As some of you may recall, Sean Keogh used to contribute to this blog and still occasionally does from time to time. I met Sean while working for HockeysFuture several years ago, and he's a stand up dude. He's always been a huge OHL fan and continues to follow the league, however unfortunately he's stuck in Graduate School in Europe (perhaps I'm exaggerating about the "stuck" part). This leaves him on the outside looking in. But when he returns for the Holiday break, it's always great of him to contribute. It serves as an interesting read because of nature behind the report. Obviously Sean follows the league closely, but for the last few years, he only gets to see games live around Christmas. That means, his reports can serve as a very good account of how far players have progressed in that one year. Essentially, changes may be more obvious to him because he's not seeing them play throughout several points of the season.
Anyway, without further ado, here's his report.
This was my first time being in the stands for an OHL game this year, and for better or worse it was not a particularly competitive match-up. On paper and on the ice it was a mismatch, as the division-leading offensive juggernaut from Ottawa was up against a last placed Peterborough who has struggled all year, although less so of late. On the other hand, the two clubs met up Thursday in Peterborough for the first half of a home and home, and the game was surprisingly tight.
In the end the game was not particularly close, as the 67s took it 6-0 in what easily could have been a far worse result for the Petes. Although the play was incredibly one-sided, the 67s just could not cash in the first period. The final shots were 43-23 and if there was a scoring change counter, it would have been far more lopsided. It is always hard to watch the players on the losing team in these games, particularly unfortunate considering Peterborough might have the better 2011 NHL Draft prospects.
As long as the 67s play as they did tonight, they are an extremely dangerous team. When the first line of Prince, Toffoli and Martindale was on the ice, the puck rarely left the Peterborough zone. With the blueline back to full health, and Mrazek more than capable of bailing his team out as well, the 67s are a fairly complete team behind their dominant top line. Peterborough on the other hand looked overwhelmed and out of sync, and really nobody on their club stood out positively in this game.
Ottawa 67's
Tyler Toffoli – Drafted by Los Angeles
The triggerman on the top line, Toffoli was constantly dangerous all night, scoring one goal and assisting on another. He easily could have had a couple more goals too, hitting at least one post and constantly buzzing around the net. His goal was a classic goal scorer’s play, digging a puck out of a scramble in front, dragging it to safety and ripping it high. He also had a couple of nice breaks on the penalty kill, drawing a penalty on one. There is a lot to like in his game, and he is a well-rounded and competitive junior player, but as an NHL prospect it is really all about his goal scoring ability, particularly thanks to his shot. Many times tonight he got himself open off the cycle work of his linemates and wound up for a shot. Other times he was more involved in creating the play, and I think it is important for him to stay aggressive.
Ryan Martindale – Drafted by Edmonton
The pivot on the top line, Martindale was like his linemates constantly dangerous, picking up the sixth goal for the 67s late in the game. Of all the chances he created for or received from his linemates, the goal was actually one of the less impressive, a weak backhander in front of the net off a slick pass from Prince. He looks a step quicker and more assertive than last year. Had a number of nice plays making quick cuts into the middle, but seemed to rip the shot high or wide every time. Cycled well with his linemates, uses his reach better now, and finds guys effectively, but there is always something just a tad missing. It will be interesting to see if Edmonton signs him this year or if he gets another year in the OHL in 2011-12.
Shane Prince – 2011 Draft Eligible
The draft eligible member of the 67s top line, Prince had an excellent game, picking up three assists, creating a ton of chances and being named first star. He set up Nesbitt beautifully for the first goal, was involved in Toffoli’s snipe, and made a slick pass to Martindale for his. The top line was running through him tonight most of all, and the puck was on his stick a ton. Quick dish passes, give and gos, it was a fairly impressive display. I saw Prince a handful of times live last year and was not overly impressed. His skating has clearly improved significantly. But even in this game he was not really burning people with speed but rather quick darting moves and agile cuts. His physical tools are not exceptional in general, not an amazing shot or great size or superb hands, but his anticipation is off the charts. One of the reasons the line was so effective is because Prince in particular, but Toffoli and Martindale as well, simply won so many races and cut off so many passes from the Petes that they regained control all game. Prince is clearly an intense player who demands a lot of himself. The line was a bit snakebitten in the first, and a couple of times he banged his stick against the boards out of frustration. There has been a lot of debate about Prince’s NHL potential, and I will reserve judgment on that until I get a few more live views this month.
Dalton Smith – Drafted by Columbus
Smith had a solid game, chipping in a short-handed goal and skating on the second line with overagers Thomas Nesbitt and Cody Lindsay. The goal was a nice drive to the net, although Smith only had to overpower Lino Martschini, a 5’5”, 126lbs import from Switzerland, to pick up a rebound on a shot from Marc Zanetti. He had a handful of other scoring chances down low. The hands and skating did not look any better than last year, but he played a solid game overall. Sometimes Smith seems to get lost looking for hits, and finding the right balance between offence, defence and physical play remains elusive, though he can contribute an all-round game when he is on, and for the most part he was in this game.
Cody Ceci – 2012 Draft Eligible
A late 1993 birthday, Ceci looks ready to be drafted. He was skating on the second pairing with Marc Zanetti all game, playing in all situations and performing confidently and competently. I like Ceci as a prospect because he is so well-rounded, and already has a pretty solid build. His skating has improved and it will be interesting to see how much further his game can improve before the draft next year.
Sean Monahan – 2013 Draft Eligible
This was my first proper look at Monahan, who is having a solid rookie season playing on the third line for the 67s. He was quite good in this game, setting up two goals, one for Ben Dubois, and another for Tyler Graovac. The latter in particular was the result of a nice play along the boards, give and go at the point, and dish to Groavac down low. Another young player with a solid build, he is a remarkably well-rounded prospect for somebody who only turned 16 a few months ago.
Petr Mrazek – Drafted by Detroit
It was not a busy night for Mrazek. He made a handful of nice saves, bailing out the 67s on one or two occasions for the shutout, but in general having a relatively easy night stopping all 23 shots he faced. Maybe his most memorable moment was when he took a hack from a Petes player and reacted by going after him, an interesting move for a goalie with two career penalty minutes.
Peterborough Petes
Austin Watson – Drafted by Nashville
Although nobody on Peterborough had a particularly good game, Watson was probably the best. He had a few good chances, a couple as a result of turnovers by the 67s, and a couple others he created himself, but could not break the shutout. As always Watson was solid in all three zones, demonstrating good defensive track and solid penalty killing work. I have seen him have better games in the past.
Matt Puempel – 2011 Draft Eligible
Not a great game for Puempel. He was relatively noticeable, but was fairly ineffective overall. When he was controlling the puck, he was knocked off the puck frequently, and lacked the skating ability to really create space for himself. I know he is a player who thrives on finding space and being in the right place, but tonight he was not particularly dangerous and had few such opportunities. He has been scoring at a great clip lately though, so it was possibly just an off night for him, like the rest of the team.
Alan Quine – 2011 Draft Eligible
I was really looking forward to seeing Quine and was disappointed I barely saw him. He was quite invisible all night. Playing on the first powerplay unit he was noticeable only because the puck was then on his stick, but at even strength he created little offence other than one impressive rush late in the game. Like with Watson and Puempel, it was not a great game to evaluate him.
Clark Seymour – 2011 Draft Eligible
Other than engaging in some rough stuff at different moments in time, Seymour was more or less invisible. The size is there, but the Petes blueline as a whole seemed to struggle with the skill and speed of the 67s, and Seymour was neither better or worse than the other defencemen in that regard.
Slater Koekkoek – 2012 Draft Eligible
A promising prospect who had a couple of nice offensive plays from the blueline. Showed off some nice vision and mobility moving in off the point showing confidence with the puck. Like with Seymour, it was a hard game to really evaluate his defensive play.
Thanks a lot to Sean for this report. Hopefully he can give us another one before he heads back to school.
Showing posts with label Dalton Smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dalton Smith. Show all posts
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Game Report: 67's and Rangers from November 21
Nothing better to do on a Sunday? Why not take in a cross conference battle between two of the best teams in the Ontario Hockey League? That's what I did today, as I sat down in front of the boob tube to watch the Kitchener Rangers take on the Ottawa 67's. I want to get out and see the Rangers live sometime soon, but for now this will have to do.
It was a vastly entertaining game that lived up to the billing of a match up between two powerhouses. It was a back and forth battle and both teams really battled hard. The 67's got off to a quick start with a goal from Tyler Toffoli about three minutes into the game. That set the pace early and Ottawa took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. But the Rangers slowly started to take control and scored two goals in the second to tie it at 2. In the third period, Ottawa got off to a quick start again and was up 4-2 five minutes into the last frame. But this only lit a fire under the Rangers, as they completely took over the game from there on out. They scored twice to close out the period and sent the game to a shootout. The Rangers outshot the 67's 26 to 9 in the third and if it weren't for the goaltending of Petr Mrazek, Kitchener would have surely taken this one in regulation. But the game went to the shootout where Ottawa was victorious on the strength of goals from Shane Prince and Tyler Toffoli.
Neither team looked incredibly strong defensively in this one. Ottawa's defense was consistently outworked by the Rangers forwards in their own end, and had a LOT of trouble containing some of the Rangers' bigger forwards like Gabriel Landeskog and Andrew Crescenzi. While Kitchener's defense was too careless with the puck and had way too many turnovers that lead to 67 odd man rushes.
The real turning point of the game was the inability of the Kitchener powerplay to strike. Consider it the perfect storm as the league's top powerplay took on one of the league's top penalty killing units. But the Rangers powerplay looked really bad in this game. They had a particularly embarrassing 5 on 3 powerplay, where they failed to register a shot, had trouble even completing a pass, and then took a too many men on the ice penalty. Going 0 for 5 on the powerplay in a high scoring game is almost like a kiss of death and the Rangers signed their death certificate with their ineptitude with the man advantage.
Goaltending was the other thing that really separated the 67's and Rangers in the game. Petr Mrazek was largely a wall, while Mike Morrison fought the puck in the Rangers end. It's tough to lose a game when you nearly double the opposing team's shot total, and when you don't get a save in the shootout.
On to the player reports:
Ottawa 67's
#16 - Tyler Toffoli (Drafted by Los Angeles in 2010)
One word. Beast. I'm not sure there is a hotter player in the CHL right now. Toffoli now has a 7 game goal scoring streak, with 11 goals in that span. That's including the two he scored this afternoon (even though I'm pretty sure one went off Shane Prince's skate). He could have easily had the hat trick, with another shot wringing off the post. I think the biggest difference in Toffoli's game this year, and even from the start of the season (when he started kind of cold) is that his conditioning has significantly improved. He's all over the ice now, on the forecheck, leading the rush with the puck and playing defensively. He has the stamina to be considerably more active without the puck and it's leading to a significant increase in scoring chances. The first goal was off a drop pass from Ryan Martindale in between the slot and the blueline. It was a rather harmless looking play until Toffoli absolutely roofed a laser of a slapshot over the glove of Morrison. The second goal was off a similar play, but his slapshot was just off the ice and it appeared to deflect off something in front of the net (I think Shane Prince's skate). He then proceeded to score in the shootout with a well placed shot just off the ice and inside the far post. He certainly picked a good time to heat up with Canada's selection camp being named in the next few weeks.
#18 - Shane Prince (Draft Eligible in 2011)
Maybe I keep watching the wrong games, but I'm still not seeing the hype he's starting to generate. He looked to be along for the ride with Toffoli and Martindale in this one. Had a lot of trouble one on one with Ottawa's defenders and had the puck taken off him quite frequently. He has speed and he's actually pretty strong along the wall where he can use his agility to keep the play alive, but in the open ice I found he struggled to get things going. He did score a very nice goal in the shootout by using a leg fake and then going left on the forehand, out waiting Morrison and roofing it.
#33 - Dalton Smith (Drafted by Columbus in 2010)
He appears to be getting back to doing the things he does best. Saw him earlier in the season and it seemed like he was trying too hard to make things happen offensively. This afternoon he was very active on the forecheck and was creating offense from turnovers. He needs to keep the game simple and up and down. He scored a goal, finishing off a 2 on 1 with Sean Monahan by sliding the puck five hole after receiving a nice cross ice pass.
#77 - Ryan Martindale (Drafted by Edmonton in 2010)
I thought he played pretty good. He definitely looks faster this year, which is helping him create more off the rush than he has in the past. The first 67's goal was a perfect example of that, as he took the puck in his own zone, cruised into the Rangers end and left a drop pass to Tyler Toffoli for the goal. He picked up a second assist in a similar fashion on Toffoli's 2nd goal. That being said, he still seems to disappear for stretches. While Toffoli was consistently active and visible (even when the 67's were struggling in the third) by way of the forecheck, Martindale was nowhere to be found. You can't ignore the offensive production he's putting up this year though and it's obvious he's taken a step forward in the right direction. I'd just like to see him become more involved without the puck.
#83 - Cody Ceci (Draft Eligible in 2012)
Perfect example as to why plus/minus is not a good stat to determine playing ability. Ceci finished the game at -3, but I thought he played a pretty good game. His agility was something that stuck out last year as a strength and this year he's using it well at both ends. He tried to make things happen offensively by rushing the puck up ice and he was also very strong one on one defensively. Saved possibly the game winning goal by Tobias Rieder in the third, by coming back hard to the defensive zone to negate a partial break down the wing. He'll need to continue to get stronger to win battles in the corner and in front of the net, but as a 2012 eligible player, he's going to have time to do that. For now, he's gaining valuable experience as, essentially, the 67's number one defenseman.
#1 - Petr Mrazek (Drafted by Detroit in 2010)
Mrazek was absolutely fantastic this afternoon. The fact that the 67's escaped with 2 points is a credit to his hard work. He was really into the game too, gave Jason Akeson a butt end in front of the net (and didn't get caught). He also tried to fight Andrew Crescenzi after he ran him over in front of the net. That feistyness comes across in his goaltending too, as he fights to make every save. For those that have never seen him play, he's definitely a hybrid style goaltender, but as I mentioned previously this season, he's really refined his approach and isn't flopping on the ground as much. He's staying up and it's allowing him to play larger in the net, especially when he plays deep in his crease (kind of the way the Canucks are trying to get Roberto Luongo to play this year). But he reads the play well and seems to know when to go down and use his athleticism. There were a couple of flurries inside the last 5 minutes where he made consecutive saves in front of the net by stretching out his pads. The other thing you notice about Mrazek is how good he is in playing the puck. He's a very confident passer and loves to stretch out defenses with the long pass. In the shootout, he wasn't tested (one lost the puck, the other shot right into his pads) and made 43 of 47 saves for the win.
Kitchener Rangers
#7 - Julian Melchiori (Drafted by Atlanta in 2010)
Another guy who was -3 on the day, but that I was actually impressed with. He's definitely big and he knows how to use his size. He did a good job trying up Ottawa's forwards and was physical along the boards. He had a very nice hipcheck on a 67's player as he tried to gain entry into the offensive zone. Offensively, he saw some limited time on the Rangers second powerplay unit, but was pretty quiet on the whole with the puck. But I thought he looked good defensively.
#9 - Tobias Rieder (Draft Eligible in 2011)
I guess it's time to move him up my draft board. He was fantastic today. He's not that big (listed at 5'10), but he plays a lot bigger than he is. I was actually surprised at how active he was on the forecheck, along the boards and in the crease. He actually had a couple of nice hits in puck pursuit. Offensively, he really stood out. He was very active in bringing the puck over the blueline and always looked to take it right to the net. He scored an absolutely beautiful goal in the third to bring the Rangers to within one (at the time). He got the puck and started on a 3 on 2, hit the trailer Jonathan Jasper with a pass in the slot and he ripped a shot on net. Rieder went straight to the net after giving up the puck and was rewarded with the rebound off Jasper's shot. However, it was more difficult than it sounds. Rieder had actually partially skated over the rebound, so he kicked the puck up to his stick and put it in at a near impossible angle (as he was off balance on his way behind the net). He almost scored again about two minutes later by slicing through the 67's defense and pouncing on a loose puck in the slot, but Mrazek got the pads on it. Colour me very impressed!
#15 - Ben Thomson (Draft Eligible in 2011)
Thomson appears to be at the same stage of development Crescenzi was at last year. He's big and strong and he uses that to his advantage along the boards where he works the cycle really well. But in the open ice, he's just not a strong enough skater yet to make a considerable offensive impact.
#20 - Andrew Crescenzi (Signed by Toronto as an FA)
Crescenzi had an excellent game and his increase in offensive production points to great improvement this year. He's still doing the things he did well last year, like controlling the puck in the offensive zone, but he's improved his skating which makes him a more dangerous player on the rush and in open ice. It also makes him more of a factor on the forecheck, where he can greater utilize those strong board skills by getting to loose pucks faster.
#24 - Ryan Murphy (Draft Eligible in 2011)
You either love him or you hate him, Murphy is what he is. He was kept off the scoresheet today, but he was a factor offensively all game. Once he gets across his own blueline, he's off and there's no stopping him. In the offensive zone, he takes a lot of chances and he loves to hang on to the puck to try and make things happen. His endurance must be tremendous because the guy skates circles around the defense for a whole minute, then skates back to play defense. A couple of times, he just circled around the offensive zone, looking for a teammate to get open, leaving 67's players helpless as they watched. Some people see that as hogging the puck, but he's quite patient and isn't afraid to just dump the puck into the corner if he doesn't see anything materialize. And for someone who takes as many chances offensively, he doesn't get burned very often. Only once did he get caught up ice in the game today, but it was when he tried to take the puck hard to the net. Luckily Gabriel Landeskog was there on the backcheck and the play never developed the other way. One thing he's going to have to watch out for though, is the two man forecheck. Teams are starting to send two forwards on the forecheck, trying to trap him behind the net. He almost got caught twice with that tonight. One time he got lucky, as the 67's player got the stick under his feet (after he had turned over the puck). The other time he got the pass off just before he got caught. As he moves up the levels, he'll have to start picking the spots better of when to rush and when to just pass the puck out of the zone.
#41 - Cody Sol (Drafted by Atlanta in 2009)
One of the best pickups of the OHL offseason, Sol has been a rock defensively for the Rangers this season. He hasn't quite taken his offensive game to the next level (as I thought he might), but he's been physical and dependable. He was just that today, as he used his size to protect the front of the net defensively. He also uses his long reach in the corners well, as he engages and then often is able to get the puck out. But he is definitely underrated offensively and has the puck skills to put up more points (if he were getting more powerplay time). He's actually very adept at keeping the puck in the offensive zone, as he did a couple of times today. He's got a big cannon of a shot too...although didn't get any chances to unleash it. If he can continue to improve his mobility, he could make a solid defenseman at the next level.
#92 - Gabriel Landeskog (Draft Eligible in 2011)
Don't count out the OHL from having the first overall NHL pick just quite yet. I read Bob Mackenzie say the other day that he was hearing some scouts had Landeskog in the same sentence with potential #1's RNH, Larsson and Couturier. Today was the perfect example of that. Quite frankly, he was a man amongst boys out there. I honestly can't think of a draft prospect that the OHL has had that has been more ready to play in the NHL RIGHT NOW, than Landeskog. He's such a complete player and he already has the strength and stamina to play in the NHL...and excel. While many said the likes of John Tavares, Taylor Hall, Steve Stamkos Patrick Kane, Rick Nash, etc were capable of playing offensively in the NHL in their draft years, none of them were as complete a player as Landeskog is now. He could not only be putting up numbers offensively in the NHL right now, but he'd be an asset to his team defensively and physically (something none of the others were right out of the gate, not even Nash). OK, enough ranting, about the game today. Landeskog finished with two goals and an assist, but like Toffoli, could have had the hat trick (and the game winner) if it weren't for the cross bar. First goal, he finished off a pass on a 2 on 1, but going top shelf on a sliding Petr Mrazek. It was a laser. Second goal would have had any NHL scouts in the building drooling onto the floor. He dumped the puck into the offensive zone, ran over one 67 on his way to the puck, and ran through a second. He gained possession along the wall, got it to Mike Catenacci behind the net, and then went straight to the net. From there, he finished off a pass to the front of the net, top shelf, with two 67's hanging off him (one being the 6'0, 200lbs Marc Zanetti). Let the Landeskog for number one chant begin!
#33 - Mike Morrison (Draft Eligible in 2011)
This was the first time I'd seen Morrison play (from memory) and he didn't have a good showing. He was fighting the puck and failed to make the saves needed to give his team the victory. His five hole got exposed as a big weakness in the game. First goal was a 2 on 1 that was completely stoppable. Dalton Smith got a cross ice pass and Morrison slid over to stop it, but he left way too large of a gap on the slide over and had his paddle way off the ground. Smith didn't get a hard shot off, but it got through Morrison's five hole. The 4th Ottawa goal by Cody Lindsay was five hole too, off a shot from the slot. He was giving up a lot of rebounds too, but the Rangers defense did a good job of clearing those out. In the shootout, he was made to look pretty bad by Shane Prince and Tyler Toffoli. One on a deke, the other on a shot far side. Niagara's John Chartrand and Saginaw's Tadeas Galansky are really the only draft eligible goaltenders that have impressed me this year.
It was a vastly entertaining game that lived up to the billing of a match up between two powerhouses. It was a back and forth battle and both teams really battled hard. The 67's got off to a quick start with a goal from Tyler Toffoli about three minutes into the game. That set the pace early and Ottawa took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. But the Rangers slowly started to take control and scored two goals in the second to tie it at 2. In the third period, Ottawa got off to a quick start again and was up 4-2 five minutes into the last frame. But this only lit a fire under the Rangers, as they completely took over the game from there on out. They scored twice to close out the period and sent the game to a shootout. The Rangers outshot the 67's 26 to 9 in the third and if it weren't for the goaltending of Petr Mrazek, Kitchener would have surely taken this one in regulation. But the game went to the shootout where Ottawa was victorious on the strength of goals from Shane Prince and Tyler Toffoli.
Neither team looked incredibly strong defensively in this one. Ottawa's defense was consistently outworked by the Rangers forwards in their own end, and had a LOT of trouble containing some of the Rangers' bigger forwards like Gabriel Landeskog and Andrew Crescenzi. While Kitchener's defense was too careless with the puck and had way too many turnovers that lead to 67 odd man rushes.
The real turning point of the game was the inability of the Kitchener powerplay to strike. Consider it the perfect storm as the league's top powerplay took on one of the league's top penalty killing units. But the Rangers powerplay looked really bad in this game. They had a particularly embarrassing 5 on 3 powerplay, where they failed to register a shot, had trouble even completing a pass, and then took a too many men on the ice penalty. Going 0 for 5 on the powerplay in a high scoring game is almost like a kiss of death and the Rangers signed their death certificate with their ineptitude with the man advantage.
Goaltending was the other thing that really separated the 67's and Rangers in the game. Petr Mrazek was largely a wall, while Mike Morrison fought the puck in the Rangers end. It's tough to lose a game when you nearly double the opposing team's shot total, and when you don't get a save in the shootout.
On to the player reports:
Ottawa 67's
#16 - Tyler Toffoli (Drafted by Los Angeles in 2010)
One word. Beast. I'm not sure there is a hotter player in the CHL right now. Toffoli now has a 7 game goal scoring streak, with 11 goals in that span. That's including the two he scored this afternoon (even though I'm pretty sure one went off Shane Prince's skate). He could have easily had the hat trick, with another shot wringing off the post. I think the biggest difference in Toffoli's game this year, and even from the start of the season (when he started kind of cold) is that his conditioning has significantly improved. He's all over the ice now, on the forecheck, leading the rush with the puck and playing defensively. He has the stamina to be considerably more active without the puck and it's leading to a significant increase in scoring chances. The first goal was off a drop pass from Ryan Martindale in between the slot and the blueline. It was a rather harmless looking play until Toffoli absolutely roofed a laser of a slapshot over the glove of Morrison. The second goal was off a similar play, but his slapshot was just off the ice and it appeared to deflect off something in front of the net (I think Shane Prince's skate). He then proceeded to score in the shootout with a well placed shot just off the ice and inside the far post. He certainly picked a good time to heat up with Canada's selection camp being named in the next few weeks.
#18 - Shane Prince (Draft Eligible in 2011)
Maybe I keep watching the wrong games, but I'm still not seeing the hype he's starting to generate. He looked to be along for the ride with Toffoli and Martindale in this one. Had a lot of trouble one on one with Ottawa's defenders and had the puck taken off him quite frequently. He has speed and he's actually pretty strong along the wall where he can use his agility to keep the play alive, but in the open ice I found he struggled to get things going. He did score a very nice goal in the shootout by using a leg fake and then going left on the forehand, out waiting Morrison and roofing it.
#33 - Dalton Smith (Drafted by Columbus in 2010)
He appears to be getting back to doing the things he does best. Saw him earlier in the season and it seemed like he was trying too hard to make things happen offensively. This afternoon he was very active on the forecheck and was creating offense from turnovers. He needs to keep the game simple and up and down. He scored a goal, finishing off a 2 on 1 with Sean Monahan by sliding the puck five hole after receiving a nice cross ice pass.
#77 - Ryan Martindale (Drafted by Edmonton in 2010)
I thought he played pretty good. He definitely looks faster this year, which is helping him create more off the rush than he has in the past. The first 67's goal was a perfect example of that, as he took the puck in his own zone, cruised into the Rangers end and left a drop pass to Tyler Toffoli for the goal. He picked up a second assist in a similar fashion on Toffoli's 2nd goal. That being said, he still seems to disappear for stretches. While Toffoli was consistently active and visible (even when the 67's were struggling in the third) by way of the forecheck, Martindale was nowhere to be found. You can't ignore the offensive production he's putting up this year though and it's obvious he's taken a step forward in the right direction. I'd just like to see him become more involved without the puck.
#83 - Cody Ceci (Draft Eligible in 2012)
Perfect example as to why plus/minus is not a good stat to determine playing ability. Ceci finished the game at -3, but I thought he played a pretty good game. His agility was something that stuck out last year as a strength and this year he's using it well at both ends. He tried to make things happen offensively by rushing the puck up ice and he was also very strong one on one defensively. Saved possibly the game winning goal by Tobias Rieder in the third, by coming back hard to the defensive zone to negate a partial break down the wing. He'll need to continue to get stronger to win battles in the corner and in front of the net, but as a 2012 eligible player, he's going to have time to do that. For now, he's gaining valuable experience as, essentially, the 67's number one defenseman.
#1 - Petr Mrazek (Drafted by Detroit in 2010)
Mrazek was absolutely fantastic this afternoon. The fact that the 67's escaped with 2 points is a credit to his hard work. He was really into the game too, gave Jason Akeson a butt end in front of the net (and didn't get caught). He also tried to fight Andrew Crescenzi after he ran him over in front of the net. That feistyness comes across in his goaltending too, as he fights to make every save. For those that have never seen him play, he's definitely a hybrid style goaltender, but as I mentioned previously this season, he's really refined his approach and isn't flopping on the ground as much. He's staying up and it's allowing him to play larger in the net, especially when he plays deep in his crease (kind of the way the Canucks are trying to get Roberto Luongo to play this year). But he reads the play well and seems to know when to go down and use his athleticism. There were a couple of flurries inside the last 5 minutes where he made consecutive saves in front of the net by stretching out his pads. The other thing you notice about Mrazek is how good he is in playing the puck. He's a very confident passer and loves to stretch out defenses with the long pass. In the shootout, he wasn't tested (one lost the puck, the other shot right into his pads) and made 43 of 47 saves for the win.
Kitchener Rangers
#7 - Julian Melchiori (Drafted by Atlanta in 2010)
Another guy who was -3 on the day, but that I was actually impressed with. He's definitely big and he knows how to use his size. He did a good job trying up Ottawa's forwards and was physical along the boards. He had a very nice hipcheck on a 67's player as he tried to gain entry into the offensive zone. Offensively, he saw some limited time on the Rangers second powerplay unit, but was pretty quiet on the whole with the puck. But I thought he looked good defensively.
#9 - Tobias Rieder (Draft Eligible in 2011)
I guess it's time to move him up my draft board. He was fantastic today. He's not that big (listed at 5'10), but he plays a lot bigger than he is. I was actually surprised at how active he was on the forecheck, along the boards and in the crease. He actually had a couple of nice hits in puck pursuit. Offensively, he really stood out. He was very active in bringing the puck over the blueline and always looked to take it right to the net. He scored an absolutely beautiful goal in the third to bring the Rangers to within one (at the time). He got the puck and started on a 3 on 2, hit the trailer Jonathan Jasper with a pass in the slot and he ripped a shot on net. Rieder went straight to the net after giving up the puck and was rewarded with the rebound off Jasper's shot. However, it was more difficult than it sounds. Rieder had actually partially skated over the rebound, so he kicked the puck up to his stick and put it in at a near impossible angle (as he was off balance on his way behind the net). He almost scored again about two minutes later by slicing through the 67's defense and pouncing on a loose puck in the slot, but Mrazek got the pads on it. Colour me very impressed!
#15 - Ben Thomson (Draft Eligible in 2011)
Thomson appears to be at the same stage of development Crescenzi was at last year. He's big and strong and he uses that to his advantage along the boards where he works the cycle really well. But in the open ice, he's just not a strong enough skater yet to make a considerable offensive impact.
#20 - Andrew Crescenzi (Signed by Toronto as an FA)
Crescenzi had an excellent game and his increase in offensive production points to great improvement this year. He's still doing the things he did well last year, like controlling the puck in the offensive zone, but he's improved his skating which makes him a more dangerous player on the rush and in open ice. It also makes him more of a factor on the forecheck, where he can greater utilize those strong board skills by getting to loose pucks faster.
#24 - Ryan Murphy (Draft Eligible in 2011)
You either love him or you hate him, Murphy is what he is. He was kept off the scoresheet today, but he was a factor offensively all game. Once he gets across his own blueline, he's off and there's no stopping him. In the offensive zone, he takes a lot of chances and he loves to hang on to the puck to try and make things happen. His endurance must be tremendous because the guy skates circles around the defense for a whole minute, then skates back to play defense. A couple of times, he just circled around the offensive zone, looking for a teammate to get open, leaving 67's players helpless as they watched. Some people see that as hogging the puck, but he's quite patient and isn't afraid to just dump the puck into the corner if he doesn't see anything materialize. And for someone who takes as many chances offensively, he doesn't get burned very often. Only once did he get caught up ice in the game today, but it was when he tried to take the puck hard to the net. Luckily Gabriel Landeskog was there on the backcheck and the play never developed the other way. One thing he's going to have to watch out for though, is the two man forecheck. Teams are starting to send two forwards on the forecheck, trying to trap him behind the net. He almost got caught twice with that tonight. One time he got lucky, as the 67's player got the stick under his feet (after he had turned over the puck). The other time he got the pass off just before he got caught. As he moves up the levels, he'll have to start picking the spots better of when to rush and when to just pass the puck out of the zone.
#41 - Cody Sol (Drafted by Atlanta in 2009)
One of the best pickups of the OHL offseason, Sol has been a rock defensively for the Rangers this season. He hasn't quite taken his offensive game to the next level (as I thought he might), but he's been physical and dependable. He was just that today, as he used his size to protect the front of the net defensively. He also uses his long reach in the corners well, as he engages and then often is able to get the puck out. But he is definitely underrated offensively and has the puck skills to put up more points (if he were getting more powerplay time). He's actually very adept at keeping the puck in the offensive zone, as he did a couple of times today. He's got a big cannon of a shot too...although didn't get any chances to unleash it. If he can continue to improve his mobility, he could make a solid defenseman at the next level.
#92 - Gabriel Landeskog (Draft Eligible in 2011)
Don't count out the OHL from having the first overall NHL pick just quite yet. I read Bob Mackenzie say the other day that he was hearing some scouts had Landeskog in the same sentence with potential #1's RNH, Larsson and Couturier. Today was the perfect example of that. Quite frankly, he was a man amongst boys out there. I honestly can't think of a draft prospect that the OHL has had that has been more ready to play in the NHL RIGHT NOW, than Landeskog. He's such a complete player and he already has the strength and stamina to play in the NHL...and excel. While many said the likes of John Tavares, Taylor Hall, Steve Stamkos Patrick Kane, Rick Nash, etc were capable of playing offensively in the NHL in their draft years, none of them were as complete a player as Landeskog is now. He could not only be putting up numbers offensively in the NHL right now, but he'd be an asset to his team defensively and physically (something none of the others were right out of the gate, not even Nash). OK, enough ranting, about the game today. Landeskog finished with two goals and an assist, but like Toffoli, could have had the hat trick (and the game winner) if it weren't for the cross bar. First goal, he finished off a pass on a 2 on 1, but going top shelf on a sliding Petr Mrazek. It was a laser. Second goal would have had any NHL scouts in the building drooling onto the floor. He dumped the puck into the offensive zone, ran over one 67 on his way to the puck, and ran through a second. He gained possession along the wall, got it to Mike Catenacci behind the net, and then went straight to the net. From there, he finished off a pass to the front of the net, top shelf, with two 67's hanging off him (one being the 6'0, 200lbs Marc Zanetti). Let the Landeskog for number one chant begin!
#33 - Mike Morrison (Draft Eligible in 2011)
This was the first time I'd seen Morrison play (from memory) and he didn't have a good showing. He was fighting the puck and failed to make the saves needed to give his team the victory. His five hole got exposed as a big weakness in the game. First goal was a 2 on 1 that was completely stoppable. Dalton Smith got a cross ice pass and Morrison slid over to stop it, but he left way too large of a gap on the slide over and had his paddle way off the ground. Smith didn't get a hard shot off, but it got through Morrison's five hole. The 4th Ottawa goal by Cody Lindsay was five hole too, off a shot from the slot. He was giving up a lot of rebounds too, but the Rangers defense did a good job of clearing those out. In the shootout, he was made to look pretty bad by Shane Prince and Tyler Toffoli. One on a deke, the other on a shot far side. Niagara's John Chartrand and Saginaw's Tadeas Galansky are really the only draft eligible goaltenders that have impressed me this year.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Thoughts on the Ottawa and Niagara Round 1 Series
A little bit delayed, but I managed to catch all of the games in the Ottawa 67's/Niagara IceDogs Round 1 series. So I figured, why not write a little review since I haven't put up a game review in a little while.
Ultimately, I'm definitely eating some crow on this one. I thought that the Dogs speed and forechecking ability would create problems for the 67's defense, and I thought their goaltending would become exposed. While the Dogs did do a good job in using their speed to create chances, they ultimately lacked the balanced skill to finish them. However, the 67's goaltending (by Chris Perugini) did become a bit of an issue and it was Petr Mrazek who stole the show in Game 5 and finished off the Dogs. My guess is that Mrazek keeps going the rest of the way, unless he starts to struggle.
As much as I'm eating crow, I think it's safe to say that the 67's will need to play way better to beat the Majors. Still way too many turnovers in the Niagara series, and fortunately for Ottawa, the Dogs lacked the high end skill to finish most of them. You'd think that a series that ended in 5 games was completely one sided, but it really wasn't. The games were very close...for the most part and the series was very hard fought. Ultimately, the combination of the balanced scoring ability from Ottawa and the inexperience of the Niagara defense was too much to overcome and the 67's found themselves getting goals in key moments. Still though, the 67's will need to play way better to beat Mississauga, especially Tyler Cuma whom I felt played a very poor series in Niagara.
As for Niagara, it's the upswing for them. All their key cogs will be returning a year older, wiser, and stronger which usually means good things in this league. On top of that, they'll have some high end draft picks to infuse into the line up. This team could be very good (top of the Conference good) within a couple of seasons.
Let's look at some individual player performances...
Ottawa 67's
Tyler Toffoli (2010)
Tremendous performance in this series by Toffoli. He has really impressed me of late and he's definitely grown on me as a professional prospect. He lead the team in goals and scoring during the series and was an impact player nearly every time he stepped on the ice. He's certainly not the fastest skater (I'd say average), but he's very elusive and does have good overall agility. He turns well and is able to beat defenders by having the ability to make moves at his top speed. He's a very good overall offensive player too. Smart with the puck, good vision, knows where to be and how to create opportunities for his linemates. The key to Toffoli's success moving forward will be his aggression. In this series, Toffoli played harder and tougher than I've ever seen him play before. He was hitting. He was getting his nose dirty in the corners and in front of the net. He was definitely a pest for the Niagara defense. Because he's never going to be the fastest or biggest forward on the ice, the key to his professional development will be his ability to maintain that pesky style of play. In the series, he reminded me a lot of Corey Perry in his OHL days and that's definitely a compliment (even if many OHL fans outside of London despite Perry).
Corey Cowick (OTT)
I really haven't caught a lot of Cowick since he returned from his shoulder injury, but he too was excellent in the series. I don't remember him ever being this physical before. He was a bulldog, hitting everything in sight, driving hard to the net and really getting in the face of Niagara players. While he was no softie before, there is no question he's upped the ante on his physical play and I'd say it's definitely helped solidify his game. It makes him a much more attractive professional prospect. He finished tied with Toffoli for the team lead in goals with 5 and really looked confident in the goal scoring area, establishing himself near the net. His skating has improved too (I think), as he looks to have more of an extra gear which helps him in separation. Every NHL team can use an aggressive forechecker with good hands and I think that if Cowick can continue to play aggressively (much like Toffoli), he'll make a solid 3rd-4th liner.
Anthony Nigro (STL)
Truthfully, I'm not really sure what to make of Nigro. He was solid in the series, his usual self. Nigro is definitely a smart player and he's got good vision. He anticipates the play really well and does a great job of finding his teammates and working the cycle. That being said, I'm not sure he's a good enough offensive player to play a top 6 role in the NHL. Meanwhile, I'd say his defensive and physical abilities have declined since the move to Ottawa. He's still a good all around player, but again does he fit the profile of an NHL bottom line player. I get the feeling it's a bit of an identity crisis for Nigro. In Guelph, he was more of a forechecking, defensive forward. In Ottawa, he's become more of an offensive player. There's nothing wrong with balance, but I feel he's lost his niche (per say). What that means is that a team who's already stacked with prospects and players with contracts, has to make a decision on whether to sign Nigro or not. With 2008 CHL draftees like Phil McRae and Jake Allen already signed, it makes me wonder if the Blues have any intention in signing Nigro. Whalers forward James Livingston is in a similar situation with St. Louis, however, I think if there's only one contract available between the two, my bet is that Livingston gets it because he's the safer professional prospect.
Tyler Cuma (MIN)
I'm really not sure what's going on with Cuma. This year has not been a strong one for him, his first after knee surgery. He looks lost on the ice...truthfully. Before the surgery, he was a budding two way defenseman who looked confident bringing the puck up and running the powerplay, but who was also poised to become one of the best defensive defenseman in the league. Now, he's neither. It's almost as if he doesn't know what he should be either. Offensively, he turned the puck over way too many times and had the most trouble with the Niagara forecheck of any 67's defenseman. He had some really sloppy passes in the series. And on the point on the powerplay, he just doesn't look as comfortable as guys like Julien Demers, Travis Gibbons or even the young Cody Ceci. Defensively, he was good in one on one situations and remains very difficult to beat to the net. But in the zone, he's running around too much. While it's good that he's upped his aggressiveness this season, it's bad that he seems to be reliant on it now to play in the defensive zone. Before, he was much more reliant on anticipation, reading the play, and using his stick. Now he's going around trying to be a bully and it's not working for him. Cuma just needs to simplify his game and get back to the basics that made him such a coveted player in 2008. Here's hoping that the AHL provides this wake up call because he used to be one of my favourite defenseman to watch in the league. Most telling stat. Julien Demers and Travis Gibbons finished the series +17. Cuma and Zanetti finished the series -4.
Julien Demers (SJ)
Originally, I was worried about Demers' prospects of getting signed by San Jose this year. And while I still am worried, I think things look a little more promising now. Demers had an excellent series for Ottawa and was the teams best defenseman by a fairly large margin. He was much more aggressive offensively than he has been during the 2009-10 regular season (see the dip in his point production). By that I mean, he was bringing the puck up ice for the 67's and did a very good job to create plays on offense. Defensively, well he's always a rock. In that aspect, he's not really noticeable because he rarely makes mistakes. That being said, I wish he was as physical as he was two years ago. Then, he was quite the effective body checker, but I don't think I've seen Demers lay a really good check in quite some time. I think his mobility still suffers a bit too and I'm not sure how his game will transfer to the professional level. If he was like 6'3, 6'4, I'd be a lot more confident that he'd get signed. And that's not to say that 6'1, 200lbs is undersized, but for the type of game he plays, it can be. In a way, it reminds me a lot of former Windsor Spitfires defenseman Mitch Maunu. Now granted, Demers is definitely a better skater than Maunu was, but not by a ton. The point being that Maunu was a similarly sized stay at home defenseman and he failed to get signed and is now playing in the CIS for Lakehead. Cross your fingers and hope San Jose has him in their plans.
Dalton Smith (2010)
While he didn't really hit the score sheet hard (only 2 goals and an assist in the series), I thought Smith was quite impressive. It's the things he does away from the puck that make him such a valuable player. He's a real workhorse in the corners and along the wall. He's very strong for his age and he anticipates the play really well, which allows him to trap defenders into turning over the puck. He's quite the physical player and can really throw his weight around too. Best of all, is that he's already a complete player. He kills penalties quite well (again using that strong hockey sense) and is committed to the backcheck. The good bloodlines have definitely helped Smith gain a strong understanding of the game. Offensively, I think he's got a lot more potential than he's currently showing on the score sheet too. He's still learning how to use his size in front of the net, but he's actually got quite good hands and an improving shot. If only his skating and acceleration were better and I think we'd be talking about Smith as a possible late first, early second round player. But, my guess is that he still goes pretty early and inside the first three rounds.
Ryan Martindale (2010)
The announcers on both sides seemed to be very happy with the play of Martindale during the series, never ceasing to stop the hype, but quite frankly I just didn't see it. My guess is the coaching staff didn't either, as he was demoted to the third line towards the end of the series and was receiving considerably less ice time. He finished with only a goal and an assist and was generally snake bitten across the five games (Mark Visentin made quite a few nice saves against him). But as a late 1991 playing in his third OHL playoffs, I expected much more out of Martindale. On some shifts, he looks like a game changer. The size and skill combination is very enticing, especially when the player knows how to use his size offensively. Martindale protects the puck well and is able to fight through traffic for offensive chances. However, it's his play away from the puck that still leaves me wanting more. And his skating isn't as strong as I'd like either, nor has it really improved over the course of his OHL career. He still seems to be heavily favored by NHL scouts, in particular by CSS (who have him inside their top 10 of OHL players on their final list), but he's too much of an enigma for my liking, especially as a late 1991. While he started very strongly, he only had 9 goals in the final 43 games of the regular season. That's not the production of an NHL first rounder IMO.
Cody Ceci (2012)
I'll keep this one relatively short. I think Ceci made tremendous strides this season and turned himself into a very capable OHL defender by the end of the season. Which is remarkable considering Ceci played about half the season as a 15 year old. He's clearly physically immature at this point, but he's smart enough and skilled enough to keep up with the play. He played quite solid in the playoffs and looked very comfortable running the point on the powerplay. And save a few minor mistakes (that happen to the best of OHL defenseman), he looked good defensively too. That being said, I don't think he'll be ready for top pairing status next year, like some Ottawa fans are anticipating. I think that's too much to ask of him, but I definitely see him with an increased role and production next year.
Petr Mrazek (2010)
Depending on how Mrazek plays out the rest of the playoffs, I think I've found my second ranked goaltender from the OHL for 2010. He came in for Perugini in the 4th game and didn't look back. He's very unorthodox in net (what Czech goaltender isn't? Call it the Dominik Hasek syndrome), but he gets the job done. He absolutely won that fifth and deciding game for the 67's, because the Dogs were buzzing all game and he made some really tremendous saves. The one thing that's immediately noticeable about Mrazek is how well he moves in his net. He has excellent agility and covers side to side very well. He's also got good anticipation of the play and has that ability to bade shooters into where to put the puck. He spends a bit too much time on his stomach and knees for my liking at times, but teams don't seem to be able to beat him high with a ton of success so maybe it's moot. It'll be interesting to see if Mrazek gets the start in game one against Mississauga. I'd have to imagine he does, but maybe Byrne goes back to Perugini out of loyalty to give him another shot.
Niagara IceDogs
Alex Friesen (2010, but 1991 born)
After his recent accolade as the hardest working player in the Eastern Conference (as voted by OHL coaches), Friesen continued his much improved third season into the OHL playoffs. He was definitely one of Niagara's stand out players and ended up leading the team in playoff scoring with 7 points. It'll be interesting to see if he generates any interest from NHL clubs this June. He's definitely undersized, but he has a lot of redeeming qualities that NHL teams like in their bottom line players. He's quick, he's intelligent, he's solid on the forecheck and along the boards, he's good at creating chances for his linemates, and he's a quality penalty killer/defensive forward. All that and he's shown incredible improvement in his offensive game, which suggests there could be even more room for improvement. I think he's definitely got a chance.
Andrew Agozzino (2010, but 1991 born)
While I think Friesen has a very good chance of being drafted this year, I'm much more skeptical of Agozzino's chances. He's a great player and was Niagara's best player in the series (and probably all season), but he remains the exact same player who went undrafted last year. He's still a feisty little goal scorer who works hard on the ice and leads by example. I think the only hope he has is more exposure. Last year, the scouts didn't seem to be too enamored with the players on Niagara and he may have suffered from a lack of exposure. This year, thanks to Freddie Hamilton and Mark Visentin, he may have gotten a little more attention. Being recognized as one of the most underrated players in the OHL by the coaches definitely says something and I'll be rooting for him, but I anticipate it being a longshot that he gets drafted this year.
Freddie Hamilton (2010)
Considering how well he was playing going into the playoffs, I was really disappointed in the play of Hamilton in the series. In essence...not to sound harsh, but Hamilton and the rest of the Dogs secondary offense was the main reason for the loss in the series. Coach McCourt broke up the Friesen/Aggy/Hamilton line to spread out the offense, hoping that Hamilton could create on his own. If anything, the series proved that Hamilton was not yet ready for that challenge and remains a complimentary offensive player at this level. Whatever the case may be, Hamilton is still a legitimate prospect for the 2010 draft. He's a good two way forward who really doesn't have any glaring weaknesses. He hasn't really developed any above average strengths either though, which may drop him down a bit in the draft. I'll be curious to see if he makes the Canadian Under 18 team (which should be announced later this week).
Matt Petgrave (2010)
I think there was a lot to like from Petgrave during the series. He still makes way too many poor decisions with the puck in his own end. He needs to let the play come more naturally, and that only comes with experience and confidence. There's always the chance that he's just lacking hockey sense, but then I see some of the plays he's able to make in the offensive zone and I don't think that's the case, at least not to the full extent. Petgrave was definitely taking more chances offensively in the series and it was good to see as he made pinches and created chances on offense. Defensively, I really like the way he plays. He has lapses of concentration it seems in zone coverage, but overall he does a pretty good mirroring job. While he's only averaged sized, we're looking at a physical, mobile, potential two way defenseman who made some pretty good strides in his first OHL season. I still think he's a late round pick by an NHL team banking on him really improving.
Mark Visentin (2010)
In his first OHL playoffs, I thought Visentin played pretty well. He wasn't really able to carry over the caliber of play he was at going into the playoffs, but he certainly kept the Dogs in every game in the series. He had a couple bad goals in the early games of the series, but he made some really big saves too and I think he's the type of goaltender who'll come back next year and really improve. Overall, the season has to be considered a huge success for Visentin who showed massive improvements and a great work ethic all season long. I think he's definitely cemented himself as the best goaltending prospect from the OHL for the 2010 draft. Now it'll be interesting to see if he too can get a nod on Team Canada's Under 18 team.
Thoughts from anyone else who saw the series?
Ultimately, I'm definitely eating some crow on this one. I thought that the Dogs speed and forechecking ability would create problems for the 67's defense, and I thought their goaltending would become exposed. While the Dogs did do a good job in using their speed to create chances, they ultimately lacked the balanced skill to finish them. However, the 67's goaltending (by Chris Perugini) did become a bit of an issue and it was Petr Mrazek who stole the show in Game 5 and finished off the Dogs. My guess is that Mrazek keeps going the rest of the way, unless he starts to struggle.
As much as I'm eating crow, I think it's safe to say that the 67's will need to play way better to beat the Majors. Still way too many turnovers in the Niagara series, and fortunately for Ottawa, the Dogs lacked the high end skill to finish most of them. You'd think that a series that ended in 5 games was completely one sided, but it really wasn't. The games were very close...for the most part and the series was very hard fought. Ultimately, the combination of the balanced scoring ability from Ottawa and the inexperience of the Niagara defense was too much to overcome and the 67's found themselves getting goals in key moments. Still though, the 67's will need to play way better to beat Mississauga, especially Tyler Cuma whom I felt played a very poor series in Niagara.
As for Niagara, it's the upswing for them. All their key cogs will be returning a year older, wiser, and stronger which usually means good things in this league. On top of that, they'll have some high end draft picks to infuse into the line up. This team could be very good (top of the Conference good) within a couple of seasons.
Let's look at some individual player performances...
Ottawa 67's
Tyler Toffoli (2010)
Tremendous performance in this series by Toffoli. He has really impressed me of late and he's definitely grown on me as a professional prospect. He lead the team in goals and scoring during the series and was an impact player nearly every time he stepped on the ice. He's certainly not the fastest skater (I'd say average), but he's very elusive and does have good overall agility. He turns well and is able to beat defenders by having the ability to make moves at his top speed. He's a very good overall offensive player too. Smart with the puck, good vision, knows where to be and how to create opportunities for his linemates. The key to Toffoli's success moving forward will be his aggression. In this series, Toffoli played harder and tougher than I've ever seen him play before. He was hitting. He was getting his nose dirty in the corners and in front of the net. He was definitely a pest for the Niagara defense. Because he's never going to be the fastest or biggest forward on the ice, the key to his professional development will be his ability to maintain that pesky style of play. In the series, he reminded me a lot of Corey Perry in his OHL days and that's definitely a compliment (even if many OHL fans outside of London despite Perry).
Corey Cowick (OTT)
I really haven't caught a lot of Cowick since he returned from his shoulder injury, but he too was excellent in the series. I don't remember him ever being this physical before. He was a bulldog, hitting everything in sight, driving hard to the net and really getting in the face of Niagara players. While he was no softie before, there is no question he's upped the ante on his physical play and I'd say it's definitely helped solidify his game. It makes him a much more attractive professional prospect. He finished tied with Toffoli for the team lead in goals with 5 and really looked confident in the goal scoring area, establishing himself near the net. His skating has improved too (I think), as he looks to have more of an extra gear which helps him in separation. Every NHL team can use an aggressive forechecker with good hands and I think that if Cowick can continue to play aggressively (much like Toffoli), he'll make a solid 3rd-4th liner.
Anthony Nigro (STL)
Truthfully, I'm not really sure what to make of Nigro. He was solid in the series, his usual self. Nigro is definitely a smart player and he's got good vision. He anticipates the play really well and does a great job of finding his teammates and working the cycle. That being said, I'm not sure he's a good enough offensive player to play a top 6 role in the NHL. Meanwhile, I'd say his defensive and physical abilities have declined since the move to Ottawa. He's still a good all around player, but again does he fit the profile of an NHL bottom line player. I get the feeling it's a bit of an identity crisis for Nigro. In Guelph, he was more of a forechecking, defensive forward. In Ottawa, he's become more of an offensive player. There's nothing wrong with balance, but I feel he's lost his niche (per say). What that means is that a team who's already stacked with prospects and players with contracts, has to make a decision on whether to sign Nigro or not. With 2008 CHL draftees like Phil McRae and Jake Allen already signed, it makes me wonder if the Blues have any intention in signing Nigro. Whalers forward James Livingston is in a similar situation with St. Louis, however, I think if there's only one contract available between the two, my bet is that Livingston gets it because he's the safer professional prospect.
Tyler Cuma (MIN)
I'm really not sure what's going on with Cuma. This year has not been a strong one for him, his first after knee surgery. He looks lost on the ice...truthfully. Before the surgery, he was a budding two way defenseman who looked confident bringing the puck up and running the powerplay, but who was also poised to become one of the best defensive defenseman in the league. Now, he's neither. It's almost as if he doesn't know what he should be either. Offensively, he turned the puck over way too many times and had the most trouble with the Niagara forecheck of any 67's defenseman. He had some really sloppy passes in the series. And on the point on the powerplay, he just doesn't look as comfortable as guys like Julien Demers, Travis Gibbons or even the young Cody Ceci. Defensively, he was good in one on one situations and remains very difficult to beat to the net. But in the zone, he's running around too much. While it's good that he's upped his aggressiveness this season, it's bad that he seems to be reliant on it now to play in the defensive zone. Before, he was much more reliant on anticipation, reading the play, and using his stick. Now he's going around trying to be a bully and it's not working for him. Cuma just needs to simplify his game and get back to the basics that made him such a coveted player in 2008. Here's hoping that the AHL provides this wake up call because he used to be one of my favourite defenseman to watch in the league. Most telling stat. Julien Demers and Travis Gibbons finished the series +17. Cuma and Zanetti finished the series -4.
Julien Demers (SJ)
Originally, I was worried about Demers' prospects of getting signed by San Jose this year. And while I still am worried, I think things look a little more promising now. Demers had an excellent series for Ottawa and was the teams best defenseman by a fairly large margin. He was much more aggressive offensively than he has been during the 2009-10 regular season (see the dip in his point production). By that I mean, he was bringing the puck up ice for the 67's and did a very good job to create plays on offense. Defensively, well he's always a rock. In that aspect, he's not really noticeable because he rarely makes mistakes. That being said, I wish he was as physical as he was two years ago. Then, he was quite the effective body checker, but I don't think I've seen Demers lay a really good check in quite some time. I think his mobility still suffers a bit too and I'm not sure how his game will transfer to the professional level. If he was like 6'3, 6'4, I'd be a lot more confident that he'd get signed. And that's not to say that 6'1, 200lbs is undersized, but for the type of game he plays, it can be. In a way, it reminds me a lot of former Windsor Spitfires defenseman Mitch Maunu. Now granted, Demers is definitely a better skater than Maunu was, but not by a ton. The point being that Maunu was a similarly sized stay at home defenseman and he failed to get signed and is now playing in the CIS for Lakehead. Cross your fingers and hope San Jose has him in their plans.
Dalton Smith (2010)
While he didn't really hit the score sheet hard (only 2 goals and an assist in the series), I thought Smith was quite impressive. It's the things he does away from the puck that make him such a valuable player. He's a real workhorse in the corners and along the wall. He's very strong for his age and he anticipates the play really well, which allows him to trap defenders into turning over the puck. He's quite the physical player and can really throw his weight around too. Best of all, is that he's already a complete player. He kills penalties quite well (again using that strong hockey sense) and is committed to the backcheck. The good bloodlines have definitely helped Smith gain a strong understanding of the game. Offensively, I think he's got a lot more potential than he's currently showing on the score sheet too. He's still learning how to use his size in front of the net, but he's actually got quite good hands and an improving shot. If only his skating and acceleration were better and I think we'd be talking about Smith as a possible late first, early second round player. But, my guess is that he still goes pretty early and inside the first three rounds.
Ryan Martindale (2010)
The announcers on both sides seemed to be very happy with the play of Martindale during the series, never ceasing to stop the hype, but quite frankly I just didn't see it. My guess is the coaching staff didn't either, as he was demoted to the third line towards the end of the series and was receiving considerably less ice time. He finished with only a goal and an assist and was generally snake bitten across the five games (Mark Visentin made quite a few nice saves against him). But as a late 1991 playing in his third OHL playoffs, I expected much more out of Martindale. On some shifts, he looks like a game changer. The size and skill combination is very enticing, especially when the player knows how to use his size offensively. Martindale protects the puck well and is able to fight through traffic for offensive chances. However, it's his play away from the puck that still leaves me wanting more. And his skating isn't as strong as I'd like either, nor has it really improved over the course of his OHL career. He still seems to be heavily favored by NHL scouts, in particular by CSS (who have him inside their top 10 of OHL players on their final list), but he's too much of an enigma for my liking, especially as a late 1991. While he started very strongly, he only had 9 goals in the final 43 games of the regular season. That's not the production of an NHL first rounder IMO.
Cody Ceci (2012)
I'll keep this one relatively short. I think Ceci made tremendous strides this season and turned himself into a very capable OHL defender by the end of the season. Which is remarkable considering Ceci played about half the season as a 15 year old. He's clearly physically immature at this point, but he's smart enough and skilled enough to keep up with the play. He played quite solid in the playoffs and looked very comfortable running the point on the powerplay. And save a few minor mistakes (that happen to the best of OHL defenseman), he looked good defensively too. That being said, I don't think he'll be ready for top pairing status next year, like some Ottawa fans are anticipating. I think that's too much to ask of him, but I definitely see him with an increased role and production next year.
Petr Mrazek (2010)
Depending on how Mrazek plays out the rest of the playoffs, I think I've found my second ranked goaltender from the OHL for 2010. He came in for Perugini in the 4th game and didn't look back. He's very unorthodox in net (what Czech goaltender isn't? Call it the Dominik Hasek syndrome), but he gets the job done. He absolutely won that fifth and deciding game for the 67's, because the Dogs were buzzing all game and he made some really tremendous saves. The one thing that's immediately noticeable about Mrazek is how well he moves in his net. He has excellent agility and covers side to side very well. He's also got good anticipation of the play and has that ability to bade shooters into where to put the puck. He spends a bit too much time on his stomach and knees for my liking at times, but teams don't seem to be able to beat him high with a ton of success so maybe it's moot. It'll be interesting to see if Mrazek gets the start in game one against Mississauga. I'd have to imagine he does, but maybe Byrne goes back to Perugini out of loyalty to give him another shot.
Niagara IceDogs
Alex Friesen (2010, but 1991 born)
After his recent accolade as the hardest working player in the Eastern Conference (as voted by OHL coaches), Friesen continued his much improved third season into the OHL playoffs. He was definitely one of Niagara's stand out players and ended up leading the team in playoff scoring with 7 points. It'll be interesting to see if he generates any interest from NHL clubs this June. He's definitely undersized, but he has a lot of redeeming qualities that NHL teams like in their bottom line players. He's quick, he's intelligent, he's solid on the forecheck and along the boards, he's good at creating chances for his linemates, and he's a quality penalty killer/defensive forward. All that and he's shown incredible improvement in his offensive game, which suggests there could be even more room for improvement. I think he's definitely got a chance.
Andrew Agozzino (2010, but 1991 born)
While I think Friesen has a very good chance of being drafted this year, I'm much more skeptical of Agozzino's chances. He's a great player and was Niagara's best player in the series (and probably all season), but he remains the exact same player who went undrafted last year. He's still a feisty little goal scorer who works hard on the ice and leads by example. I think the only hope he has is more exposure. Last year, the scouts didn't seem to be too enamored with the players on Niagara and he may have suffered from a lack of exposure. This year, thanks to Freddie Hamilton and Mark Visentin, he may have gotten a little more attention. Being recognized as one of the most underrated players in the OHL by the coaches definitely says something and I'll be rooting for him, but I anticipate it being a longshot that he gets drafted this year.
Freddie Hamilton (2010)
Considering how well he was playing going into the playoffs, I was really disappointed in the play of Hamilton in the series. In essence...not to sound harsh, but Hamilton and the rest of the Dogs secondary offense was the main reason for the loss in the series. Coach McCourt broke up the Friesen/Aggy/Hamilton line to spread out the offense, hoping that Hamilton could create on his own. If anything, the series proved that Hamilton was not yet ready for that challenge and remains a complimentary offensive player at this level. Whatever the case may be, Hamilton is still a legitimate prospect for the 2010 draft. He's a good two way forward who really doesn't have any glaring weaknesses. He hasn't really developed any above average strengths either though, which may drop him down a bit in the draft. I'll be curious to see if he makes the Canadian Under 18 team (which should be announced later this week).
Matt Petgrave (2010)
I think there was a lot to like from Petgrave during the series. He still makes way too many poor decisions with the puck in his own end. He needs to let the play come more naturally, and that only comes with experience and confidence. There's always the chance that he's just lacking hockey sense, but then I see some of the plays he's able to make in the offensive zone and I don't think that's the case, at least not to the full extent. Petgrave was definitely taking more chances offensively in the series and it was good to see as he made pinches and created chances on offense. Defensively, I really like the way he plays. He has lapses of concentration it seems in zone coverage, but overall he does a pretty good mirroring job. While he's only averaged sized, we're looking at a physical, mobile, potential two way defenseman who made some pretty good strides in his first OHL season. I still think he's a late round pick by an NHL team banking on him really improving.
Mark Visentin (2010)
In his first OHL playoffs, I thought Visentin played pretty well. He wasn't really able to carry over the caliber of play he was at going into the playoffs, but he certainly kept the Dogs in every game in the series. He had a couple bad goals in the early games of the series, but he made some really big saves too and I think he's the type of goaltender who'll come back next year and really improve. Overall, the season has to be considered a huge success for Visentin who showed massive improvements and a great work ethic all season long. I think he's definitely cemented himself as the best goaltending prospect from the OHL for the 2010 draft. Now it'll be interesting to see if he too can get a nod on Team Canada's Under 18 team.
Thoughts from anyone else who saw the series?
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Thoughts on Ottawa and Peterborough from March 4
Just how much do the Peterborough Petes miss Ryan Spooner? Since suffering a broken clavicle at the end of January, the Petes are 2-15 without him. Prior to the injury, the Petes were still in the hunt for the coveted East Division title. Now they are clinging to their playoff lives as their losing streak was stretched to 10 games tonight against Ottawa in a 6-4 loss. The Petes had ample opportunity to pull ahead in this game, with several 5 on 3 powerplays, but they just couldn't score with the man advantage and finished the night 1 for 7. With only 4 games left for the Petes, they are only 5 points ahead of Oshawa (who sit 9th), and the Generals have two games in hand. Peterborough really has to pull up their socks.
Now in fairness, when the Petes lost Spooner, they also lost Austin Watson for several weeks to a broken ankle. Watson has since returned, but the Petes continue their losing ways. Having watched tonight's game, it's obvious as to how much the Petes miss Spooner. Not only is he the team's most dynamic offensive player, but he's also very good on the powerplay and five on five he helps to spread out the offensive production; giving Peterborough better depth. With Spooner not expected to return this season, it's completely likely that Peterborough could miss the playoffs all together. However, with Oshawa struggling just as much, I don't see them making up the 5 points at this point. That being said, the likelihood that the Petes finish 8th and earn a date with Barrie in the first round appears very high. And we can assume that would mean a real quick exit and a disappointing finish to what appeared to be a promising season.
As for Ottawa, I'm still not convinced they're going to do much damage in the playoffs. I worry about their goaltending a lot. I worry about their team speed. And I worry about their special teams play (even if it was good tonight). The defense just hasn't been as strong as many had thought it would be and neither Chris Perugini or Petr Mrazek are currently capable of carrying a team in a playoff series...at least in my opinion. Team speed was something that was abused last year against Niagara as the Dogs outskated and outworked the 67's in a first round upset. And everybody knows Scotty Bowman's theory on special teams play and its correlation with a strong playoff performance. A date with Niagara again this year could mean a repeat of last year. And even if the 67's do get out of the first round, I don't see them getting past the second round against (likely) Mississauga, Kingston, or Brampton.
Here are some individual thoughts...
Ottawa 67's
Tyler Toffoli (2010)
This was the best game I've ever seen Toffoli play. I still have some question marks about his game and its transition to the next level, but you can't deny his goal scoring instincts. The puck was magnetically drawn to him tonight. He scored a third period hat trick and added a first period assist too. First goal was off a board ricochet to the front of the net that he buried top shelf over Jason Missiaen. Second goal was generated by a great forecheck from Dalton Smith as he stole the puck, fed it to Cody Lindsay who then threw it over to Toffoli in the slot for the one timer to the back of the net. Hat trick goal was a softie, but the eventual game winner. Toffoli took a puck to the net, threw down a weak backhand that squeaked through Missiaen's five hole. Even in the first two periods when he wasn't scoring, Toffoli was making things happen was constantly dangerous. On the negative side, I still think there has to be some concern over his skating, but being such a smart player certainly helps alleviate those concerns. I'd also like to see him build on his aggressive play. Occasionally he'll throw a big check and look like a pest, but it's not a consistent effort to play in such a manner. I'm starting to see a lot of similarities between Toffoli's and Corey Perry's game at the same age. Both had similar concerns about skating and the transition of their offensive skills to the NHL level. Perry certainly developed well and if Toffoli could harness that aggressive nature in a more consistent way, he'd be just as an effective junior player too.
Anthony Nigro (STL)
Nigro had a quiet game. Wasn't really noticeable save a nice pass to a streaking Ryan Martindale for the first Ottawa goal. The Martindale, Nigro, Cowick line was pretty quiet all night.
Julien Demers (SJ)
Demers was Demers. Not really the type of defenseman you notice unless you're strictly watching for his number. He makes generally smart decisions with the puck and is pretty solid defensively (although I still wonder what happened to the hard hitting Demers we once knew). My concern is that he hasn't really progressed over his OHL career. His mobility is still a concern defensively as faster players can get around him one on one. At the next level, I'm just not sure what role he plays either. Is he good enough offensively to carry production over to the next level? Is his defensive game good enough should the offensive production not carry over? Questions, and I'm sure the same ones San Jose are asking themselves as they decide whether or not to sign Julien.
Corey Cowick (OTT)
Cowick was probably the least visible of his line (Martindale, Nigro) and really didn't have a stand out game.
Dalton Smith (2010)
Smith is just a really solid hockey player. He's the type of player NHL scouts love and I'm sure he'll have a very strong playoffs for Ottawa. He had an excellent game tonight. Smith finished with a goal and an assist, but was all over the ice all night; forechecking and playing at both ends of the ice. His goal gave Ottawa a 2-1 lead in the first period, as he took a long rebound off a Tyler Cuma shot and buried it past Jason Missiaen on a bad angle. His assist was more impressive as he beat Jeff Braithwaite to a loose puck dump in, used one hand to keep Braithwaite from the puck, and the other hand to make a pass to Cody Lindsay who in turn gave it Toffoli for the goal in the slot. The skating, I think, has improved over the course of the season and will only continue to get better. Smith is a player and deserves to be receiving more attention than he is for the 2010 Draft.
Tyler Cuma (MIN)
Cuma didn't play a bad game. He was relatively solid defensively, save a couple dumb penalties. He looks improved offensively since the beginning of the season, making a few nice rushes into the offensive zone and doing a good job of running the point in the zone, getting pucks on net. But I still can't help but feel underwhelmed. As a first rounder, the expectation needs to be higher. I also just can't help but remember the Cuma previous to his knee injury, the one who was developing into a dynamic player at both ends of the ice. Maybe that comes back, maybe it doesn't. Either way, I think he's further away from NHL duty than Minnesota might like to admit.
Ryan Martindale (2010)
Had the strongest game of his line (Nigro, Cowick), as he looked poised to take the puck to the net and does a good job of using his size to his advantage offensively. Scored a nice goal by accepting a pass full stride from Anthony Nigro, cutting toward the middle of the ice and throwing it over Jason Missiaen's shoulder, not on the first try, but on the second as he whacked the puck out of the air as he skated by his own slight rebound. Like Toffoli and Smith, skating is a concern, in particular his ability to accelerate and play in transition, but I too think it can be improved to the point where it will no longer be a flaw.
Peterborough Petes
Jeff Braithwaite (2010)
He kind of had a difficult game, but I see aspects of his game that make me think he's capable of more than he's giving this season. He made two bad plays on back to back shifts that just killed Peterborough. First was miscommunication with his goaltender as he got the puck caught under his skates as the two met behind the net to determine who would play it. Instead a turnover occurred that ended with a Tyler Toffoli goal. Seconds later, Braithwaite was beaten to a dump in by Dalton Smith and muscled off the puck as Smith partially set up Toffoli's second goal. Even though Braithwaite ended up finishing -4, I felt like he didn't play THAT poorly (save those two boneheaded moves). There is a lot to like. He's got decent size. He can skate quite well and has generally good mobility. He ran the point pretty well on the second powerplay unit and was doing a good job of getting his shot through to the net. He made a nice defensive play on Toffoli's 3rd goal, but a bit of bad luck cost his team the victory. He used his stick to deflect a cross ice pass that would have resulted in the game winning goal anyway, but instead tapped the puck to a wide open Toffoli who beat Jason Missiaen on the backhand. I think Braithwaite is capable of more.
Austin Watson (2010)
I think Watson played a pretty good game. As the game went along, he got better and better. It'll be interesting to see where he goes in this year's draft. He's already a tremendous player without the puck. He is very good defensively, in the corners and on the forecheck. He blocks shots and does all those little things that are so important. Just back from a broken ankle (due to blocking a shot at the Prospects Game), Watson had a couple big shot blocks in the third period to keep his team in the game. Offensively, he's inconsistent. One shift, he looks confident with the puck and in finding offensive space. The next he looks almost lost. Scored his goal by going hard to the net and finishing off a pass from Pat Daley from behind the net. Watson added an assist on Daley's powerplay goal earlier in the game too. As a good skater and an offensive project, is Watson the OHL's version of Colton Gillies, the former Wild first rounder?
Matt Puempel (2011)
The first thing I need to learn how to do is spell his last name correctly every time I write about him (which is only going to be increasingly more often). Puempel was Peterborough's best forward tonight and is a tremendous contributor for a 1993. He's producing offensively, despite clearly lacking the strength to as dominating as he could be. He wants to take the puck hard to the net and win battles in the corners, but he's just not strong enough to do that at a consistent rate. Instead, he utilizes open space and capitalizes quickly before the defense can react. Scored a nice goal after taking a drop pass from Jamie Doornbosch, waiting out Chris Perugini and then going high over his right shoulder with a powerful wrist shot. Puempel is not only going to be the only 1993 to score 30 goals (one off the mark), but he could very well be the only 16 year old to score 20 (with Boone Jenner and Michael Curtis at 18). No offense to Jenner, but the Rookie of the Year is going to come down to Puempel or Kitchener's Ryan Murphy.
David Quesnele (2010)
Not sure what happened to the guy I was so impressed with earlier in the year, but Quesnele hasn't even registered a point in like 25 games. Bad luck or just poor play? He looked half decent tonight and generated a few scoring chances by bringing speed into the offensive zone, but NHL scouts look at production too.
Adam Sedlak (2010)
Such an inconsistent and frustrating player. Sedlak clearly has talent. He can skate the puck out of the zone, he can make a good play defensively and he's got a big shot from the point. But something is missing; something preventing him from putting it all together as a late birthday 1991. He had a terrible turnover that lead to Ottawa's first goal by Ryan Martindale, as he skated the puck right into coverage with his head down and got stripped by Anthony Nigro. But he also made a strong defensive play by breaking up a 2 on 1 by sliding to prevent a pass for the open net goal. On the downside, he seems to get outworked in the corners and had trouble in defensive zone coverage. For a more offensive defenseman, he also struggles with the outlet pass. He seems much more comfortable skating the puck out of the zone and is prone to turnovers when attempting to pass out. Depending on whether he can find an NHL team who believes in his tools, he may or may not get drafted.
Jason Missiaen (MTL)
To sign Jason Missiaen or not to sign him, that is the question the Montreal Canadiens are asking themselves. On one hand, Missiaen can take away the bottom of the net quite well because he's so large and has shown an ability to steal games in the past. But on the other hand, he continues to struggle with his positioning in the net and is prone to over committing or reading the angle poorly. Two of tonight's goals against fall into those categories; the Dalton Smith 2-1 goal, and the Tyler Toffoli game winner. However, even though his numbers haven't been sparkling, he's been one of the busiest goalies in the league. If they have the room under the 50 contract limit, I think they'd be smart to sign him still. He's still a project, but if they can get a goaltender coach to work on some of the more technical aspects of the game, they could have a solid goalie on their hands...which I think was the plan all along for Missiaen. He made 32 of 37 saves and took the loss.
Thoughts on tonight's East Division rivalry game?
Now in fairness, when the Petes lost Spooner, they also lost Austin Watson for several weeks to a broken ankle. Watson has since returned, but the Petes continue their losing ways. Having watched tonight's game, it's obvious as to how much the Petes miss Spooner. Not only is he the team's most dynamic offensive player, but he's also very good on the powerplay and five on five he helps to spread out the offensive production; giving Peterborough better depth. With Spooner not expected to return this season, it's completely likely that Peterborough could miss the playoffs all together. However, with Oshawa struggling just as much, I don't see them making up the 5 points at this point. That being said, the likelihood that the Petes finish 8th and earn a date with Barrie in the first round appears very high. And we can assume that would mean a real quick exit and a disappointing finish to what appeared to be a promising season.
As for Ottawa, I'm still not convinced they're going to do much damage in the playoffs. I worry about their goaltending a lot. I worry about their team speed. And I worry about their special teams play (even if it was good tonight). The defense just hasn't been as strong as many had thought it would be and neither Chris Perugini or Petr Mrazek are currently capable of carrying a team in a playoff series...at least in my opinion. Team speed was something that was abused last year against Niagara as the Dogs outskated and outworked the 67's in a first round upset. And everybody knows Scotty Bowman's theory on special teams play and its correlation with a strong playoff performance. A date with Niagara again this year could mean a repeat of last year. And even if the 67's do get out of the first round, I don't see them getting past the second round against (likely) Mississauga, Kingston, or Brampton.
Here are some individual thoughts...
Ottawa 67's
Tyler Toffoli (2010)
This was the best game I've ever seen Toffoli play. I still have some question marks about his game and its transition to the next level, but you can't deny his goal scoring instincts. The puck was magnetically drawn to him tonight. He scored a third period hat trick and added a first period assist too. First goal was off a board ricochet to the front of the net that he buried top shelf over Jason Missiaen. Second goal was generated by a great forecheck from Dalton Smith as he stole the puck, fed it to Cody Lindsay who then threw it over to Toffoli in the slot for the one timer to the back of the net. Hat trick goal was a softie, but the eventual game winner. Toffoli took a puck to the net, threw down a weak backhand that squeaked through Missiaen's five hole. Even in the first two periods when he wasn't scoring, Toffoli was making things happen was constantly dangerous. On the negative side, I still think there has to be some concern over his skating, but being such a smart player certainly helps alleviate those concerns. I'd also like to see him build on his aggressive play. Occasionally he'll throw a big check and look like a pest, but it's not a consistent effort to play in such a manner. I'm starting to see a lot of similarities between Toffoli's and Corey Perry's game at the same age. Both had similar concerns about skating and the transition of their offensive skills to the NHL level. Perry certainly developed well and if Toffoli could harness that aggressive nature in a more consistent way, he'd be just as an effective junior player too.
Anthony Nigro (STL)
Nigro had a quiet game. Wasn't really noticeable save a nice pass to a streaking Ryan Martindale for the first Ottawa goal. The Martindale, Nigro, Cowick line was pretty quiet all night.
Julien Demers (SJ)
Demers was Demers. Not really the type of defenseman you notice unless you're strictly watching for his number. He makes generally smart decisions with the puck and is pretty solid defensively (although I still wonder what happened to the hard hitting Demers we once knew). My concern is that he hasn't really progressed over his OHL career. His mobility is still a concern defensively as faster players can get around him one on one. At the next level, I'm just not sure what role he plays either. Is he good enough offensively to carry production over to the next level? Is his defensive game good enough should the offensive production not carry over? Questions, and I'm sure the same ones San Jose are asking themselves as they decide whether or not to sign Julien.
Corey Cowick (OTT)
Cowick was probably the least visible of his line (Martindale, Nigro) and really didn't have a stand out game.
Dalton Smith (2010)
Smith is just a really solid hockey player. He's the type of player NHL scouts love and I'm sure he'll have a very strong playoffs for Ottawa. He had an excellent game tonight. Smith finished with a goal and an assist, but was all over the ice all night; forechecking and playing at both ends of the ice. His goal gave Ottawa a 2-1 lead in the first period, as he took a long rebound off a Tyler Cuma shot and buried it past Jason Missiaen on a bad angle. His assist was more impressive as he beat Jeff Braithwaite to a loose puck dump in, used one hand to keep Braithwaite from the puck, and the other hand to make a pass to Cody Lindsay who in turn gave it Toffoli for the goal in the slot. The skating, I think, has improved over the course of the season and will only continue to get better. Smith is a player and deserves to be receiving more attention than he is for the 2010 Draft.
Tyler Cuma (MIN)
Cuma didn't play a bad game. He was relatively solid defensively, save a couple dumb penalties. He looks improved offensively since the beginning of the season, making a few nice rushes into the offensive zone and doing a good job of running the point in the zone, getting pucks on net. But I still can't help but feel underwhelmed. As a first rounder, the expectation needs to be higher. I also just can't help but remember the Cuma previous to his knee injury, the one who was developing into a dynamic player at both ends of the ice. Maybe that comes back, maybe it doesn't. Either way, I think he's further away from NHL duty than Minnesota might like to admit.
Ryan Martindale (2010)
Had the strongest game of his line (Nigro, Cowick), as he looked poised to take the puck to the net and does a good job of using his size to his advantage offensively. Scored a nice goal by accepting a pass full stride from Anthony Nigro, cutting toward the middle of the ice and throwing it over Jason Missiaen's shoulder, not on the first try, but on the second as he whacked the puck out of the air as he skated by his own slight rebound. Like Toffoli and Smith, skating is a concern, in particular his ability to accelerate and play in transition, but I too think it can be improved to the point where it will no longer be a flaw.
Peterborough Petes
Jeff Braithwaite (2010)
He kind of had a difficult game, but I see aspects of his game that make me think he's capable of more than he's giving this season. He made two bad plays on back to back shifts that just killed Peterborough. First was miscommunication with his goaltender as he got the puck caught under his skates as the two met behind the net to determine who would play it. Instead a turnover occurred that ended with a Tyler Toffoli goal. Seconds later, Braithwaite was beaten to a dump in by Dalton Smith and muscled off the puck as Smith partially set up Toffoli's second goal. Even though Braithwaite ended up finishing -4, I felt like he didn't play THAT poorly (save those two boneheaded moves). There is a lot to like. He's got decent size. He can skate quite well and has generally good mobility. He ran the point pretty well on the second powerplay unit and was doing a good job of getting his shot through to the net. He made a nice defensive play on Toffoli's 3rd goal, but a bit of bad luck cost his team the victory. He used his stick to deflect a cross ice pass that would have resulted in the game winning goal anyway, but instead tapped the puck to a wide open Toffoli who beat Jason Missiaen on the backhand. I think Braithwaite is capable of more.
Austin Watson (2010)
I think Watson played a pretty good game. As the game went along, he got better and better. It'll be interesting to see where he goes in this year's draft. He's already a tremendous player without the puck. He is very good defensively, in the corners and on the forecheck. He blocks shots and does all those little things that are so important. Just back from a broken ankle (due to blocking a shot at the Prospects Game), Watson had a couple big shot blocks in the third period to keep his team in the game. Offensively, he's inconsistent. One shift, he looks confident with the puck and in finding offensive space. The next he looks almost lost. Scored his goal by going hard to the net and finishing off a pass from Pat Daley from behind the net. Watson added an assist on Daley's powerplay goal earlier in the game too. As a good skater and an offensive project, is Watson the OHL's version of Colton Gillies, the former Wild first rounder?
Matt Puempel (2011)
The first thing I need to learn how to do is spell his last name correctly every time I write about him (which is only going to be increasingly more often). Puempel was Peterborough's best forward tonight and is a tremendous contributor for a 1993. He's producing offensively, despite clearly lacking the strength to as dominating as he could be. He wants to take the puck hard to the net and win battles in the corners, but he's just not strong enough to do that at a consistent rate. Instead, he utilizes open space and capitalizes quickly before the defense can react. Scored a nice goal after taking a drop pass from Jamie Doornbosch, waiting out Chris Perugini and then going high over his right shoulder with a powerful wrist shot. Puempel is not only going to be the only 1993 to score 30 goals (one off the mark), but he could very well be the only 16 year old to score 20 (with Boone Jenner and Michael Curtis at 18). No offense to Jenner, but the Rookie of the Year is going to come down to Puempel or Kitchener's Ryan Murphy.
David Quesnele (2010)
Not sure what happened to the guy I was so impressed with earlier in the year, but Quesnele hasn't even registered a point in like 25 games. Bad luck or just poor play? He looked half decent tonight and generated a few scoring chances by bringing speed into the offensive zone, but NHL scouts look at production too.
Adam Sedlak (2010)
Such an inconsistent and frustrating player. Sedlak clearly has talent. He can skate the puck out of the zone, he can make a good play defensively and he's got a big shot from the point. But something is missing; something preventing him from putting it all together as a late birthday 1991. He had a terrible turnover that lead to Ottawa's first goal by Ryan Martindale, as he skated the puck right into coverage with his head down and got stripped by Anthony Nigro. But he also made a strong defensive play by breaking up a 2 on 1 by sliding to prevent a pass for the open net goal. On the downside, he seems to get outworked in the corners and had trouble in defensive zone coverage. For a more offensive defenseman, he also struggles with the outlet pass. He seems much more comfortable skating the puck out of the zone and is prone to turnovers when attempting to pass out. Depending on whether he can find an NHL team who believes in his tools, he may or may not get drafted.
Jason Missiaen (MTL)
To sign Jason Missiaen or not to sign him, that is the question the Montreal Canadiens are asking themselves. On one hand, Missiaen can take away the bottom of the net quite well because he's so large and has shown an ability to steal games in the past. But on the other hand, he continues to struggle with his positioning in the net and is prone to over committing or reading the angle poorly. Two of tonight's goals against fall into those categories; the Dalton Smith 2-1 goal, and the Tyler Toffoli game winner. However, even though his numbers haven't been sparkling, he's been one of the busiest goalies in the league. If they have the room under the 50 contract limit, I think they'd be smart to sign him still. He's still a project, but if they can get a goaltender coach to work on some of the more technical aspects of the game, they could have a solid goalie on their hands...which I think was the plan all along for Missiaen. He made 32 of 37 saves and took the loss.
Thoughts on tonight's East Division rivalry game?
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Sean Keogh's Thoughts on London and Ottawa from January 17
For those that follow the blog, or have followed it over the course of the last year, Sean Keogh was once a frequent contributor. A former writer at HockeysFuture (like myself), Keogh has a tremendous eye for the game and is someone I really trust for an opinion on a certain player. To make a long story short, Sean has moved to Switzerland for school purposes (Masters) and thus hasn't been able to watch the OHL. But now that he's on his January hiatus/holiday back home in Ottawa, he's been able to catch up on a few games. I welcome anything he can provide! Here's his report from last weekend's game between the Knights and 67's.
Unfortunately I have not been able to contribute to the blog this year because I am now living in
From a prospect-viewing standpoint, it was an unusually uninteresting
Nazem Kadri (TOR)
On Sunday, Kadri was if nothing else very involved in the play. He notched
Michael Hutchinson (BOS)
The Knights were outshot and to a fair extent outplayed on Sunday, which meant
Jared Knight (2010)
I came in hoping to see a good outing from Jared Knight, but I think overall he had a quiet night. He showed some jump in the first period, and in particular had one nice burst of speed where he burnt 67s blueliner Marc Zanetti with speed wide. Zanetti was forced to take a holding penalty but Knight also got called for a dive and then a ten-minute misconduct for complaining. I thought I would see more of Knight after that, but he’s been getting better as the season goes along and already had three goals on the weekend, so he can be excused for having an off-game.
Reid McNeill (2010)
This is a player who was not on my radar until after consulting the Central Scouting List to be honest, and truthfully I cannot remember noticing McNeill during the game on Sunday. A stay-at-home guy, obviously McNeill was not likely to make an impact offensively, but his defensive play did not stand out either, which is obviously not necessarily a bad thing.
Justin Taylor (Free Agent)
After
Steven Tarasuk (Free Agent)
An overager who is playing for a contract essentially, Tarasuk was easily the most noticeable and dangerous Knights blueliner. In fact only Kadri was better offensively for
Tyler Cuma (MIN)
It has been well documented how Cuma has struggled to regain his game after knee injuries last year. Although this was not my first game watching Cuma and 67s this
month, it was my best live look of the year. Cuma had a fairly good game, and is certainly a valuable and positive contributor to the 67s blueline. His most notable moment was the fight he had with Nazem Kadri. Admirable as it was for Cuma to stand up for his goaltender, the two-five-and-ten that he got as a result meant he was in the penalty box for most of the third period and overtime. It was evident how important Cuma was to stabilizing the second pairing when he was unavailable. With that being said, I am still not sure Cuma is even as good as he was in his draft year. Although he is solid defensively and is playing with even more of a physical edge than I remembered, gone is the silky smooth offensive confidence. Although Cuma had several nice breakout passes and is still capable of contributing offensively at the OHL level, I am nowhere near as optimistic about his NHL potential in that regard as I was in Cuma’s draft year. He should still be an NHL defenceman, but his ceiling may simply be lower than expected in his draft year.
Julien Demers (SJ)
The game’s third star, Demers was his usual steady self. He scored the first 67s goal on the powerplay, as he wristed a point shot past
Anthony Nigro (STL)
The other goal scorer on the game for the 67s, Nigro had a solid game. He is not as dangerous a player as he was last year while on Couture’s wing though, because neither Ryan Martindale nor Cody Lindsay have anywhere near the natural playmaking ability that Couture had. But he worked hard down low all night and went to the net creating several chances. Nigro is without a contract and I think in many ways is a comparable player to Justin Taylor. In
Corey Cowick (OTT)
Playing only his fifth game back after a major shoulder injury, Cowick did not register a point and may have had his quietest game since returning from injury. He has five goals in five games this season, but it is his physical play that has stood out. In this game he absolutely destroyed the pint-sized Daniel Erlich on a clean open-ice hit, and was a consistent physical presence all night. Cowick got away from his physical play last year, playing more of a finesse offensive game as the season wore on, and I wonder if the reason was the shoulder, as it was a nagging issue that kept him out of the AHL on a pro tryout when the season ended. His skating also seemed slightly improved, and while last year I wondered what he offered to an NHL club like Ottawa that drafted him, I am somewhat changing my mind after seeing him throw his weight around.
Tyler Toffoli (2010)
Although he did not end up on the scoresheet, I thought Toffoli might have been the most dangerous 67s forward on the afternoon. He is a potential late first round pick this spring and in this game he showed why. Toffoli had a couple of nice rushes, found a couple of nice seams while already controlling the zone, and created offence on a good number of his shifts. As an offensive prospect, Toffoli is a classic jack-of-all-trades, master of none. His only standout quality is great hockey sense, although his shot does look even more dangerous than last year. He ripped a couple of shots from the half-boards, and if he is developing in to more of a shooter, that could help his draft stock. What I think holds Toffoli back at times is his skating. He had several nice rushes, and can beat players with speed once he gets going, but he lacks the acceleration to do that often or easily.
Ryan Martindale (2010)
I thought Toffoli had a better game on Sunday, but I actually believe Martindale is the better prospect. He picked up an assist on the Demers goal, but did not have any real standout plays otherwise. There are many things to like about Martindale, he has good size, soft hands, all-round offensive skills and very good intelligence. I actually think his hockey sense has been underrated, both offensively and defensively. On Sunday he once again showed that coming back on the backcheck, he is very adept at picking up the third man on the rush. The two knocks on Martindale were evident in this game though, skating and intensity. Although he is actually very good at handling the puck and making plays on the move, he lacks the skating to pull away from people and as a result he is not that effective on the rush. Martindale also has a tendency to look like he is floating. It is a kind of casual, almost lackadaisical style that has been associated with guys like Logan Couture and more recently Peter Holland, although Martindale is not quite as gifted as either of them.
I think Cowick’s return has been a bad thing for Dalton Smith. He is back on the third line and with two very good scoring lines, the 67s are not really asking the third line to do much more than provide some energy and play even hockey. As a result, there was not a lot to report on from Sunday when it comes to Smith. He works hard, bangs and crashes and is an effective third liner for the 67s, but his goal production this year and his draft stock suggest that in a different role, maybe with better linemates, he is capable of more.
Petr Mrazek (2010)
Although
Thanks to Sean for the great report, hoping it's not his last while he's home! He welcomes any questions or comments!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Thoughts on Oshawa and Ottawa from October 4
Caught this one on the OHL Action Pack tonight after returning from a weekend vacation. The 67's came in to Oshawa playing their third game in three nights. They have to consider themselves lucky to come out of this one with a point as they were badly outplayed. Shots went in favor of the Generals 53-29, however a late 3rd period 67's goal by Ryan Martindale sent this one to overtime and eventually the shootout. It was there the Generals managed to come out on top after scoring on 3 of their 4 attempts.
Despite today's lackluster performance, it has to be considered a successful weekend for the 67's. Despite the fact that they lost 2 out of 3 games, they managed to come away with 4 points, with their one win coming against the defending Memorial Cup Champion Windsor Spitfires (4-3 on Friday). There does have to be some concern moving forward for the 67's though. Thought to be a strength of the team, the defense has not be strong thus far. Prone to turnovers and poor defensive reads/decisions, the 67's have looked anything but solid in their own end. Sure Anthony Nigro is out with mono, and sure Corey Cowick is out with his shoulder, but some of the other players need to take it upon themselves to step up their games. Even though the season is early, it does appear that the 67's may have some trouble separating themselves from the middle of the pack teams in the Eastern Conference.
Oshawa on the other hand seems to be headed in the right direction. They just got Calvin de Haan back, their younger players are taking steps forward, and they appear to have the right attitude on the ice. It does appear goaltending is currently a bit of a problem though. Neither Kevin Baillie nor Michael Zador have played well (just check out their save percentages, yikes!) and someone has step forward for the Generals if they too have aspirations of separating themselves from the middle to bottom tier of the East.
Some thoughts on individual performances from both sides...
Oshawa Generals
Scott Valentine (ANA)
There's a lot to like about Valentine. He's definitely a mean S.O.B. Has no problem clearing the front of the net or giving a shot to the back or two of an opposing forward. Offensively, he has powerplay capabilities and seems to do a good job of getting his point shot through. He's also a quality skater, and he uses this to his advantage both offensively and defensively. For a physically aggressive defender, skating is important. However there is also a lot to dislike about Valentine's game. He took himself out of position at least twice by going for the big hit on an opposing rushing forward, neither time connecting. He needs to pick his spots better, as it would appear forwards are starting to get a bit of a "book" on him. He also made a terrible pinch offensively which led to an Ottawa goal. He has the skating ability to carry the puck into the zone, but again it comes down to timing and being able to get back to the defensive zone quickly enough. There is potential there, and let's remember that he's only played over 50 games in the OHL in 3 combined seasons. A long term defensive project but one with some promise. He finished the night -3.
Tony DeHart (2010, but 1990 born)
Really seems to have flourished as an OHL defender. He's playing with Calvin de Haan right now on Oshawa's top defensive pairing. Speaking of which, we really need to come up with a quality nickname for that pairing; the De-fence brothers (someone has to come up with a better one than that)? Quality player at both ends of the ice. Defensively he kept players to the outside and made smart decisions with the puck. Offensively he did a great job moving the puck out of the zone and running the point on the powerplay, where he scored his goal off a nice low point shot (that was deflected in by Tyler Cuma). With the way he's progressing this year, he could be on some NHL team's radar. Had a goal and an assist tonight.
Andy Andreoff (2010, but 1991 born)
Thought to be a potential 2009 NHL draft selection, Andreoff's poor offensive season seemed to sour NHL scouts. This year he's performing much better and he looked very good tonight. Moves up the ice really well, takes the puck to the net and scored the game's opening goal. Constantly involved offensively. Perhaps a nice bounce back season puts him back on the NHL scouting list.
Jeff Hayes (Overage Free Agent)
Hayes was the best player on the ice tonight. It's easy to see why the Generals captain is a fan favourite in Oshawa. While small, he's fearless and he used his speed to generate numerous scoring chances. His overall skill set is very solid. His goal was a wrist shot wired to the top shelf, while his assist came off some fancy playmaking from behind the net to Boone Jenner. Tough to say if there is a future for him in professional hockey, but you have to like the attitude and skill set he brings to the ice, even if he is undersized. Finished with a goal and an assist.
Boone Jenner (2011)
The Generals are lucky to have this guy. Their first rounder in the 2009 Priority Draft, Jenner has a lot of potential in this league. He showed really nice hands by finishing off the Jeff Hayes pass to the front of the net. The pass was flipped between Tyler Cuma's skates and Jenner showed a soft touch by corralling the puck and putting it over Mrazek's pad. He had a couple other offensive chances in the game and I like the way he goes to the net looking for the puck. He'll get better and more consistent from shift to shift, as the season goes on.
Calvin de Haan (NYI)
He had a pretty solid game. He got hurt again in the first period, but returned to action after missing a few shifts. I think there is definitely something bothering him, although their is no word yet as to what. The fact that he appears to be playing with an injury, and still looks as good as he does, is a testament to his talent level. Defensively, he was solid tonight. He reads and reacts to situations very well on the ice and does a great job in taking away space from opposing forwards by using superb positioning skills. He did make one bad pinch tonight that led to an odd man rush for Ottawa and caused him to take a slashing penalty in an attempt to break it up. But, for all the times he pinches and manages to create a scoring chance, I'm sure Chris DePiero doesn't mind the odd chance going the other way as a result. A smart player who's going to be a treat to watch for Team Canada at this years World Junior Championships. He finished the game with an assist.
Christian Thomas (2010)
There is a reason they call him Stumpy Jr. He resembles his father a lot on the ice. His skating stride and ability, his elusive nature and ability to win loose puck battles, and his fearless drive to the net all remind one of his father Steve. He did a really good job on the cycle tonight and seems to hover around the net for scoring opportunities. On the downside, I'm not sure he has the shot his father had, but he's still a quality player. Made a really nice hesitation move in the shootout to beat Petr Mrazek. He finished the game with 2 assists.
Kevin Bailie (2010)
I wasn't incredibly impressed by Bailie tonight. While he wasn't terrible, he also didn't do much to win this one for his team, save a nice shootout save on Tyler Cuma. A former first rounder by the Generals, Bailie just didn't stand out tonight. He's obviously a big goalie (listed at 6'3), but he doesn't play big. He spends a lot of time in the butterfly and tends to stay on the ground more than he should. The goal that really let Ottawa back in the game was as a result of a bad turnover by Bailie as he tried to play the puck. This was Dalton Smith's marker at the start of the 3rd period. He's definitely going to need to play better to get serious attention from NHL teams. He stopped 25 of 29 shots for the win.
Ottawa 67's
Ryan Martindale (2010)
Probably the best game I've seen him play. He's a big guy and he played with a lot of attitude tonight. A good attitude. He used his size and tried to drive the puck to the net nearly every time he had it on his stick. He was also sensational defensively, stopping two easy goals for the Generals by returning to the defensive zone just in time. His late 3rd period goal off a nice slap shot earned Ottawa the point. On the negative side, I'd still like to see him use his teammates more, especially as a centerman. He tends to be too focused on making things happen and finishing them off at the same time, rather than making things happen for his linemmates too.
Tyler Toffoli (2010)
Toffoli also played a good game. He had two very nice passes that resulted in Ottawa goals and the more I see him, the more I'm realizing he's more of a playmaker than a goal scorer. I keep wanting to see him drive hard to the net with the puck, but I'm just not sure that's his game. He does need to shoot the puck more though and be a little more selfish (kind of the opposite of Martindale). On one opportunity he had a clear shot on net, but decided to make a drop pass to a teammate with a worse scoring chance. I think a lot of it could have to do with confidence level on the ice too. I'm not sure he knows how good he could be. Either way, looks like he's starting to come out of his little offensive funk. Had an assist and was +3 on the night.
Tyler Cuma (MIN)
Didn't have a good game again. Not sure what's going on there, it could be that he's just trying to do too much with the 67 blueline struggling. On the Tony DeHart powerplay goal he made a real boneheaded play, one that Don Cherry would have lambasted him over. With Petr Mrazek out of his crease to challenge the shooter and no Oshawa player screening him, he had a clear view of the puck to make the stop. However for some reason Cuma put out his stick to try and stop the puck and instead tipped it over Mrazek's shoulder to the top corner. If he lets that puck go, it's an easy save for Mrazek and an easy rebound to control. On the Jeff Hayes pass to Boone Jenner, he fell victim to Hayes puckhandling ability, failing to take the man and let the puck go between his legs to Jenner for the finish. Offensively, he seems to be forcing things too, trying to get his shot through and trying to make things happen when they aren't there. I think he's just pressing with the defense struggling.
Dalton Smith (2010)
Skating may be a bit of an issue, but he does so many things well I always tend to ignore it. He's always in the crease and causing trouble for the opposing netminder. He's got great hands, especially in close. On his 3rd period goal, he received a nice pass from Thomas Nesbitt (off the Bailie turnover) and put it from his stick to the back of the net at warp speed. He's also very physical and had a few really nice hits tonight. The complete package other than the skating, it's hard to think of this guy as anything but an NHL prospect.
Petr Mrazek (2010)
Mrazek had a heck of a game tonight. He let a real softie in on the first Oshawa goal (by Andreoff), but was outstanding from their on out. He made the best save I've seen this OHL season in the second period, robbing (I believe) Boone Jenner of a sure goal by stretching his pads and reacting to a quick pass and shot. He's definitely an incredibly athletic goaltender and moves very well in his crease, going from the butterfly to the stand up very quickly. He takes away the bottom of the net in the same way Mike Murphy does, by being quick and agile with his pads. It's pretty obvious he spent a lot of time watching Dominik Hasek as a kid too, as his flopping style resembles the Dominator. He has to be careful about committing to the play early though, as this is what burned him in the shootout. Oshawa's first two shooters used hesitation moves to get him down on the ground and out of position early before finishing off their goals. Still an impressive performance for a player who's going to start to press for the starting role. He stopped 48 of 52 shots, taking the loss.
That's it for tonight guys and gals. Anybody else catch this one?
Despite today's lackluster performance, it has to be considered a successful weekend for the 67's. Despite the fact that they lost 2 out of 3 games, they managed to come away with 4 points, with their one win coming against the defending Memorial Cup Champion Windsor Spitfires (4-3 on Friday). There does have to be some concern moving forward for the 67's though. Thought to be a strength of the team, the defense has not be strong thus far. Prone to turnovers and poor defensive reads/decisions, the 67's have looked anything but solid in their own end. Sure Anthony Nigro is out with mono, and sure Corey Cowick is out with his shoulder, but some of the other players need to take it upon themselves to step up their games. Even though the season is early, it does appear that the 67's may have some trouble separating themselves from the middle of the pack teams in the Eastern Conference.
Oshawa on the other hand seems to be headed in the right direction. They just got Calvin de Haan back, their younger players are taking steps forward, and they appear to have the right attitude on the ice. It does appear goaltending is currently a bit of a problem though. Neither Kevin Baillie nor Michael Zador have played well (just check out their save percentages, yikes!) and someone has step forward for the Generals if they too have aspirations of separating themselves from the middle to bottom tier of the East.
Some thoughts on individual performances from both sides...
Oshawa Generals
Scott Valentine (ANA)
There's a lot to like about Valentine. He's definitely a mean S.O.B. Has no problem clearing the front of the net or giving a shot to the back or two of an opposing forward. Offensively, he has powerplay capabilities and seems to do a good job of getting his point shot through. He's also a quality skater, and he uses this to his advantage both offensively and defensively. For a physically aggressive defender, skating is important. However there is also a lot to dislike about Valentine's game. He took himself out of position at least twice by going for the big hit on an opposing rushing forward, neither time connecting. He needs to pick his spots better, as it would appear forwards are starting to get a bit of a "book" on him. He also made a terrible pinch offensively which led to an Ottawa goal. He has the skating ability to carry the puck into the zone, but again it comes down to timing and being able to get back to the defensive zone quickly enough. There is potential there, and let's remember that he's only played over 50 games in the OHL in 3 combined seasons. A long term defensive project but one with some promise. He finished the night -3.
Tony DeHart (2010, but 1990 born)
Really seems to have flourished as an OHL defender. He's playing with Calvin de Haan right now on Oshawa's top defensive pairing. Speaking of which, we really need to come up with a quality nickname for that pairing; the De-fence brothers (someone has to come up with a better one than that)? Quality player at both ends of the ice. Defensively he kept players to the outside and made smart decisions with the puck. Offensively he did a great job moving the puck out of the zone and running the point on the powerplay, where he scored his goal off a nice low point shot (that was deflected in by Tyler Cuma). With the way he's progressing this year, he could be on some NHL team's radar. Had a goal and an assist tonight.
Andy Andreoff (2010, but 1991 born)
Thought to be a potential 2009 NHL draft selection, Andreoff's poor offensive season seemed to sour NHL scouts. This year he's performing much better and he looked very good tonight. Moves up the ice really well, takes the puck to the net and scored the game's opening goal. Constantly involved offensively. Perhaps a nice bounce back season puts him back on the NHL scouting list.
Jeff Hayes (Overage Free Agent)
Hayes was the best player on the ice tonight. It's easy to see why the Generals captain is a fan favourite in Oshawa. While small, he's fearless and he used his speed to generate numerous scoring chances. His overall skill set is very solid. His goal was a wrist shot wired to the top shelf, while his assist came off some fancy playmaking from behind the net to Boone Jenner. Tough to say if there is a future for him in professional hockey, but you have to like the attitude and skill set he brings to the ice, even if he is undersized. Finished with a goal and an assist.
Boone Jenner (2011)
The Generals are lucky to have this guy. Their first rounder in the 2009 Priority Draft, Jenner has a lot of potential in this league. He showed really nice hands by finishing off the Jeff Hayes pass to the front of the net. The pass was flipped between Tyler Cuma's skates and Jenner showed a soft touch by corralling the puck and putting it over Mrazek's pad. He had a couple other offensive chances in the game and I like the way he goes to the net looking for the puck. He'll get better and more consistent from shift to shift, as the season goes on.
Calvin de Haan (NYI)
He had a pretty solid game. He got hurt again in the first period, but returned to action after missing a few shifts. I think there is definitely something bothering him, although their is no word yet as to what. The fact that he appears to be playing with an injury, and still looks as good as he does, is a testament to his talent level. Defensively, he was solid tonight. He reads and reacts to situations very well on the ice and does a great job in taking away space from opposing forwards by using superb positioning skills. He did make one bad pinch tonight that led to an odd man rush for Ottawa and caused him to take a slashing penalty in an attempt to break it up. But, for all the times he pinches and manages to create a scoring chance, I'm sure Chris DePiero doesn't mind the odd chance going the other way as a result. A smart player who's going to be a treat to watch for Team Canada at this years World Junior Championships. He finished the game with an assist.
Christian Thomas (2010)
There is a reason they call him Stumpy Jr. He resembles his father a lot on the ice. His skating stride and ability, his elusive nature and ability to win loose puck battles, and his fearless drive to the net all remind one of his father Steve. He did a really good job on the cycle tonight and seems to hover around the net for scoring opportunities. On the downside, I'm not sure he has the shot his father had, but he's still a quality player. Made a really nice hesitation move in the shootout to beat Petr Mrazek. He finished the game with 2 assists.
Kevin Bailie (2010)
I wasn't incredibly impressed by Bailie tonight. While he wasn't terrible, he also didn't do much to win this one for his team, save a nice shootout save on Tyler Cuma. A former first rounder by the Generals, Bailie just didn't stand out tonight. He's obviously a big goalie (listed at 6'3), but he doesn't play big. He spends a lot of time in the butterfly and tends to stay on the ground more than he should. The goal that really let Ottawa back in the game was as a result of a bad turnover by Bailie as he tried to play the puck. This was Dalton Smith's marker at the start of the 3rd period. He's definitely going to need to play better to get serious attention from NHL teams. He stopped 25 of 29 shots for the win.
Ottawa 67's
Ryan Martindale (2010)
Probably the best game I've seen him play. He's a big guy and he played with a lot of attitude tonight. A good attitude. He used his size and tried to drive the puck to the net nearly every time he had it on his stick. He was also sensational defensively, stopping two easy goals for the Generals by returning to the defensive zone just in time. His late 3rd period goal off a nice slap shot earned Ottawa the point. On the negative side, I'd still like to see him use his teammates more, especially as a centerman. He tends to be too focused on making things happen and finishing them off at the same time, rather than making things happen for his linemmates too.
Tyler Toffoli (2010)
Toffoli also played a good game. He had two very nice passes that resulted in Ottawa goals and the more I see him, the more I'm realizing he's more of a playmaker than a goal scorer. I keep wanting to see him drive hard to the net with the puck, but I'm just not sure that's his game. He does need to shoot the puck more though and be a little more selfish (kind of the opposite of Martindale). On one opportunity he had a clear shot on net, but decided to make a drop pass to a teammate with a worse scoring chance. I think a lot of it could have to do with confidence level on the ice too. I'm not sure he knows how good he could be. Either way, looks like he's starting to come out of his little offensive funk. Had an assist and was +3 on the night.
Tyler Cuma (MIN)
Didn't have a good game again. Not sure what's going on there, it could be that he's just trying to do too much with the 67 blueline struggling. On the Tony DeHart powerplay goal he made a real boneheaded play, one that Don Cherry would have lambasted him over. With Petr Mrazek out of his crease to challenge the shooter and no Oshawa player screening him, he had a clear view of the puck to make the stop. However for some reason Cuma put out his stick to try and stop the puck and instead tipped it over Mrazek's shoulder to the top corner. If he lets that puck go, it's an easy save for Mrazek and an easy rebound to control. On the Jeff Hayes pass to Boone Jenner, he fell victim to Hayes puckhandling ability, failing to take the man and let the puck go between his legs to Jenner for the finish. Offensively, he seems to be forcing things too, trying to get his shot through and trying to make things happen when they aren't there. I think he's just pressing with the defense struggling.
Dalton Smith (2010)
Skating may be a bit of an issue, but he does so many things well I always tend to ignore it. He's always in the crease and causing trouble for the opposing netminder. He's got great hands, especially in close. On his 3rd period goal, he received a nice pass from Thomas Nesbitt (off the Bailie turnover) and put it from his stick to the back of the net at warp speed. He's also very physical and had a few really nice hits tonight. The complete package other than the skating, it's hard to think of this guy as anything but an NHL prospect.
Petr Mrazek (2010)
Mrazek had a heck of a game tonight. He let a real softie in on the first Oshawa goal (by Andreoff), but was outstanding from their on out. He made the best save I've seen this OHL season in the second period, robbing (I believe) Boone Jenner of a sure goal by stretching his pads and reacting to a quick pass and shot. He's definitely an incredibly athletic goaltender and moves very well in his crease, going from the butterfly to the stand up very quickly. He takes away the bottom of the net in the same way Mike Murphy does, by being quick and agile with his pads. It's pretty obvious he spent a lot of time watching Dominik Hasek as a kid too, as his flopping style resembles the Dominator. He has to be careful about committing to the play early though, as this is what burned him in the shootout. Oshawa's first two shooters used hesitation moves to get him down on the ground and out of position early before finishing off their goals. Still an impressive performance for a player who's going to start to press for the starting role. He stopped 48 of 52 shots, taking the loss.
That's it for tonight guys and gals. Anybody else catch this one?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Posts
