Penetrator Nation

What if - Cap Hit

2008-08-31T22:12:00.000-06:00

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

2008-08-27T06:51:00.000-06:00

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

2007-07-29T23:49:00.000-06:00

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

2007-07-26T06:25:00.000-06:00

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

2007-07-25T00:24:00.000-06:00

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!

2007-07-12T23:20:00.000-06:00

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

2007-07-05T00:14:00.000-06:00

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

2007-05-30T22:25:00.000-06:00

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

2007-05-01T21:05:00.000-06:00

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

2007-04-16T00:24:00.000-06:00

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!

2007-04-07T01:34:00.000-06:00

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

2007-02-28T23:26:00.000-07:00

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

2007-02-12T23:38:00.000-07:00

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

2007-01-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-01-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

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

2006-12-29T23:21:00.000-07:00

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

2006-12-14T00:27:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-13T23:16:00.000-06:00

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!

2006-08-18T00:18:00.000-06:00

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

2006-08-17T22:02:00.000-06:00

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?

2006-08-07T17:26:00.000-06:00

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

2006-08-06T01:10:00.000-06:00

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

2006-07-24T17:08:00.000-06:00

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

2006-07-20T23:02:00.000-06:00

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

2006-05-15T23:42:00.000-06:00

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

2006-05-04T23:58:00.000-06:00

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

2006-05-02T00:46:00.000-06:00

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

2006-04-19T00:44:00.000-06:00

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.

2006-04-06T01:39:00.000-06:00

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

2006-04-05T01:33:00.000-06:00

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)

Unsung Heroes

2006-03-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

Yellowknife (CP) After starting a franchise record 14 straight games, which saw the team go 7-6-1, Robert Esche was given the night off in favor of Mathieu Garon. Garon has struggled mightily this season going 2-4, with a 4.32 GAA and 0.839 save percentage, falling way short of management’s expectations. Despite playing 80 save percentage points lower than normal Garon delivered his best performance of the season as he saved 16 of 17 shots leading YDP to a much needed 3-1 victory over the San Diego Aviators. ‘Mathieu was great tonight,’ said Hannan, ‘he stopped everything asked of him and led us to victory.’ ‘The boys played really well in front of me tonight,’ said Garon, ‘and dominated every aspect of the game.’ YDP came out flying in the first as they out shot the Aviators by a 19-5 margin. Lost in the game was the Aviator debut of newly acquired Milan Hejduk and the brilliant play of Cristobal Huet. ‘I recognized a lot of old faces tonight,’ said Hejduk, ‘unfortunately for me they were all wearing YDP jerseys (referring to Sakic and Souray).’
Like most visitors to the I&S Mineshaft, goal number 1 is to shut down the big line of Damphousse, Sakic and Satan and the Aviators for better or worst got the job done. ‘We were shorthanded on the back end tonight,’ said Leetch, ‘but we employed the bend but don’t break rule against Joe’s line.’ Despite giving up 14 shots to them the big line didn’t register a goal. Fortunately for YDP, their newly acquired defensive trio of Morris, Kuba and Souray delivered 13 shots of the own and registered 2 goals to help seal the victory in front of a sellout crowd. ‘It’s a nice way to join a new team,’ said Souray after scoring the game-winning goal in his Penetrators debut. GM Wong was asked about the pace of his recent trades. ‘Well boys, the book of WWVD states that since we won tonight no one will get traded,’ smiled Wong, ‘can’t guarantee that tomorrow though.’ YDP has a huge tilt tomorrow night against the 4th place Edmonton Eagles as only 2 points are separating the clubs in a fight for 3rd place. The Eagles almost blew a 4-goal lead in Waterloo yesterday only to hold on to a 5-4 win. ‘Knowing coach Bourdeau he’ll have them ready,’ said former Eagle Mike Modano.

Ima Dumass (CP)

Roller Coaster Ride Continues!!!

2006-03-22T00:42:00.000-07:00

Yellowknife (CP) After arriving in Yellowknife for literally a cup of coffee, Lehtinen was shipped to sunny Indianapolis for stud LW Alex Tanguay. Tanguay joined YDP in Washington as they faced off against the division leading Washington Defiance. For those with a short memory, Washington eliminated YDP in a 7 game thriller last year in the opening round after dropping their first two games at home. ‘Coming into this year every Washington was circled on the calendar,’ said Esche.
YDP came flying out of the gates but had nothing to show for as Andrew Raycroft stood on his head to keep it a scoreless tie. While YDP’s pace of shots dropped in the 2nd their quality of chances actually improved as they jumped out to a 3-0 thanks to goals by Bates and a pair by Sakic. Jamie Langenbrunner made it 3-1 intercepting an errant pass from Scott Hannan. YDP didn’t hold back in the third out shooting the Defiance by a 3-1 margin. The backbreaker came when newcomer Filip Kuba snapped a wrists shot passed Raycroft on a 5 on 3 PP. From that moment on YDP put it in cruise control and beat the Defiance by a convincing score of 5-1.
The boys felt extremely confident flying home to meet the Spartans of St.Albert as they were riding a 5 game unbeaten streak. But the Spartans had other ideas well Biron had other ideas as he stopped 37 of 38 Penetrator shots to lead his squad to a 3-1 win at the I & S Mineshaft.
The roller coaster ride continues as GM Wong is expected to announce the acquisition of Sheldon Souray to the Penetrators, making this his 3rd trade in less than a week. Lethbridge receives defensive standout Niklas Sundstrom, second year defenseman Josef Melichar and recently acquired super pest Tyson Nash, who was put on waivers immediately by the Selects. ‘It was tough to see Niklas go,’ said Wong, ‘but Sheldon will really solidify our backend, he can play in all situations and will give Magnus and Scott a bit of a breather.’
This marks the 3rd deal made by Wong in the past week. The usually thrifty GM has increased his salary by 1.3M while trading away some of the team’s future for a chance to succeed today. Only time will tell whether these moves were worth the price of their prospects.

Ima Dumass (CP)

Drunkin' Sailor Strikes Again

2006-03-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

Yellowknife (CP) Penetrators have called yet another press conference for 10 am tomorrow morning, where it is expected that they will announce yet another transaction. Editorial 'It seems that everytime this team loses a game the trigger on a deal is pulled.' The Yellowknife media will yet again wait at the airport and see who the new player maybe. With the recent addition of Tanguay it is expected that the Penetrators will trade one of their left wingers, but for what?
Ima Dumass (CP)

YDP Lands Tanguay

2006-03-16T22:12:00.000-07:00

Yellowknife (CP) The shock of the trade is still filtering through this sleepy town of 30,000 people. As if it wasn’t enough that management was able to land the all-star game earlier this week, but to top it off they pull off a blockbuster. After just landing in Yellowknife about 48 hours ago, Jere Lehtinen was told to pack his bags as he was shipped to Indianapolis along with a package of kids and in return YDP received Alex Tanguay. That’s right folks you heard right Alex Tanguay. The deal is as follows.

To 500s: Lehtinen, Berehowsky, Pock, Ruzicka, Voloshenko and $150K
To YDP: Tanguay, Kuba & T.Nash

Nash was immediately put on waivers and is expected to be given his unconditional release. All three prospects are currently playing in the AHL and having a wonderful season. Thomas Pock is average almost a point a game as a d-man, while Voloshenko is expected to garner tremendous support for AHL rookie of the year. ‘After trading Sean (O’Donnell) away the other day we needed to fill a hole on the left side,’ said Wong, ‘Filip is a great player and we’ll do our best to sign him to a long-term contract.’ Both Tanguay and Kuba are expected to join the team in Washington as they face the conference leading Defiance. I guess there’s no rest for the wicked.

Ima Dumass (CP)

How Sweep it is!!!

2006-03-16T00:29:00.000-07:00

Yellowknife (CP) Fans greeted the newest Penetrators, Lehtinen and Morris, as they arrived at the Yellowknife International Airport. ‘I’m very glad to be here,’ said Morris, ‘I hear the entire Territory shows up to watch a YDP game.
For the 6th time this season, YDP faced the talented Gargoyles of Chicago and for the 6th time this season, the Gargoyles are searching for their first point in this season series that has totally gone one way.
Maybe it’s the food, or the water, or the dreaded curse of being ranked 1st in the Bourdeau report, whatever it is the Gargoyles have been unable to break the Penetrator’s defense and tonight was no different as YDP, lead by Robert Esche, scored another convincing victory over the Gargoyles. YDP finished the series off with a 6-0 record outscoring the Gargoyles by almost a 3-1 margin. ‘We’ve been very fortunate against them this season,’ said Esche, ‘they’re a great squad and will be a force come playoff time.’
While some may view Esche’s remarks as canned please consider the following: Chicago has a 0.625 winning percentage against everyone except the Penetrators, while YDP is playing 0.531 ball when not facing the Gargoyles.
While this is truly an anomaly, penalties got Chicago into trouble tonight as they gave up 9 PP opportunities to the 2nd ranked PP in the RHL. YDP capitalized on these chances by potting in 3 courtesy of the dynamic duo of Satan (18 & 19) & Sakic (24), Sykora and Lukowich provided the insurance goals to make it a 5-0 result. Tonight’s win allowed YDP to keep pace with the Edmonton Eagles who are just two points behind the Penetrators. YDP will continue to pile on the frequent flyer miles by traveling to DC to face the Defiance. ‘I’m so jacked for that game,’ said Hannan. The perennial 4 pointer could pull YDP to within 3 points of the Defiance or drop them back to 7 points.
Ima Dumass (CP)

Penetrators steal Lehtinen and Morris while Stingers steal point

2006-03-14T22:06:00.000-07:00

Grande Prairie (CP) Rumors about an impeding trade spread like wild fire through YDP’s optional morning skate. With so many veterans taking the morning off everyone that wasn’t on the ice was rumored to be leaving. The media hoard (including yours truly) waited patiently at Grande Prairie’s International Airport hoping to get a glimpse at the potential new arrival. As filing time got closer and with no new arrival, we all attended the rescheduled press conference where it was revealed to us at 4:30 pm local time that YDP had dealt defenseman Sean O’Donnell, Barrett Jackman, prospect Mark Stuart and a pick to the Stingers for Jere Lehtinen, Derek Morris and several picks. ‘I was called into coaches office before pre-game skate,’ said Lehtinen, ‘coach say go to road dressing room, you’ve been traded for d-man and kids, oh and by the way bring Derek with you.’ ‘The news was a shock to me,’ said Morris, ‘both of us just signed a long-term deal here in GP, but I’m thrilled to be heading to Yellowknife.’
This is YDP’s 3rd major deal of the season, where they've landed the likes of Sakic, Modano and now Lehtinen and Morris. The phrase ‘go big or go home’ has been used to describe this normally tight wallet team. ‘Barrett and Mark are helluva prospects to trade away and Sean was great for us both on and off the ice,’ said Wong, ‘but it’s not everyday you get a chance to land Jere Lehtinen and Derek Morris.’ Morris will see PP time while Lehtinen is expected to line up with long time linemate Mike Modano from their Eagle days.
After the excitement of the trade had settled down, we still had a hockey game to play. The already over extended Scott Hannan was expected to play an even bigger role after the departure of both Jackman and O’Donnell and he delivered a great performance potting 2 goals and a helper for a three point performance. While normally this would garner him a first star selection, Rick Nash of the Stingers had other ideas as he scored a hat trick to help GPS earn a deserving 4-4 tie. GPS beat YDP 3-1 on special teams and survived a late power play by YDP with 41 seconds left in the 3rd period. While the result was disappointing YDP was able to fire 40 shots at Giguere and owned the faceoff circle. The dynamic duo of Sakic and Satan was a combined –4 tonight while logging close to 25 minutes each. YDP will now fly home and face the always tough Gargoyles tomorrow night. ‘We can’t be giving up 2 goal leads in the 3rd,’ said Wong, ‘but there’s no time to sulk, big game tomorrow night.’
Ima Dumass (CP)

Cousin Vinny (and GM Howard?) Delivers Again

2006-03-13T23:58:00.000-07:00

Yellowknife (CP) Vinny Damphousse is on fire; the cagey veteran potted his 5th goal in 2 games as he led YDP to a convincing 5-1 victory over the T-men. The win gave YDP its first winning streak in over a month. ‘There’s no time like the present to get on a hot streak,’ said Sakic.

YDP jumped out to an early 2-0 lead before the game was 2 minutes old, thanks to goals just 25 seconds apart by Sakic and Sykora. The Penetrator’s defense was suffocating as they held the T-Men to only 12 shots while their skating forced the T-men into taking various hooking and holding penalties. In the end YDP went 2-9 on the PP and limited the T-men to only 64% passing. ‘They’re struggling over there,’ said Hannan, ‘but they’re a proud team, I’m just glad we weren’t the ones that woke them up.’

Penetrator Nation has just learned that YDP management has called for a 10 am press conference tomorrow morning, where it is rumored that a major deal has been struck between YDP and a divisional foe. Sources close to the talks have confirmed that YDP has landed a top 6 forward.

Ima Dumass (CP)

Yellowknife Lands All-Star Game

2006-03-07T00:57:00.000-07:00

Yellowknife (CP) It’s time for the annual celebration of the players that make the RHL tick—it’s all-star time! For the first time in the history of the mid-season classic, it will be Champions vs. Premier in a battle for the right to be called the top conference in the league.

Also making its debut in RHL15 is the selection of a host city for the game and accompanying festivities. The RHL15 all-star game will be heading north, way north, to the I & S Mine Shaft in Yellowknife.

“This is the biggest thing to hit Yellowknife since the start of the Bush King contest at the Caribou Festival," beamed jubilant majority owner of the YDP, Howard Wong. "This will be the best hockey the Arctic has ever seen, and I'll be sure the rooms are clean at the Northern Lights Motor Inn for everyone coming to town."

Selection for the host city of the RHL15 allstar game was fierce, with the final tipping point for the committee rumored to be a personal shipment of product from the Mine Shaft's corporate sponsor, Polar Bear Diamonds, to the wives of committee members. Wong dismissed the rumor as "spin from the league's power base in the Edmonton region upset at not being selected.”

It was later revealed that the Penetrator organization planned to use the diamonds as gifts to league officials and players participating in the game. Rumors circled the media scrum that Penetrator officials chose the Oiler’s jeweler instead of the Eagle’s jewelers to design the ring, which caused quite the stir in media hotbed Edmonton. Sources close to the games confirmed that the Oiler jeweler was commissioned because of their experience. ‘Look when was the last time the Eagles needed their ring guy,’ said Source, ‘we just want the best, we could have included Calgary, Vancouver and even Toronto but when was the last time any of them needed their ring guy?’

YDP’s ‘Automatic’ line of Damphousse, Sakic and Satan were all listed on the all-star ballot for the Premier Conference. Left off the list was defensive standouts Scott Hannan and Frantisek Kaberle. ‘There’s only so many spots to go around’ said Frantisek when asked about his exclusion from the ballot, ‘I’m happy for cousin Vinny, Joe and Miro, they really deserve it.’
Ima Dumass (CP)

Cousin Vinny Delivers

2006-03-06T23:16:00.000-07:00

Winnipeg (CP) After blowing a 3-0 lead to the Reapers last game, YDP wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice. The boys in yellow faced off against the Freeze and jumped out to an early and commanding 3-0 lead just 6 minutes into the game as Satan and Damphousse capitalized on giveaways by Odelein. After a timeout to calm the boys down, Lang decided to take matters into his own hand and closed the gap to a one goal lead (4-3) just 7 minutes into the 2nd period. Brind’Amour and Damphousse restored YDP’s 3 goal lead midway through the second and paced YDP to an 8-4 victory.

‘Too many giveaways,’ said Coach Bailey, ‘it seemed that every time Lyle touched the puck he gave it away and they’d score.’ Odelein probably had the worst game of his career as his 5 incomplete passes resulted in 5 unassisted goals, a new YDP record. Odelein was not available for comments, but Freeze officials did confirm that he was ‘rewarded’ with a bag skate for his efforts which started immediately.

YDP’s good fortune spilled off the ice tonight as RHL central announced that it has awarded Yellowknife the RHL15 all-star game. NWT royalty and native son Geoff Sanderson will be among the honored guests that will accompany Commissioner Paul Myers, YDP Owner Howard Wong and RHLPA Executive Director Ura Dumass (no relation to this reporter) in the owners box for this game. ‘We are very pleased and thrilled to play host to this great event,’ said Wong, ‘spare no expense will be our slogan as Yellowknife welcomes the world.’

Ima Dumass (CP)

Steals of the RHL11 Draft

2006-02-28T23:30:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows that money can buy everything but a championship, just ask the New York Rangers. Imagine what the Oakland A’s or the Minnesota Twins could do with the Rangers payroll? While everyone knows about the Crosby’s, Lindros’s and Lemieux’s on draft day, it’s the Gagne’s, Hejduk’s & Elias’s that makes a team a contender. Now imagine what the Flyers, Avalanche and Devils would do with a top 10 pick every year.
As the title indicates, I’m making a wild attempt at analyzing the steals of the RHL11 Draft. With the exception of Jay Bouwmeester, the RHL11 Draft consisted of players from the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, which included such franchise players like Rick Nash and Kari Lehtonen. No one was surprised at who went at the top but there were a few surprises near the middle of the first round like the Oilers selecting Jesse Niinimaki with the 15th overall pick. Niini-who? Exactly! While most RHL GMs trust their NHL counterparts by selecting the players as per the NHL draft order some have done their research, ventured off the board and claimed that diamond in the rough.
IMHO the gold medal for the biggest steal on draft day belongs to Walt and the Capones for selecting Pasi Nurminen with the 25th overall pick. The silver medal goes to Commissioner Paul and the Sockeyes for selecting Petr Cajanek with the 52nd overall pick and the bronze medal goes to Richard and the Aviators for selecting Matt Stajan with the 106th overall pick. Honorable mentions also go to the Rovers, Bees, Rays, Funboys and 500s for their selections.
While this is the analysis of just one person, I’d love to hear your opinion of my medalists, honorable mentions along with those that you feel I’ve missed.

Nurminen (CAP) 25th overall (2001 6th round 189th overall)
Rating RHL13-14 112, RHL15 119
RHL Stats (1GP 8.00 GAA) Junior Status in RHL11-14
NHL Stats (48-54-12) 2.87 GAA 0.895 Save Percentage

Cajanek (SOC) 52nd overall (2001 8th round 253rd overall)
Rating RHL13-14 85 RHL15 79
RHL Stats (Reg. 137GP 42pts +16) (Playoffs 20GP 6pts –4)
NHL Stats 171GP 28-73-100 Pts

Stajan (AVI) 106th overall (2002 2nd round 57th overall)
Rating RHL15 69
RHL Stats (31GP 13pts +7)
NHL Stats 127GP 23-21-44pts

Hall (ROV) 31st overall (1999 2nd round 52nd overall)
Rating RHL13-14 57, RHL15 65
RHL Stats (Reg. 53GP 15pts +9) (Playoffs 38GP 16pts +5)
NHL Stats 212GP 40-38-78 Pts

Auld (BEE) 42nd overall (1999 2nd round 40th overall)
Rating RHL13-14 77, RHL15 71
RHL Stats Regular Season (7-14-5) 2.54 GAA 0.922 Save Percentage
Drafted 1999 2nd round 40th overall
NHL Stats (31-21-5) 2.62 GAA 0.904 Save Percentage

Ehrhoff (RAY) 122nd overall (2001 4th round 106th overall)
Rating RHL15 50
RHL Stats (3GP 1 pt +1)
NHL Stats 79GP 2-23-25 Pts

Ward (FUN) 46th overall (2002 1st round 25th overall)
Rated RHL17
NHL Stats (11-5-2) 3.44 GAA 0.887 Save Percentage

Toivonen (500s) 43rd overall (2002 1st round 29th overall)
Rated RHL17
NHL Stats (9-5-4) 2.63 GAA 0.914 Save Percentage

Ima Dumass (CP)

Forsberg 6 – YDP 5

2006-02-28T23:04:00.000-07:00

Yellowknife (CP) The headline says it all as Forsberg finished the game with 6 points despite playing only 21 minutes and winning only 4 of 11 faceoffs. His performance was the stuff of legends as his efforts gave the Reapers a 6-5 victory and more importantly a 2nd win in Yellowknife.

YDP jumped out to an early 3-0 lead courtesy of their defensemen (Berehowsky, Ragnarsson & Kaberle) and was on cruise control when it ran into some penalty troubles. While up 4-1 early in the 2nd, Orszagh took an unnecessary hooking call on Forsberg, which was followed by an interference call on Ragnarsson. This gave the Reapers a 1:58 2-man advantage where they score twice to close the gap to 4-3. Satan’s 16th of the year gave YDP that 2 goal cushion which they took late into the third. The Reapers weren’t about to play dead as they scored twice in the final 5 minutes to tie the game at 5. Brendl finished off a 4-point performance by roofing a shot short side on Esche to win it in OT.

‘I’m not gonna lie, some of the boys are starting to doubt themselves,’ said O’Donnell, ‘we just gotta bare down and keep playing our game and we’ll be fine.’ YDP has had some very unfortunate results where they’ve won the majority of the categories (shots, time of possession, faceoffs, corner battles and passing efficiency) but don’t have the results to show for. YDP’s next game is in sunny Winnipeg where they’ll face Jarome Iginla and the Winnipeg Freeze. Hopefully the boys in yellow can turn it around and provide

1st Star – Peter Forsberg
2nd Star – Pavel Brendl
3rd Star – Miroslav Satan

Ima Dumass (CP)

In Rod We Trust

2006-02-24T01:04:00.000-07:00

Chicago (CP) After being out played on home ice against the Spartans two days ago, YDP entered the Windy City Center to face the Gargoyles with a lot to prove. Questions of their ability to score and stop pucks was the talk of the town. Sakic opened the game by challenging Roenick to a fight, but Jeremy just laughed as both players received roughing calls. ‘Joe’s a nice guy and kudos to him for trying,’ said Roenick, ‘but let’s be honest that’s not his job, it should be guys like O’Donnell, Moreau and Letowski doing this, plus I’d kill him.’

The game was evenly matched until the 16 minute mark of the first period when newcomer Drake Berehowsky caught the Gargoyles on a bad line change and sprung Petr Sykora on a breakaway to make it 1-0. On the very next shift Shawn Bates was on the receiving end of some great passing from his linemates Letowski and Brind’Amour to make it 2-0. YDP made it 3-0 shortly after as Sakic drilled a slap shot from the high slot. The 3-0 lead gave YDP the luxury of dictating the play as they skated to a 4-1 victory.

This was YDP’s 33rd game of the season, as the boys ended their first half with a respectable 18-12-3 record. This was also the 5th meeting of the season between YDP and the Gargoyles, with YDP winning all five contests. ‘I can’t really explain why we’re this successful against them,’ said Letowski, ‘it’s not like Jeremy gives us bulletin board material before and during every game.' YDP will fly home and face the resurging Reapers at the Mineshaft in two days. ‘They walked into our house last game and stole two points,’ said Hannan, ‘I just wanna return the favor when they show up.’

1st Star – Rod Brind’Amour
2nd Star – Robert Esche
3rd Star – Shawn Bates

Ima Dumass (CP)

Spanked Spartan Style

2006-02-21T00:53:00.000-07:00

Yellowknife (CP) Just 24 hours after sneaking a win in St.Albert, YDP returned home to face the same Spartans only to suffer their worst home loss of the season. The deadly duo of Sakic and Satan was held off the score sheet as the Spartans cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Penetrators at the I&S MineShaft.

Modano had another rough outing, as he was tagged for a –5 in 23 minutes of ice time. ‘I had a chat with Mike after the game,’ said Wong, ‘and we both agreed that simpler is better. His role will be reduced until he gets the hang of our offense.’ ‘Gotta get back to basics, I had a chat with my wife the other day and she told me it’s a simple game, use this stick, hit that puck into that net, don’t make me show you,’ smiled Vinny D.

After starting the season with a 9-0-1 home record, YDP has struggled of late and managed only a 1-4-1 record in their last 6 home games. YDP will continue to pile up their frequent flyer miles by traveling to Chicago to face the always difficult Gargoyles on day 68. More line tweaking is expected as the boys in yellow try to get themselves out of this slump.

Ima Dumass (CP)

Welcome to the XXth Winter Olympiad

2006-02-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

Turin (CP) With the Olympics well underway in Turin Italy, many RHL teams bid farewell to their stars. YDP is very fortunate and proud to send 6 members of their team representing 4 countries to Turin. The Penetrators are lead by Team Canada’s captain Joe Sakic, Team USA’s Mike Modano and Robert Esche, the Czech Republic’s Frantisek Kaberle and Team Slovakia’s Miroslav Satan and rookie sensation Andrej Meszaros. YDP will not be celebrating alone as all of our fellow bloggies are also sending players to Turin, lead by the Rovers with 12 players representing 8 teams.

YDP (6)
Joe Sakic (Canada)
Frantisek Kaberle (Czech Republic)
Andrej Meszaros (Slovakia)
Miroslav Satan (Slovakia)
Robert Esche (USA)
Mike Modano (USA)

500s (9)
Dan Boyle (Canada)
Filip Kuba (Czech Republic)
Vaclav Prospal (Czech Republic)
Petr Prucha (Czech Republic)

Alexei Kovalev (Russia)
Fedor Tyutin (Russia)
Michal Handzus (Slovakia)
Mats Sundin (Sweden)

Mathieu Schneider (USA)

AVI (4)
Ed Jovanovski (Canada)

Antti Laaksonen (Finland)
Nikolai Khabibulan (Russia)
Erik Cole (USA)

EAG (8)
Shane Doan (Canada)
Christian Ehrhoff (Germany)
Peter Budaj (Slovakia)
Ivan Majesky (Slovakia)
Daniel Tjarnqvist (Sweden)
Julien Vauclair (Switzerland)
Craig Conroy (USA)

Mark Parrish (USA)

REA (6)
Rob Blake (Canada)

Roberto Luongo (Canada)
Pavel Kubina (Czech Republic)
Marek Malik (Czech Republic)
Peter Forsberg (Sweden)
Aaron Miller (USA)

SPA (3)
Joe Thornton (Canada)
Ossi Vaananen (Finland)
Marcel Hossa (Slovakia)

ROV (12)
Kris Draper (Canada)
Chris Pronger (Canada)
Robyn Regehr (Canada)
Olli Jokinen (Finland)

Kari Lehtonen (Finland)
Dennis Seindenberg (Germany)
Alexander Frolov (Russia)
Evgeni Malkin (Russia)
Pavol Demitra (Slovakia)
Kim Johnsson (Sweden)
Martin Gerber (Switzerland)
John-Michael Liles (USA)

Ima Dumass (CP)

From Doghouse to Penthouse

2006-02-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

St.Albert (CP) After suffering back to back losses to great goaltending, YDP was about to face the rejuvenated Martin Biron and his St.Albert Spartans. Reinprecht gave St.Albert the early lead after a quick wrist shot that beat Esche through the 5-hole. Sykora tied it at one when he intercepted a clearing attempt by Schultz and went high blocker side on Biron. YDP ran into penalty troubles late in the first when both O’Donnell and Ragnarsson took marginal hooking penalties on Mikael Renberg. ‘Outside of Forsberg, I’ve never seen someone so big go down so easily,’ smiled Hannan. Fortunately for YDP the two-man PP was short lived when Joe Thornton was called for a similar hook on Brind’Amour.

Modano gave YDP a 2-1 lead on the PP early in the 2nd period. Skoula tied it for the Spartans midway through the period, which came right after Damphousse’s first penalty expired. ‘Vinny was very feisty tonight,’ said Wong, ‘he wasn’t very pleased being schooled by Juneau in the faceoff circle all night.’ Both teams played the 3rd like they were afraid of losing the game and waited for the other to make a mistake.

To the chagrin of the Yellowknife Press, Wong started the line of Fedotenko, Modano and Orszagh in overtime. The decision didn’t seem like a good idea when Orszagh took a tripping penalty a minute into OT. Amonte bailed Orszagh out when he took a hooking penalty a minute into the PP. After his penalty expired Orszagh was able to jump into the play and one timed a great pass from Kaberle to beat Biron short side to win it in OT. ‘Vlad’s always had a great sense of timing,’ said Frantisek. Orszagh’s first of the season was enough to give YDP a much needed victory. The boys will now play the back end of the home and home in Yellowknife.

Ima Dumass (CP)

Holy Vezina Batman!

2006-02-12T19:44:00.000-07:00

Yellowknife (CP) The twentieth winter Olympiad started this weekend in Turin and no one is feeling the impact more than YDP. The boys saw themselves in the middle of a turf war this week between the Premier Division’s number 1 and 2 rated goalies Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo. Canada’s 1 and 1A Olympic goalies showed their stuff to the Canadian brass by shutting down the number one offense in the RHL. Despite dominating the shot clock, time of possession and power play chances (12-0) YDP was only able to muster just 1 goal in 59 shots.

After starting a franchise best 14-5-1 in their first 20 games, YDP has struggled of late going only 2-6-2 in their last 10 games and scoring only 8 goals in their last 5 games. With the exception of Letowski, YDP’s secondary scoring has completely disappeared. ‘We’ve had a tough time scoring of late, but as long as we do the little things right we’ll be fine,’ said Hannan, ‘not to bad mouth an old organization but if this happened when I was in Calgary, everyone would have been traded.’

While trading the entire team isn’t Wong’s style, if this trend persists a trade shouldn’t be ruled out or at least some line rearrangements. YDP has several days off before embarking on a home and home series with the surging St.Albert Spartans. ‘We’re playing a very confident team,’ said Moreau, ‘anything short of a great effort just won’t cut it.’

1st Star – Martin Brodeur 1st Star – Roberto Luongo
2nd Star – Cliff Ronning 2nd Star – Brian Savage
3rd Star – Robert Esche 3rd Star – Frantisek Kaberle

Ima Dumass (CP)

YDP improves depth at defense

2006-02-08T23:23:00.000-07:00

Yellowknife (CP) After spending his entire 8 year career with the Winnipeg Freeze, Dan Cleary tested the free agent market this off season and signed with YDP. The addition of Cleary made YDP one of the deepest teams in the Premier Conference. Unfortunately for Cleary this level of depth limited his playing time severely.

The seldom-used forward was limited to two games but soldiered on waiting for his number to be called. Well the call came late Tuesday night as Cleary was informed that he had been dealt to South Edmonton in exchange for defenseman Drake Berehowsky. ‘Danny was a good team guy,’ said Wong, ‘unfortunately we couldn’t find the ice time he deserved.’ The move improves YDP’s team defense and depth. Berehowsky will meet up with his new team in Yellowknife tomorrow as they face the Guelph Reapers.

Ima Dumass (CP)

Welcome Back Joe

2006-02-01T23:41:00.000-07:00

Yellowknife (CP) Penetrator Nation welcomed back star center Joe Sakic to the line up tonight after sitting out the last game with a sore groin. Sakic’s return ignited his partner in crime Miro Satan who was in on all four YDP goals leading them to a 4-3 victory. ‘Joe and I had a good night,’ smiled Satan, ‘but both Rod & Mike’s (Modano) lines did a great job limiting their chances tonight.’ Although limiting their opponents to only 20 shots YDP didn’t cover the spread tonight thanks mainly to the Stinger’s star winger Rick Nash who scored twice on three shots. ‘He’s a helluva player,’ said Esche, ‘I’m so glad we only get them one more time.’ YDP will practice in the morning and fly to New York to face the Purge later this week. YDP is 1-1 against the Purge with both squads winning at home.

1st Star – Miroslav Satan
2nd Star – Joe Sakic
3rd Star – Rick Nash

Ima Dumass (CP)

Expansion Teams

2006-02-01T00:24:00.000-07:00

RHL16 will marked the 4th straight season of expansion in the RHL, as we welcom the Victoria Cougars and an unnamed franchise headed by Ward Bahner, formerly of the KC Blaze. On ice success is usually difficult for an expansion team, but some have done exceptionally well in their 2nd and 3rd years of existence. The Aviators finished 12th in their 2nd season and became the fastest expansion team to qualify for the playoffs. The Rovers set the ultimate bar in their 3rd year by finishing 4th overall and winning the King’s Cup.

Ima Dumass

Expansion Year
500s 33 pts 0.250
AVI 47 pts 0.356
GPS 17 pts 0.315 (after 27 games)
RAY 57 pts 0.432
REA 29 pts 0.220
ROV 35 pts 0.265 (Kings Cup's winner - RHL13)
SEL 17 pts 0.129 (Premier Champion - RHL14)
SNO 47 pts 0.356
SPE 34 pts 0.258
THU 28 pts 0.212
TME 11 pts 0.083
WIC 34 pts 0.258
YDP 57 pts 0.432

Year 2
500s 49 pts 0.371
AVI 72 pts 0.545 (Qualified for playoffs)
RAY 52 pts 0.394
REA 32 pts 0.571 (after 28 games)
ROV 52 pts 0.394
SEL 15 pts 0.114
SNO 39 pts 0.295
SPE 43 pts 0.326
THU 38 pts 0.288
TME 27 pts 0.205
WIC 47 pts 0.356
YDP 57 pts 0.432

Year of the Dog

2006-01-29T23:42:00.000-07:00

Yellowknife (CP) Gong Hay Fat Choy ! The lunar new year has arrived as millions welcome the year of the dog. Traditional celebrations usually last over a week as party goers feast until they are 'drink full, eat drunk'. Mix the words around and you can see how loaded one could get (no messing here true phrase translated word for word). Anyways YDP definitely entered the year of the dog in Chateau Bow Wow, going 1-4-2 in their last 7 games. 'Some of the guys are struggling,' said Wong, 'we just need to pull together as a team and work our way out of this slump.'

Ima Dumass (CP)

Welcome to Penetrator Nation

2006-01-29T23:34:00.000-07:00

To everyone in RHL land, welcome to Penetrator Nation. The recent popularity of the blog world (Thank you Mr.Farley) has forced, I mean encouraged, YDP management to create a one stop shop for all information related to Yellowknife's beloved Dangerous Penetrators. Please don't expect any fancy smancy stuff like pictures or font harmonization. What you will come to expect is hard nose reporting by our very own beloved Ima Dumass.