The day I never expected has arrived. The final Running With the Herd Podcast has been recorded. In our final episode ever, JP and I finally have an opportunity to discuss what happened way back on February 5th, talk about what’s next, and close it out with a fun little Rampage History game (which JP slays).

Additionally, we were joined by Patrick Williams for an awesome interview. Patrick is the MAN when it comes to everything AHL. He hosts the Around the A podcast and is the AHL beat writer for NHL.com. If you’d like to give just the interview a listen, without having to listen to the two of us lament about our team and ramble on, you’re in luck!

Again, everyone here at Running With the Herd are forever grateful to everyone who had a hand in making this website what it was. Everyone who has contributed content, the folks at SSE who did not hesitate when we asked for access to the team, and, most importantly, to our readers, followers, listeners, and fans. None of this would’ve been possible without your support.

We are sad to say good-bye. We will miss all of this. We don’t know what the future holds regarding hockey in San Antonio. We may be back some day. Until then, stay safe and for one final time…

LETS GO RAMPAGE!

I have had 24 hours to process the news that blew up my phone when I wrapped up practice yesterday at about 5:30pm. Direct messages, texts, and Facebook messages filled with apologies, condolences, and curse words…many, many curse words. I knew this day could possibly come, but nothing prepared for reading those words tweeted out by the Vegas Golden Knights and later the Rampage themselves.

Right in the damn gut. A blindside, sucker punch from the team to which I have committed so much of my personal time, thousands of dollars, and pretty much every ounce of my sports fandom over the last 13 years.

So, just what in the hell happened? According to local news sources–many of which probably had to be told where the Rampage offices were–Spurs Sports & Entertainment were losing upwards of $2 millions annually on the team. At first glance this seems…high, but affiliation fees are not cheap and travel is even worse. Paying for flights, charter buses, and hotels for up to 30 people every time you leave town will definitely make a dent in any organization’s pocket book.

Would it surprise me to hear that a million-dollar corporation inflated some numbers, using fuzzy math, to make the sale of an asset more palpable? Good Lord, no. Are you paying attention to what’s happening in this country? That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the team operated in the red every season of its existence. At some point, any organization is going to examine how to mitigate losses. It just so happened that the NHL’s newest darling franchise came calling two weeks ago and now we are sitting here with jerseys and hats and t-shirts that will be considered “retro” in about two months.

What Went Wrong

1. The on-ice product has never been consistently good. In fact, outside of four playoff seasons and maybe one or two more hard luck seasons, its been downright bad. Taking a loss on a successful sports team is easier to swallow then one that consistently finishes at the bottom of the standings.
2. When the AHL and NHL switched from the competitive league of the past to the developmental league it is today, the geography just didn’t make sense long term. NHL teams had a philosophy shift about 5 seasons ago. Having an affiliate with a 2-3-hour drive, or even sharing the same building, became the preferred standard. With only one NHL team in Texas, the Rampage were an afterthought more often than not. First it was Phoenix, and later Florida, leaving for Portland to reduce travel time. Then, the Avalanche came and went when they were able to purchase the ECHL Colorado Eagles. In every one of these instances, the Rampage were, in my opinion, looked at as the last kid picked in the kickball game. This isn’t sustainable long term. It also is a terrible way to build interest in the game, but I digress…
3. I started this blog in 2010 because I saw an opportunity. The local media didn’t cover this team, and even worse, didn’t seem to care that it existed. You cannot grow a long-term business without exposure and this is something this franchise battled from the beginning. When you aren’t the Cowboys or the Spurs, you are “persona non grata” in San Antonio. And those teams wouldn’t want it any other way.

I could probably list three or four more, but that wouldn’t be healthy for anyone, especially me. The bottom line is; the team is gone in 30 games. For good. They aren’t coming back. And that is a tough pill to swallow for this, and many other Rampage, hockey fans.

I’ve attended almost every game over the last 13 seasons, either as a fan or as media. I poured my heart and soul and sacrificed a lot for this team. My wife and I fell in love over the course of the 2006-7 season before we had tickets. One of our first dates was the 2006 home opener against Grand Rapids. We have watched babies grow into children, young children into young men and women. We have made friends and I have made enemies because I don’t know when to bite my tongue.

I have seen many say this news is like losing a loved one, and while I can definitely relate to that, for me this is the twilight of a relationship, that wasn’t necessarily healthy to begin with. I can honestly say I put far more effort into this relationship than the other side ever did. When things were dire, when things were bleak, I was always there. I have defended this organization at nearly every turn on social media and I thought they had my back.

To have that “partner” turn around and tell me, “I am grateful you’ve been around this whole time, but I’ve found someone else”, that’s a knife in the back.

It’s like a bad episode of Snapped.

I understand the logic behind this. I understand the business side of things. The timing is where my disconnect kicks in. We were done dirty, Rampage fans. They still took payments on season tickets for next season. Hell, the team sent out an email asking us to buy jerseys for hundreds—sometimes thousands—of dollars the day before the sale was announced.

I’ll wait while you read that last sentence again…

That’s a money grab and is, at best, disrespectful to those people who committed to, what was in all honesty, a pretty terrible franchise for almost two decades. Why couldn’t this be announced after the season, instead of making us show up 12 more times to watch a lame duck franchise finish in last place. Again.

So, in 2 months, this website will go dark. The podcast that JP and I busted our asses on will go dark. RampageNate will cease to be and my Twitter will go dark. Worst of all, my passion for AHL hockey, the trade deadline, the NHL draft, and player development has been ripped from me and will go dark.

I have repeatedly said, “When the Rampage finally go on a deep playoff run, all these years of frustration will all be worth it. I can say I was there in the dark times and now I can celebrate the good times”.

What a shame that will never happen.

Thank you to everyone who has followed me on this journey, both on and offline. Thank you to my followers and loyal readers. Thank you to our listeners of the Running With the Herd podcast. Thank you to Dan Weiss, Brian McCormack, and Tony Uminski. Thank you to Nate and Anthony and Frank and, most recently Alex, for making this time of my life worth every penny. Thank you to JP for getting this hobby on track and to Topher for his contributions. Finally, thank you to my best friend, Angela for being my hockey partner for the last 13 seasons, and for giving me the support and freedom to pursue this dream of mine, even if it ended up going nowhere. Kind of like my once favorite hockey team.

For professional athletes, the logic behind the number they wear can run a wide spectrum of reasons. It can range from being the year a player is born, to acting as a tribute to a favorite athlete as a youngster, or simply getting that number as a rookie and sticking with it.

For yours truly, I have two numbers that have a deep meaning to me personally.

First, when I started getting involved in sports where I could actually choose a number–before this I was just happy to be on the team so I took what was available–the UNLV basketball team had all graduated to the NBA. Stacey Augmon was my favorite athlete that wasn’t a Wolverine, a Piston, or a Red Wing, and the big three of Augmon, Larry Johnson, and Greg Anthony all wore the #2 as pros. This is the first time I remember the number having a special meaning to me, but it has stuck with my for 30 years now.

The second number was given to me as a young airman fresh out of technical training by my squadron First Sergeant and Intramural Softball coach. As my first true mentor in the USAF, I can still remember him coaching third or hollering words of encouragement from the dugout.

“ATTA WAY, DOUBLE NICKEL!” still brings a smile to my face.

When I arrived to San Antonio and started attending games, the Rampage had a big stay-at-home defenseman who not only wore #55, but also shared a name with my 3 year old son. Logan Stephenson’s game worn jersey was the first (of many) I would buy over the next four seasons.

For Rampage forward Nathan Walker it was simply a matter of what he’s had since he entered professional hockey.

Ryan Olsen’s number is a tribute to a Hall Of Fame “Mighty Duck”.

Mike Vecchione couldn’t get his favorite number, so he used that as an opportunity to pay tribute to his dad.

Speaking of the #58, I was also able to chat with Nolan Stevens about his offseason switch to more of a “hockey number”.

There is no single recipe for number selection. Some come with stories, some don’t. Some players are passionate about their numbers, while many are indifferent. One thing you can count on, seniority will always play a role inside a locker room when it comes to numbers. Jake Dotchin is holding on to a popular number, but as long as he’s on the roster, the younger guys are going to have to wait to fight it out for his 21.

Huge stick taps to Brian McCormack for the assist on the audio.

Photo by Art Foxall/Getty Images

This Friday, the long lost Iguanas and Dragons of San Antonio make their return and JP and I are here to talk about it. We talk about hockey too, but mostly we talk about low dollar, high energy, terrible hockey. We talk about what’s going well for the silver and black, what can be improved upon after 11 games, and look ahead to a weekend with the Admirals.

We will try to return for another show before Christmas break. I’m kidding, we’ll be back soon. If the Rampage keep playing like this, we may even make this a weekly thing again.

The boys of winter in south Texas have returned and and so have the boys at Running With the Herd. We kicked off season seven of the podcast in style last night as we discussed the opening night roster and made our preseason Herdies predictions. We also talk jerseys, answer some Twitter questions and even throw in a little six-man football talk!

Opening night is tonight and we couldn’t be happier to see hockey make it’s return to San Antonio. If you (like me) can’t make it to the games, all action can be heard on the Ticket760 or streamed online at AHLTV.

Darren Abate/AHL

The schedule for the 2019-20 AHL season was released this afternoon meaning it’s time to take a deep dive into all the ins and outs and overreact to, well, pretty much everything. There are some interesting tidbits on the Rampage schedule (Link).

First and foremost, the Rampage will not play any AHL teams based in California. This should help alleviate some travel issues from the past few seasons.

Secondly, NEW TEAMS! Granted, it’s only two, but this season sees the return of two teams we haven’t seen in quite some time. The Toronto Marlies will visit San Antonio for the first time since they left the Western Conference back in 2015. Additionally, the Rampage will face off against the Wilkes-Barre Penguins for the first time since 2009. Patrick Williams hinted at more inter-conference play for teams in the Central. Color this fan shocked that San Antonio is on that list.

Breaking It Down

The Rampage will face off against every divisional foe eight times (four at home and four on the road) with the exception of Texas, whom they will play 12 times (six and six). Along with the previously mentioned Pens and Marlies, the team will also face the Tucson Roadrunners and Colorado Eagles four times each, rounding out the 76 game schedule.

The season begins October 4th, at home, against Manitoba and wraps up on April 11th against the Stars, also at home. In between the schedule breaks down as follows:

By Month

October – 4 home/5 away
November – 8 home/5 away
December – 5 home/7 away
January – 9 home/ 2 away
February – 1 home/ 10 away (Rodeo Road Trip month)
March – 7 home/ 7 away
April – 4 home/2 away

Home Games by Day

Friday – 11
Saturday – 8
Sunday – 9
Weeknights – 10

Longest Homestand – 8 games from Jan 3 – Jan 21
Longest Road Trip – 10 games from Feb 5 – Feb 26 (Rodeo Trip)
Mid-Week Day Games – 4(!) Two at home in a 3 week period (Nov 12 and Dec 4) and two on the road in Chicago on Dec 17th and in Milwaukee on Mar 11th.

The Rampage have a single “3 in 3” this season, while on their Rodeo Trip starting on Feb 21st with a game in Rockford, followed by a pair of games at Grand Rapids the following two days.

The Rodeo Trip ended up being as favorable as a ten game road trip can be. First, they play every game in either the central (8) or eastern time zone (2) and, secondly, they will get to come home for a solid week right in the middle of the trip. After playing in Des Moines on Tuesday Feb 11th, the Rampage play a two game set in Cedar Park that weekend, and won’t have to leave Texas again until they play in Rockford on Feb 21st.

The 2020 season will wrap up, as has become tradition, with a home and home with the rival Stars on the final weekend. This past season saw the Rampage spoil the Stars playoff hopes in the final week. Hopefully, there won’t be a need for revenge as the Rampage will be safely in the playoffs. Hey…we can dream, right?

It’s our Mid-Summer episode of the Running With the Herd Podcast. On this special edition, JP and I talk Stanley Cup, Free Agency, and discuss recent news and events related to our beloved Rampage. We also bid farewell to a fan favorite and briefly talk about schedules, uniforms, and goalies.

We will be back for a quickie episode should any major news break over the rest of the summer. If not, we will see you all when training camp opens on another season of Rampage hockey.

I’ll save you the typical press release info of where they played and how many points they scored. That information is easily found with a cursory google search. Or you can just look RIGHT HERE. What I will (try to) provide, is a quick one or two sentence statement about each player and then an overall view of the signings as a whole.

NHL 2-Way Deals

Chris O’Meara/AP

Jake Dotchin (RD)  6’3″ 210
Big, physical right handed shot with plenty of AHL/NHL experience. Had some weight issues in Tampa Bay last fall which led to his contract being terminated, but bounced back to split the season between San Diego and Anaheim.

Image Courtesy of Zimbio

Nick Lappin (LW)  6’1″ 175
Former 30 goal scorer who seemed to regress last season and wore out his welcome with the Devils. Has a little bit of skill, but needs to work on his game away from the puck.

Dan Toulgoet / Vancouver Courier

Derrick Pouliot (LD)  6’0″ 207
Point producing Dman at the AHL level. Former 8th overall draft pick has been an NHL regular since 2017, but struggles defensively. Could compete for an extra D spot with the Blues.

Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images

Mike Vecchione (C,RW)  5’10” 194
Versatile forward and former Hobey Baker runner-up. Smart and offensively gifted, just hasn’t managed to put it all together yet.

Nathan Walker (LW)  5’9″ 186
First Australian ever to play in the NHL, Walker is small and skilled but doesn’t shy away from the hysical side of the game. Good on the power play and comes with a ton of experience.

NHL ELC

Ethan Polei (LW)  6’2″ 229
Polei signed as an undrafted free agent with Bakersfield in 2017. He is a bruising LW who, in a rare case, got 83 games of AHL experience before signing a 2 year ELC.

AHL Deals

Cam Darcy (C)  6’0″ 185
Bottom six AHL player who will provide decent depth for the Rampage. Decent all-around player who has scored 20 plus points the last two seasons with Utica.

Jacob Kupferman

Zach Nastasiuk (RW)  6’2″ 202
Has spent his entire career bouncing between the AHL and ECHL with Detroit and Carolina organizations. Ended up with four points in 19 playoff games during the Checkers Calder Cup run this spring. Depth signing.

Photo courtesy @JJPiccinich

J.J. Piccinich (RW)  6’0″ 185
Hard working defensive specialist who can produce offense at lower levels. Another solid depth piece with a winning pedigree as JJ helped the Newfoundland Growlers capture the Kelly Cup this spring.

My Thoughts

Not long after the Charlotte Checkers raised the Calder Cup, I took a deep dive into the roster construction of the last two Cup winners. I noticed a trend. Successful AHL teams don’t rely on high powered AHL hired guns to win anymore. Teams need balance in their rosters between the NHL prospects and veterans that play specific roles on the team. Those prospects need to “carry the water” so to speak. In years past, we have seen NHL teams attempt to load up the Rampage with All-Star caliber players only to see those teams, and players, fail miserably.

This year’s signings signal a trend, to me, that the Blues are using the blueprint to AHL success. Obviously, much still depends on which, if any, prospects may graduate this fall, but leaving the team in the hands of Jordan Kyrou, Klim Kostin, and Mitch Reinke isn’t the worst idea in the world.

More importantly, there is a very obvious common theme with most of these signings. Winning. Two players (Nastasiuk & Piccinich) are coming directly off championships while others come from successful AHL and NHL franchises. Nathan Walker was a “Black Ace” with the Capitals last spring and played for one of the benchmark franchises in the AHL, Hershey, for five seasons. Mike Vecchione spent his rookie season with the second best team in the AHL, Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Ethan Polei spent the 2018-19 season with Bakersfield who, at one time, had a 17 game winning streak and won the Pacific Division.

Bringing in veteran players that know what it takes to win to play alongside a group of players who just experienced a Stanley Cup victory, should, hopefully, have strong positive effects on the silver and black.

So, What’s Next?

A lot will depend on training camp, injuries, and RFA contracts, but the Rampage currently have 15-16 forwards, 5-6 defensemen, and 2 goalies tentatively slotted into the roster. They are going to need a couple more defensemen and another goalie at a minimum. Lots of time left in the summer and there could still be a minor trade pulled off to take care of these needs. Stay tuned…

I’ve put together a list of all players who suited up for at least 10 games last season with the Rampage (or those newly signed to ELCs) and their current contract status* or transaction news. I will update all summer as signings/trades happen. Be sure to bookmark this page and check back often as this information will change quickly once July 1 hits.

Ed: I went ahead and removed those players who I feel have graduated to the NHL full time (Blais, Binnington)

*All contract info courtesy capfriendly

Players Under Contract

Newly Acquired Players

Signed Elsewhere/Remain Unsigned/Traded

Note: All Entry Level Contracts (ELC) are Two-Way contracts.

* denotes player is eligible for arbitration

Italics denotes player’s rights are held by STL but did not play with Rampage in 2018-19

Last Updated: July 25, 2019

The 2018-19 season wrapped up three weeks ago with another Rampage squad failing to make the playoffs. That doesn’t mean our work at RWtH is done, however. We needed to hand out some hardware for the season and talk about what went wrong.

In our season episode of the Running With the Herd Podcast, JP, Topher, and Nate sit down to discuss the final weeks of the season, hand out the prestigious “Herdies” awards, and talk about a couple of things we did like about this otherwise forgettable season.

The crew is going to join the team on the beaches and golf courses for a couple of months, but we will be back in mid-July for our “Mid-Summer Spectacle” episode to break down the draft, free agency, and any other important nuggets.

Until then, keep your eyes peeled right here at runningwiththeherd.com for the annual offseason player tracker and any other worthwhile breaking news.

Happy Summering everyone!