Cullen Resignation, Draft Day 2010, & Shibrowski Returns??

Just when you thought I was out, they pull me back in.

So I'm back on the interwebs after a couple of months away. The way last season ended still stings, but with every summer comes a new beginning. A new beginning which will include a new head coach as the boys in blue gear up for the 2010-2011 season. Coach Cullen announced last week at the annual meeting that he was leaving the Express to take a job at St Olaf. You can read the article on the official Express website here: http://expressjrhockey.pointstreaksites.com/view/expressjrhockey . Cullen has been an integral part of the Express dating back to the start of the franchise in 2005. Winning seasons, Robertson Cup trips, and lots of players heading off to Division 1 colleges happened routinely during his tenure. We always new the team would be competitive on the ice and a benefit to the community off the ice under his leadership.

However, sometimes change is a good thing. Things seemed to be getting stale last season, and a new coach should breath some new life into our proud franchise. There will be plenty more on the coaching situation as news becomes available.


The other big news for today is the 2010 NAHL Entry Draft. First of all, I would assume that Coach Cullen probably made the draft picks for the Express today, as to my knowledge, a new head coach has not been hired. The NAHL was covering the draft live on their Twitter page. I tried valiantly to follow along, but I don't think the accuracy was up to par. As of the writing of this post, the Express draft consisted of 3 players. In the 1st round (I think), the Express drafted Joseph Graveline, a defenseman from St Thomas Academy. In the 2nd round (I think), the Express drafted goalie Thomas Burke from Holy Angels HS. In the 3rd round (I think), the Express drafted another goalie in Mike Shibrowski from Colorado College of the WCHA. Wait....what???......Shibrowski??? For those who might be new fans of our favorite junior hockey team, Shibrowski spent the first half of last season with the Express, going 14-5-3 in net before heading out to Colorado College at the Christmas break.

It was an intriguing pick, and the thought of having Shibby back with the team makes me smile. Word out of Colorado College earlier this spring was that the Tigers were looking to maybe bring in another goalie in the off-season, and if that happened, that Shibrowski would be asked to play another year of juniors.

My take: While draft picks aren't as coveted as tenders, I can't see the Express wasting a high draft pick on a guy with no chance of ever showing up in Owatonna. I will keep my hopes up that Shibby will be making a triumphant return to the 4 Seasons Centre this fall.


I will get more in depth with the draft picks when the final draft list is released later tonight. Stay tuned for more information as we approach the Open Tryout Camp in a little less than a month. I will probably post profiles of the draft picks and maybe even fill you in on some of the tendered players.

See you at the rink.

--BK