Slowly but surely, the Guelph Storm roster is taking shape.
It’s not a work of art yet, but the outline looks pretty good.
Last Friday they added Dom Commisso, a point-a-game overage centre who also has 21 games of playoff experience under his belt. Guelph’s previous overage acquisition, Jack Hanley, has 28 playoff games on his resume.
That playoff experience was a very relevant factor in both being brought to Guelph, a team with very little collective post-season experience.
The acquisition of Commisso gives them the strong two-way centre they needed and allowed other players to slide into roles they are more suited for.
The ripple effect is always important to note.
It only took about three shifts to see the broader picture of Commisso’s worth during his Storm debut last Friday, where his extra effort on the back check helped break up a couple of Sarnia Sting rushes.
There are also some early indications that Commisso could help fuel Tag Bertuzzi’s productivity.
Bertuzzi has bounced around with linemates so far in his young career, but he and Commisso seem to be showing some early chemistry that could lead to the line stability most players crave.
This week they moved spare defenceman Anthony Aguanno to Kingston for Freddie Charles (aka: future considerations).
Aguanno’s fate was pretty much sealed with the acquisition of Hanley and the drafting of defencemen Daniil Chayka and Zack Terry by the Storm in the first two rounds of this year’s draft. There just wasn't a spot for him here.
Aguanno, a former third-round pick, deserves a chance to play and it’s good for all concerned that he’ll get that opportunity with the Frontenacs.
The roster is still a work in progress.
It’s only six games into the season, but until until goaltender Anthony Popovich and third overager Zach Poirier get on track, there are going to be questions about their future here.
But they control that narrative. This is a team making a run for a title, not one that’s main goal is developing players for future seasons.
Play good and stay. Don’t and you will be replaced. It’s not rocket science.
The Storm still likely has to add another veteran defenceman at some point and a blockbuster for a star player closer to the deadline remains a definite possibility.
But there is plenty of time to evaluate and decide just if and where those needs are.
