Thanks And Best Of Luck: Katic, Rakhshani, DiBenedetto, Gillies

New York Islander Fan Central | 6/21/2012 01:40:00 PM | | | | |
 NHL.com released it's 2012-13 schedule quickly and quietly.

Just as quietly the team announced it's blue-white scrimmage game will be played on 6/28 for prospects the team never formally announced are having a mini-camp despite player tweets here.

That game will be played at Iceworks,  there are only 250 tickets available for the scrimmage due to seating capacity. The Nassau Coliseum is booked June 26th-30th.
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One thing I have been a bit regretful for over the last few days in somewhat of a rush to put out entries, is not thanking our players who have signed with other organizations.

Whether they are qualified, or not by 6/25, Mark Katic, Rhett Rakhshani, Justin DiBenedetto, and Trevor Gillies were here for a long time, and gave everything they had to offer.

Katic/Rakhshani were all stars for Bridgeport, all of them were part of the Sound Tigers only first place team since their inaugural year. DiBenedetto had twenty goals/forty one points in fifty five games last season.

Ct Post Michael Fornabaio had DiBenedetto's comments.
 "I just think it's a good opportunity for my development as a player. I'm looking forward to it," DiBenedetto said. "I just explored all my options at the end of the year, and this opportunity came. I'm just looking forward to getting over there. The main thing's to become a better player every day, every year. That's the main thing, and go from there."

Folks can argue the suspensions of Gillies, which could not be defended based on his actions, but he was a very popular team player here, and will be missed at the Coliseum on Friday.

Zenon Konopka's comments did register with me last year here.
" You look at Trevor Gillies,” Konopka said, according to the Ottawa newspaper. “He’s a first-time offender. He hits a guy, throws a few punches, he gets a nine-game suspension. The guy’s got a wife, two kids and plays in the East Coast Hockey League and AHL most of his career and now he’s going to lose $35,000. And it’s not right. Obviously, the league has their job and not mine, but in here, we feel for him. It hurts not to have Trevor in lineup for nine games. It hurts me, personally, my buddy, out $35,000.”
Their new teams will be even better with them, the enormous reaction from Berlin over Katic signing makes me nothing but thrilled for their fans.




I wish them nothing but the best of luck moving forward, which of course extends to any future departures.