Weinrich is the prince-in-waiting for the Pirates head coaching position.

What’s that you say?

No way… How can you read the future?

No, I’m not reading tarot cards or trying see into any crystal ball, but sitting there at the press conference today, listening to both Managing Owner/CEO Brian Petrovek and Weinrich himself, I get the distinct notion that Weinrich will be with the Pirates for a very long time. (more…)

Portland, ME – The island of Newfoundland is known for many things.

Affectionately referred as “The Rock” – not to be compared with the other rock in San Francisco – St. John’s Newfoundland is very a picturesque place to visit with its quaint seaport and George St. – a place one must visit much like Portland’s Old Port.

Maybe that’s why the Portland Pirates felt so much at home during their weekend trip to “the rock” in March 1997. It reminded them of the comforts of Portland.

The Pirates playing back-to-back games at Memorial Stadium in St. John’s (former home of the St. John’s Maple Leafs) found themselves down in both games. Hard work and good timing with a little bit of luck helped the Pirates earn much the much needed points in their fight with the Springfield Falcons for a playoff berth in the Atlantic Division, making this one of the top-10 moments in franchise history. (more…)

Dineen will be staying with the Anaheim Ducks organization becoming the head coach of Ducks new AHL affiliate in Des Monies, Iowa.

Dineen, 45, will begin his first stint as a head coach in the AHL after spending the last several years as an assistant coach, including last season for the Pirates. Prior to coming to Portland, Dineen was the Director of Player Personnel and Assistant Coach for the San Antonio Rampage, Phoenix Coyotes AHL affiliate.

“I am very excited and flattered about being named the first head coach in Iowa Chops history,” said Dineen. “My experience with the Anaheim Ducks organization has been a very positive one thus far, and I look forward to continuing that relationship and put a successful team on the ice. We will be a reflection of the Anaheim Ducks with an up-tempo, in-your-face, physical style of hockey that will prepare and develop our players to win at the NHL level.”

Also joining Dineen will be Pirates assistant coach Matt Laatsch.

The Pirates are still looking for an assistant, but Pirates’ head coach Kevin Dineen said he hopes to have that completed within the next few weeks.

Bonneau (3/22/1985, 6’3”, 220 lbs.) split last season between Hamilton (AHL) and Cincinnati (ECHL), picking up five points (1+4) and 66 PIMs in 24 combined games.

Bonneau played junior hockey with Montreal and PEI (QMJHL) from 2002-05, finishing with 47 points (19+28) and 758 PIMs in 205 games.

A native of Baie-Comeau, Quebec, Bonneau was originally selected by Montreal in the eighth round (241st overall) of the 2003 Entry Draft.

Bouck spent last season with the Pirates under the Ducks affiliation where he scored 11 goals, 18 assists for 29 points, matching his career high in goal (11) in 79 games.

The 6-0, 196-pound native from Camrose, Alberta has played in 91 NHL games with Dallas, Phoenix and Vancouver. With such a young team, he will be an integral part of the Pirates line up for his veteran leadership, both in the locker room and on the ice.

With the addition, Mathieu Darche, Colin Murphy, Colton Fretter and now Bouck, the Sabres have made it loud and clear they want a veteran presence to help their prospects to learn and develop playing the professional game.

The Pirates will play 36 of their 40 games at the Cumberland County Civic Center, but they will once again play in Orono, taking on the Manchester Monarchs at Alfond Arena on December 9 at 7:00pm. They will also play two games at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée on November 14 against the Albany River Rats and again on March 14 against the Lowell Devils, both 7:00pm start times.

On February 14, Buffalo Sabres fans will get their first look at the Portland Pirates, new AHL affiliate of the Sabres, as they travel to HSBC Arena to face the Albany River Rats.

“The schedule has satisfied all of our objectives: great dates and variety at the Civic Center, the chance to bring our product to fans throughout the state, with home games in Lewiston and Orono, and the opportunity for Sabres fans to see their future stars in Buffalo as well,” said Pirates Managing Owner/CEO Brian Petrovek.

The Pirates will play 58 of their 80 games within their division over the course of the regular season and will play the remainder of their games against East Division opponents.

Portland will have 33 of their 40 games on Friday, Saturday with a new start time of 7:00pm and Sunday at 4:00pm.

Making a return to the schedule for the 14th season is the New Year’s Eve game at 5:30pm against the Norfolk Admirals and a game on Martin Luther King Day versus the Bridgeport Sound Tigers at 1:00pm.

The regular season for the Pirates will begin at home on Oct. 11 against the Manchester Monarchs.

Back in June, the Sabres believe they had their coach for the Pirates, but Randy Cunneyworth, who coached the Sabres’ affiliate in Rochester, NY for the last eight seasons, was hired by the Atlanta Thrashers on July 24, leaving the Sabres looking for a new man to guide their prospects.

Sabres GM Darcy Regier only interviewed one candidate for the position. (more…)

They also announced they signed forward Colton Fretter.

Fretter,26, split last season between Bridgeport and Chicago in the AHL, scoring 15 points (10+5) in 26 games. In 2006-07, the 5-10, 187-pound forward had 68 points (36+32) in 51 games with Gwinnett (ECHL). Fretter played his college hockey at Michigan State, picking up 112 points (43+69) in 159 games during a four-year collegiate career from 2002-06. A native of Harrow, Ont., Fretter was originally selected by Atlanta in the eighth round of the 2002 Entry Draft.

Murphy,28, spent the last three seasons with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2005. Last season he finished with 38 points (11+27) and 152 PIMs in 68 games. The native of Fort McMurray, Alta., posted career highs in goals (20), assists (36) and points (56) during the 2006-07 season. Murphy averaged more than a point per game during four years at Michigan Tech, collecting 152 points (54+98) in 145 games from 2001-05.

For much of the time, Kevin Dineen has been seen as the front running candidate for job after Randy Cunneyworth accepted the assistant coaching position with the Atlanta Thrashers. It’s expected that Dineen will be announced tomorrow as the head coach of the Portland Pirates, remaining with a team where he spent the last three seasons as the head coach of the AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks. During that span, he guided the team to the Eastern Conference Finals in two of those three seasons, winning the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award for AHL Coach of the Year in 05′-06′.

In three seasons, Dineen is 135-76-13-16 behind the bench of the Portland Pirates.

The Sabres have yet to make the contract signing official, but it’s reportedly a one-year, two-way contract.

Murphy, 28, undrafted, spent the last four seasons in the Toronto Maple Leafs farm system, playing for St. John’s before the team relocated to Toronto in 2005.

Last season, he played 68 games, scoring 11 goals and 27 assists for 38 points with 153 PIM’s (penalties in minutes).

The 6-0, 195-pound native from Fort McMurray, Alberta played four years at Michigan Tech University, scoring 152 points (54g, 98a) in 145 games. He was a finalist for the Hobey Baker in 2005 along with other former Pirates Dov Grumet-Morris and David McKee.