Militia Send Captain Ed Zandbeek to Port City in Emotional Deal

BOSTON, MA — Four days ago, Ed Zandbeek made one of the most difficult requests of his career.

Last night, the Massachusetts Militia answered it.

In a move that closes one of the most memorable chapters in franchise history, Massachusetts has traded veteran defenseman and captain Ed Zandbeek to the Port City Privateers, giving the 36-year-old an opportunity to pursue the one accomplishment still missing from his remarkable LTLHL career:

The Beacon Cup.

The complete deal:

To Port City:
Ed Zandbeek, D
Y7 VOL 4th-round pick

To Massachusetts:
Jere-Matti Happo, LW
Ignaty Otlesnov, D
Per Thomsen, Prospect

For the Militia, it is a substantial return.

For Zandbeek, it is the opportunity he quietly hoped might come.

And for Massachusetts fans, it is a goodbye that won't be particularly easy.

Just days ago, Zandbeek publicly acknowledged that his career was entering its final chapters. He wasn't demanding a trade. He wasn't unhappy in Massachusetts. In fact, quite the opposite.

Massachusetts had become home.

But after years of sacrificing his body, playing enormous minutes and establishing himself as one of the premier defensemen in the league, Zandbeek admitted there was one thing he desperately wanted to experience before eventually hanging up the skates:

A legitimate run at the Beacon Cup.

Militia management listened.

And when Port City came calling, General Manager Keith Evans made the difficult decision to honor the captain's request.

There is an unavoidable sadness to the transaction.

This wasn't simply Massachusetts trading a defenseman.

They traded their captain.

They traded the player who had become the face of their blue line and one of the defining players of the franchise.

Zandbeek's Season 5 alone would have cemented his place in Militia history. He played all 80 games, recording 9 goals and 55 assists for 64 points, while throwing 119 hits, recording 109 takeaways and stepping in front of an extraordinary 189 shots.

It earned him the LTLHL's Defenseman of the Year Award.

But statistics have never completely explained what Zandbeek meant in Massachusetts.

He played hurt. He defended teammates. He mentored younger players. He handled difficult assignments. And eventually, he wore the "C."

There may have been more talented players who have passed through Massachusetts.

There may eventually be players who break his records.

But replacing Ed Zandbeek will require considerably more than finding another defenseman.

A MESSAGE FROM ED

To the Militia fans...

I knew that if this day ever came, I wouldn't really know what to say.

Massachusetts gave me far more than a place to play hockey. It gave me a home.

You cheered for me when things were going well. You stayed behind us when they weren't. You made the Armed Forces Ice Palace feel like somewhere I belonged every single time I stepped onto the ice.

Being named captain of this team was one of the greatest honors of my career. Wearing the Militia crest meant something to me, and it always will.

I want everyone to understand that I didn't ask to leave because I stopped believing in this team or because I wanted out of Massachusetts. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I'm simply getting older.

There aren't as many seasons ahead of me as there used to be, and there's one dream I've been chasing my entire career that I haven't been fortunate enough to realize yet. I want to know what it feels like to lift the Beacon Cup.

The Militia organization understood that. They didn't have to. But they did.

To my teammates: thank you for every battle, every laugh, every long trip and every night we walked out of that room together.

To the fans: thank you for making an old defenseman feel important.

And please don't think you're getting rid of me that easily.

Massachusetts is home now. I'm still going to find my way into a hockey rink when I've got a night off. And yes, somebody will probably still catch me sneaking down to Cape Cod to watch a Stingrays game every once in a while.

I'm going to Port City to chase a Cup.

But part of me will always be Militia.

— Ed Zandbeek

Massachusetts Doesn't Come Away Empty-Handed

Emotion aside, this is also a hockey trade—and Massachusetts extracted an interesting package for its veteran captain.

The centerpiece for the future may ultimately be Jere-Matti Happo.

The 21-year-old Finnish left winger is already rated 72 overall and remains on an inexpensive three-year contract carrying a $900,000 salary. Happo gives Massachusetts something particularly valuable in exchange for a 36-year-old veteran: time.

He's young enough that the Militia don't need him to become Ed Zandbeek tomorrow. They can allow him to develop into whatever his ceiling ultimately becomes.

Ignaty Otlesnov, meanwhile, helps ensure Massachusetts isn't simply left with an enormous hole on defense.

At 36, Otlesnov isn't the youth component of the deal, but the 75-overall defenseman brings an eye-catching 97 defensive rating, along with 97 strength, 86 puck handling and 84 passing. He's not Zandbeek—and expecting him to be would be unfair—but he gives the Militia an experienced, defense-first presence who can immediately absorb some of the minutes and responsibility that just left town.

The final piece is Per Thomsen, a 19-year-old Danish prospect selected 90th overall in Year 5.

Thomsen is the lottery ticket in the deal.

There is no guarantee what he ultimately becomes, but that's exactly the sort of asset Massachusetts should be acquiring when moving an aging star: a young player whose best hockey is potentially years away.

Put together, the package gives Massachusetts an established NHL-level replacement defenseman, a 21-year-old winger who can potentially become part of the next Militia core, and another teenage prospect to develop.

That matters.

Because this wasn't a giveaway.

It was a favor to a beloved player—but it was still a trade.

A Rare Deal Where Both Sides Got What They Needed

Port City didn't make this trade for the future.

They made it for right now.

Zandbeek brings leadership, puck movement, experience and the ability to play enormous minutes. More importantly, Port City is acquiring a player who knows exactly why he's there.

He isn't looking for another individual award.

He's looking for sixteen wins when the games matter most.

Massachusetts, meanwhile, recognized the reality of its situation. Rather than hold onto its captain simply because saying goodbye was painful, management converted a 36-year-old veteran into three pieces who can help the organization beyond this season.

There is risk for both sides.

If Port City doesn't make a deep postseason run, they'll have surrendered meaningful youth for a short window with Zandbeek.

If Happo or Thomsen never develop as hoped, Massachusetts fans may someday wonder whether their captain should simply have finished his career wearing the Militia crest.

But sometimes trades aren't completely about winning a spreadsheet.

Sometimes they're about doing right by someone.

Ed Zandbeek gave Massachusetts everything he had.

When he finally asked the organization for something in return, the Militia listened.

One Last Shot

The next time Ed Zandbeek pulls a sweater over his head, the crest on the front will be different.

That will look strange.

Seeing someone else eventually wearing the captain's "C" in Massachusetts may look even stranger.

But if there is a moment later this season when Zandbeek steps onto the ice with the Beacon Cup somewhere inside the building, Massachusetts fans might find themselves doing something unusual.

Rooting for another team.

Not necessarily for the Privateers.

For him.

Because banners eventually fade.

Statistics eventually get surpassed.

And hockey careers inevitably end.

But some players become part of the identity of a franchise.

Ed Zandbeek was one of those players in Massachusetts.

Now he gets his chance.

One last run.

One last dream.

One last shot at the Beacon Cup.

Boston, MA - 

There are few players in the Light The Lamp Hockey League who embody professionalism quite like Ed Zandbeek.

For years, the veteran defenseman has been the backbone of the Massachusetts Militia. He has logged the hard minutes, blocked the shots no one else wanted to block, battled through injuries, mentored younger teammates, and worn the Militia sweater with tremendous pride. His remarkable Season 5 campaign only cemented his legacy, as he captured the league's Defenseman of the Year Award after producing one of the finest all-around seasons by a blueliner in recent memory.

But as another season unfolds, Zandbeek finds himself reflecting on something bigger than personal accolades.

At 36 years old, the veteran knows the game doesn't last forever.

"I've been incredibly fortunate," Zandbeek reportedly shared with those close to him. "I've played for a tremendous organization, alongside teammates I'll call friends for life. Massachusetts has become home."

That statement isn't simply lip service.

Around the league, Zandbeek has earned a reputation as one of hockey's true gentlemen. Whether chatting with fans after games or spending an afternoon watching hockey simply because he loves the sport, his passion has never been limited to the Militia alone. It's become something of a quiet tradition for him to make the drive down to Cape Cod on off days, grabbing a seat at a Stingrays home game despite the fierce divisional rivalry. For Zandbeek, good hockey is good hockey, no matter whose sweater is on the ice.

That appreciation extends throughout the league.

Which makes what comes next all the more difficult.

Sources indicate Zandbeek has privately informed the Militia organization that, if the opportunity presents itself, he would welcome a trade to a legitimate Beacon Cup contender.

Not because he wants to leave.

Not because he's unhappy.

And certainly not because he's lost faith in Massachusetts.

Quite the opposite.

The veteran simply recognizes that his career is entering its twilight, and like every player who has devoted decades to the sport, he'd love one opportunity to compete for the Beacon Cup before hanging up his skates—whenever that day ultimately comes.

"It's not about escaping," one league source close to the situation explained. "It's about chasing one dream that's still left on his list."

The request reportedly comes with no demands, no deadlines, and no hard feelings.

If a suitable hockey trade can't be found, Zandbeek is expected to continue doing exactly what he's always done: leading by example, mentoring younger players, eating difficult minutes, and giving everything he has to the Militia crest.

No one inside the organization questions his commitment.

In fact, many believe that's precisely what makes this request so difficult to ignore.

Players of Zandbeek's caliber don't often ask for anything.

After all he's given the franchise—from elite offensive production to league-leading defensive play, countless blocked shots, record-setting takeaways, and tireless leadership—it's hard to argue he hasn't earned the right to ask.

Whether General Manager Keith Evans ultimately grants that wish remains to be seen.

Perhaps the Militia will find themselves back in the championship conversation before the season is over.

Perhaps another contender will call.

Or perhaps Ed Zandbeek finishes exactly where his LTLHL journey began—with the Massachusetts crest across his chest.

Whatever happens next, one thing is certain:

He'll always be remembered not only as one of the greatest defensemen to wear a Militia sweater, but as one of the classiest competitors the Light The Lamp Hockey League has ever seen.

And if fate allows him one final run at the Beacon Cup, few around the league would argue he hasn't earned it.

On Sunday August 30 the 6th Annual All Star Game will be played at the Chaos Center in Halifax Nova Scotia.  Since we realigned the divisions this past off season we will begin a new rivalry between the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference.   

The Eastern Conference All Stars will be selected and managed by Wes Oddan of the Saint-Lambert Maulers.  

The Western Conference All Stars will be selected and managed by Casey Schuhmacher of the Los Angeles Dynasty.  

Each Conference will feature 12 Forwards, 6 Defenseman and 3 Goalies.   All teams will have at least 1 player on the All Star roster to represent their team.  

The host club will receive a $5,000,000 bonus for hosting the event.  

He had seen enough.  The Blizzard left the ice to head to the visitor’s dressing room after last night’s game against the Blues and the team was down 5 to 1 despite outshooting the Blues 23 to 17.  Starting goaltender Tor Kronberg was pulled midway through the period after surrendering  five goals on 10 shots with Remy Botelho coming in to finish the game.  Once again, the Blizzard had been out goalied by the opposition and enough was enough.

GM Kelly Flewelling was seen on his cell phone in between periods and at the conclusion of the game, the Blizzard GM had pulled the trigger on a big trade that brings in one of the premier goaltenders in the LTLHL, acquiring Andrew Dumont from the New York Knights in exchange for Tor Kronberg and a S7 1st round pick.

This morning, Flewelling held a press conference where he officially made the announcement.  “
We are excited to bring in Andrew.  He has consistently been near the top of his position and that is something we feel we really need for our team. 

It is tough to let a good young player like Kronberg go, especially since he played a huge role in our cup win in Season 3.  However, A player of Dumont’s calibre does not become available often and we have suffered from a great deal of inconsistency on a season to season basis and this season seemed to be going in the same direction so I had to make a change.”

Dumont will make his debut in the Blizzard net tomorrow night when the Blizzard host the Redbull at home.

The Nissen Junior League is off to a good start.  With 13-14  games played for most teams the top players are starting to separate from the pack. 

Axel Riederer of the Reign(Razorbacks) has 19 points in 13 games played.  Tied with him is Spike Ruddy of the Reds(Muertos) and Timo Schenk of the Nighthawks (Royals).

Gabriel Pardy, Raiders(Muertos), Ivan Kapustin, Gators(Razorbacks) and Denny Brega Menace(Privateers) are right behind them at 18 points each.  

There are quite a few new faces in the scoring leaders, Gabriel Pelletier, Howlers and Vsevolod Pakudin of the Reds find themselves in the top 20 scorers in their debut season.   Islanders Center Braydon Sandwith is not far back with 13 points in 14 games.  

In net the league is being led by Sigbert Dahms of the Howlers with 9 wins and a save percentage of .943.  Somehow Dahms remains an undrafted prospect at age 20.  Just behind Dahms is Mikalay Kubarew of the Firebirds(Razorbacks) with 7 wins and a save percentage of .921

Lots of players to keep an eye on in the Nissen.  It's never to early to scout for the draft or prospects who may make a pro player expendable in the near future.