GM: David Bell
Coach: Jay Woodcroft
Last season: 17th overall. In playoffs, lost to Berlin
Ins and Outs
(Season 13 to Season 14)
In: Justin Schultz (free agent), Lawson Crouse (free agency), Michal Kristof (free agent), Ryan McLeod (free agency), Artem Zub (free agent), Scott Laughton (free agent), Keith Petruzzelli (draft), Logan Thompson (draft), Evan Nause (draft)
Out: Andrew Hammond (free agency), Danny Dekeyser (free agency), Jonas Siegenthaler (waivers), Owen Tippett (waivers)
Potential Lineup
Matthew Tkachuk/Tyler Johnson/Par Arlbrandt
Jason Robertson/Aapeli Rasanen/Robby Fabbri
Mathis Olimb/Jaden Schwartz/Alex Tuch
Jesper Boqvist/Luke Kunin/Seth Jarvis
Ryan Pulock/Justin Schultz
Evan Bouchard/Josh Morrissey
Anthony DeAngelo/Marcus Pettersson
Keith Petruzzelli/Logan Thompson
Three Questions
1. Are there any big changes in Milan ? Most of last year’s Guerriero are back this year except for a couple big parts. Andrew Hammond, perhaps the most well-known Milan player ever, left for free agency after spending 8 seasons as the team’s main goalie. It was fairly apparent GM David Bell was not willing to pay the close to $8 million that the goalie’s agent was asking for. In fact, Bell picked goalies in rounds 1 and 2 of the draft to prepare for a post-Hammond world. And the team now has a cushion of about $5 million to work with in their budget. Longtime defense star Danny Dekeyser, 33, also left the fold. He provided good offense from the point for the team for a decade. In his place through free agency comes Justin Schultz, a great passer and the winner of the Best Defenseman Trophy 3 years ago. He is 33 and weak defensively, but he still has major wheels and scored 61 points two years in a row before dropping last season to 36 points. Expect Evan Bouchard to be promoted into the club to continue a pattern of this team growing mostly through the draft.
2. What is the team’s strongpoint now? Last season, Andrew Hammond was the team’s best performer, if you look at the team stats that showed Goals Against Per Game noticeably better than the other areas. It appears balance and depth are the hallmarks of the Milan team now. Guerriero forwards, even the ones they rely on for offense like Tyler Johnson, Jaden Schwartz and Par Arlbrandt take pride in their defensive play. The team mixes age groups, speed, size and finesse like not many other teams do. There isn’t a ton of team toughness in this group, although Matthew Tkachuk and Alex Tuch will be happy to bang into your players. The Guerriero probably should have been better than they were last season and they seem to have the ingredients for a strong run.
3. Why did they have trouble securing a playoff spot last season ? These guys are a family if there ever was one. They stay together for years and they often have the same defense partner or linemates their whole time in Italy. But for some reason, there was a little staleness in their game last season. Several forwards experienced downturns in their performances. Mathis Olimb got hurt a lot. That didn’t help. Robby Fabbri’s production dropped from 52 points in Season 12 to just 32 in Season 13. Aapeli Rasanen went from 56 to 34; Tyler Johnson from 95 to 75; and Matt Tkachuk dipped from 86 to 70. And the top offensive defensemen on the team also produced less. Families tend to work out their problems in one way or another and push on with life. Perhaps the Guerriero will change up some line combos and defense pairings and find the right path this season. Perhaps some spice is needed to this meal. That will be for the coach to figure out.
Rose’s Focus
“I always tend to look at the younger men on these teams. (Ooh. That sounded a little dirty, didn’t it?) I like what I see in Evan Bouchard. I see him as someone who is smart and talented. I think his puck-carrying skill could help the Guerriero drive deeper into the opponent’s end (Boy, that also sounded a little dirty, didn’t it?) to help them sustain pressure and get more prime scoring chances. One young player won’t turn around an entire team’s fortunes, but he could help, I think. When he first gets good ice time, and maybe that will be this year, I could see him being a nominee for Rookie of the Year. “
