From the Rampage Desk: Training Camp Opens
The beloved Rampage begin on-ice activities this morning with the first practice of camp and some media availability after. After yesterday’s cuts from the Avalanche, the roster is beginning to take shape along with those already in town.
Roster (so far)
Forwards(15)
Ben Storm (Try-out)
J-C Beaudin
Julien Nantel
Felix Girard*
Andrew Agozzino*
Rocco Grimaldi*
Brady Shaw
Brendan Ranford
Trent Vogelhuber*
Alex Belzile
Shawn St-Amant (injured)
Thomas Frazee
Michael Joly
Jake Marchment
Justin Selman (STL, Try-out)
Defensemen(8)
Nic Meloche
Gage Ausmus (Eagles, Try-out)
Jesse Graham*
Mason Geertsen
Nolan De Jong (Try-out)
Josh Atkinson
Dmitry Sergeyev (STL, Try-out)
Gabriel Verpaelst
Goalies(3)
Sam Brittain
Spencer Martin
Joe Cannata*
***UPDATE***
The official roster has been released and the following young men will also be at camp:
Colin Jacobs – 6’2 205# C, Texas native signed with the Atlanta Gladiators. Has spent the last 4 years primarily in the ECHL in Buffalo’s system
Vladislav Lukin – 20 year old Russian scoring wing that spent the last 3 years with Tri-City in the WHL. Had 26G/32A in 63 games last season
Joey Ratelle – Small scoring winger out of the QMJHL, signed with the Eagles
Lukas Hafner – The Eagles Kelly Cup winning goalie from last year.
Also, the Avs re-assigned Reid Petryk and Dominic Toninato today and they should be along in a day or two.
The Avs still have 7 or 8 more players to make decisions on and they will join later in the week. Players with a star next to their names cleared waivers today and will report soon. It’s unclear what the Blues plans are as far as supplying players for the Rampage but they could hand over a couple more.
Schedule (all times local/CDT)
Today
– Practice 8:30am – Noon, Northwoods Ice Center
Wednesday
– Practice 8:30am – Noon, Northwoods Ice Center
Thursday
– Practice 8:30am – Noon, Northwoods Ice Center
Friday
– Pre-season Game vs TX Stars 7:30pm at the AT&T Center
Saturday
– Pre-season Game at TX Stars 5:00pm in Cedar Park
Sunday through next Wednesday
– Practice 8:30 – Noon, Northwoods Ice Center
Saturday October 7th
– Opening night vs Ontario, 7pm at the AT&T Center
The Lineup
Without the higher-end cuts it’s tough to get a sense of a lineup yet. Agozzino & Grimaldi played together with several centers in Avs camp, including J-C Beaudin, so they will probably be slotting into the 1st line winger roles along with 1st power play. Beyond that everything looks a little grindy. Shawn St-Amant looked really good at the showcase but was injured late in the final game and hasn’t skated since.
On defense, the top 2 or 3 are still with the Avs, whoever they may end up being. Nic Meloche had a wonderful Rookie Showcase but struggled in his only Avs appearance. After he gets used to the pace of the AHL I see him taking more and more ice time as the season goes on. Mason Geertsen is looking for a contract next year and having a solid spot in the lineup for the first time should really help him get going. Sergei Boikov dislocated his shoulder and will be out long-term, which is unfortunate.
The goalie situation seems to be wide open. Spencer Martin has continued his struggles from last Spring, Joe Cannata dressed but didn’t play in Avs pre-season, Sam Brittain played well in the Burgundy/White Scrimmage but was cut right after. Rumors persist that Ville Husso, who has looked great for the Blues by all accounts, might be headed to San Antonio once STL makes final cuts. If so that could produce the wonderful situation of trying to balance what’s best for the organization with what’s best for the team for Eric Veilleux. Bonne chance.
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If things hold true to form, Friday’s game won’t have video or audio but the game in Cedar Park should be on radio at least. We’ll let you know when the time comes how that’s going to play out.
