Expansion teams aren’t supposed to make the playoffs, but the did last year, setting expectations high for year two.
However, the Cutthroats are going into their second season with more on their mind than just improving on their eighth-place conference finish in the Central Hockey League and their first-round playoff loss to the . The team is looking to expand its place in the community and find more fans in the Denver area before the regular season starts Oct. 18.
“What we want to do is truly be involved,” President and General Manager Ben Rifkin said. Rifkin is entering his first season as GM, replacing Eric Newendorp.
Last season, the Cutthroats drew around 2,000 fans per game and had a passionate fan base called the
The organization is hoping to draw even bigger crowds this year with tickets starting at $9 and the lure of free parking.
Home ice was a nice advantage for the team, as they went 19-10-4 at the Denver Coliseum. The team will also open the upper bowl seating this season in the hopes of selling some less-expensive season tickets. In January, the Cutthroats will play two games in Aspen and two in Vail during the team’s month-long exile from the Coliseum during the National Western Stock Show.
When they are home, capacity will be 8,200. With that in mind, the team is fixated on getting the word out that there is a good product in town in addition to the .
“There’s still a lot of people who don’t know who we are,” said Miranda Moore, awareness builder for the Cutthroats.
The team still has an association with the Avalanche, which they hope will benefit it both on and off the ice. On the ice, it does create some challenges as players can be called up from the CHL to the of the American Hockey League, which happened nine times last season.
In 2012, the Cutthroats were the only CHL team affiliated with an NHL squad. This year,teams are negotiating, so there may be more. The disadvantage of the affiliation is that the team can lose some of its best players midseason and may not get a player in return, whereas the unaffiliated teams have their rosters set in August.
But the players and coaches are prepared for that.
“Our mindset is a little different. We want to win, but through development, hard work and community. We want to put the whole package together, not just get old guys and go win it,” Head Coach Derek Armstrong said.
On the ice, the team is still in the market for some players and held open tryouts Aug. 23-25.
That weekend, 43 players registered, ranging in age from 18 to 44, and were coached by players while being evaluated by coaches. Armstrong said the staff was still deciding who to invite to camp, but he expected about five to come back in October for the preseason.
Last year, defenseman Phil Tesoriero was the only player to make the squad at the open tryout. This year, he was back as a coach.
“It was different coming in and doing meetings and being introduced as one of the players and not in their chair,” Tesoriero said.
Tesoriero, played in 62 games, producing 4 goals and 4 assists. His play last year earned him a contract for this season.
Armstrong and the rest of the staff are hoping that the next “Rudy” will emerge this year.
“It’s a unique opportunity for everybody. It’s neat to see the skill level. Our main goal is to spread hockey through Denver,” Armstrong said.
Other returning players include A.J. Gale, who led the league with 46 goals last season, and Troy Schwab, who was second in the league with 60 assists. Brad Smyth is now an assistant coach, and captain Aaron MacKenzie hopes to return from an injury-riddled season that limited him to 20 games.
MacKenzie said he is ready to get going and is excited to see who the team ends up with.
“We still have holes to fill, but they will be filled with guys who want to play at the next level and will compete hard,” he said.
Joe Vaccarelli: 303-954-2396, jvaccarelli@denverpost.com and twitter.com/joe_vacc
