Ryan Stanzel
Director of Communications
Friday, August 4, 2006
713.361.7930 (Direct Line)

SummerScribes, August 4 edition

Greetings from upstate New York, where the 110-degree weather has broken, and it’s a Houston-like 90 today. After 28 years without it, we’ve got air conditioning up here, and it’s welcomed.

SummerScribes feedback, as always, is welcomed – send to qanda@aeros.com. The next edition is scheduled for August 18.

Schedule is out!
Wednesday was one of the Scribe’s favorite days of summer, as the American Hockey League schedule came out. It’s great to map out the six months.

(Download PDF schedule, Download PDF home schedule, Download schedule into Outlook/Handheld Device)

A few stretches jump off the page, and how the Aeros respond could go a long way to deciding what their playoff seeding will be.

Houston plays three games in three nights just six times compared to 10 last season – but two of them are grueling stretches in November. Each time, the Aeros play at Toyota Center on a Friday and Sunday, with a road game (one in Omaha, one in Chicago) on the Saturday in between. That marks four games in a 10-day stretch in which the Aeros fly on the day of a game. Also in between those weekends is a Tuesday road game in San Antonio.

This season, the Aeros had little success on a stretch of nine road games out of 10 in late March, with many players called up to Minnesota. A similar stretch sees 10 of 11 on the road beginning March 28 and ending February 21. Those 10 road games take place in eight different cities.

New website in the works
It won’t be much longer before fans can log on to the new and improved Aeros.com! You’ll hardly recognize the new site, which will be unveiled later this month. You’ll get downloadable video, audio and pictures, and more in-depth ticketing pages. In a revamped kids zone, you'll be able to download pictures to color. Stay tuned for the launch date!

Home opener is October 7
The Aeros will open the 2006-07 season on Saturday, October 7th at 7:35 p.m. against Grand Rapids! Great discounted seats are now available for your group of co-workers, friends and family members. Call 713.974.PUCK for information on joining the Aeros Group Priority Seating List.

Become a Season Ticket Holder!
Want your chance to enjoy the very best prices in the same seat for 13, 22, or all 40 home games? Looking for a dynamic and exciting way to entertain business associates? Aeros season seat plans are going fast this summer, so call 713.974.PUCK today to join the fun. Click here for more information. Want to secure your seat today, or think a voucher book is the thing for you? Call 713.974.PUCK today!

“Stewie” back for another campaign
The bad news for Aeros fans who listen to home games is that Cam Stewart will no longer be joining Ken Double on the broadcasts. The good news is that Stewart has been named assistant coach and front office advisor.

Stewart stepped in last season after a one-year hiatus, and while not being “officially” an assistant coach, he was at every practice. Now, he’ll add traveling to his schedule, while continuing to do great work for the Aeros’ front office.

Wild prospect camp finishes up
Top Minnesota Wild prospects recently got together in St. Paul for a week under the watchful eye of not only Wild management, but also Aeros head coach Rob Daum and assistant coach Matt Shaw.

Click here for an entertaining final scrimmage in-game commentary.

Talk has it that Benoit Pouliot and Roman Voloshenko have some good chemistry on the ice – a possible top line pairing for Houston in October?

Also, Ryan Hamilton, who signed an amateur tryout and played one playoff game with the Aeros, made a huge impression on many, including Daum.

Two coaching vacancies filled
Two more AHL coaching jobs are off the market – one officially, as Wilkes-Barre/Scranton hired Todd Richards yesterday. Richards is a familiar face with Aeros fans, having played in the IHL with Las Vegas and Orlando during the Aeros’ first seven IHL seasons. Then, Richards was an assistant coach in Milwaukee for each of the past four seasons, helping Claude Noel coach the team to a Calder Cup title in 2004. Richards, a Minnesota native who went to the University of Minnesota, will turn 40 in October.

Published reports in Manchester day that Mark Morris is the Monarchs’ new head coach and will be introduced today. Morris coached collegiately at Clarkson and was most recently coaching a prep school in Lake Placid, N.Y. Morris was an assistant coach in Vancouver in 2003-04 under current Los Angeles head coach Marc Crawford. Also, Morris coached one of Los Angeles’ assistant GM/Monarchs GM Ron Hextall’s kids at the prep school. Many connections…

HAC says “Save the Date”
Would you like to play golf with an Aero on your team? Make sure to mark your calendar for the 12th Annual Houston Aeros Golf Classic which will be held on Tuesday, November 28th. This year’s tournament will be held at Wildcat Golf Club with proceeds benefiting Houston Aeros Charities and Elves & More. Stay tuned for more sponsorship information!

Interns needed 
The Aeros are in search of ticket marketing interns for the fall. Our goal is to maintain an intern program that is beneficial to both the student and the organization. We challenge our interns to work hard and make a contribution to the success of the organization. By treating our interns the same as every other member of our staff, we help ensure their ultimate success in the competitive world of professional sports. Interns completing the program will have practical experience that will give them a competitive advantage over other applicants when applying for positions in the industry. This fact should not be overlooked as 65% of all positions in the sports industry are in tickets sales.

Aeros ticket interns will be trained on creating marketing plans, qualifying customers, implementing sales techniques and methods for closing sales. Goals will be set and a game plan will be established to help interns achieve and surpass those goals. The intern program is designed to focus on advance sales in a fun and exciting environment.

Visit www.aeros.com/employment for more information.

Mailbag time

Q: New goalie? We still have Josh...........right?? – Heather

Scribe says: Well Heather there is no easy answer to your question. Yes, the Aeros signed Tony Quesada out of Holy Cross. Yes, the Wild has Josh Harding in the system still. The Aeros’ starter for the last two seasons, however, could be the backup to Manny Fernandez in Minnesota. It will be a ding-dong battle between Harding and European veteran Niklas Backstrom for that job. Whoever doesn’t back up Fernandez will be the Aeros’ top goalie, with Quesada and Miroslav Kopriva figuring to fight it out to back up the No. 1. Either Quesada or Kopriva would then be sent to ECHL Texas or CHL Austin. Great question!

Thanks for the great question! Keep 'em coming.

Trivia time
Congratulations to Will of Houston for figuring out one of two possible answers to last edition’s ‘trick question’. It asked who was the lowest ever draft pick to play for the Aeros. We accepted two correct answers – technically, it was Bill Kinkel at 281st overall. However, since the clue said 12th round, the official answer was former Aeros star Brian Wiseman, picked 257th overall. Prior to some NHL expansion, the Draft was many rounds longer than the nine it currently is.

This week’s prize is the same - two skating passes to Sugar Land Ice & Sports Center…The question is…Earlier we spoke of new WBS head coach Todd Richards. Name a former Aero who was Richards’ teammate with the Golden Gophers. Send answers to qanda@aeros.com.

That’s it, Aeros fans. We’ll see you again next time!

---HOUSTON AEROS---