...In with the new

Brahmas sign forward T.J. Fox to 2011-12 roster

The Texas Brahmas have announced the signing of fifth-year pro forward T.J. Fox to the 2011-12 roster. Fox, 27, played for the Hannover Indians in the German Oberliga last season where he registered 31 points (14 G, 17 A) and 69 penalty minutes in 47 regular season games.

“T.J. will bring great offensive depth for us and will undoubtedly be a great addition on the roster,” Brahmas Head Coach Dan Wildfong said.

The 6', 1" 196-pound native of Oswego, New York began his junior hockey career with the Syracuse Junior Crunch (OPJHL). In 94 games over two seasons (1999-01), Fox tallied 54 points (30 G, 24 A) and 55 PIM.

Fox spent the next three seasons in the USHL, playing in 2002-03 with the Green Bay Gamblers and in 2003-05 with the Chicago Steel. During these three seasons, Fox accumulated 83 points (35 G, 48 A) and 176 PIM in 148 regular season games. He added six points (3 G, 3 A) and 12 PIM in 12 post-season contests. He was named to the 2005 USHL All-Star Game.

In 2005, Fox committed to Union College (ECAC), where he played with the Dutchmen for the next two seasons. In 66 games, he totaled 57 points (21 G, 36 A) and 88 PIM. He was named team MVP after he contributed 37 points (13 G, 34 A), which tied a school record, during the 2006-07 campaign. In March of 2007, signed a two-year contract with the San Jose Sharks (NHL) organization.

Fox was assigned to the Worcester Sharks (AHL) and in 150 regular season games over the next two seasons, he tallied 42 points (19 G, 23 A) and 48 PIM. He added three goals and four penalty minutes in nine contests during the 2009 Calder Cup playoffs.

The following season, with the Wheeling Nailers (ECHL), Fox put up his best numbers to date - 60 points (26 G, 34 A) and 42 PIM in 64 contests. He was also called up to the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for four games.

Here's a video of an awesome game-winning goal by Fox from his days at Union College (start at the :55 second mark if you don't want to watch the lead-in)

Here's a video of a 2009 fight between Fox and the Norfolk Admiral's Blair Jones. (Gotta love the announcer's enthusiasm on this one!)

Photo Credit: Mark Mauno

Out with the old...

Brahmas trade Deitsch to Allen for "future considerations"

Well, this one's been in the making for some time now. It's an unfortunate situation and from a PR standpoint, it looks terrible having your team captain go to the team with which you have the biggest rivalry with. Suffice it to say, what's done is done.

I never touched one of the original issues that contributed to the trade and won't go into it here, but as Greg Rajan said today:

This trade culminates a messy divorce between Deitsch and the Brahmas. Expect him to be jeered lustily when Allen plays at the Shoebox this year. If Deitsch learned anything this summer, it'd be this: Be careful what you and/or your significant other post about your employer on a social networking site, and also be careful when you accept friends on said sites (or at least learn how to use the privacy settings).

Despite the overall situation that led to the trade,which has more to do than an errant Facebook post, there's no forgetting the contributions Jason Deitsch made to the purple and black, which includes 164 points (54 G, 110 A, +25) and 222 penalty minutes in 149 regular season games. This also includes 58 points (19 G, 39 A) on the power play and 13 game winning goals. Deitsch added 37 points (17 G, 20 A, +10) and 61 PIM in 28 post-season contests and of course, contributed to the Brahmas' 2009 Ray Miron President's Cup win.

"I enjoyed my time with the Brahmas and definitely enjoyed winning a championship there." Deitsch said in the Americans' press release. "I'm looking forward to turning that page in my life and hockey career. I'm excited about playing for the Allen Americans and will do all I can to help bring a CHL cup to Allen."

OK, well good luck with that. As he is now a member of the Americans, I can hardly say good luck (I mean that in the nicest of ways). I have known Jason for a few years now and he's a good fellow and a talented hockey player, so I guess I can say I wish him all the best in his future pursuits, both on and off the ice. 'Nuff said.

Keeping Deitsch on the protected list prevented him from going off on his own and the trade will give the Brahmas a player at a later date - who and when? We'll just have to wait and see. From what I understand, there was an idea that Deitsch would be going to the Americans and at the very least, we'll get something in return.

From a player standpoint, having Deitsch on the Americans' squad will be detrimental to the Brahmas as the intense rivalry between the two clubs moves forward. Deitsch remains an effective top line forward and there's no doubt Brahmas fans will be concerned when he heads for the goal.

From an intelligence standpoint, Deitsch will be able to provide the enemy a lot of insight on his former team - something Fonger will no doubt keep in mind. At the same time, there's a lot known about Deitsch that can and will be used against him. All I can say is enjoy your visits to "The Shoebox" Jason!

The move now opens up the debate on who will wear the "C" on their sweater this season. Personally, I can see it going to Chad Woollard - and I've already taken some jabs from a few people on that choice, but I'll stick with it. Woolly's experience and leadership on the ice as well as the work he's done with some of the younger players make him a righteous candidate in my book.

Photo Credit: Robert Keith

Matheson signs with the Steelheads

Rookie defenseman played nine games with the Brahmas

The Idaho Steelheads (ECHL) have announced that Derek Matheson has been signed for the 2011-12 season. Matheson, 24, joined the Texas Brahmas on March 16th and played a limited role in seven regular season and two post-season contests, contributing two assists and 12 penalty minutes.

Prior to joining the Brahmas, Matheson played collegiate hockey at Morrisville State (SUNYAC) where he was the top-scoring defenseman last season with 13 points (6 G, 7 A).

Photo Credit: Robert Keith

Evansville confirms Sgroi signing

Veteran left wing labeled the "new sheriff" (did they have an old one?)

The Evansville IceMen have announced the signing of former Brahmas enforcer Mike Sgroi, confirming the big man's own announcement via Facebook. Never at a loss for the dramatic in their press releases, the IceMen played up the addition this way:

Having attained a long-running reputation as one of the most feared, revered, intimidating physical specimens in minor pro hockey lore and annals, Sgroi brings his unique blend of talents to Southwest Indiana to inject another important dimension into the IceMen team’s on-ice persona.

“Mike will certainly add a strong physical presence in our lineup for the upcoming season," Evansville head coach Rich Kromm said. "He is especially strong in the corners, goes to the net hard and always plays hard. There should be more room on the ice when he is on the ice. Also, we can’t lose sight of the fact that he brings a real wealth of experience to our club and that he has the ability to be a versatile player for our team.”

And we'll just leave it at that.

Photo Credit: Robert Keith

Andrea and Mike Vellinga at ZuRoma shortly after the Brahmas won the President's Cup

Andrea Vellinga - A time for prayers and a time to give...

Please take a moment to help some members of the Brahmas family

Early on in my endeavor to chronicle the championship season of 2008-09 (which was the original purpose of this blog), Mary Bradford from the Texas Brahmas Fan Club let me know that Mike Vellinga's wife was looking for someone who was taking photos at the games. Turns out, Mike was planning on retiring at the end of the season.

I met Andrea at the game later that particular evening and she told me that she wanted to get some photos of Mike taken during the course of the season to commemorate his final year in professional hockey. It would work out well, as I was planning on photographing most of the games anyway and I told her it wouldn't be a problem to get a dozen shots of Mike per game and maybe put together a photo book at the end of the season.

Andrea had gone back to work in Indiana with daughter Lydia while Mike remained in Texas with the Brahmas. Each time she came out to visit, she made a point of stopping by and saying hello. She was truly one of the nicest people you ever wanted to meet and I was very happy to have the opportunity to help out with this project.


After the Brahmas won the 2009 Ray Miron President's Cup championship on May 6th, it was time to get to work on organizing the several thousand photos shot during the season and as one of many side projects, put together the photo book which was titled Mike Vellinga - A Championship Season 2008-09.

Mike and I had a running inside joke about an interview we never did and throughout the season, we would joke about it. To my knowledge, he didn't know about the project and he gave me a call after he received the book to express his thanks. We talked about a lot of things and before we hung up, we joked that we would talk soon and get that interview done...

Now, I'd heard about the tragedy at the Indiana State Fair and although we hear about tragedies of all sorts every day, this one struck a chord, probably because I have many ties to the Hoosier State. On Sunday, my wife came out to the back yard where I was doing some work and told me my cell phone kept going off and that she read a text from my friend Gina, telling me that Andrea had been critically injured.

Here is a detailed news article from The Herald Bulletin of Anderson, Indiana

Here is a blog post by a friend of Andrea's worth reading

Suffice it to say, Andrea's a strong woman and everyone is praying hard for her, for Mike and Lydia, as well as the other victims of the stage collapse at the fairgrounds. Brahmas fans, they can use your prayers...please keep them in your thoughts.

In addition, there are bound to be some long term financial needs for the Vellinga family. I'd like you to consider giving anything you can, whenever you can, to assist. You can go to the Catalyst Church website here, find the Catalyst Online tab and select Vellinga Support. I've checked with Andrea's brother and this is a Vellinga family-approved fund.

I am planning an online auction of some Brahmas memorabilia, photographs, as well as some other CHL items from my personal collection to raise some money. I'll advise when and where you can go to bid.

Photo Credits: Robert Keith

Texas Brahmas 2011-12 schedule released

Season opens at home against Tulsa on October 22nd

The Texas Brahmas' 2011-12 schedule was released this afternoon reflecting a 66-game season opening at home on Saturday, October 22nd and closing at home on Sunday, March 25th. This is the first time the Brahmas will open and close a season at the NYTEX Sports Centre.

The schedule includes 28 home weekend dates (11 Friday, 11 Saturday and 6 Sunday games). The Brahmas will also include several new promotions for the upcoming campaign, including a “Pink in the Rink” game and backpack night. A promotional schedule will be released in the near future.

The Brahmas will make their first visits to the Dayton Gems, Evansville IceMen and Fort Wayne Komets for the first time and will host the Bloomington Blaze, Dayton Gems and Evansville IceMen at NYTEX for the first time. The Brahmas' schedule has them playing all CHL teams except for the Quad City Mallards.

The longest home stretch is six games, between February 25th and March 10th (Tulsa, Tulsa, Rio Grande Valley, Rio Grande Valley, Missouri, Laredo). If you consider the Allen Events Center close enough to home, then you can call the longest home stretch 10 games, between February 25th and March 18th.

The longest road trip is also six games and follows the Christmas break, from December 30th to January 14th (Wichita, Missouri, Arizona, Arizona, Rio Grande Valley, Rio Grande Valley).

As far as long-distance travel, the Brahmas will make the journey to Arizona twice - a three-game stint on November 17, 18, 19th and two games on January 6-7th during the aforementioned road trip. The boys will also travel to Fort Wayne, Dayton and Evansville on December 21, 22, 23rd, during the same trip.

Longest Distance to a Road Game (one-way): 1,031 miles (Prescott Valley, Arizona)

Shortest Distance to a Road Game (one-way): 50 miles (Allen, TX)

The team's lightest month is October, with just four games - three at home and one on the road. The toughest month is December, with 16 games scheduled - six at home and 10 on the road. Here's the per month breakdown:

October: 4 Games: 3 Home/1 Road; November: 11 Games: 5 Home/6 Road; December: 16 Games: 6 Home/10 Road; January: 11 Games: 5 Home/6 Road; February: 13 Games: 7 Home/6 Road; March: 11 Games: 7 Home/4 Road.

The Brahmas will play three games in three nights nine times this season.

The Brahmas will meet the Allen Americans 11 times with five games at NYTEX and six at the Allen Events Center. Two of the mid-season dates will encompass the continuing "North Texas Vintage Game Series". The Vintage Game Series reflects the historical past rivalries between teams in Tarrant and Dallas counties. The majority of the games between the cross-town rivals will be at the beginning and end of the season (Home: 10/28, 12/2, 12/3, 2/10, 3/18; Road: 12/16, 2/14, 2/21, 3/16, 3/17, 3/24).

The Brahmas will also play the Laredo Bucks 11 times and the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees 10 times. 30 games in total will be played between the four remaining Texas CHL teams.

Here is the per team break down:

Allen Americans - 11 Games (5 Home/6 Road)
Arizona Sundogs - 6 Games (1 Home/5 Road)
Bloomington Blaze - 2 Games (2 Home)
Dayton Gems - 2 Games (1 Home/1 Road)
Evansville IceMen - 2 Games (1 Home/1 Road)
Fort Wayne Komets - 1 Game (1 Road)
Laredo Bucks - 11 Games (5 Home/6 Road)
Missouri Mavericks - 3 Games (2 Home/1 Road)
Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees - 10 Games (5 Home/5 Road)
Tulsa Oilers - 9 Games (5 Home/4 Road)
Rapid City Rush - 1 Game (1 Home)
Wichita Thunder - 8 Games (5 Home/3 Road)

Here is the link to the Brahmas' schedule courtesy of Pointstreak.com

By the way, the playoff format this season is as follows:

- A total of eight of 14 teams will qualify for the post-season, consisting of four clubs from both the Berry and Turner Conferences. Both conference winners will be seeded 1st in their conference heading into the playoffs based on point totals. The next three highest teams in each conference’s regular season standings (based on point totals) will be seeded 2nd, 3rd and 4th in each conference and will also qualify for post-season play.

The playoffs will consist of three rounds:

Conference Semifinals – Best-of-7
Conference Finals – Best-of-7
CHL Championship Finals – Best-of-7

- The #1 seed will play the # 4 seed and the #2 seed will play the #3 seed in each conference with the winners advancing to the conference finals to battle for the respective Turner Trophy and N. Thomas Berry Trophy. The respective trophy winners will battle in the Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup Finals. Home ice advantage in the conference finals will be determined based on conference seeding.

- Home ice advantage in the Championship Finals will be awarded to the club with the higher regular season point total, regardless of any earlier playoff seeding.

Should two or more teams be tied in points for any seeding issue throughout the playoffs, the following tiebreakers will be used:

-Most Wins (not including shootout wins)
-Head-to-Head Record
-Goals For/Against Differential

Photo Credit: Robert Keith