri Alexandrov (44th pick)
· EAG – Daniel Girardi (78th pick)
· GAR – Jiri Tlusty (16th pick)
· GPS – Shane O’Brien (47th pick)
· MIM – Chris Summers (87th pick)
· MOU – Artem Anisimov (65th pick)
· ROV – James Sheppard (10th pick)
· TME – Michael Grabner (33rd pick)
· VAM – Ivan Vishnevskiy (71st pick)

Ima Dumass (CP)

State of the Franchise

Yellowknife (CP) The health of the franchise has never looked better as YDP enters their 5th season. After the recent draft it was suggested that YDP could field two squads for the upcoming season. While there is only one arena in Yellowknife, the Baby Penetrators will once again ply their trade in Charlotte for the Coastal Cats. YDP has built up a modest war chest of $4M, signed 21 players to 1-way contracts amounting to $24M and has increased their depth at every position. The parent club will look to defend their Calder Division crown, while their farm team will look to win their first RMHL championship. Season ticket sales are going well for both clubs. It’s unsure whether YDP will be a player in the upcoming auction. With $7M available to spend on 2 players, it’s foreseeable that YDP could make a splash in the auction. Here’s a look at the roster as it stands today.

Yellowknife Dangerous Penetrators
Tanguay – Sakic – Boyes
Rolston – Brind’Amour – Sykora
Sanderson – Malhotra – Ouellet
Leclerc – Kelly – Young
n/a – Gaustad – n/a

Hannan – Boyle
Souray – Lukowich
F.Kaberle – Meszaros

Fleury
Garon

Charlotte Coastal Cats
Kasper – Getzlaf - Stempniak
Clowe – Schremp - Pavelski
Moen – Downie – Bertram
Fritsche – Lapierre - Richardson
Smolenak – n/a – n/a

Carle – Weber
Sanguinetti - Kindl
Schultz – Streit
Rogers

Hiller
Ima Dumass (CP)

YDP Draft in Review

Yellowknife (CP) After a two week marathon drafting session YDP management can finally exhale. The most successful live draft in RHL history ended just 24 hours ago when the Vampyres claimed Andreas Nodl from the Flyers organization. 20 trades (involving picks) and 90 players were selected during the RHL17 version of the entry draft. ‘If we continue with the live draft, the value of picks will definitely increase,’ said GM Wong, ‘we must have entered negotiations with a dozen teams trying to move up and down the draft.’ Comments from around the league enjoyed this process more than the list versions of before. ‘If you’re at the top of the list it’s not a big deal, but if you’re at the bottom it makes it cumbersome,’ said GM Bourdeau. ‘I loved the fact that I can react at a moments notice and switch my strategy accordingly,’ said GM Ng.
YDP entered the draft with 4 picks but was successful in acquiring two additional 1st round picks via trades. ‘We had a surplus in wingers and goalies,’ said GM Wong, ‘and felt we’d get the best value for them at the draft.’ YDP sent original Penetrator Ruslan Fedotenko to Cleveland and Cristobal Huet to South Edmonton in exchange for a package of picks and prospects.
As the draft progressed, YDP kept selecting overage players that seemed to have peaked in their development instead of drafting potential for the future. ‘Like everyone else, we drafted who was on the top of our list,’ said Wong. With the addition of so many RMHL ready players, several minor deals were made to make room for these players. When the dust settled YDP went home with 8 players. Management optimistically claimed that as many as 5 of them will see regular action with the big club by RHL18 only time will tell.

• As the first round started the top 10 picks went like clockwork. An opportunity to move up presented itself and YDP was fortunate to move up to #14 and claimed Joe Pavelski (age 23) of the San Jose Sharks. ‘Joe was 11th on our list so we were quite happy to get him at 14.’
• Ryane Clowe (age 25) was selected with the 18th pick, a little high according to TSN insider Bob McKenzie, but I wouldn’t classify this as an off the board pick. YDP’s Achilles’ heel for the whole first round was having their picks sandwiched between multiple Rovers and Capone picks. ‘We’ve always respected the scouting staff and drafting record of the Rovers and Capones.’
• Bob Sanguinetti (age 19) was next on YDP’s radar, the defenseman was scouted heavily by YDP once the regular season ended. ‘We had many discussions with many people about Bob, in the end we couldn’t afford to not select him at #21.’
• It would be another 18 picks before YDP made their way to the podium to claim Chris Kelly (age 26). ‘I know you hear this from everyone, but we were shocked that he was still available at #40.’
• The run on defensemen over the next 9 picks really made a dent on YDP’s list at #50 and #51. In the end they chose to go with experience and claimed Mark Streit (age 29) and Stanley Cup winner Travis Moen (age 25).
• After claiming 4 forwards, 2 defensemen and no picks in the 3rd round, YDP selected Swiss National Jonas Hiller (age 25) from HC Davos at #54. His performance in the world championships landed him a contract with the defending Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks.
• After claiming Hiller, most of YDP’s staff called it a day and was diving into the wobbly pops when they were informed that they’d be selecting 70th. When it became time to pick, YDP was in the enviable position of hiring youth versus experience. In the end Jeff Schultz (age 21) was selected after being bypassed in the two previous drafts.

‘I’m extremely happy with who we got in this year’s draft,’ said Wong, ‘we were able to address current, intermediate and future needs.’ While most of these players will start the year with Charlotte (Coastal Cats), a good handful may see regular action with the big club as early as RHL18.
Ima Dumass (CP)

Local Hero Comes Home!

Yellowknife (CP) The North West Territories favorite son will be returning home to play for his hometown Penetrators. Earlier this afternoon YDP acquired Hay River’s very own Geoff Sanderson from San Francisco and a pick in exchange for Tomas Holmstrom and cash. ‘When I got the call from Andy (AVI GM) I was really nervous but when I heard where I was going and for whom I was dealt for I couldn’t stop smiling,’ said Sanderson, ‘I must have gotten 50 messages from family and friends congratulating me on the trade.’ YDP’s ticket sales went through the roof shortly after a local radio station confirmed the trade. ‘We’re very excited to get Geoff,’ said GM Wong, ‘my staff and I will be burning the midnight oil to get our draft order ready for Monday.’Ima Dumass (CP)

Signings, Drafts & Realigning the Coils

Yellowknife (CP) We’re just four days into the new NHL free agent period and YDP has seen many of their current players sign NHL contracts for the upcoming 2007-08 season. ‘I know the percentage of prospects that make the big league is extremely small,’ said GM Wong, ‘so any signings is a cause for celebration for our scouting department.’ The following Penetrators have recently signed with NHL clubs.

July 4 – Fedotenko – Islanders – 1 year - $2.9 million
July 3 – Labarbera – Kings – 2 years - $800,850
July 3 – Rachunek – Devils – 1 year - $1.4 million
July 3 – Lukowich – Lightnings – 3 years – undisclosed
July 3 – Garon – Oilers – 2 years – undisclosed
July 2 – Sykora – Penguins – 2 years – $5 million
July 1 – Hannan – Avalanche – 4 years - $18 million
July 1 – Ouellet – Lightnings – 2 years – $2.5 million

In the dispersal draft, YDP was extremely surprised that their short submission to the league office netted them an asset. Radek Smolenak of the Tampa Bay organization was acquired from the defunct Defiance with the 21st pick in the disperal draft. Smolenak was the Lightnings’ second choice in the 2005 draft. He split his time in 2006-07 between TB’s AHL and ECHL affiliates.

Like many GMs across the league YDP waited in anticipation for the Mind Melds announcement for the expansion draft. After the initial list was made public, reporters across the league were stunned at the selection. Khoo made his millions in the engineering business, so for him to miscalculate anything was rare. A source close to the Mind Melds’ war room claimed that old data was used in their initial selection process and that outside consultants were brought in to ‘realign the coils.’

While the pickings were slim, Khoo was able to make 12 selections today. ‘I knew the pool would thin, but was happy with who was made available,’ said Khoo. Unconfirmed reports have claimed that YDP has lost JS Aubin in the expansion draft. Aubin was brought in as a backup but stole the show during their quarterfinals appearance against the Rovers. Aubin posted a 3-1 record and was a pivotal part down the stretch helping YDP claimed their first division title.
Ima Dumass (CP)

Penetrators RHL16 season in review

YDP ended their 4th campaign with a second consecutive 80-point season, a division crown and the #2 playoff seed in the Howe Conference. After disposing of the Aviators in 5 games, YDP came within 1 game of reaching the conference finals before eventually losing to their northern brothers from Baffin Island in 7 games. While Penetrator Nation still stings from losing in the quarterfinals, the future still looks bright with the majority of the team signed on for next season.

Playoffs – Rating B
The Calder crown combined with a surprise win by the Stingers matched up YDP with the #8 seeded Aviators in the round of 16. While Penetrator Nation expected a short series, no one from YDP took this series lightly. The boys from Yellowknife accomplished their two main goals, win the series and stay healthy. In the quarterfinals, YDP matched up against their northern brothers in a tail of two series. The Rovers jumped out to an early 3-0 series lead winning two games in Yellowknife. YDP countered with 3rd string goalie JS Aubin and captured the next 3 games including two in Baffin Island to force game 7, where they eventually lost to the Rovers.

Offense – Rating B
The offense led by Souray and Sakic finished 10th in the league despite having only the 18th ranked PP. YDP had 2 twenty goal scorers in Souray and Tanguay, while Sakic finished 13th in league scoring.

Defense – Rating A-
Once again the defense was by far the deepest part of the organization. While using three goalies during the season YDP still managed to have the 6th best GAA in the league and only 8 basis points from 3rd place.

Special Teams – Rating C-
Once the pillar of the organization, YDP’s special teams took a nosedive in RHL16 finishing in 18th place on both the PP (13%) and PK (84.2). Fortunately for YDP the PP and PK were a wash as both recorded 38 goals apiece.

Bottom Line – Rating C
For the second consecutive year YDP ended the season with a large financial loss ($4M). Despite this bad news YDP is still committed to fielding a strong team in RHL17 that can challenge for the division crown.

Player Reviews
Souray (A+) 21: 36 61 26 26 52 +44 – Single handedly saved YDP’s PP with a +44 rating. He earned an All-star appearance and placed 2nd in D-man of the year voting. RHL17 Status: Signed.

Sakic (A) 21:20 66 19 47 66 +26 – Normal season for the ageless wonder. All he did this year was earn another All-star appearance and finished 13th in league scoring. RHL17 Status: Signed.

Garon (A) 27 GP 14-10-3 1.99 GAA 0.918 SV% 5 SO – After playing 2nd fiddle for over 5 seasons, he finally gained the starting role midway through RHL16. His GAA was the league’s 3rd best, while his 5 shutouts was tied for 8th best. RHL17 Status: Signed.

Ragnarsson (A-) 24:57 61 4 15 19 +5 – led the team in minutes played, he was always on the ice for key defensive situations. RHL17 Status: Retired.

Tanguay (B+) 18:45 61 25 23 48 +22 – Second on the team in scoring but was very streaky throughout the season. RHL17 Status: Signed.

Boyle (B+) 21:50 66 7 18 25 +20 – Not known for his defensive play Boyle managed a +20 rating while logging almost 22 minutes a night. RHL17 Status: Signed.

Hannan (B+) 21:30 66 5 11 16 +2 – Solid as a Rock, YDP’s #1 shutdown D didn’t disappoint this season logging over 21 minutes a night and contributed offensively once in a while. RHL17 Status: Signed.

J.S. Aubin (B+) 9 GP 7-2-0 1.88 GAA 0.918 SV% 1 SO – When he arrived at the trade deadline, all that was expected of him was to give Garon a rest during warm up, but instead he went a combined 10-3 including 3-1 in the playoffs. RHL17 Status: UFA.

Damphousse (B) 16:37 66 11 29 40 +16 – Production dropped after demotion to the 2nd PP unit, but still finished with an amazing +16. RHL17 Status: Retired.

F.Kaberle (B) 17:08 45 2 18 20 +16 – While playing 3 minutes less than last year, he still led the team in blocked shots. RHL17 Status: Signed.

R.Niedermayer (B) 17:24 34 7 10 17 +11 – A midseason acquisition, he proved invaluable shutting down the oppositions top line while contributing offensively. RHL17 Status: UFA.

Lukowich (B) 12:09 65 1 4 5 –3 – Solid, that’s the best way to describe this reliable 5th defenseman, who won over 56% of his corner battles and completed 78% of his passes. RHL17 Status: Signed.

Brind’Amour (B-) 18:42 65 6 12 18 +4 – Its not easy playing against the other team’s top line night in and night out. While his offensive production dropped he still managed to end with a +4 rating and win over 64% of his draws. RHL17 Status: Signed.

Bates (B-) 15:03 66 4 10 14 +6 – While his offensive numbers has dropped over the years, he still remains one of the league’s best shutdown player.

Sykora (C+) 16:42 66 9 25 34 +12 – Was expected to shoulder the load as #1 RW after the departure of Satan, but those shoes proved hard to fill. Despite putting up 235 shots, he only managed to score 9 goals. RHL17 Status: Signed.

Holmstrom (C+) 8:31 66 11 7 18 +3 – Used mainly as a utility player, he managed to chip in once in a while and play in all situations. RHL17 Status: Signed.

Rachunek (C+) 17:27 13 0 2 2 +1 – Filled in admirably as the team’s 7th d-man. He was very reliable filling in on the 2nd PP unit. RHL 17 Status: RFA.

Fedotenko (C+) 11:11 66 11 6 17 +8 – Due to the depth on LW, he was once again asked to play on the 4th line, but still contributed with 11 goals. RHL17 Status: RFA.

Young (C) 6:17 35 2 2 4 +3 – Signed as a depth winger, he saw limited ice time. RHL 17 Status: Signed.

M.Chouinard (C-) 3:21 51 3 1 4 +3 – Spent most of the season opening and closing the gate, but could be counted on to win the important draws. RHL17 Status: RFA.

Renberg (D) 9:38 34 2 1 3 –6 – His second stint with the team was a disaster as he only managed 3 points in 34 games. RHL17 Status: Retired.
Ima Dumass (CP)

Clock Strikes Midnight

Yellowknife (CP) After flirting with coming back from a 3-0 deficit, the clock finally stuck midnight for YDP who bowed out to the mighty Rovers 5-1 in Game 7. This was a tail of two series as the Rovers dominated games 1-3, then YDP did the unthinkable and started 3rd string goalie Jean-Sebastian Aubin. Aubin stole games 4,5 and 6 giving YDP a home game 7. With the home team winning two of the first six games, home ice advantage was an oxymoron. After holding the Rovers to only 13 shots, JS Aubin crapped the bed and surrendered 5 goals ending YDP’s miracle run. While it was simple to put the goat horns on Aubin, it was the same guy that stood on his head to give YDP this remarkable series.

While no one outside of Penetrator Nation expected this series to go beyond 5 games, YDP showed a lot of poise and brought the fear of god into Baffin Isle. ‘We fought a good fight especially with our win in Game 6, but our inexperience was severely exposed by the Rovers in Game 7,’ said Wong, ‘not having Robbie (Niedermayer) and Sheldon (Souray) was a huge loss to us, but we won’t hide behind our injuries.’

Joe Thornton was the star in Game 7, its this reporter’s humble opinion that Kris Draper was the series MVP. In limited ice time Draper lead the Rovers to three of their four victories. ‘Draper is an amazing player,’ said Boyle, ‘we have Robbie (Niedermayer) but with him injured tonight we didn’t have anyone to counter punch Kris’s play.’

The loss ended YDP’s 4th campaign and by far their most successful. YDP qualified for the playoffs as the #2 seed of the Howe Conference by winning the Calder Division and finished the regular season 6th overall. While the boys weren’t successful in advancing to the conference finals, these playoffs have showed us that YDP has the individuals to win games on their own. It also showed that without proper coaching and a full line up, this team could be blown out of the water by anyone.

'It's been a great season,' said Wong, 'I'm gonna take a few weeks off and then meet with my scouting staff and go over our draft and off season strategy.'

Penetrator Advances to the Elite 8

Yellowknife (CP) As the final seconds ticked away, fireworks went off only to be drowned out by the deafening roar from the sellout crowd. The scoreboard read ‘We Win’ and for the third time this series YDP defended home ice and eliminated the San Diego Aviators 4 games to 1. ‘We fought all year for home ice and it’s paying off now,’ said Hannan. The PP was once again a determining factor tonight as YDP held a 5-2 advantage, which included two two-man advantages. If it were not for the brilliant play of Sean Burke (again) this game would have been over a long time ago.

YDP came out of this series with a clean bill of health. The boys will get several days off before starting the conference semifinals at home against either the Rovers or the Stingers. Everyone in Penetrator Nation will be cheering for the Stingers tomorrow night, hoping that Cinderella continues her run for two more games. When asked whom they’d prefer everyone in YDP said they wanted the Stingers. ‘No disrespect to the Stingers, but no one wants to play the Rovers,’ said Renberg. Whether YDP faces the Rovers now or later it’s becoming quite obvious to this reporter that the road to the King’s Cup will travel through Baffin Isle.

Ima Dumass (CP)

YDP Wins Calder!

Yellowknife (CP) As the final seconds ticked away, the fans roared as fireworks went off and confetti fell from the skies. The scoreboard at the I&S Mineshaft read ‘YDP clinch Calder.’ It seemed like yesterday when I covered the press conference at (Yellowknife) City Hall where Commissioner Myers announced that the RHL had just granted Yellowknife an expansion franchise and now the boys are division champs.

YDP started the game very tight no thanks to the Selects thrashing over the Thundercats earlier in the evening. Greg Johnson silenced the crowd when he made it 1-0 midway through the first period. It took YDP over a period to respond and tie it up at 1 a piece, when newly acquired Brian Rolston riffled a slapshot past Brodeur.

The tension in the rink grew during the 2nd intermission as news of the Selects win spread like wildfire. YDP now needed to win to avoid a messy tiebreaker scenario. Penetrator Nation got what they wanted 8 minutes and 44 seconds into the 3rd period, as Brian Rolston scored his 7th goal in the last 7 games giving YDP a 2-1 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish.

The win capped off a great final 15 games for YDP as they went 12-3 including two wins against the Selects to capture their first division title. The boys will get a week off before facing either the Crystals, Aviators or Freeze in the round of 16.

Ima Dumass (CP)

Penetrator Sign Stars to Long Term Deals

Yellowknife (CP) With the trade deadline past and the draft still months away YDP took this opportunity to meet with the agents of Sakic and Brind’Amour to hammer out a long term deal. After a quick and painless meeting that last just over an hour (lawyers bill was a minimum of one hour) both sides agreed to long term deals that will see both players continue what they’ve started here in Yellowknife and that’s to win a King’s Cup.

When the dust settled no ordinary Joe agreed to a 3-year deal worth $14.1M including a $1.4M signing bonus, while dependable Rod agreed to a 4-year deal worth $12M including a $1.2M signing bonus. ‘We’re ecstatic that both players wanted to stay in Yellowknife, we have a good crop of kids coming up through the system and the veteran presence that Sakic and Brind’Amour brings can only make our franchise stronger,’ said Wong.

Known for being a thrifty team ownership opened the vault and made sure neither player reached unrestricted free agency this off season. Pundits suggested that YDP paid a premium to get both players but management obviously disagreed ‘We have two great leaders in Joe and Rod, they make everyone in the organization better, so why get into a bidding war when we can get the deal done now.’

With the signing out of the way, YDP can now focus solely on the on ice product as they try to capture their first division title in franchise history.
Ima Dumass (CP)

The Curse of Robert Esche

Yellowknife (CP) Boston has the Bambino, Chicago has Billy the Goat, Wilie Coyote has the Roadrunner and now Yellowknife has Robert Esche. YDP’s all time leader in every major goalie category was unceremoniously shipped off to the expansion Falcons at the deadline for impending UFA JS Aubin and journeyman center Manny Malhotra. When informed of the trade there was a large bang in GM Wong’s office with Esche storming out knocking over several garbage cans. On his way to the airport a furious Esche was heared shouting ‘I don’t care how many French goalies they have, you’ll never win with them, didn’t happen in Edmonton, didn’t happen in New York and it ain’t gonna happen here!’

Team officials had no comments about the tirade but did thank Esche for his loyal years of service and wished him luck in Cleveland. ‘Bobby’s a battler, this is why he’s been and will continue to be so good in this league,’ said Wong, ‘He just got caught in a numbers game here.’ Esche’s departure still leaves the YDP deep in net for now and next season. Garon is expected to be the team's number one for the rest of this season. ‘I’m very grateful for this opportunity and do my best to make the city of Yellowknife proud,’ said Garon.

Garon is expected to start against the Winnipeg Freeze tonight. In the past 5 divisional games YDP is 3-2 and allowed the Selects to leapfrog into the division lead. With 16 games left in the regular season YDP will have to hunker down and start winning if they hope to participate deep into the post season.

Ima Dumass (CP)

Yellowknife goes Wild over North(ern) Star

Yellowknife (CP) In an attempt to shake things up YDP has dealt Mike Modano and Luc Bourdon to the Stingers for Brian Rolston and prospect Lukas Kaspar. The acquisition of Rolston gives YDP another PK specialist, a severe sore spot for the squad this season. ‘Shawn and Rod do a great job for us, with the acquisition of Rob (Niedermayer) and now Brian we’ve got 4 solid guys that can take care of our own end.’ Rolston is also capable of playing the PP and will be looked at to head the second unit behind Sakic.
This move is real strong signal by management to some of YDP’s UFA centers, saying we want you back. Rolston has the versatility needed by YDP as he’s capable of playing both C and LW. This move essentially solidifies YDP’s LW for RHL17, which includes Tanguay, Rolston, Fedotenko and rookie Ouellet.
Ima Dumass (CP)

Funk or Slump?

Yellowknife (CP) Inconsistency has been the name of the game so far for the Penetrators. The team stormed out of the gate with a 10-2-1 record, but has cooled off considerably going 10-12-5. YDP once enjoyed a sizable division lead on the pack only to see it slip to ½ game with several teams within striking distance. ‘We knew the division was going to be tight,’ said Wong, ‘did I expect to run away with it, no, but did I expect the Crystals to be breathing down our neck, no.’ While the team is concerned they are not panicking as they still have 17 of their final 25 games against teams in their own division. ‘We need to take care of business,’ said Hannan, ‘we all need to play more consistently and everything will take care of itself.’
On a happier side Joe Sakic and Sheldon Souray have both been named to the NHL and Howe Conference All-Star teams with games to be taking place in Dallas and Kansas City respectively. ‘I’m honored and flattered by the nomination,’ said Joe, ‘there are a lot of deserving guys and I just feel privileged to be representing the great people of Yellowknife.’
An unnamed agent for several of YDP’s impending UFAs confirmed with CP that initial contract extension talks have begun with several players. Sources close to the negotiations has mentioned that both sides are working hard to hammer out a long term agreement which would keep the ‘core’ together.
Ima Dumass (CP)

YDP sends Hejduk to Cleveland

Cleveland (CP) Twelve hours after defeating the expansion Falcons 6-1, YDP called a new conference where they are expected to announce the trading of Milan Hejduk to the Cleveland Falcons. Hejduk was traded to YDP just 15 days ago from the Waterloo Thundercats, his tenure with YDP lasted only 3 games where he played 51 minutes and recorded, 2 assists and a plus 2 rating. The details of the trade sees YDP give up some scoring in hopes of keeping more pucks out of their net. ‘It was never our intention to trade Milan, but you need to give something to get something.’ ‘Milan will be missed but I’m very excited about getting the quality players like Rob Niedermayer, Mikael Renberg and Ryan Getzlaf in return,’ said GM Wong. ‘We’ll do our best to sign Rob to a long term contract this off season.’ YDP fans will see the new look Penetrators in three days as they face the Straphangers of Albany.

Ima Dumass (CP)

Shockwaves in Yellowknife

Yellowknife (CP) In a shocking move the Calder Division leading YDP has just traded away Miro Satan who holds franchise mark for most points in a single season. Satan along with Ordinary Joe Sakic formed one of the most dangerous combinations in the RHL. The two terrorized goalie last season finishing 3rd and 4th respectively in conference scoring. ‘This was a total shock,’ said Satan, ‘I want to thank the organization for their confidence in me and I wish them all the best.’ Satan along with Derek Morris, Alexander Suglobov, David Hale and cash was dealt to the Waterloo Thundercats for Milan Hejduk and Brad Boyes. ‘Derek has done everything we’ve asked of him,’ said Wong, ‘but you need to give up something to get something in return.’ Sources close to the negotiations admitted that Morris was a key part of this deal. ‘As sad as we are to lose quality players in Miro, Derek, Alex and David, we felt the additions of Milan and Brad would really help solidify this team for years to come,’ said Wong. The addition of Hejduk completes the Avalanche line of Tanguay, Sakic & Hejduk. ‘I’m sad to see Miro go, we had great chemistry,’ said Sakic, ‘but Milan, Alex and I are brothers from different mothers it won’t take us long to rekindle our chemistry.’ In addition to this trade, YDP has also signed Mike Leclerc to a one year contract at the league minimum.

Ima Dumass (CP)

Penetrators top 15 under 25

Yellowknife was granted an expansion franchise back in RHL13 and since then has participated in 4 entry drafts. The philosophy of building through the draft is starting to payoff, as we’ll see the first major influx of prospects making the big squad in the next year or two.

#1 Marc-Andre Fleury (Age 21)
Stats: Pittsburgh (NHL) 3.25 GAA 0.898 Save Percentage
Arrival: RHL18
Acquired: RHL13 entry draft - 1st overall
Projection: Franchise goalie
All this kid does is stop pucks. If he had anything that resembled an AHL defense in front of him in Pittsburgh, he’d be a top 10 goalie by now.

#2 Andrej Meszaros (Age 20)
Stats: Ottawa (NHL) 82-10-29-39
Arrival: RHL17
Acquired: RHL15 entry draft – 8th overall
Projection: PP Quarterback
Meszaros was penciled in for the AHL in 2005-06, too bad no one told him. Not only did he make the big squad, but he also made the all-rookie team. He’s expected to play alongside Redden again this year.

#3 Rob Schremp (Age 20)
Stats: London (OHL) 57-57-88-145
Arrival: RHL19
Acquired: RHL15 entry draft - 4th overall
Projection: 1st Line Forward
Schremp has all the tools to be an elite center, as long as he keeps his feet on the ice and out of his mouth he’ll be a real blue chipper. Edmonton will give this kid every opportunity to succeed.

#4 Matthew Carle (Age 22)
Stats: University of Denver (WCHA) 39-11-42-53
Stats: San Jose (NHL) 12-3-3-6
Arrival: RHL18
Acquired: RHL14 entry draft – 30th overall
Projection: PP Quarterback
He made the jump from college to the NHL in one weekend. The rookie looked right at home during the Stanley Cup playoffs and is expected to garner Calder votes in 06-07.

#5 Shea Weber (Age 21)
Stats: Milwaukee (AHL) 46-12-15-27
Stats: Nashville (NHL) 28-2-8-10
Arrival: RHL18
Acquired: Trade with Reapers
Projection: Top 4 Defenseman
Nashville loves this guy, enough that they let both Witt and Markov go via free agency this summer.

#6 Michel Ouellet (Age 24)
Stats: Pittsburgh (NHL) 50-16-16-32
Stats: Wilkes-Barrie (AHL) 19-10-20-30
Arrival: RHL17
Acquired: RHL14 entry draft – 65th overall
Projection: 2nd Line Forward
Nothing fancy about his game, he just puts the little black disk into the back of the net. Everywhere he’s played all he does is score. If Pittsburgh is smart they’ll let this kid play on one of their top two lines.

#7 Luc Bourdon (Age 19)
Stats: Val-d’Or / Moncton (QMJHL) 30-3-25-28
Arrival: RHL19
Acquired: RHL16 entry draft – 12th overall
Projection: PP Quarterback
Almost made the Canucks as an 18 year old and that was when they had Ohlund, Jovonovski and Salo. He should have no problems sticking with the big club this year.

#8 Brad Richardson (Age 21)
Stats: Colorado (NHL) 41-3-10-13
Stats: Lowell (AHL) 29-4-13-17
Arrival: RHL18
Acquired: RHL16 entry draft – 77th overall
Projection: 2nd Line Forward
Talk about being in the right place at the right time. The lack of organizational depth gave Richardson a great opportunity to play in the bigs and he’s taken this chance and ran with it.

#9 Jeremy Colliton (Age 21)
Stats: Bridgeport (AHL) 66-21-32-53
Stats: NY Islanders (NHL) 19-1-1-2
Arrival: RHL19
Acquired: RHL13 entry draft – 89th overall
Projection: Top 6 forward
Colliton posted some pretty sweet numbers in his first year of pro. Look for bigger and better things in 2006-07.

#10 Alexander Suglobov (Age 24)
Stats: Albany / Toronto (AHL) 66-33-25-58
Stats: New Jersey / Toronto (NHL) 3-1-0-1
Arrival: RHL18
Acquired: RHL13 entry draft – 59th overall
Projection: Top 6 forward
If he was anywhere but in New Jersey, he’d be in the show by now. Like Ouellet all Suglobov does is score. Hopefully the change of scenery in Toronto will help.

#11 Josh Gorges (Age 22)
Stats: San Jose 49-0-6-6
Stats: Cleveland (AHL) 18-2-3-5
Arrival: RHL17
Acquired: RHL14 entry draft - 93rd overall
Projection: Top 6 Defenseman
Never drafted, Gorges spent a measly 92 games in the AHL before sticking with the big club in San Jose. He also led the Kelowna Rockets to two Memorial Cup berths winning it all in 2004.

#12 Jakub Kindl (Age 19)
Stats: Kitchener (OHL) 60-12-46-58
Stats: Grand Rapids (AHL) 3-0-1-1
Arrival: RHL20
Acquired: RHL16 entry draft – 28th overall
Projection: PP Quarterback
Look for Kindl to break into the Red Wings line up once the aging veterans retire.

#13 Steve Downie (Age 19)
Stats: Peterborough / Windsor (OHL) 35-19-34-53
Arrival: RHL20
Acquired: RHL16 entry draft – 46th overall
Projection: Agitator
This little SOB takes no prisoners and will do whatever it takes to win. If he lives long enough, expect him to crack the flyers line up by 2008-09.

#14 Jean-Francois Jacques (Age 21)
Stats Hamilton (AHL) 65-24-20-44
Stats Edmonton (NHL) 7-0-0-0
Arrival: RHL18
Acquired – RHL16 entry draft – 80th overall
Projection: Power Forward
Built like a tank, fights like a tank and skates like an Oiler, lets hope he doesn’t have the a-typical Oiler hands.

#15 Andy Rogers (Age 20)
Stats: Prince George (WHL) 21-0-3-3
Arrival: RHL20
Acquired: RHL15 entry draft – 42nd overall
Projection: Top 4 Defenseman
This 6-5 defensive defenseman is just what the doctor ordered in Tampa Bay, but injuries have hampered his development. He’ll be a force once he learns the pro game.

#16 Doug O’Brien (Age 22)
#17 Paul Gaustad (Age 24)
#18 Dan Bertram (Age 19)
#19 Tom Fritsche (Age 19)
#20 Stephen Dixon (Age 21)

YDP Reloads!

Yellowknife (CP) After losing both Trevor Letowski and Vladimir Orszagh in the expansion draft, YDP was fortunate to sign two quality veteran replacements in Scott Young and Tomas Holmstrom. The addition of these two solidifies YDP’s right side, which also includes Miro Satan and Petr Sykora. Holmstrom has agreed to a 2-year deal worth $3.15 million, while Scott Young has agreed to a 4 year $1.8 million contract, dirt cheap if you ask this reporter.

While the acquisition of Holmstrom and Young were nice, YDP’s main focus this off-season was to resign veteran defenseman Sheldon Souray. Reports out of Penetrator camp tonight has the Elk Point Alberta native signing a 2-year $4.1 million contract to stay in Yellowknife. Souray will once again anchor a solid defense that includes Hannan, Ragnarsson, Boyle, Morris, Lukowich, Kaberle and Rachunek. ‘It’s nice to have this kind of depth in the RHL,’ said Souray, ‘we’ve got a good mix of youth and experience, toughness and finesse, we can throw a lot of different looks at people.’

Dan Boyle was acquired just days before the draft in a 3 way deal that saw Boyle come from Calgary, Kuba going to Cleveland and prospect Dustin Boyd along with Cleveland’s 2nd and 3rd round pick heading to Calgary. The addition of Boyle will only add to the already lethal YDP powerplay that clicked above 20% in RHL15.

With the signing of Souray tonight, YDP has now finalized their 23-man roster and look forward to training camp.

Ima Dumass (CP)

Baby Penetrators head to Charlotte

Yellowknife (CP) With the recent establishment of the RMHL, YDP has entered into a split affiliation agreement with the Guelph Spectres in Charlotte. The Coastal Cats will consist mainly of Baby Penentrators, while the Spectres will contribute anywhere from 5-7 players to the squad. The Coastal Cats should be quite competitive in the RMHL this season as they’ll posses as many as 16 RHL ready players, which include the likes of Marc-Andre Fleury, Milan Michalek, Andrej Meszaros, Michel Ouellet, Marcel Goc & Paul Gaustad. With so much depth, it is unlikely that Triple C will sign any veteran minor leaguers to round out their roster. Here’s a look at the opening day line up for Charlotte’s newest hockey team.

Michalek – Schremp - Ouellet
Afanasenkov – Gaustad - Suglobov
Jacques – Richardson - Goc
Clarke – Rupp – Colliton
Fritsche – Downie - Zalesak

Meszaros – Kwiatkowski
Carle – Weber
Hale – Gorges
O’Brien - Thelen

Fleury
Labarbera
Bacashihua

Ima Dumass (CP)

Realistic or Unrealistic Free Agency?

For starters I’d like to reiterate that I do appreciate the efforts of the rules committee and that the balance between realism and practicality is also essential to keeping our game strong. However having said that I am one that votes for more realism.

In the NHL a player will usually sign 2-3 contracts before becoming a UFA. The player usually gets screwed on their rookie contract, which we’ve mimicked with our base salary. The second contract is still relatively cheap if one has less than 3 years of pro. If they have 3 years of pro, then the player has arbitration rights. By the 3rd contract everyone has arbitration rights, which results in a market correction in the player’s salary. How do we include arbitration into the game? Well how about basing salaries on ratings by the time the player has 3 years of RHL experience? Well love it or hate it the current demand structure does mimic this for us. For those with less than 3 years, they will continue to get screwed and receive their 10% raise. I personally have no problems with that because that’s the way the NHL currently does business. Now having said that if an owner wanted to minimize his risk, he could sign a player to two consecutive one year contracts followed by a 4 year contract, but this leave an owner exposed to offer sheets on two occasions versus the current one.

Richard wrote an article a while back about how various players are being treated unfairly http://rhlaviators.blogspot.com/2006/07/i-demand-to-be-treated-unfairly.html. So far with the exception of Bouwmeester I think arbitration has really helped players in the NHL get more money. However in the RHL’s UFA world I noticed a weird phenomenon. Why would an all-stars such as Alfredsson accept a contract offer close to the league minimum, as he did with the Aviators early on day 1? Now some of you may say, ‘well it’s supply and demand and this is the first offer.’ But my point is no player of Alfredsson’s qualities would ever accept a minimum offer. The flip side can be said about players like Petr Sykora or Anson Carter in the real world, where neither have yet signed a contract. Some may call it bargaining while others may say they’ve demanded too much. This is where the 3 rusted wheels in my head started to move. I think everyone would agree that Alfredsson is a $2M plus player in our league, so why not start the bidding at $2M? If after say day 3 he doesn’t get an offer of $2M then he goes back to the league minimum and the process for him begins on day 4.

Well the next question is where does one start? Once again love it or hate it, the demand system is currently the best thing, so I say for now use that as the starting point. Using Souray as an example, his demand for RHL16 was $3.9M, which was not accepted by his team (me). So under this proposed method he would start the auction at $3.9M. For argument sake lets say he doesn’t get a single bid at $3.9M then by day 4, his demand would drop back to the league minimum where the bidding for his services would begin. This will essentially keep all the pretenders away and hopefully add another element to the game.

YDP Draft Recap

Yellowknife (CP) YDP claimed 7 players in the recent entry draft selecting 2 defensemen and 5 forwards.

1st Round 12th Pick – Luc Bourdon – Moncton Wildcats
Much to management’s surprise Luc Bourdon was available at the 12th spot. While the team has more needs up front the opportunity to select a smooth skating defenceman with a good first pass was hard to pass up. Bourdon just missed making the Canuck in ’05 and his consolation prize was a gold medal at the World Juniors and a trip to the Memorial Cup final. Bourdon is expected to make the big squad in ’06, if not he’ll anchor Team Canada’s World Junior squad again.

1st Round 28th Pick – Jakub Kindl – Kitchener Rangers
For the first time in team history YDP actually got the last player on their list. While Jakub is several years away from making the powerful Red Wings, he does belong to an organization who only has 3 d-men amongst their top 8 who is younger than 30. Kindl will most likely return to juniors this year and participate in the upcoming World Junior Championships.

2nd Round 12th Pick – Steve Downie – Peterborough Petes
Downie has proven time and time again that he’s willing to do whatever it takes to win. Also part of Team Canada’s Gold Medal squad of ’05 Downie is expected to return to Peterborough where he led the Petes to the Memorial Cup after defeating the talent laden Knights of London in the OHL final. Downie is also expected to make a return to the World Junior Championships later this winter.

2nd Round 18th Pick – Dan Bertram – Boston College
Bertram will be entering his junior year at Boston College this fall. The small winger was also part of Team Canada’s World Junior Championship team and is expected to represent his country again this winter.

3rd Round 5th Pick – Tom Fritsche – Ohio State
Danny’s younger brother was selected in the middle of the 2nd round by Colorado. Tom will be entering his junior year at Ohio State this fall. He has deceptive speed and has a good finish around the net. If he continues to improve there’s a very good chance that he’ll be in the AHL by next season.

3rd Round 8th Pick – Brad Richardson – Colorado
This pick was acquired literally seconds before the 3rd round submission deadline. With already one full NHL season behind him at the age of 21 Brad is expected to make the big squad where his ice time and numbers should improve.

3rd Round 12th Pick – Jean-Francois Jacques – Hamilton
With the departure of Laraque and Harvey, JF Jacques is expected to make the big squad this year doing time on the 4th line. The powerful forward scored 24 times in 65 games in the AHL last year.

Ima Dumass (CP)

YDP losses 4 in expansion draft

Yellowknife (CP) After releasing their list of 7 exposed players in this weekend’s expansion draft, it was to no one’s surprise here in Yellowknife that 4 Penetrators would fine new homes for RHL16. Gone are Trevor Letowski (20th to Seattle), Ethan Moreau (23rd to Victoria), Sergei Zholtok (25th to Kansas City) and Vladimir Orszagh (26th to Victoria). All four players have an average salary and rating of $625K and 72 respectively. All are on the final year of their contract with Orszagh the only one heading to restricted free agency. ‘We were arguably the deepest team in the Premier division last year,’ said Wong, ‘so it’s not a surprise that we lost 4 guys.’ It was also a bittersweet moment for management, with the loss of original Penetrators Moreau and Orszagh it means that Ragnarsson will most likely finish his playing career in Yellowknife. The selection of Orszagh at the 26th position also means that YDP is the first squad to have 4 players selected, which just goes to show how deep this organization really was in RHL15. GM Wong will have his work cut out for him to replenish the cupboards for RHL16.
Ima Dumass (CP)

Penetrators RHL15 season in review

The end of RHL15 marked the completion of the 3rd season for YDP. After two solid 57 point campaigns, YDP finished season #3 with a whopping 80 points, good enough for 5th place in the Premier Conference. Despite the measurable improvements, it was a season marked with inconsistencies. Inconsistencies that cost the team a chance to finish higher in the standings and make a strong push during the playoffs. Despite the upcoming expansion draft, YDP expects to field a competitive team in RHL16, one that will hopefully be strong enough to compete against the leagues’ elite.

Playoffs – Rating B
With only 1 playoff round of experience to draw from, YDP was very grateful in drawing the expansion Stingers. Despite losing defensive stalwart Rod Brind’Amour in game 1, the boys cruised to a 5 game series win. While no one expected a cake walk in the 2nd round, most observers will agree that this was a series played by 4 different teams as the Eagles dominated the first 2 to take a commanding 2-0 lead, but YDP came back and willed their way back into the series and eventually won in 6 games. The clock finally struck midnight in the 3rd round against the Reapers as the boys were dispatched quickly in 4 games thanks to the brilliant play of Roberto Luongo

Offense – Rating A-
How can one complain about having the 2nd best offense in all of hockey? The combination of Satan and Sakic terrorized goalies throughout the league finishing 3rd and 4th respectively in league scoring.

Defense – Rating B+
This is by far the deepest part of the organization and it really showed this year as the boys gave up an average of 24 shots a game. Robert Esche was solid throughout the season and really earned the #1 position. With as many as 8 serviceable defensemen at any given time, the coaching staff had the luxury of playing as many as 7 on any given night allowing each player to play a specific role.

Special Teams – Rating A
YDP had the best power play in hockey striking at an efficiency rate of 19.5% and was 12th on the PK at 85.4%, which resulted in a net gain of +29 (63 PPG & 34 PPA). The team also led the league in fewest penalty minutes taken and fewest PP chances given up.

Bottom Line – Rating C
While the team did increase revenues by $1M, the combination of a higher internal budget along with various signings, trades and taxes left YDP $5.3M in the red for RHL15. Despite this red ink, YDP is committed to fielding a competitive team in RHL16 as they currently have $28M in committed salaries (pre-expansion draft). With over $9M currently sitting in the coffers YDP is still in good financial shape for years to come. With any luck, a successful playoff run could easily see YDP surpass the $10M mark again.

Player Reviews
Satan (A+) 22.2 66 27 47 74 +18
Arguably YDP’s biggest free agent signing of the year, Miroslav earned every penny this season leading the team in scoring (3rd in the conference) while posting up a spectacular +18 rating. His efforts nodded him a spot on the Premier Conference All-star team.

Sakic (A+) 23.5 65 31 40 71 +18
The preseason acquisition of No ordinary Joe put YDP on the map. The franchise had shed itself of their penny-pinching reputation and landed that really big fish. Joe brought YDP’s PP right to the top setting many team records along the way. He finished 4th in conference scoring and earned a spot on the Premier Conference All-star team.

Brind'Amour (A-) 18.9 66 11 32 43 +7
The acquisition of Rod gave YDP the necessary assets to land Sakic. Brind’Amour has been nothing but brilliant as his role changes from game to game. While playing mostly against the opposition’s best, Rod is still able to produce decent offensive numbers as well as a respectable +/- rating. YDP’s hopes of a long playoff run was severely damaged when they lost Brind’Amour early in round 1.

Hannan (A-) 23.8 66 5 22 27 +5
Scott plays almost 24 minutes a night and is asked to defend against the world’s best night in and night out. With his hands he has no business racking up the offensive numbers that he produces. This warrior is definitely future captain material.

Ragnarsson (A-) 25.4 64 6 20 26 +6
While he owns the oldest everything on the back end, Rags was still able to put up 26 points and play well over 25 minutes a night. Magnus has hinted at retiring after this season, lets just hope its in a YDP uniform.

Tanguay (B+) 17.8 25 8 14 22 +12
I still can’t believe Alex is in a YDP uniform. Acquired during the season in a huge blockbuster trade from Indianapolis, Tanguay provided YDP with some secondary scoring and flexibility amongst its top 6 forwards.

Damphousse (B+) 18.0 66 23 31 54 +6
Wong convinced Vinny to give YDP a chance as a place for that last hurrah and boy did he take the season by storm. Not since his Sockeye days has Vinny racked up so many goals. The ageless veteran rode shotgun most of the year with Joe and Miroslav. His efforts were rewarded with a selection to the Premier Conference All-star team.

Bates (B+) 13.9 61 7 13 20 +5
Bates’s situation was similar to Fedotenko’s. However, the additions allowed Bates to focus solely on the defensive side of the game resulting in his best +/- rating since joining YDP. Shawn proved how valuable and versatile he was as a player by producing 14 points in 15 playoff games placing him 2nd in team scoring.

Souray (B+) 22.2 25 7 12 19 +6
The addition of Souray solidified YDP’s already powerful PP and allowed then to have two shutdown D on the left side. Souray continued his strong play in the playoffs by leading all YDP defensemen in scoring.

Morris (B+) 24.2 30 1 9 10 +9
Acquired from Grand Prairie, Morris was a horse on the point logging over 24 minutes a night, while leading all d-men with a rating of +9. With 3 more years left on his contract Derek will be a major part of YDP’s defense.

Lukowich (B+) 13.0 66 5 15 20 +8
The increase in firepower has allowed Brad to focus on his defensive game. As part of YDP’s 2nd PK unit Lukowich not only shuts down the opposition but has put up some decent numbers for only playing 13 minutes a night.

Esche (B+) 60 GP 33-20-6 2.39 GAA 0.900 SV% 8 SO
After seeing his ice time fluctuate over the last two years, Esche was finally given the reins as he was anointed the #1 keeper in Yellowknife. Robert played 60 games this season and posted career highs in wins and shutouts.

Sykora (B) 16.3 66 22 24 46 E
Petr contributed admirably with another solid +20 goal campaign, but was unable to carry this magic into the playoffs.

Letowski (B) 9.3 63 12 12 24 +11
One of the pleasant surprises of RHL15, Letowski produced some decent numbers despite playing only 9 minutes a night. His +11 rating was 4th best on the team.

Fedotenko (B) 9.2 66 12 9 21 +6
With the additions of Damphousse, Tanguay, Satan and Sykora, Fedotenko found himself relegated to the 3rd line and had his ice time significantly reduced. Despite these challenges he continues to work hard and was able to contribute 12 goals for the team.

F.Kaberle (B) 20.4 64 2 34 36 +1
Arguably the team’s most under rated defensemen. With names like Hannan, Ragnarsson and Souray floating about its easy for Frank to be lost in the shuffle, but this smart veteran continues to improve his offensive game while minimizing his defensive mistakes.

Rachunek (C+) 18.1 32 2 9 11 +1
With the upgrade in the team’s talent, Rachunek was relegated to the press box on most nights. With the upcoming expansion draft, it is hard to say whether he’ll be a member of YDP.

Moreau (C) 8.5 66 12 7 19 -10
After two spectacular campaigns with YDP, a lot was expected from the veteran. But the reduced role this year caused major inconsistencies in Ethan’s game. Despite these challenges Ethan was still able to produce fairly decent numbers from his limited ice time.

Modano (C-) 18.4 45 9 12 21 -3
Sometimes you’re the pigeon and sometimes you’re the statue. This year Mike is the statue. Modano failed to live up to this hall of fame status after arriving in Yellowknife. The normally a point a game guy saw his production reduced in half. Hopefully he’ll rebound in RHL16.

Orszagh (C-) 4.9 53 1 1 2 -15
Vlad has proven that he can produce in this league, but a diminished role really affected his play this season. He redeemed himself like a true warrior in the playoffs by producing 8 points in 14 games.

Kuba (C-) 11.7 7 2 1 3 -1

Acquired from Indianapolis, Kuba never really had a chance to showcase his skills as he was injured just days after the trade. Kuba will get every opportunity to play come RHL16.

Ima Dumass (CP)

Missed Opportunities

Waterloo (CP) With only two games left in the regular season YDP controlled their own destiny. Win out and they’ll get a first round bye, stumble and they’ll be forced to play a first round match against the upstart Grande Prairie Stingers.

YDP had a meeting in Waterloo against the Thundercats. In 5 previous meetings YDP has a 3-2 record but both teams have won lopsided games and have had success on the road. The rewards for the Thundercats weren’t as valuable but the boys from Waterloo still had a shot at 7th place in the Premier Conference.

The Thundercats made some major acquisitions during the trade deadline acquiring such offensive stars like Hejduk, Schneider and Kovalev. These stars got Waterloo of to a great start as they took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. YDP came out in the 2nd period with a fury scoring four goals to tie the game at 4 heading into the 3rd period. While it would have been easy for Waterloo to quit they came out to the 3rd period with a vengeance grabbing a 2-goal lead just 6 minutes into the period. This deficit proved to be impossible for YDP to recover as the Bulin wall did his job and held YDP at bay.

The loss allowed the Gargoyles to clinch a bye in the first round and have secured the #3 seed and has put the Eagles in the drivers seat as they hold the first tie breaker against YDP. The Penetrators will host their archrival the Defiance for their final game, while the Eagles must travel to San Diego to face the Aviators.

‘It really doesn’t matter what happens now,’ said GM Wong, ‘we’re fully prepared to face the Stingers in the first round and then head to Edmonton to face the Eagles.’ YDP has the team to go deep into the playoffs, but will need to stay consistent and overcome any coaching deficiencies in the later rounds.

Ima Dumass (CP)

5 down 6 to go

Yellowknife (CP) With 7 games remaining the Penetrators have finished their season series with 5 of the 11 teams in the Premier Conference. While the sweep of the Gargoyles was well documented a while back, here is a brief recap of the other 4 completed season series.

YDP vs SPA 3-3
The Penetrators and the Spartans tied their season series at 3 games a piece with each team winning in the other’s barn twice. While home ice was definitely a disadvantage, the true measure of success was offense specifically the team that scored three or more goals. The Spartans outscored YDP 17-14 in there 6 game set, but it wasn’t from a lack of effort as YDP out shot the Spartans 194 to 120. The bottom line was Martin Biron stole the 2nd and 5th game of this series as YDP pumped 72 shots at Biron only to see him surrender 3 goals.
Day 32 @ YDP – Penetrators 4 – Spartans 2
Day 43 @ SPA – Spartans 4 – Penetrators 2
Day 65 @ SPA – Penetrators 3 – Spartans 2
Day 66 @ YDP – Spartans 5 – Penetrators 1
Day 82 @ YDP – Spartans 3 - Penetrators 1
Day 94 @ SPA – Penetrators 3 – Spartans 1

YDP vs PUR 3-3
I’ve never seen a homer series like this one. Not only did the home team win all 6 games but they also outscored the road team by a margin of 18-1, which included 5 shutouts. YDP out shot the Purge 180-118 in 6 games, that’s 10 extra shots a game, but YDP has only been able to muster a 11-8 advantage in goals. The real story in this series is not Martin Brodeur but all his N/A buddies.
Day 35 @ YDP – Penetrators 2 – Purge 0
Day 56 @ PUR – Purge 4 – Penetrators 1
Day 60 @ PUR – Purge 1 – Penetrators 0
Day 105 @ YDP – Penetrators 5 – Purge 0
Day 109 @ YDP – Penetrators 3 – Purge 0
Day 119 @ PUR – Purge 3 – Penetrators 0

YDP vs FRE 4-1-1
The Penetrators dominated this series from day 1 and took 9 of a possible 10 points in the first 5 match ups, but the interesting game came on Day 110 when the Freeze embarrassed the Penetrators by a score of 8-1. This wake up call motivated YDP tremendously as they took 3 of the next 4 points against the Reapers and Defiance both currently ahead of them in the standings. YDP outscored the Freeze 27-18 and out shot them by a 201 to 139 mark.
Day 20 @ YDP – Penetrators 5 – Freeze 0
Day 24 @ YDP – Penetrators 2 – Freeze 2
Day 72 @ FRE – Penetrators 8 – Freeze 4
Day 87 @ FRE – Penetrators 7 – Freeze 3
Day 89 @ FRE – Penetrators 4 – Freeze 1
Day 110 @ FRE – Freeze 8 – Penetrators 1

YDP vs GPS 3-2-1
3rd year team that loaded up versus an expansion team, the prediction should be easy 6-0 for the old guys but the new kid on the block just wouldn’t have it. The upstart Stingers gave YDP fits all year playing them extremely tough every step of the way and made the old guys earn every available point. YDP finished with a 7-5 point advantage, which included a 21-17 goal and 203-140 shot advantage.
Day 16 @ YDP – Penetrators 5 – Stingers 1
Day 30 @ GPS – Stingers 4 - Penetrators 3
Day 39 @ GPS – Penetrators 1 – Stingers 0
Day 45 @ YDP – Stingers 5 - Penetrators 4
Day 58 @ YDP – Penetrators 4 – Stingers 3
Day 77 @ GPS – Penetrators 4 – Stingers 4

Ima Dumass (CP)

Penetrators clinch home ice

Yellowknife (CP) After earning their 72nd point with a tie against their arch rival the Washington Definace on Day 117, the Penetrators have earned home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. ‘There’s still a lot of hockey left,’ said Hannan, ‘our next goal is to earn that first round bye and go from there.’ While some may not see the importance of a first round bye please refer them to the Aviators (sorry Richard), Gargoyles and the Red Wings who all had excellent regular seasons only to lose in the first round.

YDP has earned 7 of a possible 10 points in their past 5 games. With the exception of the one poor performance against the Freeze, YDP has played a relatively sound defensive game giving up 5 goals in 4 games. ‘We had a real good chance to take 2 points from the Defiance the other night but we’ll settle with 1 for now,’ said Sakic. With only 8 games left in the regular season the boys will need 11 points to secure a first round bye. ‘The bye would be nice, but our focus is against the Purge tomorrow night,’ said Brind’Amour.

Ima Dumass (CP)

Day 109 – Penetrators 3 – Purge 0
Day 110 – Freeze 8 – Penetrators 1
Day 113 – Penetrators 2 – Reapers 1
Day 115 – Penetrators 3 – T-Men 1

Day 117 – Defiance 3 - Penetrators 3

Roller Coaster Ride Continues

Yellowknife (CP) The roller coaster season continues for YDP as they went 4 and 3 in their last 7 games. The high points included shutting out the Purge and stealing 2 points in the Spartacenter, while the low point was being shutout back to back by the Eagles. The four points collected by the Eagles closed the gap between to the two teams to a single point but YDP has since increased the lead to 5 with a pair of wins against the Purge and Aviators. ‘We really needed to win those games,’ said Modano, ‘but that’s in the past and we’ve got 13 games to improve our playoff position.’

Consistency has been the main concern of the YDP brass during this entire season. While this is true about the team’s play some of it can be attributed to the number of trades in key positions made by YDP. With the trade deadline now past, the players can relax a bit and focus on what’s a head of them. With 13 games remaining in their schedule including two games remaining with each of the Reapers and Defiance, YDP hold their destiny in their own hands.

‘Not only do we need to take care of business against the teams below us,’ said Hannan, ‘but we’ve gotta start taking some points away from the higher clubs too.’ YDP will play almost every other hear on out and will start off by facing the Purge at home on Thursday.

Day 94 – YDP 3 - Spartans 1
Day 97 – YDP 5 – Thundercats 3
Day 98 - T-Men 4 - YDP 2
Day 101 – Eagles 2 – YDP 0
Day 103 – Eagles 3 – YDP 0
Day 105 – YDP 5 – Purge 0
Day 106 – YDP 3 – Aviators 2
Ima Dumass (CP)

YDP grabs 2 points and a goalie.

St.Albert (CP) YDP welcomed back Ragnarsson and Bates from the infirmary just in time as the boys faced the red hot Spartans of St.Albert who were 9-1-1 in their last 11 heading into tonight’s action. St.Albert came out flying in the first holding the usually potent YDP offense to only 5 shots, but unfortunately was down 1-0 courtesy of a shorthanded goal by Shawn Bates. After kicking several garbage cans YDP picked up their game in the second out shooting the Spartans by a 13-4 margin and took a 2-0 lead into the 3rd courtesy of Rod Brind’Amour. Satan provided some additional insurance midway through the 3rd and made it 3-0 for YDP. The only question now was whether Esche was going to get his shutout, but with 3 minutes left in the 3rd Janne Niinimaa had other ideas as he ripped a slapshot passed Esche to make it a 3-1 game.
‘We’re very happy with the victory tonight,’ said Modano, ‘this is a tough building to play in and Esch-ie kept us in the game in the first.’ The win combined with a Definace tie tonight against the Eagles puts YDP within 3 points of the division lead. ‘Hey one game at a time man,’ said Fedotenko, ‘we’ve got the Thundercats in a few nights and they’ve always played us strong,’
After the game Wong informed the media scrum that YDP has just acquired Cristobal Huet and cash from the Aviators in exchange for Bryan Allen, Bruno Gervais, Enver Lisin and a second round pick in next year’s entry draft. ‘Goaltending is like pitching, you can never have too much,’ said Wong, ‘we’ve got 6 goalies in the system, of which 5 could be challenging jobs in 2 years.’ It was usual for YDP to announce a trade after a victory, but the trade itself doesn’t affect any roster players as Allen was seldom used by YDP. The boys will now take a few days off before facing the Thundercats at the Mineshaft.
Ima Dumass (CP)

57 and counting

Yellowknife (CP) With their latest victory YDP has tied a franchise record by reaching 57 points in a season. This marks the 3rd time in the 3 year history of the team that this milestone was reached. With 20 games to go, YDP is assured of passing this mark and setting a new franchise record.
After getting his first night off in over 4 weeks, Robert Esche was at it again as he started a stretch of 5 games in 8 nights, which began with a visit to the Nest, where our heroes visited the Evil Eagles of Edmonton. Both squads are in a bitter battle to secure the 3rd seen in the Premier Conference and more importantly avoid a surging Spartans squad in the 2nd round of the playoffs. YDP letd the season series 2 games to zero, but Shane Doan wand the Eagles were determined to right the ship as they dominated the scoreboard and shutout the #1 ranked offense by a 4-0 score.
Two days later YDP took their frustration out on the lowly Winnipeg Freeze by scoring 11 in two games. The Freeze held brief 1-0 leads in both games only to see YDP pile on 6 and 4 consecutive goals respectively and coast to easy 7-3 and 4-1 victories. While the wins were nice, both came with a hefty price tag as YDP lost Shawn Bates for a week with an upper body injury and Filip Kuba for 6-8 weeks with a lower body injury. ‘We’ve been quite lucky in terms of injuries this season,’ said Hannan, ‘just Filip’s luck, that the law of averages slapped him with a freak injury.’ Despite having an insanely low injury rating of 5, management was caught off guard when informed of the 40-day injury.
YDP next drew a home and home series with the Airdrie T-Men. While the T-Men showed great poise and was able to manage a tie in Airdrie, they were no match when the venue was changed to Yellowknife, where YDP pulled out a 3-1 win. Once again the injury bug hit the team as Ragnarsson sustained a sprained ankle and is listed as day to day. The injury didn’t over shadow a tremendous performance by John Grahame who let in only 5 goals in 85 shots over two games.
Brute El Honesty of the TSN (Territory Sports Network) interviewed the T-Men’s Patrice Brisebois after the game ‘your team performed admirably tonight, is your improved play due to the fact that the pressure is now off to finish higher than 2nd last in the conference?’
An annoyed Brisebois replied from a prepared statement, ‘there are no quitters in this room, we feel our chances to finish higher is still very good and we’ll take each game one at a time.’ Afterwards this report overheard Patrice say, ‘who the hell is responsible for hiring at TSN? Did the mouth part ignore the brain part? I mean honestly which reporter school did he flunk out of!’
Ima Dumass (CP)