Sporting an opinion

Finally got a chance to catch up with Karl Taylor today to discuss the Reign's two newest signees, Todd Jackson and Dan Leslie.

Here's what he had to say ...

On Dan Leslie:
He played two years professionally in the SPHL, and he's an accomplished heavyweight-type player.

We wanted to take pressure off of David (Walker). That was definitely the guy who felt he had to [fight] at times. He'll still do some of that because he likes that, but we wanted to alleviate it from him. Dan's still got to make the club, but we're definitely trying to become a tougher brand of hockey.

[The SPHL] is based in Florida, and the hockey's just OK, but there is the odd kid that comes out of there and does well. The South Carolina (Stingrays) called up a goalie [Ian Vigier] when they lost both their goalies, and he did well for them. I've never seen a game, but it's a tough, physical brand of hockey. If you're signing a kid like Dan Leslie, that's a good place to look. Ryan MacGregor started there, signed him when we were short-handed in Reading.

On Todd Jackson:
Todd's a little disappointed with his season. He's a motivated player. We have higher expectations for what we need from Todd. So does he. A couple injuries pulled him down. At times he was a top performer for us, at times he wasn't. He's motivated to fix that. We'll see how he does.

Todd's going to dictate his ice time by his play. I don't envision him in any specific role; he will determine what ice and what role he has.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Inland Motorsport Speedway is hosting the Bobby Schwartz tribute championship tonight to honor Schwartz, who has been one of the most well-respected and accomplished speedway motorcycle racers in the world the past 30-plus years.

The 53-year-old Schwartz resides in Costa Mesa and is still a regular on the American Speedway Scene, which has seen a resurgence lately with the revival of IMS. Schwartz has won nearly everything possible during his distinguished career in all parts of the world. He became a teenage star in California in the 1970's, when U.S. Speedway was at its highest peak and the riders were making full-time living's from their large earnings. By the early 80's he had left to forge a career in England against the very best, where he would stay for almost 10 seasons while winning titles in many different countries. In the late 80's Schwartz decided to return to racing Stateside, where he absolutely dominated the racing, at one point taking 55 feature wins in one summer of races.

Schwartz has continued riding ever since and is still a top performer in Southern California. He won the Main Event at Costa Mesa Speedway only a few weeks ago and has been competing at IMS since opening night, June 19.

His titles include: 1981 and 1982, World Best Pairs Champion; 1982 World Team Cup Champion; 1977 and 2003 U.S. Open Champion; 1986 and 1989 U.S. National Champion; 1988 and 1991 California State Champion and USA World Team Captain from 1983-87.

Schwartz will be in the lineup for tonight's championship which begins at 8 p.m. Gates open at 6:30 p.m.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Dale Reinhardt, the diminutive but clutch forward who sparked the Reign after coming to Ontario in a midseason trade, has been dealt to the Utah Grizzlies for future considerations.

From the Grizzlies' team Web site:

West Valley City, Utah - Utah Grizzlies Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Kevin Colley announced today that the team has acquired forward Dale Reinhardt from the Ontario Reign in exchange for future considerations.

Reinhardt, 23, split last season between the Bakersfield Condors and the Reign totaling 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points in 64 games. He signed with Bakersfield out of college at Holy Cross University in March of 2008 and totaled five goals and two assists for seven points in nine games to finish that season.

"Dale adds to our team identity with his model of hardwork," said Colley. "He has potential to add quite a bit of offense for us this year."

At Holy Cross, the New Jersey native left with 118 points (46 goals, 72 assists) in 138 games. At the time of his departure, he was seventh all-time in assists and eighth all-time in goals and scoring at the school.

"I'm looking forward to coming to Utah and contributing to a winning team," said Reinhardt. "I played with and was a linemate with James Sixsmith (Grizzlies 08-09) for three years in college and we are best of friends."

The Reign host Utah twice this year, on February 26 and 27. Given the 5-foot-9 forward's resume, you might want to give him a hand before each. In his second game in an Ontario uniform, he scored the game-winning goal against Idaho on January 3 and added another game-winner against Alaska in February. He also carried one of the best nicknames in the locker room: "Goat."

Reign coach Karl Taylor called Reinhardt "a great fill-in guy last year for us."

"He did a solid job for us, but come the start of the season we want to be bigger and stronger," Taylor said. "Dale was a little vertically challenged -- nothing you can do about that -- but we wanted to be stronger and bigger. We didn't want him to come here and have him not have a home. I wanted to make a decision now to get him off on the right foot."

In Utah, the coach said Reinhardt "will have more ice time and a better opportunity than he would here at the start of the season."

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 9:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Reign announced the signing of two forwards today, returning speedster Todd Jackson and Dan Leslie, an enforcer from the Southern Professional Hockey League.

The 28-year-old Jackson was the fastest skater in the Reign's inaugural season. He also showed a particular knack for special teams, sharing the team lead in short-handed goals (2) and tying for third in power-play goals (7). On the season, he finished with 14 goals and 29 points in 57 games.

Leslie, 22, seems to be an accomplished fighter. Check out his work with the Columbus (Ga.) Cottonmouths here, here, here and here (the last of which shows him deck an opponent despite his sweater completely covering his eyes, at the 30-second mark).

A native of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, Leslie accumulated 222 penalty minutes in 56 games last season, a team high. The 6-3, 201-pound forward also tacked on three goals and three assists for Columbus.

Besides Jackson and Leslie, the Reign have announced the signing of 10 players for the upcoming season: forwards Jon Rheault, Robert Pearce, Brian Matte, Tyler Mugford, Tim Kraus. Jon Francisco, Geoff Walker; and defensemen Chad Starling, David Walker and Brian Kilburg.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 11:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reebok Hockey will sponsor the 2010 ECHL All-Star game, to be held at Citizens Business Bank Arena on Jan. 19-20. The net difference to the fans at this point seems to be more Reebok ads to look at -- but we'll keep you posted if any clever promotions cross our desk.

From the press release on ECHL.com:

"The All-Star Game is the annual showcase for the best ECHL talent and young prospects and we are proud to bring Reebok Hockey on board as the presenting sponsor" said ECHL Commissioner Brian McKenna. "The combination of the best ECHL talent and Reebok Hockey high-performance products is an ideal combination."

"Reebok Hockey is very pleased to be the presenting sponsor for the ECHL All-Star Game. The ECHL, its member teams and its talented roster of players provide Reebok Hockey with an ideal platform to showcase our high-performance products," said Glen Thornborough, Reebok Hockey Vice President of Global Sports Marketing. "Our commitment to delivering breakthrough product innovation is clearly demonstrated through the 8.0.8 O-stick which is just one of the great products that help ECHL players perform at the top of their game."

Reebok Hockey will receive promotional opportunities; in-arena signage, including dasherboards; television, radio and print advertisements; internet exposure and web site presence.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Forwards Geoff Walker, Jon Rheault and Robert Pearce have signed contracts with the Reign, the team announced today.

Walker and Rheault were integral pieces to the team's inaugural roster. A 6-3, 225-pound wing, Walker was the team's leader in goals (21) and co-leader in points (48) in 68 games. Rheault's speed made him a valuable two-way player. He split the season between Manchester of the AHL and Ontario, where he had 19 goals and 41 points in 51 games.

Pearce, a 6-1, 195-pound left wing, joins the Reign from the University of New Brunswick, where he was a four-year teammate of Denny Johnston.

Karl Taylor called Pearce a "Chris Curran type of player" for his solid two-way game. He was nearly a point-per-game player the past two seasons for UNB, both of which were limited to 16 games by injuries. After recovering from a high ankle sprain in 2007-08 and a shoulder injury last season, Pearce saved his best work for the playoffs.

In 2007, he scored in overtime to lift UNB to its second-ever University Cup. The Reds made it two titles in three years in March, and Pearce averaged more than a point per game for the third straight postseason.

"I'm a two-way guy that can shut down top-end guys but also produce," Pearce said. "A little like Jamie Langenbrunner, two-way guy, puts some numbers up."

In the small-world department, Pearce was once coached as a 10-year old by Taylor in an off-season hockey camp.

"I don't remember too much from it, but I remember he was around and coaching," Pearce said. "He was just getting into coaching, had just finished getting his degree."

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 3:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The story of how Brian Matte landed in the Western Hockey League a year ago is worth retelling.

In short, he was hoping to play for an NCAA program after two seasons in the lower-tier British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). When that didn't work out he tried out for the Prince George (B.C.) Cougars, a WHL squad in his home town, who were able to add him to their roster only because they had room for another 20-year-old (junior-league teams are allowed to carry just three).

Lo and behold, Matte made the roster. The Cougars' coach had to go somewhat out of his way to convince everyone it wasn't a publicity stunt, signing a hometown kid to one of his last roster spots.

Then Matte held up his end of the bargain by scoring 17 goals and 30 points in 48 regular-season games. Six goals came on the power play and two came short-handed, which tied for the WHL lead among rookies.

Matte, who recently signed with the Reign, also reports no lingering pain from a broken collarbone that required surgery and cost him 24 games at midseason.

"I just got hit funny, in a bad position," he said. "Everything's back to normal, strong. I'm good to go."

Of course, the 6-1, 195-pound left wing would not be coming to Ontario unless he could play some defense. He was the Cougars' leader in plus-minus among forwards last season, and his self-description fits that of a prototypical Karl Taylor player: "I'm powerful in the corners; I can get the puck in front of the net; I'm strong in front of the net, fast; I can hit; not scared to drop the mitts once in a while; and I can score some goals."

Here is another feature on Matte from Prince George.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tyler Mugford says that this is a year-old photo, which is a shame if you like hockey players with a shaggy mane flowing out from beneath their helmet, but good if you are a child who has lost their hair to illness or chemotherapy.

The 24-year-old forward, who recently signed with the Reign, offered proceeds from his haircut to Locks of Love, a charity that provides donated hair to children in need. Mugford, who graduated from Cornell in May, downplayed the similarity to fellow Ivy Leaguer George Parros, a Princeton alum playing for the Anaheim Ducks, who shears his hair every year and donates it to charity.

"It wasn't a big publicity thing, I just happened to do it," Mugford said. "I did it quietly. I didn't care to make a big deal out of it, don't want to make it a tradition -- (having long hair) was such a pain, to be honest."

Consider the citizenship test passed. As for the hockey test, like most players, Karl Taylor has not seen Mugford play in person. But the coach likes Mugford's pedigree.

"He's a big, strong Saskatchewan kid," Taylor said. "He's been taught well under [head coach Mike] Schafer at Cornell. I think he's going to be a good pro."

Schafer's conservative, trapping system is not unlike Taylor's, who called it "me-times-five defensive hockey ... boring, boring, boring." Mugford thrived in it, and was named ECAC defensive player of the year as a senior.

"That's been my role the last couple years," he said. "Defense first, penalty kill, in-your-face type forward. I cause trouble here and there, all part of the game."

Although Mugford came to Cornell as a center, he was shifted primarily to left wing the next four years. He also played right wing as a senior and even spent time on the blue line during penalty-kill shifts. Just don't expect too much offense from Mugford; he scored five goals and nine points in 31 games last season for the Red.

"We don't know that he's going to put up bigger numbers in pro than he did in college," Taylor said. "You never know about the college guys. We expect him to play hard."

Here is a feature on Mugford from his home town of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 4:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Passing this along from a press release ...

The HBO series "Entourage," which recently made a two-day filming stop at Auto Club Speedway, is scheduled air the episode on Sunday at 10:30 p.m. Cast members Kevin Connolly (Eric), Adrian Grenier (Vince), Kevin Dillon (Drama) and Jerry Ferrara (Turtle) were on hand to tape the episode, which included the new Ferrari California - the latest edition to the new generation of Ferraris.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Goaltender John Murray, still the Reign's all-time leader in shutouts, has signed with the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.

In 24 games for the Reign last season, Murray went 13-8-3 with a .917 save percentage, two shutouts and a 2.81 goals-against average. He appeared in only two games for the Mississippi Sea Wolves after he was traded to make room for Kellen Briggs at midseason.

In his lone career AHL game last season for Syracuse, Murray stopped 11 of 13 shots in a 37-minute relief appearance.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Reign have signed left wings Brian Matte and Tyler Mugford, adding to a forward corps that already includes returning centers Jon Francisco and Tim Kraus.

The 21-year-old Matte, listed at 6-feet and 185 pounds, spent 2008-09 with the WHL's Prince George Cougars in his native Prince George, British Columbia. He registered 30 points (17 goals, 13 assists) and 71 penalty minutes in 48 regular-season games, as well as two points (1g, 1a) and seven penalty minutes in four playoff games.

The Cougars were near the bottom of the standings at 25-44-3, but Matte still managed to post a minus-6 rating -- best among the team's regular forwards. His 30 points were eighth on the team in scoring.

The 24-year-old Mugford, listed at 6-1 and 190 pounds, played four seasons with Cornell University from 2005-09, scoring 26 points (8 goals, 18 assists) and 189 penalty minutes in 127 games. Last season, the Prince Albert, Saskatchewan native was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference defensive player of the year.

"Matte comes with high recommendation, and is a solid forward who will bring his two-way style to the ice in Ontario next season," coach Karl Taylor said in a statement. "We are looking forward to seeing Mugford improve at the professional level."

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bud Holloway, Jeff Zatkoff and Colten Teubert have been summering in El Segundo the past week at Kings development camp, under the tutelage of Kings coaches as well as Reign coach Karl Taylor.

Reign right wing Geoff Walker was a late addition and made his mark on the offensive end. According to the Kings' official Web site, he was instrumental in one of the better scoring chances of a 1-1 game: "Geoff Walker threaded a precise centering pass to a streaking Garret Roe, only to have Jeff Zatkoff rise up to the occasion and make the stop." Holloway scored a goal in another scrimmage.

Since we were in Las Vegas for UFC 100 over the weekend, that's all we have about Walker. However, Kings beat writer Rich Hammond was on hand to fill in a few blanks. Click here to read his interview with Teubert.

Interviews with Zatkoff (who is now apparently heading east to train with some Carolina Hurricanes players) and Holloway (who was at the rookie camp for the fourth year) can be found here on the Kings' Web site.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 9:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Former Reign players Jeff Zatkoff, Bud Holloway and Colten Teubert are at the Kings' rookie camp this weekend, which concludes today in El Segundo. If you can't make it out to the Toyota Sports Center, check out Rich Hammond's continuing coverage at insidesocal.com/kings.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 1:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

...goes to recently re-signed Reign defenseman Chad Starling.

Starling, who is spending this summer in his native Delisle, Saskatchewan, said he ventured up to his uncle's property in Canada's Northwest Territories, where he had to carry a unique piece of cargo when he went running.

"You have to run with bear spray," Starling said. "Either that or run with a rifle over your shoulder."

More pertinent to hockey, Starling said he is full recovered from the thumb surgery he had performed at the end of the season and has already resumed full workouts -- earlier than he's been able to each of the past two summers. Last year, after making a Kelly Cup title run with the Cincinnati Cyclones, Starling had to have surgery on his elbow, thumb and knee. He had surgery on the opposite knee the year before, and is on schedule to be in optimal shape when the season starts in October.

"I'm a lot stronger from lifting already," he said.

More details on Starling and David Walker re-signing in this morning's editions.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 8:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Reign have re-signed veteran defensemen Chad Starling and David Walker, two of their alternate captains during their inaugural season.

Starling, 28, recorded two goals and seven points while becoming one of three Reign players to appear in all 73 games last season. The tall (6-foot-6) defensive specialist added an assist in seven playoff games.

Walker, who turned 30 last month, set career highs with seven goals and 28 points in 70 games last season. Known primarily for his defense, Walker proved capable of handling the power play at times. The former Long Beach Ice Dog was also capable with his fists: His 136 penalty minutes led the team.

Walker said that his choice was between the Reign or retirement.

"Yeah, it's different making decisions when you're a single guy; now I'm married," he said. "You have to make decisions based on two people now. I took time to look over all the options with my wife. Personally I thought I had a really good season. I finished strong and was healthy, which is a big thing."

More from Walker:

"A lot of us are making the decision to come back with that last little taste of defeat still from losing to Stockton. We've got revenge on our minds. It's easy when you can stay at home and play."

On setting career highs in goals and points:

"I didn't do anything last year than I didn't do in years past. The difference last year was that (coach) Karl (Taylor) gave me an opportunity to show and take advantage of certain situations and show what I had to offer. In previous years, if you look point-wise, my first year pro and the next three, there's a little bit of a dropoff. I was given opportunities the first year. The next two years, I was given that strictly defensive role with no offensive chances given to me. Last year with Karl, coming in and not knowing what I could do, he gave me an opportunity to show what I could do. A lot of thanks goes to Karl, because he showed faith in me. I was just waiting for that time and that coach to give me that chance. Playing with Andrew Martens made things easy offensively. Then when we picked up P.J. Atherton, we had a lot of guys who could do a lot of things. I played off of Andrew that way, defined my game based on what his strengths were and what mine were. It kind of fit - my weaknesses were his strengths."

How so?

"When I was on the ice with Andrew, there was a lot of attention to him -- and for good reason. He's a good player. There's less focus on me; if you look at our stats, that's good coaching. I was very fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. People who are setting up the goals on the power play - it didn't hurt that we had a good power play. If you're going to play on the power play and it's successful, you're going to get points. Karl was definitely a coach that gave me and opportunity from day one. I was happy with the way that I was used. I was happy with the way things were last year, just not the ending."

On the two alternate captains coming back along with captain Jon Francisco:

"These were captains assigned by the coach Karl and with a little bit of a say by the players and their input. For him to extend offers to the people that were his leaders last year says two things. One, that he's happy with the job we did leadership-wise on and off the ice. And two, from a player's point of view, it shows the direction he wants to go based on the leadership he has. It's the team I wanted to be associated with."

Taylor said that Walker and Starling are "big pieces" in the team's puzzle.

"I believe in buildling from the back end. They're guys we want to have around. They really care about what they're doing. David had a really good season. Chad had a decent season."

On Walker's offensive ability:

"He's kind of a swing guy. He's not an offensive player, but he can do it. He's got some skill and the confidence now from having a good year. He makes good plays and smart plays. He's really simple. Probably one of the best technical fighters in the league. We relied on him more than I wanted to in that department (fighting). I want less from him and more from other people (fighting). He's still gonna do it because he enjoys it. I'd like to have some other guys pick that up. He was good on the power play. He picked good moments to go back door. You tend to grow as a person and as a player."

On Starling:

"Chad's a big guy. He's been injured the last two years, then played hurt. He had surgeries every summer. Training in the summer hasn't been available -- he always got a late start. I'd like to see him trim down a little bit, recommit himself to being in the best shape possible. He had a bad hip through the playoffs that really slowed him down. He's excited to come back. I anticipate them being in better shape - like I do from every player that returns."

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 4:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Reign extended qualifying offers to defensemen Dan Knapp, Andrew Martens and Darren McMillan, forwards Jason Techjma, Dale Reinhardt, Mike Howe and Dusty Collins, and goaltender Kellen Briggs.

ECHL teams were not required to protect players who have signed a Standard Player Contract prior to July 1. Players that were not signed by July 1 or extended a qualifying offer by July 1 became unrestricted free agents. Each team was entitled to reserve rights to a maximum of eight players from the season-ending roster list of 20.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 8:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Brian Kilburg is less than a month away from earning his economics degree from Minnesota State-Mankato. After he gets his diploma, he'll embark on a very different task: Playing hockey for the Reign.

Coach Karl Taylor called the 6-foot-3 defenseman a player with "all the physical skills."

"He loves to hit, he's a very aggressive player," Taylor said. "He plays hard and takes pride in what he does. We still have to teach him the correct pace for the pro game and how to make the correct reads."

Kilburg, 25, gave Reign fans a bigger slice of what they can expect ...

Describe your game:
My game is a defenseive defenseman, kind of a stay-at-home, physical type of guy. I can break the puck out and get the job done in our zone. I can see myself killing penalties as well. I was a aregular on the first PK unit (in college). Whenever there was a PK situation, I was out there right away, that was kind of one of my strong points.

Did you have other options in pro hockey?
I ha couple looks from the AHL and East Coast League right after the season was done, but I opted to stay in school and finish and get my degree because that was important to me. I ended up staying at school and I'm currently taking my last class right now; I will be done in three weeks. After school was done, and summer came, I kept getting calls from others. I really liked what coach Taylor brought to the table, what he had to say to me.

There were no calls, but there was a lot of talk -- no chances of me leaving early.

Dan Knapp, Mike Howe and Jon Francisco all grew up playing hockey in Minnesota. Do you know any of them?
I know Mike Howe. I grew up playing summer hockey against him and played against him in high school. I knew him from that. I recognize Dan Knapp's name; he played at Omaha.

Did you know coach Taylor prior to getting a call from him?
Not really. I just recently learned he coached one of my buddies, Charlie Kronschnabel, in Reading. That's it.

The Kings have brought in a lot of big defensemen recently, especially through the draft -- did that enter into your decision to join the organization?
I knew they had a couple guys who I played in college and juniors against. It's nice they like the college kids. I played against Joe Piskula and Davis Drewiske in juniors and college. Alec Martinez. I worked out with Wayne Simmonds last year. I know (former Kings forward) Brady Murray, but he's overseas. That's about it.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 4:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Jon Francisco is currently visiting his family in Minnesota, but didn't really feel as though he had left Southern California when it was suggested he "would be returning" to the Reign. That was the plan all along, said the team captain, who was among the first to re-sign with the team in June.

How does it feel to be coming back?
"Great. (laughs). I never really left. I'm back in Minnesota right now, but just for a week."

You missed all of 2007-08 with knee injuries. How do they feel after playing 70 games?
"They're great. Everything's good. Fully functional working order."

You played in almost every situation last year, including penalty kill and power plays. Do want to have that do-everything role again next year?
"I would hope to have it. I don't like to play any other way than being involved in the game. Any player wants to play. Whatever chance or opportunity is there, I'm going to take it.

What do you know about the direction the team will take next year?
"I know there's a handful of guys (coach Karl Taylor) probably wants back. I think we had a pretty good group of guys last year. Anybody we get back is a plus for the game. We might have msised a few pieces of the puzzle, but all in all, we set the bar high. Whoever comes in or returns, either way, we set the bar high.

Do you think you have more to give next year?
"I think so. At the beginning, it started off great for me. I got a lot of ice time and took advantage of those opportunities. Come midseason, I didn't pay very well. I wasn't personally where I wanted to be. That's something that pushes me and drives me to get better. At midsesason, I didn't feel I was putting up the numbers that I was doing at the beginning of the year to help the team win. It's not just a personal thing. It's keeping the team at an even keel and just pushing forward. I let myself slip a little bit."

Were any of those struggles tied to being the captain?
"I don't think that was any added pressure on me. I put so much pressure on myself at the beginning. As I generated a lot more offense, I felt maybe I should have done a little more. It all comes with it. You're gonna get peaks and valleys over a long season.

On the new playoff format:
"It doesn't change my thoughts much. My thoughts are always, do as much as you can during the season, make playoffs and go at it from playoffs. Try to win every game, obviously. If you end up in first, great, you get a (first-round) bye now. If not, you win the first three games. I don't think personally it changes much. I expected something like this to happen, just because you never want to give anybody a free ride into the playoffs. You want to feel like you earned it. The important part of the season is the end of it. The beginning's very important as well."

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Tim Kraus, who re-signed with the Reign in June, wanted to be back in Ontario but not for too long. At 22, he's still chasing the NHL dream and will be surrounded this summer with someone who can help him get there. Here's what he had to say this afternoon...

On coming back for a second year:
It's nice. Obviously I have a fun good first year in Ontario. I enjoyed every day that I was there. That said, I don't want to be in Ontario very long. I'd like to move on up. I think I did really well this last year establishing myself. Hopefully I got my name on the radar. I know coach Karl's excited, hoping we get a lot of guys back. We have a good core group coming back.

On what needs improvement:
My consistency. I played a lot of really good games, then some games I'm kinda there not doing a whole lot. I'd like to focus on playing defense, helping the team win faceoffs. Just overall consistency.

On playing close to his native Garden Grove:
That's the main reason I came here last year, the fact I was able to have my family here that I haven't seen in five years. I don't know if it was so much staying here, but how well everything was run, and how well coach Karl treated me.

Where are you spending this summer:
Canyon Lake. Jon Rheault's rooming with me in my house. We drive to Yorba Linda every day, then train there for three hours a day, then we come home and sit in the backyard and stare at the lake. It's a pretty easy life for right now. I think we're going to go to Newport Beach after the fourth of July, to live with (Anaheim Ducks forward) Bobby Ryan. We get to see what a guy who's doing well in the NHL is doing, stay focused on that path.

How do you know Ryan?
We played together on the L.A. Junior Kings for about three years in California, until we moved away to juniors.

On the new ECHL playoff structure?
I've never seen anything like that, but I've never seen a conference with only eight teams in it. As far as them not allowing the last team to make the playoffs, I think that's great. The first team getting a bye, I think that's a great idea. I like that they're not allowing every team to make the playoffs, so every game means something.

Posted by J.P. Hoornstra at 5:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)