Eagles make a splash on the eve of the RHL16 draft

As the city of Edmonton speculated over the possible return of the man simply known as 'Moo-lay' to where it all started for him in the RHL, the city was broadsided by the tidal wave of news on the eve of the draft that the Eagles have acquired the second overall pick from the Seattle Crystals.

While details have not been confirmed by league offices, it is expected that it took a lucrative package of young up and comers to land the coveted selection. Rumoured to be part of the deal is some combination of CHL MVP Alex Radulov, Canuck centre Ryan Kesler, Philly middleman Jeff Carter and Canes power forward Andrew Ladd.

Gears were instantly shifted for the hockey-crazed town as to who the Eagles may select with what will become their highest selection in franchise history. Considering the team's penchant for identifying and grooming franchise defensemen (the team acquired Chris Pronger prior to RHL1), it is expected that Jack Johnson will become the newest Eagle.

Eagles to hit 'rewind'?

Rumours are swirling around Edmonton today that the team is close to repatriating its highest ever draft pick. Stay tuned to the Talon for more details!

Divisions to get 'colourful' again

I have to admit, I could not have chosen a better division to see the Eagles in. It's looking like the old Red Green division pre-RHL10 when the Eagles, Spartans, Selects and Cats (now Crystals) battled it out on a consistent basis. And it goes back even more when the Freeze held down the spot before the Cats moved to Westlock.

Beyond renewing some old rivalries (damn you Dave, I still remember when the Freeze destroyed the Eagles on the last day of RHL1 to claim the final playoff spot!) it's a good mix of teams at different points in their cycles. There may be only one team from the Champions Conference in it, but it will still be competitive... especially in the long term.

YDP - a team reaching its peak before losing a bunch of UFAs... but the fall won't be far because of the team's stockpile of youth.

EAG - a team heading up the path to its peak. I think the best is yet to come for my squad, but I should be reasonably competitive this year.

SEL - coming off a run to the finals, the SEL have a lot of holes to fill due to UFA and might be heading downwards a bit, but the core that took them to the last round is still there.

FRE and SPA - similar points for both teams who hit the wall with salaries and departures, but they have 'righted the ship' and looking to head up the mountain again.

GPS - season 2 for the new team. They have a long way to climb but I'm looking at Ovechkin and Nash together starting in RHL17... yikes.

CRY - brand spanking new, but looks like the squad will have some skill in the lineup with Heatley, Koivu, Recchi and Smith.

Pair of Eagles fly the coup in expansion draft

I'm not surprised Kvasha and Cullimore were taken. But I never thought they would both go as early as they did (Kvasha 5th overall, Cullimore 16th overall). I guess where I saw problems with each player, the expansion owners saw potential to help their squads. Just goes to show that sometimes an owner can be too close to a certain set of players to always make the right evaluation of them.

Cullimore was a disappointing signing last year, as he didn't really bring what I thought he would to the table in RHL15. With 2 years and $3.3M left on his contract, and a looming decline in ratings for RHL17, he quickly became a liability instead of an asset.

Kvasha was frustrating. I picked him up a few seasons ago and waited for him to reach his supposed potential. I thought he took a big step forward in 03-04, as he finished with 51 pts, tied for first on the NYI. I didn't think his ratings reflected his NHL value, and it showed in RHL15 as he never really seemed to get anything done. Then after seeing his production in the 'new NHL' drop to 32 points this year, I had seen enough.

I think this is good step for the organization. It frees up $2.2M in salary space, which I hope can be put to better use.

My big question going into the expansion draft was what to do with Theodore, and what would happen if he was left exposed. I think my question was answered after seeing the 1st round draft results. I can't argue my team is better for having him around in RHL16, but I now have to deal with a $3.4M starter with terrible numbers come RHL17.

Theodore's days in Edmonton numbered?

The Team 1260 is reporting that the Eagles have left goaltender Jose Theodore exposed for the upcoming expansion draft.

Calls to the Eagle head office were not returned, but speculation is that with the emergence of future goaltending star Cam Ward, Theodore and his $3.4M salary is now expendable.

Two more Eagles added to the nest

The Eagles made two selections in the dispersal draft, as Timofei Shishkanov and Franz Nielsen are the newest arrivals in Edmonton.

"We were targeting a couple of rated players, but beyond that our strategy was to focus on the future," said the Eagle GM. "Plus with the new rules governing prospects, we don't have to pay significant dollars while we wait for some of these slower developers to become contributors at the RHL level."

"We are very happy to get Shish, and think he fits in the mold of the type of team we're building towards. He's quick and has talent to score at this level. Plus, he'll have a great opportunity being in St.Louis to make a mark."

Shishkanov was drafted by the Predators in the 2nd round, 33rd overall, in 2001. He was traded to St.Louis for Mike Sillinger during the 05-06 season. He was rated the #52 prospect in the NHL by the Hockey News (pre-2006 draft).

Franz Neilsen will continue his quest to be the first Danish-born player in the RHL with the Eagles. He was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2002 draft by the Islanders.

"Neilsen flew under the radar a bit, but we are glad to nab him in the second round," said the GM. "He signed a contract with the Islanders in June and has committed to play in North America next year."

Eagles ink team's future core

The Eagles secured a piece of their future today, announcing the resigning of seven players coming off entry level contracts.

"It's a big day for this organization," beamed team owner Chris Bourdeau. "I expect some of these guys will a big part of any future success the team may enjoy."

The seven players signing today were:

Mike Cammalleri 4-year $2.9M
Jason Williams 3-year $1.7M
Antoine Vermette 4-year $2.2M
Mikhael Samuelsson 3-year $1.8M
Marc-Andre Bergeron 4-year $1.8M
Dick Tjarnqvist 1-year $500,000
Ivan Majesky 1-year $695,000
Craig Anderson 1-year $483,000

Eagle RHL15 season review

The 15th campaign for the Eagles in the RHL was a solid one, as the team can finally say they have put the painful part of rebuilding behind them. Edmonton finished 14 games on the sunny side of .500 (38-24-4), good for fourth place in the conference. While this success came in the lower level, the Eagles are moving in the right direction and should be reasonably competitive when the league returns to a traditional format next year.

Playoffs
Rating C
As is what seems to be a theme in Edmonton, regular season success did not translate into post-season glory. The team earned a first round bye, which led to a 2nd round showdown with rivals YDP. The series started well for the Eagles, as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead. A tough lost in OT in game 3 seemed to break the team’s momentum, and they went on to lose four straight.

Offense
Rating B+
As expected, the team put forth a balanced attack. They scored over 200 goals, good for 7th in the entire league, yet their top scorer topped out at only 51 points. They did have six 20-goal men, and an additional three over 10.

Defense
Rating A-
The team’s commitment to defense was a bit of a surprise. Jose Theodore did his part and kept the goals against down, but the defensive corp gelled early and were solid all season long. The Eagles also finished 7th overall in goals against, letting in a stingy 163 goals all season.

Special Teams
Rating B-
Both the powerplay and penalty kill were mired near the bottom of the league for the first half of the season. It was costing the team games and likely took the Eagles out of the running for the conference title. The PP caught fire in the second half, vaulting up the rankings to finish 8th in the league at 15.4%. The PK also climbed, but only to 16th at 84.2%. The playoffs brought similar stats.

RHL16
Expect to see mostly the same faces on the Eagles next season, as the team has 18 players already under contract with an additional 9 as RFAs. The expansion draft and UFA will mean some departures, but only one of any real significance. Team captain Shane Doan needs a new contract, but his high demand will probably mean free agency for the gritty winger. Doan is rumoured to be left exposed in the expansion draft.

Player Reviews
McEachern 22.0 64 22 29 51 +29
Rating A
Shawn led the team in scoring (18th in the conference) and in +/- (5th in the conference). He was the most consistent forward all year, playing in every situation. He was selected to the Premier allstar team for his efforts.

Cammalleri 15.1 53 20 13 33 +7
Rating A
Penciled in as a depth player this year, Mike took the bull by the horns and raced out as one of the league’s top goal scorers early on. A leg injury slowed his production down, but he still notched his first 20-goal season (in only 53 games) while playing second line minutes.

Jackman 23.6 57 10 19 29 +12
Rating A
Rick proved this year that he can be a top-4 defenseman in the RHL. Not only did he lead the team’s defensemen in goals, but he showed he can take care of business in his own end with a +12 rating.

Mara 26.3 64 7 22 29 +27
Rating A
Paul took another step forward in his role as leader of the Eagle’s defensive corps with his best season ever in the RHL. He elevated the play of everyone around him and helped Edmonton to the 7th best defensive record in the league, and 3rd in the conference.

Arnott 16.8 61 20 19 39 +23
Rating A-
Jason provided exactly what the team was looking for when they acquired him partway through the season. In his 36 games with the Eagles, he notched 13 goals and 26 points and was a +15. He was the number one centre the team needed.

Boynton 24.5 62 3 29 32 +11
Rating B+
Nik proved to be a steadying influence on the backline again this season as he ate up minutes in every situation and even put a respectable 32 points on the board, best amoung defenders.

Theodore 62 2.42gaa 34w 23l 4t 5so 91.7%
Rating B+
A big contract brings big expectations and Jose delivered… mostly. While he had a huge role in bringing defensive success, his name is conspicuously absent when talking about the best tenders in the RHL.

Parrish 19.2 61 24 21 45 +18
Rating B+
After leading the team in scoring in RHL14, Mark’s production dropped off a bit, but he still led the team in goals and was a crucial part of the team’s offense. His +18 also impressed.

Stajan 11.3 64 12 9 21 +6
Rating B
The rookie had a solid campaign, proving he belongs at this level. Expect his role to increase in the future.

Majesky 16.3 60 1 11 12 +11
Rating B
Expected to be nothing more than a spare part, Ivan grabbed a spot on the 3rd pairing and wouldn’t let go all season long.

Doan 21.8 63 20 26 46 +11
Rating B-
While 20 goals and 46 points isn’t chump change, Shane left fans and management wanting more from their captain who was poised for a breakout year.

Bell 14.6 64 22 11 33 +10
Rating B-
Streaky at the best of times, Mark ended up with a solid 22 goals, 7 of which were GWGs (tied for 1st in conference). But he still found himself bouncing between lines and couldn’t earn himself more ice time.

Conroy 15.9 59 5 23 28 +11
Rating C
Returning to the Eagles as a free agent in RHL15, Craig didn’t live up to expectations. His 28 points was his worst total since RHL11. While he never hurt the team, more than 5 goals are needed from a $2 million centre.

Cullimore 16.4 62 2 9 11 +0
Rating C-
Another of the team’s off-season signings, Jassen often looked lost trying to fit into the Eagle system. Earmarked to settle down the penalty kill, the team ended up with a worst PK than the year before.

Comrie 12.6 52 10 13 23 +5
Rating D
The local product never found a groove this season, even when healthy, and was often shuffled between the third and fourth lines. His well documented feud with team management didn’t help matters.

Kvasha 12.7 64 7 14 21 -7
Rating D
Pundits thought this could be a breakthrough year for the enigmatic Russian. It wasn’t. In fact, he had the worst +/- on the squad and never found his game.

Others
M.Bergeron 20.2 37 5 8 13 +5
Tjarnqvist 13.1 35 4 7 11 +4
Rucinsky 10.9 58 7 10 17 +3
Primeau 12.2 56 2 4 6 -4