Pecker, Cook and Vesce playing in Europe
July 21, 2007
Cory Pecker (F)
From Binghampton Senators (AHL) to HC Lausanne
Charlie Cook (D)
From Binghamton Senators (AHL) to HIFK Helsinki
Ryan Vesce (F)
From Binghamton Senators (AHL) to HIFK Helsinki
Cory Clouston profile
July 20, 2007
The Press & Sun had a profile of Cory Clouston today. The more I read about Clouston the more optimistic I become. Looking forward to October to see what he can do with this team.
Coaching experience: Went 209-110-24-15 the past five years as head coach of the WHL’s Kootenay Ice. Served as assistant coach with Kootenay the three years before that. Was head coach for the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Grande Prairie Storm from 1995-99, posting a 143-82-15 record. Prior to that, was assistant coach for the 1994-95 season in the British Columbia Junior Hockey League.
Playing experience: Played four seasons at the University of Alberta, posting 33 goals and 33 assists over 115 career games between 1989 and 1993. Won a Canadian Interuniversity Sport title with the Golden Bears in 1992.
Notable: Also coached Canada to gold medals the past two seasons in the Under-18 Junior World Cup, serving as an assistant coach in 2005 and then head coach last summer. … Has earned coach of the year honors from the WHL (2005, 2007), AJHL (1996) and Canadian Hockey League (2005).
Alexander Nikulin coming to Binghamton?
July 20, 2007
There are rumors that Alexander Nikulin will be joining the Binghamton Senators this season. Here’s is the transcript of an interview with the Senators prospect.
CSKA Moscow forward Alexander Nikulin (Ottawa Senators) made the decision to travel to North America. In 2004 the young forward was drafted by Ottawa in the fourth round. The player, who on August 25th will turn 22, believes that not to go to Canada means that it may be too later after. CSKA head coach Vyacheslav Bykov underlined that his club hopes Alex makes the Senators. Although, if this does not happen, they will always be glad to welcome their player back. In any case, Nikulin is sure that he will not be back in Moscow this season.
A. Nikulin: I think, that every player wants to tryt his abilities in the NHL. Right now I am spending the preseason with CSKA and in the end of August and the beginning of September, I am leaving. I will be trying to make it any way I can. I will be patient and will work very hard. My contract is signed for two years. I believe that in the beginning I will have to play on the farm team. I will gain experience, learn the language. But I am ready for this.
What is your agent’s prediction? The entire season on the farm? Or maybe a bit less?
A. Nikulin: The agent is not guarantying anything of course. The scout predicted that I could spend 10-15 games in the AHL and then could possibly get the call-up to the NHL.
Hmmm…I don’t like the comment about 10-15 games in the AHL. This kid is going to need to adjust to North American hockey and if he comes into town expecting to only play in Binghamton for a month he will be in for a rude awakening. After the experience with Kaigorodov I am not very optimistic. Here’s an old scouting report on Nikulin:
At 6’1”, 194 pounds the Russian has good size for a kid who will be 19 by the end of the summer. He has put up respectable numbers the past two seasons, scoring just over 20 goals each year and 14 and 20 assists respectively. He has a very solid all around skill set and good vision of the ice. He has impressive upside as an offensive player.
B-Sens announcing new coach today
July 19, 2007
Good article in the paper about Tim Murray trying to rectify the problems in Binghamton. I’m still not sold on who they’ve brought in. They need to land one more big name veteran to help turn this team around and they still don’t have an enforcer to protect the new kids from getting knocked around.
“It’s a priority for me,” Murray said this week of turning around Ottawa’s top affiliate, which is coming off a 23-48-4-5 season.
“I think one of my first phone calls with (B-Sens executive vice president of operations) Tom Mitchell was, I wanted him to know that we were going to be visible down there. We were going to show an interest down there. That our kids had to see us around there.
“I think it’s very important to development and to having a good working relationship with the Binghamton people.”
…
“The first two weeks here, it’s been quite a lot of Binghamton,” Murray said in a phone interview this week. “We’re always talking about NHL guys, but I’d say 80 percent Binghamton the first two weeks I’ve been on the job here.”
And a good deal of the roster is in place, he said.
With left wing Denis Hamel, forward Niko Dimitrakos, and defensemen Lawrence Nycholat, Matt Carkner and Matt Kinch under contract — though not all guaranteed to be in Binghamton — Murray said he had money left for one more veteran addition.
The hope, he said, was to use that slot to add a center. “But, we’ll have to see what happens with that,” Murray said.
There are only 2 words I want to hear Murray say…”Pete Vandermeer”! 
Official: Cory Clouston to coach B-Sens
July 19, 2007
BINGHAMTON — The new man behind the Binghamton Senators bench this season will be Cory Clouston, the team announced Thursday afternoon at a press conference at Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena.Clouston takes over as head coach in Binghamton after spending the past five seasons as head coach of the WHL’s Kootenay Ice, a Cranbrook, British Columbia-based junior hockey team. There, he totaled a franchise-record 209 wins and a .638 regular-season winning percentage, while earning WHL Coach of the Year honors in 2005 and 2007.
Clouston, 37, replaces Dave Cameron, who returned to the Ontario Hockey League’s Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors this offseason after his three-year contract with the B-Sens expired. Clouston becomes the third B-Sens head coach since 2002, when Ottawa moved its top affiliate to Binghamton.
STHA Registration
July 18, 2007
Southern Tier Hockey Association registration is underway! Get your signups here:
http://www.eteamz.com/stha/files/Registration_Form_2007_2008.pdf
- Complete the forms, and mail to STHA, PO Box 2765, Binghamton, NY 13902.
- Include a check for $75.00 made out to the STHA.
- If you are a new player, include a copy of your player’s birth certificate.
You can also register at the board meetings.
Here are the player fees for the 2007/08 season.
AHL All-Star Dates Confirmed
July 18, 2007
The AHL announced the dates for the All-Star classic:
American Hockey League President and CEO David Andrews announced today that the 2008 AHL All-Star Classic will take place on Sunday, January 27 and Monday, January 28 at the Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, N.Y.
Ottawa to name Bingo coach on Thursday
July 17, 2007
Rumor is that Cory Clouston will become the next head coach of the Binghamton Senators.
The Ottawa Senators are planning to name a new coach for their American Hockey League affiliate in Binghamton on Thursday, and according to reports the new man behind the bench is Cory Clouston.
The Daily News in Kamloops, British Columbia, reported this week that Clouston will leave the Western Hockey League’s Kootenay Ice to take the job in Binghamton. Clouston, 37, has earned two WHL Coach of the Year honors in the past three years. The Ice plays in Cranbrook, British Columbia.
Interesting to note that he was Jeff Glass’ coach. Maybe he’ll help Glass turn out a better season than last year. Here’s a little more background on Clouston.
Cory Clouston is beginning his fifth year as Head Coach and eighth year with the ICE organization. Cory was the Head Coach of
Canada ’s Under 18 team which won gold inSlovakia this past summer. He was named the WHL andCHL Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the 2004-2005 season. Cory played four years at theUniversity ofAlberta and was a member of the 1991-1992 Golden Bears team that won the CIS Championship. Cory, who is a native of Viking,Alberta , resides year round inCranbrook .
B-Sens sign D Matt Kinch
July 17, 2007
The Senators announced the signing of Matt Kinch today.
Kinch, 27, has played the last two seasons in the German Hockey League, most recently with the Straubing Tigers. He recorded four goals, 20 assists and 36 penalty minutes in 51 games during the 2006-07 season with Straubing.
A native of Red Deer, Alta., Kinch was Buffalo’s fifth-round draft choice (146th overall) in the 1999 NHL entry draft. He last played in North America with the American Hockey League’s Hartford Wolf Pack during the 2003-04 season. In three AHL seasons with Harford, Kinch had nine goals, 48 assists and 70 penalty minutes in 173 regular season games.
Kinch seems like a poor mans Filip Novak. Not much size, a little offense. He did lead the Wolfpack in +/- in 2003/04. Here’s an old scouting report from Hockey’s Future.
After a dramatic increase in offensive production, Calgary Hitmen defenseman Matt Kinch was taken by Buffalo in Round 5. In the 1998-1999 season, the speedy blueliner totaled 14 goals and 83 points, a 52-point jump from the previous year. Despite his smallish frame, Buffalo went ahead and added the 5’11”, 185-pound Alberta native to their prospect stable.
Kinch continued to pile up hefty offensive numbers from the point in Calgary, gathering 75 points in 1999-2000, and another 84 in 2000-2001. His playoff numbers were impressive as well, collecting 58 points in 64 games. Still, the Sabres decided that the runner up in 2001 WHL Defenseman of the Year voting would have trouble with his size at the NHL level, and opted not to sign him.
Kinch didn’t last long on the free agent market, signing with the New York Rangers in June of 2001. After splitting time between Charlotte (ECHL) and Hartford (AHL) in his first pro season, Kinch has evolved into an important component of the Hartford power play over the course of the past two years. He collected a career-high 29 points in 2002-2003, while totaling 20 this past season. He won’t ever put up numbers like he did in junior, but the undersized Kinch still has value as a longshot NHL prospect.
Ottawa trades Schaefer for Donovan
July 17, 2007
The Ottawa Senators freed up some cap space ahead of arbitration hearings for Emery, Kelly, and Schubert by trading Peter Schaefer to the Bruins in exchange for Shean Donovan. The move also gives the Sens some more size, one of Murray’s goals for next season.
The Ottawa Senators have traded winger Peter Schaefer to the Boston Bruins in exchange for veteran winger Shean Donovan.
The move will save the Senators space under the salary cap.
Schaefer has three years and US$6.7 million left on his deal while Donovan has one year left at $925,000.
