Game Report: Erie & Niagara from September 30

I caught the Ice Dogs and the Otters last night in St. Catharines. I was undeniably curious to catch the new look Dogs in action after adding Steve Shipley, Tim Billingsley, Jason Wilson and David Pacan in recent weeks. And quite frankly, they didn't disappoint.

The score was close, but generally speaking, the play was not. The Dogs squeaked away with a 5-4 victory, but outshot the Otters 51-31 during the game. This included a dominant third period where they put 23 shots on Ramis Sadikov. Once the forward lines develop more chemistry, this team is going to be one to watch in the East (if they weren't already before the moves).

The Otters defense had a lot of trouble with Niagara's size and speed combination. They were consistently outworked in their own end and were visibly tired by the end of the game. All four of the Dogs lines worked the cycle to perfection and really did well to gain and maintain possession in the offensive end. Erie's Ramis Sadikov had a great game. He looks poised for a good year. He's so big and his hybrid style helps him to take up a lot of the net.

The Dogs were also helped by 4 power play goals, as Erie's penalty kill unit had some trouble. Although in the end, Steve Shipley's even strength tap in goal in the third (the Dogs first even strength goal of the game) sealed the victory.

Player Reports

Erie Otters







#5 - David Shields (2009 NHL Draft - St. Louis Blues)
Shields had a game that was pretty much on par for him. He's a steady influence on the ice and someone you don't really notice unless you're paying attention to him. For a defenseman that can be a good thing. Last year I did notice that he had difficulty with forwards on the rush, and last night was no different. Steve Shipley blew by him just inside the blueline, leaving him flat footed. Shields is solid in coverage, but it looks like he can still stand to improve his agility and anticipation.

#7 - Brady Austin (NHL Draft Eligible in 2011)
Is he a defenseman or a forward? That's the question I want answered. He played forward last night, centering the team's third line. But I've seen him play defense previously and I've felt he's looked better there, using his size and aggressiveness to push forwards around. He still throws his body around as a forward (hit Ryan Strome from behind at one point in the second), but I didn't really notice him offensively at all. I wonder if he has the puck skill to excel as a forward, especially as a center?

#10 - Tyler Hostetter (Signed as a Free Agent by the Philadelphia Flyers)
I've always liked Hostetter. Definitely one of the more underrated defenseman in the league. He's not really a flashy guy, but someone who's quietly a good two way defender. He makes good decisions with the puck and had a couple of nice rushes into Niagara's zone, particularly in the third period when Erie was really trying to shift momentum. Defensively, I think his lateral mobility and general agility help him to play both off the rush and in the zone. I'm not really sure what type of NHL defenseman he could be, but he's a solid player.

#14 - Greg McKegg (2010 NHL Draft - Toronto Maple Leafs)
The new captain of the Erie Otters was actually pretty quiet until the third period. In the third, he was one of the only players coming alive for the Otters. On the powerplay, he came off the side wall and tried to throw a pass cross crease to Anthony Luciani, but Dogs forward Andrew Agozzino ended up tipping it into his own net. And later, to draw the Otters within one goal with about 5 minutes remaining, he cut to the middle of the ice with the puck and left a drop pass to Mike Cazzola who snapped the puck past Mark Visentin. The Otters are going to need McKegg (and Cazzola) to pick up where they left off last season...sans Zach Torquato.

#17 - David Broll (NHL Draft Eligible in 2011)
Was kind of excited to see him, but ultimately didn't notice him at all. He had a couple of big hits in the first period, but disappeared after that. I'll definitely hope to see him again.

Niagara IceDogs









#8 - Alex Friesen (2010 NHL Draft - Vancouver Canucks)
Alex is still one of the hardest working forwards in the league. His speed is hard to contain and he's relentless in pursuit of the puck. He and linemate Andrew Agozzino have such good chemistry and the two of them are constantly creating off the rush. Interestingly enough, Alex is one of the only forwards I'd actually trust on the point of the powerplay. He's QB'd the Dogs powerplay for the past year and a bit. Tonight he made a great defensive play as Shawn Szydlowski came flying down the wing on the penalty kill (one on one with Friesen), but Alex angled him off the puck and negated a serious scoring chance. Friesen added a goal and two assists on the powerplay too. All the secondary scoring the Dogs have added is only going to help him have an even better offensive season than last year.

#10 - Steve Shipley (2010 NHL Draft - Buffalo Sabres)
Who are you? Is this the same Steve Shipley as last year? Where the heck did the speed and acceleration come from? Shipley looked fantastic off the rush, blowing past Erie defenders (in particular David Shields on one play). What was once considered a serious fault, has to now be considered a weapon. Definitely looks like he's worked on it over the summer. Shipley had a great game all around though. On the powerplay in the third, Shipley took a rebound, did a dipsy doodle around Sadikov and got it out to Wilson at the edge of the crease for a tap in. He also picked up the game winning goal by going hard to the net following his own rebound and putting home the garbage. If he can increase his consistency this season, he'll have a big year.

#13 - Freddie Hamilton (2010 NHL Draft - San Jose Sharks)
Hamilton looked quite good on the powerplay, as he worked hard down low and did a great job moving the puck around quickly. He picked up a couple of assists. However, at even strength he wasn't nearly as noticeable I thought. I think it's a case of acclimatizing to new linemates (Shipley and Wilson for most of the night).

#15 - Jason Wilson (2010 NHL Draft - New York Rangers)
Truthfully, I didn't notice Wilson at all until the 3rd period, when he came to life. He grabbed a garbage goal off the aforementioned nice feed from Shipley on the powerplay. He also picked up an assist on the game winning goal by Shipley by breaking into the offensive zone with speed and getting the puck to a streaking Shipley for a shot (it was ultimately the rebound that Shipley put in for the goal). In the past, I've always noticed how physical Wilson is though and didn't see that tonight. Hopefully as he becomes more used to his new surroundings, we'll start to see the heavy hitter return.

#18 - Ryan Strome (NHL Draft Eligible in 2011)
Strome was the best player on the ice. I left incredibly impressed with him. Considering this seems to be carrying over from the preseason, this might be a permanent fixture. He showed a lot of offensive creativity. He undressed an Otters defenseman (I believe Derek Holden) with a beautiful toe drag to the middle of the ice, but couldn't beat Sadikov on the partial break. But he created a lot of room for himself with his hard work on the cycle too. He, Myles Doan, and David Pacan were ruthless in puck possession and really tired out the Otters defense. Strome may not be big, but he protects the puck very well, and his agility helps him to keep defenders from squaring him up. Strome also showed outstanding on ice vision. On the powerplay , he found a cutting Dougie Hamilton with a tape to tape pass and Hamilton buried it to tie the game at 2. He had another assist on the powerplay, but also scored. He was quarterbacking the powerplay at the time and perfectly timed a shot through a defender's legs, going five hole on Sadikov (catching him moving from right to left). If Strome continues to play like this during the year, he could easily be a top 40 NHL pick. Colour me very impressed.

#22 - David Pacan (2009 NHL Draft - Chicago Blackhawks)
Fresh off getting booted from the University of Vermont, Pacan suited up for his first game with the Dogs (and in the OHL). I thought he looked excellent. He's big and he plays big. Pacan cycled the puck very well and Erie's defenders had a tough time getting it off him. He also knows his role and goes hard to the net looking for loose pucks. Pacan added a secondary assist on the Jason Wilson powerplay goal. It'll be interesting to see him get more comfortable.

#23 - Mitchell Theoret (NHL Draft Eligible in 2011)
Theoret was great tonight, even if he got less ice time as the game went on. I was really impressed by his hustle and forechecking ability. He was another forward who gave the Otters' defenders a tough time on the cycle. But Theoret also created off the rush and looks to have a lot more offensive confidence this season. Considering how well he played in the preseason, I'd love to see the Dogs find a way to get him involved more as it's clear he's got more to offer than your typical fourth liner.

#27 - Dougie Hamilton (NHL Draft Eligible in 2011)
When I saw Bob Mackenzie list Hamilton as a potential top 10 selection for the 2011 draft, I was a little surprised. But the word was he had improved a lot and was fantastic at the Ivan Hlinka tournament. The word was right. Hamilton looked massively improved last night and really controlled the pace of play at both ends. He looks confidence and skilled in rushing the puck, with his skating and acceleration being much improved. He's taking chances offensively that he wasn't last year, but he's also quick to get back to his own end. He scored a beautiful goal on the powerplay, as he found space, cut to the net and one timed a pass from Ryan Strome to the back of the net. It was a laser. It actually seemed like he never left the ice on the powerplay and seems to be much more poised in moving the puck along the umbrella. And on defense, he was physical and controlled. He could have a monster year.

#29 - Mark Visentin (2010 NHL Draft - Phoenix Coyotes)
Visentin didn't have the best of games by his standard. He seemed to be fighting the puck a bit. The first goal against him was kind of weak. It was a partially screened shot from his right side, as Shayne Rover tried to get his stick/body in front of a wrist shot. I don't think Rover touched it, but it was a bit of a knuckler. It seemed like Visentin might have been caught a little bit too deep in his net. The second goal against was off a juicy rebound to Matt Paton in the slot. Third goal was no chance, deflection off his own player (Agozzino). Fourth goal was probably one he would have liked to have back too. Mike Cazzola let a wrister go from the slot that caught Visentin deep in his net again and beat him under the glove. Overall, Visentin was giving up more rebounds than he usually does too. But he did make some big saves when he needed too and ultimately worked hard enough to save 27 of 31 for the win. But the Dogs are going to need him to be better and I have no doubt he will be.

That's it, anyone else catch the new look Dogs in action?

Thoughts on Erie and Windsor from December 10

I've been pretty busy lately, but I managed to catch this one on t.v. tonight. I hadn't seen the Otters much at all this year and I never run from a chance to catch Windsor, which made this game ideal for me to watch. It was kind of disappointing though. Not the most exciting OHL game you'll see, at least in my opinion. Windsor came out on top by a score of 3-1, a minimal spread considering their dominance of the game's pace.

Erie was largely kept in the game by the play of their star netminder, Jaroslav Janus. Since his return from the AHL, the team has been playing better hockey (above .500), and with good reason. I'm not sure there's much doubt in the minds of OHL followers about whether Janus is a top 3 netminder in this league. Erie's defense had a lot of trouble containing the speed and physicality of Windsor's forwards, especially down low in the offensive zone, and Janus bailed out his team on numerous occasions. Even with Janus in net, I'm still not sure this team is anything but a bottom seed in the Western Conference playoffs. That is...if they keep Janus. Although trading him could be quite the conundrum because of his unique status in the league (an import and overager).

The Spitfires again showed why they're such a dangerous team. While I felt like a large portion of their forwards tonight did not have their best games (Nemisz, Ryan, Timmins, to name a few), the depth, and quality of depth on this team ensures that they will always be dangerous. If a couple key players aren't performing, need not to worry since there will be about 5-6 others to pick up the slack. I'm really curious to see if this team makes a move before the deadline, especially to shore up their short term goaltending situation.

Some thoughts on individual performances. As always with Windsor, I'm not commenting on everyone because that task would be pretty tedious.

Erie Otters






Mitch Gaulton (NYR)
Outside of a bad penalty in the first period, I thought Gaulton played a very solid defensive game tonight. In the first he got beat by Taylor Hall to the outside and was forced to trip him up. But he tightened things up the rest of the game. Had a couple nice plays on forwards as they tried to break in towards the net with the puck, playing the man and not the puck itself. Because of that, Windsor had a hard time creating off the rush when he and partner Tyler Hostetter were on the ice (but not when David Shields was...poor guy). Offensively though, he was absent. The only time I noticed him in the offensive zone was when he made a bad pinch and got caught up ice, leading to an odd man rush by Windsor. I'm wondering where the confident offensive defenseman I saw last year is, the one who looked poised bringing the puck up ice and who was dangerous with his shot from the point. Have injuries derailed his offensive development?

David Shields (STL)
Not to pick on Mr. Shields, but he did not have a good game at all. Windsor forwards ate him up and spit him out all night. In the first, he got beat by Eric Wellwood at the blueline, allowing Wellwood in on a breakaway (which was foiled by Janus). Later in the first, he failed to keep pace with Dale Mitchell as he took him wide and to the side of the net, leading to Eric Wellwood's goal to tie the game at 1. Mitchell picked the puck up near the boards and exploded past Shields as he failed to keep up laterally. This caused Shields to be removed from the play, leaving his partner Paul Cianfrini to cover two Spitfires in front of the net. A tough task and it led to Eric Wellwood's goal in the slot. Later in the game, he tried to keep the puck in at the blueline of the offensive zone, but fumbled it and gave it away to Taylor Hall, leading to another breakaway (again stymied by Janus). Not a bright spot for Shields who finished the game -2.

Tyler Hostetter (PHI)
Was happy to see him sign a contract with Philly after the entry draft, as I was surprised he went unselected. I thought he played a solid game at both ends of the ice and has rounded himself into a very capable two-way defender. Did make a mistake in defensive coverage in the second period though, getting caught in no mans land and leaving Richard Panik wide open for the one timer to the back of the net. Outside of that, he played a quietly effective game and is appeared to be Erie's premier puck rushing defenseman.

Andrew Yogan (2010)
I thought Yogan was OK in the game. While he didn't generate a whole lot offensively (save a nice pass on a 2 on 1 to Jordan Coccimiglio, who was stoned by Passingham), I was impressed by his ability to control the puck along the boards. He's big, he's strong and he's obviously got offensive talent, even if it didn't shine through tonight. I've seen him play better. That being said, I'm still not sure I see him as a top 60 talent for this year's draft.

Greg McKegg (2010)
McKegg was OK too. I thought he was good in the first period, but invisible in the second and third. In the first he was creating off the rush and was one of the few Erie forwards applying pressure to Windsor's defense. He opened the game's scoring with a nice shot from the slot, beating Passingham (who had been taken out of position). McKegg started the play off by getting a good low shot on Passingham through traffic, generating a rebound which Zack Torquato picked up, and then fed back to McKegg for the tap in. I'm still not quite sure where to place him among 2010 eligible players though. With so many talented options available, does he get lost in the shuffle?

Jaroslav Janus (TBL)
Janus, as expected, was outstanding. He kept his team in this game despite numerous defensive gaffs. Stopped two breakaways (one by Wellwood, one by Taylor Hall), showing good flexibility and mobility on both. Stopped a two on one attempt finished off by Scott Timmins by sliding across and getting his body in front of a one timer. Was solid the entire game, challenging the shooter and going down in his butterfly to take away a good portion of the net. Rebound control was solid. Really nothing bad to say. He stopped 46 of 49, but took the loss.

Windsor Spitfires





Taylor Hall (2010)
Hall had a good game tonight. His speed and skill in transition was just too much to handle for Erie's defense. Even though he didn't make a large contribution on the scoresheet (a secondary assist), I felt like he was one of the most dangerous players on the ice. On the downside though, he showcased sloppy puck/pass decisions that we were seeing from him last season, and less of this season. I felt like he had really improved his decision making with the puck so far this year, but tonight he looked like Taylor of last year. Dangerous, but also at times a liability as he tried to carry the puck into traffic and as he threw wild blind passes to the center of the ice. Those are the types of plays that turn into turnovers and goals at the NHL level, and it would appear he still needs to work on eliminating those from his game.

Kenny Ryan (TOR)
Still not impressed by Ryan at all. I thought he was completely invisible. If I hadn't have been looking for number 26, I might have forgotten him all together. I still don't think there is any reason to worry yet though. Quite often, in the history of players who've made the mid season leap from NCAA to the CHL, these guys struggle to start as they slowly become adjusted. I think the real test for Ryan will come with so many players away at the World Juniors for Windsor. He'll see a much larger portion of offensive responsibility and I'll be curious to see how he deals with it.

Richard Panik (TBL)
I thought he was excellent tonight. I've heard a lot of Windsor fans talk about their disappointment with him this season but every time I've seen him play, he's been tremendous. Maybe I just keep catching him on good nights. He scored a goal off a nice one timed shot from a bad angle (that he roofed on Janus). He threw a couple really big hits and was a physical force in the corners. I even saw him make a very nice defensive play, as he filled in for a Windsor defenseman who got caught up ice on a bad pinch. Like most Euro players in this league, I think we'll see him get better and more consistent as the season goes along. By the end of the season, I somehow don't think many Windsor fans will be complaining about him anymore.

Mark Cundari (STL)
Another solid game from Cundari. Truthfully, I'm not sure there is a better defensive player in the OHL. If you manage to catch a game where a forward beats him off the rush or out positions him for a puck, write the date down to remember it. Tonight was no different. On the downside tonight, I felt like he was a bit careless in his decisions to rush the puck or contribute offensively. He turned it over twice in his own zone as he tried to carry it up ice, but then got stripped. He had several other good rushes, but he needs to be careful about picking his spots and becoming a bit overconfident in his puck rushing ability. Still finished the game +3 and is still the far and away +/- leader of the OHL. Have I mentioned he's underrated?

Eric Wellwood (PHI)
While I don't think there's a top 6 forward role waiting for him in the NHL, I do think the Flyers were very wise to use a draft selection last year on him. Tremendous speed, and tremendous awareness on the ice. I think he'll end up developing into an excellent third line/penalty killing forward. He's having quite a good season and picked up two points tonight. An assist on Richard Panik's goal, feeding him with a nice pass for the one timer. And a goal off Dale Mitchell's nice feed in the first period, burying one from the slot. Wellwood was named the game's first star.

Dale Mitchell (TOR)
The best player on the ice for me tonight. I thought Mitchell was all over the place. Created off the rush, dominated in the corners, and was pesky in front of the net. It wasn't just David Shields who had trouble with him tonight, it was the entire Otters team. I still don't agree with the decision to send him back to the OHL (because I think he's proved and improved all he can at this level), there is no denying that the Spitfires have to be happy to have him back in the line up. Just another cog in the machine.

Anyone else have thoughts on the game, or questions on players not mentioned (Cam Fowler by the way sat this one out with an undisclosed minor injury).

Sunday Top 10 - Players Who Need to Step it Up!

Now that we're in November and the season is more than a quarter finished for most teams, I think it's an appropriate time to consider some players who've greatly underachieved this season. These guys aren't your typical OHL depth player. They are quality OHL players, several of them NHL draft picks, and as such more is expected of them on the ice.

Let's take a look...

10. Brett Flemming - Mississauga St. Michael's Majors
After being such an important part of the Majors blueline last season, Flemming has struggled to find a role this season. Part of that could be due to the fact he's played both forward and defense, but if his play on defense had spoke for itself, he wouldn't have been switched. He has the potential to be a quality puck rushing and offensive defenseman in this league, but he's not doing it right now. The Majors need him to step up his game to take some offensive pressure off of Cameron Gaunce. He was more of a factor offensively in his 16 year old rookie season.

9. Marco Insam - Niagara IceDogs
The Italian Stallion, Insam has failed to repeat the success he had last season for Niagara when he became one of the teams most important goal scorers. This season he's struggled to make a consistent impact and has been much less of a physical force. I thought he had the potential to score 30 this year and the IceDogs could sure use it to help take the pressure off of their three main offensive players (Friesen, Agozzino, DeSousa). He needs to be less enamored with finding room for himself to get off his big slap shot, and begin to play the game simple. Be a big man who hits the crease and creates room for his smaller (albeit tougher) linemates.

8. Mathew Sisca - Guelph Storm
Brought over by Guelph in the offseason after finishing second in scoring for Niagara last season, Sisca was expected to help provide secondary offense behind some of the Storm's bigger guns (Kennedy, Beck, Holland, Latta). Instead, Sisca has been inconsistent offensively and has continued to be a less than effective two-way player (his ticket out of Niagara). On the plus side, he has been good for Guelph in winning face offs, but they brought him in to do more than that.

7. Josh Brittain - Plymouth Whalers
Already traded once this season after falling out of favor in Barrie, Brittain will try to impress the Whalers enough to earn significant playing time. He's getting it right now, playing with Tyler Seguin. Yet, he's got only 2 goals and no assists in 5 games. Such an enigma, Brittain will not be a significant factor in this league until he learns how to play every shift hard. Cutting back on the undisciplined penalties wouldn't hurt either. With some significant injuries to top offensive wingers, the Whalers really need Brittain to step up and provide Tyler Seguin with some help.

6. Marcus Foligno - Sudbury Wolves
Getting captain John Kurtz back in the fold was big for the turnaround of this team offensively and in the standings, but secondary scoring is still a problem. Part of the problem has been the lackluster play of Marcus Foligno, who was expected to take his offensive game to the next level this season, but instead decided to become a pugilist. With his father re-taking his post behind the bench, perhaps he can get Marcus' development back on track. Sure enough he realizes how important Marcus' offensive production is to this team's success.

5. Greg McKegg - Erie Otters
After a somewhat disappointing rookie season, more was expected in 2009 of this 2008 2nd overall selection in the priority draft. The Erie Otters are currently the worst team in the Western Conference by a large margin, and part of this has been an inability to put the puck in the net on a consistent basis. While McKegg hasn't been atrocious, he needs to be more consistent. The Otters are really missing Ryan O'Reilly right now and until players like Greg McKegg step up offensively, Otters fans won't have a reason to forget that.

4. Peter Di Salvo/Jason Missiaen/Scott Stajcer - Barrie Colts/Peterborough Petes/Owen Sound Attack
You know me, I've always got to cheat to get these lists down to 10 players. However, I do see reason to include all three of these guys on this list. All three are playing for good teams, but all three need to be way more consistent in order to make their teams serious threats in the post season. Di Salvo's lucky enough that the Colts offense has been as good as it has. He's given up 4 goals or more six times so far this season, three of which he's managed to win. Missiaen has been either lights out or a sieve, which has been the mantra of his OHL career thus far. Stajcer (a pick of mine for the 2nd all star team...not looking good so far), was quite bad during the Attack's opening season struggles. He has been better lately though, especially in this most recent weekend. All three of these guys have the talent to be top goaltenders in this league, but they need to step up and be more consistent.

3. Phil Varone - London Knights
Yeah the London Knights are a top 10 team in the CHL right now, but I think most Knights fans would tell you the team is underachieving offensively thus far. The main underachiever has been Varone, one of the stars of the teams playoff run last season. Two goals thus far just isn't going to cut it because the Knights are a much better team when the offensive motor of a guy like Varone is running. Perhaps he'll always be a streaky player though as that's kind of been the knack against him in his OHL career thus far.

2. Zack Kassian - Peterborough Petes
After starting the season somewhat well, Kassian injured his shoulder thanks to a hit by Greyhounds captain Jacob Muzzin. And since his return, he's been a non factor. The Petes need a healthy, determined, beast Kassian in order to get back to the way they were playing at the start of the season (when Kassian wasn't even playing spectacular). As a high NHL first round pick, I think the expectations on Kassian have to be high. And without his positive impact on the game, the Petes are only a mediocre team.

1. Tyler Cuma - Ottawa 67's
While I wasn't as high on the 67's this season as some other people and analysts were, I have to admit...If you would have told me that the 67's would have the least amount of wins in the league at the 1/4 mark, I would have thought you were crazy. One of the biggest reasons for the struggles of the 67's has definitely been injuries and illness upfront, but also the inability of the defense to keep pucks out of the net. One of the biggest suspects on this end has been Tyler Cuma. Whether it be rust from his knee injury of last season, or pressure from expectations of being an NHL first round pick, Cuma has not played well this season. In the times I've seen him play, he's been trying to do too much on the ice, rather than playing the smart two-way game he was drafted for. If the 67's are going to turn things around, they are going to need the old Tyler Cuma back (well and better goaltending).

Anybody on your team who needs to step it up? Do you disagree with any of these guys being on this list?