Article from Friday's People's Press

Read it here: http://www.owatonna.com/news.php?viewStory=27778

The article was basically an interview with Bill Stewart, and covered alot of the topics that have been discussed here. Bill answered alot of questions that have been brought up since the inception of the team. The article mentioned that General Manager Rick Kolz is an unpaid volunteer. Hopefully this team will make it financially, and he can get a paycheck somewhere down the line. Thanks Rick, and thanks to the 6 other members of the board of directors, the donors, the volunteers, and everybody else that had a part in bringing NAHL hockey back to Owatonna. It is because of you that we'll have a team on the ice in a little over a month.

--BK

Miscellaneous Wednesday News

- Our new rival to the south, finally announced their new head coach, just in time for their final tryout camp which opens today. Read the article here: http://www.albertleatribune.com/news/2008/jul/30/thunder-introduces-new-head-coach/


- Side note to the people who are complaining about the Express roster not being released to the public: The Albert Lea Thunder's final camp is closed to the public. At least we were able to watch the Express tryout camp. So the Express aren't the only franchise that keep their cards close to the vest.


- The Express have announced the ticket prices for the 2008/09 season. You can see the entire breakdown here: http://www.expressjrhockey.org/tickets.htm Call and get yours today, and lock up the best seats available.


- Are the Express playing at the 4 Seasons all year??? This could be just an oversight by the league's scheduling people, but they have all the Express home games being played at the 4 Seasons. this includes 2 games against North Iowa on February 27 & 28, and a game against the Outlaws on March 15th. It was talked about at the early organizational meetings that maybe the late season/playoff games could be played in the west rink at the 4 Seasons, instead of having to move to Faribault/Kasson. Could somebody within the organization either confirm or deny this please??

- Expect some Express related news in the Friday issue of the People's Press.

--BK

Player Profile - Nick Carson

Nick Carson - 6'1"/185lbs - Defenseman

1989 birth year from Blaine, Minnesota. Spent the 2004/2005 season as a forward with the Shattuck-St. Mary's Under 16 team where he was a teammate of former Express player Ami Peled. Spent the next 2 seasons at Blaine High School, qualifying for the state tournament both years. In the 2006/2007 season he scored at least a point in every game he played, totaling 4 goals and 25 assists. Following the completion of the high school season, he came to the Southern Minnesota Express where he played 3 regular season games, and 11 out of 12 games during the Express's playoff run, which included an appearance at the Robertson Cup Championship in Fairbanks, Alaska. Played in the 2006 Gopher Model Camp, and 2006 and 2007 Elite League where he played with Chris Slavik, Brandon Brodhag, and three of his future Express teammates. Was drafted by the Waterloo Blackhawks (USHL) in the 10th round/#113 overall in the 2006 USHL Futures Draft. Last season he played 7 games with Waterloo and 5 games with the Des Moines Bucs(USHL), before finishing the season with the Alexandria Blizzard of the NAHL.

My take: I'm glad that Nick found his way back to Owatonna. Gives the Express another defenseman with some juniors experience, which will be especially helpful early in the season as the younger guys adjust to the higher level of hockey. Even though his previous stint with the Express was only a handful of games, at least it's a name some folks might recognize.

Welcome (back) to Owatonna Nick Carson, see you in September.

Player Profile - John Kruse

John Kruse - 6'0"/180lbs - Forward

1989 birth year from Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Attended the 2006 Gopher Model Camp where he was a teammate of former Express defenseman Chris Slavik. Competed for Eden Prairie High School during the 2006/2007 season, scoring 14 goals and 30 assists. Was a member of the Section 6 Ted Brill Great 8 Roster in 2007. 2007/2008 season - Made the Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) roster out of tryout camp. Scored 1 goal in 4 preseason games with Stampede before being traded with 2008 Express draft pick Justin Lee to the NAHL's Texas Tornado. Spent the remainder of the season with Texas, scoring 8 goals and 12 assists in 45 games. Played with current teammate Troy Puente as a member of the Tornadoes. See him in action in this photo album from the Texas Tornado Booster Club: http://www.texastornadobc.com/Galleries/New_TTBC_Galleries-INDEX/Player%20Pictures/2007-2008%20Player%20Pics/25%20John%20Kruse/index.html


My take: He's a nice solid, veteran forward, who should play a big role with the Express this season, both on the ice, and off the ice as a mentor to the young guys. He's battle-hardened, having spent last year playing in the very physical South Division with the Tornado, and now gets to play in his home state with our favorite team. I look forward to watching him come September.

--BK

Saturday Morning Cup of Coffee

Lazy Saturday morning....zero plans for the weekend....newspaper.....pot of coffee....does it get any better than this??


Today's Tidbits:

- The People's Press broke the news Friday that Josh Daley was one of the 20 players chosen for this year's Express team. Josh was tendered by the Express, and looked good at tryout camp. This is one of the guys that I wasn't sure would be here, because he had several other options. I look for Josh to be a big contributor for the Express this year. You can find my original profile of him in the archives (June 6th). Here's where the OPP got the story: http://bishopcanevin.blogspot.com/2008/07/hockey-josh-daley-08-makes-owatonna.html
Welcome to Owatonna Josh Daley, see you September.

- With the addition of Daley, the official "announced" roster stands at 6 thus far. Goalie-Buegler, D-Men-Puente, Carson, Forwards-Daley, McDonald, Kruse. Although the article above said "20 players chosen", my list has 23 guys, and I would guess that Cullen will start with the full 25 players at training camp, so at least 17 more guys to announce.

- Editorial from the People's Press: http://www.owatonna.com/news.php?viewStory=27597 Thanks guys for spreading the love.


--BK

Friday Tidbits

Express draft pick Justin Lee, a defenseman who played with the Texas Tornado last year, has signed with Gustavus Adolphus College for the 2008/2009 season. I guess this explains why he did not attend tryout camp. It would have been nice to have another experienced defenseman, but this must have been an opportunity he couldn't pass up. Congratulations Justin, and good luck in St. Peter.


If you didn't get enough hockey action last weekend, there are a couple of camps you can watch this weekend. The North Iowa Outlaws opened their final camp yesterday, and it runs through Sunday. The Albert Lea Thunder open their final camp tomorrow, and it runs through Monday.


Our rivals in the Central Division stand to take a few hits as things stand today. North Iowa forward Joe Harcharik, who would have been the Outlaws leading returning scorer, is currently on the Des Moines Bucs roster. Alexandria's Joe Hartman, who would have been The Blizzard's top defenseman this season, is on the Indiana Ice's roster. The Bismarck Bobcats stand to lose 2 guys to the USHL, in forward Tye Lewis and defenseman Garrett Kennedy. Lewis is on the Omaha Lancer's roster, and Kennedy is with the Indiana Ice. This should level the playing field a little bit with our favorite team.


I found a cool article on the Texas Tornado Booster Club website. It was a message from Express defenseman Troy Puente's parents to the members of the booster club. Read it here: http://www.texastornadobc.com/#Richard%20Puente (Scroll down about 1/3 of the way through the page, next to the picture of Troy with what looks like Brett Hull) They had nothing but good things to say about the Express and Coach Cullen.


Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading.

--BK

Change to the Comments Feature

I made a change to the comments feature this morning. You will still be able to leave comments, but they will not be posted immediately. I will have to approve all comments before they will appear on the blog. I didn't want it to come to this, but due to the actions of a couple of people, it is now a necessity. I apologize to the overwhelming majority of people who contributed positively to the blog. If the few people causing trouble think they can break me, you have a lesson coming.

Stay Tuned

--BK


P.S. - I erased all comments from after 9:15am this morning. Please re-post your comments if you were legitimately adding to the conversation.

Cullen Announces 5 Players

In an article in today's People's Press, Coach Cullen announced the names of 5 players who made this year's team. Not really any surprises in the bunch, as these guys were garnering attention at camp last week, and were mentioned in last week's paper. In addition to Goalie Adam Buegler, who I did a player profile of yesterday, the other players announced were Troy Puente, John Kruse, Troy McDonald, and Nick Carson. All 5 guys are NAHL veterans, and all but Buegler were tendered by the Express.

Adam Buegler - Goalie - Former Fargo-Moorhead Jet
Troy Puente - Defenseman - Former Texas Tornado
John Kruse - Forward - Former Texas Tornado
Troy McDonald - Forward - Former Kenai River Brown Bear
Nick Carson - Defenseman - Former Alexandria Blizzard, and Southern Minnesota Express

I will do profiles of the other 4 guys in the coming days, and then we'll see what happens. I will respect Coach Cullen's desire to keep the rest of the roster hidden until the guys show up in September. If I find proof that any of the other guys are going to be here, I possibly might do a profile then, but don't hold your breath.

Read the entire article here: http://www.owatonna.com/news.php?viewStory=27604

Thanks Ian for keeping our favorite team in the news.

--BK

Player Profile - Adam Buegler

This really isn't giving up any ancient Chinese secret, as Adam was mentioned in the People's Press article last week, and just about everybody at the rink last Sunday was aware he had made the team. So here we go...


Adam Buegler - 6'0"/180lbs - Goalie

1988 Birth year. Native of New Ulm, Minnesota, where he was a 3 year player and 2007 graduate of New Ulm High school. Had a 2.52 goals against average, and a 0.911 save % his senior year. He was an alternate on the 2007 Section 1 Ted Brill Great 8 roster. Spent the first half of the 2007/08 season with the Hudson Crusaders of the MJHL. He led the MJHL with a 8-4 record, 1.98 GAA and a 0.942 save%. He was named MJHL goalie of the month for January 2008. His performance with Hudson earned him a promotion to the Fargo-Moorhead Jets of the NAHL in early February 2008. It didn't take long for him to adjust to the NAHL, as he had a phenomenal weekend against the Bismarck Bobcats February 14-16. He won 3 games against the Bobcats that weekend with 2 shutouts, and stopped 82 out of 83 shots he faced. That earned him the NAHL Central Division Player of the Week Honor. He finished the season with the Jets, with a 7-2-1-3 record, 2.42 GAA, and 0.911 save %. He had 3 appearances against the Express last year. On February 22nd, he gave up goals to Robby Spalding, Ben Danford, and Kyle Olson in the first period and was pulled, on March 11th, he gave up the game winning goal to CJ Willms 32 seconds into overtime, and on March 28, he shutout the Express in a game the Jets won 8-0.

My take: I'm not sure, but I think this was one of our tendered players. Had good numbers with the Jets last year on a fairly bad team, although the sample size was limited. I really like him for one important reason: He wants to play here and he wants to play for Coach Cullen. I talked with him last Saturday at tryout camp, and he was really excited about the chance to play in Owatonna this fall. He had a huge smile on his face, was outgoing, and seemed like a very well-mannered kid. At this point I would pencil him in as our starting goalie going into the showcase in September.

Welcome to Owatonna Adam Buegler, see you in September.

Tuesday Talking Point & A Youtube Clip

Just a couple of odds & ends for a slow Tuesday.

First, a Youtube clip of the Hanson Brothers performing in Topeka last year before a Roadrunners game against the Express.




Secondly:

What is your all-time favorite Express game??

Let me hear what you think. Pick your favorite Express game from any of the first three years and tell me why it's your favorite.

Monday Update

I just got home from a very long day at my real job, and was worried about leaving the blog without supervision for 12 hours. First thing I did when I got home was check my email (I get an email every time somebody posts a comment), and I saw 17 new comments today. Thinking that at least a few of them where going to be blasting something or other, I started to read them. Much to my surprise, nothing really out of order had been posted. So thanks for being good today, and because of that, I will reward you with some information. Before I do that, I want to mention that the blog has gotten around 600 hits in the last 4 days, and over 1000 hits in the 12 days since I added the counter. Thanks for reading, and keep spreading the word. I got a kick out of talking to people at tryout camp (without revealing that I am Big Kahuna) about the blog, and getting their opinions. Many people had good things to say, and even a few way out-of-state people were complimentary of the blog.


Today's tidbits: Makeup of the team

Players with some NAHL experience - 6
Players from AAA Midget Major programs - 5
Players from Minnesota high schools - 5
Players from high schools outside of Minnesota - 6
Players from Canadian Junior programs - 1

While I think I know which guys made the roster, I could be wrong on a few of them. In addition, there could be guys on the roster that weren't at camp. This is the best I could come up with from the information that I have. Also, don't forget that there will be players coming and going as the season progresses.

I will start to do player profiles of the guys that made the team in the coming weeks, but I am going to do it slowly, and be delicate about which guys I do at the beginning. Coach Cullen is very protective about his roster, and I don't want to do anything that could potentially hurt the organization.

Final Camp Roundup

Tryout camp is in the books. The camp all-star game was played Sunday morning with the white team beating the red team. As I type this, all 40 players on the all-star rosters, plus a few other guys that didn't play Sunday, are sitting down with Coach Cullen and Coach Fink for the exit-interviews. 20-25 of those guys will get the good news that they made the Express roster for this year's team, and the rest will have to chase the dream somewhere else. I believe the guys will report to Owatonna over Labor Day weekend, to start getting ready for the season.

Final Camp Observations:

- I chatted throughout the weekend with the family of one of the players who ended up making the team. They were very complimentary about the whole process. Multiple times they mentioned how friendly everybody was in Owatonna, and were quite impressed with how well-run the camp was.

- Several of the players mentioned that they appreciated having exit-interviews, instead of just posting a list on the wall. This showed these guys that this is a first-class organization, and should pay off down the line, as kids will want to play here.

- Everybody from the players to the referees to the scouts to the parents to the volunteers, were talking about how well-run this camp was. Many of the players and parents had been to other NAHL camps, and none of them had compared to this camp. I heard from parents that other camps had no referees, not enough coaches, and not much organization.

- Two of the scouts in attendance told me that the Express camp had the most speed on the ice of any of the NAHL camps they had been to.

- The ice was good all weekend, no problems with humidity.


Now I am not a professional hockey scout, but from what I saw this weekend, we are going to have a truly exciting team this fall. There is a handful of experienced NAHL guys, but mostly young guys fresh out of high school or AAA programs. This still is an expansion team, and the guys hadn't played together until this weekend, so it might take a little while for things to gel (remember year #1?). However I think this is going to be a team that should easily make the playoffs and contend for the Central Division championship. Cullen's first 2 Express teams had rocky starts, but got better and better as the season went along, and then peaked during the playoffs. I would expect something similar to that this time around.

I will start doing profiles of the guys that made the team over the next 5 weeks, and then it's down to business. To the guys that made the team, thanks for giving your best this weekend, and welcome to Owatonna.

Saturday Roundup

Well, Saturday was a great day of hockey up at the rink. The 3 games this morning preceded the first round of cuts this afternoon. 120 players was reduced to 80, and those 80 were re-shuffled onto 4 teams. Those four teams squared off this evening with a couple of hotly contested games. When I left the rink, the coaching staff was doing exit interviews, and cutting 40 more players. What's left will be two camp all-star teams which will play at 11:00am Sunday morning. There should be a nice crowd for a little Sunday morning hockey.

Observations from Saturday:

- The Owatonna High School guys did better than I expected, congratulations guys.

- There has been very few injuries for the amount of hockey that has been played. A couple of guys will be seeing their family dentist Monday morning, Grant Paulson from Owatonna has a shoulder stinger, and a few other minor dings and scrapes, but nothing major that I saw.

- Former Express players Vince Unklesbay and Dustin Skinner were checking out the action.

- As one would expect, a few surprise cuts were made, good luck chasing the dream elsewhere guys.


1 more game to go, and we'll have our team. I can't wait to see them wearing Express gear, and opening a can of whoop-ass on the Central Division. See you at the rink.

Friendly Reminder

I just wanted to remind people to be positive on this blog. I don't want to have to make people register to post on the site, but a few of the recent comments have made me consider doing just that.

All of the people who's opinions matter in the selection of players for this year's team, are upstairs at the rink. They are the people we have entrusted to do this task, and I trust that they know precisely what they are doing. They have a track record of success, and you have no reason to doubt them this time around.

- The tendered players list has never been released, so quit complaining about them not showing up at camp.

- High school kids are attending every team's camp every year. It will not change, so why complain about it. It's an opportunity for kids to experience this level of hockey, and who knows, maybe they will be back next year and make the team.

- Trading our tenders to other teams to get players back from last year's team was never spoken by anyone that has a final say in this year's roster. It was an idea that sounded great 4 months ago.

- Yes, some of the draft picks didn't show up. I can't imagine that anyone thought that they all would be in attendance. A majority of the no-shows are on USHL rosters. That's the way it works. Look back at some of my early posts, I looked up, and most of the draft picks in Express history don't make the roster.


Sorry to jump up on the soapbox, but I feel something needed to be said. You don't have to agree with me, or anybody else. However, if you are going to take the time to post on here, I ask that you word your comments in a way to reduce the negativity.

--BK

Friday - 2nd Session

3 more games completed. It seems that the guys are settling in, and getting use to their teammates. The chippyness has gradually increased as the sessions move on. The best game so far was the Green vs. Black matchup this afternoon. The Green team came back from a 6-2 deficit to win. There was some real physical play in the game, and as close to a fight as we've seen all camp. The crowd picked up as the afternoon session progressed, and hopefully continues to grow through the weekend.

Camp continues Saturday morning with another round of games starting at 9:30am. See you at the rink!

Friday - 1st Session

Each of the 6 teams played a game in the first session this morning. There is some very good hockey being played so far this week. Most of the games have been competitive, and the pace is fairly fast. I haven't heard a single complaint about the way camp has been run thus far, so once again, kudos to the powers that be for great organization.

Observations:

- There is a lot of talent on the ice, and a lot of quickness, including some very high end guys.

- You can start to see who some of the guys that are going to be wearing Express sweaters this fall, and they are going to be very fun to watch.

- The only thing that troubles me so far is that none of the goalies have stood out. There is plenty of hockey to be played this weekend, so let's hope the proverbial cream rises to the top, and we find a goalie or two.

- They are selling merchandise at the rink this weekend with the new color scheme and logo, so get to the rink, and bring your checkbook.


There will be 3 more games in the 2nd session today, and then 3 games Saturday morning. Then I think they are going to make a round of cuts, and scale it back to 4 teams of 20. Those 4 teams will square off in a pair or games Saturday afternoon. Another round of cuts will whittle it down to the 2 teams that will battle Sunday morning in the camp All-Star game.

More updates to come after the 2nd session, see you at the rink.

Tryout Camp - Thursday Afternoon Session

A few observations from the 3 games Thursday afternoon:

- Right around 120 players in camp, split into 6 teams, each team played once this afternoon.

- 8 of the Express's 17 draft picks were in camp by my count. They were: Dylan Porter, Mac Williams, Carson Curran, Tom Glomski, Marian Fiala, Zach Vierling, Cam Stowers, and Tim Smith.

- I would guess that most, if not all of the tendered players were there, but those names haven't been released yet. The one tender we know for sure was Josh Daley, and he was on the ice today. I think I know a few more of the tenders, but I don't want to spill the beans until Coach Cullen is ready to announce them.

- Awhile back people were commenting on how small the draft picks were height-wise and weight-wise. There seemed to be a lot of pretty big kids on the ice today, especially on the gray team.

- Lots of local kids, you can get the names from the article in today's Peoples Press.

- A handful of guys with NAHL experience. I saw guys from: Marquette Rangers, Alaska Avalanche, F-M Jets, Alexandria Blizzard, Texas Tornado, Wichita Falls Wildcats, and Kenai River Brown Bears

- No fights, which I heard was a mandate from the coaching staff.


Rosters were not made available, so it was very hard to tell who you were watching. We should be able to tell alot more on Friday when we can get a roster. From my viewpoint today, things ran exceptionally well, so kudos to the organization as a whole. Those of you who haven't jumped back on the bandwagon, should come and watch camp this weekend.

I know a bunch of you guys were at the rink today, so let me know what your thoughts were.

--BK

Tryout Camp - Goalie Session

I counted 11 goalies on the ice for the goalie session this morning. I don't have any names, but as you would figure, some looked good, some not so good. There was a couple of big tall goalies, which we've never really had here. We'll have to see what they look like in game situations.

It was cool to see the boys back on the ice, even though you don't really know any of them. More updates to come when the afternoon session is complete.

--BK

Prediction for Tryout Camp

Camp is finally here!

Before the festivities kick off Thursday morning, I'm going to take a stab at who will and will not be at tryout camp. There are 18 players we know are property of the Express, 17 draft picks and the 1 tender that has been announced.

Group #1 - Guys I think will definitely be attending camp: Dylan Porter, Mac Williams, Carson Curran, Tom Glomski, Fredrik Csisar, and Marian Fiala

Group #2 - Guys I hope will be attending, but I'm not sure of: Zach Vierling, Cam Stowers, Tim Smith, Jake Sloat, Justin Lee, Stephen Carew, and Josh Daley

Group #3 - Guys I'm not holding my breath for: Anthony Hayes, Tom McCarthy, Adam Schmidt, Dan Cecka

Group #4 - Guys I don't expect at all: Scott Winkler


Now it would be awesome if all 18 guys were in attendance, but if we can get all the guys in group #1 and group #2 I would be happy. The group #3 guys are currently on USHL rosters, but could show up at camp as a backup if they don't make the final USHL cuts.

We'll find out Thursday morning. See you at the rink.

--BK

Albert Lea Thunder Coach Resigns

http://www.albertleatribune.com/news/2008/jul/16/thunder-coach-resigns/

The newest rival to our favorite team, just lost their coach. He was introduced on May 14 as the coach of the expansion Thunder. Apparently there were philosophical differences between him and the owner/GM.

My take: Wow, there must be some major issues with our rivals to the south. He was only on the job 2 months, and hasn't even coached a game yet, and he is leaving. I wonder if they can get a new coach hired before their final camp next week? I guess it's good news for Express fans that they are having issues, and we'll see what kind of team they can put on the ice in just a couple of months.

Tryout Camp Article in Today's People's Press

Sports writer, Ian Stauffer has an article in today's People's Press about tryout camp.

Highlights from the article:

- The Express are expecting around 120 players in attendance
- 6 current Owatonna Huskies players and 1 2008 OHS graduate are attending
- Thursday's schedule starts at 9:30am with a Goalie Session until 11:30am, and then the games start at noon.
- The Tryout Camp All-Star Game will be Sunday at 11:00am.


The People's Press website is down, so I can't link to the story, but check back later. Or you could splurge, and spend the 50 cents to buy a copy.

Express Trivia Challenge #1 - UPDATED!!!

UPDATE: Since nobody answered the trivia questions, I made it easier. It's now multiple choice.


Since there is nothing going on, and we need something to pass the time, I figured a little trivia contest would help. Just reply to this post with your answers. What you can win by answering questions correctly is........... absolutely nothing. No cheating allowed!


Express Trivia Challenge #1

Topic: First regular season game in Express history

1. The game took place on September 30, 2005, who was the opponent??
a. Fargo-Moorhead Jets
b. Helena Bighorns
c. Quebec Nordiques
d. Springfield Jr. Blues

2. Which team won and what was the final score??
a. Express won 2-1
b. Express lost 2-1

3. The first regular season goal for the Express was scored in the 3rd period by which player?? Which two Express players got the assists??
a. CJ Willms from Joe Welch and Jesse Junkemeier
b. Jamie Ruff from James and Joel Gaulrapp
c. Drew Walters from Ryan Guentzel and PJ Kavaya
d. Sean Murphy from James and Joel Gaulrapp

4. The first regular season penalty was called on which Express player?? What was he penalized for??
a. Brian Schack 2 minutes for Interference
b. Bryant McKinnie 5 yards for False Start
c. Chris Barth 5 minutes for Fighting
d. Mark Merek 5 minutes for Fighting

5. Which 6 players started for the Express??
(G,D,D,F,C,F)
a. Andrew Ross,Jeff Carlson,Chris Giebe,Ryan Guentzel,Jason Wiley,Alex Coles
b. Nick Hopper,Art Bidwell,PJ Kavaya,James Gaulrapp,Sean Murphy,Joel Gaulrapp
c. Brennan Poderzay,Chris Barth,Stu Bickel,CJ Willms,Mike Montgomery,Joe Welch

Bonus question: Roy Koenig did the play-by play on KRFO radio. Who was his analyst/color guy??
a. Andy Murray
b. Grant McGinnis
c. Dave Swenson
d. Don Cherry


NO cheating, stay off of Pointstreak. I will post the answers Tuesday evening, so get your replies in now.

--BK

My Entry for the Independent Movie Awards

Just a little fun with Windows Movie Maker. I want to thank all the people(whoever you are) that took the pictures that were used. I am obviously not making any money from this, so please don't get mad.

Tidbits

I would love to have something Express related to blog about, but there just isn't anything happening. By the way, I added a countdown timer to the home opener to the blog.


Here are some tidbits from around the NAHL:

Some oddities in the expansion Wenatchee Wild's schedule: They have almost a month off between the showcase and their first regular season game. They do not play a single league game in the month of December. Then they have a stretch of 38 games in 79 days.

Traverse City only plays 1 game outside of their division after the showcase.

Bismarck doesn't play a single non-division game after the showcase.

St Louis plays 19 games outside their division after the showcase, including 4 with the Express.

North Iowa took another hit, as Joe Harcharik, their leading returning scorer, apparently made the roster of the Des Moines Bucs(USHL).


1 week until tryout camp.

Happy Anniversary

This blog is 1 month old today. 35 posts, and lots of comments, not bad for a hockey blog in the middle of summer. There were plenty of people who were sure this would end up like the other 2 blogs did, but with a few exceptions, people have been civil.

I want to thank all the positive people who have pitched in to make this a fun adventure for me. I would love to see even more people visiting here everyday, so keep spreading the word. Camp starts in 11 days, and in just 89 days we will be watching Owatonna's team (our team) take the ice at the 4 Seasons for the home opener.

Thanks for reading.

--BK

Draft Pick News

Looks like Express draft pick Zach Vierling has been put on the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders affiliate list, and is not on their 25 man roster. Lets hope he is at tryout camp next week. Read the June 13th blog to get his background.

Also, Express draft pick Cam Stowers was released by the Fargo Force.

Couple these 2 guys with Tim Smith, and I think you have 3 nice building blocks for the winter. There are still 6 Express draft picks on USHL rosters, and as those teams are finalized, we should pick up a few more players.

2008-09 NAHL Schedule Released

http://www.nahl.com/schedule.cfm

-Only non-division games after the showcase are home and home series with St. Louis and Springfield.
-58 games total - 27 home games/27 road games/4 at the Showcase
-Home opener is October 3
-Only 1 "home" game in March

Opponents:
North Iowa - 13 games - 6 home/7 away
Albert Lea - 12 games - 6/6
Bismarck - 12 games - 6/6
Alexandria - 9 games - 5/4
Springfield - 4 games - 2/2
St. Louis - 4 games - 2/2
Mahoning Valley, USNTDP, Marquette, Kenai River - 1 game each at the Showcase

By the month:
September - 6
October - 6
November - 11
December - 7
January - 10
February - 9
March - 9

Day of the Week:
Wednesday - 4
Thursday - 2
Friday - 24
Saturday - 23
Sunday - 5

Of the 58 regular season games, 44 will be played at home or within roughly an hour of Owatonna (Albert Lea, North Iowa, Blaine)

Nights in hotel rooms for the boys have been drastically reduced this year.

Not as many 2 game weekend series against the same opponent. Lots of Friday vs. Albert Lea, Saturday @ North Iowa kind of thing.

Stu Bickel Expected to go Pro!!

It's being reported on the Gopher Hockey blog that former Express defenseman Stu Bickel is going to leave the University of Minnesota and sign a pro contract with the Anaheim Ducks.

Read the blog here: http://gopherpuck.blogspot.com/2008/07/bickel-expected-to-go-pro.html

Rumored to be a max offer, maybe he wants to buy a few shares of the Express??

Congratulations Stu, I am proud of you buddy!


UPDATE: It's a done deal, 3-year contract.

Read the Pioneer Press Article here: http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_9756341?source=rss

Good News Express Fans!!

USHL rosters had to have been reduced to 25 players as of today (July 1). As of yesterday, there were 8 Express draft picks on USHL protected rosters. Most of the reduced rosters haven't been made public yet, but 1 has: The Sioux Falls Stampede. Express first round draft pick Tim Smith was not on their 25 man roster. Now this is obviously not good news for him, but hopefully it means he will attend camp in 2 weeks, and will be patroling the blue-line for the Express this winter. Look back at my blog from June 9th to get the background on this guy.

NAHL Showcase Schedule Released.

The NAHL released the Showcase schedule this morning. Go to the league's site to see it in entirety. Here's what the Express have:

September 17, 2008 - Mahoning Valley
September 18, 2008 - USNTDP-17
September 19, 2008 - Marquette
September 20, 2008 - Kenai River

Sounds like the complete season schedule will be released this week as well.