Biber already got a taste of it with three development camps in Utah, the last one in a brand-new facility. Biber: "That was another step forward; it hardly gets any better than that." As always, group and individual training sessions were on the agenda, and the on-ice work was more individual than competitive – "It's always about what we should do or avoid in the future and where we can improve." At a current 1.92 meters and 95 kg, he is expected to add a bit more weight.
The Rookie Camp starts this year on September 11, with individual on-ice sessions even before that. This is seamlessly followed by Main Camp, where surplus players are gradually sent to their respective teams; only the NHL players are allowed to stay until the end.
What does the realistic scenario look like for Biber? A look at the Utah Mammoth depth chart:
NHL Defensemen
Seven players seem to be locks here:
Star defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, who is under contract until 2031. The all-purpose player (who has only missed five games in Utah so far) will likely be paired with MacKenzie Weegar again. They will be split up on the power play.
Also likely to be a pairing: 35-year-old Nate Schmidt (reliable and rarely injured) and John Marino. After that, it gets more interesting: Andrew Peeke, another very durable player, came from Boston and should find his place in the third pairing.
Several players are likely to contend for the sixth spot: 31-year-old Nick DeSimone (40 games last season) and the two youngsters Dmitri Simashev (21) and Maveric Lamoureux (22). Both Simashev and Lamoureux are first-round picks, so they should be able to establish themselves quickly. One will have to sit in the stands, one will go to the farm team.
No longer with the team from last year: Sean Durzi, who had to be traded to the Rangers in the deal for Vincent Trochuk, and Ian Cole, who played all 82 games and chose the Chicago Blackhawks on the first day of free agency. Olli Määttä was traded to Calgary at the trade deadline.
AHL Defensemen
The Tucson Roadrunners can't exactly look back on great successes (missed the playoffs last season, failed in the first round three times before that), but the talent depth is impressive. No wonder, for example, that German national defenseman Maksymilian Szuber no longer wanted to face the competition and moved on to the Montreal organization.
This is how the depth chart could look:
Locks
The eighth defenseman from the top, most likely Lamoureux.
Zac Jones – the 25-year-old came from the Buffalo organization. Although he only played in the AHL last season after 115 NHL games for the Rangers, he should be a fixture on the power play.
Artem Duda: Missed last season after surgery and only played 27 games; he is considered a strong skater with little panic in his game.
The Veterans
Montana Onyebuchi (26) is also considered a regular and, unlike 33-year-old Robbie Russo, also plays on an NHL contract.
Russo played 59 games last season, but could make way for younger players more often this year.
The Returnee
Terrell Goldsmith was supposed to play his first AHL season last year, but after three games, the 21-year-old's season was over due to a broken hand.
That makes six players even before the debutants arrive
In addition to Biber, under NHL contracts: Czech Max Psenicka (19) and Tomas Lavoie (20). As a 2007-born player, Psenicka probably still has another year of CHL ahead of him.
That would then be eight to nine defensemen. Additionally, there are two college graduates, but they are only on AHL contracts: Brandon Holt (25, with five appearances at the end of last season) and 23-year-old Cal Thomas. Holt shows much more playing potential here; a demotion to the ECHL would be surprising.
It will be an interesting North American debut season for Biber, who, however, has quickly improved with the competition at all his previous stops. Unlike Lavoie, for example, he has already played against adults for years, but he only knows the smaller ice surface from the camps ("But it should suit me well," says Biber).
Should he assert himself against his teammates and play a majority of the AHL games, that would be another step towards an NHL career, and an early recall would be a huge coup...
