The Utah Farm Report

TUCSON, AZ (AP). Though they failed to make the playoffs, the Tucson Roadrunners completed a season convincing enough that good things are yet to come from the Utah farm team.

Jakob Pelletier led all scorers and convinced enough rival scouts that he is deserving of a shot in the MRFHL.  The problem with Utah that it has enough depth that Pelletier will likely spend the summer as potential trade depth to a team looking for reliable scorers in their third and fourth lines.  

Speedy forward Cameron Hughes should supplant Pelletier as the first likely callup next season when the injury bug arrives.  Hughesy plays a fantastic two way game but he is so good with his stick handling and passing.  He made the All-Star team in mid-season.

Justin Hryckowian, a mid-season pickup from the Philadelphia Flyers organization, is a leadpipe cinch to make the Utah roster next season on the third line as well as the penalty killing unit.

Finland import Arttu Hyry overcame an early season injury (a broken nose in a fight) to impress onlookers and team scouts with his incredible two way play.

Kyle Capobianco and Ryan Johnson will fight it out in training camp to make the Utah roster as a seventh defenseman.  Capo, who is amazing on the powerplay, has the edge.

No one ever heard of Jack Becker before this season but the unheralded center showed that he can score clutch goals and serve as an effective penalty killer.  He can also drops the gloves when the occasion calls for it.

Kyle Looft, a 27 year old undrafted defenseman, brought about this remark from team owner Gary Brown:  "Former college player Kyle Looft is 27 years old and in five years there's a good chance he'll be 32 years old."  But what stood out for Looft was his convincing win in a fight with the total prick Zach L'Hereux.  "You could hear Looft's fist hit that dumb fuck's head like he was punching an overripe melon," Brown said.

Michael "Crazy Eyes" Karow was a defensive standout on the Roadrunners team this year with a +25 rating. "I think I really duped the Florida GM in that trade," Brown said.

Matther Seminoff is a throwback to Bobby Clarke, the Hall-of-Fame Philadelphia Flyers center.  Seminoff is a veritable buzzsaw on the ice, sometimes nasty with his stick, always scrapping, tenaciously checking and backchecking, and he has a potent wrist shot up close.  

Trey Taylor came undrafted out of Clarkson University in the Big East and this kid's strengths are his skating ability and his bazooka slapshot from the point.  

Native Russian and American college player Artem Shlaine played an incredible two way game, with a 58% faceoff win stat to go along with his timely goal scoring.  Shlaine is another prospect to escape the Florida chain gang.

Defenseman Luke Krys's future is that of the journeyman minor league hockey player.

In goal, the Roadrunners are blessed with three stalwarts with almost indentical save percentages:  Drew Commesso (.902), mid-season acquisition Remi Poirier (.907), and Army alum and minor league journeyman Parker Gahagen (.900).  Look for Commesso and Poirier to be paired together as the goalie tandem in future Utah Mammoth rosters.

Superb scouting, prudent player personnel management, and fiscal accountability rivaled only by AAA-rated Microsoft and Johnson&Johnson corporations are the hallmark of the well-oiled and finely tuned machine that has been put together in Salt Lake City.