Apocolypse - PR

The Coquitlam Apocalypse weren't looking to shake up their team this
offseason, just add a little talent. And they did that when they signed
unrestricted free agent Peter Bondra. But when their financial
situation got tight due to a couple of generous offers on restricted
free agents Michael Tessier and Matt Ellison, GM James Sykes decided he
needed to create a little breathing room with the salary cap.
Considering GM Sykes was disappointed with Ellison's development and the
rumours that he was being shopped around last season, the former Rookie
of the Year was the obvious choice to be traded. Ellison was shipped
off to the Flames for R.J. Umberger, an exciting young playmaker Sykes
has had his eye on for some time.

"I felt secure enough in our goal scorers that I didn't think it would
hurt to trade for a set-up man who's not going to get many goals
himself." GM Sykes told a news conference yesterday.

The Apocalypse also held a mini training camp this week where GM Sykes
was impressed by the progress of a number of players, including
Umberger. "R.J.'s stick handling and skating are even better than I
expected, he really worked hard over the off season."

He also mentioned the progress of Michael Tessier and prospect Warburton
Pike but saved most of his praise for young goaltender Devan Dubnyk.
"We were amazed to see how far this kid has come in such a short time.
His speed and puck control have improved so much that he could be in the
pro line-up tomorrow."
But he won't be. The GM and coaching staff believe he's better off
developing a little more in the minors. "He's going to be a stellar
goalie in this league," head coach Terry Crisp said. "We don't want to
rush him into action and we're confident in the goaltending duo we have
right now with Jo [Jocelyn Thibault] and Wade [Dubielewicz]."

As far as more trading before the new season begins, GM Sykes had this
to say: "There's a little more fat I'd like to trim, but we're not
looking at anything major."
The fat that he's refering to is widely believed to be veterans who will
see little playing time due to the signing of Bondra and the emergence
of younger players, namely:

25 Niklas Sundstrom RW L OK 67 74 72 65 92 69 71 72 68 78 62 75 78 75
13 Dan Hinote RW R OK 96 71 69 53 74 68 71 59 58 78 63 53 50 72
44 Alexei Zhitnik D L OK 72 71 64 83 99 68 77 72 67 63 31 75 70 71
28 Chris Nielsen LW R OK 78 76 81 55 59 90 80 70 70 75 64 50 58 76