Topeka RoadRunners Offseason 101: Pre Draft Camp

People who are close to the game realize something that the casual fan may not be aware of.  There is no such thing as an “offseason.” The business of junior hockey is a twelve-month endeavor with eyes always looking forward, seeking the players who will one day have the privilege of wearing the RoadRunner logo.

The RoadRunners have a small battalion of dedicated scouts who are constantly on the lookout for the caliber of player who will gel with the vision and goals of RoadRunner hockey. It’s not always about finding the player that scores the most goals. A player’s character goes a long way and can make the difference between being invited to Topeka or staying home. Our scouts are almost never in the spotlight but are a vital part of the operation. The RoadRunner coaches attend various events throughout the season, and in the summer as well, to help identify and recruit these players.

Not every skater who comes to camp expects to make the team. A lot of players who are a year or two away from eligibility will attend to measure themselves against some of the older, better players. The benefit of attending a camp is opportunity. A player will be seen not only by the RoadRunners staff but also coaches and scouts from Tier 3 and Midget AAA teams who attend. This affords even more options for players who can’t quite crack the Topeka roster but can still contribute to a team in a different league.

The RoadRunners have two camps planned this summer. This first, held in Somerset, WI, is termed a “pre-draft” camp because it is exactly that; a camp for players to show their skills before the NAHL Entry Draft on June 4, 2013. It is an open camp, meaning that players from anywhere are welcome to register and attend. The number of attendees can vary but generally over 100 skaters will attend. The players get divided into several teams, play a number of games while scouts and coaches watch and appraise. From these games, players who have stood out over the weekend are selected for two all-star teams and given an extra opportunity to impress during a final game on the last day of camp. After the all-star game, coaches meet with the players for personal exit interviews. A one-on-one opportunity for players to receive constructive criticism and advice from the coaching staff.

And as with everything that the RoadRunners do, the Pre-Draft Camp is a complete team effort. Scouts help coach during games, members of the regular season off-ice-official crew keep score and run the clock and the team equipment manager makes sure all the skates are sharp and the uniforms ready. It’s all hands on deck during the offseason and the Pre-Draft Camp is no different.

Offseason 101 continues next week with The NAHL Draft. Make sure to be in class on time and bring an apple for the teacher, would ya?

Metro North Mall redeveloper aims for makeover by 2015

By Rob Roberts

Metro North Mall owner MD Management Inc. plans to complete redevelopment of the long-distressed retail site as a one-story, two-anchor enclosed mall by fall 2015.

Garry Hayes, MD Realty director of leasing, updated members of the Clay County Economic Development Council on the mall plans during a strategic planning meeting Wednesday at the Shoal Creek Golf Club.

Hayes said redevelopment of the mall, located at U.S. Highway 169 and Barry Road, would cost at least $200 million. It will increase to three the number of enclosed malls serving a metropolitan area once served by 11.

Though Oak Park Mall and Independence Center have been the only two survivors from that group, Hayes said extensive market research had found demand for a new enclosed mall in the Northland.

"People say the lifestyle center is the mall of the future," Hayes said. "But if you poll the public, you will hear the opposite."

The shopping public demands more climate-controlled retail experiences, he said. But the new Metro North Mall, which will get a new name due to the negative perception attached to the current one, "won't be your grandmother's mall," Hayes said.

To compete with Internet shopping, next-generation malls must include attractions that generate excitement, he said. Hayes said MD Management was still researching the types of attractions to include at Metro North but mentioned two — a courtyard for events in front of the new mall and a theater/entertainment complex behind it — during Wednesday's meeting.

He also shared PowerPoint slides of the new mall concept, which calls for 900,000 to 950,000 square feet of retail space within a curved mall layout and pad sites.

Opened in 1976 as a two-level, four-anchor enclosed mall covering 1.3 million square feet, Metro North had sunk to 17.3 percent occupancy and a single anchor, Macy's, when planning for the redevelopment effort began three years ago.

The project was delayed by the reluctance of ZR Metro LLC, a partnership affiliated with ownership of Zona Rosa, to let go of the former Dillard's site at Metro North. ZR Metro LLC acquired the site in 2008, when Dillard's moved its Metro North store five miles west to Zona Rosa, a mixed-use development that opened in 2004. But the Planned Industrial Expansion Authority of Kansas City, which granted MD Management development rights for the Metro North site in 2010, subsequently condemned the Dillard's site and prevailed in a 2012 lawsuit through which ZR Metro LLC sought to block the forced sale of the property.

Hayes declined to divulge the purchase price for the site, which includes the old Dillard's building and 14 acres. But he told the Clay County EDC that "we now have full control of the 106 acres," including the Dillard's site.

Hayes said all of the current structures on the mall site would be scrapped as part of the redevelopment. But Macy's, which has committed to a new, 140,000-square-foot space to be constructed on the east end of the new mall, will remain in its current building on the west end until the new space is completed.

Hayes, who just returned from the International Council of Shopping Centers convention in Las Vegas, said there had been a lot of interest among the department stores MD Management is courting to become the second anchor at Metro North. In response to an audience member's question, he added that the new mall also should be able to attract upscale stores such as Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel that Northtown residents currently have to drive to south Johnson County to visit.

MD Management still must clear incentive and financing hurdles, Hayes said. But he said the Metro North mall project and other redevelopment efforts along the Barry Road corridor were benefiting from the growing number of upscale homes in the area and the promise of more.

A public-private partnership involving Kansas City, the KCI Corridor Tax Increment Financing Plan, Hunt Midwest and MD Management is financing construction of sanitary sewers in the First and Second Creek Watershed north of Barry Road. The construction, which began this year, will allow development of about 15,000 acres, which will lead to the addition of 21,000 homes and 70,000 residents, Hayes said.

Kansas City Power & Light District and American Red Cross–Kansas City Team Up For Donation Drive

The American Red Cross–Kansas City and the Kansas City

Power & Light District will host a donation drive on Thursday, May 30th and Friday, May 31st, 2013 to help aid relief efforts for tornado victims in both Oklahoma and Kansas. The drive will coincide with the kickoff of the annual Hot Country Nights and Friday Night Live!

summer concert series at KC Live!

The American Red Cross will accept donations at KC Live! during the following times:

Thursday, May 30

10:45 AM – 1:30 PM

5:00 PM – 8:30 PM (Hot Country Nights concert)

Friday, May 31

10:45 AM – 1:30 PM

7:00 PM – 9:30 PM (Friday Night Live! concert)

All proceeds will aid relief for tornado victims in the Midwest.

Missouri Mavericks Introduce Season Ticket Exchange Program

The Missouri Mavericks announced Tuesday the Central Hockey League (CHL) team has, for the first time ever, introduced a Season Ticket Exchange Program.

The program will give all season ticket holders the opportunity to exchange their season tickets, in advance of games they cannot attend, for an equal number of tickets to select game dates during the 2013-14 season.

“We believe the best value in pro sports in Kansas City just got better,” said Mavericks’ President and General Manager Brent Thiessen.  “We listened to our season tickets holders and worked very hard to introduce this program with the limited inventory we have to work with.”

Due to the popularity of the Mavericks and the number of sellouts per season, the team must ask season ticket holders to exchange their tickets in advance of the games they cannot attend.  The process to exchange the tickets will be as simple as filling out a form on the Mavericks’ website.

Specific redemption dates will be announced following the release of the 2013-14 CHL schedule and there will be a minimum of one redemption date per month (November 2013 – March 2014).

The Mavericks will host a Select-A-Seat Open House this Saturday, June 1 from 2-4 p.m.

Missouri Hotel Magnate Hammons Dies

Well-known hotel businessman John Hammons died Sunday in Springfield in the nursing home he'd lived in since 2010.

Hammons has built more than 200 hotels in 40 states across the country, including Embassy Suites, Marriots, Radissons and Holiday Inns.

Hammons was a big supporter of sports on both sides of the state border. He was major donor during the drive to keep the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in Wichita and get a new facility for the HOF. His name is atop the arena at Missouri State University.

Hammons company, John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, once had developed a plan to build what would have been an $80 million hotel, conference center, arena and baseball stadium in Olathe, until financing fell through.

Oklahoma Joe's takes home title for America's best ribs

The Daily Meal, a foodie website, scoured the country to name the best rack of ribs, and found none other than Kansas City's own Oklahoma Joe's. More than one of the site's panelists — made up of renowned food writers and critics — put the restaurant's ribs at the top of their list.

"Moist, juicy, smoky, tender — all those adjectives you thought you knew the definition of will only conjure one image in your mind from here on out," one panelist wrote. "Oklahoma Joe's pork ribs. They're the best you'll ever have."

Mavericks to Host Select-A-Seat Open House Saturday, June 1

The Missouri Mavericks of the Central Hockey League (CHL) will host a Select-A-Seat Open House on Saturday, June 1 from 2-4 p.m. at Independence Events Center.

Fans are encouraged to come out, get a free tote bag filled with over $25 in restaurant coupons from Mavericks’ partners and look at available season ticket locations for the upcoming 2013-14 season.  Included in the tote bags will be a free small pizza coupon from Papa John’s, and fans can get a free t-shirt with a $10 purchase at the Top Shelf Team Store.  The Mavericks will also host a drawing for a game-worn jersey for all fans that come to the event.

Mac, the Mavericks’ mascot, and defenseman Dave Pszenyczny will also be on hand signing autographs and taking pictures.  Mac will be available from 2-3 p.m. and Pszenyczny will be on hand for the entire event.

New season ticket holders who have already placed their deposits with the Mavericks will be choosing their seats between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on June 1.  Fans can also reserve their spot to select their season ticket locations with a $50 non-refundable deposit by calling the Mavericks office at (816) 252-7825.  The Mavericks’ ticket staff is available Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Please visit www.MissouriMavericks.com for more information.