Suffolk Stampeder: 2018 Playoff Edition

[Chris-Suffolk]

Suffolk County NY: Suffolk Stampede Hockey

The Suffolk Stampede season ended yesterday, though not without a fight. The Stampede mantra for the 2017-18 season was one of "Battle, Compete and Honor." Battle for your teammate. Compete hard no matter the opponent. Honor the sweater, past and present.

Battle, they did. While undermanned in the offense department and having most of the team depleted of playoff experience, not to mention GHL experience, Suffolk was able to remain in playoff contention. "Yes, we moved some big game players this season. Could we have gone farther? Maybe, Maybe not. We are not just playing for the moment...We play for the future as well. I'm proud of the boys and what they were able to accomplish. They Battled, Competed and Honored that crest!!! They're Suffolk thru and thru!"

We turn our attention to the off season. We have some decisions to make. We'll look into Free Agency and see if they're are some pieces to add via that route. We've had discussions about some components of our current roster, we'll continue to discuss them. Will we be big players in UFA, I'm not so certain about that. It may be time to go the Draft route and build our team in a long term mindset.

Congrats to the remaining teams in this years playoffs!!! Look forward to watching the outcome!

[Chris-Suffolk]

Suffolk Stampeder: Post Draft/Pre-Season Edition

The 2018 GHL Draft didn't appear to have much fanfare around the Suffolk Stampede fan base. But, behind the scenes, Suffolk GM Chris Frey, was steadfastly attempting to bring some new flavor to the Suffolk lineup. Holding only 3 picks prior to draft day, with their first selection being a 3rd Rd Pk at #89, the GM would need to do some wheeling and dealing in order to attend the party. That's exactly what he did.

The Additions:

With Suffolk's #89 pick ( via Mtl ) Suffolk selected dynamic Russian RW Alexei Toropchenko. The slick skating and skilled winger impressed Suffolk scouts at the World Juniors where he wore the "A" for Team Russia, where he played a magnificently against the worlds best youngsters. "He stood out against Team USA, and that team was stacked with future NHL'ers, kids who were already drafted or about to be. We're excited to have Alexei develop in our organization."

#119 would yield G-Callum Booth, a lanky rangy young netminder in the Hurricane organization. "Callum gives us another good young kid to develop in our organization at the goaltending position. He's been a starter wherever he's played, and we will continue to give him his chance to grow into that role."

#122 ( Via trade w/Halifax ) Defenseman Will Borgen, a physical defender who can move the puck effectively, plays with confidence and has tremendous leadership qualities. "Will is going to be a future leader in our organization. I know I keep repeating myself, but we are very excited with our selection here. He has future Captain written all over him. He'll be expected to shoulder that responsibility, and judging from our early interviews with him, he's ready for that challenge."

#126 ( Via trade w/Pitt ) Defenseman Christian Jaros. Christian is another promising two-way defender in the Suffolk mold. Has good size, skates well and makes the smart play. "We liked Christian's game. He plays a solid two-way intelligent game. He's got great size, moves extremely well for a big guy, and he puts the puck on the blade with his passes. Couldn't be happier to have him fall to us this deep."


#137 ( Via trade w/Phila ) Defenseman Darren Raddysh. "Darren could be our diamond in the rough! Undrafted signee in the Blackhawk organization by way of the Erie Otters in the OHL, where he logged top minutes and tallied 82 points in his final junior season. He's a terrific skater, has a bomb of a shot and plays an aggressive style. He pushes the action. Very happen to add him to our depth."

#140 C-Tyler Vesel. After selecting 3 defenders and a goalie, Suffolk shifted their thoughts to the forward position, selecting talented distrubtor Tyler Vesel. "Tyler excites us. Coming from Nebraska-Omaha's Collegiate program, where he was amongt the teams leader in points, Tyler is a gifted skater. He looks to pass first and plays the PP. He'll do the same for our minors where we will allow him the time to refine his game."

#152 ( Via trade w/Wash ) C/W-Reid Duke, the very first signing by the Vegas Golden Nights. "Reid Duke. Reid is another very exciting player for us. He is a prolific scorer, plays a good two-way game and isn't shy with the body. That's the typical of a WHL player. If you want to score in that league, you better be willing to pay the price to get to those dirty areas. But, for Reid, he can score in close or from anywhere you give him the opportunity. He's dangerous."

#153 ( Via trade w/Hart ) W-Gage Quinney, a cagey distrubutor and dynamic skater. "Gage uses his skating abilities to his advantage. For a big kid, he can pivot on a dime. He's refining his skills in Wilkes-Barre and his way continuing his point per game ways."

#154 ( Via trade w/Pitt ) F-Colin Larkin, another undrafted pro from the University/College ranks. Larkin ( brother of Dylan Larkin ) is mature beyond his years. A product of U-Mass and the Larkin Family Hockey School. "Colin is a solid two-way player. He uses his size ( 6'3 195 ) to protect the puck, unleashes a man's shot and uses his body when necessary. We're very pleased to add him to our organization."

Overall, Suffolk added 9 players to their organization, while shedding itself of another 10 million in cap room.

The Subtractions:

Gone are several veteran UFA's, whom were told that the team was going in a different direction...

Brian Boyle
Justin Abdelkader
Jason Chimera
Jannik Hansen
Francois Beauchemin
Kevin Bieksa
Matt Martin

Also moving on, via draft day trades, are

2019 UFA David Perron to Halifax for 2018 #122 and 2019 2nd
2020 UFA Brendan Dillon to Phila for #137 and Nick Schultz ( cap hit )
Minor Leaguer D-Nelson Nogier to Wash for #152
Minor Prospect G-Nick Schneider to Hart for #153
2018 RFA Pontus Aberg to Pitt for #126 and #154

All in all, with only 3 2018 Draft picks, and little fanfare, Suffolk brought the "After Party" to the draft!!! With a few names still circulating in rumors, Suffolk continues to revamp and retool their lineup. "I don't foresee us being one of the teams to compete for the Cup this year, but you never know. We've had some pretty good talks, and made amends with some of the teams whom we've had differences with in the past. That's truly a good thing for us, and one that makes us happy to attend the GM meetings. Let's wait and see, we like the direction we're heading in and love all of the youth we've been able to add the past two seasons when we returned to the ranks. Our leadership is committed for the long haul! That doesn't meaning we're going to only be pulling the team forward. It means, we need EVERYONE PUSHING it forward! EVERYONE! Players, Coaches, Management, Ownership!!!"