| | Roberto Luongo is an uncommon rookie, even by AHL standards.
Luongo, 20, was taken by the Islanders as the fourth overall pick in the 1997 draft -- the highest a goalie has ever been chosen. He turned pro this year and, though Luongo had a strong training camp, the Islanders have Felix Potvin under contract and sent Luongo to Lowell of the AHL.
"That's what they told me," Luongo said. "They didn't want me playing backup in the NHL."
Though the AHL season is barely under way, Luongo has shown why the Islanders regarded him so highly in 1997. In his first five games, Luongo stopped 172 of 185 shots for a .930 save percentage and a 2.49 GAA.
|  | | When with the Isles, some felt Eric Fichaud was rushed to the NHL too quickly. |
"He's a great kid," Lowell coach Bruce Boudreau said. "When you watch him play, you see he's calm, in control. He's not flopping around all over the place like another Hasek." Boudreau figures if Luongo remains with the Lock Monsters all season, he'll play in 50 to 60 games during the regular season and, hopefully, more in the playoffs.
In 1995-96, the Islanders had Eric Fichaud -- possibly the best young goaltending prospect in hockey -- and let him play half a season with Worcester in the AHL before calling him up. As a result of the fast promotion, Fichaud has never developed as hoped and is in the Carolina organization now.
"He's going to be a great goalie," says Travis Scott, Luongo's more experienced goalie partner in Lowell. "But they shouldn't expect too much from him too soon. This is a big jump from juniors."
Luongo's first steps have been promising ones.
IHL Notes
The "Jock Watch" is on at Gund Arena in Cleveland, home of the IHL Lumberjacks. Veteran Jock Callander is closing in on Len Thornson's all-time record for points in a career. After two goals and two assists in his first six games, Callander is 13 points from the record. At Gund Arena, Callander's numbers are posted and changed ever time he gets a point. The league plans for some kind of in-game ceremony when the record falls, but who knows where and when that will be. Callander had 22 goals in 109 NHL games.
The Phoenix Roadrunners are about to hit the road. The IHL club went head-to-head with the NHL Coyotes in 1996-97. That experiment lasted one season before the franchise was suspended. Negotiations are going well, however, to move the team to Toronto where it will play in a refurbished 11,000-seat rink on the grounds of the Canadian National Exhibition.
The Naumenko Brothers are in different leagues, with older brother Nick playing defense for the Kansas City Blades of the IHL and kid brother Gregg tending goal for the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks in the American League. "He's the real deal," Nick says of his brother, but admits to only having seen him play once as a junior. Gregg went to Alaska-Anchorage for a season, then signed for a seven-figure bonus with Anaheim. Naumenko's arrival in Cincinnati meant the experienced Tom Askey had to be moved, and Askey wound up being loaned to Kansas City, of all places.
Look who's back in North America, and in Long Beach of the IHL. It's Wes Walz, who last played on this continent in 1995-96 with the Adirondack Red Wings of the AHL. Walz was 20-35-55 in just 38 games with Adirondack before he walked out in a contract dispute. He has been in Switzerland and has three assists in three games with Long Beach.
AHL notes
Ken Sutton, the Eddie Shore Award winner last season as the AHL's best defenseman in Albany, is back in the league after a brief and puzzling stay with the Capitals. Washington claimed Sutton in the waiver draft, but then put him back on waivers. The Devils made a "future considerations" deal to reacquire Sutton and sent him back to their Albany farm team. "I was surprised when (Washington) took me in the first place," Sutton said. "But I was really surprised when they put me back on waivers." Why Sutton is not in the NHL is a mystery to many. He's an extremely skilled player who can control a game. He looks a bit like a Wall Street financier, though, and the perception might be that he's not tough enough.
When the Portland Pirates opened their home schedule, the warmest reception was for a visiting player. Syracuse Crunch goalie Alfie Michaud got a long standing ovation in his Maine pro debut. Michaud backstopped the University of Maine's NCAA championship last winter as a junior, then turned pro when Vancouver offered him about $500,000 to sign. Michaud beat Portland 3-2, stopping 33 of 35 shots.
The AHL's new Wilkes-Barre/Scranton team has a 12-game road trip to open the season as its rink gets ready. It has been a rough start for the Penguins, who lost their first five before tying two. Then team remains winless and doesn't play at home until Nov. 13.
Howard Baldwin, late of the Pittsburgh Penguins and early of the original Whalers of the World Hockey Association, plans to activate the AHL's dormant Cornwall Aces franchise and put it in Manchester, N.H. Manchester has always been good hockey country, but is only a half-hour up the road from Lowell, which has struggled at the gate in its first two seasons in the league.
Bill Ballou covers professional hockey and baseball for the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
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