New look Cottonmouths set to open 2016-17 season

The Columbus Cottonmouths drop the puck on the 2016-17 Southern Professional Hockey League regular season Friday night in Macon against the Mayhem.

The Snakes have an entirely new look this season. Not only have the Cottonmouths adopted a new logo, but only eight of 18 players on the opening night roster for Columbus played with the team last season.

Here’s a position by position preview of the Snakes heading into this weekend’s action.

Goaltender

Second-year pro Brandon Jaeger, last season’s SPHL All-Rookie Team selection in net, returns to the Cottonmouths and will start Friday’s contest at Macon. He is joined at goaltender by rookie Alex Larson.

Shannon Szabados, who made her mark as a Cottonmouth over the past two-plus seasons as the first woman to play in the SPHL, was signed by the Peoria Rivermen in the offseason.

“Jags looked really good Saturday night,” Snakes head coach Jerome Bechard said. “He made some good saves, and he looks confident and ready to go. I’m happy with him.

“I think Alex has a lot of potential. I think he needs to calm down and find a rhythm. He was very nervous on Friday (a 5-4 exhibition loss at Macon). I told him not to worry about anything he can’t control, just play like he can.”

Defense

Captain Kyle Johnson returns to anchor the blue line for his fifth professional season, all of them spent in Columbus. Besides Johnson, only Alex Pompeo returns from last season’s Snakes squad. They are joined by first-year pros Ben Bauer, Cody Castro, David Watt, and Spencer Galbraith, the latter of whom arrived in Columbus just Thursday morning.

“With Johnny and Castro, two big defensemen, I expect them to throw their bodies around,” Bechard said. “Bauer is a good skater and will play physical too. With Pomps back, not that he’s a veteran, but the two weeks in (ECHL) South Carolina helped him know his ability. He’s so strong on his feet and a good skater; I’m looking to have good things from him. David Watt is offensive-minded; I see a little Mike Switzer in him.

“(Spencer) was actually in Stony Plains last year playing senior hockey with (former Cottonmouth) Bryce Williamson and Ryan Smyth from the Oilers. He’s a young guy who played a little in the WHL. I saw him in practice (Thursday) for the first time, and has a bomb for a shot.

“After last weekend, I was worried about the D core, but I think we’re alright back there.”

Forward

With the arrival of Galbraith, Bechard was able to move Craig Simchuk, who played defense in the two exhibition games last weekend, back to his more familiar role of forward. Andy Bathgate, Chad Bennett, Dylen McKinlay, and Ben O’Quinn join Simchuk as the five returning forwards from last season’s team. They are joined by rookie newcomers Keegan Bruce, Derek Gingera, Evan Neugold, Riley Spraggs, and Jonathan Turk.

“I really like what I have at forward,” Bechard said. “With Ben O’Quinn and Andy Bathgate, we looked for them to be offensive guys last year, but between injuries and callups, we didn’t really have a whole lot of support staff with them. Those two guys came in with a lot better attitude than they did last year. Keegan Bruce is on their line and looks really sharp. They made some nice tic-tac-toe plays over the weekend and didn’t get rewarded for it, but I could see some good things happening with that line.

“Jonathan Turk, along with Simchuk and Riley Spraggs, took this week to get to know each other. They looked pretty dynamic, and you throw Simmer out there to create some room for there and let them create some plays.

“Neugold is a horse down low in the defensive zone coverage. He has great hands and a great shot. I’ve got him (on a line) with Derek Gingera, Dylen McKinlay, and Chad Bennett. We’ll just see where those guys go. I’ll have to spot some guys in (that line), but I think we have a good start.”

Overall, Bechard is looking to create a more high-energy, up-tempo team than last season. The Cottonmouths missed the playoffs for the first time in their 12-year SPHL history and set a league mark for offensive futility, scoring a record-low 124 goals over the course of the 56-game regular season last year.

“I think we’re going to score goals,” Bechard said. “What I saw over the weekend that I liked the most was our work ethic. Our guys backchecked as hard as they were going offensively, and that was something that didn’t happen last year. I think we’re really committed to team defense as well.

“I’m really excited about the group of guys in the locker room as a whole.”

The Cottonmouths return to Columbus for their home opener Saturday night at 7:30 p.m., also against Macon, at the Columbus Civic Center.

Roster

2016-17 Schedule

This story was originally published October 20, 2016 at 8:20 PM with the headline "New look Cottonmouths set to open 2016-17 season."