2006 Off-Season

2006 Entry Draft

The Detroit Mustang’s rebuild continued at the 2006 draft, with the selection of high-scoring winger Nathan Sibley. The son of former LA Wizard Jason Sibley, Nathan was the first of several players with PHL bloodlines drafted in 2006. After Calgary took 6’7” behemoth defenseman Jordan Foster second, Swede Mats Ossler was the first goaltender selected, taken by Vancouver at number three. Bryce Hawkins, son of former Milwaukee Chopper Terry Hawkins, was selected sixth by the Washington Generals, while Devan Chadwick, son of former Nuggets captain Alan Chadwick, was picked next by the Portland Cascades.  To cap off an interesting first round, two identical twins were selected, Stingers’ pick Josh McBride at number four, and his brother Dan, who went to Carolina at number 20.”It should be interesting when we play the Raiders” said Stingers GM Craig Perry. “I hope we can tell them apart.”

1.      DET – Nathan Sibley, F, CAN

2.      CGY – Jordan Foster, D, CAN

3.      VAN – Mats Ossler, G, SWE

4.      PIT – Josh McBride, F, CAN

5.      HOU – Ari Aaltonen, D, FIN

6.      WSH – Bryce Hawkins, D, USA

7.      POR – Devan Chadwick, D, USA

8.      MIA – Gavin Day, D, CAN

9.      MTL – Jakub Cermak, D, CZE

10.   DEN – Evgeni Egorov, F, RUS

11.   QUE – Mario Jacques, D, CAN

12.   STL – Garret Cain, F, USA

13.   WPG – Elias Edlund, F, SWE

14.   BOS(From MIN) – Taylor Gibbs, D, CAN

15.   ATL – Igor Vasiliev, F, RUS

16.   OAK – Cedric Fournier, F, CAN

17.   CHI – Antero Honka, F, FIN

18.   NYC – James Duckett, D, USA

19.   DET(From KC) – Aaron Bowman, F, CAN

20.   CAR – Dan McBride, F, CAN

21.   LA – Evan Cross, F, CAN

22.   DAL – Bryce Waters, F, USA

23.   BOS – Anders Sparre, F, SWE

24.   CLE – Darren Robertson, D, CAN

25.   TOR – Jordan McLean, D, CAN

26.   EDM – Radek Simek, F, CZE

27.   PHI – Luke Bowers, G, CAN

28.   LI – Bryan Yates, F, USA

29.   SEA – Ville Peltola, G, FIN

30.   MIL – Vaclav Kubik, D, SVK

Phenom Alert: He won’t be eligible for the draft until 2008, but already Erik Camden is already considered a lock for the 1^st overall pick. After a record-breaking 2004-05 season in the Ontario Midget league, Already 6’3”, 212 pounds, Camden was allowed to play major junior a year early at 15, where he scored 60 goals playing for the Guelph Royals. “He’s already miles ahead of the rest of the 1990 draft class, he could play next season if he was allowed” said one scout.

Notable Retirements:

Pavel Vana, F, MIN, 1990-2006

Pavel Vana first arrived on the hockey scene when he wowed everyone as a 17-year-old at the 1988 World Hockey Challenge. Just over a year later, Vana was finally allowed to leave his native Czechoslovakia and join the Minnesota Lumberjacks, a team on the rise. In only his first few months with the team, he helped them all the way to the Lewis Cup Finals, where they ultimately lost to Long Island. The deep run was a sign of things to come for Vana and the Lumberjacks, as Minnesota would win two championships in 1996 and 1998 with Vana capping off a playoff MVP performance with the Cup-clinching OT goal in ’98. Despite offers from other PHL teams, Vana decided to return to the Czech Republic to finish his playing career.

Rob Wentzel, F, WSH, SEA, 1988-2006

Drafted eighth overall by the Generals, Rob Wentzel came with big expectations after leading the BCHL’s Chilliwack Night Flyers to a national major junior championship in 1988. The Generals sent Wentzel back to junior early in the 1988-89 season, where he led Chilliwack to a second consecutive title. In 1989-90 Wentzel finally joined Washington for good. Though he was not the flashiest player of his time, Wentzel’s leadership, grit, and expert two-way play led the Generals to two Lewis Cup Finals appearances in 1998 and 2000. In the hopes of finally winning a championship, Wentzel left the rebuilding Generals for the Seattle Grey Wolves in 2003. Unfortunately, that opportunity never came for Wentzel, who admits that missing out on the Lewis Cup is his biggest career regret.

Christian Grayson, G, MIN, CGY, 1990-2006

At the conclusion of his first season as a number one goaltender, newly crowned Lewis Cup Champion Christian Grayson received perhaps the highest honour any goaltender could hope for, Bobby Sorel, regarded as the greatest netminder in PHL history, said that Grayson’s performance in the 1996 playoffs was “the greatest goaltending I have ever seen”. Grayson’s cool head and quick glove helped the Lumberjacks to a second title two years later, while Grayson took home the Whyte Trophy as the league’s top goaltender. In 2004, Grayson signed with Calgary, where he played his final two seasons.

Notable Trades

Seattle trades F Randy McAllen to Long Island in exchange for F Patrick Murphy.

Two underachieving forwards are swapped in the hopes that new scenery could motivate them.

Winnipeg trades F Dan Crow to Cleveland in exchange for F Tyler Petrie.

The Pioneers trade their captain to a Cosmos team that hopes to contend again. 19-year-old Petrie hopes to turn pro with Winnipeg after spending 2005-06 with the Cosmos’ farm team in Columbus.

Long Island trades F Nikolai Nazakov to Los Angeles in exchange for F Owen Betts.

The Concordes deal Nazakov to get under the salary cap, while also adding some toughness. LA gets more skilled up front as they continue to transition from rebuilder to contender.

Key Free Agents

RFAs:

F Kris Lukowich signs new deal with Portland worth $8 Million/year.

D Thomas Sandberg signs new deal with Pittsburgh worth $8 Million/year.

D Noah Brewer signs new deal with Cleveland worth $6 Million/year.

F Evan Long signs new deal with Quebec worth $6 Million/year.

F Ilya Zhinovjev signs new deal with Oakland worth $5 Million/year.

G Jussi Miettinen signs new deal with St. Louis worth $4 Million/year.

F Jordan Goode signs new deal with Calgary worth $3 Million/year.

UFA Signings:

F Dominik Musil (CGY) signs 6-year deal with Detroit worth $10 Million/year.

Detroit’s new management sends a message to their fans that they’re serious about winning, signing the Czech star to a huge, $80 Million deal after bonuses and incentives.

F Darren Reid signs new 10-year deal with Toronto worth $8 Million/year.

Reid earned big money after helping deliver another cup to TO, but there are now concerns about signing franchise player Murdock in 2007.

D Scott Drayton (KC) signs 3-year deal with Long Island worth $5 Million/year.

Though Drayton is well past his prime, he is seasoned and has a ring. He will bring valuable experience to an already solid Concorde blueline.

F Jason Crowley (DAL) signs 1-year deal with Boston worth $1 Million/year.

After considering retirement, the future hall-of-famer was convinced by former teammate and Boston captain Brendan Marlo to give it one more shot at a third title.

News

It didn’t take long for the first coaching change of 2006 to come about. Just days after losing the Western Conference Finals, the Dallas Desperados fired head coach Willy Rowe. In June, the Desperados replaced Rowe with former St. Louis enforcer Ryan McCarthy. McCarthy had retired as a player in 2002 and invested in a major junior franchise along with Grant Millen and Shannon Michaels, the Brampton Rink Rats. Known as a popular player’s coach, McCarthy coached the Rats to a Dominion Cup appearance in only their second season in 2004. Rowe found a new job by summer’s end with Seattle, after the retirement of Wolves’ coach Bruce Dickenson.

Big news came out of Toronto in July, as the Racers announced plans for a new arena, set to open in time for the 2009-10 season. The team had played in the Queen Elizabeth Arena since 1956 and the building was considered a Canadian landmark. In other news, Ottawa was named host of the 2008 World Hockey Challenge. The city will be the first non-PHL city in North America to host the tournament and was selected largely due to the brand new arena.

After a year of speculation and suspicion, the hockey world seemed to be forgetting about the FBI investigation of commissioner Darryl Byrd and his involvement with mobster Eddie Garofalo amidst an exciting 2005-06 season followed by a flurry of off-season moves. On July 29, PHL fans everywhere woke up to stunning news, Byrd had been arrested after the interrogation of one of Garofalo’s associates. The man named Byrd as one of several business lawyers Garofalo had paid off while orchestrating a variety of white-collar crimes through the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Byrd would stand trial in 2007 but the league could not wait for a verdict. In an emergency meeting of the PHL owners, Byrd was removed as PHL commissioner on July 31, 2006. After being cleared of any involvement in the mess, deputy commissioner Neil McCormick was named interim commissioner. But the 76-year-old’s tenure would not be a long one. On August 25, the league presented its new commissioner, Greg Nolan. A native of Ottawa, Nolan was a former junior hockey star and was even drafted by the LA Wizards in 1982. After failing to stick with the Wizards, Nolan quit hockey to study law at Dalhousie University in Halifax. At 42, Nolan became the youngest man ever to lead the PHL, and he faced a multitude of challenges. Between the Byrd scandal, the recent New Orleans situation, and a once-again broken economy, the league’s image was in tatters. Just two decades after failing to make the PHL as a player, Greg Nolan was now tasked with saving the league as its new commissioner.