ST. JOHN’S, Newfoundland and Labrador – The St. John’s IceCaps opened their 2012-13 training camp on Oct. 1 at the Pepsi Centre in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Forty players are taking part in the club’s training camp, a group that includes several returnees from last year’s squad, as well as a number of new additions and hopefuls looking to earn a roster position. IceCaps head coach Keith McCambridge expects every player in camp to fight for playing time and match the high standards established by the club during its inaugural AHL season in 2011-12.
“We set the expectations last year with where we want to get to and we want to surpass that this season,” McCambridge told the Winnipeg Sun. “We made some real strong strides development-wise, putting players in good situations during the season and the experience the younger players gained during the playoffs. We have high expectations again.”
A list of players invited to the IceCaps training camp is as follows:
Goaltenders Eddie Pasquale, Chris Carrozzi, Tyler Plante and Mark Dekanich.
IceCaps goalie Eddie Pasquale will battle Mark Dekanich for playing time this season. Photo by Jeff Cull of Pro Hockey News
Defensemen Dean Arsene, Ben Chiarot, Ryan Donald, Chris Huxley, Jake Marto, Derek Meech, Julian Melchiori, Will O’Neill, Cody Sol, Paul Postma, Travis Ramsey and Zach Redmond.
Forwards John Albert, Alex Burmistrov, Kevin Clark, Patrice Cormier, Norm Ezekiel, Aaron Gagnon, Jason Gregoire, Brayden Irwin, Jason Jaffray, Ray Kaunisto, Jason King, Carl Klingberg, Josh Lunden, Maxime Macenauer, Spencer Machacek, Ben Maxwell, Eric O’Dell, Ray Sawada, Ryan Schnell, Joey Sides, Brian Sutherby, Ivan Telegin, Hunter Tremblay and Derek Whitmore.
Battle for crease time
One of the most interesting storylines in training camp is the battle for the starting goaltender job.
Eddie Pasquale finished last season very strong and emerged as a legitimate prospect for the Winnipeg Jets, the IceCaps parent NHL club. However, Pasquale faces stiff competition this season from Mark Dekanich.
Last year Dekanich was expected to begin the season with the Columbus Blue Jackets as their No. 2. goalie behind Steve Mason. Some observers even believed Dekanich could take the starting job away from Mason at some point in the season.
A devastating ankle injury early in the campaign all but destroyed Dekanich’s season, however, as he was limited to only five AHL games. He signed a two-way contract with the Jets in the summer hoping to play himself into an NHL job in Winnipeg.
“There were a few teams interested, but I wanted to go somewhere where I’d have a chance to make the big team, or, if not, get some games in the minors,” Dekanich told The St. John’s Telegram. “I’m just happy to be on the ice again, at a training camp. I feel great. I feel I’m in that form of a couple of years ago, or better.”
McCambridge has not indicated how he will divide crease time between Pasquale and Dekanich. It is likely both goalies will see plenty of action early in the season until one begins to outplay the other.
Burmistrov reports; would rather play in Russia
Skilled center Alexander Burmistrov is expected to begin the season as the IceCaps first-line center and could be one of the more entertaining players to watch in the AHL this year. The 20-year-old spent the past two seasons playing in the NHL and was the eighth overall selection in the 2010 NHL draft.
But some followers of the IceCaps can’t help but be concerned about his state of mind, considering he has indicated St. John’s was not his preferred destination this fall.
With the lockout preventing him from playing in Winnipeg, Burmistrov wished to return to his hometown of Kazan, Russia and play for the Ak-Bars Kazan Snow Leopards of the KHL. A KHL salary surely would have been superior to his AHL paycheck, but Jets’ management thought playing in St. John’s would be best for Burmistrov’s development.
Given that Burmistrov is still on his three-year, entre-level NHL deal, he has little choice but to accept the assignment to the AHL.
“They decided they wanted to do that, so I have to do it. I will go there and play hockey. If I had the chance it would be nice to play there (Ak-Bars Kazan). I know the coaches, I played there the first time. But (playing in St. John’s) is what I have to do,” Burmistrov told the Winnipeg Free Press.
Despite his desire to play in the KHL during the lockout, Burmistrov is trying to make the best of it in the AHL. At the very least, he appears aware of the benefits of playing in the development-oriented league.
“There’s a lot of good players here, so this is probably the best fit for me,” Burmistrov told The St. John’s Telegram. “There were a lot of great players who came down to the AHL in the last lockout and it helped their game.”
Meech just happy to be healthy
Defenseman Derek Meech had a frustrating 2011-12 campaign, missing almost the entire regular season due to knee injuries. However, he recovered just in time for the AHL playoffs, where he was the IceCaps best defenseman during their run to the Eastern Conference final.
Meech now has a clean bill of health and is looking forward to taking part in what he hopes will be an injury-free season. McCambridge expects him to pick up exactly where he left off during the 2012 Calder Cup playoffs.
“I liked everything I saw from Derek’s game last year. I could feel for the frustration with the injuries and it speaks volumes about him as a person to come back from the two injuries that took place for one season. To have him, for whatever time period it works out to be in our lineup, is a big benefit for us,” McCambridge told the Winnipeg Sun.
Late addition to camp
The IceCaps added a seasoned veteran to their training camp roster with the late-September signing of Brian Sutherby. The 30-year-old center has played 460 NHL games during a 10-year pro career and was a first round draft pick of the Washington Capitals in 2000.
Last season Sutherby endured an injury-plagued campaign that limited him to only 15 game with the San Antonio Rampage. After undergoing successful back surgery to repair a herniated disc, Sutherby hopes he can provide veteran leadership to the IceCaps and possibly get a look from the Jets later in the season.
Contact Darcy.MacRae@prohockeynews.com
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