Barons Game 10 Preview; The Wolves Den

Away: Oklahoma City Barons (4-4-1); Last game: 3-2 OT Win vs. Hamilton
Home: Chicago Wolves (4-2-1); Last game: 4-3 Win vs. Milwaukee

Quick News and Notes
-This is the second of eight meetings between the two teams.
-The Wolves won the first meeting 2-1 in Oklahoma City.
-This is the third game of a 5-game road trip for the Barons.
-Petry, McDonald, and Giroux were the goal scorers in the Barons last game.
-The Barons PK streak ended at 35 when Brendon Nash of Hamilton scored on a PP.
-Brad Moran is the only Barons player with a postive +/- rating with a +2.
-Shawn Belle is tied for 11th in the league and is 2nd among defensemen in points with 9(1G,8A).
-Alex Plante is tied for 2nd in the league with 4 major penalties.
-The Barons have been outscored 3-9 in the 1st Period this season, and have outscored their opponents 11-9 and 9-7 in the 2nd and 3rd Periods respectively.
-The Barons have been outshot 84-86 in the 1st, and have outshot their opponents 95-93 and 88-80 in the 2nd and 3rd Periods respectively.
-The Barons are 8 for 58 on the PP(13.8%), and 43 for 46 on the PK(93.5%).
-The Wolves are 7 for 29 on the PP(24.1%) and 26 for 33 on the PK(78.8%).

Players to watch
OKC: If Pitton starts in goal, we'll have to see how he bounces back from his loss. Both Reddox's and Omark's point streaks ended after being blanked vs. Hamilton. Hopefully they can get another one going tonight. Hartikainen was the lone Baron that scored when they last played Chicago.
CHI: Darren Haydar(20) and Jason Krog(10) lead the team with 7 points a piece. Haydar and Riley Holzapfel(9) are the two Wolves who scored when they last played the Barons.

Coming off the OT win in the CBC broadcast game vs. Hamilton, the Barons look to build on it after actually being able to get some good rest. With the last game being broadcast on television, it gave everyone else a chance to see what we in OKC have been complaining about since the season started, the team just can't catch any breaks. Hopefully the team can step up the PP and the team can get some pucks in the net. Puck drop is at 7 CT/6 MT. The game will be broadcast on 96.1 KXY As always, you can follow myself(@AHLBarons) and Scott(@OilFieldHockey) as we tweet during the game.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Barons Game 9 Preview; The Dog Pound

Away: Oklahoma City Barons (3-4-1); Last game: 5-2 Loss vs. Toronto
Home: Hamilton Bulldogs (2-1-2); Last game: 4-3 SO Loss vs. Manitoba

Quick News and Notes
-This is the first of two meetings between the two teams.
-The Barons will be playing their third game in three days, while the Bulldogs had yesterday off.
-This is the second game of five on the Barons road trip.
-Liam Reddox and Linus Omark scored the two Barons goals yesterday.
-Reddox is riding a 4 game goal scoring streak and a 5 game point scoring streak with 6 points(4G, 2A) in those games.
-Omark is riding a 5 game point scoring streak as well with 7 points(3G, 4A) in those games.
-No one on the Barons has above a 0 rating in +/-. Brad Moran is the only player to have played all 8 games and have a 0 rating.
-The Barons outscored their opponents 15-5 during their win streak. They have been outscored 9-3 in their last two losses.
-The Barons have been outscored 19-6 in their losses.
-The Barons are 8 for 48 on the PP(16.7%), and 36 for 38 on the PK(94.7%).
-The Barons have killed off their last 31 PKs.
-The Bulldogs are 7 for 21 on the PP(33.3%), and 22 for 27 on the PK(81.5%).

Players to watch
OKC: Reddox and Omark have been the only two producing for the Barons. Hartikainen has been trying, but hasn't been able to put any points on the board.
HAM: Defensemen Yannick Weber(7) leads the Bulldogs with 9 points(5G, 4A) in 5 games. Center Ben Maxwell(19) is second with 8 points(3G, 5A).

After having a game on Friday night, leaving at 4 AM yesterday, catching a couple flights, and then getting stuck in traffic in Toronto, you could tell the Barons were tired. Hopefully with a little more rest, the Barons are able to get back in the groove today. The Barons get a couple nights off after today's game before they take on the Wolves on Wednesday. The game will be shown on CBC in Canada and on the NHL Network in the US. Puck drop is at 1PM EDT/Noon CDT. The game will also be broadcast on 96.1 KXY if you're unable to be by a television, or aren't able to get NHL Network or CBC (like me). If you're in the OKC area, there will be a watch party at the Buffalo Wild Wings at I-40 and Sooner Rd, which is where I will be. As always, you can follow myself(@AHLBarons) and Scott(@OilFieldHockey) as we tweet during the game.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Barons Game 8 Preview; Oh, Canada

Away: Oklahoma City Barons (3-3-1); Last game, 4-1 Loss vs. San Antonio
Home: Toronto Marlies (1-3-0); Last game, 3-1 Loss vs. Binghamton

Quick News and Notes
-This is the first of two meetings between the teams.
-This will be the first road trip of the season for the Barons. They play their next 5 games on the road.
-After tonight's game, the Barons travel to Hamilton for their televised game at Noon CDT.
-Liam Reddox is riding a three game goal scoring streak. He's the only Baron that scored in yesterday's game against San Antonio.
-Liam Reddox is fourth in the league in shots with 33.
-Brian Pitton is going to get the start today. In his first game against Houston, he stopped 29 of 31 shots.
-The Barons are 0-2-1 when out-shooting the opponent.
-The Barons are 7 for 41 on the PP(17.1%), and 30 for 32 on the PK(93.8%).
-The Barons streak of consecutive penalties killed is at 25.
-The Marlies are 1 for 15 on the PP(6.7%), and 15 for 17 on the PK(88.2%).

Players to watch
OKC: Reddox has been the only player that's consistently trying to do something. Not once can I say I've seen him playing lackadaisical. Giroux, Moran, and Belle continue to lead the team with 7 points.
TOR: Brayden Irwin(10) and Nazem Kadri(13), both rookies, lead the Marlies with 3 points. Luca Caputi(#17, @Lputi17 on Twitter) has 2 points.

Last night sucked. The team looked flat and uninterested. Like I said, Reddox was the only one that I saw trying to do something everytime he was on the ice. Harski was getting some big hits as well last night. Today, we turn our heads north for the first time this season, the first of a 5 game road trip. Hopefully they're able to make some adjustments and look like the team they were last weekend. The puck drop is at 4 CDT/3 MDT. Today's game will be on KTOK and on AHL Live. As always, you can follow myself(@AHLBarons) and Scott(@OilFieldHockey) on Twitter as we tweet about the game.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Barons Game 7 Preview; On a Rampage!

Away: San Antonio Rampage (3-2-1); Last game: 4-2 Win vs. Lake Erie
Home: Oklahoma City Barons (3-2-1); Last game: 3-0 Win vs. Lake Erie

Quick News and Notes
-This is the first of 10 meetings between the two teams.
-This is the first game of a three game weekend for the Barons. They travel to Toronto for a game tomorrow, then to Hamilton for a game on Sunday.
-The Barons have scored 8 straight goals in their last two games.
-Shawn Belle, who scored 19 points(3G, 16A) in 70 games last season, has 7 points(1G, 6A) in 6 games this season.
-Belle, Alex Giroux, and Brad Moran lead the team in scoring with 7 points. That has them tied for 11th in the league in scoring. Belle is tied for 2nd among defensemen.
-Giroux is riding a 4 game point scoring streak. Belle, a 3 game streak.
-Martin Gerber is coming off of a 35 save shutout against Lake Erie. His last one in the AHL happened on January 21st, 2009 against who was then the Philadelphia Phantoms(now Adirondack).
-The Barons are 7 for 35 on the PP(20.0%), and 26 for 28 on the PK(92.9%).
-The Barons have killed off their last 21 PK.-The Rampage are 7 for 33 on the PP(21.2%), and 21 for 30 on the PK(70.0%).

Players to watch
OKC: Um, everybody? This team has played very well the last few games. It’s hard to pick a few anymore. I’m hoping Omark is able to break out some tonight. The first and second lines are turning out to be pretty deadly.
SAN: Mathieu Beaudoin(26) leads the Rampage in scoring with 8 points(5G, 3A). Goalie Matt Climie(33) has a 2.76 GAA and .916 save percentage.

After coming out of their 4 game in 5 night trip, the Barons ended up gaining 7 out of 8 possible standings points. Riding a three game winning streak, it remains to be seen if they can keep the momentum going during this sleep-depriving weekend. As always, you can follow myself(@AHLBarons) and Scott(@OilFieldHockey) as we tweet during the game. The game will be broadcast on AHL Live and by listening on 96.1 KXY.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Barons Game 6 Preview; Monsters Crawled Back

Away: Lake Erie Monsters (2-1-1); Last game: 3-2 SO Loss vs. San Antonio
Home: Oklahoma City Barons (2-2-1); Last game: 8-2 Win vs. Houston

Quick News and Notes

-This is the second meeting between the teams. The Barons won the first meeting 4-3 after coming back from a 3-0 deficit.
-Brad Moran is coming off of a 5 point weekend(3G, 2A).
-The Barons are 5 for 31 on the PP, and 23 for 25 on the PK.
-The Barons have killed off their last 18 PK.
-The Monsters are 1 for 17 on the PP, and 21 for 24 on the PK.
-Brad Moran is the Barons leading scorer with 6 points. He is tied for 16th in the league.

Players to watch
OKC: Giroux is coming off of a 2 goal game in Houston. Omark is riding a 2 game goal scoring streak. Moran is coming off of his hat trick from Saturday. McDonald, Petry, Vande Velde, Hartikainen, and Reddox also had a goal in Sunday's game.
LEM: Matthew Ford(23) netted a goal in Lake Erie's game on Sunday. He also had an assist in the game against the Barons on Saturday. He also leads his team in scoring.

This will cap off the Barons 4 games in 5 nights trip. Next weekend is going to be a hectic one as well. Friday night at home against San Antonio, then they fly to Toronto for a game Saturday, and then it's off to Hamilton for their televised game on Sunday. It'll be interesting to see if the Barons can keep the momentum going tonight from their huge win on Sunday. As always, you can follow myself(@AHLBarons) and Scott(@OilFieldHockey) as we tweet during the game. The game will be broadcast on AHL Live(which is better now) and by listening on 96.1 KXY.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Barons Game 5 Preview; On The Road

Away: Oklahoma City Barons (1-2-1); Last game: 4-3 Win vs. Lake Erie
Home: Houston Aeros (2-1-0); Last game: 3-2 Loss vs. Peoria

Quick news and notes

-The Barons play on the road for the first time this season.
-This is the third meeting between the two teams.
-Houston leads the series 2-0-0.
-The Barons are 1 for 23 on the PP, and 14 for 16 on the PK.
-The Aeros are 2 for 12 on the PP, and 16 for 16 on the PK.
-Ben Ondrus was named the team captain and Alex Giroux and Shawn Belle the Assistants.
-After last night's game, Brad Moran is now the team points leader with 4(3G, 1A).

Players to watch:
OKC: Moran, obviously. Coming off of his pure hat trick, he's got to be determined to keep it up. Omark finally broke through and got his first of the season last night. He'd been frustrated after not getting one yet, and he's going to keep fighting to get more.
HOU: I'm sure Matt Hackett is starting. He had last night against Peoria off. Allowing one goal in each of the games against the Barons, he's going to look to keep that up. Jean-Michel Daoust(62) has a goal in each of his last two games.

Puck drops at 4:05. You can listen to the game on 96.1 KXY or watch the game on AHL Live. Be sure to follow myself (@AHLBarons) and Scott (@OilFieldHockey) as we tweet about the game.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Barons Game 4 Recap; Barons W-I-N!

Finally, finally, finally, the Barons get a win. After so many failed chances, the Barons were able to score on the PP, score more than one goal in a game, and keep everyone wondering if they would pull it off all the way to the end.

First Period
-God, this period sucked. Just like Friday night, the team started strong and had a couple good chances in the early minutes, but couldn't keep it going. Just over 3 minutes in, Colin McDonald and David Liffiton tried to fight. Liffiton over-commited in his grab and they both tumbled to the ice. No real big hits from either one. The Barons PP woes continued after the Monsters got a Delay of Game penalty and weren't able to convert. Then, to make things worse, after a Hooking call to Mike Carman, the Monsters scored not one, but two shorthanded goals in 1:06. So now, not only could we not score but we were getting scored on. The first goal, I think Gerber could have had. The second, he had his leg extended and Van der Gulik hit it a couple times, but finally was able to lift it over Gerber's leg. And after one, the Barons were down 0-2.

Second Period
-So after the crowd got taken out of the game pretty early, it was tough to get much going. Coach Nelson reworked the lines a little bit, getting them more to how they were in Friday's game. 2:44 into the period though, the Monsters struck again. I can't blame Gerber for this one. I could see the lane perfect from my seat; Liffiton shot from the blue line with 4-5 guys between him and Gerber. A huge screen and Gerber didn't even move until the puck was in the net. That was a tough one. After another PP that they couldn't score on and a fight that didn't result in much between Plante and Zach Cohen, the Barons finally broke through at the 11:25 mark with a shot from Moran that got past Monsters goaltender John Grahame. At the 13:55 mark, the Monsters were called for a Too Many Men penalty. After fully expecting the Monsters to be able to kill this one off as well, Moran proves me wrong after a Giroux shot rebounded and landed right in front of Moran's stick. Moran just tapped the puck into the open net to finally get a PPG for the Barons. The second period would end with a 3-2 Monsters lead.

Third Period
The third period was just a big blur. Very few stoppages. I was starting to lose hope after 15 minutes and there not really being any huge chances so far. Then finally, at the 15:36 mark, Moran gets his hat trick. Not just any old hat trick though. A pure hat trick. How much better can you get for a franchise's first hat trick in history? The crowd was roaring. Down 3-0 and to come back like that was huge. I was fully expecting that the team would just play to hold the tie, and try to get the win in OT. Am I glad I was wrong. Three minutes later, Omark gets a pass from Reddox and beats Grahame. I've never heard 3000 people that loud. Then, to just make things interesting, the ref decides to hand out a boarding penalty to Belle, after letting a lot worse calls go. A 52 second penalty kill to end the game and the team stepped up. The Monsters had one real chance, but Gerber was able to kick it away. The crowd was on it's feet for most of the PK, and only got louder with each clear. 4-3 the final score and the first win for the Barons is in the books!

The Barons hopped on a bus after the game and headed to Houston to cap off their three game set. Preview is coming up.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Barons Game 4 Preview; Lake Erie vs. OKC

Away: Lake Erie Monsters (2-0-0); Last game: 2-1 SO Win vs. Syracuse
Home: Oklahoma City Barons (0-2-1); Last game: 2-1 OT Loss vs. Houston

Quick News and Notes

-This will be the first of six meetings between the two teams
-The Monsters are the AHL affiliate of the CHL Tulsa Oilers, the main rival to the old OKC Blazers
-Colin McDonald and Teemu Hartikainen are the only scorers for the Barons. McDonald with 1, Hartikainen with 2.
-The Barons are 0 for 18 on the PP, and 13 for 15 on the PK.
-Giroux continues to lead the team in PIM with 16, with Ben Ondrus in second with 12.

Players to watch:
OKC: After last night's game, it's hard to pick out one or two anymore. Hartikainen is always a given. Hopefully the rest of the team starts to break out and we get to see some scoring.
LEM: Julian Talbot(48) has two goals for the Monsters. Matthew Ford(23) and Justin Mercier(16) are the other Monsters goal scorers with one goal each.

After hearing the complaints of the AHL Live feed, I'm starting to not recommend it. A bit peeved that I spent that much on it to be getting the horrible quality that it is. REMINDER: The game tonight will be on KTOK 1000. The listen live link is in the top left corner under the KTOK logo. Be sure to follow myself (@AHLBarons) and Scott (@OilFieldHockey) as we tweet from the game.

EDIT: The Barons today assigned Jordan Bendfeld to Stockton.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Barons Game 3 Recap; A Baron Net

Why, oh why, are we not able to get the puck into the net? So many chances in these games that have gone an inch or two the wrong way. This was a much better game than last weekend. The Barons were making the Aeros fight for the puck, and their first goal was a lucky one that just managed to get by Gerber after a scrum in front of the net. The Barons goal by Colin McDonald was a nice deflection off of a Petiot shot that floated over Matt Hackett's shoulder into the net. After a scoreless third, the game into OT where with 17.4 seconds left on the clock, Casey Wellman got the puck past Gerber to end the game. Definitely a heartbreak for a team that pretty much outplayed the Aeros for the majority of the game.

Highs

-Another 1 goal game, this time in OT. They've extended it all they can, it's time for a win.
-Colin McDonald getting his first goal of the season.
-I got to go on the ice during first intermission.
-Omark showed us he's got some mad stickhandling skills. Now we just need to see his shooting skills.
-The ref let the guys play, but there were some blatant calls that he let go.
-The defense looked good last night. Belle's a machine out there.
-Sound system was a little better.
-Outshot the Aeros 41-31. Now we just need those shots to make it INTO the net.
-Getting to see Bonk again was nice. You could tell he wanted to do something, but he just never got the chance to.
-Reddox was constantly attacking the net. Twice, he had awesome opportunities to get a goal.

Lows

-A heartbreak of a way to lose the game. 17 mother loving seconds left.
-The PP! 0 for 18! WTF?
-Plante and Ondrus need to take some fighting lessons from Belle.
-Sound system still sucked.
-Derrick is here why? I thought a mascot was supposed to pump up the crowd, not walk around it for photo ops. Anyone else find it sacrilegious that he wears #99?
-The prize I got during the first intermission was pretty lame($25 gift card to a restaurant), but hey, free food is free food.
-The etiquette videos. My first time getting to see them and my head wanted to explode. If they were going to do that, they should have ponied up and gotten Larry Hagman to be in it. That way, regardless of how bad they were, it's freaking Larry Hagman.
-They supposed STH-only entrance. I hadn't read the press release before I got there. According to the release, STH's got to enter through that entrance 15 minutes prior to everyone else. What ended up happening, the ushers let everyone in that corner entrance into the arena 15 minutes prior. Oops

Hopefully the team continues to improve, I'm ready for a win. Watch for my preview of tonight's game a little later.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

OKC Barons Game 3 Preview: vs. Houston, Take Two

Away: Houston Aeros (1-0-0) Last Game: 6-1 win vs. OKC
Home: Oklahoma City Barons( 0-2-0) Last Game: 2-1 loss vs. Chicago

Quick news and notes

-The Barons will play their first game after their inaugural weekend where they dropped both games.
-In the last meeting, the Aeros beat the Barons last Saturday 6-1 in the Barons inaugural game.
-Hartikainen has scored the only two Barons goals this season.
-Giroux leads the team in PIM with 16 minutes.
-The Barons are 0/15 on the PP and 12/14 on the PK.
-Projected Lines:

Giroux-Moran-McDonald
Reddox-O’Marra-Omark
Hartikainen-Kytnar-Ondrus
Cornet-Vande Velde-Marquardt
Goalie: Not positive, but I'm thinking Pitton will get the nod. He was getting a bit more work in practice on Thursday.

Players to watch:
OKC: Hartikainen, for obvious reasons. Remains to be seen if the first line is going to work well together.
HOU: Matt Hackett, if he starts in goal. Stopped 30 of 31 OKC shots last weekend. Petr Kalus(23) and Joel Broda(56) each scored twice last weekend.

After the blowout on Saturday, Todd Nelson adjusted the lines a little bit which seemed to help some, as the Barons looked a bit more in sync vs. Chicago. After a week of practice, hopefully things will turn out a lot better than last weekend’s game.

Puck drops at 7:05. You can listen to the game on 96.1 KXY or watch the game on AHL Live. Be sure to follow myself (@AHLBarons) and Scott (@OilFieldHockey) as we tweet from the game.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Oklahoma City Barons vs. Houston Aeros Preview

Away: Houston Aeros (0-0-0)
Home: Oklahoma City Barons (0-0-0)

Quick news and notes

-This will be the inaugural game for the Barons.
-The last AAA level game played in OKC was in 1982, when the Oklahoma City Stars were an affiliate of the Calgary Flames.

-Projected lines:
Giroux-Moran-Omark
Hartikainen-Vande Velde-McDonald
O’Marra-Reddox-Ondrus
Stewart-Cornet-Kytnar

-Martin Gerber will be starting in goal.
-The majority of the Barons D-Corps played for the Springfield Falcons last season when they were the Oilers AHL affiliate.
-Barons players to watch:
The first line of Giroux, Moran, and Omark. Expect this to be a huge scoring line with Omark’s playmaking abilities and Giroux’s crashing the net.
Martin Gerber – Was a part of the Carolina Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup winning team. May well be the best goaltender in the AHL.
-The Aeros are the affiliate to the Minnesota Wild.
-The majority of the Aeros forwards played for the Aeros last season.
-The Aeros were 12^th in the Western Conference in scoring last season.
-Last season, the Aeros finished the season in last place in the Western Division with a 34-34-7 record.
-This is the first of 10 meetings between the teams for the 2010-11 season.
-Aeros players to watch:
Jean-Michel Daoust – scored 55(21+34) points for the Aeros last season.
Jon DiSalvatore – scored 52(21+31) points for the Aeros last season.

Puck drops at 7:05. You can listen to the game on 96.1 KXY or watch the game on AHL Live. The Barons said that the issue of not being able to listen to the KXY stream in Canada should hopefully be resolved by the beginning of the game tomorrow. Be sure to follow myself (@AHLBarons) and Scott (@OilFieldHockey) as we tweet from the game.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

My Thoughts on the Possibility of a Barons TV Deal

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been seeing announcements by different teams in the AHL and the CHL for radio and television deals that they have gained. That got me to thinking about if the Barons might be able to secure a television deal to go along with their radio deal with KXY. It would seem that the chance of getting one for this season is pretty far gone, but that leaves plenty of time to look at getting one for next season. There are a few options the Barons have to look at. There are three really good non-cable possibilities for the team to look at; KOCB, KAUT, and KSBI. KOCB is the CW affiliate, KAUT is the MyNetworkTV affiliate, and KSBI is an unaffiliated station. Of those three, KSBI is the best choice in my opinion. KSBI is able to be seen in almost the whole state of Oklahoma, thanks to them having 12 translator sites within the state. With the station not being affiliated with any network, they wouldn’t have to deal with any programming conflicts. The Barons also already have a working business deal with one of their owners, Aubrey McClendon, who is also the CEO and Co-Founder of Chesapeake Energy, the Barons founding partner. And in what is probably the strongest case to make for KSBI, they have plenty of experience in broadcasting sporting events. In the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first two seasons, KSBI broadcast 17 games each season with Fox Sports Oklahoma broadcasting the remainder of the games. They lost the rights to show the Thunder games this year after the Thunder decided to sign an exclusive deal with Fox Sports Oklahoma. If the Barons want a really good opportunity to expose the team and the AHL to the state, and KSBI wants a very good alternative to fill the void left by the Thunder, showing the games on KSBI is the way to go.

OKC Barons Training Camp; A Reference Guide

Earlier today, the Barons released their training camp roster. 31 players are listed to be there, barring any more cuts by the Oilers on Sunday. Since I hadn’t heard of most of the names on the list, I figured I’d compile a bit of a reference guide for a little bit more info on the players. You can check out my previous post on the Allen Americans players attending here.

F - Mark Arcobello, 22
5’8”, 165 lbs.

Played the last four years for Yale. Posted a 35 point season in 08-09, and a 36 point season in 09-10, playing 34 games each season. Hasn’t signed anywhere this year as far as I’ve been able to find.

LW – Jesse Gimblett, 25
6’2”, 209 lbs.

Tried out for the Oilers this season, and was invited to Barons camp. Played the last four years for the Univ. of Alberta, averaging just under a point a game for the last three. Played four games for the Springfield Falcons last season posting one assist and 6 PIM.

C – Milan Kytnar, 21
6’0”, 183 lbs.

Drafted #127 in the ’07 draft by the Oilers, he was assigned to the Barons after trying out for the Oilers. Played last year for the Vancouver Giants, netting 39 points in 42 games. He scored 64 points in 65 games for the Saskatoon Blades in 08-09, as well as 6 points in 7 games with the Slovakia U-20 team in the Junior Championships.

RW – James Livingston, 20
6’1”, 192 lbs.

Drafted #70 in the ‘08 draft by the St. Louis Blues. Tried out for the Oilers and was invited to Barons camp. Played three full season with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and part of a fourth before being traded to the Plymouth Whalers. He posted 37 points in 66 games in 08-09. In 09-10, he posted 26 points in 36 games with the Greyhounds and 9 points in 24 games in the regular season and 2 points in 9 games during the Whalers playoff run.

LW – Matt Marquardt, 23
6’2”, 223 lbs.

Drafted #194 in the ’06 draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Tried out for the Oilers before being assigned to OKC. Scored 22 points in 71 games in 08-09, and 10 points in 09-10 with the Providence Bruins, and 3 points in 9 games with the Reading Royals before being traded to the Oilers for Cody Wild. He was held scoreless in 4 games with the Springfield Falcons, and scored 2 points with the Stockton Thunder in 7 regular season games and posted 10 points in 15 games in their playoff run.

RW/LW – Mike Thomas, 20
6’1”, 192 lbs.

Tried out for the Oilers and was invited to the Barons camp. Has played 4 season with the Saint John Sea Dogs, scoring 20 points in 51 regular season games and 7 points in 18 games during their playoff run.

F – Brian Matte, 22
5’11”, 165 lbs.

Played in 48 regular season games with the Prince George Cougars last season, posting 30 points and 2 points in their 4 playoff games.

LW – Chris Cloud, 21
5’11”, 185 lbs.

Last season, he was held scoreless in 3 games with the Wheeling Nailers  and posted 21 points in 56 games with the Amarillo Gorillas in their last season.

LW/D – Scott Howes, 23
5’11”, 190 lbs.

Played 5 games in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose in 08-09 but was held scoreless, and posted 22 points in 39 games with the Victoria Salmon Kings. Last season, he posted 26 points in 47 regular season games with the Salmon Kings and was held scoreless in 3 playoff games. Signed with the Stockton Thunder for this season.

C – Troy Schwab, 25
5’8”, 192 lbs.

Played last season with the Johnstown Chiefs of the ECHL, posting 53 points in 67 games. Prior to that, he played four seasons with the Lake Superior State University of the NCAA, posting 110 points in 150 games.

C – Matthew Robertson, 22
5’9”, 159 lbs.

Played last season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the then-IHL, posting 44 points in 76 regular season games, and 2 points in 7 playoff games. He is signed to the Tulsa Oilers of the CHL this season.

RW – Dan Riedel, 25
5’9”, 176 lbs.

In 08-09, he played 55 games with the Dayton Bombers, posting 46 points in 55 games, and 11 points in 17 regular season games, and 14 points in 17 playoff games with the Las Vegas Wranglers. Last season, he posted 41 points in 52 games with the Tulsa Oilers. He is signed to the Tulsa Oilers this season.

F – Mick Lawrence, 27
5’10, 205 lbs.

Has played the last two seasons with the Las Vegas Wranglers, posting 34 points in 38 games in 08-09, and 52 points in 64 games last season.

LW – Matt Pierce, 25
5’11, 181 lbs.

Posted 50 points in 60 regular season games, and 4 points in 9 playoff games with the Cincinnati Cyclones last season. He was held scoreless in one game with the Houston Aeros. He is signed to the Texas Brahmas this season.

LW/RW - Vladimir Nikiforov, 22
5’6”, 170 lbs.

Played the last two seasons with the Utah Grizzlies. Posted 33 points in 45 regular season games and 5 points in 5 playoff games in 08-09. Posted 51 points in 61 regular season games and was held scoreless in 2 playoff games last season. He played 19 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in 08-09 posting 5 points in 19 games. He is signed to the Florida Everblades this season.

F – Brian Bicek, 24
5’8”, 170 lbs.

Played last season with the Muskegon Lumberjacks, posting 55 points in 76 regular season games and 3 points in 7 playoff games. He is signed to the Evansville Icemen this season.

LW – Philippe Cornet, 20
5’11”, 176 lbs.

Drafted #133 in the ’08 draft by the Oilers. Assigned to OKC after trying out for the Oilers. Played last season with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies posting 77 points in 65 regular season games and 11 points in 11 playoff games. Played for the U-17 Canada Quebec team in 05-06 posting 3 points in 6 games.

D – Jordan Bendfeld, 22
6’3”, 229 lbs.

Drafted #193 in the ’08 draft by the Oilers. Was assigned to OKC after trying out for the Oilers. Has played the last two season with the Stockton Thunder. He posted 3 points in 17 games in 08-09, and 10 points in 52 regular season games along with 5 points in 15 playoff games last season. He played with the Springfield Falcons in 9 games last season posting 1 assist.

D – Brennan Barker, 25
5’11”, 203 lbs.

Has played the last four years with the University of Alabama-Huntsville. Last season, he posted 11 points and 40 PIM in 28 games.

D – Anthony Aiello, 24
6’1”, 194 lbs.

Played 51 games with the Stockton Thunder last season, posting 27 points and 55 PIM in the regular season, and 9 points and 6 PIM in 15 playoff games.

D – Mike Egener, 26
6’4”, 216 lbs.

Drafted #34 in the ’03 draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. He played 65 games last season with the Ontario Reign posting 29 points and 189 PIM. Played in the AHL with Springfield and Norfolk from 04-08.

D – Steven Vanoosten, 25
6’1”, 194 lbs.

Played last season with the Stockton Thunder, posting 19 points and 16 PIM in 52 regular season games and 7 points and 12 PIM in 15 playoff games.

D – Sean Erickson, 26
6’0”, 174 lbs.

Played last season with the Tulsa Oilers, posting 18 points and 31 PIM in 59 games. He is signed to the Tulsa Oilers this season.

D – Tyler Fleck, 31
5’10”, 209 lbs.

A name that any OKC Blazers fan will know, Fleck played 9 full season with the Blazers before they folded. He split last season between the Missouri Mavericks and the Tulsa Oilers before being injured towards the end of the season.

G – Bryan Pitton, 22
6’1”, 168 lbs.

Drafted #133 in the ’06 draft by the Oilers. He was assigned to OKC after trying out for the Oilers. Played in 22 regular season games with the Stockton Thunder, posting a 2.85 GAA and .921 Save% and 4 playoff games posting a 1.70 GAA and .943 Save%.  He played 8 games with the Springfield Falcons posting a 4.71 GAA and .857 Save%.

G – Beau Erickson, 24
6’1”, 170 lbs.

Began last season with the Reading Royals, playing in 5 games and posting a 2.78 GAA and .915 Save%. Then moved to the Utah Grizzlies, playing in 17 games and posting a 3.32 GAA and .899 Save%. Then he played 2 games with the South Carolina Stingrays, posting a 0.50 GAA and .973 Save%. Played one game with the Portland Pirates, posting a 3.00 GAA and .857 Save%.

G – Wayne Savage, 23
6’0”, 174 lbs.

Played the last two seasons with the Univ. of Prince Edward Island. In 08-09, he played in 15 games posting a 3.72 GAA and .896 Save%. In 09-10, he played in 21 games posting a 3.23 GAA and .904 Save%. He is signed to the Texas Brahmas for this season.

----

The Barons camp opens on Monday morning. Scott will be reporting from there on Monday and I will be there on Tuesday and we’ll both be at the Blue/White game on Thursday. Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Scott at @OilFieldHockey and myself at @AHLBarons, for live updates. I will also be traveling down to Cedar Park for the Barons preseason game against the Texas Stars on Saturday night.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Four Allen Americans in Barons Camp

The Allen Americans posted an article today announcing which of their players would be attending AHL camps this year. Of the 14 players attending AHL camps, four will be coming into OKC for the Barons camp; forwards Jarret Lukin, Dustin Donaghy, and Dave Bonk and defenseman Justin Dacosta.

Jarret Lukin

Center Jarret Lukin is entering his 5th season as a pro. He's listed at 5'11", 187 lbs. After a junior career with the Kamloops Blazers where he had mediocre to great success depending on the season, he played a season and a half with the University of Calgary where he averaged 1+ points a game. Beginning his career in the ECHL, he netted 38 goals and 59 assists in 164 games with the Florida Everblades and the Dayton Bombers. In 2008-09, he got a look at the AHL with the Rochester Americans, getting three assists in 6 games. Last year with Allen, he netted 14 goals and 18 assists in 47 regular season games, and 5 goals and 9 assists in 20 playoff games.

Dustin Donaghy

Left Winger Dustin Donaghy will be entering his first season as a pro. Listed at 5'11", 187 lbs. he has played the last three seasons with the Spokane Chiefs and the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL. In 176 games he scored 15 goals and added 23 helpers. He appeared with the Americans in the playoffs for two games where he was held scoreless.

Dave Bonk

Center Dave Bonk, listed at 5'10", 176 lbs., is entering his 7th year as a pro. Starting out with Northern Michigan University in the NCAA, Bonk put up pretty mediocre numbers, 25 points in 74 games. He began his pro career with the Motor City Mechanics of the UHL, posting 41 points in 66 games. The next year, he split time with the Bakersfield Condors and the Columbia Inferno of the ECHL, posting 54 points in 60 games. Following that season, he went overseas to play in the Netherlands, scoring 35 goals and 47 assists in 43 games, then Germany, scoring 14 goals and 27 assists in 50 games. In 2008-09, he returned to the States to play for Bakersfield again, netting 31 goals and 51 assists in 60 games. Last year, he played in Norway, scoring 18 goals and 28 assists in 44 games.

Justin Dacosta

Defenseman Justin Dacosta, listed at 5'10", 183 lbs., is entering his 2nd year as a pro. After splitting 4 years in the OHL with the Barrie Colts, Owen Sound Attack, and Mississauga IceDogs he posted 83 points in 212 games, with 2005-06 being his most productive season, scoring 10 goals and adding 32 helpers. He then played two season with the University of New Brunswick, getting 38 points in 54 games. Last year, he split time with the Muskegon Lumberjacks and the Stockton Thunder. After getting 3 points in 9 games with Muskegon he went on to score 3 goals and add 21 assists in the Thunder's regular season and and assist in three playoff games.

Of the forwards, I think the only one that might have a shot at cracking the Barons roster is Bonk. If he doesn't make the opening day roster, I definitely see the Barons signing him to a two-way deal. Dacosta, I see the same thing. These guys definitely add a little bit more interest for me for training camp next week.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Barons hire Assistant Coach Rocky Thompson

Late tonight, Dean Millard of The Pipeline Show reported that the Barons have signed former Edmonton Oil Kings assistant coach Rocky Thompson for the same position in Oklahoma City. Thompson had been with the Oil Kings for three years before being let go this past offseason.

Thompson was a RW and was drafted by the Calgary Flames in 1995. In 25 games in the NHL, Thompson tallied 117 penalty minutes. He spent most of his career in the AHL, having played 566 games and scoring 69 points while totaling 1,919 penalty minutes.

This will mark his third stint with the Oilers organization. Having played two seasons with the previous incarnation of the Barons, the Road Runners, and then coaching with the Oil Kings who are owned by the Oilers.

Thompson said to Millard that coach Todd Nelson wants him to be down in Oklahoma City as soon as possible to start getting things ready. With both Nelson and Gerry Fleming in Canada for the Prospects Tournament and training camp, I would venture a guess that he'll be receiving the players in as they're cut from the Oilers training camp and preparing them for the Barons camp starting Sept. 27.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

AHL Schedule Announced!

The AHL released their season schedule today. The Barons will open up their season and a 4 game homestand on Oct 9th in Oklahoma City against the Houston Aeros. They will play the Chicago Wolves the next day. Their first game against the defending Western Conference champions, the Texas Stars, will be Nov 5th in OKC. That game will also kick off an 8 game homestand. The Barons first trip to Canada will be Oct 23rd to take on the Toronto Marlies and the Hamilton Bulldogs the following night. Feb 17th, the Barons will travel to Calgary to take on the Abbotsford Heat in the Saddledome. To check out the entire Barons schedule, click here.

OKC Barons on CBC

The AHL and the CBC announced today a one-year agreement to broadcast 10 AHL games this season. The ten games will feature all Canadian NHL affiliated teams. The Oklahoma City Barons will be shown in the second featured game on Oct 24th as they take on the Hamilton Bulldogs at Noon Central/11 Mountain. So finally, the Barons have an announced game with a set date and opponent. Now if we can just get someone in the OKC area to broadcast the game as well, we'll be set.

AHL on CBC 2010-11 Broadcast Schedule
Schedule subject to change...
All games also available live and on-demand on CBCSports.ca
Sunday, Oct. 17 – Binghamton at Toronto, 1:00 ET
Sunday, Oct. 24 – Oklahoma City at Hamilton, 1:00 ET
Sunday, Nov. 21 – Hamilton at Toronto, 1:00 ET
Sunday, Dec. 12 – Toronto at Hamilton, 1:00 ET
Sunday, Jan. 16 – Toronto at Abbotsford, 2:00 ET
Sunday, Jan. 23 – Abbotsford at Manitoba, 1:00 ET
Sunday, Feb. 27 – Manitoba at Toronto, 1:00 ET
Sunday, Mar. 6 – Hamilton at Toronto, 1:00 ET
Sunday, Mar. 27 – Abbotsford at Manitoba, 1:00 ET
Sunday, Apr. 3 – Manitoba at Toronto, 1:00 ET

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

OKC Barons and the Preseason?

Earlier today the San Antonio Rampage and the Houston Aeros both announced their preseason schedule. Besides announcing that they'll be playing each other once, the Rampage announced that they'll be playing the Texas Stars twice while the Aeros will play the Stars once, giving the Stars three preseason dates. After going through the preseason schedule announcements so far of the rest of AHL, the average amount of games teams have announced is 2 or 3. The Hartford Wolf Pack took the extreme of 5 games, including going with a 3 games in 3 nights stretch.

So where does that leave the Barons? The Rampage and Stars have their 3 games. I'm going to doubt that Houston's going to take a third game if they didn't include it with their earlier announcement. Peoria, Rockford, and Chicago have yet to announce their preseason schedules, but would they want to travel the 11+ hour drive here for a preseason game? Or will the Barons take a road trip to play in Illinois and leave the OKC fans high and dry? Unless the Stars are going to take on a 4th(maybe 5th?) game, or the Barons and one of the Illinois teams decide to do a home and home, I'm having some serious doubts of seeing a home preseason game this year.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

Update: The Texas Stars announced that they will be playing the Barons on Oct 2nd in Cedar Park, taking place of one of their games with the Rampage. The Rampage's release now shows them playing only 2 games, one against the Stars and the other against the Aeros.

Pisani heads to Chicago

Since Ray's still on vacation, I figured I'd post this for him. And since I'm a 'Hawks fan, it pertains to me too. Per TSN's Ryan Rishaug, Fernando Pisani has signed a 1-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks worth $500k. Seems like it should be a good signing for the 'Hawks if Pisani's able to stay healthy. Does it make up for Buff and Ladd being traded away? No, but I'll take it.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-

OKC Blazers Had The Attendance, Did They Have The Players?

After Wade Brookbank signed with Rockford, I got to thinking just how many former OKC Blazers players actually played in the AHL/IHL or NHL. The Blazers were consistently in the top 5-10 minor league hockey franchises in average attendance, but did they have the players? So I went to find out for myself. After a night of going through HockeyDB, here’s what I found.

Keep in mind that I’m only counting players who played in the AHL/IHL or NHL either while playing for the Blazers or AFTER playing for the Blazers. Listed on HockeyDB, there were 316 players that suited up for a game with the Blazers. Of those 316, there were 28* who played in at least the AHL or IHL after or while playing for the Blazers.

*Technically 29, but it didn’t feel right to include Brenden Morrow in that count for the argument that he would not have even touched a Blazers jersey had it not been for the lockout.

To take it a little bit further, I went ahead and separated the players by those who played for the Blazers before the 2000-01 season, and those who played in the 2000-01 season and beyond. Those that overlapped that line will be counted in the second group.

Those that played before the 2000-01 season:

Garrett Burnett - Played 3 games for the Blazers in the 1995-96 season. Went on to play in 261 IHL games and 39 NHL games.

Eric Dubois - Played 25 games for the Blazers in the 1992-93 season. Went on to play in 324 games in the IHL.

Sean Gorman - Played 122 games for the Blazers in three seasons from 1992-96. Played in 60 AHL and IHL games within that same period.

Jamie Hearn - Played 59 games for the Blazers in the 1992-93 season. Played in 2 IHL games with the Phoenix RoadRunners in 1996-97.

Victor Ignatjev - Played 47 games for the Blazers in the 1994-95 season. Went on to play 249 games in the IHL and 11 in the NHL.

Craig Johnson - Played 183 games for the Blazers in five seasons from 1992-99. Played in 38 games in the IHL within that span.

Chris Johnston - Played 84 games for the Blazers from 1996-99. Played in 1 IHL game for the Houston Aeros in 1998-99 season.

Paul Krake - Played 17 games for the Blazers in the 1992-93 season. Played 52 games in the AHL and IHL from 1992-97.

 Sylvain Mayer - Played 2 playoff games for the Blazers in the 1992-93 playoffs. Played 3 games in the AHL with the Cornwall Aces in 1995-96.

Steven Moore - Played 241 games for the Blazers from 1995-99. Played in 1 IHL game with the Kansas City Blades in 1999-00.

Sergei Naumov - Played 28 games for the Blazers in the 1994-95 season. Went on to play 16 IHL games.

Simon Olivier - Played 210 games for the Blazers from 1995-00. Went on to play 41 games from 1999-01.

Alan Perry - Played 112 games for the Blazers from 1992-95. Played 3 games in the IHL with the Houston Aeros in 1994-95.

Cam Severson - Played 15 games for the Blazers in 1998-99. Went on to play in 331 AHL games and 38 NHL games.

Bruce Shoebottom - Played 43 games for the Blazers in 1993-94. Played in 1 game for the Rochester Americans in 1994-95.

Steve Simoni - Played 301 games for the Blazers from 1992-98. Played in 18 in the IHL for the Houston Aeros in 1996-97.

Sergei Tkachenko - Played 16 games for the Blazers in the 1995-96 season. Played 14 games for the Syracuse Crunch in the 1995-96 season.

Those that played in 2000-01 and after:

Gregor Baumgartner - Played 6 games for the Blazers in the 2000-01 season. Went on to play 65 games in the IHL and AHL.

Wade Brookbank - Played 114 games for the Blazers from 1999-2001. Has gone on to play in 352 games in the IHL and AHL and has played in 127 NHL games.

Sebastien Centomo - Played 52 games for the Blazers from 2005-07. Played 12 AHL games with the Manitoba Moose in the 2005-06 season.

Justin Chwedoruk - Played 54 games for the Blazers in the 2005-06 season. Went on to play 3 games with the Springfield Falcons in the 2007-08 season.

Shawn Germain - Played 55 games for the Blazers in the 2005-06 season. Played one game with the Hershey Bears in 2006-07.

Jason Goulet - Played 108 games for the Blazers from 2004-06. Played in 8 games with Bridgeport in 2006-07.

Brad Herauf - Played 79 games for the Blazers from 2003-05. Has played in 91 AHL games with the Albany River Rats the last two seasons.

Brant Nicklin - Played 19 games for the Blazers in the 2000-01 season. Played one game with the Milwaukee Admirals in 2002-03.

Reagan Rome - Played in 1 playoff game for the Blazers in the 2001-02 season. Played in 42 AHL games from 2004-07.

Hardy Sauter - Played 590 games for the Blazers from 1996-05. Played in 1 IHL game with the Houston Aeros in 1996-97.

Marty Standish - Played 445 games for the Blazers from 2000-09. Played in 18 AHL games in the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons.

Random Stats: 11 of the 28 players played in less than 10 AHL/IHL games. Bump it up to 20 games and the number is 16 of the 28.-- There were only 11 players that played for the team after the turn of the century. Standish is the only one that played for the Blazers after 2007, but it has been 8 years since he played in the AHL. -- The four players that have played in the NHL combined for 251 games played, 10 goals, and 6 assists.

This goes to show just how much of a higher level of hockey is coming to Oklahoma City.

-Written by Eric Rodgers-