Looking Back: Utica Comets

On Monday, May 11th, outgoing AHL President Dave Andrews announced that the league would be shutting down for the remainder of their regular season and playoffs, signalling an expected, but abrupt end to the 2019/20 campaign.

The Comets finished their season with a record of 34-22-3-2 to give themselves 73 points and a winning percentage of 0.598%. That left them sitting third in the North Division and tied for 10th overall with last year's Calder Cup Champion Charlotte Checkers.

The team came out of the gates on fire, finishing October with a record of 8-0 and by season's end, they had amassed an impressive 210 goals for to sit third-overall in that category. Their power play clicked along at 22.2%, placing them third overall with the man advantage as well.

The Comets were in a playoff position with 15 games remaining, and with the roster of players available to them, they could very well have gone on a long run. Utica head coach Trent Cull recently told reporters on a conference call that he was excited to see what he called the "most highly skilled group that he's coached" could do in the extra season and was disappointed that they didn't get the chance.

We saw some good things come out of Utica this season, so let's take a few minutes to reflect on how some of the organization's young players fared.

Zack MacEwen

TheBigFella played in 20 games for the Comets this season, putting up five goals and six helpers to give himself 11 points to go along with 25 minutes in penalties. His stay in Utica was a short one in his third season of pro hockey as he finished the year with another five goals and an assist, giving him six points in 17 games with the big club. He added 20 penalty minutes with the Canucks, providing a physical presence and some pushback from their roster when the occasion called for it. With Canucks GM Jim Benning going on record saying that he sees MacEwen as an NHL player now, Zack is looking like a good bet to push for fulltime work with the Canucks for the 2020/21 season.

Kole Lind

After injuries limited Lind to just 51 games in his rookie campaign, Kole was the only player to suit up in all 61 games for the Comets this past season. Lind had a tough adjustment to the pro ranks and finished his rookie year with five goals and 12 assists to give himself 17 points while adding 20 penalty minutes.

Kole went into his offseason and got after it with his training, showing up for his sophomore season looking like a much more confident player. The second-year forward showed a knack for getting under the skin of his opponents, earning him the moniker of TheShaunavonShiftDisturber, w hile also showing the level of skill that saw him selected 33rd overall in the 2017 NHL draft.

Kole took on a prime role on the team's first power-play unit and after MacEwen made the jump to the big club, he took over faceoff duties in his stead. He also saw some time, although it was brief, on the team's penalty kill near the end of the season and I would expect that to continue next season as the coaching staff hands him a new challenge to help grow his game.

Lind finished the season with 14 goals while showing a playmaker's mitts by adding 30 assists, giving him 44 points for his efforts. He also added 64 minutes in penalties, placing him second on the team behind the human cannonball and Comets purveyor of pugilism known as Vincent Arseneau.

Lind showed the kind of confidence in himself and his game that he will need in order to succeed at the next level.

Jonah Gadjovich

Gadjovich, like Lind, had some difficulties adjusting to the pro level in his rookie season. Also like Lind, he was able to make improvements in his game in his second year. Jonah missed time in his rookie season at times as a healthy scratch. That wasn't the case this year as he was in the lineup when healthy.

Jonah suited up for 43 Comets games in his first year, collecting four goals and six assists to give himself 10 points to go along with 32 minutes spent in the penalty box. Due to injuries and illness, Gadjovich skated in just 38 games for Utica this year, but he still finished the season with 13 goals and four assists, giving him 17 points along with another 32 penalty minutes.

Those 13 goals in 38 games represent a goals/game average that bests many of his teammates who played more games and tended to get more minutes than he did. Jonah took advantage of his opportunities. Gadjovich found regular duty on the second power-play unit and the big man was absolute money in tight around the net where the bulk of his goals came from, but his prettiest goal was from distance.

Jonah seemed to find his groove in an energy role where he regularly dished out board-rattling hits and was quick to jump to the aid of his teammates when called upon. Gadjovich brought a physical presence and fared quite well when the need arose for more than just a few harsh words as a warning to opponents.

Lukas Jasek

Jasek gained some valuable experience this season with the Utica Comets. Traditionally a winger, Jasek spent the bulk of this season playing in the middle out of necessity for a team that saw their center depth tested due to call-ups and injuries. He fared reasonably well out of position and adapted his game to the challenge.

In his rookie season, Lukas played in 63 games for the Comets, picking up nine goals and 20 helpers to give himself 29 points. This season, Jasek played in 56 games, posting 14 goals and 13 assists to give himself 27 points. He played all three forward positions and spent time on both special teams, but it was on the penalty kill where Jasek really rose to the challenge and earned the trust of his coaching staff.

Jasek was a staple on the PK and used his speed and determined style of play to help provide a few shorthanded scoring opportunities. The Canucks' sixth-round pick from the 2015 draft has proven to be a useful, all situations skater for the Comets in his two seasons with the club.

Reid Boucher

Reid Boucher was dominant at the AHL level once again this season, finishing as the league's second-highest scorer behind Iowa's Sam Anas, who had just three more points in 10 more games played.

Last season, Boucher tied the Comets' single-season record for points with 62 in 56 games. This year, Reid took sole possession of that honour with 67 points in 53 games played. Boucher's play helped him land another AHL All-Star nod this year as the winger is becoming somewhat of a regular at the mid-season event.

Boucher was an all situations player for the Comets, working both the power play as well as the penalty kill where he added two shorthanded goals this year. Seven of Reid's goals were game-winners and his 213 shots on goal this year were a full 77 more than Justin Bailey, who sat second on the team with 139. Reid had a stellar year and has put himself into serious consideration for the league's MVP in the 2019/20 season.

Justin Bailey

Justin Bailey was full-value for the Comets this season. The speedy winger had a career-year with 28 goals and 19 assists to give himself 47 points in 53 games. He formed instant chemistry with Kole Lind and the duo had some games together that were pure magic.

Bailey's blazing wheels were on display all season and served him well in his roles on the power play and penalty kill. The soon-to-be 25-year-old winger finished third on the team in scoring and provided the club with an additional offensive punch. TheGentleman was tops on the Comets with 11 power-play markers this season.

In a case of extremely good timing, Bailey went on a tear where he picked up three hattricks in a four-game span and Canucks GM Jim Benning happened to be in attendance for one of those. That earned him a two-game stint with the big club, where he was held pointless, but showed that his ample speed could more than keep up at the NHL level.

Brogan Rafferty

Brogan Rafferty had himself a heck of a rookie season with the Utica Comets. The right-shot defender piled up seven goals and added 38 assists to give himself 45 points in 57 games to lead all rookie AHL defenders while finishing just three points behind Charlotte's Jake Bean for third overall amongst AHL defensemen.

Rafferty's offensive instincts showed as a strength, particularly as it pertains to his passing game. The rearguard was stretching the ice with tape-to-tape outlet passes on the regular and did nice work when he had to skate the puck out of his own end as well. His well-timed pinches led to offensive opportunities for himself and his teammates.

Brogan took overt the point on the first power-play unit after Olli Juolevi had to miss time with hip soreness and he did not look relinquish that spot for the remainder of the season. Rafferty's 45 points set a new Comets' record for points in a single season by a defender.

Brogan showed well enough in his rookie year to join Reid Boucher as the Comets representatives in the AHL All-Star game this year as well.

In his own end, Rafferty improved his defensive awareness over the course of the season and started to see some time on the penalty kill before the AHL shut down. Brogan is a heady player and reads the game well, enabling him to see plays unfolding before they happen. He is very good at identifying his areas of strength and uses those to his advantage.

Olli Juolevi

Olli Juolevi got into just 18 games last season for the Comets before a knee injury derailed his campaign. He did put up an impressive 13 points in those 18 games, though. This season was also cut short due to injuries, but Olli took some nice steps forward before the season was shut down. Juolevi suited up in 45 games for the Comets this year, picking up two goals and 23 assists to give himself 25 points.

While 38 points in 63 total AHL games is nothing to sneeze at for a young AHL defender, Juolevi's defensive game saw improvement and it will be his work on that side of the puck that earns him time with the parent club. Don't get me wrong, he has some nice offensive instincts as well, as evidenced by his knack for the long stretch pass out of his own end that we saw regularly.

The 22-year-old Juolevi was an absolute workhorse on the penalty kill for Trent Cull's Comets and even though he has had his injury troubles, he was fearless in sacrificing his body to block shots when his team was a man down. There is no questioning Olli's heart and willingness to do what he has to do in order to help his team win.

Guillaume Brisebois

Brisebois played in his third season of pro hockey this year and was on pace for a new career-high for points in a season before things were shut down prematurely. Guillaume had a new career-high with four goals and added 11 assists to give himself 15 points on the season. His previous high was 18 set in his rookie campaign.

Brisebois was paired with rookie sensation Brogan Rafferty for a good portion of the first half of the year and the duo worked well together. Guillaume's steady defensive game allowed Rafferty to explore offensive opportunities a little more freely and we all saw what kind of success that was met with.

He didn't see a ton of time on the power play, but Brisebois was another workhorse on the penalty kill where he did some excellent work for the team. Guillaume spent some time with the parent club this year, although he didn't get the chance to add to the eight games of NHL action that he put in with the team in the 208/19 season. The smooth-skater gives the team a steady defender who plays well on either side of the ice and can eat minutes in games where that is required of him.

Mikey DiPietro

Mikey DiPietro had a strong rookie season with the Comets. The soon-to-be 21-year-old netminder grabbed the starter's job sometime around mid-November and never looked back.

The outgoing, charismatic goalie started 36 games for the Comets and finished with a record of 21-11-2, allowing 95 goals on 1029 shots against to give himself a goals-against-average of 2.79 along with a save percentage of 0.908%. Those 21 wins had DiPietro within striking distance of Thatcher Demko's team single-season record of 25 wins set in the 2017/18 season. With 15 games left unplayed, there was a good chance of Mikey besting that mark.

DiPietro's 36 games were fourth-most amongst AHL rookie stoppers and his 2.79 GAA was fifth. He finished the year with one shutout while honing his game and dialling in the details that will allow him to take the next step. We saw DiPietro's game quiet down considerably over the course of the year as he was tracking pucks more effectively and his confidence grew.

Comets President and former NHL goaltender Robert Esche called DiPietro the hardest working player that he has ever seen in the game. That seems like high praise from someone who has been around the game for as long as Esche has.