Another classic between the Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche last night, this one decided 4-3 in a shootout after one of the best overtimes I've seen all year. In fact, that particular bit of 4 on 4 hockey, fast paced and open with chances at both ends, was the best argument you can make against the existence of the shootout (of which I am actually a fan). But that's a story for another day. I think a big rivalry is shaping up between my two favourite teams. Last time they played, it was a 6-2 drubbing the Jets laid on the Avs, but that was the exception, as most games between the two teams have been overtime events or one goal regulation nail-biters. The Avs and Jets made an excellent case to play a stadium series game against each other too.
At one point last night, the teams two captains, Gabe Landeskog and Andrew Ladd, went toe to toe in a passionate captain versus captain fight. Not a person in the rink or on either bench was sitting down, and it was one of the most dramatic, emotion-fuelled moments of what was a very dramatic, emotion-fuelled evening. It symbolizes the emerging rivalry between the two teams, and the fight was one of the big moments of the game.
And some people want to take that out of hockey.
I'm not going to make a logical defence of fighting here and now. I could, and there are logical, well thought out points on both sides, but for the moment I'm interested in the emotional response. I loved it! Hockey is a fast paced, emotional game, and sometimes those emotions boil over. When they do, the result can be an epic, rivalry-enducing fight like the one between Ladd and Landeskog. Some real hate is brewing between these two teams, and while some nasty incidents come from good rivalries, so do some of the best hockey games you'll ever see. Fighting is both an outpouring and a symbolism of those rivalries, and I love it. I love the emotion that comes with it.
Some people will say, "Well, other sports don't have fighting, why should hockey?" To which I would ask, why do we want hockey to be like other sports? Basketball lacks any appeal for me largely because points are too easy to come by, soccer sickens me with the diving antics (and also bores me), baseball is slower than molasses and capital-B Boring, and football has all the pace of car chase in which both drivers are blind and also dead. Fighting is one more thing that makes our already great sport unique. Please, keep it in the game. I don't want hockey to be like other sports, and neither should anyone else. We're better than that.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Friday, December 05, 2014
Edmonton Oil Spills
So the Avs decided to make me a liar, looking back at my last post. Just when it seems they had turned a corner, they blow both games on a two game back to back, the second in truly spectacular fashion tonight to the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets got their first ever hat trick at the MTS Centre, courtesy Brian Little, and if the playoffs started today, they'd be in. The Avs, obviously would not. People ask me what's the difference between this year and last and I'm tired of writing the same excuses: the goaltending is worse, they aren't moving their feet, pucks just aren't going in etc. I could make flashcards at this point. The fact is, the effort level doesn't seem to be there. Nothing upsets a fan more than that. That's one thing I've never been able to say of the Jets. Win or lose, they never had long stretches like the Avs have been having where effort is a four letter word. Oh well. Maybe this was just what the Avs needed to wake them up, or maybe it's just a function of the astounding number of injuries. Either way, it was fun to watch from a Jets fans point of view.
Once again I attended this game with my good friend Kyle, and while we were driving back from the game we started talking about the Edmonton Oilers, who right now are the best solace Avs fans have from their misery (at least we aren't Edmonton). What went wrong there? Other teams that were as bad or worse have gotten better. Look at who's on the right side of the NHL standings right now. Yeah, there's a lot of the usual suspects, but there's also teams like Nashville, Montreal, Tampa Bay, Calgary (that one hurts, doesn't it Oilers fans) and the New York Islanders who were as bad as Edmonton for stretches (recent stretches, though in Montreal's case it's easy to forget that). Now look where they are. But in Edmonton, as the great Yahtzee Croshaw would say, something f***ed up or more to the point EVERYTHING f***ed up.
The Islanders this year are a case study in everything the Oilers were and everything they could one day be. The Islanders have been abysmally bad for years, but suddenly turned a corner this year. They have a solid core of forwards, and this isn't just John Tavares' scoring roadshow anymore. They have a supporting cast of players with size and skill like Brock Nelson and Kyle Okposo, players with flash and dash like Michael Grabner and Frans Nielsen, and players with poise and patience like Ryan Strome. They have grit in the form of Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin, and added solid defensive presences in Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy (both Stanley Cup winners) and good goaltending in the form of Jaroslav Halak and Chad Johnson. The Isles have finally built a winner, and what's more, many of their future stars like Ryan Pulock and Michael Dal Colle still haven't cracked the lineup (though Pulock has recently been recalled and has likely overtaken Griffen Reinhart as the team's top defensive prospect). Good as they are, the Isles could get better still.
As for Calgary, they've drafted well recently, quietly acquiring good pieces in trades, and are getting extraordinary years from several of their best defensemen. They're tough to play against, fast, physical, and have two solid goaltenders. In Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, they have the future of their offense, to go along with the present in Jiri Hudler. They're also getting the most out of players like Josh Jooris, Lance Bouma and Michael Ferland, later picks and pickups who are contributing solid minutes at both ends and are tough to play against. They have slowly but surely built up a competitive young team.
But what about Edmonton? It's not like they didn't try to build a more defensively solid team. In recent years they've added Nikita Nikitin, Mark Fayne and Andrew Ference, all of whom were known as defensively solid players before coming to Edmonton. Up front they've added defensively responsible pieces like Benoit Pouliot and Boyd Gordon. They've completely overhauled their goaltending, picking up Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth, both of whom looked like, if not all star starters, competent 40-45 game goalies. Yet the goals keep going in.
They have explosive, fast, skilled young forwards like Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle. They have players with excellent vision like Ryan Nugent Hopkins. They have a future power centre in Leon Draisaitl. They have talented wingers like Nail Yakupov and David Perron and Teddy Purcell to supplement a promising young core. Yet the goals keep staying out.
They have toughness from guys like Luke Gazdic, one of the games better heavyweight fighters, and they have other players like Ference and Matt Hendricks who are tough to play against. Even their star players, Hall in particular, are willing to throw their weight around. Yet they get continually out hit and outmuscled.
So what's the answer? Is it bad drafting? You could make a case for that. How much different might the team be had they drafted Jacob Trouba or Ryan Murray or even Hampus Lindholm instead of Nail Yakupov? What about all the later picks they made that never panned out? What if, instead of picking up another small yet skilled forward in Ryan Nugent Hopkins, they added one with some real snarl in Gabriel Landeskog? It's not like Landeskog can't score. In fact, he's been just as good if not better with the puck than Nugent Hopkins.
Drafting is an issue, but it's not the only one. The chemistry isn't there the way it should be, and Edmonton seems to be a bit of a black hole. Free agents who go there seem to whither, much like they did in Toronto for years, and perhaps still do. But Toronto (and I'm no Leafs fan, trust me) is farther along in their development than Edmonton. Toronto has seen the playoffs recently (albeit briefly) and seems like they can contend to once again. The Oilers, as of this moment, have no such hope.
Is it the coach? I doubt it. The Oilers have been bad through too many coaches. Coaches have passed like the seasons in Edmonton, and the problems are the same. The players? Maybe, but the supporting cast is drastically different from years past, and no matter how desperate they get, the Oilers won't trade Taylor Hall, nor should they. Eberle might be available, but would trading him or Yakupov fix the problem? Who knows?
How about management? They're faced with a situation where making a trade would be foolish (as they are dealing from a position of extreme weakness) but it may be impossible not to (as they are in a position of extreme need). They've turned over this roster admirably in a relatively short time; very few pieces are the same from the Oilers team of three or even two years ago. Yet the results are the same. Kevin Lowe? He neither plays the games nor chooses the players, yet he's the only constant through all the losing. But is firing him really going to improve the on ice product?
In the end, I don't know the answer. All I know is, Edmonton is turning into a place where careers big and small go to die. I really hope Edmonton doesn't win the draft lottery. I've said it before, I'll say it again. I won't wish a black hole like the Oilers organization on a young talent, especially a generational talent like Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel. Noah Hannifin or Oliver Kylington may be just what the doctor ordered, but for once I'd like to see Edmonton improve without being handed a top draft pick. The last thing I want is to watch one of those guys, McDavid especially, toil away his prime years in futility the way Taylor Hall is doing.
Once again I attended this game with my good friend Kyle, and while we were driving back from the game we started talking about the Edmonton Oilers, who right now are the best solace Avs fans have from their misery (at least we aren't Edmonton). What went wrong there? Other teams that were as bad or worse have gotten better. Look at who's on the right side of the NHL standings right now. Yeah, there's a lot of the usual suspects, but there's also teams like Nashville, Montreal, Tampa Bay, Calgary (that one hurts, doesn't it Oilers fans) and the New York Islanders who were as bad as Edmonton for stretches (recent stretches, though in Montreal's case it's easy to forget that). Now look where they are. But in Edmonton, as the great Yahtzee Croshaw would say, something f***ed up or more to the point EVERYTHING f***ed up.
The Islanders this year are a case study in everything the Oilers were and everything they could one day be. The Islanders have been abysmally bad for years, but suddenly turned a corner this year. They have a solid core of forwards, and this isn't just John Tavares' scoring roadshow anymore. They have a supporting cast of players with size and skill like Brock Nelson and Kyle Okposo, players with flash and dash like Michael Grabner and Frans Nielsen, and players with poise and patience like Ryan Strome. They have grit in the form of Cal Clutterbuck and Matt Martin, and added solid defensive presences in Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy (both Stanley Cup winners) and good goaltending in the form of Jaroslav Halak and Chad Johnson. The Isles have finally built a winner, and what's more, many of their future stars like Ryan Pulock and Michael Dal Colle still haven't cracked the lineup (though Pulock has recently been recalled and has likely overtaken Griffen Reinhart as the team's top defensive prospect). Good as they are, the Isles could get better still.
As for Calgary, they've drafted well recently, quietly acquiring good pieces in trades, and are getting extraordinary years from several of their best defensemen. They're tough to play against, fast, physical, and have two solid goaltenders. In Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, they have the future of their offense, to go along with the present in Jiri Hudler. They're also getting the most out of players like Josh Jooris, Lance Bouma and Michael Ferland, later picks and pickups who are contributing solid minutes at both ends and are tough to play against. They have slowly but surely built up a competitive young team.
But what about Edmonton? It's not like they didn't try to build a more defensively solid team. In recent years they've added Nikita Nikitin, Mark Fayne and Andrew Ference, all of whom were known as defensively solid players before coming to Edmonton. Up front they've added defensively responsible pieces like Benoit Pouliot and Boyd Gordon. They've completely overhauled their goaltending, picking up Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth, both of whom looked like, if not all star starters, competent 40-45 game goalies. Yet the goals keep going in.
They have explosive, fast, skilled young forwards like Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle. They have players with excellent vision like Ryan Nugent Hopkins. They have a future power centre in Leon Draisaitl. They have talented wingers like Nail Yakupov and David Perron and Teddy Purcell to supplement a promising young core. Yet the goals keep staying out.
They have toughness from guys like Luke Gazdic, one of the games better heavyweight fighters, and they have other players like Ference and Matt Hendricks who are tough to play against. Even their star players, Hall in particular, are willing to throw their weight around. Yet they get continually out hit and outmuscled.
So what's the answer? Is it bad drafting? You could make a case for that. How much different might the team be had they drafted Jacob Trouba or Ryan Murray or even Hampus Lindholm instead of Nail Yakupov? What about all the later picks they made that never panned out? What if, instead of picking up another small yet skilled forward in Ryan Nugent Hopkins, they added one with some real snarl in Gabriel Landeskog? It's not like Landeskog can't score. In fact, he's been just as good if not better with the puck than Nugent Hopkins.
Drafting is an issue, but it's not the only one. The chemistry isn't there the way it should be, and Edmonton seems to be a bit of a black hole. Free agents who go there seem to whither, much like they did in Toronto for years, and perhaps still do. But Toronto (and I'm no Leafs fan, trust me) is farther along in their development than Edmonton. Toronto has seen the playoffs recently (albeit briefly) and seems like they can contend to once again. The Oilers, as of this moment, have no such hope.
Is it the coach? I doubt it. The Oilers have been bad through too many coaches. Coaches have passed like the seasons in Edmonton, and the problems are the same. The players? Maybe, but the supporting cast is drastically different from years past, and no matter how desperate they get, the Oilers won't trade Taylor Hall, nor should they. Eberle might be available, but would trading him or Yakupov fix the problem? Who knows?
How about management? They're faced with a situation where making a trade would be foolish (as they are dealing from a position of extreme weakness) but it may be impossible not to (as they are in a position of extreme need). They've turned over this roster admirably in a relatively short time; very few pieces are the same from the Oilers team of three or even two years ago. Yet the results are the same. Kevin Lowe? He neither plays the games nor chooses the players, yet he's the only constant through all the losing. But is firing him really going to improve the on ice product?
In the end, I don't know the answer. All I know is, Edmonton is turning into a place where careers big and small go to die. I really hope Edmonton doesn't win the draft lottery. I've said it before, I'll say it again. I won't wish a black hole like the Oilers organization on a young talent, especially a generational talent like Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel. Noah Hannifin or Oliver Kylington may be just what the doctor ordered, but for once I'd like to see Edmonton improve without being handed a top draft pick. The last thing I want is to watch one of those guys, McDavid especially, toil away his prime years in futility the way Taylor Hall is doing.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Hockey thoughts at the end of November
-So NHL officiating seems worse than usual this year. I understand that's like a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay saying, "Gee, the waterboarding seems less pleasant than usual just lately" but I feel it's true. Whatever discipline process the NHL has for its refs isn't working. It might be time to look at a coaches challenge on calls. The refs and linesmen are missing too much and it's affecting the game. Enough is enough. Every year we're left talking about bad reffing, and every year I wonder why nothing is done about it. The NHL watches the same games I do, don't they? Time to start taking power away from the refs.
-It's like the Avs know when I'm about to blog. "Uh, oh," they must be saying, "that weirdo in Winnipeg is blogging about us again, better pull out a win tonight." They walloped the Dallas Stars last night, and even outshot them (I know right?) by a wide margin. Seriously though, last night didn't have the ring of an anomaly the way the other big wins of the year have, mainly because the Avs have been winning more lately. It's not much, but it's a step forward. The big guns are all firing, though perhaps less so than they should be. Duchene and MacKinnon finally seem to be kicking into high gear. So can the Avs dig themselves out of the hole they sunk into during October and most of November? Only time will tell.
-Whatever else happens to the Avs, however the season ends, it's been a banner year for Tyson Barrie. He has eighteen points through just 24 games, unreal numbers for a defenseman, leaving him tied for fifth among scoring by defensemen. I knew watching him as a junior player for Canada at the WJC that he was going to be something special, but this surpasses even those expectations. Barrie is the ultimate power play defenseman. He can rush it himself, he can play set up man or trigger man, he can distribute the puck with intelligence, and he can get his shot through traffic. He's on the small side, but the physical side of the game doesn't seem to bother him any. You don't see him get out muscled often either. He's a more complete version of former Av John-Michael Liles, with possibly an even higher offensive upside.
-Speaking of defensive scorers, guess who sits number one and two in that category. If you guessed Mark Giordano and TJ Brodie, in that order, congratulations, way to keep an eye on things. If you guessed that at the start of the year... no you didn't. Even fans of the Flames have been shocked by the surprise team of the Western Conference, battling it out with the New York Islanders for surprise team of the NHL.
-On the other end of the Alberta surprise spectrum, the Oilers have surprised me in all the wrong ways. Call me naive but I really think they have to turn a corner one of these days, don't they? At this rate, all the promising young players the Oilers fans are so excited about will be on the verge of retirement before they turn that corner. Goaltending is an issue, but so is... everything else. I really hope they don't finish last. I don't wish that sinkhole of an organization on a prospect like Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel. Buffalo, if it's not too much to ask, could you maybe start losing games again?
-Buffalo has been on a tear recently. They were on a short win streak, halted by the Winnipeg Jets, and then swept top-ranked Montreal on back to back games over the weekend. Hands up who saw that coming. Put your hand down, Gerald, you're so full of crap!
-It's like the Avs know when I'm about to blog. "Uh, oh," they must be saying, "that weirdo in Winnipeg is blogging about us again, better pull out a win tonight." They walloped the Dallas Stars last night, and even outshot them (I know right?) by a wide margin. Seriously though, last night didn't have the ring of an anomaly the way the other big wins of the year have, mainly because the Avs have been winning more lately. It's not much, but it's a step forward. The big guns are all firing, though perhaps less so than they should be. Duchene and MacKinnon finally seem to be kicking into high gear. So can the Avs dig themselves out of the hole they sunk into during October and most of November? Only time will tell.
-Whatever else happens to the Avs, however the season ends, it's been a banner year for Tyson Barrie. He has eighteen points through just 24 games, unreal numbers for a defenseman, leaving him tied for fifth among scoring by defensemen. I knew watching him as a junior player for Canada at the WJC that he was going to be something special, but this surpasses even those expectations. Barrie is the ultimate power play defenseman. He can rush it himself, he can play set up man or trigger man, he can distribute the puck with intelligence, and he can get his shot through traffic. He's on the small side, but the physical side of the game doesn't seem to bother him any. You don't see him get out muscled often either. He's a more complete version of former Av John-Michael Liles, with possibly an even higher offensive upside.
-Speaking of defensive scorers, guess who sits number one and two in that category. If you guessed Mark Giordano and TJ Brodie, in that order, congratulations, way to keep an eye on things. If you guessed that at the start of the year... no you didn't. Even fans of the Flames have been shocked by the surprise team of the Western Conference, battling it out with the New York Islanders for surprise team of the NHL.
-On the other end of the Alberta surprise spectrum, the Oilers have surprised me in all the wrong ways. Call me naive but I really think they have to turn a corner one of these days, don't they? At this rate, all the promising young players the Oilers fans are so excited about will be on the verge of retirement before they turn that corner. Goaltending is an issue, but so is... everything else. I really hope they don't finish last. I don't wish that sinkhole of an organization on a prospect like Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel. Buffalo, if it's not too much to ask, could you maybe start losing games again?
-Buffalo has been on a tear recently. They were on a short win streak, halted by the Winnipeg Jets, and then swept top-ranked Montreal on back to back games over the weekend. Hands up who saw that coming. Put your hand down, Gerald, you're so full of crap!
Sunday, November 23, 2014
What is a Fourth Line?
My friend Kyle and I went to watch a game today between the Winnipeg Jets and the St. Louis Blues. He's one of the rare people I can have a really good conversation about hockey with, and since we haven't seen each other as much since school started it was great to just sit down next to the guy and enjoy what was overall a pretty good game. One thing in the game that both of us talked about was the presence and play of one Chris Thorburn. Thorburn has been ineffective in the extreme since he was re-signed to a three year deal this past offseason (which still baffles me). He can't win a fight, he can't make plays, he's an ineffective hitter... well, I could go on. His bad play, and my conversation with Kyle about it, was the catalyst for a thought on what a fourth line should do in the NHL.
In today's NHL, with the salary cap, the number of teams, the need for team toughness, and the need for penalty killers and heart and soul players, it's not practical or even possible to run four scoring lines. Teams are considered deep and talented if they can run three. A fourth line is there to not be a liability, first and foremost. A coach should be comfortable putting his fourth line out and not worrying about them constantly. A fourth line should feature players who can hit, work the puck down low, and generally play a rough and tumble game, finishing their checks at every opportunity and, in so doing, wearing down the other team's defensemen. If they score every now and then, that's a bonus. Their centreman is often the team's best face-off man and a top penalty killer. All of them are skilled in the art of agitating.
The Jets opponent tonight, the St. Louis Blues, provide an excellent example. Winnipegger Ryan Reaves is the muscle, tough as nails, willing to both hit and fight and adept at either, but no liability with the puck either. Steve Ott is all an agitator should be. He too finishes all his checks, he has decent skill, a surprising amount of leadership (he's been a captain before) and more offensive touch than most fourth liners. The same can be said of Max Lapierre, though I hate to admit it. Between the three of them they embody all a fourth line should be, and shame the Jets trio of Chris Thorburn, Matt Halischuk and Jim Slater.
The prototypical example, one of my favourite fourth lines of all time, came from the Boston Bruins. Enforcer Shawn Thornton, tough yet effective Gregory Campbell who once broke his leg to block a shot in the playoffs, and face-off man and top penalty killer Dan Paille. All three were tough hitters, each was skilled with the puck, and each of them possessed a motor that wouldn't quit. The Bruins won a cup with that fourth line and might've won another but for a prodigiously talented Chicago Blackhawks team.
Which brings me to the Jets fourth line. Where's the toughness? Thorburn? He loses most of his fights, and has barely fought this season. Where's the speed? Nowhere, though Slater at least plays up tempo. Puck skill? None to be found, again except for Slater, and Slater comes with the problem of being oft injured. Indeed if I was designing a fourth line Slater is the only member of the current line I would keep, not least because he kills penalties with the best of them.
What really annoys me about the fourth line is that better players for it exist within the Jets own locker room. Anthony Peluso is twice the enforcer Thorburn is, and frankly twice the player. TJ Galiardi agitates as well as anyone, and has good foot speed and a willingness to launch himself into other players fearlessly. He's also a solid penalty killer. His presence in the lineup would help give some of the Jets skilled players a rest on the PK.
So why does Paul Maurice keep the fourth line as it is? Your guess is as good as mine. It could be an order from the top. It could be he values what Thorburn brings to the locker room. Then too, Thorburn is close friends with much-maligned forward Evander Kane. Could that have something to do with his overlong stint in the lineup?
I've met Chris Thorburn. I like the man personally. He's extremely friendly and humble, and willing to make time for fans. It warms the heart the way he interacts with the rabid fan base here in Winnipeg. When Thorburn scored this goal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8W01mXbYFQ
I've never cheered so loud in my life. I want the guy to do well, I really do. I'm cheering for him. But it's just not working, and the sad part is he's not the only fourth liner I can say that of. In the NHL, and especially in the tough western conference, you need four lines to compete.
The Jets have done a good job getting rid of some of the dead weight from the Atlanta days. To take the next step, they need a fourth line that isn't going to be a liability every time out.
In today's NHL, with the salary cap, the number of teams, the need for team toughness, and the need for penalty killers and heart and soul players, it's not practical or even possible to run four scoring lines. Teams are considered deep and talented if they can run three. A fourth line is there to not be a liability, first and foremost. A coach should be comfortable putting his fourth line out and not worrying about them constantly. A fourth line should feature players who can hit, work the puck down low, and generally play a rough and tumble game, finishing their checks at every opportunity and, in so doing, wearing down the other team's defensemen. If they score every now and then, that's a bonus. Their centreman is often the team's best face-off man and a top penalty killer. All of them are skilled in the art of agitating.
The Jets opponent tonight, the St. Louis Blues, provide an excellent example. Winnipegger Ryan Reaves is the muscle, tough as nails, willing to both hit and fight and adept at either, but no liability with the puck either. Steve Ott is all an agitator should be. He too finishes all his checks, he has decent skill, a surprising amount of leadership (he's been a captain before) and more offensive touch than most fourth liners. The same can be said of Max Lapierre, though I hate to admit it. Between the three of them they embody all a fourth line should be, and shame the Jets trio of Chris Thorburn, Matt Halischuk and Jim Slater.
The prototypical example, one of my favourite fourth lines of all time, came from the Boston Bruins. Enforcer Shawn Thornton, tough yet effective Gregory Campbell who once broke his leg to block a shot in the playoffs, and face-off man and top penalty killer Dan Paille. All three were tough hitters, each was skilled with the puck, and each of them possessed a motor that wouldn't quit. The Bruins won a cup with that fourth line and might've won another but for a prodigiously talented Chicago Blackhawks team.
Which brings me to the Jets fourth line. Where's the toughness? Thorburn? He loses most of his fights, and has barely fought this season. Where's the speed? Nowhere, though Slater at least plays up tempo. Puck skill? None to be found, again except for Slater, and Slater comes with the problem of being oft injured. Indeed if I was designing a fourth line Slater is the only member of the current line I would keep, not least because he kills penalties with the best of them.
What really annoys me about the fourth line is that better players for it exist within the Jets own locker room. Anthony Peluso is twice the enforcer Thorburn is, and frankly twice the player. TJ Galiardi agitates as well as anyone, and has good foot speed and a willingness to launch himself into other players fearlessly. He's also a solid penalty killer. His presence in the lineup would help give some of the Jets skilled players a rest on the PK.
So why does Paul Maurice keep the fourth line as it is? Your guess is as good as mine. It could be an order from the top. It could be he values what Thorburn brings to the locker room. Then too, Thorburn is close friends with much-maligned forward Evander Kane. Could that have something to do with his overlong stint in the lineup?
I've met Chris Thorburn. I like the man personally. He's extremely friendly and humble, and willing to make time for fans. It warms the heart the way he interacts with the rabid fan base here in Winnipeg. When Thorburn scored this goal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8W01mXbYFQ
I've never cheered so loud in my life. I want the guy to do well, I really do. I'm cheering for him. But it's just not working, and the sad part is he's not the only fourth liner I can say that of. In the NHL, and especially in the tough western conference, you need four lines to compete.
The Jets have done a good job getting rid of some of the dead weight from the Atlanta days. To take the next step, they need a fourth line that isn't going to be a liability every time out.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Now For Something Completely Different!
The last time I went to a play was a couple of years ago at the behest (insistence) of my grandparents. It was a musical at Celebrations Dinner Theatre, called My Big Fat Winnipeg Wedding. For those of you not exactly in tune with pop culture, that's a blatant rip off, er, reference, to My Big Fat Greek Wedding. I do not like musicals. I did not care for My Big Fat Greek Wedding all that much either. So the two in combination were not good to me. On the other hand they served steak, so that was a plus. Last night I attended a play which, while decidedly lacking in steak, was also decidedly lacking in music, so that ought to have evened out.
WAIT A MINUTE, WHERE'S THE HOCKEY?
Pipe down, voices in my head, we'll come back to that next week. This week, plays.
I attended a play last night put on by Theatre Projects Manitoba. They performed Michael Healey's Proud, which was ostensibly a satire based on an alternate universe in which Stephen Harper's Conservative Party achieved not only a majority but a truly spectacular majority in which the NDP lost all the seats in Quebec. As much as I would have enjoyed that in real life, it was interesting to see Healey's take on things.
Of course this play turned out to be less a satire than a romantic comedy. Stop me if this sounds familiar: guy meets girl, guy is extremely busy and career driven where girl is far more relaxed and also overtly sexual, the two hate each other at first but grow to like, maybe even love each other and the busy career guy learns that, in the immortal words of Family Guy, casual sex can solve all of his problems. If that sounds familiar it's because it's the plot of every romantic comedy ever written. Including this one. So it loses some points for predictability and originality.
Where I thought it gained those points back was the thin veil of satire in which this rom-com was clad. The lambasting of Stephen Harper is surprisingly, bordering on frighteningly, accurate (and this is a right-winger saying this) and the actor playing him, Ross McMillan, did a stellar job. He has Harper's mannerisms, from his speech patterns to his method of standing, to his seeming social awkwardness (how much of that is a spectacle on Harper's part is up for debate) down to a science. He could convincingly masquerade as Harper himself fairly well. The female lead, played by Daria Puttaert, is named Jisbella, and once I got over how hilarious that was I noticed that she was just about the most overtly sexual character I had ever seen. Then I un-got over how funny her name was upon thinking that. Her name was about as subtle as her character which was about as subtle as a nuclear weapon. And you know what? It works! The portrayal of Harper is so blatantly, delightfully bland that this polar opposite Jisbella (I now suspect the author gave her this name on the condition of a lost bet) contrasts him nicely.
Whatever the faults with the writing (I could not escape the feeling that one of Matthew McConaughey or Ben Stiller was going to walk on stage to win the girls heart at any minute) there were none with the acting. Both the leads and the support characters, ably played by Kevin Gable and Eric Blais, play their roles to perfection, not one line is bobbled or delivered flatly, and even the bland character of Harper (who is so obviously satirical that naming him Hephen Starper would have been more subtle, but I didn't go there for subtle) comes off as deep and motivated. There are some cheap laughs to be had here, and one terrific monologue by McMillan in which he runs down all the things about which he does not care.
Compared to other plays... well it's been a while so, as I said earlier, no steak but no singing either. A solid draw.
Seriously though, it was performed with more feel than most other plays I've seen and I found myself enjoying it in parts. I wasn't spending the whole time poking holes in the plot, which was all too easy to do at some other plays I attended.
The inevitable question period at the end was as I expected: not a ton of new information. One interesting thing that arose from it was the McMillan's fascination with Harper. He even said that since Harper himself is an act when he addresses the media, Harper is playing a role; if Harper can act as his persona, there's no reason McMillan can't do the same, or such was his thinking. What disappointed me somewhat was that the writer of the play didn't attend, but the he couldn't possibly attend every talkback so I hardly begrudge him that. The most interesting part of this play was the underlying satire, and it would've been interesting to hear the writer's take on things, since it was from his mind that this satire arose. I would also wonder whether he intended to have the relationship between Harper and Jisbella (still can't write that with a straight face) overpower the satire, because, if there was one failing in the play, it was this.
WAIT A MINUTE, WHERE'S THE HOCKEY?
Pipe down, voices in my head, we'll come back to that next week. This week, plays.
I attended a play last night put on by Theatre Projects Manitoba. They performed Michael Healey's Proud, which was ostensibly a satire based on an alternate universe in which Stephen Harper's Conservative Party achieved not only a majority but a truly spectacular majority in which the NDP lost all the seats in Quebec. As much as I would have enjoyed that in real life, it was interesting to see Healey's take on things.
Of course this play turned out to be less a satire than a romantic comedy. Stop me if this sounds familiar: guy meets girl, guy is extremely busy and career driven where girl is far more relaxed and also overtly sexual, the two hate each other at first but grow to like, maybe even love each other and the busy career guy learns that, in the immortal words of Family Guy, casual sex can solve all of his problems. If that sounds familiar it's because it's the plot of every romantic comedy ever written. Including this one. So it loses some points for predictability and originality.
Where I thought it gained those points back was the thin veil of satire in which this rom-com was clad. The lambasting of Stephen Harper is surprisingly, bordering on frighteningly, accurate (and this is a right-winger saying this) and the actor playing him, Ross McMillan, did a stellar job. He has Harper's mannerisms, from his speech patterns to his method of standing, to his seeming social awkwardness (how much of that is a spectacle on Harper's part is up for debate) down to a science. He could convincingly masquerade as Harper himself fairly well. The female lead, played by Daria Puttaert, is named Jisbella, and once I got over how hilarious that was I noticed that she was just about the most overtly sexual character I had ever seen. Then I un-got over how funny her name was upon thinking that. Her name was about as subtle as her character which was about as subtle as a nuclear weapon. And you know what? It works! The portrayal of Harper is so blatantly, delightfully bland that this polar opposite Jisbella (I now suspect the author gave her this name on the condition of a lost bet) contrasts him nicely.
Whatever the faults with the writing (I could not escape the feeling that one of Matthew McConaughey or Ben Stiller was going to walk on stage to win the girls heart at any minute) there were none with the acting. Both the leads and the support characters, ably played by Kevin Gable and Eric Blais, play their roles to perfection, not one line is bobbled or delivered flatly, and even the bland character of Harper (who is so obviously satirical that naming him Hephen Starper would have been more subtle, but I didn't go there for subtle) comes off as deep and motivated. There are some cheap laughs to be had here, and one terrific monologue by McMillan in which he runs down all the things about which he does not care.
Compared to other plays... well it's been a while so, as I said earlier, no steak but no singing either. A solid draw.
Seriously though, it was performed with more feel than most other plays I've seen and I found myself enjoying it in parts. I wasn't spending the whole time poking holes in the plot, which was all too easy to do at some other plays I attended.
The inevitable question period at the end was as I expected: not a ton of new information. One interesting thing that arose from it was the McMillan's fascination with Harper. He even said that since Harper himself is an act when he addresses the media, Harper is playing a role; if Harper can act as his persona, there's no reason McMillan can't do the same, or such was his thinking. What disappointed me somewhat was that the writer of the play didn't attend, but the he couldn't possibly attend every talkback so I hardly begrudge him that. The most interesting part of this play was the underlying satire, and it would've been interesting to hear the writer's take on things, since it was from his mind that this satire arose. I would also wonder whether he intended to have the relationship between Harper and Jisbella (still can't write that with a straight face) overpower the satire, because, if there was one failing in the play, it was this.
Friday, November 07, 2014
The Two Best Games of the Year So Far?
Last night's NHL games brought two of the hardest fought, nastiest, fastest paced games I have seen all season. The season is still young yet, and it feels good to think that the best may be yet to come, but the best so far that I've seen came last night in a pair of tilts that went to a shootout. The game between the Avalanche and Maple Leafs was fast paced, nasty, and featured great skill from both the skaters and the goaltenders. It featured goals and great plays from all the big names involved, some nasty play, and big saves. We even got to see, thanks to some of the aforementioned nastiness, several minutes of 3 on 3 hockey, which really does make me think the NHL could use more of this (and I'm not saying this just because the Avs dominated it for nearly the entire time). Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon were flying for the Avs, and Phil Kessel had his legs going for the Leafs, and the speedsters went chance for chance in the high-paced, end to end style of hockey that left the coaches with a few extra grey hairs, and the fans with grins on their faces. Every NHL game should be as quick and breathtakingly intense as this game. There was a surprising amount of hate for two teams that see each other only semi-regularly.
Speaking of surprising amounts of hate, that Jets and Penguins game was one of the nastiest in my recent memory for the Jets. For the Penguins, part of some truly epic pieces of nastiness in recent years against the Flyers and Islanders, this was nothing new. This was a different kind of nasty from the old Penguins-Flyers, however. This was a kind of nasty that didn't feature silly, suspendable plays, or injury-inducing incidents. The hits were hard, but clean, and if there was a score that needed settling the players settled it like men, with their fists instead of with their sticks and elbows. The game had four fights (the official game sheet has only three, but that exchange between Jacob Trouba and Zach Sill was a fight, regardless of what the clueless officials thought) and none of them featured a "goon". Everyone who fought was a regular shit-taker for both teams. Anyone would have thought these two teams had a long bitter rivalry. The Jets to a man said they needed to play that harder, nastier game to be successful. Maybe they were right.
The one sour note from the Jets game, aside from the fact that they ultimately lost (a game in which frankly both teams deserved a win), was that we were left to question just what Chris Thorburn's usefulness to the team is. Four fights, and he's not involved in a single one of them? It's not like the Penguins didn't give him reasons enough. If he's not here to scrap (something at which Anthony Peluso is better anyway) what is he hear to do?
Negativity aside, the games last night were a pleasure to watch. Especially fun to watch was Nate MacKinnon flying out there, dominating the play every time he was on the ice. Best of all, his feet were moving at that eye-blink speed we Avs fans got used to last year. Now he just needs to keep it up.
-Some CHL notes for you: Connor McDavid and the Erie Otters finally lost a game to the Niagara Ice Dogs last night. McDavid was held off the board, incredibly. However, worth noting is the fact that McDavid still has more points than Sidney Crosby had at the same point in his draft year. He's shaping up to be a special player the likes of which we haven't seen since, well Crosby. Some team (I should think Buffalo is the most likely candidate) is going to save their franchise drafting this kid.
-The Brandon Wheat Kings, who now sit 2nd in the WHL with 29 points and only 3 losses all season, continue to roll on. They were missing youngsters Nolan Patrick and Kale Clague during the recent World U17 challenge, but managed to steamroll their competition anyway. Jace Hawryluk and European import Rihards Bukarts are leading the way offensively. The Wheat Kings also have two players, Jesse Gabrielle and Ivan Provorov, who are potential first rounders for this year's entry draft. The Wheat Kings are probably the most feared team in the league right now, excepting the seemingly invincible Kelowna Rockets.
-One final WHL note to leave you off on. The Prince Albert Raiders fired their head coach, Cory Clouston, recently. Rumours abound that he has not been a popular man in any locker room he has stepped foot in (Yahoo sports indicated they had heard the Wheat Kings threw a party when they heard Clouston had been fired two years ago) and he lasted just 15 games into the season in Prince Albert. Yahoo also mentioned a rift between he and certain players, who asked for trades because of issues with him. It will be hard for him to get another job with that reputation hanging over his head. Yahoo also felt, however, that changes weren't done in Prince Albert. The team barely squeaked into the playoffs last year, and that was with German tower of power Leon Draisaitl in the lineup. The thinking is the raiders may trade Jets prospect Josh Morrissey as well. As junior teams often do, they may trade him to a contender if they playoffs don't appear to be a likely possibility. Ditto for the Kootenay Ice and their captain, recently returned Sam Reinhart. Could either of Reinhart or Morrissey find themselves in a Wheat Kings sweater after the trade deadline? It's possible. The Wheat Kings will want to load up for a deep playoff run, and Morrissey or Reinhart could be just the piece they need.
Speaking of surprising amounts of hate, that Jets and Penguins game was one of the nastiest in my recent memory for the Jets. For the Penguins, part of some truly epic pieces of nastiness in recent years against the Flyers and Islanders, this was nothing new. This was a different kind of nasty from the old Penguins-Flyers, however. This was a kind of nasty that didn't feature silly, suspendable plays, or injury-inducing incidents. The hits were hard, but clean, and if there was a score that needed settling the players settled it like men, with their fists instead of with their sticks and elbows. The game had four fights (the official game sheet has only three, but that exchange between Jacob Trouba and Zach Sill was a fight, regardless of what the clueless officials thought) and none of them featured a "goon". Everyone who fought was a regular shit-taker for both teams. Anyone would have thought these two teams had a long bitter rivalry. The Jets to a man said they needed to play that harder, nastier game to be successful. Maybe they were right.
The one sour note from the Jets game, aside from the fact that they ultimately lost (a game in which frankly both teams deserved a win), was that we were left to question just what Chris Thorburn's usefulness to the team is. Four fights, and he's not involved in a single one of them? It's not like the Penguins didn't give him reasons enough. If he's not here to scrap (something at which Anthony Peluso is better anyway) what is he hear to do?
Negativity aside, the games last night were a pleasure to watch. Especially fun to watch was Nate MacKinnon flying out there, dominating the play every time he was on the ice. Best of all, his feet were moving at that eye-blink speed we Avs fans got used to last year. Now he just needs to keep it up.
-Some CHL notes for you: Connor McDavid and the Erie Otters finally lost a game to the Niagara Ice Dogs last night. McDavid was held off the board, incredibly. However, worth noting is the fact that McDavid still has more points than Sidney Crosby had at the same point in his draft year. He's shaping up to be a special player the likes of which we haven't seen since, well Crosby. Some team (I should think Buffalo is the most likely candidate) is going to save their franchise drafting this kid.
-The Brandon Wheat Kings, who now sit 2nd in the WHL with 29 points and only 3 losses all season, continue to roll on. They were missing youngsters Nolan Patrick and Kale Clague during the recent World U17 challenge, but managed to steamroll their competition anyway. Jace Hawryluk and European import Rihards Bukarts are leading the way offensively. The Wheat Kings also have two players, Jesse Gabrielle and Ivan Provorov, who are potential first rounders for this year's entry draft. The Wheat Kings are probably the most feared team in the league right now, excepting the seemingly invincible Kelowna Rockets.
-One final WHL note to leave you off on. The Prince Albert Raiders fired their head coach, Cory Clouston, recently. Rumours abound that he has not been a popular man in any locker room he has stepped foot in (Yahoo sports indicated they had heard the Wheat Kings threw a party when they heard Clouston had been fired two years ago) and he lasted just 15 games into the season in Prince Albert. Yahoo also mentioned a rift between he and certain players, who asked for trades because of issues with him. It will be hard for him to get another job with that reputation hanging over his head. Yahoo also felt, however, that changes weren't done in Prince Albert. The team barely squeaked into the playoffs last year, and that was with German tower of power Leon Draisaitl in the lineup. The thinking is the raiders may trade Jets prospect Josh Morrissey as well. As junior teams often do, they may trade him to a contender if they playoffs don't appear to be a likely possibility. Ditto for the Kootenay Ice and their captain, recently returned Sam Reinhart. Could either of Reinhart or Morrissey find themselves in a Wheat Kings sweater after the trade deadline? It's possible. The Wheat Kings will want to load up for a deep playoff run, and Morrissey or Reinhart could be just the piece they need.
Saturday, November 01, 2014
Afterburners On... Maybe
Watching the Jets pull one out over the New York Rangers tonight brought a smile to my face for all of a second. Not long after, it brought up the question that's as old as the Jets tenure in Winnipeg, asked every time they show any signs of life. Have the Winnipeg Jets, winners of three of their last four and gainers of points in all four, finally turned a corner, or are they just doing what they do every year? Are they finally maturing under head coach Paul Maurice or are they toying with the emotions of their fans with their usual streaky play before sliding comfortably into their usual spot just outside spitting distance of the playoffs?
Answer: insufficient data.
The Jets, after all, do this every year, making their fans wonder if the maturation process and patience that the Jets brass are always talking about have finally worked the magic Kevin Cheveldayoff insisted they eventually would. During these stretches, these hopeful, glorious stretches where it seems there's no team the Jets can't skate with or even out skate, where every player seems to be doing exactly what we know they're capable of doing, a sense of invincibility envelops the team. The fans come into every game cheering louder than ever, knowing there team can pull one out against any odds, against any team. They know that our best can match up against there best. Wheeler is faster than anybody, Kane is stronger, Scheifele is slicker, Ladd works harder, Byfuglien is bigger, Trouba is meaner, and Pavelec is sharper than anyone the other teams can throw against them. The wins should start to roll in.
It's usually right about then that the team blows a game against a team they really ought to beat, and then it all falls limply apart like a Jenga tower which has just had a rug pulled out from under it. The sense of invincibility vanishes as if it was never there, leaving behind a feeling that the mind can remember but not duplicate. Wheeler seems slower and less coordinated, Byfuglien and Trouba lose their mean streaks, Scheifele gets pushed around, Kane shoots wide as often as he hits the net (or more) and Pavelec is woefully out of position. It gets a little crueller every time, because it always seems like the Jets are within inches of greatness for a few short games before it turns sour and bitter once again.
So which will it be this time, Jets? Do we turn on the afterburners or crash into a mountain? It's too early to tell of course, but if they could keep this momentum going it would sure be a breath of fresh air in this city's lungs, especially given the debacle that the bombers have been the latter half of this season. Every year in their preseason predictions the experts at TSN and Sportsnet and The Hockey News dump on the Jets mercilessly and relentlessly, and just once it would be nice to see the flight crew make those pundits eat their words.
Answer: insufficient data.
The Jets, after all, do this every year, making their fans wonder if the maturation process and patience that the Jets brass are always talking about have finally worked the magic Kevin Cheveldayoff insisted they eventually would. During these stretches, these hopeful, glorious stretches where it seems there's no team the Jets can't skate with or even out skate, where every player seems to be doing exactly what we know they're capable of doing, a sense of invincibility envelops the team. The fans come into every game cheering louder than ever, knowing there team can pull one out against any odds, against any team. They know that our best can match up against there best. Wheeler is faster than anybody, Kane is stronger, Scheifele is slicker, Ladd works harder, Byfuglien is bigger, Trouba is meaner, and Pavelec is sharper than anyone the other teams can throw against them. The wins should start to roll in.
It's usually right about then that the team blows a game against a team they really ought to beat, and then it all falls limply apart like a Jenga tower which has just had a rug pulled out from under it. The sense of invincibility vanishes as if it was never there, leaving behind a feeling that the mind can remember but not duplicate. Wheeler seems slower and less coordinated, Byfuglien and Trouba lose their mean streaks, Scheifele gets pushed around, Kane shoots wide as often as he hits the net (or more) and Pavelec is woefully out of position. It gets a little crueller every time, because it always seems like the Jets are within inches of greatness for a few short games before it turns sour and bitter once again.
So which will it be this time, Jets? Do we turn on the afterburners or crash into a mountain? It's too early to tell of course, but if they could keep this momentum going it would sure be a breath of fresh air in this city's lungs, especially given the debacle that the bombers have been the latter half of this season. Every year in their preseason predictions the experts at TSN and Sportsnet and The Hockey News dump on the Jets mercilessly and relentlessly, and just once it would be nice to see the flight crew make those pundits eat their words.
Friday, October 31, 2014
What's Wrong in Colorado?
It's hard to write this blog right now, especially after the Avs soundly thrashed the New York Islanders, the surprise team of the new season (who would have predicted a start above .500?) by a convincing 5-0 score. Nathan MacKinnon got off the schneid as the saying goes with a 2-goal game and a generally solid performance, the fourth line got some goals of their own, including one from fan whipping boy Marc-Andre Cliche Semyon Varlamov had another game for the ages and the potent Islanders offense was blanked, in a defensive performance including another perfect outing for the Avs successful penalty killers. So how can I write a blog about what's wrong in Colorado? That's the nature of sports: when you're winning, nothing is wrong anywhere! What's to complain about after a game like that? Well, a few things, namely the team's overall struggles, come to mind, and I have a few thoughts on that.
-The Avs miss Paul Stastny. There, I said it. I know the Avs have plenty of depth, and lots of firepower up front, but no team loses a 60 point second line centreman and brushes it off like it's nothing. How much extra breathing room did good ol' Pauly Walnuts give Nathan MacKinnon? How much extra scoring did he provide when Matt Duchene had an off game? Look at the highlights from last season. He brought out the best in Gabe Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon. It's depressing how many of Landeskog's goals came as a result of Stastny's great vision. The Avs have lost more than they know in Stastny.
-The Avs miss P.A. Parenteau. Another depth scoring guy who could have provided the Avs with another weapon up front, he was traded for reasons I'm still not clear on. Rumours of a rift between him and the coaching staff were shot down by both parties, and yet he was shipped out in the offseason for, let's be honest here, a sub-par return. It's pretty clear so far, as it has been from day one, who won the Parenteau-Briere trade. I couldn't believe my eyes when this trade was made. It still stinks. We miss you P.A.
-The Avs miss Steve Downie. I know, this is old news, dating back to about this time last year, but Downie is a spark plug, and how many times have the Avs needed a spark this year that they never got? How useful would he have been in the playoffs against Minnesota last year, especially with all the injuries the Avs had up front? How many times did he throw crushing hits, or chip in with timely offense? Was he a loose cannon? At times yes, but for a team as lifeless as the Avs have seemed at times this year, he would not have been a bad thing; an injection of energy into an at times dead team would have been perfect. Another trade on which the return (Max Talbot) has not matched up to what was lost. We miss you, Steve.
-The Avs miss (or at least I do) the days when they were winning trades. Look at the trades that Joe Sakic has made in his tenure as Avs GM. They're far from inspiring. I'm a die-hard Avs fan, and as such I refuse to believe anything but the best of Super Joe, who is to Avs fans what Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman are to Penguins and Wings fans respectively, but his record in trades so far is losing, with the exception of the trade that brought Alex Tanguay back to Colorado (Tanguay, to Sakic's credit, has been a bright spot this year). But that Brad Stuart trade? Hell, what they gave up to land Stewart was more than the Sabres gave up to land the younger and more useful Josh Gorges, who many Avs fans would've and still would love to see in Avs uniform. The Avs dropped the ball on this one as far as I can see.
-The Avs miss MacKinnon moving his feet. It was a little unnerving seeing the kid glide or stand still, but he did both far too often leading up to the game against the Islanders. A player like MacKinnon, with an extra gear of speed to make a speed skater jealous, needs needs needs NEEDS to keep his feet moving to be effective. It makes me wonder if he wasn't playing hurt. He's also not carrying the puck the way we know he can. Hopefully the game against the Islanders, in which he scored twice and looked generally good, is a sign of a return to form. MacKinnon was moving his feet and playing the way we know he can that game. Maybe he's turned a corner. I hope so, because his size, speed, and skill give him a package befitting the games truly elite forwards.
-I miss the feeling of optimism that came with watching games last year. When the Avs played last year, especially after the first ten games or so, there was this feeling of invincibility. If they got up a couple goals, the game was over. If they got down a couple goals, they could (and often did) come back. They were the best team in any game they went into. With Duchene and MacKinnon they were faster than anyone. With Bordeleau and McLeod and Landeskog, they were tougher too. With Varlamov in net, they had the best goaltender. They could win any game, defeat any team at any style of play. It was a wonderful feeling for a fan, and I can only imagine how it must have been for the players. This feeling, this pride and certainty, this faith in the team, this I miss most of all. Here's hoping they bring it back soon.
-The Avs miss Paul Stastny. There, I said it. I know the Avs have plenty of depth, and lots of firepower up front, but no team loses a 60 point second line centreman and brushes it off like it's nothing. How much extra breathing room did good ol' Pauly Walnuts give Nathan MacKinnon? How much extra scoring did he provide when Matt Duchene had an off game? Look at the highlights from last season. He brought out the best in Gabe Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon. It's depressing how many of Landeskog's goals came as a result of Stastny's great vision. The Avs have lost more than they know in Stastny.
-The Avs miss P.A. Parenteau. Another depth scoring guy who could have provided the Avs with another weapon up front, he was traded for reasons I'm still not clear on. Rumours of a rift between him and the coaching staff were shot down by both parties, and yet he was shipped out in the offseason for, let's be honest here, a sub-par return. It's pretty clear so far, as it has been from day one, who won the Parenteau-Briere trade. I couldn't believe my eyes when this trade was made. It still stinks. We miss you P.A.
-The Avs miss Steve Downie. I know, this is old news, dating back to about this time last year, but Downie is a spark plug, and how many times have the Avs needed a spark this year that they never got? How useful would he have been in the playoffs against Minnesota last year, especially with all the injuries the Avs had up front? How many times did he throw crushing hits, or chip in with timely offense? Was he a loose cannon? At times yes, but for a team as lifeless as the Avs have seemed at times this year, he would not have been a bad thing; an injection of energy into an at times dead team would have been perfect. Another trade on which the return (Max Talbot) has not matched up to what was lost. We miss you, Steve.
-The Avs miss (or at least I do) the days when they were winning trades. Look at the trades that Joe Sakic has made in his tenure as Avs GM. They're far from inspiring. I'm a die-hard Avs fan, and as such I refuse to believe anything but the best of Super Joe, who is to Avs fans what Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman are to Penguins and Wings fans respectively, but his record in trades so far is losing, with the exception of the trade that brought Alex Tanguay back to Colorado (Tanguay, to Sakic's credit, has been a bright spot this year). But that Brad Stuart trade? Hell, what they gave up to land Stewart was more than the Sabres gave up to land the younger and more useful Josh Gorges, who many Avs fans would've and still would love to see in Avs uniform. The Avs dropped the ball on this one as far as I can see.
-The Avs miss MacKinnon moving his feet. It was a little unnerving seeing the kid glide or stand still, but he did both far too often leading up to the game against the Islanders. A player like MacKinnon, with an extra gear of speed to make a speed skater jealous, needs needs needs NEEDS to keep his feet moving to be effective. It makes me wonder if he wasn't playing hurt. He's also not carrying the puck the way we know he can. Hopefully the game against the Islanders, in which he scored twice and looked generally good, is a sign of a return to form. MacKinnon was moving his feet and playing the way we know he can that game. Maybe he's turned a corner. I hope so, because his size, speed, and skill give him a package befitting the games truly elite forwards.
-I miss the feeling of optimism that came with watching games last year. When the Avs played last year, especially after the first ten games or so, there was this feeling of invincibility. If they got up a couple goals, the game was over. If they got down a couple goals, they could (and often did) come back. They were the best team in any game they went into. With Duchene and MacKinnon they were faster than anyone. With Bordeleau and McLeod and Landeskog, they were tougher too. With Varlamov in net, they had the best goaltender. They could win any game, defeat any team at any style of play. It was a wonderful feeling for a fan, and I can only imagine how it must have been for the players. This feeling, this pride and certainty, this faith in the team, this I miss most of all. Here's hoping they bring it back soon.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
A TALE OF TWO CITIES: Tampa Bay and Winnipeg
This blog is going to start off with some Avs/CHL thoughts but that's just me getting the easy stuff out of the way before delving into last night's matchup between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Winnipeg Jets. There's a lot to talk about. I know it's early yet in the season, but the Lightning look good and the Jets really do not. The Lightning have matured into a solid team, perhaps one of the better teams in the NHL's Eastern Conference (certainly now, with Boston falling off a bit in the early going), while the Jets, whether they've been in the west or the east, have failed to make the playoffs every year since 2007 and appear, most unfortunately, poised to do so again. So what happened to these two teams who were so bad at the same time for so many years? Why do the Lightning look like Stanley Cup contenders and the Jets, at best, like an upper-tier AHL team at times? I'm going to spend a good chunk of this blog answering that painful question, but before I dive into that nest of snakes:
-There was a heavyweight tilt of sorts tonight in the OHL between two of the best teams in junior hockey. The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, or the Soo Greyhounds as they are often known, went toe-to-toe with Connor McDavid's Erie Otters. While the Greyhounds held McDavid to just one goal (and few enough teams can say that) they lost the battle of the titans 6-4, with Dylan Strome picking up 2 goals. Say, now there's a player who would look pretty good in a Jets uniform! The Jets likely won't be bad enough to finish last in the league this year (Have you seen Buffalo this season? Yikes!) but they could finish in the range to draft Strome at this rate.
No! Bad Rob! Other stuff now, dump on Jets later!
-Colorado won another game tonight (holy, another one?) bringing their win total on the season up to two. While the total number of wins for the Avs so far is hardly inspiring, the fashion in which they won this game is cause for a sigh of relief. The Avs walloped the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 7-3, and got contributions from all the big guns. Jarome Iginla got his first two goals as an Av, Tyson Barrie put up three points, Matt Duchene looked deadly every time he was on the ice, and Gabriel Landeskog showed off that blistering slap shot of his. The only fly in the ointment (or flies): Nathan MacKinnon played well, but had no goals to show for it. Ryan O'Reilly hasn't played especially well either. Once those two guys get going, the wins will pile up in Denver.
-Former Jet Zach Redmond made his Avalanche debut, and to the surprise of not a single Jets fan he played extremely well. He moved the puck with confidence, had surprisingly little in the way of jitters in spite of it being his first game of the year, and rushed the puck up ice a couple of times. What I really liked was that he rushed the puck well but never once got caught out of position. When he rushed the puck he never overstayed his welcome in the offensive zone, but got right back to his position after leaving the puck for one of his teammates. Remind me again why the Avs had Nate Guenin playing instead of this guy. Or, if you're a Jets fan, remind me again why the Jets could afford to keep Adam Pardy and Paul Postma, but were reluctant to keep Redmond It wasn't like he signed for big money in Colorado, and a player with the kind of calm, slick puck moving ability Redmond displayed for the Avs would have been welcome in the Jets lineup.
Which brings me to tonight.
-Remember the 2011-2012 season? The year before the lockout? Well, I sure do. It was the first year the Jets were back in town, and in spite of how bad the Thrashers had been there was a sense of optimism in the air. Anything was possible, even the playoffs. In fact it took the Jets until game 79 to be officially eliminated, so while there would be no playoffs that year, the hard drive for them at the end had left everyone in Winnipeg feeling pretty good. The last game of the year, which I attended, was between the Jets and Lightning, and it was the game Lightning sniper extraordinaire Steven Stamkos potted his 60th goal of the season. The Jets lost the game in overtime, a hard-fought affair in which current Edmonton Oiler Teddy Purcell scored the winner, his second of the night.
Which, again, brings me to tonight.
I remember this game because it would be easily forgotten, in light of tonight's loss, just how close in terms of development these two teams were at the time. Separated by just one point, the Jets ended up with the 9th overall pick in that year's entry draft and Tampa Bay with the tenth. The two teams looked like they were neck and neck. Now, in the 2014-15 season, Tampa Bay has shot out so far ahead of the Jets we can scarcely see their taillights. What happened?
In Winnipeg's case it might be more appropriate to ask what didn't happen.
First and foremost, I know that Tampa Bay has had several very high draft picks which have turned into the league's best sniper, one of the league's best defensemen and the league's most promising rookie respectively. This is not an excuse to my mind. Even factoring in the fact that Stamkos missed most of last year, even noting that Victor Hedman only broke out last season and looked merely average before that, even pointing out that Jonathan Drouin didn't even play last year, you still haven't hit on the big difference between the two teams. You still haven't given Tampa Bay their due credit or exposed just how badly Winnipeg has missed an opportunity.
Tonight's game was a sterling example of the difference goaltending makes. Ben Bishop stopped 40 shots, while Ondrej Pavelec couldn't even stop half that many, yet still allowed twice as many goals. Ben Bishop was available at one point for trade. Two points, in fact. He was traded to Ottawa for a pittance, and again to Tampa Bay in what turned out to be one of the most lopsided trades of the modern era. Switch the goaltenders tonight, and you switch the result, as has too often been in the case in Winnipeg.
But it doesn't end there, and to put this game solely on Ondrej Pavelec would be doing Tampa Bay's budding offensive stars a disservice.
Look at the Lightning lineup for a moment. It's formidable, no doubt about it. Even leaving Stamkos out of the equation, which for much of last year they did, Tampa boasts a solid team. Look at where those players came from. They weren't all top three draft picks. Look at Namestnikov and Kucherov, who were added 27th and 54th overall. Look at Brendan Morrow, a free agent signing added on the cheap. Look at Radko Gudas, that constant thorn in the side of everyone he plays against, selected 66th overall. Look at almost the entire defensive corps, a mix of trade acquisitions and free agent signees. Look at that lineup.
The Lightning have found gems in the later rounds of the draft better than most teams in the league. They have made shrewd trades and made appropriate free agent signings to supplement those draft picks. They have taken a collection of good players and surrounded them with a decent supporting cast.
Kevin Cheveldayoff has done none of those things.
That's what separates the Lightning from the Jets. No matter how many Stamkoses or Drouins you draft, you need players around them, and a goaltender to back them up. Even if the Jets do get Connor McDavid this year, he won't solve all their problems by himself.
-There was a heavyweight tilt of sorts tonight in the OHL between two of the best teams in junior hockey. The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, or the Soo Greyhounds as they are often known, went toe-to-toe with Connor McDavid's Erie Otters. While the Greyhounds held McDavid to just one goal (and few enough teams can say that) they lost the battle of the titans 6-4, with Dylan Strome picking up 2 goals. Say, now there's a player who would look pretty good in a Jets uniform! The Jets likely won't be bad enough to finish last in the league this year (Have you seen Buffalo this season? Yikes!) but they could finish in the range to draft Strome at this rate.
No! Bad Rob! Other stuff now, dump on Jets later!
-Colorado won another game tonight (holy, another one?) bringing their win total on the season up to two. While the total number of wins for the Avs so far is hardly inspiring, the fashion in which they won this game is cause for a sigh of relief. The Avs walloped the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 7-3, and got contributions from all the big guns. Jarome Iginla got his first two goals as an Av, Tyson Barrie put up three points, Matt Duchene looked deadly every time he was on the ice, and Gabriel Landeskog showed off that blistering slap shot of his. The only fly in the ointment (or flies): Nathan MacKinnon played well, but had no goals to show for it. Ryan O'Reilly hasn't played especially well either. Once those two guys get going, the wins will pile up in Denver.
-Former Jet Zach Redmond made his Avalanche debut, and to the surprise of not a single Jets fan he played extremely well. He moved the puck with confidence, had surprisingly little in the way of jitters in spite of it being his first game of the year, and rushed the puck up ice a couple of times. What I really liked was that he rushed the puck well but never once got caught out of position. When he rushed the puck he never overstayed his welcome in the offensive zone, but got right back to his position after leaving the puck for one of his teammates. Remind me again why the Avs had Nate Guenin playing instead of this guy. Or, if you're a Jets fan, remind me again why the Jets could afford to keep Adam Pardy and Paul Postma, but were reluctant to keep Redmond It wasn't like he signed for big money in Colorado, and a player with the kind of calm, slick puck moving ability Redmond displayed for the Avs would have been welcome in the Jets lineup.
Which brings me to tonight.
-Remember the 2011-2012 season? The year before the lockout? Well, I sure do. It was the first year the Jets were back in town, and in spite of how bad the Thrashers had been there was a sense of optimism in the air. Anything was possible, even the playoffs. In fact it took the Jets until game 79 to be officially eliminated, so while there would be no playoffs that year, the hard drive for them at the end had left everyone in Winnipeg feeling pretty good. The last game of the year, which I attended, was between the Jets and Lightning, and it was the game Lightning sniper extraordinaire Steven Stamkos potted his 60th goal of the season. The Jets lost the game in overtime, a hard-fought affair in which current Edmonton Oiler Teddy Purcell scored the winner, his second of the night.
Which, again, brings me to tonight.
I remember this game because it would be easily forgotten, in light of tonight's loss, just how close in terms of development these two teams were at the time. Separated by just one point, the Jets ended up with the 9th overall pick in that year's entry draft and Tampa Bay with the tenth. The two teams looked like they were neck and neck. Now, in the 2014-15 season, Tampa Bay has shot out so far ahead of the Jets we can scarcely see their taillights. What happened?
In Winnipeg's case it might be more appropriate to ask what didn't happen.
First and foremost, I know that Tampa Bay has had several very high draft picks which have turned into the league's best sniper, one of the league's best defensemen and the league's most promising rookie respectively. This is not an excuse to my mind. Even factoring in the fact that Stamkos missed most of last year, even noting that Victor Hedman only broke out last season and looked merely average before that, even pointing out that Jonathan Drouin didn't even play last year, you still haven't hit on the big difference between the two teams. You still haven't given Tampa Bay their due credit or exposed just how badly Winnipeg has missed an opportunity.
Tonight's game was a sterling example of the difference goaltending makes. Ben Bishop stopped 40 shots, while Ondrej Pavelec couldn't even stop half that many, yet still allowed twice as many goals. Ben Bishop was available at one point for trade. Two points, in fact. He was traded to Ottawa for a pittance, and again to Tampa Bay in what turned out to be one of the most lopsided trades of the modern era. Switch the goaltenders tonight, and you switch the result, as has too often been in the case in Winnipeg.
But it doesn't end there, and to put this game solely on Ondrej Pavelec would be doing Tampa Bay's budding offensive stars a disservice.
Look at the Lightning lineup for a moment. It's formidable, no doubt about it. Even leaving Stamkos out of the equation, which for much of last year they did, Tampa boasts a solid team. Look at where those players came from. They weren't all top three draft picks. Look at Namestnikov and Kucherov, who were added 27th and 54th overall. Look at Brendan Morrow, a free agent signing added on the cheap. Look at Radko Gudas, that constant thorn in the side of everyone he plays against, selected 66th overall. Look at almost the entire defensive corps, a mix of trade acquisitions and free agent signees. Look at that lineup.
The Lightning have found gems in the later rounds of the draft better than most teams in the league. They have made shrewd trades and made appropriate free agent signings to supplement those draft picks. They have taken a collection of good players and surrounded them with a decent supporting cast.
Kevin Cheveldayoff has done none of those things.
That's what separates the Lightning from the Jets. No matter how many Stamkoses or Drouins you draft, you need players around them, and a goaltender to back them up. Even if the Jets do get Connor McDavid this year, he won't solve all their problems by himself.
Monday, October 13, 2014
NHL Season Begins, CHL Season in Full Swing
The season has been underway since last Wednesday, and while it's still far too early to start identifying trends, it's been nice hockey start up again. The first few games have been horribly frustrating for Avs fans and Jets fans alike, but both teams have escaped the first three games with a win. A 1-2 record is hardly something to aspire to, for either time, but the Avs at least have showed some progress, beating the big bad Boston Bruins 2-1 in a hard-fought game earlier today. The Jets, on the other hand, started off brilliantly with a rousing 6-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes. Unfortunately the real tests soon followed, tough games against the Pacific Division powerhouses, the L.A. Kings and San Jose Sharks. They managed just one goal through those 2 games, though that was one more than Colorado managed in two games against the Minnesota Wild, two games I'd really prefer to forget for any number of reasons.
-Connor McDavid didn't have a great first game of the season by his lofty standards, but man has ever turned it up a notch since then. He now sits first in OHL scoring with 18 points in just 6 games. If there was any doubt about how McDavid would handle the pressure of his draft year (yeah, there really wasn't but let's just say for the sake of argument...) his first six games have been as much of an answer as you could ask for. Right in there with McDavid, tied for the league lead in points in fact, is his Otters teammate Dylan Strome. Strome, also draft eligible this year, has led the charge for the Otters along with McDavid, effectively replacing Dane Fox, Connor Brown, and Andre Burakowsky, who were key cogs in last year's well-oiled machine offensively.
-Sticking with the OHL, and also the Avs, Avalanche prospects Chris Bigras and Kyle Wood are off to strong starts for the Owen Sound Attack and North Bay Battalion respectively. Bigras has eight points in eight games, putting him third in league scoring among defensemen. Wood, on the other hand, has scored four goals in his first six games. The 6'5 Wood is known more for his physical play than his offense, so this goal scoring outburst, while it may be an aberration, is nice to see. Bigras is probably going to end up at the WJC for Canada at this rate, and as a returning player he should have a leg up on the competition.
-A quick look at the 2016 draft, for those who like looking to the future. Two OHL defensemen who should be eligible next year, Sean Day and Jakob Chychrun, are off to strong starts. Day, who was granted exceptional status last year, has six points through his first five games, and at 6'2 and 229 lbs according to the OHL website, he's already man-sized. Chychrun isn't far behind, standing 6'2 himself, and having a very successful rookie season so far, with six points through seven games for an improved but still middle of the pack Sarnia team that also boasts 2015 eligible Czech import Pavel Zacha, himself off to a good start with six points through seven games. Zacha, standing 6'3 and over 200 lbs projects as a power forward and will likely be a high first round pick.
-Out west, in the WHL, two prospects on the West coast are turning heads: 2015 eligible Matt Barzal, the former first overall pick in the WHL Bantam Draft, and another first overall bantam pick, Tyler Benson, eligible in 2016. Playing for Seattle and Vancouver respectively, Barzal and Benson have cemented their status as top-ten picks for their respective draft years. Brandon Wheat Kings defenseman Kale Clague is having a solid year for a very deep Wheat Kings squad, and he too will be up for the draft in 2016. This is the defenseman who broke Dion Phaneuf's scoring record for a AAA defenseman with a whopping 77 points in 33 games as a 14 year old.
-Back to the NHL, the Jets specifically, this most recent road trip wasn't kind to them for the most part, but I will say this: Adam Lowry is proving (as if it wasn't already obvious) that he belongs in the NHL. Hitting anything he gets in his crosshairs, bulling his way to the net and generally causing mayhem on the forecheck. He, Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler all looked good against L.A. and they were just about the only ones. On the other end of the spectrum, Jacob Trouba, who looked like future Norris Trophy material last year at times, has looked weary and worn down this year so far. It might be time to cut his minutes down a bit, but it is a little early to push the panic button on the young man just yet.
-As for the Avs (deep breaths) I'm focussing on the positives. They beat Boston, number one, and the whole team generally looked good. Danny Briere has little chemistry with Nathan MacKinnon, but he did score the winning goal with 0.5 seconds left. Tyson Barrie looks like a future all-star (though, once again, it's early). He's pinching well, getting back in a hurry, making things happen in the offensive zone and being better than solid in the defensive zone. The Avs best d-man to start the season by a mile.
That's it for now, folks, check back later for more NHL/CHL thoughts from yours truly.
-Connor McDavid didn't have a great first game of the season by his lofty standards, but man has ever turned it up a notch since then. He now sits first in OHL scoring with 18 points in just 6 games. If there was any doubt about how McDavid would handle the pressure of his draft year (yeah, there really wasn't but let's just say for the sake of argument...) his first six games have been as much of an answer as you could ask for. Right in there with McDavid, tied for the league lead in points in fact, is his Otters teammate Dylan Strome. Strome, also draft eligible this year, has led the charge for the Otters along with McDavid, effectively replacing Dane Fox, Connor Brown, and Andre Burakowsky, who were key cogs in last year's well-oiled machine offensively.
-Sticking with the OHL, and also the Avs, Avalanche prospects Chris Bigras and Kyle Wood are off to strong starts for the Owen Sound Attack and North Bay Battalion respectively. Bigras has eight points in eight games, putting him third in league scoring among defensemen. Wood, on the other hand, has scored four goals in his first six games. The 6'5 Wood is known more for his physical play than his offense, so this goal scoring outburst, while it may be an aberration, is nice to see. Bigras is probably going to end up at the WJC for Canada at this rate, and as a returning player he should have a leg up on the competition.
-A quick look at the 2016 draft, for those who like looking to the future. Two OHL defensemen who should be eligible next year, Sean Day and Jakob Chychrun, are off to strong starts. Day, who was granted exceptional status last year, has six points through his first five games, and at 6'2 and 229 lbs according to the OHL website, he's already man-sized. Chychrun isn't far behind, standing 6'2 himself, and having a very successful rookie season so far, with six points through seven games for an improved but still middle of the pack Sarnia team that also boasts 2015 eligible Czech import Pavel Zacha, himself off to a good start with six points through seven games. Zacha, standing 6'3 and over 200 lbs projects as a power forward and will likely be a high first round pick.
-Out west, in the WHL, two prospects on the West coast are turning heads: 2015 eligible Matt Barzal, the former first overall pick in the WHL Bantam Draft, and another first overall bantam pick, Tyler Benson, eligible in 2016. Playing for Seattle and Vancouver respectively, Barzal and Benson have cemented their status as top-ten picks for their respective draft years. Brandon Wheat Kings defenseman Kale Clague is having a solid year for a very deep Wheat Kings squad, and he too will be up for the draft in 2016. This is the defenseman who broke Dion Phaneuf's scoring record for a AAA defenseman with a whopping 77 points in 33 games as a 14 year old.
-Back to the NHL, the Jets specifically, this most recent road trip wasn't kind to them for the most part, but I will say this: Adam Lowry is proving (as if it wasn't already obvious) that he belongs in the NHL. Hitting anything he gets in his crosshairs, bulling his way to the net and generally causing mayhem on the forecheck. He, Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler all looked good against L.A. and they were just about the only ones. On the other end of the spectrum, Jacob Trouba, who looked like future Norris Trophy material last year at times, has looked weary and worn down this year so far. It might be time to cut his minutes down a bit, but it is a little early to push the panic button on the young man just yet.
-As for the Avs (deep breaths) I'm focussing on the positives. They beat Boston, number one, and the whole team generally looked good. Danny Briere has little chemistry with Nathan MacKinnon, but he did score the winning goal with 0.5 seconds left. Tyson Barrie looks like a future all-star (though, once again, it's early). He's pinching well, getting back in a hurry, making things happen in the offensive zone and being better than solid in the defensive zone. The Avs best d-man to start the season by a mile.
That's it for now, folks, check back later for more NHL/CHL thoughts from yours truly.
Monday, October 06, 2014
NHL Season Almost Starting
The NHL regular season is creeping closer, and my next post should have plenty of fodder from both the Avs and Jets. As things stand, teams are finalizing their rosters, making big trades to get under the cap, sending players down to the AHL and back to juniors (and ruining the hockey pools of people who don't do their research on that subject). The injuries are piling up, the contract disputes are settling down at last, and the landscape of the league this season is coming into clearer focus at last. With the exhibition schedule over, and the start of the season now mere days away, NHL teams have given their fans lots to talk about in regards to roster decisions this past week. Who stayed and who left has been a major source of angst amongst fans of every team, and some stories in particular have stood out, including:
-The Toronto Maple Leafs can make the news in Canada for sleeping on their left sides instead of their right, so it's no surprise the roster decisions in Leafland were heavily scrutinized by not only their fans but the sports media. When it was revealed the Leafs would be starting the year without a fighter for the first time since they acquired Colton Orr back in 2009. Frazer McLaren was also sent down to the AHL, so the Leafs will be starting the year without a heavyweight fighter. They'll still have some scrappers in David Clarkson and Carter Ashton, but Clarkson is playing in a full cage after Sabres tough guy Cody McCormick damaged his orbital bone in a fight. Kind of a shame. The Leafs/Canadians tilt on opening night always used to feature a good scrap, but may not this year. I'll still be watching just because it's the first meaningful hockey game in way too damn long.
-Still with the Leafs, they sent William Nylander back to Sweden. I'm not really surprised, but then towards the end there I started to wonder if they might keep him. Nylander is amazingly skilled, and should provide the Leafs with another offensive weapon next year or the year after. One player they kept, who I was very happy to see stick with the big club, was Brandon Kozun. I always want to see the guys I cheered for in their junior years do well. Kozun was a victim of a numbers game in L.A. with too many good forwards ahead of him. The former Calgary Hitman has found a home in Toronto for now, and here's hoping it lasts.
-Speaking of juniors, the Winnipeg Jets returned three players to their respective CHL clubs. Nik Ehlers was sent back to join the herd in Halifax, where he'll terrorize the QMJHL for one more year at least, and represent Denmark at this years World Junior Championships. Josh Morrissey was returned to Prince Albert, and Nic Petan was sent back to Portland. Both of them will represent Canada this year at the WJC barring injury, and both are likely going to tear the WHL apart this year (seeing as they did last year). One player who stuck with the big club was Adam Lowry, and boy he earned it with his preseason play. A physical force who killed penalties and showed an ability to chip in offensively, Lowry looks primed to have a solid year, starting on the Jets third line. He'll bring a tenacity on the forecheck that was too often lacking from last years squad. On that note, the Jets did a much better job of forechecking in the preseason than they did in last year's season. Here's hoping that ridiculous one man forecheck is a thing of the past.
-The Avs ended the preseason on a winning note after losing every other game, finally earning a win over the L.A. Kings in the annual Frozen Fury event in Las Vegas. It was a fun game to watch, or so I'm told (the NHL network didn't carry the game in Canada), and from the highlights it looks like Duchene is rounding into form nicely. MacKinnon too. But perhaps the nicest surprise of all was seeing Ryan Wilson flattening Kyle Clifford with a beautiful backwards-skating shoulder check, the kind which he built his reputation on. Wilson was among the league's more devastating open ice hitters before injuries starting to come knocking, derailing basically the entirety of the last two years for the physical defenseman. Wilson at his best is a hard checking, no nonsense defenseman who can occasionally drop the gloves and always punished players with hard, clean checks. He moves the puck pretty well too for a defensive defenseman. It'd be good to see him get back to the form that led to Colorado extending him.
-One hard-hitting defenseman who hasn't slowed down at all is Johnny Boychuk, whose crushing hits have terrorized oncoming forwards for years. A playoff monster with the Bruins, who times his hits perfectly and leaves players wondering what truck hit them, Boychuk was traded by the Bruins to the New York Islanders over the weekend, mainly due to cap constraints. Boychuk will not only instantly make the Islanders harder to play against, but will serve as a mentor to young Travis Hamonic, who plays a similar style.
-The Islanders paid a steep price to get Boychuk (two second round draft picks) which, along with the deals they made to get the rights to Dan Boyle (which didn't pan out) and Jaroslav Halak (which did) tells me just how desperate the Islanders are not to give the Buffalo Sabres a lottery pick this year. The trade that sent Matt Moulson to Buffalo in exchange for Thomas Vanek (who gone less than six months later) may end up costing Garth Snow his job if the first round pick they shipped out with Moulson turns into Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel (or anyone else in the top five for that matter). Since the Sabres are likely looking at a lottery pick of their own, giving them a second such pick in a draft year as incredibly skilled and deep as this one would be creating a monster.
-Oh and finally, the ugly situation between Ryan Johansen and the Columbus Blue Jackets has been resolved as much at it ever will be. Johansen has been signed, and will be in the lineup to start the season, but the bad blood that stemmed from the extremely public feud between his agent, Kurt Overhardt, and Columbus management isn't going to go away just because the contract was signed.
-The Toronto Maple Leafs can make the news in Canada for sleeping on their left sides instead of their right, so it's no surprise the roster decisions in Leafland were heavily scrutinized by not only their fans but the sports media. When it was revealed the Leafs would be starting the year without a fighter for the first time since they acquired Colton Orr back in 2009. Frazer McLaren was also sent down to the AHL, so the Leafs will be starting the year without a heavyweight fighter. They'll still have some scrappers in David Clarkson and Carter Ashton, but Clarkson is playing in a full cage after Sabres tough guy Cody McCormick damaged his orbital bone in a fight. Kind of a shame. The Leafs/Canadians tilt on opening night always used to feature a good scrap, but may not this year. I'll still be watching just because it's the first meaningful hockey game in way too damn long.
-Still with the Leafs, they sent William Nylander back to Sweden. I'm not really surprised, but then towards the end there I started to wonder if they might keep him. Nylander is amazingly skilled, and should provide the Leafs with another offensive weapon next year or the year after. One player they kept, who I was very happy to see stick with the big club, was Brandon Kozun. I always want to see the guys I cheered for in their junior years do well. Kozun was a victim of a numbers game in L.A. with too many good forwards ahead of him. The former Calgary Hitman has found a home in Toronto for now, and here's hoping it lasts.
-Speaking of juniors, the Winnipeg Jets returned three players to their respective CHL clubs. Nik Ehlers was sent back to join the herd in Halifax, where he'll terrorize the QMJHL for one more year at least, and represent Denmark at this years World Junior Championships. Josh Morrissey was returned to Prince Albert, and Nic Petan was sent back to Portland. Both of them will represent Canada this year at the WJC barring injury, and both are likely going to tear the WHL apart this year (seeing as they did last year). One player who stuck with the big club was Adam Lowry, and boy he earned it with his preseason play. A physical force who killed penalties and showed an ability to chip in offensively, Lowry looks primed to have a solid year, starting on the Jets third line. He'll bring a tenacity on the forecheck that was too often lacking from last years squad. On that note, the Jets did a much better job of forechecking in the preseason than they did in last year's season. Here's hoping that ridiculous one man forecheck is a thing of the past.
-The Avs ended the preseason on a winning note after losing every other game, finally earning a win over the L.A. Kings in the annual Frozen Fury event in Las Vegas. It was a fun game to watch, or so I'm told (the NHL network didn't carry the game in Canada), and from the highlights it looks like Duchene is rounding into form nicely. MacKinnon too. But perhaps the nicest surprise of all was seeing Ryan Wilson flattening Kyle Clifford with a beautiful backwards-skating shoulder check, the kind which he built his reputation on. Wilson was among the league's more devastating open ice hitters before injuries starting to come knocking, derailing basically the entirety of the last two years for the physical defenseman. Wilson at his best is a hard checking, no nonsense defenseman who can occasionally drop the gloves and always punished players with hard, clean checks. He moves the puck pretty well too for a defensive defenseman. It'd be good to see him get back to the form that led to Colorado extending him.
-One hard-hitting defenseman who hasn't slowed down at all is Johnny Boychuk, whose crushing hits have terrorized oncoming forwards for years. A playoff monster with the Bruins, who times his hits perfectly and leaves players wondering what truck hit them, Boychuk was traded by the Bruins to the New York Islanders over the weekend, mainly due to cap constraints. Boychuk will not only instantly make the Islanders harder to play against, but will serve as a mentor to young Travis Hamonic, who plays a similar style.
-The Islanders paid a steep price to get Boychuk (two second round draft picks) which, along with the deals they made to get the rights to Dan Boyle (which didn't pan out) and Jaroslav Halak (which did) tells me just how desperate the Islanders are not to give the Buffalo Sabres a lottery pick this year. The trade that sent Matt Moulson to Buffalo in exchange for Thomas Vanek (who gone less than six months later) may end up costing Garth Snow his job if the first round pick they shipped out with Moulson turns into Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel (or anyone else in the top five for that matter). Since the Sabres are likely looking at a lottery pick of their own, giving them a second such pick in a draft year as incredibly skilled and deep as this one would be creating a monster.
-Oh and finally, the ugly situation between Ryan Johansen and the Columbus Blue Jackets has been resolved as much at it ever will be. Johansen has been signed, and will be in the lineup to start the season, but the bad blood that stemmed from the extremely public feud between his agent, Kurt Overhardt, and Columbus management isn't going to go away just because the contract was signed.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Exhibition Game Thoughts
Hey guys, a bit of a shorter one this time around. I can't wait for the season to start for real and give me lots more fodder for this blog.
-Still lots of tension between Ryan Johansen and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Increasingly looks like he won't be starting the season. And even though Jayden Schwartz reached an agreement with the Blues it looks like Johansen will have some company in RFAs Torey Krug and Reilly Smith, who are still unsigned. I can't recall off the top of my head a year with so many RFAs holding out for better offers. I'm really surprised it's going this sour in Columbus, but apparently this isn't the first time they've had problems negotiating with Kurt Overhardt (Johansen's agent) who also represents CBJ prospect Kerby Rychel.
-On the WHL front, man do the Brandon Wheat Kings look like a force to be reckoned with this year. They just got Jayce Hawryluk and John Quenneville back from NHL camps, adding to an offence that already featured all kinds of firepower, including top-of-the-line Bantam draft picks Kale Clague and Nolan Patrick, as well as 2015 draft eligible forward Jesse Gabrielle. They're off to a 4-0 start and, having just got their two most dangerous offensive players from last year back, show no signs of slowing down. Keep an eye on them, on Gabrielle in particular. If he keeps this pace up, he'll shoot up the 2015 draft rankings like a rocket.
-In the Winnipeg Jets exhibition games, I'm getting a clearer feel for what the team should look like this year. Less of Chris Thorburn and more of Anthony Peluso would be nice. Getting Adam Lowry on the third line would be very nice. He forechecks better than any other player on the Jets, and his long reach and good speed make him a perfect penalty killer. As for Nik Ehlers, he's not ready yet but just you wait. The kid is flat out electric, and plays with a physical edge I didn't expect from the young man. Give him another year. This kid's offensive skills are off the charts. Nic Petan, though small, looks like the power play specialist of the future for the Jets. His head for the game is unparalleled. I would have liked the Jets to have given Scott Kosmachuk more of a look, but I guess they felt Kossy need some seasoning in the AHL.
-For the players who are assured roster spots with the Jets, I actually liked how Grant Clitsome looked the other night. He doesn't appear to have lost a step in spite of his injury troubles last year. I liked his game. Ondrej Pavelec's? Not so much. Here's hoping Michael Hutchinson supplants him early this year.
-I haven't been able to watch many Avs games I'm afraid, but from the little I have been able to see I can tell you that the team will be much the same as last year except for one major difference: Nathan MacKinnon. The reports out of Denver were no lies, folks. This kid has gotten stronger. He shrugged off Alexei Emelin with ease on one play in the game against Montreal, then walked out of the corner and gave Tyson Barrie a sweet feed, which Barrie cashed. Regression my hat; fancy stats geeks can enjoy their humble pie at the end of the year when the Avs make the playoffs.
-As for the fancy stats geeks themselves, I have some disturbing news for you: the fact that the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs hired a bunch of Corsi experts is not a complement for you guys. Those are desperate teams making moves that reek of desperation. When the games are played on Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, maybe I'll start taking Corsi and Fenwick more seriously. Until then, I prefer the traditional hockey fan's method of, you know, actually watching the games to determine which teams are good and bad.
-Seriously though, in response to some fancy-stats anti-Avalanche arguments on a more thoughtful level, I get that certain Avs players shot above their average percentage last year, and that worries you. It's a reasonable worry. However, if you actually watch the goals the Avs got last year, those worries fade. A lot of the goals that, for example, Gabe Landeskog and Ryan O'Reilly scored, were scored either on breakaways or after they had received passes from Duchene or MacKinnon that put them in scoring areas where they couldn't possibly miss. Most people would have greater-than-average shooting percentages if they had open nets to shoot at the way Landeskog and O'Reilly often did last year, thanks to their centermen. The Avs take quality shots, and get most of their shots from prime scoring areas, as opposed to the fringes of the ice. In the Avs case, where most of their shots are being taken from areas where I could probably score once in a while, the high shooting percentages are explicable. Don't believe me? Watch the goals the Avs got last year. Some of them are tap ins after great passing, some are just good shots that would beat any goalie, some are on breakaways, and more than a few are just nice goals in general. From those places, a high shooting percentage is not a mystery, which is why watching the games is still the most important part of any hockey analysis.
-Still lots of tension between Ryan Johansen and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Increasingly looks like he won't be starting the season. And even though Jayden Schwartz reached an agreement with the Blues it looks like Johansen will have some company in RFAs Torey Krug and Reilly Smith, who are still unsigned. I can't recall off the top of my head a year with so many RFAs holding out for better offers. I'm really surprised it's going this sour in Columbus, but apparently this isn't the first time they've had problems negotiating with Kurt Overhardt (Johansen's agent) who also represents CBJ prospect Kerby Rychel.
-On the WHL front, man do the Brandon Wheat Kings look like a force to be reckoned with this year. They just got Jayce Hawryluk and John Quenneville back from NHL camps, adding to an offence that already featured all kinds of firepower, including top-of-the-line Bantam draft picks Kale Clague and Nolan Patrick, as well as 2015 draft eligible forward Jesse Gabrielle. They're off to a 4-0 start and, having just got their two most dangerous offensive players from last year back, show no signs of slowing down. Keep an eye on them, on Gabrielle in particular. If he keeps this pace up, he'll shoot up the 2015 draft rankings like a rocket.
-In the Winnipeg Jets exhibition games, I'm getting a clearer feel for what the team should look like this year. Less of Chris Thorburn and more of Anthony Peluso would be nice. Getting Adam Lowry on the third line would be very nice. He forechecks better than any other player on the Jets, and his long reach and good speed make him a perfect penalty killer. As for Nik Ehlers, he's not ready yet but just you wait. The kid is flat out electric, and plays with a physical edge I didn't expect from the young man. Give him another year. This kid's offensive skills are off the charts. Nic Petan, though small, looks like the power play specialist of the future for the Jets. His head for the game is unparalleled. I would have liked the Jets to have given Scott Kosmachuk more of a look, but I guess they felt Kossy need some seasoning in the AHL.
-For the players who are assured roster spots with the Jets, I actually liked how Grant Clitsome looked the other night. He doesn't appear to have lost a step in spite of his injury troubles last year. I liked his game. Ondrej Pavelec's? Not so much. Here's hoping Michael Hutchinson supplants him early this year.
-I haven't been able to watch many Avs games I'm afraid, but from the little I have been able to see I can tell you that the team will be much the same as last year except for one major difference: Nathan MacKinnon. The reports out of Denver were no lies, folks. This kid has gotten stronger. He shrugged off Alexei Emelin with ease on one play in the game against Montreal, then walked out of the corner and gave Tyson Barrie a sweet feed, which Barrie cashed. Regression my hat; fancy stats geeks can enjoy their humble pie at the end of the year when the Avs make the playoffs.
-As for the fancy stats geeks themselves, I have some disturbing news for you: the fact that the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs hired a bunch of Corsi experts is not a complement for you guys. Those are desperate teams making moves that reek of desperation. When the games are played on Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, maybe I'll start taking Corsi and Fenwick more seriously. Until then, I prefer the traditional hockey fan's method of, you know, actually watching the games to determine which teams are good and bad.
-Seriously though, in response to some fancy-stats anti-Avalanche arguments on a more thoughtful level, I get that certain Avs players shot above their average percentage last year, and that worries you. It's a reasonable worry. However, if you actually watch the goals the Avs got last year, those worries fade. A lot of the goals that, for example, Gabe Landeskog and Ryan O'Reilly scored, were scored either on breakaways or after they had received passes from Duchene or MacKinnon that put them in scoring areas where they couldn't possibly miss. Most people would have greater-than-average shooting percentages if they had open nets to shoot at the way Landeskog and O'Reilly often did last year, thanks to their centermen. The Avs take quality shots, and get most of their shots from prime scoring areas, as opposed to the fringes of the ice. In the Avs case, where most of their shots are being taken from areas where I could probably score once in a while, the high shooting percentages are explicable. Don't believe me? Watch the goals the Avs got last year. Some of them are tap ins after great passing, some are just good shots that would beat any goalie, some are on breakaways, and more than a few are just nice goals in general. From those places, a high shooting percentage is not a mystery, which is why watching the games is still the most important part of any hockey analysis.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Training Camps and Roster Battles
With the conclusion of the young stars tournament in Penticton and the opening of main training camps around the NHL coming up, there's lots more to write about this week than there was last week, that's for sure. This time of year always comes with its own interesting set of side-plots to go along with the main camps, almost all of which focus on the battles for roster spots and ice time in the camps. Who looks good? Which rookie looks ready to make the jump? Who's battling who for that spot in the top six? For the Jets and Avs, it was a busy week, with many more busy weeks ahead of them. Hockey, at long last, is in the air, and after a long summer it's great to be able to get pumped for some hockey news again.
-A quick note from elsewhere in the NHL: Ryan Johansen was reportedly offered, and turned down, a 6 year, $46 million dollar contract offer from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Yikes. And Avs fans thought the negotiations with Ryan O'Reilly were tense. I get that Johansen scored 30 last year and is a budding power forward, but the contracts he's been turning down are getting a little ridiculous. Both CBJ President John Davidson and Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen have called out Johansen's agent, Kurt Overhardt, and accused him of stalling the process, being unreasonable in his demands, and trying to rook them. Davidson went so far as to accuse him of "extortion". There's no way this story has a happy ending.
-The Jets participated in the prospects tournament in Penticton last week, and a few prospects in particular stood out. Here, in no particular order:
-Adam Lowry looks ready for the NHL. He already has pro size and speed, and he displayed an aggressiveness on the forecheck that the Jets were sorely lacking last year. He fought, showed some nice hands and good drive, and threw some devastating hits. The Jets are looking for someone to slot in on the third line, and I nominate Lowry. I really don't want to see another year of fourth liners/AHLers playing top minutes in Winnipeg.
-Nic Petan is the perfect forward to set up your power play. When he stands along the wall, you can just see him looking for openings. His head is up, his eyes are open, his hands are moving and he's just waiting for a seam to open up so he can thread a perfect pass over to someone. When he does make a pass, it's pinpoint precise, and he seems to be able to see guys that others miss. Every power play needs a guy with that kind of vision and puck movement skill. That's not to say he's only useful on the power play though. Petan showed great speed and hands, and also a high compete level. For a smaller guy, he's not afraid to battle either.
-What more need be said about Nikolaj Ehlers? The guy is flat out electric. He can skate faster than everybody else, stickhandle better, and shoot better. He just seems to be operating on a higher talent level than everybody else whenever he has the puck. Having said that, he does need to put on weight and gain strength. There were a few times in Penticton he was knocked off the puck too easily. With his skill set, however, a bright NHL career is not far away.
-Getting over to the Avs, I hear great things about Duncan Siemens at the rookie camp that opened this week. I'm unfortunately not able to be there myself, since I live, oh, a few hundred miles away, but various reports out of camp say Siemens looks like a man amongst boys. He's a punishing physical player with a mean streak and decent puck moving skills, exactly the kind of d-man that would be welcome in Colorado (or anywhere).
-Chris Bigras, while a very different player from Duncan Siemens, is similarly turning heads this week in Denver. It sounds as though the drills/competition are almost too easy for him. He will never be a punishing hitter the way Siemens is, but Bigras thinks the game with the best of them, has good foot speed and is almost never out of position. Another solid defenseman in the Avs system.
-Another defensive rookie getting his share of attention in Denver is Mason Geertsen. Drafted as a nasty, shutdown defenseman with a propensity for fighting, Geertsen has grown beyond that. Though he'll never be confused with an offensive dynamo, his skating and puck movement have grown leaps and bounds, all while keeping the same mean streak that got him drafted in the first place. He'll likely go back to Vancouver for one more year in the WHL, which he will spend mentoring (and likely protecting at times) first overall bantam pick Tyler Benson.
-Avs fans have wondered a lot about the logjam of contracts on defence. I think they're going to be pleasantly surprised with Zach Redmond. An indication to Avs fans that he's a good player is just how upset Jets fans were when management let him walk. Some have said Redmond will be "this year's Nick Holden" i.e. the guy who comes out of nowhere to have a great offensive season and be a contributor. Redmond has size (6'2 and 205 lbs.) speed, and good puck movement skills. He's also a very underrated passer, and could end up being one of the better bang-for-buck pickups from this summer.
That's all for this week. More as training camps unfold and pre-season starts.
-A quick note from elsewhere in the NHL: Ryan Johansen was reportedly offered, and turned down, a 6 year, $46 million dollar contract offer from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Yikes. And Avs fans thought the negotiations with Ryan O'Reilly were tense. I get that Johansen scored 30 last year and is a budding power forward, but the contracts he's been turning down are getting a little ridiculous. Both CBJ President John Davidson and Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen have called out Johansen's agent, Kurt Overhardt, and accused him of stalling the process, being unreasonable in his demands, and trying to rook them. Davidson went so far as to accuse him of "extortion". There's no way this story has a happy ending.
-The Jets participated in the prospects tournament in Penticton last week, and a few prospects in particular stood out. Here, in no particular order:
-Adam Lowry looks ready for the NHL. He already has pro size and speed, and he displayed an aggressiveness on the forecheck that the Jets were sorely lacking last year. He fought, showed some nice hands and good drive, and threw some devastating hits. The Jets are looking for someone to slot in on the third line, and I nominate Lowry. I really don't want to see another year of fourth liners/AHLers playing top minutes in Winnipeg.
-Nic Petan is the perfect forward to set up your power play. When he stands along the wall, you can just see him looking for openings. His head is up, his eyes are open, his hands are moving and he's just waiting for a seam to open up so he can thread a perfect pass over to someone. When he does make a pass, it's pinpoint precise, and he seems to be able to see guys that others miss. Every power play needs a guy with that kind of vision and puck movement skill. That's not to say he's only useful on the power play though. Petan showed great speed and hands, and also a high compete level. For a smaller guy, he's not afraid to battle either.
-What more need be said about Nikolaj Ehlers? The guy is flat out electric. He can skate faster than everybody else, stickhandle better, and shoot better. He just seems to be operating on a higher talent level than everybody else whenever he has the puck. Having said that, he does need to put on weight and gain strength. There were a few times in Penticton he was knocked off the puck too easily. With his skill set, however, a bright NHL career is not far away.
-Getting over to the Avs, I hear great things about Duncan Siemens at the rookie camp that opened this week. I'm unfortunately not able to be there myself, since I live, oh, a few hundred miles away, but various reports out of camp say Siemens looks like a man amongst boys. He's a punishing physical player with a mean streak and decent puck moving skills, exactly the kind of d-man that would be welcome in Colorado (or anywhere).
-Chris Bigras, while a very different player from Duncan Siemens, is similarly turning heads this week in Denver. It sounds as though the drills/competition are almost too easy for him. He will never be a punishing hitter the way Siemens is, but Bigras thinks the game with the best of them, has good foot speed and is almost never out of position. Another solid defenseman in the Avs system.
-Another defensive rookie getting his share of attention in Denver is Mason Geertsen. Drafted as a nasty, shutdown defenseman with a propensity for fighting, Geertsen has grown beyond that. Though he'll never be confused with an offensive dynamo, his skating and puck movement have grown leaps and bounds, all while keeping the same mean streak that got him drafted in the first place. He'll likely go back to Vancouver for one more year in the WHL, which he will spend mentoring (and likely protecting at times) first overall bantam pick Tyler Benson.
-Avs fans have wondered a lot about the logjam of contracts on defence. I think they're going to be pleasantly surprised with Zach Redmond. An indication to Avs fans that he's a good player is just how upset Jets fans were when management let him walk. Some have said Redmond will be "this year's Nick Holden" i.e. the guy who comes out of nowhere to have a great offensive season and be a contributor. Redmond has size (6'2 and 205 lbs.) speed, and good puck movement skills. He's also a very underrated passer, and could end up being one of the better bang-for-buck pickups from this summer.
That's all for this week. More as training camps unfold and pre-season starts.
Tuesday, September 09, 2014
Welcome to Board Play!
So, my name is Rob Mahon, I'm a new member of the blogging community with lots of hockey-related thoughts to get off my chest. I'll be stopping in at the very least every week, more if there's something I really need to get out there. This blog will focus on hockey-related news and analysis, and within that I'm going to focus heavily on my two favourite teams, the Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets. Because one of those teams is poised for a great year and the other probably not so much, there are going to be some contradictory moods to the posts at times. When the two teams play against each other is when this post will get really strange but don't worry, strange is the bread and butter of the internet, so I should be right at home here.
I'm also going to talk a lot about junior hockey, with a focus on certain prospects for upcoming draft years and prominent drafted players, as well as a few specific teams I really like. Some other news, like information about junior hockey here in Manitoba, may creep in here from time to time as well. Since hockey season is still, sadly, a month or so away, news may be a bit thin on the ground, but I'll try to throw in a few tidbits, particularly about the training camps of both the Avs and the Jets, as well as information about the rookie tournament in Penticton, in which the Jets will be appearing. So here, for the first week of my blog, are a few thoughts about the upcoming training camps.
- It's actually, statistically, pretty rare for newly drafted players to make the lineup right out of training camp their first year. Every year you get exceptional players like Nathan Mackinnon, Sean Couturier, Gabriel Landeskog, Taylor Hall etc. but we forget how few in number those players actually are compared to the number of people drafted. First overall picks tend to jump right in, yes, but they are the exception. You don't see, for example, tenth overall picks jump straight to the NHL very often, with last years Valeri Nichushkin being an exception. A lot of players in recent years get the standard seven game tryout before being sent back to junior, with Mark Scheifele being an example close to home. But he's not the only one. Mikhail Grigorenko, Rasmus Ristolainen, Ryan Strome, and Nikita Zadorov (a lot of Buffalo Sabres on that list) being examples of players who started the year in the NHL but were sent back to junior.
-With that said, there are a few players from this year's draft class who look like they could stick. Aaron Ekblad has nothing more to prove at the junior level, and the Panthers need defensemen so badly that he could step right in with ease. All the scouts agree he's physically and mentally mature enough to go straight into the big leagues, a rarity for a defenseman. As for the second overall pick, Sam Reinhart, good luck sending him back to junior. Three seasons of him terrorizing the WHL were quite enough, and while Reinhart doesn't impose physically the way the 6'4 Ekblad does, his game is very cerebral; he sees the ice beautifully, a skill that translates to the NHL better than strength, because being the strongest kid in junior puts you behind a lot of NHLers, but seeing the ice better puts you in a category all your own. As for the third overall pick, Leon Draisaitl, I can't see the Oilers keeping him out of the lineup, since he's already one of their biggest forwards and among the most talented. A skilled forward of his size is exactly what the doctor ordered in Oil Country.
-Speaking of Draisaitl, Jets fans will get a chance to see him in action at the Penticton Young Stars Tournament from September 12-15. All Jets games will be streamed live on the Jets website, and if you want a good look at the rookies, this is your chance to get it. The Avs, who do not participate in a rookie tournament, will have to wait until training camp (starting September 15) to see guys like Connor Bleackley and Chris Bigras.
-The Jets are going to have a talented roster in Penticton, but every team has players to watch. In addition to Draisaitl, the Oilers have invited small but ultra-talented Vladimir Tkachev to the tournament as a potential sign-ee. Does that name sound familiar? If you're a fan of the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats it absolutely does. This past season was Tkachev's first in North America and the diminutive forward didn't disappoint, putting up 30 points in 20 games for the Wildcats. Other Canadian fans will remember Tkachev as that silky-smooth skater with the ridiculous hands from the World Juniors and the Subway Super Series.
-There are times when I want to see the Jets clean house as far as the staff goes, but one group I hope they keep if that ever happens are the scouts. The lineup the Jets are sending to Penticton looks like something special. Sure, Nikolai Ehlers was kind of obvious, but getting players like Scott Kosmachuk, Adam Lowry and J.C. Lipon in the later rounds was some shrewd drafting. Kosmachuk and Ehlers, in case you're wondering, are likely to be line mates in Penticton. One Jets official said as much during the prospects camp back in early July, and there's no reason to think the Jets have changed their minds. Kosmachuk is a natural scorer, as his 49 goals in the last OHL season would indicate, and he and the supremely skilled Ehlers together could be a real treat to watch. As I said, the Jets games are being streamed on their official website, and I encourage you guys to watch.
-As for the Avs, there's not a ton of news this week, but I am looking forward to seeing how Connor Bleackley handles his first taste of pro hockey. While he likely won't play in the NHL this season, anyone who can wear a letter for Brent Sutter at the age of 17 is mature beyond his years. More importantly for Avs fans, news out of Andy O'Brien's camp is that MacKinnon is bigger and stronger and faster than ever. Remember the speed he showed last year, that crazy, mind-bending speed? Picture that, but now make him faster and harder to knock off the puck. The Avs may have drafted a true monster, and Bob McKenzie himself has taken notice here: http://www.nicholsonhockey.com/worthreading/2014/9/9/mckenzie-skys-the-limit-for-avs-mackinnon
I'm also going to talk a lot about junior hockey, with a focus on certain prospects for upcoming draft years and prominent drafted players, as well as a few specific teams I really like. Some other news, like information about junior hockey here in Manitoba, may creep in here from time to time as well. Since hockey season is still, sadly, a month or so away, news may be a bit thin on the ground, but I'll try to throw in a few tidbits, particularly about the training camps of both the Avs and the Jets, as well as information about the rookie tournament in Penticton, in which the Jets will be appearing. So here, for the first week of my blog, are a few thoughts about the upcoming training camps.
- It's actually, statistically, pretty rare for newly drafted players to make the lineup right out of training camp their first year. Every year you get exceptional players like Nathan Mackinnon, Sean Couturier, Gabriel Landeskog, Taylor Hall etc. but we forget how few in number those players actually are compared to the number of people drafted. First overall picks tend to jump right in, yes, but they are the exception. You don't see, for example, tenth overall picks jump straight to the NHL very often, with last years Valeri Nichushkin being an exception. A lot of players in recent years get the standard seven game tryout before being sent back to junior, with Mark Scheifele being an example close to home. But he's not the only one. Mikhail Grigorenko, Rasmus Ristolainen, Ryan Strome, and Nikita Zadorov (a lot of Buffalo Sabres on that list) being examples of players who started the year in the NHL but were sent back to junior.
-With that said, there are a few players from this year's draft class who look like they could stick. Aaron Ekblad has nothing more to prove at the junior level, and the Panthers need defensemen so badly that he could step right in with ease. All the scouts agree he's physically and mentally mature enough to go straight into the big leagues, a rarity for a defenseman. As for the second overall pick, Sam Reinhart, good luck sending him back to junior. Three seasons of him terrorizing the WHL were quite enough, and while Reinhart doesn't impose physically the way the 6'4 Ekblad does, his game is very cerebral; he sees the ice beautifully, a skill that translates to the NHL better than strength, because being the strongest kid in junior puts you behind a lot of NHLers, but seeing the ice better puts you in a category all your own. As for the third overall pick, Leon Draisaitl, I can't see the Oilers keeping him out of the lineup, since he's already one of their biggest forwards and among the most talented. A skilled forward of his size is exactly what the doctor ordered in Oil Country.
-Speaking of Draisaitl, Jets fans will get a chance to see him in action at the Penticton Young Stars Tournament from September 12-15. All Jets games will be streamed live on the Jets website, and if you want a good look at the rookies, this is your chance to get it. The Avs, who do not participate in a rookie tournament, will have to wait until training camp (starting September 15) to see guys like Connor Bleackley and Chris Bigras.
-The Jets are going to have a talented roster in Penticton, but every team has players to watch. In addition to Draisaitl, the Oilers have invited small but ultra-talented Vladimir Tkachev to the tournament as a potential sign-ee. Does that name sound familiar? If you're a fan of the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats it absolutely does. This past season was Tkachev's first in North America and the diminutive forward didn't disappoint, putting up 30 points in 20 games for the Wildcats. Other Canadian fans will remember Tkachev as that silky-smooth skater with the ridiculous hands from the World Juniors and the Subway Super Series.
-There are times when I want to see the Jets clean house as far as the staff goes, but one group I hope they keep if that ever happens are the scouts. The lineup the Jets are sending to Penticton looks like something special. Sure, Nikolai Ehlers was kind of obvious, but getting players like Scott Kosmachuk, Adam Lowry and J.C. Lipon in the later rounds was some shrewd drafting. Kosmachuk and Ehlers, in case you're wondering, are likely to be line mates in Penticton. One Jets official said as much during the prospects camp back in early July, and there's no reason to think the Jets have changed their minds. Kosmachuk is a natural scorer, as his 49 goals in the last OHL season would indicate, and he and the supremely skilled Ehlers together could be a real treat to watch. As I said, the Jets games are being streamed on their official website, and I encourage you guys to watch.
-As for the Avs, there's not a ton of news this week, but I am looking forward to seeing how Connor Bleackley handles his first taste of pro hockey. While he likely won't play in the NHL this season, anyone who can wear a letter for Brent Sutter at the age of 17 is mature beyond his years. More importantly for Avs fans, news out of Andy O'Brien's camp is that MacKinnon is bigger and stronger and faster than ever. Remember the speed he showed last year, that crazy, mind-bending speed? Picture that, but now make him faster and harder to knock off the puck. The Avs may have drafted a true monster, and Bob McKenzie himself has taken notice here: http://www.nicholsonhockey.com/worthreading/2014/9/9/mckenzie-skys-the-limit-for-avs-mackinnon
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