VanGnome Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 So I'm sitting here @ work and decided to post just who the Comets will be playing for the Calder Cup. Basically I'm just going to collate scouting reports and relevant bits about the prospects they have currently on the Monarch's roster. Goaltending Starter Jean Francois Berube Talent Analysis Berube is a big butterfly goaltender who was originally drafted in 2009 and has emerged as a prospect through persistence and attrition as higher profile goalies have come and gone through the Kings' organization. He is always square to the shooter and moves quickly between the pipes. After splitting time in the ECHL in his first two pro seasons, he emerged as a prospect playing for Los Angeles AHL affiliate Manchester in 2013-14. The biggest strengths of Berube's game are his positioning and technical skills — which have steadily matured since his junior days in the QMJHL. Backup Patrik Bartosak Talent Analysis Bartosak possesses game-stealing athleticism coupled with solid reads. He is an average-sized goaltender but plays bigger than his size and can be difficult to beat when he is focused. A shoulder injury hampered him in his first junior season with Red Deer but he has shown no lingering effects. Forwards Justin Auger Talent Analysis Auger is most notable for his tremendous size and he puts his body to good use and has strong puck possession skills. He has a limited offensive upside and an average skating ability but you cannot teach size and he has a decent and developing defensive-zone game. Michael Mersch Talent Analysis Mersch is a big bodied and mature player who has made steady progress as a power forward during his career. He is responsible in all areas of the ice and has a very underrated scoring ability and offensive instincts. More of a pure goal scorer than a playmaker, he has a solid two-way game and has improved his offensive upside considerably. Brian O'Neill Talent Analysis O'Neill is a small, quick forward blessed with excellent offensive instincts. He has great finish ability and is most dangerous below the dots. He can control the tempo of a game and makes things happen whenever he is on the ice. O'Neill has great hands and vision, making him a great playmaker, and can play either right or left wing. O'Neill is an excellent skater with a good burst of speed, but he is more about quickness. He makes good decisions with the puck and has an accurate shot and blistering release. Despite his lack of size he plays with grittiness and a great deal of physicality. He makes solid checks, even against bigger opposing players. He works hard, is a tough competitor, and can be quite difficult to defend. He is strong along the boards and in the corners. Scott Sabourin Talent Analysis Sabourin is a power forward whose most obvious attribute is his huge size and willingness to use it. As he did during his junior career, he has used his physical play to establish himself but has steadily emerged with some offensive elements to his game as well. Not likely to match the 30-goal season he had an overage player in the OHL, his skill set suggests he can be effective in a lower line, checking/energy role. Sabourin handles himself well when called on to protect a teammate or generate emotion by fighting an opponent. Jordan Weal Talent Analysis Weal is an undersized but tenacious right-handed shooting center. He is hard on the forecheck and creates turnovers in the offensive zone. A consistent scorer both at the junior level and in the AHL, he competes in all three zones. His size is a concern as he could be overmatched against the bigger, faster defenders and opposing forwards in the NHL. Weal's productivity and combativeness suggest he can contribute given the opportunity. Nic Dowd Talent Analysis Dowd plays a high-energy style of game, often times getting into opponents' faces and has some offensive ability. In his first season of pro hockey following a four-year college career at St. Cloud State, he is more of a playmaker than a true scorer. ON aspect of his game that makes him popular with scouts and teammates is his willingness to go into the hard areas to create scoring chances or gain possession of the puck. Andrew Crescenzi Talent Analysis Crescenzi is a hulking center with the ideal size for a bottom-six player. Offensively, he can chip in on occasion, but his success is likely to stem from defensive assignments. He moves well for a big man and initiates contact consistently but is not overly combative. Crescenzi has worked to improve his agility and explosiveness through his career and has developed into an effective, if nondescript, two-way AHL forward. Defence Derek Forbort Talent Analysis Forbort had a reputation for exceptional decision-making while playing at the University of North Dakota and has shown steady progress in his two seasons with the AHL's Manchester Monarchs. He has the size, skating ability and agility necessary to be an outstanding two-way NHL defenseman. He does not carry the puck the puck much but his passes are laser sharp. Forbert has added a bit of grit to his game as he has progressed and is in the process of continuing to round out a rock solid defensive game. Nick Ebert Talent Analysis Ebert went from being a high profile prospect entering his draft season to being the last player chosen in the 2012 NHL Draft. That experience seemed to ignite him to get the most out of his significant technical ability — he is an outstanding skater and puck mover with a booming slap shot. He seemed to put all of the elements of his game together in his final junior season and looks to be going through the same learning process at the pro level. With several minor league veterans in the lineup for the AHL's Manchester Monarchs ice time has been tough to come by at times. Ebert has steadily adjusted to the faster pace and is gradually learning when to use which of his skills and to make decisions more quickly. His game is still very much a work in progress — and it is not likely Ebert will ever be much more than adequate on the defensive side — but he has shown flashes of his high end potential. Colin Miller Talent Analysis Miller was drafted as a long-term project when the Kings selected him as a 19-year old in his second year of draft eligibility in 2012. The progress he has made since then is noteworthy. A bit undersized but with some elements of offense and pugnaciousness at the time, he spent an overage season in the OHL and has come into his own as a prospect in his second AHL season with the Manchester Monarchs. He has natural leadership ability and is among the team leaders in points and penalty minutes. Positionally, his defensive game is still erratic at times but his lapses have become less common and he is playing in more situations for the Monarchs. In general, it sounds like it's a well balanced team. Some great elite skill (in AHL terms), lots of heavy size, and willingness to take the body. Good defensive awareness, and in general lots of team toughness. This should be a good test for Marky and the boys in Utica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeanBeef Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Bartosak led my ahl team to two championships in nhl 14. Better watch out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice orca Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 You are going to scare Desiboy before they even play the Comets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobart16 Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Wow great scouting report thanks for doing that. The first line is depended upon to score and Mersch was out (18 points in 13 games in the playoffs) for the last game against Hartford. Weal has 19 points in 14 games, and Oneill has 17 points in 14 games. That line has 3 of the top 4 scorers in the AHL playoffs. So we will have to really focus on stopping them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatedkid666 Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Didn't weal win hardest shot and fastest skater at the AHL skills competition? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Langdon Algur Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Sounds like lots of AHL vetran stars, kind of like O'Rieley for the Comets. Is Weal the only legit prospect on the team? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nuxfanabroad Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Time for the ol' Harry Neale aphorism:"It's not the team with the best players; but rather the players with the best team." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tre Mac Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Shame on the Province for not giving us enough coverage during Uticas run. Its not like anything else is going on in Canuckland. BC lions, who the @#$! cares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desiboynux4lifee******* Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Benning will be scouting Manchester for players atleast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugor Hill Posted June 4, 2015 Share Posted June 4, 2015 Sounds like their NHL team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexandre Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Sounds like their NHL team. Yeah. That's what I was thinking. I think I wouldn't mind this Colin Miller on the Comets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeremyCuddles Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Bartosak led my ahl team to two championships in nhl 14. Better watch out He is a guy I make a habit of picking up as well. Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy Kneel Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Weal Mersh and O'Neil are their big three http://www.manchestermonarchs.com/team/statistics/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amish Rake Fighter Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 Manchester's only 300 miles away from Utica, they should have played each other already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaBamba Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 Manchester's only 300 miles away from Utica, they should have played each other already. 300 miles is a freaken eternity in that part of the world. It's not like taking the QE2 from Calgary to Edmonton. It's more like driving to Toffino for 300 miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobart16 Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 300 miles is a freaken eternity in that part of the world. It's not like taking the QE2 from Calgary to Edmonton. It's more like driving to Toffino for 300 miles. Not really. NYS Thruway to Mass Turnpike to 490 to 93. 4.5 hours door to door. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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