Bingo Bites: Prospects, Training Camp & City Is Ranked

After taking some time off during the summer, I'm ready to get back into the groove of things once again with hockey just around the corner. The Bites are bringing live coverage and up to date news covering the Binghamton Senators.

Three topics to cover: first the fine folks at ESPN passed along their thoughts on the Senators Organization featuring prospects in the system. Next, it appears there will be no training camp yet once again on the home front. And finally a feel good report on the city itself as it continues to evolve forward with professional sports in the forefront.

Sens Prospects Ranking

Here are the latest evaluations of the prospects according to ESPN with Ottawa at #23, same position as last season;

A quality 2015 draft class and strong progression from a number of prospects over the past year have made the Ottawa system quite deep in talent at the pro and amateur levels. There isn't a true top-flight prospect in the system, after the graduation of Curtis Lazar, but overall, there is talent at every position, with guys such as Colin White, Thomas Chabot and Mikael Wikstrand scratching the upper echelon.

I don't know what the procedure or process is in this report unless you witness such prospects first hand. Nonetheless, it's still a fair evaluation as the organization is a work in progress with Lazar, White, Chabot and Wikstrand. At the head of the class down in Binghamton are Shane Prince, Matt Puempel, Fredrik Claesson and Chris Wideman as all remain unproven at the next level.

Here are the Top 5 teams provided by ESPN Inside writer Corey Pronman;

#1 Edmonton

#2 Toronto

#3 Buffalo

#4 Arizona

#5 NY Islanders

No Camp In Bingo? Again?
It appears training camp will not be taking place in Binghamton yet for another year. While other teams have already announced their pre-season schedule, the only word of such an event to take place for the B-Sens will be against a college team up in Ottawa on the 28th of Sep. versus the Carleton Ravens. I have nothing against the fine people and athletes of Carleton University, but really? Perhaps next they can play a game against Matt O'Connor's Terriers up in Boston as part of a homecoming party of sorts.

Instead, the club's new additions will have to arrive in Binghamton and make last minute adjustments to call the city home for the next eight months, all while finding a place to settle down in their new surroundings. B-Sens last camp to take place at home was during the 2012 NHL lockout, as last year it was held in Ottawa once again with pre-season games held overseas by invitation from the Syracuse Crunch.

Am I whining? You bet. I'd like to take a look at the new players as well as checking out how far the seasoned ones are coming off their off-season. I'm not really totally against camp taking place in Ottawa, but let's have some pre-season contests closer to home. Please.

EDIT; The team announced there will indeed be training camp in Binghamton beginning Sep 28, along with two pre-season contests with the Rochester Americans, Oct 1st and Oct 3rd at home.

Sports Town

Turning the page, Binghamton was ranked 13th out of 229 cities in the USA, (while 212 ended up qualifying) as the best minor league sports market, moving up ten slots from the last study in 2013. The survey has been taken every other year since 2005 by SportsBusiness Daily and their criteria involves the following;

Each market’s total score is the result of three category-specific measures: tenure rank, attendance rank and economic rank.

Nice to be recognized on a national scale as Binghamton as a whole remains healthy on a professional sports level rich in history with both hockey (40+ years) and B-Mets baseball (20+ yrs) as well as Binghamton University showcasing Division I sports. Both teams have won club championships, (numerous ones for the B-Mets) and the Senators' home Arena has gone under extensive renovations and upgrades over the last two years which surely played a part on the level of both professional clubs' results.

38 days and counting 'til puck drop!

*Cover Pic Courtesy of Alicia Strauch.