THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 8, 1996 TAG: 9610080458
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY HARRY MINIUM, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: YORK LENGTH: 58 lines
Most hockey coaches say you can't have too much talent in training camp, but the defensemen in camp this week for the Hampton Roads Admirals might be an exception.
Two weeks ago, assistant coach and general manager Al MacIsaac began turning away defensemen he might have courted last season. He already had too many good defenders on his roster, and the Admirals' parent Portland Pirates may send another defenseman or two.
All nine defenders in camp have glowing resumes. Most stand 6-foot-1 or taller. All have impressed in the four practice sessions held so far at the Ice Palace. But on Monday, when the Admirals make their cuts, three will be gone.
``We're going to have to let some defenders go who are good players, guys who can play in this league,'' head coach John Brophy said with a shrug. ``You just hope you make the right choices. It won't be easy.''
Two defensemen had made the team before camp opened Sunday. Chris Phelps (6-1, 195 pounds) was an All-ECHL pick the last two seasons and is under contract to Portland. And Joel Theriault (6-3, 201) was assigned to the Admirals by the Washington Capitals.
Christian Gosselin (6-4, 210) was a fifth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils in the 1994 entry draft and also appears to have won a spot.
Mike Larkin (6-3, 215) and Claude Fillion (6-2, 207) starred last season for the Admirals before being sidelined by injuries. Rich Bronilla (6-1, 215) is another returnee who played well last season.
Rob MacInnis (6-1, 200) is a 31-year-old veteran who played well in Portland's camp and has experience in the AHL and in Europe. Brophy wooed him away from Utica of the Colonial Hockey League.
Roy Gray (5-10, 185) played for the Ottawa 67s, a tough major junior team, and has drawn praise from Brophy for his toughness.
Chad Ackerman (5-9, 190) may be the team's shortest defenseman, but he stood tall in Portland's camp, drawing praise from coach Barry Trotz.
Ackerman, Phelps, MacInnis, Larkin and Theriault played in four exhibitions for the Pirates, and MacInnis said that gives them an advantage. Brophy and MacIsaac were in Portland's camp.
``Broph's seen us play in at a level truly higher than the level here,'' he said. ``And we seemed to hold our own up there. I knew when we were in Portland that we were going to have a great defense here.''
MacIsaac said the coaches are far from deciding who will stay and who will go. Because the team is playing no exhibitions, Brophy schedules at least one full-scale scrimmage per day to give the players a daily chance to impress.
``Somebody is going to get their heart broken,'' MacIsaac said.
PERSONNEL MATTERS: Forward Joel Poirier, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, and Phelps, out with a groin pull, did not practice. Trainer Stu Bender says both could return soon. . . . Jason MacIntyre, a popular defenseman who played the last three seasons and was expected back for training camp, instead is playing in the Western Professional Hockey League. . Admirals star Trevor Halverson has made the Pirates. He spent half of last season in the IHL with Indianapolis and Las Vegas. by CNB