Yesterday, I tracked the 2014-15 Utica Comets roster—looking at which players will be returning to the club and which ones have moved on.
Click here if you missed it.
Today, I'll look at the new players who will be coming into the Comets organization this season.
The Comets haven't updated their roster page since the end of last season, so I'm working off the list of the Canucks' non-roster players at
General Fanager.
One other note with respect to minor-league affiliations: This season, ECHL teams are allowed to have just one NHL affiliate. Last year, the Canucks were affiliated with the Kalamazoo Wings, but the Wings have opted to stick with the Columbus Blue Jackets for 2015-16. At this point, no announcement has been made about where the Canucks will place their ECHL-level players for the upcoming season.
Forwards:
Dane Fox: signed out of junior as an undrafted free agent, Fox spent last season in the ECHL with the Kalamazoo Wings, where he recorded 30 goals and 45 points in 70 games. Fox turns 22 in October. Here's what
Hockey's Future has to say about Fox's prospects for the upcoming season:
After playing his first pro season exclusively with the ECHL Kalamazoo Wings, Fox has his sights set on Utica for 2015-16. His big body and scoring touch will hopefully translate to a decent AHL rookie season. His overall game remains a work in progress and he must increase his mobility and be more consistent in his positional play if he is to have a chance to move up to the AHL and eventually NHL levels. Long-term his high end potential is that of a big bodied scorer with a physical edge to his game.
Joseph Labate: Drafted in the fourth round in 2011, 6'4" centre Joseph Labate spent four full years at Wisconsin, then was signed by the Canucks last spring and played two games with Utica. At 22, he'll play his first pro season this fall.
Hockey's Future says that Labate "is not a gifted forward in terms of creativity, agility and stick handling skills but uses his frame to protect the puck and creates scoring chances by going into the tough areas." They project that he'll land between Utica and the ECHL in 2015-16.
Ludwig Blomstrand: Drafted in the fourth round in 2011, Blomstrand's a left-winger who has spent the last two seasons with Kalamazoo. Now 22, Blomstrand's in the last year of his entry-level contract, so he'll be trying to crack the Comets' lineup this season.
Cole Cassels: One of the Canucks' most intriguing prospects, Cassels was a third-round draft pick in 2013 but has excelled as an agitating center in his last two years of junior—most notably in shutting down Connor McDavid on his way to the 2015 Memorial Cup with the Oshawa Generals.
Cassels has spent most of the summer rehabbing an abdominal injury, but is currently in Vancouver, training with some of the other prospects. The boys took in the Whitecaps game on Wednesday night:
Adam Cracknell: Signed by the Canucks as a free agent earlier this week, Cracknell's a big-bodied right-winger at 6'1" and 216 pounds. Now 30 years old, Cracknell split his time last season between the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he played 17 games, and the AHL's Springfield Falcons and Chicago Wolves.
Cracknell has 82 games of NHL experience with the Blue Jackets and the St. Louis Blues.
Blair Jones: Best-known to me as one of the former Calgary Flames who was involved in the infamous 2014 line brawl with the Canucks, Jones is a 6'3", 218-pound center. The 28-year-old has 132 games of NHL experience and spent most of last season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms as part of the Philadephia Flyers organization. He'll be another tough veteran presence with the Comets next season.
Defense:
Ben Hutton: Originally drafted by the Canucks in the fifth round in 2012, Hutton made the jump to Utica after three years of college hockey with Maine. The 6'3", 200-pound left-shooting 22-year-old played four regular-season games with the Comets and scored one goal, but did not take part in the playoffs.
Andrey Pedan: Acquired by Jim Benning midway through last season in exchange for Alexandre Mallet and a third-round pick, Pedan's a 6'4", 211-pound left-shooting Lithuanian with a penchant for toughness.
In 42 games with the Comets last season, Pedan put up 14 points and 70 penalty minutes, but missed the playoffs due to injury.
Hockey's Future calls Pedan "quite raw as far as development is concerned," but says he "could still develop into a decent third pair defender with good physical attributes."
Jordan Subban: Drafted in the fourth round in 2013, Subban's now 20 years old and ready to make the jump from junior after four years with he Belleville Bulls.
Subban's small, especially for a defenseman—listed at 5'9" and 175 pounds. But he has great bloodlines and tore up the OHL last season, finishing eighth among defensemen in scoring with 25 goals and 52 points in 63 games and leading his team in scoring.
Subban showed a skillful game and a nice point shot here in Vancouver during training camp last season. He'll almost certainly start the season in Utica but should be a player to watch.
Ashton Sautner: A 21-year-old who was undrafted out of junior, Sautner was signed by the Canucks as a free agent. He's 6 feet and 192 pounds. Hockey's Future expects him to start the season in the ECHL.
Mackenze Stewart: Drafted in the seventh round in 2014, Stewart may start his minor-league career as a left winger. He also *could* be returned to junior for an overage season with Prince Albert, says
Hockey's Future:
He will need to take the long road through the ECHL and AHL if he is ever to have a chance at a jump to the NHL. Recent reports indicate that he may be tried as a winger in 2015-16. His massive frame and willingness to battle would make him a handful for opposing defenders and this route may give him the best chance at an NHL contract one day.
Anton Cederholm: Drafted in the fifth round in 2013, Cederholm's a sturdy Swedish defenseman who has just finished up his junior career with the Portland Winterhawks. His strength is his shutdown ability. Hopefully he gets a chance to start his career with the Comets.
Taylor Fedun: Signed as an unrestricted free agent over the summer, Fedun's now 27 and has played just 11 NHL games. An undrafted defenseman who came up through the college route, Fedun's big NHL opportunity with the Edmonton Oilers was derailed by a badly broken leg in September of 2011. After missing an entire season, he spent most of the following two years in Oklahoma City, then was with San Jose's AHL affiliate in Worcester for most of last season.
Fedun's now an experienced AHL defenseman who was likely signed to add some maturity to the Utica blue line.
Evan McEneny: Originally signed as an undrafted junior before the 2012-13 season, Evan McEneny is now 21 and just completed an overage year in the OHL with the Kingston Frontenacs.
With so many defensive prospects competing for ice time in Utica next season, it's likely that McEneny will get bumped down to the ECHL level.
Goal:
Joe Cannata: Drafted by the Canucks in the sixth round in 2009, Cannata is now 25 years old and back at the AHL level after spending most of last season with the Ontario Reign of the ECHL. The departures of Jacob Markstrom and Joacim Ericsson should mean that Cannata splits duties in Utica with Richard Bachman next season.
Richard Bachman: Signed as an unrestricted free agent over the summer, 28-year-old Bachmann's a reliable AHL journeyman who has been up and down to the AHL over the last few seasons—first with the Dallas Stars, then with the Edmonton Oilers. He should do well in Utica and will likely be the first call-up if either Ryan Miller or Jacob Markstrom gets injured in Vancouver.
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