Great opportunity for Keetley – Why are we helping Anaheim out?

From: CHon

Comments: Great opportunity of Keetley. One question – Why isn’t Elmira picking up the slack for Syracuse? We cut our ties with Anaheim way back and now we are trying to help them out. Is it because Elmira is doing well and they do not want to loose any ground in their run? Everytime an affiliate took one of our good players we were basically to it was a good opportunity for the player and to basically suck it up. I think it may be time for Elmira to suck it up and give the Condors more time to become a team.

As always, GO CONDORS!!!

Reply: Yes, it’s a bummer to lose him; he’s a big part of this team.

But first off, let’s not lose focus on your first point – it’s a great opportunity for Matt Keetley (going up to Syracuse). These players are playing every day with the hope that they will get an opportunity at the next level. Without that chance existing in the back of his mind, he might not even be playing at all. So when a team comes calling, coaches try to accommodate.

Second, Syracuse had already recalled the one goalie that they had playing at the AA level. So at that point, when they needed another goalie, they had to look around and find a goalie who was not under contract with another AHL or NHL team, and bring him up. When you look at it like that, it’s a tremendous compliment to Matt Keetley, a guy who has been at that level and has proven himself in that league, to be selected instead of all the other goalies out there.

Also, when players go up, all the other players notice where he came from. And it that sense, it also benefits the Condors in the long run, having guys know that even all the way out in California thousands of miles away from most AHL teams, that you can get called up, and also having a guy like Matt Keetley sitting in the dressing room in Syracuse saying good things about Bakersfield and playing in Condorstown.

-The Mailbag Guy