COMETS’ CUP OVERFLOWING WITH STARS OF THE FUTURE
Best of Canucks’ top prospects in Utica to showcase skills in playoff spotlight
With his mission complete, Jonathan Dahlen arrived in Utica on Thursday, and under normal circumstances, that would qualify as good news for Ryan Johnson and the rest of the Comets’ staff.
And it does. To a degree. But, with space at the Adirondack Bank Centre already at a premium, it qualifies as part of a larger migration pattern that has made Utica the fastest-growing city in central New York.
Johnson, the team’s harried GM, now says there are, “33 or 34” bodies in Utica as the Comets prepare for the final weekend of their season, the AHL playoffs and — the real story — a seminal moment in Vancouver Canucks history. That, at least, was the count as of Thursday. As in all things with the Comets, that’s subject to change.
“We’ve had bodies coming in from college, from junior, from Vancouver,” said Johnson, forgetting southern Sweden, where Dahlen just led his club team, Timra, to an epic comeback victory over Karlskrona and promotion to the Swedish Elite League.
“It’s an exciting time. But you can imagine what it’s like for our coaching staff. They have to put the names in a blender and spit out a team.”
It’s those names, however, that’s drawing the attention of Canucks fans.
Dahlen, who recorded 14 points in 10 playoff games with Timra, is simply the latest Canucks prospect to land on Johnson’s doorstep, setting up a fairly significant April for the Comets and the parent organization.
In addition to the Swedish sniper, the Comets are looking at Kole Lind, last summer’s second-rounder from Kelowna who has played three games with the AHL club; Nikolay Goldobin, who rejoins the Comets after a productive final nine games with the Canucks; Ashton Sautner, who showed well in a five-game call-up with the Canucks; and Tyler Motte, who dressed in 15 games for the parent club after the deadline deal with Columbus for Thomas Vanek.
Throw in 20-year-old Czech Lukas Jasek, a 2015 sixth-rounder who has rattled off six points in four games since joining Utica, top goaltending prospect Thatcher Demko, and intriguing forward Zack MacEwen, and the Comets suddenly become appointment viewing for the faithful.
“People need to understand how vital even one playoff series is for this group,” said Johnson. “It’s one thing to make strides in the regular season, but players start to define themselves in a playoff environment. That’s the extreme challenge.”
Well, that and keeping track of everyone. Olli Juolevi, for example, might show up in Utica or might play for Finland at the world championships. Johnson won’t know until his obligations with Turku conclude on April 20.
Team USA is also sniffing around Demko for the world championships, but it seems a number of NHL goalies would have to turn them down before they got to the Comets’ ’keeper.
“There are a number of things to consider,” said Johnson. “We have to make some decisions and they aren’t easy.”
This airlift comes after a fairly eventful season for the Comets which, owing to the injury pandemic in Vancouver and their own issues with health, has seen them dress 62 players. Even by AHL standards that’s a huge number, But, with three games to go, the Comets have ground out a respectable 37-25-7 mark and sit fourth in the North Division.
Those three games will be rattled off on consecutive nights this weekend. Yes, you read that correctly. In addition to marking the debut of Dahlen, they will also determine whether the Comets will meet the first-place Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs’ affiliate, or the Syracuse Crunch, Tampa’s affiliate, in their first-round series.
“I think it’s been a good year,” said Johnson. “Success for me is having a good record based on young players having a direct result on that record. If you have a good record with veteran players, you’re not doing your job.”
Which leads us to Johnson’s other problem. With the influx of Canucks youngsters, the Comets GM has some decisions to make with some of his veterans. In Vancouver, we’re excited about Dahlen, Lind, Jasek and whoever else will pop up in Utica; but players like Carter Bancks, Wacey Hamilton and Jaime Sifers have been leaders on the Comets most of the season.
Suddenly, they’re going to be upstaged by the kids, and Johnson, who played over 200 games in the minors in his 17-season pro career, is aware this is a delicate situation.
“There are players who have had a great impact on our group,” he said. “They’re our culture carriers, the guys who hold everyone accountable. When it comes to the playoffs, we’re going to play the guys who give us a chance.”
But Johnson is also aware the larger issue for the Canucks is the development of the young players. Team president Trevor Linden, GM Jim Benning and head coach Travis Green all plan to take in some playoff games, and it figures they aren’t travelling all that way to check on Carter Bancks.
Benning, in fact, referenced a Syracuse team from five years ago that sent seven players to Tampa, including Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn, Cory Conacher and Ondrej Palat, who are still with the Lightning.
“You see that all the time with good teams,” Benning said.
“We want them to get used to winning together. At some point, a lot of them are going to be on our team in Vancouver. For them to accomplish something this year would be special for our organization.”
And just as special for a small city in New York.