Iqaluit, NU (CP)

Restricted free agency has ended for the Rovers, but not without a price. Alexander Frolov will be returning to the defending champions, but with a significantly richer contract than expected. Hoping to re-sign Frolov for something in the $1M range, the T-Men had other ideas and signed him to a $1.75M offer sheet. Compensation was discussed, with the Rovers reportedly targetting T-Men winger Corey Perry, but ultimately the offer sheet was matched and Frolov will return to the team with his new found fortune. The term of the contract has not yet been disclosed.

“We never wanted to lose Alex”, GM Stringer said. “We were disappointed that we weren’t able to meet his initial demand due to league rules, as we would have definitely offered him an extension. When he was signed to the offer sheet we had to explore every option, but in the end decided that Alex was too important to our plans for this season and beyond. We’re very glad to have him locked up for a long time”.

Iqaluit, NU (CP)

Batman had Robin. Shaq had Kobe. Now, once again, Draper has Maltby. Silent until now during free agency, the Rovers inked their first unrestricted free agent Friday night by signing Kirk Maltby to a one-year, $1M contract. A premier penalty killer, Maltby will team once again with Kris Draper, with whom he played for many years in a rival professional league years ago. “I’m really excited to be joining the Rovers”, Maltby said when reached by phone. “They’re obviously the defending champion, and I’ll get to play with a good friend of mine in Drapes. I hope I can add a lot to their team, especially on the defensive end”.

“We knew we needed another forward or two going into free agency, but to get a guy of this quality is great for the team”, GM Stringer said. “I’m confident we can score goals as a forward group, but you can never have enough glue guys, those guys that can go out and kill off a penalty late in the third when you’ve got a one goal lead. Kirk is one of those guys”.

The Rovers may look to add one or two more forwards before free agency is over. Then they will figure out their numbers going into training camp.

St. John’s, NL (CP)

The Rovers wrapped up their prospect camp in St. John’s this weekend, and the coaching staff felt it was a great success. They saw the potential of many would-be Rovers and were able to make a number of evaluations about who among them are closest to making an immediate impact. “I think we saw a few guys stand above the rest”, said Ulf Dahlen, Rovers newly-appointed director of player development. “We’re looking forward to seeing a few of these players making an impact in the main camp and competing for jobs this season. The message to the rest of the prospects is that this is the level you need to reach to compete for an RHL job. We will continue to monitor their development with their respective junior, minor-league and European clubs”.

Meanwhile, it was announced that nine players were invited to the main training camp. Forwards Evgeni Malkin, Travis Zajac, Brian Boyle, Troy Brouwer, and Mike Glumac, defensemen Christoph Schubert and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and goaltenders Jaroslav Halak and Yann Danis will all compete for jobs on the RHL18 Rover roster. Of the nine, Evgeni Malkin is the closest to a slam-dunk as possible. Malkin is expected by all scouts and by his performance in prospect camp to step into a top-six forward role and not look back. There also seems to be room on the roster right now for Zajac and Vlasic, although center and defense are the two deepest areas of the team. As well, the make-up of the roster may be different after free agency, which opens this week.

St. John’s, NL (CP)

Travis Zajac scored twice and added an assist as he led Team Teal to a 5-1 triumph over Team White in the Rovers first intra-squad game at Mile One Stadium in St. John’s this morning. Zajac, skating on a line with Francois Bouchard and Janne Pesonen, put two pucks behind starter Pekka Rinne in the first period and set up Pesonen for the final goal, scored against back-up Yann Danis. Bryan Little and Zbynek Michalek also scored for Team Teal. Evgeni Malkin scored the only goal for Team White and was the best forward on White by a wide, but was largely contained by a trio effort by Michalek, hard-hitter Pavel Valentenko, and center James Sheppard. Jaroslav Halak stopped all 18 shots he faced in the first half of the game, including breakaways by Malkin and Brian Boyle, while Simeon Varlamov was beaten only by Malkin’s high wrister late in the third.

The teams will practice again this evening and then hit the ice tomorrow for another game.

Team Teal

Francois Bouchard
Troy Brouwer
Bryan Little
Janne Pesonen
James Sheppard
Travis Zajac
Keaton Ellerby
Zbynek Michalek
Pavel Valentenko
Mike Weber
Jaroslav Halak
Simeon Varmalov

Team White

Brian Boyle
Claude Giroux
Mike Glumac
Evgeni Malkin
Riley Nash
Alexander Vasyunov
Cory Murphy
Jeff Petry
Christoph Schubert
Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Yann Danis
Pekka Rinne

Iqaluit, NU (CP)

The Rovers hit the ice for their first on-ice session at prospect camp this morning. 24 Rovers in total were on the ice, including 23 prospects and sophomore defenseman Zbynek Michalek, who was looking for some extra work prior to main training camp. While day one was strictly drills and no contact, a few players stood out. Up front, center Evgeni Malkin was a man amongst boys and often stopped to mentor younger forwards such as Riley Nash or translate for fellow Russian Alex Vasyunov. The coaching staff could immediately see how his seasoning in Russia has paid huge dividends. On the blueline Marc-Edouard Vlasic was silky smooth in transition skating and was the crispest passer by a significant margin. Tomorrow will see the players split into a white and teal intra-squad game where the coaches will see the guys in game action for the first time.

Forwards (12)
Bouchard, Francois, 20, Sherbrooke, QC
Boyle, Brian, 23, Hingham, MA
Brouwer, Troy, 22, Vancouver, BC
Giroux, Claude, 20, Hearst, ON
Glumac, Mike, 28, Niagara Falls, ON
Little, Bryan, 20, Edmonton, AB
Malkin, Evgeni, 22, Magnitogorsk, Russia
Nash, Riley, 19, Consort, AB
Pesonen, Janne, 26, Suomussalmi, Finland
Sheppard, James, 20, Lower Sackville, NS
Vasyunov, Alexander, 20, Yaroslavl, Russia
Zajac, Travis, 23, Winnipeg, MB

Defensemen ( 8 )
Ellerby, Keaton, 19, Strathmore, AB
Michalek, Zbynek, 25, Jindrchuv Hradec, Czech Rep.
Murphy, Cory, 30, Kanata, ON
Petry, Jeff, 20, Ann Arbor, MI
Schubert, Christoph, 26, Munich, Germany
Valentenko, Pavel, 20, Moscow, Russia
Vlasic, Marc-Edouard, 21, Montreal, QC
Weber, Mike, 20, Pittsburgh, PA

Goaltenders (4)
Danis, Yann, 27, Lafontaine, QC
Halak, Jaroslav, 23, Bratislava, Slovakia
Rinne, Pekka, 25, Kempele, Finland
Varlamov, Simeon, 20, Samara, Russia

Iqaluit, NU (CP)

The Rovers entered the Entry Draft with only three selections and swung a minor deal to add a fourth, coming away with two defensemen and two forwards that they hope will one day be future Baffin Islanders.

In the first round, the Rovers picked 26th and were fortunate enough to tab big defenseman Keaton Ellerby from the WHL.  Rangy with a ton of potential, Ellerby may be a longer-term project but one with tremendous upside.  “We were thrilled to get Keaton at 26″, Stringer said.  “He’s a guy who we won’t rush.  He’s got a boatload of potential and we’re going to let him broaden his game at his own pace”.

The second round presented an opportunity to trade into the middle of the round for an impact forward and the Rovers took it.  Dealing newly-acquired Ryan Callahan to the Cleveland Falcons for FAL2, the Rovers called the name of forward Riley Nash from Cornell University.  “The combination of speed, smarts, hands, and defensive awareness were too appealing to pass up”, Stringer commented on the deal.  “We wish Ryan all the best in Cleveland, but this was too good to miss”.  At the end of the round, the team went back to the blueline drafting Mike Weber from the OHL.  Weber already has a season of pro hockey under his belt and plays a physical punishing style that will fit well with the Rovers.  “Mike is a guy we’re very happy to get.  We see him as a real stopper, and a guy who might not be that far away”.

The third round saw the Rovers pick early, and maybe pundits had them going with a goaltender to replenish the depth chart at that position.  However, the team’s Finnish scout convinced the room to go with skill and they selected forward Janne Pesonen.  Pesonen had just led SM-Liiga in scoring and had stated that he wanted to come to the RHL to take the next step in his career.  “When we laid out the case for our final pick, Pesonen rose to the top”, Stringer explained.  “We think he could potentially come over and win a spot, if not right now then within a year”.

The four players will report to the Rovers prospect camp, which gets underway in a week.  23 players in all will be attending the camp, all hoping to make an impression on Rovers brass and earn a trip to the main training camp.  Scouts think that upwards of 8-10 guys have at least an outside shot of making the big club, so expect competition to be fierce.

Iqaluit, NU (CP)

Defenseman Kim Johnsson and goaltender Andrew Raycroft were both tabbed in yesterday’s expansion draft for the leagues three newest teams.  Both ex-Rovers are among the first generation of Banff Grizzly Bears.  Johnsson was the Banff’s second round pick, fifth overall, while Raycroft was the final expansion selection in the 14th round, 39th overall.

Raycroft, simply, won’t be missed.  Mason and Emery have the goaltending well in hand this season with rookie Jaroslav Halak in the minors, ready if needed for emergency duty.  Johnsson, however, leaves the Rovers as their career leader among defensemen with 307 games played, 51 goals, 144 assists, and 195 points.  He has logged more ice-time since joining the Rovers in the RHL13 dispersal draft than any other player in franchise history.  “We were really hoping to keep Kim and have a shot at re-signing him in free agency, but the opportunity to pick up a guy the caliber of Chris Phillips for nothing was too good to pass up”, GM Stringer explained.  “Once we did that, we basically knew we were writing his ticket out of town through expansion, but there was no guarantee that we would be able to re-sign him in free agency either.  It is unfortunate, but we wish him all the best.  He was a great Rover, and helped us win two titles.  We’re very grateful for his outstanding contributions to our franchise”.

Iqaluit, NU (CP)
The Rovers announced the list of players that are available to the three RHL expansion teams, and the list is underwhelming.  Only one player with a contract for RHL18 is exposed (goalie Andrew Raycroft), with the rest all free agents.  Rover Report breaks down the expansion availables by position.

Forward

Protected: Thornton, Jokinen, Bergeron, Draper, Frolov, Pettinger, Horton, Demitra, Murray

Exempt: Higgins

Available: Bates, Lundmark, Hrdina

With nine contracted forwards and the rookie Higgins, the Rovers only have expendable free agents available at forward.  Bates is a reliable penalty killer who had a surprisingly productive post-season, but he is replaceable at auction, and at a fraction of the cost of what he will demand from any expansion team that would select him with the hopes of meeting his demand.

Defense:

Protected: Schneider, Phillips, Regehr, Liles, D. Markov

Exempt: Phaneuf, Z. Michalek

Exposed: Johnsson, Warrener, Wesley, Van Ryn

The Rovers acquired UFAs-to-be Wesley and Van Ryn at the trade deadline and dispersal draft, respectively, and will be one of four Dmen seriously considered by the expansion clubs.   All are free agents, but any could be drafted and see their demands met.  The Rovers would have liked to have protected Johnsson, but that was not to be after they selected Phillips with their opening dispersal pick.  If this is it for the talented Swede, he would leave the Rovers as their all-time leader in games played, goals, assists, and points among defensemen.

Goaltenders

Protected: Mason / Exempt: Emery / Exposed: Raycroft

Chris Mason and Ray Emery both expect to have strong bounce-back seasons after each feeling that they didn’t have their best year last season.  One likes to hear that, but can’t rightly quibble with the overall result of a championship in what each called an off-year.  Raycroft, the third-stringer that was pressed into service occasionally, will warrant some consideration and may go as a cheap back-up.  If so, rookie Jaroslav Halak would look to fill the number three slot in training camp.

Iqaluit, NU (CP)

With a full pro roster, the Rovers turned their dispersal efforts towards adding more quality prospects to their ranks.  They did so by tabbing a goaltender and two forwards that all have excellent shots at one day donning Rover teal.  In the second round of the dispersal draft, they were delighted to have Simeon Varmalov fall into their lap.  Drafted in the second round by the Indianapolis 500s last season, the Rovers finally got the goaltender they coveted during that draft.  “Last season with the 20th pick, we went back and forth between Halak and Varmalov”, GM Stringer said.  “We eventually went with Halak, but we were hoping to also get Simeon later in the draft.  That fell through, but we’re thrilled to finally get him now”.

Ryan Callahan joined the team with their next dispersal choice.  The forward was an early second round selection last season by the Guelph Spectres and comes to the Rovers already having played pro hockey in another North American league.  “We look forward to Ryan coming to training camp and showing us what he can do.  We are very happy to have him in the organization.  We think he’ll definitely be a Rover in the near future”.

The fourth round saw another forward come to the prospect ranks in the form of speedy winger Alexander Vasyunov.  Vasyunov, a second round selection of the Chicago Gargoyles last season, spent last season in his native Russia and will also spend this season there as well.  The Rovers hope that his development arc will see him move to North America shortly thereafter.  “We’ve followed Alex in Russia last season and are pleased with how he is progressing.  We hope that after another season at home that he will be prepared to make the jump to North America”.

With their final dispersal pick, the Rovers made the curious move of grabbing a second veteran defenseman.  Mike Van Ryn joins the Rovers after playing his first six RHL seasons with the Lethbridge Selects.  An offensive defenseman, Van Ryn has tallied 88 points over the last three seasons.  He is, however, an unrestricted free agent and it is unknown at this point whether or not the team will be meeting his demand of nearly $1.9M.  If the demand is not met, he will likely be available in the expansion draft.  If it is, it may spell the end of another defenseman on the roster, perhaps Danny Markov or John-Michael Liles.  “We’re just giving ourselves more options with this pick”, explained Stringer.  “We’re going to talk to Mike’s representatives and see if we can come to some consensus about what he wants to do and then we’ll make our decisions within the next 24 hours”.

Iqaluit, NU (CP)

The Baffin Island Rovers took a pre-emptive step to free agency today to address their blueline concerns, selecting former Winnipeg Freeze defenseman Chris Phillips with the 23rd selection in the first round of the RHL18 dispersal draft.  In 56 games last season with Winnipeg, the 6′3″, 216 lb rearguard tallied 2 goals and 22 assists for 24 points.  The 30 yr old, 12 yr veteran has played 727 games with the Selects, Defiance, and Freeze, scoring 68 goals and 189 assists for 257 career points.  “We were very pleased to be able to select Chris”, said GM Stringer.  “He’ll be a great addition to our defense corps and we’ll lean on his experience heavily.  He’s a tremendous defender and shot blocker and is a terrific asset”.

The Rovers appeared to be in need of a defenseman with blueliners Kim Johnsson, Rhett Warrener, and Glen Wesley all slated to test unrestricted free agency.  Their free agent status combined with exposure requirements for the upcoming expansion draft meant that at least two, and potentially all three, were all but guaranteed to be moving on.  Phillips now joins Schneider, Regehr, and Phaneuf in the top four with Liles, Michalek, and rookie Marc-Edouard Vlasic rounding out the group.

The team can now focus on acquiring the best player available in subsequent rounds.  In previous disperals, the MO has been to tab young prospects.  However with a rich crop of established stars available, the focus could be on adding more depth to their existing cast.