Aeros appear pointed in right direction

Photos by Jason Villanueva
HOUSTON, TX – As the Houston Aeros kick off the regular season in Manitoba this weekend, they do so with a cohesiveness and consistency rarely seen this early in the season. In fact, they were so consistent in pre-season that they won both games (against San Antonio and Texas) by the score  of 3-2 in a shootout. For a team whose motto might as well have been “Consistently Inconsistent” last season, the difference is night and day. That’s not to say Houston should plan the parade route, however. Lots of questions remain, principally who’s going to score the goals. The team lost Corey Locke and Krys Kolanos, both point per game players, and signed nobody with that kind of dominant scoring prowess to replace them. It does appear that newly appointed Aeros GM Jim Mill is taking the team in a different direction. Character, hustle, and grit are the hallmarks of this summer’s free agent signings, complimenting the cast of players remaining from last season and the work ethic and attention to detail that coach Kevin Constantine expects. Forwards A crowded Minnesota Wild roster has significantly elevated the NHL-experience level for the Aeros, as Andy Hilbert, Craig Weller, and sophomore Colton Gillies were all sent down earlier this week. How long

each of them stays in Houston depends on the needs in Minnesota, but no doubt they will be battling for the first call-ups. The top offensive player signed during the off season was Jon DiSalvatore, a consistent, defensively responsible 50-60 point scorer, along with Duncan Milroy, who has been good for around 40 points per season. Two players hoping to bounce back this season after injury-plagued years are Nathan Smith, who prior to last season was almost a point per game player, and Peter Zingoni, who is expected to contribute 30-40 points if he can stay healthy. Familiar faces returning to the team are Morten Madsen, Matt Kassian, Danny Irmen, and Robbie Earl. The forward lines could also have a fair number of rookies for the first time in a couple of years. Wild prospects Cody Almond and Carson McMillan join the team after successful junior careers. Almond suffered a knee injury during the Traverse City Prospect Tournament before camp started and has yet to get in a game, but McMillan played in Monday’s pre-season game. He seemed to struggle a bit, but nothing surprising for a rookie playing among veteran AHLers. The team also signed Miami (Ohio) forward Brian Kaufman and undrafted OHL winger Brandon Buck to AHL contracts.     Defense The Wild had some challenging decisions looming at the end of camp, particularly with regard to defense. The team opened with a solid top 6, and had signed John Scott at the end of the season after a successful late season call-up with the team. Jaime Sifers, who spent the last four seasons with the Toronto Marlies, signed with the Wild this summer presumably to help out in Houston but turned plenty of heads with solid and gritty play, earning himself the eighth and final defensive spot in Minnesota. Still, the Aeros blue line is in good shape. The only rookie, Denver product JP Testwuide, already has nearly 16 games with the team, including last season’s playoff run. He played forward for much of that time but Constantine said he sees Testwuide as a career defenseman and plans to use him that way although he won’t hesitate to use him at forward again if the circumstances warrant it. The Aeros will also see the return of blue line fixtures Clayton Stoner, Brandon Rogers, Max Noreau, and Justin Falk. Rogers, in particular, is looking for a bounce back after a rough season statistically last year. The biggest impact free-agent signing is Ryan Lannon. He’s already worn the captain’s “C” for the team in the first pre-season game and had the first fight of the season against his former team, the San Antonio Rampage. Jamie Fraser and Ryan Gunderson are also expected to figure into the defensive equasion. Goaltending With the long term signing of Niklas Backstrom late last season, it became clear that the best thing for both the Wild and backup goalie Josh Harding was to trade him to a team that needed a starting or 1-B type of goalie. To this point, Wild GM Chuck Fletcher hasn’t found the right deal so Harding remains the #2 in Minnesota while Wade Dubielewicz and last year‘s playoff hero for the Aeros, Anton Khudobin, will hold down the fort in Houston. The goaltending decision looked to be a difficult one when Aeros camp opened, as incumbent AHL All Star tender Barry Brust was also in camp, but he re-injured the foot that kept him out most of the latter half of last season. That left Dubielewicz and Khudobin, who played 60 good minutes of pre-season hockey for the Wild before being reassigned, to battle between themselves for the top job in Houston. Bottom Line The Aeros had an incredible post-season run last year, but many forget that they only squeaked into the playoffs after a regular season that, in spite of having some of the league’s most prolific scorers on their roster, was mediocre at best. The divide between the Aeros’ most gifted players and the rest of the team could account for the team’s roller-coaster season, as it seemed difficult for them to get – and stay – in the same book, much less on the same page. The approach this season is different. While top end scoring talent is down a few notches, overall the team appears to be more balanced, with a deeper roster, more maturity, and an emphasis on players on with reputations for being hard-working, character guys. This team may not be a Calder Cup contender, but with Constantine behind the bench, it is almost a certainty that the team will overachieve, make the playoffs, and send fans home for the season proud of the effort. Contact the author at heather.galindo@prohockeynews.com