The AHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers are set to begin their 23rd season in the league from their third new home in as many years. Now based out of their parent club’s own backyard, the Edmonton Road Runners are ready to roll for the 2004-05 season.
The Toronto Roadrunners, last year’s squad, managed to claw their way out of the league cellar at the Christmas break all the way to the postseason which was no small feat considering it was basically an expansion year. After sharing the Hamilton Bulldogs with the Montreal Canadiens in 2002-03, the Oilers basically assembled a squad with a mixture of prospects and league castoffs and formed a club that enjoyed an all too short playoff season.
This time around the team is much more refined and consists almost entirely of prospects the team has drafted or signed with long-term plans in mind. The Road Runners will still play out of the Northern Division but will have games against teams from the AHL’s Western Division, something they did not experience last year.
Departures: Michael Henrich, Chad Hinz, Peter Hogan, Jan Horacek, Mikko Luoma, Jani Rita, Dave Roche and Dan Tessier.
Arrivals: Kyle Brodziak, Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, Simon Ferguson, Brent Henley, Rick Mrozik, Toby Petersen and Brock Radunske.
Goaltending
Edmonton begins the new campaign without a clear No. 1 goaltender but team officials insist that the situation is not uncommon for teams in the development league.
“In the AHL we traditionally platoon our guys and we want to make sure we give them the opportunity to play,” explained head coach Geoff Ward. “Down the stretch if one guy emerges from the pack then we change our thinking but for us it’s always been an opportunity to break in young guys and I don’t think it will be any different this year.”
Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, pegged with the label of franchise goalie, will begin the year in a partnership with career minor leaguer Tyler Moss. Moss, the veteran of 314 minor league games and experience with 15 different pro teams, is being counted on for the guidance and tutelage of Drouin-Deslauriers. The organization has high expectations of Drouin-Deslauriers, but they realize that the rookie year for any player can be a difficult one so they are ready and willing to ride out any rough spots ahead.
“If he struggles at all we’re not going to force the issue with him too much,” Oiler GM Kevin Lowe said during training camp. “Jeff’s not a cocky kid but I think he’s confident in his ability. He’s got a great work ethic and a lot of natural ability.”
The odd man out from training camp was Mike Morrison but his performance over the ten-day stretch was quite impressive and the team has no qualms about using all three goaltenders at different times this year.
“The fact that we have three good goalies that can play is a strength for us and you never seem to go through a year without injuries or call ups so for us, we know we have depth at that position,” Ward said. “As good as (JDD) has played, he still hasn’t played any pro hockey yet.”
It is expected that Drouin-Deslauriers will split games with Moss, although the latter is tentatively scheduled to get the nod on opening night. The rookie was a standout with Chicoutimi last year but fans should expect growing pains with any first year players and especially between the pipes. Moss, who’s new mask has arrived just in time that he can finally ditch his old Vancouver one, has been a very steady keeper at the American League level and he will definitely be expected to be the backbone of the team again, especially if Drouin-Deslauriers struggles.
Defense
Internally, the Road Runners believe that the defensive corps of their squad is a vastly underrated strength. It’s an interesting mix of wily veterans and top-notch youngsters without a soft player in the bunch. In fact, if one thing can be said with utmost certainty this year it’s that no opposing forward lines will leave Edmonton unmarked.
The top pairing on the backend consists of rugged Dan Smith and highly regarded prospect Jeff Woywitka.
“He’s a good leader in the room; he was the guy who came to work whether it was practice or a game and he’d make sure the guys were ready to go,” Woywitka described. “For me as a young guy, when I needed to get hell he gave me hell and you need to hear that from a veteran. We played together and we were pretty good, we usually played against the other team’s top line so for me he helped me a lot down the way.”
The second duo is made up of 2004 AHL All-Star Doug Lynch and gladiator-like Rocky Thompson. The final three blueliners are Mathieu Roy, Brent Henley and veteran newcomer Rick Mrozik who skated for the Rochester Americans last season.
At first glance it looks obvious that six of the seven rearguards are strictly of the ‘defense first’ variety. The smooth skating, puck rushing Woywitka is the only one fans should expect to see joining an odd-man rush or attempting to lead an attack from his own end. However, a review of last year’s stats reveals that it was Lynch and not Woywitka that lead the team in defensive scoring. Both Lynch and Woywitka have howitzer class point shots from the point and should see plenty of power play time.
“I like the veteran presence that we have on our backend,” Ward said. “We have three really solid veteran guys that can settle our young players down and work with them and we’ve got two pretty good prospects on their way up in Jeff Woywitka and Doug Lynch. The make up of our backend is one that is going to allow us to play a pretty good style.”
Scoring opportunities will be created from some of the blueliners but make no mistake about it, the first priority of this group is to keep the puck out of their own net. If they can bruise some opponents in the process through either body checking or knuckle chucking that’s considered a perk of the job.
“I take pride in being physical and tough in front of the net, tough in the corners and sometimes I have to fight to do that,” shrugged Lynch. “I’ve got no problems doing that at all; I’ve fought my whole career in junior, I like the physical aspect and getting dirty like that. I didn’t have very many penalty minutes last year but that just wasn’t the role that I was in. I was partnered with the toughest guy in the league so I didn’t really need to step up but it’s something I can do.”
Rocky Thompson is already a crowd favorite and towering Brent Henley will be one within a month with his similarly aggressive style of play. ‘The Henley Giant’ fought off nagging back spasms through the September rookie camp and wouldn’t admit he was still dealing with the discomfort through Road Runner camp. The integrity and character of the 6’7 monster simply radiates off of him and his quick wit has already made him a media go-to guy.
Forwards
It’s unclear at this point which of Edmonton’s top two lines would be considered No. 1 and 2, but the job description for both is easily discernable, score and do it often.
The trio of Mike Bishai, Jamie Wright and Brad Winchester is intact from last year and is looking to build off the late season success they found together as a unit. It’s a classic combination of playmaker, scorer and power forward that is enough to give opposing teams fits in their own end.
“I’m definitely
comfortable with them and I think we clicked for a while there at the end of
the season,” Bishai commented.
“(Wright) likes to shoot the puck and I like to dish it so we work well
together and Brad is a big guy, an excellent player and he’s going to be a real
force this year I think. His size and
strength really help guys like Jamie and me out there.”
Winchester,
Edmonton’s second round selection back in 2000, is now topping the scales at
6’5 and 230 lbs so driving to the net has definitely become an easier task than
when he first broke into the league.
“I think I’m developing and continually trying to take my game to a higher level,” said the right-winger. “I had a good summer, worked hard and I’m starting to fill in my frame more. Everyone has their own timeline but as long as I continue to work hard and I improve then I feel good about my game and now I’m really looking forward to the start of the season.”
Bishai is coming off a year that was interrupted by an extended NHL stint and looks as if the big league experience has fueled his fire and accelerated his development.
“He’s improved his speed, he’s certainly improved his competitiveness, and he wants to play in the NHL,” Road Runner GM Scott Howson simplified. “He’s has good vision and he competes for the puck. At the end of one year he didn’t really impress us that much then the next year we had the split in Hamilton and we sent him to the ECHL and he wasn’t very happy about that. From then on he’s just worked his way back.”
“I really want Bishai to emerge as an elite player at the AHL level,” Ward said back in the summer. “We think we saw that from him last year but I think this year is his time to come in and assert himself as that person.”
More recently the coach reiterated his opinion that the Edmonton born center should be his top player this year.
“He’s come an awful long way in a short period of time because he’s really embraced the fact that he’s got to work so hard and I think that’s allowed him to train better in the summer. As a result, I think we see a guy who is now ready to take that next step and assume that elite status at this level.”
If the aforementioned combination is to be termed ‘line 1’ then the next trio would have to be called ‘1-A’. Jarret Stoll returns to the AHL after a complete season as an Edmonton Oiler and he’ll center two diminutive but formidable wingers in Tony Salmelainen and Toby Petersen. Having Stoll back on the team should help should help on both the power play and the penalty kill units, both of which were no better than average.
As far as that goes, Toby Petersen is another player who the coaching staff is relying on for contributions when they have the man advantage too. The former member of the Pittsburgh Penguins managed just 15 goals last year but recorded 31 the season before that while in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
“I remember playing against Petersen and he’s a really creative with the puck and has great hands and (Stoll) is the same way; great hands, quick feet and he has an unbelievable shot,” described blueliner Dan Smith. “Both of those two guys are going to bring a lot to our room.”
Tony Salmelainen was Edmonton’s third pick in the 1999 draft and has shown improvement every year since being plucked from Finland’s amateur ranks. The winger has big league wheels and would have challenged for an NHL roster spot had there been a season this year. Salmelainen is the only European player on the minor league roster, but he’ll be in the spotlight on many nights.
“This is Tony’s third season now with the team and he’s comfortable playing at our level, with life (in North America) and he’s a guy we look to have some big moments for us,” said Ward.
The checking line has a new center in Joe Cullen but wingers Nate DiCasmirro and Sean McAslan are back in their familiar roles. The third line was a useful and effective tool for the Road Runners and should be even more so with the further development of Cullen who replaces Chad Hinz.
“I think Cullen fits that role and he’s a great player,” complimented DiCasmirro. “He’s a guy that skates well, he can shoot the puck and he digs in the corners because he’s big and strong.”
“I hope so, that’s the way it looks right now and he’d be a good replacement that’s for sure,” McAslan replied when asked if Cullen was right for the job. “He’s good defensively, he’s fast and he can put the puck in the net too.”
The rest of the forward force includes returning center J.J. Hunter, the scrappy and agitating Dan Baum and rookies Brock Radunske, Kyle Brodziak and Simon Ferguson. After quietly putting together an impressive rookie campaign in 2003-04, Hunter is a blue-collar player who fits in well on a team that represents a city built on the same hard working philosophy.
After battling mysterious headaches and getting a late start on training camp, Baum has finally been cleared to play and will dress for opening night. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you just how important a player like Baum is for the Road Runners. He’s the thorn that the Oilers have been long searching for to jab under the skin of other teams and the fact that he’s more than willing to take on anyone makes Baum a respectable pest; he doesn’t need anyone else to fight his battles for him.
Simon Ferguson went through rookie and Road Runner camp as a free agent but with a very tenacious style, not unlike Baum’s, he has earned a stay with the AHL club. Practically everyday Ferguson has had someone on the ice shaking his head in frustration or has drawn the ire of a player after a run in.
“We told the guys when they came to camp to show us what they can do as a player and to play to their strengths,” Ward explained. “That’s something that’s in his game, he’s shown that he can play here, he has no fear and not only does he stir it up but he also creates scoring chances. This is a guy who is more than a one dimensional hockey player.”
It’s more than likely that Ferguson, Brodziak and Radunske will begin the year on some sort of rotation and that the coaching staff will work them in slowly. It’s a major adjustment to the pro ranks for a player coming out of junior or NCAA and so fans should expect these players to come along slowly. Making the team was perhaps the easy part; getting a game day roster spot will be the challenge.
“I’m very happy so far with the way things are going but now I have to work hard everyday to get into the line up,” agreed Brodziak. “I know it’s going to be hard every night to start with but that’s why with every opportunity I get I have to make the best of it.”
Management
Head Coach Geoff Ward begins his second full term as bench boss after succeeding Claude Julien midway through the 2002-03 campaign in Hamilton where he began as an assistant. Known as a player’s coach, Ward clearly has the ear of his room and he has created an atmosphere of confidence for his team. Patient, well spoken and a good leader, Ward has already shown the ability to teach with the metaphorical open hand but gets his point across with a closed one as well.
Joe Paterson returns to assist Ward with the everyday development of the Road Runners. Several players have identified the former NHL player and his wealth of experience as being a great help in adjusting to the league. J.J. Hunter credits much of his success last year to extra practice sessions with Paterson in which the natural center was shown how to play the wing.
One of the two newcomers to the bench is a very familiar face to Edmonton hockey fans. Kelly Buchberger, the organization’s all-time penalty minute leader and long time fan favorite returns to the city in a new role with the Road Runners. As an assistant coach Buchberger expects to find himself in the same boat as several of his players — learning the ropes.
“Probably not getting out onto the ice and doing what you can do,” ‘Bucky’ laughed when asked what the hardest part of his job will be. “The only thing I’ve ever done is play the game and now as part of the coaching staff you’re kind of stuck watching.”
The last piece and most recent addition to the puzzle is Steve Serdachny who was recently named as the skills and skating coach. Serdachny is well known in hockey circles for his power skating school, based in Edmonton, and the clinics he puts on all over the hockey globe. With experience working with players at all levels of hockey, the Road Runners believe Serdachny’s teachings will help round their players into better skaters.
Outlook
The Road Runners are an eerie replication of their NHL big brothers in many ways. Both teams are very good five-on-five but noticeably struggle when it comes to their special teams. Last season the ‘Runners had one of the worst penalty kill records in the AHL and their power play was middle of the pack. As stated earlier, much hope lays in the additions of Toby Petersen and Jarret Stoll for both of those areas but the maturing of Jeff Woywitka, Mike Bishai, Tony Salmelainen and Doug Lynch should also be major benefit.
“Our power play was great in spurts last year and our penalty kill percentage didn’t end up great but at points it was really good,” countered Ward. “I think for us out of the hop we want to make sure we’re making more of an impact with our special teams.”
Ward believes that his team will again have little problem putting the puck in the net despite only managing one goal in two preseason contests.
“We scored the eighth most goals in the league last year so we like the depth of our scoring,” he said. “If you’re not getting the chances you start worrying about it but we had quality chances on the weekend. We feel that’s one of the strengths of our team.”
The biggest plus the team has going into the year is the fact that there is a solid veteran presence to steady the nerves of the few inexperienced players joining the team. In a league where teams are often only as strong as their rookies, the Road Runners have only four with them to begin the year and only Drouin-Deslauriers will be a main focus in the early going.
“Even though we’re still a young team, I think our experience is going to be a strength,” the coach said. “I don’t think we’ve had as many guys returning in any year that I’ve been with this team so the fact that we have a lot of bodies coming back is going to help us early.”
What most AHL teams have over the Road Runners this year is a greater quantity of NHL players returning to their lineups. Hamilton (MTL/DAL) and San Antonio (FLA) are the first two teams on Edmonton’s schedule and both are equipped with notable names. Jay Bouwmeester, Stephen Weiss and Nathan Horton will lead the Rampage into Rexall Place just days after Ron Hainsey, Trevor Daley, Steve Ott and the Bulldogs help open the season.
“Hamilton is going to be a tough team,” sighed Kevin Lowe. “They’ve already played six exhibition games so they’re ahead of us and they have the luxury of having some pretty good players from Dallas as well with the Canadiens prospects.”
All the teams projected to do very well this year have at least a pair or three returning NHL players but the Road Runners have only Jarret Stoll to welcome back. It will be a year where Edmonton will adjust to the travel from a new home, face new teams in unfamiliar cities and arenas but in the end the ‘Runners should be competitive enough to challenge for a playoff spot.
Few guarantees can be made in sports but here are two when it comes to Edmonton’s AHL club. With season ticket sales now well over the 5000-seat plateau, the Oilers will definitely be in the top echelon for league attendance figures as last year’s top team in that category, Manchester, averaged over 9000 fans in attendance. Lastly, no team in the AHL will boast a larger media contingent as legions of NHL television, print and radio reporters desperately wait to sink their teeth into some hockey action. If only either stat helped when it came to the win column.
While the fan base has grown nicely, the organization realizes that this has been a NHL market for several years and that it could take time for hockey fans in Edmonton to recognize the Road Runners on an even keel with the Oilers.
“It’s a slow process for people in the city to come around to the fact that they have another team in town to cheer for,” agreed Lowe recently. “I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised at the caliber of hockey. Every time I go and see an AHL game I’m impressed with the level of play. I’m not saying this because you guys are here and we’re trying to promote the Road Runners, but I am legitimately, personally excited about watching the game on Friday night.”
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