FHL Dispersal Draft Results

[chilly666]

Palm Bay, FL - Today the Federal Hockey League held its Dispersal and Expansion Draft's. Rounds 1 and 2 were players from the Brooklyn Aviators and Rounds 3 and 4 were Akwesasne Warrior players. When a current member chose a player in the Dispersal Draft, they were required to release a player from their current protected list. Immediately after the Dispersal Draft the Dayton team was permitted to take 10 players in the Expansion Draft who were not protected from any of the other member teams. Here are the results. Please note that no players were selected from Akwesasne in Rounds 3 and 4.


Round 1

Pick # Team Selection Position
1 Dayton Jesse Felten Forward
2 Danville Andrew Owsiak Forward
3 Cape Cod Casey Mignone Forward
4 Danbury Michael Thompson Forward
5 1000 Islands Matt Atsoff Forward
6 Williamsport Pass


Round 2

Pick # Team Selection Position
1 Dayton Brian Marks Defense
2 Danville Josselin St. Pierre Goaltender
3 Cape Cod Nick Wheeler Defense
4 Danbury Ken Trentkowski Defense
5 1000 Islands Jordan Bernier Forward
6 Williamsport Pass

[4thLineGoon]

No AKW players going in the draft says a lot about this league. None of the teams could use 100 points from Deschatelets or 150 from Dagenais? How about top line guys like Beaulne, Van Hoof or Trevisani? No need for the grit Forget, Desormeaux and Mahfouz bring? I know some guys are LNAH bound or wouldn't relocate anywhere else but sounds like they all got blackballed from the FHL to me.

[blackngold]

Originally Posted by 4thLineGoon

No AKW players going in the draft says a lot about this league. None of the teams could use 100 points from Deschatelets or 150 from Dagenais? How about top line guys like Beaulne, Van Hoof or Trevisani? No need for the grit Forget, Desormeaux and Mahfouz bring? I know some guys are LNAH bound or wouldn't relocate anywhere else but sounds like they all got blackballed from the FHL to me.

The Warriors roster were all local players from the Akwesasne/Cornwall/Ottawa area with families and houses up there. Many of them played for the team only on a part-time basis. Only a few of their players were young guys. I doubt any of their players would have relocated to the US to play 'A' hockey. Even though the Warriors had a handful of great 'A' players, they hadn't had a call-up in their 2 year history. I doubt that's because of skill so much as they just didn't want to leave home.

What's more concerning to me is that the New Jersey Outlaws are all of a sudden "Williamsport" and they lost 4 guys in the draft while gaining no one.

[4thLineGoon]

Originally Posted by blackngold

The Warriors roster were all local players from the Akwesasne/Cornwall/Ottawa area with families and houses up there. Many of them played for the team only on a part-time basis. Only a few of their players were young guys. I doubt any of their players would have relocated to the US to play 'A' hockey. Even though the Warriors had a handful of great 'A' players, they hadn't had a call-up in their 2 year history. I doubt that's because of skill so much as they just didn't want to leave home.

What's more concerning to me is that the New Jersey Outlaws are all of a sudden "Williamsport" and they lost 4 guys in the draft while gaining no one.

They still do have their whole protected list of guys but they definitely have some work to do to get ready for the new season in Williamsport. So much for any momentum from the championship and Jersey Ice. By the time they have everything in place I fear they're gonna be stuck in the situation Danville and Vermont were in, still trying to piece a roster together in December.

I was just surprised nobody even grabbed the rights to any AKW players but they certainly did operate more like a senior league team than a minor league team looking to move guys up the ladder. Another interesting offseason for the Fed, hope there's still a league this time next year.

[blackngold]

Originally Posted by 4thLineGoon

They still do have their whole protected list of guys but they definitely have some work to do to get ready for the new season in Williamsport. So much for any momentum from the championship and Jersey Ice. By the time they have everything in place I fear they're gonna be stuck in the situation Danville and Vermont were in, still trying to piece a roster together in December.

Any idea where in Williamsport they will be playing? It doesn't seem like there's an arena in the city that could support minor pro hockey...

[chilly666]

in a brand new arena if the town will shell out 500k

The organization also has a local post office address and has begun soliciting funds trying to raise a goal of $500,000 in a capital fundraising campaign with a short deadline of July.

"The challenge is it costs a lot to operate," Rich said. "Our group would finance part of it, but the community needs to fund about one-sixth of the cost."

Rich said he considered the public financial contribution to be a sizable gap, but said the opportunity exists for it to work between a combination of existing bank financing, tax credits and private donations.

"Most of the time, these arenas can become a boondoggle for cities," Rich said.

But, he said, with the business model of a developer close to signing a deal to buy an existing shell of a property and development costs less than what it would be to construct an arena from the ground up, the project is achievable.

As Rich explained, the other piece of the puzzle is an anonymous donor has reached a verbal agreement with the YMCA to purchase the property.

"We're real close, but the financial packaging is the missing link," Campana said.

"We're working hard as a collective group between the mayor, an unnamed developer in town and our organization to get the Williamsport Ice Arena and Event Center up and running - not just for our use, but one that benefits the city and region," Firriolo said.

Campana refused to name the developer.

The team that plays in Wayne, N.J., wants to relocate here, Firriolo said.

"We really need help from the public and support of the community. It's been a great response so far," he said. "A lot of people have stepped forward, and a small portion have put their necks on the line."

When asked about the hockey portion of the project, Firriolo said, "It's not a question if this is going to happen, it is a whether it will happen in 2012 or 2013. If one or two things fall into place, we could see professional hockey played this year."

The Outlaws would become the Williamsport Outlaws. In its first year in the league, the Outlaws captured the 2012 Commissioners' Cup Championship.

Link

[blackngold]

And that brand new arena, where construction hasn't even started yet, would be ready by the fall? Sounds like a pipe dream to me.

[chilly666]

i think that's the hope...but people with common sense know it ain't happening