The Adirondack Thunder have officially hit the halfway point and have taken their success at the end of last season and applied it to this season as they currently have a record of 25-8-2-1 and sit in first place in the North Division and second in the Eastern Conference heading into the All-Star Break. “Certainly better than last year, we’re just trying to build a culture, and they are enjoying it with each other and for each other, and it’s been a pleasure so far,” said Head Coach Pete MacArthur. Let’s break down the team into three categories and grade each based on their performance so far this season, as the Thunder have also won a franchise record nine straight games, which is tied for the longest win-streak this season in the ECHL.
Offense (A-)
Last season, the Adirondack had eight players who hit the double-digit goal mark and, at the midway point, have three, but Tristan Ashbrook and Yushiro Hirano are both currently sitting on nine goals. This season they have only been shutout once this season and that was on December 29th vs Maine Mariners in a game in which they had 44 shots on goal. Patrick Grasso is once again leading the Thunder with 19 goals in 36 games after having 37 in 64 games last season. Last season, Shane Harper set a franchise record last season with 75 points in 65 games, and despite not making his season debut until November 10th, he’s put up solid numbers as he has seven goals and 18 assists for 25 points in 26 games on the season. The biggest thing for Adirondack is the depth that they have the season, which is essential in a league like the ECHL when you are playing three-in-threes or three-in-fours, the more depth you have is going to give you a chance to give guys a night off, and it is shown to work well this season as some of the vets like Shane Harper are getting a night off when Adirondack plays three-in-threes, The biggest factor to Adirondack’s success is that they haven’t had as many guys going up and down to Utica almost every weekend, which allows MacArthur to roll out the same lines.
One thing Pete MacArthur is very good at doing is finding guys who can come in and fill, and it’s shown once again with guys like Mike Gillespie and Tristan Ashbrook, who both joined the team after the Thunder had begun their season. Ashbrook has nine goals and nine assists for 18 points in 30 games, and Gillespie has three goals and six assists for nine points. Last season Grant Jozefek and Travis Broughman joined the team late in the season and made a big impact during the Thunder’s run to the Kelly Cup Playoffs.
Defense (B+)
There’s no question that the defense this year has been an improvement from last year’s blueline, and that’s in part due to the Thunder getting the best D-paring from last year in Will MacKinnon and Colin Felix, “I think it’s huge, they live together down here, they were one of the top shutdown pairs together last year in Reading, and they’re in a groove together, it helps them play faster and protect the net front, especially in the D-zone, they also have some offensive abilities, and we’re lucky to have them as a top-pair” said MacArthur earlier this season. MacKinnon is a +10 on the season and Felix is a +17 which is fifth best in the ECHL, however, both guys have been sent to Utica as New Jersey is dealing with several injuries at the moment. One of the biggest concerns I had about the blueline was that they weren’t producing offensively, but that has recently changed as Matt Stief had seven assists in his last five games, including a four-assist game on January 6th in Maine, Colin Felix had a two-goal game on January 7th vs Trois-Rivieres, and Tristan Thompson has started to find his stride offensively. On the defensive side of things, there haven’t been a ton of glaring mistakes, unlike last year, where the teams at times looked like a bakery giving away free samples.
For Adirondack, the biggest addition of the Thunder has been Darion Skeoch from Savannah in exchange for future considerations, which would end up being Bryce Martin. In 11 games with Adirondack, Skeoch has one assist, which is fine because he wasn’t brought in to score goals. He was here to be a big presence on the blueline, which is exactly what he’s done. Skeoch has shown that he’s not afraid to throw around his 6’4 frame and drop the gloves, and when talking to players on the Thunder, they talk about how his presence just allows everyone to play their game.
Goaltending (B+)
The Adirondack Thunder came into the season with three goaltenders: Jeremy Brodeur, Tyler Brennan, and Vinnie Purpura. Brodeur and Brennan are both on deals with Utica, and the plan was the Purpura would serve as the number three to help with the workload and be that extra goalie to fill in in case of an injury or call-up. So far this season, Brennan has dealt with injuries, and Vinnie Purpura has arguably been the best goaltender so far this season, with Jeremy Brodeur also putting up stellar numbers in the first half of the season as both goalies are in the top five among ECHL goaltenders in GAA this season: Brodeur is 12-5 with a 2.43 GAA, .923 SV%, and one shutout; Purpura is 11-1-2 with a 2.37 GAA and .922SV% as well as taking home Rookie of the Month Honors for December.
Heading into the second half of the season, one of the biggest question marks for the Thunder is Tyler Brennan. In four games this season, the 20-year-old goaltender has gone 1-2 with a 3.64 GAA and .898 SV%, but numbers don’t tell the whole story for Brennan. He struggled in his first two starts with the Thunder, but in his last two starts, he bounced back 27 saves in a win vs Reading on 11/22, then followed it up with a 43-save performance in a 4-3 loss to the Florida Everblades on 11/29 which was his last appearance before we would hit the IR.
Overall Grade (A-)
There’s no question that the team has played well this season, as they’ve looked great from top to bottom. I’m sure that Tyler Brennan will eventually find his game once he’s able to get a few starts under him and hopefully stays healthy. On the blueline, like I mentioned, the production is starting to come, and when it comes to the offense, there’s literally nothing to worry about.
