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The 2011-12 Chicago Wolves Thread


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Connauton or Granani  

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Man, Jordan Schroeder needs to pick up his slack...Seriously getting worried that this kid's game won't translate to the pros. I'm hoping that he will be able to break out this year.

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Goalie depth is something that every NHL team is looking for and sometimes is a hard commodity to come by. With the Vancouver Canucks they seem to be solidifying that position and may have a few options in the near future.

Matt Climie who signed (at the beginning of the season) a one year deal has been nothing short of stellar. Jason Shaver recently said on the last broadcast, that Climie is signed for another year. Now I was originally under the impression that Climie signed a one year deal, two -way deal. Now it’s not known if he made a deal with Vancouver to extend his contract, or it was always a 2 year deal. Whatever the case, so far this season Climie has been on an absolute tear.

Check out Climie’s stats so far this season and you can't dispute the fact it's impressive:

GAMESSASVSGAGAASV %WL

8291274172.14.94262

Now Climie has split the 16 games with Eddie Lack who also has had a decent start so far, but the team seems to riding Climie’s hot streak better than ever. Now Eddie is still a young prospect and has plenty time to develop his skills so the Canucks orgazination will be patient. Climie on the other hand is showing that he can be a backup and possibly a starter in the NHL with years of experience across the league.

Finding a goaltender that can produce like Climie can is hard to come by, and with many teams always searching for a suitable back-up, it would be a possibility for Climie to be traded down the road.  Now this is nothing that is a certain but if Mike Gillis can pick up a couple of prospects and put his confidence in Eddie Lack he could deal Climie.

There’s always 2 ways to look at things and Gillis can ignore the whole trade issue and keep Climie for next year where Schneider is a restricted free agent and the Canucks decide to let him go. I just don’t see them dumping Luongo even if he continues to have his up and downs during the season. I think he sticks around for the majority of his contract and they could bring in Climie who I think would be a very capable backup.

Next year is still down the road  and while the talk of what the future hold is never a bad thing, I’m sure Climie is just focused on continuing to get better. Through practices Climie is always working on something to get better when the drills are away from his area and talking with Goaltending Coach Stan Dubicki, Climie is a hard worker. It's obviously showing, and his experience I'm sure is helping Lack still trying to get the feel of professional hockey in North America down.

With Vancouver they have plenty of options between the pipes this year and Climie game after game continues to impress not only his coaches but teams around the AHL on how “locked-in” he is right now. Hopefully he continues to progress and sets himself nicely for something bigger in the future. I'm sure no player is satisfied in playing in the AHL, and with the constant talks about goaltenders, number 33 is getting more looks than ever.

http://www.chicagonow.com/the-instigator/2011/11/climie-continues-to-impress/

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Matt Climie is playing well, indeed. I thought he signed a one-year deal as well. Perhaps he could earn a second contract if he continues his fantastic pace?

Ths article brings up an interesting idea about promoting Climie to the backup role for the Canucks next year (assuming the C. Schneider is traded), and in doing so, allow Eddie Lack more time to develop in the AHL. The AHL season is still young, however. I hope Eddie Lack improves his statistics as the season continues.

I would enjoy seeing Climie and/or Lack challenge for the backup position with the Canucks next season, with one ultimately graduating to the NHL and the other acting as the starting goaltender for the Wolves. The latter can mentor Joe Cannata, assuming that he carries his impressive season so far at Merrimack (9GP, 1.32 GAA and 94.4 SV%) right into a backup position in the AHL.

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connauton with 1 assist so far, wolves leading 2-1 going into the 3rd.

scoring summary

1. PEO Barriball, (2) (Hensick, Nesbitt), 0:19

1. CHI Longpre, (5) (Connauton, Mancari), 0:58

1. CHI Matheson, (2) (Reinprecht, Baumgartner), 18:09 (PP)

Lack with 14 save on 15 shots (0.93333% save percentage)

also: Schroeder missed a penalty shot in the 1st period.

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