THE TALON

Monday, May 07, 2007

RHL16 in review

Another season is in the books for the Edmonton Eagles--one that overall met expectations but left the players, management and fans with a bitter taste in the mouth after a disappointing final stretch run and playoffs. Finishing with a 33-27-6 record, the team's 10th best result in its 16 seasons was good enough for 3rd in the division and 6th in the conference.

But the team let the divisional crown slip out of their hands and the playoffs brought another disappointment--this time a first round matchup against the powerful and Kings Cup runner up Rovers. The series lasted only 5 games and was never really in doubt.

While the page is turned on another season, RHL17 looks promising. While numerous veterans including Ryan Smyth, Craig Conroy, Shawn McEachern, Mark Parrish and Chris Chelios will test the UFA market with the hope of only a couple coming back at best, the next generation of Eagles will begin to take ownership of the team andput their own unique stamp on Edmonton.

Mike Cammalleri, Antoine Vermette, Jeff Carter, Peter Budaj, MA Bergeron, Matt Stajan, Christian Ehrhoff and Mark Bell all look to play prominent roles next season. They will join a solid core of Jason Arnott, Miro Satan, Thomas Vokoun, Mike Comrie and Paul Mara as the teams looks to make amends and take home the division crown.

Team awards were handed out today at a team luncheon for season ticket holders.

Team MVP (Patrick Roy Award)
Jose Theodore

Best defenseman (Chris Pronger Award)
Nic Boynton

Best forward (Geoff Sanderson Award)
Shawn McEachern

Top young player (Ryan Smyth Award)
Mike Cammalleri

Leadership and Dedication (Trevor Linden Award)
Mark Parrish

As well, management released their rankings of each roster player based on which category they fell into:

Breakout season
Ric Jackman: 25 pts, +12 in only 41 gp
MA Bergeron: 11 goals, +11 in 51 gp

Above expectations
Mike Comrie: 14 goals in 13 min/game over 56 gp
Mike Cammalleri: 25 points in 39 gp, important secondary scoring
Jaroslav Modry: +7 playing in all 66 gp

Nick Boynton: top points and icetime among defencemen (31pt, 24 min/g)
Jason King: earned 15 min/g with 12 goals

At expectations
Jose Theodore: 32 wins, .915 save%
Mark Parrish: 5th straight 20 goal season
Shawn McEachern: 50 points
Miro Satan: 15 points in 19 gp
Chris Chelios: +2 over 17 gp
Paul Mara: 23 min/game, +7
Matt Stajan: +7, 10 goals in limited role
Antoine Vermette: went from 4 GP to 47 GP

Below expectations
Jason Arnott: 13 goals for #1 centre
Ryan Smyth: 19 goals, lowest total since RHL12
Dick Tjarnqvist: healthy scratch 14 times
Ivan Majesky: went from +12 to -2

A bust
Craig Conroy: $1.9M for 5 goals
Mark Bell: went from 22 to 10 goals playing with more talented linemates

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3 Comments:

  • Great review. Bell was a guy I coveted for a while but hadn't followed his progress while with the Eagles.. I'm surprised to hear of the drop-off. Either way, RHL17 will probably be even better for the Eagles as the young guys continue to progress. Best of luck.

    By Blogger Steve, at 6:37 a.m.  

  • He just never seemed to click with anyone, and he bounced around from the 1st to 4th line all year... strangely enough, the same could be said for his NHL year with the Sharks.

    With a new set of ratings he gets a new chance. And he should produce, albeit for only one season before he drops off the face of the earth.

    By Blogger Chris - Eagles, at 9:52 a.m.  

  • Hey CB, you turn off comments for your latest post (17 for 17)?

    By Blogger rhl spartans, at 3:19 p.m.  

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