2014 NHL Entry Draft – Day Two [Updated x4]

Day two is here and the picks are going to be fast and furious. We are going to try to keep you updated as soon as news breaks. Keep checking this post throughout the morning to get the latest updates.

1:04 PM –Matt Mistele was just chosen 180th overall by the L.A. Kings.

12:35 PM – Approaching the 160th pick in the draft and we still have Mistele and Rathgeb still on the board.

12:07 PM – Busy day here in Philly for the Whalers as Alex Nedeljkovic is taken by Carolina in the second round 37th overall being the second goalie taken in the draft this year.

Ned would be the only Whaler to go in the second round. In the third round Connor Chatham was selected with the 71st overall pick by the New Jersey Devils and Alex Peters was taken four picks later by the Dallas Stars.

The next Whaler to get drafted would have to wait until the fourth round, but I don’t think he minds as Josh Wesley gets selected by the team that his father has a long storied legacy with. Wesley ends up being the 96th overall pick in the draft and the second Whaler to go the Carolina Hurricanes this draft.

Source: Carolina Hurricanes

 

Of course Whalers getting drafted to the Hurricanes is obviously not a new thing. Levi, Mahalak, Terry, Bellemore are just a few players that come to mind. It makes sense as both teams are owned my Peter Karmanos Jr.

Carolina takes a Whaler. *rolls eyes*

— Tyler Behmlander (@Kingpin794) June 28, 2014

9:30 AM – The Whalers were able to get together before the draft to wish each other luck.

9:27 AM – We start at the second round and we could see Nedeljkovic, Peters, and Chatham go in this round. The draft starts at 10 AM… Stay Tuned!

2014 NHL Entry Draft Day One Post [UPDATED x4]

 

11:01 PM – That’s all folk’s

10:32 PM – The first round is over. Unless Sonny Milano dons a Whalers jersey this season, it means that the streak of having Whalers players go in the first round ends at 4 years (2010 – Seguin, 2011 – Miller, Noesen, and Rakell, 2012 – Wilson, 2013 – Hartman). Following the first round I was able to ask the GM of the Blue Jackets, Jarmo Kekalainen, about the possibility of exercising his CHL options. [Sorry for the bad camera positioning]

9:22 PM – We have our first Whaler drafted! Well sorta… The Columbus Blue Jackets drafted Sonny Milano 16th overall. His CHL rights are held by the Plymouth Whalers. The United States of Hockey explains it best.

Before Eagles fans get too excited however, the recruiting job is not done. Milano’s CHL rights are held by the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League. They’ve had some success luring NTDP players away from college scholarships in the past. Among those that have headed to Plymouth, J.T. Miller (North Dakota), Connor Carrick (Michigan) and Ryan Hartman (Miami).

There is always a chance that Jarmo Kekalainen can sway Sonny to go the CHL route, but right now it does not look likely in his post-draft interview.

Time will tell, but it would be nice to him wearing a Whalers jersey next season. I mean look at some of his stick skills.

8:11 PM – Our first piece of Whalers related news has to do with a former Whaler. James Neal has been traded to the Nashville Predators for Hornqvist and Spaling.

6:06 PM – WhalersOTM is here at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Let’s start this post off with a poll. Tonight is the first round, rounds 2-7 are tomorrow morning. If there was one Whaler player to go today, who would it be?

Whalers 2014-15 Schedule Released

  The OHL released the schedule for the 2014-15 season. There are some interesting things that stand out after looking at the schedule. Let’s take a look at the Whalers 25th season in the OHL.

Podcast: Interview with GM Mark Craig

We had the opportunity to pull the newly hired General Manager of the Whalers aside to ask him a few questions about the upcoming season.

Whalers on the Moon Podcast » Blog Archive » Episode 13 – Interview with Mark Craig.

Download this episode (right click and save)

Karmanos Issues Challenge To Fans

Peter Karmanos Jr. talking with the media after the press conference announcing the new head coach and general manager of the Plymouth Whalers. Photo: Keith Dotson

 …if you spend any time at all watching junior hockey and given an opportunity, and get to know these kids are watching them on the ice and realize the passion they play with, and the dream they’re trying to capture. It’s an amazing ride and if some of our fan base that loved to watch pro hockey would just come to a few games so they can start to capture who these kids are. I think they be amazed at what not only what great hockey it is, but these kids, and how hard they work and their desire.

Those were the words of newly hired General Manager Mark Craig at the press conference introducing him this past Friday. This comes after some not so happy news from the team owner Peter Karmanos Jr. Karmanos said if the Whalers can’t increase attendance next season, he would consider selling the team.

“Well to be frank about it, it’s tough running an OHL team in a major league city. Our attendance has been good, but it’s not great. You look down 401 and you see the London Knights selling out every game, you know that if you had to sell the team you might want to move it to one of those cities, rather than keep it playing here. Like I’ve said, it’s become an expensive business, it’s a big business. If we could get the attendance where we think it should be here, I think the future is great. If we continue to draw a couple thousand people a game, we’ll have to take a look at some options.”

The Whalers are playing in Plymouth this year, but after that nothing is written in stone.

“Right now, it’s the Plymouth Whalers and they’re playing out of this arena, they’ll be here at least another season, and we’ll just have to keep evaluating. When you put a quality product on the ice and you win every year and you’re in the playoffs for 23 straight years, sooner or later, people have to start coming.” Karmanos added.

So now the Whalers front office needs to find a way to fill seats without giving away tickets, and that starts by getting people to sign up to be season ticket holders.

What are your suggestions to attract fans to the Plymouth Whalers? Leave a comment below, on our Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter and let us know.