Evansville IceMen primed for strong season

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – As fans of the Broadway musical Rent are well aware, one calendar year consists of 525,600 minutes. IceMen fans have about that many reasons to feel good about their team these days, as Evansville’s second Central Hockey League season rapidly approaches. The team will debut a new home arena – the $127-million Ford Center, located in the heart of Downtown Evansville. With a seating capacity of over 9,000 for hockey, the brand-new facility will seem like a completely different world compared to the team’s previous home, the 1,500-seat Swonder Ice Arena. Swonder, a fine recreational rink that was never intended to host professional hockey, will continue to serve as the team’s primary practice facility. There’s also an updated team logo, a trio of new jerseys that eschews black in favor of blues, an expanded front office staff, a relocated team office that is within walking distance of the Ford Center, a redesigned team website (EvansvilleIceMen.com), a new fan site and blog (IceMenManiacs.com), and a new radio network that will bring IceMen game broadcasts to thousands of additional listeners throughout the region. But all of the off-ice improvements will mean little if the quality of the on-ice product fails to equate. Luckily, for IceMen fans, the upgrades to the team roster may prove to be even greater than all of the off-ice advancements. Just how different might things be this season? Consider that on August 22, 2010, Rich Kromm was in just his third day on the job as the IceMen’s Head Coach and General Manager. The organization had yet to announce a single player signing. The roster would not reach 19 players until September 25th, just a week prior to training camp.

The IceMen got off to a respectable 7-5-1 start when the 2010-11 season began, but ultimately struggled with injuries and inconsistent play, finishing 21-32-13 as the only Turner Conference team that failed to qualify for the CHL’s post-season. Fast-forward one year to August 22, 2011. With more time and a host of new recruiting tools on his side, Kromm already had a complete roster (19 players) signed, a full seven weeks before training camp. Now, with camp still more than a week away, there are 25 players under contract and the team expects to have 30 hit the ice for two-a-days starting on October 10th. Barring any surprises in training camp, it appears as if Evansville’s 10 game-day forward slots are set. Newcomer Todd Robinson, who tallied 99 points (29 G, 70 A) for the now defunct Odessa Jackalopes last season, joins returnees Nicklas Lindberg and Brian Bicek as the team’s most potent offensive threats. Robinson has topped the 100-point mark five times in his lengthy pro career, with an astounding 1,134 total points in 805 games played. Lindberg topped Evansville with 69 points (15 G, 54 A) last season, while Bicek scored a team-high 27 goals (with 61 total points) and was the team’s lone representative in the CHL All-Star Game, in which he posted a natural hat trick. Also offering some punch is a pair of transplants from Europe, each with more than 250 pro games to his credit. Both John Ronan (52 points in 34 games) and Brad Smulders (41 points in 40 games) lit up the score sheet in Holland last season. Ronan has significant experience at the AA level, highlighted by a 64-point season (including 30 goals) with the International Hockey League’s Flint Generals in 2009-10. Smulders has spent his entire seven year pro career in Holland, having averaged at least a point per game each season. The talent runs deep on the forward lines, with three young veterans looking to take their games to the next level. Matt Pierce joined the IceMen midway through the 2010-11 season (his fourth as a pro), then racked up 19 points (11 G, 8 A) in just 27 games. Sean O’Connor comes to Evansville after registering 136 points (60 G, 76 A) during three seasons with the Fort Wayne Komets. And Josh Beaulieu joins the IceMen by way of the Rapid City Rush, where he notched 26 points (11 G, 15 A) last season while making his CHL debut after three seasons in the American Hockey League. Rounding out the “front lines” is a pair of guys who bring plenty of toughness to the fray. Fan favorite Mark Cody is back for a second season in Evansville, after tying for the team lead in Fighting Majors and showing his versatility by manning the blue line on several occasions when injuries decimated the IceMen defensive corps. Cody is joined by veteran newcomer Mike Sgroi, a legitimate “heavyweight” with 523 games of pro experience. Sgroi is known primarily for knocking knuckles, but should not be passed off as “just” an enforcer. During the 2007-08 season in the ECHL, Sgroi piled up 257 penalty minutes but also scored 25 goals and added 22 assists. At the other end of the ice, the top six defensemen are essentially locked in and the starting goaltender job is relatively secure as well. On defense, the “greybeard” of the group is 33-year-old Philippe Plante, who has played 783 pro games and is coming off of his fifth consecutive 30-point season (Plante played with Todd Robinson in Odessa last season). Other new arrivals include Steve Makway (43 points and 147 penalty minutes in 2007-08) and Matt Gens (53 points and 83 penalty minutes in 2008-09) also have AA hockey experience and a history of strong offensive production. The blue line will not be without familiar faces, however. Jordan Little, who had 18 points (3 G, 15 A) and 142 penalty minutes last season, returns for the back half of the two-year contract he signed last summer. Jake Obermeyer (who tallied eight assists with the IceMen) and Nick Schneider, who had 18 points (3 G, 15 A) and a team-best +/- rating, are also returning. Schneider was considered by many IceMen fans to be the MVP of the Evansville defense last season. Between the pipes, Pier-Olivier Pelletier was acquired via trade from the Laredo Bucks and is in line to be the top goaltender in Evansville. His numbers last season (3.42 GAA, .890 SV%) were nothing to write home about, but the woeful Bucks went just 24-34-8 and joined the IceMen as the only two CHL teams to miss the playoffs. A year earlier, Pelletier’s rookie season was much more impressive, as he sported a 2.88 GAA with a strong .915 SV% for a better Laredo team that finished 32-20-12. In all likelihood, only two active roster spots are up for grabs as training camp opens, and one of those is the backup goaltender gig. A pair of rookies – and likely one more player to be signed before camp – will fight over the net minding job. The favorite so far may be 23-year-old Bryan Gillis, who posted some solid stats in the Canadian Junior-A and Collegiate ranks. Gillis’ best junior season came in 2008-09 in the British Columbia Hockey League, where he went 22-13-1 with a 2.83 GAA and .906 SV%. His only known competition at this time is Jonathan Willumsen, a 22-year-old with several years of experience in Denmark’s junior hockey scene. With only one other spot remaining, Kromm may elect to keep another defenseman for depth purposes. Adam Knopp could have the upper hand after proving himself to be a reliable contributor during his 16-game stint with the IceMen late last season. Matt Caranci hopes to move up from the “Single-A” Federal Hockey League, where he made his pro debut and notched 24 points (7 G, 17 A) in 29 games last season. In addition, Finland’s Atte Rajajarvi aims to make the move to North America after spending several seasons in European junior leagues, totaling 45 points in 123 games. Should Kromm decide to roster an 11th forward, he has some promising options from which to choose. Rookie Dustin Johnson scored 67 points (35 G, 32 A) in just 52 games during his last full season of Junior-A hockey in Canada. Matt Schmermund recorded 53 points (27 G, 26 A) in 55 games over two seasons at Ryerson University (CIS) after spending three full seasons in the Western Hockey League (Major Junior-A). Also in the mix is Zach Tatrn, who tallied 34 points (11 G, 23 A) in 172 games over the past four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League (Major Junior-A). Championships aren’t won during the off-season, but they can certainly be lost when the heat and humidity have not yet given way to “hockey weather.” Thanks to an incredibly productive summer of recruiting, the Evansville IceMen should have a legitimate shot at claiming the 2011-12 CHL crown. Contact the writer at Michael.Shockley@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer at Daniel.Russell@prohockeynews.com