This Month, the Shoot-Out caught up with Roadrunners' Director of Broadcasting and Team Services, Dan Weiss.

Dan was nice enough to take some time to comment on the re-signing of some of last year's Roadrunners, as well as comment on a few that have left the league.

Q. Veteran defenseman Brent Henley is coming back. This is a guy that is notorious in the minor leagues, with a reputation for fighting, but showed a new side when he came to town last year. What did you think of Brent as a player last year? What do you think he'll bring to the team in their second year?
A. I thought Brent definitely showed last season that he can bring more to the table than just fighting. With all the key injuries and the lack of experience on defense, Brent was thrusted into the position of being a top-two defenseman and was on the ice late in the game and in several key situations. Defensively, he lets the play come to him and keeps it pretty simple. Offensively, he's got a strong shot from the point, a lot stronger than I recalled, and I was surprised that he didn't score more goals or pick up more assists on tips and deflections. Brent also displayed that he can be a leader both on the ice and in the locker room, and that was clearly the reason why he was awarded a letter during the year. I believe the challenge for Brent this year will be to continue to focus on developing his game and maintaining his discipline on the ice. If he cuts down on some of the 10-minute misconducts and other penalties, he will be a key contributor to the RoadRunners.

Q. The Roadrunners have re-signed two remarkable players that were rookies last year, Mike Mole and Dusty Demianiuk. How do you feel about the way these guys developed as players in their first pro season? What do you expect see from Mike and Dusty this season? Any opinion on the likelihood of them moving up a level in the future?
A. I thought that Mike and Dusty both got a remarkable opportunity in Phoenix to play substantial minutes, and that clearly helped them develop both their game and perhaps more importantly, their confidence. Sometimes rookies can go into situations where they are surrounded by veteran players and they just don�t play enough to get into any kind of rhythm. In Mike's case, he took advantage of every opportunity when he was in the net and basically forced Ron to keep putting him back in between the pipes consistently. As for Dusty, he was probably the one player who benefited the most from the trades at the end of the year. With all the new defensemen coming in, Dusty was already way ahead of them because he knew both the system and the style that Ron and J.J. wanted to play. Eventually, he garnered enough trust that he was put into new situations such as the power play and he excelled in those roles. Dusty isn't the type of defenseman who will score 20 goals a season, but he showed that he clearly has some offense in his game and I'd like to see the coaches take advantage of that this year. I expect Mike and Dusty to both be better players and I believe that each has an opportunity down the road to make an impact in the American Hockey League.

Q. Chase Trull is coming back after joining the team late in the 2005-2006 season. He's still a rookie, and looks like a good young prospect. What did you think of Chase last season? What can he bring to the team this year?
A. I thought Chase came into a tough situation at the end of the year and did what a new player needs to do in order to succeed: WORK HARD. His goal in the last game of the year was simply a product of out-hustling his opponent in order to get to the front of the net. Chase showed a tremendous work ethic back then and he'll need to show it again in October in order to make the team. He's a sound skater and a guy who goes out and battles every shift. I think Chase is a guy who can develop into a solid role player, whether it's on the penalty killor on the checking line, and that�s where his value to the team may be the highest.

Q. Cory Pecker was a standout in his short time with the Roadrunners and has signed a contract with Ottawa of the NHL. Do you think we'll see Cory play in the "N"?
A. Cory definitely has the tools to play in the NHL. He's a great skater, a terrific playmaker, and has a sneaky little shot. I think the only reason he hasn't gotten to the NHL yet is because he's been, for whatever reason, too inconsistent at the AHL level. Perhaps last year though was the beginning of his breakout season. Before getting hurt, Cory was averaging nearly a point per game in Binghamton and that certainly caught the eye of people in Ottawa. He may have to be a point-per-game guy for a full season in order to get that call-up, so this could very well be his make-or-break year.

Q. Shaun Fisher and Adam Kostichka have signed in the UHL. Is this a lateral move for these guys? Our the opportunities any different in the "U"?
A. Traditionally, the quality of play in the United Hockey League runs just a bit under where the ECHL is at. It�s definitely more of a veterans league, and the opportunities for advancement are not as strong as they are in the ECHL because only one team has a true affiliation. I think it will be interesting to see what happens in the UHL this year because they've just instituted a hard salary cap in the wake of the Danbury scandal, which means you'll see far fewer veterans than in years past because the money just isn't there anymore. That could potentially reduce the quality of play, but at the same time the league has six fewer teams than it did last year so that may balance out the veteran factor. Regardless, I wish Shaun and Adam nothing but the best this coming season.

Q. Michel Ouellet and Brad Woods are headed to France . How do you think Mike and Brad will do in Europe?
A. I think both players will actually do very well in Europe because the primary focus in Europe is on offense, and both of these guys are offensive players. In fact, Ron told me last w ek that Brad actually scored three goals in his club's first two exhibition games, so good for him! Brad could wind up back in the ECHL someday because he has the size and certainly has the powerful shot, but he needs to improve defensively and become a tougher, all-around player. As for Mike, his game is probably better-suited to the bigger ice surface and the emphasis on skating and scoring, so he has the potential to be a very good player in that league.