Charlie Effinger Leaves Mavs for Shot at the Big Time

Missouri Mavericks goalie Charlie Effinger (Eff-bomb) is leaving the team to pursue better opportunities in the hockey world.

From the Examiner:

Effinger has been flooded with offers following his brilliant 2011-12 season with the Mavericks, where they took eventual CHL champion Fort Wayne to the seventh game of the conference championship series. 

“This was never about money,” Effinger said. “Hilly and Brent know that – and I want the fans to know that they bent over backwards and offered me 18 different ways to stay with the team. But they couldn’t offer me what I can get in the ECHL.” 

When a player signs with the ECHL, he is basically a free agent and can be signed by any AHL team. 

Effinger signed a two-way contract last season with the Mavericks and Chicago, of the AHL. However, Chicago is goalie-deep and there is little chance Effinger can get a legitimate shot with the Wolves.

Effinger holds almost every Mavericks goaltending record by default.  He played 64 regular season games totaling 3,790:01 minutes with the Mavs – the most of any Mav goaltender – and went 41-18-3.  He started all eleven playoff games for the Mavs last season, going 7-4.

It is reported the defending CHL champs the Fort Wayne Komets are interested in signing Effinger.  The Komets made the jump to the ECHL after the end of last season.

You can't blame the guy for pursuing his passion, especially someone who has proven their level of talent is much higher than "AA" hockey.  It's too bad he can't take the spot on the AHL roster in Chicago, but it seems like it's just a matter of time he will land somewhere.  Only 26 years old and he gets to play hockey for a living.  Wicked sweet, eh?

Good luck to you, Eff-bomb, and thanks for the good times!  Have fun in the (real) world.

2012 Champions: Stat-Nerding the Third-ish Quarter of the Season

That's Charlie Effinger.  He just won the Goaltender of the Week Award for the third time this season, ya heard. 

Although there have only been fourteen games since the last time we checked in with the Mavericks, there are only twenty games left in something like forty days.  So this is as good of a time as any to see what the Mavs are doing right, doing wrong, and need to do during the home stretch of the season.  (Note: this review follows a similar format as the second quarter stats post, so in lieu of me repeating stats, please refer any comparisons to that previous post.)

2012 Champions: Stat-Nerding the Second Quarter of the Season

Mavs President and GM Brent Thiessen won the Commitment Cup! Whatever that is...

Welcome to the CHL All-Star break!  Your Missouri Mavericks are currently fifth in the seven-team Turner Conference with 35 points.  They are 16-13-3 overall, and are 8-8-1 with 17 points over the course of the second quarter of the season.  The Mavs are technically still a playoff team with this record.  They have 96 GF and 103 GA. 

2010-11 season, after 32 games:

18-11-3

39 pts

103 GF

90 GA

-7 GF and -13(!) GA from one season ago.  Where has everything gone so terribly wrong?

Featuring the 2011-12 Mavericks Commercial

There is a new Missouri Mavericks commercial making its way around the local TV channels.  And here it is:

It seems like a pretty simple, straightforward marketing campaign.  The National Anthem in the background is a nice touch.  Though, I can't help but wonder WHAT REASON ARE THEY HERE?!?!?  I keed, I keed.

Denied reasons include:

• I'm here because I was born to be a hockey player. (many players are Canadian, so the reference doesn't work).
• I don't play hockey for the post-game riots.
• I'm not here to cuss out the media.
• I didn't come to KC for the, um, err, beautiful...beaches... 
• I am here so I don't have to see Pierre Maguire between the benches.
• I am not a candy ass!
• I'm here as a means to get to the Chicago Wolves.  That would be pretty cool.
• I'm not a crook!
• I'm not here for the mascot. (ed. note: that's the #1 reason why anyone joins the Mavs)
• I'm listening to the f---in' song!

The players featured are, from left to right:

G: Charlie Effinger

I'm certain that is F: Ed McGrane

F: Sebastian Thinel (SEABASS!)

F: Carlyle Lewis

D: Mike Wakita

I think it's D: David Pszenyczny.  He has kind of a blank stare thing goin' on.

A little new guys mixed in with the Mavs vets.  Another nice touch.  Bravo, Mavs marketing team/ interns.  

Also, here is a good read from LA Kings blog Mayors Manor challenging the idea that KC is not a hockey town.  This was written before the exhibition game this fall, but it's still relevant nonetheless.  (I will do my best to post more articles when they are still in mint condition, which is about two minutes in Internet-time.)

Mid-December Kansas City Hockey Related News Report

There are an awful lot of honkeys in this picture.  (Screen cap via)

Just a reminder that the hockey version of the Border War continues Friday, January 20th, 2012 at the Independence Events Center (home of the Mavs).  I cannot promise the hockey will be top notch Division I caliber stuff, but I can promise a good time will be had by hockey fans, Mizzou fans, Kansas fans, and all sports fans alike.  Go here to get tickets.

Also, there is speculation that Craig MacTavish, the current head coach of the AHL's Chicago Wolves (the Mavs affiliate), is a possible candidate for the recently vacated Los Angeles Kings head coaching position.  His only head coaching gig in the NHL was with the Edmonton Oilers from 2000-09, going 301-252-47-56 and losing to Carolina in the 06-07 Stanley Cup Finals.  He is in his first season with the Wolves, and as of this date he is 11-9-4.  He currently coaches two-way Mavs Charlie Effinger, J.P. Testwuide, and Dustin Friesen.  He is also the last player in the NHL to play without a helmet.  Just thought you should know.

Oh yeah, by the way, Mavs goalie extraordinaire "F-bomb" Effinger was called up to the semi-big leagues the other day.  This means the Mavs will once again use their insurance policy, Gerry Festa, in net for the time being.  Brian Mahoney-Wilson will also see time between the pipes.

Hey, how about some NHL stuff?  Sure, why not.  Continue...

2012 Champions: Stat-Nerding the First Quarter of the Season

Pic borrowed from the CHL

After fifteen games, your Missouri Mavericks are a mere point out of first place in the Turner Division of the CHL.  That almost guarantees them a spot in the wacky CHL playoffs, and I think a first and second round bye, and a free Blizzard at Dairy Queen.  But, that's not important right now.  Of course, the season is a marathon instead of a sprint and all of that hot garbage, but it doesn't hurt that 80% of the league makes it to the playoffs...

Either way, the first half of the season has been very good to the Mavericks.  At 8-5-2 and with 18 points they have gotten off to the fastest start in franchise history (2009-10: 6-8-1, and 2010-2011: 7-6-2).  There are many factors contributing to the Mavericks success, and it all starts with the offseason acquisitions.

Here are a few bullets to think about:

2012 Champions: The Beginning of Something Great

First off, Macek was waived, and Jardine was given a "five-game contract allowing the Mavericks to start the season with 20 players on the roster" since he has a two-way contract with the Mavs affiliate in Chicago.

Also, the Mavericks opened up with a win over the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees.  Hogg and Mahovsky picked up goals, so thanks for nothing McGrane.  Effinger had 29 saves, and the Mavs were 0-4 on the powerplay.  If the season ended today, the Mavericks would share the title with three other teams.  Think about that...

Here are some season previews for your perusal:

CHL Team Preview

Mavericks Preview

2012 Champions: Saying Goodbye is the Hardest Part...of Progress

Via

The Mavericks, currently in the training camp portion of their 2011-12 title run, have cut and traded their roster in an attempt to get to the "Perfect 19" necessary for a CHL roster.

At the end of last week the team announced they have waived forward Matt Dias and defenseman Janis Brakss (by the way, defensemen preview coming up after camp ends).  I had Dias as high as the second line in some projections, but, uh, I suppose that was wrong.  This left the roster with 27 players.  Only 8 more to go!  See more moves after the jump.

2012 Champions: Jardine Rediscovered and Goalie Preview

Via

The Mavericks have reported that Ryan Jardine has returned for his second season with the organization.  The veteran had 54 points (23-31=54) and played in all 66 games last year for the Mavs.  Jardine has a two-way contract and could see some time with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL this season.  The Wolves are the new "AAA" affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks and the Mavs first affiliation to a high-level professional organization.  It will be good to have Jardine's presence on the ice, especially with all of the new faces.  He understands head coach Scott Hillman's system, and can maybe help to integrate the multitude of new forwards.

In addition, Mike Berry has been released to make room for Jardine.  So, forget Berry is in the lineup and just pencil in Jardine instead.  This sounds like a mutual agreement, since Berry will surely get an opportunity elsewhere.  It's easy to assume Berry believed the Mavs were getting top-heavy among the forwards.  This can be seen as a good or bad thing, of course, as the organization is getting better and even very good players feel they may not get a legitimate opportunity.  But, it can be bad because an overzealous front office may have upset Berry and prompted him to look for work elsewhere.  You don't want to upset the stars, they're fragile.  Either way, good luck to him in all of his future endeavors.  Therefore, the Mavericks have lost their top two point scorers from a year ago.  But, they get Jardine and all of those other guys.  So, we got that goin' for us, which is nice.

Chances Jardine gets called up to Chicago at some point?  Eh, probably pretty good.  Alas, that's the reality of an affiliation.  Quality players can get taken away by better competition.

For those of you asking for the whereabouts of Nick Sirota, he is currently playing with the Kalamazoo K-Wings of the ECHL, which, oddly enough, are also affiliates of the Canucks.  So, a good player leaves the league that wants to be the "AA" of hockey to go to a competing "AA" league.  Alrighty then...

Goalie preview after the jump.