Fresno Falcons 2008-09 Season Preview

FRESNO, Ca.- The Fresno Falcons are moving back to the downtown Selland Arena, and with the more cozy environs, Head Coach and General Manager Matt Thomas has put together a hard hitting club that he hopes will take advantage of the more intimidating environment and make the refurbished building amongst the toughest for opponents to visit. The Falcons also signed an affiliation agreement this year with the Chicago Blackhawks after forgoing an affiliation last season. “We are excited to be affiliating with a team rich in tradition and success,” Thomas said. “It’s no secret that the Blackhawks are quickly becoming a Stanley Cup contender. We are excited to work with their young prospects, and help them develop into future NHL players.” Fresno has received more players already from the Blackhawks than they did in three years of being affiliated with the San Jose Sharks. As all ECHL fans know, this can be a double edged sword with players being called up at inopportune times throughout the season, but the Falcons will start the year with a full roster that looks very strong. Here is a look at the Falcons heading into the 2008-09 Season. Goaltending: In a surprise move, the Falcons cut expected starter Ryan Nie two days before their first game, giving Blackhawk prospect Joe Fallon the starting job. Fallon enters his first professional season after attending the University of Vermont, where he was teammates with Falcons’

defenseman Kenny MacAulay. A sixth round selection of the Blackhawks in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, Fallon holds the Catamounts all-time record with 20 shutouts. The 6 foot 3 inch, 190-pound goaltender appeared in 132 career games at Vermont, posting an overall record of 63-51-17 with a 2.06 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. Also assigned to the Falcons from the Toronto Marlies (AHL) was rookie Michael Ouzas who led the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds to consecutive CIS National Finals winning gold in 2007 and silver in the 2008 event.  Defense: It is often said that defense wins championships and on paper the Falcons look to be very strong if not downright loaded in this category. Returning Captain Matt O’Dette enters his fifth season with the Falcons, and his 12th in professional hockey. He has played 261 games with the Falcons and his 661 penalty minutes rank third in team history. “Matt has been a staple of our program and we are excited to have him back for another season. Selland Arena is the perfect fit for a big, physical defenseman, and we look for him to be the player that sets the tone.” added Thomas. Also returning from last year’s club are ECHL all-star Kenny MacAulay, Daryl Marcoux and Biran O’Hanley. MacAulay spent 18 games at the end of the season with Rockford (AHL). “It’s always good to return a first-year All Star,” Thomas said. “The time that Kenny spent in Rockford last year made him a legitimate American Hockey League prospect. We look forward to him coming back to Fresno and improving on a solid rookie campaign.” Newcomers are Brennan Turner from Chicago, Bobby Davey, Nate Ansell and Jamie Coghlan, who will start the year on IR. Turner was a fifth-round selection of the Blackhawks in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He appeared in 58 career games at Yale University, tallying three assists. He made his professional debut at the end of last season playing in four games with Rockford. Davey enters the pro ranks after playing the previous four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League. The 21-year-old accumulated 682 penalty minutes, while also scoring 23 points on four goals and 19 assists. “Bobby Davey is a young guy that comes from a great pedigree in junior hockey, “said Assistant Coach and Assistant General Manager Ryan Mougenel. “With us moving back to Selland Arena, we needed to add toughness and players that are hard to play against. Bobby is a player that brings that, and he should be a fan favorite this season.” Coghlan is a 6 foot 3 inch , 210 pound blueliner, and comes to the Falcons after a three-year career at Mercyhurst College where he scored nine points and accumulated 76 penalty minutes in 81 games “Jamie is a big, strong defenseman who can clear the front of the net, and comes highly touted as a solid two-way defenseman,” Thomas said. ” Nate (Ansell) comes highly recommended as a young, emerging player. In his senior year, he developed into a premier defenseman in the highly-competitive CCHA. He’s a swift-skating, puck-moving defenseman who should add an offensive element to our blueline. He will fit very well into our system.” Forwards: The Falcons have bulked up and added toughness to give the Falcons a more balanced attack than in recent seasons. All the talk in Fresno is about veteran Brad Brown. The 32-year-old Brown was the 18th overall selection in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He made his debut with them in 1996-97 and has spent time with Chicago, the New York Rangers, Minnesota, and Buffalo. Another big, tough forward is Matt Stefanishion who makes his way back to the Falcons after an impressive run in preseason with Anaheim. Stefanishion appeared in 54 games with the Falcons last season, scoring 19 goals and adding 18 assists for 37 points, while also accumulating 243 penalty minutes. “Matt had a great training camp in the NHL, and proved to a lot of people that he can play at the next level,” Thomas said. Also returning are Spencer Carbery, Jarret Konkle, Kenny Bernard and Igor Gongalsky (an ECHL all-star last season). “We want to go into this season with a certain team attitude and Spencer’s qualities embody what that is: tough, hard to play against, with the ultimate goal of team success first. In a short time last season, he proved that he has the ability to be a leader and play considerable minutes. We are very excited to have him back. Jarrett (Konkle) is a highly skilled player who has the capabilities to be a 30-plus goal scorer. Also assigned to the Falcons from Chicago were Peter MacArthur and Mike Radja. MacArthur enters his first professional campaign after completing his collegiate career at Boston University. The 23-year-old scored 64 goals and added 83 assists for 147 points in 159 career games with the Terriers. Radja, who was very impressive in preseason, joins the Falcons from the University of New Hampshire, where he played in 149 games while notching 117 points. Judd Blackwater who is entering his rookie campaign after spending the last three years with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs. “Judd is one of those premier first-year players that will make a difference immediately,” Thomas said. “He’s a proven playoff performer having won a Memorial Cup championship last season.” Rob Klinkhammer comes to Fresno after playing last season with the Norfolk Admirals in the AHL. Klinkhammer appeared in 66 games for Norfolk last season while scoring 24 points. “Rob is a big power forward who had a lot of success at the AHL level as a first year player last season. He is another player that will make things difficult for opposing players when they visit Selland Arena .” Kyle Hagel and Dustin Sproat make their way to the Falcons from Princeton University where they were teammates in 2005. Hagel appeared in 117 games during his four years with the Tigers, scoring 12 goals and adding 12 assists for 24 points, while also accumulating 80 penaltyminutes. “Dustin is a unique story, as the leading returning scorer in the ECAC, he lost his last year of eligibility at Princeton, and was somewhat forced out of the game,” Thomas said. “He has a renewed focus and passion to win and succeed and will be a huge surprise to a lot of people out there. Guy Gadowsky ( Princeton‘s Coach and former Falcons Coach/Player) is a strong believer in both of these players. He believes that few will out-work and out-muscle Kyle and thinks that Dustin can be an impact scorer immediately because of his hockey sense and creativity.” Also from Princeton is Grant Goeckner-Zoeller who spent last season in Augusta with the Lynx. “Grant was a highly-touted scorer coming out of college, and a couple of injuries last season hampered his production. We look forward to him being an impact scorer this season. His size will play a factor in opening up the ice for himself and his teammates” Thomas Said. Rounding it out up front is Derek Petrosso in his rookie year out of Colorado College. “Derek is a big power forward with soft hands around the net,” Thomas said. “Everyone we talk to about Derek feels that he will be a big scorer in the pro game. We look forward to him being in our line-up. OUTLOOK- The Falcons will definitely be big and tough with talent thrown in for good measure. They have a great blend of newcomers and experienced players. These changes will open up a lot of room for the speedy playmakers like Bernard, Radja and Gongalsky. With more players on “loan” than ever before the Falcons may have some problems holding their roster together over the long haul but there appears to be more than enough talent and size to balance things out if all the call-ups and injuries don’t come at once. The defense looks to be very solid in front of a pair of rookie netminders. It is looking to be a good year in Fresno and there should be plenty to make the atmosphere and intimidation factor of the smaller Selland Arena come alive. With Coach Thomas’ puck control systems in place and the bulk to back it up the Falcons are looking to be very hard to play against! Contact the author at Mike.Canady@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer at chris.canady@prohockeynews.com.