I know I had originally said that I would not reveal the roster until it was officially announced. However, the whole reason for all the secrecy was to keep our guys from getting sniped by other teams. At this point it's too late for any major changes. The guys are either here or they are not coming, so I don't see the harm in spilling some of the beans. The 3 guys profiled today were all teammates last year with the Team Illinois AAA program.
Express Player Profile - Chris Bournazos - Forward
1990 birth year from Naperville, Illinois. Spent the last 4 seasons in the Team Illinois program.
-2007/08: Scored 6 goals and 8 assists in 25 games for the U18 team
-2006/07: Scored 9 goals and 5 assists in 26 games for the U18 team
-2005/06: Scored 18 goals and 12 assists in 28 games for the U16 team
-2004/05: Scored 18 goals and 5 assists in 20 games for the 1990 team
Was drafted by the USHL's Cedar Rapids Rough Riders in the 4th round of the 2006 Futures Draft (#40 overall).
My take: He was one of the most impressive players at our tryout camp. He makes up for his small size (5'8") with blazing speed. He sort of reminds me of former Express player Jamie Ruff, but he's even faster. He's already on a lot of scouts radar, and I would guess the interest will only grow if he can prove himself on the NAHL level. If you didn't see him play at tryout camp, you're in for a treat this year, as he is very fun to watch on the ice.
Express Player Profile - Anthony Orange - Defenseman
1989 birth year. Was one of the Express' tendered players this summer. Played the last 2 seasons in the MWEHL. Scored 5 goals and 6 assists in 31 games with Team Illinois in 2007/08. Played in 25 games in 2006/07 for the Chicago Fury, scoring 1 goal and 5 assists.
My take: A nice solid defenseman, who plays a strong technical game. If I remember correctly, he was the guy who lost part of a tooth during tryout camp. I'm interested to see what he can do at this level.
Express Player Profile - Marian Fiala - Defenseman
**This is the profile I posted back in June**
Originally from Slovakia, same home country as Stan Carsky. Played last year with Team Illinois Midget Major, scoring 1 goal and 2 assists in 22 games. Also played on the Slovakia U18 team.
My take: I couldn't find much information on him, and I don't honestly remember much about him from tryout camp. Like I said back in June, Team Illinois is a solid program with a history of sending quality guys to the junior level. Evidently, he made enough of an impression on the coaches to secure a spot on the team, so they must see something they like in him.
Welcome to Owatonna guys.
With training camp starting tomorrow, here is where what we know of the roster:
G - Adam Buegler
D - Troy Puente
D - Nick Carson
D - Carson Curran
D - Anthony Orange
D- Marian Fiala
F - Josh Daley
F - John Kruse
F - Troy McDonald
F - Alex Niestrom
F- Chris Bournazos
Again, remember nothing is official until we see these guys on the ice at the 4 Seasons. If you've see any of the guys in town this weekend, drop me a line and let me know.
--BK
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10 comments:
Do you have any idea if Fiala has an older brother? Lukas maybe?
Thanks.
BK, do something about our website. It is so unfriendly.
"Do you have any idea if Fiala has an older brother? Lukas maybe?" - Sorry, I do not know. Fiala could be like Smith over in Europe for all I know.
--BK
"BK, do something about our website. It is so unfriendly." - I am hearing that a professional web designer has been hired to overhaul the official Express website.
Don't forget that the Express organization got an extremely late start this summer. If memory serves, we didn't even know if we would have a team until early May. This made for an extremely short timeline to accomplish everything that a NAHL organization has to do to prepare for the season. At this point, I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt. All my dealings with the organization thus far have been first class all the way, and I'm sure the website will follow suit. Just give them some time.
I would happy to help with the website if they are interested. All they have to do is contact me at owatonnaexpress@yahoo.com .
--BK
Who cares about the website? We need to care about the team and coaching this year and making money.
Good point.
IMO, our goal is to keep being competitive like we have been in all the past 3 years.
"Who cares about the website? We need to care about the team and coaching this year and making money." - I would think most people care about the website. It's a vital aspect of marketing the organization. With the local newspaper busy covering high schools sports, it is probably the best way to disseminate information.
It items you mentioned aren't mutually exclusive. It is possible to care about more than one thing at a time.
--BK
--BK
From what i see these stats dont really show much...it looks like they only account for 1/3 of the season. I know h.s. teams may only play 20-30 games but AAA in Illinois play upwards to 70-80
"From what i see these stats dont really show much...it looks like they only account for 1/3 of the season. I know h.s. teams may only play 20-30 games but AAA in Illinois play upwards to 70-80" - According to Pointstreak, the MWEHL teams played a 26 game regular season schedule the last couple of seasons. Throw in some playoff games, and they are still not getting much more than 30 games per season.
--BK
but then you must account for the 4-5 touraments which could have 4-5 games each. plus state round robin with with 4 teams plus a best of three championship. possibly 4-5 games at regionals, 6 games at nationals. The games start to add up.
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