With the beginning of the season just days away, the Railers are ready to improve from the successes as one of last year’s expansion teams. As a team that slid into playoff position late into the season despite having the least amount of goals scored out of all 27 teams, the Railers are expected to make an impact on nets throughout the league this season.
With several new additions to their roster, Worcester looks to be a playoff contender in their second season in the ECHL.
Opening Night Roster
The Railers have submitted the following roster for opening night. They have 13 forwards, eight defensemen, and two goaltenders. Three of the 23 total players are veterans, one shy of the 4 maximum allowed on the active roster (that extra slot for a veteran could be crucial later on). The Railers have a number rookies on their roster to begin the season.
Pending any unannounced transactions come up, the opening roster looks like the following:
F Tyler Barnes #7 (V)
F Nick Sorkin #8
F Austin Block #9
F Dylan Willick #11 (R)
F Josh Holmstrom #12 “A”
F Connor Graham #15 (R)
F Bryan Arneson #18 (R)
F Barry Almeida #19 (V) “A”
F Nick Bligh #22
F Woody Hudson #23
F Tommy Kelley #37
F Tommy Tsicos #42 (R)
F Trent Durocher #55 (R)
D Tommy Panico #2 (R)
D Alex Vanier #3
D Ryan MacKinnon #4 (R)
D Kyle McKenzie #5
D Mike Cornell #6 (V) “C”
D David Quenneville #20 (R)
D Tyler Mueller #24 (R)
D Connor Doherty #28
G Mitch Gillam #35
G Evan Buitenhuis #34 (R)
Forwards
There’s already a ton of hype behind the top forward line as if every sports writer and blogger hasn’t already stated that in one way or another. The line consisting of Barry Almeida, Tyler Barnes, and Nick Sorkin consists of three of the top goal scorers in the ECHL last season. This line looked good at last week’s scrimmage and produced three of the five goals scored in last week’s preseason matchup against Maine.
Josh Holmstrom and Woody Hudson return for their second seasons with the club. Hudson previously attended training camps for the New York Islanders and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and impressed the coaching staffs of both clubs during that time. Holmstrom will move into a leadership role for the team as he enters his sixth pro season. Holmstrom will be one of Bridgeport’s go-to players for a recall, and Railers fans shouldn’t be too surprised if Hudson earns a contract with an AHL club.
Dylan Willick and Nick Bligh look to be staples for the Railers third line. Willick had an impressive training camp and will be one of the Railers’ go-to players on the penalty kill and on the power play. Willick looked impressive shorthanded in not just the scrimmage last week with a goal but nearly executing an identical goal in an exhibition game the very next day,
Trent Durocher, Tommy Tsicos, and Brent Arneson all have contracts with SPHL teams and will likely be the first players to go if Jeff Kubiak, Matthew Gaudreau, or Yanick Turcotte are assigned to Worcester. Durocher looked pretty good in Saturday’s exhibition game, scoring one of the five Railers goals. The Railers’ most recent addition is Connor Graham, who has attended the Islanders Rookie camps for the past few seasons.
Tommy Kelley and Austin Block look to bounce back after having their seasons cut short last season due to injury. At the time of Kelley’s injury last season, he led the league in shootout goals. Block had a career-best 35 points in 51 games during the 2016-17 season and played in just two games last season before being benched due to a lower-body injury.
Defense
Mike Cornell, Ryan MacKinnon, Kyle McKenzie, Tommy Panico, and Connor Doherty all return for season two. David Quenneville and Tyler Mueller were also assigned from their AHL and NHL affiliate.
David Quenneville’s assignment comes as a bit of a surprise after coming off a couple of big years playing for the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WHL. He accumulated 214 points in 250 games over four seasons and averaged over a point per game in his last two seasons. Fans should expect Quenneville to put up points for the Railers, as he has been recognized as a top-scoring defenseman year-after-year.
New additions to the Railers’ defense include former San Jose Sharks draft pick Alex Vainer. Towering at 6’5″, Vainer will bring a physical presence to the defense.
Goaltending
Mitch Gillam returns to Worcester for his second pro season with the team. Gillam is set to impress this season after going 23-14-0-2 last season with a league-leading five shutouts, 2.15 goals against average, and a .925 save percentage.
Gillam’s back-up this season will be Evan Buitenhuis. “Boots” has some big boots to fill, replacing Eamon McAdam who was traded to the Maple Leafs this offseason. Buitenhuis joins the Railers after a huge senior year at Hamilton College, Buitenhuis led all NCAA Div III goaltenders in save percentage at .954 and had the second lowest goals allowed average at 1.28 last season.
Having seen Mitch Gillam put up phenomenal performances several times last season and having seen Buitenhuis in net for two perfect periods in the preseason game last week (along with 4 college seasons of impressive stats), Railers fans should be in for a treat with this goaltender tandem.
Games to Look Out For
Worcester Railers vs Maine Mariners – October 20th
The Railers’ home opener is against one of the two new teams this season. The first of fourteen matchups between the two will be the beginning of a division rivalry.
Worcester Railers at Newfoundland Growlers – November 6&7, February 1&2
Worcester will make two trips to the rock this season, facing the second newest team in the ECHL – located in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Take note of the special start time for these games, 5:30 EST.
Worcester Railers at Allen Americans – February 15th
Railers’ begin their furthest trip west with a game against the former ECHL affiliate of the Worcester Sharks. Be on the lookout for former Worcester Shark Spencer Asuchak.
Other Things to Take Note
The Railers will be visiting the three other arenas that are equipped for video replay (CenturyLink Arena in Boise, Idaho; Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan; and Huntington Center in Toledo, Ohio). It will be interesting to see how many incidents should’ve been reviewed in arenas that aren’t equipped for video review.
Since many ECHL writers did this on Twitter last week, here are my three bold predictions that may (or may not) come true for the 2018-19 season:
- The Almeida – Sorkin – Barnes line will be the top scoring line in the league.
- Worcester will go on a 10+ game Winning Streak.
- Mitch Gillam will receive a recall to the Sound Tigers, spending a significant time up there. Evan Buitenhuis will rise as one of the league’s top goaltenders in that time.