Highlander
Active member
WoW!herman said:
2023-24 Marlies/Growlers Discussion
- Thread starter herman
- Start date
lamajama said:
I'm not sure it is a certainty yet
Top Sting scorer Marko Sikic signs with Maple Leafs' ECHL affiliate Marko Sikic, the Sarnia Sting's leading scorer, has signed with the Newfoundland Growlers, the Toronto Maple Leafs' ECHL affiliate.
Published Mar 26, 2024 ? Last updated 5 hours ago
ECHL attendance, Growlers have been stuck at ~3700 for the last 5 seasons
https://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph_season.php?lid=ECHL2004&sid=2024
Deacon Sports and Entertainment owns both the Leafs & Habs ECHL teams.
The Habs ECHL team owes $1 mil in back rent and Deacon Sports and Entertainment has been ordered to sell according to another report.
Messy situation but not completely dead yet.
ECHL Terminates Newfoundland Membership
Growlers are done.
Growler ECHLers are UFAs
Those under AHL/NHL contracts are ineligible to play in the ECHL and will probably report to the Marlies.
Growlers are done.
Growler ECHLers are UFAs
Those under AHL/NHL contracts are ineligible to play in the ECHL and will probably report to the Marlies.
Hard to really say if MLSE could or should have done anything here without knowing all the details. I can't imagine operating an ECHL team in Newfoundland was a cake walk though logistically and financially and all that.
At least we got to see the Terry Ryan situation happen in the teams final season.
At least we got to see the Terry Ryan situation happen in the teams final season.
I'm sure MLSE looked at it - probably briefly.
There is a lot of baggage taking over a team as there is with any business.
An existing rink deal that might have contributed to the demise for example.
New owner of a new franchise can get a cleaner start.
Mile One (or Mary Brown or whatever it is called now) has no hockey tenant again.
They're not in the greatest negotiating position.
As well, ECHL travel costs may be a prohibitive factor too against the viability in Newfoundland - as they were with the AHL & QMJHL.
Until this season, the Growlers performed very well in NF. (Championship + 2 conf finals)
Maybe the Leafs need to look for an ECHL location closer to Toronto. I bet a bunch of existing ECHL teams would love to take the Leafs money and benefits of a willingness to fully stock and develop the system.
Nearly 10% of current NHL players have played a game or more in the ECHL.
There is a lot of baggage taking over a team as there is with any business.
An existing rink deal that might have contributed to the demise for example.
New owner of a new franchise can get a cleaner start.
Mile One (or Mary Brown or whatever it is called now) has no hockey tenant again.
They're not in the greatest negotiating position.
As well, ECHL travel costs may be a prohibitive factor too against the viability in Newfoundland - as they were with the AHL & QMJHL.
Until this season, the Growlers performed very well in NF. (Championship + 2 conf finals)
Maybe the Leafs need to look for an ECHL location closer to Toronto. I bet a bunch of existing ECHL teams would love to take the Leafs money and benefits of a willingness to fully stock and develop the system.
Nearly 10% of current NHL players have played a game or more in the ECHL.
bustaheims
Well-known member
cw said:
I suspect that's what's going to happen. Leafs likely still want their own ECHL affiliate, and having one closer to the rest of the organization is definitely in their benefit.
Speaking of the Marlies I noticed Hildeby's stats have dipped a little. His save percentage is now 0.908, 21st among AHL goalies. When he was called up by the Leafs in January his save percentage was .919. Certainly not the end of the world and it's worth noting a) it's his rookie season in the AHL and b) he's now up to 36 games played when throughout his years in Sweden he's generally only played around 20-ish a season so this is a pretty big change for him. Still probably signals he'll need another year in the AHL before being a legitimate factor for the Leafs.
Duszak left the Marlies on not the greatest of terms IIRC a few years back. Gotta think he wasn't a very popular guy in the lockerroom.
herman
Well-known member
CarltonTheBear said:
You can hear Todd Crocker tell the story about that incident in the Clifford video; he was assigned to play 4RW for the do-or-die playoff game, and Duszak walked out on the team in protest. Probably also for never getting called up despite leading the team in production in a position of need. The Leafs do evaluate on more than just production though (see Jeremy Bracco).
OldTimeHockey
Active member
Quite the player. Been in the AHL for 7 or 8 years and has never reached double digits in goals.
OldTimeHockey said:
Duszak's a defenceman, so that's not too unusual. It's also why he took issue with the coaching staff occasionally putting him in the line-up as a 4th line forward despite leading the teams defencemen in scoring by a considerable margin.
in 2022-23, Duszak was ~3rd in KHL scoring for dmen - close to top ~25 in league scoring overall
He was also 3rd in the KHL in penalties.
He's 5'9" 176lbs (probably a little more than that now) so you can see why the coaches may have pressed for him to consider forward
He was also 3rd in the KHL in penalties.
He's 5'9" 176lbs (probably a little more than that now) so you can see why the coaches may have pressed for him to consider forward
OldTimeHockey
Active member
CarltonTheBear said:
I still maintain that I don't want a player on my team that throws tantrums because he's being asked to go outside his comfort zone for the good of the group. He had an outside shot of backdooring it into the NHL and chose himself over the team. Not a good look. And the fact no other NHL team has picked him up on a two-way kind of reflects that.