Tipped Off
04-25-2007, 10:26 AM
Season over too soon, Silvertips face offseason of roster questions
By JIM RILEY
Special to The Seattle Times
When general manager Doug Soetaert originally built the Everett Silvertips, the blueprint called for the team to be immediately competitive and ready to challenge for a Memorial Cup in its fifth year.
Four seasons have passed and Everett has won three U.S. Division championships and a Western Conference title and made the playoffs four straight seasons.
Whether the Silvertips can fulfill Soetaert's vision to challenge for the Cup next season could well hinge on the return of three of its top players.
Both Peter Mueller and goaltender Leland Irving are first-round National Hockey League draft picks, and one or both could play in the NHL next season.
Defenseman Dane Crowley has a year of eligibility left but could play in the minors next season for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The best bet to graduate early is Mueller. He nearly made the Phoenix roster last season at 18, and with the Coyotes missing the playoffs, there could be a lot of open spots on their roster.
Mueller, who said he expects to sign a pro contract soon, has mixed feelings about moving up early but clearly has the skills to play at the next level.
"It's tough," Mueller said. "You want to come back and give it one more shot at a Memorial Cup, but it's also a lifelong dream to play in the NHL. We'll just have to see what happens at training camp next year."
This is also another expansion year, meaning the Silvertips can protect only 15 players before Edmonton is able to select a player off their list in the expansion draft.
Should the Silvertips protect Mueller, a player who probably won't be back? And how about Irving and Crowley, players who probably will be back?
Soetaert will have to decide before the expansion draft on June 5.
It was a long and eventful season for Irving. After a phenomenal start, he sat a month while helping win a gold medal for Team Canada as a backup at the World Junior Championships. He signed with the Flames immediately after his return to Everett and then never quite regained his form.
"I went through quite a bit, no question," Irving admitted after the Silvertips were upset in the second round of the playoffs. "If you look back at some of the goals in the playoffs, I can't feel too bad about them. We had too good a year to dwell on what happened in the playoffs."
Like Mueller, Irving said he would be more than happy to return.
"We all want to move up in the game, and if that's possible it's always been a goal of mine," Irving said. "If not, there's a great team back here."
Soetaert, a former goaltender with the Montreal Canadiens, isn't worried about Irving.
"He struggled a little bit at the end," Soetaert said. "But he fought through it, worked hard and handled himself very professionally."
Soetaert admitted the uncertain status of Mueller, Irving and Crowley will make for a long offseason.
"If we get all our guys back, we'll have a very powerful hockey club," Soetaert said. "No matter what happens, we're going to be OK."
The Silvertips lose captain Jason Fransoo, defenseman Jesse Zetariuk and leading goal scorer Moises Gutierrez, and have seven candidates to replace them.
Crowley, Brennan Sonne, Dan Gendur, Brandon Campos, Damir Alic, David Reekie and Jesse Smyke will battle for three spots.
Another question mark surrounds the team's two European spots.
Lukas Vartovnik, of Slovakia, will be invited back, leaving a spot open to replace Ondrej Fiala.
The Silvertips never fully recovered after Fiala left the team to undergo experimental knee surgery back home in the Czech Republic late in the season.
Fiala's quick and unexpected departure seemed to put a crack in the Silvertips' confidence while costing them a very valuable asset on the power play.
The Silvertips do return Zach Hamill, who led the WHL in scoring but was relatively quiet in the playoffs. Kyle Beach, a candidate for WHL rookie of the year, is on track to be another first-round NHL pick.
Zack Dailey, Taylor Ellington, Graham Potuer, Jon Harty and Shane Harper are all solid WHL players.
Although there are far more questions than usual heading into the offseason, Soetaert is sure of one thing.
"We will be a competitive hockey club next year," he said. "We've got good returning players and good young players coming in. You have to learn from what happened and grow from it. We'll start all over and see where it goes."
By JIM RILEY
Special to The Seattle Times
When general manager Doug Soetaert originally built the Everett Silvertips, the blueprint called for the team to be immediately competitive and ready to challenge for a Memorial Cup in its fifth year.
Four seasons have passed and Everett has won three U.S. Division championships and a Western Conference title and made the playoffs four straight seasons.
Whether the Silvertips can fulfill Soetaert's vision to challenge for the Cup next season could well hinge on the return of three of its top players.
Both Peter Mueller and goaltender Leland Irving are first-round National Hockey League draft picks, and one or both could play in the NHL next season.
Defenseman Dane Crowley has a year of eligibility left but could play in the minors next season for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The best bet to graduate early is Mueller. He nearly made the Phoenix roster last season at 18, and with the Coyotes missing the playoffs, there could be a lot of open spots on their roster.
Mueller, who said he expects to sign a pro contract soon, has mixed feelings about moving up early but clearly has the skills to play at the next level.
"It's tough," Mueller said. "You want to come back and give it one more shot at a Memorial Cup, but it's also a lifelong dream to play in the NHL. We'll just have to see what happens at training camp next year."
This is also another expansion year, meaning the Silvertips can protect only 15 players before Edmonton is able to select a player off their list in the expansion draft.
Should the Silvertips protect Mueller, a player who probably won't be back? And how about Irving and Crowley, players who probably will be back?
Soetaert will have to decide before the expansion draft on June 5.
It was a long and eventful season for Irving. After a phenomenal start, he sat a month while helping win a gold medal for Team Canada as a backup at the World Junior Championships. He signed with the Flames immediately after his return to Everett and then never quite regained his form.
"I went through quite a bit, no question," Irving admitted after the Silvertips were upset in the second round of the playoffs. "If you look back at some of the goals in the playoffs, I can't feel too bad about them. We had too good a year to dwell on what happened in the playoffs."
Like Mueller, Irving said he would be more than happy to return.
"We all want to move up in the game, and if that's possible it's always been a goal of mine," Irving said. "If not, there's a great team back here."
Soetaert, a former goaltender with the Montreal Canadiens, isn't worried about Irving.
"He struggled a little bit at the end," Soetaert said. "But he fought through it, worked hard and handled himself very professionally."
Soetaert admitted the uncertain status of Mueller, Irving and Crowley will make for a long offseason.
"If we get all our guys back, we'll have a very powerful hockey club," Soetaert said. "No matter what happens, we're going to be OK."
The Silvertips lose captain Jason Fransoo, defenseman Jesse Zetariuk and leading goal scorer Moises Gutierrez, and have seven candidates to replace them.
Crowley, Brennan Sonne, Dan Gendur, Brandon Campos, Damir Alic, David Reekie and Jesse Smyke will battle for three spots.
Another question mark surrounds the team's two European spots.
Lukas Vartovnik, of Slovakia, will be invited back, leaving a spot open to replace Ondrej Fiala.
The Silvertips never fully recovered after Fiala left the team to undergo experimental knee surgery back home in the Czech Republic late in the season.
Fiala's quick and unexpected departure seemed to put a crack in the Silvertips' confidence while costing them a very valuable asset on the power play.
The Silvertips do return Zach Hamill, who led the WHL in scoring but was relatively quiet in the playoffs. Kyle Beach, a candidate for WHL rookie of the year, is on track to be another first-round NHL pick.
Zack Dailey, Taylor Ellington, Graham Potuer, Jon Harty and Shane Harper are all solid WHL players.
Although there are far more questions than usual heading into the offseason, Soetaert is sure of one thing.
"We will be a competitive hockey club next year," he said. "We've got good returning players and good young players coming in. You have to learn from what happened and grow from it. We'll start all over and see where it goes."