FRASER, Mich. – As he was getting close to the end of the phone interview, Detroit Dragons Head Coach Steve Shannon let the reporter know that he was heading into the locker room and that the players would give him a hard time. Sure enough, when asked to tone down the clatter because the coach was doing an interview, the background noise grew louder, forcing Shannon to retreat out of the room. With knowledge like that behind him, Shannon is proving to be a prophet 
as his team has moved out to a 2-0 record with a balance of experience and youth that has the rest of the AAHA taking notice even this early in the season. âI knew personally a good portion of the team and other kids I did not know they came out and I looked at them. If I liked what I saw I kept them and if I didnât like them I let them go,â Shannon said. âThey (ownership) asked me to put together a professional team and thatâs what I did.â The key to Shannonâs information leads back to his own teaching abilities. For close to 15 years now, he has been running pro conditioning camps in the area. Over the years, heâs seen many players. This year, it gave him the opportunity to look at some players and assess whether they might be worth inviting to the Dragonsâ main training camp or not. âI had a good handle on a number of players who were going to be in the area. As time went on through the summer, I would invite people out and I would take a look at them during the pro conditioning camp,â he said. âI would let them know if I felt they were capable of playing and I would invite them to the main camp from there.â Shannon combined the conditioning camp with what he saw at free agent camps and his own main camp to draw up the list of players who would make the squad. The blend of experience and youth starts in net. Sean Ryan, who Shannon drafted at an open tryout camp, is 22 as is Rollyn Llewellyn who appeared one day at the conditioning camp and impressed the coach with his quickness. Llewellyn missed opening weekend with an injury, putting the coach in the position of activating emergency goalie Marc Orsini. The 36-year old Orsini, who came from the open camp, got the chance to start on opening night and played well enough to earn the Dragonâs first ever win. The defense is tough and big enough to back it up. Anchoring the blue line is Dan Pszenyczny. Pszenyczny is a veteran of the SPHL wars and after attending Shannonâs summer pro camp, he contacted the coach about a spot with the Dragons, Shannon, who has known the Royal Oak, Michigan native since his junior hockey days, was more than happy to sign Pszenyczny to a contract as the Dragonsâ player/assistant coach. Joining Pszenyczny on defense is Dan Oleksy, who is back playing minor league hockey after a couple of years away from the game. Kyle Voelker, who was a pupil of Shannonâs in junior hockey, is a solid performer whoâs best attribute is passing the puck, especially the initial pass out of the defensive zone. At 6â 3â and 225 pounds, Bill Skarczewski, who Shannon says may be âphysically the strongest player in the leagueâ, has the potential to be a dominating force. Lewis Lanway doesnât have an impressive resume but has shown the coach enough in the first two games for Shannon to call him âprobably my steadiest defensemanâ so far. Rounding out the defense is Joe Koslakiewicz, who has all the tools to be an incredible talent according to his coach. Up front, Shannon is excited about the possibilities. One of the lines features Charles Bulbuk who handles the puck well and has a âbombâ of a shot. He is teamed up with Brad Bohlinger, who Shannon says âhas a good sense of the gameâ and Jason McCrimmon, who is good enough to already have been called up to Flint. A second combination has Frank DiCristofaro, who is known for his work ethic and energy along with Jason Boman, who played college hockey at Wayne State where he featured speed and âunbelievable skillsâ according to Shannon, and Mike McRae who is a raw talent with great hands and puck moving ability. A third line starts with former NHL draft pick (11th round/New Jersey) Jason Simon who at age 39 can still play the game skating alongside Ryan Webb, who brings solid scoring numbers (203 points in 141 games) from the SPHL and Steve Piccoli, who has the versatility to play any position on the ice. Rounding out are twin brothers Ed and Earl Hudick who bring energy and the enthusiasm of youth to the rink every day. Shannon is by no means a stranger to the Fraser area. At one time, he was the coach of the Motor City Mechanics (2004-2005) and also coached midget teams that played at Great Lakes Sports City, the home of the Dragons. He is well aware of the passions of the hockey fans there and says that the response so far has been very positive. âOne of the reasons we chose to go back to Macomb county – even though it is the third time there – is that there is a core group of people in Macomb county that has shown to be supporters of minor pro hockey. We felt it was good for us to bring it back there because of thatâ he said. âIt (response) has proven us right. Itâs been a good decision.â As for his Dragons, he thinks that the impressions people have gotten about the squad is a direct result of the way the players go about their business. âFor the most part, I believe weâve got an older team. Older, bigger, more physical and more mature team than these other teams. Thatâs what it appears to be at this point,â Shannon said. âI think the maturity factor might have something to do with it. Thatâs not to say that these guys canât act like children but then we all do. I could be the biggest kid of them all.â And if they continue to have fun and improve, Shannon and the Dragons may just know the feeling of winning a championship. Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
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