Decision Made to Expand Forwards Roster Spots

Many variables come into play that affect roster depth over the course of a season at the U-16 age level which includes U-18 callups, injuries and illness, game suspensions, academic endeavors, and players leaving a team.

Fortunately, there is an abundance of high quality players available this season which enables us to expand the team roster from 11 to 13 high quality forwards.

The expansion of the roster will provide us with added depth and versatility and foster healthy competition amongst players to crack the active 20 man roster of players who will dress for games.

The result of the forward roster expansion means that three forward roster spots are open to be filled at the conclusion of Sunday's Intrasquad Scrimmage Game #3.

Goalie Spot Roster Updates; Goalie Kyle Laslo Commits

Goalie Brach Tiller who played U-18 last season continues to be in the running for a goalie position with the U-18 Cleveland Barons AAA team, and has indicated his desire to try and play up next season at either the U-18 AAA or Junior Level.

For the time being Brach's roster spot has been re-opened as he goes through the process of trying out for and selecting a team.

It is the feeling of the coaches and team management that while we have several goalies in our Spring Training Camp who are capable of playing at the U-16 AAA level, outside of Brach, none of the other goalies at this moment in time have established themselves as being the type of "Go-To-Goalie" that would enable our team to challenge for the MWEHL, Michigan State, and National Championships.

For this reason, it became necessary for us to broaden our search for a "Go-To-Goalie" to also include players residing and playing outside of the State of Michigan and Northern Ohio.

During this search process we identified a standout goaltender from Irvine, California, Kyle Laslo who is the #1 goalie for the LA Hockey Club. We recently offered Kyle the opportunity to move to Detroit and play for our team. I am very pleased to announce that Kyle has just accepted our offer for a roster spot and will be playing for our team for the 2007-08 fall season.

The second goalie position for our team remains open at this time.

In the next couple days we will have further conversations with Brach about his intentions, and also speak with the goalies in our Spring Training Camp who remain on the bubble for making our team.

We are hoping to make a final decision on the second goalie spot as soon as possible.

Travis Hafner Declines Roster Spot; Names His Replacement

Cleveland Indians power hitting First Baseman, Travis Hafner, has unexpectedly declined the fall roster spot offered to him last week by the U-16 Belle Tire Wizards Hockey Team.

Hafner, a lifetime .294 hitter with 127 career home runs in six Major League Seasons has decided to stay with the Indians baseball team through October as the Tribe prepares for the pennant race.

A teary-eyed Hafner, flanked by his wife and agent at his side, made his decision public at a news conference Tuesday Evening, and offered up his namesake, Rusty Hafner, as his replacement.

Said Hafner, "This was a very difficult decision for me to make. I took a few days to think it over with my family but decided that my $9.5 million dollar salary and the opportunity to play in the postseason with the Indians this fall was just too much for me to give up. Besides, this Rusty Kid is a big strong defenseman, and unlike me, he actually plays hockey and will be a much better fit on the Belle Tire Wizards blueline."

Said namesake Rusty when reached by phone while lifting weights at his Suburban Toledo residence, "I will do my best to represent the Hafner name with great honor and dignity. This is a tremendous opportunity, I am very thankful to Travis for giving it to me and I will not let him down."

Detroit Tigers Fans were obviously disappointed with Travis Hafner's decision. Said one Tigers fan who spoke on the condition of anonymity, "We were all very excited to see Travis leave the Indians to pursue hockey. This reversal of fortunes is a major blow to the Tigers chances of making the playoffs and repeating as American League Champions this season. This Rusty kid will not be received kindly by Tigers Fans when he crosses state lines."

When asked if he was worried about retribution from angry Tigers Fans, Rusty responded, "No they are all just a bunch of wimps, I can take them. This type of thing comes with the territory, being from Ohio I am used to being harassed all the time, and it has made me mentally tougher".

Remaining Spring Ice Schedule

5/31 DISC 8:00 PM
6/03 GLSC 1:25 PM

Practice Added

We have added a practice next Sunday, June 3rd at 1:25PM at Great Lakes Michigan Arena. This practice replaces last weekend's canceled practice due to the arena's closure

Canceled Practice Information

Apologies for the cancellation of Sunday's practice at Great Lakes.

Our team management was never notified that the arena would be closed and we had no reason to believe that it would be considering it only closes Christmas Day.

We will attempt to make up the canceled practice by adding another practice for next Sunday to schedule.

Fall Roster Updated; Just 2 Spots Left

Defenseman Travis Hafner has accepted a fall roster spot offer for the 2007-2008 Fall Season. This brings the number of fall roster commitments to 18 with 1 opening left for a skater and 1 opening left for a goalie.

There are several strong candidates for these positions in our spring camp and we are fielding calls and e-mails on a daily basis from more players asking for a look.

The final decision on these last roster spots is an agonizing one. At the Midget Age level MAHA should really allow teams to roster up to 25 players for the fall season and let the players compete throughout the season to determine which 20 of them will dress for games.

Unfortunately, this is not the case right now, and whatever decision is made for these final roster spots will mean that some very good players won't make the fall team.

Summer Program Details

Specifics will be announced later, but we wanted to give players a heads up on what is planned for the summer months of June, July, and August in terms of team activities and training:

(1) All players who will be playing on the team in the Fall will have exit meetings with Coach Jabar via phone calls between player and coach.

(2) During the exit phone meeting Coach Jabar will assign each player with a player-specific off-ice summer training program and it is imperative that the player follow this program as prescribed by Coach Jabar.

(3) There are no official team activities of any kind planned for June.

(4) In June, Players (with my assistance) should organize some voluntary practices to stay in shape and keep sharp. This is particularly important for those players attending the MAHA or Mid-Am Selects Camps.

(5) In July we will have official coach-run team practices held one day per week. Players are welcome to continue organizing their voluntary practices on other days.

(6) The first two full weeks of August (August 6 - 10, and August 13 - 17) will be an intense Pre-Season Training Camp. This camp will be run by Coach Jabar, will be held locally, and is mandatory for all players. More details to follow. Note: This camp might be open to any player who attended the Spring Training Program who wants to attend this camp as well, more details about this will follow.

(7) Regular team practices will resume on/about Tuesday, August 21st.

Player Commit Signings Begin Tonight

All players (along with one parent) who are already listed as roster commits for the 2007-08 fall season must sign the MWEHL Player Registration Form 5.0 this evening at the rink in the arena lobby following the Intrasquad Scrimmage Game.

Those players who will not be in attendance this evening, or whose parent will not be in attendance with them this evening, are asked to download the Registration Form and bring it with them this evening with a parent signature, or bring it to the next scheduled practice that the player attends.

Barile Cracks Scouting News Top 10 1992 Defensemen

U-16 Belle Tire Wizards defenseman Chris Barile has made The Scouting News Top 10 1992 Michigan Defensemen Prospects List which was released earlier today.

Barile who is arguably the hardest hitting 92 defenseman not named Alex Wiese was listed as the #10 defenseman prospect in Michigan. Congratulations to Chris.

Great Effort and Intensity Is Making Last Roster Decisions Difficult

Training sessions continue to get better in terms of player effort and intensity.

Players trying to make the fall roster are feeling the crunch in the last two weeks of practice and are trying to make a move to secure a fall roster spot; Players already with fall roster spots are stepping up their game to prove they deserve to be there in the fall; And all players are benefitting from the competitive and development-oriented environment.

The fierce competition and improved skill level of the players from the skill training, appears to be bringing out the best in everybody.

All of which is making the last few roster spot decisions that need to be made extremely difficult. Needless to say the last 6 practices this spring are going to be very interesting.

Intrasquad Scrimmage Game #2 Lineups

Here are the lineups for Tuesday, May 22nd Intrasquad Scimmage Game #2:

Red Forwards
Cesarz
Frere
Poston
Gaydayenko
Pawlaczyk
Kassner
Barr
Morganroth
Driscol
McMahon
Szmatula

White Forwards
Paluch
Formosa
Ross
Stemkoski
White
Johnston
Peltier
Moggell
Scott
Portillo
Pearce

Red Defensemen
Barile
Lander
Lalonde
Hafner
Baylog
Kello

White Defensemen
Donnay
Shatter
Wiese
Barlow
Zylik
McNamee
Dennis

Red Goalies
Tiller
Pelon
Lacoste
Skudlarek

White Goalies
Davis
Kare
Knoblock
Smolarek

Fall Roster Updated

At the conclusion of Tuesday evening's practice, Defenseman/Forward Kevin Lander received a fall roster spot commitment.

This brings the total number of fall roster spot commitments to 17 with 2 roster spots open for skaters and 1 roster spot open for a goaltender.

Tuesday Evaluations Information

Tuesday, May 15th Player Evaluation Meetings will include those players who have participated in our Spring Training Program and are still seeking a fall roster spot.

Meetings will be held inside the ice arena in the spectator stands. Each player will meet with team personnel for a few minutes in order of their arrival at the rink.

Forwards will meet with team personnel from 6:45 PM to 7:30 PM. Defensemen and Goalies will meet with team personnel from 7:30 PM to 8:15.

During the meeting each player will be given a brief evaluation and will also be informed as to whether they are "on the bubble" or "a longshot" for making a fall roster spot.

"Bubble Players" are those who are in the top 4 forwards, top 3 defensemen, and top 3 goaltenders still competing for an open roster spot at their position, while "Longshot Players" are all others.

Below is the list of players in no particular order we would like to attend the meetings:

Forwards: Barr, Peltier, Scott, Morganroth, Moggell, Portillo, Kassner, Driscoll, Szmatula, McMahon, Johnston,

Defensemen: Lander, Kello, Everly, Dennis, McNamee, Braun, Barlow, Lindsay, Zylik, Noble, Hafner,

Goaltenders: Kare, Pelon, Skudlarek, Knoblock, Smolarek, Davis, Lacoste,

2006-07 U-16 Belle Tire Team Will Be Hard Act To Follow

For the players selected to represent the 2007-08 U-16 Belle Tire (Wizards) entry in the MWEHL, the 2006-07 U-16 Belle Tire team will be a hard act to follow.

Big shoes need to be filled as the 06-07 U-16 Belle Tire team captured the Michigan State Championship, USA Hockey National Championship, Number #1 Ranking in the United States, and #3 ranking in North America.

The team then proceeded to place 9 players with Ontario Hockey League (OHL) teams in the OHL Entry Draft held last weekend as Goalie Matt Boley; Defensemen Beau Schmitz, Torey Krug, and Kevin Albers, and Forwards Zach Golembieski, Brad Smith, Tyler Brown, Jordan Miller, and RJ Mahalak were all selected in the 2007 OHL Entry Draft.

Belle Tire Wizards Trio Cracks Top 1992 Forwards In MWEHL List

The Scouting News (thescoutingnews.com) released a list yesterday of the top 1992 ranked forwards in the MWEHL. This list is presumably for the state of Michigan since no players outside the state are listed.

Congratulations to U-16 Belle Tire Wizards forwards Alex Frere at number 4, Nick Paluch at number 9, and Garrett Ross at number 10 who all made the top 1992 forwards list.

Recognition of their skills is worth noting as well as Frere was listed as the league's "Fastest Player With The Puck" and Paluch was listed as the league's "Best Pure Skater".

Unfortunately, the list only includes 10 players since several more 92 forwards on our team would likely crack a list of top 20 ranked forwards.

GM's Thoughts On Our Spring Training Program

Overall, I believe our Spring Training Program has been a tremendous success and all of the players who have participated have benefited in several important ways.

No other MWEHL teams at the U-16 level have provided such an extended showcase and evaluation opportunity for players this spring - not to mention three days per week intense skill development practices from coaches like Jabar and his excellent coaching staff.

Selecting players to complete our fall roster is a tough task (to say the least) as there have been very few, if any, players who have not impressed us significantly on some level, at some point in time.

All of the players who have participated in our program have proven themselves worthy candidates for consideration for fall roster spots, and all of them can and should be deemed good players.

Our job as coaches and team management is to do our best to sort through these worthy candidates and select those players who we believe are the most consistent in their effort and performance and who are the right fit for our team at this time based upon their attributes of skill, size, toughess, speed, smarts, spirit, citizenship, and leadership, amongst other intangibles.

If there is any real science at all involved in evaluating these attributes its found not so much in identifying them, but in assessing how they might specifically fit with our team's dynamics, our team's needs, and our team's style of play.

Further complicating this process is the fact that all of the players, particularly the younger players (92's), are in various stages of physical growth and maturity - which means some level of development projections towards several months down the road need to be made now as well.

While some players selected for fall roster spots may not necessarily be viewed by all people as the best players, to the coaches and team management the players selected have shown themselves to be the RIGHT players for our team at this time.

The job of our coaches and team management is to put together the best possible team we can from all of the players who are interested and available to be seen by us. Such process this spring has been a very real one in terms of exposing players to the extreme competitiveness that exists for very limited roster spots at the highest levels.

Right now we have been able to narrow down our roster to 3 open roster spots for skaters and 1 for a goalie. We are assessing the list of prospects for these positions and will inform our Spring Training Program participants of where they stand on Tuesday.

It is my sincere hope that the players who do not end up making our fall team, though disapointed, do not get discouraged and instead view this moment in time as a mere snapshot of where they stand right now as a hockey player - and remember that these snapshots will be constantly changing.

I further hope that each player who does not make our fall roster views their situation not as setback, but instead as a challenge, and will dedicate themselves, and prepare themselves, to best take advanatage of the next similar tryout opportunity that will certainly come their way.

Roster Update

Defenseman Cody Donnay received a fall roster spot commitment for the fall season Thursday evening.

Donnay becomes the 16th player to receive a fall commitment which now leaves 1 goalie roster spot and 3 skater roster spots still open.

Intrasquad Game Results / Roster Update

The Red Team defeated the White Team 5 to 1 in Tuesday Night's Intrasquad Scrimmage Game #1.

Overall the game was a successful showcase of the ability level of the players participating in our Spring Training Program and gave coaches and team management an excellent opportunity for evaluation.

Following the game a decision was made to have an Intrasquad Scrimmage Game #2 which will take place on Tuesday May 22nd.

Roster Notes: Defenseman Jason Shatter, Goalie Brach Tiller, and Forward Ivan Gaydayenko were granted fall roster commitments after the game. *Tiller, who played the 2007-08 fall season for U-18 Cranks, will play for the U-16 Belle Tire Wizards if he does not make the U-18 Cleveland Barons team during the Baron's fall tryouts at the end of May.

Several more players looking to earn roster spots made strong impressions in the Intrasquad Game and all players will be informed of their chances to make the fall roster during evaluations next Tuesday.

Intrasquad Game Tonight A Great Tryout Opportunity

For developing hockey players who apsire to play at the highest levels it is crucial to understand what it takes to make a junior or professional team.

During this spring we have sought to provide the participants of our Spring Training Program with a highly competitive environment that simulates (to a certain degree) what they will be facing in the future when trying to make a junior or professional hockey team.

Like any junior or professional training camp, a certain group of players lock up roster spots early as most new players and returning bubble players battle it out over a period of days or weeks trying to "turn the heads" of coaches and team management and earn one of a precious few remaining roster spots.

When roster moves on other teams bring more hopeful players into camp then competition increases as coaches and management continuously seek to identify the "right players" that best strengthen and complete the final team roster.

Tonight's Intrasquad Scimmage Game is perhaps the most important tryout opportunity this spring for any player trying to make our fall team to impress our coaches and team management --------- and standout from the rest. So tonight bring your "A game", play with great focus and intensity, and show that you have earned a fall roster spot.

IntraSquad Game Moved To Tuesday May 8th

Due to the 91 Selects Festival and the 92 Prospects Tournament in Montreal which results in about 10 players missing the Thursday, May 10th scrimmage we have moved the scrimmage to Tuesday, May 8th.

Please view the updated Red/Dark and White/Light team lists in the posts below to see what team you are slated to play on.

Mother's Day Moves Evaluations To Tuesday May 15th

Due to Sunday, May 13th being Mother's Day, we are once again moving player evaluations - this time to Tuesday, May 15th. Apologies for the oversight of the holiday prior to the scheduling of March 13th as the evaluation date.

On Tuesday May 15th, Forwards Evaluations will be held from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM, while Defensemen and Goalie Evaluations will be held from 7:30 PM to 8:20.

Intra-Squad Scrimmage Game White/Light Team Lineup

Preliminary lineups for WHITE/LIGHT TEAM for the May 8th Intrasquad Scrimmage Game are as follows: Lineups are subject to change check back with this site prior to game day to view any changes.

Players should wear white or yellow, but silver and light blue is acceptable. Players on the RED/DARK team who have white or light jerseys are asked to bring them to the rink in case of a shortage.

FORWARDS: WHITE / LIGHT TEAM
1. Paluch
2. Ross
3. Poston
4. Frere
5. Driscoll
6. Peltier
7. McMahon
8. Szmatula
9. Kassner
10. Johnston
11. Dennis

DEFENSEMEN: WHITE / LIGHT TEAM
1. Barlow
2. Shatter
3. McNamee
4. Everly
5. Braun
6. Lindsay
7. Formosa

GOALIES: WHITE / LIGHT TEAM
1. Smolarek
2. Skudlarek
3. Knoblock
4. Kare

Intra-Squad Scrimmage Game Red/Dark Team Lineup

Preliminary lineups for RED/DARK TEAM for the May 8th Intrasquad Scrimmage Game are as follows: Lineups are subject to change check back with this site prior to game day to view any changes.

Players should wear red or black, but dark blue and brown is acceptable. Player on the White/Light team who have Red or Black jerseys are asked to bring them to the rink in case of a shortage.

FORWARDS: RED / DARK TEAM
1. White
2. Cesarz
3. Stemkoski
4. Pawlaczyk
5. Gaydayenko
6. Moggell
7. Portillo
8. Barr
9. Scott
10. Morganroth
11. Pearce

DEFENSEMEN: RED / DARK TEAM
1. Barile
2. Lalonde
3. Kello
4. Zylik
5. Landers
6. Donnay
7. Noble

GOALIES: RED / DARK TEAM
1. Lacoste
2. Davis
3. Pelon
4. Tiller

All Player Evaluations Moved To Sunday May 13

The recently scheduled Thursday, May 10th Intrasquad Scrimmage Game will be a crucial opportunity for players attending our Spring Training Camp Program to earn fall roster spots.

For this reason we have moved all Player Evaluations originally scheduled for Forwards on May 6th, and Defensemen on May 8th, until after the Intrasquad Scrimmage game.

The new date for All Player Evaluations is Sunday, May 13th.

On Sunday, May 13th Forwards will meet with Jabar and Brian before practice beginning at 11:30 AM in the Great Lakes Sports Center lobby area; while Defensemen and Goaltenders will have their meetings immediately following practice in the lobby area.

Sharks' Mark Smith Returns To Lineup Against Hometown Red Wings

Team GM Feldman's client Mark Smith of the NHL's San Jose Sharks who missed 41 games this season due to injuries will return to action for the first time in 3 months this evening against our Hometown Detroit Red Wings.

Smith a 6 year NHL veteran and native of Eyebrow, Saskatchewan is a 3rd/4th line high energy-type role player who excels at offensive zone cycling, defensive zone play, penalty killing and faceoffs.

Look for Smith to play on the Sharks fourth line this evening with Curtis Brown and Steve Bernier.

Thursday Practice Location Reminder

Reminder that this Thursday's Practice (5/3) will be at Great Lakes Sports Center in Fraser at 7:10 PM.

Defensemen Fall Roster Updated

The U-16 Belle Tire Wizards have added Chris Barile to the list of fall defensemen roster spot committments. This brings the total of defensemen committments to 3 - with 3 open defensemen roster spots remaining.

The following is an alphabetical list of the 3 defensemen who have already received and accepted fall roster spot commitments:

2007-2008 Alphabetical Fall Roster Committments
Defensemen Offered and Accepted
Barile
Lalonde
Wiese

Forwards Fall Roster Updated

The U-16 Belle Tire Wizards have added James Poston to the list of fall forward roster spot committments. This brings the total of forward committments to 9 - with 3 open forward roster spots remaining.

The following is an alphabetical list of the 9 forwards who have already received and accepted fall roster spot commitments:

2007-2008 Alphabetical Fall Roster Committments
Forwards Offered and Accepted
Cesarz
Formosa
Frere
Paluch
Pawlaczyk
Poston
Ross
Stemkoski
White