storm

Ozzie sighting

Tyler Osborne has landed with the Waterloo (Iowa) Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League.

It's Official

Storm has signed Lofquist. It's on their website.

Saginaw/Barrie Trade

The actual players involved in the deal make sense - Barrie is loading up for a run at an Eastern Conference title and picked up a pair of 19-year-old defencemen in Nick Crawford and T.J. Brodie. Saginaw feels it can't make a run at Windsor, so reloads for next year with a couple of very talented youngsters in Michael Sgarbossa and Ryan O'Connor.

It's the timing that's odd.

Saginaw had built a defence corps heading into this season that would rival anyone's with three 19 year olds (Brodie, Crawford, Adam Comrie) an overager (Joe Underwood) in front of a highly regarded goalie (Edward Pasquale). Pick up a couple of forwards and you never know how far you can go.

But to pull the plug now, two months before the trade deadline, seems odd. What kind of message do you send to your fans and your other players? This trade, or even a better one, could have been made in the first week of January. Unless, of course, Brodie and Crawford were asking for out now.

Palmieri

Kyle Palmieri has two goals and two assists in his first 10 games at the University of Notre Dame.

Never quite understood this one. (a) as a first-round NHL pick of the Anaheim Ducks, Palmieri had guaranteed money. (b) As a first-round NHL pick, the chances of him playing four years at Notre Dame and finishing his degree prior to turning professional are slim, (c) you can always go back to school, (d) the Storm likely would have shelled out big money to pay for any Notre Dame schooling he wanted in the future.

I understand the lure of an NCAA scholarship to a top-notch school, but he wouldn't have been sacrificing his education, because it would have been looked after. If hockey didn't work out, the Notre Dame degree would still be there.

And as a first-round pick and legitimate NHL prospect, I honestly believe his professional hockey development would best be served by 128-plus playoff games that he would get over a couple of years in Guelph.

Oh well, I guess he and his parents didn't think so.

Maybe next year.

Lofquist In Guelph

Sam Lofquist (pictured above) was on the ice at practice today.

Team still isn't saying anything though. I take it there's some official paperwork to be worked out and until that is done, nothing is official.

Pretty big kid, skates well. Facially looks like Peter Holland's long lost brother.

I introduced myself to him, but politefully declined an interview.

I guess until the contract is signed and the league rubber stamps it, he is theoretically just on a tryout and could walk out the door anytime.

* * * * *

The new guy wasn't the only drama at practice today.

Frustration boiled over during drills when Taylor Beck criticized Conor O'Donnell for his lack of effort. It had been brewing for awhile as several drills got whistled down early and the players were all made to skate as punishment for poor execution.

O'Donnell snapped at Beck and challenged him to a fight. Assistant coach Chris Hajt (Jason Brooks was busy off the ice at the time) told both players to get off the ice with him. Hajt and Beck returned to the ice a short time later, O'Donnell did not.

* * * * *

Peter Holland and Tim Campbell both returned to practice today. Matt Kennedy will take as long as he needs to fully recuperate his injured groin.

Adam Comrie and Matt Sisca both sat out practice with the flu.

Evgeny Molotilov has a dislocated shoulder and will be out of action for a few weeks.

New D-Man in Guelph ?

Word is 19-year-old American defenceman Sam Lofquist has landed in Guelph after leaving the University of Minnesota, where he was in his second year.

The Storm are currently taking a "no comment" stance on the matter.

Any team signing the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Wisconsin native would have to get league approval. The Storm may be waiting for that final approval before letting the cat out of the bag. Or he may be headed elsewhere.

The University of Minnesota has confirmed on the school newspaper's web site that Lofquist has left the program and he is no longer listed on the Golden Gophers roster.

Lofquist played two years with the United States under-18 team and went to Minnesota on a hockey scholarship. In two seasons in Minnesota he played in 38 games, scoring a goal and adding three assists.

Lofquist went undrafted in last year's NHL entry draft.

Will head to practice at 3:30 and see if he's on the ice.

67's Storm 3

Good grief.

Worst team in the OHL comes into town at home on a Friday night and Guelph completely — and I mean 20-man completely — stinks the joint out.

Looked like they were skating in mud half the night. Turnovers galore. Matt Hoyle gets out of position on two of the goals. Just a nightmare.

Jason Brooks said his best player was fourth-line centre Connor Tresham, "and no disrespect to Connor Tresham, but when your fourth-line centre is your best player, you're in trouble."

How true.

Guys that played great games last Sunday against London had awful games against Ottawa. A list too long to write.

Rubbing salt into the wound was that former Storm players Travis Gibbons and ANthony Nigro both had very good games.

* * * *

On perhaps a more positive note, Luke Juha, the Storm draft pick that refused to sign after training camp, was in the house with his parents and chatted with the Brooks and owner Rick Hoyle after the game.

The small but smooth skating blueliner has four goals and 14 assists for the tier II Burlington Cougars this season and is a plus 12.

Guelph Boy Goes North

Guelph's Josh McFadden of the Mississauga St. Mike's Majors has been traded to the Sudbury Wolves for  a 5th round pick. McFadden is a defenceman by trade but has been playing a lot of forward this year.

Liambas Suspended For Rest of Season And Playoffs

From the OHL . .  .

Toronto, ON - The Ontario Hockey League today announced the results of its review of an incident which occurred in the game played in Kitchener on Friday, October 30th, 2009 between the Kitchener Rangers and the visiting Erie Otters.
The incident in question involved player Michael Liambas of the Erie Otters who was assessed a match penalty for boarding as the result of his hit on Kitchener Rangers player Ben Fanelli who sustained an injury to the head on the play.
In making the announcement as the result of the review, Commissioner David Branch stated that…”players must understand they shall be held accountable for their actions. We must all work towards improving the level of respect players have towards opposing players and the game in general”.

“It is the position of the Ontario Hockey League that player Michael Liambas of the Erie Otters Hockey Club be suspended for the balance of the 2009-10 playing season including playoffs”.

So the OHL is issuing a suspension based on the end result of the hit, not the hit itself.

I guess this is the only way they can change the mentality of players who go in for hits with reckless disregard. They want players to be in control of themselves. They want players to be able to let up at the last minute.

How you change a hockey player's mentality is a good question. But perhaps - or perhaps not - stiff penalties are part of it.

Sandlak's Smarts Honoured

From the OHL.....

The OHL Academic Player of the Month for October in the Midwest Division is left winger Carter Sandlak of the Guelph Storm. Sandlak, 16, a native of London, Ontario currently is a Grade 11 student at Our Lady of Lourdes in Guelph. “Carter is a joy to have in his class, a hard worker and the top of his class,” commented Donna Rawbone, Academic Advisor for the Storm. Carter is carrying a full high school course load and was the Storm’s first round selection in the 2009 OHL Priority Selection.