A Signing With Heart?

With no one making a move to sign Claude Lemieux, today the Guelph Reapers made a signing of the heart but not the head.

The Reapers signed veteran Claude Lemieux, long time RHLer back from a four year absence. The move was definitely one to honour the idea of RHL Analysis and the legend of this players career. While it is believed Lemieux won't play more then a game or two, the Reapers wanted to give this veteran a chance as he announced his return to the game.

"It is nice to be wanted." Claude said. "I told the RHL I wanted back, but no one stepped in until I got the call from Mr. Gandour."

"It is a move with heart in mind," GM Gandour said, "but we still feel he has a role to be played. Claude is a veteran who deserves a chance if that is what he wants. With that in mind we brought him back so the record books will know he made a return. If he never played a game this year, his journey back and battle to get back to shape would be forever lost."

It is believed Claude will play a limited checking line role, his most useful attributes. It won't exactly strike fear into opposition hearts but his leadership and knowledge of the game will help. It is also believed the Reapers have a side arrangement with Claude that will see him stay on as a Reaper team member off the ice after this season.

Reporting for your Reapers,

Sal Trachan

A New Beginning

HEADLINE SPORTS (ON) - Guelph

It is a new year for the Guelph Reapers. With a new year, and new blood, and new life, there is new hope. Will there also be a new outcome?

Both fans and management alike have endured a roller coaster of emotion the past four months. This team went from an incredible run to a heartbreaking 7th game loss in the Kings Cup Finals. Shortly after that, the team went on to lose long time fan favourite and RHL Scoring Leader Shane Doan to free agency. Not long after that, another legendary Reaper and scoring champion Vincent Lecavalier was dealt away. As if the shakeup was not enough, first ever Reaper Pavel Kubina was dealt leaving the team minus all three of its captains.

"It was a tough stretch," GM Gandour said to me in an exclusive interview for RHLCentral Blogsphere. "We lost the title we wanted so bad, we lost our co-captain and scoring leader to free agency. We had to overpay to sign Vinnie, and to keep him would have left us no room to breathe or make a single move. Thus went our second co-captain. Pavel was another contract we needed to move. He was signed to big dollars years back when he was a top two. He was not going to fit in with our new revamped D at his salary. With the contracts we freed up we began to rebuild. The minimal assets we got back were only part of the moves. The players we were able to sign were the rest. To add Paul Kariya in free agency replaced Shane Doan, something we could not do had we kept Vinnie. Adding Peca, Neilsen and Connolly gave us Sakic and Vinnys replacements. Quincey replaces Kubina nicely for us and suddenly we have a few more assets then we did before in the process."

For those of you just joining us, the name in there that might have caught you off guard is Tim Connolly. Today the Reapers announced a deal sending two 2nd round picks off to the Grizzlies for skilled Centre Tim Connolly.

Connolly brings a great deal of playmaking skills and offensive flare. He is gifted at reading plays as they happen and finding his linemates in the open. Tim however does come with some question marks. He is injury proned, and that makes him more of a risk then Vinnie would have been. He also can not play the long ice time Vinnie can so that makes him less useful as a number one, a role he must fulfill this season. What Tim does bring is some nice intangibles. His versatility to play wing as well as Centre gives the Reapers their first option at Centre in over two years. Sakic, Fedorov and Vinnie last year were all Centre only options. Connolly also brings a much MUCH more reasonable contract and three more years of contract. After this season, he will be a lot healthier for the next two and under a million is unheard of for top end talent of his calibre as we saw in auction this year.

Connolly will however have support this year for his injury proneness. He has Sergei Fedorov who ate his wheaties, drank his red bull and hulked up for this season. He also has new additions Frans Nielsen and Mike Peca to support him with the ability to step into bigger roles. Ryan Johnson and Stephane Yelle bring up the rear with great defensive presence.

Connolly is tied for the second highest rated passer in the RHL... behind only one person, Paul Kariya who will patrol his left wing side this season.

Kariya is a rarity in the RHL. A 6 rated passer with great speed and awesome offensive instincts will be hard to contain by opposition defenses. The similarities with Connolly and Kariya are eerie. Both players have awesome offensive potential. Both players are incredible playmakers with an uncanny knack for finding the perfect pass to the man in the clear. Both are new acquisitions for the Reapers. Most importantly both players are stepping into huge shoes. Did we mention both players are so injury proned that they may just break a leg walking to the arena entrance?

"Yes I thought of that," GM Gandour told me in our exclusive. "Both these players have had a hard time lately, but both also want to prove to the league they can play. Both are driven, and very motivated. We feel that managing their ice time right, we can get the most out of them. Luckily, we have a great coach who the past several years has proven an amazing ability to manage lines and get the most offense out of his players. This year we will test that to the max."

It is true that Coach DeBoer has managed to make the most of everything he has gotten. He seems to drag every last ounce of offensive flare from even the lower line players, and motivates them to give their best years in Reapers Black and Red.

If he can preform the miracle again, then this top line could remain one of the most deadly in the RHL. With two dynamic creative playmaking centres, there is only one piece missing. And patrolling the other wing is that piece. Arguably the best sniper in the RHL (ok Ovechkin may be better), Hossa will light the lamp as much as any Reaper has to date. Hossa also knows his own end of the ice, and is not as vulnerable as his linemates to injury.

"It is not a perfect solution," GM Gandour admitted, "but lets face it, if the Lecavalier's and Doan's of the world were easily replaced, then they wouldn't have been the most dynamic duo in the league last year, and two of the best players the past three years in RHL history. The truth is they led the league in points because there is no equal for them. So the option left us was a gambit. Two high powered potenet offensive players very capable of over a point a game, but with the risk of fossibly getting that ratio over 20 ames played all year. A risk for sure, but the chance to replace the offense lost is not easy."

The gamble takes a lot but gives new hope to the Reapers. When they are healthy, the team will still intimidate with offense, but now the team also has two stellar goalies. Last year Garon has to play a huge role and almost MVP year to carry his team. This year, Khabibulin back as a Reaper on a stronger squad this time, and Scott Clemmensen will split duties and both have proven they can step up and single handedly win games.

The biggest difference for the Reapers is their depth. For the first time in a long time, from lines 1 to 4, the team can ice players capable at both ends of the ice. Having the likes of Radim Vrbata, Frans Nielsen, Lee Stempniak, and Sean Bergenheim all capable of 20 goal campaigns and all on third or fourth lines, is exciting and brand new for the Reapers.

"We have never had a deeper team," GM Gandour commented to me. "We have players this year that will be benched that last year would have been regular third liners for us at worse. Even on defense we have 8 very skilled dmen despite moving two veterans."

Getting serious, the Reapers season will be full of nervousness, and questions. But the truth is, how is that different from any other Reapers Season? The only answer I can come up with, it is different because ever year is different. It is a new team, new players, and a New Beginning.

Reporting for your Reapers,

Sal Trachan

He Makes HOW Much?

Iqaluit, NU (CP)

It had been heard in whispers before free agency began. With bank balances at an all-time high, team payrolls deflated with so much cheap young talent, and a scarcity of top-shelf talent available in the auction, the possibility was there for major fireworks in the bidding for the top stars available in free agency.

That said, I'm not sure anyone was ready for this.

When the dust had settled, defenseman Rob Blake signed the richest contract in RHL history with the three-time defending champions. Blake, who had previously won the Kings Cup with the Rovers in RHL13, signed a one-year contract for a total of $10.815M. The contract includes a full no-trade clause. It is the highest base and annual salary ever signed in the history of the league and only the second player to surpass $10M in salary, joining Mario Lemieux who earned $10.3M in RHL3.

"We are thrilled that Rob is re-joining the Rovers", GM Stringer said in introducing Blake. "Obviously we paid a huge price, but we had targeted him as our #1 goal in free agency and we worked at it until it finally happened today. He's going to make our power-play run smoothly, he'll kill penalties, and he'll be that stabilizing #1 Dman that will allow everyone else on the blueline just play their roles that much more effectively. It's a great day".

"When the Rovers said they were interested in bringing me back, I was pumped", Blake said. "I had a great time here the first time and obviously winning a title here gave me memories for a lifetime, and hopefully we can make even more memories this season".

The bidding was intense as Blake's former team, the Grand Prairie Stingers, made a huge effort to retain their star Dman. Pushing the envelope past $10M, Grand Prairie eventually changed course and turned their attention to other defensemen when Baffin Island showed they would not back down. While many now point at the huge price tag and say that expectations will be enormous, Stringer isn't phased. "We already had high expectations for the team. We expect to win and we think we can do it. Hopefully Rob can find his place, settle in, and do what we know he's capable of. We believe, and our fans believe, that he will".

Goodbye Pavel!

HEADLINE SPORTS (ON) - Guelph

In what was another sad day for Reapers fans nation wide, today the Reapers announced the continuation of their rebuild efforts. Gone is original Reaper Pavel Kubina. Kubina was the Reapers first ever player in their expansion year, their lone selection in the dispersal draft which came before the entry draft and before the expansion draft. The original Reaper had played in every season with the franchise, entering his 8th year as a pro when Guelph opened its doors for the first time. Despite a long career already in place, his best years were by far in Guelph. In his six years here, he set new single season marks in goals (17 in RHL 16), assists (43 last season), points (54 also last season), plus minus (plus 46 in RHL 16 and beat it again this past year with a plus 64) as well as Power play goals (6 this past year). He recorded 5 straight 30 plus point seasons as a Reaper, a new record for Reaper defensemen. Kubina had 213 career points as a Reaper, making him 1st all time for Guelph defensemen and 4th all time for all Reapers. He also had 463 PIMs as a Reaper, making him 1st all time in that category. The truth is, it is hard pressed to find a Reapers Career category that Kubina's name is not at or near the top of. From games played (360 - 1st) to GWG (10 - 3rd) to points to playoff points, Kubina was a Reaper leader through and through. For milestones, Kubina had his 300th career point this past year with Guelph, and leaves the team one goal shy of his 100 career goal milestone.



Kubina was a part of six straight playoffs in Guelph, experiencing a title run in RHL 15 and making it to the Kings Cup Finals this past year before losing a heartbreaking 7th game to the three peating champion Rovers. Kubina notched 14 playoff goals and 44 playoff points in his six playoff runs with the Reapers, placing him 2nd all time in Reaper Playoff points. Sadly both his consecutive Reaper Playoff appearances and consecutive Reaper playoff point streaks will be ended not by his decline in performance, but by a trade.

The beneficiaries of this deal, the Thundercats, look to make Kubina a PP quarterback this season. Known for his hard accurate shot, Kubina is likely to light the lamp regularly in the Cats lineup.

Coming back to Guelph in the deal was young Danish forward Frans Nielsen. Nielsen has yet to debut in the RHL, but it is believed he will make the Reapers lineup this year and showcase his slick hands. Still it does not feel the same.

"Pavs will be missed," said Radim Vrbata, long time teammate and friend of Kubina's. "In the dressing room he was a natural leader and on the ice a diligent warrior. Still this is a business and we must move on."

"It was a difficult trade to do," GM Gandour admitted, "as hard as any I have made in my career. Kubina was a part of this team since its inception, and today it feels like we are losing a piece of the franchise. That said, it was clear to upper management that rebuilding was the track to be on, and Kubina was on the last year of his contract, making close to 2.5 million. To clear that off our books, and to get a young asset like Frans back made a lot of sense. Most offers for Kubina had involved taking back salary which we were against. We looked at our roster, and tried to determine which pieces were least integral to icing a contending team. It is sad to admit for a player who has bled for this team so much, fought so hard, but Kubina was entering this season as our 5th or 6th best dman. With the highest salary of anyone aside from Hossa, that made him hard to keep. We feel confident in the depth we have on D still, and look to make one or two other moves."

Reporting for your Reapers, who I hardly recognize anymore

Sal Trachan

Marian a Match

HEADLINE SPORTS - Guelph (ON)

Today word has come out that a deal may be imminent. The Reapers are said to be close to shipping out Marian Hossa to one of two destinations. While which two destinations are the finalists is unknown, what is known is that there was a lot of interest in Hossa.

"We fielded offers from 6 different teams," GM Gandour admitted, "and had inquiries that never got to offers from 5 others."

That acknowledgement represents almost half of the league. The GM was close lipped as to whether or not their was actually a deal imminent as rumoured, but he did admit that Hossa was not untradeable.

"When you are fielding lots of calls and offers you have to give serious thought to moving any player." GM Gandour admitted. "We are comfortable with our team as it is now, and could start the year with the roster we have. However if there is a fit that makes sense it is my duty to explore it."

The GM did not say which teams had offered but heavy speculation says that most every top contender from last season had made inquiries on Hossa, and a few "wild card" entries had also chipped in. It is also believed at least one of the expansion GMs had inquired to Marian's availability.

The Reapers are keeping things tight lipped for now, but the word we have is there are two, not one, but two take it or leave it offers now for Hossa with different teams. Now begins the waiting game to hear back from the teams.

"With Lecavalier we felt it was the ideal time to move him," GM Gandour stated when asked about his last deals. "He has been superb for us but no one can expect him to continue that pace forever. He was UFA pending, asking for a raise of considerable amount, and not quite as useful as he has been the past two years. Rather then let him walk for nothing, we signed and traded him. To get back two 2nd round picks, and two young emerging stars was a great return. Now we must decide on Hossa. He also required a large raise this year as he would have left UFA. The main difference for us is Hossa is just entering his best years. We feel he is far more valueable and we are ready to keep him if the offers aren't the fit we need."

It is also rumoured that the Reapers after missing out on multiple centres in auction are trying to acquire at least one via trade. As it sits now, the team would start the year with three C's under contract (Fedorov, Yelle and R. Johnson) while Novotny decides on his RFA offer and McCormick would be eligible at C. In truth, only Fedorov and Johnson are regular NHL calibre in that entire list, and the team moving Lecavalier left a huge hole to fill down the middle.

"It's no secret," GM Gandour admits, "that a Centre is something we are aiming for. But trade is not the only option. We have our eye on a free agent or two still in that position."

The Reapers have also openly begun talks on some of their defensemen. Most noteably, long time Reaper Pavel Kubina is finally available in trade.

"He was our first pick ever," Steve said, "and thus sentimental favourite of mine and our fans. However he has been a Reaper since day 1 and now may be the right time to move him. We acquired a lot of depth on D the past few days, and now have 10 serviceable dmen entering the year."

It will be interesting to see how the next couple of days play out.

Reporting for your Reapers,

Sal Trachan

Weeping not Reaping in Guelph

A sad day has come. Today the Guelph Reapers fans were weeping as news came across the wire that the hero of the past two seasons, and three season in a row 100 point man Vincent Lecavalier has left Guelph.

Vinnie came to Guelph in a huge dispersal draft day trade where Guelph managed to trade for the first overall pick giving up a package of lesser pieces featuring Timonen, Berglund, and two draft picks. Ironically one of those picks was AVI2 which today was part of the return package.

Vincent Lecavalier came to Guelph with high expectations and instantly formed a bond with Teemu Selanne. The two combined to be dominant and end 1-2 in scoring as the team was amongst the most feared offensively. After Selanne walked in free agency demanding more money then the team would pay, Lecavalier found new Chemistry with co-captain Shane Doan.

Lecavalier had his third straight 100 point campaign helping Doan on his way to his first scoring title. With Shane Doan now also leaving via free agency, the team again unwilling to pay the huge demand, Vinny was facing a third straight year with new linemates.

Marian Hossa, who has been speculated to be dealt, was set to be Vinny's newest linemate and somehow the team still had created a fear around the league that for a third straight year, the Reapers would boast one of the most deadly 1-2 punches going.

Sadly that came to an end today. The Reapers dealt Lecavalier to the Aviators for a package of young players and picks.

Coming back to Guelph are Lee Stempniak, Kyle Quincey and two Aviator 2nd round picks, this year and next. For many fans, the question is why?

"We had no choice really," admitted GM Gandour, "we had struggled with cash the past several years. To lose all our big free agents year after year to cash issues was killing us. We got nothing for Doan, nothing for Selanne. We knew we could not afford to pay Hossa and Lecavalier, but did not want them to leave for nothing as well. The sign and trade made the most sense. Getting Lecavalier to a new deal made him more of an asset to teams, and thus we manage to get back two very affordable and ready to contribute players into our lineup, and now for the first time in a long time, we have added picks assuring us of a role in next years draft and beyond. This was not a deal about winning, we know we can not win this deal. This was a deal about getting younger, stronger and using the space we free up to remain competitive."

The team still is believed to be shopping Hossa but if no deal is made in the next couple days, it is believed they will keep Marian in the fold. Meanwhile the GM was asked how he hopes to replace Lecavalier's offense and chemistry in the lineup.

"You can't," Steve answered, "but you can't stop trying. Vinny had an explosive talent for us, and will be deadly for the Aviators. They got a steal today. However to keep that dangerous duo streak alive would have meant being at our max cash with no ability to upgrade in any other areas. The over 3 mil saved here will be spent in auction to upgrade our offense and the pieces added will offset the loss a little. We still intend to ice a competitive lineup, it will just be more focussed on toughness and team work and less on individual stardom."

Lecavalier's contributions as a Reaper won't soon be forgotten. Perhaps the biggest impact any player has made in a Reaper jersey since Luongo joined the team in their second year, Lecavalier led this team to the finals this past year. He had 111 goals and 241 points in just 132 regular season games in Guelph. He was a plus 129 and had 19 GWG. Vinny managed 32 playoff points in 20 playoff games as a Reaper. He will be sorely SORELY missed.

With the Reapers,

Sal Trachan

Falcons Courting Turco

With the departure of starting goalie Rick DiPietro in the expansion draft, the Cleveland Falcons find themselves lacking a starting netminder - a problem they've not had to deal with since joining the league 4 seasons ago.

Who will fill the void? Rumors swirling around Cleveland have the Falcons targeting Marty Turco, spotted here with Cleveland GM Doug Deutsch. Several other teams have shown interest in Turco, and the auction is far from over, but Cleveland seems to have a leg up in the Turco sweepstakes...

* Two interesting notes: first, that picture is actually me posing with Turco at the NHL All-Star fanfest in Dallas in 2007. Second, the sweet Dave Ellett replica jersey I am wearing in the photo was purchased in Toronto in 1995 -- former Snow Dogs GM John Santore was with me (he bought a Rod Brind'Amour Flyers jersey), and we were on our way home from a mini-RHL conference at Jean Duteau's house in Ottawa...

Scythe Matters

In hockey as in many Sports, you Reap what you sow. So for the Reapers of Guelph, an amazing playoff run has a price. After coming a hairs breath from their first ever Kings Cup title, the team now must face a tough and difficult decision.

What do we do now?

The answer should seem simple. This team has always been a contender, and coming off their best year yet, challenging for the title should be certain. Unfortunately that is not the case.

"We incurred a large payroll bringing in the likes of Zubov, Hossa and Sakic last year." said GM Gandour. "The truth is that this team needs an identity, not just to keep pushing with what it has. Two roads lie before us... but which one to chose? The answer is said best by Robert Frost. 'I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference.' If only I could determine which road less teams are taking. It makes sense in hockey terms, more demand and less supply."

With the team up in the air what to do, the natural focus of conversation went to the teams targets in Free Agency.



"We have shifted strategies there," GM Gandour admitted. "We had targetted two big pieces in the market at a price we felt was overpaying. To our surprise, both our targets went above our cap on day one. We have regrettably decided not to pursue Shane Doan's or Rob Blake's return to the Reapers. Shane Doan is done as a Reaper. We set out with our pro scouts and operations board to determine a budget, a set of targets with backup options, and an alternative plan for proceeding in auction. Unfortunately the backup plan was to focus on a long term plan without the immediate impact. With so few studs to select on the market, plan B out of necessity has come to pass. Our backup plan is to sign a lot of good depth players, and use them to fill roster gaps created by dealing our more tradeable assets."

With this revelation it is believed that both Marian Hossa and Vincent Lecavalier may be dealt this offseason. It is also believed that the asking price would be nothing less then the foundation blocks for the future in terms of a strong young team.

The Reapers however have not totally given up on bringing back some of their free agents.

"We remain optimistic" said GM Gandour, "that we can bring back one or two guys. Currently we remain in talks with Joe Sakic, Sergei Zubov and Scott Walker. We are also considering talks for Michael Nylander's return to Guelph. We did have to bow out of the Brian Boucher sweepstakes after hitting our max, but we believe we can still sign a good quality goalie without paying 1 mil plus for him."

It is believed the Reapers shifted interest to veteran goalie Johan Hedberg when Boucher told Guelph that he was heading elsewhere. IT is also beleived that if the team did dismantle, a tougher more volatile team would take its place. The only year this team was not a contender, they had records set for fights and PIMs. They had a team of goons that made for entertaining hockey. This philosophy has only been seen in recent years in games vs their rival the Calgary Browns. GM Gandour however has a slightly different view.

"We are not after players who only fight. We have been actively pursuing versatile forwards that can be an annoyance for other teams to play against. We were after Lucic for years, we added Cooke over a year ago, and Burrows was a long time Reaper. We are after guys like Laperierre and Asham, but seeing the price we may end up bowing out. If it comes down to it we may sign one or two goons, but we prefer players who can play a role beyond 3 shifts a game."

For now the Reapers are in multiple trade discussions. It is believed the team is heatedly discussing trades involving the likes of Marian Hossa, Scott Clemmensen and Ken Klee at this time. No word on if any deals are imminent.

From a free agency side, all the Reapers RFAs with the exception of Matt Foy were offered a minimal contract to maintain their rights. It is believed that the team will not pursue any other teams RFAs.

With the team talking future, I asked the GM why they were not active in the draft that just passed.



"We were active," GM Gandour argued, "but it never showed on the draft sheets. We were in talks that could have brought us into the draft in multiple areas and in every round. However in the end we believed the return was just not enough to justify the players we would have moved. Sometimes the best deal is the one you don't make, and I have years of that lesson ingrained into me. I still look back at the Malkin Blake deal and think MY GOD, WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING! That would have been a deal best never made."

Lastly the teams cash situation is such that despite an influx of over 2 million in cash awards, they still can not afford to spend wrecklessly. It is believed of all the offers the team has out currently, only two are over the 540,000 mark and one of those less then 1 million.

Reporting for your Reapers,

Sal Trachan

The newest francophone Cougar

Jason Demers, 2nd round draft pick by the Cougars, was finally introduced to the press by GM Robitaille last night:

"Thanks for joining us.  Tonight we would like to introduce the newest Cougar, Jason Demers.  We have been scouting him for a while, and his puck-moving capabilities and competitive nature is something we really wanted on our roster.  And we felt that we had an organizational need at defense that needed to be addressed soon considering the age of some of our current defensemen.  So for these reasons we made the trade that let us acquire the 2nd round pick that we used to draft Jason.  Some would say that we paid too much, but the Browns entered the trade talks for that pick in a position of strength, and we really thought that to be able to add Demers to our roster, a player who will most probably be a regular for our team as soon as next season, was something worth paying.  And now a few words to our French media.


C'est avec plaisir que je présente Jason Demers aux média aujourd'hui.  On pense que Jason va devenir un membre important de notre corps défensif des l'an prochain.   Je sais que j'ai eu beaucoup de pression des médias dans les derniers mois pour augmenter la présence francophone dans l'équipe.  Et certains vont arriver a la conclusion facile que de repêcher Jason est notre réponse a ces pressions.  C'est totalement faux.  Jason était, selon l'opinion de nos dépisteurs, le meilleur joueur de disponible au début de la 2ieme ronde du repêchage.  Et pour ce qui du fait francophone de l'équipe, on joue a Newmarket en banlieue de Toronto. Le nombre de fans francophone dans la région est minime comparé au nombre de fans anglophone. Le nombre de joueurs francophones sur l'équpe n'est pas un gros facteur dans nos decisions.  La meilleure équipe sur la glace est notre seule justification pour toutes nos transactions.

And to conclude, with the entry draft out of the way, the next step for the team is to a sign a couple of free-agents to complete our roster before the start of the training camp.  We are targeting a few players, made a few offers already, and hope to have some signings to announce to you in the next few days.   Thank you for coming tonight."

Cowen headlines Rovers draft class

Iqaluit, NU (CP)

Throughout the team's string of recent playoff successes, one side effect has been an increased workload on the scouting staff as they have sought to find impact players later in the draft. GM Steve Stringer believes his staff have delivered again after selecting four players, led by towering defenseman Jared Cowen.

Cowen, a hulking 6'5" defenseman from the Spokane Chiefs, was the Rovers first selection of the draft at 24th overall. Originally thought to be drafted much higher, Cowen dropped into the Rovers lap amidst injury concerns. "He blew out his knee last year, but he seems to have recovered from that. We're confident that he'll be a fixture on our blueline in the coming years". Despite having an abundance of defensemen on their prospect list in John Carlson, Keaton Ellerby, and Jeff Petry, and having recently acquired Niklas Hjalmarsson, some questioned the Cowen pick based on position. Stringer, for his part, simply quoted his team's draft philosophy. "Best player available. If we could have gotten a player with a top-end offensive ceiling, we might have taken that player. But we felt Cowen's upside was better than that of any forward or goalie in that part of the draft".

The Rovers did not have a second-round pick, despite furious attempts to move back into that round. When they finally did return to the podium, they tabbed a pair of forwards at the top of the third round in Richard Panik and Zach Budish. Panik is a skilled goal-scoring forward from the Belleville Bulls, while Budish is a bruising big-bodied forward with soft hands from the University of Minnesota. Both have size and skill and were attractive to Rovers brass. "We are excited about the potential of both of these players", Stringer said. "They'll be a few years away, but we plan to be patient and think that they could both be top-6 players in the future".

Seemingly finished at that point, the Rovers eyed one more player who was still available late in the round and picked up the phone to deal with the Kitchener Mounties. Swapping a third pick next season for the current slot, the Rovers grabbed goaltender Alex Stalock from the Worcester Sharks. Entering his first pro season as a presumed backup, Stalock shot to the starters role and never let it go, posting an AHL rookie record 39 wins in the process. "We're very happy to have gotten Alex here", Stringer said. "We felt that if teams had another year to watch him, there was no way he was going to be a third round pick in RHL21. With Pekka Rinne looking to join the big club, we felt it was an opportunity to replenish our organizational depth at the position".