DOES THE ROAD TO UTOPIA COME FROM UTICA?
Unprecedented success for the Canucks’ farm team leads to some optimism in Vancouver
Back in pre-history, a muchyounger reporter interviewed then-Red Wings GM Jim Devellano on the subject of building a successful NHL organization.
Devellano was one of the architects of the Wings’ mini-dynasty which began its run in the early 1990s, and was a scouting director and senior executive on the Islanders in their salad days of the early ’80s. Both teams were built largely on the principle of drafting and developing your own, and Devellano was a strict adherent to that philosophy.
But the more interesting part of the conversation concerned the residual benefits of building from within.
Among other things, Devellano said the practice develops a sense of organization; the feeling that everyone from the lowliest bird dog to the president plays a role in the team’s success. It also creates an environment which brings out the best in younger players while developing a sense of pride and loyalty in the team’s logo. It’s the kind of things hockey men tend to get misty about, but Devellano had seen it at work with the Wings and the Islanders and knew its power. He knew it made a difference. We now call your attention to the Utica Comets, the Vancouver Canucks affiliate, which is preparing for Game 3 of its AHL final with the Manchester Monarchs Wednesday. Admittedly, the bar hasn’t been set very high, but in reviewing the lamentable 45-year history of the parent club, the case can be made the Canucks have never enjoyed a minor-league operation like that which resides in upstate New York.
Where this leads, of course, is the next question, and seasoned Canucks’ supporters can be excused for being cynical about any mention of the team’s bright future. But in the Comets, the NHL team has struck a balance between winning and developing; between aligning its good young players with seasoned minor-league pros which, theoretically, should expedite their maturation.
They’ve also done this with an operation which is their own. In short, it’s the kind of thing Devellano talked about all those years ago and, for maybe the first time in their history, the Canucks are close to building something similar.
“That’s the goal. internal competition,” says the estimable Stan ‘The Steamer’ Smyl, the organization’s conscience.
“You want to have that competition. How do you create that competition? By winning.”
Which is kind of new for this team.
We’ll spare you a complete breakdown of the last 45 years, but if you think the Canucks’ NHL history is depressing, take a stroll through the Hockey DB website and look at the minor-league history. The Canucks have had a couple of winning affiliates. There’ve been moments when they assembled some intriguing prospects. They’ve also had success with shared arrangements.
But when you combine the record, their level of prospect, then consider Utica is a purely Canucks operation, the Comets’ success is unprecedented.
Sorry, you’re going to have to trust us on this because we spent three hours on Hockey DB reviewing the subject. How else would we know the Canucks first farm team, the Rochester Americans, was coached by the immortal Peanuts O’Flaherty who was succeeded by — ta-da! — Don Cherry? But we digress. The Comets, who finished the regular season with the best record in the AHL Western Conference, find themselves in the final with a lineup which is enticing to the faithful. There are four first-rounders. Goalie Jacob Markstrom has established himself as a viable goaltending option for an NHL team. Sven Baertschi is second on the Comets in playoff scoring with 14 points in 18 games. And one of Frank Corrado or Adam Clendenning figures to be a regular on the Canucks’ blueline next season.
Not all of the prospects are going to turn into impact players for the NHL team, but it’s reasonable to believe four or five of those players will make it.
Now consider the flexibility it gives the Canucks, to say nothing of the ammunition for trades. It makes a difference. The Canucks, for example, believe 2012 first-rounder Brandan Gaunce is ready to play in the NHL. Down the road, they envision a third line built around Gaunce and Cole Cassels, who’s coming off a feature turn on the Memorial Cup-champion Oshawa Generals. GM Jim Benning’s affection for Baertschi is a matter of public record and the Swiss forward might be found money. But the Canucks also talk about the strides former first-rounder Hunter Shinkaruk made late in the season as he began to mature physically. And Alex Grenier, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound winger, has played his way onto the organization’s radar.
This is all taking place in a town that’s fully embraced the Comets, which is another neat part to this story. Two years ago, former GM Mike Gillis identified the need for the Canucks to operate their own affiliate, but eyebrows were raised when Utica — which hadn’t been home to an AHL franchise for two decades — was selected.
But it’s worked. The Comets have sold out every home playoff game and on any given night, a selection of the Canucks’ brass is in attendance. Assistant GM Lorne Henning has been there for the entire run. Assistant GM Laurence Gilman is currently there. Smyl has dropped by. Benning is a regular.
“You want them to learn the system and what it takes to be a pro, but at the end of the year, you want them to learn about the next level and how to succeed there,” The Steamer says. “Our guys are getting a taste of that now. It’s good for them and good for us.”
Finally, he can say that.