Dogs Open Pre-Season With Win

 Niagara opened the pre-season with a 4-1 win over the Erie Otters. For more information on the game check out the article on the IceDogs web site.

Below is listed the IceDogs cuts made after the Black v White game. No real surprises on the list;

 

Forwards - Nick Vangog, Josh Dadic, Joel Forestell, Chris Dintale, Craig McDowell, Freddie Santini, Jesse McIntyre, Matt Baldasarra, Cam Stewart, Kyle Davis, Paul Thompson, Mike Irvine, Thomas Baker, Blake Ertel, Shane Koabel, Cody Dawe, Zenon Byblow, Ryan Speers, Jamie Pursell, Anthony Ranieri and Alex Lubchuk 

Defencemen - Chris Ardell, Nik Knezic, Shane Rover, Keith Maisonville, Jake Braun, Mark Tatangelo, Brandon MacIntosh, Christian Finsh and Kirk Evely 

Goaltenders - Brennan Knoblock, Jared Lockhurst, Mark Nothers, Mac Bouffard and Brendan Gorecki.

Let The Battles Begin

 The Niagara IceDogs are set to begin the pre-season tonight as they head down to Jamestown New York, to take on the Erie Otters. With camp behind them the Dogs still have some roster battles that will have to be settled before the season begins. 

  In net John Cullen seemed to be the best option after the annual scrimmage last night. Max Englbrecht still looks like he is trying to get comfortable on the smaller ice surface. He seemed to be very quick from post to post, once he secures his angles he could challenge for the starting spot. Mark Nothers has played well and could be a dark horse in the battle if one of the other two slip up. This years third round pick Mark Visentin may have to wait for next season before putting on a Dogs jersey, but he does give the team a potential starter in a couple seasons. There is also the possibility that GM Dave Brown is still looking for a veteran netminder to backstop the club. There is nothing for certain yet but the rumours continue to fly. A reliable goalie will be key for the Dogs in the first couple months of the season with three key defenceman heading out to NHL camps. 

   Alex Pietrangelo, Drew Schiestel and Scott Fletcher are going to be lost to the Dogs for a while and that will open up a couple spots on the roster, if and when they return. Odds are Pietrangelo will go through the entire pre-season with St. Louis and play a couple regular season games before coming back to Niagara. Drew Schiestel may be in the same situation. Both players options are limited due to NHL rules. They can either play in the NHL or the OHL. Fletcher's situation may be more difficult to predict. Being an overage player, Scott is free to play anywhere in the Boston organization if signed. 

So with those players away, the IceDogs will be relying on Josh Day and Reggie Traccitto to anchor the defence until they return. Rookies Jay Gilbert, David McMullen and Mike Schwindt will all be called on to step up their game and contribute immediately. That will leave the Brown with a tough decision. How many blueliners does the squad keep until the veterans return? He may be able to get away with those five and move a forward back to the point for a few games or keep one of the other defenceman that are in camp knowing that they will be sent back to tier II soon after the season starts. 

 Up front there were a couple lines in the Black v White game that have some potential in the regular season. Matt Piva, Johnson Andrews and Marco Insam really seem to have some chemistry and could be a good trio for the Dogs as could the line of Alex Friesen, Chris DeSousa and Thomas Middup. You would think that would leave Andrew Merrett, Andrew Agozzino, Dylan MacEachern, Freddie Hamilton, Matt Sisca, Jason Bergeron and Mike MacIsaac to fill in the other combinations. However, if you remember the IceDogs are considering moving Scott Fletcher to forward when he returns from Boston. Then there's the overage problem. The Dogs currently have five and as mentioned before, are rumoured to be looking at an OA goalie. In case you are unsure of the overage rules here they are. The team can start the season with as many OA's as they would like, but they have to be down to four by November 15th. From there they must be down to three by the trade deadline. Finally, there are a few rookies looking to make this team as well. I don't know about anyone else but personally, I thought Andrew Shaw was very impressive in the scrimmage and deserves a shot at some quality minutes in the pre-season. He had great hands, good speed and a nice scoring touch. Vlad Bessenov and Steven Ceccenese were call ups last season and will also be pushing to find a spot on the roster. 

 There is just a few days until the season starts for Niagara but I don't think we will get a good feel for the IceDogs roster until after October. Until then, we may be treated to some great hockey as players battle it out every night for a roster spot. 

 

Niagara IceDogs to Host ADT Challenge

Volpe Headed to Rangers

The Niagara IceDogs have traded goaltender Adrian Volpe to the Kitchener Rangers for a 15th round pick in 2010. The young net minder served as the backup to Andrew Loverock early in his first season but after Lucas Lobsinger returned from injury and the IceDogs acquired Sebastian Dahm he was sent to the Jr. B Falcons. Volpe was 4-1 in his rookie season with the Dogs.
The IceDogs goaltending situation is certainly up in the air this off season and with Volpe gone and the possibility that Lobsinger may decide to go to university and not return as an overage player, that would leave the IceDogs with a complete unknown between the pipes.
GM Dave Brown has indicated that he is looking to sign a free agent goalie and it may be fair to speculate that this free agent would be a goalie with significant experience.

Niagara to Host ADT Challenge

The Niagara IceDogs announced todat that they will host the ADT Canada/Russia Challenge on Monda November 24th.
Season ticket holders will be given first right of refusal and any remaining tickets will be opened up to the public via a lottery system. More ticket information will be made available in September.
During the conference, both the OHL and the IceDogs made it very clear that even though the facilities may not be the best in the league, the fans of the IceDogs were reason enough to have the game here in Niagara.

New Dog in the Pack

 Today the Niagara IceDogs announced they have signed first round draft pick Freddie Hamilton. The newest member of the pack was selected 14th overall in May. Hamilton played for the Toronto Marlboros last season scoring 59 goals and adding 62 assists in just 74 games. Hamilton was impressive in his first action with the IceDogs at the annual Prospects Camp in June.  Although rookies traditionally have a tough start in the OHL, I think you can expect to see Freddie get a good amount of ice-time this season with the IceDogs having a young group of forwards that will need the scoring help. This could certainly speed up his development as it did for Alex Friesen.   

IceDogs Add Winger

 The Niagara IceDogs have announced they added winger Thomas Middup to the roster today. Middup was sent from the Kingston Frontenacs to Niagara in exchange for a conditional seventh round draft pick. 

 Middup managed eight points and four penalty minutes in 44 games for Kingston last season. 

 GM Dave Brown thinks Thomas could have an immediate impact.

  

“Thomas is a young, skilled player who is thrilled to join the IceDogs organization” said Dave Brown. “We believe that he will compete for a spot on our top two lines and are excited to add him to our roster.” 

Thomas could be with the Dogs for a while, he was born in 1990. That puts him in the same year as players like Dylan MacEachern, Chris DeSousa and Mathew Maione.