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.