Author: Nic Phelan

Nic has been a Canadiens fan as it was tradition in his family, his earliest memory of the Habs is watching the highlights of 1993 Stanley Cup finals. Originally from Mount Pearl, Newfoundland, he is a BBA graduate from Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). He is also currently working towards his MBA part-time at MUN, while happily employed full time in the Oil and Gas Industry.

Nic took on this opportunity because of his undying passion for the Montreal Canadiens. An active member of the Canadiens online community, he felt a chance to share his passion and knowledge while interacting with the strongest fan base in sports on a mass scale. His favourite Canadien was Pierre Turgeon, and favourite memory of the Habs is any of his annual father-son trips with his Dad.

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IceCaps game report

IceCaps Split Series with Binghamton in St. John’s

(Photo by St. John's IceCaps)

by Nic Phelan, Lead Correspondent, IceCaps Hockey Report

(Photo by St. John's IceCaps)
(Photo by St. John’s IceCaps)

ST. JOHN’S, NL. — After a successful opening weekend at home, the IceCaps hosted the Binghamton Senators for a Tuesday – Wednesday series at Mile One Centre in St. John’s.

Game one was a back and forth affair which saw the lead change a few times before heading to overtime. In the second period alone, we witnessed a combined five goals and three fights. The IceCaps carried a two goal lead into the final 10 minutes but the Senators tied it up late, and managed to score in overtime to take the win.

The real star of this game however was Captain Gabriel Dumont. Registering two goals, he was an assist shy of the Gordie Howe hat-trick after dropping the gloves with David Dziurzynski. Dumont standing a mere 5-foot-10-inches stood in with the 6-foot-3-inch Dziurzynski Although mismatched, Dumont demonstrated once again why he’s the leader on this young team, a true demonstration of what it means to put your team first.

Game two was a similar story, but different result. The IceCaps once again took a lead, this time up 3-0 heading into the second period. The Senators took over in the second to pull it back to one, however that was as close as they would get as Zach Fucale held the fort.

There is no way to overplay how significant Fucale’s play was in this game. Encouraging for IceCaps and Habs fans alike, Fucale stopped 40 of 42 shots on goal for the win. Although he stopped 34 of 36 on Friday night, the game was never truly in reach on Friday, as opposed to this game which had a single goal differential through the entirety of the third period.

Additionally in Fucale’s debut he appeared shaky, at times giving up sloppy rebounds and was fortunate that the defence was able to clear the puck from the crease, however Wednesday night he just dominated. Looking calm and collected, Fucale is making an early case to take the reigns as the No. 1 guy in St. John’s after Dustin Tokarski lost on Tuesday night.

Fucale would be wise to emulate the poise and mindset as Carey Price. Over the next few years with the IceCaps, Fucale will have plenty of opportunity with coach Lefebvre to hone his physical and mental skillsets.

St. John’s is now off to a 4-1-1 start, and will have their hands full when they take on the 5-1-0 Bridgeport Soundtigers on Friday and Saturday night at Mile One Centre. This will be a reunion of sorts for Sebastien Collberg. The Islanders prospect was traded to the Islanders in the Thomas Vanek trade in 2014. He played two games with the Bulldogs in 2012-13 but went through a couple rookie camps with other Canadiens prospects now calling St. John’s home.

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IceCaps game report

IceCaps Strong Start Fueled by McCarron

Michael McCarron (Photo by Julia Holman-Price | Rocket Sports Media)

by Nic Phelan, Lead Correspondent, IceCaps Hockey Report

Michael McCarron (Photo by Julia Holman-Price | Rocket Sports Media)
Michael McCarron (Photo by Julia Holman-Price | Rocket Sports Media)

ST. JOHN’S, NL. — The IceCaps had a big opening weekend in St. John’s against the Rochester Americans. As they took both games by scores of 5-2 and 6-2 respectively.

In Game 1 the Christian Thomas – Michael McCarron – Daniel Carr line made some noise registering two goals from Thomas on some fast transition plays. McCarron enjoyed the experience playing with the two wingers saying “[Thomas and Carr] are two veteran guys who have been around, they really want the puck, so it’s my job to get the puck to them.”

Zachary Fucale also made his first professional start allowing two goals on 33 shots. His head coach spoke highly of his debut. “I know he’s won some pretty big games in World Juniors and the Memorial Cup, he looked good out there” said Sylvain Lefebvre.

Sven Andrighetto also tallied a pair and veteran Bud Holloway rounded out the scoring with one of his own.

In Game two, the McCarron line took over once again, but this time it was the big centerman making noise as he registered his first career goal, and had a far shorter wait for goals number 2 and 3 as he completed the hat trick.

Both games were taken over by the diminutive Thomas and Andrighetto, as they showed the stuff that saw them called up with the Canadiens at times last year. Dustin Tokarski got the nod in game 2 and rebounded from a rough loss last weekend allowing just two goals on 31 shots. Thomas added his third in two nights, while Morgan Ellis and Joel Hanley found themselves on the scoreboard as well.

But the night was overshadowed by McCarron, and it was a big shadow. Standing at 6-foot-6-inches and a lean 228 pounds, he left a lasting impression on the IceCaps fans. It was clear McCarron was sent down to refine his game, and it was evident his skating will likely be a part of that refinement. But what he was working on with his skating, he more than made up with his size and hockey smarts.

First impression of McCarron is that he has a high hockey IQ. He understands his place on the ice, finding his way to the front of the net making life impossible for opposing defensemen and goaltenders. He has the tools to make a very successful career out of that role. A role which is currently undertaken by Brendan Gallagher on the first power-play unit, Habs fans should be drooling over the prospect of this mammoth working his magic in the crease for years to come.

Furthermore, and perhaps more impressive, was his defensive game. Coach Lefebvre chose to give McCarron more responsibility on the penalty kill in game 2, filling in where Jacob De La Rose stood the night before. It’s another reminder of what the AHL can provide for these top prospects. The Canadiens are so focused on putting the right players on the ice every time, whereas the AHL affords an opportunity to give many players exposure in different scenarios.

After game one we had the opportunity to speak with McCarron, and he was cleared excited about the experience so far “I got to play in front of some pretty big crowds in London and Oshawa, in the Memorial Cup [Quebec City] got to play in some big rinks and this was right up there it was pretty fun. [The fans] were electric.”

McCarron went on to say “I think i’m still trying to figure out this league, you don’t have that much time with the puck anymore, you got to make quicker plays.“ It was clear in game 2 that McCarron had figured it out, and if he can continue to bring that energy on a nightly basis we could be in for a treat late into the 2016 spring.

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Feature

IceCaps Pre-Season Report

Nikita Scherbak (Photo by St. John's IceCaps)

by Nic Phelan, Lead Correspondent, IceCaps Hockey Report

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ST. JOHN’S, NL. — On the eve of the St. John’s IceCaps first game of the year in Hartford against the host Wolfpack, one cannot help but feel the buzz that is brought to the city this time of year. Typically every October you can feel it in St. John’s, but this year, under new management and new affiliation there is something special about being connected to the most storied franchise in sports.

In the Coleman’s Cup Training Camp series against rival Toronto Marlies, the IceCaps came back from a Game 1 loss to win games 2 and 3, and the first training camp series win of the franchise history. Game 1 occurred in Stephenville, NL during the IceCaps annual road trip to start the year. Jeremy Gregoire and Morgan Ellis tallied goals for the IceCaps but it wasn’t enough as they lost in the final minute to the Marlies.

Game 2 took place in Corner Brook, NL and was a complete reversal; the IceCaps went out and hammered the Marlies 5-2 on the back of last year’s rookie standout Daniel Carr as he registered two goals. Other scorers were Stefan Fournier, Connor Crisp and Markus Eisenschmid.

Game 3 was held in Gander, NL. The boys took over with a 5-4 shootout victory over the Marlies. Carr registered the lone goal in the shootout, following up a strong performance through the camp. Nikita Scherbak finally seemed to find his groove with a goal and two assists for a game high three points. Joel Hanley, Bud Holloway and Gabriel Dumont were the other goal scorers.

In the four years that the IceCaps have called St. John’s home, they have managed a 50 per cent success rate at finding the playoffs. It’s not necessarily the best percentage, but when they’ve made it to the dance they’ve stuck around all night, making it to Eastern Conference Finals in their inaugural season, and following that up with a loss to the Texas Stars in their third season in town. The exciting part of this is never in those four years did the team ooze the potential it possesses with this combination of young prospects and veterans.

With final cuts from the Canadiens last week, the baby Habs managed to find support in the likes of former Calder Cup Champion and World Junior Champion, Dustin Tokarski. He’ll add to a goalie tandem which has already proved to be competitive between blue chip prospect Zach Fucale and hometown favourite Eddie Pasquale.

Also clearing waivers or being sent down were former AHL Defenseman of the Year, Mark Barberio, incumbent Captain Gabriel Dumont, Christian Thomas, Charles Hudon, Sven Andrighetto, Nikita Scherbak, and Michel Therrien’s favourite pet project Jacob De La Rose.

New projected lines look like we could see Carr – McCarron – Scherbak as a fixture which was present during the Canadiens rookie camp and into regular camp. JDLR could also see time on a top unit with Andrighetto and Hudon. Dumont, Thomas and Gregoire/Bozon may round out the top 9.

The impressive part of these line combinations is the versatility with many of them playing multiple positions through junior and pro ranks.

This provides the IceCaps with potentially the deepest front nine in the Eastern conference, but certainly the most potential. If the Canadiens can remain healthy this year, residents of St. John’s will be in for a treat watching this team and you can feel the anticipation in the air.

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Player Features

IceCaps Roster Feature – Gabriel Dumont

Gabriel Dumont (Photo by RDS)

by Nic Phelan, Lead Correspondent, IceCaps Hockey Report

Gabriel Dumont (Photo by RDS)
Gabriel Dumont (Photo by RDS)

ST. JOHN’S, NL. — Gabriel Dumont hails from the small town of Ville Degelis, about three hours north west of Quebec City just before crossing the border to New Brunswick. He was drafted 139th overall in 2009 after posting near a point per game in his sophomore campaign for the Drummondville Voltigeurs during their run to the QMJHL championship in 2009, and saw action against players like Taylor Hall and Jamie Benn during the Memorial Cup tournament. He followed up his draft finishing third in league scoring at 93 points over 62 games for Drummondville and a league leading 51 goals. Dumont was named to the QMJHL First Team All Star and the CHL Second Team all-star as a part of his final year playing junior hockey.

On June 1st, the Canadiens signed Dumont to a one year, two-way extension. The longest active member of the Hamilton Bulldogs/St. John’s IceCaps has spent the last five seasons with the Canadiens farm club. In 318 career AHL games Dumont has 73 goals and 81 assists for 154 points. Throughout junior and his early AHL career Dumont has proven to be more of a goal scorer, rather than a playmaker. In his 18 NHL appearances with the Canadiens Dumont did manage to take home an NHL goal against Marc Andre Fleury and the Pittsburgh Penguins on April 17th, 2013.

Dumont projects to remain with the IceCaps this season, with an occasional call up always a possibility. Although Dumont saw three games with the Habs last season, the IceCaps figure to have more young guys vying for a spot in the lineup which Therrien may prefer to see in the lineup such as Hudon, McCarron, Carr or even Scherbak. Serving as Captain for the Bulldogs in 2014-15 he’ll be heavily relied on to provide leadership to the young players as they make the transition.

In case you missed our previous player features:

IceCaps Roster Feature – Sven Andrighetto
IceCaps Roster Feature – Mark Barberio
IceCaps Roster Feature – Mac Bennett
IceCaps Roster Feature – Tim Bozon
IceCaps Roster Feature – Daniel Carr
IceCaps Roster Feature – Connor Crisp
IceCaps Roster Feature – Josiah Didier
IceCaps Roster Feature – Darren Dietz

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Player Features

IceCaps Roster Feature – Darren Dietz

Darren Dietz (Photo by Agence QMI)

by Nic Phelan, Lead Correspondent, IceCaps Hockey Report

Darren Dietz (Photo by Agence QMI)

ST. JOHN’S, NL. — The 20 year old Medicine Hat, Alberta native played his junior hockey with Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League. In 2011 the Habs drafted Darren Dietz 138th overall after posting 27 points in 68 games in his first full season at the junior level. This investment proved to be smart as he continued to take jumps in the following years to 44 and 58 points respectively over 72 games in 2011-12 and 2012-13, which also resulted in a first team all-star nod for the latter season. In addition to his offensive abilities from the backend, Dietz also played with an edge hitting triple digits in penalty minutes in both his last two seasons for the Blades. This physical presence was on display in his tenure with the Bulldogs and he gives opposing forwards a reason to keep their heads up.

Dietz had a quiet and shortened rookie season for the Bulldogs in 2013-14 only lacing up for 34 games, but followed that up with an impressive camp for the Canadiens last year which saw him stick around through the final cuts and continued to progress with 17 points over 71 games with the Bulldogs. A right handed shot, Dietz finds himself down the depth chart behind the likes of Subban, Petry, Gilbert and late season call-up Pateryn.

He has the potential to be a top-4, possibly top-2 guy with the baby Habs this season, and will battle with recent rookie camp stand-out Ryan Johnston for PP time with the IceCaps. The one thing Dietz has on his side is the consensus understanding that defensemen typically take longer to develop. We see this in the case of guys like Tinordi (23), Beaulieu (22) and Pateryn (25), and so there is no pressure to make the jump immediately, but 2014-15 should prove an important season to ensure his development continues in the right direction. If Dietz should continue to progress and he remains a candidate to be called up pending a trade or injury the aforementioned righties in the Habs lineup. Long term projections are still a little early to say, by no means is he a blue chip, but a nice piece in the cupboard for Martin Lapointe to continue to work with and potential to develop into an NHL player one day.

In case you missed our previous player features:

IceCaps Roster Feature – Sven Andrighetto
IceCaps Roster Feature – Mark Barberio
IceCaps Roster Feature – Mac Bennett
IceCaps Roster Feature – Tim Bozon
IceCaps Roster Feature – Daniel Carr
IceCaps Roster Feature – Connor Crisp
IceCaps Roster Feature – Josiah Didier

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Feature

Welcoming Habs Fans to St. John’s: Culture, Tradition, Hockey [GALLERY]

Habs fan at most easterly point in Canada (Photo by Julia Price | Rocket Sports Media)

by Nic Phelan, Lead Correspondent and Julia Price, Photographer, IceCaps Hockey Report

Fan at most easterly point in Canada (Photo by Julia Price | Rocket Sports Media)
Habs fan at most easterly point in Canada (Photo by Julia Price | Rocket Sports Media)

ST. JOHN’S, NL. — Besides being reporters, photographers and videographers, like you, we’re hockey fans. Passionate hockey fans. And we are very proud to welcome the entire Canadiens fanbase to our backyard. With the Montreal Canadiens moving their AHL affiliate to St. John’s, we are excited to introduce you to the city that Habs prospects will be calling home.

St. John’s is North America’s oldest city. The Capital of Newfoundland and Labrador calls the rocky shores of the Atlantic home, with a population of nearly 200,000 in the metro and surrounding areas. With almost half the province compressed into one area, it became a natural breeding ground for competitive sports and in turn, minor hockey structure which results in multiple organizations with hundreds of registrants every year.

Cape Spear (3)
Cape Spear (Photo by Julia Price | Rocket Sports Media)

This in itself is the first line of what drives hockey fans in Newfoundland and Labrador. Parents are accustomed to travelling between towns and cities for Tuesday night games or hours across the province for a tournament in Central Newfoundland. Likewise the children develop a love for the game at an early age and that love for the game becomes ingrained in the culture of what it means to be from this province.

Newfoundland and Labrador is such a diverse province, with such a large area and relatively small population you can drive for hours at times without seeing a gas stop, depending on which part of the province you’re in. These smaller outport communities that call rural Newfoundland and Labrador home rely on hockey, as a means of entertainment. Community pride is at stake, no matter the level of the players, from Novice to Senior, when a game is being played at the local rink you can guarantee to see more than just the parents of the players in the stands.

St. John's Harbour (Photo by Julia Price | Rocket Sports Media)
St. John’s Harbour (Photo by Julia Price | Rocket Sports Media)

In St. John’s the culture remains, in recent years there has been an influx of out-port communities dwindling while their former inhabitants flock to St. John’s looking for steadier work or to attend post-secondary school. Although they find themselves in a larger city the passion for the sport still remains. This is where the IceCaps come in. The Maple Leafs came to St. John’s in 1991, it was the pride of the province for the better part of 15 years. Once they left there was a void left behind, and “Townies” as residents of the St. John’s area are so elegantly referred to, filled this void with minor hockey, senior hockey and our passion only grew for the sport.

Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are quite possibly the most friendly people you will meet in a country which is perceived as one of the friendliest in the world. Everyone is willing to have a conversation with a stranger, and certainly if it means recapping last nights IceCaps game. Danny Williams, former premier of the province, played a large role along with ex-Hamilton Bulldogs president Glenn Stanford, in bringing the AHL back to this province. We are forever thankful to both individuals and their organization for giving us back our pride of the province, and have repaid them in full through the passion we show for the organization.

Habs fan at Mile One Centre (Photo by Julia Price | Rocket Sports Media)
Habs fan at Mile One Centre (Photo by Julia Price | Rocket Sports Media)

St. John’s is a city of culture, and hockey is such a large part of what we know, if you ever visit to take in migration of the Humpback Whales, visit Cape Spear (North America’s most easterly point) or even take in an IceCaps game be sure to stop and have a chat with anyone you see on the streets, chances are they’ll have a story to tell.

But no matter where you are across the globe, you can be confident that our IceCaps Hockey Report team will be at the Mile One Centre for every home game bringing the most comprehensive coverage to the All Habs community.

Welcome to St. John’s Habs fans!

 

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Player Features

IceCaps Roster Feature – Josiah Didier

Darren Dietz (Photo by Agence QMI)

by Nic Phelan, Lead Correspondent, IceCaps Hockey Report

Josiah Didier (Photo by Canadiens.com)

ST. JOHN’S, NL. — Josiah Didier is a lesser known name on the list of players projected to make the IceCaps roster. This is partly to do with the transition of the NHL moving to fast paced hockey with skilled forwards and puck moving defensemen. Didier figures to be a stay-at-home defensive defenseman.

Drafted in the fourth round of the 2011 Entry Draft, Didier opted to spend the past four years at the University of Denver. He had his most productive season with Denver this past year as he recorded three goals and eight assists over 40 games. He was alternate captain for a Pioneers team which made it to the Frozen Four last season.

After seeing his team bow out to the eventual National Champions Providence, Didier went on to sign a professional try-out contract (PTO) with the Hamilton Bulldogs and left a good enough impression on Sylvain Lefebvre and the Habs brass to be re-signed to a one year contract with the IceCaps this offseason. In his eight games under the PTO, Didier registered a single assist but played critical minutes with Nathan Beaulieu and Greg Pateryn playing with the Canadiens through their playoff run.

Didier brings a physical aspect to the back end that is missing with the absence of Pateryn and Tinordi. He’s known as a team player, a leader and isn’t afraid to play with an edge and physicality. Although he remains under the radar he figures to be leaned on heavily by the IceCaps this upcoming season mentoring young guys coming up through on how to be a professional.

In case you missed our previous player features:

IceCaps Roster Feature – Sven Andrighetto
IceCaps Roster Feature – Mark Barberio
IceCaps Roster Feature – Mac Bennett
IceCaps Roster Feature – Tim Bozon
IceCaps Roster Feature – Daniel Carr
IceCaps Roster Feature – Connor Crisp

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Player Features

IceCaps Roster Feature – Connor Crisp

Connor Crisp (Photo by RDS)

by Nic Phelan, Lead Correspondent, IceCaps Hockey Report

Connor Crisp (Photo by RDS)

ST. JOHN’S, NL. — Connor Crisp was drafted 71st overall by the Canadiens in the 2013 Entry Draft. The Alliston, Ontario native split his junior career between the Ontario Hockey Leagues Erie Otters and Sudbury Wolves where he collected 308 penalty minutes over 184 games.

In his rookie year with the Hamilton Bulldogs Crisp continued to use his hands creatively in his 39 games played registering 102 penalty minutes. He will be relied on heavily by the IceCaps to provide grit to a lineup which is primarily young players making the transition to the professional level. Traditionally a left winger, Marc Bergevin and company projects Crisp to be a guy that can step into a fourth line role if needed. In junior hockey, Crisp found ways to contribute on a regular basis, but he struggled quite a bit registering just two goals and three assists throughout 2014-15, to become an effective player for the Canadiens he will have to find a way to emulate a Brandon Prust or Patrick Maroon on both sides of the puck.

At 6-foot-3-inches, 226 pounds, the hard hitting forward imposes his will on his opponents, however walks a fine line which saw him sit three games last season for leaving the bench to partake in a brawl against the defending Calder Cup champions, Texas Stars, last December. It’s been a long time since the Canadiens have had an effective enforcer, the aforementioned Prust was the Canadiens closest resemblance but he lacked the size and often found himself mismatched against the heavyweights of the NHL. Although, a dying breed, a heavyweight can prove to be a physical presence and is often a locker room favourite among his teammates. Crisp has an uphill battle to make the NHL, serving similar size and grit as the Canadiens former first round pick Mike McCarron, with a lesser offensive upside.

In the meantime Crisp can take in hockey in St. John’s, learn from Sylvain Lefebvre and his coaching staff. He figures to be an immediate fan favourite in a city that has lacked any legitimate enforcers in the Jets entire tenure at Mile One Center. Meanwhile he can look to a character such as Maroon in Anaheim taking in first line minutes with all-stars/Stanley Cup winners, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry as inspiration. Maroon paid his dues with Adirondack and Syracuse/Norfolk over five years before making his debut, Crisp can only work hard and hope for similar results.

In case you missed our previous player features:

IceCaps Roster Feature – Sven Andrighetto
IceCaps Roster Feature – Mark Barberio
IceCaps Roster Feature – Mac Bennett
IceCaps Roster Feature – Tim Bozon
IceCaps Roster Feature – Daniel Carr

Categories
Player Features

IceCaps Roster Feature – Daniel Carr

Daniel Carr

by Nic Phelan, Lead Correspondent, IceCaps Hockey Report

Daniel Carr

ST. JOHN’S, NL. — To some, Daniel Carr came out of nowhere last season. Since the Canadiens Development camp, it appears hype has continued to build around the undrafted free agent signing from Union College. The native of Sherwood Park, Alberta, attended Union for four years totaling 78 goals in 160 games. He was also named team captain and carried the Dutchmen to their first championship title in school history with a dramatic 5-4 win over Johnny Gaudreau and the favoured Boston College, and then the No. 1 ranked Minnesota in the finals.

The Canadiens were quick to sign Carr and it proved worthy of a contract as he lead all rookie goal scorers in the AHL with 24 goals last year. Carr is out to prove that he was not just a benefactor of playing on the line of the Canadiens top prospect Charles Hudon, and that he made the line better by being there. This season he will play either first line minutes with the IceCaps, or a top six role with the Habs. He does not figure to play the traditional shutdown role of a third line forward, and his eligibility to move down without clearing waivers makes him valuable as that may prove to be the Canadiens biggest obstacle this year managing their youth.

At 6-foot 200 pounds, he has decent size but more importantly he brings a goal scoring repertoire from the left hand side. The Canadiens have made every effort to bring in right wing talent in the past several years following the evolution of Max Pacioretty, and so in a crowded right hand system, Carr proves to have a slight advantage for the upcoming season.

His chances however seem to hinge on the a couple scenarios. Pacioretty is currently rehabbing a knee injury which is expected to see him miss most, if not all, of the preseason. Though we can reference last season’s concussion at the end of the year, or the infamous fractured vertebrae courtesy of Zdeno Chara and the Bell Centre extensions, Pacioretty has always been a quick healer from injuries. Either way his absence leaves a void on the left side for the Canadiens coaching staff to get a good look at Carr. Additionally, if Pacioretty manages to get back on time, theres a chance Galchenyuk could be moved from the left wing to a center position. If this happens Carr could also see a door open. Either way there are opportunities for Carr to strut his stuff early this year with the Habs.

In case you missed our previous player features:

IceCaps Roster Feature – Sven Andrighetto
IceCaps Roster Feature – Mark Barberio
IceCaps Roster Feature – Mac Bennett
IceCaps Roster Feature – Tim Bozon

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IceCaps news

Reviewing the 2015-16 St. John’s IceCaps Schedule

by Nic Phelan, Lead Correspondent, IceCaps Hockey Report

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ST. JOHN’S, NL. — On Thursday afternoon the AHL released the season schedule for 2015-16, it’s 80th in operation. Given the realignment of the divisions, and relocation of the Habs farm team replacing the Winnipeg Jets regime, there’s a buzz in the capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Schedule is as listed below (as per theahl.com):

Game #: Date: Time: Visiting Team:     Home Team:          
10 Sat, Oct 10, 2015 7:00 pm EDT St. John’s at Hartford 7:00 pm EDT
19 Sun, Oct 11, 2015 5:00 pm EDT St. John’s at Bridgeport 5:00 pm EDT
33 Fri, Oct 16, 2015 7:30 pm NDT Rochester at St. John’s 7:30 pm NDT
43 Sat, Oct 17, 2015 7:30 pm NDT Rochester at St. John’s 7:30 pm NDT
53 Tue, Oct 20, 2015 7:30 pm NDT Binghamton at St. John’s 7:30 pm NDT
57 Wed, Oct 21, 2015 7:30 pm NDT Binghamton at St. John’s 7:30 pm NDT
81 Sat, Oct 24, 2015 7:30 pm NDT Bridgeport at St. John’s 7:30 pm NDT
90 Sun, Oct 25, 2015 4:00 pm NDT Bridgeport at St. John’s 4:00 pm NDT
92 Wed, Oct 28, 2015 7:05 pm EDT St. John’s at Lehigh Valley 7:05 pm EDT
101 Fri, Oct 30, 2015 7:05 pm EDT St. John’s at Lehigh Valley 7:05 pm EDT
113 Sat, Oct 31, 2015 7:00 pm EDT St. John’s at Hershey 7:00 pm EDT
132 Wed, Nov 4, 2015 7:05 pm EST St. John’s at W-B/Scranton 7:05 pm EST
144 Fri, Nov 6, 2015 7:05 pm EST St. John’s at W-B/Scranton 7:05 pm EST
149 Sat, Nov 7, 2015 7:00 pm EST St. John’s at Hershey 7:00 pm EST
182 Fri, Nov 13, 2015 7:30 pm NST Toronto at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
193 Sat, Nov 14, 2015 7:30 pm NST Toronto at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
219 Fri, Nov 20, 2015 7:30 pm NST Syracuse at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
229 Sat, Nov 21, 2015 7:30 pm NST Syracuse at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
262 Fri, Nov 27, 2015 7:05 pm EST St. John’s at Rochester 7:05 pm EST
280 Sat, Nov 28, 2015 2:00 pm EST St. John’s at Toronto 2:00 pm EST
287 Sun, Nov 29, 2015 1:00 pm EST St. John’s at Toronto 1:00 pm EST
289 Wed, Dec 2, 2015 7:00 pm EST St. John’s at Albany 7:00 pm EST
305 Fri, Dec 4, 2015 7:00 pm EST St. John’s at Utica 7:00 pm EST
308 Sat, Dec 5, 2015 7:05 pm EST St. John’s at Binghamton 7:05 pm EST
345 Fri, Dec 11, 2015 7:30 pm NST Rochester at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
357 Sat, Dec 12, 2015 7:30 pm NST Rochester at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
370 Tue, Dec 15, 2015 7:30 pm NST Albany at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
376 Wed, Dec 16, 2015 7:30 pm NST Albany at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
426 Sat, Dec 26, 2015 3:00 pm EST St. John’s at Toronto 3:00 pm EST
436 Sun, Dec 27, 2015 3:00 pm EST St. John’s at Toronto 3:00 pm EST
449 Wed, Dec 30, 2015 7:05 pm EST St. John’s at Rochester 7:05 pm EST
453 Thu, Dec 31, 2015 6:05 pm EST St. John’s at Binghamton 6:05 pm EST
476 Sat, Jan 2, 2016 7:00 pm EST St. John’s at Utica 7:00 pm EST
506 Fri, Jan 8, 2016 7:30 pm NST Portland at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
518 Sat, Jan 9, 2016 7:30 pm NST Portland at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
532 Tue, Jan 12, 2016 7:30 pm NST W-B/Scranton at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
538 Wed, Jan 13, 2016 7:30 pm NST W-B/Scranton at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
564 Sat, Jan 16, 2016 7:30 pm NST Toronto at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
574 Sun, Jan 17, 2016 4:00 pm NST Toronto at St. John’s 4:00 pm NST
581 Wed, Jan 20, 2016 7:00 pm EST St. John’s at Bridgeport 7:00 pm EST
585 Fri, Jan 22, 2016 7:00 pm EST St. John’s at Albany 7:00 pm EST
597 Sat, Jan 23, 2016 2:00 pm EST St. John’s at Albany 2:00 pm EST
623 Wed, Jan 27, 2016 7:00 pm EST St. John’s at Portland 7:00 pm EST
636 Fri, Jan 29, 2016 7:00 pm EST St. John’s at Portland 7:00 pm EST
645 Sat, Jan 30, 2016 7:00 pm EST St. John’s at Hartford 7:00 pm EST
670 Fri, Feb 5, 2016 7:30 pm NST Utica at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
683 Sat, Feb 6, 2016 7:30 pm NST Utica at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
693 Tue, Feb 9, 2016 7:30 pm NST Syracuse at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
700 Wed, Feb 10, 2016 7:30 pm NST Syracuse at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
720 Sat, Feb 13, 2016 7:30 pm NST Toronto at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
731 Sun, Feb 14, 2016 4:00 pm NST Toronto at St. John’s 4:00 pm NST
742 Wed, Feb 17, 2016 7:00 pm EST St. John’s at Syracuse 7:00 pm EST
746 Fri, Feb 19, 2016 7:05 pm EST St. John’s at Binghamton 7:05 pm EST
756 Sat, Feb 20, 2016 7:05 pm EST St. John’s at Binghamton 7:05 pm EST
781 Wed, Feb 24, 2016 7:00 pm EST St. John’s at Albany 7:00 pm EST
800 Fri, Feb 26, 2016 7:00 pm EST St. John’s at Utica 7:00 pm EST
810 Sat, Feb 27, 2016 7:00 pm EST St. John’s at Syracuse 7:00 pm EST
837 Fri, Mar 4, 2016 7:30 pm NST Albany at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
850 Sat, Mar 5, 2016 7:30 pm NST Albany at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
865 Tue, Mar 8, 2016 7:30 pm NST Binghamton at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
868 Wed, Mar 9, 2016 7:30 pm NST Binghamton at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
891 Sat, Mar 12, 2016 7:30 pm NST Hershey at St. John’s 7:30 pm NST
906 Sun, Mar 13, 2016 4:00 pm NDT Hershey at St. John’s 4:00 pm NDT
923 Fri, Mar 18, 2016 7:00 pm EDT St. John’s at Utica 7:00 pm EDT
933 Sat, Mar 19, 2016 7:00 pm EDT St. John’s at Syracuse 7:00 pm EDT
947 Sun, Mar 20, 2016 5:00 pm EDT St. John’s at Syracuse 5:00 pm EDT
958 Wed, Mar 23, 2016 7:05 pm EDT St. John’s at Rochester 7:05 pm EDT
970 Fri, Mar 25, 2016 7:05 pm EDT St. John’s at Rochester 7:05 pm EDT
985 Sat, Mar 26, 2016 2:00 pm EDT St. John’s at Toronto 2:00 pm EDT
994 Tue, Mar 29, 2016 7:00 pm EDT St. John’s at Toronto 7:00 pm EDT
1010 Fri, Apr 1, 2016 7:30 pm NDT Lehigh Valley at St. John’s 7:30 pm NDT
1024 Sat, Apr 2, 2016 7:30 pm NDT Lehigh Valley at St. John’s 7:30 pm NDT
1065 Sat, Apr 9, 2016 7:30 pm NDT Utica at St. John’s 7:30 pm NDT
1076 Sun, Apr 10, 2016 4:00 pm NDT Utica at St. John’s 4:00 pm NDT
1099 Fri, Apr 15, 2016 7:30 pm NDT Hartford at St. John’s 7:30 pm NDT
1108 Sat, Apr 16, 2016 7:30 pm NDT Hartford at St. John’s 7:30 pm NDT

 

It is worth noting because of the geographical isolation that is the Island of Newfoundland, all home games are often home stands, consisting or 2 or 3 game series with visiting teams, and multiple teams visit over a 2-3 week period. This season proves to be no different with 6 game home stands in October, December, January, February and March. In November we will see the least home games with a 4 game home stand.

Division Realignment
In an attempt to reduce travel costs and the toll it takes on the players, the AHL overwent its largest overhaul arguably in the modern era as it expanded into California and realigned its divisions to follow suit. Because of this, the IceCaps find themselves in the North Division, which includes Albany Devils (New Jersey), Rochester Americans (Buffalo), Binghamton Senators (Ottawa), Toronto Marlies (Toronto), Utica Comets (Vancouver) and Syracuse Crunch (Tampa).

Series of Significance*

Marlies (Nov 13,14, Jan 16,17, Feb 13,14)
A Marquee rivalry for a number of reasons, anytime the Marlies visit St. John’s you can guarantee Mile One Centre will be sold out. Due to the Maple Leafs farm club calling St. John’s home from the early 90’s thru 2005, there is a strong fanbase for the Leafs in this province. In hopes of carrying over the Bulldogs-Marlies, Habs-Leafs rivalry, you can be sure the IceCaps will be capitalizing on all marketing opportunities to promote this divisional rivalry.

Penguins (Jan 13,14)
There is a long playoff history between the IceCaps and Penguins organizations. Although we have seen a complete turnover in players, you can be sure that the IceCaps organization will build up this series as well. Just as importantly we have an opportunity to see reigning rookie of the year and AHL’s most outstanding goaltender, Matt Murray. Murray is the first real competition for Marc Andre Fleury in Pittsburgh, but it is expected he’ll play the year in the AHL barring any injuries with the parent club.

Rochester Americans (Oct 16,17, Dec 11,12)
The IceCaps home opener takes place October 16 against the Americans. This in itself is enough to make this a series to watch, however the tradition of the Amerks helps build a little buzz. Rochester is the sole franchise within the division which has hung around since the Maple Leafs were based in St. John’s. In fact the franchise is celebrating its 60th anniversary in the AHL, the oldest behind only Hershey Bears (78 years young). In addition to this the Sabres have just drafted highly touted Center Jack Eichel, and key acquisition Center Ryan O’Reilly. This could leave Sam Reinhart off the top 6, and if so, he may take time to develop in Rochester. Fingers Crossed.