Marlies Clear Day Roster; Odds N’ Ends

by Gus Katsaros on March 16, 2009 in Uncategorized - 20 Comments

The American Hockey League has released the 2008-09 Clear Day Period lists for each of its 29 member clubs.

Each Clear Day roster consists of a maximum of 22 players.
According to AHL by-laws, only those players listed on a team’s Clear Day roster are eligible to compete in the remainder of the 2008-09 AHL regular season and in the 2009 Calder Cup Playoffs, unless emergency conditions arise as a result of recall, injury or suspension.

Teams may also add signed junior players or players on amateur tryout contracts, only after their respective junior or college seasons are complete.

Toronto Marlies Clear Day Roster

Adam Munro (G)
Justin Pogge (G)
Bates Battaglia
Darryl Boyce
Andre Deveaux
Josh Engel
Alex Foster
Jonas Frogren
Ryan Hamilton
Ryan Hollweg
Nikolai Kulemin
Ben Ondrus
Phil Oreskovic
Todd Perry
Kyle Rogers
Joe Ryan
Jaime Sifers
Tim Stapleton
Anton Stralman
Jiri Tlusty
Juha Uotila
Jeremy Williams

Only players listed on the Clear Day roster are eligible to play in the remaining games for the Marlies this season and the postseason. Currently in a dog race for the final playoff spot, they have been very good of late, beating Rochester (Florida) 4-2, Lake Erie (Colorado) 2-1 and Manitoba (Vancouver) 3-1 in Sunday action. There are still two Sunday games, and three games at home to finish off the season in April.

The playoff format is a little screwy. Essentially, a divisional format where the 4th place team takes on the 1st in the division, and the 2nd/3rd meet in a secondary match up. All divisions have seven teams, except the West Division with eight, setting up a lone exception. In Toronto’s division (North), the exception saw them open against the San Antonio Rampage last spring. If the 5th place team in the WEST division finishes with more points than the 4th place team in the North, the West team crosses over and plays in the 4th team’s spot.

Toronto finished first in the division last season and are currently sitting in 4th place with 77 points (68GP) while the 5th place team in the West are the Rockford IceHogs (Chicago) with 72 points in 67 GP (tied with the Peoria Rivermen (St. Louis).

Luke Schenn, Mikhail Grabovski and John Mitchell are not included in the Clear Day roster, and are therefore not eligible to play for the Marlies.

This is where it gets tricky. Luke Schenn would be eligible only if he was sent back to Kelowna for the WHL playoffs, and that team was subsequently eliminated from the postseason, similar to the addition of Dale Mitchell last season after the Oshawa Generals were ousted out of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs.

It’s unlikely the Maple Leafs send Schenn back.

This is a shame in retrospect. If there was an opportunity to see some of the Leafs youth competing in a meaningful excursion, it would be ideal to be banded together under the Marlies umbrella. Clearly Jiri Tlusty has benefited from the addition to the AHL Marlies, having gone supernova for points production. But the club can’t rely on one player alone, and it needs the compliment of prospects and signed free agents to compete for the AHL equivalent of Lord Stanley, the Calder Cup.

I once asked Justin Pogge what he would like to leave as a mark in the AHL. “I’d like to be a champion, he said. “Win a championship and move on to the next level.”

Could this season be one of magic for the Marlies?

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Odds N’ Ends

HABS

When the Leafs meet the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday in Montreal, depending on whether or not Montreal wins their other two games (NYR, @Ott) the game could signify the Habs dipping out of the playoff picture.

Having floated this around other Hot Stove writers, it seems to be a mixed review. Leafs fans would absolutely love to be the team that knocks their ‘Forever Rivals’ out of the playoff picture for good.

In the 100th year.

Bonne Anniversaire

LEAFS

Anyone else besides me think the NHL is using the vast Leafs fan base to soften the revenue blow next season with MLSE raising ticket prices 3.5%?

It may not seem like much, but for an extra $3 on every $100 ticket, over 42 games is a lot of scratch … Considering how some ticket prices in underappreciated markets are falling to ridiculously low dollar amounts, why is Leafs Nation skewing numbers for the betterment of the NHL and salary cap (cap based on projected revenue)?

Is this a greedy franchise that is making up lost playoff revenue, or the flagship franchise somewhat keeping the entire system afloat? Or, are they perhaps trying to recoup the amount of transfer payments to franchises on the bubble?

LEAFS II

A lot has been made about the Leafs coach Ron Wilson/Howard Berger feud. I, for one, am happy to see that the Leafs, despite some head scratching moments, have challenged the media to do a better job. Wilson indicated on AM640 with Greg Brady and Bill Watters that he sent the media an email once he was handed the coaching reigns to let them know he’s open for business.

After goading and implying and having the Toronto media goliath bearing down on the their throats with unsubstantiated (and some true) allegations and cheap rhetoric for a rise out of the fans, it’s about time the organization pushed back a little, despite being mandated to answer any and all questions by the mainstream media.

My only question.

If there is decent coverage provided throughout the Barilkoshpere, why hasn’t MLSE given bloggers at least some access? Even if it was for limited amounts of games, or access. If you really want to give the media a scare, or fire a shot over their bow, give someone else the access they have and let them scramble to do their jobs better. If there is an alternative venue for fans to get information, it would force outlets to alleviate the shock-treatment to a saturated market.

Nothing like getting someone to do their jobs better, than having competition raise the bar, or to outright steal their ability to make a living.

On the flip side of that, it would be interesting to see some bloggers try to actually do a game story, and peripheral articles on one game night. It’s not as easy as it sounds.

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